《The Legend of the Dragon King》 1 Prologue A dense canopy of overarching trees blocked out the sun, serving as an impenetrable barrier to the suns glare. Shrouded in darkness, sunlight was completely forbidden from entering the depths of this forest. Deep within the forest laid a small lake whose clear waters allowed even the lakebed to be visible. This clear and pure water resembled a deep blue crystal in richness, but the waterline rested far below the shores, as if it could dry up at any moment. A breath of life within the lake waters rippled out, but it wasnt very intense; truthfully, it was rather weak. A lone man stood beside the lake. He wore a black robe and looked to be in his forties. A strand of golden hair hung down from his forehead to rest alongside his cheek, accentuating his handsome and resolute appearance. He simply stood there, lifeless, an aura of listlessness radiating off him. A short distance away from him stood several people of varying heights and sizes. They had all sorts of appearances, but one common trait among them was their expression: an expression full of gloom. Beast God. A woman in a green jade cheong sam had quietly arrived at the black robed mans side, a respectful tone lacing her voice when she spoke up. The black robed man addressed as the Beast God began trembling, a tint of agony gracing the corners of his mouth. Beast God? I fear that we are all that is left of the soul beasts. Who am I supposed to be the god of? The green robed woman went silent for a moment before softly saying, Ten thousand years have already gone by. Ten thousand years have gone by since Huo Yuhao established the Spirit Pagoda. The Spirit Pagoda still exists today, but as for us soul beasts we are nearing extinction. The Beast God bitterly remarked, Humanity They have already grown too powerful for us to contend with. Star Dou Forest is the sole haven left for us soul beasts. Thats right The green robed woman trailed off in silence. The Beast God suddenly raised his head, two golden blazes of rich light emitting from his eyes. In that moment, a terrifying aura broke out, causing the entire world to shudder. Hum The ground beneath their feet shook for a moment before increasing in intensity The lake waters were still as clear as before, but bubbles were now rapidly rising from its surface. After another moment, the quivering of the earth intensified even further, becoming even more violent. Whats going on? Have the humans come? The green robed woman cried out in alarm. Let us fight to the death then! A powerful, burly man bellowed out as his entire body underwent a sudden transformation. He transformed into a ferocious bear over thirty meters in height, his entire body covered in a dark gold luster. Bear Lord, calm down. It isnt the humans! Beast God shouted out. His formerly grim face was now overcome with an indescribable euphoria. Finished! Finished! Finished! A muffled voice resounded throughout the forest without warning. The voice seemed to echo from all directions, which, in addition to it being muffled, made it difficult to determine the gender of the voice. Bang! The earth cracked open, and the entire forest shuddered. The little water still within the lake was sent spraying upwards, instantly exposing the barren lakebed. Bang! A silvery light bubbled up from the crevice in the earth and then heavily smacked into the shore. It was a giant claw of a glorious silver color. That silver claw was covered in numerous silver hexagonal scales, each one refracting light to create an astonishing splendor. That poundingsound brought with it an incomparable oppressive power that made all living beings kneel reverently. The Beast Gods rapt gaze grew even brighter as he took a step forward and kneeled down on one knee. He respectfully proclaimed, I welcome the lord! The earth exploded forth instantly, releasing a powerful aura that even caused the ferocious, thirty meter tall bear to be sent flying. A gigantic figure over three hundred meters in length suddenly soared out before landing heavily. The nearby towering trees that had once stood tall were now replaced by this giant beast. When faced with this silver colossus, however, they could only prostrate themselves before it. It died, but I still live! The deep voice roared with sorrow. Those despicable humans want to exterminate us!? Since I have awakened, their day of destruction has arrived at last! A resplendent silver light blinded all of the soul beasts. They could only kneel, head lowered, as their bodies trembled with ecstasy. The Beast God eagerly said, Lord! Humanity has already grown too powerful! Even I am unable to contend for very long against their best soul mechas! Humanity has managed to thoroughly suppress us with their science and technology! The silver figure slowly lowered its head and spoke, but this time, its voice didnt resonate throughout the forest. In order to destroy them, you must first understand them! Follow me! Since our world is already on the brink of destruction, then we will go and conquer their world! The gigantic figure slowly stepped forward, towards the forests exit. Through the canopy of the of towering trees, a single ray of light broke through and illuminated its tremendous form. But with each step it took, it slowly began to shrink in size. Just as its figure disappeared into the distance, it had taken on the form of a human being. 2 Awakening Day Glorybound City was a small town sitting on the border between the ocean and the eastern coast of the Sun Moon Federation. Today was an exceptionally bustling day in the city, it was the annual Awakening Day. All of the people residing upon the Douluo Continent possessed something called a martial soul. The martial soul was a part of the body which could be awakened when they became six years old, regardless of whether they were animals or plants. Through the means of an awakening ceremony, they were able to awaken their own martial soul. This was precisely the purpose of the annual Awakening Day, to awaken their martial souls. If someones martial soul was a hoe, then their ability to till the fields would far exceed those of others. If instead they had an animal for a martial soul, they might possess some of the abilities of said animal. Due to this, the martial soul had long since become the most significant factor in determining someones life. However, the emergence of soul power was even more important. Soul power was a type of energy that nourished and upgraded the martial soul. Although everyone possessed a martial soul, only one in a thousand people might possess soul power. The soul power rank represented someones future and power. As soon as their martial soul was awakened, they could cultivate soul power in order to nourish and upgrade their martial soul. Thus, over the 100,000 years the Douluo Continent has existed, the most noble profession has been that of a Soul Master. Due to this, even commoners would look forward to their children becoming six years old and awakening their martial soul, in hopes that they would possess soul power. If they possessed soul power, their lives would be transformed, benefitting them and their whole family. The moment dawn arrived, the streets in front of the Red Mountain Academy were packed. The streets were flooded with parents and their children who had come to participate in the Awakening. Dad, what do you think my martial soul will be? A small boy, just barely six years old, said with excitement as he looked towards his father. He loved to listen to his fathers stories about Soul Masters. He had a pair of large eyes filled with a longing for the future. The young boy had a head full of short black hair and a stature slightly taller than others of the same age. However, his most attractive feature were his large, clear black eyes and long eyelashes which wouldnt lose to a girl at all. Even with his commoners clothing, his outstanding appearance could easily draw the eyes of others. His father was a middle aged man who shared a similar appearance. He had a medium build and an average height, everything about him was just average. Dad doesnt know either. It all depends on luck. His father released a gloomy sigh within his heart. Actually, the Awakening Day was a decisive day that decided ones life and future. Whether or not someone had soul power would decide the trajectory of their life. Fortunately, in this era those who were unable to become Soul Masters were still able to have a pretty good future. Ill definitely have soul power, right? The pretty young boys eyes were filled with hope. His father patted his head and smiled. Regardless of whether or not you have soul power, dad will always love you. There was an unceasing torrent of parents and children passing as they exited the academy. The overwhelming majority of them all left with sighs of disappointment, but occasionally one of them would be overjoyed. There was no need to ask why; their martial soul must have given birth to soul power. This immediately attracted the envious and jealous gazes of others. As time passed, the suns radiance intensified, while the pretty young boys previous enthusiasm continued to wane. Tang Wulin! A teacher walked out from the Red Mountain Academy with a list in hand, calling out the next name. Im here! With wide eyes, the pretty boy jumped up full of excitement. Tang Ziran was also slightly startled as his excited son pulled him forward with his small hands. Follow me. Perhaps it was due to the excessive workload on Awakening Day, but the teacher seemed somewhat apathetic as he quickly turned around and began walking ahead. Tang Ziran brought Tang Wulin and hastened to catch up with the teacher. As they walked along the small path inside of the academy, Tang Wulin was excitedly taking everything in. It was just like he had said, everything was a novelty to him. Red Mountain Academy was an elementary grade comprehensive academy able to hold two thousand students. The buildings within the academy were all simple and unadorned with white roofs and red walls. The academy grounds were exceptionally clean. Awakening Day was right before the start of a new term. In comparison to the clamor outside of the walls, the academy seemed unusually peaceful. Tang Wulins excited heart seemed to have been calmed by this environment. The teacher brought them to the front of a circular building before telling Tang Ziran, Would the childs parent please wait here for a moment? Tang Ziran nodded his head and told his son, Listen to the teachers commands, and good luck son! Dad will be waiting right here for you. Tang Wulin rigorously nodded his head. Ill definitely have a powerful martial soul, dad! As he watched his son follow the teacher into the circular building, a trace of disappointment and frustration appeared within Tang Zirans eyes as he reminisced of the past. Every single elementary academy would have this circular building. It was called the Awakening Chamber, and it was specifically used to aid six year old children in the awakening of their martial soul. Before the day of the awakening ceremony, the academy would invite a SpiritMaster from the Spirit Pagoda to conduct the awakening ceremony. Decades ago, he had the same hopes when he entered the Awakening Chamber. There wasnt just a single awakening area within the Awakening Chamber, rather there were seven floors and within each one was an Awakening Chamber. Tang Wulin was brought to the Awakening Chamber on the third floor. As soon as he entered the Awakening Chamber, Tang Wulin was dazzled. All of the floors, the walls, and even the ceiling had wonderful inscriptions carved into them to create an elegant, decorative design. Within the Awakening Chamber was a middle aged man wearing a simple orange robe, that featured the embroidered form of a soulbeast. Since childhood, Tang Wulin had loved to listen to his fathers stories and within those stories, Spirit Masters would always appear. These Spirit Masters from the Spirit Pagoda were powerful and mysterious existences. They were an exceptionally special group of Soul Masters and held an extremely majestic status on the Douluo Continent. However, this was the first time he had ever seen one. Hello. Tang Wulin shyly replied. The Soul Master wore a gentle smile on his face. Come here child. Stand in the middle. Tang Wulin blinked for a moment before he cutely walked over and stood in the middle. He couldnt help but ask, Lord Spirit Master, what kind of martial soul will I have? The Spirit Master replied with a smile, Ah, I dont know either! After youve awakened, youll naturally be able to see what it is. Anyway your eyes are so pretty, it would be just perfect if you got a martial soul related to your eyes. Tang Wulins eyes shined. Soul eyes? I heard that the first master of the Spirit Pagoda had spirit eyes. The Spirit Master interrupted him, Quiet down. Im about to begin. 3 Martial Soul Awakening Tang Wulin stood nervously in the middle of the Awakening Chamber with his eyes darting all over the room, after all, he was only six years old. Without a parent accompanying him in this strange and exciting environment, how could his mind be serene? Right at that moment, a gentle white light shone from the SpiritMasters hands and attracted his attention. That white light, could it be the fabled soul power that only Spirit Masters possess? While under his astonished gaze, the Spirit Master raised his right arm slightly. The white light vibrated before flying off towards the sky and blossoming into fireworks that illuminated the Awakening Chamber with its splendor. Starting from the ceiling, the inscription lines filled with light as it moved towards the walls. It was as if it possessed a strong and revitalizing energy, as well as a life of its own. The lines kept lighting up until they converged below Tang Wulins feet. A comfortably numbing energy crept up his legs before entering his body from his heart. Tang Wulins body couldnt help but tremble as he struggled to hold on. It felt as if his body was being electrocuted. Everything blurred before his eyes, and an unclear image unceasingly flickered within his mind. He wanted a clear look at it, but he could only feel its flowing shadows. In the end, he was able to see it, but he couldnt remember what it was. From the view of the Spirit Master, Tang Wulins body was already being enveloped in the light, and in turn, was releasing its own light. Within this ancient traditional ceremony, his martial soul had been awakened. Ah! Tang Wulin suddenly screamed, causing the Spirit Master to jump in fright. An ordinary child usually wouldnt feel too much during their Awakening, but an extremely low number of them would experience intense pain due to their weak bodies being unable to bear the energy. The Spirit Masters body disappeared in a flash and appeared in front of Tang Wulin. In case the situation truly did take a turn for the worse, he would immediately stop the ceremony and ensure Tang Wulins safety. After he got close, he was astonished to see that some golden lines were flickering on Tang Wulins forehead. Afterwards, those golden lines began to spread to his four limbs, creating a network of golden lines. What kind of martial soul was this? This Spirit Master was extremely experienced; he had awakened thousands and tens of thousands of children. Yet, this was the first time he had seen the situation that was occurring in Tang Wulins body. A faint energy undulated as it was emitted from Tang Wulins body. This energy originated from his lower abdomen, the most common place for soul power to appear from. Although the energy was feeble, its existence was undoubtedly real. The Spirit Master was pleasantly surprised, this was a martial soul with soul power! Most of the time, he could conduct the ceremony for days without encountering a child with soul power. It would seem that todays luck was pretty good. The only question was: what was his martial soul? The previous golden lines from before had already disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed at all. Tang Wulin seemed to be enduring an immense pain as his eyes were tightly closed. He slowly raised his right arm. The hollow of his palm faced upwards, and a pale blue light emitted from it. In his hands appeared a small light blue grass that quietly rotated and extended in his hand. With a delicate and soft sway, an exceptionally feeble energy fluctuated out. Bluesilver Grass? The Spirit Masters voice exuded disappointment, but it was once again substituted with amazement in a moment. He had seen the Bluesilver Grass martial soul so many times before, this was a completely ordinary martial soul! Bluesilver Grass was so common that it covered the whole Douluo Continent as well as the Star Luo Continent and Sky Dou Continent. Even the lawn of Red Mountain Academy was covered in Bluesilver Grass. How could this type of trash martial soul give birth to soul power? So painful! It felt as if Tang Wulins body was being ripped to shreds. His body became limp and numb to the point of being nearly comfortable, as that gentle energy continued to be poured into his body. However, an intense heat quickly bubbled forth from the hundreds of bones of his four limbs. The heat wrecked havoc on his body, making him feel like he had a bloated stomach that was about to burst. Under this pain, he was unable to breathe. His whole body felt as if it was being ripped apart. Bone, muscle and flesh. There wasnt a single aspect spared from the pain. After what seemed like a very, very long time, this fit of pain gradually dissipated. Afterwards he felt a warm thread from the hollow of his palm, Tang Wulin opened his eyes. A small light blue grass, verdant and lush, was undulating in the palm of his hand. Bluesilver Grass? Although Tang Wulin was young, he clearly remembered what he was doing at that moment. Immediately after waking up to reality, he said, Bluesilver Grass? This is my martial soul? Even though he hadnt properly studied spirit beasts before, he still had some common knowledge. Naturally, he knew that Bluesilver Grass was a type of trash martial soul. Furthermore, it was the worst trash of them all. En. It is. This is your martial soul. The Spirit Master said so with a smile, yet his eyes couldnt help but reveal a trace of pity. Possessing soul power was definitely a good thing, but if his martial soul was Bluesilver Grass Tang Wulins lips softly quivered, and an intense torrent of sadness attacked his tiny heart. After anticipating for so long, it turned out that he actually had a trash martial soul. Child, dont be sad. You possess soul power. The Spirit Master hastily said. I, I have soul power? Tang Wulin met his words with a look of astonishment. The Spirit Master nodded in response. After I tested it, you actually have rank 3 innate soul power. Although it cant be considered amazing, it still means that you possess soul power. As long as you put in great effort, then you will be able to become a Soul Master too! Tang Wulin foolishly stared. But, but my martial soul is Bluesilver Grass The Spirit Master laughed. Have you ever heard the tale of the Tang Sect? The founding patriarch of the Tang Sects martial soul was actually the Bluesilver Grass! He relied on this martial soul that other deemed as trash to rebuke the Heavens and Earth and defeated the wicked Martial SoulHall twenty thousand years ago. Tang Wulin blinked in surprise. How could he have never heard of the tale of the Tang Sects founding patriarch? After all, the legend of the almighty masters of the Tang Sect and SpiritPagoda were the most widespread legends on the continent as well as the most universally appreciated. But wasnt the Tang Sects founding patriarchs martial soul the Bluesilver Emperor? Tang Wulin earnestly asked. Eh The Spirit Master was somewhat embarrassed. Clearly, this little guy wasnt so easy to fool. The Bluesilver Emperor is the equivalent of an evolved Bluesilver Grass. If you wish to become a Soul Master, then you must put in your greatest effort. Tang Wulin bit his lip. Thank you, Lord Spirit Master. 4 Little Wulin’s Family Even as he exited the gates of Red Mountain Academy, Tang Wulin was flummoxed. Like every year, those who awakened soul power along with their martial soul were invited to join the Soul Master class of Red Mountain Academy as new students. No matter which elementary academy it was, the Soul Master class was undoubtedly the most important. Tang Wulins previous agitation hadnt completely dissipated; his head felt swollen, and his body was heating up. He dizzily continued walking. Son, you really are one in a million! Tang Zirans gentle voice awakened Tang Wulin from his dazed state. Tang Wulin raised his head and faced his fathers gentle and loving expression. Dad, is Bluesilver Grass a trash martial soul? Tang Ziran solemnly replied, How could it be a trash martial soul? You need to know only one in a thousand people have soul power! You have both a trash martial soul and soul power, doesnt that mean youre one in a million? Therefore, my son is unique and by definition unmatched. Havent I told you the story of the founding ancestor of the Tang Sect, Tang San? It was with his Bluesilver Grass. Tang Wulins family lived in the commoners district of Glorybound City. His father was a machine repairman specializing in soul machines. However, his skill was only ordinary so he could only earn a meager wage to support his family. His mother, Lan Yue, was a housewife and had single handedly taken care of Tang Wulin. She was exceptionally skilled at cooking delicious dishes. The entirety of their home was comprised of a living room about a dozen square meters large, a small kitchen, a washroom and two rooms with less than ten square meters in space. Son, youre home! You must be hungry. Mom will cook up something delicious for you. Lang Yue couldnt be regarded as a beauty, but she was definitely charming. She crouched down and hugged little Wulin. Im not hungry mom, just a bit sleepy. I want to go take a nap. Tang Wulin hugged her neck in response before scurrying off towards his own room. Lang Yue watched the little figure retreat into his room before gently sighing. This child has wanted to become a Soul Master since childhood, but becoming a Soul Master isnt that easy! We need to go comfort him. Tang Ziran entered the small living room and sat down beside the dinner table. For lunch, there was sauted vegetables, stewed pork ribs, some salad and a bowl of three vegetable soup. This was already considered luxurious for the Tang family. He has soul power, but I wish he didnt. Tang Ziran sighed. Astonished, Lang Yue sat down beside her husband. What did you say? Wulin possesses soul power? Doesnt that mean he can become a Soul Master? Tang Ziran forced out a bitter laugh. How could it be that easy? His martial soul is Bluesilver Grass, and his innate soul power is only rank 3. Becoming a Soul Master is easier said than done. Although he is able to enter the Soul Master class, I fear that the pressure will be too much for him. Lang Yue was confused for a moment, but quickly understood the meaning of her husbands words. Then Wulin, he. Tang Ziran replied, He seems to be in shock. He didnt say anything on the way back. In the process of growing up, our familys little man will definitely encounter some setbacks. Its best to just leave him be for now. Lang Yue glanced at her sons room with worried eyes. Sighing loudly, she refilled her husbands bowl of rice. Lets eat first then, we wont disturb him either. Wulin has always been obedient. So well transfer him to the normal class if it doesnt work out. En. Tang Ziran and his wife both didnt know that it wasnt because he encountered this setback that Tang Wulin didnt eat lunch. He truly was too exhausted to eat. As soon as he returned to his room, he fell headfirst onto his bed and entered the land of dreams. Soon after, Tang Wulins body began twisting and turning atop the bed, his skin flushed crimson. If Tang Ziran or Lang Yue were there, they would discover that Tang Wulins body temperature was increasing at an astonishing rate. The deep red pigmentation of his skin began to gradually penetrate deeper and deeper until his meridian channels were becoming faintly visible. Even with this faintness, his blood flow could be seen. His heartbeat began increasing rapidly; it had become at least three times his normal heartbeat. The gold lines that had appeared in the awakening chamber, once again re-emerged on his forehead. The line pattern began to extend from his head to his toes, before returning upwards once again. After three cycles of traveling the length of his body, the gold line pattern quietly receded back into the depths his body once again. Tang Wulins whole body began making slight creaking noises, but after a moment, the undisturbed silence returned, and his body returned to its normal temperature. He then entered an even deeper slumber. In his dreams, Tang Wulin found himself in a prairie completely covered in Bluesilver Grass with a golden sky overhead. In front of him stood a gigantic colossus possessing a large golden mouth that seemed to have dropped from the golden sky. In the next moment, he was swallowed by the golden mouth and entered a borderless golden realm. Ah~ He cried out in surprise and abruptly sat up. Tang Wulin found himself covered in oily and sticky sweat. He couldnt even find the words to describe the discomfort he was in. Having been raised in an impoverished family, Tang Wulin was significantly more sensible and mature than others of his age. He didnt go disturb his mother and father. Rather, he peeled off his clothes and went to the washroom to wash himself off. He was amazed to discover that the odorous sweat immediately disappeared after he washed himself. Ah, wheres Lin Lin? Just then, Lang Yues voice called out from outside. Im in here mom. Im taking a bath. Tang Wulin hurriedly dashed out in nothing but his underwear, trying to respond to his mothers calls. Rebukingly, Lang Yue said, Hurry up and put on some clothes. Youre going to freeze. She pinched her sons tender little pink face before pushing him into his room. After closing the door, Lang Yue muttered to herself, That little guys skin is even more tender and elastic now. Mom is so jealous! It was only after Tang Wulin dressed himself and left his small room that he realized the sky had already turned dark. He had actually slept away the whole afternoon. Tang Ziran had taken a leave of absence today, so he would be at home the entire time. He beckoned to Tang Wulin, Come over here son. Tang Wulin sat down beside his father. Right when Tang Ziran was about to speak, Tang Wulins belly cried out. Gugu. After hearing it Tang Ziran immediately broke out into laughter with Lang Yue. Tang Wulin happily smiled, at their good-natured laughter. Mom, can I go eat? Im really hungry. Go eat. Lang Yue served him a bowl of rice. She shot her husband a glance, indicating that they should speak after he finished eating. When Tang Wulin raised his rice bowl a fourth time, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue were already extremely shocked. Even if he hadnt eaten lunch, it was impossible for him to be able to eat this much! Mom, its delicious. I still want more 5 Entering the Academy Tang Ziran and Lang Yue hadnt eaten their fill yet as all the food on the table had been sucked into their sons belly like a tornado. Yet, Tang Wulin still wasnt full. Son, are you the indignant food devourer of legend? said Tang Ziran helplessly. In the end, all of the food on the table was inhaled by Tang Wulins belly, and Lang Yue had to forbid him from eating anymore. Puzzled, Tang Wulin looked at his father. Dad, why am I indignant? Tang Ziran replied, Dad really wants to ask you son, do you plan on entering the Soul Master class, or do you want dad to help you enter the ordinary class? Tang Wulin answered. Of course its the Soul Master class! I want to become a famous Soul Master! Tang ZI Ran firmly said, Your martial soul is the Bluesilver Grass. Even in the legends about the Tang Sects ancestor, the Bluesilver Grass was an extremely average martial soul. Cultivating it will definitely be difficult, and you will encounter many challenges. Do you really wish to walk down this path? Yeah! I want to become a Soul Master. After I become a Soul Master, I can make lots of money and buy mom and dad lots of delicious food. Tang Wulin was full to the brim with childish dreams. To the side Lang Yue watched him with red eyes and thought about how he had always been well-behaved and thoughtful since he was little. Good, Tang Ziran nodded. Since youre set on this, then mom and dad will support you. But if you regret this choice in the future, just tell dad, and Ill help you transfer classes. Just remember that mom and dad have never wanted you to become a dragon or a phoenix. We only want you to be happy. Well be content as long as youre happy. Theres nothing else more important in our hearts than your happiness. Do you understand? Tang Wulin beamed a bright smile in reply. Im already really happy right now! Aside from being hungrier than before, Tang Wulin also seemed much thirstier and sleepier as well resulting in him going to bed early. The next day, just as the sky revealed the first glimmers of light, Tang Wulin was woken up by his father. Today was the day he would begin attending the academy. He had officially entered the Red Mountain Academys Soul Master class. This would be the first day of his nine years of learning. According to the regulations set by the Sun Moon Federation, elementary and intermediate academies had free tuition and were compulsory. Elementary academy was three years while the intermediate academy was six years long. There were several ways to enter an advanced academy: outstanding achievements, paying an exceedingly expensive tuition, or entering an academy of science and specializing in a field of study. Tang Ziran accompanied Tang Wulin to the academy gates before leaving as the academy was very close to their home. Before leaving to go work, Tang Ziran repeatedly urged Tang Wulin to directly return home after school. The Soul Master class specially had a teacher at the front doors to welcome the new students. Clearly, they were treated much better than the ordinary students. The ordinary class would receive a normal cultural education while the Soul Master class would also learn how use their innate soul power to become Soul Masters. They would also be taught knowledge essential to Soul Masters and prepare to enter an intermediate academy. This years Soul Master class only had 15 students, the number of children who had awakened soul power were simply too low. It was even more apparent in a small city like Glorybound City. This years arrivals could actually be considered a lot. Hey, whats your martial soul? A chubby boy who wasnt too tall asked, happening to be beside Tang Wulin. They were all the same age, all brimming with curiosity and anticipation for the Soul Master class. Tang Wulin proudly answered, Its the same as the Tang Sects founding ancestors, the Bluesilver Grass. As he said this, his flipped his hand, and a blue light flickered in his palm. A single strand of Bluesilver Grass danced in his palm. However, he didnt notice that this Bluesilver Grass was different than yesterdays, near its roots the grass had changed to a faint golden color. It was so indistinct that if no one would be able to discover it unless they meticulously examined it. Pff. The little fatty said disdainfully, Ah, Bluesilver Grass! Thats a trash martial soul. After insulting Tang Wulin, he ignored him and coldly walked away. Tang Wulin couldnt accept this. Then what about you? Whats your martial soul? With a snort, the little fatty waved his right hand, causing a cold light to glow and a small knife to materialized in his hands. Have you had a good look? My martial soul is a knife. If Im able to cultivate to the rank of Titled Douluo, then Ill be the Knife God Douluo. I have rank 5 innate soul power. I can casually chop your Bluesilver Grass into tatters. Looking at the difference between the fattys short knife and his own Bluesilver Grass, Tang Wulin suddenly recalled the words his father had said the evening before. Will cultivating Bluesilver Grass as a Soul Master really be that difficult? All of the other students had already displayed their martial soul and boasted about its characteristics. Regardless of which martial soul it was, they were all far better than his Bluesilver Grass. Due to this, none of the other students paid any attention to him as they began forming their groups. Ill definitely become a Soul Master! Tang Wulin resolved to himself with clenched fists. Hello everyone. Im your homeroom teacher, Lin Ximeng. Ill be teaching you the basic knowledge required for Soul Masters over the next three years. How about you all introduce yourselves now? Tell us your name, martial soul and innate soul power rank. There were only 15 students, so the introductions went by quickly. When Li Ximeng heard that Tang Wulins martial soul was Bluesilver Grass, he couldnt help but be startled while the other students roared with laughter. Tang Wulins little face blushed a deep red. It felt as if he was restraining a ball of fire within his heart. Were these the challenges that you spoke of dad? Lin Ximeng quickly regained his composure and smiled. Today is your first day of class, so Ill be explaining the different classifications for martial souls first. In the afternoon, Ill teach you how to meditate. Meditation is the only way to temper and improve your soul power. If you want to become a true Soul Master, then you all must strive your hardest. As you all know, everyone in our world has a martial soul. Ones martial soul awakens at the age of six, and it can be anything. If one also awakens soul power, then they can cultivate to become a Soul Master. Now a question for all of you, what classifications are there for martial souls? First of all, the two main classes are tool souls and beast souls. Among them, all of the martial souls that appear on the body are beast souls. If they appear separately from the body, then theyre tool souls. By cultivating your soul power, youre able to upgrade your martial soul. After your soul power reaches rank 10, then youre able to become a Soul Master. There are also two main classes of Soul Masters. The Battle Soul Masters and Utility Soul Masters. Those who cultivate with the goal of fighting are Battle Soul Masters. Regardless of what someones martial soul is, they are still a Soul Master. There are also many minor classifications Tang Wulins depression gradually faded away as he listened to Lin Ximeng explain the classifications of martial souls and Soul Masters. He had been filled with a curiosity towards Soul Masters since he was small. To him, this knowledge was like a door, opening up a brand new magnificent world. 6 Na’er Tang Wulin was clearly unhappy as he walked out of the Red Mountain Academys gates. The long day coupled with these major events clearly dampened his expectations. He had grown up in an ordinary household, full of harmony. His parents relationship was excellent, and they loved him dearly. Even when he made a mistake, they would sincerely correct him. However, today was the first time he had ever encountered these so called challenges. Because his martial soul was Bluesilver Grass, he was rejected at by the other students. To make matters worse, the teacher didnt treat him very well either. During the afternoon, the teacher clearly spent the least amount of time instructing him on how to meditate. Is my martial soul really that bad? Tang Wulins depressed expression gradually changed into one of stubbornness. Even if my martial soul is no good, Ill definitely become an important Soul Master. Dad told me before, success is 99% effort and 1% talent. Since my martial soul isnt any good, then Ill just have to put in even more effort! With his optimistic nature, he had already overcome the depression of the day while inadvertently resolving himself. Anyways, why am I so hungry? Tang Wulin was puzzled as he rubbed his belly. The academy included one meal for lunch, and that meal was limitless. In the aspect of food, the Soul Master class also had much better food than the ordinary classes. Tang Wulin had eaten so much that he was given the nickname of Rice Bucket. He had eaten enough to fill half a dozen other students, and far surpassed the capacity of an adult. His eating capacity wasnt small before, but it certainly hadnt reached this extent! It was only afternoon now, yet he was already hungry. He was going to go and see if there was anything good to eat at home. His eye lit up at the mere thought of eating. As he was walking down the road, a small figure attracted his attention. The afternoon sun wasnt too harsh, but the weather that day was unusually good. So, the sunshine simply produced a comfortable warmth. The sunlight had shined down upon a smear of silver, catching Tang Wulins attention. A little girl was squatted down near the roadside. She was slightly shorter than him with a head of short silver hair. The sunlight had reflected off it, creating a silver flash and attracting Tang Wulins attention. It was as if there was some sort of profound attraction between the two of them. The young girl raised her head and returned his gaze. She wore shabby clothes in addition to a dirt stained face, clearly resembling a little beggar. However, aside from her silver hair, she also had two eyes that stood out from the crowd. She had big eyes, with two crystal clear amethyst pupils. Even though they were separated by a distance, Tang Wulin could see his image reflected in her eyes, naturally long eyelashes framing them. Tang Wulins eyes were very pretty, so when he encountered a fellow large-eyed person, he automatically had a favorable impression of her. He had unconsciously stopped walking. Two pairs of eyes peered into each other as the little girl directly met his gaze with her pretty eyes, somewhat bewildered. Little girl, where are your parents? Right at that moment, several young delinquents surrounded her after being attracted by her silver hair. The little girl avoided their eyes, once again lowering her head. The delinquents shot looks to one another before one of them called out, Silver hair is really rare! Could you be from one of the other two continents? I reckon the black market dealers will really like her silver hair and purple eyes. Greed colored their eyes as they nodded towards each other. The youngster who had previously spoken squatted down. Hey, little girl. Wheres your family? Without speaking, she shook her lowered head. Beaming with smiles, the youngster said, Are you hungry? Big brother will bring you to eat some good things, how about it? The little girl shook her head once again, but this time, she shook it much more forcefully. The youngster shot a meaningful look to his companions before reaching out his hand to pull the little girls arm, lifting her up against her will. His companions encircled them, obstructing others from seeing this. Even as the little girl let out a frightened scream, the youngster already had her over his shoulders. What are you doing? Right at that moment, a childish voice full of fury called out, giving the youngster and his companions a fright.They couldnt help but reveal resentful faces when they turned around to look. The person who had come to aid the one suffering an injustice was unexpectedly a tiny pretty boy who didnt even reach their waists. The youngster in the back revealed a trace of cruelty. He raised one of his legs and kicked Tang Wulin away. Brat, you dare to meddle with us. Tang Wulin tumbled away and landed a little more than two meters away, completely covered in dirt. You guys are villains! He had rolled on the ground but immediately got up. He charged towards the youngsters in order to bar their way. The youngster who was carrying the little girl exposed a vicious face. The ruckus they had made had already attracted the attention of some pedestrians. After all, this had all occurred on a main street. A cold light flickered from his wrist and a dagger appeared in the youngsters hand. He gestured towards Tang Wulin, F*ck off if you dont want to die! Tang Wulin stubborning glared and furiously replied, Villains wont have a good end. Im a Soul Master; Im not afraid of you. Release her! As he spoke, Tang Wulin lifted his right hand, and a light blue ring of light twinkled. The Bluesilver Grass appeared in his palm in its waving fashion. A faint energy undulated outwards from it. What could rank 3 soul power do? It only made him a bit more powerful than his peers. He didnt have a soul ring to support his soul. His soul was far from being battle capable. This was also the reason why cultivation was essential to being promoted from the lowest Soul Scholar rank to the Soul Master rank. The youngster blanked out for a moment as his companions tugged on his arm. If it was only a regular boy, then they wouldnt have to do anything in particular. They would only have to cover for each other, and there wouldnt be any trouble. But a child that possessed soul power was different, the government maintained special records on these children. Even the Spirit Pagoda had records on these children. If anything happened to these special children, the federal government would definitely put in expend a lot of resources to search for the cause. Whats more, many bystanders have already witnessed their deeds. Such bad luck! The head of the youngsters was unresigned, but he set down little girl with an angry growl and quickly left with his companions. The little girl stumbled and fell onto her butt. Seeing this, Tang Wulin hurriedly ran over and crouched beside her. Dont be scared. Im a man. Ill protect you! The little girl raised her head and looked at him. Up close, those large purple eyes of hers were even prettier. Within her pupils, a layer of mist seemed to have appeared. Dont cry, dont cry. Ive already driven away the villains. My name is Tang Wulin. Whats your name? The little girl foolishly stared at him for a moment before finally opening her mouth. My name is Naer. 7 Bringing Her Home Naer? Thats a nice name, and your voice is so pleasant to hear. Tang Wulin helped her up. Naer lowered her head but didnt say a word. Wheres your mom and dad? Where is your home? Tang Wulin asked. Naer shook her head. Gu gu! A peculiar sound suddenly disrupted their harmony. Tang Wulin hastily lowered his head to look at his stomach, but he quickly realized that those sounds werent made by him. Even though Naers face was covered in dust, an indistinct blush could be seen. Are you hungry? If you cant find your mom and dad, I can bring you to my house. My moms cooking is delicious! As Tang Wulin spoke, he pulled onto Naers hand while walking in the direction of his home. Naer raised her head and looked towards him. From her position, she could only see the side of his face. His face was rosy thanks to the previous fight with a few youths, turning red with vigour. He had large black eyes and long eyelashes. She couldnt help but stare blankly at his meaningful glance. Mom, Im home! Tang Wulin shouted before even stepping into his home. Child, lower your voice! Dont disturb the neighbours. Lang Yue rebuked him while opening the door. How was school today? Hmm? Why are you covered in dirt? Lang Yue frowned as she looked at her son, who was covered in dust. After that, she saw Naer, whose hand was being held by Tang Wulin. Mom, Ive encountered some villains. Tang Wulin lively and realistically told her what had just transpired. After hearing his words, Lang Yues expression changed before she dragged him inside the house. Naer, whose hand was being held by Tang Wulin, naturally entered the house as well. Child, dont you know how dangerous that is? How could you. Lang Yue was obviously anxious, judging from her erratic breathing. She completely understood what those youths from the common streets were capable of doing. Tang Wulin replied stubbornly, But Father had said that boys need to be brave and gutsy to fight against villains. You When Lang Yue saw the resolution in her sons large eyes, she didnt continued to reproach him. Was he wrong? Of course not. What he did was right. However, as a mother, she was more worried about her childs safety. Tang Wulin giggled and ran forward to hug his mothers leg. Mom, dont be angry. Naer and I are hungry. Can you make some delicious food for us? Regarding this adorable and obedient child, Lang Yue really couldnt continue to be mad at him. She helplessly shook her head before she crouched down towards Naer, who didnt say a single word. Little friend, are you called Naer? Wheres your mother and father? Naer just shook her head as she had done previously, without saying a single word. Only a kind hearted mother could bring up such a kind hearted son. Lang Yue said, Alright. Look at how filthy the two of you are, you should go and wash up first before changing your clothes. 