The most terrifying part was that behind Gu You, thousands upon thousands of Destruction Orbs continued to form—dense, packed tightly together—spilling beyond the boundaries of the arena.
At that moment, everyone held their breath. Yali stood up instantly, just about to call for a halt to the match, but it was already too late. The rain of Destruction Orbs fell like a downpour.
The remaining five members of the opposing elite team were instantly engulfed in a haze of purple energy. The arena quaked repeatedly under the impact.
One after another, semi-circular energy shields rose across the battlefield, expanding before slowly dissipating.
Yali, using her own aura as a medium, spread out a Life Barrier to protect those still on the field, hoping to prevent further injuries.
But the Destruction Orbs had already landed—how could they be taken back now?
Just as everyone believed that the elite team was about to be wiped out completely—
A brilliant light suddenly burst out from the midst of the purple destruction.
The destructive aura still lingered, but from the source of that multi-colored glow, a scene became clear.
Gu You's eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn't expected that when Wu Siduo activated a dual martial soul fusion technique, there would be a brief moment of invincibility.
Thanks to that invincibility, she had managed to protect one person—Luo Guixing, who was standing right beside her.
"This time, I saved your life, didn't I?" Wu Siduo, in her Nether White Tiger state, glanced at Luo Guixing.
His face was pale. He looked helplessly at his teammates, who had been utterly devastated by the Destruction Orbs.
Yet he still forced a weak smile toward Wu Siduo.
"We're even."
Luo Guixing knew there was no point in continuing the fight. His hands trembled as he raised them.
"We concede."
Gu You glanced at them, then turned toward Yali.
Yali glared at him in anger. Her Life Barrier instantly enveloped all the wounded, and before the naked eye, the power of destruction was visibly neutralized by life energy.
"What a shame I didn't get to fight that damn snake girl," Ye Xinglan muttered in frustration.
"Come on, look how badly I beat them," Gu You replied casually. "I didn't expect that move to have such destructive power either. Good thing Saint Spirit Douluo was here."
That technique—the splitting of countless mini Destruction Orbs—was something Gu You had developed himself, based on his third soul skill, Dragon God's Wrath.
It could be considered a self-created soul technique. Technically, it was more an advanced manipulation of an existing ability—same core effect, different form of execution.
From a single-target attack to an area-of-effect assault.
"They deserved it. Remember how they mocked us before? You shouldn't have gone easy on them," Ye Xinglan muttered and stormed off, annoyed.
"Brother Gu, you know how Sister Xinglan is—always like that," Xu Lizhi said, patting his belly.
Gu You's eyes were thoughtful and deep.
——
Ye Xinglan was now staring intently at the piece of metal in front of her. Tiny starlight twinkled around it. Its silvery sheen resembled the universe itself, and the shimmering light seemed to carry its own will.
Jade Silver—a piece she had forged herself. And the fusion rate had reached an astounding 95%!
"Lizhi, be ready to help me anytime," Ye Xinglan said to Xu Lizhi beside her.
Xu Lizhi hesitated. "Xinglan-jie, isn't this a bit much? You're a Grade 5 mecha craftsman now, and you can make One-Word Battle Armor, sure. But this is sentient alloy! It's way harder than just using a Thousand-Forged First-Grade metal!"
Ye Xinglan gave him a side glance and replied coolly, "He can forge Divine Base Alloy. Why can't I make One-Word Battle Armor from sentient alloy? Enough talking. Get ready."
As she spoke, her gaze locked back onto the Jade Silver.
She was stubborn, proud, and full of confidence. As a core disciple of the Shrek Inner Court, she had an unyielding determination. So what if Gu You was stronger? She would push herself to surpass him, even if hope was slim. A distant goal was better than none at all.
If that piece of divine alloy hadn't been so important to her, she would never have accepted anything from Gu You. In her heart, this debt was one she would repay—sooner or later.
With a flash of light, the Stellar Divine Sword appeared in her hand. Compared to three years ago, the sword's radiance was brighter than ever. Three purple soul rings circled around it.
Ye Xinglan flicked her wrist—the sword buzzed, vibrating gently as brilliant light pulsed from its tip.
The piece of Jade Silver before her had already taken on the rough shape of a forearm guard and hand armor. Under the sword's glow, the metal sparkled like stardust, a dazzling display that even Gu You—spying from afar using his Purple Demon Eye—found mesmerizing.
So this is the technique of a Grade 5 mecha craftsman?
Ye Xinglan closed her eyes. All distracting thoughts vanished. Only the long-familiar blueprint remained in her mind.
Creating battle armor had to be a single, uninterrupted process. The core array designed by the mecha engineer must be etched directly onto the alloy. All impurities must be removed, all essence distilled. Only then could the alloy fuse with the core array.
No room for pause, no margin for error. It required mastery in every skill: technique, soul power, spiritual strength, perception, and understanding. Among all sub-professions, battle armor crafting was the most demanding—second only to forging itself.
Gu You, from afar, could sense her transformation. It was as though she had merged entirely with the surrounding space—her aura harmonious with nature. Her soul power surged internally without leaking at all.
Suddenly, Ye Xinglan took a step forward and opened her eyes. The light of the Stellar Divine Sword reflected in her pupils—and so did the brilliance of the Jade Silver.
The sword shot out like lightning.
A single gleam of starlight burst forth and struck beneath the Jade Silver, lifting it into the air.
Her sword trembled, casting forth wave after wave of fine starlight strands, like an invisible hand cradling the metal.
She moved gracefully. Each sweep of the sword released more star threads that fell on the Jade Silver, engraving fine, intricate patterns.
Each mark she carved made the metal glow brighter, yet the grooves remained shallow. Jade Silver was like a proud maiden—refusing to surrender, even to a suitor.
This was the difficulty of using sentient alloys to make battle armor. The alloy's quality far exceeded ordinary metal. Fused from two or more ore types, it required the crafter to fully sense its unique properties during the etching of the core array.
Only by mustering sufficient soul power and mental energy could the crafter begin engraving the design.
It would take hundreds, even thousands, of starlight threads to leave a single imprint capable of carrying a portion of the array—
(Chapter End)