Could She Also Have the Talent for Heavenly Refinement?

A spiritual alloy was distinctly different from an ordinary alloy. Creating a spiritual alloy required merging the spiritualities of two metals through fusion forging; if the metals' spirituality was damaged in the process, subsequent steps like Spirit Refinement became impossible. Not only that, but because mutual repulsion existed between the spiritualities of different metals, certain metal pairings could never achieve fusion forging. Rare metal combinations capable of completing fusion forging required endless trial and error on the part of the Forging Master, consuming an enormous amount of rare metals along the way. Consequently, such combinations were closely guarded secrets in the hands of high-ranking Forging Masters, passed down only to their own direct disciples. Yet what had Zhenhua just witnessed? Huo Yuhao had used a soul tool inscription array to infuse a metal source into a piece of rare metal, merging the metal source—which represented the spirituality and essence of a metal—with another rare metal, completing the entire fusion forging process directly! And in the judgment of Zhenhua, a Divine Craftsman, that rare metal and the rare metal represented by the Metal Origin were fundamentally incapable of fusion forging! Zhenhua took a deep breath, looked at Huo Yuhao, and asked solemnly, "May I take a look?" Huo Yuhao gestured for him to go ahead. Zhenhua picked up the alloy and inspected it closely. The longer he looked, the graver his eyes became. With his understanding of spiritual alloys, this alloy's degree of fusion had reached a full one hundred percent! Reaching a fusion forging completion rate of sixty percent was enough to consider the alloy a success. Beyond that, for every five percent increase in fusion degree, the metal's quality rose by an entire tier. Yet that was no simple feat! Take his junior brother, Mu Chen, for example—even as an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman, Mu Chen could not guarantee achieving over ninety percent fusion in every attempt at fusion forging! Extracting Metal Origin, fusing Metal Origin, and manufacturing a spiritual alloy that theoretically could not exist in forging lore—this was nothing short of miraculous! That was the only description Zhenhua could think of. Beside him, seeing the complex emotions washing over Zhenhua's face, Huo Yuhao calmly waited for the Divine Craftsman to collect himself. He had said it before: when it came to something that could move Zhenhua, he truly had it! In a sense, this could be called alchemy. Using a Siphon Inscription Soul Tool Array to extract the metal source, then using a reversed array to introduce that metal source into a new rare metal so that both sources merged seamlessly to produce a brand-new spiritual alloy... Any Forging Master would understand the significance of this technique. It could create top-tier spiritual alloys that theoretically did not exist! Zhenhua drew a deep breath, glanced at the quietly seated Snow Empress, suppressed the excitement churning inside him, and turned to Huo Yuhao, asking thoughtfully, "Could Your Excellency be a hundred-thousand-year soul beast taking human form?" Huo Yuhao had proven through action that he possessed the ability to refine Metal Origin and create brand-new spiritual alloys. For a mere child to command such ability was simply too hard for Zhenhua to accept—it would shatter the pride and reputation of the Forging Master Association. But if he were a transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beast, Zhenhua could accept it. As soul beasts and humanity moved toward peace, transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beasts occasionally ventured into the human world. And thanks to the existence of the Spirit Pagoda and Soul Spirits, most people—save for those blinded by greed or malice—welcomed them with goodwill. The person before him carried himself with a composure far beyond his years and was held in high regard by Snow Empress. Perhaps he was indeed a transformed soul beast hailing from the Extreme North, which would explain his astonishing capabilities. "Pfft!" Hearing Zhenhua's guess, Gu Yuena could not hold back a burst of laughter. Snow Empress also looked at Huo Yuhao with a soft smile. The smile on Huo Yuhao's face, on the other hand, vanished as though it had been transferred straight to them. He cast a helpless look at Snow Empress and Gu Yuena, then turned his gaze back to Zhenhua and sighed. Out of the three of them, the Divine Craftsman completely bypassed the two who actually were transformed soul beasts and pinned the suspicion squarely on him. Talk about "sharp intuition"... although in a certain sense, he wasn't far off either. "Your Eminence Zhenhua, would you care to inspect my Body Martial Soul?" The moment Zhenhua saw the smiles on Snow Empress and Gu Yuena's faces, he realized he had guessed wrong, and hearing that Huo Yuhao possessed a Body Martial Soul only made him cough in embarrassment. Transformed soul beasts almost always manifested Beast Martial Souls; some