5-6 year old children naturally didnt need to be separated by genders. Lang Yue pulled the two dirt covered monkeys into the bathroom to give them a wash. When Tang Wulin asked Lang Yue why he and Naer were different, she only laughed without answering. However, Naer bashfully hid behind Lang Yue. Wah! Naer, youre so pretty! As Tang Wulin sat at the side of the dining table, he supported his chin with both of his hands while looking at Naer who was at his side, wearing his clothes. Tang Wulin was taller than Naer by half a head, so his clothes were very baggy when worn by Naer. Yet, this didnt affect Naers beauty at all. Her skin was even fairer than Tang Wulins. It was so white and delicate that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out with the slightest pinch, and after she showered, a faint, refreshing light fragrance was given off from her body. She was akin to a porcelain doll cut out of the finest pink jade. Naer raised her head and looked at him, but she remained as silent as before. It seemed that she really disliked speaking. It wasnt time for dinner yet, so Lang Yue served the two hungry children two small plates of biscuits and two cups of milk. One shouldnt judge Naer, because she didnt like to talk. When she ate, she was unhesitant and devoured the food rapidly. In a short period of time, she had completely eaten all of the biscuits and drank all of the milk before her. Although Tang Wulin was hungry, it was clear that his curiosity towards Naer was beyond his hunger. When Naer was looking at the biscuit on his plate, he knew that Naer had already finished her portion. Here you go. Tang Wulin generously pushed his biscuits to be in front of Naer. Naer looked at him as she shook her head. Its ok. You can have it. I ate a lot at noon. Tang Wulin said beamingly. Naer hesitated for a moment, but clearly the enticement of the biscuits was too great for her. In the end, the biscuits were eaten by her. Lang Yue also sat down. Naer, do you know where you come from or where your home is? Naer shook her head. Lang Yue continued to ask, Do you know any methods to contact your family? Anything will do. Naer still shook her head. Lang Yue said, Then how old are you? Naer shook her head once again, but at last, she opened her mouth. Five and a half. Wah! This means that Im your elder brother. Im older than you as Im six years old. Tang Wulin said in high spirits. Lang Yue snappily glared at him. Mother will bring Naer to the Administrative Office to investigate in a moment. Well see if we can locate her family. You stay here and behave yourself, understood? Oh. Tang Wulin obediently nodded his head but as he looked at Naer, he didnt know why he felt reluctant. It was probably because she was too beautiful. Lang Yue brought Naer out. Naer was her typical self as she didnt talk much before leaving with her. After they left, Tang Wulin returned to his room. He thought about what the teacher had taught in class today and decided to give meditation a try. Tang Wulin sat up straight in serenity. Meditation required tranquility to sense ones self and nature. This was the first step. Tang Wulin originally didnt have any distracting thoughts so he quickly calmed down. He subconsciously felt his Bluesilver Grass martial soul which wasnt strong but had feasible soul power. When first meditating, he was just required to accomplish that step. He should first feel his own martial soul and soul power, forcing his mind to maintain an intimate connection with each other. After this step was done, he could then continue to really meditate. Bluesilver Grass lightly swayed in his mind. Tang Wulin suddenly felt that he could sense some of the worlds Bluesilver Grass. It was delicate yet strong with one year of withered glory as the spring breeze was reborn. 8 Stay here and be my little sister While immersed in the Bluesilver Grasss world, Tang Wulin thought he heard many voices. These voices came in bits and pieces, yet were everywhere. Bluesilver Grass was gentle, but it had tenacious vitality. It was the most abundant plant on the continent. Their staunch existence traced back tens of millions of years. Powerful soul beasts from that era were on the verge of extinction, but Bluesilver Grass covered the planet, the same as it did tens of thousands of years ago. Tang Wulins faint awareness allowed him to sense the tiny existences in the air, as they were quietly absorbed into his body. Those existences blended completely in his feeble soul power. This fusion was neither fast nor substantial, yet he could still sense that this fusion was gradually increasing his soul power. Although it was only increasing it slightly, this increase was stable and persistent. After an unknown period of time, Tang Wulin naturally awakened from his state of meditation. His body felt cool and relaxed, as if he was wrapped up in countless strands of Bluesilver Grass. However, he was given a fright when he saw his father sitting opposite of him. Dad, how come youre home so early? Tang Wulin asked in astonishment. Tang Ziran smiled, Im not early. Its already night time. I see that youve already learnt meditation? It seems the Red Mountain Academys education is pretty good! Tang Wulin excitedly responded, Thats right! It seems that I can meditate now. Earlier, it felt as if many little things entered my body, dad. Afterwards, my soul power began increasing. Can this be considered as learning meditation? Tang Ziran was startled within his heart. In only one day, Tang Wulin was able to grasp the secrets of meditation? The things his son had sensed was definitely the art of meditation! This wasnt as simple as good instruction. Originally, he himself Yes, thats right. Youve learned how to meditate. It seems that my sons comprehension abilities are pretty good! Tang Ziran has always been generous with praise towards his son. One must praise ones child when one saw their growth after all. For children, confidence was the most important thing. Tang Wulin couldnt help but be proud of himself when his father praised him. However, Tang Ziran interjected solemnly before Tang Wulin could respond. Son, theres something I need to ask you. Tang Wulin rarely saw his father so serious, so he immediately restrained himself. Whats the matter dad? Have I done something wrong? You said that men have to be brave enough to battle villains. Furthermore, I didnt fight the other students when they ridiculed my Bluesilver Grass at school today. I was very obedient. Tang Ziran answered, Theres nothing wrong with being brave. But you also need to be wise in addition to being brave. When you know you dont have enough power to save others, then you must seek the help of others rather than rushing forward. If they werent scared off by you showing your martial soul, you would have been caught up in a dangerous situation son. That isnt brave, its reckless. Tang Wulin contemplated this and took it to heart before lowering his head. I was wrong Dad. It was only now that Tang Zirans smile reappeared. His son only had to be willing to acknowledge his mistake for him to truly realize his error. Men wont make that kind of mistake. Hn. Tang Wulin nodded. Tang Ziran smiled. Good then. Lets discuss the next matter. Tang Wulin asked in surprise, Theres still another matter? Tang Ziran let out a grunt. Naturally, right when you turn six years old, you bring home a girl. Then what will you be like when youve grown up? Whats more, you were the hero who saved a beauty. Not bad! It was only now that Tang Wulin remembered the matter of Naer and hurriedly asked, Dad, has Naer found her family? Shes certainly very pretty. Tang Ziran shook his head. Your mother brought her to the administrative office to inquire, but we didnt find her information. Tang Wulin asked, Then whats going to happen to her? Tang Ziran responded, You tell dad. What do you want to do? Tang Wulin pondered over this. How about we let her live with us dad? Is that alright? Tang Ziran revealed a smile that wasnt quite a smile as he look at him. Live in our house? Mom and dad couldnt possibly take care of two children! Tang Wulin hastily said, I can take care of her. I can look after her after school. Tang Ziran smiled. Alright then. Lets eat first. When he entered the living room, Tang Wulin was surprised to see Naer already sitting at the dinner table with a docile appearance. Naer! Tang Wulin shouted before bouncing vivaciously to her side and very naturally began pulling on her delicate small hand. Lang Yue said, We couldnt find any records on this child. We can only send her to the orphanage. No! Let Naer stay mom. Tang Wulin stood in front of Naer with his arms spread wide. Dont send her to the orphanage. Cant we let her stay here? At worst, Ill just have to eat a little less in the future. Naer raised her head, and looked at Tang Wulin in a daze. Tang Wulins body wasnt big or tall, but when Naer saw him protecting her, she couldnt help but tear up a bit. Lang Yue said, Linlin, you cant do as you wish and take the place of her family. You have to ask Naer if she wants to stay here or go to the orphanage! Tang Wulin immediately turned around, looking directly at Naer. Naer, why dont you stay with us? My mom makes really good food, and my dad is really nice. You can live together with me, and Ill definitely protect you. Ive always wanted to have a younger sister. Why dont you stay and be my younger sister? En. Unexpectedly, Naer took the initiative to nod this time. Yay. This is great, I have a younger sister now. Tang Wulin happily bounced up and down. Afterwards, it was discovered that the children were unable to control their hunger. Despite the fact that Lang Yue had made extra food today, it still wasnt enough to satisfy the two big eaters. That was right, not only did Tang Wulins food capacity increase, that petite body of Naers was also a bottomless pit. Unexpectedly, her stomach wasnt any smaller than Tang Wulins. They even ate the lunch Lang Yue had prepared for Tang Ziran to eat the next day. Even after all that, they didnt look satisfied at all. The house only had two rooms, and with the addition of Naer, she could only share a room with Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin and Tang Ziran had put up a divider in the middle of the room. Naer was very tired, falling asleep quickly. Dad, Im going to meditate now. Tang Wulin felt unusually satisfied when he was meditating, and was impatiently desiring to feel that sensation again. He wanted to become a Soul Master. He had even more reason to become powerful now. He now had a little sister to protect. 9 Learning to Forge Wait a moment. Tang Ziran called out to Tang Wulin. What is it dad? Tang Ziran patted the chair beside him. Come and sit down. Dad has something to discuss with you. Oh. Tang Wulin went over, sitting beside his father while giving him a suspicious look. Tang Ziran said, Son, you chose the path of becoming a Soul Master so dad will support you. However, you must understand that you will face many challenges. This not only includes your studies, but also at home. Once a Soul Master cultivates to rank 10, they will require a soul ring in order to break through. In the distant past, you could obtain a soul ring by hunting soul beasts. However, ten thousand years later, that is now, we have discovered through research that the spirit soul is superior to soul rings. In fact, high level spirit souls can possess the ability to grow, furthermore, they can be artificially manufactured. Thus, spirit souls are equivalent to soul rings. The various ranks of spirit souls can bestow a Soul Master with one or more soul rings. However, for us commoners we can only buy them from the Spirit Pagoda. Dad cant do anything about this with my meager wage. I make just enough to provide for our household. However, with the addition of Naer and how much you two eat, dad will be hard pressed to buy even the lowest grade spirit soul for you when you cultivate to rank 10 soul power. There are two methods to get a spirit soul from the Spirit Pagoda. The first is to be a genius Soul Master with an exceedingly fast cultivation speed. Those geniuses will be be granted their first spirit soul free of charge. However, its clear that your Bluesilver Grass wont qualify for that opportunity. Therefore, we are left only with the second method of purchasing one. Tang Wulin was stunned at his fathers words. He had never considered this problem before. Thats right! Soul Masters required soul rings. soul rings could be obtained from soul beasts or from a spirit soul. Soul beasts were exceedingly rare now, making it very difficult to obtain a high grade soul ring from them. His only option was to purchase one. As a six year old child his concept of money was still quite faint, yet the issue of money was now forced upon him. What should I do then dad? Tang Ziran bitterly laughed, This is the extent of dads abilities. In the next few years, dad will work hard to earn enough money to at least help you out a little bit. However, you will still have to rely on your own efforts. Do you still remember Uncle Mang Tian? I remember! Isnt he the one who visited us before? The image of a tall rugged middle aged man appeared within Tang Wulins mind. Tang Ziran said, Your Uncle Mang Tian is an outstanding blacksmith. Ive told him about our circumstances and he said that he can give you the opportunity to apprentice under him. For two hours everyday, over the next three months, he will teach you. If you can forge some simple things after three months, then youll be able to earn some money. Tang Wulins eyes were shining. I want to do it Dad. When can I begin? Tang Ziran meaningfully looked at him and said, Forging is a highly difficult profession. Do you truly want to do this? Tang Wulin nodded. I can do it! Ill earn the money to buy a spirit soul myself. Tang Ziran smiled in response. Good. You can go and try it out then. If it doesnt suit you, then you can stop. Alright. Im going to go meditate then dad. After Tang Wulin returned to his room, a single drop of a liquid fell upon Tang Zirans shoulders. He turned his head around to see his teary eyed wife. Wulin is still so young, why did you have to do this? If we live frugally, we should be able to help him save some money for a spirit soul. Lang Yue said, choking with emotion. She had never gone against/contradicted her husband before, but this time Tang Ziran released a sigh. It truly is too difficult to become a Soul Master with Bluesilver Grass. Blacksmithing is a craft, Lin Lin is still young but he has a strong character. Blacksmithing can be more than just forging metal, it can also serve to temper himself in the process. If he can truly persevere through these hardships, hell have another means to make money when he grows up. Furthermore, he can toughen himself up. It truly has too many advantages and no disadvantages for him, you also understand our circumstances. I only fear that one day, we will. Naturally it would also be great if Lin Lin manages to obtain Mang Tians approval, his occupations status would be even higher than mine. The morning of the next day, after bidding farewell to his mother and Naer, Tang Wulin hurried to school in high spirits. After a night of meditation, Tang Wulin felt even more intimate with the Bluesilver Grass. His intimacy was to the point that he gained a courageous and amiable feeling towards it. Soul Masters didnt learn about Soul Master topics everyday. Instead, they alternated between Soul Master topics and cultural classes. Today was the cultural classes turn. Tang Wulin was very smart. He listened to the lectures earnestly and even earned words of praise from his cultural teacher. Why have you come to pick me up, mom? Wheres Naer? After the end of the school day, Tang Wulin was greeted with the sight of Lang Yue. A thread of regret was present within Lang Yues eyes. With quick steps, she walked over and picked up her son. Hurry up and let me down mom. Im already a big kid. Youre embarrassing me in front of my classmates! Lang Yue spurted out a laugh, No matter how big you are, you will always be my son. Im here to bring you to Uncle Mang Tian. Do you really want to learn blacksmithing? Tang Wulin nodded. Thats right! Dad said that men can only rely on themselves. I want to earn the money for a Spirit Soul on my own. Lang Yue put down her son and crouched down in front of him. Son, if youre unable to persevere through ten million difficulties, then mom will find some work to help you buy a spirit soul. No, I want to earn the money myself. Tang Wulin resolutely said. Lang Yue fought against her own tears, instead, she repeatedly kissed her sons face. Good. Lets get going. Fundamentally, Glorybound City was large but there wasnt a need to use vehicles. After walking for approximately 20 minutes, Lang Yue and Tang Wulin arrived in front of a somewhat, large workshops door. The exterior of the workshop seemed somewhat shabby. On top, three words were written, Mang Tians Workshop. Even when they were in front of the doors, the smell of metal assaulted their nostrils. Lang Yue pushed the doorbell, and it was not long before the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was tall and dark skinned. With his full beard, he appeared somewhat fierce and tough. Younger sister has arrived, his deep voice was low and forceful. Listening to it, Tang Wulin felt a little buzz. Uncle Mang Tian, he politely addressed his uncle, who he had met several times previously. En, Mang Tian expressionlessly nodded. Turning to Lang Yue he said, Younger sister should return first, you can pick him up two hours later. Big Brother Mang Tian, thank you for your troubles. Lang Yue, slightly unwilling, parted with her son, taking one last look at him. She had something to say, but in the end she gritted her teeth and restrained herself. 10 Gifted Come on in, Mang Tian said to Tang Wulin. Oh. Tang Wulin followed Mang Tian into the workshops chaotic hall. The hall was littered with all sorts of metal components Tang Wulin could barely recognize. Most of these were likely components for soul machines, though. Mang Tian didnt pause as he walked deeper into the workshop, causing Tang Wulin to hasten his steps. The shop wasnt large nor small. After passing through the halls, Mang Tian brought Tang Wulin to one of the inner rooms. Inside of the room was a workbench, which was just barely taller than Tang Wulin. Mang Tian stopped here, turning around to face Tang Wulin. Do you know what forging is? At a loss, Tang Wulin shook his head. Mang Tian indifferently said, Actually, I didnt want to accept you in the beginning. Youre too young, completely unsuited for forging. However, your dad was determined to have me give you a chance. If I dont find you acceptable, then youll have to leave. When that happens, dont stay here and weep endlessly, understand? I wont cry, Uncle Mang Tian, Tang Wulin defiantly answered. This is your task for today, Mang Tian said as he pointed to the side. Off to the side was a half meter tall metal table. On top of the table was a round lump of metal and below it was a soul machine screen. Mang Tian picked up two small metal hammers from the side and held them out to Tang Wulin. You see that lump of metal? Use this hammer to strike it a thousand times. The screen will display the number of hits with sufficient strength. Itll require all your strength to swing it down. If youre able to complete this task, Ill tell you what forging is. If youre unable to finish, then you dont have to come here tomorrow. After speaking, he placed the two hammers in Tang Wulins hands before turning around and walking away. The metal hammers handle was about a third of a meter with a cylindrical head that was half a foot long and ten centimeters in diameter. They weighed about five kilograms each. For a six year old child, this wasnt light at all, let alone the fact that he had to swing it a thousand times. Tang Wulin had looked at the hammer with a bitter expression, but when he took the hammer from Mang Tian, he was amazed to discover they werent so heavy, after all. Is it hollow? Uncle Mang Tian looks very fierce on the outside, but hes actually so kind. Tang Wulin smiled to convey his understanding and swung the hammer in his right hand down on the lump of metal. Bang! The metal boomed and he jumped in surprise. The soul screen below it activated, displaying the number 1. He raised the hammer in his left hand and smashed it down with a bang! 2. This isnt too hard! Tang Wulin thought as he began swinging his arms in a steady rhythm. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! The numbers on the screen increased unceasingly in tune with the continuous thumping. Neither hammer wavered at all, as Tang Wulin didnt feel they were too much of a burden. The pair of hammers constantly beat down the the lump of metal, and in return, the number on the screen persisted in its ascension. After hammering it for the hundredth time, Tang Wulin was already beginning to sweat. At three hundred, his arms began to feel sore. I must persevere. Dad said so. I must persevere! Tang Wulin continued to swing the pair of hammers, enduring the soreness. At five hundred, the soreness turned into aching, but he continued on just as before and persisted with all his power, refusing to stop. As the aching in his muscles intensified, Tang Wulins arms shifted to a faint red, but he just clenched his teeth, pushing past the pain. He repeated to himself, I must do my best to learn forging and earn money to buy a spirit soul. That way I can make mom and dad happy, and protect Naer. At the seven hundred mark, he couldnt even feel his arms when he raised them and his hammering speed was much slower. Just like before, he clenched his teeth and persevered. His sweat had practically turned into broth, making his school uniform to stick to his body. His sweat dripped like a waterfall, and Tang Wulin felt his spine go numb. His whole body shuddered as if he were electrically shocked. His original aching eased up, and the hammer felt a bit lighter. Bang, bang, bang! He proceeded to strike the last three hundred times with even more ease than the start. One thousand! It was only after reaching the objective Mang Tian had set for him that Tang Wulin lowered his hammers. As he gasped for breath, Tang Wulin could feel an unspeakable aching from his palms and his arms had swollen so much that they were beyond recognition. Apart from this, he felt unexpectedly invigorated. The numbness in his spine spread to his seven vertebrae and back down his spine in cycles, leaving him speechless. What he didnt notice was a golden veined pattern accompanying the numbness he felt in his spine. It was only after five minutes that he was able to catch his breath. Uncle Mang Tian, Im done. Tang Wulin searched for Mang Tian for a long time before finding him in a room, fiddling with some components. Mang Tian blankly stared at him. He glanced at his wristwatch and discovered that it had only been half an hour since he left Tang Wulin to his task. Youre done hammering it? Yes! Tang Wulin nodded. Mang Tian didnt question him again after seeing his sweaty appearance. He would rather let the facts speak for themselves. After standing up, he brought Tang Wulin back to the previous room. 1000. The number was displayed on the screen. Mang Tian had set up the screen himself; naturally, it was impossible for a six year old child to cheat. But the result was still unbelievable. The two metal hammers couldnt be considered heavy for him, of course, but neither were they hollow. Each hammer was truly 5 kilograms in weight, and even an adult males arms would be too numb and limp to raise after a thousand swings. Furthermore, it would be very difficult for them to finish in only half an hour, much less a six year old child. The test Mang Tian had given him was just a way to tactfully decline him. His relationship with Tang Ziran was pretty good, so he couldnt directly refuse. After all, he didnt want to instruct a six year old child who he deemed unsuitable for forging. But before his eyes Hammer it a few more times for me. Dont stop unless I tell you to. Mang Tian said heavily. Yes. Tang Wulin picked up the hammer once again. After having rested a moment, the aching in his arms had already dulled. Bang, bang, bang Each strike was done without any technique, or even leverage. He was relying purely on strength to hammer the metal lump! After only a few times, Mang Tian was able to ascertain with his own eyes, based on his past experience, that this childs strength was sufficient to completely pound the metal lump. Was this a legendary genius? 11 I will protect you in the future The qualifications of a genius naturally differed depending on a persons age. A six year old child who was able to swing a metal hammer a thousand times, he was absolutely worthy of being called a genius. However, Mang Tian didnt tell him to stop. Instead, he stood to the side and silently watched Tang Wulin continue hammering. His movements were direct, and powerful. However, there wasnt any mitigation of the rebounding force in his technique, all of it was taken in by his arms. Fifty times, eighty times, one hundred times. Sweat began pouring forth once again and the aching he felt now far surpassed the aching from before. Both of his arms heated up. Each time he exerted himself, his scalp began to swell. However, Tang Wulin still continued to grit his teeth and bear the pain as he never stopped hammering. After hammering it 150 times, Tang Wulins body began to sway. His vision was hazy, both of his arms were swollen and aching to the point that they felt foreign to him, yet he continued to persevere with clenched teeth. I can persevere. I can overcome this test. I am a man. Perseverance will lead to victory. Tang Wulin couldnt even count the number of times he had swung the hammer when Mang Tian finally called for him to stop. If Mang Tian hadnt supported him, he would have collapsed onto the floor. As he took the hammer from his hands, Mang Tian clearly saw Tang Wulins hands had been worn out by the hammer and had became swollen. The fierce blacksmithing master was finally moved. It was not only due to Tang Wulins innate talents, but his perseverance too. His strength could still be trained later, but for such an unwavering determination to appear in a six year old child, it was truly too precious. You two have raised a good child. Ill accept him as my disciple. From tomorrow onwards, have him come over everyday at the same time as today. Once youre home, smear this ointment on his arms. When Lang Yue came to pick up Tang Wulin, she was greeted with Mang Tians gentle expression as he passed over a bottle of ointment. After an hour of rest, Tang Wulin had already regained his vigor. It was just that his arms ached too much to raise them. Mang Tians explanation of forging still lingered in his mind. What is forging? Forging and casting are entirely different. Casting only requires a mold, and afterwards, the use of machinery to grind out the desired shape. That is casting. As for forging, it requires a blacksmith to personally hammer the metal from start to finish. Of course, you could use a machine to pound the metal and forge it, but metal is a living thing. A machine will never be able to grasp the veins of the metal. Thus, all first-rate machine components were forged by a blacksmith. A good blacksmith is a true craftsman that possesses a status no less than that of a Spirit Master. pirit Master and Machine Master, those were the dreams of all young boys. Ouch. Tang Wulin cried out in pain when Lang Yue pulled on his hand. It was only then that Lang Yue discovered the wound on her sons palm. Heavens! He, he did this to you? Tears were streaming down from her eyes. She had never expected that her son would suffer so much in only two hours. Tang Wulin shook his head and replied, He didnt do anything! Uncle Mang Tian tested me and I passed. Arent I strong mom? Dont cry! It doesnt hurt. Lets go home. Lang Yue said as she wiped her tears away with eyes full of sorrow. Theres really nothing wrong mom. In fact, Im really happy. I passed Uncle Mang Tians test. Arent you happy for me? Isnt this the sense of achievement that dad talked about? Im happy, Im really happy. Lang Yue patted her sons head and once more, glistening teardrops appeared in her eyes. As soon as they returned home and crossed the doorway, Tang Wulin saw Naer sitting to the side. With a bounce, he immediately ran over to her while Lang Yue went to the kitchen to cook dinner. Naer, did you know? I passed Uncle Mang Tians test today so I can learn how to forge from him now. Wait for big brother to earn some money with forging, then I can save money to buy a spirit soul. I can also buy food for you. With the temperament of a child, he had already forgotten the pain in his arms as he spoke of his accomplishment to Naer. Naer earnestly listened, but her eyes occasionally revealed a trace of blankness. Naer, you really dont remember anything about your family? After he finished talking about his accomplishment, he asked the question which had been lurking in his mind. Naer shook her head. I really dont remember. I only remember that my name is Naer. Everything else is fuzzy. Big Brother Lin, am I stupid? Tang Wulin hastily replied, No. Of course youre not stupid, Naer. It doesnt matter if you cant remember. This is your home now. My mom and dad are your mom and dad. Youre my little sister. Naer stared at him, as she gradually revealed a sweet smile. This was the first time she had smiled since she had came to their house. Wow! Your smile is really pretty, Naer. Ill tell you a secret then; big brother will work hard to become a Soul Master, then Ill be able to protect you in the future. All right? Yes. When Tang Ziran returned, dinner was already prepared. Zi Ran, come with me. Go ahead and eat first, children. With a serene appearance, Lang Yue shot a glance at Tang Ziran before heading to their room. Tang Ziran distractedly looked at his son with an inquiring look. In return, Tang Wulin shrugged, indicating that he didnt know whats going on with his mother either. Tang Ziran hastily followed Lang Yue into their room, then Lang Yue closed the door. Well eat first, Naer. Arent you hungry? Accounting for how many snacks they had eaten before, Lang Yue made sure to cook lots of food today. Naer clearly had no resistance when it came to eating. She nodded and began to eat heartily. After she ate for a while, she noticed that Tang Wulin wasnt acting the same as the day before. She raised her head and looked at him, and discovered that he was miserably turning and twisting his body with a pained face. Big brother, whats wrong? Naer crisply asked. My arms are really sore after my test. I cant raise them at all. Tang Wulin had been unusually hungry lately; with the addition of his work after school, one can only imagine his longing for food now Naer blinked a few times. Ill feed you then. Yes! Alright! Tang Wulin said in exultation. With shaky movements, Naer clumsily fed Tang Wulin one spoonful after another. Two children, one six years old and the other five and a half years old, enjoyed each others company with the naivety of youth. In this small house, the atmosphere made the lights appear gentler as well. Naer, Youre the best 12 Astonishing Recovery Out of the question! No matter what you say, I wont let Lin Lin work under Mang Tian again! Restraining her emotions in order to prevent the two children outside from hearing, Lang Yue choked back a sob. After hearing Lang Yues thoughts, Tang Ziran was unable to reply. He could only stand there silently, his heart filled with pain. Without going through thick and thin, how can one see the rainbow? No one can succeed simply by doing as one wishes. Ah Yue, it also pains my heart to know that Lin Lin has to bear these hardships! But if he doesnt bear them now, then he will face even more hardships when he grows up. When I visited Mang Tian that day, I could tell that he was unwilling. He has the pride of a master blacksmith, yet Lin Lin was able to get his approval. Do you understand how outstanding our son is? This son of ours truly is a very pleasant surprise. On my way home after work, Mang Tian told me something. He told me that our son is unusually gifted, that he has godly talent. He has enough strength to match an ordinary man and whats even more praiseworthy is Lin Lins determination. With Bluesilver Grass as his martial soul, his chances of becoming a powerful Soul Master are next to nothing, but if hes able to become an outstanding blacksmith, at the very least he wont have to worry about clothing or food for the rest of his life. Our child isnt weak, so how can we, as his parents, show weakness? We ought to support and encourage him. Moreover, Im convinced that as a 6 star blacksmith, Mang Tian will definitely be able to instruct his disciple appropriately. He definitely wouldnt harm a child! Lets just let Lin Lin try it out, alright? If it turns out that he really is being harmed, then Ill prevent him from continuing by all means possible. Lang Yue compromised in the end. It was clear to her that both her and her husband loved their son, and Tang Zirans reasoning had persuaded her. When the two of them returned to the living room, they saw Tang Wulin sitting there, vigorously chewing his food with a grin as he looked at Naer beside him. She was feeding him one spoonful at a time. Tang Ziran and Lang Yue couldnt help but be dumbfounded and shocked at this scene. Two beautiful children were sitting there beaming with an intense radiance. It was as if they had suddenly stumbled into an extremely harmonious scene. Tang Ziran muttered to himself, Well adopt this child then. Growing up together with another child will be helpful for Lin Lin. Mnn, Lang Yue agreed, revealing a slight smile at last. In this way, the intimate family dinner ended with such an atmosphere. But once again, Tang Wulin and Naers eating capabilities shocked the married couple. In order to raise these two children, they first had to confront the issue of whether they would be able to feed the two of them. After dinner, Lang Yue and Tang Ziran discussed the topic and decided that she would go and find a job too. If they only relied on Tang Zirans income, it would be very difficult for them to live. Look, Naer! This is my martial soul. Tang Wulin raised his hand with much difficulty, revealing a small blue colored strand of grass that was slowly turning in the palm of his hands. Along with a faint blue light, it also emitted a gentle undulating energy. Full of wonder, Naer fiddled with the Bluesilver Grass in his palms. Big brother, will I have a martial soul in the future too? Tang Wulin answered, Of course you will! Everyone has their own martial soul. Just wait until youre six years old, then you can awaken your martial soul on next years Awakening Day. Im tired, I cant raise my hand up anymore. Im going to go sleep. You should sleep early too. Even as he was speaking, Tang Wulin was already laying down onto his bed. In but a few short moments, his breathing had steadied and he was fast asleep. Naer foolishly looked at him. She really wanted to recall some of her memories, but her mind continued to stay hazy and she was unable to remember anything. After she laid down on her bed, it wasnt too long before she also fell asleep. In the dead of the night, the door to Tang Wulin and Naers room opened and Tang Ziran entered. He went over and knelt down beside his sons bed, taking out the bottle of medicine Mang Tian had given Lang Yue. Preparing to smear the medicine all over his sons arms, he pulled Tang Wulins sleeve up. He pressed a button on his own shoulders, turning on a small light on his shoulder, which started shining directly on Tang Wulins arm. Huh? Tang Ziran was surprised when he saw Tang Wulins arm. He was astonished to discover that his sons arm wasnt bruised. Rather, compared to what Lang Yue had described, it looked completely normal. He carefully opened Tang Wulins palms. His palms were as bright and clean as jade, without the slightest bruise. Shocked, Tang Ziran hastily pulled up the sleeves on his sons other arm. The condition was exactly the same as the other one. No matter how he looked at it, both his sons arms looked completely unharmed. Tang Ziran knew that his wife wouldnt lie to himself. However, why had the supposed bruising and cuts disappeared? What was the cause of this? Could it be? Was it the effect of his sons martial soul? There were some special martial souls that were able to automatically heal ones self, but he had never heard of Bluesilver Grass having this kind of ability! What he didnt notice was that underneath Tang Wulins black hair, his forehead had a dim golden veined pattern which was quietly fading. Tang Ziran sat there and pondered for a moment. Looking at the bottle of medicine in his hands and then at his sons arms, his eyes shone in contemplation. After a moment, he put away the medicine bottle and left the room. It would be best to investigate his sons circumstances in the morning. Early morning. Tang Wulin woke up early in the morning. After washing up, he ran to the kitchen to help his mother with her work. Although he didnt know how to cook yet, he was still able to carry the bowls and plates. Lin Lin, do your arms still hurt? Lang Yues heart began to hurt again as soon as she saw her son being so thoughtful. Huh. They dont seem to hurt at all. Its nothing too serious, Tang Wulin responded as he swung his arms around. The pain from yesterday had already completely disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place. Whats more, he felt that his arms were even more powerful now. Lang Yues tone relaxed. It seems that the medicine Uncle Mang Tian gave us yesterday is pretty good. If its like this, then mom can be at ease. After you fell asleep yesterday, dad went and smeared some medicine on your arms. Right as he was leaving their room, Tang Ziran heard this conversation. He hadnt smeared any medicine at all! Could it be? His sons martial soul had been excited, triggering a self-restoring ability as well as growing more powerful? There was no way that Bluesilver Grass could have these kinds of effects! Throughout their sumptuous breakfast, this small home of theirs was brimming with cheers and laughter. Dad, hurry up and take me to school! Were learning about martial souls today. Aiya! I was too tired yesterday and I forgot to meditate. Remind me when I get home later to meditate! I, Tang Wulin, must definitely become a powerful Soul Master! 