Douluo Amon: I am the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King.

Chapter 267 Half-Step Soul Forging

Is this the effect of the ultimate thousand-fold forging? Many level-six blacksmiths wondered to themselves.

"Buzz—" Just then, the piece of dark silver emitted a soft buzzing sound.

Immediately afterwards, the silver itself trembled slightly, and the cloud patterns on it seemed to come alive, flowing and changing, vaguely taking on a human shape. The previously faint roar instantly became more pronounced.

A feeling of jubilation welled up within them!

Success! Spirit forging complete! Five minutes!

From the initial refinement to the completion of the final refinement, Lu Fa only took five minutes.

"hiss!!"

This time, all the blacksmiths around gasped in astonishment. It was as if they were witnessing a legend rising before their very eyes.

The next moment, Lu Fa's aura changed drastically. A strong surge of blood energy erupted as he fully activated his Behemoth bloodline.

The powerful pressure emanating from their bloodlines directly stimulated the martial souls of the surrounding soul masters, causing rings of spirit energy to rise in the hall. In an instant, the entire hall transformed into a sea of ​​spirit rings.

"How can his aura be so strong? And isn't the forging finished now? What else does he want to do?" Some level six blacksmiths even had a terrifying thought: Could this young man want to continue forging?

But they quickly dismissed the idea. How could that be possible? How could a boy not even fifteen years old possibly challenge that realm? Was his cultivation level sufficient?

But at that moment, Lu Fa's Spirit Forged Silver Hammer moved. This time, his Silver Hammer had been dyed gold by the power of his blood and qi, and it smashed down fiercely.

With each strike of the hammer, the entire hall trembled slightly, and the deep rumbles were like the explosions of fixed-mount soul-guided cannons.

The sound even startled the top of the tower!

……

"What happened?"

Master craftsman Zhenhua was sitting on the sofa, flipping through documents. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he looked downstairs.

The materials used to build the headquarters of the Blacksmith Association in Tiandou City are all extraordinary. There are even specially carved soul guidance arrays on it, which are enough to make the building withstand attacks from the level of a Title Douluo.

After all, the Blacksmiths' Association is lacking in everything, but it's never short of money.

Not to mention, as the workplace of the master craftsman, Zhenhua's office is absolutely heavily fortified.

The tremors caused by the road had no effect on him. It was merely a sudden impulse on Zhenhua's part, a feeling he had sensed something.

As a master craftsman, he could clearly sense that faint fluctuation just now.

"Is that my old friend giving a lecture and demonstrating down here?" Zhenhua decided to go down and see for himself.

"What, are you going down? Then I'll follow you." Just then, an old man in his fifties, dressed in a chef's uniform, appeared in front of Zhenhua.

"There's no need, it's only a short distance anyway." Zhenhua shook his head.

"Not long ago, there was an incident in Tiandou City where evil soul masters caused trouble. These are critical times, so it's best to be careful," the old chef said, refuting Zhenhua's point of view.

"Fine, I just can't do anything with you."

……

The Blacksmiths' Association, in the lobby on the first floor.

As Lu Fa was forging the Spirit Forged Silver, each hammer blow produced a whimper-like groan, as if he were experiencing a bittersweet sensation.

As Lu Fa swung his hammer, the piece of heavy silver was instantly dyed gold. Although it would fade in the next instant, there was no doubt that it was being imbued with the light from Lu Fa's Spirit Forging Heavy Silver Hammer.

The biggest difference between spirit forging and soul forging is that spirit forging imbues metal with life, while soul forging imbues metal with its own heritage, much like the inheritance of a soul.

Lufa was pouring all his bloodline energy into the piece of sunken silver, while simultaneously infusing it with his soul and his own aura.

Soul forging is not just about forging metal from the outside, but also about forging it from the inside out by injecting one's own aura, soul power, and spiritual power into the metal. Through this connection with the metal itself, it forges the metal from within.

By combining internal and external elements, the inherent properties of the metal are fully brought out, allowing it to be imbued with its own unique spiritual power.

One theory is that Soul Forging Metal is an avatar of the Saint Craftsman.

While this statement may be somewhat exaggerated, it does have some merit.

