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Xu Yuan's forging hammer continued to strike, each blow resonating like celestial music, as if every strike hit a critical point.
Before him, the Transforming Gold responded with reverberations, as though each of Xu Yuan's strikes landed perfectly on its sweet spot, releasing waves of instinctual pleasure from its very essence.
This was an unmistakable fluctuation of spiritual energy, and everyone present could feel it. They were infected by this wave, as if they could sense the joy brought about by the hammer strikes.
With each strike, the Transforming Gold released waves of soul-deep pleasure.
These pleasurable fluctuations spread through the crowd.
Bang, bang, bang!
Strike after strike, and finally, the Transforming Gold began to change.
In the sky, various elements converged—Xu Yuan's most proficient five elements and lightning element among them.
Six elements gathered, painting a dazzling picture in the air.
The six elements seemed to use the lightning element as their carrier, forming five elemental divine thunderbolts that surged into Xu Yuan's forging hammer, then flowed into the Transforming Gold.
Xu Yuan felt an impulse—to experiment with using star attributes, specifically star power, for elemental quenching.
But he restrained himself.
Today's demonstration of heavenly forging was meant to showcase his strength, and completing this forging in the most perfect state was paramount.
He would save the impulsive idea for later when he forged alone.
The six elements transformed into five dragon-like streaks of lightning, descending from the heavens and striking Xu Yuan's forging hammer. The energy then merged seamlessly into the Transforming Gold, carried by a penetrating force.
Xu Yuan felt that this piece of Transforming Gold had been forged exceptionally well. If only it weren't purely Transforming Gold without other metals fused in, and if it contained more than just six types of elements, this piece would already be nearly qualified to become part of Xu Yuan's battle armor.
A pleasurable resonance echoed around, a clear wave of spiritual energy. Under Xu Yuan's forging hammer, the Transforming Gold became even more lively, its faint golden glow taking on a vibrant hue.
Boom!
Xu Yuan struck one final blow, slamming the jumping Transforming Gold back onto the forging platform. He then wielded two hammers in both hands, unleashing a relentless barrage of strikes.
Each strike summoned lightning from the heavens, while his essence, spirit, and energy were perfectly infused into the Transforming Gold.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
The skies changed color.
The elements in the air no longer needed Xu Yuan's guidance—they spontaneously gathered, forming continuous storm clouds.
Above the Endless Mountains, rolling thunderclouds amassed, their rumbling echoes amplifying the majesty of the snow-covered peaks.
Under the illumination of lightning, the entire Blood God Legion camp exuded a sacred aura, standing atop the mountain, ready to face any calamity.
After channeling all the remaining elemental energy into the Transforming Gold, Xu Yuan grabbed it directly.
Despite being heated by intense flames, the Transforming Gold in Xu Yuan's hand felt cool. Its five elemental forces circulated rapidly, dissipating all residual heat.
The Transforming Gold melded into his body, and Xu Yuan soared into the sky.
Boom!
Lightning rained down in torrents.
It was as if the sky itself had unleashed a storm of lightning.
Streams of lightning poured down like raindrops, cascading directly from the thunderclouds.
No one was admiring this spectacular sight now.
Xu Yuan ascended alone into the high skies, drawing upon all the falling lightning energy. Surrounded by thunder, he appeared like a divine being.
Below, Mu Ye watched the scene unfold, wincing slightly.
"This kid… using lightning to temper his body is truly insane. But it looks like he succeeded. Tsk tsk, he must have developed some kind of technique. I'll ask him about it later. I've never tried tempering my body with lightning…"
Since his breakthrough, Mu Ye had been advancing at an astonishing pace, and even now, he was still progressing steadily. His blood essence and soul power were both improving, and entering the quasi-god stage was inevitable.
However, he felt his progress was slowing down.
His rate of improvement was diminishing.
Witnessing Xu Yuan's method of tempering his body with lightning, Mu Ye couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
It wasn't just Mu Ye—Ah Ruheng, the eldest disciple of the Body Sect, was also eyeing the scene with envy, even swallowing saliva as if the sight of the torrential lightning ignited his appetite.
Of course, all of this depended on Xu Yuan's secret technique for tempering his body with lightning.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been so captivated by the sight.
