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Zhang Huanyun stared intently at Xu Yuan.
He observed Xu Yuan's expression.
However, he couldn't detect any signs of panic or guilt in Xu Yuan.
On the contrary, Xu Yuan met his gaze calmly.
In fact, from Xu Yuan's eyes, Zhang Huanyun could sense a sense of determination, as if Xu Yuan knew that Zhang Huanyun had already figured out his intentions.
This...
For a moment, Zhang Huanyun didn't know whether he should lash out.
Xu Yuan's gaze was calm, seemingly conveying the idea that after leading the Blood God Legion to solve the Abyss problem, the power of the Blood God Legion would naturally belong to him. It all seemed very reasonable.
In fact, Cao Dezhi had also approached him about this issue. Though he hadn't explicitly mentioned who would help solve the problem or for whom the legion would work, the implication was clear: finding a way out for the Blood God Legion.
The changes in the Abyssal passage were now so significant that it was no longer just about responsibility—it was about profit.
Once there was profit, the crisis no longer seemed so terrifying.
Cao Dezhi had already foreseen that once the current turmoil within the Federation ended, the entire Federation would pour its resources into tackling the stellar anomalies, striving to extract the greatest possible benefits from them.
Profit drove power.
At that time, the Blood God Legion might face unprecedented challenges.
So, he had already begun discussing this with Zhang Huanyun.
Now, Xu Yuan's actions gave Zhang Huanyun a glimpse of a direction.
That direction was handing things over to Shrek Academy.
With Shrek's resources, they could easily absorb the entirety of the Blood God Legion.
However, Shrek had always maintained absolute neutrality and therefore wouldn't openly maintain an army.
In that case...
Zhang Huanyun glanced at those present, silently sighing in his heart.
The answer was already clear.
The most suitable path for the Blood God Legion turned out to be the Body Sect.
More specifically, Xu Yuan.
Shrek wasn't suitable for carrying out Xu Yuan's plans, so it would have to be done through the Body Sect.
The more Zhang Huanyun thought about it, the more powerless he felt.
But from another perspective, perhaps this path would lead to a better future for the Blood God Legion.
After all, every condition Xu Yuan had just mentioned was aimed at cultivating the entire legion.
And with Xu Yuan's qualifications as a Divine Craftsman, the level of cultivation was simply unimaginable.
Zhang Huanyun was well aware of the immense potential of the soul masters under his command. Their talents had been sacrificed in the Abyssal passage due to the constant need to resist Abyssal invasions.
If peace could be achieved, their futures wouldn't stop at Soul Kings or Soul Emperors—they should become Soul Douluos or even Title Douluos. With a bit of luck, the emergence of several Super Douluos wasn't impossible.
"Commander, what do you think of my proposal?" Xu Yuan prompted, breaking the silence.
Zhang Huanyun's expression was complex as he let out a deep sigh.
"Let's proceed as you suggested. There's no need to create a separate currency system for forging merits. Our existing merit system already includes a personal equipment point system related to soul-guided weaponry allocation. I'll improve this system, restructure the calculation method, and add forging as one of its uses."
Creating a separate currency system for the forging department would send too strong a signal and make the soldiers, accustomed to the current system, uncomfortable.
It was better to make minor adjustments to the existing system.
Xu Yuan nodded, having no objections.
As long as he could establish the forging department he needed, that was enough.
---
The Next Day
Xu Yuan received the news that the forging department had been officially established and announced to the entire legion. Soon, the process of recruiting forging masters into the department began.
Xu Yuan issued an order to the person in charge: tally the ranks of all forging masters.
After becoming a Divine Craftsman, Xu Yuan had naturally been promoted to the rank of general within the Blood God Legion.
Within the Blood God Legion, while military rank promotions couldn't bypass the Federation, they also wouldn't be restricted by it. The departments responsible for liaising with the Blood God Legion within the Federation had no authority to prevent internal rank promotions; they could only record and verify them.
---
The Third Day After Returning to the Legion
Xu Yuan received the compiled information.
In just one day, not all forging masters had been gathered, but the high-level ones within the legion had already completed their registration.
The title of Divine Craftsman was enough to attract the attention of every forging master.
