Douluo Dragon King: I, Huo Linfei, the Mecha Illusionary Lin God

He walked over to Huo Linfei and pointed to the red copper: "Hundred forgings are the foundation, and a thousand forgings are the sublimation. When it reaches a thousand forgings, the metal will develop its own 'patterns,' which are the marks of its life."

"A Thousand Refinements of Grade One is characterized by perfect patterns and abundant spiritual energy; it is the pinnacle of all quality."

Huo Linfei's eyes lit up: "Then how do you do it with a thousand forgings?"

"Your strength is insufficient," Mang Tian pointed out incisively. "A hundred refinements can be compensated for with technique, but a thousand refinements require genuine explosive power. Look,"

He picked up the hammer that Huo Linfei had just used and slammed it down on the red copper.

when!!!

The sound was completely different. It was dull, heavy, and had a strange echo. A visible ripple appeared on the surface of the bronze, then slowly subsided.

"This strike used thirty percent of my strength," Mang Tian said. "A thousand-fold forging requires this kind of power, continuous and uninterrupted, while also controlling the point of impact, rhythm, and temperature. Your current small frame can't do that."

Huo Linfei stared at the red copper, his mind racing.

Not enough strength?

He raised his left hand, looking at the power lock on his wrist. Flames flickered within the emerald green crystal.

"Uncle Mang," Huo Linfei looked up, his eyes shining brightly, "What if... what if I could increase my strength in a short time?"

Mang Tian frowned: "How do you improve? By taking pills? No, you're too young, your body can't handle it."

"It's not a pill," Huo Linfei grinned, "it's my soul skill."

He took a step back and took a deep breath.

The supernatural lock on his wrist suddenly shone brightly, and layers of flame patterns lit up on the blood-red wristband's face. Flames surged within the emerald green crystal.

"First Soul Skill,"

Huo Linfei shouted in a low voice: "Arm up!"

Click, click, click.

A series of metallic clanging and assembling sounds rang out. Starting from the power lock, red metal plates appeared out of thin air, spreading upwards along the arms, covering the shoulders, chest, waist, abdomen, and legs.

The helmet rose from the neck, the visor fell down, and the goggles on the eyes glowed with a bright green light.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

A six-year-old child, whose entire body was covered in red armor and whose design was both sharp and fluid, stood in front of Mang Tian.

The armor wasn't heavy; it was more like a close-fitting suit of armor. The joints were flexible, and there was a flame-patterned emblem on the chest. The helmet's shape somewhat resembled… a Qilin?

Tang Wulin had long since stopped swinging his hammer and was staring blankly at this side, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

Mang Tian was even more dumbfounded.

He knew that Huo Linfei's martial soul was a weapon martial soul, and he also knew that the child had soul rings. But he thought that soul skills were just something like releasing a fireball.

What... what is this? Full body armor?

"This is the first soul skill of the Superpower Lock, Armor." Huo Linfei's voice came from inside the helmet, carrying a metallic resonance.

"It can enhance my strength, speed, and defense. Uncle Mang, am I strong enough now?"

Mang Tian came to his senses and looked at Huo Linfei with a complicated expression.

What kind of monster is this child?

"Give it a try." He finally uttered only two words.

Huo Linfei walked to the anvil and picked up the hammer again. This time, the twenty-pound hammer felt as light as a chopstick in its armed state.

He weighed it in his hand and immediately switched to the fifty-pound heavy hammer next to him.

He reheated the copper, this time learning to precisely control the temperature using the flames of his ability lock. The copper heated to the perfect orange-red color.

Raise the hammer.

fall.

when!!!

The studio floor shook.

A burst of sparks erupted from the surface of the copper, and a clear humming sound emanated from within the metal. It wasn't the sound of physical vibration, but rather... some kind of resonance.

"Continue," Mang Tian said in a low voice. "Don't stop. Listen to the sound of the metal, feel its breath. It's a stubborn piece of iron now; you have to knock it awake, knock it to life."

Huo Linfei nodded, and the second hammer fell.

when!!!

The third strike.

when!!!

One hammer blow after another.

In his armed state, his strength surged, and every hammer blow was powerful and heavy.

But what's even more terrifying is the control. Such a heavy hammer, such immense power, yet the point of impact is frighteningly precise. Every strike hits the copper where it needs the most stress, and each blow makes the metal's texture even clearer.

Mang Tian watched from the side, his palms sweaty.

What did he see?

This kid wasn't just randomly hammering. Each strike of the hammer had a strange rhythm, like... he was talking to the metal?

As the hammer fell, the luster on the surface of the copper changed, from orange-red to bright red, and then to a warm, golden-red.

One hundred times.

Three hundred times.

Five hundred times.

Huo Linfei's breathing became rapid. The armed state was extremely taxing, and with his current soul power, he could only maintain it for ten minutes at most. But the transformation of the Crimson Copper had reached its most critical moment.

He could feel it—the metal had truly "come alive".

It is breathing, it is beating, it is yearning for the final blow.

"Now!" Mang Tian suddenly shouted, "The final blow, with all your might!"

Huo Linfei's eyes narrowed.

He gripped the hammer with both hands and raised it high. The light from the power lock shone brightly, and the flame patterns on the armor surface seemed to actually burn.

The phantom of the little lion king appeared on his shoulder and let out a low growl.

The hammer falls.

when--!!!

It wasn't the sound of metal clashing.

It is the sound of bells.

The copper burst forth with a dazzling light, the entire piece of metal radiating a reddish-gold luster from the inside out.

The surface texture is no longer chaotic, but forms a natural, flowing pattern, like flames or clouds.

It is forged a thousand times, and then it is complete.

Huo Linfei's legs went weak, his armor dissipated, and his armor turned into specks of light and vanished. He leaned on his hammer, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face like rain.

But his eyes were fixed on the piece of red copper.

The copper lay quietly on the anvil, radiating a warm, lustrous light. This light wasn't reflected light, but rather emanated from the metal itself, as if it possessed a life of its own.

Mang Tian rushed over and grabbed the red copper. His fingers trembled as he stroked the patterns on its surface, feeling its vibrant spirituality.

A thousand forgings...it really was a thousand forgings...

Moreover, this is not an ordinary thousand-times-forged material; the patterns and spiritual energy are already close to the first grade of a thousand-times-forged material!

A six-year-old child, on his first forging attempt, used a piece of red copper to hammer out metal that was nearly of the highest grade after a thousand forgings?!

Mang Tian suddenly turned his head to look at Huo Linfei, his eyes looking at him as if he were a monster.

Then he did something that caught Huo Linfei off guard: he pulled out a small knife from his waist, grabbed Huo Linfei's hand, and made a cut on his fingertip.

"Ouch!" Huo Linfei winced in pain. "Uncle Mang, what are you doing?!"

A drop of blood fell onto the red copper.

The blood didn't drip; instead, it was rapidly absorbed by the metal. The next second, the bronze gleamed even brighter, and the fiery, cloud-like patterns seemed to come alive, slowly flowing across its surface.

"Blood sacrifice..." Mang Tian murmured, "A thousand forgings imbue it with spirit, and a blood sacrifice recognizes its master. From this day forward, this piece of red copper will only recognize you as its master."