Jiang Wuyue and Wang Jinyang, who had joined the Body Sect later, didn't have such extreme thoughts. They simply marveled at how extraordinary Xu Yuan's body was.
Back in the Sea God Pavilion, Feng Wuyu had used his own soul power to resist lightning externally, allowing only a small portion of the lightning energy to seep into his body to refine the Dark Yang stones forged through heavenly forging.
Even that act had shocked the already eccentric inner disciples of Shrek Academy.
And now, Xu Yuan took it further—he absorbed all the lightning energy directly into his body, activating the Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique. He became like a black hole, devouring all the lightning energy, with streaks of lightning coursing through his body.
Amidst the violent energy reactions, the crowd below could even see the skeletal structure within Xu Yuan's body.
Such a shocking sight left everyone present awestruck.
Could a human soul master really reach such an extent?
Xu Yuan's surging blood essence swallowed the entirety of the tribulation, almost making him seem inhuman.
Yet, he fully digested everything.
Moreover, his soul power was rapidly increasing.
Although he had only forged for four days in Heaven Dou City, during those four days, he had endured sixteen lightning tribulations. While most of the lightning energy had been given to Jue, Jue's advancement would naturally benefit Xu Yuan. Over those few days, he had gained one level of soul power, and Jue's subsequent breakthrough further boosted his soul power.
When he left the Blood God Legion, his soul power was at Level 83. After returning from the deep sea and arriving at Heaven Dou City seven months later, he had advanced two levels on his own.
In total, over just eight months, Xu Yuan had increased his soul power by four levels.
And now, by devouring this heavenly forging tribulation, his soul power was still climbing.
Unfortunately, this was still only the power of a single tribulation.
However, unlike before, Xu Yuan didn't let Jue absorb the lightning energy and then reap the benefits of Jue's feedback. This time, he absorbed and devoured the lightning energy himself.
This time, his improvement was evident. Unfortunately, he was still just shy of reaching Level 88.
Even so, his soul power fluctuations were terrifying.
Though only at Level 87, he gave off the aura of a Super Douluo. The soul power fluctuations, stimulated by the lightning, carried an overwhelming divine might that instilled fear in those who witnessed it.
Zhang Huanyun, in the command center, gazed at the figure in the sky, holding his breath under the overwhelming pressure.
In this state, he wasn't sure if he could defeat Xu Yuan.
Though he understood better than Yu Guanzhi—who had assessed Xu Yuan's limit-level combat strength—that Xu Yuan had only demonstrated two-word battle armor, Zhang Huanyun still lacked confidence.
Could Xu Yuan, without three-word battle armor, truly lack limit-level combat strength?
Even Xu Yuan's teacher, Mu Ye, believed that Xu Yuan was missing a three-word battle armor, leaving him just a step short of limit-level strength.
Yet, Zhang Huanyun, as an outsider, had a strange premonition: Xu Yuan now possessed the combat strength of a Limit Douluo.
Who would believe that after leaving on a trip, he returned having only broken through one heavenly forging? Especially since this person was Xu Yuan, who had only been cultivating for just over ten years.
Boom!
The final bolt of lightning was swallowed by Xu Yuan.
After refining the lightning energy and assessing his soul power, he found it still hovering at Level 87.
It was acceptable.
In truth, he could feel his soul power rapidly condensing.
Lightning energy was explosive. When first devoured, it created a sense of expansion, making it appear as though his soul power had nearly reached Level 88. In reality, it was far from enough.
It was like possessing the same amount of soul power as someone of normal quality, yet exhibiting the effects of Xu Yuan's superior soul power quality, creating the illusion of an impending breakthrough. In truth, the lightning energy was insufficient.
As digestion progressed, the soul power within Xu Yuan's body gradually stabilized, the violent energy dissipated, and everything began to condense.
"A tribulation like this would need to happen at least seven or eight more times for me to steadily reach Level 88."
As for hunting Abyssal creatures in the stellar anomalies, it would waste a lot of time.
Xu Yuan knew that if he wanted to accelerate his growth, he would need to hunt Emperor-class beings. However, Emperors rarely moved, and when they did, it was often accompanied by the Abyssal Sage King—an existence Xu Yuan couldn't provoke for now.
