Douluo: Legend of the Dragon King - The Voice of the Purple Emperor

Chapter 45 A Step to Paradise! A Myriad of Refinements to Spiritual Ascension!

Gu You's body spun continuously, each hammer blow heavier than the last, each one seemingly delivered with all his might. The ice crystals were constantly adjusted in angle after the hammer fell, each time with perfect precision, their volume shrinking at a visible speed.

Zhenhua's expression was somewhat strange. This forging technique was something he had never seen before; it was too wild, but in reality, it was incredibly exquisite.

"I'm leaving now." Yunming looked at Zhenhua.

"Leave? Where to? Isn't this child going back to Shrek Academy?" Zhenhua's eyes were full of confusion.

"He's not going back. He has his own plans, and I won't interfere anymore. The cabinet has many matters to handle, so it's not advisable for him to stay long. He should tell you after he successfully becomes your disciple." Yun Ming stepped lightly into the void, leaving behind a few words.

Zhenhua didn't ask any more questions. After all, no one could stop Yun Xiang from leaving. Perhaps the answer would come to light once Gu You finished forging.

As they spoke, the ice crystals, under Gu You's constant hammering, became transparent and bright, their textures gradually becoming finer and more regular, and the booming hammering sounds becoming crisper. This was clearly an effect that could only be produced by the continuous improvement of the metal's quality.

The hundred-fold forging was complete, and Gu You's twin hammers began to move faster and faster, with their power constantly increasing.

That's exactly right, that's the feeling.

Zhenhua was captivated by Gu You's forging techniques, which were wild yet gentle, and gentle yet wild.

"Boom—" A violent roar was accompanied by a beam of blue light shooting into the sky.

As if one could hear the ice crystal bursting with a cheer, the blue light emanating from the ice crystal itself soared up three feet high like a dragon, and continued to rise for a long time.

Gu You retracted his twin hammers to his sides, his eyes had turned completely purple, and at the same time, three soul rings rose from his feet.

A thousand refinements imbue it with spirit; a first-class realm!

Two beams of purple light, as if they were tangible, shot out from Gu You's eyes, each a full three inches long. With a gliding step, he had already circled around to the side of the ice crystal. He gently tapped the thousand-refined ice crystal with his twin hammers, producing a crisp and melodious "ding-ding" sound.

The Thousand-Refined Ice Crystal also rang out a "ding-ding" sound, as if responding to Gu You.

What is this?

Red?!

Zhen Bi rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

A 100,000-year spirit ring! How did they get that? Putting aside how rare a 10,000-year spirit ring is, the Federation's official count of 100,000-year spirit beasts is currently 32, which also includes sea spirit beasts known to humankind.

This is nothing short of a miracle. A three-ring Soul Master with a 100,000-year Soul Ring is something no one could believe, but it is a fact right before our eyes. If this child truly grows up, he will surely become the next prodigy.

Zhenhua was no longer surprised, perhaps because he had been shocked too much. He appeared calm now. In any case, once Gu You finished forging, the answer should be clear.

Gu You began to wander around the Thousand Refined Ice Crystal. In stark contrast to his previous frenzied forging, he now struck the hammer very lightly, but it was clear that within his two hammers was a soft green-white-gold light, which was clearly his own soul power and the original life force of the hammers themselves.

At the same time, purple dragon scales began to cover Gu You's entire body, and a powerful dragon's might swept outwards. Its aura slowly spiraled upwards, entwining itself around the scorching ice crystals, with purple mist constantly rising.

True Dragon Martial Soul...

Zhenhua stared intently. No wonder he was so strong; it was clear he had innate talent.

The process of spiritual forging imbues the ice crystal with a semi-soulful quality. When this spiritual quality emerges, one uses the spiritual power of the martial soul as a bridge to communicate with it and help it shape life. This is the process of spiritual forging.

Using the spirit and mind as the hammer, and martial spirit as the guide, with mind and spirit as one, one can forge all living beings: this is called Spirit Forging.

Spirit Forging and Thousand Forging are qualitatively different, just like battle armor with only one word difference, yet their power is worlds apart.

Spirit forging elevates metal to another level. Forgers who reach the level of spirit forging are no weaker than mecha makers or mecha designers of the same level, and are even rarer.

Once the spirit forging is completed, having even one spirit forged piece will make one a fifth-level forging master. This step is the most important for any forging master.

Gu You could have actually obtained a Level 5 Blacksmith Badge before, but Feng Wuyu felt that registering it would be too conspicuous. What does it mean to be a Level 5 Blacksmith at the age of nine? Moreover, Gu You was not proficient in spirit forging and often failed. In order not to make Gu You lose confidence, Feng Wuyu went to great lengths to specially bind a near-Level 5 Special Blacksmith Badge to him. The Federation also issued a certificate to acknowledge it.

Back then, Zhenhua paid countless prices to successfully take this step. Now, seeing such a young person successfully forging the Spirit Forge, Zhenhua felt somewhat inferior. However, he was still very gratified. He could finally have an heir, and Gu You had completely surpassed the image of his heir.

Compared to ordinary blacksmiths, or rather, blacksmiths of the same level, Gu You has an advantage in mental strength. His mental strength at the Spirit Sea Realm allows him to have a very clear grasp of everything and to imbue the metal with a soul.

Gu You is now immersed in communicating with the ice crystal. He can feel the joy and a hint of timidity emanating from the ice crystal. It seems hesitant to take that step, and Gu You is here to guide it to take that crucial step.

A step into paradise! A journey through countless lives.

The soul is forged through countless trials, a process of constant communication and spiritual exchange. Each gentle tap preserves the spirituality of the thousand-times-forged ice crystal, while the infusion of soul power guides it to generate its own life.

This is similar to the cultivation of soul beasts. A ten-year-old soul beast is not much different from an ordinary animal in terms of intelligence, while a hundred-year-old soul beast already has a certain level of spirituality. By the time it reaches a thousand years, its vitality will experience a qualitative leap, and its intelligence will gradually grow. By the time it reaches a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, its intelligence is no less than that of humans.

The higher the level of a soul beast, the stronger it is, not only because of its powerful energy, but also because of its enhanced intelligence.

The same applies to metals; the more spiritual they possess, the more they can elevate themselves and undergo qualitative changes.

A strange scene began to unfold. The Thousand-Refined Ice Crystal, which had shrunk considerably, trembled under Gu You's gentle tapping. The blue light emanating from it gradually began to change, and layers of purple patterns swirled gently like vortexes. Its size naturally shrank on its own, and the blue and purple light emanating from it began to grow stronger and stronger.

This means that Gu You's communication with her went smoothly, and a connection was successfully established between them.

Now it remains to be seen whether he can maintain this connection, continuously triggering qualitative changes in the ice crystals, and ultimately complete the ascension process.

(End of this chapter)