Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

The Life Crystal Stone is one of the rarest metals with the highest concentration of life attributes, second only to Living Gold.

It is Biji's favorite rare metal.

The reason it is called a crystal stone is that, compared to other rare metals, its ductility is extremely poor, and it is highly brittle.

Moreover, if subjected to smelting, it will lose a significant portion of its life attributes.

However, if not smelted, forging it becomes much more difficult.

Since it cannot withstand strong impact, it is hard to use echo feedback or metal texture analysis to determine impurities in the Life Crystal Stone.

Thus, one can only rely on intuition when forging it.

Yet, Life Crystal Stone is exceptionally valuable and scarce, making it difficult to obtain. On top of that, very few Soul Masters even use it, meaning that most blacksmiths may never encounter it in their entire lifetime.

Generally speaking, even top-tier Level 5 Blacksmiths would not dare attempt Spirit Refinement on a Life Crystal Stone.

A Thousand Refinements is already the absolute limit.

To Spirit Refine a Life Crystal Stone, one must be at least a Level 6 Blacksmith.

Even then, it must be done with extreme caution—even the slightest mistake could completely destroy the Life Crystal Stone.

However, for Xia Yi, forging Life Crystal Stone was incredibly easy.

Since the core area of the Star Dou Forest, near the Lake of Life, had an abundance of Life Crystal Stone, and because Biji loved it,

for the past three years, Xia Yi had frequently forged Life Crystal Stone for Biji.

Additionally, his forging hammers, containing Living Gold, emitted a powerful life aura, which naturally protected the Life Crystal Stone during forging.

This gave him absolute confidence in forging Life Crystal Stone.

Xia Yi headed to the forging room to prepare while the staff notified the client who had issued the commission.

For ordinary forging commissions, once completed, the client simply comes to pick it up.

However, for Battle Armor metal forging, a Blood Sacrifice is required to integrate the metal into the user's body, meaning the client must be present to assist with the Blood Sacrifice.

Suddenly—

"It's you!"

Two shocked voices rang out simultaneously.

The client who had commissioned the Spirit Refinement of the Life Crystal Stone was a woman, appearing around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with an exquisitely beautiful face.

She had long, flowing white hair cascading down her back and wore a dark green sports outfit.

Her emerald green eyes flickered between the aura of life and destruction, shifting constantly.

She was Shen Yi, the Shrek Academy teacher who had escorted students back during the Tianhai Alliance Tournament.

Xia Yi was shocked.

Shen Yi was also shocked.

"You're a Level 6 Blacksmith?" Shen Yi asked doubtfully.

Although Xia Yi had changed significantly over the past three years, Shen Yi recognized him immediately.

His impression on her was far too deep.

She knew that Xia Yi was a blacksmith, but she never believed he could be a Level 6 Blacksmith.

"Level 5. But didn't you commission a Spirit Refinement? Why do you need a Level 6 Blacksmith?" Xia Yi asked calmly.

"Level 5? Who are you trying to fool? You're only thirteen, aren't you?" Shen Yi retorted.

"See for yourself."

Xia Yi casually waved his Blacksmith Association badge in front of her.

"This is impossible! Thirteen years old, and a Level 5 Blacksmith? How is that even possible?"

Shen Yi snatched the badge from Xia Yi and examined it over and over again, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

Even with concrete evidence before her, she refused to accept it.

Shrek Academy only accepted students under the age of fifteen, and for secondary professions, reaching Level 3 was already considered a perfect score.

Among all secondary professions, blacksmithing was the most difficult.

A thirteen-year-old Level 5 Blacksmith?

Even Zhen Hua had been shocked—let alone Shen Yi.

"Can we begin the forging now?" Xia Yi asked after retrieving his badge.

"No! I refuse to believe you can Spirit Refine Life Crystal Stone! I'm going to find your supervisor and request a different blacksmith!" Shen Yi coldly declared.

There was no way she could believe that Xia Yi was capable of Spirit Refining a Life Crystal Stone.

She had spent countless contribution points to obtain this precious Life Crystal Stone.

She could not allow Xia Yi to shatter it with a single hammer strike.

"Suit yourself. Just make sure to pay the cancellation fee."

Xia Yi shrugged indifferently.

According to the Blacksmith Association's rules, if a commission had not yet been accepted, the client could cancel it freely.

However, once a blacksmith had accepted the task, cancelling it required a 20% cancellation fee—10% for the Association and 10% for the blacksmith.

Similarly, if a blacksmith wanted to back out after accepting a commission, they had to pay a 10% penalty.

"You people aren't even responsible for my commission! If you think I'm paying a cancellation fee, keep dreaming!"

Shen Yi scoffed and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

She had paid the price of a Level 6 Spirit Refinement commission, despite only requesting a Level 5 Spirit Refinement.

She had even raised the reward to attract Level 6 Blacksmiths.

That was why she had asked Xia Yi whether he was a Level 6 Blacksmith.

Even if Xia Yi was indeed a Level 5 Blacksmith, the Blacksmith Association assigning him to a Level 6 commission was irresponsible.

A Harsh Reality

Shen Yi quickly found a supervisor at the Shrek City Blacksmith Association.

After hearing her complaint, the supervisor responded flatly:

"I'm sorry, miss. Your commission was for Spirit Refinement, which any Level 5 Blacksmith can accept. As for the payment, that was set by you, not us. Whether he can forge it is his responsibility. If he fails, we will ensure he compensates you at market price. However, if you wish to withdraw the commission, you must still pay the 20% cancellation fee, as our blacksmith stated."

