Reading through the knowledge about Ice Crystal Ore, Gu You took a deep breath and picked up the pair of Thousand Refined Life Hammers.
After just a few minutes of burning, the Ice Crystal Ore had reached a forgeable state. Its surface had become incredibly soft, almost as if it had melted into iron, yet it did not flow like molten metal; instead, it remained as a solid mass.
Ice Crystal Ore could also be forged without burning, but only a master-level forger would dare to attempt such a feat.
Lifting the Ice Crystal Ore from the forging furnace and securing it properly, Gu You raised his forging hammers. His eyes instantly became sharp and focused. With a slight lift of his hammer, he gently tapped the Ice Crystal Ore, producing a crisp "ding" sound.
This strike was known as the "test hammer." Before beginning the forging process, forgers would always use this method to check the ore or metal's toughness and develop an initial understanding of its impurities.
Seeing Gu You's serious demeanor, Feng Wuyu secretly nodded in approval. He had never taught Gu You about the test hammer, meaning the boy had picked it up entirely from reading the Forging Compendium nearby. This alone demonstrated Gu You's extraordinary comprehension and focus.
This attempt at Thousand Refinements was undoubtedly a test of Gu You's forging talent. From the moment Gu You accidentally achieved Thousand Refinements the previous day, Feng Wuyu had already realized that if properly nurtured, this child could reach a level even he could never attain.
Yet, this realization brought a sigh to Feng Wuyu's heart. He could not pass on his full legacy to Gu You—he simply wasn't qualified to teach this boy. More importantly, he should not teach him because he did not possess the ability to perform Divine Forging (Tian Duan). Even if he wanted to officially take Gu You as a disciple, Yun Ming would never approve. The only person qualified to mentor this child was that master. But at the very least, accepting Gu You as a nominal disciple would be an honor.
As for tricking Gu You into calling him "Master" earlier? That was purely for fun.
Six years old… If Gu You successfully completed the Thousand Refinements today, he would break the record of legends. The current world record, held by a Sacred Craftsman, was set at ten years, six months, and four days.
Unaware of Feng Wuyu's thoughts, Gu You remained fully concentrated, pouring all of his mental energy into the Ice Crystal Ore before him.
Lifting both hammers, chi! A sharp sound rang out as the Ice Crystal Ore deformed like mochi under the tremendous impact. Before the ore could even react, another strike landed. Though seemingly random, every hammerfall was guided by Gu You's extraordinary understanding of the high-temperature malleability of Ice Crystal Ore. Since the ore was unstable, his approach was to hammer it into stability before reheating and repeating the process until all impurities were removed.
Although Gu You had never performed Thousand Refinements before, in his mind, he had already combined all of the forging knowledge he had gained over the past two days with his limited practical experience. Reflecting on how he had accidentally achieved Thousand Refinements the day before, an idea struck him—he had found his own unique method of forging.
That method involved pre-infusing the metal with life force, then refining it with his own special understanding, completing the process in one continuous flow.
Although this was his first time working with this metal, Gu You firmly believed that if his approach worked for some metals, it should work for most.
The hammering continued without pause. The ore was repeatedly placed back into the forging furnace for reheating. The initial Hundred Refinements had begun to take shape. Though it was called "Hundred Refinements," the actual number of strikes far exceeded a hundred. Each hammer had to be swung with full force; otherwise, though the Ice Crystal Ore would deform, it would quickly return to its original shape.
With his martial soul and spirit power enhancing him, Gu You estimated that each of his strikes carried at least 200 kilograms of force.
Hundred Refinements was the foundation of Thousand Refinements. Only after achieving full purification through Hundred Refinements could one proceed further.
Lifting both hammers again, Gu You's face was flushed red as he gasped for breath. It was not just the high temperatures near the forging furnace that exhausted him—it was the sheer force required for each swing. Just like yesterday's training with Feng Wuyu, but this time with spirit power supporting him, making his endurance slightly better. Moreover, since he was infusing life force into the Ice Crystal Ore, he was barely absorbing any himself, meaning the Life Hammers' restorative effect was practically nonexistent. Still, there was an upside: the life force entering the ore greatly increased the success rate of the Thousand Refinements.
As he reached the middle stage of forging, Gu You began to conserve his strength. Not just to maintain his stamina, but also because the impurities in the Ice Crystal Ore were nearly gone. Normally, even after Hundred Refinements, impurities wouldn't be fully eliminated. However, Ice Crystal Ore was unique—having existed in the Extreme North for countless years, it naturally contained very few impurities. This also meant that by simply hammering the ore a thousand times while triggering sublimation, he could achieve Thousand Refinements—a much easier process than usual.
What Gu You didn't realize was that experiencing this kind of intense hammering also strengthened his spiritual power.
His spiritual power had already reached a level of 74 when tested by Long Yali at the Spirit Pagoda. Now, it might be approaching 100.
A full hour passed. The Ice Crystal Ore began to solidify, its snowy-blue surface emitting a faint golden glow.
…
Three hours passed. The ore had shrunk to one-third of its original size, now resembling a perfectly square blue gemstone. Its surface gleamed with a watery white sheen, while hints of golden light flickered within.
Gu You's clothes were drenched in sweat. Every time he swung the hammer, he had to pause for a moment to recover his strength.
Although progress had slowed, during these three hours, he had achieved a true connection with the Ice Crystal Ore.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice tiny indentations at each of the ore's four corners—each one precisely the same size. Each corner had been struck an uncountable number of times.
Every slight reverberation, every sound from each hammer strike, every vibration from the ore itself—all of it had been telling Gu You its secrets.
Gu You took a deep breath. It was time to go all out.
After two hours of carefully studying the ore, he had fully understood its properties. Now, it was time to complete the Thousand Refinements and trigger sublimation.
A new rhythm emerged as loud forging sounds echoed through the room.
Beneath the forge, Gu You pressed and held the intensity control button. The furnace roared to life, its orange-red flames surging from the surrounding vents, enveloping the Ice Crystal Ore in a brilliant blaze.
Though exhausted, every time his arms began to ache, a stream of warmth surged from his spine, spreading throughout his body and dispelling the fatigue. He continuously channeled spirit power into his arms, maintaining his strength.
A perfect purification? Feng Wuyu's eyes widened in shock.
This meant that as long as Gu You kept hammering while sensing the Ice Crystal Ore, he would succeed in Thousand Refinements.
As for sublimation? The life force infused from the Life Hammers continuously poured into the Ice Crystal Ore—proof that the process had already begun. No sublimation effect could surpass the infusion of eternal life energy.
From the very first hammer strike, the outcome had already been determined.
Though he had already reached a conclusion in his heart, Feng Wuyu was still astounded.
A six-year-old boy achieving Thousand Refinements—such a feat had never been seen before. And yet, here it was, happening right before his eyes.
(End of Chapter)