"Master Uncle, don't worry. I'm still in good shape right now."
At this moment, aside from a bit of fatigue, Xu Yuan hadn't suffered any significant damage or injuries.
The most difficult aspects of heavenly forging were limited to a few key points: the ability to sense and manipulate elemental forces with Spirit Domain-level spiritual power, and deeply imbuing one's own insights into the metal. Among these, reaching the Spirit Domain Realm was a threshold, but the most critical factor was technique.
Clearly, Xu Yuan had already mastered this technique.
Forging wasn't difficult, especially after laying a solid foundation. As long as one possessed Spirit Domain-level spiritual power and their comprehension was sufficient to imbue the metal to the point of triggering the heavenly forging lightning tribulation, they could master it with time.
The reason time was still required was because of the tribulation itself.
Surviving the tribulation was a matter of luck.
Although successfully forging a metal to the point of attracting the tribulation was already considered a success, the better the metal's foundation, the higher the probability of surviving the tribulation—a truth that remained constant throughout time.
Thus, even someone who had just mastered the art of heavenly forging couldn't possibly forge an exceptionally powerful metal.
Back when Zhen Hua first began, he might have attracted a tribulation within the first year of his six-year journey, but due to bad luck or consistently forging metals that barely crossed the threshold for heavenly forging, the chances of survival were too low. Additionally, his methods for assisting the metal through the tribulation weren't yet refined.
This was indeed the case.
Zhen Hua had repeatedly lamented the importance of strength.
If one was strong enough, the tribulation could be overcome effortlessly. Like Xu Yuan's method—using himself to absorb the brunt of the tribulation's power, even if the metal itself was weak, it would still be sufficient to endure the tribulation.
"Master Uncle, I might stay here for a few more days to get more practice with heavenly forging."
"No problem. Now that you've become a new Divine Craftsman, feel free to come here whenever you want to forge. That's the rule of the Blacksmiths' Association. And Elder Feng—if he's interested—he can also come here to attempt heavenly forging." Zhen Hua waved his hand generously, without the slightest hint of stinginess.
This Heavenly Refined Forging Table was originally built for Divine Craftsmen.
Zhen Hua's blood essence was declining, and the frequency of his forging was slowly decreasing. Within ten years, he estimated he would no longer perform heavenly forging. At this time, the emergence of two new Divine Craftsmen made him happy, and he hoped that this Heavenly Refined Forging Table, which had accompanied him for so long, would continue to shine.
Over the next few days, Xu Yuan continued forging.
On the first day, he worked with Jade Silver. On the second day, he added blood essence to the Jade Silver, creating a three-in-one sentient alloy for heavenly forging.
On the third day, Xu Yuan incorporated Thundercloud Iron, forging a four-in-one sentient alloy and attracting a six-colored tribulation—five elements plus thunder.
On the fourth day, Xu Yuan infused part of his own life force into the four-in-one sentient alloy, again facing a six-colored tribulation.
After four consecutive days of heavenly forging, Xu Yuan gradually approached the heavenly forging of metals close to Jue's true form.
From the second day onward, he began encountering failures, but each day he quickly adjusted after failure, found the key points, and still managed to accumulate four successful experiences daily.
After four days of heavenly forging, Xu Yuan had established a solid foundation in heavenly forging multi-element sentient alloys derived from Jade Silver.
On the fifth day, Xu Yuan didn't forge.
After adjusting his condition for a day, on the sixth day, he prepared to upgrade Jue.
---
Day Six
Zhen Hua had witnessed Xu Yuan's heavenly forging for four consecutive days and now wore an expression of anticipation.
He knew what Xu Yuan was forging today.
Jue!
What had once been a simple metallic soul spirit, after being induced and crafted, became a unique spear spirit.
Never did he imagine that after so many years, this spear spirit had grown to such an extent, fusing with numerous special metals and now on the verge of undergoing the transformation of heavenly forging.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath and activated the forging platform before him.
This time, there was no need for the platform to assist with fusion forging.
Jue's true form materialized, lying quietly on the forging platform, its dazzling spear body shimmering with colorful patterns.
Xu Yuan brought down his forging hammer.
Over the past few days, his forging hammer had also been upgraded, incorporating the previously heavenly-forged Jade Silver.
Boom!
Jue's true form began to soften.
The forging platform began to heat up.
With Jue's cooperation, the initial stages of forging were very stable.
Xu Yuan drew upon the five elemental forces and thunder element, channeling them entirely into Jue's true form.
