The cost of constructing the Heavenly Refined Forging Table was enormous. What it improved wasn't just that ten percent success rate—it raised Zhen Hua's upper limit.
It was akin to artificially breaking through heights unattainable by natural talent, thereby helping him reach further.
In fact, this idea had already proven the value of the Heavenly Refined Forging Table.
If Zhen Hua originally only had a ten percent success rate, then the Heavenly Refined Forging Table would naturally only improve it by one percent.
But what if Zhen Hua could achieve forty percent?
Then the Heavenly Refined Forging Table would boost it by four percent!
After all, the Heavenly Refined Forging Table increased Zhen Hua's base success rate by ten percent, and this percentage varied depending on his state. Any other methods Zhen Hua used to increase his success rate also benefited from this ten percent bonus.
Though it might seem impractical, it actually had significant utility.
Without the Heavenly Refined Forging Table, Zhen Hua's current success rate might have been capped at twenty percent at most.
That thirty percent difference was monumental.
Zhen Hua brought Xu Yuan to the center of the Heavenly Refined Forging Table. With a light tap of his right foot on the ground, accompanied by a low mechanical hum, various metallic structures slowly rose from the floor.
First was an enormous forging platform, at least five times the size of an ordinary one. It was entirely silvery-white, seemingly imbued with a mysterious power. Upon closer inspection, Xu Yuan realized it resembled the domain effects released by three-word battle armor.
This single forging platform alone was something many soul masters could only dream of.
While its craftsmanship couldn't match the level of battle armor due to limitations in achieving domain-like effects, it made up for it with superior materials. This forging platform was crafted using heavenly-forged metal!
Moreover, it was specifically designed to enhance forging.
Xu Yuan now understood why Zhen Hua could raise his success rate to fifty percent.
The Heavenly Refined Forging Table was only part of the equation.
Zhen Hua truly utilized every external tool to its utmost potential, even at great expense, pushing these external aids to their limits to further elevate himself.
Perhaps natural talent constrained his progress, but he could rely on external tools to reach realms beyond the limits of his innate abilities.
Of course, Zhen Hua's talent as a Divine Craftsman was already far beyond what an ordinary blacksmith could imagine.
Next to the forging platform, shelves slowly rose, forming an octagonal arrangement. Each shelf held over a hundred pieces of metal, totaling more than a thousand pieces, with very few duplicates among them.
"Watch carefully!"
Zhen Hua was ready to begin forging.
He placed his right hand on the forging platform. Its surface seemed to melt or open like a mouth, swallowing the two pieces of metal Zhen Hua had taken from the shelves.
Xu Yuan observed this scene and nodded involuntarily.
Though it might appear flashy, leveraging external tools could indeed raise one's limits.
Xu Yuan was well aware that Zhen Hua only relied on such tools during critical moments. In daily forging at the Blacksmiths' Association, Zhen Hua used only the most basic tools.
Relying purely on his own strength in normal circumstances and turning to external tools at key moments formed a virtuous cycle, allowing him to break through his limits step by step and reach his current level.
The title of "Divine Craftsman" was not the end.
This was something Zhen Hua firmly believed.
Of course, the higher vistas were difficult for him to see. Thus, he continued to push himself, deepening his understanding of forging to analyze more details of spirit forging, fusion forging, and soul forging. He passed this knowledge on to the many blacksmiths of the Blacksmiths' Association, nurturing more talented blacksmiths.
When the overall level of blacksmiths improved, there might be hope of breaking through this despair-inducing barrier.
Zhen Hua's aura changed, evoking a wondrous sensation. Xu Yuan felt as though Zhen Hua had vanished in that instant, completely merging with the surrounding environment.
Around them, the Heavenly Refined Forging Table also transformed. From the outside, it still appeared as transparent glass, but from within, faint colors gradually emerged.
The colors were subtle but undeniably present, growing deeper over time.
This wasn't merely a change in color; Xu Yuan could sense that the concentration of elemental attributes across the entire Heavenly Refined Forging Table was intensifying.
To avoid interfering with Zhen Hua's forging process, Xu Yuan refrained from using the Seven Forbidden Techniques. This ultimate skill exerted too much subjective control over the surrounding environment, and he feared that the forces of heaven and earth influenced by him might resist Zhen Hua's manipulation.