"A total of twenty-three Master Craftsmen and seventy-six Grandmaster Blacksmiths?"
Xu Yuan couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Wow, the quality of forging masters in the Blood God Legion surpassed that of a large city's forging association.
Aside from the absence of a Saint Craftsman, everything else exceeded the configuration of a large city's forging association by at least double.
"There are 18 Fifth-rank Master Craftsmen, 5 Sixth-rank Master Craftsmen, and 38 fourth-rank Grandmaster Blacksmiths."
It had to be said, the establishment of the forging department was necessary.
Such a large group of forging masters had previously been operating individual workshops and taking on tasks independently.
This wasn't to say that such a setup was detrimental to fulfilling the forging needs of the soldiers within the legion—it just meant they didn't have any special privileges.
Without privileges, it implied they still had other responsibilities. Their so-called forging workshops were merely side hustles, not official duties.
It wasn't about creating a privileged class but about specialization—assigning the right tasks to the right people.
Of course, there was nothing to criticize about the previous structure of the legion. Under the constant pressure of Abyssal invasions, it might have been truly impossible to make such professional distinctions. They needed to ensure that everyone could fight at any time, rather than having a group of pampered professionals or a bunch of non-combatants who hadn't been tested in battle during critical moments.
"Tomorrow, the forging department will hold a meeting. I'll assess their capabilities and establish the department's structure and plans moving forward."
---
The Fourth Day After Returning to the Legion
The Forging Department
Though called a department, it was essentially housed in a large tent for now. The forging department had been established without warning, so they could only roughly delineate its scope for the time being, waiting for the logistics department to construct a proper facility.
On the square in front of the tent, Xu Yuan stood on a platform, surveying the more than two hundred forging masters under his command.
"Everyone, I won't waste time with unnecessary words. Today, I've gathered you here to announce a few tasks for the forging department."
"First, the primary duty of the forging department's members will be forging. If you wish to explore the stellar anomalies, I won't stop you."
Within the Blood God Legion, the term "stellar anomalies" was still used to refer to the phenomena in the starry sky.
"Following the model of the Federation's forging association, our forging department will also issue salaries. Each month, as long as you complete the forging tasks corresponding to your rank, you will receive merit rewards."
"Second, moving forward, I hope we can hold a forging exchange activity once a week. All of you have reached your current levels through independent exploration, which I deeply admire. However, without communication, stagnation is unacceptable."
"Report, Department Leader!" At this moment, a voice interrupted Xu Yuan.
It was a major general.
"Step forward!" Xu Yuan looked at the major general and asked, "What do you have to say?"
"Report, we heard that the Department Leader is a Divine Craftsman, but you're so young. Of course, we're not doubting your abilities—we're just curious about heavenly forging. Could the Department Leader show us a demonstration of heavenly forging?"
"That's right, Department Leader. We've been in the Blood God Legion for so long, yet we've never seen heavenly forging."
"Yes, yes! Department Leader, could you give us a demonstration?"
Xu Yuan looked at the crowd below, meeting their gazes without anger.
If they were outside, these Master Blacksmiths might indeed have had the chance to witness heavenly forging—even if they couldn't see the entire process, they might at least witness the heavenly forging lightning tribulation.
However, within the Blood God Legion, there really was nothing to see.
"In three days, I'll conduct a forging session here. You're all welcome to come and observe," Xu Yuan said solemnly.
Not just three days later—Xu Yuan estimated that he would frequently perform heavenly forging over the next six months to a year.
After all, if forging wasn't practiced regularly, progress couldn't be made.
After announcing a few more plans, Xu Yuan dismissed the meeting.
Before returning to his quarters, Xu Yuan was approached by Mu Ye.
"You said you're going to perform heavenly forging inside the camp? Don't mess around, kid." Mu Ye said, exasperated.
Although he had never entered the Heavenly Refined Forging Table, he had watched from the outside almost every time and knew the destructive power of the tribulation.
If heavenly forging were to take place inside the legion, wouldn't the lightning tribulation affect half the camp?
"Don't worry, Teacher. I can handle the heavenly forging tribulation. It won't cause any damage to the camp."
