Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Due to Starfall Iron's special piercing effect, many top-tier mechas use it to create sharp weapons.

However, considering that Starfall Iron can only undergo a thousand refinements and has limited durability, it is typically used only for components such as sword blades and spear tips.

Leng Yaozhu's Heavenly Phoenix Sword had its blade crafted from Starfall Iron.

Hearing that Leng Yaozhu wanted this piece of Starfall Iron, Xia Yi did not refuse. He was merely curious and asked, "What material is the body of your sword made of?"

"Sun Essence Gold, Phoenix Tree Jade, Blood Soul Stone, and Crimson Demon Gold—these four metals were fused together into a spirit-forged alloy," Leng Yaozhu said with pride.

"Sun Essence Gold is the ultimate hard and yang-attributed metal, highly favored by fire-attribute and light-attribute soul masters. It can only be found in the Jingyang Mountains near Mingdu, with an annual yield so scarce that it is even harder to obtain than Starfall Iron."

"Phoenix Tree Jade is also a rare fire-attributed metal. The fire element contained within it is no less than that of Sun Essence Gold, yet it possesses an incredibly gentle nature. Legend has it that it only appears beneath parasol trees where phoenixes have once perched. Although classified as a metal, its texture and feel surpass even the finest jade. Not only is it an excellent material for crafting mechas and battle armor, but it is also a highly prized decorative gemstone. In ancient times, it was a symbol of imperial queenship. Wearing accessories made from Phoenix Tree Jade for extended periods can slow aging, expel cold, and remove dampness. If it is integrated into battle armor, the effects would be even greater."

"During ancient times, nearly all the Phoenix Tree Jade in the Douluo Continent was excavated. Nowadays, most Phoenix Tree Jade comes from reforging ancient remnants, making it a hundred times rarer than Sun Essence Gold."

"Blood Soul Stone is equally rare. Weapons made from it, once piercing the body, will simultaneously erode the victim's blood and soul. One cut leads to tetanus; two cuts send you to your ancestors."

"Crimson Demon Gold, also known as Fire Demon Gold, is relatively common but enhances affinity with fire elements. It is widely used in the battle armor and mechas of fire-attribute soul masters."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you really know how to choose materials." Xia Yi chuckled in admiration as he forged.

Back in Eastsea City, when he was forging the Yin-Yang Wine Flask, the first material he had thought of was Phoenix Tree Jade. However, since he couldn't obtain any, he had to settle for Crimson Demon Gold.

Xia Yi could tell that among the four metals in Leng Yaozhu's sword, Phoenix Tree Jade had the lowest proportion.

He guessed that it was likely leftover scraps from making battle armor.

Using such precious materials to craft a mecha weapon was a complete waste.

Even for someone as wealthy as Leng Yaozhu, it seemed excessive.

After all, she primarily focused on battle armor—mechas were merely a hobby.

"Stop being so sarcastic and forge properly! If my sword doesn't look good, I'll make sure you don't look good either!" Leng Yaozhu said smugly.

"Fine, fine. It is my honor to serve Her Excellency the Heavenly Phoenix." Xia Yi smirked, then looked up at her and asked, "Do you have any more Sun Essence Gold?"

"What? You want compensation?" Leng Yaozhu immediately looked displeased.

"Are you giving it to me or not?" Xia Yi glanced at her. He knew she was joking, so he didn't take it to heart.

"Here! Hmph!" Leng Yaozhu tossed a piece of Sun Essence Gold at him with an exaggerated look of reluctance.

Xia Yi placed the Sun Essence Gold into the forging furnace to heat it.

At the same time, he slowed down his forging of the Starfall Iron.

Once the Sun Essence Gold was fully heated and delivered to the forging table, Xia Yi did something just like he had done in front of Feng Wuyu the night before—he released his grip on his forging hammers entirely.

Martial Soul Possession! His second soul ring lit up, and he used Fox Mind Technique to control the forging hammers, simultaneously forging both the Starfall Iron and Sun Essence Gold.

Meanwhile, he picked up Leng Yaozhu's mecha sword and examined it.

Since it was a mecha weapon, it was significantly longer than an ordinary sword, with a blade exceeding two meters in length.

The entire sword was crimson red, with a vividly carved phoenix design.

The blade, made from thousand-refined Starfall Iron, gleamed with a dark golden luster, sending a chill down one's spine.