After all, strictly speaking, Xu Yuan's strength had already surpassed Zhen Hua's, and his influence on the forces of heaven and earth could potentially destabilize Zhen Hua.
Even without using the Seven Forbidden Techniques, Xu Yuan's mental power alone allowed him to observe the changes in the surrounding environment.
According to the normal spiritual realm of soul masters at the peak of the Spirit Abyss Realm, while they might detect changes in elemental forces, fully comprehending the intricacies involved in heavenly forging was nearly impossible.
However, Xu Yuan was no ordinary soul master.
His insights had long reached a certain level.
Previously, Yun Ming had spent some time cultivating amidst the astral phenomena. After the attack on Shrek Academy by the Godslayer Missiles, he departed but not before offering Xu Yuan some guidance. He instructed Xu Yuan to practice the Seven Forbidden Techniques in the most traditional way.
At the same time, Yun Ming explained some other concepts to Xu Yuan.
For instance, dimensions.
Under normal circumstances, the stacking of countless three-dimensional spaces would form a four-dimensional space—the final stacked state, encompassing special dimensions such as energy dimensions.
Further down, some believed it was a purely repetitive process, treating three-dimensional space as a point and repeating the progression from one-dimensional lines to two-dimensional planes, and then to three-dimensional solids.
Yun Ming clearly didn't subscribe to this view.
In Yun Ming's perspective, four-dimensional space was the result of stacking to achieve dimensional ascension.
Beyond stacking, other dimensions existed.
For example, laws.
Involving laws could directly ascend to a higher dimension.
Life-bearing planets were four-dimensional because they possessed their own laws and origins of those laws.
If a life-bearing plane could generate its own energy origin—capable of birthing primordial star power wandering in four-dimensional cosmic space—it would ascend to five dimensions, becoming a god-level plane.
Beyond laws, other directions existed, such as time, which might also represent a level of dimensional ascension.
Beyond that, perhaps other directions existed as well.
Xu Yuan had already gained some insight into the realm of laws. Though he hadn't yet transcended dimensions to become a four-dimensional life form through comprehension, his perception had already achieved four-dimensional awareness. His level of perception surpassed even the Spirit Domain Realm, making it incredibly useful.
A dark red vortex began to form at the center of the forging platform. The vortex surged upward, spitting out a dark red fireball.
Upon closer inspection, the fireball consisted of the two metals previously swallowed by the forging platform. With the platform's assistance, they had completely melted and intertwined.
The forging platform, crafted with heavenly-forged metal at its core, was, in a sense, a living entity—an unparalleled divine tool for assisting in forging.
Zhen Hua suddenly opened his eyes, which became brilliantly bright and focused. His entire being exuded a majestic presence that connected heaven and earth.
With a sweep of his hands, a surge of formidable soul power erupted, and a dark red hammer condensed from soul power appeared in the air.
Boom!
With a single strike, the dark red sphere was flattened.
Of course, Xu Yuan wasn't focusing on the shape of the sphere but its nature.
Around the sphere, large amounts of impurities were expelled, and its interior instantly became crystal clear. The two metals rapidly fused, their internal structure changing swiftly under the guidance of Zhen Hua's hammer strike, aligning themselves in an orderly fashion.
Was this a single strike of fusion forging?
Simultaneously, a pillar of light ten feet tall shot into the sky.
Thousand Refinements Awakens Spirit, Thousand Refinements One Grade!
Xu Yuan solidified this step, while the Dream Space enveloped the surroundings, replicating everything without affecting the changes in the environment.
Within the Dream Space, Xu Yuan's consciousness operated faster, allowing him to ponder more questions.
"This is the realm of communication between the mind and metal. Senior Uncle didn't just deliver a single strike—he had already established a connection with these two pieces of metal beforehand. No, it wasn't communication but resonance. At this stage, the spirituality of these two metals is too low for mutual communication. Senior Uncle sensed the state of the metals himself and then delivered the strike."
Now, the two metals had undergone fusion forging and awakened their spirituality through Thousand Refinements. Zhen Hua immediately established contact with them as their spirituality awakened.
At the moment their spirituality was awakened, he seamlessly took over, completing the connection.
The dark red hammer lifted again and came crashing down once more.
Boom!
This time, a faint trace of life force was born beneath the heavy hammer.