Thus, he could no longer rapidly improve in the stellar anomalies.
Of course, what constituted "rapid improvement" varied from person to person.
Because of Xu Yuan's exceptionally high-quality soul power, even the undiminished share of energy converted from hunting Abyssal creatures of the same level wasn't enough to make a noticeable difference.
In reality, he could advance one level every one or two months, doubling the speed of meditation-based cultivation outside.
However, having experienced monthly advancements of three or four levels, Xu Yuan couldn't tolerate this slower pace.
He needed to accelerate by killing stronger Abyssal creatures to convert higher-quality stellar energy.
Unfortunately, the stronger Abyssal creatures could only be found among the Emperors of the 108 layers of the Abyss.
Now that he had mastered heavenly forging, it alleviated his immediate problem. The energy from heavenly forging tribulations was immense, and because it carried a testing nature, it was surprisingly easier to digest than natural lightning.
Of course, anyone capable of devouring tribulation energy was an oddity.
If not for Xu Yuan's existence, this fact might never have been discovered.
In truth, while it was easier to digest, the heavenly forging tribulations themselves caused more thorough destruction, delving deeply into the laws of nature. However, for Xu Yuan, this was merely a form of tempering.
Slowly descending, Xu Yuan looked at the stunned crowd below and cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem!"
The crowd snapped out of their daze.
They looked at Xu Yuan as if they were gazing upon a divine being.
Is this the strength of the Forging Department Minister?
Is heavenly forging really that terrifying?
"Heavenly forging only requires completing the final step—drawing down the lightning tribulation—to be considered successful. The subsequent steps are just different methods for withstanding the tribulation used by various blacksmiths. Normally, all the lightning tribulations will condense into several strikes, depending on the number of elements infused into the metal. For example, earlier, I infused six elements, so under normal circumstances, there would be six lightning strikes. There is an interval between each strike, and the lightning won't directly strike the blacksmith but instead targets the heavenly-forged metal. What the blacksmith needs to do is find their own method to help withstand this tribulation."
Xu Yuan rarely explained such a long passage.
He looked at the slightly fearful gazes of the blacksmiths, worried that they might lose their drive to advance.
Though he didn't expect them to become Divine Craftsmans, mindset was still important. Despairing over heavenly forging would make soul forging their ultimate goal, and people often became lax when pursuing their final objective.
Deadlines were effective motivators, but they also brought about significant slackness, pushing tasks back because there was still time.
"I can never achieve heavenly forging in this lifetime; maybe becoming a Saint Craftsman is my limit."
If such a mindset took hold, they would lack motivation before their blood essence completely waned.
After hearing Xu Yuan's explanation, the blacksmiths let out a sigh of relief.
So this wasn't the only method to withstand the tribulation.
What a relief.
Earlier, they had almost speculated why Zhen Hua's output was so low.
Turns out, ordinary soul masters could still choose other methods to withstand the tribulation.
After witnessing the scene, many blacksmiths gained insights.
It wasn't just because Xu Yuan meticulously demonstrated the intricacies of Thousand Refinements, Fusion Forging, and Spirit Forging earlier—it was especially due to the final step.
The process of metal achieving heavenly forging and transforming into a true living entity was incredibly fascinating.
Xu Yuan personally created a new life, and his feelings were the most direct.
As witnesses to everything, everyone present gained some level of insight—even those who weren't blacksmiths, like Mu Ye and Cao Dezhi, also gained profound realizations.
They could sense the budding sensation of new life.
It seemed to be the ripple of cosmic laws bestowed upon newborn life by the will of the universe.
At the Limit Douluo level, touching upon the realm of laws, they were deeply moved, each gaining their own understanding of these laws.
After dismissing the meeting, Xu Yuan firmly established his standing.
He knew that from this day forward, no one in the Blood God Legion would fail to revere him.
"Xiao Yuan, is your technique of tempering the body with lightning a derivative of the Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique?"
Mu Ye didn't directly ask if it could be passed down but inquired in this manner.
If it was, then he would decisively give up.
Even though Mu Ye knew that if he truly asked Xu Yuan to teach him the Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique, Xu Yuan would unreservedly teach him, he wouldn't bring himself to ask.
The Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique was precious and unique, but for him, it had already passed its optimal usage period. At this point, its overall value to him was minimal; there was no need to demand this core technique from his disciple.
"No, this is a technique I developed for tempering the body with lightning. It's an idea I've had for a long time."
Xu Yuan explained his initial thoughts to Mu Ye.
Mu Ye sighed in admiration.
"You really have a wild imagination. Infusing heavenly-forged metals into a soul master's body, and since the heavenly forging tribulation, due to the laws, demands deep tempering and baptism at the law level, indirectly tempers the soul master's body, allowing you to develop the optimal technique for tempering the body with lightning."
This train of thought was simply out of this world.
The tribulation itself was mainly for tempering.
As long as you could endure it and withstand the test, the tribulation became your boon.
"This technique of tempering the body with lightning, I originally intended to contribute as a secret technique to the sect. Of course, I'll also retain a copy at Shrek Academy."
"Hmm, that's good too. It prevents the technique from being lost if the Body Sect declines again in the future." Mu Ye gave a bitter smile.
Having experienced it once, he couldn't guarantee that the Body Sect wouldn't decline again in the future.
As the leader of the Body Sect, he was the most aware of the changes in the sect's status over the past century.
Especially when recalling the glorious years of the Body Sect, his feelings ran even deeper.
No matter how powerful a force is, it will eventually fade with the times.
There are no eternally unchanging forces, only new generations that adapt to the times.
Even the soon-to-rise Body Sect now, is it still the same authentic Body Sect from ten thousand years ago?
Definitely not.
But this is still the Body Sect, something any soul master of the Body Sect would want to see.
This is development.
"Teacher, without the Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique, your energy absorption speed isn't fast. Don't imitate me by directly devouring an entire cloud of lightning." As Xu Yuan recorded the secret technique, he reminded Mu Ye.
Mu Ye smiled helplessly.
He wasn't foolish.
At the same time, deep in his heart, Mu Ye suppressed his impulse to try it.
"Your eldest senior brother has achieved the Golden Imperishable Body. I estimate that once his resistance to lightning reaches a certain level, he can still emulate you to some extent."
Perhaps the absorption efficiency wouldn't reach yours, but the tempering efficiency could definitely approach yours.
"Hmm, Eldest Senior Brother is indeed different." Xu Yuan didn't refute.
With the mastery of the Body Sect's secret techniques and the achievement of the Golden Imperishable Body, Ah Ruheng's accomplishments in body cultivation were unparalleled.
Practicing the secret technique of tempering the body with lightning still had room for further advancement. Perhaps in the future, he could even ascend to godhood through physical cultivation.
"He recently broke through to the ninth ring and is currently in an ascending phase. He needs this secret technique. I'll go find him later." Mu Ye said.
"Hmm, Teacher, you all study the secret technique these few days. Once you grasp the key aspects of the technique, I will perform heavenly forging again."
The heavenly forging tribulation was the easiest tribulation to draw down.
Most importantly, after experiencing multiple tribulations and devouring various types of lightning, Xu Yuan keenly realized that the heavenly forging tribulation was not a force native to Douluo Planet.
The hundred-thousand-year tribulation of soul beasts was triggered by cosmic laws, just like the heavenly forging tribulation. Both were promoted by the universe, albeit formed based on proximity, consuming the planet's primal energy, but quickly replenishing Douluo Planet's consumption. In other words, the source of all power was still the universe.
This was also a process of exploiting the universe.
However, normal blacksmiths found it extremely difficult just to survive the tribulation, let alone think about exploiting the universe.
Soon, ten days passed.
At the other end of the Endless Mountains, several figures appeared.
Xu Yuan looked towards Mu Ye and the others.
"Are you all ready?"
At this moment, there were four people present: Mu Ye, Ah Ruheng, Jiang Wuyue, and Wang Jinyang.
"This place is far enough from the camp. The tribulation shouldn't affect the camp's normal operations."
With that, Xu Yuan set up the forging platform.
He took out two pieces of metal.
This time, it wasn't the Transforming Silver and Dark Gold required for Transforming Gold, but another type of sentient alloy material.
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