After the beating she'd taken from Gu You last time, Ye Xinglan had learned to rein in her temper. Though she still lost control occasionally, it was much better than before.
Just as Zheng Yiran walked off, Luo Guixing approached again.
Luo Guixing looked at Gu You with meaningful eyes. "The future is long."
Gu You smiled. "Yeah, plenty of time ahead. Make sure you take good care of that little Yue Tian in your team."
"I will." Luo Guixing nodded solemnly.
"You've grown quite a bit." After Luo Guixing left, Gu You turned to Ye Xinglan.
"Naturally," she replied coolly.
"Still angry?"
"Angry? Angry about what?" Ye Xinglan looked at him in confusion.
Gu You stood up and faced the students spread across the room. His gaze swept across Wu Siduo, Luo Guixing, Xu Yucheng, Yang Nianxia, and Zheng Yiran. His eyes suddenly turned a faint purple-gold, his pupils narrowed into vertical slits, and surging blood energy exploded from his body.
"If I win, then from now on, no one better waste their breath on me!"
The room fell silent.
Gu You walked toward the front of the classroom with steady, imposing steps. Under the sheer pressure of his aura, the crowd unconsciously parted to let him through.
Ye Xinglan's pupils widened. Only now did she truly understand—when you possess power, all rumors and slander naturally fade away.
…
"What do you think?" Shen Yi lounged on a plush sofa in her office, legs crossed, a smile playing on her lips.
Wu Zhangkong's expression remained as cold as ever. "We do to them what our teachers did to us. Shrek's teaching philosophy has always been rooted in freedom—it never suppresses a child's true nature. I only have one suggestion."
"What is it?" Shen Yi asked curiously.
Wu Zhangkong said, "The current challenge still isn't enough pressure for Gu You."
"You're right," Shen Yi muttered thoughtfully. "How about this—when he fights, the sixth-years can use their battle armor. And when they fight in teams, they don't have to reduce their numbers anymore."
Wu Zhangkong nodded in agreement. Even with those changes, the sixth-years still might not win against Gu You. But at the very least, it would make the fight worth watching.
Fighting was the best way to temper one's strength.
And it was a perfect opportunity to see just how much Gu You had improved over the years.
…
Buzz— Brilliant radiance shimmered, glowing like polished jade.
Shock. That was the only word to describe Ye Xinglan's state of mind.
She never imagined that Gu You, who was already so strong in combat, would have such monstrous talent in forging.
After learning he was a blacksmith, she had asked whether he could perform spirit alloy fusion forging. She didn't believe someone so young—who also specialized as a Soul Master—could possibly do it.
But he could.
And he'd even forged her favorite alloy—Jade Silver.
At this moment, Gu You completely shattered her expectations.
Spirit alloy fusion forging was no joke! Even among fifth-rank blacksmiths, few could manage it. Most of their focus would be on mastering spirit forging, and only after reaching sixth rank would they begin studying alloy fusion.
Which meant that Gu You was at least a fifth-rank blacksmith. What did that say?
During the forging process, his rhythm and flow were like music. It was the first time Ye Xinglan had seen someone so completely immersed in the world of metal. The forging hammers in his hands danced—sometimes light, sometimes heavy—producing a seamless performance of thousand-refinement and alloy fusion, as smooth as flowing water.
"I'll test the fusion ratio." Gu You pulled out a small device, borrowed from the blacksmiths' association at the academy. Though technically a loan, Feng Wuyu had basically gifted it to him with a wave of his hand.
He pressed the device against the Jade Silver's surface. A beam of light scanned it, and soon, a number appeared on the screen.
Seeing it, Gu You's mouth twitched. He let out a sigh.
"Is it bad? It succeeded though—should be at least sixty percent, right?" Gu Yue leaned in to take a look.
But when she saw the number, she gasped.
"Ninety-five…"
Yes, the fusion rate was ninety-five percent! And this was Gu You's first time forging that specific alloy.
Ye Xinglan was stunned. She immediately darted over to Gu You's side and stared at the number.
"Why're you sighing with a rate that high?" she said sharply.
Gu You gave a wry smile. "It's high for you, but for me, it's the lowest I'll accept."
'Show-off,' Ye Xinglan rolled her eyes.
"This one's mine." Without hesitation, she slapped a palm on the Jade Silver. A flash from her storage ring, and the metal vanished.
"You're really not shy, are you?" Gu Yue scoffed.
Ye Xinglan acted like she didn't hear. "I'll pay you back later."
"No need. It's a gift. I liked what you said earlier to that one person." Gu You's lips twitched again.
In the world of blacksmiths, a ninety-five percent spirit alloy was considered the foundation for divine alloys.
Currently, known spirit alloys start with two-metal fusions as the base. Three metals made it high quality. Four, top-tier. Five, saint-grade. Anything beyond five became extremely rare. Five-metal alloys were already comparable in value to soul-forged metals.
The highest known number of successfully fused metals was eight. And each additional metal increased the difficulty exponentially. A nine-metal fusion had never been achieved, though attempts had been made.
Seven divine craftsmen in human history once theorized that forging a nine-metal spirit alloy might create the legendary "Divine Alloy." If true, it could allow an Ultimate Douluo to take the next step.
And what came after Ultimate Douluo?
Godhood.
It was only a possibility—but that was enough to make ninety-five percent spirit alloys unimaginably precious and rare.
Fusion forging was different from regular forging. It involved luck, timing, and opportunity. Even a divine blacksmith couldn't guarantee a ninety-five percent success rate—only a higher average.
"Don't think I'm just taking advantage of you. I'm a fifth-rank mecha designer," Ye Xinglan said…
(End of Chapter)
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