Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 189 Champion, Q&A

"Okay."

He deliberately slowed the hammer's drop speed by 30%, and golden ripples appeared the moment the hammer head touched the metal.

The originally hard, heavy silver dented like dough, and then burst into blue-purple sparks the moment it rebounded. The sparks that splashed out did not dissipate, but were suspended in the air and bound by soul power, forming a mysterious array of runes before falling back onto the metal surface.

Upon closer inspection, the forging hammer in Zhenhua's hand seemed to be hovering three inches above the metal heart, causing the air pressure in the entire venue to suddenly rise.

The blacksmiths in the audience with lower cultivation levels turned pale; each roar of the metal heart felt like a direct blow to their souls.

Gula and Tang Wulin were equally engrossed. They couldn't understand the Soul Forging process, but the process of metal going from Thousand Forging to Spirit Forging and then to Soul Forging was still enlightening for them.

Gula unconsciously leaned forward. His mental strength was stronger than that of an ordinary master craftsman, and he could clearly see the growth trajectory of the energy circuit inside the metal, which Zhenhua had deliberately displayed.

The golden threads moved through the silvery-white matrix as if alive. It reminded him of the words of the sage craftsman of the pavilion: "Spirit forging shapes, soul forging souls." His Adam's apple bobbed heavily; the metal seemed to be breathing, as if it possessed life!
Gula muttered to himself, "This is soul forging. The soul forging I achieved through blood pact is at most a semi-finished product. It's too rough. There's definitely a possibility that it will be reforged later."

Tang Wulin's Purple Demon Eyes were operating at their limit, a faint golden halo emanating from the depths of his pupils. In his vision, every muscle movement of Zhenhua was broken down into slow motion.

The twisting of the waist and hips drives the angle of force exerted by the shoulders and elbows; the angle at which the soul power flows into the hammer handle through the arm bones; even the sensation within a thousandth of a second of contact between the hammer surface and the metal—all these are imprinted in the heart, waiting for the day when they sprout into inspiration.

"It's about to begin."

Zhenhua's whisper pierced through the rising gasps. Suddenly, vein-like patterns appeared on the surface of the silver, and the entire forging table was enveloped in a cocoon of azure light.

When the light cocoon shattered, the metal heart suspended in mid-air pounded with a thunderous rhythm, each contraction causing violent fluctuations in the venue's protective shield.

The thunderous roar emanating from the metal heart reached its peak during the seventh contraction, and the protective shield suddenly cracked open, revealing a spiderweb-like trail of light.

Zhenhua gripped the forging hammer with his backhand and drew a circle in mid-air, nine golden patterns appearing out of thin air to absorb all the turbulent energy. As his palm touched the metal surface, the sound of his restless heartbeat instantly transformed into a clear and melodious phoenix cry.

"Soul Forged".

The suspended metal block has transformed into a silver-winged phoenix with clearly visible feathers, each feather flowing with liquid starlight.

The audience gasped in surprise; a group of level three or four blacksmiths had never seen anything like this before.

The clear, metallic vibrato was like the cry of a phoenix. The roar from the audience was drowned out by the even louder metallic sound. Everyone carrying metal objects was trembling—their storage soul tools, personal weapons, and even belt buckles were resonating with the miracle in the sky.

Although it is only a single metal, with Zhenhua's skills, the sunken silver on the stage has reached the pinnacle of soul forging. Although it is still a world apart from heaven forging, it is enough to lead almost 100% of the blacksmiths on the continent.

After the Soul Forging demonstration ended, the Blacksmith Association was completely silent. Many blacksmiths were still immersed in the echoes of the forging process and were unwilling to wake up. A skilled blacksmith communicates with heaven and earth with every forging, which is enough to completely immerse the audience in the experience.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhenhua's voice pierced the silence: "The blue-coated copper forging shall now begin."

The floating light screen reprojected the contestants' forging tables. The blacksmiths below the stage, however, felt only boredom. Compared to the master craftsmen's forging, the blacksmiths on stage were all geniuses, and the forging skills and techniques they displayed were still indistinguishable to laymen.

The sweltering heat inside the forging chamber distorted the air, and orange-red sparks flew out every time the hammer fell.

Forging blue-coated copper is much more difficult than forging molten silver, and the difference is obvious, but it's not difficult for Gula. With a flick of his wrist, Gula switched to a reverse grip on the hammer handle, and the two temporary spirit-forged hammers alternately drew mysterious arcs.

Unlike Tang Wulin's sweeping and rhythmic forging, each of his hammer strikes was like weaving a spider web, with layers of shockwaves forcing impurities from the blue copper to the surface, yet precisely controlled below the material's critical temperature.

As the silvery-white light of the Thousand Refinements Spirit Soared into the sky, the readings on the testing instrument jumped wildly, eventually settling on the mark of the peak of the Thousand Refinements First Grade.

……

In the neon light screen floating on the awards stage, Tang Wulin stared at the word "runner-up" after his name, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the button on the cuff of his forging uniform.

The host's enthusiastic congratulatory remarks seemed to come from near and far: "...Gula will receive a quota of 300 kilograms of rare metals and a prize of five million federal dollars!"

Gula accepted the trophy with a smile; the taste of victory was truly wonderful.

After the competition, the top three received guidance from Zhenhua, while Gula and Tang Wulin stayed behind alone.

In the reception room on the top floor of the association, Master Zhenhua's silver-gray robe draped over the star-patterned carpet.

"Tell me, it's just a casual chat." Amidst the rising steam of the tea, Zhenhua's voice carried a peculiar metallic resonance. "What was your initial motivation for becoming a blacksmith?"

Tang Wulin unconsciously pressed his hand to his heart, where the golden words of the Soul Spirit were contained: "It was to make money to buy Soul Spirits, but later I gradually came to like forging, and I liked the feeling of metal being shaped under the hammer."

"Hehe, many blacksmiths embark on the path of blacksmithing in this way. Wealthy people are unwilling to do such a tiring side job as blacksmithing."

Zhenhua was not surprised. He saw his own reflection in Tang Wulin. He was not from a big family either, but he was able to become a master craftsman. His hard work behind the scenes was no less than anyone else's.

"Gula, who are you a disciple of? Why don't you learn the design profession from her?"

"Who said I didn't learn?"

Gula flicked his fingers across his wrist and took out a badge.

Zhenhua's lips twitched, and he sat up straight: "A Level 5 Designer, you really are a prodigy."

Tang Wulin's eyes widened; it was the first time he had learned that Gula had also studied other secondary professions.

Gula took a sip of the tea from the master craftsman's collection, savoring its lingering fragrance, and put away the badge: "It's nothing special. I have some talent in mental power. The profession of designer, which requires talent in mental power, is not difficult for me. It's far less interesting than forging."

Zhenhua chuckled, his fingertips tracing patterns in the air. He shook his head and smiled at Gula, "Young man, you're arrogant, but you have the right. However, you haven't answered my question yet."

"Why learn forging?" Gula pondered for a moment, then smiled and gave his answer: "Besides the fun I mentioned earlier, I probably also want to forge my own four-word battle armor and explore the limits of battle armor."

The setting sun outside the window cast long shadows of the three of them, as if reflecting Gula's confidence. Zhenhua looked at the spirited young Gula and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

(End of this chapter)