"Teacher, since you've found an opportunity, go and cultivate there. I'll be fine here at the Five Elements Lake by myself."
Mu Ye shook his head.
"It's not that I'm worried about you—it's just that my own accumulation isn't complete yet. The abundance of five-element energy here makes it an ideal location for cultivation."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan didn't press further.
He turned his gaze toward a certain direction.
"Your Majesty Holy Dragon, there's no need to hide anymore."
Xu Yuan called out.
As his voice faded, a figure flashed in the distant forest and soon appeared before Xu Yuan and Mu Ye.
It was En Ci.
"Your Majesty," Xu Yuan greeted him respectfully.
En Ci remained expressionless and spoke indifferently, "What is it?"
He had been nearby all along. Xu Yuan discovering him was one thing, but since he had called him out, it was clear there was something to discuss.
"Your Majesty, I have some questions regarding forging."
Upon hearing Xu Yuan's query, not only En Ci but even Mu Ye was surprised.
Mu Ye was particularly perplexed.
With Zhen Hua—the only divine blacksmith in the world—guiding him, why would Xu Yuan seek answers from En Ci regarding any uncertainties in forging?
"If I remember correctly, you should at least be a level-six blacksmith. If you're unsure about something, it must involve soul-forging. However, the highest-ranked blacksmith on the Star Luo Continent is only level eight, and our understanding of soul-forging doesn't match yours in the Federation." En Ci, puzzled, attempted to politely decline.
"But, Your Majesty, you are the only person on this plane who has successfully cultivated a four-word battle armor through natural means," Xu Yuan countered.
Officially, this was true.
Xu Yuan knew that the Limit Douluo of the Holy Spirit Sect also possessed four-word battle armors. Clearly, these armors were not crafted by the divine blacksmiths of the Federation across generations.
This unique method of obtaining four-word battle armor intrigued Xu Yuan.
After all, it represented an alternative way to bypass traditional forging and achieve heavenly-forged metal. If thoroughly studied, it might aid him in his future attempts at heavenly forging.
Of course, Xu Yuan's primary interest lay elsewhere.
Heavenly forging—only metals blessed by the laws of heaven and earth could be called heavenly-forged. The methods to invoke the laws of heaven and earth were what fascinated Xu Yuan and what he sought to master.
Upon hearing Xu Yuan's explanation, En Ci's eyes flickered.
So that's what this young man was after.
"You want to know how I nurtured my soul-forged metal into a four-word battle armor?"
Xu Yuan nodded, looking at En Ci with an eager, inquisitive gaze.
En Ci fell silent for a moment before asking, "Why don't you study the conventional methods of heavenly forging?"
"There's no end to learning. Heavenly forging is one path, and nurturing is another. By studying both, I can gain deeper insights into the essence of forging and open new avenues for its development," Xu Yuan replied honestly.
Truthfully, the realm of forging beyond heavenly forging was uncharted territory. Xu Yuan understood that the key lay in continuously nurturing heavenly-forged metal to advance it into divine metal, surpassing the limits of heavenly forging.
But how exactly did one nurture it?
Clearly, En Ci's method held valuable lessons.
It wasn't that Xu Yuan was aiming too high; rather, he wasn't sure if he'd ever return to the Star Luo Continent. Since he was here now and En Ci was nearby, he decided to ask directly about the nurturing process.
"I can share the process I used to nurture my four-word battle armor, but in return, you must promise me that when you become a divine blacksmith, you'll forge a set of heavenly-forged metal for Long Yue."
En Ci wasn't stingy with his knowledge, but he had his conditions.
"Your Majesty truly has confidence in me."
"After all, you mastered spirit-forging and fusion-forging at the age of fourteen. Even those unfamiliar with forging can sense your talent, let alone someone like me—a Level-Eight blacksmith." En Ci smiled faintly.
Level-Eight blacksmith, Level-Nine designer, Level-Nine manufacturer.
These were En Ci's secondary professions.
He cultivated in three—or perhaps four—professions simultaneously, bringing each to the pinnacle of the Star Luo Continent.
Thanks to his comprehensive understanding of battle armor, he completed the final step. Even without heavenly-forged metal, he nurtured and transformed his soul-forged metal into heavenly-forged metal, creating the only four-word battle armor on the Star Luo Continent.
"Then, Xu Yuan thanks Your Majesty for your generosity." Xu Yuan accepted En Ci's condition openly.
He looked at En Ci curiously, waiting for him to explain the nurturing process.
"Have you been to the Dragon Valley?"
After a moment of contemplation, En Ci opened with another topic.
However, it was clear he wasn't changing the subject.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath.
He nodded.
At this moment, he already had a vague answer in mind.
"My four-word battle armor was successfully nurtured within the Dragon Valley. Additionally, my martial soul, the Holy Light Dragon, underwent its final evolution there as well."
Though En Ci originally referred to his martial soul as the Holy Light Dragon, in truth, it initially possessed only a strong lineage of the Holy Light Dragon, which manifested prominently, making his martial soul exceptionally powerful in its early stages.
Later, he obtained the complete Holy Light Dragon lineage within the Dragon Valley.
Moreover, similar to Long Yue, he received the inheritance of a dragon soul.
The difference was that he inherited the bloodline of a true dragon, while Long Yue inherited that of a Dragon King.
"Before nurturing my battle armor, I prepared thoroughly and entered the Dragon Valley a second time through the Tang Sect's channels. Inside the valley, I harnessed the power of numerous dragon clouds and dragon souls to temper my battle armor. Of course, the effects were minimal at first."
"I didn't give up and continued to draw upon the dragon clouds and dragon souls."
En Ci fell into reminiscence, recalling the sensations of that time.
"As my battle armor was tempered, so was I. My bloodline grew stronger under the prolonged refinement. As I was continuously tempered by the dragon clouds and dragon souls, I gradually lost awareness of the outside world. I spent over two years in the Dragon Valley. At one point, I seemed to merge with the valley itself, touching its laws. Elemental lightning descended, and my battle armor ascended to the level of heavenly forging. After further perfecting the internal arrays, it evolved into a four-word battle armor."
Xu Yuan listened carefully, his brows furrowing as he processed En Ci's explanation.
After finishing, En Ci added, "Back then, I stumbled upon that peculiar state by chance. I'm not sure if Long Yue can replicate the process."
Uncertain whether Long Yue could repeat the process, En Ci requested Xu Yuan's promise to forge a set of heavenly-forged metal for him in the future.
Xu Yuan nodded slowly.
In summary, it all came down to fate.
En Ci must have done something that resonated with the dragon souls in the Dragon Valley, invoking the power of heaven and earth to complete his heavenly forging.
After all, the Dragon Valley was a small world belonging to dragons. Its laws were under the control of dragon souls.
With the assistance of dragon souls, it was akin to receiving recognition from the plane itself, with the laws actively descending elemental lightning to temper the battle armor.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath.
Although En Ci hadn't provided any particularly groundbreaking methods, his explanation satisfied Xu Yuan's curiosity.
Dragon Valley, a small world!
Recognition of the laws.
Those evil soul masters must have also gained recognition from the laws, combined with their battle armor being pushed to the limits of soul-forging through unconventional means.
Thus, En Ci received the laws' recognition in the Dragon Valley—but where did those evil soul masters gain such recognition?
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