Zhenhua's Shock

If one were to ask how Zhenhua felt ever since becoming a Divine Craftsman... it could be summed up in just three words: exhausted and miserable! Numerous major factions came begging for his services. Ordinary Titled Douluo he could brush aside; as the sole Divine Craftsman on the continent, no one dared force his hand. However, for powerhouses of rank 98 or 99... he still had to give face! Among them, the Spirit Pagoda had the most figures of such caliber. He could not even count how many Lightning Tribulations he had suffered on account of Spirit Pagoda powerhouses. If this went on, he feared he would lose the ability to perform Heavenly Refinement before he could even find a suitable apprentice. Zhenhua let out a quiet sigh. "Is that so?" Hearing that Heavenly Refinement on Ice Extreme Divine Crystal was unfeasible, Snow Empress glanced at Huo Yuhao, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Then what about Eternal Jade Silver?" Spirit Refinement could bestow metal with spirituality, thereby granting it certain special properties, such as self-repair or enhanced special effects. Eternal Jade Silver was an alloy that pushed self-repair to the utmost limit among rare metals. It would not wear down over time, and as long as it had soul power, it would gradually restore itself. Incorporating this metal into Four-Word Battle Armor would substantially boost the armor's self-repair capabilities. Moreover, it retained Jade Silver's bonuses to both physical and elemental attacks, making it a viable alternative for Huo Yuhao. Indeed, Snow Empress intended to prepare for Huo Yuhao's Four-Word Battle Armor right now. After all, no one knew which day Zhenhua might be struck by Lightning Tribulation to the point of being unable to perform Heavenly Refinement. If he retired before anyone inherited his Heavenly Refinement mantle, that would become quite a hassle. It was best to secure the Heavenly Refined materials for Yuhao first, to be used later. As for the matter of Heavenly Refinement for the Ice Extreme Divine Crystal... they would have to find another way. For her Four-Word Battle Armor, only Ice Extreme Divine Crystal at the Heavenly Refinement level could provide a meaningful enhancement. Even a Soul Refined Ice Extreme Divine Crystal offered stronger ice-attribute boosts than certain Heavenly Refined metals; if Heavenly Refinement were achieved, the bonuses to her Four-Word Battle Armor would be even greater. The same evidently held true for Yuhao. "Eternal Jade Silver?" Zhenhua nodded upon hearing this. "Of course." *As long as you don't bring up rare metals that are next to impossible to find, like Ice Extreme Divine Crystal or Life Gold, we can remain friends.* Those were things he could not forge, nor could he bear to squander on Heavenly Refinement practice. Seeing this, Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered, and he sent a voice transmission to Snow Empress: "Is the Dark Phoenix Douluo trustworthy?" Snow Empress glanced at Leng Yulai and gently shook her head. "Her lingering feelings remain unresolved. Whoever tied the bell must untie it. All these years, she has kept avoiding the Skyreaching Douluo. While it seems she no longer dwells on it, in truth, it is merely an evasion—otherwise, she wouldn't have remained cooped up in the Enforcement Department all this time." Of course, even if she sorted through her thoughts, the Dark Phoenix Douluo might not necessarily be allowed out of the Enforcement Department. The Soul Quieting Douluo had grown accustomed to the Enforcement Department and had no desire to leave, whereas the Dark Phoenix Douluo had genuinely been confined there under duress. She was the first core member in the Spirit Pagoda's history to almost fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master—and she had nearly fallen because she violated ancestral precepts. It was too textbook a case. Never mind her lingering feelings; even if she sorted herself out, she could not be let off easily! Huo Yuhao: "..." *Er, that wasn't the kind of question I meant.* Snow Empress exchanged a glance with Huo Yuhao, understanding his thoughts. Smiling faintly, she turned to Leng Yulai beside her. "Yulai, help me fetch some of the rare metals needed for Eternal Jade Silver. There's no need to trouble His Excellency Zhenhua." Leng Yulai: "..." Although Snow Empress spoke gently and the pretext sounded plausible rather than an outright attempt to dismiss her, Leng Yulai still felt targeted. *Wait, in Lord Snow Empress's eyes, am I that untrustworthy? Less trusted than two children?