Douluo Amon: I am the Heavenly Venerable of the Dragon King

Soul forging is not just about forging metal from the outside, but also about infusing one's own aura, soul power, and spiritual power into the metal from the inside out, and forging it from within by connecting with the metal itself.

By combining internal and external elements, the inherent properties of the metal are fully brought out, allowing it to be imbued with its own unique spiritual power.

One theory is that Soul Forging Metal is an avatar of the Saint Craftsman.

While this statement may be somewhat exaggerated, it does have some merit.

Spirit forging can imbue metals with a very unique spirituality, thereby producing special effects that are impossible for ordinary metals, such as self-repair or enhancement of certain special effects.

Soul forging is different; forging metal makes a soul master feel like they have gained a companion.

Battle armor forged from soul-forged metal is like a soul master's second life. It can even execute some commands on its own.

This is also why Lu Fa mentioned earlier that "Fusheng" brand metal is so valuable. After all, battle armor forged using "Fusheng" brand metal can truly give you an extra partner.

Forget about simple commands, you could just order the battle armor to fight you, no problem.

As time went on, the gold color that the sunken silver had been imbued with by the sunken silver hammer faded more slowly with each strike. Often, before the previous gold color had completely faded, Lu Fa's second hammer blow would have already arrived.

Gradually, the sunken silver was completely preserved in its golden state. Lu Fa swung the hammer like a machine, and the speed of the blows began to slow down.

"Ding! Ding!"

Suddenly, as Lu Fa slammed his hammer down, a crisp echo resounded from inside the sunken silver.

This was overheard by Zhenhua, who had just stepped out of the elevator and arrived in the lobby on the first floor.

When Zhenhua looked towards the center of the hall, his pupils contracted even further. There stood a young man undergoing soul forging!

Echoes! This seemingly ordinary event, commonplace for low-level blacksmiths, was quite different for sixth-level blacksmiths.

But to Zhenhua, it sounded like the most wonderful thing in the world.

He understood all too well what this meant.

Soul forging is incredibly difficult, and the echo represents a significant milestone in the process! This means that the various energies injected into the metal have been integrated and can now assist in forging from within.

This is incredibly useful!

Many level six blacksmiths never reach this level in their entire lives, and this is also the most difficult part of soul forging!

The Soul Forging Echo also signifies the blacksmith's understanding of rare metals, meaning that all the previous preparations were not in vain.

Lufa's expression remained unchanged as he continued forging. Sure enough, each hammer strike produced an echo, which grew increasingly clear.

Zhenhua stared intently at Lu Fa.

Could this boy really succeed?

Next comes the solidification of the soul forging. Once solidification is complete, the soul forging is 70% complete. Then comes the final step: soul awakening. Once soul awakening is completed, the soul forging is considered a success.

Undoubtedly, sunken silver is one of the rarest metals that is easiest to forge, but even a piece of soul-forged sunken silver would still be incredibly expensive!

Because at the Soul Forging level, rare metals are no longer rare metals; they are true rare treasures!

Lu Fa's hammer strikes accelerated, his vital energy incredibly powerful, showing no signs of diminishing even now. The golden mist surrounding his body even began to transform into the shape of a colossal beast.

The sunken silver had completely turned golden, and echoes of roars and the clear reverberation of soul forging reverberated throughout. All of this signified that everything was moving in a positive direction.

Suddenly, the golden piece of silver shook violently and then jumped off the forging table.

This is……

"Be careful, it's a life shock. It's trying to escape!" Zhenhua immediately exclaimed.

Once the life force of metal is stimulated by soul forging to a certain degree, it will develop its own intelligence.

At this point, it will panic and, not wanting to be controlled, will attempt to escape.

Once it escapes the blacksmith's control, because the newly enhanced soul has not yet been solidified, the soul will quickly dissipate, thus returning to the spirit forging stage. At that time, the metal will no longer be able to undergo soul forging.

If we compare them from this perspective, the value of "Fusheng" brand metal becomes even more immeasurable.

Lu Fa remained calm and shouted coldly, "Come back!"

The giant beast formed from the blood and qi behind him let out a roar, and the golden silver trembled and fell back onto the forging table with a "clang".

Lu Fa swung his heavy hammers again and brought them down with a vengeance. The next stage began: Soul Solidification!

Lu Fa began to unleash his spiritual power. With each swing of his hammer, he released less of his bloodline aura, but his spiritual power increased.

Instantly, the amplitude of the golden silver's trembling began to decrease. Under the dual control of mental impact and forging, the gold on its surface began to converge inward as it trembled, and the previous patterns began to emerge.

The interlacing patterns vaguely form a small, ethereal, platinum-gold Behemoth.

The auras of the surrounding level-six blacksmiths, and even Zhenhua's, began to grow heavier. His soul solidification also seemed to be progressing very smoothly; at this rate, he really might complete the soul forging!

Even if he only completes one Soul Forging, Lu Fa will officially advance from a Level 6 Blacksmith to Level 7. And once he reaches Level 7, he will become a new Saint Craftsman.

Will a new legend rise today?!