All kinds of elements on the Heavenly Refined Forging Table converged like rivers flowing into the sea, forming a massive funnel on the giant hammer. Finally, with the hammer as the guide, all these elements poured into the sentient alloy.
The vast elemental forces of heaven and earth were completely infused into the sentient alloy in this single strike.
Hum!
The flattened metal emitted a resonant hum, its surface rippling with a distinct halo.
Spirit Forging—complete!
Zhen Hua's expression remained calm, as if this was routine for him. With a wave of his hands, the giant hammer in midair rose once more, this time even higher than the previous two strikes.
His soul power erupted, instantly channeling into the giant hammer. Meanwhile, the surrounding elemental forces in the air疯狂 surged into the hammer.
Fire, water, earth, and wind.
Xu Yuan carefully identified the types of elements present, sensing that the proportions of these four elements were not equal. Fire had the highest concentration, followed by earth, then water, with wind being the least abundant.
The four elements organically combined, gathering in the hammer formed by soul power under the influence of the Heavenly Refined Forging Table.
Zhen Hua let out a loud shout as the giant hammer fell from the air.
Boom!
The entire Heavenly Refined Forging Table shook violently. The moment the hammer struck, a four-colored aura enveloped the forging platform, bathing it in radiant hues.
A terrifying surge of energy exploded in an instant, drawing in the elemental forces from the surrounding air.
The hammer rebounded, and a peculiar ripple of light emanated from the forging platform. What had been a flattened piece of metal just moments ago now transformed into a spherical shape and began bouncing.
At this point, the metal itself had become flawless and transparent, with four colors intertwining and shimmering within it—earth, fire, water, and wind.
It bounced joyfully on the forging platform, exuding an emotion of pure delight.
Soul Forging!
The first hammer: Thousand Refinements, Fusion Forging.
The second hammer: Spirit Forging.
The third hammer: Soul Forging.
Each hammer strike represented a seemingly insurmountable barrier for countless blacksmiths.
From the start of the forging process to this point, only three strikes had been made, yet Zhen Hua had already achieved what other blacksmiths could scarcely dream of accomplishing in their lifetimes.
Even among Master Craftsmen, how many could claim to produce a piece of soul-forged metal of such exceptional quality?
Even though only three strikes were used, the quality of the soul-forged metal Zhen Hua produced had reached its pinnacle—equivalent to what Xu Yuan could achieve at his full potential.
"Is this the effect of the elemental forces of heaven and earth?"
Heavenly Forging wasn't something that could be directly continued from Fusion Forging. Instead, preparation had to begin from the very first stages of forging. Using the elemental forces of heaven and earth to awaken the spirit, infusing them into the body of the metal, and allowing their power to permeate throughout the material—only then could Heavenly Forging be successfully completed.
Of course, materials that were already at the Soul Forging stage could undergo secondary forging, but this required rebuilding their foundation. This process was even more troublesome than starting from scratch, though the success rate was higher because metals at the Soul Forging level naturally had greater resilience.
At this moment, the soul-forged metal on the forging platform was no longer simply a sentient alloy formed from the fusion of two metals. With the infusion of the four elements, it now appeared as though six different metals had been fused together.
Of course, this was an illusion.
In reality, it was still a two-in-one sentient alloy, but the transformation brought about by the four elements had fundamentally altered the nature of the two original metals, influencing them deeply.
This was akin to an alternate form of creating life—it was the true art of forging!
Zhen Hua didn't glance at Xu Yuan. He knew that Xu Yuan could grasp the key points himself and fully comprehend every detail of the process.
He closed his eyes once more.
Hum!
Though there was no sound, a resonant hum echoed in Xu Yuan's ears.
This hum didn't originate from Zhen Hua or the metal—it came from all directions.
It was elemental resonance!
The moment Zhen Hua closed his eyes, all the surrounding elements resonated with him.
This was the realm of a Divine Craftsman. Even though his soul power was only at Level 94 and his spiritual power was limited to the initial stage of the Spirit Domain Realm, his mastery and affinity with the elements were unparalleled.
There was only one explanation: his understanding of the laws of heaven and earth had reached an incredibly high level.
In terms of comprehension, even demigods couldn't match him, and perhaps only some quasi-gods could compare.