"Your irresponsibility will damage the reputation of the Shrek City Blacksmith Association!" Shen Yi threatened coldly.

The Shrek City Blacksmith Association already struggled to compete with the Shrek Academy Blacksmith Association.

If its reputation suffered, its business would decline even further.

The supervisor shook his head:

"A Shrek Academy Inner Court student posting a Battle Armor metal commission at our Association—if anyone should be embarrassed, it's you, not us. Besides, our handling of this is completely proper. Why should we be afraid?"

"If you required a Level 6 Blacksmith, you should have specified that when posting the task. Even if the Scarlet Dragon Douluo Feng Wuyu came here, you would still have to pay the cancellation fee today."

Shen Yi fell silent.

The supervisor was right—if word got out, Shrek Academy's Blacksmith Association would lose credibility.

And since she was in the wrong, if she continued making trouble, Feng Wuyu himself might come to reprimand her.

This isn't Shen Yi's fault. The last time she had saved up Life Crystals, they had been smashed to pieces by a sixth-rank blacksmith from the Shrek Academy Blacksmith Association with a single strike.

Using the compensation she received, she went through many channels to finally acquire enough Life Crystals again.

She simply couldn't afford a seventh-rank Saint Craftsman, so she had no choice but to try her luck at the Shrek City Blacksmith Association.

If they were shattered again, she had no idea how much longer it would take to complete the final component of her two-word battle armor—the battle armor wings.

"I'll trust you this once, but let me make this clear in advance: if he messes up right from the start, I'll have to cancel this task no matter what," Shen Yi snorted coldly.

By sheer coincidence, when she purchased Life Crystals this time, the seller happened to have an extra supply. To prevent another forging failure, she simply bought them all.

She figured she'd just take a small piece to test Xia Yi's skills first.

"You're playing with me, right?" When Xia Yi saw the Life Crystal Shen Yi took out—one that was barely the size of a fist—his face immediately darkened.

The battle armor wings Shen Yi needed to forge required nearly 500 kilograms of Life Crystals. Even after the forging was completed, the remaining weight would still be close to 200 kilograms. If he had to forge it at just one kilogram at a time, how long would that take?

"This is just the first piece. I need to check your skill level first. It doesn't count toward the total amount. If you succeed, I'll pay you separately. Don't worry, the reward won't be any less than your usual forging payment," Shen Yi said.

Xia Yi's eyes immediately lit up, but he still maintained a serious expression and said, "I'm still not comfortable if this isn't done through the Blacksmith Association's task system—unless you pay me upfront."

"Fine!" Gritting her teeth, Shen Yi handed over a thick stack of Federation currency to Xia Yi.

The customer is always right. The moment Xia Yi saw the money, his expression changed to a bright smile. He asked, "Still spiritual forging?"

"Spiritual forging!"

"Do you need it calcined?"

Calcining Life Crystals would cause them to lose some of their life attributes, but if not calcined, the forging difficulty would be much higher.

So, whether to calcine or not was a choice that came with two entirely different price points.

The task Shen Yi had previously posted specified no calcining.

"No need."

"Do you need a blood sacrifice?"

"Yes!"

Boom!

With the client's requirements set, Xia Yi didn't hesitate. Two emerald-green forging hammers appeared in his hands, and he struck down without a second thought.

Shen Yi was stunned. In her eyes, Xia Yi's hands alternated in motion, his two forging hammers leaving behind afterimages as they moved at an extreme speed. Just as one hammer was lifted, the other had already landed.

Boom! Boom! With just a few strikes, the Life Crystal had already reached the Hundred Refinements stage.

The Hundred Refinements stage didn't mean exactly a hundred strikes; rather, it indicated that the purity had reached the required level.

Shen Yi covered her red lips with both hands, afraid she might cry out and disturb Xia Yi.

She still remembered how the sixth-rank blacksmith from the Shrek Academy Blacksmith Association had been so cautious while forging the Life Crystals last time—yet still failed in the end.

But Xia Yi? He seemed to only know how to strike at full speed, showing no concern at all about shattering the Life Crystal.

And yet, the Life Crystal wasn't breaking.

"His forging hammers are special—extraordinary."

Although she wasn't a blacksmith, as someone from Shrek Academy, Shen Yi still had basic knowledge.

Those emerald-green forging hammers carried an even stronger life aura than the Life Crystals themselves.

Each time the forging hammers made contact with the Life Crystal, they released life energy that merged with the crystal, continuously absorbing life energy from the surrounding air.

This life energy was then funneled back into Xia Yi's body through the forging hammers.

"This won't do. I have to report this to the Academy when I get back. A thirteen-year-old fifth-rank blacksmith, forging Life Crystals with such ease—this is terrifying. The Academy must take this seriously." Shen Yi's beautiful eyes flashed with determination.

Boom!

Emerald-green light shot into the sky, and the rich life energy made Shen Yi let out a soft moan involuntarily.

"A Thousand Refinements, First Grade!"

Even with both hands still tightly covering her lips, Shen Yi couldn't help but let out a sharp cry.

"Stop shouting and get ready for the blood sacrifice. You don't need me to teach you how, do you?" Xia Yi cast her a glance and said calmly.

"No need!" Shen Yi replied.

Her battle armor was just one step away from completion. Once the battle armor wings were forged, she would have a full set of two-word battle armor.

When forging the other parts of her battle armor, blacksmiths had already taught her how to perform a blood sacrifice.

(End of chapter)

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