with unique abilities could disguise them as Tool Martial Souls, but a Body Martial Soul was unheard of among them. "No need, no need. For my young friend to achieve such heights at such a tender age... it truly puts us elders to shame." Zhenhua stopped dwelling on Huo Yuhao's origins; after all, that had nothing to do with him. He redirected his focus entirely to the spiritual alloy, asking with unconcealed excitement, "Could you impart that soul tool inscription array to me? In exchange, I can provide you..." He paused, glanced in Gu Yuena's direction, and finally declared, "...all the Heavenly Refined metals needed for your Four-Word Battle Armors as an exchange! If that is still not enough, name your price. As long as it is within my power, anything is negotiable!" This technique could tempt any Forging Master in the world—including him! "We can discuss that later." Huo Yuhao shook his head. Amid Zhenhua's crestfallen look, he asked, "If we create a spiritual alloy using this method and fuse the Metal Origin of Ice Extreme Divine Crystal into the alloy, would Your Eminence be able to complete Heavenly Refinement on it?" The flash of disappointment vanished as Zhenhua gave serious thought to Huo Yuhao's proposal. A technique of such immense value naturally would not be easy to obtain. It was better to take things step by step. After a moment's contemplation, Zhenhua stated with conviction, "If this technique can make a spiritual alloy possessing the properties of Ice Extreme Divine Crystal milder, I can attempt Heavenly Refinement! This technique can genuinely help me raise the success rate of Heavenly Refinement!" There was actually more than one reason why he had been unwilling to attempt Heavenly Refinement on Ice Extreme Divine Crystal. Beyond the fact that Ice Extreme Divine Crystal was extraordinarily rare, there was also the matter of its innate properties. Ice Extreme Divine Crystal contained the chilling aura of Ultimate Ice. Once forging commenced, it released extreme frigidity—an ordinary Titled Douluo without Battle Armor would not even be able to endure the environment long enough to work it. Of course, if that were the only hurdle, Zhenhua still had ways to manage. But during Heavenly Refinement, the Forging Master had to endure Lightning Tribulations, and the metal itself had to undergo the tribulation's baptism to be branded with the laws of heaven and earth! If Ice Extreme Divine Crystal underwent Heavenly Refinement, he, as the Forging Master, would have to withstand the Lightning Tribulation while simultaneously fending off the intense cold released by the crystal. On top of that, he would have to calculate how to guide the Lightning Tribulation to properly imprint the laws upon the metal. The balance of so many factors was nearly impossible to control, multiplying the difficulty several times over. One misstep, and the Ice Extreme Divine Crystal would be ruined! As a metal... Ice Extreme Divine Crystal was anything but docile for a Forging Master! However, if Ice Extreme Divine Crystal were formed into an alloy with a rare metal he was familiar with, its properties would soften and become more manageable. Attempting Heavenly Refinement under those conditions was entirely feasible. Furthermore, alloys created through Huo Yuhao's method achieved a one hundred percent fusion rate, boasting exceptional quality and formidable resilience against Lightning Tribulations, which would boost the success rate even further. Hearing this, Snow Empress looked at Huo Yuhao with a hint of surprise, a smile gracing her face. Even with her deep confidence in Yuhao's abilities, she had not expected him, in such a short time since arriving in this era, to delve into the new art of forging through his own methods and reach such depth. A technique that could tempt Zhenhua and even help a Divine Craftsman boost his Heavenly Refinement success rate... 'Even without returning to your peak, you are still the same as you were ten thousand years ago, always bringing delightful surprises. It seems I will be in your debt once again.' Snow Empress smiled faintly to herself. Just then, Huo Yuhao's voice transmission sounded in Snow Empress's ear: "You won't refuse this gift again, will you?" Snow Empress replied softly, "Of course not. How could I refuse something given with such sincerity? It is only that giving gifts merely to repay a favor is uncalled for. You are so accustomed to refusing to owe anyone that you even nitpick over it with me. Do not act that way before me in the future." Huo Yuhao: "...Understood." A moment later, after finalizing the plan to study the Heavenly Refinement of the Ice Extreme Divine Crystal alloy, Zhenhua looked curiously at Gu Yuena. "I find myself quite curious. My young friend's technique has already astonished me beyond measure, so what could this so-called trump card be?" Huo Yuhao had already delivered such a surprise; what about Gu Yuena, whom he referred to as the trump card? Something that could move him, ruling out technique... Could she also have the talent for Heavenly Refinement? Haha, just kidding.