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"What do you mean, teach me what?"
Xu Yuan looked utterly bewildered.
He hadn't expected his uncle to say something like this.
Reviewing foundational techniques?
Hadn't he spent the past three years solidifying his foundation?
If it weren't for laying a solid foundation, with Xu Yuan's abilities, he could have already attempted Spirit Forging and likely succeeded!
So, why was there still a need to revisit the basics?
Over the next three days, Xu Yuan finally understood what "reviewing the basics" meant.
So-called "reviewing the basics" involved changing the foundation he had built through auxiliary forging methods and helping him re-establish the orthodox blacksmithing techniques—laying a proper foundation.
Previously, Xu Yuan's forging techniques were ultimately developed for auxiliary purposes. While his hammer strikes landed on rare metals, the true essence of pounding and forging wasn't particularly refined.
From Zhen Hua's perspective, he commented that with Xu Yuan's current level, he should be able to complete the 1st-Grade Thousand-Forging of two rare metals within eighteen hammer strikes without any loss in quality. However, because Xu Yuan's techniques were all rooted in auxiliary forging basics rather than orthodox blacksmithing methods, it took him thirty-six strikes to achieve the same result.
For three days, Xu Yuan set aside all other cultivation and fully immersed himself in learning the orthodox blacksmithing techniques.
At first, he had indeed thought that learning auxiliary forging would lighten his study load. But as he delved deeper into his training, he realized he still had plenty of energy to spare!
Returning to orthodox blacksmithing cultivation actually suited him perfectly.
After three days of study, Xu Yuan could already feel a significant improvement in his forging skills. If he were to attempt Spirit Forging now, he was confident he could succeed.
However, he didn't need Spirit Forging just yet.
Spirit Forging—his first attempt at Spirit Forging was reserved for Jue, the one most meaningful to him.
Jue already possessed sentience and even intelligence. However, its core was originally crafted from spirit-forged alloys made by fusing rare metals after 1st-Grade Thousand-Forging. Through soul spirit induction technology, its sentience was awakened, and it gained both wisdom and the characteristics of a soul spirit, allowing it to form a contract with a soul master and grant soul rings.
Its foundation was still at the 1st-Grade Thousand-Forging level, but its base was already quite robust. If its core were to undergo Spirit Forging, its foundation would skyrocket, its sentience would become even more abundant, and its understanding of spear techniques would deepen further. Its fusion with Xu Yuan would also become much more profound.
Spirit-forged metals inherently possessed the ability to fuse with soul masters!
Combined with a soul spirit contract, blood essence resonance, and their mutual integration in various aspects, Xu Yuan believed that he and Jue would become even better partners.
The three days were solely for learning orthodox forging techniques.
In the following week, under Zhen Hua's guidance, Xu Yuan practiced Hundred-Forging and Thousand-Forging, step by step correcting his forging habits and returning to the ranks of 1st-Grade Thousand-Forging.
"I feel like my forging skills are stronger than ever," Xu Yuan remarked.
Zhen Hua smacked him lightly on the head.
"You brat, you've still got a long way to go. Forget about other things—for now, there's still a 'heavenly punishment' standing between you and achieving a 99% fusion rate."
Though it was only a 1% difference, the leap from 98% to 99% wasn't something easily achieved.
In the history of forging on the continent, those who accomplished this feat were none other than divine craftsmen!
Yes, none other than divine craftsmen!
This also meant that achieving a 99% fusion rate in fusion-forging two rare metals required insights at the Heavenly Forging level.
Even Zhen Hua, decades after becoming a divine craftsman, had only succeeded in single-digit attempts.
However, upon reflecting on his own experiences of forging alloys with 99% fusion rates, Zhen Hua couldn't help but admit that the process didn't necessarily involve any laws or principles—it wasn't inherently tied to Heavenly Forging. The key point was the mastery of utilizing ambient spiritual energy.
And though Xu Yuan was only a Soul Ancestor-level soul master and his forging skills hadn't yet reached the Spirit Forging stage, he could already manipulate ambient spiritual energy!
The Tianyuan Brush was secondary—what truly stood out was Xu Yuan's Heaven and Earth Furnace Method. By nurturing and guiding the fusion of rare metals with ambient spiritual energy, it facilitated the proper blending of sentience in spirit-forged alloys, giving him an opportunity.
"Your current task is to first achieve a 98% fusion rate without relying on the Heaven and Earth Furnace Method. Then, use the method to stabilize the 98% fusion rate. The requirement isn't high—at least one out of ten fusion-forging attempts should reach 98%. Once you've achieved that, come here for intensive training to attempt reaching a 99% fusion rate."
Zhen Hua's plan was very reasonable, and Xu Yuan fully agreed.
However, each goal outlined in this seemingly casual plan was incredibly distant for a blacksmith.
How many blacksmiths could confidently say they had a chance of achieving even a single 98% fusion rate?
Even Saint-Level Craftsmen wouldn't dare guarantee it.
Mu Chen, an Eighth-Level Saint Craftsman, had never successfully forged a spirit-forged alloy with a 98% fusion rate. Perhaps when his forging skills advanced further and he could achieve this milestone, he would truly possess the level needed to challenge becoming a divine craftsman and attempt Heavenly Forging.
Zhen Hua's recognition of Xu Yuan's potential as a divine craftsman wasn't without reason.
"Stay here and forge for another week," Zhen Hua said, not letting Xu Yuan leave. "Once you return to the academy, who knows how short your daily forging time will be. Here, you'll undergo full-time intensive training to better hone your foundation."
He pointed at the forging table in front of Xu Yuan.
"Keep going!"
Xu Yuan took a deep breath and swung his twin hammers.
BANG!
The dull sound of hammer strikes echoed once again.
Another week passed, and Xu Yuan finally completed this hellish intensive training.
Over the seven days, he performed forging more than ten times a day, totaling over eighty forging attempts.
Out of these eighty-plus attempts, Xu Yuan strove for perfection, producing exactly ten god-forged alloys.
Two of them had a 95% fusion rate, one had 96%, and seven had 97%.
It was clear that his Heaven and Earth Furnace Method provided a stable boost of two percentage points in god-forged alloy forging.
According to Zhen Hua, Xu Yuan's process of successfully forging god-forged alloys with a 97% fusion rate should normally correspond to a 95% level.
If Xu Yuan himself were at a 96% skill level, it was uncertain whether he could achieve a 98% fusion rate with the help of the Heaven and Earth Furnace Method. However, if Xu Yuan reached a 97% skill level, he should have a chance to achieve a 98% fusion rate using the method.
The higher the fusion rate climbed, the more difficult each additional percentage point became.
"Alright, your next task is to achieve this success rate without relying on the Heaven and Earth Furnace Method. Then, come to Tiandou City for half a month of intensive training to use the method to attempt stabilizing a 98% fusion rate."
Xu Yuan let out a sigh of relief.
He approached Mu Ye.
"Teacher, how's the mech transformation technique coming along?"
"It's already prepared. You can study it yourself when you get back. With your learning speed, you'll probably grasp it faster than if I were to teach you." Mu Ye handed Xu Yuan a set of materials.
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