Gu You's forging had already passed the first quarter-hour, inching closer to the second.
From the current size of the Titanium Crystal, it was clear that his opponent had the upper hand. The crystal in front of the opponent had already shrunk by one-tenth, with no sign of cracks or damage—an indication of very refined technique.
Meanwhile, the Titanium Crystal in front of Gu You remained orange-red and unchanged in size.
Of course—with such delicate hammering, how could a Titanium Crystal that hard possibly shrink?
But Gu You didn't react at all. He had completely immersed himself in his world of forging.His eyes were slightly narrowed, and each swing of the hammer landed with gentle precision, consistent and unwavering.
Suddenly, his opponent's twin hammers slammed down with a roar.A brilliant light shot out from his Titanium Crystal.
The radiant golden light rose more than a foot into the air—a sign of Soul Refinement Success: First-Grade Thousand Forge.
An uproar broke out in the audience.Metal Soul Ascension meant that Thousand Forge had succeeded—and the over-one-foot brilliance indicated a top-tier First Grade.
Forging Titanium Crystal to the Thousand Forge level was many times harder than with other rare metals.
The opponent retracted his hammers, stepped back, and took a deep breath.The glow from the Titanium Crystal lingered for over ten seconds before fading. Without further forging, the surface red hue began to recede.
The previously tangled golden threads inside had turned into flat golden sheets, and the Titanium Crystal had shrunk by nearly 20%. Golden light shimmered throughout—a fine-quality Thousand Forge First Grade piece.
He had finished first, and with such high quality. The opponent clearly had confidence in his work and didn't continue forging.
Time ticked ever closer to the two-quarter-hour limit.
Gu You's forging, however, still continued.Even now, his Titanium Crystal hadn't shrunk in the slightest—it looked just as large as before. The glowing orange surface concealed what lay within.
The clock neared its end, and Gu You's hammer strikes became increasingly rapid.
"Last ten seconds! Countdown begins!"the referee declared loudly—fairness and transparency were a must for skill duels.
"Ten… six… three…"
In the final three seconds, Gu You suddenly pulled both hammers upward, and his body seemed to elevate slightly.
A deep dragon's roar burst from within him. A torrent of purple-gold light exploded around his body and rapidly surged into the Titanium Crystal.
The orange-red Titanium Crystal shuddered, then in the blink of an eye, its color completely changed—like the peeling skin of an orange.It shed its hue, replaced by a dazzling purple-gold brilliance that shot into the sky.
At the same time, a bright light surrounded Gu You's body, and the dragon's roar rose to a high pitch.Faintly above his head appeared a dragon's head, howling at the heavens.
A spectacular golden light, Titanium Crystal Soul Ascension.
The purple-gold light soared five feet into the sky—several times higher than his opponent's.
Only now could everyone see what had happened.The Titanium Crystal Gu You had been forging had morphed into a perfect sphere, its internal golden threads completely gone, replaced by a small golden orb.Its texture was intricate and orderly—almost like it had been woven from gold threads.
But the real shock came next.
As the purple-gold light soared, the outer shell of the Titanium Crystal began to shrink.Within moments, it had shrunk by a third.
Wait… what? That's forging? That's godlike technique!
Just then, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing a smack on the back of Gu You's head.
"Stop showing off! Hurry up and continue! A spiritual form is shaping—you can definitely Soul Forge it! You need me to teach you that? If it's successful and top-grade, the price triples at least!"
"Ow! That hurt, old bastard!" Gu You rubbed the back of his head.
"You little brat! Try calling me 'old bastard' again!"Feng Wuyu glared at him, furious.
"Old bastard! Old fogey! Old bastard!"Gu You repeated it three times in a row.
"Hmph! I'll let it slide—I'm the bigger man here. Now hurry and Soul Forge!"Feng Wuyu waved him off in frustration.
Gu You ceased his rebellious antics and turned back to forge the Titanium Crystal seriously.
His hammer swings changed—no longer light and elegant, but now thunderous and booming.
But now his opponent looked shaken.Having once been part of the Shrek Forgemaster Association, he instantly recognized who had smacked Gu You's head.
"How can this be…?"
There was bitterness in his eyes.
Not only was Gu You stronger in cultivation and more talented in forging—but even his looks were better?!
Another young man's cultivation heart shattered today.
Inside Gu You, his soul power roared and surged.He wasn't even trying to restrain his energy output anymore. Compared to his first attempt at Soul Forging, he now had far more confidence.
Even if, worst case, he ran out of soul power—He still had his blood essence, didn't he?
Hammer after hammer landed.Between the hammers, soft green light seeped out and melted into the Titanium Crystal.
The golden orb inside the Titanium Crystal began to stretch, glowing brilliantly.Externally, the Titanium Crystal continued to shrink, while the inner orb expanded—an extraordinary, almost surreal transformation.
Everyone knew:Once a Titanium Crystal was refined into pure Titanium Metal, the Soul Forge was complete, and the metal would be infused with life.
Such Titanium Metal was so valuable that even powerful Titled Douluo—if they hadn't yet reached the Four-Word Battle Armor level—would crave it.It could bond with any living alloy, making its value among the top ten in the forging world.
Titanium Crystal was rare—Titanium Metal was rarer still.
A single perfect piece of Titanium Metal had once sold at auction for nearly 80 million federal coins.
From his Life Essence Hammer, pure life energy flowed into the Titanium Crystal.Tiny green lights sparkled and merged in.The granting of life was already a sure thing.
Now, all that was needed—was time.
BOOM—
The final hammer fell, like cracking the shell of an egg.A faint cracking sound echoed.
On the Titanium Crystal's now-microscopic outer shell, a fine crack appeared.
Did he fail?A crack in the Titanium Crystal—could it be failure?
The entire venue held its breath.
Then, in the very next second—everyone's eyes widened.
The crack spread instantly, covering every part of the golden orb inside.
Then with a loud shatter, the Titanium Crystal exploded—
Releasing a soft, glowing light from its core that continued to—
(End of Chapter)