Spiritual Awakening

Watching quietly Gu Yuena was impressed at the ingenuity of humanity. The forge her other half was using was extremely simple really but it was also extraordinarily good at lighting up and keeping a consistent temperature.

Silence engulfed the audience of two as they listened to the flickering flames attacking the metal she didn't recognize though she would assume it was difficult by the excited smile on Mu Chen's face. His off putting expression still remained so she assumed Wulin was doing well.

In truth, she didn't know what was happening in depth. Using her spiritual power she watched the quickly reddening metal in the inferno but she couldn't tell what was happening, not as well as a blacksmith anyway.

Reaching forward with extreme speed and precision Wulin's hand pierced the flames and removed the metal, its crimson body not even burning his hand. Placing the metal on the table two hammers appeared in his hands.

The hammers were multiple colors and contained the design of two dragons, silver and gold respectively, intertwined. She heard that metal of a certain level changed based on the mind of the user so it was clear what they were.

'That's pretty adorable.' Gu Yuena thought to herself, a sincerely pleased smile on her face. If his blacksmithing hammer reflected his affection for her, it was proof of their bond, proof that it wasn't something he lied to her about or something she misinterpreted.

However, as she immersed herself in her joy, her other half's already blank expression suddenly increased in neutrality, his features evening as he focused all his attention on the metal. Striking down with extreme power with equal precision the metal seemed to glow, a shrill cry entering her ears resembling a life being born.

Yet Wulin was not finished. Striking the metal a total of seven times a large pillar of light erupted into the sky two meters tall. From what she knew this was called Thousand Refinement though it seems like it could be done in seven hits as well.

"What a monster!" Mu Chen muttered from beside her, a hand clasped over his mouth to hide his wide smirk and soul power surrounding him to block out all sound leaving the area though since her spiritual power was higher she could still hear him and Wulin could as well.

Apparently, seven hits to complete the Thousand Refinements wasn't normal though he never was. Neither of them were really normal by any meaning of the word, it's part of the reason they gravitated to each other in the beginning.

Returning her focus on the sight before her she focused intently on the process of giving life to metal since that was the main goal of today besides enjoying themselves. She wanted to see if she could create the metals with intelligence using her Creation.

Her creation required her to know the attributes of what she wanted to create or else it would take too much energy at the moment. For that reason, she couldn't create life nor could she create things she didn't understand like metal with life.

Continuing to strike the metal Wulin was like the center of a storm, the sound of metal being struck sounding like the explosion of dozens of bombs and the force of his blows creating a flurry of wind no different from outside.

Her other half was focused to the extreme as he repeatedly hit the metal with the force of a natural disaster yet the gentle touch of a newborn. Slowly she could feel it, the metal was gaining sentience, it was being born.

Throughout the entire process, Wulin pushed in his soul power and infused a diluted form of his blood essence into its being to strengthen the 'child', its cries growing louder and stronger each time he stuck the metal.

'He's infusing annihilation into it.' Gu Yuena thought in complete and utter shock. It was an overwhelmingly diluted form of it however the metal was still growing stronger from the power of universal destruction!

The blood essence of the Golden Dragon King made the metal ruthless and the power of annihilation made it powerful, it was a piece of metal that could be sold for billions if he put it up for sale though he most likely wouldn't.

Metals that can withstand annihilation even when diluted would surely be something rare, there is no way he would sell it when it would have many more uses for him and FUG. Besides, he didn't need the money.

Sweat dripped from his brow as Wulin forged yet he didn't pay it any attention, he didn't even pay attention when it dropped into his eyes. His focus was completely focused on the metal in front of him.

Stellar Jade was a rare metal that could absorb any attribute there was in return for an equal increase in difficulty. It could withstand the power of annihilation albeit barely. Even he was struggling to deal with the metal with difficulties reaching the high heavens.

The difficulty was well above what he was used to due to his annihilation, much higher than any other blacksmith had done to Spirit Refine their choice of metal. Even the Divine Smith Zhen Hua wouldn't have had such difficulty when he took the test. However…

'I can do it.' He thought to himself confidently. He was in top shape, his forging better than it's ever been and his metal was reacting to him wonderfully, its intelligence already reaching the level of a young child and quickly rising.

He could break through his limits.

Hitting the metal endlessly Wulin's mind connected to the metal, his dense and powerful soul power and domineering blood essence empowering the metal greatly, his energy condensing inside of the metal.

"Is he?!" Mu Chen spoke in the utmost surprise, his eyes widened to an unnatural degree. What the child was performing now wasn't Spirit Refining, it was a step higher! He was trying to do something even he didn't expect!

Ignoring the words of surprise from the saint craftsmen, Gu Yuena watched the metal closely with her spiritual power, her powerful mind taking in each and every part of the metal's growth as though she was in a trance.

The metal… was gaining a soul.