13 Three Years Later Three years later. Red Mountain Academy. Wan Yunchao twisted his chubby body, moving closer to Tang Wulins side and whispered, Wulin, I heard that Zhou Shao Long broke through rank 10, and hes going to buy a spirit soul tonight. How about you? Didnt you tell me last time that youre already at rank 9? Were about to graduate. If youre not rank 10 by the time we graduate, youll have to go home and cultivate without the academys recommendation letter. Itll be very troublesome to enter an intermediate academy later. Three years had gone by, and with it came big changes for Tang Wulin. Originally only 1.2 meters in height, he had now grown to a height of 1.4 meters. He was already somewhat taller than his peers. With a moderate build, he was neither fat nor thin. From an outsiders perspective, he didnt seem particularly strong. Along with his growth, his face had become increasingly handsome, especially his crystal clear black eyes that reflected light like mirrors. Although his martial soul was Bluesilver Grass, he was still very popular within Red Mountain Academy. Wan Yunchao was the fatty that he had encountered in his first year. He had originally looked down upon Tang Wulin, but he had the tables turned on him one day when he tried bullying Tang Wulin, and was instead pushed onto the floor by Tang Wulin and beaten senseless. He had been well-behaved ever since that beating. Neither of them had a soul skill yet, nor were there any significant differences in their soul power ranks. Tang Wulins physical strength undoubtedly played an important role in their relationship. Although he didnt look particularly strong or sturdy, that time he had lifted up Wan Yunchao with a single arm had frightened Wan Yunchao into crying loudly, wah wah. Since then, Wan Yunchao had been Tang Wulins shadow. The martial soul class only had a dozen or so students, and six of them had already reached rank 10 soul power. They could already advance from the lowest Soul Master rank of Soul Scholar to the rank of Soul Master. Naturally, they first had to obtain a spirit soul to advance. In these three years, they had nearly finished their studies at this elementary academy. Once they entered an intermediate academy, they would be divided into their specializations and would attend an academy for their specialization. Glorybound City was a small city. Thus, it didnt have an intermediate Soul Master academy. In order to enroll in an intermediate academy in a medium sized city, one was required to have a spirit soul. Wan Yunchao was one of the six students who had achieved rank 10 soul power. Any students who reached rank 10 soul power before graduation were eligible to receive a recommendation letter from the academy, making it significantly easier to enter an intermediate academy. This was due to the fact that it acted as proof that the student had the necessary skill. If they didnt cultivate to rank 10 before they were 10 years old, they would have to take several tests before being allowed to enroll in an intermediate academy. I should be nearly there. I think Ive hit the bottleneck, Tang Wulin said with a smile. His cultivation speed had shocked their teacher, Teacher Lin Ximeng. Cultivating to rank 10 soul power from rank 3 innate soul power in three years couldnt be considered fast among Soul Masters. At most, it was only considered an average speed. However, his martial soul was Bluesilver Grass! Cultivating to rank 10 in three years with this kind of trash martial soul certainly couldnt be considered slow. Although it couldnt be compared with those geniuses, it was still within the upper levels within the class. As Lin Ximeng guided Tang Wulin, she discovered that this child had a gift for meditation. It was very easy for him to sense the energy in the atmosphere. Moreover, his meditative state was exceedingly focused. Later, she discovered the cause of Tang Wulins fast cultivation speed. This childs spiritual power was far higher than his peers, enabling him to cultivate with more focus and thus, speed. If even one more student was able to reach rank 10 before graduation, the teacher would win glory as well as a bonus. Thus, in their last year of studies, Lin Ximeng had treated Tang Wulin with much more importance. She would frequently give him pointers and one on one instruction. Tang Wulin didnt disappoint her either. With half a month to spare before graduation, Tang Wulin had reached rank 9 and was just a step away from rank 10. After this last step, he would be able to fuse with a spirit soul and become a true Soul Master. A Soul Scholar without a spirit soul wasnt much stronger than an ordinary person. However, once they became a Soul Master and possessed a spirit souls soul skill, they would enter a completely different realm. Good luck, good luck. Who can say for certain if well enter the same intermediate academy after graduating. Wan Yunchao laughed. Dont say that big brother bullied you. Once you have your own spirit soul, well have another spar. When the time comes, well see who beats up who. Tang Wulin shot him a glance as he put on his schoolbag. You can slowly dream on. He naturally wouldnt tell Wan Yunchao how strong he was now. Tang Wulin wasnt eager to leave as they approached the academys gates. Rather, he stood outside the gates and waited. Not too long after, a smear of radiant silver hair wandered over from the composite academy building. Naer, slow down. Youre going to trip. Tang Wulins voice was brimming with love as he doted on her. Naer had a head of short silver hair, and even after three years, she hadnt changed too much. She was just a bit taller than before while remaining just as adorably pretty. It was just that, no matter how you looked at it, Tang Wulin and Naer didnt look like they only had a one year age difference between the two of them. She was just a loli who hadnt grown too much. Big brother, I want to eat a lollipop, Naer giggled as she held onto Tang Wulins arm. Alright. Lets go buy one and then Ill bring you home before I head off to the workshop. Tang Wulin said as he patted her head. As the dismissed students left, none of them were surprised by the sight of these two siblings. They had long since gotten used to it. In the second year that Naer stayed with the Tang family, she had attended the Awakening Ceremony and brought about a marvel. This marvel wasnt that her martial soul was exceedingly powerful. Instead, she didnt possess any martial soul at all. This was something that was rarely seen throughout the history of the continent. Naturally she could only enter the ordinary section of the academy to study without a martial soul. Naer grew to become very pretty, making all of the other girls jealous while arousing the curiosity of all of the boys. Due to this, Tang Wulin never had a shortage of fights. One time, a group of male students stopped him, and since he was unable to beat them all by himself, he just used his body to protect Naer. In the end, he was covered in cuts and bruises, but not a single hair on Naer was damaged. The next day, Tang Wulin found the leader and would have a fierce fight every day until finally, he had beaten his opponent until they were afraid of him and were too scared to bully Naer anymore. Because he was in the Soul Master class, he didnt receive any serious punishments. He was famous after that fight, and no one in the Red Mountain Academy dared to bully Naer again. Since he was eight years old, Tang Wulin had acted like a young man. He shouldered the responsibility of picking up and dropping off his younger sister. After buying some snacks, Tang Wulin dropped off Naer at their home along with his schoolbag. In exchange, he put on some oil soaked work clothes and left the house once again. Mang Tians workshop had already become a part of his everyday life. 14 Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer Wulins here! A youngster in his twenties, with a tall and sturdy build, called out to Tang Wulin in greeting. Brother Long. Tang Wulin asked with a smile, What task has teacher assigned to me today? Brother Long grinned, Theres quite a lot for you to do. Just go into the room and take a look for yourself. Speaking of which, Im really envious of you. Youre so young, yet your workload is already more than mine! Blacksmithing was an industrious profession. Naturally, the more work one did, the more ones income would be. With a chuckle, Tang Wulin asked, If Im comparable to you, then how come Teacher still hasnt let me forge large components? Brother Gong answered, Thats so you can have a stronger foundation. Fine then, hurry up and go! Otherwise you wont be able to finish todays work in the two hours you have. Mang Tians workshop had just three members, Mang Tian, Brother Long, and Tang Wulin. Originally, Brother Long was Mang Tians sole disciple, but with Tang Wulins arrival, he had gained a second disciple. Starting from his second visit to the workshop three years before, Tang Wulin had begun calling Mang Tian Teacher. Mang Tian was an extremely strict teacher. He had high demands of his disciples, but he also taught them earnestly. Tang Wulin would often find himself thinking that he learned more things here at the workshop than at the academy. Everyone had a workshop to work in. Mang Tian brought some forged machine components from outside before distributing them. He gave the simple ones to Brother Long and Tang Wulin, while he personally oversaw the forging of the complex ones. Every week they would each have one day of specialized training when Mang Tian would instruct them personally. For the rest of the week, they only had to finish the tasks that Mang Tian gave them. The more they worked, the better their craftsmanship and the more money they earned. Tang Wulin entered his own forging room. It was very different from the dirty and disordered reception room outside. In contrast, he had kept his room extremely neat and tidy. There were already some raw materials lying on the forging bench, as well as a blueprint by its side. When he had first come here, Mang Tian had made him pound iron for three months in order to teach him the proper force transmission and mitigation techniques. Each day he had to strike the iron for two hours. Those two hours were always an abyss of suffering for him. Due to his constant practice, Tang Wulin had grown even stronger than before. Originally, he had used a small iron hammer, but the necessary hammer was gradually replaced by larger and larger ones. After three months of practice, he was allowed to do some simple metal extraction work. One year later, he began making the simplest of components. It wasnt until half a year before that he had been promoted from forging small components to medium sized components. Mang Tian even began comparing him and Brother Long more and more strictly. However, Tang Wulins temperament had a special sort of perseverance. In the three years he had been working there, not once had he complained about his hardships. After seriously looking over the blueprint, he understood what todays task was. He had to make ten machine armored ankle-joints. They were spherical in shape so if the work was done with a mold, it would only have to be pressed twice in order to be finished. However, when it came to forging it, the demands were much higher. Blacksmithing was divided into many ranks. Generally speaking, there was the Hundred Refined. Hundred Refined was when a component was refined a hundred times throughout. Even higher than that was Thousand Refined. The more times it was refined, the less impurities a metal would have. Naturally, a metal of quality was required to withstand the pressure of a thousand refinements. For now, Tang Wulin was still unable to create a Thousand Refined component, so he was rarely required to do this sort of work. With practiced movements, he pressed the button on the workbench, causing it to split open in the middle which exposed a forging furnace. He fastened some metal to the channel on the side, then pressed another button which delivered the metal into the furnace. He picked up a pair of metal hammers with a shiny black finish. These two hammers were about the same size as the ones he had first used when he had first come here. For this kind of small component, hammers of this size were the most suitable. However, these hammers were also a present that Mang Tian had given him after having worked in his workshop for one year. Mang Tian had personally manufactured these Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers. Each one weighed about 40 kilograms, which made it exceedingly difficult for an ordinary person to swing them. Nevertheless, they seemed nearly weightless in Tang Wulins hands. Under the high temperature of the furnace the metal quickly blushed a deep red. Tang Wulin swung the hammer in his right hand onto the crown of the metal. The hammer in his left hand soon connected from the bottom. Pressing down from either side, Tang Wulin was able to remove the chunk of heated metal. He rapidly swung the tungsten hammers in each hand and a succession of dings could be heard. With those resounding dings, he began that days forging. Blacksmithing was a craftsmans job. It wasnt just a simple skilled trade. Mang Tian had told him when he first started that in order to become a blacksmith, he had to use his brain. During the process of pounding the metal, he had to feel the vibrations and the changes in the metals vein lines. Only after grasping these two things would he be able to forge quality goods. In the aspect of perception, Tang Wulin was excellent. Tang Wulin wasnt aware of the fact that when Mang Tian had gifted him this pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers, it had signified that he had formally become a blacksmith. His monthly income couldnt be considered much but he still earnestly saved a set amount each month. With the remainder, he set apart a small portion to spend for his little sister, while the rest was given to his mother as aid in their family expenses. He was only a nine year old child right now, but with his three years of forging as well as his resolute nature, he was much more steadfast in comparison to his peers. Two hours later he gave the final component the finishing strike. Letting out a sigh, he grabbed a nearby towel and wiped away his sweat. Looking upon the ten shining joint components in front of him, he revealed a satisfied expression. After becoming accustomed to forging, he had grown to like this type of work. Everyday he would brandish his hammer and pound metal. It was a way for him to vent his feelings in a carefree manner. Moreover, there were times when he was pounding the metal that he would enter a peculiarly fantastic state. It was as if he resonated with his hammer as well as with the metal he was forging. Whenever this state occurred, the components that he forged would be especially outstanding. Those components would even draw praise from the cold natured Mang Tian. Teacher. Tang Wulin was just preparing to hand in his work when he discovered that Mang Tian was already in his forging room. Mang Tian walked over to the workbench to inspect the product first. He nodded, then handed Tang Wulin some paper bills. Heres this months wages. Your work is pretty good. Thank you, teacher. Tang Wulin was elated as he hurriedly received the paper bills and stuffed them into this pocket. Due to his excitement, Tang Wulins little face was somewhat red yet he couldnt help but wave his fists in joy. Mang Tian gave him a doubtful look. Ive never seen you so happy to receive your monthly wages before. Slightly short of breath, Tang Wulin took a deep breath of air before saying, Teacher, Ive saved up enough money to buy a spirit soul! Mang Tian blankly looked at him, then said with a hint of emotion, Youre saying that your martial soulhas already reached rank 10? Tang Wulin nodded his head. I should nearly be there. Mang Tian gave a rare trace of a smile. Good luck. Teacher, Ill head back first then. Tang Wulin placed his finished components in a box, then departed full of joy. As he watched Tang Wulins departing back, Mang Tian couldnt help but show a bigger smile. At last, that kid is acting like a normal kid. Its a pity that his martial soulis Bluesilver Grass. No matter what his spirit soul is, I fear that its all However, this is also fortunate for me. This childs talent in forging far surpasses my own. 15 Enough Money at Las Tang Wulin was happily bouncing up and down the whole trip home. He was truly happy at the moment. Three years. It had been three whole years. He had painstakingly forged metal everyday. All those swings of his hammer, they had all been for the sake of earning enough money for a spirit soul. Although he had already calculated the month before that he would finally have enough money for a spirit soul this month. Now that he actually had the money in his hands, he just wanted to shout out in excitement. Thirty thousand Federation Coins. For those upper class wealthy families, this was nothing. however, to a child who was barely nine years old, it was the fruit of over one thousand days of hard work and sweat! He couldnt even count the number of times he had raised his hammer in order to earn this amount of money, let alone how much he had sweat for it. He had finally succeeded! The more he thought about his achievement, the more elated he became. His emotions were simply impossible to convey right now! The moment he succeeds in breaking through the bottleneck, he would finally be able to obtain a spirit soul. And now he was so close that he was just counting down the number of days before it happened. His soul power was about to make a breakthrough and whats more, it would be likely be before graduation! Breaking into rank 10 would signify the moment he became a Soul Master. Although Tang Wulin had taken a liking to forging, it didnt mean that he wished to take it on as his profession. His dream was still to become a Soul Master, and in the future, he even dreamed of becoming a Machine Armor Master. All boys had this kind of dream, but how many people were able to put in the necessary effort to achieve their dreams? Diligence compensates for dullness. Over the last three years, Tang Wulin had always kept these four words in his heart and strived to follow its teachings. He could finally see this come to fruition now. Mom, dad, Ive earned enough money now! I have enough now! As soon as Tang Wulin rushed through the doorway, he already began shouting out in excitement. Naer was sitting in the living room, sucking on the lollipop Tang Wulin had bought her. Big brother, you have enough money to buy a spirit soul now? She understood Tang Wulins excitement too well. Mn. I have enough now. I have all thirty thousand. Tang Wulin swiftly took out the money and put it on top of the table. Afterwards, he quickly returned to his room and retrieved an iron case from underneath his bed. He ran back to the living room and poured out all of the money that was inside of the case. One hundred, two hundred, two hundred twenty Twenty-nine thousand six hundred, twenty-nine thousand seven hundred Thirty thousand, thirty thousand and two hundred. Theres actually an extra two hundred! Naer, Ill give you a hundred to buy some good food to eat. Looking at the large pile of Federation Coins in front of him, Tang Wulins little face turned red with excitement. Lang Yue had already finished working and returned home before them. Even from the kitchen, she could hear her sons shouts. Tang Ziran had finished work and he was just stepping through the doorway when he also heard his sons cheers. When they saw all the money on top of the table, the two of them couldnt help but tear up a bit. This child, truly had it too hard. While other children were playing, he was already earning money. Lang Yue walked to her husbands side and thumped on his shoulder. She didnt turn around, in fear that the children would see her tears. I know what youre capable of. Youre a very capable son, said Tang Ziran while patting his wifes back in comfort. With a smile, Tang Ziran walked over to Tang Wulin and hugged his shoulders from the side and gave him a big thumbs up. Once Ive broken through into the 10th rank, Ill be able to go buy my spirit soul, right dad? Tang Wulin excitedly asked. Thats correct. When that time comes, Ill accompany you. No, our whole family will go. Youre about to become a Soul Master, son! Im very proud of you. He was truly ecstatic.Once the night came, no matter how hard he tried, Tang Wulin wasnt able to enter a meditative state. Naer had already fallen asleep. The moon and stars were especially bright that night. The next day would definitely be a sunny day! Tang Wulin quietly got off his bed. His excitement was simply too much for him to fall asleep. He pulled on Naers blanket and adjusted it so that it covered her delicate body. As usual, she couldnt stay still while she slept. Mom said that once I turn 10 next year, I wont be able to sleep in the same room as Naer anymore. When that time comes, Ill have to give the room to Naer and Ill go sleep in the living room. But why is that? At the thought of this, Tang Wulin began to feel uneasy. He liked to being greeted with the sight of Naer the moment he woke up everyday. He carefully opened the door, then softly and quietly went out. He wanted to go out for a walk and let his heart calm down. Then he would be able to meditate after he came back. Opening and closing the door, he didnt make the slightest sound as he quietly went out. Bright moonlight shone into the bedroom, falling upon Naers body. This nights moon was especially bright. Naers silver hair glistened and shone under the blanket of moonlight. Blanketed by moonlight, suddenly, a ring of light quietly appeared from Naers body. Yellow, green, red, blue, purple, gold and silver. These seven colors twinkled one by one. Had Tang Wulin still been in the room, he would have been able to see this extraordinary scene. Naers body trembled slightly. After twinkling for a while, the seven-colored ring of light began fusing into the space between her eyes. After a long time, she returned to her previous peaceful state. The moonlight was still as bright as before, but the ring of light on Naers body had already disappeared. It seemed as if her delicate body had grown a bit. Although she hadnt grown too much in the last three years, tonight she had a breakthrough. Her trembling faded away, and once again, Naers breathing returned to normal. However, her eyebrows were knit. It seemed as if the dream she was having wasnt wonderful or beautiful at all. This nights air was especially cool. There was a small garden in the commoners area that Tang Wulin lived in. He would often bring Naer here to play, whenever there was a school holiday. As soon as he entered the garden, he felt a powerful attraction force from a strand of Bluesilver Grass. He breathed in the sweet scent of the plant as well as the fresh air and a satisfied smile gradually overcame him. Subconsciously, he sat down cross-legged. Birds were chirping quietly, the air was cold and pure and he was basking in the the dim radiance of the moon and stars. Under these conditions, he was gradually able to calm down and enter a meditative state. 16 10th Rank A countless number of blue specks of light congregated from all around him, quietly boring into his body and permeating throughout. Tang Wulin felt as if he was soaking in a blue ocean as countless tiny voices blanketed and called out to him. The distinctive fragrance of Bluesilver Grass permeated into every cell in his body. The soul power within his dantian took on a warm feeling as it began to unfold. In Tang Wulins perception, everything began to turn a bizarre blue color. The scent of Bluesilver Grass was present everywhere in his body. Faint golden lines lit up on his forehead with the same pattern as before, extending outwards. After extending all over his skin, the golden lines gradually withdrew. His body shone as he sat there in meditation. One moment it was a faint blue color and in the next the light shining from his body had traces of gold. Early morning. Lin Lin, Lin Lin Lang Yues anxious voice resounded in the streets. Inside the small garden, Tang Wulin stirred from his cross-legged sitting position and slowly awoke from his meditative state. The morning dew moistened his lapels, but at this very moment he felt an indescribable feeling penetrating throughout his whole body. Lin Lin, Lin Lin Lang Yues distinct voice was heard. Mom, Im over here. Tang Wulin hurriedly responded as he got off the lawn and ran over. As he hurried to answered his mothers call, he could feel that his body was much more relaxed than before. You child, why are you out here? You nearly worried me to death. Lang Yue said sternly as she examined her son. Im sorry mom. I was meditating in the garden. I think Ive broken through to the 10th rank. Although Tang Wulin wasnt sure, the changes in his body indicated that he had most likely had a breakthrough. Lang Yue gaped at him for a moment before she lowered her head to examine her son. Tang Wulins height already reached her shoulders. Although his body was a bit moist, his skin still glistened with the luster of a gem and he was looking to her with a pair of large spirited eyes. Listen to moms words. Your safety is the most important thing. Lets go home then. Ill cook you some breakfast. Lang Yue kissed his head a few times before she held onto his hand and walked him home. Youve made a breakthrough? When Tang Ziran found out that his son had made a breakthrough, he was very happy. Since you think youve made a breakthrough, well go to the academy today and test you. If you really have made a breakthrough, then Ill take you to buy a spirit soul tomorrow. Long live dad! Tang Wulin cheered. Naer, whats the matter? Arent you happy for big brother? Tang Wulin was in high spirits, but he discovered that unexpectedly, Naer was a bit different today. Usually she would gorge herself on breakfast first thing in the morning, but she just sat there with a blank stare today. None of his excitement had rubbed off on her. Ah? Nothings the matter! Congratulations big brother! Naer gave him a sweet smile before digging into her breakfast. Tang Wulin thought she was down because she didnt have a martial soul, so he didnt pursue the topic. In fact, Tang Wulins guess about his breakthrough was correct. After arriving at the academy, he told Teacher Lin Ximeng about his feeling and was then taken to undergo the soul power test. The apparatus displayed that his soul power had indeed reached rank 10. Every ten soul power ranks, Soul Masters would require a soul ring in order to break through to the next rank. They could kill a soul beast to obtain a soul ring, but soul beasts were too rare nowadays. It was much more common for people to choose the second method, of obtaining a spirit soul manufactured by the Spirit Pagoda. Tang Wulin was the seventh student in his class to break through. After stepping through the threshold of the 10th rank, he had become a true Soul Master and had taken his first step on this road. Tang Wulin, have your family quickly take you to the Spirit Pagoda to buy a spirit soul. Once youve fused with a spirit soul, youll be a Soul Master. Official Soul Masters are able to receive a stipend of 1000 Federal Coins every month. That should be enough for your tuition fees at an intermediate academy. Lin Ximeng urged him. Tang Wulin nodded in excitement. I already have enough money to buy a spirit soul, Teacher Lin. Ill go buy one tomorrow. Lin Ximeng nodded with a smile. Good. Ill request a leave of absence for you tomorrow. I wish you the best of luck in obtaining a satisfactory spirit soul. Thank you, teacher. After becoming a Soul Master, he would receive a monthly stipend. Although intermediate academy was compulsory, his monthly stipend of a thousand coins would just barely be enough to pay for his everyday expenses. He would have to leave Glorybound City to attend an intermediate academy. With his monthly stipend, he would no longer need to use his parents money. If he was able to cultivate to become a Soul Grandmaster, his monthly stipend would increase even more! Tang Wulin was elated, step by step he was moving closer to his dream. If it was any other child, they might not have been able to control their emotions, but Tang Wulins heart had grown exceedingly steady after three years of forging. That night, he went to Mang Tians workshop and completed his forging assignments. Only after finishing did he go home. As soon as Tang Ziran received the notification from the academy, he went and requested the next day off, so that he could take Tang Wulin to buy a spirit soul. Lang Yue had requested a day off too, but because there was too much work, her request wasnt approved. Naer, why are you so lost in thought today? Tang Wulin gave a puzzled look from the side. Dont worry. Even though you dont have a martial soul, big brother will protect you instead. Ill protect you for your whole life. All right? Tang Wulin said as he rubbed her head. Naer raised her head and looked at him, revealing clear purple eyes which now displayed a fantastic splendor. Big brother, can you take me to play on the beach after we eat? Tang Wulin turned to look at Tang Ziran. Go ahead. Just dont come back too late. Tang Ziran smiled. Although Glorybound City was called a city, it was actually just a very large village. There werent any city walls. The commoners district where Tang Wulins family lived in was exceptionally close to the beach. It only took a ten minute walk from their home to the beach. This beach couldnt be considered pretty as it lacked fine sand. Rather, it was filled with rough, gravel-like sand and shells. Legends said that due to humanitys excessive hunting of the oceans soul beasts, they had attracted the wrath of nature. The moonlight this night was just as beautiful as the night before as it glittered pure white, like snow. Stars as brilliant as gems were embedded into the canopy of the sky, which complemented the splendor of the moon. The ocean reflected the radiance of the moon and stars in the sky, as waves constantly surged forth. The sounds of crashing waves and seabirds filled the air, addingextraordinary vitality to this image of the starry sky above the ocean. Naer looked out towards the ocean, then looked up towards the stars. There sure are a lot of stars tonight, big brother! Tang Wulin laughed. Yes! Maybe theyve all come out tonight to congratulate me on becoming a Soul Master. Naer, are you sad that youre unable to become a Soul Master? Naer shook her head. Thats not it. After a moment of silence, she turned around and looked into Tang Wulins eyes. Would you miss me if I left one day, big brother? 17 The Starry Sky and the Vast Sea If I left one day, would you miss me? Naer asked as she raised her head to look at Tang Wulin. Her petite face was even more fairy-like under the splendor of the moon and stars. Tang Wulin dumbly asked, Why? Are you going to leave? Naer pouted, Im just asking if I leave. Tang Wulin replied, Youre my little sister. Of course I would miss you. I would really, really miss you. Eh, have you grown a bit taller, Naer? Youre nearly up to my nose now. Ill miss you too. Ill really, really miss you. Naer gave an answer beside the point. Her large purple eyes seemed to contain a hazy layer of water. Tang Wulin happily embraced her by her shoulders. Were together everyday, so we dont have to miss each other. Ive already talked it over with mom and dad. Once Ive entered an intermediate academy, youll be coming with me to attend an academy in the same city. Big brother will always protect you. Silently, the radiance in Naers eyes dimmed and she rested her head on Tang Wulins shoulder. Early morning. Tang Wulin got up especially early and ate a smaller breakfast than usual today. Seeing the eager shine in his sons eyes, Tang Ziran couldnt help but smile. Arent you awfully impatient? Theres no need to be so eager. Even if we went early, the Spirit Pagoda wouldnt be open. For Tang Wulin, today was a very special day. Today was the day he was going to buy a spirit soul. Dad, what kind of spirit soul do you think Ill be able to buy? Tang Wulin was only a nine year old child. He had been working his hardest all for this day, and now that the day had finally come, how could he possibly be calm? Tang Ziran revealed a slight smile. How would dad know? But no matter what kind of spirit soul you get, youll still be promoted from a Soul Scholar to a Soul Master. Then youll truly be a Soul Master. The gap between you and ordinary people will grow even larger. Mn. Tang Wulin excitedly nodded his head. However, he had overlooked something in his fathers tone. As Naer watched Tang Wulin impatiently pulling his father out of the home, her pretty eyes displayed a perplexed look. She knitted her eyebrows, as if deep in thought. Dad, walk a bit faster. Lets hurry up. Tang Wulin urged as he practically skipped ahead. Tang Ziran couldnt help but shake his head while the deepest depths of his eyes revealed his worries. Obtaining a suitable spirit soul couldnt possibly be that easy! Just because he could buy one didnt mean he was able to buy a suitable one. The Spirit Pagodas reach spread throughout the continent. Not only was it present in the Douluo Continent, it was even able to spread to the other two continents several thousand years ago. Ten thousand years ago, the remnants of the Heaven Dou Empire after its defeat at the hands of the Sun-Moon Empire had embarked on a voyage and had experienced many hardships and perils. In the end, they discovered a huge continent which also had some indigenous humans. However, their development couldnt even compare with the Douluo Continents. They were conquered by the Heaven Dou remnants and the continent was named the Heaven Dou Continent. On the Douluo Continent, the conflict between the Sun-Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire was never ending. While the Sun-Moon Empire rapidly developed, the Star Luo Empire gradually declined. Instead, they chose to take a different route. The Star Luo Empire decided to invest in seafaring technology. Thanks to their research, they were able to discover another large continent which was followed by a quiet occupation shortly afterwards. With the whole continent taken, the Star Luo Empire migrated the whole empire over along with their many resources and named it the Star Luo Continent. Afterwards, the Star Luo Empire also changed to a federal system and became the Star Luo Federation. The Sun-Moon Empire was able to unify the Douluo Continent and became the Sun-Moon Federation. The Spirit Pagoda had a ten thousand year history. Due to their importance to Soul Masters and their groundbreaking research into artificial spirit souls, their status had risen dramatically to its current state. Throughout the three continents, they were the strongest power. Glorybound City also had a Spirit Pagoda branch located in the heart of the city. It was a three layer pagoda. This was the lowest rank possible for a Spirit Pagoda branch. A mid-sized city would have a seven layer Spirit Pagoda branch. Major cities would have a thirteen layer Spirit Pagoda branch. However, the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters was situated in Shrek City. The headquarters had gone through many renovations over the years and it now had eighty layers. It was said to be the most magnificent building on the Douluo Continent. In regards to Tang Wulin, the three layered pagoda in front of him was already a holy land. This Spirit Pagoda branch was the largest building in Glorybound City. Everybody knew where it was, but few had ever entered it. When they arrived the Spirit Pagodas doors were already wide open, yet there werent too many people there. After all, this was a place for Soul Masters. With Glorybound City being as small as it was, there were simply too few Soul Masters. After Tang Ziran brought his son into the Spirit Pagoda, Tang Wulins eyes constantly fluttered all about his surroundings. He was very curious about this fabled place. The Spirit Pagoda was shaped like an octagon with three floors. The interior was very spacious and the marble floor carried the symbol of the Spirit Pagoda. Inside the huge hall, there was a circular door which led to an unknown location. There was a reception counter in the front with an ashen robed Soul Master seated behind it. The Soul Master had already stood up by the time the two of them arrived in front of the counter and was inspecting Tang Ziran. Hello, may I ask what youre here for? Tang Ziran respectfully greeted, Hello Lord Soul Master. Ive brought my son to buy a spirit soul. His martial soul has reached the 10th rank. Once he heard this, the Soul Masters enthusiastic expression clearly dampened a bit as Tang Ziran wasnt a Soul Master. Do you have enough money? He unenthusiastically asked. Tang Wulin scrambled over. Enough. I have enough. The Soul Master said, What rank of spirit soul do you want to buy? Somewhat embarrassed, Tang Ziran answered, Lord Soul Master, were not quite knowledgeable about these things. Could we possibly inconvenience you to explain this to us? The Soul Master impatiently said, You dont know about this yet youve still come? For such a small city like Glorybound City, the Spirit Pagoda only offers three types of spirit souls. Ten year white spirit souls, hundred year yellow spirit souls, and random spirit soul selection. There are 73 ten year white spirit souls and 11 hundred year yellow spirit souls to choose from. The price of a white spirit soul is seventy thousand coins, while yellow spirit souls are one million coins. Which one do you want to buy? Tang Wulin was stunned at his words and nearly lost his voice as he asked, Lord Soul Master, arent spirit souls thirty thousand coins? How, how could it be? 18 Spiritual Power Tes The Spirit Master shot him a glance. Thirty thousand is for a random spirit soul. You can get a ten year spirit soul, or a hundred year spirit soul, but what you get is random. Theres a very high chance that the spirit soul you get wont be suitable for your martial soul. Some people who want to save money and bet on luck would choose this type. However, I suggest that you get a suitable ten year spirit soul instead, itll be much more helpful. From their tone of voice, it was clear to the Spirit Master that this father and son pair werent people who were able to purchase a hundred year spirit soul. Tang Wulin looked over at his father. His original excitement had already been obliterated completely. Tang Ziran crouched down to face Tang Wulin. At that moment, he had all sorts of feelings swell up in his heart, but he didnt know what he should say in this situation. Son, lets choose a random spirit soul then. Your martial souls adaptability should be very high and it should be able to fuse with most spirit souls. If Tang Wulin didnt have the trash martial soul of Bluesilver Grass, Tang Ziran might not have opted to take this risk However, Bluesilver Grass truly didnt have too much room for improvement. So being able to cultivate it to the 10th rank was already a surprise. I must warn you. The Spirit Masters voice caught the attention of the father and son pair. He indifferently continued, Its possible to obtain a hundred year spirit soul from the random spirit soul selection, but its also possible to obtain a defective spirit soul. Tang Ziran asked in bewilderment, Defective spirit soul? How could they be defective? The Spirit Master said, When a spirit soul is being manufactured, it wont necessarily succeed every single time. Sometimes, defective ones may appear. The defectives ones are also very expensive to manufacture and they can also be fused with too. So we include it in the random selection. If we didnt and just left it as all white and yellow spirit souls, wouldnt the losses outweigh the profits? It would seem that thirty thousand federal coins is quite a bit for you two, so you must think about this thoroughly. Tang Ziran looked at Tang Wulin and saw the lifeless look in his eyes. He had never thought that after all the effort he had put in these last three years, he would still be faced with this kind of situation. Son, how about we first go home. Dad will help you think of an idea. If theres no other way, we can borrow some to try to gather up seventy thousand Tang Ziran saw his sons appearance and couldnt help feeling his heart ache. Tang Wulin shook his head. Dad, you and mom already tire yourselves out for me everyday. And anyways, my martial soul is only Bluesilver Grass. Ill just try my luck and see if the Heavens care about me then. Maybe Ill get a decent spirit soul. His eating capacity had increased by a lot ever since his martial soul had awakened. Whats more, Naer also had a large appetite despite her petite frame. For a household living on a salary, it was already quite difficult for Tang Ziran and Lang Yue. All the good things were already given to the children to eat; the husband and wife werent even willing to eat meat. The children of the poor had to take on household responsibilities at a young age. To Tang Wulins eyes, his household was already struggling hard enough as it is. How could he possibly let them strain themselves further to borrow money for him? His mom and dad worked very hard, so he wanted a strong spirit soul to become a renowned and powerful Soul Master. Although becoming a powerful Soul Master was important to him, his mother, father, and Naer were much more important. He really is a thoughtful child. When the somewhat impatient Spirit Master heard what Tang Wulin said, his expression couldnt help but soften a bit. Sigh Tang Zirans sigh was full of bitterness. Its all because dad is useless. Tang Wulin held his fathers hand, then looked towards the Spirit Master and asked, Lord Spirit Master, could I trouble you to take me to select a random spirit soul? Saying this, he took out the thirty thousand federal coins he had saved up. The Spirit Master nodded and said, You really are a sensible child. Much better than my familys stinky kid. Originally, you would have had to pay a fee for the spiritual power examination, but Ill help you out and exempt you from the fee. Tang Wulin stared blankly at him before hastening to say, Thank you. I really am thankful to you. The Spirit Master laughed as he rubbed his head. Follow me. Your father will wait here. Ordinary people cant look into the world of Soul Masters. The room he brought Tang Wulin into was different on the inside compared to its simple and unadorned outer appearance. It was brimming with modern technological apparatuses that were arranged about the room. The Spirit Master gestured for Tang Wulin to sit down on a metal chair before he began speaking. Do you know why we why test spiritual power? Tang Wulin blankly shook his head. The Spirit Master explained, This is your first time coming to choose a spirit soul. After fusing with a spirit soul, youll become a true Soul Master and the Spirit Pagoda will make a record of your spiritual powers strength, the level and type of spirit soul you fused with, and other things. Youll most likely attend an intermediate Soul Master academy later on. Tang Wulin responded in amazement. Lord Spirit Master, spiritual power also has ranks? Like soul power? Is spiritual power very important? The Spirit Master answered, For normal Soul Masters, spiritual power isnt too important. Its also divided into ranks, but it isnt divided the same way soul power is. However, when it comes to high level Soul Masters, the strength of their spiritual powers becomes much more significant. A strong spirit soul requires spiritual power equally as strong to fuse with. Before the existence of spirit souls, there werent any ranks for spiritual power at all. But when spirit souls first appeared, the previous generations gradually realized that fusing with a spirit soul required much more spiritual power than fusing with a spirit ring. After extensive research, they created the rankings for spiritual power. It was only in the last two thousand years or so that the rankings were completed. Tang Wulin inquisitively asked, Then how many levels is spiritual power divided into? The Spirit Master responded, From low to high, spiritual power is divided into: Spirit Origin, Spirit Connection, Spirit Sea, Spirit Abyss, Spirit Domain, and the fabled Divine Origin. These six realms are quite simple. Everyone is in the Spirit Origin realm when they are born. As for the meaning behind Spirit Origin, it means that its the single origin everyone starts from. Afterwards, nature takes on a new look. This is the most basic of soul levels. You should be at this level. As for the rest, youll learn it in school so I wont speak of it. Alright then. Ill start testing what degree of Spirit Origin youve reached. A metal helmet fell onto his head. Then, metal arms linked together and strapped his head in. Dont be so tense. Relax your body. You might feel a bit of vertigo in a bit; thats normal. You just need to stay relaxed. The Spirit Master repeatedly warned. Yes. Tang Wulin hastily promised. A slight humming noise arose as the helmet began to emit a soft white glow. The Spirit Master watched the soul transmitter screen on the side as the screen began to display data. When the numbers first appeared, they jumped up extremely quickly. After a moment, the numbers gradually stabilized. When the Spirit Master saw the number, his expression changed to one of astonishment. 