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Gazing at the special metal unearthed from the Demon Plane, Xu Yuan couldn't help but feel a deep sense of wonder.
This was the essence of exploration—forever brimming with opportunity.
Everything new brought possibilities completely different from what had come before.
A new plane meant new laws, and all its resources could be things that didn't exist in their own plane.
Among these resources, there might very well be something perfectly suited to oneself.
Clearly, Lan Muzi had stumbled upon the metal that best matched him.
This piece of Dark Sunstone was the rare metal most suited to his martial soul.
By leveraging the properties of the Dark Sunstone, his Yang Wood Blade might soon fully evolve into an attribute of ultimate yang.
Xu Yuan knew the origin of this stone, but the other blacksmiths were somewhat puzzled.
The inner court students who had been to the Demon Plane could vaguely guess its origins.
However, the outer court students had no idea.
The existence of the Demon Plane was currently Shrek's greatest secret—an absolute piece of information that could not be leaked. Therefore, aside from the inner court disciples involved in the exploration missions, no one else knew about it.
Even the Tang Sect only knew that Shrek had borrowed a large number of war soul-guided weapons.
Zhen Hua stared at the Dark Sunstone, his brows furrowing deeply.
He had never seen Dark Sunstone before.
For a Divine Craftsman to encounter a rare metal he hadn't seen was truly unusual.
After all, for blacksmiths, rare metals with unique attributes were extremely valuable, and many blacksmiths had a collector's obsession with them.
Moreover, those seeking a full set—or even just a single piece—of heavenly-forged metal naturally put immense effort into studying them.
Even rare metals they hadn't encountered due to past limitations had been gradually discovered over the years.
Yet, Zhen Hua had no recollection of this Dark Sunstone.
Not only had he never seen it, but he'd never even heard of it.
Zhen Hua glanced sideways, noticing Xu Yuan's slightly surprised expression, and felt even more curious.
"I'll have to ask Elder Feng about it later."
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Fusion Forging!
Fusion forging again.
Earlier, Feng Wuyu's forging had fused six rare metals.
When forging spiritually imbued alloys, the more metals fused together, the closer the resulting alloy approached perfection.
However, the more metals fused, the greater the difficulty of the forging process.
Generally speaking, only two spiritually imbued alloys with a fusion rate of at least 95% could be further fused with seven additional metals to theoretically create the most extreme alloy.
In reality, a nine-metal fusion spiritually imbued alloy had never appeared. Even among the many Divine Craftsmen throughout history, it was said that successfully fusing nine metals could truly push soul masters toward the realm of gods.
Typically, a spiritually imbued alloy forged from two metals was considered the foundation. As long as the pairing of the two metals wasn't problematic and the fusion rate wasn't too low, it would suffice for soul forging.
An alloy forged from three metals was already considered premium, four was top-tier, and five was saintly—a level most Saint Craftsmen reached.
Beyond that, six metals were a level even Saint Craftsmen found difficult to achieve, while seven required a Divine Craftsman in peak condition to succeed. As for eight metals, it required a Divine Craftsman working under ideal conditions of timing, environment, and circumstance.
Generally, spiritually imbued alloys made from five or more metals were already comparable in value to soul-forged metals.
Earlier, Feng Wuyu had fused six metals.
This left the blacksmiths present in awe.
Because he succeeded on the first try.
The entire forging process was exceptionally smooth.
Bam!
The sound of the forging hammer striking the metal rang out again.
Under Feng Wuyu's hammering, the Dark Sunstone rapidly transformed, quickly being refined from raw ore.
One hundred folds, one thousand folds, spirit forging…
Two hours later—
Soul Forging!
Even after much research, Feng Wuyu was still cautious during his first attempt at forging the Dark Sunstone.
However, this process allowed him to rediscover an experience he hadn't felt in many years.
When he first learned forging, he had carefully explored and perceived new metals, feeling the satisfaction of communicating with their spiritual essence and sensing the unique form of life within them. It was an unforgettable feeling.
But the variety of metals was limited.
He hadn't experienced a new kind of metal life in who knows how many years.
The first interaction was so beautiful.
Unconsciously, Feng Wuyu's face revealed an enraptured expression. This forging session was pure enjoyment for him.
Below the stage, Zhen Hua was visibly anxious.
He wanted to try it too.
He wanted to step in and experience it for himself.
The quality of the Dark Sunstone was incredibly high.
Its ability to directly undergo soul forging spoke volumes about its value.
Zhen Hua grew increasingly interested in this metal he had never seen before, feeling restless, as if a thorn was poking him in the seat.
After completing the soul forging, Feng Wuyu attempted to fuse the soul-forged Dark Sunstone with the previously completed six-metal spiritually imbued alloy.
Fusion forging could be done at the beginning, or after each individual spirit forging or soul forging. However, most of the time, it was done at the start.
This time, Feng Wuyu was doing the latter.
He treated the six-metal spiritually imbued alloy as auxiliary material.
Yes, the six-metal spiritually imbued alloy was in a supporting role—the true star was the Dark Sunstone!
Xu Yuan's eyes were filled with emotion as he repeatedly recalled the forging process in his mind, digesting the insights gained.
Success.
On his very first attempt, Feng Wuyu successfully forged a seven-metal spiritually imbued alloy—and at the soul-forging level!
Seven metals—this was typically the domain of Divine Craftsmen!
The blacksmiths below were filled with excitement.
Did this mean Elder Feng was infinitely close to achieving heavenly forging?
Would he become the next Divine Craftsman?
Shrek's blacksmiths held their breaths, their hearts racing at the mere thought of this possibility.
This would be Shrek's very own Divine Craftsman!
Since the rise of forging, Shrek had yet to produce a single Divine Craftsman.
In fact, historically, Divine Craftsmen weren't particularly outstanding in terms of soul power cultivation. Zhen Hua's situation wasn't unique—it was the norm.
The strongest Divine Craftsman in history, without using a four-word battle armor, was only a Level 95 Titled Douluo.
Aside from a stroke of luck that allowed him to slightly strengthen his foundation, crossing the threshold into Super Douluo territory and reaching Level 95, all other Divine Craftsmen were stuck at Level 94.
If Feng Wuyu could achieve the title of Divine Craftsman, it wouldn't just be significant for Shrek—it would revolutionize the entire forging world.
Traditionally, the forging world believed that one could only choose between forging and cultivation—it was difficult to excel in both. Perhaps soul power wouldn't be neglected, but forging almost certainly would be.
If Feng Wuyu succeeded, perhaps a new school of thought would emerge in the forging world—one where soul power cultivation drove the advancement of forging techniques!
This school of thought had always existed, though it remained obscure. A notable representative was En Ci, who learned not only forging but also mech design and manufacturing after advancing his soul power cultivation. Yet, he ultimately stopped at the Saint Craftsman level, and his four-word battle armor was achieved through a clever shortcut.
If someone succeeded, the popularity of this school would undoubtedly skyrocket overnight.
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