Regarding Yun Ming's battle armor soul ring configuration, I looked it up but couldn't find anything definitive. The only information I found indicated a configuration of four black and five red rings, but that didn't seem quite right. So, I changed it to nine red rings.
"I agree, but only if you pass the test." Zhen Hua nodded.
Yun Ming remained silent, while Gu You was visibly excited. Life minerals were incredibly precious, and judging by the quality of this piece, it was top-tier rare material.
Gu You stepped toward the forging furnace, summoning his Spirit-Refined Life Essence Hammers. These were crafted under Feng Wuyu's guidance during his forging apprenticeship. Back then, Gu You's soul power had been insufficient, and he had relied on Feng Wuyu to infuse him with soul power, forcefully completing the forging process. Because of that experience, he had developed the idea of creating soul power storage items. Through his blood sacrifice ritual, his hammers had gained an ability—when striking minerals, they not only granted life to the metal but also returned a large amount of energy to the user. It was essentially the combination of the two effects.
Spirit-Refined Life Essence Hammers!
Feeling the overwhelming vitality from the hammers, Zhen Hua was astounded. Just by looking at the hammers, he could tell that they had been consecrated with Gu You's blood. Could it be that this boy had already mastered Spirit Refining?!
Zhen Hua took a deep breath. No wonder this kid wanted Life Minerals—if he wanted to upgrade his hammers, he would need even rarer life minerals to forge them into higher-quality tools and then integrate them into himself. But something confused Zhen Hua—Gu You's soul power was only around rank thirty, yet he could forge at a level that usually required a Soul Ancestor (rank forty or higher).
Zhen Hua had underestimated modern techniques. Even Gu You himself found it strange. According to the original records, a lack of soul power should make it impossible to forge higher-level metals. Essentially, soul power was the limiting factor. But they had all forgotten one thing—if his own soul power wasn't enough, couldn't he use someone else's?
Soul power storage devices, like the Milk Bottles that were popular in the Douluo Dalu: Absolute Tang Sect era, could completely bypass this limitation.
Gu You selected an Ice Crystal Ore.
Zhen Hua was puzzled. Out of all the metals available, this kid chose one of the hardest to forge? Had he been struck dumb by the evil soul masters?
What Zhen Hua didn't know was that Gu You was most skilled in forging two types of minerals: Ice Crystal and Life Minerals. As long as he had enough soul power, he was guaranteed to succeed in spirit refining them!
The furnace was activated, and with the press of a button, the Ice Crystal Ore slowly sank into the flames. As it burned, Gu You carefully released his soul power, sensing the familiar presence of his Life Essence Hammers.
That feeling was as intimate as his own bloodline.
Gu You took a deep breath.
Spirit Refining was the greatest watershed in the profession of a blacksmith. It was the dividing line between an ordinary master and a true grandmaster. One step forward, and you entered an entirely different realm.
Thousand Refining was merely a foundation for forging one-word battle armor, and one-word armor was nothing special compared to mechas. But Spirit Refining was the basis for forging two-word battle armor, and only two-word battle armor could be called true battle armor.
The burning process was complete. The furnace shut down, and the Ice Crystal Ore was slowly lifted onto the forging platform.
To complete Spirit Refining, a blacksmith must fully merge their mind, body, and soul with the metal. At the moment of its completion, the metal must be brought to life.
"Spirit Refining is the creation of a soul."
—Feng Wuyu's words echoed in Gu You's mind.
At this moment, Gu You was not a soul master—he was a blacksmith! He had to forge the most perfect Ice Crystal Soul.
Suddenly!
Gu You lifted both hammers gracefully, his entire presence becoming sharper and more refined.
A massive surge of spiritual power merged into one, and a faint purple light flickered in his eyes.
Spirit Sea Realm!!!
What the hell?!
Zhen Hua couldn't believe his eyes.
A nine-year-old at the Spirit Sea Realm? Unprecedented!Unrepeatable!
Spiritual power was crucial to Spirit Refining.
Both Spirit Refining (灵锻) and Soul Refining (魂锻) contained the meaning of spirit (灵) and soul (魂). Their essence was to instill consciousness into metal, making it alive. Spirit Refining created a will, while Soul Refining created a true soul.
This showed just how vital spiritual power was to a blacksmith's future.
Yun Ming was just as stunned.
His gaze darkened slightly.
This child—Gu You—still had many secrets.
But what exactly they were… Yun Ming chose not to ask.
Everyone had their own secrets. If a person had no secrets, could they still be considered human?
"How the hell did you find such a talent?"
"I read the news a few days ago—he fought evil soul masters and was awarded first-class merit. At the time, I thought it was fake—way too exaggerated. But after today? This kid is a straight-A student!"
Zhen Hua was now completely set on accepting Gu You as his disciple.
Yun Ming couldn't answer. He just smiled bitterly.
Indeed, this child was too monstrous. Unparalleled in ten thousand years.
He wasn't just the protagonist of this era—even calling him fate's chosen one was an understatement.
But he didn't want to answer Zhen Hua's question directly, so he simply said—
"I picked him up."
…
?
Picked him up?!
Zhen Hua almost choked on air.
Why couldn't he have such good luck?!
Maybe he should start checking the streets for orphans. Who knew? Maybe he'd pick up the next peerless genius too!
"This kid is really something…"
Zhen Hua muttered in awe.
Gu You's hammer swings were precise to the extreme.
Every single strike landed with the perfect amount of force.
This level of control over strength was unbelievably refined.
"Who trained him before this? His foundations are extremely solid."
"Feng Wuyu," Yun Ming answered lightly.
"…So it's him."
Zhen Hua naturally knew about Feng Wuyu, one of the Twin Saint Dragons, a legendary figure in the forging world. They had even competed for the title of Divine Blacksmith.
But if that was the case…
Why hadn't Feng Wuyu taken Gu You as his own disciple?
Surely he had seen the boy's unrivaled talent?
Before Zhen Hua could ask, Yun Ming spoke first.
"Wuyu cannot reach the Divine Blacksmith level. Gu You's talent is meant for godhood. He must study under you."
For the first time in many years, Zhen Hua felt truly moved.
Giving up the opportunity to mentor such a student, all for the child's future—just how much determination did Feng Wuyu have?
How could he not be touched?
Gu You powered up.
The rhythmic clanging of his hammers filled the forging chamber.
Suddenly—
Gu You spun, jumped, and slid forward in a perfect motion!
Yun Ming and Zhen Hua were stunned.
What the hell kind of forging technique was this?!
His Life Essence Hammersroared with excitement—
As if they were alive