Spirit forging can imbue metals with a very unique spirituality, thereby producing special effects that are impossible for ordinary metals, such as self-repair or enhancement of certain special effects.

Soul forging is different; forging metal makes a soul master feel like they have gained a companion.

Battle armor forged from soul-forged metal is like a soul master's second life. It can even execute some commands on its own.

This is also why Lu Fa previously mentioned that "Fusheng Brand" metal is extremely valuable. After all, battle armor forged using "Fusheng Brand" metal can truly give you an extra partner.

Forget about simple commands, you could just order the battle armor to fight you, no problem.

As time went on, the gold color that the sunken silver had been imbued with by the sunken silver hammer faded more slowly with each strike. Often, before the previous gold color had completely faded, Lu Fa's second hammer blow would have already arrived.

Gradually, the sunken silver was completely preserved in its golden state. Lu Fa swung the hammer like a machine, and the speed of the blows began to slow down.

"Ding! Ding!"

Suddenly, as Lu Fa slammed his hammer down, a crisp echo resounded from inside the sunken silver.

This was overheard by Zhenhua, who had just stepped out of the elevator and arrived in the lobby on the first floor.

When Zhenhua looked towards the center of the hall, his pupils contracted even further. There stood a young man undergoing soul forging!

Echoes! This seemingly ordinary event, commonplace for low-level blacksmiths, was quite different for sixth-level blacksmiths.

But to Zhenhua, it sounded like the most wonderful thing in the world.

He understood all too well what this meant.

Soul forging is incredibly difficult, so the response is a significant milestone! It means that the various energies injected into the metal have been integrated and can now assist in forging from within.

This is incredibly useful!

Many level six blacksmiths never reach this level in their entire lives, and this is also the most difficult part of soul forging!

The Soul Forging Echo also signifies the blacksmith's understanding of rare metals, meaning that all the previous preparations were not in vain.

Lu Fa's expression remained unchanged as he continued forging. Sure enough, each hammer strike produced an echo, which grew increasingly clear.

The level six blacksmiths around them began to hold their breath, and even those below level five blacksmiths sensed that something was wrong.

Zhenhua stared intently at Lu Fa.

Could this boy really succeed?

Next comes the solidification of the soul forging. Once solidification is complete, the soul forging is 70% complete. Then comes the final step: soul awakening. Once soul awakening is completed, the soul forging is considered a success.

Undoubtedly, sunken silver is one of the rarest metals that is easiest to forge, but even a piece of soul-forged sunken silver would still be incredibly expensive!

Because at the Soul Forging level, rare metals are no longer rare metals; they are true rare treasures!

Lu Fa's hammer strikes accelerated, his vital energy incredibly powerful, showing no signs of diminishing even now. The golden mist surrounding his body even began to transform into the shape of a colossal beast.

The sunken silver had completely turned golden, and echoes of roars reverberated, along with the clear reverberation of soul forging. All of this signified that everything was moving in a positive direction.

Suddenly, the golden piece of silver shook violently and then jumped off the forging table.

This is……

"Watch out, it's a life shock. It's trying to escape!" Zhenhua immediately exclaimed.

Once the life force of metal is stimulated by soul forging to a certain degree, it will develop its own intelligence.

At this point, it will panic and, not wanting to be controlled, will attempt to escape.

Once it escapes the blacksmith's control, because the newly enhanced soul has not yet been solidified, the soul will quickly dissipate, thus returning to the spirit forging stage. At that time, the metal will no longer be able to undergo soul forging.

If we compare them from this perspective, the value of "Fusheng" brand metal becomes even more immeasurable.

Lu Fa remained calm and unhurried, coldly shouting, "Come back!"

The giant beast formed from the blood and qi behind him let out a roar, and the golden silver trembled and fell back onto the forging table with a "clang".

Lu Fa swung his heavy hammers again and brought them down with a vengeance. The next stage began: Soul Solidification!

Lu Fa began to unleash his spiritual power. With each swing of his hammer, he released less of his bloodline aura, but his spiritual power increased.

Instantly, the amplitude of the golden silver's trembling began to decrease. Under the dual control of mental impact and forging, the gold on its surface began to converge inward as it trembled, and the previous patterns began to emerge.

The interlacing patterns vaguely form a small, ethereal, platinum-gold Behemoth.

