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When the clock's hands precisely pointed to 2:50, everything in the forging room was perfectly prepared for action.
The azure flames danced in the forge, casting eerie and mysterious shadows throughout the room. Twelve forging hammers, each gleaming with a different luster, stood like soldiers awaiting inspection, and even the floor was covered with special pads designed to absorb metallic impurities.
Gu La cracked his knuckles, producing a crisp sound. He first picked up the Netherworld Iron, his slender fingers lightly caressing its pitch-black surface, feeling the energy fluctuations within.
"The purity is good," he nodded slightly, a flicker of admiration flashing in his eyes. "Judging by the distribution of dark energy patterns, this has been carefully preserved for at least a century after mining. Your family must have spared no expense for you."
Before Wu Siduo could respond, Gu La had already turned and tossed the metal into the forge. The azure flames instantly engulfed it, and without looking back, he said:
"Watch closely. This is my unique Psychic telekinetic forging technique—something even Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua couldn't replicate."
When the temperature reached its critical point, the black metal didn't turn red but instead grew even darker, with fine dark patterns emerging on its surface, as if absorbing the surrounding light.
Gu La's eyes flashed, and with perfect timing, he retrieved the metal—another second, and the precious dark energy within the Netherworld Iron would have dissipated.
"It begins," Gu La murmured softly, holding a soul-forged hammer in each hand. Simultaneously, his spiritual power at the peak of the Spirit Abyss Realm erupted fully, transforming into countless invisible tendrils that controlled all twelve spirit-forged small hammers.
Bang!
The heavy tungsten steel hammer struck first, triggering a "Pressure" effect upon contact with the metal. A visible shockwave rippled across the surface.
This strike was masterfully executed, layering force from the outside inward and rebounding from the inside out, forming a perfect cycle of energy.
Ninety-nine percent of the impurities in the Netherworld Iron were instantly purged, directly reaching the hundred-refinement level.
Hiss—
The second strike followed immediately, the fiery golden hammer descending with a crimson glow. Its "Heat Melting" effect caused the metal atoms to become highly active, even showing signs of slight melting on the surface.
At this critical moment, the heavy tungsten steel hammer struck again, perfectly interrupting the melting trend and forcing the metal to stabilize.
The two contrasting rhythms of forging seamlessly combined, creating a unique "Heat Pressure" effect. What would normally take an ordinary Saint Craftsman fifteen minutes to half an hour to complete was finished by Gu La in just two minutes.
Suddenly, Gu La's movements accelerated dramatically. While using his martial soul to precisely control the forge's temperature, he telekinetically grabbed the Thousand-Machine Copper nearby. To everyone's astonishment, the tungsten steel hammer was already striking the second piece of metal.
"Are you insane?!" Tang Wulin couldn't help shouting, his voice echoing through the forging room. "Simultaneously refining two metals with different attributes is reckless! One misstep could trigger an energy explosion, ruining everything!"
Gu La ignored him completely and placed the third metal—Green Phosphorus Copper—onto the forging table. Under his mental control, the twelve small hammers rose simultaneously, like the baton of a symphony conductor.
The first strike was as light as a feather, yet upon contact with the metal, it emitted a dragon-like roar.
Gu La seemed to transform into a precise forging machine, with the twelve attribute-specific hammers rising and falling under his command.
The sparks from the three metals intertwined in the air, forming a dazzling pattern. Contrary to expectations, there was no explosion. Instead, under Gu La's precise control, distinct energy isolation zones formed.
Gu La paid no attention, placing the third type of metal on the forging table as twelve small hammers descended.
"Divided focus… fourteen uses? No, add fire control and spiritual guidance…"
Tang Wulin muttered to himself, his expression growing increasingly shocked. "How is this possible? What level has his spiritual power reached? And how can such an almost brutal forging method awaken the metal's spirituality?"
Gu La's hammer speed increased further, the hammer shadows merging into a silver tide in the air. Even more unbelievably, the three metals, which should have repelled each other, began to resonate strangely under his hammer.
