NABC Chapter 60 Myriad Forged Living Beings
Chapter 60 Myriad Forged Living Beings
Chapter 60 Myriad Forged Living Beings
Just as everyone was still immersed in the shock of the first-grade forging, Lu Xingchen in the center of the arena once again made a move that surprised everyone.
The Thousand-Refined Blue Copper Hammer in his hand did not pause at all; instead, it paused slightly, and a faint wave of soul power rippled across the hammer.
Then, with an even more exquisite and gentler force, yet containing immense vitality, it fell once again toward the blue-breasted bronze that radiated three feet of spiritual light.
"bite"
This time, it was neither a dull roar nor a series of sharp cracks, but a clear and melodious impact, like jade striking jade, the lingering sound echoing in the stadium for a long time.
With this soft sound, the three-foot-long spiritual light on the surface of the blue-coated copper trembled violently, and then began to fluctuate wildly. The light flickered, as if it would be extinguished at any moment, but each time it was about to be extinguished, it would shine even more brightly again.
One of the master craftsmen couldn't help but exclaim, "Does he want spirit forging?!"
Upon hearing this, the other master craftsmen couldn't help but change their expressions.
Spirit forging gives life to metal and is the only way for a level 4 forging master to become a level 5 forging grandmaster. But this one hurdle has blocked countless level 4 forging masters!
"Stop him! At his age, even a forging genius couldn't possibly complete spirit forging at this age!"
Duan Xuan let out a low roar and immediately got up and flew towards the forging platform.
Normal spirit forging requires at least a four-ring Soul Master to attempt, and the failure rate is extremely high.
Every spirit forging is a huge test for a soul master, because it involves their own soul power, life force, and the process of fusion with the metal, which is a huge drain on their mental energy.
But how old is Lu Xingchen?! Even if he has superhuman strength, which can support him to complete the first grade of the Thousand Refinements, that is almost the limit.
If one's cultivation level is insufficient but one forcibly attempts spiritual forging, one's mind and spirit will be severely damaged if one fails. If it is an irreparable injury, it will not only be a tragedy for Lu Xingchen, but also a huge loss for the entire forging world!
The other forging masters on the platform also realized what was happening, and their faces turned extremely ugly.
Although they were complete strangers to Lu Xingchen, as senior figures in the forging industry, they deeply understood the value of such a genius. If anything were to happen to Lu Xingchen, it would be an immeasurable loss to the entire forging world.
"Quick! Stop him! We can't let him do this!"
"Spirit forging is not something someone his age should attempt! It's utter nonsense!"
"Hurry! It'll be too late if we're too late!"
Urgent voices rang out, and the master blacksmiths rose to their feet, their figures flashing as they sped toward Lu Xingchen's forging table, trying to stop his near-self-destructive act.
However, as several anxious blacksmiths tried to step forward to check, a clear, glass-like barrier of soul power suddenly rose up beside him.
As the pale golden halo swirled, it firmly kept everyone outside. No matter how much soul power they exerted, the barrier remained unmoved, exuding an aura of inviolability.
Mu Chen's face was as solemn as iron, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't go near him. This child is currently communicating with living beings, trying to guide this piece of Thousand-Refined Blue Copper to have life."
If he's disturbed and goes berserk, he'll likely die instantly. Now we can only pray he can withstand the backlash during the spirit forging process and safely get through this ordeal.
As soon as the words were spoken, the blacksmithing masters surrounding the barrier all changed their expressions drastically, their fear evident in their eyes.
They had all struggled through the Spirit Forging stage and knew the dangers of this step—Spirit Forging was not simply a matter of skill and craftsmanship, but a deep resonance between the Soul Master and the spirituality of metal. A slight mistake could result in mutual destruction.
Several elderly grandmasters shook their heads repeatedly, their eyes filled with regret and worry. The difficulty of spirit forging was immense; even for veterans like them who had been immersed in the art of forging for decades, it had taken them countless hardships to break through it.
It is far too risky for a child who looks so young to dare to try this in full view of everyone.
Duan Xuan felt a buzzing in his head, his vision went black, and he stumbled and almost fell over.
At this moment, his heart was filled with regret and worry. He regretted that he had not kept an eye on Lu Xingchen and let him participate in the competition rashly. He also regretted that he had not warned him of the dangers of spirit forging in advance.
It's impossible to stop it now. The only hope is that Lu Xingchen won't suffer too much harm.
Lu Xingchen was completely unaware of the conversation among these forging masters, as he was now fully immersed in the world of life communication.