The Behemoth's form became increasingly clear, and the dark silver shone brightly. Then, the golden aura began to subside, and the light of the dark silver itself began to flicker rhythmically.

"Curing successful!" Zhenhua couldn't help but wave his arm vigorously.

It is important to understand that both the Soul Forging Echo and the Soul Forging Solidification processes are extremely difficult, and being able to complete these two processes means that a blacksmith will surely become a Saint Craftsman.

Although the final soul-summoning process is extremely difficult, it is a process that can be practiced over time.

As Lu Fa slammed his twin hammers down, a crisp "clang!" rang out, and a burst of brilliant golden light erupted from the dark silver. He was about to perform a soul-summoning ritual.

The so-called "soul awakening" involves using the energy infused during forging to summon the soul within the metal, creating a mutual resonance. Only then is the soul within the metal truly activated.

Spiritual forging with vitality is merely like a plant, while soul forging with a soul transforms the metal into something akin to a soul beast. This is true soul forging.

In other words, once soul forging is successful, the metal truly becomes a living thing. That's the magic of it. This is also why soul forging is so difficult.

There's no way to teach soul summoning, because everyone's forging process is different. It's a process that can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words; you can only find the feeling for it yourself.

Although he could cheat using his own abilities, Lu Fa didn't want to do that. Kong Xuan was ultimately just a seventh-level Saint Craftsman, and if he borrowed his insights, it might make his path as a blacksmith less pure.

"Om-"

The golden silver trembled violently, then suddenly fell silent.

Lufa sighed; he had failed again.

The soul-summoning process only lasts for a very short time. After the soul has solidified, the metallic soul is momentarily active. At this time, if it can be sublimated through soul-summoning...

Then, it completes the soul forging process and becomes a new life form with its metallic body. If that doesn't work, it remains in the solidified state of soul forging.

On the golden, silvery surface, the platinum-gold Behemoth flickered in and out of existence, brimming with spirituality. Unfortunately, it could never become a complete life form like a soul beast.

A large hand gripped Lufa's shoulder firmly. "You've done very well. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Hmm? And who are you?" Lufa asked, puzzled.

"Ah, the president!" "It's President Zhenhua." Just then, the people around began to exclaim.

Ignoring the cheers around him, Zhenhua said, "My name is Zhenhua, the Divine Craftsman Zhenhua! Little one, you must know that forging is about accumulation. Among the three major challenges of Soul Forging, the most difficult is actually the first one, Soul Forging Echo. This is something that cannot be achieved simply through hard work."

It requires more luck and talent. A blacksmith who can achieve this, given enough time to accumulate experience, will almost always become a master craftsman. And you've even accomplished Soul Forging Solidification. All you need is time and an understanding of Soul Forging.

And also, keep improving your cultivation. The higher your cultivation, including your spiritual power, the clearer your senses will be when you summon souls. You will definitely become a Saint-level Craftsman; it's just a matter of time.

"Yes, thank you, Chairman Zhenhua," Lu Fa replied calmly.

"Hmm." Zhenhua replied with a smile, then, like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, he said to Lu Fa in a deep voice, "So, little guy, now it's your turn to introduce yourself. Who is your master, and how old is he?"

As he spoke, Zhenhua kept his eyes fixed on Lufa. Although he had roughly figured out the boy's bone age from the hand that had just been on his shoulder, he still wanted to hear him say it with his own ears.

"I am Lu Fa, a disciple of Kong Xuan, the president of the Tianhai City Forging Masters Association. I am fourteen years old this year."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Fourteen years old, half-step Soul Forging!

This is... incredible!

However, a mere disciple capable of half-step Soul Forging? Does that Kong Xuan have such a big face? Even President Zhenhua isn't as arrogant as him, is he?

In a short time, Kong Xuan's name began to spread.

Chapter 268 I'm Going to NTR You

Hearing the commotion around him, Zhenhua realized this wasn't a good place to talk, so...

"Come with me." Zhenhua led Lufa toward the elevator of the Forging Masters Association, with a murmur of discussion behind them.

Without a doubt, a genius has emerged in the world of forging, and this news will soon spread throughout the entire continent.

Lu Fa followed Zhen Hua into the elevator, where an old man in a chef's uniform and Nan Fusheng also came up.

"Who are you?" Zhenhua looked at Nan Fusheng with a puzzled expression.

"President, hello! My name is Smith, and I'm currently in charge of Lord Lufa's daily life," Nan Fusheng casually made up. His body was still trembling slightly, as if he were seeing an idol.

"Yeah."

Zhenhua responded in agreement, ignoring Smith, and instead stared intently at Lu Fa, saying, "Are you Kong Xuan's disciple? Did he send you?"

Lu Fa nodded, then scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Yes, I am my teacher's disciple. However, I came to the Blacksmith Association to register for a blacksmith level."

"At my age, even if I wanted to take the Level 5 Blacksmith exam, the staff at the front desk probably wouldn't believe me, which is why I chose to forge in the center of the hall."

“That’s true.” Zhenhua nodded. Who would believe that a blacksmith master was so young? Apart from his junior apprentice (Tang Wulin) a while ago, he had never seen a blacksmith master who was fourteen years old.