Chapter 39: Soul Forging Technique
Yonglan followed the nun’s careful guidance and placed his hands into the heart of the furnace. With each pulse, the golden flowing flames brought a soul-stirring surge of heat.
The sheer power of the energy furnace made his entire body tremble slightly.
Ate: “Very good, just like that. Manipulate the Spirit Matter you can sense, and begin by tempering the materials…”
Yonglan was completely absorbed in the forging, his eyes seemingly overflowing with molten gold.
Then, he grasped a phantom hammer.
“Bang—”
“Bang—”
“Bang—”
He struck again and again, each tremor a process of decomposition and reconstruction in an infinitesimally short time.
The reason he was here, as Ate’s student, was Zhenxian’s suggestion.
Since he planned to participate in the Chang’s demon plan and do something big with them, Yonglan couldn’t afford to be idle as usual.
Zhenxian, with great enthusiasm, devised a promotion plan for him, which included studying under Ate as a priority.
After all, it would be a waste not to utilize the resources offered by this Chanter from the Golden Holy Domain who had extended an olive branch to Yonglan, willing to mentor him.
When he had asked the nun if he could learn the art of forging, she had expressed some regret. Ate had intended to teach Yonglan “Melody,” which was crucial for embarking on the path of a Chanter.
However, Yonglan had no interest in the so-called “Life’s Movement.” Such mega-projects, often spanning millennia and covering the entire Boundless Land, held no appeal. They wouldn’t make him powerful in an instant.
He had long since become desensitized to grand narratives.
Instead, he preferred skills that yielded faster results and had broader applications. Were there any such Artifices?
Yes, there were.
The Holy Descendant’s Talent Artifice, “Light Forging,” was the pinnacle of “Forging Artifice.”
“Forging Artifice” was the reprocessing and creation of Spirit Matter materials, a vital element of Spirit Matter, second only in importance to “Steel” and “Flame.”
In a way, it was the underlying logic and industrial foundation of this world.
Because the world’s underlying structure was the idealistic creation of “Spirit Matter,” their industrial system was also quite peculiar.
Modern metropolises like Chang, capable of housing millions, were built from nothing. It was merely because a Pillar of the Holy deemed the location a harmonic node, and dispatched a team of Forging Artificers.
Then, in three months, the colossal city rose from the ground. An experienced Forging Artificer was essentially a miniature production line, possessing an absurd level of productivity.
If not for the threat and corruption of Fiends on the Boundless Land, ideal cities would likely have been established long ago, their steel jungles covering every patch of land.
However, what truly piqued Yonglan’s interest in Forging Artifice was its application in “reprocessing Spirit Matter materials.”
He hadn’t forgotten the by-products generated by the “Ember Forge.” Simply using them as potion supplements felt like a loss.
With a steady supply of raw materials, the classic crafting system from RPGs was an experience he had to try.
Furthermore, and most crucially, the “experience” gained from learning “Forging Artifice” was incredibly substantial.
[Understanding, reconstructing, and shaping Spirit Matter, you have demonstrated on the Path of Destiny.]
[Destiny: 2 → 3]
[You have completed a superb creation, demonstrating on the Path of Destiny.]
[Destiny: 3 → 4]
…
Months of studying in the Grand Library were not as effective as a few days of practice in the forging furnace!
This was the correct way to increase the “Destiny” attribute. Reading books was truly inferior to blacksmithing!
“Sizzle—”
The light flames on the forging table repeatedly struck the billet. Ate suddenly frowned and asked:
“Did you just… add materials not in the recipe?”
“Ah, I thought this would make it better,” Yonglan replied with a smile, biting his lip.
He had added a portion of his own Spirit Matter, integrating it into the fully decomposed rune materials.
The nun reminded him: “Although you have had some successful experiences, low-level forging and high-level forging are entirely different. The difficulty of fusing and forging by adding impure Spirit Matter is beyond the grasp of a beginner.”
Yonglan paid no heed to her advice, endlessly swinging the phantom hammer made of True Red Embers, completely lost in his own artistic creation.
Seeing this, Ate fell silent. She clasped her hands in front of her abdomen, waiting for the inevitable failure.
Learning “Forging Artifice” always involved failure. Yonglan’s learning process had been flawless for days, which already made her suspicious. This would be a good lesson.
“Clang, clang, clang—”
“Boom—”
With the final hammer blow, the furnace heart erupted with a storm-like surge of flames. After sweeping through the room, it triggered the forging furnace’s stasis mechanism, immediately activating an Artifice to freeze and lock the item on the forging table.
“Hoo—”
Ate watched as Yonglan let out a long sigh, then froze in place, stepping back and sitting down.
As expected, it had failed.
This reaction was within her expectations. The nun nodded, then stepped forward, intending to inspect the scrap before lecturing Yonglan.
However, when she reached the forging table, she saw an armguard frozen by the stasis Artifice… It wasn’t scrap metal, but a piece of rune equipment with clear contours and an elegant design.
Huh? It succeeded?!
The Chanter was stunned, then gently touched the armguard, where gold and silver intertwined, with her slender, elegant hand. With her mastery of Artifice, she analyzed the armguard the moment she touched it.
It wasn’t just for show; it was an exceptionally high-quality rune equipment. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have believed this armguard was crafted by a master, and might even mistake it for a product of Light Forging!
“…Truly astonishing talent.”
Ate marveled at Yonglan’s creation, praising:
“To produce such a work on your first attempt at rune forging… Even we Holy Descendants, who possess the Authority of Light Forging, cannot achieve this.”
Yonglan didn’t hear the nun’s exclamation. He was currently focused on the information that had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Destiny: 4 → 5]
[By shaping knowledge into unique, refined creations, you have demonstrably walked the Path of Destiny.]
[Awakened Destiny Authority—Soul Forging Technique.]
[Soul Forging Technique]
[A pure soul possesses unparalleled plasticity and omnipotence. Forging souls is forging worlds.]
[Use the soul to forge armor, to resist attacks from any domain; or use the soul to forge weapons, to freely attack enemies in any domain.]
[The art of using souls to forge miracles, imitating the laws of natural creation, by which the world is said to have been shaped.]