The dome above turned into the four colors of earth, fire, water, and wind. The dense elemental fluctuations grew increasingly intense, gradually becoming viscous. Above Zhen Hua's head, a funnel formed, filled with the four-colored elements. These elements swirled above the funnel, rotating continuously before slowly merging and descending through the funnel to connect with the top of Zhen Hua's head.
Zhen Hua kept his eyes closed, with faint glimmers of light flickering across his body.
Though he did nothing, the soul-forged metal underwent a wondrous transformation.
The metal slowly reshaped itself, taking on the form of a human figure. Its features were clearly defined, resembling Zhen Hua greatly—a miniature version of him.
This wasn't Soul Forging.
"This is Heart Forging. You communicate with the metal using your heart. You imbue it with intelligence and also with a soul, nurturing it as if it were your own child."
Xu Yuan felt a sense of familiarity.
It was as if he had seen this scene before.
When Feng Wuyu secluded himself in the Sea God Pavilion, breaking through to the Spirit Domain Realm, his spiritual manifestation had included a similar scene. At the time, Feng Wuyu placed his hand on a dark yang stone, guiding its transformation from the Soul Forging stage to achieve Heavenly Forging.
Back then, Xu Yuan had only witnessed this through the manifestation of Feng Wuyu's spirit.
Now, he was experiencing it up close.
So this was Heart Forging.
Zhen Hua kept his eyes closed, one finger pointing to the sky and the other to the ground. The four-colored funnel above his head shifted, moving slowly to hover above the soul-forged metal. The four-colored light poured directly into it.
In an instant, the humanoid metal transformed into flashing four-colored light, with dense energy fluctuations spreading around it.
Zhen Hua's complexion paled slightly, evidently bearing a significant burden from sustaining such forging.
Rumble.
A sudden thunderclap echoed. Four-colored lightning bolts appeared in the center of the vortex in the sky without warning.
Was this the Heavenly Forging Lightning Tribulation?
Xu Yuan gazed at the tribulation formed by the convergence of the four elements, feeling a sense of anticipation.
"This is the Heavenly Forging Lightning Tribulation. You should have witnessed it once before. I heard that Elder Feng demonstrated Heavenly Forging once in the Sea God Pavilion," Zhen Hua said. "Heavenly Forging can be considered complete at this stage. Now, all that remains is to endure the tribulation. If the metal can survive the lightning, it will be deemed a successful piece of Heavenly Forged metal. However, relying solely on the metal itself to withstand the tribulation has little chance of success. Thus, the blacksmith must provide some assistance."
The four-colored glow of the metal intensified, and its body trembled slightly, suddenly becoming animated.
Boom!
A bolt of four-colored lightning, thicker than the previous ones, descended from the sky.
Zhen Hua stepped forward, releasing a surge of milky-white soul power that infused the four-colored metal entirely. Simultaneously, he extended his right index finger.
The humanoid metal also raised its right hand, aligning its index finger with Zhen Hua's.
Boom!
The third bolt of four-colored lightning struck.
In an instant, electric sparks scattered everywhere. Zhen Hua's entire body trembled, his complexion growing paler. However, the four-colored humanoid metal was enveloped in a golden, radiant glow.
"Master Uncle, may I intervene?" Xu Yuan asked.
"No. An outsider's interference would cause the tribulation to change. Only the blacksmith involved in the forging, connected to the metal's energy flow, can assist it in enduring the tribulation."
Zhen Hua stopped Xu Yuan from stepping forward.
He shouted once more.
However, as the fourth bolt of lightning condensed and the four-colored humanoid metal emitted a grinding sound under immense pressure, Zhen Hua's expression changed slightly. Without hesitation, he waved his hand, dispersing the four-colored light in the sky. The gathered elements dissipated, and he grabbed the metal with his right hand, retreating swiftly.
This movement was extremely practiced, as if it had been refined through countless repetitions.
Boom!
The fourth bolt of lightning struck, slamming heavily onto the forging platform.
Even though the metal was gone, the forging platform still attracted the lightning. This seemed to be one of the platform's functions, allowing Zhen Hua to obtain a semi-finished piece of Heavenly Forged metal for further study—perhaps another reason for his continuous progress.
Xu Yuan didn't step forward.
The final lightning tribulation was clearly too much for the metal to bear.
Technically, he could have intervened, attempting to test the elemental tribulation.
But after assessing the intensity of the tribulation, he chose not to step in.
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