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--- Chapter 530 ---
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
"Brother Yuan, Xiaoyan has come to visit you again!"
Xu Xiaoyan's cheerful voice echoed through the hallway as she arrived at the Eastsea Blacksmith Association, heading straight toward a specific private forging suite.
Today, Xu Xiaoyan wore a lovely royal blue princess dress that matched her bright blue hair perfectly.
Mu Xi was lying lazily on the couch, and Ouyang Zixin was sitting cross-legged cultivating under Xing Lan's watchful eye. They both perked up immediately upon seeing the little girl walk in.
"Ah, Xiaoyan! Did you come to play, or did you only want to see Xiao Yuan again?" Mu Xi teased with a playful, mischievous smile.
"Hehe, don't tease her too much, Mu Xi. She might really stop hiding her intention altogether," Ouyang Zixin added with a gentle chuckle.
"Sister Mu Xi! Sister Zixin! You're both bullying me!" Xu Xiaoyan's cheeks flushed crimson as she waved her small fists erratically in protest.
"You two... stop picking on a child," Xing Lan sighed helplessly, though a subtle smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Xiaoyan, don't mind these older sisters."
"Xiao Yuan is inside the forging room right now. He should be finishing up soon."
"Forging?!" Xu Xiaoyan's eyes widened. Although she knew Han Yuan was an exceptionally talented Blacksmith, she had never seen him forge with her own eyes.
Over the past week, Xu Xiaoyan had made it a habit to visit the Blacksmith Association, spending her time with Han Yuan, Mu Xi, and Ouyang Zixin.
Of course, this also comes from her family's support. Following the recent family meeting, the Xu Family elders unanimously backed the decision to send Xu Xiaoyan to the Youth Genius Training Camp, encouraging her to build strong bonds with influential peers such as Han Yuan.
It would be great if they could become more than friends, too. However, that is still far in the future.
Of course, this motive wasn't said explicitly. It was a tacit understanding between the Xu Family and Xing Lan, who acted as the immediate bridge between them.
Why Xing Lan? Because the Nebula Douluo had also offered to take Xu Xiaoyan as her third disciple, given the girl passed her ongoing observation.
Thus, Xu Xiaoyan's daily visits served a dual purpose. First, she enjoyed the company of her new friends, and then earned Xing Lan's recognition to become her disciple.
On occasion, Xu Tianyi and Shen Yuru would even send their daughter, bringing along thoughtful gifts for Han Yuan.
Thankfully, Han Yuan never turned them down, taking the unsaid, mutual understanding regarding their underlying Martial Soul Fusion resonance.
"Would you like to go watch him forge?" Xing Lan asked gently, offering Xu Xiaoyan a freshly baked cookie from the table.
Xu Xiaoyan accepted the sweet treat, her bright starry eyes sparkling with joy. "Can I really?!"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Xing Lan took the girl's small hand, while Mu Xi and Ouyang Zixin followed them into the warm forging area.
Upon arriving at the forging room, they were welcomed by the strangely rhythmic, heavy thud of metal being struck.
Han Yuan stood before the unyielding anvil, calmly hammering a piece of superheated, glowing alloy with a small black hammer in his right hand.
However, if one looks closely at the 'black hammer' in Han Yuan's grasp, one would realize it wasn't a hammer at all. Instead, it was a miniature ship anchor repurposed for forging.
But this black ship anchor worked just as well, if not better, than most forging hammers on the continent!
After all, it was Han Yuan's own Martial Soul—the Underworld Anchor of Heaven.
Its innate ability to control Ultimate Gravity combined with the Power of Devouring allowed him to refine and purify metals at an unprecedented speed, while bestowing a rare blessing upon them as they reached the Spirit-Forged state.
Right now, Han Yuan was working on an extremely rare material known as Undying Star Ore, a mineral notorious among master blacksmiths for its resistance to Spirit Forging. Yet under his hands, the stubborn ore was already showing signs of awakening its own spirituality.
The secret lay within Han Yuan's identity. As the Prince of Stars, he could bestow the blessings of stars upon all creations, including inanimate metals.
With a final, decisive strike, Han Yuan brought the anchor down on the Undying Star Core before pricking his finger and letting a single drop of his blood fall onto its surface.
Mu Chen, who had been observing the entire process from the sidelines, couldn't help but shake his head in utter awe. "You really are a monstrous prodigy..."
"Achieving Spirit Forging at seven years old is already completely unheard of in the history of the Blacksmith Association."
"And on top of that, you successfully Spirit-Forged Undying Star Ore... A metal that has been considered an impossible taboo by Grandmasters for thousands of years."
"Yet you accomplished it so effortlessly."
Han Yuan examined the glowing, Spirit-Forged metal resting on the anvil before looking up with a calm expression. "You exaggerate, Uncle Mu."
"This metal is simply stubborn by nature. You only need to coax it a little bit before it yields."
