Chapter 373: Kong Deming's Surprise
If we classify forging using the standards in Douluo Dalu 3, Huo Yuhao would now be considered a Peak Level 4 Blacksmith, since he successfully refined Thousand Refinements First Grade Metal.
A regular Level 4 Blacksmith could only refine Thousand Refinements Second Grade, and there was a significant gap between an ordinary Level 4 Blacksmith and a Peak Level 4 Blacksmith.
To be recognized as a Level 5 Blacksmith, one had to master Spirit Refinement. Thousand Refinements with Spirit was essentially about imbuing metal with spirit, but Spirit Refinement was entirely different.
It was a fusion of life and metal, a process where the blacksmith used their Martial Soul as a bridge to grant life to the metal. Compared to Thousand Refinements with Spirit, this was a fundamental transformation.
Even Tang Wulin, recognized as a blacksmithing prodigy in Douluo Dalu 3, spent two whole years progressing from Thousand Refinements with Spirit to Spirit Refinement and that was with guidance. Of course, at that time, Tang Wulin's cultivation was relatively low, meaning he had to increase his soul power before attempting Spirit Refinement.
Every attempt at Spirit Refinement placed tremendous strain on a Soul Master's soul power and mental strength. If a practitioner lacked sufficient cultivation, a failed attempt could result in severe mental damage.
Interestingly, the soul power requirement for Spirit Refinement in Douluo Dalu 3 was inconsistent. Initially, it was stated that a three ring Soul Elder could attempt it, but later in the competition, it was said that only four ring Soul Ancestors could perform proper Spirit Refinement.
If there was any explanation for this discrepancy, it could be that three ring Soul Elders could attempt a weaker version of Spirit Refinement, producing lower quality Spirit Refined metal.
It was similar to Shrek Academy's so called Level 6 Soul Tool Shields, which, while capable of resisting Soul Emperor level attacks, were far inferior to their Sun Moon counterparts. In the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's standards, a slightly lower quality Level 6 shield would be downgraded to Level 5.
Kong Deming walked over, smiling. "Yuhao, I see you're smiling does that mean you succeeded?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Of course. I've successfully refined a Thousand Refinements First Grade Metal with Spirit. Compared to ordinary Thousand Refinements metal, its biggest advantage is that it has spirituality. If we use this metal to craft Soul Tools, the results will be far superior."
"Thousand Refinements First Grade... with Spirit?" Kong Deming frowned slightly, unfamiliar with the terminology.
Xuan Ziwen also moved closer, curiosity written on his face.
Seeing their confusion, Huo Yuhao patiently explained the grading system of Hundred Refinements and Thousand Refinements. Once he finished, he got straight to the point.
"The greatest advantage of Thousand Refinements First Grade Metal with Spirit is that it can enhance a Soul Master's soul power. Generally speaking, the better a metal's soul power conductivity, the greater the boost it provides to a Soul Master's power."
"The metal I just refined has minimal impurities and contains spirituality. Based on my forging experience and my observations when channeling soul power into it, I estimate that if it's used to create a component for humanoid Soul Tools, it can enhance a Soul Master's soul power by at least 8%."
The reason he mentioned humanoid Soul Tools was that he had yet to reach Spirit Refinement, meaning he couldn't create Battle Armor.
Battle Armor was essentially a Soul Tool fused directly with a Martial Soul, like forging armor directly onto one's spirit.
"8%!?" Kong Deming's eyes widened in shock. "Then doesn't this mean that the stronger the Soul Master, the greater the advantage of using this metal? After all, the more soul power a Soul Master has, the bigger the absolute increase!"
His breathing became heavy with excitement.
An 8% increase in soul power was massive it could even narrow the gap between Titled Douluo!
Once a Soul Master reached Titled Douluo, each level up resulted in a massive increase in soul power. At Rank 95 and beyond, the difference between each rank became even more pronounced.
"Exactly." Huo Yuhao nodded, acknowledging Kong Deming's point. However, he continued, "Of course, this is mainly because this particular metal's soul power conductivity is still not optimal. If we could find a better material, we could enhance soul power even further."
"Elder Kong, I suggest that we deploy personnel to search for rare metals with superior soul power conductivity. That way, we can craft humanoid Soul Tool components with even greater soul power boosts."
In Douluo Dalu 3, a metal called Blue Coppermine could be refined into Thousand Refinements First Grade Metal. When integrated into Battle Armor, it provided at least a 12% boost to soul power.
Kong Deming nodded. "You're absolutely right, Yuhao. I'll arrange for this immediately. However, we currently don't have any better conductive metals within the empire."
"Our relations with the three Douluo nations are strained, making exploration difficult. Our best option is to assemble a naval expedition and search the ocean floor for rare, high conductivity metals."
Although such an expedition would consume enormous resources, if they found better conductive metals, it would greatly enhance the empire's power.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "Elder Kong, tomorrow, I'll use my Eye of Destiny to glimpse into the future and pinpoint locations of rare metal deposits under the sea."
Since he had Plane Consciousness on his side, he already knew where many rare metal mines were located.
If he wasn't worried about Tang San noticing, he could simply move the mineral deposits himself. But the problem was that Tang San monitored Douluo Planet's resources extremely closely.
Tang San had justified his "Ten Thousand Year Plan" by arguing that unregulated Soul Tool development would cause excessive resource depletion, ultimately leading to the planet's destruction. There was no way he wouldn't notice an entire mine disappearing.
Unlike small objects, mineral deposits were massive.
Soul Engineers required vast amounts of rare metals, yet they lacked the technology to relocate entire mines.
If Tang San suspected Plane Consciousness of meddling, it would become a huge problem. Even a "weakened" God King was still a God King.
Kong Deming grinned. "With you here, Yuhao, the Sun Moon Empire is destined to rise."
Mingyue Hotel
Inside a lavish suite, Ning Tian sat in a comfortable chair, gripping the armrests as she leaned back. She gazed at Wu Feng, who was adjusting her outfit with her back turned.
After hesitating for a moment, Ning Tian spoke softly. "Wu Feng… do you think there's any chance I could make Huo Yuhao my future husband?"
Wu Feng froze in place, her entire body stiffening for a moment. Then she turned around, looking at Ning Tian with deep concern.
"Ning Tian… Huo Yuhao is part of the Sun Moon Empire now. Are you really thinking about making him your husband? That's… a bit much, isn't it?"
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