The dark patterns of the Netherworld Black Iron, the silvery glow of the Thousand-Machine Copper, and the eerie green light of the Green Phosphorus Copper gradually merged, intertwining in the air above the forging table to create a brilliant display of spiritual radiance.
Thousand-refinement with spirit!
"Temperature! Watch the temperature control!" Luo Guixing suddenly shouted, pointing at the thermometer.
Only then did everyone realize that the forge's displayed temperature remained precisely around 1300 degrees Celsius, with fluctuations not exceeding ±5 degrees—a testament to Gu La's terrifying control over his ultimate fire martial soul.
Beads of sweat began to form on Gu La's forehead. Simultaneously forging three top-tier metals was far more taxing than imagined. Yet, his movements remained flawless, each strike landing with pinpoint accuracy.
"This guy…" Tang Wulin clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms. "He's clearly being reckless, so why are the results so good?"
Why did it feel like, after three years, the gap between them was only widening?!
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Gu La's lips. Though more than half of his soul power had been depleted, his gaze remained as sharp as a blade. Inwardly, he sighed: 'I've set myself up for this—I'll finish what I started, even if I have to kneel.'
A piercing glint flashed in Gu La's eyes as his right hand clawed at the air. A piece of mercury-glowing metal shot toward him from the material rack, leaving a dazzling silver arc under the lights.
"Thousand-refined Heavy Silver?!" Tang Wulin's pupils contracted sharply, his voice involuntarily rising an octave. "Is he really about to start fusion forging now?!"
Before anyone could recover from their shock, Gu La fluidly introduced the fourth metal into the forging sequence.
The Heavy Silver traced a perfect parabola through the air, landing precisely on the fourth reserved spot on the forging table, as if calculated to perfection.
Four of the twelve spirit-forged small hammers immediately split off, descending simultaneously with red, blue, white, and purple soul power glows. Upon contact with the metal, they erupted in brilliant sparks.
"Crazy… this is playing with fire…"
Luo Guixing adjusted his slipping gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes wide with disbelief, his voice trembling slightly. "In the entire history of forging, has anyone ever forged four metals with different attributes simultaneously?"
Boom—
A deafening explosion suddenly cut off Luo Guixing's words.
Energy turbulence erupted violently from the surfaces of the four metals. The dark purple of the Netherworld Black Iron, the silvery white of the Thousand-Machine Copper, the gray-green of the Green Phosphorus Copper, and the mercury hue of the Heavy Silver intertwined into a dangerous chaotic vortex.
The air pressure in the forging room plummeted. Everyone's robes fluttered wildly in the invisible energy storm, and the air was filled with the acrid scent of metal compressed to its limits.
"Energy destabilization! The forge is going to explode!"
Wu Siduo instinctively retreated half a step, her black cat tail bristling reflexively, her cat-like pupils contracting into thin slits.
At this critical moment, a wild smirk curled Gu La's lips.
With the force of a mountain-splitting blow, his left-hand hammer smashed down onto the center of the forge table. Upon contact with the metal, a visible ripple of soul power spread outward like waves.
Simultaneously, his right-hand hammer tapped lightly on the edge of the Heavy Silver at a completely opposite frequency—this was the reverse application of the Tang Sect's legendary "Disorderly Wind Hammer Technique!"
The two opposing forces created a perfect mechanical balance within inches of each other, breathing new life into an ancient technique in Gu La's hands.
Clang—
Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of metal friction, the previously chaotic four-colored energy turbulence froze abruptly, as if immobilized by a binding spell.
Veins bulged on Gu La's forehead as his Spirit Abyss-level mental power transformed into tangible silver threads, weaving a precise web in the void to firmly contain the four restless metals within specific zones.
"Take a good look," Gu La's voice, heavy with intense focus, resonated with a metallic tremor. "What comes next—is the moment to witness a miracle!"
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