Before the Ice Polar Divine Crystal could stop trembling, Huo Yuhao raised his hammer again and struck it hard. The crystal's vibrations grew even more intense.

Huo Yuhao swung his forging hammer with force, hammering the Ice Polar Divine Crystal repeatedly. The clanging sounds echoed endlessly in the air.

After some time, he had completed Hundred Refinements. Thanks to his superior physical condition, even after hammering hundreds of times, he showed no signs of fatigue.

Standing nearby, Kong Deming observed Huo Yuhao's steady breathing and calm demeanor, nodding to himself in admiration.

*"Yuhao's physical condition is truly exceptional. If any other Soul Master his age attempted Hundred Refinements without using soul skills to enhance their body, their arms would be sore and swollen by now, slowing them down.

Yet, Yuhao hasn't slowed down even slightly."*

After all, under Huo Yuhao's guidance, both Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen had already mastered Hundred Refinements.

So Kong Deming was able to accurately assess Huo Yuhao's skill level.

Huo Yuhao continued hammering the Ice Polar Divine Crystal, sweat trickling down his forehead as the flames from the forging furnace roared.

In truth, Thousand Refinements didn't involve any special techniques.

The key was to treat the metal as if it were a living being to communicate with it while forging, gradually understanding its essence.

For Huo Yuhao, establishing a connection with the Ice Polar Divine Crystal was difficult.

After all, the crystal had no consciousness.

Even the Ice Polar Divine Crystals that contained ice spirits only possessed a basic instinct to seek out Extreme Ice energy.

"Treat it like a living being?"

As Huo Yuhao hammered away, he pondered this idea.

Soon, his gaze shifted, and his expression subtly changed.

An intense life aura radiated from him, originating from the Life Guardian's Blade on his forehead.

At the same time, a chilling energy spread outward from Huo Yuhao, enveloping the entire forging area.

"If I need to treat the crystal like a living being… then how do I make it accept me?"

The answer was simple he had to become its kind.

If he could think and exist as if he were also an Ice Polar Divine Crystal, then the first 'life' it would recognize would naturally be one of its own.

Suddenly

Crack, crack!

A layer of ice quickly formed over the semi molten Ice Polar Divine Crystal.

With every hammer strike, fragments of frozen shards would scatter, and each time those shards shattered, fiery sparks burst forth.

Little by little, Huo Yuhao felt something change each time he struck the metal, he and the crystal seemed to breathe in unison.

There was a strange resonance forming between them.

"Breathing in unison… Could this be the secret to Thousand Refinements?"

For the Ice Polar Divine Crystal, breathing should have been impossible.

Even those crystals with ice spirits only possessed a trace of life energy they were not true living beings.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Huo Yuhao's hammering speed increased.

The Ice Polar Divine Crystal was shrinking, its density increasing, and its internal structure becoming more refined.

"I'm almost there."

He could feel that the crystal was undergoing a transformation it was like a seed, finally breaking through the dark soil, preparing to greet the morning sun.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Suddenly

A dazzling burst of icy light erupted from the crystal.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao instantly reacted

He summoned the Life Guardian's Blade, slicing open his own wrist.

Fresh blood sprayed onto the Ice Polar Divine Crystal.

In the blink of an eye, the crystal absorbed his blood, and Huo Yuhao felt a profound connection to it.

It was as if the crystal had become an extension of his body.

This was Blood Sacrifice Thousand Refinements.

Metals that underwent a Blood Sacrifice during Thousand Refinements had a chance to awaken powerful unique effects.

Although this process depleted one's life force, Huo Yuhao didn't have to worry.

After all, with the Life Guardian's Blade, he was constantly nourished by life energy.

"Thousand Refinements, Success!"

Huo Yuhao let out a long sigh of relief, a joyful smile appearing on his face.

At the same time, his wrist wound healed rapidly.

He reflected on his progress.

"I remember… Tang Wulin trained in forging for three years, working tirelessly before he finally mastered Thousand Refinements."

"Meanwhile, I only spent two months and succeeded."

"But that makes sense."

"Back when Tang Wulin started forging, he was still just a child."

"I'm different I'm a Soul King, with multiple soul bones, and my physical condition far surpasses that of a young Tang Wulin."

"That alone gives me a massive advantage."

*"Still, my forging talent must be pretty incredible.

After all, some forgers spend their entire lives stuck at the Thousand Refinements level.

Yet I only needed two months to reach it.

Even by future standards, I'd definitely be considered a genius forger!"*

Nearby, Xuan Ziwen was thrilled.

"Yuhao! Did you just say you successfully completed Thousand Refinements?"

"Then that means… it gained an enhancement effect!"

"What is its special property?"

His voice trembled with excitement.

For someone like Xuan Ziwen, who loved soul tools more than anything, the potential of forging to advance soul tool technology was even more thrilling than Soul Spirits.

Naturally, he couldn't wait to know what kind of enhancement effect the crystal had developed.

Huo Yuhao paused, then smiled bitterly.

"Teacher Xuan, the Ice Polar Divine Crystal hasn't been shaped into a soul tool yet."

"Unless the enhancement effect is visibly obvious in this raw form, I won't be able to determine what it does until we forge it into something specific."

Even Tang Wulin only discovered his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver's enhancement effect after forging it into hammers.

Kong Deming laughed heartily.

"Ziwen, don't worry.

Once we forge the Ice Polar Battle God Armor, we'll find out exactly what its enhancement effect is."

Xuan Ziwen nodded eagerly.

"Understood, Master."

Then, he turned to Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, you've been forging for hours you must be exhausted.

If you're too tired, go ahead and rest.

The academy's beds are pretty big, so just sleep for a while."

Huo Yuhao chuckled and shook his head.

"Teacher Xuan, there's no need I'm not tired at all."

"Actually, I feel more refreshed than ever."

With the Life Guardian's Blade, it was practically impossible for him to feel tired just from forging.

Besides, he was eager to get his hands on the Ice Polar Battle God Armor.

Xuan Ziwen studied him carefully and realized he wasn't faking it.

"Alright then!"

"In that case, let's begin forging the Ice Polar Battle God Armor!"

"This will be a historic moment in Douluo's history!"

(End of chapter.)

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