Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

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"Time's up, stop your actions!"

Duan Xuan's deep voice carried the ripple of a Soul Sage-level soul power wave, piercing through the thirty-six soundproof barriers.

The stained-glass skylight of the Blacksmith Association dome refracted the setting sun into a cascade of seven-colored light, but as the soul-guided barriers rose, the venue was bathed in silvery-white illumination. Thirty-six water-like screens emerged from the edges of the arena, isolating the competitors in absolute silence.

Tang Wulin released the handle of his forging hammer. On the forging table, the silver ingot shimmered with seven dragon-shaped cloud patterns that flowed like liquid in the twilight.

As his fingertips brushed the surface of the metal, a faint, clear dragon roar resonated with his heartbeat. It reminded him of the Crimson Dragon Shocks the Heavens technique that Elder Zhuo Shi had demonstrated the day before.

"Please place your finished products into the spirit tester one by one."

As the mechanical arm pushed the testing device to the center of the stage, Gu La noticed the residual emerald glow on his left hand fading away.

On his forging table, the Sinking Silver bore intricate patterns of crimson and emerald, resembling a rainforest drenched in sunset hues.

When he lifted the metal and walked toward the testing area, gasps rippled through the audience. Among the thirty-five contestants' thousand-refinement Sinking Silver pieces—all silver-white—only his and Tang Wulin's works emitted an unusual, glowing sheen.

"Twin martial souls? When did he manage that?"

On the judges' stand, Zhen Hua tapped his index finger against the armrest of his chair. His extraordinary perception allowed him to see how the fiery red soul power seeping from the boy's left fingers blended seamlessly with the vine-like phantom coiled around his right wrist. These two vastly different energies formed an intricate soul circuit within the Sinking Silver.

In reality, after comparing their works with others, most forgers could already estimate their results.

But Gu La's situation was unique. He was only a step away from spirit forging—it was almost as if anyone could complete the process with a single hammer strike. Yet, technically, his work still fell under the category of spirit forging.

"Clever brat, showing off like this."

Zhen Hua chuckled inwardly, though he couldn't help but admire Gu La. Talent could mask arrogance, and among everyone present, only he understood the confidence and skill required to pull it off.

The Divine Craftsman stood up, watching as the contestants placed their metals into the testing device. One by one, spirit values and images of the metals appeared on the large screen, gradually forming a ranking.

Of course, the final scores weren't determined solely by the metal's spirituality but also by other factors like its vitality, which required evaluation by professional forgers.

Gu La followed the group, presenting his completed thousand-refinement Sinking Silver on the judges' platform. Thousand-refinement was the foundation of forging, and Sinking Silver was a widely used metal.

This round tested the basic skills of the forgers. While it might have been challenging for Gu La in the past, after more than half a year of practice, his fundamentals were now solid enough to qualify him as a competent forger.

The shrill hum of Duan Xuan's soul-guided amplifier echoed through the hall. At this moment, the president of the Tianhai Blacksmith Association was intently staring at the holographic projection.

Under the spirit tester, Gu La's Sinking Silver emitted a jade-green aura, with crimson patterns inside resembling molten lava beds. As the mechanical arm flipped the thousand-refined Sinking Silver, tiny crystal clusters seemed to grow on the metal's surface.

"Thousand-refinement Sinking Silver, spirit value 989…" Before the electronic voice finished announcing, Duan Xuan had already risen from his seat, leaning on the judging table. "Student Gu La, would you consider joining the Tianhai Blacksmith Association? Our association can cover all your metal expenses until you become a sacred smith."

Duan Xuan couldn't resist extending the invitation. Every promising sacred smith candidate was a top priority for major factions. As the leading city in the east, Tianhai had only a handful of such prodigies.

The uproar from the audience nearly shattered the dome. But Gu La simply retrieved his Sinking Silver from the tray, his crimson eyes flickering slightly. "Thank you for your appreciation, President, but I'm not interested."

Before Duan Xuan could press further, Zhen Hua appeared beside him, placing his calloused hand on Duan Xuan's shoulder.

"Don't push too hard."

Duan Xuan's expression turned suspicious, wondering if Zhen Hua had taken an interest in Gu La. Little did he know, Zhen Hua was actually saving him. Leng Yaozhu might show Zhen Hua some respect, but he wouldn't extend the same courtesy to Duan Xuan.

Zhen Hua offered a subtle hint and said no more, turning to Gu La. "Achieving spirit forging requires a simultaneous qualitative transformation of soul power and spiritual force. You've done exceptionally well."

Secretly, Zhen Hua transmitted a message to Gu La: "Stay behind after the competition."

Gu La gave a slight nod, took his thousand-refinement Sinking Silver, and stepped back.

The testing process continued. When Tang Wulin's dragon-patterned Sinking Silver was placed into the machine, the audience suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

On the projection screen, the column representing the spirit value broke through 900 and transformed into the shape of a dragon. A clear dragon roar reverberated through the venue, piercing even the soundproof barriers.

Zhen Hua nodded slightly, his eyes filled with approval.

"Quite rare indeed."

He traced the dragon patterns along the edge of the Sinking Silver, speculating that this was why Zhuo Shi had taken Tang Wulin as his disciple. Spirituality and bloodline energy had perfectly merged within the metal.

If Gu La's forging represented the perfect fusion of two martial soul abilities—offering both excellent heat resistance and hardness, as well as an affinity for natural elements, thus elevating the essence of the metal—

Then Tang Wulin's forging was the perfect combination of bloodline essence and metal spirituality, similarly elevating the metal's properties but through external activation.

"The infusion of true dragon essence into metal…"

No one heard the Divine Craftsman's muttered words. As he recalled Tang Wulin's forging technique, he saw familiar shadows.

Zhen Hua placed his hand on Tang Wulin's shoulder. This action caused several sacred smiths in the VIP seats to rise simultaneously. "Young man, who taught you forging?"

Tang Wulin's fingers tightened on the hem of his shirt. "It was Master Mang Tian."

(T/N: Wasn't it Mu Chen who took her?)

Zhen Hua wasn't surprised by Tang Wulin's answer; he had already guessed as much. "Hmph, taking her away wasn't enough—he even sent his disciple to flaunt in front of me."

As Zhen Hua turned to face the bustling venue, the soul-guided spotlight illuminated his silver-gray robe just right. The metallic badge on his chest sparkled like starlight. The roaring tide of voices abruptly fell silent as he raised his hand, drawing tens of thousands of gazes like magnets to the central forging platform.

"The second round's task: Thousand-refinement Blue Coppertite." His voice, amplified by the soul-guided system, carried a strange metallic resonance. "But before that—" He spun the forging hammer in his palm, creating a silvery arc. "Allow me to demonstrate soul forging."

A sudden surge of soul power glows lit up the front rows of the audience. The sacred smiths unconsciously released their spiritual force, unwilling to miss a single detail.

Their calloused hands trembled slightly on the armrests. An elderly white-haired man even knocked over his teacup, oblivious to the dark brown stain spreading across his green robe. To them, spirit forging was merely routine practice; only soul forging represented the next step in advancing their craft.

The Sinking Silver Zhen Hua retrieved from his spatial ring was nearly half a person tall, its silvery-gray surface flowing with wave-like energy patterns.

When the forging hammer first struck the metal's surface, the entire venue fell into an eerie silence—not physical quiet, but a resonance that made every metallic object vibrate. The hanging soul-guided lamp chains chimed softly, producing delicate musical notes.

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