The auras of the surrounding level-six blacksmiths, and even Zhenhua's, began to grow heavier. His soul solidification also seemed to be progressing very smoothly; at this rate, he really might complete the soul forging!

Even if he only completes one Soul Forging, Lu Fa will officially advance from a Level 6 Blacksmith to Level 7. And once he reaches Level 7, he will become a new Saint Craftsman.

Will a new legend rise today?!

The Behemoth's form became increasingly clear, and the dark silver shone brightly. Then, the golden aura began to subside, and the light of the dark silver itself began to flicker rhythmically.

"Curing successful!" Zhenhua couldn't help but wave his arm vigorously.

It should be understood that both the Soul Forging Echo and the Soul Forging Solidification processes are extremely difficult, and being able to complete these two processes means that a blacksmith will surely become a Saint Craftsman.

Although the final soul-summoning process is extremely difficult, it is a process that can be practiced over time.

As Lu Fa swung his twin hammers, a crisp "clang!" rang out, and a burst of brilliant golden light erupted from the dark silver. He was about to perform a soul-summoning ritual.

The so-called "soul awakening" involves using the energy infused during forging to summon the soul within the metal, creating a mutual resonance. Only then is the soul within the metal truly activated.

Spiritual forging with vitality is merely like a plant, while soul forging with a soul transforms the metal into something akin to a soul beast. This is true soul forging.

In other words, once soul forging is successful, the metal truly becomes a living thing. That's the magic of it. This is also why soul forging is so difficult.

There's no way to teach soul summoning, because everyone's forging process is different. It's a process that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words; you can only find the feeling for it yourself.

Although he could cheat using his own abilities, Lu Fa didn't want to do that. Kong Xuan was ultimately just a seventh-level Saint Craftsman, and if he borrowed his insights, it might make his path as a blacksmith less pure.

"Buzz—"

The golden silver trembled violently, then suddenly fell silent.

Lufa sighed; he had failed again.

The soul-summoning process only lasts for a very short time. After the soul has solidified, the metallic soul is momentarily active. At this time, if it can be sublimated through soul-summoning...

Then, it will have completed its soul forging and become a new life form with its metallic body. If that doesn't work, it will remain in the solidified state of soul forging.

On the golden, silvery surface, the platinum-gold Behemoth flickered in and out of existence, brimming with spirituality. Unfortunately, it could never become a complete life form like a soul beast.

A large hand gripped Lufa's shoulder firmly. "You've done very well. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Hmm? Who are you?" Lufa asked, puzzled.

"Ah, the president!" "It's President Zhenhua." Just then, the people around began to exclaim.

Ignoring the cheers around him, Zhenhua said, "My name is Zhenhua, the Divine Craftsman Zhenhua! Little one, you must know that forging is about accumulation. Among the three major challenges of Soul Forging, the most difficult is actually the first one, Soul Forging Echo. This is something that cannot be achieved simply through hard work."

It requires more luck and talent. A blacksmith who can achieve this, given enough time to accumulate experience, will almost always become a master craftsman. And you've even accomplished Soul Forging Solidification. All you need is time and an understanding of Soul Forging.

And also, keep improving your cultivation. The higher your cultivation, including your spiritual power, the clearer your senses will be when you summon souls. You will definitely become a Saint-level Craftsman; it's just a matter of time.

"Yes, thank you, Chairman Zhenhua," Lu Fa replied calmly.

"Hmm." Zhenhua replied with a smile, then, like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, he said to Lu Fa in a deep voice, "Well then, little guy, it's your turn to introduce yourself. Who is your master, and how old is he?"

As he spoke, Zhenhua kept his eyes fixed on Lufa. Although he had roughly figured out the boy's bone age from the hand that had just been on his shoulder, he still wanted to hear him say it with his own ears.

"I am Lu Fa, a disciple of Kong Xuan, the president of the Tianhai City Forging Masters Association. I am fourteen years old this year."

These words caused an uproar in the room!

Fourteen years old, half-step Soul Forging!

This is... incredible!

However, a mere disciple capable of half-step Soul Forging? Does that Kong Xuan have that much nerve? Even President Zhenhua isn't as arrogant as him, is he?

In a short time, Kong Xuan's name began to spread.

(End of this chapter)