Shaking his head inwardly, Zhenhua quickly reined in his complicated thoughts, his tone turning serious.
"This brand-new method of forging allows metal to gradually adapt to the power of heaven and earth before Heavenly Refinement, enabling it to absorb even more of that power during Heavenly Refinement itself, further raising the metal's grade and improving the success rate. That is the benefit.
"However!"
Hearing that word, both Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena looked up at Zhenhua.
He who excels is the master. In the realm of forging metals, Zhenhua undoubtedly possessed the greatest authority, and hearing his evaluation of this novel method would be immensely beneficial to their future development.
Zhenhua continued, "Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. Once you come into contact with the laws of heaven and earth and still use this forging method, the metal will face Lightning Tribulation prematurely. When that happens, forget Thousand Refinements—you might not even be able to complete Hundred Refinements.
"If you break through to Titled Douluo and begin comprehending the power of laws, remember never to infuse your comprehension of laws into the metal at the very start. As long as you avoid that in the early stages and keep the metal from facing Lightning Tribulation because of it, your Heavenly Refinement success rate in the later stages will definitely be higher than mine!"
Gu Yuena blinked and sent a voice transmission to Huo Yuhao: "Yuhao, what if I can control the elemental Lightning Tribulations and brand the laws onto the metal bit by bit starting from Hundred Refinements? What would the finished metal be like?"
"It would probably be a cut above ordinary Heavenly Refined metals in strength,"
Huo Yuhao replied. "Hundred Refinements, Thousand Refinements, Spirit Refinement, Soul Refinement, and Heavenly Refinement represent the growth process of metal. A tower ten thousand feet tall rises from the ground; if the initial foundation is stronger than that of other metals, the final product will naturally be far stronger."
Gu Yuena's eyes lit up. "Then if we also add your technique, Yuhao, and hand top-tier alloys with a hundred percent fusion rate over to me to forge, wouldn't the resulting Heavenly Refined metal far surpass this man's? Battle Armor made from that kind of metal would probably transcend Four-Word Battle Armor, wouldn't it?"
"...That is only a theory. Bringing it to reality will still take time."
Seeing Zhenhua still patiently guiding her with his wealth of theoretical knowledge, Huo Yuhao gave a soft cough. "He's thinking of taking you as an apprentice. Think it over for yourself."
Hearing this, Gu Yuena looked up at Zhenhua, pondered for a moment, and said:
"I would like to observe your Heavenly Refinement process."
That meant she was willing to learn.
Getting this answer before he had even asked, Zhenhua froze for a moment before breaking into wild joy. "Excellent! Later, when I forge Eternal Jade Silver, you can just come along and watch."
With that, he took the lead and stepped out of the forging room, looking thoroughly impatient to get started.
Yet Zhenhua's good mood evaporated before long.
Upon arriving at the office door, Dark Phoenix Douluo was already waiting there—and not just her, but another middle-aged man as well.
"Cook, what are you doing here?" Seeing the middle-aged man fix his gaze squarely on Huo Yuhao the moment they arrived, Zhenhua felt an ominous premonition. "Don't you go causing trouble—Pagoda Master Snow Empress is right here."
The middle-aged man knitted his brows tightly, glancing at Snow Empress standing quietly to the side and Dark Phoenix Douluo, who was subtly raising her aura. His heart sank.
Seriously, why did it have to be someone from the Spirit Pagoda?
Had it been a student from Shrek Academy, he might have dared to snatch him away, but it just had to be a core disciple of the Spirit Pagoda...
To have an unpolished gem right before his eyes yet be unable to take him into his sect was truly a pity.
Seeing the middle-aged man quiet down, Zhenhua breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to the group. "Apologies for dampening everyone's spirits. The Heavenly Refinement will take place on the Ascending Heaven Platform. Please follow me."
He glossed over the issue and deftly changed the subject. The others paid it no mind and followed behind him.
Huo Yuhao, however, was walking at the rear, and just as he was about to brush past the middle-aged man, he lingered in place, prompting the others to look back.
