Chapter 283: Spirit Refined

The moment Tang Wulin switched to a blood essence bridge, he sensed the heavy silver's life diminishing and his heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

However, before scales had popped from his arm, his blood essence ignited and flowed into the heavy silver, feeding it the life force needed to stabilize.

With blood essence pouring into it, the heavy silver gained a faint golden luster, a glint of crimson melding with its silver radiance as well.

He's substituting soul power with blood essence?

As the three elders looked at each other, dismay plagued their expressions.

Yet, Tang Wulin's eyes glistened.

I can do this! I can replace my soul power with blood essence to spirit refine!

Rather than unaware of the heavy silver's scorching temperature, he had chosen not to summon his scales previously and let his hand burn!

Blood essence seeped out of the gaps between his scales, the heavy silver gurgling as it drank it up. Peculiarly, as his hammering slowed, a portion of the heavy silver would separate and attach to his hammers upon contact.

This scene baffled Tang Wulin himself. However, he paid it no mind. His hammers cheered with each strike against the heavy silver, and with his blood essence connection, the sensation was crystal clear.

This was the blood sacrifice's basic effect. Since his hammers were of the highest quality and had undergone the blood sacrifice, and he was currently pouring his blood essence into the heavy silver, they could transform to the next level.

The chunk of heavy silver grew smaller and smaller and Tang Wulin's right hand dropped lower with each strike. Meanwhile, his hammers gained a faint layer of gold. The cloud patterns underwent metamorphosis, now resembling a ferocious dragon baring its fangs.

The heavy silver absorbed his blood essence quicker than it did his soul power. Exhaustion penetrated into his bones.

I have to hold on! I must! He was determined to create a miracle.

A wonderful melody rang through the air, brought out by the tinkling of metal.

At this moment, everyone was on the eve of witnessing a miracle.

The silver glow weakened, the gold attaching itself to Tang Wulin's hammers.

At last, an ounce of heavy silver remained; the rest had been absorbed by his hammers. Tang Wulin trembled, coughing up a mouthful of blood onto the metal's remnants.

He shuffled a hammer into his hand and, holding it high above his head, struck down like lightning!

Thunder boomed as golden light soared one and a half meters into the air. Yet, the most baffling part was the dragon's roar rumbling past the pillar of light, as if a real dragon was soaring to the heavens. The golden light burst with an aura of life, a peculiar sensation for everyone present. The heavy silver had gained life and was declaring its existence for all to hear!

It was born!

The thousand refinements with spirit, ten thousand refinements of life. Now, it was spirit refined!

The golden light persisted for tens of seconds before gradually dying off. Tang Wulin fixed his eyes on his hammers. His hammers were completely colored a dull gold, the faint form of a golden dragon now on its surface. Instead of connecting to him through blood, his hammers had become extensions of his body. A flash of gold and the hammers melted into his hands. Indeed, they merged into his hands and not into his storage devices.

To spirit refine was to connect one's life with the metal!

Spirit refined metals could dissolve into the user's body. This was what made the products so precious.

Anyone who wanted to use spirit refined metal had to be present during the forging, feeding the metal with their blood drip by drip. This was the only way to fuse with a spirit-refined metal once it was completed.

This was also the reason Wu Zhangkong's battle armor had instantly appeared once he had summoned it. Spirit Refinement connected one's mind with the metal's. The metal composing a suit of battle armor existed as an extension of one's body; as such, it was like a another part of their martial soul, and all powerful battle armors shared this trait

Although a one-word battle armor was formidable and lightweight, it couldn't hold a candle to a two-word battle armor, in which spirit refined metal had melded with the user's body. That was true battle armor. Only then would the battle armor's amplification effect shine, amplifying the armor's might and existing as one part of the user's martial soul.

Spirit Refinement could evolve into Soul Refinement, but the Thousand Refinements could not evolve into Spirit Refinement. This was the unbridgeable gap between one-word and two-word battle armor.

Possessing a two-word battle armor granted one a battle armor master's impressive might.

The instant the hammers fused into his body, Tang Wulin lost all strength and fell backward, straight as a steel rod.

Xie Xie managed to catch him. Tang Wulin's complexion was snow-white, his breaths feeble.

After exhausting both his soul power and blood essence, he fainted.

Elder Cai and Zhuo Shi shared a glance, mouths parted.

"H-he succeeded?"

Zhuo Shi gaped. He succeeded... He actually succeeded at spirit refining! He's a thirteen-year-old fifth-rank blacksmith, a master blacksmith!

Can he still be called a mere monster? Even Shrek Academy would scramble to recruit him! He's definitely a future Divine Blacksmith!

In the entire Douluo Continent, there was only one Divine Craftsman. Because of this, the most powerful battle armors in Shrek Academy were only three-word. Only Divine Craftsmen could create could create four-word battle armor.

If Shrek Academy can raise him into a Divine Blacksmith, then all of our three-word battle armor masters will be able to get an upgrade...

The thought funneled all sorts of excitement through Zhuo Shi's veins, and he gulped. He rushed toward Xie Xie and took Tang Wulin into his arms.

Drained of energy, Tang Wulin was fast asleep, eyes shut tight.

Xie Xie flipped his gaze at Zhuo Shi. "Grandteacher, are we finished with the exam now?"

Zhuo Shi nodded. His eyes shined bright as stars and in the next instant, he encased Xie Xie with a red light, delivering him to the side.

The red aura around Zhuo Shi seemed almost corporeal, possessing a scarlet jade-like luster. The aura towered above everyone present, weighing down upon them.

Then, it lifted Tang Wulin into the air.

Zhuo Shi's eyes flashed crimson as the scarlet light around him unleashed a dragon's roar. The redness condensed, the roar becoming clearer, a change proceeding over Tang Wulin.

Golden lines zipped over his body like makeshift veins, as if their birth was instigated by the scarlet light. Compared to before, however, these lines were much dimmer. Even so, they appeared to suck in the scarlet light, infusing it into his body.

"Woah." Despite his surprise, Zhuo Shi did not stop the crimson aura's transmission. It continued to pour into Tang Wulin's body, growing brighter and brighter.

If not for the golden lines snaking their way through his body, Tang Wulin's form would have been indiscernible, enveloped in the thick scarlet aura.

Elder Cai drew near to Gu Yue slowly, the latter's fists balled and breath bated as she took in Tang Wulin's unusual circumstance. She didn't bat an eye to Elder Cai's approach.

"Don't think that you're done with tests now that you've passed. If you're not battle armor masters by the age of twenty, you can forget about entering the inner court."Elder Cai snorted then left.

Gu Yue turned a deaf ear to the old lady's words, gripped with tunnel vision toward Tang Wulin. Face was wracked with worry and heart aching.

Elder Li examined the three students, his gaze falling on Xu Xiaoyan for a hairbreadth of a second. Smiling, he exited the area, arms folded behind him.