19 Random Draw The numbers stopped increasing after a moment and settled within a range. The Spirit Master turned off the apparatus and took off the helmet. Its done. Tang Wulin really did feel dizzy, even though he had previously only felt a slight irritation in his head. He had once seen the indistinct sight of the golden world of fused spirit souls, and now, during the test, he had once again managed to see it. He had to put in a lot of effort in order to see it clearly, and when he almost succeeded to clearly glimpse it, the test had already ended. Its a pretty good number. The SpiritMaster nodded and smiled at Tang Wulin. You have the best spiritual power out of all the Soul Scholars Ive had these past few years. Your spiritual power is 38. Remember this number. Im going to have the machine make a record for you, so you can hand it over once you attend an intermediate Soul Master academy. As he was unclear about the boundaries of the spiritual power system, Tang Wulin also wasnt clear about the significance of having a spiritual power level of 38. Seeing Tang Wulins perplexed expression, the Spirit Master kindly explained, Spirit Origin realm can be ranged between level 1 to 100 spiritual power. Levels 30 and below are elementary ranked. Levels 30 to 60 are intermediate ranked. Levels 60 to 90 are advanced rank. Levels 90 to 100 is the peak of Spirit Origin. Youve already entered Spirit Origin realm intermediate rank at such a young age; that isnt easy at all. Im a 28th rank Soul Grandmaster, yet my spiritual power is only at level 87. With spiritual power in the intermediate rank of Spirit Origin realm, youll be able to fuse with a hundred year yellow spirit soul. This good news caused Tang Wulin to immediately brighten up a bit. Whats more, the Spirit Masters explanation of spiritual power had enabled him to see another magnificent side to the world of Soul Masters. If you accept, then well see just how good your luck is. The Spirit Master brought Tang Wulin directly into an adjacent room afterwards. Inside of this much larger room, there was a three meter tall, six meter wide gigantic machine. Numerous glowing spheres with a diameter of about one third of a meter could be seen within it. Each and every one of these balls of light were exactly the same. The Spirit Master pointed at two buttons on the machine and said, The green button is to start, the red button is to stop. After stopping, the spirit soul at that location will roll out. You may begin whenever youre ready. Tang Wulins heartbeat couldnt help but quicken in front of this odd machine. Teacher Lin Ximeng had said before that the quality of a spirit soul played a significant role in a Soul Masters strength. Fusing with a strong spirit soul would help a Soul Master upgrade their own power. On the other hand, if they fused with a weak spirit soul, the spirit skill bestowed upon them would be equally weak. A Soul Master could have a maximum of nine spirit skills. Although it was exceedingly rare for someone to reach nine spirit rings, this just made the lower level spirit skills that much more important. What is to be, will be. Tang Wulin clenched his teeth, then bravely pressed the green button. A succession of lights within the machine immediately began to shine, until every single ball was illuminated. The hundred or so spirit souls within the machine slowly began to circulate. Not too long after, it reached a shockingly fast speed, giving off the feeling of being too much for ones eyes to take in. The spirit souls were all concealed from the outside world by the spirit soul ball. Nothing of the inner contents could be discerned by the eye. The result could only be left up to the will of the Heavens. Tang Wulins hand rested upon the red button. Although he could normally hold a forty kilogram thousand refined tungsten hammer with steady hands, at this moment his hand had a slight tremble to it. He knew that as soon as he pressed the button, his fate as a Soul Master would be sealed! After breathing in forcefully, he shut his eyes and finally pressed the button. Bang! The machine stopped circulating and a pure white spirit soul ball fell out of the machine, tumbling into the metal case beside Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin subconsciously opened his eyes and turned to look. At that moment, his heartbeat was beating like a drum. The Spirit Master walked over, took out the spirit soul ball, and handed it to Tang Wulin. Come on. Take a look. Tang Wulin gasped for breath as he held the ball close to his chest. He looked at it as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. I finally have it! This is my first spirit soul! After Tang Wulin tensely returned to his father, the Spirit Master handed him an oval shaped device. When you press this button and shine the devices light upon the spirit soul ball, your spirit soul will break out of its shell. After releasing the spirit soul, its power will belong to you.Not even speaking of Tang Wulins nervousness, Tang Ziran couldnt possibly clench his fists any tighter from the anticipation of that moment. What would the result be? Tang Wulin looked at his father. In return, Tang Ziran gave him a nod brimming with encouragement. At the push of the button, a gentle yellow light was released from the device and fell upon the spirit soul ball. The spirit soul ball reacted by emitting a faint radiance, then slowly turned transparent. The contents within could already be vaguely seen. Tang Wulin could clearly sense the breath of the being within the spirit soul ball when it made a slight movement. What is it? The radiance emitted by the spirit soul ball turned white at that moment, and in its center, the brilliance of a shining ring was seen. The spirit soul ball slowly unfurled from the center outwards. When he saw the white light, the Spirit Master explained from the side. Its a ten year spirit soul. Tang Zirans expression darkened. In the end, the Heavens didnt care for his son. A hundred year spirit soul worth over a million coins simply wasnt that easy to obtain. Tang Wulins gaze was fixed on the spirit soul ball that slowly opened up. His first spirit soul would be a ten year spirit soul, but what kind would it be? The white light began to dissipate as the spirit soul ball opened up completely. The spirit soul inside had appeared at last. As soon as he saw it, the Spirit Masters expression changed a bit. Tang Ziran and Tang Wulin were both dumbfounded. The spirit soul was actually 20 Spirit Soul Authors note: Dont cry Wulin. Stand up cough cough. I request collections, I request recommendation tickets, then I will treat him a bit nicer. (Guide on how to stop Wulin Cruelty here, courtesy of CKTalon and Etvolare) Within the white spirit soul ball, a little fellow was quietly crawling. It really was too tiny, measuring only about ten centimeters in length and was about as thin as a childs finger. Its body was an earthen yellow color, and if you looked at it closely, a tiny rhombus shaped scale could be seen. This is a spirit soul? Tang Ziran raised his head and looked towards the Spirit Master as he asked with a dubious voice. Nearly everyone would recognize what this tiny thing was. This was because it was the commonly seen Grass Snake, a type of harmless, small animal. Although it was a type of snake, it was definitely the weakest of its species. A fully grown Grass Snake would be about twenty to thirty centimeters in length and about as thick as a finger. It would only be able to feed on some puny insects. If it was to be described in the simplest of words, only four were needed. Harmless human raised livestock! Ever since his martial soul awakened and he found that he possessed spirit power, Tang Wulin had countless fantasies as to what his first spirit soul would be. He fantasized that after combining his martial soul with a spirit soul, his martial soul would improve and become powerful. It would bestow upon him a dazzlingly powerful spirit skill, and he would officially become a Soul Master. Fantasies were fine, but reality was cruel. Grass Snake? This wasnt even a question of its strength, but whether or not it was actually a spirit soul. The Spirit Master was also staring blankly at this Grass Snake. He let out a gentle sigh and said somewhat bitterly, When it rains, it pours. Child, your luck really is He knew that artificial spirit souls were still reliant on the genes of the soul beast they were created from. As a result of the gradual extinction of soul beasts, soul beast genes had also unceasingly depleted. The researchers of the Spirit Pagoda had tried many times to use non-soul beast genes to create a spirit soul and see if the result was acceptable. The experiment was a success, but the fact was, the spirit souls made from those genes were pitifully weak. Basically, no one would be willing to buy them. Without a doubt, this Grass Snake was one of the defective goods he had spoken of earlier. Whats more, it wasnt just any defective goods, it was a spirit soul that lacked the slightest bit of soul beast genes. This spirit soul occupied the hundredth position in the spirit soul extraction machine, and there was a constant number of a hundred spirit soul balls in the machine at all times The Spirit Master sighed then nodded his head. Im certain that its a spirit soul, but its a weak spirit soul. The spirit soul has already been activated after its extraction, so you must fuse with it within twenty four hours. If not, it will die. You can decide for yourself if you want to fuse with it. If you dont wish to, then you can return in the future to select another spirit soul. Tang Ziran looked at his lifeless son and was barely able to suppress the pain in his heart. He held his sons shoulders and said, Lin Lin, lets go home. Tang Wulin remained silent as he began walking away. Wait a moment. The Spirit Master couldnt bear it anymore, and called out to them. You should renounce this spirit soul. Although it was a successful product of the experiments, but its still Out of compassion, he still continued to explain the origin of this Grass Snake. Tang Wulin didnt know how he had gotten home, but he had been holding the spirit soul ball close to his heart the whole time. That Grass Snake spirit soul had a very lovable appearance and wasnt afraid of slithering out of the spirit soul ball at all. In fact, this kind of low level spirit soul didnt have any sort of intelligence. Before fusing with a martial soul, it wouldnt even be able to react to its environment. Dont be sad, son. Dad will think of a way to make enough money. You can be relieved. Ill definitely be able to make enough money in a short period of time and help you buy a suitable spirit soul. Tang Zirans eyes flickered with a resolute light. For the sake of his son, he had steeled his resolve to face this matter head on. Tang Wulin gently shook his head. Dad, Im going to my room first. Sitting quietly to the side, Naer got up and followed Tang Wulin to their room. He sat on his bed and gazed at the spirit soul in his hands, then looked to his own callused hands. In the end, tears began to stream uncontrollably down his face. Even after his martial soul had awakened, only to discover it was a trash spirit like Bluesilver Grass, he didnt cry. After all, he possessed spirit power. As long as he had spirit power, he still had a chance. His father had told him that his familys conditions werent too good. Even when he was told that they had no money to buy a spirit soul for him, he still hadnt cried. His father had said before that one must take responsibility for ones own matters. He could earn the money himself, while also helping his parents. When he first arrived at Mang Tians workshop and had to swing the the hammer for a thousand times, resulting in aching arms that desired to break and prevented him to even lift his arms to feed himself, he still hadnt cried. He had invested all of his efforts into it and had passed the test, giving him some more hope. As long as he had hope, then there was a chance that he could succeed. Countless liters of sweat had been shed as he continually forged everyday for the last three years. When his classmates were at home playing, he would be pounding metal again and again. He would meditate for longer periods than the others, bearing through the pain and suffering, not shedding a single tear. He had smiled in the face of everything each and every day, and would always tell his parents to relax. But now, he cried. He had finally saved enough money after three years, and his spirit power had also reached the 10th rank. He was just about to succeed. Thirty thousand coins. All of his sweat had condensed into those thirty thousand coins. In the blink of an eye, those thirty thousand coins had transformed into this spirit soul with next to nothing in soul beast genes. All of his efforts were like bubbles that easily popped. All of his toughness, his strength, and his determination, had been crushed in a moment and turned into tears. Drop by drop, they flowed. Teardrops dripped onto the spirit soul ball one after another, gradually soaking that tiny Grass Snake. The Grass Snake writhed a bit, as if enjoying the taste of the salty tears. A delicate hand extended towards him, intending to wipe away his tears. Naer stood in front of him with puffy red eyes. In this moment, it was as if their hearts were linked together. She could feel the pain and suffering in his heart in its entirety. Despair, sorrow, and all sorts of dark emotions lingered within Tang Wulins heart. Tang Wulin wanted to cry out, but it was as if he was drained of all the strength necessary to scream at this moment. Big brother, big brother, dont cry. Without wiping away the tears, Naer went forward and brought his head into her embrace. Tang Wulin was choking on sobs as he cried, Why? Why do the Heavens treat me so unjustly? Even after all my efforts, there isnt a single opportunity for me to grasp. I want to become a Soul Master. I want to become a powerful Soul Master! 21 Fusion Crying really was the best way to vent ones feelings. After wetting Naers shoulder with his tears, the sound of weeping gradually stopped. Naer, am I weak? Tang Wulin asked after he raised his head and wiped away his tears. Naer shook her head vigorously. Tang Wulin looked at the spirit soul in his hand. The tiny Grass Snake was moving about within the spirit soul ball in a carefree manner. You can go first, Naer. I want to fuse with this spirit soul. Tang Wulin said bitterly. Naer hesitated and said, But, this one isnt any good? Tang Wulin forced out a smile. Its already difficult for mom and dad to provide for us, so I cant increase their burden. Dad said he would help me earn the money to buy another one just now, but our family doesnt have much money to begin with. I cant let mom and dad carry another burden for my sake. Even if its not too good, its still a spirit soul. Itll still let me become an official Soul Master. Also, dad wont have to face any more difficulties after I fuse with it. Naer blankly stared at him. Big brother Tang Wulin gave her a big smile. Im fine. It was only a dream of mine anyways. Maybe becoming a master forger is most suitable for me after all. At this moment, Tang Wulins profound smile was engraved within her heart. It was the kind of optimistic smile of relief and helplessness which masked the depth of his sorrows. His eyes followed Naer as she left the room. Then he bit his lip and turned his gaze towards the Grass Snake once again. In that moment as he gazed at it, all sorts of feelings began to well up within his heart. He knew that after fusing with this spirit soul, he would lose any chance of achieving his dream of becoming a powerful Soul Master. But what could he do? He gently touched the spirit soul ball within his hand. A spirit soul didnt possess much of a material existence, much less a low grade spirit soul such as this one. His finger gently passed through the Grass Snakes body. It seemed to have felt it, as it uncoiled itself. Even though it had an illusory form, it was still able to twist around his finger and intimately stick out its little forked tongue as if to lick him. He brought his hand up to his face, allowing him to clearly look into the Grass Snake spirit souls small brown eyes. Its eyes were cloudy and unfocused, with a hint of terror to its confusion. It was also a living being and would permanently dissipate if he didnt fuse with it within twenty-four hours. A trash martial soul and a defective spirit soul. Thats very fitting. Tang Wulin mocked himself as he flipped his palm, releasing soul power to summon a faint blue halo from which the Bluesilver Grass appeared from. The Grass Snake could instinctively sense the existence of the Bluesilver Grass as it climbed up Tang Wulins finger, quickly reaching the Bluesilver Grass. The soft blue light glowing from the Bluesilver Grass suddenly released a powerful radiance. When the light fell upon the Grass Snake, a faint earthen yellow ring of light emerged from its body. This was the first time Tang Wulin fused with a spirit soul, but Lin Ximeng had taught their class about spirit souls as well as what fusion felt like long ago. A feeble mind penetrated into Tang Wulins head. It felt amiable and frightened, but it was also brimming with a feeling of dependence. Tang Wulin opened up his soul and accepted it inside. Changes immediately began to arise upon the Bluesilver Grass while its soul power surged forth. He closed his eyes and silently entered a state of meditation as his fusion began. The little Grass Snake twisted and turned within his palms. Apart from that first connection between the two of them, nothing else had been transmitted. This was the intelligence of spirit soul of the lowest grade. The more powerful a spirit soul was, the more intelligent it would be. A spirit soul above the purple rank was even capable of communicating with its host. Legends say that a spirit soul that surpassed that rank could even help the host in battle. However, legends were only legends to Tang Wulin. The little Grass Snakes earthen yellow body gradually took on a blue tint while the blade of Bluesilver Grass rapidly grew. The originally weak and frail grass harmoniously curled up and gradually grew until it was about as thick as a finger with an appearance similar to that of a vines. Upon a careful inspection, vestiges of scales could be found on the blade of grass. It now possessed a dark luster similar to the Grass Snakes. Although it was rougher, it still seemed as frail as before. The Grass Snakes body had grown a bit and was now approximately eight centimeters long. A blue smear had also appeared upon its scales. The fusion smoothly finished. The Grass Snakes spiritual power was too weak; it was basically impossible for it to resist at all. Although the Bluesilver Grass was a trash martial soul, Tang Wulins spiritual power had already reached the intermediate rank of the Spirit Origin realm, thus allowing him to dominate in this fusion. The blade of Bluesilver Grass had grown longer and had become a vine which coiled around his body. Tang Wulins soul power began to violently fluctuate as it met with the bottleneck and surged through, breaking through and evolving his martial soul at the same time. Tang Wulins whole body felt light as the condensed soul power within his dantian had countless threads penetrating into every single cell of his body. The cells in his body were aroused and brimming with energy. They were filled with a light-hearted and worry-free feeling which finally relieved the depression within his heart. Right at that moment, Tang Wulin suddenly felt a wave of heat coming from his tailbone. This heat soon turned into a scorching hot sensation which traveled up his spine before continuing to spread throughout his body. The aura around his body had experienced a slight change after this. The blade of Bluesilver Grass which had just finished evolving and the little Grass Snake suddenly stiffened and froze in place. The faint golden veined pattern appeared once again, rapidly descending from Tang Wulins forehead while the golden thread from his tailbone quickly rose. The two golden lights met at the apex of his vertebra and merged into one. This golden color was much clearer than before. It hadnt only spread all over his body, but also onto the little Grass Snake in his palm and the Bluesilver Grass which had just finished evolving. The originally dark and gloomy Bluesilver Grass now had a slender golden line along it, reaching all the way to its tip. Another change arose in it under the influence of the golden veined pattern. It was as if the dull vine-like grass had suddenly gained a skeleton and its tenacity had drastically increased. Moreover, the grasss dull surface gradually gained a glossy luster with a faintly discernable blue halo and a slender gold stripe. It appeared more striking than before. 22 Rank 11 Soul Master The same transformation appeared on the little Grass Snake as its earthen yellow body gradually turned yellow. Its scales stuck out a bit now, and they contained a distinct radiance to them. Those golden stripes extended from its tail and up its body, converging at a single point on its head. The Grass Snake grew one centimeter from its previous eight centimeters. Its protruding tiny scales had turned golden in color. The murky look in its eyes was gone, replaced with clarity. So hot. Ah, so hot! Tang Wulin wasnt aware of what was happening to his body. The only thing he could feel at the moment was an indescribable pain from an intense heat, as if his body was being smelted inside a furnace. After an unknown period of time, the scorching heat began to cool down. However, it was replaced by a numbness which permeated throughout the four limbs and hundred bones. It was as if a myriad of insects was crawling about within his body. Tang Wulin wanted to cry out in pain, but he was unable to release a single sound. He already began to look back fondly at the scorching heat he had experienced beforehand. The pain tormented him to the point that his body wished for a release of death, but his mind was abnormally clear. He could clearly feel all of the pain throughout his body. If the Spirit Master from before were here to test his spiritual power, he would have discovered that Tang Wulins spiritual power continually rose under this torment. The pain in his body gradually disappeared and his fuzzy consciousness went with it. Under his clothes drenched in sweat, the golden veined pattern hadnt waned at all; instead, it had permeated into his skin. The Bluesilver Grass moved like a receding tide as the little Grass Snake climbed onto the hollow of Tang Wulins palm and entered it. The golden scales upon its forehead returned to normal as its body returned to its original dullness. When Tang Ziran joyously returned home, he encountered Naer blocking the doorway. Big brother is fusing with the spirit soul. You cant go in. Naer resolutely said as she gazed at Tang Ziran. Tang Ziran asked with a dull voice, What did you say? Hes already begun fusing with it? Naer nodded. Big brother said that he didnt wanted to burden mom and dad. Tang Ziran stumbled a few steps backwards and collapsed into a chair. His expression changed in an instant as pain colored his face. He forcefully struck his own head and said to himself, Tang Ziran, why cant you face reality? Why must you be so weak. Its because of your weakness that youve harmed your child! The large federal coins he clutched in his hand spilled onto the table. It was too late. It was too late! He suddenly lifted his head. Naer, how long has Lin Lin been fusing with the spirit soul? Naer said, He started shortly after you left. Tang Ziran cried out in alarm, He still hasnt finished? He should have already finished after so long. Lets go take a look quickly. Naer hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. After he opened the door, Tang Ziran saw Tang Wulin lying on the bed. Lin Lin! He cried as he flew over to Tang Wulins side. The spirit soul ball was left beside the bed, already devoid of the Grass Snake spirit soul. Tang Wulins brow creased as he lay on the bed, his clothes completely soaked in sweat. Tang Ziran blamed himself within his heart. He thoroughly understood that such a situation shouldnt have occurred during a spirit soul fusion. It was highly likely that his son encountered an accident while he was fusing. Tang Wulin was immersed in deep sleep. Fortunately, his vital signs were normal. Two streams of tears flowed down his cheek as Tang Ziran tightly embraced his son. His son was only nine years old, yet had to bear so much already! Im sorry, son. Dad is so sorry! Its all because of dads incompetence. Naer stood to the side and silently watched as Tang Ziran cried. Once again, a look of perplexion colored her pretty purple eyes. In the evening, Tang Wulin woke up. As he opened his eyes, he gradually regained awareness of his surroundings. He abruptly sat up, sensing the changes within his body. The scorching heat and numbness had already completely disappeared and his body now felt as light as a feather. Whats more, his clothes had already been swapped for a set of clean, fresh ones. Breathing had even turned into a type of pleasure for him as his whole body felt free and invigorated. The soul power within his body had strengthened by a lot. With just a thought, a layer of soul power emanated from his body. Rank 11. He had broken through and entered realm of rank 11 soul power, officially becoming a Soul Master. Although the little Grass Snake was indeed a defective spirit soul, it still managed to complete its mission. Its heart was full of sadness as it entered Tang Wulins body. Tang Wulin thought to himself, Even if I cant become a powerful Soul Master, I still have the support of soul power. At the very least, Ill be able to become a pretty good blacksmith. After thinking these thoughts, he swung his arms out energetically. Pa! A popping sound resounded in the room. Tang Wulin was astonished at the feeling in that instant when he had waved his arm through the air. What kind of situation was this? The door opened before he had the chance to try again as three adults and one child entered the room. Son, son, are you alright? Lang Yue had already burst into tears as she rushed ahead and embraced Tang Wulin. The sky had darkened outside of the window. Surprisingly, it was already evening. Tang Wulin still remembered that he had begun fusing in the morning. It had actually taken him this long? Aside from Lang Yue, Tang Ziran, and Naer, there was one other person. That person was Tang Wulins forging teacher, Mang Tian. Tang Wulin hadnt gone to work that day, so Mang Tian had called over with a soul communicator. After finding out about this matter, he immediately rushed over. Im fine mom. Tang Wulin softly said. Lang Yue looked down towards her son and firmly said, Son, lets not try to become Soul Masters anymore, just staying as an ordinary person is fine. Tang Wulin smiled. Mom, I really am fine! Its just that Im a true SoulMaster now. Im at rank 11. My fusion finished without a hitch. That Grass Snake spirit soul was really suitable for my martial soul. If it was a powerful spirit soul, I cant say for sure that I would have been able to fuse with it. Lang Yues tears couldnt help but surge forth again when she heard her sons comforting words. Tang Ziran let out a sigh. The matter was finished; continuing the conversation would be pointless. It was impossible to reverse a spirit soul fusion. It would only upset Tang Wulin more if he was told that Tang Ziran had managed to secure the money. Rank 11? Bring out your martial soul and let me take a look, Mang Tian said with a deep and resounding voice. 23 Teacher is also a Soul Master? Tang Wulin finally noticed him and hastily said, Teacher. Mang Tian nodded. Come here. Tang Wulin looked at his mother, then his teacher, before jumping off the bed. He lifted his right hand and with just a thought, the dim room immediately lit up. A white ring of light slowly rose from his feet and revolved rhythmically around his body. This was a Soul Masters soul ring. A white soul ring represented a 10 year soul ring, the lowest type. Spirit souls hadnt existed ten thousand years ago when soul rings were still the most defining characteristic of a Soul Master. Tang Wulin opened up his hand to reveal a brilliant yellow radiance. Within it appeared the little grass snake. Immediately afterward, a slender blade of blue vine-like grass as thick as a finger twirled into existence. The vine spread outwards, quickly spreading into every corner of the room. This was the first time he had released his martial soul since he had become a true Soul Master. The difference between not having a soul ring before and having one now was as different as black and white. He felt as if this grass was an extension of his own consciousness. Anything it touched would be immediately transmitted back to him. In fact, he could even sense the elated mood that the little Grass Snake sent. This feeling was much clearer than during his fusion. Despite the fact that it was merely a 10 year soul ring, the rhythmic up and down motion of the white light still basked Tang Wulins body with a radiant luster. This was the glamor of a Soul Master. Even a single soul ring would make a Soul Master and an ordinary person as different as night and day. Lang Yue was stunned, Tang Zirans eyes finally regained some determination, and Naer was once again at a loss. Mang Tian lifted up his arm and pulled on some Bluesilver Grass. It seemed as if these slenders vines were really weak. After all, how could a trash martial soul and a defective spirit soul fuse together to produce a good evolution? Mang Tians heart was a bit dreary as looked towards Tang Wulin and said, Dont be discouraged. Although your spirit soul isnt too good, you have still become a true Soul Master. Your soul power now has space to continue growing. The possession of soul power will prove helpful to any profession you choose. Ten thousand years ago, many Soul Masters had approved of the first soul tools because their martial souls and soul rings werent powerful. It was with the help of soul tools that they were able to increase their own power. The same goes with mechas. As long as you have soul power, you can still become a Mecha Master even if without the aid of a powerful spirit soul. A Mecha Master with a weak martial soul but a formidable strength isnt necessarily impossible. soul power is also very useful when forging; it can sharpen your senses while also increasing your strength. Mang Tian released the Bluesilver Grass as he said this, letting it fall onto the ground to make a crisp sound. Ah! Mang Tian revealed a look of surprise as he once again picked up the Bluesilver Grass. His brows immediately creased. Tang Wulins heart was filled with hope again at Mang Tians words. Even if he couldnt become a powerful Soul Master, he could still become a formidable Mecha Master. Brother Mang, what is it? Tang Ziran noticed Mang Tians reaction, and asked thoughtlessly. Mang Tian didnt speak. Instead, he grabbed some Bluesilver Grass and tried to pull it apart. One could only imagine the physical strength he possessed as a blacksmith. However, the Bluesilver Grass only straightened out when he pulled it without any signs of it snapping. This seemingly weak existence was unexpectedly so tenacious. Your Bluesilver Grass is a bit abnormal. Mang Tian said to Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin doubtfully asked, Teacher, what part of it is abnormal? Mang Tian answered, First of all is its weight. I didnt feel it at first, but I noticed when it fell onto the ground that the sound it made wasnt light at all. After inspecting it again, I discovered that although it is very slender, its body is actually very heavy. Its even heavier than a vine. Bluesilver Grass with only one soul ring shouldnt possess this type of attribute. Let me test it again first. His eyes suddenly began shining as he said this when four soul rings appeared, one white, two yellow and one purple. They immediately lit up the room. As a fellow Soul Master, Tang Wulin subconsciously retreated from the aura released by Mang Tian. Tang Wulin was shocked into speechlessness. According to how Soul Masters were ranked, 0 to 10 were Soul Scholars, ranks 11 to 20 were Soul Masters, and after every ten ranks they would be promoted to a new title. After Soul Master was Soul Grandmaster, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Sage, Soul Douluo and at the very peak with nine soul rings, Title Douluos. His blacksmithing master was unexpectedly a powerful Soul Ancestor with four soul rings! After the soul rings appeared, three spirit souls became visible on Mang Tians shoulders. The first one was the smallest and weakest, a tiny rabbit. It was crawling about his body while emitting a white ring of light. The yellow spirit soul was a pair of hammers that flickered with a yellow shine. Artificial spirit soul manufacturing process could even make tool spirit souls. It would be impossible for a tool spirit soul to appear naturally. The last spirit soul was purple, a brown bear that was about a meter tall with two unusually thick arms. It looked very fierce as it bared its fangs whilst jumping down upon Mang Tians shouldersas if it was deciding who it wanted to bite. In addition to the three types of spirit souls released, Mang Tians martial soul was also shown. It was actually a hammer that glowed with a dim white light nearly identical in appearance to a forging hammer. On top of the hammer were some deep brown vein lines. Mang Tians martial soul was the Earth Hammer. After releasing his martial soul, Mang Tian appeared much more imposing as well as magnificent. His first spirit soul shined for a moment before the little white rabbit transformed into a layer of white light that covered his body. First soul skill, ten year soul ability, Tenacity. This was an ordinary soul skill that made Mang Tians muscles more flexible and powerful. Mang Tian forcefully pulled on the Bluesilver Grass with the backing of his soul skill as well as his formidable soul power. A bizarre scene appeared in front of them all. Everyone, including Tang Wulin, expected the Bluesilver Grass to be torn apart. Unexpectedly, however, the dim body of the Bluesilver Grass began to shine under the opposing forces exerted upon it. 24 VariantMartial Soul It twinkled with a blue radiance as it turned translucent, revealing a faint golden light from the veins within. Even as Mang Tian continued to pull at it, it showed no desire of breaking. However, Tang Wulin felt his soul power throb for a moment before it abruptly decreased. Aiyou! He cried out. Mang Tian looked towards him in surprise. Did you feel something? Tang Wulin told the truth and said, It seems like my soul power has been consumed. Mang Tian revealed a complex expression as he looked at his disciple. He no longer tried to pull apart the Bluesilver Grass. Instead, he recalled his martial soul and spirit souls, then released the grass. Tang Ziran anxiously asked, Brother Mang, whats the situation? Mang Tian gave him a slight smile. It seems that the Heavens havent abandoned this child. Im certain that his martial soul is a variant and whats more, its a good kind of variant. Variant? Tang Wulin was at a loss when he heard this word, as he had never learned anything about variant martial souls. Mang Tian answered, Under special circumstances, variations can arise in the martial soul. For example, fusing with a highly compatible or highly incompatible spirit soul or soul ring, or being stimulated by an external factor, will all create the circumstances necessary for variation to occur. Its also possible for someone to be born with a variant martial soul or that their martial soul undergoes variation during awakening. There are good and bad kinds of variations. Its possible for a powerful martial soul to be weakened by its variation. On the other hand, its also possible for a weak martial soul to become powerful due to the variation. His eyes contained a profoundness in them as he looked at Tang Wulin and said, Everyone knows that Bluesilver Grass is a trash martial soul, but a snake type spirit soul is nevertheless still very suitable for it. Generally speaking, it is possible for Bluesilver Grass to transform into a vine. However, with a martial soul like Bluesilver Grass, the odds of soul power appearing was simply impossibly low. However, I knew someone in the past who also had Bluesilver Grass. When he cultivated to rank 10, he too fused with a snake type spirit soul and his Bluesilver Grass became a vine even thicker than yours. Yet, it was still very weak. I didnt even need to utilize my martial soul in order to tear it apart. However, your Bluesilver Grass is completely different. Even with my first soul skill, I still wasnt able to tear it apart. Common sense would dictate this to be impossible. This is also the first time that I have seen a martial souls strength in relation to ones soul power. That is to say, it would have been impossible for me to tear apart your Bluesilver Grass until your soul power ran out. I cant think of any other explanation other than a martial soul variation. Tang Wulin sluggishly looked at Mang Tian. Teacher, so is this is a good thing? Mang Tian answered, Of course this is good. However, it isnt absolutely good. Itll all depend on how well you control your martial soul. Logically, when Bluesilver Grass becomes a vine, you should be able to develop towards the control system. Your soul skills should mostly be of the basic harassing vine type. In the scenario that you are able to entwine your opponent, as long as your opponents soul power is higher than yours, hell be able to struggle free while also exhausting your soul power. Thus, it will turn into a war of attrition. You wont have any chances of winning in that case. Therefore, it wouldnt be too bad to use your Bluesilver Grass more like a whip. Moreover, who knows if therell be another variation once you obtain your second soul ring. Due to this, I cant judge how it will turn out in the future, but at the very least, its promising. From now on, its no longer a trash martial soul. You can consider yourself to have profited from a disaster. Really? Tang Wulin asked. He looked towards Mang Tian with an expression that revealed his reluctance to believe. It wasnt a trash martial soul anymore? Even if its not a powerful one, at least its no longer a trash martial soul! Mang Tian said with a dull voice, You saw it just now. My first soul ring is a white 10 year spirit soul, and is equally as weak. However, I was also able to obtain a 100 year spirit soul after putting in great effort. Moreover, I was even able to obtain a 1000 year spirit soul. Due to me being a blacksmith, Im able to earn enough money to buy the spirit souls that I wanted. Youre very talented at forging, so anything that Im able to do, you will be able to do as well. Nothing could move someone as much as being able to sympathize with someone in a similar situation. The depression within Tang Wulins heart had been wiped clean. He didnt have a trash martial soul anymore and he also had his teacher as a goal for the future now. This re-ignited the hope in his heart. I still have a chance at becoming a powerful Soul Master! You didnt request a leave of absence today from work and you didnt show up, so Ill deduct one days worth of wages from your pay. Mang Tian made to leave after saying this, but Tang Wulins excitement wasnt influenced in the least. He jumped up and gave Mang Tian a big hug. Youre so light. Mang Tian said in surprise. Yet, this childs strength After Mang Tian left, the Tang familys cloud of worries and fog of cruelty had transformed into an atmosphere of joy. Im sorry mom, dad. I made you two worry. Tang Wulin was somewhat ashamed as he said this. Lang Yue once again pulled her sons head into her bosom. Its us who should be apologizing. Youre still so young, yet you have to bear such a large burden already. Tang Ziran lowered his head as if to contemplate some unknown matters. Naers lips quivered a bit. It seemed that she wanted to say something, but wasnt able to do so in the end. After eating dinner, another day had passed by once again. Tang Ziran and Lang Yue slept early that night while Naer also entered the land of dreams in a similarly tired state. Only Tang Wulin was left awake. He quietly snuck out of the house, and went to the garden where he had previously made a breakthrough. After sitting down, his heart began to stir as he gazed at the bright moon in the sky. From joy to sorrow, he once again had hope. What he experienced this day influenced him far more than anything else in the past three years. With a thought, the little Grass Snake appeared in the hollow of his palm. Thank you little fellow. You have given me hope, yet I turned my back on you. Im so sorry! Tang Wulin softly said. The little Grass Snake seemed to have sensed something as it raised its head slightly and flicked its tongue. Tang Wulin smiled, Ill give you a name alright? Were going to be partners from now on. A spirit soul would accompany its master for life, and would dissipate only upon its masters death. The little Grass Snake seemed to understand his words and gently wiggled its body in response. Tang Wulin said, Now whats a good name for you? Right at that moment, the little Grass Snakes body suddenly began to shine. The little scale on its forehead flashed a golden light. Yi! Is this also due to the variation? He firmly believed in the words of his teacher without a single doubt. His martial soul had undergone variation and was no longer an ordinary, trashy Bluesilver Grass. That gold color was really pretty just now. How about you flash it one more time for me to see? Is that fine? Tang Wulin giggled as he spoke. However, the little Grass Snake showed no reaction to his words. It couldnt fully comprehend Tang Wulins desire with its low intelligence. This type of low level spirit soul could only offer one soul ring, and couldnt give any other type of aid. Tang Wulins heart stirred as he said, You can turn golden, so Ill call you Goldlight. Hows that? If your whole body can turn into gold in the future, then just think of how formidable youll be! Naturally, the little Grass Snake couldnt reject at all. Thus, its name was decided to be Goldlight. A simple name, yet brimming with beauty and freedom. 