Chapter 45: One Step to Heaven! Ten Thousand Strikes to Awaken the Spirit!

Gu You's body continued to spin, each hammer strike heavier than the last. Every strike seemed to exhaust all his strength, yet the ice crystal subtly adjusted its angle with each impact—every movement was precise to perfection. Its volume visibly shrank at a rapid pace.

Zhen Hua's expression grew strange. He had never seen such a forging technique before—it was too wild, yet at the same time, exquisitely delicate.

"I'm leaving," Yun Ming said to Zhen Hua.

"Leaving? Where to? Isn't this child returning to Shrek?" Zhen Hua's eyes were filled with confusion.

"He's not going back. He has his own plans, and I won't interfere. The Inner Court has many affairs to handle, so it's not suitable for me to stay long. Once he officially acknowledges you as his master, he will probably explain everything to you," Yun Ming said as he lightly stepped into the void, leaving behind these words.

Zhen Hua didn't ask any further. After all, if Yun Ming wanted to leave, no one could stop him. He could only wait until Gu You finished forging, hoping the answers would surface then.

While they spoke, the ice crystal's shape had already become increasingly transparent and luminous under Gu You's relentless hammering. Its patterns gradually refined and became more orderly, while the resonating sounds of the hammer strikes grew crisper—a clear sign that the metal's quality was rapidly improving.

The hundred refinements were complete, and Gu You's hammering speed increased. His strength was also steadily rising.

Yes! This was the feeling he was after!

Zhen Hua was completely engrossed in Gu You's forging method. Wild yet gentle, gentle yet infused with wildness.

"Boom—"

A thunderous roar erupted as a radiant blue light shot into the sky!

It almost felt as though the ice crystal itself let out a joyful cry. The blue light it emitted surged upward like a dancing dragon, rising three feet high and refusing to fade.

Gu You retracted both hammers to his sides. His eyes had fully turned purple, and at the same time, three spirit rings rose beneath his feet.

Hundred Refinements with Spirit, First Grade Level!

Two distinct streaks of violet light shot out from Gu You's eyes, extending three inches forward. With a swift step, he maneuvered to the side of the refined ice crystal and tapped it lightly with his hammers.

A crisp and melodious "Ding, Ding" echoed.

Astonishingly, the ice crystal echoed back with its own "Ding, Ding," as if responding to Gu You's call!

What the—?!

Red?!

Zhen Hua wiped his eyes, ensuring he wasn't mistaken.

A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring?! How did he obtain this?! Never mind the fact that ten-thousand-year spirit rings were already incredibly rare—according to the Federation's latest statistics, only thirty-two known hundred-thousand-year soul beasts remained, including those in the ocean.

This was nothing short of a miracle! A three-ring Soul Elder possessing a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring—who would believe this? But the proof was right before his eyes. If this child were to fully grow into his potential, he would undoubtedly become a colossal prodigy.

Zhen Hua was no longer surprised—perhaps he had already been shocked too many times today. He simply waited patiently. Whatever the truth was, he would find out once Gu You finished forging.

Gu You now moved gracefully around the ice crystal. Unlike his earlier fierce and powerful strikes, his hammering was now light and precise.

Yet, a keen observer could see that between his dual hammers, a gentle green-white-golden glow flowed, intertwining with his soul power and the life force of his hammers.

At the same time, purple dragon scales spread across Gu You's body. A powerful dragon aura swept through the room, spiraling upward and entwining with the scorching-hot ice crystal, causing wisps of purple mist to rise.

A True Dragon Martial Soul…

Zhen Hua's gaze sharpened. No wonder his strength was so immense—it was his innate talent!

Hundred refinements with spirit endowed the ice crystal with a semi-spiritual nature. Taking advantage of this emerging spirituality, Gu You used his Martial Soul and spiritual power as a bridge to communicate with the metal and guide it into its own awakening.

To use one's mind and soul as the hammer, with one's Martial Soul as the guide, to unify heart and spirit—this is the path of Ten Thousand Strikes to Awaken the Spirit.

There was a qualitative difference between spirit forging and hundred refinements. Just as a one-word battle armor paled in comparison to a two-word battle armor, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

Spirit forging elevated metal to a higher state of existence. Those who achieved this level of mastery were as rare and valuable as top-tier mecha designers and builders—perhaps even more so.

Once a spirit-forged work was completed, the forger would be immediately recognized as a Fifth-Rank Forging Grandmaster. This was the most crucial milestone for any blacksmith.

In truth, Gu You could have already obtained a Fifth-Rank Blacksmith's badge. However, Feng Wuyu felt that doing so would draw too much attention. After all, what would people think if a nine-year-old held the title of a Fifth-Rank Forging Grandmaster?

Additionally, Gu You was still inconsistent with spirit forging, often failing. To prevent him from losing confidence, Feng Wuyu pulled a lot of strings to grant him a specialized "Provisional Fifth-Rank Blacksmith" badge. Even the Federation officially approved it, recognizing Gu You's potential.

For Zhen Hua, stepping into the realm of spirit forging had cost him countless hardships. Yet, today, witnessing someone so young and talented about to complete spirit forging, he couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious.

However, more than anything, he felt relief and pride.

Finally, he had found a true successor!

And Gu You was not just any successor—he had far exceeded all expectations.

Unlike other blacksmiths of his level, Gu You possessed an unparalleled advantage—his spiritual power.

With his Spirit Sea Realm mental strength, he could clearly perceive every detail and seamlessly infuse the metal with a soul.

By now, Gu You was fully immersed in communicating with the ice crystal. He could feel its joy and hesitation. It seemed uncertain about taking the next step.

And Gu You's job was to guide it forward.

One step to heaven! Ten Thousand Strikes to Awaken the Spirit!

Forging through the heart, Ten Thousand Strikes is a process of continuous communication and mental resonance.

Every gentle tap maintained the ice crystal's spiritual integrity. By injecting his soul power, Gu You was leading it toward self-awareness.

It was just like the evolution of soul beasts.

A ten-year soul beast had little intelligence, similar to an ordinary animal.A hundred-year soul beast began to develop basic spiritual awareness.A thousand-year soul beast underwent a leap in life energy and gained more wisdom.And a ten-thousand-year soul beast had intelligence that rivaled humans.

The same principle applied to metal. The more spirituality it possessed, the greater its potential for transformation.

A remarkable scene began to unfold.

The refined ice crystal, now much smaller in size, trembled under Gu You's gentle strikes.

The blue glow surrounding it started to shift—streaks of purple patterns swirled across its surface like a vortex, spinning softly.

At the same time, its volume continued to shrink naturally. The blue-purple light it radiated grew ever more intense.

This meant that Gu You's communication was successful.

The bond between him and the metal had been firmly established.

Now, all that remained was for him to maintain this connection and continue guiding the ice crystal's transformation.

If successful, he would fully complete spirit forging.

(End of Chapter)