Simultaneously, his blood essence surged, and the flames of life ignited.
Crimson and emerald flames intertwined around Xu Yuan's forging hammer, continuously striking Jue's true form.
Boom!
Boom, boom, boom!
Insights were infused into the body.
In reality, it was Xu Yuan's insights being integrated into his own blood essence, while Jue's insights resurfaced.
One person, one spear—they had walked through countless experiences together. Every insight, every advancement, both had experienced simultaneously.
It could be said that Jue inherently carried most of Xu Yuan's insights.
These insights were now being fully infused into Jue's true form by Xu Yuan.
Among them, what Jue inherently possessed was, strictly speaking, merely awakened.
What Xu Yuan infused were insights about spiritual attributes and stellar energy—fields in which Jue had less experience.
This time, Xu Yuan didn't even rely on the Dream Space; instead, he forged his insights about the Dream Space bit by bit into Jue's true form.
From this point on, Jue's true form also gained the innate talent for illusions.
Boom!
This was the longest forging session Xu Yuan had undertaken over the past few days.
It lasted a full three hours.
Only after perfectly integrating all his insights into Jue's true form did Xu Yuan finally exhale in relief.
With a final hammer strike, the six elements converged, generating a radiant glow on Jue's surface.
In the sky, the six elements coalesced, finally forming a bolt of lightning.
This time, Xu Yuan didn't merge with Jue.
The tribulation would be faced using the most primitive method.
All six bolts of lightning would be endured solely by Jue.
After completing the forging, Xu Yuan slowly retreated, leaving the stage to Jue.
A long spear spontaneously condensed the five elemental forces.
Upon the spear, blood essence surged, and the dense vitality burned fiercely.
At this moment, Jue had transformed into a true living entity.
He possessed his own life essence!
Boom!
The first bolt of lightning descended.
First soul skill: Five Elements Spear Technique!
The five elemental forces swirled, condensing into a five-element cycle at the spear's tip. The cycle collided with the lightning, swiftly absorbing it.
The lightning flowed along the connection between the cycle and the spear's tip, gradually being devoured by Jue.
The intensity of the first bolt was only average. Bring it on!
Jue quickly absorbed the power of the first bolt of lightning, pointing the spear tip toward the thunderclouds in the sky, issuing a challenge.
Xu Yuan watched from the side, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
This personality definitely wasn't inherited from him.
Jue was a born spear spirit, and his temperament differed from Xu Yuan's. Xu Yuan's achievements in spear techniques were also due to Jue's assistance.
Even when wielding the Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear, no matter how composed Xu Yuan usually was, under Jue's influence, he would display a completely different sharpness.
After the first bolt of lightning, there was no pause—the second bolt followed immediately.
Boom!
This bolt was thicker than the first, and the five elemental forces within the lightning began to combine with the thunder element.
Jue remained fearless.
Second soul skill: Spear Demon Body!
Blood essence surged, and Jue's true form transformed into pure blood essence. The spear's momentum erupted, enveloping the five elemental forces and shattering the second bolt of lightning.
Blood essence spread throughout the surroundings, rapidly devouring the scattered lightning energy.
The third bolt arrived, with the five elemental forces operating in a mutually reinforcing cycle. The thunder element also merged, transforming into destructive power.
Third soul skill: Piercing Spear!
Jue charged forward without hesitation, piercing through the bolt of lightning.
However, this bolt was unlike the previous ones. The five elemental forces formed a mutually reinforcing cycle, making it incredibly stubborn. Even after being pierced, the lightning clung to Jue's spear like a parasite, corroding it.
The five elements entangled, while the thunder destroyed.
Their roles were clearly defined.
Jue's spear was corroded by the lightning, but he was also absorbing and converting its power.
The five elemental forces were counter-enveloped by his own five elemental forces, gradually being digested.
At this moment, the fourth bolt of lightning descended.
This time, the five elemental forces and thunder element were deeply combined, transforming into five elemental divine thunders, forming a mutually reinforcing cycle.
All three of Jue's remaining soul rings now began to flicker.
All soul skills erupted, and the five elemental forces and lightning still clinging to Jue's exterior were rapidly invaded by his dense life flames. An internal and external assault quickly consumed them entirely.
Subsequently, Jue's spear expanded dozens of times in size.
The spear charged forward without hesitation.
The blood essence manifestation collided with the fourth bolt of lightning, swiftly crushing it and devouring it with overwhelming force.
Inside the spear's manifestation, the power of the fourth bolt was rapidly absorbed, becoming Jue's own strength.
