Simply through Gu You's near-perfect purification process, the value of this piece of Ice Crystal had already increased several times over.
Another hour passed. Gu You had no idea how many times he had struck the metal. Gradually, the resounding hammering noises disappeared. Before his eyes, the golden light shining within the Ice Crystal had become extremely radiant. With each strike, it seemed to "breathe" in sync with Gu You's own breathing.
Gu You felt as if he were standing in a world of ice and snow. The soreness and fatigue that had plagued his body vanished completely. However, unlike a typical frigid landscape, the sun in this world was purple, and instead of feeling cold, his body was enveloped in a pleasant warmth.
Beside him, Feng Wuyu's full attention was locked onto the Ice Crystal, failing to notice the changes happening to Gu You.
A faint purple light flickered deep within Gu You's eyes, and the speed of his strikes with the Life Essence Hammers began to accelerate. With each impact, the Ice Crystal seemed to let out a satisfied hum.
The Ice Crystal continued to shrink—by five percent… fifteen percent—until it reached its maximum density and could no longer compress further. From then on, every strike refined its internal patterns, making them more intricate and harmonious.
This is Thousand Refinements!
Feng Wuyu took a deep breath, an expression of pleasure crossing his face.
As a Saint Craftsman, he naturally recognized the bond forming between Gu You and the Ice Crystal.
It was an indescribable sensation—one only those who had personally performed the Thousand Refinements could truly understand.
This child is destined to become a Divine Craftsman!
Feng Wuyu's greatest regret in life was never reaching the rank of Divine Craftsman. But now, he saw immense hope in Gu You. Perhaps, simply witnessing the boy's growth would be a reward in itself.
Four hours passed…
At some point, Yun Ming had appeared outside the forging room.
Yali had been thinking about Gu You, and since he had been learning for two days already, Yun Ming had come to check his progress. If he showed any improvement, he would continue learning. If not, Yun Ming would take him back to the Sea God Pavilion to cultivate alongside Yali. In that case, his secondary profession could be postponed.
Upon arrival, Yun Ming happened to witness Gu You forging. The rhythmic strikes, like a grand symphony, left him momentarily stunned.
This was his first time seeing Gu You at work. Though he knew little about forging, the entranced expression on Feng Wuyu's face made it clear that what he was witnessing was no small feat.
He did not interrupt them. Yun Ming understood how crucial focus was to a forging master, and Feng Wuyu's presence alone was enough to confirm that Gu You had achieved a breakthrough.
Five hours passed!
A wave of exhaustion threatened to overwhelm Gu You once more. But he did not stop. Each strike remained precise and steady as his willpower carried him forward.
Almost there! Almost there!
Gu You repeated this to himself like a mantra. If he stopped now, all of his efforts would have been for nothing.
Then, at that very moment, the Ice Crystal suddenly erupted with a golden radiance, illuminating the entire forging room.
Gu You struck one final blow, and in an instant, the golden light flared wildly.
Seizing the opportunity, Feng Wuyu swiftly formed a blade of soul power and made a shallow cut on Gu You's palm. A spray of fresh blood landed onto the Ice Crystal.
The raging golden light gradually faded. Feng Wuyu shut off the forge flames, and Gu You, completely drained, collapsed to the ground. Yun Ming caught him just in time, steadying his body.
From within the Ice Crystal, faint sizzling sounds could be heard as its temperature rapidly decreased, revealing the true form of the refined metal.
Before forging, the Ice Crystal had been a striking shade of deep blue—visually stunning but otherwise unremarkable. Now, its color had transformed into a transparent, light blue hue with golden threads coiling within. The surface was impossibly smooth, like a flawless gemstone.
Even among Thousand Refinements, different metals had different levels of difficulty. These were ranked from one to nine. For example, metals like Heavy Silver and Deep Sea Ore had extremely high densities, making them difficult to forge, but they were only ranked at difficulty level five.
Ice Crystal, however, was entirely different. It had a solid level-seven difficulty—so difficult that even fourth-rank blacksmiths would hesitate before attempting it.
Truthfully, from the start, Feng Wuyu had not believed that Gu You could succeed in a Thousand Refinements. His first attempt had been a fluke, a mere accident. But now, there was only one thought in Feng Wuyu's mind:
Unbelievable!!
"Thousand Refinements? This is Thousand Refinements!" Feng Wuyu howled madly.
Yun Ming was still feeding soul power into Gu You's depleted body. When he heard the phrase Thousand Refinements, he froze for a moment.
Even though Yun Ming was the Skycovering Douluo, forging was outside his expertise. However, he understood its significance—Thousand Refinements represented a third-rank blacksmith, with fourth-rank merely being a matter of refinement levels. Given enough time, reaching that rank was inevitable.
But a six-year-old nearly at fourth-rank? That was unheard of in all of human history! Yun Ming turned to Feng Wuyu, then looked at Gu You's innocent face, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Old lunatic, what's going on?" Yun Ming furrowed his brows slightly.
"Yun Ming! You've truly taken in an incredible son! This child's talent—he will become a Divine Craftsman!" Feng Wuyu continued laughing wildly.
Just as those words left his mouth, the Ice Crystal suddenly emitted a faint white light that shot into Gu You's forehead.
Yun Ming, already stunned, watched as it disappeared into Gu You's body.
"What just happened?" Yun Ming rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Feng Wuyu had noticed as well. "Because of the Life Essence Hammers, the Ice Crystal temporarily developed a trace of intelligence. But it won't last long. Since Gu You's blood was mixed in, it merged into his body. He should be able to summon it at will."
Gu You and Yun Ming both nodded, feeling as if they were listening to some great lecture on mystical arts.
"Pavilion Master, I have something to discuss with you." Without waiting for Yun Ming's response, Feng Wuyu grabbed him and disappeared.
Gu You was naturally curious about their conversation but quickly refocused. More importantly, the Ice Crystal was now inside him, and he could retrieve it whenever he wanted.
Inside his Spiritual Sea, Ji Ji Ba was still sleeping soundly.
Suddenly, a crack split open in the void, and a fist-sized chunk of metal came hurtling through, smacking Ji Ji Ba directly on the head. A swollen red bump instantly appeared.
The little tyrannosaurus roared in anger, only to freeze when it saw that the culprit was a mere piece of ore.
Where was the one who hit him?!
At that moment, Gu You's spiritual projection materialized.
Ji Ji Ba immediately locked onto its target and charged at him.
Gu You had initially felt quite happy upon seeing the Ice Crystal appear within his Spiritual Sea. But when he turned around, his expression darkened instantly—Ji Ji Ba no longer looked as small as before.
Ever since becoming a Millennium Soul Spirit, its body had undergone enormous changes. No longer a tiny creature, it now resembled a majestic proto-dragon, its four-to-five-meter-tall form exuding the grandeur of a dragon species.
If it were female and gained a human form in the future, wouldn't it be…
Before Gu You could finish his thought, Ji Ji Ba opened its massive maw and swallowed him whole.
In reality, Gu You woke up with a helpless expression.
"This tyrannosaurus is way too violent."
At least he now knew where the Ice Crystal was. When the time came, he could simply grab it back.