Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 225 The Gold of Living Things
“But your insights are already sufficient,” Tang Wulin suddenly interjected, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.

Gula burst into laughter, the sound triggering a violent cough from his parched throat. Once his breathing had calmed, he raised his green-gold eyes, the burning fervor within them chilling:

"Enough with the small talk. I possess twin martial souls with conflicting attributes, and I also need to build a top-tier mecha..."

He paused deliberately, "So we need a massive amount of rare metals. Today is just the beginning."

This statement was naturally a pretext for hoarding metals.

"Deal! A pleasure doing business with you!" Wu Siduo said decisively. "As long as you can guarantee that the fusion rate of each piece of spirit-forged metal is above 90%, my Netherworld Clan is willing to exchange at least ten times the amount of raw materials!"

A fusion rate of over 90% means the properties of the eight rare metals are perfectly combined, making the boost to a Soul Master from such a battle armor immeasurable. With her talent, her family would definitely spare no expense.

“Count me in.” Luo Guixing appeared calm on the surface, but the slight tremor in his fingertips betrayed his inner turmoil: “Although I can’t afford 90% fusion metal throughout my body, I need at least three core components and 80% fusion metal for the rest of the components.”

Ordinary battle armor users are lucky to use alloys with 60% fusion rate; he originally planned to be satisfied with 70% fusion rate alloys. Who would have thought that Gula would completely overturn his understanding of the limits of his abilities? It directly elevated his future battle armor by four or five levels!

"Don't forget me!" Zheng Yiran interrupted urgently. As the only daughter of the family, the resources she could mobilize, though not as abundant as those of Wu Siduo due to the family's size, were still comparable.

Gula surveyed the crowd with satisfaction; the longing in the eyes of these chosen ones was exactly what he had expected. His slender fingers gently caressed the metal ingot, and all of this was merely the beginning of his grand plan.

"Good, there's a chance for everyone." A hint of satisfaction flashed in Gula's eyes as his slender fingers tapped lightly on the forging table, producing a crisp metallic sound.

"As you all just witnessed, with my forging speed, I can fully meet the forging needs of multiple teams at the same time."

“However…” This turn of events made everyone hold their breath, “Reaching a 90% fusion rate still requires an element of luck. So…” He drew out his words meaningfully, “you’d better be fully prepared.”

Having lived two lives, Gula understood the principle that scarcity increases value. He deliberately spoke vaguely about the success rate to make these young people understand that such an opportunity was hard to come by, so that he could raise the price.

Tang Wulin watched thoughtfully, as if he had learned something.

"I understand." Wu Siduo's voice was a little tense, and her slender fingers unconsciously twisted together.

At this moment, her heart was as turbulent as the sea in a storm. Gula's appearance was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, completely disrupting her carefully planned cultivation scheme.

Originally, the first-year curriculum didn't require any involvement in battle armor crafting. She planned to focus entirely on reaching the Soul King realm, and only begin experimenting with creating her own battle armor after becoming a Level 5 designer. But now…

Wu Siduo's gaze unconsciously drifted to the piece of metal shining with a strange light on the forging table.

What does high-fusion-level spirit-forged metal mean? It means she can skip the thousand-forged metal stage and directly start making battle armor parts that can accompany her for life! She no longer has to worry about the metal invested in the early stages being discarded and wasted.

Her gaze then shifted to Tang Wulin standing to the side. This guy, who only had a second-ring cultivation level, dared to challenge the Spirit Forged Battle Armor component, so why should she, a dignified fourth-ring Soul Master, be timid and hesitant?
After weighing the pros and cons, Wu Siduo took a deep breath, her eyes gradually becoming firm.

She quickly calculated the gains and losses in her mind: if she started making the battle armor now, she could save at least two years! This risk was worth taking!
"Gula-san." She gave an elegant bow, her voice regaining its usual composure, "I need to discuss this with my family, and I will visit again later."

Watching Wu Siduo's departing figure, Gula nodded in satisfaction. This big deal was practically a sure thing.

Tang Wulin, standing on the periphery, watched this scene with envy. Although he considered his forging speed to be quite fast, it was still far inferior to Gula's two Blood Pact Forging Hammers and twelve Psychic Forging Hammers.

To earn a substantial reward, one would probably need to find a wealthy client like Wu Siduo, from a powerful family... After everyone dispersed, Gu Yue remained standing in the same spot. Her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, gleaming faintly under the lamplight.

“That wasn’t your limit.” She cut to the chase, her amethyst eyes fixed on Gula. “You can reliably forge divine alloys, right?”

Gula wasn't surprised at all. In Gu Yue's eyes, his identity was that of a divine beast reincarnated, so it was perfectly normal for him to be able to see this ability.

"This world is made up of seven elements." Gula's voice became ethereal, as if he were chanting some ancient incantation.

He raised his hand, and an earthy yellow halo appeared in his palm. "Among the four basic elements, the earth element evolved into the metal element."

The yellow portion of the halo suddenly intensified, "and I wield the power over the earth."

With a flick of his wrist, the halos instantly transformed into fine gold dust, forming various intricate patterns in the air. "So even with a layer in between, the control over the metal remains as natural as breathing."

Gu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly. Through Di Tian's explanation, she already had a detailed understanding of the battle armor's power. If she were in her prime, she would naturally not care about such a minor boost. But now, with this human body, she needed to consider her future life in human society.

"Forge me a set of battle armor made of divine alloy." She said bluntly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "If you lack any rare metals, the treasure trove of the Star Dou Great Forest has them all."

The Star Dou Great Forest is not famous for rare metals, but its rich spiritual energy can occasionally accumulate, giving rise to rare metal veins. However, with the presence of soul beasts, mining is too difficult.

The fact that the Spirit Pagoda occupied the Star Dou Great Forest was also a scheme to seize the rare metal ore veins beneath the Star Dou Great Forest.

Gula shook his head and asked, "Do you still have any Life Gold?"

Gu Yue raised an eyebrow. She was already used to Gula knowing such secrets.

"Even the Child of Nature needs the Gold of Life?" she countered, a playful smile curving her lips. "After healing, I do have a few pieces left. How would you like to trade them?"

Gula was overjoyed. If he could obtain the Gold of Life from here, he wouldn't need to risk traveling through time to search for it.

He had already planned it out: "Here's what we'll do: I'll take care of providing you with all the metal materials you need up to the four-word battle armor."

He held up two fingers. "In exchange, this much gold in living beings will suffice."

Gula thought to himself: keep half for myself, and use the other half to improve my incarnation, Mu Yi.

"make a deal."

Gu Yue hesitated almost without hesitation. After her injuries healed, the small amount of Life Gold was no longer of any use to her.

These were originally just backup healing items, but with Brigitte by her side, the role of the Life Gold could be completely replaced.

With a gentle wave of her hand, ripples spread through the space. A fist-sized emerald-green crystal appeared out of thin air, radiating a rich life force. Just as she was about to divide it…

"and many more!"

(End of this chapter)