"I'll come and watch as well. I want to see how your heavenly forging differs from Zhen Hua's," Mu Ye said.
"Oh, right." He remembered something and reminded Xu Yuan, "Kid, don't go running around recklessly. Focus on upgrading your battle armor first. Right now, rumors are spreading that your strength has reached Limit-level, but I estimate you're still lacking a bit. Once you upgrade your battle armor to three-word level, you might reach Limit-level strength."
Xu Yuan's lips twitched slightly.
"Alright, Teacher, I understand."
Yun Ming had gone off to explore the other major planes connected to the Demonic Plane. Finally, things were quiet around him, but now Teacher Mu Ye was urging him again.
Sigh.
Rising too fast also had its downsides—his battle armor couldn't keep up.
Of course, upgrading the battle armor was still a necessity.
"After upgrading to three-word battle armor, the urgency for four-word battle armor won't be as pressing. After all, once I reach Level 95, my progress won't be this rapid anymore."
Even if opportunities for rapid advancement arose, Xu Yuan wouldn't allow it.
The five levels from Level 95 to Level 99 were a golden opportunity for soul masters to break through their limits—it was absolutely unacceptable to rely on external forces to forcibly boost one's level.
Mu Ye had spent decades at Level 94, completing everything he needed except for the fusion of his martial soul with his own essence.
Xu Yuan's situation was different. He had skyrocketed from Level 60 to his current level. Even though his insights were sufficient, he hadn't reached his peak yet.
The progress of martial souls was boundless.
Was becoming a divine weapon the end?
No, a divine weapon was only the starting point.
"I don't have a God Position to anchor me. Even after breaking through Level 100 in the future, I'll still need to face the threshold of becoming a True God at Level 110, then the Super God threshold at Level 120, and beyond that, the thresholds of becoming a Main God (1st Class God without God Position) or a Half-Step God King."
In Xu Yuan's understanding, gods who fused with a god position were like taking a shortcut to the heavens—the shackles on their power were broken, allowing them to ascend directly and quickly to the level corresponding to their god position.
Since Xu Yuan didn't have a god position, he would have to personally overcome these thresholds. There was no way he'd cut corners at these critical stages after Level 95.
"The metals for the three-word battle armor will be forged within these two days. Afterward, I'll carve out time to inscribe the core formation."
Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
A full set of battle armor had eleven components. If he forged four parts per day, he could complete it easily, especially since Xu Yuan had already finished forging the metals for seven parts. Now, he only had four remaining.
Forging four soul-forged metals in three days wasn't difficult for Xu Yuan.
The challenge lay in achieving perfection—he aimed to forge the pinnacle of metals for his battle armor to fuse with.
Fortunately, everything was proceeding smoothly.
Since crossing the hurdle of heavenly forging, his understanding of forging had been rapidly advancing. Having experienced the transformation of metal into a true living entity, his attitude towards metals during forging had undergone a significant shift.
---
The Forging Department
In just three short days, the building for the forging department had already been completed.
That's right—this was the efficiency of the Blood God Legion.
In a world with extraordinary powers, construction itself was never the hard part; the challenge lay in getting things moving.
In front of the newly built forging department, more spectators had gathered compared to before.
Xu Yuan raised his right hand, and a flash of light appeared. A massive forging platform descended onto the open ground.
This forging platform wasn't the one from the Heavenly Refined Forging Table—it was a forging platform Xu Yuan had crafted himself.
It wasn't structurally complex; it simply provided a space for forging.
He didn't need to go to the lengths Zhen Hua did to increase success rates.
"Hiss… Could the materials for this forging platform really all be soul-forged metals?"
One veteran Master Craftsman squinted as he observed Xu Yuan's forging platform, unable to believe what he was seeing.
How much wealth and extravagance did it take to use so many soul-forged metals just to make a forging platform?
Xu Yuan heard his comment but paid it no mind.
There were even more extravagant examples.
Before visiting the Heavenly Refined Forging Table, Xu Yuan had thought himself the most extravagant, using soul-forged metals to build spaceships and crafting mecha with metals of the same grade as his battle armor. But then he discovered something even more outrageous: someone had directly used heavenly-forged metals to construct a forging platform.
He retrieved two rare metals.
