"But your comprehension has long been sufficient." Tang Wulin suddenly interjected, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.
Gu La burst into laughter, the sound triggering a violent cough as it strained his parched throat. After catching his breath, he raised his green-golden eyes, the fervor burning within them sending chills down everyone's spines:
"Enough small talk. I bear twin martial souls, their attributes conflicting, and I still need to build a top-tier mecha…"
He paused deliberately. "So I need an enormous amount of rare metals. Today is merely the beginning."
This explanation was naturally just an excuse to justify stockpiling metals.
"Deal! Pleasure doing business!" Wu Siduo declared decisively. "As long as you can guarantee that every piece of spirit-forged metal has a fusion rate above 90%, my Netherworld Family will exchange at least ten times the raw materials!"
A fusion rate above 90% meant the perfect stacking of eight rare metal properties—a boost to soul masters that was almost immeasurable. Given her talent, her family would spare no expense.
"Count me in," Luo Guixing said, maintaining a calm exterior, though the slight trembling of his fingertips betrayed his inner turmoil. "I may not be able to afford metal with a 90% fusion rate, but I'll need at least three core components with that level, and the rest at 80% fusion."
Ordinary battle armor users were fortunate to use alloys with a 60% fusion rate. He had originally planned to be satisfied with 70%—who could have imagined Gu La would completely shatter his expectations? This leap upgraded his future battle armor by four or five tiers!
"Don't forget about me!" Zheng Yiran chimed in urgently. As the sole daughter of her family, though her resources weren't as abundant as Wu Siduo's due to her family's smaller scale, they were still comparable.
Gu La surveyed the group with satisfaction. The burning desire in these elite students' eyes was exactly what he had anticipated. His slender fingers gently caressed the metal ingot, yet all of this was merely the start of his grand plan.
"Alright, everyone gets a chance." A satisfied gleam flashed in Gu La's eyes as his long fingers tapped lightly on the forge table, producing a crisp metallic sound.
"You've all witnessed firsthand—with my forging speed, I can easily meet the demands of multiple teams simultaneously."
"However…" This turn of phrase made everyone hold their breath. "Achieving a 90% fusion rate still involves some luck. So…" He drew out the words meaningfully, "You'd best prepare yourselves mentally."
Having lived two lifetimes, Gu La understood better than anyone the principle of scarcity driving value. By making the success rate seem uncertain, he wanted these young people to realize how rare such opportunities were—and then raise the price accordingly.
Tang Wulin watched thoughtfully, as if learning something valuable.
"I understand." Wu Siduo's voice tightened slightly, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting together.
Her mind was a stormy sea, turbulent with conflicting thoughts. Gu La's appearance was like a boulder dropped into a tranquil lake, completely disrupting her meticulously planned cultivation schedule.
According to her original plan, first-year courses didn't involve battle armor crafting at all. She intended to focus entirely on breaking through to the Soul King realm, and only after becoming a fifth-rank designer would she begin attempting to craft her own battle armor. But now…
Wu Siduo's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the metal on the forge table, glowing with an eerie light.
High-fusion spirit-forged metal—what did this mean? It meant she could skip the thousand-refinement stage and directly begin crafting lifelong battle armor components! No more worrying about wasted investments in earlier-stage metals.
Her gaze shifted to Tang Wulin standing nearby. This guy, with only two rings of cultivation, dared to challenge spirit-forged battle armor components—and she, a proud four-ring Soul Ancestor, should hesitate?
After weighing the pros and cons, Wu Siduo took a deep breath, her eyes gradually firming with resolve.
She quickly calculated the gains and losses in her mind: If she started crafting battle armor now, she could save at least two years! This risk was worth taking!
"Classmate Gu La." She gracefully bowed, her voice regaining its usual composure. "I need to consult with my family. I'll visit again later."
Watching Wu Siduo's retreating figure, Gu La nodded in satisfaction. This major deal was essentially secured.
Standing on the periphery, Tang Wulin watched enviously. Though he considered himself fairly fast at forging, compared to Gu La wielding two blood-contracted hammers and twelve telekinetic ones, there was still a significant gap.
To earn substantial rewards, he'd likely need to find a wealthy client like Wu Siduo from a powerful family…
---
After everyone dispersed, Gu Yue remained standing in place, unmoving. Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, shimmering faintly under the lights.
"That wasn't your limit just now." She got straight to the point, her amethyst-like eyes fixed on Gu La. "You can stably forge divine alloys, right?"
Gu La wasn't the least bit surprised. In Gu Yue's eyes, he was the reincarnation of a divine beast—it was only natural she'd see through him.
"This world is composed of seven elements." Gu La's voice became ethereal, as if reciting an ancient incantation.
He raised his hand, a yellowish glow emerging in his palm. "Among the four foundational elements, Earth gave rise to the Metallic attribute."
The yellow part of the glow suddenly intensified. "And I wield dominion over the Earth."
With a flip of his hand, the glow transformed into fine golden particles, forming intricate patterns in the air. "Though separated by a layer, manipulating Metals is as natural to me as breathing."
Gu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly. Through Di Tian's accounts, she was well-versed in the power of battle armor. At her peak, such minor enhancements would have been beneath her notice. But in her current human body, she needed to consider her future among human society.
"Forge me a set of divine alloy battle armor," she stated bluntly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "If you lack any rare metals, the treasury of the Star Dou Great Forest should have everything you need."
The Star Dou Great Forest wasn't renowned for rare metals, but the dense ambient energy occasionally concentrated to form rare metal veins. However, with soul beasts present, mining was exceedingly difficult.
The Spirit Pagoda's encroachment on the Star Dou Great Forest was partly motivated by these underground rare metal deposits.
But Gu La shook his head and asked, "Do you still have any Life Gold?"
Gu Yue raised an eyebrow. She was already accustomed to Gu La knowing such secrets.
"The Child of Nature needs Life Gold?" she countered, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "After healing, I do have a few pieces left. How do you propose to trade?"
Gu La's heart leapt with joy. If he could obtain Life Gold here, he wouldn't need to risk crossing time and space to search for it.
He had already planned it out: "Here's the deal—I'll provide all the metal materials you'll need for your four-word battle armor."
He held up two fingers. "In exchange, give me this much Life Gold."
Gu La thought to himself: Half would be for his own use, and the other half could enhance Mu Yi's abilities.
"Deal."
Gu Yue didn't hesitate for even a moment. After recovering from her injuries, the small amount of Life Gold was inconsequential to her.
These were originally kept as backup healing items, but with Bi Ji by her side, Life Gold's effects could easily be replaced.
With a flick of her jade-like hand, ripples appeared in the air. A fist-sized emerald crystal materialized, radiating a thick aura of life. Just as she prepared to divide it—
"Wait!"
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