Having heard the address "Cook," Huo Yuhao already had a suspicion regarding the middle-aged man's identity. Smiling at the others, he said, "This senior seems to want to speak with me. I'll stay here for a moment."
Snow Empress knitted her delicate brows slightly and sent a voice transmission: "Will there be any problem?"
Huo Yuhao replied, "He is the Sect Master of the Body Sect—Mu Ye!"
Snow Empress understood his intent in an instant. Saying no more, she smiled at the somewhat worried Zhenhua and said, "Since Yuhao wishes to remain here, let us do as he says; the rest of us can proceed. That Your Excellency Zhenhua can set aside sect prejudices is truly admirable, and we shall certainly observe the Heavenly Refinement with keen interest."
"Well... so be it, then." Zhenhua glanced at Mu Ye, gave him a warning via voice transmission, and only then headed toward the Ascending Heaven Platform.
Gu Yuena exchanged a glance with Huo Yuhao and followed along.
A few seconds later, only Huo Yuhao and Mu Ye remained in the corridor. The latter was still mulling over Snow Empress's parting words, his brow deeply furrowed.
Zhenhua was going to teach a Spirit Pagoda member Heavenly Refinement?
Set aside sect prejudices? Had that Pagoda Master Snow Empress guessed his identity and intentions, subtly hinting at him?
Huo Yuhao also marveled inwardly at Snow Empress's sharpness of mind.
With a single sentence, Snow Empress had grasped his intentions and responded accordingly.
True confidants are rare in life, and kindred spirits are the hardest to find across the ages.
Yet he already had one, and she was right by his side...
With that thought, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and looked toward Mu Ye. "Senior stared at me just now. Do you have an urgent matter to discuss with me?"
Though the Body Sect had declined, it still possessed plenty of treasures that could benefit him.
Needless to mention the method for Martial Soul Secondary Awakening; aside from that, what left the deepest impression on Huo Yuhao was the Body Sect's Innate Secret Technique.
Once the Innate Secret Technique was mastered, with the body as the soul, every single part of a person's physique would become a weapon, akin to a Divine Tool. This was the Body Sect's greatest ability, as well as the supreme body-refining art on the Douluo Continent!
Even Tang Wulin, having broken through to the tenth layer of the Golden Dragon King seal, could not suppress A Ruheng—who had cultivated the Body Secret Technique—in terms of physique and strength. In fact, he had been suppressed instead and only won by outsmarting his opponent.
And when the Innate Secret Technique was cultivated to its zenith, it was known as the Flawless Golden Body. Upon reaching this realm, regardless of a Body Douluo's soul power rank, the path leading all the way to the quasi-god realm would be completely unobstructed, achievable in a very short span of time.
A Flawless Golden Body guarantees attainment of the quasi-god realm!
Moreover, such a quasi-god possessed boundless physical stamina and immense vitality; even when besieged by two or three quasi-gods, they could emerge unscathed. After all, the physical durability of a Flawless Golden Body was comparable to that of a true god—they simply could not be beaten to death!
Hence, the Body Sect's Innate Secret Technique had another name: God Creation.
Mm, for Huo Yuhao, that was a very familiar phrase.
Brought back to his senses by Huo Yuhao's voice, Mu Ye looked at him, narrowing his eyes without uttering a word.
And in the very next instant, Mu Ye's aura underwent an abrupt shift, as if a dormant volcano had suddenly roared to life, exuding a suffocating pressure from every inch of his body.
An ordinary Soul Master facing this aura might have already possessed themselves with their Martial Soul to resist, but Huo Yuhao merely stood placidly where he was, steadfast as a boulder amid a torrential storm.
"Good, good, good!"
Mu Ye's eyes grew increasingly excited as he further intensified the soul power pressure. Yet Huo Yuhao never once called upon his Martial Soul, causing a hint of astonishment to creep into the man's excited expression.
The pressure is almost at the Soul Emperor level, yet he hasn't even used soul power to resist. Could this boy's physical toughness possibly be even stronger than a Soul King's?
Chapter 91