25 Na’er Leaves Early in the morning, Tang Wulin awoke from his meditation and discovered himself surrounded by grass. It was as if he was meditating in a world of Bluesilver Grass. The feeling here was much better than the one at his home. He was unaware that this was due to the fact that his soul power had entered the realm of Soul Masters, as well as due to the variation in his martial soul. His cultivation speed was much faster now. Tang Wulin jumped up from the lawn and shook the morning dew off of his body. Lin Lin! Lin Lin! Lang Yues anxious voice called out from afar. Mom, Im over here, Tang Wulin said as he hastily ran out of the little garden. Somethings wrong. Naer, Naer She Lang Yue was panting as she ran over. What happened to Naer? Tang Wulins heart tensed up. Lang Yue took a deep breath to calm herself before she anxiously said, Shes gone. Naer is gone. Ah? Tang Wulin was gobsmacked and quickly followed his mother back home. It was true. Naer was gone. She had only left a letter on her bed. Mom, Dad, big brother, Ill be leaving now. Thank you for taking care of me these past few years, but I remember who I am now. My family has come to pick me up, so I have to go. I was really happy during the days I spent with you all. Extremely happy. I really didnt want to part with you all, but from the memories Ive recalled, I know that I must leave. I have many things I must do. Big brother, I will always remember how you looked when you protected me from those bad guys. I will always remember the taste of all the treats youve bought me. C Naer. Tang Wulin was dumbfounded as he stared at this letter. Despite adding to their burdens, Naer had brought them numerous joys ever since shed joined their household. Tang Wulin was so happy after getting a little sister. He always felt unusually satisfied whenever he watched Naer eat the treats he bought with his forging money, especially when she gave him a sweet smile. How can this be!? Naer, how could you leave like this? How could you? Even if you found your family, you cant leave like this! You cant leaveTang Wulin turned around and ran out. Lang Yue wasnt able to stop him before he rushed out of the house. Naer, Naer! Sobbing screams resounded throughout the small town as Tang Wulin madly ran about, shouting out as he searched for Naers silver hair and violet eyes. Naer tightly held onto a crude rag doll as she leaned against a wall, one tear drop after another dripping down her face. That was the first present Tang Wulin had bought her with his monthly wage. The rag doll had violet eyes and silver hair that Tang Wulin had dyed himself. It looked just like her. Tang Wulins image unceasingly revolved in her mind. It was only when they were together that both of them were full of smiles. He seemed to have always been thinking of ways to bring a smile to her face. He was always there to protect her when someone tried to bully her. Even if he was facing a powerful bad guy, he would still be as stubborn as before. Big brother, big brother Naer whispered, as pearl-like teardrops fell onto the ground. Young Lady, we must leave now. He scoured the whole town, searching every corner for anywhere Naer might have gone. He even ran along the coastline in search of her for a long time. In the end, Tang Wulin couldnt find a single trace of her. His throat had long since gone hoarse from shouting. Regardless of that, Naer was gone without a trace. Aside from the letter, Naer had left behind a few other things. She had left a small silver pendant necklace with an inlaid silver gem. The gemstone was perfectly round, with a silver thread around its edges. Seven rays of light could be faintly distinguished as they twinkled within the gem. One look and it was easy to tell that it held considerable value. However, in Tang Wulins heart, this gemstone couldnt possibly compensate for his little sisters presence. Tang Wulin attended school and went to the forging workshop with a muddled head. For the next several days, it was as if Tang Wulin had lost his soul. Every day, he would prowl the great streets and small alleys of Glorybound City until late in the night to search for a trace of Naer. He made many mistakes in his forging work due to his mental state, and was firmly scolded by Mang Tian. Tang Wulin couldnt help but continually ask himself, Why did Naer leave? Why didnt she tell me where she went? His spirit didnt recover until a whole week later. . Red Mountain Academy. Tang Wulin, Lin Ximeng called out from the lectern. Here. Tang Wulin stood up. His sadness over Naer leaving had lessened a bit after a whole week had passed. He went up to the lectern and accepted Lin Ximengs recommendation letter. This was the special recommendation letter from the Red Mountain Academy. As long as one was granted this letter, they would be able to register for an intermediate Soul Master academy. Every single student in the elementary academy who successfully became Soul Masters could be recommended to continue their studies at an intermediate academy. No matter what ones martial soul was, they would meet the requirements if they possessed a soul ring. Accepting this letter also signified the conclusion of Tang Wulins days of attending the elementary academy. Wan Yunchao winked at Tang Wulin from the seat beside him. Were graduating now. Lets go swap pointers later. Tang Wulin unhappily shot a glance at him. Im busy. I have to go to work later. Due to the mistakes he had made a few days ago, Mang Tian had added three hours to his daily working hours. Wan Yunchaos mouth twitched as he said, Coward. Youre just afraid to lose to me. Tang Wulin eyes flashed with a furious light. Im not a coward. Fine then. Ill spar with you after school in the grove. There was a large grove behind Red Mountain Academy. This was where students usually took their Nature Studies Class. It was very quiet here after school, since very few people would generally come here. Wan Yunchao was still as fat as before. He joyfully dragged Tang Wulin to the grove as soon as the school day ended. Let me tell you, Tang Wulin, you absolutely cant match up to me as an opponent! Tang Wulin didnt utter a word. Good, then. Well start right here! Wan Yunchao stopped walking, then impatiently released his martial soul from his hands. After a flash, a short blade appeared in his palm. Compared to when it didnt have a soul ring, the short blade seemed somewhat wider, with lit-up veined patterns on its surface. A white 10-year soul ring rose from the soles of his feet. Wan Yunchao silently moved the soul ring onto the short blade, causing the blades tip to extend out as 15 centimeters of length were added to the upper part of the martial soul. 26 ThousandRefinements Did you see it? My first soul skill is Knife Tip. I even spent an extra 10,000 Federal Coins to invite a SpiritMaster over to help me pick this spirit soul! Since this spirit soul is also a knife, it directly complements my martial soul! My Knife Tip will conquer all! Tang Wulin furrowed his eyebrows, Why are you so full of nonsense. Wan Yunchao glared at him, At this point in time youre still saying Im full of crap? Since Im worried Id hurt you, just hurry up and admit defeat. Ill let you off this time. If you dont, my Knife Tip will not spare you any mercy. As Wan Yunchao said this, he flicked his wrist and a knife tip shot out towards a saplings trunk. It was as wide as a bowl, but was still instantly cut down. Tang Wulin stared at him disdainfully, Plants are also living creatures, why did you cut that sapling for no reason? Wan Yunchao was going to open his mouth and reply when he saw that similarly, a white ring had materialized around Tang Wulins legs. Vine after vine of Bluesilver Grass grew simultaneously from the palm of his hand. Those slender vines of Bluesilver Grass however, did not rush directly at Wan Yunchao. Their ends were instead suspended mid air around Tang Wulin. Moments later, ear piercing screams could be heard echoing out from the small forest. Pa! Pa! Pa! Aiyou! It hurts! Tang Wulin, you are shameless! If you have the ability to do so, come closer and fight me! Pa! Pa! Pa! Aiyou! Aiyou! I surrender! Can I please surrender? How could you even use your Bluesilver Grass in such a fashion? When the two individuals left the forest, out of the two it was Wan Yunchao who looked the most pathetic. His entire body was riddled with numerous lash marks. Tang Wulin was still incapable of fully controlling his Bluesilver Grass. He had spent all those days searching for Naer, to the point where he had even neglected part of his meditation. This did not influence the whipping aspect of his control however, when he used it to attack Wan Yunchao. Both of them were still kids, thus they did not know any battle techniques. That inch thick Bluesilver Grass proved how tenacious it was. Since Wan Yunchaos short knife and Knife Tip could not attack from a distance and he had no knowledge of any other battle techniques, the result was obvious. Why? Why did it turn out like this? With a soul skill, I should have been able to beat you! Wan Yunchao shouted indignantly at Tang Wulin who was currently supporting him. Tang Wulin replied angrily, Teacher Lin had already said it before; your martial soul is well suited for melee battles. Thus it is well suited for the path of the agility attack system. However, youre so fat. How could you possibly be agile? Wan Yunchao had an unconvinced expression on his face as he asked, Then why was it that when my Knife Tip attempted to hack your Bluesilver Grass apart, it was unable to do so? Tang Wulin replied, Well this is my Bluesilver Grasss specialty; so long as my soul power is not depleted, you cannot hack it apart. Wan Yunchao looked up to the skies and bellowed, I WILL LOSE WEIGHT! I WILL BECOME AN AGILITY ATTACKER! What are you going to eat tonight? I think.. it should be pork shoulder After sending the lightly injured Wan Yunchao back home, Tang Wulin rushed over to Mang Tians workshop. What surprised him was that Mang Tian was already waiting for him inside. Teacher. Tang Wulin respectfully addressed Mang Tian. Ever since he knew that his teacher was a 40thranked Soul Ancestor expert, he had even greater respect for him. Mang Tian nodded his head and asked, So have you graduated? Tang Wulin replied, Yes. I have graduated. Mang Tian then asked, Will you have to go to the Intermediate Soul Academy in Eastsea City? Yes! I was planning to tell you. Once I go to Eastsea City to study, I will not be able to continue learning how to forge from you. Tang Wulin replied. Mang Tian gave an unenthusiastic reply, Just because I like this place for its peacefulness does not mean I wont leave this place. The truth is, all of the work that is requested comes from Eastsea City. Your blacksmithing education cannot deteriorate. I also have a workshop at Eastsea City and I will give you your own blacksmithing workshop. Every so often, Ill visit you and give you some instruction. Tang Wulins heart felt a surge of warmth, Teacher, you Mang Tians fiery gaze glared at him. Eastsea City is a truly large city. It is not like here. Before you go, you have to first complete my test. If not, you have no qualifications to continue learning the blacksmithing craft from me there! A test? Tang Wulin stared blankly at him. Teacher, what test? A ray of light gleamed in Mang Tians eyes. The Thousand Refinements! Tang Wulin asked in surprise, Teacher, you are finally going to teach me the Thousand Refinements? Mang Tian nodded his head. You have fused with a spirit soul and your strength has risen sufficiently. You should be able to withstand the Thousand Refinements. Finishing one execution of the Thousand Refinements will count as you passing my test. As he said those words, Mang Tian felt a peculiar feeling within his heart. He could still clearly remember that when he had just started practicing the Thousand Refinements, he was already 15 years old and his soul powerhad surpassed the 20th rank. In addition, his martial soul was the Earth Hammer and was the one that possessed absolute physical strength. By completing the Thousand Refinements at 15 years old, he was already been seen as a talent in the blacksmithing world. Unfortunately Teacher, can we begin? Tang Wulins excited voice brought Mang Tian out of his reminiscence. Hold on a moment, I have to first gauge your strength. These few days you have failed many of your assignments. Firstly, you were not focused on your work. Secondly, it seems as though problems have arisen with regards to your ability to control your strength. Mang Tian had been silently observing his disciple and thus had determined the root of his disciples problems. Indeed, it was not only Mang Tian, but also Tang Wulin who realized that problems seemed to have arisen with regards to his physical strength. That day, after he fused with the spirit soul, he had tried to apply force through his arm and that had resulted in a resounding crack as his movements split the air apart. His strength had indeed grown immensely. In the end, since he had been constantly out in search for Naer, along with the fact that he was still extremely depressed due to her departure, he had not paid any attention to the situation of his body. It was only when Mang Tian reminded him of it that he remembered that there was such a problem that occurred prior to everything that had happened! Thus for the last few days, as he had attempted to forge his assigned tasks, he had failed several times due to his strength being too forceful. Mang Tian brought Tang Wulin to his own workshop. His workshop was a lot messier than Tang Wulins workspace. In a large pile of randomly strewn tools, Mang Tian managed to find the tool that was specially designed to gauge ones physical strength. Strength Testing Tool While it was a simple act to manufacture such a tool, it still required one to be meticulous in order to ensure that it would be able to accurately gauge a persons strength. This strength testing tool was built using two parts. The lower portion was a flat square base, while the upper portion consists of a round cylindrical pillar. Behind it lies a two meter tall metal pillar, whereas inside the pillar was a long thin tube filled with mercury. When the blacksmith wishes to test his strength, all he has to do was strike the metal pillar, at that point, the mercury would rise according to the force of the strike and thus gauge the strength. One would have to use a blacksmithing hammer weighing 50kg for the test; the strength testing tool would automatically deduct the excess force acquired from the hammers weight. Ever since Tang Wulin arrived at Mang Tians workshop, he was required to test his strength each year. The first time he tested his strength, he could produce a force of 70kg. At that point in time he was only 7 years old. When he was 8 years old, this had increased to a force of 100kg! Although being able to produce this force was largely in part to him constantly swinging the hammer as part of his work, it must still be said that producing such strength was extremely shocking. He had yet to test his strength at 9 years old, thus, today was the perfect day to do it. First start the test with your left hand. Mang Tian passed him the blacksmithing hammer required for strength testing. 27 Five Hundred Kilograms of Strength The blacksmiths strength test was split into the left and right arms. Tang Wulin had surprised Mang Tian the first time he had taken the test, as his left and right arms were exceedingly balanced in strength. His right arm had only been a bit stronger than his left. Tang Wulin gripped the forging hammer in his left hand. The spiral pattern on its handle dug into his tender hand and tough calluses. His grip became exceptionally firm. He took a deep breath and turned his body around halfway. Then his arms suddenly swung the forging hammer with the condensed power of his whole body. At that moment when he fully exerted his strength, he felt a surge of warmth flowing from his tailbone. In a flash, this warmth spread up throughout his vertebrae. The hammer let out an ear-piercing whistle as he swung it, ruthlessly smashing the plate. Bang~~~ The mercury inside of the pillar shot up in a flash. A clear sound rang out in Tang Wulin and Mang Tians ears, giving them a brief moment of tinnitus. Mang Tian kneaded his eyes, as if to confirm that what he saw before him was the truth. At this time, the screen revealed a number. An electronic voice coldly stated, Striking power, 483 kilograms. Tang Wulin and Mang Tian could only stand there foolishly in shock. When he took the test the year before, Tang Wulin was already able to shock Mang Tian when his right arm exerted 200 kilograms of force. But now, this number already exceeded the fully grown Brother Longs! In but a short year, his strength had shockingly increased dramatically again. Moreover, this was just his left arm A nine-year-old child was actually able to exert nearly 500 kilograms of force with a single arm! This truly had to be innate divine strength! Mang Tian did his best to restrain his emotions as he said, Right arm. Tang Wulin switched the hammer over to his right hand and once again took a deep breath. A flash of golden light appeared within the deepest depths of his eyes. He twisted his body again, then swung his arm. Once more, a warm feeling began flowing into him from his vertebrae. This time, the hammer howled through the air with an even greater ear-piercing ferocity, causing a series of explosions to sound in the air. Bang~~~ The whole room trembled slightly under its power. This time, Mang Tian had to cover his ears to protect himself from the ringing. The room continued to tremble from the impact. Striking power, 543 kilograms. 543 kilograms? He had broken through 500 kilograms!? Mang Tian was once again at a loss. Although he had already guessed the boys strength increased by no small amount, he definitely hadnt expected it to have increased by such an extent. At nine years old, his two arms had a combined strength of over a thousand kilograms. His existence could already be considered to that of a little monsters. Although this was merely explosive power, this was still the strength that could be used when forging. Even with the machines automatic deduction of the hammers weight, his arms could still reach a strength of about five hundred kilograms. Even power system Soul Grandmasters wouldnt necessarily possess such strength! It wasnt until the Soul Elder ranks that this type of strength could be seen. He had this kind of innate divine strength, but why was his martial soul Bluesilver Grass!? It should have been a power type martial soul. If his martial soul had been a hammer, then he truly would have been a genius. Tang Wulin was also shocked by his own strength. Even if he didnt understand the significance of 500 kilograms of strength, he still clearly understood how terrifying this type of strength was for someone who only had one soul ring. Few could compare with his strength even if they used a soul skill. Teacher, c-can I really learn the Thousand Refinements? He asked tentatively. Mang Tian woke up from his daze and nodded. I didnt expect your strength to actually reach such a level. Lets go to your forging room. After returning to Tang Wulins forging room, Mang Tian took out a chunk of silver-white metal. Ive already taught you what types of metals can undergo the Thousand Refinements. This here is a piece of Heavy Silver. Its ductility is superb and it possesses excellent soul power transferring properties. Only the Thousand Refinements can bring out the full potential of this grade of metal. Take it and use it to attempt your first Thousand Refinements. The so-called Thousand Refinements isnt as simple as just pounding the metal a thousand times. Rather, the metals impurities must be dispelled under continuous forgings, thus increasing its density. Also, the most important effect of the Thousand Refinements is refining. It can only be called Thousand Refinements if the metal is refined and improved. For example, theres the tungsten steel in the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer youre using. It was already very strong, but after undergoing Thousand Refinements, its size has been reduced by a third while its strength has doubled! Another effect is that its weight has increased by thirty percent. Compared to another piece of tungsten, only a qualitative change could increase its weight as well as its exceedingly tremendous strength. The tungsten steels refinement is among the simplest of refinements. Exceptionally good Thousand Refinements can give rise to even more unusual effects. The better the effect of its refinement, the higher the value of the Thousand Refined metal. After reaching the level of the Thousand Refinements, you must first have the metal undergo the Thousand Refinements before you use other techniques to shape it. As a result, the value of anything made with Thousand Refined metal is a hundred times higher than those made of Hundred Forged metal. Only after youve attained the skill of utilizing the Thousand Refinements can you then be considered a true blacksmith. Tang Wulin didnt know that for ninety percent of blacksmiths, the level Mang Tian spoke of was an unattainable dream. Thousand Refinements required more than just strength; what truly mattered was comprehension. Especially in regards to the feelings of the metal. Tang Wulin had studied hard for three years. Only now, coupled with his innate divine strength, did he finally have the qualifications to attempt the Thousand Refinements. Teacher, what techniques are needed when performing the Thousand Refinements? Tang Wulin asked. Mang Tian shook his head. There arent any techniques that I can teach you. The only thing I can tell you is that when you are forging, you must treat the metal as if it were a living organism. You must think of a way to communicate with the metal while you are forging it. Only with perfect communication will you be able to attain its approval. Find its secrets, its veins. Thousand Refinements is also called Thought Forging. Every single blacksmiths style of doing the Thousand Refinements is different. They all have their own distinct characteristics. Use your heart to forge. Go and try to comprehend my words. Yes. Tang Wulin nodded. He had originally thought that Mang Tian would at least give him a demonstration, but it seems that his teacher had completely different ideas. Rather, he left Tang Wulin to learn it on his own. After opening up the forging table, he placed the Heavy Silver within the forging tables furnace and began heating it. This piece of Heavy Silver was about 30 centimetres squared. It twinkled a soft silver light. When it entered the forging furnace, Tang Wulin began to recall the introduction to the properties of Heavy Silver that Mang Tian had given him before. Heavy Silver was an uncommon metal that could only be found on the seafloor at depths surpassing one kilometer. It was extraordinarily hard and possessed amazing ductility under high temperatures, it was also an excellent conductor of soul power. In fact, it was so good that it could amplify soul power and give it a five to ten percent boost. Whether it is used for industrial purposes or for manufacturing mechas, it was still an excellent metal that was hard to come by. Still, Heavy Silver was not without its own flaws. It was simply too dense, bestowing upon it an extraordinary weight. For instance, this piece of Heavy Silver that was less than a third of a meter long was over 200 kilograms in weight. In fact, it likely neared 300 kilograms! As a result, even if Heavy Silver was produced in excess, it would still be impossible to use it in large-scale mecha manufacturing. Its weight also restricted its applications in mecha manufacturing. It was much more prevalent in large, solid state soul devices. Heavy Silver was rarely found in cities that were located further inland. It was instead much more common in seaside towns and acted as an important source of income for these seaside towns. His teacher had given him a chunk of Heavy Silver. Upon inspection, it appeared extraordinarily perfect. Its color was very even, signifying that it had already been purified before. Lastly, it felt heavier than usual. The Heavy Silver was hard, but it was still softened under the blazing heat of the furnace, becoming far more ductile. Only when Heavy Silver was in this state would it be suitable for forging. 28 Concentration of Forging Tang Wulin picked up his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers as he had recalled his knowledge about Heavy Silver. The cold handles of his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers invigorated him. At this moment, his depressed self disappeared. There was only two words in his mind: Thousand Refinements. If you look closely, you would find that the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers body had turned black. On the hammer one, could vaguely see a petal pattern that was unique to the Thousand Forgings. After heating the Heavy Silver in the forging furnace for half an hour, it finally reached a suitable temperature for forging. Tang Wulin took out the Heavy Silver. He then gripped his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers and focused his vision. Raising the hammer in his right hand, he lightly tapped the Heavy Silver, producing a ding sound. This test was called the testing hammer. Before blacksmiths began their work, they would do this to test the forging metals toughness. Mang Tian nodded when he saw Tang Wulins look of complete focus. This childs perception was exceptionally high, otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to lay down such an excellent foundation in three short years. He had a steady temperament while also being extremely clever. It was only fitting for Mang Tian to pass on his legacy to this child. The Thousand Refinements he faced at the moment was undoubtedly a very important test for him. As Mang Tian stood at the back and observed Tang Wulin, he was convinced that Tang Wulin had the ability to pass this test. Above all else, his body wasnt lacking in anything that could cause complications after Wulins recent growth in strength. He was only nine years old this year. If he was actually able to complete this Thousand Refinements, then Mang Tian feared that Tang Wulin would have broken a record. The Blacksmiths Association current record holder for Thousand Refinements was held by a SaintCraftsman level blacksmith at 13 years, 3 months and and 2 days! Naturally, Tang Wulin was unaware of Mang Tians thoughts. He was currently concentrating all of his attention and spirit on the Heavy Silver in front of him. He raised the hammer in his left hand then smashed it down on the edge of the Heavy Silver. Dang! Even as the entire chunk of Heavy Silver throbbed, the hammer in his right hand was already descending at lightning speed, pounding at the silver once again. Although he hadnt reached the realm of Thousand Refinements, he had already produced many Hundred Refined metal components before. Regardless of how the Thousand Refinements were, it had to start with a Hundred Refined metal! During the process of Hundred Refinements, he would come to understand its characteristics. Tang Wulin wouldnt usually forge with such an uncommon and high grade metal. This was his first time forging with Heavy Silver, so he had to understand its characteristics first. The pair of hammers moved in harmony, continuously pounding the Heavy Silver. He wasnt even using his full power, merely thirty to forty percent of his full power. Sparks flew off in all directions in flashes. A rich tempo of pounding filled the room as it created a lively song of forging, Soon after, the Hundred Refinements had been completed. Similar to Thousand Refinements, Hundred Refinements wasnt as simple as pounding the metal a hundred times. Rather, the impurities within the metal had to be gotten rid of while preserving the integrity of the metal and increasing its density. After the Hundred Refinements, Tang Wulin understood the valiance of the Heavy Silver. First of all, Heavy Silvers hardness surpassed all the metals he had previously forged. Furthermore, it was exceptionally flexible. When struck, it would only vibrate for a moment, as if it were resisting Tang Wulins strength. Fortunately, Tang Wulin hadnt used his full strength to strike it, so he still had plenty of energy to control the casting hammer. When faced with the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers that weighed 40 kilograms, ordinary metals weighing 80 kilograms would have a cavity struck into them with only one strike. However, the Heavy Silver was only slightly deformed after one strike, even after being heated to a suitable forging temperature. This kind of uncommon and strong metal wouldnt be Thousand Refined easily. During these three years of tempering himself with forging, Tang Wulin had learned the value of patience long ago. He didnt feel even a trace of anxiousness. For such an uncommon metal, even if he couldnt finish the Thousand Refinements, he would at least purify it with the Hundred Refinements. He treated it like his most precious treasure. His pounding force didnt increase at all, rather, he restrained his strength a bit. Through his unceasing pounding, he had come to understand the Heavy Silvers veins and characteristics. Little by little, he purified it completely. Although Mang Tian was just as serious as any other day, he gradually began to reveal a smile. This child truly was clever. He hadnt given Tang Wulin any tips at all, yet he was able to find his own rhythm. This chunk of uncommon metal should be treated like ones most beloved woman. One had to cherish it during the forging process rather than blindly pounding it. Although it seemed valiant on the outside, its inner viens would be met with destruction, causing all of its other characteristics to suffer too. Although pounding it with a weaker strength would take much longer, it was undoubtedly the most dependable method, especially with an unfamiliar chunk of metal. Through a long process of forging it, he can also familiarize himself and feels its internal structure changing. Tang Wulin became more and more concentrated in his forging as time went on until finally, he entered a fantastic state. To him, the only thing that existed was the Heavy Silver in front of him. His soul power enhanced his strength, thus increasing his stamina and focus even more. In fact, after undergoing such pain and suffering, his spiritual power had definitely grown by a degree. Soul power below the realm of Spirit Connection didnt seem useful at all, however, its effects were actually present everywhere. It could improveones perception as well as support ones persistence. Tang Wulin was even more focused on his forging under the effects of his increased spiritual power. His three years of forging hadnt definitely contributed to his spiritual power being assessed at level 38 by the Spirit Pagodas spiritual power machine. An hour later, the Heavy Silver didnt seem to have changed much, it was only slightly deformed. Two hours later, the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers began pounding the metal even more intensively. Tang Wulins forehead was covered with sweat. After his unceasing forging, his body was already exhausted, but his spirit was still extremely stimulated. Two hours later yielded little results. In fact, the state of the Heavy Silver wasnt too far off from when it was only Hundred Refined. However, he had managed to gradually communicate with this chunk of Heavy Silver in these two hours. If someone looked closely at the surface of the Heavy Silver, they would find that each corner had a small circular depression. Tang Wulin didnt know how many times he struck each of the corners with the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer. Every time it was struck, its whole body would vibrate, giving Tang Wulin more insight into its characteristics. Dang! This strike was clearly louder than the previous ones, raising the eyebrows of the nearby Mang Tian. Tang Wulin finally started to use more strength! Afterwards, loud hammering noises resounded one after another. After two hours of careful forging, he had already understood the character of this metal. Now it was time to truly begin forging it. His whole body trembled each time he hammered the metal. Starting from his calves, his power then travelled to his waist, before moving onto his back, then arms, until finally, it descended down towards the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers. The power of each strike already exceeded 300 kilograms! The buttons for controlling the furnaces flames were underneath. With a light tap of his left foot, the furnace fire reached its maximum intensity. The orange flames that were sputtering out of the furnaces ventilation holes had already heated the Heavy Silver into a bright red color. 