"If it were really that simple, I wouldn't have a whole vault full of that stubborn stuff sitting untouched in my inventory!" Mu Chen's mouth twitched helplessly.
"Oh? You have a vault full of Undying Star Ore?" Han Yuan's eyes lit up with genuine interest. "Can you give them to me?"
Han Yuan needed a huge quantity of star-attributed materials to forge his future Battle Armor and Mecha components. Undying Star Ore is good for laying the foundation for his One-Word Battle Armor and Black Mecha.
Mu Chen waved his hand casually. "I'll have someone deliver the entire stock to your workshop later. For now, you have a little guest who has been watching you like a hawk for ten minutes."
"Xiaoyan," Han Yuan greeted the blue-haired girl, who was staring at him with glowing, hero-worshipping eyes. "Did you come to play again?"
"Yes! The Cutest Little Sister Xiaoyan reporting Brother Yuan for duty!" Xu Xiaoyan answered proudly, placing her small hands on her hips.
"I've already fully mastered the Star Breathing Technique you taught me last week! This time, I want to do something else!"
"You want to test our Spirit Fusion?" Han Yuan tilted his head, amused by her impatience.
"Hehe! You promised me that once I totally mastered the Star Breathing Technique, we could try our Spirit Fusion!" Xu Xiaoyan giggled, her cheerful energy instantly brightening the room.
None of the onlookers were much surprised by the mention of a Martial Soul Fusion—the deep resonance between their spirits had been obvious since the day she first visited the place.
Still, everyone was extremely curious to see what form their fusion would take.
"Do it! This sister wants to see just how awesome your Spirit Fusion really is!" Mu Xi declared, though a hint of envy tinged her tone.
She didn't possess a natural Martial Soul Fusion with Han Yuan because their bond was currently tied through their Star Contract.
"Mu Xi, your jealousy is showing," Ouyang Zixin teased with a playful smirk.
"Hmph!" Mu Xi snorted, looking very unconvinced.
"This girl..." Xing Lan shook her head with a gentle smile.
Meanwhile, Mu Chen was busy fighting an internal war. He was a strong supporter of the 'Han-Mu Ship,' so seeing Xu Xiaoyan push her way in filled him with silent rivalry.
He snorted inwardly. 'That goddamn old fox Xu Tianyi... how dare you try to poach my designated Son-in-Law using your little girl! Hmph! I, Mu Chen, am not someone you can push around so easily!'
'Just you wait! My Mu Xi will win this fight!'
"Alright, let me take a quick shower first," Han Yuan agreed with a warm smile. "Auntie Xing Lan, please bring everyone to the back garden behind the workshop."
"Alright," Xing Lan nodded. She was eager to witness the fusion. The Star Liberation Crown was already a god-tier Martial Soul, so fusing it with the Starwheel Ice Staff would produce something unprecedented.
A few minutes later, Han Yuan finally walked out into the lush back garden dressed in fresh new clothes.
Everyone was gathered waiting for him, including Yuan Bao'er, who had just returned from a shopping trip.
Without further ado, Han Yuan and Xu Xiaoyan readily sat cross-legged facing each other on the grass. He reached out and gently took her small hands. "Are you ready?"
"Mhm!" Xu Xiaoyan nodded vigorously, her bright eyes locking onto his silver gaze.
Simultaneously, both of them summoned their Martial Souls.
The Star Liberation Crown manifested above Han Yuan's silver head, as the phantom image of the Gate of Stars rose into the sky.
On the other hand, the Starwheel Ice Staff appeared above Xu Xiaoyan's head, pulsing with radiant starlight.
The two spirits began to resonate in perfect harmony before dissolving into a blinding pillar of starlight that engulfed them both.
BOOM!!
"Martial Soul Fusion: Heavenly Star Sovereign!"
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Han Yuan and Xu Xiaoyan vanished completely. In their place stood a tall, breathtaking, masculine figure enveloped in regal, celestial robes.
The tall figure wore the shining Star Liberation Crown upon his head and held a majestic star sceptre that carried the features of the Starwheel Ice Staff. His aura was cold, supreme, and completely untouchable, like an emperor presiding over the vast universe.
Before anyone could react to this indifferent male sovereign, an invisible, absolute domain rapidly expanded, encompassing the entire garden.
Every living organism, from the couple of butterflies in the air to the tiny ants crawling in the grass, was frozen dead in place.
In the presence of the Heavenly Star Sovereign, no one within the domain could move a single muscle.
Even Xing Lan, a veteran Super Douluo, felt her entire body locked down by an irresistable, unbreakable starlight suppression.
'T-This is their Martial Soul Fusion...?!' Xing Lan drew in a sharp breath of cold air, her old heart pounding in shock.
'If an enemy Title Douluo ever gets caught in this domain without prior warning... wouldn't they become nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter?!'