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With each collision, the crushing effect of the Golden Dragon Claw seeped into Xu Yuan's Dark Golden Terror Claw.
And with each crush, Xu Yuan's blood energy would deeply integrate with the Dark Golden Terror Claw.
The Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique operated in sync, though it no longer relied on the connection between the five elements and the five internal organs. Instead, the five elements intertwined, promoting the fusion of both energies in the palm of his right hand.
By now, the role of the Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique had far surpassed its original purpose of aiding Xu Yuan in consuming rare heavenly treasures. Under his cultivation, this supreme skill had become an indispensable tool for integrating his blood energy with the Five-Element Spear Spirit.
The Five-Element Spear Spirit split into the five elements, merging with the five internal organs and deeply integrating into his blood energy. This process greatly enhanced the fusion between his blood and qi and the Five-Element Spear Spirit. Now, the spear spirit was once again splitting into the five elements, fusing with the Dark Golden Terror Claw. Using the crushing effect of the Golden Dragon Claw, it gradually absorbed and integrated the power of the Dark Golden Terror Claw before merging it back into the Five-Element Spear Spirit.
"Again!"
Xu Yuan shouted loudly.
Tang Wulin increased his strength and swung his heavy right arm once more.
He had already swung the Golden Dragon Claw countless times, and by now, his right arm was numb.
Even Tang Wulin, who was accustomed to forging, found this pace exhausting—but Xu Yuan persisted.
However, Tang Wulin didn't give up either.
Even if not for Xu Yuan's sake, he wouldn't stop now.
Because in this process, Tang Wulin truly began to feel something—like he was forging something, with Xu Yuan cooperating on the other side.
It was blood energy!
"Brother Xu Yuan is trying to fuse the Dark Golden Terror Claw with his blood energy!" Tang Wulin was inwardly shocked. He hadn't expected Xu Yuan to be so meticulous—refusing to leave even soul bones untouched, absorbing them and then thoroughly integrating them into his body.
No, it wasn't just integration with his blood and qi.
Tang Wulin's mind stirred as he recalled the fusion technique.
He thought back to Xu Yuan's performance during their earlier battle.
"Brother Xu Yuan uses his spear to fuse with his blood energy!"
At this moment, fusing the Dark Golden Terror Claw into his blood and qi was essentially fusing it into his spear!
Tang Wulin felt a heavy weight in his heart.
After this "forging," Brother Xu Yuan's strength would likely undergo another qualitative leap.
Bang! Bang bang bang!
Watching the two claws collide repeatedly, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue felt their hearts racing.
Each strike, if it landed on them, could easily shatter bones and tear tendons.
"I suspect Captain and this Xu Yuan aren't human!" Xie Xie said seriously.
"Dare you say that to their faces?" Xu Xiaoyan instinctively retorted with her sharp tongue.
Gu Yue remained calm as she observed the continuous collisions between Xu Yuan and Tang Wulin.
"Could this Xu Yuan be the protagonist of this generation?" she pondered.
A child of fortune?
Unlikely.
She didn't sense any overwhelming fortune around him.
A child of destiny?
Also unlikely.
She couldn't detect any obvious fluctuations or entanglements of fate.
A child of nature?
Not that either.
As Gu Yue watched Xu Yuan's progress, she also contemplated how much of her own talent she could reveal next.
Feeling pressure and unlocking greater potential led to faster progress—this was normal.
"Tang Wulin, again!" Xu Yuan, still in the midst of the fusion process, urged Tang Wulin onward.
Tang Wulin sweated profusely, but his right hand never stopped. He kept swinging, matching Xu Yuan's rhythm.
He entered a peculiar state.
Treating Xu Yuan's Dark Golden Terror Claw as a rare metal, he continuously forged it.
Within this process, Xu Yuan's blood energy gradually magnified in Tang Wulin's perception.
It was… spirit!
Tang Wulin suddenly felt enlightened.
At this moment, he seemed to have touched the threshold of Thousand Refinements, First Grade!
His eyes grew brighter, and he swung his right hand with even greater effort. He no longer needed Xu Yuan's coordination—he instinctively seemed to know how to strike.
Xu Yuan was surprised by Tang Wulin's change in state.
"Good grief, could it be that he's gained enlightenment in forging too?" Xu Yuan muttered helplessly.
Let's cooperate.
First soul skill, mental link!
Instead of speaking, Xu Yuan transmitted information through segments of spiritual energy, allowing Tang Wulin to better sense the responses from the "metal."
"Hmm, I think I've gained some insights too," Xu Yuan mused under the mental link. His understanding of Thousand Refinements, First Grade deepened.
This wasn't solely due to the mental link—it was likely also because Xu Yuan himself was part of this forging process.
Bang!
After the final strike, a dark golden light shone from Xu Yuan's right palm.
The dark golden glow retracted, condensing into a spear.
The spear was entirely dark golden, adorned with intricate patterns of the five elements. The spearhead contained the essence of the five elements, which converged at the tip, forming a single dark golden point.
The Tianyuan Five-Element Spear now exuded a sense of heaviness and power.
"Excellent!" Xu Yuan was very satisfied.
"Tang Wulin, you've worked hard this time."
"Not at all, Brother Xu Yuan. I've also gained a lot." Tang Wulin was deeply grateful.
This novel forging method had yielded significant benefits for him.
Tang Wulin understood that the true value of this forging session wasn't just the insight he gained into Thousand Refinements, First Grade. More importantly, this form of forging would profoundly influence his future career as a blacksmith.
Forging didn't have to be limited to hammering metal.
"Brother Xu Yuan, your secondary profession is forging?" Tang Wulin asked, surprised.
Xu Yuan didn't leave immediately.
He planned to gather some of Tang Wulin's blood and qi.
Without directly fusing it, he carefully tested it. Using his third soul skill, which virtualized energy damage, he transferred Tang Wulin's blood and qi into the Dream Realm Space.
Though not entirely under his control within the Dream Realm Space, it still provided a convenient environment for research.
Once he confirmed that he could completely separate the Golden Dragon King's bloodline from Tang Wulin's blood and qi, Xu Yuan would attempt to absorb it. After all, Tang Wulin's blood and qi was incredibly potent, and as more seals were unlocked, even more blood and qi would be released. Rather than letting it go to waste, it was better to make use of it.
Of course, what was truly important to Xu Yuan was studying blood and qi itself.
The deeper his understanding of blood and qi and the more thorough his research into the latent powers within it, the smoother his future blood cultivation would be.
"You could say that."
"I knew it! Brother Xu Yuan, your blood and qi and the way you 'forged' the other day—no ordinary blacksmith could achieve such coordination." Tang Wulin praised.
"I plan to get my blacksmith rank certified at the Donghai Blacksmiths Association," Xu Yuan said.
After gaining enlightenment the other day, he practiced yesterday. Previously unable to meet the success rate required for a fourth-grade blacksmith's Thousand Refinements, he had made tremendous progress. Not only that, but yesterday's forging resulted in Thousand Refinements, First Grade.
He called Zhen Hua to report.
Upon learning that Xu Yuan was in Donghai City, Zhen Hua immediately instructed him to complete the certification for a fourth-grade blacksmith.
Xu Yuan had no objections to this.
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