29 Thousand Refined Heavy Silver The higher the temperature, the more ductile the Heavy Silver became. Two hours of patient forging passed. The metal suddenly erupted, but Tang Wulin continued his relentless forging. With each powerful strike, the Heavy Silver gave off sparks as it began to deform. Whenever his arms began to ache, another wave of heat would circulate out from his vertebrate. It dissolved all of his aches the moment it flowed into the hundred bones of his four limbs. Tang Wulin also automatically transferred soul power into his arms in order to maintain his strength. Gradually, the chunk of Heavy Silver grew smaller and smaller as it became progressively more pure. It must be said that Heavy Silvers strength was that it already had very high and incredibly dense characteristics. If one wanted to purify and shrink it, it would be exceedingly difficult, especially if one wanted to avoid destroying its veins. As Tang Wulins hands purified the metal, however, this chunk of Heavy Silvers value would increase by at least two or three-fold. Tang Wulin wasnt even aware of how many times he had struck the chunk of metal. Gradually, the sounds of pounding died down. In front of him was a chunk of Heavy SIlver that was releasing a faintly discernable radiance. Everytime he struck, it appeared as if it would breathe in unison with him. Tang Wulins vertebrae was already scorching hot and, hidden under his clothes, a dim golden-veined pattern appeared. Off to the side, Mang Tians attention was completely focused upon the chunk of Heavy Silver and he hadnt noticed the change in his disciples body at all. A golden spark appeared within the deepest depths of Tang Wulins eyes as his hammer became one with his body. With every strike, the Heavy Silver would sing out a comforting note. Tang Wulins eyes shone brighter and brighter as his hammering also sped up. All of his strength was condensed into the pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers he held in his hands. The Heavy Silver was beginning to reveal its purest state. It shrunk more and more. Shrinking by five percent, ten percent, fifteen percent. After reaching this degree of shrinking, its density had also reached its limit. It couldnt possibly shrink inwards anymore. Tang Wulin still continued to hammer it. With every strike, the Heavy Silvers vein lines would improve a little. Its vein lines were becoming more and more fair. The light of the forging flames had long since illuminated the blacksmiths within the room, turning them into a deep red. Tang Wulins clothes were soaked in sweat. Even Mang Tian, who was watching from the sidelines, had his forehead covered with sweat. Thousand Refinings. This was the feeling of the Thousand Refinings. As a Grandmaster Blacksmith, Mang Tian had an outstandingly acute perception and knew that Tang Wulin and the Heavy Silver had come to an agreement. This was a type of indescribable feeling that one could only understand after completing the Thousand Refinements. Mang Tian had originally wanted Tang Wulin to just gain an understanding of Heavy Silver, and then he could finish his first Thousand Refinements any time before he went off to attend the intermediate academy. He absolutely didnt expect that Tang Wulin would be able to begin his Thousand Refinements the very first day he touched the Heavy Silver. Moreover, he had already entered this special state. This could be attributed to not just Tang Wulins strength, but also his perception! A child like this was definitely destined to become a great master! Throughout his life, Mang Tians greatest regret was his inability to become a Saint Craftsman level blacksmith. As he watched Tang Wulin however, he could see the boy fulfil his dreams in his place. Three hours had passed. Tang Wulin had never forged continuously for such a long period of time, especially with such intensity. Soon, three and a half hours went by and it was four hours! Unaware of what was happening, Tang Ziran stood outside of the forging rooms doorway and waited. His son hadnt returned after so long, so he had come looking for him, just in time to see his son dripping with sweat. That fantastic tempo was like a symphony of hammering played under the focused gaze of his son. This was the first time he had seen his son forging. Clearly, this was a higher level of forging than he had expected! Tang Wulin was only nine years old too! In these three short years, he had unexpectedly already reached such a level in forging. Tang Ziran had met his fair share of master blacksmiths before, and now he could discern the aura of a master blacksmith coming from Tang Wulin! Tang Ziran didnt dare disturb him. Tang Wulin was clearly focused on his forging and gave it his heart and soul. Furthermore, Mang Tian was still observing from the side, clearly indicating that Tang Wulin was making a breakthrough in his forging right now. Four and a half hours later, Tang Wulins expression had turned pale. The golden pattern on Tang Wulins body had even disappeared long before Tang Zirans arrival. The swollen ache that he felt in his first year of forging emerged once more at this time. His arms began feeling heavier and heavier. Evidently, he was overdrafting his strength, but still he didnt stop. He persistently continued using the majority of his strength, each strike having an equal amount of power as the one before. His body was being supported through sheer willpower as he continued on forging. Almost done. Im almost done. I cant stop now. Not now. Ill have wastes all of my efforts if I stop now. Due to a sort of profound connection between him and that piece of Heavy Silver, Tang Wulin was able to grit his teeth and bear the pain as he continued forging. Mang Tian subconsciously clenched his fists as he watched worriedly. In fact, he was even more anxious than Tang Wulin! If this child was able to succeed on his first attempt at the Thousand Refinements, then without a doubt, he would gain a lot of confidence. With that confidence, it would greatly benefit in any attempts at the Thousand Refinings he does in the future. His success rate would be much higher than other blacksmiths! However, would he be able to hold on until the end? It had nearly been five hours now. Even for Mang Tian, he would have to spare no effort and use his soulpower in order to continuously forge for five hours straight. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang The Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers continued hammering the metal as it baked in the fires of the furnace and stayed a bright red. If the hammers hadnt been Thousand Refined already, then they likely would have broken down long ago. Suddenly, that chunk of Heavy Silver trembled a bit under Tang Wulins hammer blow and released a silver radiance, basking the whole room in a silver light. Tang Wulin lifted that hammer and then heavily smashed downwards with both hammers at once. In response, the silver light grew even more wild. Fast as lightning, Mang Tian reached Tang Wulins side. A knife had suddenly appeared in his hands as his quickly slashed the tired boys wrist. Once the blood sprinkled out, it landed on top of the twinkling Heavy Silver. Tang Ziran cried out in alarm but in the next moment, Mang Tian already covered up the wound on Tang Wulins wrist. He was intensely staring at the twinkling chunk of Heavy Silver as he simultaneously closed the furnace. The blood drops on the Heavy Silver made a series of chi chi sounds as they evaporated into smoke. The fires were extinguished, revealing the metal. The chunk of Heavy Silver was now a whole circle smaller than it was before. Its fiery red color quickly faded away and along with it, the twinkling silver light also dimmed. Before it had been forged, its dazzling silver color was already worn away and looked closer to a humble gray. There had been an additional layer of detailed lines on its exterior, just like the great waves of the sea. These veined patterns seemed as if they were carved on its body, yet it actually felt exceedingly smooth. The grey Heavy Silver had given off a profound feeling. It truly had fantastic qualities. It was the same for the Thousand Refinements version. Different metals would have varying difficulties for being Thousand Refined. If the difficulty of forging his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers was said to be a level of one, then the difficulty of the Heavy Silver could said to be level five, maybe even level eight! When Mang Tian had Tang Wulin try the Thousand Refinements with this chunk of Heavy Silver, he had never expected Tang Wulin to actually succeed. Rather, he wanted to use this sturdy metal to temper Tang Wulin and let him gain a feeling for the Thousand Refinings. However, five hours later, a whole five hours, he had succeeded! That Heavy Silver had been Thousand Refined! 30 Understanding Refinemen Tang Wulin sat down on the floor as he was overcome by a surging wave of weakness. Mang Tian expertly removed a bandage from his pocket and pasted it onto his apprentices wrist, covering the previous wound. Mang Tian, a master blacksmith, had a strange look on his face. His mouth was still slightly ajar at the sight of what had just happened. A genius was still a genius at the end of the day. Even if Tang Wulin didnt have a hammer as his martial soul, this fact remains unchanged. His ability to comprehend more than makes up for this deficiency. The Thousand Refinements. Even amongst most blacksmiths, it was a challenge that could not be accomplished. Yet, it was actually done at the hands of this 9 year old child! This was an unbelievable act. Tang Ziran had already rushed in to hold his son up. Mang Tian had been quietly mulling over his thoughts for quite some time before he spoke. Genius, this is a genius at work. Wulin, you must always remember the feeling you had today. To you, this is just the beginning This is just the first of the shocks you will bring to the blacksmithing world! Unfortunately, the five hours of forging had led him to being completely spent and Tang Wulin hadnt heard the words his teacher spoke. He had already dozed off in the arms of his father. *** When he next awoke, Tang Wulin was on his bed. The sky was bright and the suns rays pierced through the window sill and into the room. It shone on the bed Naer used to sleep on. Although Naer had already left, Tang Wulin had never allowed his parents to remove her bed. Deep down, he had always felt that Naer would come back one day. Although his wrists no longer caused him pain, his body still felt weak. His body felt warm, thus he lazed about on his bed. He felt an odd sense of comfort. A faint smile broke out on his face. The Thousand Refinements, it should have been completed! So this was how it felt like to experience the Thousand Refinements. Even when he lost consciousness, he could still clearly remember the feeling. At that point during the final stages of the forging, every hammer stroke resonated with the Heavy Silver. There was an extremely profound feeling. To him, the Heavy Silver felt as though it were alive. As Tang Wulin took a breath, so too did the Heavy Silver. Every stroke of the hammer was like a massage for the Heavy Silver and it called out with feelings of relief. When this feeling reached a peak, the Heavy Silver transformed. Its physical changes had accumulated to a point where it had become fundamentally engraved into the metal. Even if he didnt know what happened afterwards, he was still confident that he had succeeded. I am not a piece of trash, at least not when it comes to blacksmithing. Even as a Soul Master, my Bluesilver Grass is no ordinary Bluesilver Grass. Naer, if you were still around, how great would this have been. You would definitely be happy for me! Brother will get stronger and will protect you, I will never let anyone harm you. Naer, please come back soon, if not, tell me where you are! Why did you not explain yourself clearly before you left? I really miss you. Naers sweet smile was etched into his mind. Her voice was like that of a skylark. When she called out for her brother, that pleasantness left him greatly satisfied. I will definitely find you in the future. I promise you. Gradually, the warmth from his body had led him back to dreamland and he fell into a deep sleep. *** When he next awoke, it was due to his hunger. The sky had already turned dark. Considering that he had slept since last night, this meant he had slept for an entire day! Mom, dad! Tang Wulin shouted as he got up. His exhaustion had already dissipated but his stomach was still empty. He felt so hungry that he could eat an entire cow! Son, youre awake! The door opened as Lang Yue rushed in. Tang Wulin said with a hint of pride, Mother, I can already execute the Thousand Refinements! Lang Yues eyes were bloodshot. To her this was not important, what was important was her sons well being! Good boy, is your body uncomfortable in any way? Lang Yue asked gently. Tang Wulin shook his head, Nope! Im just hungry. Mom, since Im hungry, is there anything to eat? Yes, yes, Mom bought a fat chicken for you and boiled chicken soup with it. Its waiting for you to drink. Your teacher said that you overexerted yourself and after waking up, you would need some nutritious and digestible food. *** 15 Minutes Later. Lang Yue and Tang Ziran stared speechlessly as their son gorged himself. To their son, what was a nutritious and digestible dish? So long as it could be eaten, it could be digested! An entire fat chicken, along with a pot of chicken soup, 5 buns, and 2 plates of vegetables had already been consumed by this 9 year old child and stuffed into his stomach. In addition, he looked as though he still hadnt had enough. He was still eating his sixth bun. Go and cook a few more dishes for our son, Tang Ziran said as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Looking at his son eating with such gusto, even he felt like eating. Lang Yue hurriedly stood up. Tang Wulin really could eat, especially after spending such a large amount of energy. He spent almost an entire hour gorging before finally letting out a sigh of relief. Son, you didnt hold anything back, right? If it hadnt been for Tang Ziran stopping her, Lang Yue would have stopped letting Tang Wulin eat his fill. That capacity for food had already long surpassed a normal individual. Tang Wulin had a smile on his face as he said, Moms cooking is still the best. I ate till I was content. Tang Ziran carefully inspected his sons wrist, his eyes shining with a strange light. The place where Mang Tian had cut open Wulins wrist just the day before had truly already healed. There was only a faint red line left in its place. At this point, Tang Wulin remembered and asked, Father, was I successful in yesterdays Thousand Refinements? Tang Ziran smiled and nodded, Of course! You were successful, very successful! Your teacher could not stop praising you and said that when you awoke, you should quickly go and find him. Tang Wulin jumped off his chair and said, Then I will be on my way! Lang Yue frowned. Its so late already, why dont you go tomorrow? Tang Ziran also stood up and said, He just awoke, an hour and a half later and he will still not be asleep. Since it still isnt too late, I will bring him and well be back after that. Lang Yue gave him a glance, then threatened, If anything happens to my son, I tell you, you will be sleeping in the living room. Tang Ziran sheepishly touched his nose. Well, hes my son as well. The father and son duo left the house and made their way towards Mang Tians workshop. Master, Im here! Tang Wulin shouted once he entered the doorway. He eagerly anticipated what his first Thousand Refinings work had produced and what it looked like. The feeling of finishing the Thousand Refinements had led him to feel exceptionally happy at the moment. Mang Tian, clothed in his worn work clothes, walked out from the inside of the workshop. He usually had a cold exterior but today, upon seeing Tang Wulin, he actually let out a smile. Unknowingly, his eyes were full of satisfaction. He looked at Tang Ziran and nodded his head before beckoning to Tang Wulin. Follow me. That piece of Heavy Silver was still in Tang Wulins workshop. Mang Tian did not even shift the metal from its location after Tang Wulin was taken by father yesterday. Take a look at your work, said Mang Tian to Tang Wulin. He pointed towards the Heavy Silver. 31 Blood Sacrificed Thousand Refinemen Actually, without Mang Tians urgings, Tang Wulin had already moved over to inspect his own creation. Compared with its original state, the metal had already shrunk by one circle and the originally lustrous silver had turned into a dull grey colour. Tang Wulins first impression was that the object possessed a deep, reserved, and simple quality. Engraved on the surface of that gray metal were endless layers of a wave-like pattern, as though it represented unlimited life force. What was even more surprising was that when Tang Wulin looked, it felt as though there was a connection between him and that piece of metal. This feeling was extremely strange. It was as though that piece of metal were a part of him. Mang Tians voice resounded from behind him. To be honest, I had never expected that you would succeed on your first try. This result is due, in part, to your body and its physical abilities. Most importantly, it was possible because of your comprehension of the process while you refined it. I did not recognize the wrong apprentice; in this regard, you are a genius. Even if your martial soul is unsuited for forging, your ability to comprehend, along with your innate divine strength has more than made up for that gap. Tang Ziran looked at Mang Tian in astonishment. He understood this old friend of his. With his personality, being able to praise someone with such high regard was something that happened rarely. Mang Tian, you better not spoil this son of mine. Tang Ziran laughed. Mang Tian looked him in the eye and said, I have already restrained myself. Indeed, he did not give praise to every aspect of this achievement. He did not mention that Tang Wulin had actually broken a new record of being the youngest individual to achieve this. If news of his age and his achievement were to be spread, it would definitely lead to a large uproar in the blacksmithing world. Do you understand what the Thousand Refinements are now? Mang Tian asked Tang Wulin. His method of teaching was different from others, he would usually not give a lot of guidance and would only speak when his disciples had attained enlightenment through practice. Tang Wulin nodded his head and said, It was as if the metal had gained a life of its own. Every time I struck it, I could hear the sounds it was making. Mang Tian smiled yet again. These two days he had smiled more than he had in the past year! Not bad, what you said is true. The Thousand Refinements create vitality. The Hundred Refinements purifies and removes the impurities. The Thousand Refinements bestows life into the metal. The Thousand Refinements was originally a method created by us blacksmiths to infuse life into a metal. The metal that has life can then be considered to be the most precious by us, and in turn this can allow it to awaken its innate special qualities. The Thousand Refinements creates vitality? Tang Wulin silently mulled over those words before his eyes lit up in understanding. Mang Tian continued, This is your first Thousand Refinements work. Traditionally, in the blacksmithing world, when a blacksmith creates their first Thousand Refined work, this object should undergo the Blood Sacrifice, in order to forever be part of the blacksmiths belongings. Blood Sacrifice? What is that? Tang Wulin asked curiously. Mang Tian continued, If one were to say that the Thousand Refinements were to bestow life to the metal, then the Blood Sacrifice would be to let it become one with your blood vessels. It would become a part of your body. Combining the Blood Sacrifice with a metal that has undergone the Thousand Refinements, this would result in your blood vessels having the same improvement, being able to bring out stronger innate qualities! At the side, Tang Ziran couldnt help but shout out, Brother Mang, if every Thousand Refinements requires the Blood Sacrifice, how much blood will a blacksmith lose? Mang Tian retorted, If you dont understand, dont blabber rubbish. Do you think that every Thousand Refinements produces an object worthy of using the Blood Sacrifice on? A blacksmiths first Thousand Refined work will have to undergo the Blood Sacrifice, as this is our tradition. From today onwards, very few objects will require the Blood Sacrifice. Usually, only when one is wholly satisfied with the result would one do so. Once you utilize the Blood Sacrifice, this piece of metal can only be used by the individual. Even if others were to attempt to forge with it, it would not be possible as the metal would not recognize anyone else. Even if they tried, the metal would just shatter; it only recognizes its master. Thus, a Thousand Forgings work, would usually not undergo the Blood Sacrifice. Unless the client wishes to use their own blood to do so, then it would work. Tang Wulin, I want to emphasize to you on this point. In the future, unless you really need the metal and the Thousand Refinements is successful, do not easily utilize the Blood Sacrifice. That will only harm your vitality. Yes, Master, Tang Wulin promised as he nodded furiously. His eyes, however, were already focused on that piece of Heavy Silver. Its yours. Mang Tian smiled as he said it. Wulin replied in shock, But Master, I cannot afford it. Mang Tian continued, This is what you deserve, this Heavy Silver might have a price on it, but the Thousand Refinements is priceless. Also, as per the rules of the blacksmithing world, regardless of whomever provides the material, for the first work produced by the Thousand Refinements , it belongs to the blacksmith who made it. Being able to undergo the Thousand Refinements, that tungsten hammer is not very suitable for your use. With the size of this Heavy Silver, it is perfect for producing two hammers. Before you leave to for an intermediate academy, first finish crafting this. I also want to see what your first Thousand Refinements works awakened special quality is. Are you really giving it to me? Tang Wulins eyes shone with happiness as he asked. Do you actually think Iwant to fool you? Mang Tian retorted. Its no longer early, go back tonight and rest well. Come again tomorrow to forge your Heavy Silver hammer. OH YEAH! Thank you master! Tang Wulin cheered happily. He gave a deep bow to Mang Tian before grabbing the Heavy Silver and hugging it. As the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver was grasped in his hand, Tang Wulin could feel that it was extremely heavy. This piece of Heavy Silver was approximately 150 kilograms in weight! When one looked upon it, it didnt seem all that large. Metal in hand, Tang Wulin could feel what his Master had said about the connection with his blood. He could already feel that this Heavy Silver was a part of him as he held it. This feeling was both wonderful and strange. If he were to use this material for his forging hammer, what kind of result would that bring? For the next few days, Tang Wulin was immersed in the forging process. Blacksmithing brought him a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. What he didnt know was that only after he finished the Thousand Refinements had Mang Tian truly recognized him as his disciple, to the point where Mang Tian stopped his work to patiently teach Tang Wulin. Three days later, the Heavy Silver forging was finally complete. Looking at the hammer on the forging anvil, Tang Wulins heart was filled with pride. When he had just finished the Thousand Refinements on the Heavy Silver, that was just the base of what was to come. Now, this was truly his first complete Thousand Refinements work. Looking at the appearance of the hammer, this Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer was no different from the Thousand Refined Tungsten hammer. Even its size was similar. The difference was that the weight was several times heavier. If not for Tang Wulins strength combined with his spirit souls strengthening, even moving the hammer would not have been an easy task. 32 Peak Special Effec At first glance, the pair of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers didnt appear eye-catching. Their grey exterior made them appear like ordinary forging hammers. Upon closer inspection however, one would discover dark, wave-like patterns covering its whole body. The dark wavy patterns on the handle even seemed to be nurturing an endless strength. A spiral pattern twisted along the hammers handles, down to the very end, where it stopped at a sharp point. He had spent three whole days forging these hammers, little by little. During the forging process, he could feel in his blood that he was doing half the work for twice the results. Even though he worked with such efficiency, it had still taken him three whole days to complete the project. Its finished. Lets see what the Thousand Refined special effect is, Mang Tian said to Tang Wulin. Even a master blacksmith like Mang Tian had expectant eyes. Mn. Tang Wulin nodded and gripped the pair of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers in his hands. He had already conducted a series of measurements after forging them. The hammer in his left hand weighed 152 kilograms while the hammer in his right hand weighed 166 kilograms. Although these hammers appeared small, their weight could definitely be described by using one word: astonishing. As Tang Wulin held the spiral patterned handles, he could sense the soul power in his body surging forth. In a flash, his soul power connected with the two hammers. Although Tang Wulins increase in strength wasnt small by any measure, it wasnt enough to solely rely on brute strength when forging these hammers. Even if he had innate divine strength, there was still the restriction of him being only nine years old. As he felt the connection between his blood and these hammers, it was as if they grew lighter by a bit. Moreover, with the addition of his soul power, his grip on the two hammers became exceptionally steady. Tang Wulin took out a chunk of metal from the forging furnace that had been prepared beforehand. After a moment, his eyes focused and he gave the customary light tap on the chunk of metal with the hammer in his left hand. Ding ding ding! Three brittle notes resounded. Tang Wulin stood there foolishly while Mang Tians pupils contracted momentarily. Test it out again. Mang Tian eagerly said. Tang Wulin once again tapped the chunk of metal with the hammer in his left hand. Ding ding ding. Three brittle notes resounded once again, despite the fact that he had only tapped the metal once. Use a heavy strike! Mang Tian said deeply. Tang Wulins right hand was already trailing an arc in the air as he heavily hammered the chunk of metal. DANG DANG DANG! Three crisp bangs exploded out. Due to the stronger strike this time, Tang Wulin and Mang Tian were clearly able to see that the moment the hammer made contact with the chunk of metal, two blurred images similar to the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer had appeared behind it. The two extra dangs had come from those phantom copies. This is Tang Wulin looked towards Mang Tian in bewilderment. Mang Tian stared blankly, nearly losing his voice as he said, Stacked Hammers effect. Teacher, what is the Stacked Hammers? Mang Tian looked at him with eccentric eyes, You brat, you really are a little monster! Even I havent ever forged hammers with the Stacked Hammers effect. After a few frantic breaths, Mang Tian was able to calm himself down. Mang Tian had thought that Tang Wulins first Thousand Refinements would have a pretty good special effect, but he had never expected that it would actually be such an outrageous one. The reason blacksmiths use the Blood Sacrifice for their first Thousand Refinements is because it usually has a good special effect. Thus, the Blood Sacrifice will connect the metal with your blood vessels and push the awakened special effect to its peak. As a result, almost all blacksmiths will have their first Thousand Refined work be a pair of forging hammers that they will use throughout their life. Tang Wulin was a smart kid, so he was immediately able to understand that Mang Tian had been prepared to gift that chunk of Heavy Silver to him the moment he had taken it out. Tang Wulin wasnt too clear about the exact value of Heavy Silver, but he understood that it was exceedingly valuable. Especially since it was such a large chunk of purified Heavy Silver. Mang Tian continued on. There are several amazing special effects that can be produced by the Thousand Refinements, but only an effect that is truly fitting for its user can be considered perfect. Ive already explained to you before that the first mold of a Thousand Refined metal will be its peak. Any subsequent forgings to change its shape will inevitably cause damage to its internal structure, thus influencing its quality. As a result, it is exceedingly rare for the first forging of the metal to have a suitable effect. Tang Wulin clearly understood the meaning of his teachers words. So youre saying that the Stacked Hammers effect of my Heavy Silver Hammers is a peak special effect? Moreover, its very suitable for my Heavy Silver Hammers? Mang Tian nodded and smiled. Im actually a bit envious. After the blood sacrifice, these hammers with such a peak special effect can only be used by you. The so called Stacked Hammers is when a strike of the hammer causes resonates within itself, and creates a second, or maybe even a third strike. You have a Thrice Stacked Hammer, which is also the peak of the Stacked Hammers effect. Simply said, when you try to Hundred Refine metals in the future, your Thrice Stacked Hammers will cut down the necessary forging time by half! The two stacked hammers should have a power of 70% and 50% of the original strike. Once youve gained better control of the Stacked Hammers effect, youll definitely be able to do half the work for twice the results, no matter what metal youre forging. Tang Wulin asked, Controlling the Stacked Hammers effect? Mang Tian replied, Its actually quite hard to control. However, your hammers are Blood Sacrificed and thus, its like the hammers are integrated into your body, making controlling much easier. The Blood Sacrifice creates a sort of fantastic bond between ones blood and the metal. Blood Sacrificed metals can only be forged by the one who offered their blood. As a result, Blood Sacrificed Thousand Refined items are the personal items of the blacksmith. Even if others sacrificed their blood instead, they would have to forge it themselves for the best product. Thus, the Blood Sacrifice isnt commonly used when forging. Blacksmiths rarely create their own Blood Sacrificed products. Tang Wulin had bad luck in the aspect of his martial souland spirit soul. It seemed that he had finally found his luck on the path of forging. With the Stacked Hammers effect of his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers, he would undoubtedly be able to smoothly walk the path of a blacksmith in the future. You must practice diligently and quickly learn to control the Stacked Hammers, Mang Tian said. In addition, try to keep your hammers a secret. The competition within the blacksmithing world is just as intense as the world of SoulMasters. Until youre able to protect your hammers, you cant lightly reveal them. Understand? Tang Wulin hadnt completely understood the meaning behind Mang Tians warning, but he nodded nonetheless. He knew that whatever his teacher told him to do was for his own good. Ill give you these then. Mang Tian lifted up his hand. Two metal hoops rested in his palms. These two metal hoops were grey in appearance, but were actually forged from Thousand Refined Heavy Silver. 33 Heavy Silver Storage Rings Mang Tian said, This is what I made yesterday. Both of them posses one-eighth of a cubic meter of space. Its just enough for you to use. Tang Wulin stared at Mang Tian in shock. In his three years of learning at the elementary academy, in addition to Mang Tians words, he was well aware of what they were. Teacher, are these storage soul tools? This I cant accept them. Theyre too valuable. Mang Tian said, These are storage soul tools of the lowest grade. They dont even have a soul power battery, so only a Soul Master can use it by pouring their own soul power into it. Its really not worth that much money. Youve already worked for me for so long and your wages werent that high either. You can count this as a bonus. Tang Wulin was stammering as he said, But Ive already accepted your Heavy Silver. A storage soul tool. It was actually a storage soul tool! He didnt even dare to think of obtaining one, but now, two were right in front of him. His teacher was even gifting it to him. How could he not want them? It was just that he had already received too much from his teacher. Mang Tian pulled Tang Wulins hand and slipped the Heavy Silver Ring on. The ring adjusted its size to fit his wrist just perfectly. Afterwards, he did the same with the other arm. Although these rings seemed dull, when Tang Wulin looked at them, they seemed full of meaning to him. Tang Wulin couldnt help but tear up a bit at the sight of those rings. Teacher Mang Tian had a wooden expression as he said, The fist doesnt leave the hand, music doesnt leave the mouth. For us blacksmiths, it is the hammer that doesnt leave our hands. Are you going to carry your hammers around with you when you roam the streets? You must remember, Blood Sacrificed Thousand Refined metals must be used frequently. Your aura, your blood vessels, and your soul power will all nurture it. The longer youre with it, the stronger the bond. If you grow powerful enough in the future, it might even gain another refinement effect. Good then. Go home now and pack up your things. Come visit me one more time before you leave for Eastsea City. Tang Wulin suddenly recalled something and said to Mang Tian, Teacher, you previously said this is your own work. Could it be that youre a Soul Guide Master? Mang Tian went silent for a moment. I can be considered one, but Id rather just be a blacksmith. Im not able to walk too far on the path of a Soul Guide Master. Youll understand why in the future. Now run along and go properly cultivate your soul power. You must remember that soul power is the foundation of everything. Even if you have innate divine strength, it will still have its limits. Moreover, on the Douluo Continent, no matter the occupation, soul power is crucial once you reach the upper levels. In the future, you definitely cant fuse with just any spirit soul. Yes. Try out your Heavy Silver Rings. You just need to insert some soul power into them and use your mind to control it. Then itll store or take out any items you want. Tang Wulin nodded, then picked up his two Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. As the era changed, soul tools began to penetrate deeply into human society. In fact, not all soul tools needed soul power to operate. The name simply stuck due to it being the original name that was used long ago. Humanity had already learned how to exploit the power of the wind, water, sun and so on. With these new methods, they have been able to manufacture energies similar to soul power. This new energy was used in every trade, especially in the development of soul mechas. Soul mechas have already been turned into the main combat weapon of the federation. Even Tang Wulin had encountered soul tools in his life. For example, the soul lamp in his home, or those vehicles powered by soul energy on the roads. There were many more kinds of soul tools. Even the forging station in front of him was a soul tool. Even with how prevalent it was in society however, this was still the first time that he owned a soul tool himself. Furthermore, Tang Wulin clearly knew from the storage soul rings carved array inscriptions that it wasnt a low grade soul tool like his teacher said. This was a soul tool that was specially handmade. Its market price was definitely high. He still accepted this gift. Tang Wulin really did like them and he did need these Heavy Silver Rings. He engraved his teachers kindness into his heart. Such a great kindness couldnt be thanked with simple words, so he didnt say anything. A dim silver light twinkled as Tang Wulin controlled the rings with his thoughts. He felt the weight in his hands disappear as the two Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers entered the Heavy Silver Rings around his wrists. One eighth of a cubic meter of space couldnt be considered big, but it was still enough to hold one of the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers with some room to spare. For these kinds of short forging hammers, their length didnt even exceed 50 centimeters. Urging on the Heavy SIlver Rings would consume a bit more soul power, but the amount was still miniscule. Even a Soul Master with rank 11 soul power like Tang Wulin wasnt burdened by it. With another thought, soul power poured into the rings and the two hammers reappeared once more in his hands. This was undoubtedly the mysterious magic of the storage soul tool. Mang Tian nodded. You run on home now. Just remember my warnings. Yes. On the road home, Tang Wulin was practically basking in joy. His Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers had a peak special effect and he received a pair of Heavy Silver Rings. This was already a great surprise for him and they had already become his most precious things. ? Zi Ran, have you really decided? Lang Yue said as she looked at her husband with eyes full of distress. Tang Ziran let out a sigh. My weakness has already affected our sons future. I cant go on like this. For the sake of our son, how can this be considered difficult? I have already promised them. Lang Yue said with eyes on the verge of tears, But if its like that, then who knows how long itll be before we can see our son again Tang Ziran said, If only Lin Lin was an ordinary child Then he could live an ordinary and happy life with us. However, our son isnt ordinary at all. On the contrary, hes outstanding. If it wasnt for my weakness, then maybe he would have been able to fuse with a good spirit soul. Then he would definitely be able to progress even further on his path and accomplish great things. Mang Tian told me that Lin Lin has a tenacious temperament and hes far more mature than his peers. Moreover, hes naturally talented in the field of forging. As long as Lin Lin continues learning under him, Lin Lin will definitely surpass him in the future. Mang Tian is already a six star master blacksmith. What kind of level will Lin Lin reach if he surpasses Mang Tian? And no matter how much he forges, he is still a Soul Master. His soul power and spirit soul still count as his foundation. As his father, Ive already acted so timidly for so many years. So many years of serenity. Now its our sons time. I have decided. I will fight for our sons sake from now on. 34 First Arrival in Eastsea City Eastsea City. This was the second largest seaside city in the Sun-Moon Federation. Its main feature was its port, which served as a nexus for travelling the seas and exploiting the resources of the ocean. The city had a population of over three million people. By exploiting the natural resources in the ocean, the city was able to prosper. Even when compared to the rest of the Sun-Moon Federation, it could still be considered a second-tier city. Eastsea City had a long history and its overall appearance had preserved its original state of a simple and unadorned style. In the last several hundred years, the Sun-Moon Federation had taken extra care to protect some of the more ancient buildings. Thus, many of the millennia old buildings could be found in this ancient city. ? Eastsea City soul train station. A dark blue soul train slowly entered the station and came to a stop. In Eastsea City, nearly all of the soul trains were blue in color. After coming to a stop, the trains doors opened up, letting the people onboard off. Many people greeted each other but after a moment, the station returned to its usual hustle and bustle as people headed towards the exit. Tang Wulin tightly held onto his rucksack as he followed the stream of people towards the exit. This was the first time he had ever been to such a major city so his curious gaze was wandering all over the place. The train stations ceiling was constructed from a bunch of metal tubes. With a glance, Tang Wulin could tell that all these metal tubes had been casted and were pressed into completion like ordinary metal. Tang Wulins expression wasnt too good and he seemed rather gloomy. Before his eyes was an unfamiliar environment. Naturally, a nine-year-old child like him would inevitably feel a bit frightened by this. He had come to Eastsea City to attend the Eastsea City Academy. He had thought his mom or dad would have accompanied him here, but his dad told him he was a big kid already, and that he should go and experience it for himself. After buying him a ticket, they brought him to the soul train and saw him off. This was the first time Tang Wulin was so far away from home. Even after leaving the house, Lang Yue had been tirelessly instructing him on various matters. His mind had already gone blank when he arrived and he could only follow the stream of people outwards with a face full of perplexion. While he was following the stream of people, it suddenly split in two, giving Tang Wulin a clear look at a polished black soul car that was parked on the platform. The stream of people had split in order to avoid this car. Although he didnt recognize what type of car this was, he could tell from its exterior that it was absolutely high class. The body of the car was slender and sleek, its four wheels had caterpillar tracks on them. It seems it was an all-terrain vehicle. Beside the car doors stood two men in black suits who were peering into the crowd. When Tang Wulin neared the car, the two men found their target. One of the men walked in Tang Wulins direction with large strides and respectfully called out, Young Master! Naturally, this address wasnt directed at Tang Wulin. While he was looked around for this young master, a youth strode out from behind him. This youth looked to be about the same age from his appearance. He was dressed in blue from head to toe and had short brown hair. When Tang Wulin turned around to look, the youth had already walked past his side, so Tang Wulin was only able to catch a glimpse of the side of his face. Fair white skin, a straight nose, eyes that were slightly sunken in, long eyelashes that curled up slightly and eyes that were deep green in color. Right at that moment, Tang Wulin was pushed from the side and stumbled into that young masters shoulder. Staggering backwards from the collision, the youth caught himself and abruptly turned towards Tang Wulin. The youth was handsome but Tang Wulin could clearly feel that he had a cold and arrogant temperament. The youths expression soured, but after a glance, he continued walking towards the soul car. His expression wasnt one of indifference to his offender, rather, it was one of disdain. My apologies! Tang Wulin hastily said. The man who had stepped forward to greet his young master raised his hand and pushed Tang Wulin away, back into the crowd, nearly causing him to fall over. Be careful you hick. The man in black said fiercely before following the youth to the car. The other man in black opened the car door for the young master with one hand, while the other rested on top of the door. The youth didnt turn back even once, and directly entered the car. The two men in black quickly entered and started the soul engine, which let out a muffled rumbling sound before the black soul car drove off. Tang Wulin rubbed his stomach. Although it didnt hurt, he was still furious in his heart and thought to himself, These city people are truly too tyrannical! Tang Wuling followed the stream of people which dispersed after leaving the train station, When he turned around to look, he only saw these words plastered on a sign: Eastsea Soul Train Station. As he looked at this huge structure that was the train station, Tang Wulin couldnt help but sigh in admiration. Compared to the largest building in Glorybound City, this train station was even more grand. He turned back around and surveyed his surroundings. Reflected in his eyes was a wide street with many skyscrapers off in the distance. All kinds of soul cars could be seen on the streets as the constantly sped about. The stream of people was simply bustling with activity. This all combined together to give one a feeling of constriction. Shrinking into his body, Tang Wulin rummaged through his rucksack for his water bottle, and quickly drank a mouthful. After taking a drink of water, he rummaged through his rucksack once again and took out a slip of paper. This slip of paper was written for him by his father. His father had written what he should do once he arrived in Eastsea City. Right at that moment, a middle aged man that with slim build walked over with a beaming smile. Little friend, is this your first time coming to Eastsea City? Where are your parents? Tang Wulin looked at his slip of paper. The very first thing the paper said was: Dont trust strangers easily. He raised his head and glanced at the middle aged man before shaking his head. Without speaking to the man, he quickly walked off. The direction he headed in had a tower and on top of it was written: Administrative Law Enforcement. Tang Wulin asked to the two officers in uniform as he neared the tower, Hello uncle police officer. Can you tell me where the regular bus to the Eastsea Academy is? For the famous Eastsea Academy, every year around registration time, there would be regular busses near the train station that would take students to the academy. As long as he found the bus, he would be able to go to the academy without a hitch. One of the officers pointed to a location not too far away and said, Its right over there. Child, wheres your family? Tang Wulin straightened his posture and answered, Uncle, Im not little anymore. Thank you. After he finished speaking, Tang Wulin turned around and ran off in the direction the officer had pointed in. Sure enough, after passing through the crowd of people, Tang Wulin saw a sign with white words on a blue background that said: Eastsea Academy. Under the sign was a chair, and behind the chair were several 17 to 18-year-old youths in blue sportswear. When they saw Tang Wulin walk over, a black haired girl smiled and said, Little brother, are you here to report? The black haired girl had a pair of red phoenix eyes, a moderate build and a sweet appearance that gave a feeling of warmth. 