The process of spiritual forging imbues the blue copper with a spirit. When this spirit emerges, one communicates with it using spiritual power as a bridge, helping it to shape life. This is the process of spiritual forging.
Through repeated forging, the metal is endowed with initial spirituality;
Spiritual forging elevates one's spirit, imbuing it with the essence of spiritual life—this is the crucial realm leap in the art of forging.
The difference between "Thousand Forging" and "Spirit Forging" may seem like just one word, but in reality, they are worlds apart. Just like the difference between one and two words in battle armor, their power and essence are incomparable.
After being forged by spirit, the metal will undergo a qualitative transformation, transcending the realm of ordinary iron and acquiring its own spirituality and growth potential.
A blacksmith who can complete a spirit forging will officially enter the ranks of grandmasters and will be treated as an honored guest no matter which power they go to.
Unfortunately, many level four blacksmiths spend their entire lives trying to reach this level.
But Lu Xingchen is different.
He never does anything without certainty. Although his soul power cultivation has not yet reached the standard of an ordinary spirit forger, his spiritual power has already broken through the shackles and reached the Spirit Domain Realm, which is the envy of countless soul masters!
Which blacksmith can possess the spiritual power of the Spirit Realm at level four?
Even the contemporary master craftsman Zhenhua's spiritual power only reaches the peak of the Spirit Abyss Realm. He needs to rely on specific equipment to temporarily raise his spiritual power to the Spirit Domain Realm.
At this moment, Lu Xingchen is using his powerful spiritual energy to communicate with the Blue Pregnant Bronze's spirit, guiding it to take this crucial step.
The saying "ten thousand lives are forged" is not an exaggeration.
Each strike requires precise control of force, igniting spiritual vitality without damaging its essence.
Each infusion of soul power must be gentle and prolonged, nourishing the spiritual seeds within the metal like spring rain.
This process is similar to the cultivation of a soul beast: after ten years, a soul beast is ignorant and no different from an ordinary beast;
The century-old soul beast awakens its intelligence and begins to possess spirituality;
The life of the thousand-year-old soul beast undergoes a leap, and its wisdom gradually grows.
Ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts are mentally mature and no less so than humans.
The same applies to metals; the more spiritual they possess, the more limitless their potential, and the more astonishing the heights they can reach.
As time went by, strange sights quietly appeared on the forging table.
The piece of blue-blue copper, which had been forged and shrunk considerably in size, began to tremble slightly under Lu Xingchen's tapping. The originally calm blue light on its surface gradually became more dynamic, and layers of fine cloud patterns slowly rotated like whirlpools in water, emitting an increasingly rich aura of life.
Its size naturally shrinks as the spiritual energy flows, while the blue light intensifies, like a blue star that is nurturing life.
"It's almost done."
While maintaining the rhythm of his punches, Lu Xingchen was secretly pondering.
"However, the smooth progress of the spirit forging is too conspicuous and easily arouses suspicion. After all, given my current age and apparent cultivation level, being too shocking might not be a good thing; a proper disguise is still necessary."
Once his mind was made up, the soul power that had been flowing steadily within him gradually began to weaken, as if it were about to be exhausted.
Outside the barrier, a group of master blacksmiths held their breath, their eyes fixed on the movements on the forging table, afraid of missing any detail.
"Look! The metal's spirit is transforming! This child—he's about to succeed!" Mu Chen clenched his fist excitedly, his knuckles turning white from the force, his face filled with unbelievable joy and tension.
He had never felt such excitement when he participated in the Saint Craftsman Examination. If this young man could succeed, it would break the record of the forging world for thousands of years and create an unprecedented miracle!
Duan Xuan instinctively held his breath, his regret and anxiety replaced by intense anticipation. He stared intently at Lu Xingchen's figure, silently shouting in his heart, "Hold on! Xingchen, you must hold on!"
However, just when everyone thought success was within reach, they keenly noticed that the fluctuations of Lu Xingchen's soul power were rapidly weakening, and the originally blazing blue light was also dimming a bit.
"Oh no! I'm running out of soul power!"
A white-haired grandmaster exclaimed in shock, his voice filled with regret and anxiety, "Just one last step! How could it be that we're stuck on soul power!"
"Damn it! How could this happen!" The other grandmasters also beat their chests and stamped their feet, their faces full of resentment.
They could clearly sense that Lan Yuntong's spirituality was on the verge of awakening, and it was just one last push away from completing its transformation. However, Lu Xingchen's soul power was running out of steam at this moment, which was undoubtedly the most regrettable thing.