Xia Yi grabbed a standard forging hammer and knocked off the thousand-refined Starfall Iron from the blade.

Then, he turned back to continue forging.

As the two metals began to merge, Xia Yi ignored Leng Yaozhu and focused entirely on his work.

If it had been an ordinary forging job, he wouldn't have minded. But since he was forging for Leng Yaozhu, no matter his current rank as a blacksmith, he would push himself to create the best possible alloy of Sun Essence Gold and Starfall Iron.

"He's… alloy forging Sun Essence Gold and Starfall Iron?" Watching Xia Yi work, Leng Yaozhu finally realized what he was attempting.

"Thirteen years old, Soul Elder, level-five blacksmith, capable of alloy forging, and able to spirit-refine Starfall Iron… Sister, just where did you find this monster?" Leng Yaozhu sighed inwardly.

Now, she somewhat understood Ya Li's thoughts. If Xia Yi hadn't already been affiliated with Leng Yulai, she, too, would have fought desperately to recruit him.

Even though Xia Yi was using his hands to control the forging hammers, his second soul ring remained lit.

The Fox Mind Technique was subtly guiding the fusion of the two metals.

Since this was a mecha weapon, there was no need for blood sacrifice.

Under Xia Yi's relentless forging, an hour later, a brilliant golden-red flame burst into the air.

Xia Yi took out a measuring device and checked the results.

"95% fusion—just enough to qualify as a Divine Metal." Xia Yi nodded in satisfaction.

Although the fusion rate was slightly lower than the Divine Metal he had crafted for Yuanen Yehui earlier that day (96%), this alloy's value far surpassed it.

Both Sun Essence Gold and Starfall Iron were far rarer and harder to forge than Magic Silver and Deep Silver.

"So, are you satisfied? If not, I can redo it," Xia Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Leng Yaozhu with a bright smile.

"It's… passable. I'll just make do with it," Leng Yaozhu lifted her head and stared at the ceiling, trying to hide the fiery gleam in her eyes.

There was no way she would praise Xia Yi!

"Passable, then." Xia Yi didn't mind. He took Leng Yaozhu's mecha sword again and embedded the Divine Metal into the blade.

For someone who had already forged battle armor components, this was a trivial task.

In less than ten minutes, he seamlessly integrated the new metal into the sword.

From the outside, there wasn't a single trace of secondary forging.

"Take a look." Xia Yi handed the sword back to Leng Yaozhu. "This is the best I can do for now. If you want to improve it further, you'll have to wait until I become a level-six or level-seven blacksmith."

"For now, this will do," Leng Yaozhu said, eyeing the remaining metal on the forging table. Without hesitation, she swept it up and stored it away.

She even had the audacity to say, "Since you forged this for me, the leftovers are mine too."

Even though her mecha sword was over two meters long, since Xia Yi had only reforged the blade, there was still more than half of the Divine Metal left.

This was Spirit-Refined Starfall Iron Divine Metal!

Even Leng Yaozhu couldn't resist its allure.

"Take whatever you want. It was meant for you anyway," Xia Yi smiled nonchalantly.

"For me? What do you mean?" Leng Yaozhu asked curiously.

"You took my metal, so you have to get me the refining method for Starfall Iron," Xia Yi said plainly.

In the Star Dou Forest, with tens of thousands of years of accumulated meteorites, there were plenty of resources.

If he could acquire the method for extracting Starfall Iron from meteorites, he would have more than enough to forge battle armor for the soul beasts of the forest.

Unexpectedly, Leng Yaozhu didn't agree immediately.

She pondered for a full minute before finally speaking in a slow, measured tone:

"I can help you, but you must swear that this method will never fall into the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult. Even if my sister asks for it, you cannot give it to her."

"Is it that serious?" Xia Yi asked curiously.

"Of course, it's serious!" Leng Yaozhu took a deep breath and explained, "Starfall Iron isn't just used for mecha weapons. It has another crucial use—crafting the shrapnel for soul-guided artillery shells.

Soul-guided shells with Starfall Iron shrapnel are at least 30% more powerful than regular ones. With their unique piercing effect, anyone hit by the shrapnel is highly likely to be completely penetrated. In many cases, there's no chance of survival.

This is why the Federation strictly regulates Starfall Iron."