35 Reporting In Hello elder sister, my name is Tang Wulin. Im here to report, Tang Wulin said politely. Liu Yuxin was a bit surprised when she sized up the little boy in front of her. He looked to be about 11 or 12 years old, but he was actually a new student here to register. Since he definitely had an academys recommendation, this meant he was actually just nine years old! Although he was young, he still had a very pretty appearance. Thats right. Liu Yuxin had to use pretty to describe this boys appearance. He had large eyes and long eyelashes that even made her a bit jealous. In front of this pretty boy, she couldnt help but be at a loss as her face cramped up a bit. Hello, my name is Liu Yuxin. Im a first grader at the Eastsea Advanced Academy and Im in charge of receiving new students this year. Im your senior sister here. Come and fill out this form and afterwards, show me your recommendation letter from your elementary academy. Liu Yuxin passed a form to Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin relaxed a bit in his heart as he took a furtive glance at the senior sister in front of him. Liu Yuxin watched as Tang Wulin filled out the form, and couldnt help but read out loud as he did so, Tang Wulin. Nine years old. Graduated from Glorybound Citys Red Mountain Elementary Academy. Rank 11 plant system Soul Master. martial soul: Bluesilver Grass. Ah! Your martial soul is Bluesilver Grass? Tang Wulin nodded. Liu Yuxin smiled sweetly, To be able to reach rank 11 at your age with a martial soul like Bluesilver Grass, it truly isnt easy at all. When he didnt hear the usual disdain in this senior sisters words, Tang Wulins gained a much more favorable impression of her. He scratched his head as he said, Elder sister, youll even recognize a Soul Master who has Bluesilver Grass for a martial soul? Liu Yuxin smiled. Of course! Of course our academy recognizes it, even if it is just an alright martial soul. Soul Masters have been developing for several tens of thousands of years all the way until now. The martial soul isnt nearly as important as it was back in ancient times. You can definitely improve it with spirit souls and furthermore, youll discover that martial souls wont be that significant in your upper years. More importantly is your soul power rank and your talent with mechas. Afterall, a mecha can turn a Soul Master with an ordinary martial soul into a powerhouse! So you must cultivate properly, little brother. In the future you can also just call me Senior Sister. Thank you, Senior Sister. Tang Wulin wholeheartedly thanked this pretty senior sister. Her words had dispelled much of the worries Tang Wulin had upon first arriving in such a large city. Liu Yuxin looked over Tang Wulins recommendation letter before stamping it and handing it back to him along with a small metal placard. Wear this metal placard around your neck as its proof that youve been admitted to the academy when you get to the gates. You still need to go check-in and receive your supplies. Get on the bus behind me and well take off for the academy once a few more students arrive. Tang Wulin thanked her once again and greeted the others as he walked over to the big bus. An upper gradestudent from Eastsea Academy who stood beside Liu Yuxin gave Tang Wulin a glance as his mouth twitched. Yuxin, what are you telling that bumpkin? Hes already carrying such a big burden with his martial soul being Bluesilver Grass. Thats a trash martial soul and its not like all Bluesilver Grass martial souls possess the lineage of our seniors Bluesilver King. Liu Yuxin stared at him wide eyed. You cant discriminate against our junior brother. Hes only nine years old and he was able to cultivate his Bluesilver Grass to the realm of Soul Master. How would you know if that Bluesilver Grass carries the lineage of a the king or not? Dont cheat those younger than you, havent you ever heard of that before? Who knows if our pretty junior brother will become a proud son of heaven in the future. Tang Wulin hadnt heard those words, otherwise he would have viewed this senior sister even better. The Eastsea Academys bus was exceptionally wide and could hold fifty people. There were already some on the bus. Some of them were his peers, while the others were adults. These were clearly parents who had come to accompany their children to report. A trace of envy flashed through Tang Wulins eyes. Even if his willpower surpassed his peer, he was still just a nine year old child in the end! How could he not wish for his mother and father to accompany him here? He sat on a seat by the window and peered through to observe the unfamiliar city as he tightly hugged his arms. This was where he was going to live from now on. After finding the Eastsea Academys bus, most of his nervousness had been dispelled. In this strange new environment, however, he still felt as lost and helpless as he did before. He still clearly remembered the meaningful and heartfelt words his father had told him before he left. Lin Lin, you must remember that in this world, the only person you can completely trust and rely on is yourself. No matter what kind of setbacks you encounter, or bad affairs you run into, you have to ask yourself if this was just because you werent powerful enough. When these words were spoken to a nine-year-old child, they had a shocking impact. After separating from his mother and father, he could only rely on himself now. He lowered his head and peered down at the modest looking Heavy Silver Rings on his wrists. The rings originally had extra space which could have been used for his luggage. Instead, Mang Tian had him bring his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers in addition to the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers he was already bringing. With only one eighth of a cubic meter of space, there naturally wouldnt be much room left after those four hammers. Tang Wulin closed his eyes and rested. He went over the words of his father and his teacher once more and thought, I can do it! Subconsciously, he had regained his confidence. Tang Wulin quickly fell asleep in a dazed state. When the bus began making its way to the academy, Tang Wulin woke up and looked out the window. The bus was already full. Everyone else was accompanied by their parents, leaving him the only one who was sitting alone. He watched as the scenery outside of the window changed to stores that lined the streets. The bus was travelling amongst an endless stream of vehicles. Urgency and the scent of steel permeated the atmosphere. Everyone on the streets were bustling about. At the very least, it was countless times busier than the streets of Glorybound City. A lofty building slid into view after the 20 minute long bus ride. In front of them was a high wall. Weve arrived at the academy. Please get off the bus now, everybody. A familiar voice came from the front, drawing Tang Wulins attention. It was Senior Sister Liu Yuxin who had been sitting all the way at the front. She greeted all of the students, along with their parents, who had come to report in. When Tang Wulin hastily got off the bus, Liu Yuxin instantly recognized him as this junior brother of hers had left a profound impression upon her. Ah thats right. Tang Wulin, come with me in a moment. 36 Roommates The wall in front of them was precisely a part of Eastsea Academy. Not too far off were the large stone academy gates which gave off an imposing feeling. Eastsea Academy was a large academy which was actually comprised of both an intermediate academy and an advanced academy. Liu Yuxin was a student of the advanced academy. One simply couldnt assume that the intermediate academy and the advanced academy were just a single step apart from each other. In reality, the two had a myriad of differences between one another. The intermediate academy still fell under a compulsory education, so it didnt require any tuition fees. Eastsea Academy was a Soul Master academy and the intermediate academy took up two thirds of the total area. On the other hand, the advanced academy, which only took up one third of the area, was still the most important part of the academy. As long as one was a Soul Master and resided within the greater area of Eastsea City, or had a recommendation letter, one would be able to enter the intermediate academy and receive a Soul Masters education. They would study at the intermediate academy for six years. After graduating, students would then be able to take the entrance exam to enter an advanced Soul Master academy, but no more than a tenth of the applicants pass. Advanced academies werent part of the compulsory education, so a series of rigorous exams would be used to test the applicants. Anyone who was accepted into an advanced academy would definitely be considered an elite. If it was said that elementary academies taught the basic Soul Master and martial soul knowledge, then intermediate academies taught students how to use this knowledge and the direction in which they take to cultivate their martial souls. Their studies still wouldnt truly begin until they entered an advanced academy. Tang Wulin passed through the gates and began walking on a wide, tree-lined road that cut through a courtyard. The road was paved with limestone, which gave it a simple and unadorned appearance. Liu Yuxin smiled. For the sake of everyones safety, the academy doesnt allow the use of vehicles within its grounds. If any vehicles enter campus grounds, they will have to immediately head off to the side and enter the underground parking lot. The advanced academy division is on the west side, while the rest of the campus is part of the intermediate academy. Thanks to this senior sisters introductions, Tang Wulin quickly understood that the academy wasnt as simple as he had first thought. The intermediate academys school building was located on the east side of the campus grounds. It was a massive building with twelve floors in total. The upperclassmen would be in the higher floors while the newer students would be on the lower floors. Being a first graderstudent himself, Tang Wulin would be attending classes on the first and second floors. Those are the administrative offices over there. Go on over and report in. Your dormitory should be behind the school building. If you need anything in the future, come over to the advanced academy and find me. Im a first grader in class one of the advanced academy. Thank you Senior Sister. As she looked at the junior brother who had thanked her countless times, Liu Yuxin couldnt help but giggle and smile. No need to be so restrained. The atmosphere in the academy is very good. I wish you good luck. Youll be assigned a class once youre done reporting, then youll be tested. Youll gain some benefits if you do well in these tests. Tang Wulins eyes followed the departing figure of Liu Yuxin until he couldnt see her anymore. It was only then that he entered the administration building. Thanks to the recommendation as well as the metal placard Liu Yuxin had given him, the enrollment procedures were completed without a hitch. Two sets of the school uniform were provided free of charge, as well as a dormitory key. He wouldnt receive any learning materials until his first class. He had been assigned to class five of the first graders. From now on, he was a new student at Eastsea Academy. Tang Wulin greeted everyone as he walked past the school building. He soon arrived at the dormitory, which was nearly as tall as the school building as it also contained twelve floors. His dorm room was on the second floor, room number 205. The corridor was noisy and in disarray as countless new students were reporting in during these last few days. The noise also wasnt limited to just the new students; parents who accompanied their children were also contributing to the chaos. After some difficulties, Tang Wulin was able to find his dorm room. The door was already open and there was already someone inside. Inside of the room were two bunk beds, enough to accommodate four people. In addition, there were two square desks, four chairs, two cabinets and a roof lamp. This was the entirety of the rooms features. The two bottom bunks were already occupied and the occupants cast their gazes towards Tang Wulin as he walked into the room. The one on the bottom left bunk was even taller than Tang Wulin. He was at least half a head taller than Tang Wulin in addition to having a thicker build. He had short hair and eyes that bulged outwards somewhat. Even at such a young age, he had an air of ferocity around him. The student on the right side was thinner and weaker looking in comparison. His young nose was already supporting a pair of glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance. In fact, he was even holding a book at that moment. Hello, my name is Tang Wulin. I have just arrived. Tang Wulin looked at the two occupants on the left and right bottom bunks, acknowledging them as he introduced himself. The frail looking student nodded and said, My name is Yun Xiao. The Yun() from cloud(Ʋ) and the Xiao(С) from big and small (С). Tang Wulin smiled as he nodded in acknowledgement. The tall student on the other side rolled his eyes and said, Newcomer, clean the room first. Tang Wulin was a newcomer so he was unclear about the current situation and could only nod. Oh. There was a broom in the corner and a cleaning rag along with a washbowl on the table. He took the bowl and went out to fill it up with water. Yun Xiao shot a glance at that tall student. Zhou Zhangxi, what are you pretending for? Zhou Zhangxi mischievously laughed and got off from the bed. Youre the mastermind, so you wont interfere. I dont like how pretty that newcomer looks, so if were going to be staying in the same room from now on, I need to give him a show of strength. These chores are his to do now. As long as I tell him to do it, hell go do it. Hes clearly a soft egg. If I dont bully someone like him, then who else would I bully? Yun Xiao sighed. Be careful so you arent met with retribution. Zhou Zhangxi snorted in disdain. By him? As he said this, he grabbed the things Tang Wulin had put on the top bunk. He unzipped the cloth bag and shook all the things within it onto the floor. There was some plain clothing, some goods for personal use and a quilt scattered all over the floor. Yun Xiao stared blankly at him. Youre crossing the line here! Zhou Zhangxi laughed, Look, look! What are these toys? Could that brat be a beggar? This blanket even has a flower stitched into it. How ridiculous. At that moment, Tang Wulin returned with the washbowl. He was shocked the moment he entered the room. The floor was scattered with his things and Zhou Zhangxi was holding his bag. His blanket, clothes and personal goods were all over the floor. Even the two uniforms were on the floor. The floor was dusty and clearly, his things had already been covered in dust. What are you doing!? Tang Wulin put down the washbowl and furiously asked. Zhou Zhangxi curled up his lips. Im not doing anything. Im just looking at what a bumpkin like you brought here. Pick it up! Tang Wulins voice had already turned cold. Zhou Zhangxi raised an eyebrow with narrowed eyes, making him look even more fierce. Who do you think youre talking to? Pick it up! Tang Wulins voice was almost sinister now. Zhou Zhangxi frowned as he stared at Tang Wulin. He stepped on the blanket, forcefully rubbing it into the floor. The place he stepped on was precisely the flower design that was stitched into the blanket. Dumfounded, Tang Wulin could only mumble, That was embroidered by my little sister 37 Figh My little sister embroidered that. The little flower design on the blanket had purple petals while the rest of it was silver. Although it wasnt perfect, it was still a memento from Naer. Tang Wulin still clearly remembered that time. He was laughing by Naers side as she embroidered the blanket. He had even teased her and said, These small crooked flowers still arent as pretty as you. Remember this you brat, Im the one in charge here. Zhou Zhangxi pointed at himself with his thumb. Sitting on the other bed, Yun Xiao suddenly felt something wrong. Something seemed to influence the rooms atmosphere. It now felt colder than before. After sensing this, he saw Tang Wulin slowly raise his head. His eyes had already turned red and his fists were clenched. There was actually a pa pa sound coming from his knuckles! Zhou Zhangxi looked down from above and said, Are you going to bite me? Tang Wulin moved, charging at Zhou Zhangxi like an artillery shell as he swung out his right arm. A series of explosions resounded in the air as the fist flew, arriving in front of Zhou Zhangxi in a flash. Zhou Zhangxi wasnt an idiot and knew that Tang Wulin might explode at any moment. He was already prepared and as soon as he saw that fist flying towards him, his right hand moved to deflect it. Pa! Thump! Hualala! The first sound was Zhou Zhangxis palm meeting Tang Wulins fist. His judgement had been accurate and he had even managed to meet the fist head on. Unfortunately for him, it was like an ant trying to shake a large tree. He wasnt able to move Tang Wulins fist at all! The second sound was Tang Wulins fist colliding with Zhou Zhangxis chest. There was a muffled sound of an impact, and he was sent flying through the air. The final sound was made when Zhou Zhangxi flew through the window with barely any resistance. He had flown out of the dormitory from the second floor! Ah! A miserable scream followed shortly after. By now, Yun Xiao had already gotten off his bed and was foolishly staring at Tang Wulin who released an aura similar to that of a tyrannical dragon. He didnt even know that the book in his hands had dropped to the floor. Zhou Zhangxis martial soul was the Titan Ape. He was a rank 11 power system martial soul master. The only reason he was assigned to class five and to this dorm room was because his soul power wasnt that high. Still, he was the strongest person Yun Xiao had ever met that was his age. Yun Xiao was absolutely certain that Tang Wulins punch had contained no soul power at all when it sent Zhou Zhangxi flying. That punch was thrown with only brute strength! With his martial soul being the Titan Ape, Zhou Zhangxis bones were tougher and harder than an ordinary persons. As a result, he was actually heavier than an adult at the age of nine. Even with such a solid body, he was sent flying through the window by Tang Wulins punch. Just how much strength was required to do this? Right at that moment, a person wearing an ice-cold face and clothed in black sportswear entered the room. He looked at the things scattered all over the floor and wrinkled his brows before kicking Tang Wulins items to the side. He coldly said to Tang Wulin who was obstructing his way, Get out of the way. Tang Wulins unstable state of mind was filled with the image of Naers smiling face at this moment. When Zhou Zhangxi had stepped on the flower that Naer embroidered for him, he had seen it as Zhou Zhangxi stepping on Naer herself. When that icy and arrogant youngster kicked away his things, it was like a fused had been lit. Youre seeking death! Tang Wulin snarled as he furiously charged at the youth in black with another punch. The icily arrogant youth didnt even spare him a glance as he took half a step to the side, avoiding Tang Wulins punch. His elbow sweeped across Tang Wulins back as his left foot extended below. Immediately, Tang Wulin fell over under his own strength in addition to the youths. He wasnt flying towards the window, but rather, the door. Yun Xiao swallowed his saliva. In the elementary academy, he was known as the Mastermind, but now, he felt as if he wasnt smart enough. What kind of situation was this? You bastard! Tang Wulin snarled once again. This time, his voice spread throughout the whole hall. Like the wind, he charged back into the dorm room and towards the icily arrogant youth once again. A trace of surprise flashed through the arrogant youths eyes. He hadnt restrained his strength just now, yet Tang Wulin had actually gotten up so fast. Moreover, when he had struck Tang Wulin from behind with his elbow, he had clearly felt a tremor from Tang Wulins back which issued a force that wasnt inferior to his own. He jumped, twisted his body, and unleashed a whirling kick. These three movements were completed as smooth as floating clouds and flowing water. Not only did he avoid Tang Wulins charge, he actually stepped on Tang Wulins back and kicked him away, causing him to smash onto the floor when he fell. The wooden floor was scattered and smashed while Tang Wulins clothes were all cut up. The arrogant youth landed nimbly on Tang Wulins blanket. Moreover, he had actually landed on the flower embroiderment of Naers by accident. Tang Wulin bellowed with grief and indignation, You city people are all so rotten! A pure white light was released from Tang Wulins 10 year soul ring which rose up from his feet. Slender vine-like strands of Bluesilver Grass suddenly appeared, all of it attacked the arrogant youth. Tang Wulins first soul skill was the 10 year soul skill of Bluesilver Grass, Bind! Bluesilver Grass covered the entirety of the room in but a moment. Even though the arrogant youth was exceptionally agile, he still couldnt dodge all of these vines in such a narrow space. His response was still extremely quick. He raised his right hand, which began to emit a dazzling golden radiance while a yellow soul ring rose up from his feet. A dazzling flash arced through the air as it chopped towards the Bluesilver Grass. The move was extraordinarily accurate as he aimed to cut down every single strand of Bluesilver Grass with a golden dagger. Although the strands of Bluesilver Grass were struck, they hadnt been cut apart like he had imagined. Not good! The arrogant youth thought to himself. If he had retreated immediately, he could have rushed out of the dorm room. Instead, he had tried yet, had been unable, to cut down the Bluesilver Grass. Now, even more strands of Bluesilver Grass had appeared and moved to engulf him. The soul ring underneath his feet began to shine brightly as the daggers blade in his hands began to twinkle. There was also a quiet dragon roar that resounded out as he attempted, with all his strength, to throw off the Bluesilver Grass that was binding him. However, a fist appeared in front of him at that moment. Bang! 38 Punishmen The icily arrogant youth was sent flying in a flash after being struck by Tang Wulins explosive punch. As his fist had connected with the youths face, Tang Wulin released the binding of his Bluesilver Grass, allowing the arrogant youth to fly out of the room like an artillery shell. With a boom, the arrogant youth was embedded into the wall of the hall. Yes, he was embedded. In front of Tang Wulins power, he couldnt even resist. The arrogant youth was an Agility System Battle Soul Master, so he excelled in quick attacks. Their weakness was that Agility System Battle Soul Masters lacked defensive capabilities. If they were hit, especially by someone like Tang Wulin whose innate strength surpassed a Power System Battle Soul Masters, they would immediately be knocked down. As a result, that arrogant youth had already lost consciousness the moment he was sent flying. Tang Wulin was gasping for breath amidst the disarray of his room. Yun Xiao was already hiding in the corner of his bed as he stared at Tang Wulin fearfully. For a moment, he was completely at a loss as to what he had just witnessed. This guy was this guy even human? Even that dressy guy was sent flying by him Tang Wulin crouched down and gently picked up his blanket. He brushed the dust off of it and held it tight. Fortunately, the blanket hadnt been damaged, just dirtied. Whats going on? Right at that moment, a firm voice came from the hall. ? Ten minutes later. Eastsea Academys intermediate teaching building. So in conclusion, this tragedy was triggered over a blanket? Long Hengxu coldly looked at the four boys in front of him. His frowning expression was like a drop of water. Zhou Zhangxi, Yun Xiao, Tang Wulin, and that arrogant youth were all standing side by side. The arrogant youths eyes had an ice-cold radiance in them which would occasionally glance at Tang Wulin from time to time. Zhou Zhangxis expression was ashen, and he was covered with bruises from head to toe. If one were attentive, they would discover a trace of fear in his eyes which refused to even make contact with Tang Wulin. Yun Xiao was the one who thoroughly explained what had transpired. After hearing Yun Xiaos account, Long Hengxu grasped what had happened. Tang Wulin stood there with his blanket firmly in hand, simply looking at the embroidered flower with a lowered head. His large and pretty eyes were filled with stubbornness. Zhou Zhangxi, originally with a martial soul like yours, you would have been assigned to class three, however, your soul power rank was too low. Now it seems that your moral conduct is equally as low. Getting beaten up serves you right. Youll be in class five permanently, Long Hengxu coldly stated. Zhou Zhangxi wanted to refute him, but when he saw Long Hengxus frowning expression, he didnt dare speak. You two also. Fighting as soon as you enter the academy. Youll both be in class five. Getting beaten up only serves you right too. Long Hengxu said this to Yun Xiao and that arrogant youth this time. The arrogant youth didnt seem to understand Long Hengxus words at all as his gaze was on Tang Wulin the whole time. His cheeks were quite swollen after Tang Wulins punch. If he hadnt recoiled his head so quickly, he feared that he wouldnt have many teeth left after Tang Wulins terrifying hit. Yun Xiao refuted in shock, Director Long, I wasnt involved in the fight at all! From the beginning to end, I was simply a spectator. Long Hengxu coldly answered, Youre all in the same dorm room. If you see them fighting and dont take any action to stop it, how can you say thats a good thing? That youre the righteous one? Youre so sly at such a young age, how could you grow up to be any good. Do you have anything left to say? As for you! Long Hengxus gaze switched to Tang Wulin. Youre so good, huh! You won a fight, one against two. This times matter cant be blamed on you as you were provoked. Its good that a man is brave, so I wont punish you. However, your martial soul is just Bluesilver Grass, so youre stuck in class five. Tang Wulin raised his head in astonishment. He had thought that he would receive the heaviest punishment; after all, he was the one who hit them, and not lightly either. Zhou Zhangxi was covered in purple bruises while the arrogant youths face was swollen like a steamed bun, yet he wasnt being punished? Thank you for your fairness, Tang Wulin said hastily. Long Hengxu indifferentlysaid, Although there was a cause for the fight, theres still a need to compensate for the damages. Ill give you the costs to repair the window, the bed, and the walls later so you can pay it back. Ah? Tang Wulin was stunned. Pay up? He only had the three thousand federal coins that his father had given him. This was his pocket money for the whole semester. Because education was compulsory, food and living expenses were all covered. So, there wasnt many things he needed to pay for. Go now. You can continue fighting if you want, but next time, itll be added to your record. The result of the battle, along with the record that about your talent to become a Mecha Master, will affect whether or not youll be accepted into an advanced academy in the future. If you have the courage, then go fight. But if you really want to fight, then you better not let the academy find out about it. Otherwise, there will be a severe punishment. After exiting the teachers office, Long Hengxus strict voice still lingered in their ears. However, Tang Wulins mood was much better now. Even if he didnt know how much he had to pay for the repairs, the academy had dealt with this affair impartially and justly. They hadnt been biased towards the others just because his martial soul was no good. ? Outside of the teaching building. Long Hengxu glanced at the secretary to the side with narrowed eyes. Give me Tang Wulins profile to look at. Director, isnt that childs martial soul just Bluesilver Grass? The secretary asked in surprise. The solemn expression on Long Hengxu face previously had disappeared. In its place was a slight smile. Bluesilver Grass? I fear its not that simple. He was able to beat up two people single handedly on his first day, and one of those kids is from the Xie family. How could a brat with only Bluesilver Grass accomplish this? Moreover, he was able to cultivate a trash martial soul like Bluesilver Grass to rank 11 at the young age of nine years old. Just this would make him a prodigy. Contrary to what you might think, we must pay close attention to him. ? They returned to the dorm room, but it was still a mess. No one had cleaned it up for them. Tang Wulin silently placed his blanket on the table, then picked up all of his things. Zhou Zhangxi stood off to the side, clenching and opening his fists tightly several times. The icily arrogant youth glanced at Yun Xiao who was on the bottom of their bunk bed, then pointed upwards. You go up. Yun Xiao was stunned for a moment. However, in the face of that arrogant youths sinister expression, he chose to smile and speedily cleaned up his things before climbing to the top bunk. He was a clever and resourceful person; why would he go and provoke a volcano that could erupt at any moment? The icily arrogant youths hands flashed with a brilliant light for a moment, causing a clean bedsheet to mysteriously appear in his hands. Afterwards, he spread the sheet over the bed. 39 Reparations? As for the bunk bed on the other side of the room; the top bunk had been destroyed while the bottom bunk was Zhou Zhangxis. Tang Wulin tidied up his things, then put them on the bottom bunk. After setting down his things, he turned around and coldly looked at Zhou Zhangxi. You get up! Zhou Zhangxi roared. Tang Wulin coldly answered, Get lost! You Zhou Zhangxi wanted to get up in anger. Dont be so impulsive. Have you already forgotten what Director Long said? Could it be that you dont want to become a Mech Master in the future? Yun Xiao said as he jumped down from the top bunk. Zhou Zhangxis breathing was clearly a bit ragged as Tang Wulin picked up the crumbled top bunk, tore it apart, and then threw it out the window. The entire top bunk had been obliterated completely. It should be this one! A middle-aged academy staff member said before he entered the room with a wooden bed. He looked at the queer atmosphere between the four boys, and chuckled to himself, Thats right! Fighting on the first day of school, you boys definitely have a bright future! If you all want to continue fighting, then come hit this bed with all your strength! It costs 10,000 federal coins! So go ahead and fight. My bonus will be even bigger that way. As he said this, he lifted up the bed board and placed it on the top bunk. The bed board went in perfectly. 10,000 federal coins? Tang Wulin went wide-eyed in shock. It was just a beds board! Teacher, do we have to buy that one, or can we go out and buy one? Tang Wulin hurriedly asked. The teacher snorted and said, Do you think the academy is your house? Destruction of property is a serious crime here. I assume youre Tang Wulin then? The costs to repair the window, bed board, and wall is a total of 34,000 federal coins. Hurry up and go pay for the repair costs at the administration office. 34,000 federal coins? Tang Wulin was stunned when he heard this number. All the money he had earned during his three years of forging had only totalled up to be 30,000 federal coins! This was simply too expensive. When Zhou Zhangxi, who had been glaring at Tang Wulin, heard this, he immediately climbed up to the top bunk without uttering another word. Tang Wulin sat on his bed and pondered over what to do. 34,000 federal coins. It was 34,000 federal coins! My name is Xie Xie! The icily arrogant youth had walked up to Tang Wulin and boldly introduced himself. Youre welcome. Tang Wulin subconsciously answered. Youre Youre welcome? The stern expression on Xie Xies face collapsed at that moment. Who was he calling Youre welcome?1 Xie Xie said as he gnashed his teeth, I said, my name is Xie Xie. Tang Wulin woke up from his trance and raised his head to look at Xie Xie. Actually, he had noticed earlier that this youth was the one he had encountered at the soul train station. What are you doing? Tang Wulin coldly asked. Xie Xies eyes flickered with a cold light as he said, Come and fight with me outside of the academy! At that moment, his heart was full of humiliation. He simply couldnt understand how with his strength, he could lose to brat with a trash martial soullike Bluesilver Grass. This brat had such a powerful fist that even now, Xie Xie had some difficulty speaking. From childhood up til now, he had never been beaten up before. He couldnt accept Long Hengxus words or this stain on his record. He was simply feeling vexed. Get lost! Tang Wulin furiously repeated the words he had previously said to Zhou Zhangxi to Xie Xie this time. What did you say? A powerful and chilling aura exploded outwards from Xie Xies body. Tang Wulin looked at him with a pair of fiery eyes, Youre still not done bullying people? 34,000 federal coins. Do you know how much 34,000 federal coins is to me? Since youre seeking death, Ill beat you to death then. In the worst case, I wont be able to attend this academy anymore. Youre still bothered by that? Xie Xie stared at him blankly. He had never had to worry about money, so 34,000 federal coins was nothing to him. Tang Wulin answered, Maybe 34,000 federal coins isnt much to you city people, but as far as Im concerned, I wouldnt be able to earn that much even after working for several years. Dont provoke me any further, otherwise youll just be risking your life. As Xie Xie stared at Tang Wulins red eyes, he wasnt sure why, but his imposing manner diminished a bit. Ill shell out the money, so come fight with me! Xie Xie coldly exclaimed. Tang Wulin asked in a daze, Youll pay for it? Xie Xie saw the redness fading away from Tang Wulins eyes and was pleasantly surprised. He wasnt sure what he should say now to this brat. Ill pay! Xie Xie said with gritted teeth. Great! Tang Wulin was afraid he would renege, so he instantly accepted. It was 34,000 federal coins after all! When are we fighting? Just one battle and he would earn 34,000 federal coins? He would even let himself get beaten up for that much money. In front of Tang Wulins eager appearance, Xie Xie couldnt help but feel uneasy. Tomorrow. He said, before turning around and walking away. He wanted to go treat his swollen face first, otherwise he would have to endure this kind of appearance even longer. After exiting the room, a towel appeared out of nowhere and covered his face. As Tang Wulin watched him leave, he thought to himself, These city people really are wealthy. Yun Xiao coughed. Its time for lunch now. Tang Wulin, do you want to go together? Sounds good! Tang Wulin nodded as he had gotten hungry long ago. Zhou Zhangxi jumped down from the top bunk. The unwillingness and indignance had already disappeared from his face and he was clearly less hostile towards Tang Wulin than before. The cause for this change was very simple, it was because of the repair costs that totaled up to 34,000 federal coins. Tang Wulin wasnt the only one who wasnt rich there. Zhou Zhangxi also came from an ordinary family. He had also been given a scare when he heard the outrageous cost for the repairs. This incident only started because of him. Tang Wulin, however, hadnt asked him for any compensation at all. This action gave him a better impression of Tang Wulin. ? Yun Xiao lead the way with Tang Wulin and Zhou Zhangxi following behind. The intermediate divisions dining hall was a small building located to the side of the main school building. The building had three floors, which accommodates all six grades of the intermediate academy. First and second graders ate on the first floor. The dining hall only had tables with no chairs. This was one of the customs of Eastsea Academy. Students must eat while standing, in order to increase their sense of urgency. There were three windows labelled one, two and three. Yun Xiao explained this to Tang Wulin, allowing him to understand that the third window had free food, the second window was subsidized, while the first window needed complete payment from the student. Naturally, the first window provided the best food, followed by the second window, while the third window provided the most basic foods. On the board next to the third window was written, Steamed buns. Zhou Zhangxi glanced at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin, since the academy doesnt let us fight, how about we have a contest to see who can eat the most steamed buns? Do you dare? Tang Wulin looked at him, Are you sure therell be enough steamed buns? Zhou Zhangxi answered, Of course. The third window is all you can eat. It can supply as much as you want. After all, us SoulMasters eat much more food than ordinary people. Tang Wulin asked, What are the stakes in this eating contest? Zhou Zhangxi replied, Whoever loses will be in charge of cleaning the dorm room. So if I lose, Ill wash all of your dirty clothes. How about it? Tang Wulin released a gentle sigh. Im very hungry. 