The fifth bolt of lightning arrived, and Jue swiftly crushed it, merging it with his blood essence manifestation.
At this point, Jue's spear underwent a transformation.
He underwent a transformation.
Heavenly-forged metal was in a race against time with the lightning tribulation. Under the continuous stimulation of successive bolts of lightning, it transformed into a true living entity, enabling it to withstand the subsequent tribulations.
At this moment, Jue had taken this step.
Ordinary heavenly-forged metals gave off an impression of liveliness.
However, Jue was different.
Its will was resolute, and at this moment, all its spear momentum and intent coalesced into one force.
The enormous spear manifestation along with all the surrounding blood flames and life flames contracted and condensed, forming a dazzling spear.
The spear released a streak of light that pierced through the horizon.
The thunderclouds dissipated.
A resonating hum echoed loudly.
At this moment, everyone in Tian Dou City seemed to hear this hum. They instinctively looked toward the Heavenly Refined Forging Table's direction and saw that streak of light piercing through the sky.
Yu Guanzhi, who was temporarily enjoying retirement in Tian Dou City, flew up into the air, staring at the Heavenly Refined Forging Table with a grave expression.
He knew what was happening there.
Heavenly Forging.
Was this the scene of a successful Heavenly Forging?
No.
This was the sign of a Divine Weapon taking shape.
What was Zhen Hua doing?
Could it be that the continuous Heavenly Forgings over the past few days were all for today, to forge a divine weapon?
Had he really forged a divine weapon?
Yu Guanzhi's gaze wavered for a moment, then he quickly flew toward the Heavenly Refined Forging Table to gather more intelligence.
Upon nearing the Heavenly Refined Forging Table, he got a clearer view of the spear's appearance.
Although the spear's form had undergone significant changes, he still felt a sense of familiarity.
The dense blood essence, the vigorous life flame, and the signature five elemental forces allowed him to quickly identify the spear and its owner.
"Xu Yuan!" Yu Guanzhi exclaimed in shock.
It was Xu Yuan's martial soul.
Had he turned his martial soul into a divine weapon?
Boom!
The thunderclouds had just dispersed when endless dark clouds gathered again.
The thunder elements above Tian Dou City became extraordinarily active.
Yu Guanzhi looked at the thunderclouds in the sky and instantly discerned that this wasn't a Heavenly Forging lightning tribulation.
"What is this?" Yu Guanzhi wore a puzzled expression as he rapidly cross-referenced various pieces of information. After a long time, just as the thunder was about to condense and fall, he finally identified the nature of this tribulation.
"This is the Soul Beast Lightning Tribulation!"
Boom!
The thunder rained down.
Xu Yuan swiftly moved away from the Heavenly Refined Forging Table to hover above it. He held the Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear, sweeping it horizontally, transforming the surrounding area into a domain with the five elemental forces.
Around him, six soul rings were neatly arranged.
Black, black, black, black, black, black!
Six black soul rings.
Yu Guanzhi's pupils contracted.
He wasn't shocked by the six black soul rings but by their fluctuating glow, occasionally emitting a blood-red light.
As time passed, the frequency of this blood-red light increased, and eventually, the soul rings began to shift entirely between black and red.
Looking up at the thunderclouds in the sky, Yu Guanzhi now fully understood the source of everything.
"Has his spirit soul also broken through to ten thousand years?"
The thunderclouds locked onto Xu Yuan, focusing on the spear in his hand, relentlessly pouring down thunder.
"What is in his hand? A martial soul or a spirit soul?"
Yu Guanzhi was stunned.
On the other side, Zhen Hua watched this scene. Aside from being awestruck, he understood everything else.
Dual Lightning Tribulations!
So that's how it is.
"Jue is close to a hundred thousand years. His urgency to perform Heavenly Forging was to help Jue break through this bottleneck and assist in his breakthrough."
He understood it all.
But he was still in awe.
At this moment, Xu Yuan had already unleashed his spear in the sky.
The Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear shot out of his hand, piercing through the horizon.
The thunderclouds were pierced through.
Spear lights radiated in all directions.
The Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear transformed into a scorching ball of blood essence, dispersing countless strands of blood essence threads. Each thread carried the five elemental forces, spreading through the heavens and earth, weaving through the surrounding thunder forces, resembling spears.
With one spear thrust, a domain of spears truly formed; the vast five elemental forces transformed into countless Five Element Spears.
The Five Element Spears weaved through the thunder, basking under the rain of lightning.