* *Just because I almost became an Evil Soul Master?* *I've already turned over a new leaf!* Under Zhenhua's peculiar gaze, Leng Yulai stood up and left the room without an expression on her face. To her, Snow Empress was her savior and senior; the empress's commands carried higher authority than those of Qiangu Dongfeng. "Yuhao, over to you," Snow Empress said to Huo Yuhao once Leng Yulai departed. She then sat quietly to one side, acting as his backing just as she had in the past. Zhenhua looked at Huo Yuhao with curiosity, wondering what Snow Empress was up to. What could a child have to discuss with him? As for Huo Yuhao, just as he retrieved two items from his Storage Ring, Gu Yuena, who had remained quiet the entire time, suddenly looked up. She glanced at Snow Empress, then turned her gaze toward Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, leave it to me!" Hearing her words, Huo Yuhao turned to look at her and shook his head. Gu Yuena's eyes dimmed, and she subconsciously clutched the hem of her skirt. "Yuhao, I..." She wanted to help too. Huo Yuhao's gentle voice sounded in her ear, interrupting her. "Since when does a trump card step up first? Besides, you have to give me a chance to show what I can do, or I'll look completely useless... Na'er." He paused midway, yet still voiced those last two words. Gu Yuena froze, staring blankly at Huo Yuhao beside her. The latter smiled. "If you'd rather I didn't call you that, should I switch back to what I called you before?" "No, keep it like that!" Gu Yuena shook her head hurriedly. The unease in her heart was instantly soothed by the more intimate address, and a relieved smile surfaced on her face. "Yuhao, you go ahead." Huo Yuhao nodded, then turned his gaze back to Zhenhua. The Divine Craftsman was observing him with an amused, teasing look. "Little friend, what do you want to say to me? Don't go making a fool of yourself in front of your friends. And this young lady here—what kind of talent does she possess?" Though he spoke thus, Zhenhua did not think either of them could show him anything astonishing. He was merely asking out of respect for Snow Empress. The two were only about ten years old. Even if one of them were a blacksmith, they would be a rank-2 Forging Master at most. Snow Empress probably wanted him to offer some guidance, right? It seemed Snow Empress favored the two quite dearly. Huo Yuhao smiled. "Your Eminence Zhenhua, you must understand the essence of metal quite well. I wonder... do you recognize this?" As he spoke, Huo Yuhao opened the box he had produced from his Storage Ring. Two glass vials containing a blue liquid and a black liquid entered Zhenhua's line of sight. Zhenhua, who had been nonchalant a moment before, sensed the aura emanating from the vials, and his eyes snapped wide in an instant. "Metal Origin?!" Huo Yuhao arched an eyebrow. "So that's what you call it." Within the Federation, these were referred to as metal source, but outsiders had no way of knowing. After all, because they were linked to rank-12 God-slaying Soul Guidance Cannonballs, certain information had been strictly sealed. When Tang Wulin became a Divine Craftsman, he hadn't known about it either; someone else had to tell him. Zhenhua did not answer. His eyes were glued to the two glass vials. He wanted to question Snow Empress, but seeing her sitting calmly to the side with a faint smile, he turned back to Huo Yuhao as understanding dawned, asking in disbelief: "You extracted this?" For Forging Masters, the forging process was essentially extracting and altering the Metal Origin—a conclusion he had reached through his own vast experience. Ordinary Forging Masters had no inkling of this. Yet now, a child had mastered technology to directly extract Metal Origin? How could that be possible? Faced with Zhenhua's bewildered and uncertain expression, Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. He produced a piece of unrefined rare metal, and under everyone's watchful eyes, inscribed a remarkably intricate soul guidance inscription array onto it before pouring a vial of metal source over the metal. Before their very eyes, the rare metal inscribed with the soul guidance array absorbed the metal source, its hue shifting steadily... Unable to restrain himself, Zhenhua shot to his feet, tempestuous waves crashing through his heart. "A new spiritual alloy?!"