It should be noted that as long as Lu Xingchen can complete this spirit forging, even if he only creates one spirit forging piece, he can directly advance to the fifth-level forging master, thus rising to the top ranks of the forging world.
This step is a crucial turning point for any blacksmith; once crossed, it opens up a whole new world.
Just when everyone thought Lu Xingchen was about to fail, he did something that left everyone speechless.
He suddenly put down the forging hammer in his right hand and, without hesitation, stretched his right arm straight up to the blue copper that was radiating a temperature of over a thousand degrees!
"Sizzle—"
—
A piercing sound was accompanied by billowing white smoke rising suddenly. The high temperature reacted violently with the air, instantly spreading a scorching heat.
The blacksmiths present all gasped in shock, their faces filled with horror: that was blue-coated copper that had not yet cooled after being forged a thousand times, its temperature high enough to melt steel; if an ordinary person were to touch it, their arm would instantly turn into charcoal!
But Lu Xingchen was completely unharmed. As the white smoke rose, his hand trembled slightly, and then a dazzling yellow soul ring suddenly rose from beneath his feet, its brilliant light instantly enveloping the entire forging platform.
At the same time, fine silver dragon scales rapidly emerged from under the skin of his palms, spreading upwards along his arms. The surrounding elements of heaven and earth seemed to be summoned by something, and began to violently surge, with howling winds and turbulent soul power.
"drink!"
A deep roar burst from Lu Xingchen's mouth, and his clothes on his upper body suddenly ripped apart under the dual impact of soul power and dragon might, revealing his strong and well-proportioned body.
Everyone could clearly see that his right arm was covered with layers of silver dragon scales, the scales were fine and tough, radiating a cold metallic luster and a majestic dragon aura.
This is not a mythical creature form; it is simply Lu Xingchen using his ability to make dragon scales appear on his body.
Otherwise, with the mental pollution that comes with the mythical creature form, the East Sea Blacksmith Association would probably be wiped out by him.
"Ding~"
A faint layer of silver mist suddenly rose from the silver dragon scales on Lu Xingchen's right arm, enveloping the blue copper like a light veil and instantly neutralizing some of the high temperature.
At the same time, he moved quickly around the forging table, swinging a single hammer in his left hand, striking the side of the blue-coated copper with precision. Each strike contained a subtle rhythm, resonating strongly with the spirit of the metal.
"This is... dragon transformation? Could his martial soul be a dragon?"
Mu Chen's eyes widened suddenly, filled with shock and confusion. "No, this isn't the aura of a martial soul summoning; it's more like the legendary bloodline power from the Star Luo Continent! Could this child possess dragon blood?"
As an eight-star master craftsman, Mu Chen possessed extensive knowledge and quickly gleaned key information from the unique dragon's might and scales: "Silver dragon scales, pure and immaculate, the dragon's might restrained yet domineering—could it be the legendary silver dragon bloodline?"
What shocked him even more was that as the silver dragon scales manifested, Lu Xingchen's mental fluctuations surged instantly, reaching the Spirit Sea Realm at the Soul Saint level!
"Ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding!"
The crisp, clear sound of the tapping echoed through the stadium like jade beads falling onto a plate.
Every strike was perfectly timed, every collision contained the rhythm of life, and the entire forging process became wondrous and sacred, like a life resonance that transcended races.
At this moment, everyone present is witnessing the miracle that is about to happen.
The blue light on the surface of the blue-coated copper gradually faded, replaced by a faint silver halo that lingered around Lu Xingchen's forging hammer, echoing the dragon scales on his arm.
Finally, as the last wisp of blue light dissipated, Lu Xingchen's whole body trembled violently. He quickly withdrew his right hand, gripped the forging hammer with both hands, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and poured all his strength into it without reservation, slamming it down fiercely!
"boom--!"
A deafening roar echoed throughout the forge, and a dazzling silver flame shot into the sky, reaching a height of five feet. Its intense light illuminated the faces of everyone present.
Even more strangely, the moment the flames rose, a clear and majestic dragon's roar resounded through the sky. Within the silver flames, it seemed as if a lithe silver dragon was coiling and swimming, its posture agile and lifelike.
"hold head high--!"
The dragon's roar pierced the clouds, containing pure joy of life and powerful dragon might, giving people an indescribable sense of awe.
That was clearly a newborn life, cheering for its birth and shouting for its transformation!
Become!
Using the mind as a hammer, spiritual power as a guide, and bloodline as an aid, with mind and spirit united, all living beings are forged into one – this is true spiritual forging!