After Xu Yuan unleashed his spear, he glanced down in Yu Guanzhi's direction.
He hadn't expected this military bigwig, the federal general, to still be in Tian Dou City.
Xu Yuan remembered that when he ambushed the Dark Blood Demon last time, this person was in Tian Dou City and even arrived promptly to support him.
Though he didn't play much of a role, he did serve as a deterrent.
He hadn't expected this person to still be here now.
What Xu Yuan didn't know was that Yu Guanzhi's stay in Tian Dou City was longer than he realized.
A year ago, during the explosion of the Godslayer Missile, both lost missiles landed in Shrek City. He gave up struggling and decided not to leave Tian Dou City until the incident was officially resolved.
He truly hadn't been involved in any of this and dared not cause trouble at this time.
In the sky.
The entire thundercloud seemed to be rapidly consumed and digested. Even though the lightning tribulation rules triggered multiple enhancements, they were still swallowed by the gradually expanding Five Element Spear Domain.
The Five Element Spear Domain didn't merely consume the thunder and convert the energy into five elemental forces; instead, it invaded and controlled the thunder, transforming it into Five Element Divine Thunder, encircling within the spear domain, allowing each Five Element Spear to become imbued with thunder power.
This assimilation was much faster and far more terrifying than pure absorption and digestion.
Of course, this was only possible because it was a lightning tribulation. If it were another method, perhaps Xu Yuan would have found it more challenging to handle.
With the Thunder Essence Gold, Xu Yuan felt that Jue had gained the ability of the Thunderous Netherworld Vine to grow by devouring thunder.
This wasn't hard to understand since Jue himself was on a path of devouring everything with the five elements, influenced by Xu Yuan's Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique, inheriting Xu Yuan's devouring intent. Additionally, he had the special existence of Life Gold to carry these devouring attributes. With the pure thunder-formed Thunder Essence Gold, possessing the ability to grow by devouring thunder was quite reasonable.
Though the devouring was fast, the gathering of the tribulation was slow.
The Heavenly Forging tribulation lasted only half an hour, while the hundred-thousand-year tribulation lasted a full three days.
It was much shorter than Xing Jun's (Star Lord) tribulation, but the amount of thunder power gathered was immense, seemingly reaching the limit of a hundred-thousand-year tribulation. Therefore, even without causing any injuries to Xu Yuan and Jue, the provoked tribulation still dissipated in just three short days.
Within the Five Element Spear Domain, countless flashes of lightning transformed into spears. blood essence emerged, rapidly consolidating these numerous spears.
A massive spear took shape in mid-air.
The Peerless Divine Spear!
Jue's true form was exposed to countless people in Tian Dou City, showcasing his divine spear form.
Xu Yuan waved his right hand, shrinking the spear and bringing it into his grasp.
Around his body, six circles of soul rings floated downward, the blood-red glow dazzling.
Six blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul rings. Upon closer inspection, the first soul ring had patterns of five colors, the third soul ring bore a faint golden pattern, the fourth soul ring had cyan patterns, and the sixth soul ring was filled with deep purple patterns, resembling lightning coursing through the soul ring.
The second and fifth soul rings, which lacked special patterns, appeared like furnaces from afar.
Each soul ring seemed unique.
And these six soul rings all originated from a single spirit.
No, not six soul rings.
At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the masses, Xu Yuan's six black soul rings transformed into six red soul rings, and then the formation of the seventh soul ring began.
The thunderclouds had dissipated, yet Xu Yuan somehow drew upon that residual power. A three-kilometer radius above Tian Dou City quietly ignited, turning into a blood-red ocean.
Boundless energy converged, compressed, and instantly formed a halo around Xu Yuan's body, becoming the seventh soul ring.
Yu Guanzhi took a deep breath.
He had observed for a full three days.
He had truly realized how formidable Xu Yuan was.
Previously, when ambushing the Dark Blood Demon outside Tian Dou City, Xu Yuan seemed to rely on external forces to barely halt the Dark Blood Demon's escape.
That strike reached the level of a Limit Douluo, but no more. The traces of using external forces were quite obvious.
But now, having witnessed Xu Yuan confronting the tribulation and gaining a seventh soul ring, Yu Guanzhi had a premonition: if Xu Yuan were to fuse with three-word battle armor now, with his martial soul elevated to a divine weapon level, he might have the potential to unleash Limit-level power!
Two thousand years ago, Limit Douluos were called Peerless Douluos.
And perhaps the spear in Xu Yuan's hand could now be called—
The Peerless Divine Spear!
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