These weren't the Sunken Silver and Magic Silver required for Jade Silver alloys but rather Dark Gold and Transforming Silver. This was the sentient alloy Xu Yuan needed for his battle armor—a recipe he had developed after discovering the special rare metal Transforming Silver in the Star Luo Continent.
Transforming Silver had the effect of amplifying power, but its greatest characteristic was adaptability and transformation. It could respond to changes in force, conduct them effectively, and amplify them.
Combining Transforming Silver with Dark Gold was an excellent pairing, bringing out the best in both materials.
Xu Yuan named the sentient alloy formed by fusing the two 'Transforming Gold'. He also used Transforming Gold as the primary material for the belt section of his battle armor. On this foundation, he added other rare metals to enrich the properties of Transforming Gold. Currently, the belt portion of his two-word battle armor was made from a five-in-one sentient alloy of Transforming Gold.
Placing the two metals on the forging platform, Xu Yuan activated the heating mechanism.
Instantly, roaring flames erupted.
The flames were scorching hot, but upon closer inspection, their color leaned toward darkness, carrying a chilling undertone despite their heat.
These flames came from a sentient alloy Xu Yuan had created by experimenting with two pieces of Dark Yang Stone obtained from Feng Wuyu and another rare metal.
While these flames didn't reach the level of ultimate fire, they possessed the ability to lower temperatures while burning, allowing precise control over flame temperature—a crucial aspect of fusion forging.
Today, Xu Yuan had no intention of showing off. This demonstration of heavenly forging was meant to be a comprehensive display.
He didn't perform Thousand Refinements in a single strike, nor Spirit Forging in one blow, nor Soul Forging in nine strikes.
Like an ordinary blacksmith, he hammered away at the metal piece by piece, each strike perfectly measured and precise.
Moreover, before beginning Soul Forging, he didn't even utilize the penetration property of his forging hammer.
At first, the forging masters in the department thought Xu Yuan's skill level was mediocre, similar to theirs.
However, as time passed and Xu Yuan steadily completed the fusion forging of the two metals, producing radiant and translucent Transforming Gold, they had to admit they had been overly arrogant.
It wasn't that Xu Yuan's skills were low.
On the contrary, they had reached the level of returning to simplicity after mastering complexity.
At the same time, they realized Xu Yuan seemed to be deliberately demonstrating for them, providing a teaching moment. They focused intently, observing every detail.
During the Spirit Forging stage, the master Blacksmiths and grandmasters were fully absorbed, not daring to miss a single detail.
Brilliant!
All they could say was that Xu Yuan handled every strike flawlessly.
Boom!
A burst of spiritual light erupted, and a wave of energy radiated outward from the Transforming Gold, causing the Blacksmiths present to suddenly understand.
Boom!
Xu Yuan struck again, drawing everyone's attention once more.
This time, he utilized the penetration property of his hammer.
"The key to Soul Forging lies in imparting your traits to the metal. This isn't just about forging the metal externally but also infusing it internally with your aura, soul power, and spiritual energy. Through your connection with the metal, you forge it from within, combining internal and external efforts to fully unleash the metal's inherent properties. During this process, the metal naturally absorbs the forger's aura and inherits some of their abilities, forming its own soul power on this basis."
Xu Yuan spoke, explaining the essence of Soul Forging.
The five sixth-rank Master Craftsman listened intently, committing his words to memory.
"You five—I've reviewed your profiles. Your problem isn't lack of forging experience but direction and personal insight. Your soul power levels are insufficient. While Soul Emperors can perform Soul Forging, it's still strenuous without reaching the Soul Sage level. Your soul power lacks enough of your own traits for the metal to learn from."
The Soul Sage stage was when a soul master reached the culmination of their abilities. At this stage, their soul power alone carried many of their previous insights.
The five nodded, deciding to focus on closed-door cultivation to raise their soul power to Level 70 first.
In reality, three of them were already at Level 69, while the other two were at Level 65.
Though they weren't young, none of them were older than fifty—a prime age for further advancement.
Especially since the Blood God Legion now had training rooms. With the merits they had accumulated, they could afford to exchange for extensive training time.
Cultivation was the foundation of everything.
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