"Ah! What's happening? My metal!"
At the same time, the other young blacksmiths in the forge, who were undergoing a thousand forgings, exclaimed in surprise.
The metal they were forging, under the shock of the dragon's roar, instantly lost its stable spirituality, its luster vanished, and it became scrap metal.
"That's... a dragon?"
The young blacksmiths put down their hammers and looked up in shock, their eyes fixed on the soaring silver flame and the silver dragon coiling within it, their disbelief filling their eyes.
On the forging platform, the pair of thousand-refined heavy silver hammers in Lu Xingchen's hands had now undergone a complete transformation.
The hammer's body turned a pure silver color, and the original cloud patterns disappeared completely, replaced by faint silver dragon patterns that connected with the dragon scale aura on his arm. It was no longer a simple bloodline resonance, but a seamless and inseparable sense of harmony.
A flash of silver light appeared in Lu Xingchen's palm, and the pair of forging hammers that had just been forged with spirit energy silently disappeared into his palm as if flowing water.
That's right, it's about integration!
The highest realm of spirit forging is the connection of life.
Once the metal has been spiritually forged and possesses its own life, it can establish a deep connection with the blacksmith's soul, integrate into the body, and become a part of the body, available at will and at will.
This is the core reason why level 5 blacksmiths are revered as grandmasters, and it is also the essential difference between one-word battle armor and two-word battle armor.
While the One-Word Battle Armor is powerful, it takes time to put on, making it easy to fall into a passive position in the ever-changing duel between masters.
The two-word battle armor undergoes spiritual forging and is completely integrated with the user's body. It is both a weapon and an extension of the body, providing constant enhancement to the Soul Master and truly achieving unity between the user and the armor.
The forging hammer successfully integrated into his body, and Lu Xingchen seemed to have reached his limit. His body fell straight to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
"Stars!"
Duan Xuan reacted the fastest. Almost the instant Lu Xingchen collapsed, he transformed into a blur and rushed over, firmly embracing the weak figure, his face full of lingering fear and concern.
He quickly reached out and placed his hand on Lu Xingchen's pulse to examine him carefully.
A moment later, Duan Xuan let out a long sigh of relief, a smile of relief spreading across his face: "Thankfully, I'm only suffering from depleted soul power and blood, not in mortal danger. The worst didn't happen!"
"He—he really succeeded?" A grandmaster's voice trembled as he stared intently at Lu Xingchen, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
The other masters also gathered around, exchanging bewildered glances, their eyes filled with overwhelming shock.
Although they could not accurately determine Lu Xingchen's age, judging from the vibrant life force he exuded when he manifested his bloodline just now, as well as his slightly immature face, this child was definitely no more than a thousand years old!
A spirit blacksmith under a thousand years old! A fifth-level grandmaster blacksmith! He could even be called a grandmaster blacksmith!
This can no longer be described as genius; it's a true monster! Such talent and such achievements are unprecedented in the entire history of the forging industry.
Such a special talent would be sought after by not only the East China Sea Forging Association, but also by Shrek Academy, one of the top schools on the continent, who would spare no expense to recruit him.
Everyone understood that this young man would inevitably become a legend in the forging world, and might even embark on the path of a master craftsman, leading an era!
The silver flames gradually dissipated, the dragon's roar still lingered, and the forging yard was silent. Only the heavy breathing of the crowd and the surging waves in their hearts witnessed this miraculous spirit forging that was enough to rewrite the history of the forging world.
Duan Xuan picked up Lu Xingchen and calmly announced, "I hereby declare that Lu Xingchen is the champion of the Youth Group Blacksmith Competition. Do you have any objections?"
"no."
The group of blacksmithing masters all shook their heads. What a joke! Let alone the youth group, even the adult group over twenty years old probably wouldn't be able to complete the spirit forging.
"Alright, let's continue the competition. However, given the impact Lu Xingchen just caused, the youth group competition can be restarted. Whoever scores the most points will be second place."
Duan Xuan looked at the young blacksmiths around him, their faces covered in black smoke. They were all blacksmiths whose condition had been affected by the appearance of the spirit-forged metal.
It wasn't that their skills were lacking; the main problem was that the dragon's roar, filled with dragon might, affected the spirituality of their metal, leading to their failure.
"I'll leave the assessment to you now. I'll take this child for treatment."
After giving instructions to the other blacksmiths, Duan Xuan quickly left the venue, with Mu Chen following closely behind, leaving the other blacksmithing masters to clean up the mess.