40 You Can’t Beat Me in Eating Either Tang Wulin discovered an issue. It seemed that he ate more while standing up than when seated. There was already quite a crowd surrounding him. This guys stomach isnt that big, yet how can he eat so much? Hes about to break the record. I remember our intermediate academys steamed bun record is 43. How many has this guy eaten already? Hes already broken the record by eating 45. How formidable! Whats more, he doesnt even look like a big eater. The steamed buns are palm-sized too! The academys steamed buns have always been this large. Zhou Zhangxi had long since started to foolishly stare at Tang Wulin. He had always thought he could eat a lot. In fact, he had even managed to eat 20 steamed buns before becoming too full. This was simply ground meat along with vegetable soup. Tang Wulin not only ate the steamed buns, but he also drank the soup. Every five buns he would drink a large mouthful of soup. He looked as if he was truly enjoying himself. The palm-sized steamed buns were really delicious. They were stuffed with a big meatball on the inside. As soon as one bit into the bun, fatty juices would flow out. It truly was too delicious. What was most important, it still wasnt enough! Ill have to trouble everyone. Tang Wulin finished the fiftieth bun, then walked up to the third meal window. Yun Xiao patted Zhou Zhangxis shoulder. Lets go and get started on cleaning the room. Now that I know he can out-eat you, I finally understand why hes stronger. This is called the law of conservation of energy. The more one eats, the more strength they would have! Zhou Zhangxis face was decrepit as he took in this scene. Tang Wulin ordered another 20 steamed buns. Back at home, feeding Tang Wulin had been Tang Ziran and Lang Yues greatest headache. This child was truly too capable in eating. Moreover, when Naer was there, the two were practically competing in how much they could eat. Zhou Zhangxis own eating ability was great in comparison with his peers. On the other hand, Tang Wulin was basically on a whole different level. After releasing a long sigh, Zhou Zhangxi looked towards Tang Wulin. I never thought anyone could actually eat a whole cow before, but after seeing your eating prowess, I believe it to be possible now. I agreed to the bet so I must accept this loss. Ill head back and begin cleaning first. You can continue on with setting your record. En, en! Tang Wulin hadnt been all that worried about winning or losing. For him, being able to eat until he was completely full was much more important. ? In the end, the intermediate academys steamed bun record was set at 80 buns and five large bowls of vegetable soup. When Tang Wulin left the dining hall feeling perfectly satisfied, all eyes were on him. After returning to the dormitory, Zhou Zhangxi was cleaning the room, but avoided Tang Wulins laundry as Tang Wulin hadnt permitted it. Tang Wulin wished to wash it himself. Yun Xiao assisted Zhou Zhangxi with cleaning the room. In the end, the rooms atmosphere had become much more harmonious. Right as they were finishing up with cleaning the room, Xie Xie came in with a face wrapped in a towel. The swelling on his face had clearly been reduced by a lot, but it was still as unsightly as before. For you! He threw a paper bag towards Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin opened it and saw a pile of federal bills. In the face of all this money, Tang Wulin couldnt help but seem a bit dazed. When he had tried to earn 30,000 federal coins in Glorybound City, it had taken him a full three years! For these wealthy people however, it was simply pocket money. We start class tomorrow. So tomorrow night, after school, youll come with me. Xie Xie coldly said. Alright! Tang Wulin agreed without the slightest hesitation. Yun Xiao said, Xie Xie, just let it be. Well be staying in the same dormitory for the next six years. Xie Xie coldly looked at him, then unceremoniously laid down on his bottom bunk. Tang Wulin asked Yun Xiao, There wont be any problems if I go out this afternoon, right? Yun Xiao answered, We havent officially started classes yet, so naturally there wont be any issues! You just need to be back before lights go out. Otherwise, youll be faced with disciplinary action. When he heard the words disciplinary action, Tang Wulins heart tightened up for a moment. He didnt actually fear disciplinary action, instead he feared the potential fines. Ill be back by then. After washing his dirty clothes and blanket, Tang Wulin left the dormitory. According to Mang Tians instructions, after arriving in Eastsea City, Tang Wulin needed to go to a place called the Blacksmiths Association. Mang Tian had given him the address of his workshop in Eastsea City. There wasnt anyone working there, but it still had a forging room for Tang Wulin to use. Mang Tian had told him that he needed to register at the Blacksmiths Association in order to be able to accept tasks. These tasks would hone his skills. Every month, Mang Tian would come and inspect his progress as well as give him some instructions. After accepting his fate when fusing with the little Grass Snake, Goldlight, Tang Wulin had become much more focused on forging, especially after completing the Thousand Refinements. Completing the Thousand Refinements had made him understand that in the future, he would likely become a blacksmith like his teacher. Thus, he couldnt relax and had to continue refining his forging skills. Moreover, he could earn money by forging! In addition to supplementing his familys income, he needed money to wander the continent in search of Naer in the future. He hadnt asked Yun Xiao where the Blacksmiths Association was because he didnt want the other students to know he was a blacksmith. He first went to the administration building to pay the fines before leaving the academys campus. Eastsea Citys unfamiliar atmosphere once again press down on Tang Wulins heart. Glorybound City really is the best. It was so nice and peaceful there. Although he didnt know where the Blacksmiths Association was, he still had a mouth below his nose. He could always just ask someone. After making several inquiries, he gained a rough understanding of where the Blacksmiths Association was located. Eastsea City was very big. In fact, it was several times larger than Glorybound City. For the sake of saving money, Tang Wulin walked the whole journey to the Blacksmiths Association. It wasnt too bad. The Blacksmiths Association was not that far from Eastsea Academy and Tang Wulin had eaten his fill during lunch. After walking for half an hour, his destination was already in sight. The Blacksmiths Association was easily recognizable with its grey colored building and height of thirty floors along with, at the very top, a design of a hammer. With this design, there wasnt even a need to engrave the associations name onto a plate. Tang Wulin walked through the big glass doors on the first floor and was immediately faced with a ten-meter tall wall with an eight-meter tall golden hammer sculpture on it. Although the Blacksmiths Association wasnt as rich as the Mecha CraftsmensAssociation, it was still a necessary existence. A first-rate blacksmiths status in society was exceedingly high. In fact, their status was comparable to that of mecha craftsmen grandmasters. In order to make a first-rate mecha, first-rate materials were naturally needed. As such, first-rate blacksmiths were needed to process first-rate materials! The lounge on the first floor was very spacious and empty. There were only two young ladies dressed in grey at the reception desk. Little brother, who are you looking for? When they saw Tang Wulin walk towards them, one of the two ladies who had a sweet looking appearance took the initiative to stand up and greet him. Tang Wulin bashfully said, I, Im here to take the blacksmiths ranking test. 41 Cen Yue Puchi! The well-developed young lady to the side laughed and said with a smile, Look at him, his face is already red. Little brother, your eyes are really pretty. The sweet looking young lady rebuked, Dont be so noisy, Yuan Yuan. Little brother, you want to take the blacksmiths ranking test? Tang Wulin nodded and answered somewhat anxiously, Yes! The sweet young lady said, Where is your family? Or your teacher? Tang Wulin shook his head. My teacher had me come alone and told me to find someone called Grandmaster Cen Yue. When they heard the name Cen Yue, the two young ladies expressions stiffened and the sweet young lady hastily said, Please wait a moment then. Ill go ask if Grandmaster Cen Yue is available right now. Have you ever spoken to Grandmaster Cen over the soul communicator? Tang Wulin shook his head once again. How could he possibly own a soul communicator!? Although a soul communicator was convenient, the communication fees and the equipment costs were extraordinarily expensive! Even his hometown had only one fixed soul communicator. He was even planning to look for a coin-operated soul communicator to call his mother and father later and report that he was safe and sound. Grandmaster Cen, theres a child looking for you. En. Thats right, he has really large eyes and is wearing plain clothes, The sweet looking young lady said as she pressed down on a number to connect to Grandmaster Cen. After hanging up the communicator, the sweet young lady said to Tang Wulin, Little brother, Grandmaster Cen has some time right now. Follow me. As she said this, she began guiding Tang Wulin to the side of the large hall. The well-developed lady, Yuan Yuan, stuck out her tongue as she watched them leave and said to herself, I couldnt even tell! The little guy actually knows Grandmaster Cen. When the soul elevators metal doors opened up, Tang Wulin nearly jumped with fright. This was the first time he had ever seen anything like this. Come, come here. The sweet young lady didnt tease him at all. Rather, she gave him a tender smile. Tang Wulin went over to her side. The sweet young lady said, My name is Yun Xiaoling. Grandmaster Cens office is on the 15th floor. Ill take you to see him and then he will take you to conduct the blacksmiths ranking test. Thank you big sister. Tang Wulin politely said. Yun Xiaoling looked at him, her gaze moving up and down, sizing him up. Although this child was wearing extremely plain clothing, he was still very good-looking. Most of all were those big eyes of his, which could even make a girl jealous. Moreover, despite his simplicity, he was extraordinarily courteous, giving others a very good opinion of him. Ding! The elevator stopped on the 15th floor and the doors opened. The walls were made of a white metal while the ceiling and floors were white too. Neat and tidy, that was Tang Wulins first impression. There were two rooms on both sides of the hall leading out of the elevator. Yun Xiaoling brought him to one of the doors which had Cen Yues nameplate on it. She pressed the button above it. Grandmaster Cen, its Yun Xiaoling. Ive brought the child here. En. A deep voice was heard from the within the room. Then the door opened. The office was approximately 30 square meters in size with a massive wooden desk that took up nearly a quarter of the rooms space. Behind the wooden desk stood a man in his 40s. This man wasnt particularly tall, but he was absolutely well-built. His shoulders were especially wide, with a black jacket resting on his deltoids. At this moment, he was looking at a design plan laid out on his desk. Grandmaster Cen. Yun Xiaoling softly called out. En. Cen Yue raised his head and looked over. His gaze immediately fell on Tang Wulin as he looked at him with curious eyes. Youre Mang Tians disciple? Yes! Hello Grandmaster Cen. Teacher told me to greet you in his place, Tang Wulin said respectfully. Cen Yues eyes wrinkled as he frowned. Mang Tian, that guy had always set his eyes on surpassing the peak, yet he actually took in such a young disciple like you. Lets go then. Ill bring you to take the blacksmiths ranking test. Blacksmiths lived in the world of metal and were completely unconcerned about other worldly matters. Although he was unconvinced of Mang Tian accepting such a young disciple, the ranking test would verify everything.Yun Xiaoling said, Grandmaster, Ill go back down then. En. Cen Yue nodded as Yun Xiaoling smiled at Tang Wulin once more before heading off. Cen Yue brought Tang Wulin out of the room soon after and once again entered the soul elevator. They rode the elevator down with Yun Xiaoling, except this time, they were getting off on the third floor. As the elevator descended, Cen Yue turned to Tang Wulin and said, Little guy, Mang Tian never told me what rank blacksmith you are at right now. Tang Wulin shook his head. Teacher never told me either. He just told me to come take the test and accept some tasks after. He can accept tasks? Off to the side, Yun Xiaoling couldnt help but be surprised. In order to accept tasks it meant that he was at least a rank 2 blacksmith. Rank 1 blacksmiths werent able to directly accept tasks. Instead, a higher rank blacksmith had to accept the task and assign some of the work to them. Cen Yue asked again, Then do you understand how blacksmith ranks are organized? Tang Wulin nodded. Teacher said that blacksmiths are divided into nine ranks. Rank 1 and 2 blacksmiths are Master ranks. Ranks 3 and 4 are Grandmaster. Ranks 5 and 6 are Master Craftsmen. Ranks 7 and 8 are Saint Craftsmen and at the very peak of rank 9, they are Divine Craftsmen. En. Cen Yue nodded. Right at that moment, the elevator had reached the third floor. Goodbye big sister. Tang Wulin bid farewell to Yun Xiaoling as he followed Cen Yue out of the elevator. Compared to the tranquil fifteenth floor, the third floor of the Blacksmiths Association was much more noisy. Tang Wulin heard the familiar clanking sounds of blacksmiths at work throughout the hall. Cen Yue brought Tang Wulin to the front desk and said to the staff member, Open up the testing room for me and ask a surveyor to come over. Grandmaster Cen, is this your disciple? Hes so young! Is he even 12 years old? The staff member curiously looked at Tang Wulin. Cen Yue took some forms from the staff member and handed them to Tang Wulin. Fill these out first. Fill out your basic circumstances. Yes. Tang Wulin took the form and began to seriously fill it out. Cen Yue read along from the side as he filled it out. Tang Wulin. Born in Glorybound City. Nine years old. Eastsea Academys intermediate division. First grade. Youre only nine years old? At this matter, both he and the staff member were astonished. He was only nine years old yet he was coming to take the blacksmiths test. This hadnt happened in the Blacksmiths Association for many, many years. Historically, the youngest testee had been eight years and six months old! Moreover, that person was now working on the Blacksmiths Associations 30th floor. That person was a once-in-a-lifetime blacksmithing genius! Now in front of their eyes was a child that was only nine years old. If he was able to pass the blacksmiths test, then what would that signify? Cen Yue thought about this with even more interest because Tang Wulin had previously said that Mang Tian let him accept tasks directly. That meant this child was at least a rank 2 blacksmith. This was a record-breaking achievement! The staff member said, Grandmaster Cen, testing room three is open. 42 Blacksmith Ranking Tes With narrowed eyes, Cen Yue picked up Tang Wulins form. Follow me. He had to see for himself what level Mang Tians disciple had attained. The so-called testing room was actually just a forging room. Naturally, a blacksmithing test needed to be conducted in a room such as this. As soon as he entered the forging room, Tang Wulins nervousness eased a bit. The forging room was about the same as Mang Tians. This was the first time since he arrived he found himself within a familiar environment. The surveyor was a middle aged woman who evidently knew Cen Yue. Grandmaster Cen Yue, youve personally brought someone to take the test! I just heard that this child is only nine years old. If he was just a bit younger, he would be able to attack the Presidents record. Cen Yue said, We can talk after the test. The surveyor nodded and looked towards Tang Wulin. There are 15 kinds of metal here. Pick one of them to purify. I will grade you based on the metal you choose and the degree of purification. If your score surpasses 60, then youll earn the title of a rank 1 blacksmith. Yes. Tang Wulin nodded, then looked towards the metals arranged on the stand. Fifteen different metals. Each and every one of them was one third of a meter squared. The metals had all sorts of colors and qualities. Although the blacksmith test seemed simple as one only needed to purify a metal, it actually examined more than ones purification abilities. The surveyor didnt tell him what these metals were, indicating that he needed to identify and understand each of the metals himself while picking the one best suited to his abilities. The metals qualities and purification results were tied together, meaning the purification score would be affected by the chosen metal. Tang Wulin swept his gaze over them and instantly recognized what he had to work with. After some pondering, he picked a metal from the middle of the shelf. The chunk of metal twinkled with a faint silver light. When they saw him pick this metal, Cen Yue and the surveyor both revealed a trace of shock in their expressions. They never expected Tang Wulin to choose such a thick and heavy metal. I choose this chunk of Heavy Silver. Tang Wulin picked up the Heavy Silver and then placed it on the forging table without making the slightest sound. Mang Tians demands of him had been very high. He forbade him from allowing the sound of metal colliding with metal to sound out unless he was forging. This chunk of Heavy Silver with dimensions of one third meters squared, actually weighed over 300 kilograms. It was extraordinarily heavy, however, Cen Yue saw Tang Wulin pick it up with no effort at all. Little guy, your strength truly isnt small! The surveyor exclaimed in astonishment. She was slowly thinking that the nine year old boy in front of her could actually pass the blacksmiths test. Tang Wulin said, Masters, may I begin now? The surveyor said, You may begin. You have one hour to finish. Purify it as much as you can. The degree of its purification will determine your score. Yes! Tang Wulin didnt have any needless thoughts, and began to work skillfully. He immediately set to work by starting up the forging table, and increased its temperature. After this he put the Heavy Silver inside and began calcining it. The time required to calcine the metal was also counted in the timed he had to purify it. The blacksmiths test didnt have any tricks to it. The Association had strict requirements for all of their blacksmiths, as their work directly reflected upon their reputation. Tang Wulin took in deep breaths and stretched while he adjusted the soul power within his body. The reason he chose Heavy Silver wasnt because he wanted to show off to his peers, rather it was the last metal he had forged with. After his initial forging of it, he had gained a thorough understanding of its characteristics. Furthermore, the chunk he picked was also very similar to the one he had forged with originally. It was like seeing someone else hunting, and being excited by ones memories of the thrill of the hunt, and so before he knew it, he had chosen it. However, he still remembered Mang Tians words. He mustnt use his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers unless he was alone. At the very least, he couldnt reveal his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers until he was fifteen years old. Tang Wulin gradually adjusted his breathing as he watched the metals temperature on the forging table and sharpened his gaze. Cen Yue stood to the side motionlessly as he watched Tang Wulin. When he saw Tang Wulins gaze sharpen, he couldnt help but secretly exclaim in his heart, Oh,Mang Tian, Mang Tian. Youve truly picked up a gem. Cen Yue was the greatest advocate of single-minded devotion to forging within the blacksmith community. He wasnt particularly talented, it was just that he liked the profession. He had gotten to where he was now by proceeding one firm step at a time, whilst relying solely on his love and devotion to forging. In the end, he gained the acknowledgement of the blacksmithing world. Tang Wulin was just a nine year old child! A nine year old child was actually able to achieve such a state of concentration. This meant that he truly understood the meaning of forging. When faced with such a child, Cen Yues expression immediately brightened. Tang Wulins left hand quickly pressed the button, bringing it out of the forging table at just the right temperature. Hastily, the surveyor began writing this down. As the surveyor of the blacksmiths ranking test, she was extremely experienced in her role. From Tang Wulins details, she could determine that this wasnt the childs first time forging Heavy Silver. How could a blacksmith who hadnt even registered yet truly forge Heavy Silver? Tang Wulin began! His two arms shook a bit as a pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers appeared in his hands. He dexterously lifted up his left arm and tapped the Heavy Silver twice, issuing a ding ding sound. Cen Yues gaze switched to Tang Wulins ears. He clearly saw Tang Wulins ears tremble slightly. Hes listening! Hes listening to the feedback of the metal. What an excellent lad! Right at that moment, Tang Wulins right arm hammered down with lightning speed. The whole forging room was filled with a whistling sound and in the next instant, the tungsten hammer heavily landed on the chunk of Heavy Silver. Peng! The tungsten hammers sang a note as the Heavy Silver depressed inwards a bit. Tang Wulins pair of large, pretty eyes began shining at that moment as the hammer in his left hand quickly followed. Peng! Another boom resounded in the room. The two booms echoed within the room while Cen Yues eyes widened a bit. Those are Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers!? 43 Eight Star Saint Craftsman How old was this child? Yet he was unexpectedly able to use such heavy Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers? It was known that some of the rank 2 blacksmiths couldnt even use a single hammer weighing 40 kilograms, let alone a pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers that weighed 40 kilograms each! Forging required physical strength, stamina, and technique. Strength was the foundation which increased the efficacy of ones hammering. However, ones strength would also be consumed quickly. Without a thought, Tang Wulins arms were already in motion, readying the next strike. His two hammers descended. From the Heavy Silvers feedback, Tang Wulin could tell that this chunk of Heavy Silver was very similar to the one he had forged previously. Even its inner vein lines were similar. This familiar feeling completely filled his mind as his two hammers moved into action, hammering down on the metal like a rainsquall. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bangbangbang! The sound of hammering was both intense and rhythmic, a combination which gave off an extraordinary sense of beauty. Everything he had encountered since arriving in Eastsea City had been strange and unfamiliar. This made him feel pressured as well as nervous. After all, he was still just a 9-year-old child. When he finally arrived at the academy, Tang Wu had to deal with bullying and was later fined as punishment for dealing with it. All of this made him feel as if he couldnt even breathe. However, before him now was a familiar chunk of Heavy Silver on a forging station. With the addition of the familiar rhythm of forging, he couldnt help but feel at home. As his eyes focused on on the Heavy Silver before him, his ears twitched unceasingly C carefully listening to the feedback from his strikes. Under the pounding of his hammers, the Heavy Silver began to change. However, if one listened carefully, one would discover that as time passed the sound from the pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers hitting the Heavy Silver became more and more stirring. The surveyor and Cen Yues expressions grew serious. Tang Wulin was completely focused at this moment. Even compared to other blacksmiths already in their 20s and 30s, his level of focus was near impossible to match. A genius! This child is a genius! This thought simultaneously appeared in both their minds. Cen Yue didnt even need to look at the Heavy Silver. With his experience, he already knew how effective Tang Wulins purification of the Heavy Silver would be. Purifying Heavy Silver was originally a second rank blacksmiths standard due to the excessive difficulty of purifying a metal as dense as Heavy Silver. It wasnt easy at all to completely purify a chunk of Heavy Silver. When Tang Wulin chose it, the Surveyor had thought he was overestimating his abilities. However, both she and Cen Yue were moved by his demonstration just now. That was right. A demonstration. When Tang Wulins strike caused the Heavy Silver to release a beautiful note, he had already passed the test to become a first rank blacksmith. The rest was just a demonstration. But, to what degree could his demonstration reach? This was the question on the surveyors and Cen Yues mind. After completely immersing himself in forging, the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers were like rice straws in his hands as they continuously pounded the Heavy Silver. As he grew closer with that chunk of Heavy Silver, his hammering speed grew equally as swift. Soon after, only the flickering shadows of the unceasingly pounding hammers could be seen. The intensive pounding sounds flowed like mercury. Blacksmiths Associations third floor. The elevators doors opened up and two people exited. Among these two people was a majestic man in his 40s who was dressed in silver-grey clothes. He wore a badge on the pit of his stomach. Regardless of who saw him, their gaze would first be attracted to that badge. That badge of his was golden in color and had a protruding hammer design on it. Above it were a total of eight black stars. These eight stars signified a craftsman who had attained the eighth rank within their craft while the golden hammer represented his position as a blacksmith. An eighth rank blacksmith was an eight star Saint Craftsman level blacksmith. In the whole Blacksmiths Association, there was only one blacksmith at this level. Beside the middle aged man stood a girl who looked about 13 or 14 years old. She was tall and exceptionally pretty with a pair of large, bright eyes. Her golden hair was combed and put into a ponytail while she wore skintight clothes which made her seem very nimble. When they saw him arrive, the staff members at the front desk immediately stood up and greeted him. President. The middle aged man nodded and said, At ease. Im just bringing Mu Xi to take the second rank test. Id like to speak with the surveyor. This was the eight star Saint Craftsman as well as the President of the Sun-Moon Federations Eastsea City branch of the Blacksmiths Association. This was Mu Chen! Yes. Please wait a moment President. Miss Mu Xi is already taking the second rank test! Shes truly worthy of being a generational genius in the blacksmithing world. Mu Xis expression was undisturbed in the face of such praise. In response, she just nodded in greeting. She didnt like being called a genius. The reason she was where she was today wasnt because of her talent, but because of her efforts. Her goal was to surpass her father and become a ninth rank Divine Craftsman. Throughout the Douluo Continent, there were only three nine star Divine Craftsmen. Ah! Whats that sound? Mu Chen raised an eyebrow as his eyes displayed a trace of astonishment. Beside him, Mu Xi had also raised an eyebrow as her elegant little ears trembled slightly in concentration. She immediately caught on to the sound of successive melodious, yet intense, poundings filling the air. Regardless of whether it were the rhythm or the frequency, the sounds of pounding was completely beautiful. It gave people a feeling of happiness. Mu Chen asked the staff member, Has someone come to take the fourth rank blacksmiths test? The staff member replied dumbfoundedly, No? Mu Chen pondered on it for a moment before turning to Mu Xi at his side. Head to the testing room and prepare first. Im going to go take a look. En. Although Mu Xi was also curious, she still obeyed and immediately headed to the second rank testing room. She couldnt be distracted at a time like this. After separating from his daughter, Mu Chen followed the sounds of forging and quickly arrived at room number 3. This forging room had exceptional soundproofing abilities, yet, sound would still escape through the door. This type of forging sound could only come from forging an uncommon, high density metal. Moreover, every strike didnt create any noise, signifying how accurate these strikes were. Thus, those intensive and powerful collisions meant that the blacksmith was using Thousand Refined hammers. Blacksmith ranks were very strict, with ranks directly relating to their level of achievements. If one was able to reach this level of forging, then they ought to be at the level of a Grandmaster. Moreover, Mu Chen could also hear the results. As this blacksmith forged the metal, they were already in a state of harmony with it. 44 Second Rank Harmonizing was when the blacksmith builds on a resonance with the piece of metal he was crafting, until it reaches a state of fusion between both. It was in this state that the chance of producing an excellent product became higher. Every single work of forging contained both the blacksmiths feelings as well as their ideals. Mu Chen didnt enter the forging chamber because he couldnt, even as the President. Nobody was allowed into the chamber when during a blacksmiths ranking test. Entering might falter the blacksmiths concentration, thus resulting in their failure or even casting a shadow on them. How interesting! Mu Chen once again returned to the front desk asked the staff, What is the name of the examinee in room three? The staff, upon his inquiry, checked through the list and answered almost immediately. The examinees name is Tang Wulin. He was recommended here by Grandmaster Cen Yue. He is currently being tested. As he spoke, he passed Mu Chen a copy of Tang Wulins forms. When Cen Yues name was mentioned, he smiled. I say, who else other than someone recommended from Old Cen would be able to enter a state of harmonization in the midst of an examination? Ah! Nine years old? With an expression of disbelief, he turned his eyes towards the staff. Are you sure this isnt a mistake of some sort? This examinee is only nine years old? The staff confirmed immediately. Thats right. We had doubts about it previously too. I couldnt believe that a child that young would come for a ranking test. Mu Chen was stupefied. For a child his age, he must be taking the first rank blacksmiths test? Beep beep! Mu Chen removed the soul communicator from his waist belt and answered the call. Daddy, Im ready. Are you coming? Im in room six. Ill be there shortly. Though he still had doubts, it didnt matter as much as his daughter. Mu Chen quickened his steps towards room six. Times up! The surveyor announced in a weird-sounding voice. Dang! Tang Wulin finished off his last hammer strike and retracted both his hammers. With a flash of light, his pair of hammers vanished into his Heavy Silver Rings. His chest rose and fell gently. Tang Wulin seemed to be slightly short of breath, his cheeks scarlet with a blush, and sweat was glistening from his forehead. But that was all. The forging room was once again silent, albeit only for a short time. While the surveyor had her attention on the piece of Heavy Silver, Cen Yue directed his gaze to Tang Wulins eyes. In Tang Wulins eyes, Cen Yue thought he caught a hint of a glimmering silverish light that had been emitted from the Heavy Silver. Though the forging process had ended, Tang Wulins focus was still in its initial stage. He believed that the child would one day grow up to become a peerless individual should he stay on the path. Heavy Silver. Purification exceeding Hundred Refinements. Volume reduction of seven percent. State of purification C Hundred Refined, three times. The surveyor announced precisely after a careful inspection of the piece of metal. If the forging was done by a Grandmaster Blacksmith, getting the Heavy Silver to such a state wouldnt mean much. This forging, however, was done by a mere nine year old child whose body had not even hit puberty yet. It was an incredible feat from this child. The evaluation has passed. The surveyor announced, her gaze directed towards Cen Yue. Cen Yue broke into a bitter smile. Mang Tian did this on purpose. The surveyor was shocked upon hearing Cen Yues remarks. This kid, hes a disciple of Mang Tian? Cen Yue nodded his head. I couldnt believe it either. But I now confirm that the kid is eligible for the second rank test. The surveyor considered Cen Yues comment before turning towards Tang Wulin. Kid, other than metal purification, do you have other skills? It was then that Tang Wulin awakened from his carefree forging state. However, his only faults were hammering too lightly while using the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers and the forging process ended a little earlier than he would have liked it to. If sufficient time was given, he was sure he could complete the Thousand Refinements. I can forge some basic small and medium-sized components, Tang Wulin described earnestly. This didnt surprise Cen Yue since Tang Wulin previously mentioned it, and even Mang Tian agreed that Tang Wulin was capable of receiving jobs himself. Please forge a medium-sized component, The surveyor said with a deep voice, and if you manage to succeed, you will be promoted to the second rank. The requirements to be a second rank blacksmith was simply to forge a medium-sized component and to have the ability to Hundred Refine rare metals. Tang Wulins previous purification process was excellent, so he only needed to forge some components now. Yes! Tang Wulin answered before immediately beginning to forge the component. The pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers reappeared, and rhythmic hammering sounded out once again. The surveyor was about to call out and tell Tang Wulin that he could use common metals to pass the test, but was silenced by a glance from Cen Yue. He wanted to see how well a nine-year-old child could perform this task. As he hammered the chunk of Heavy Silver again, a surge of happiness filled Tang Wulins heart. Within his heart, he felt as though he was reunited with his friends. At his endless pounding, the chunk of metal produced a crisp hum, as if in response to his hammering. Tang Wulins hammering speed gradually increased. Under his hammers pounding, the metal started to change. With every strike of his hammer, it bounced off the metal even higher. Afterwards, Tang Wulin would add even more force into his next strike. The Heavy Silver gradually formed into a circular-shaped medium component, under his constant pounding. The hammering process that Cen Yue witnessed was one without any faults, as if every strike had its place and every move was natural. In his eyes, this was the textbooks ideal of forging! This childs foundation skills were unmatched. Even if he were to be compared with 18 or 19 year olds with an apprenticeship of more than eight years, he would still surpass them by far! Though in this forging process, Tang Wulin simply hammered the metal without any superfluous techniques, it extruded an abnormal feeling of pureness to the bystanders. Generally, small components would be used in mecha joints, and medium components would be inlayed within the main body of the mecha. Tang Wulin had crafted a semi-circular component, an important component within the knee joint of a mecha. Joint protection components were most susceptible to wear and tear, however, this also made them the most suitable to be used for soul guide arrays. Heavy Silver was a good conductor for transmitting soul power. Thus, forging the joint component out of Heavy Silver would be the most appropriate. Tang Wulin had indeed considered these points prior to his forging. Another hour passed by before Tang Wulin produced a semi-circular component that was free from any defects and brought it up to both Cen Yue and the surveyor for their assessment. The two of them were even more speechless than before. Masters, did I pass the test? Tang Wulin couldnt be more proud with his piece of work. In fact, this was his first time forging a component with Heavy Silver. When he recalled the past, Tang Wulin thought that the only flaw to his work was that the component was not Thousand Refinemed. He was confident that he would have been able to Thousand Refine it. After his previous Thousand Refinements, he discovered that his understand of forging had gone up by a level. After forging Heavy Silver again, he felt that it was simply wonderful. 45 Aren’t You Just Showing Off? When Tang Wulin walked out of the forging room, his face was painted with joy. It wasnt because of the recognition from both masters, nor was it because he had risen up to a second rank blacksmith. Rather, he was euphoric from the sum of 10,000 federation coins he received from the Heavy Silver component he had forged. One can actually make such a huge fortune from forging rare metals! Cen Yue had informed him, prior to his exit, to report back again to the Blacksmith Association in two-days time to receive his blacksmiths badge, and to start receiving jobs from the Association. ? Mang Tian! The call to his old acquaintance finally got through. En? Mang Tians voice was just as indifferent as the time they last spoke. Where did you find yourself such a treasure? Cen Yue spoke into his device impatiently. Mang Tian replied plainly, What are you talking about? Who else do you think I am referring to? Your nine-year-old, second rank disciple. Whats more shocking, he just forged a component directly with Heavy Silver. With his young age, he could definitely master the Thousand Refinements within a few years of serious training. With that, he would be good on his way towards a Grandmaster Blacksmith. How did you train this child? Hey, can you say something? Cen Yue was not pleased with the lack of response he got from Mang Tian. I have nothing to say. That child was born with innate divine strength and he has a diligent character. Thats all. Mang Tian still spoke plainly. Cen Yue snapped back at Mang Tians explanation. Was your intention to brandish this kids abilities at me when you recommended him here? Yes! Mang Tian acknowledged his true intention. Speak, what are your conditions for you to give that child to me? Since you will be at the deserted Glorybound City most of the time, do you even have time to guide your disciple? He would be better off if you let him come with me. I will guide him carefully if you trust me. Im hanging up! Dududu! Bastard! Cen Yue almost dropped his soul communicator out of rage. Teacher, were you looking for me? At that very moment, a youngster in his twenties walked into Cen Yues room. What blacksmith rank are you at? How many years have you been under me? Cant you even complete the Thousand Refinements The youngster, while in a state of loss, was unfortunately the target of all of Cen Yues anger. This master of his was usually known for his good temper. Tang Wulin was, however, clueless of the impact his outstanding ability had on the others, and he was on his way back to the Academy. ? Take it! Tang Wulin pushed forth the bagful of 10,000 federation coins to Xie Xie, who was propped up on his bed. The bruise from Tang Wulins punch had not subsided. Xie Xie eyed him coldly, Are you trying to run away from the match? Tang Wulin shook his head in reply. I couldnt pay up previously because I did not have any coins. Since I ruined most of the property, I dont think you should be paying for all of it. Here is 10,000 federation coins. I will pay you back the other 10,000 federation coins when I have them. I am a man of my words, and since I have accepted your offer, I will be there tomorrow after school. You can set the location. Tang Wulin left the bunch of coins next to Xie Xie and headed for his bed after stating his intentions. Zhou Zhangxi and Yun Xiao exchanged a glance as they observed the exchange from the top bunks. Ever since his defeat against Tang Wulin in the steamed bun eating contest, Zhou Zhangxis attitude towards Tang Wulin had changed. Yun Xiao, on the other hand, was curious at how Tang Wulin managed to produce the 10,000 federation coins. It seemed impossible for him to get such huge sum within this short span of time. Tang Wulin entered a meditative state easily after moving into his cross-legged posture on his bed. In fact, today was his first time using his martial soul in battle. He didnt have any experience in these matters and this was even the first true battle he had been in. Tang Wulin felt that Xie Xie was a formidable person. If he hadnt used his Bluesilver Grasss soul skill, his skills alone wouldnt stand a chance in withstanding Xie Xie. From the fight earlier today, he gained some understanding of his own martial soul too. He recalled the advice his teacher had given him, and agreed that he truly needed to improve his control over his Bluesilver Grass. Xie Xie, however, merely lay down on his bed. His mind was filled with images of the match earlier today as well, specifically on his inability to cut the grass with his Light Dragon Dagger. Is Tang Wulins martial soul really just Bluesilver Grass? Did I underestimate the ability of Tang Wulins trash martial soul? I will show him my true colours in the match tomorrow! I will make him pay for that punch! As he thought this, Xie Xie touched his swollen cheeks, reigniting his hearts fury. Meditation should be done prior to and after dinner. After all, the clumsy bird flies early for the forest. This saying had left a deep impression in Tang Wulins mind. ? Dawn. Tang Wulin woke up as soon as the first rays of sunlight poked at him through the windows. A night of meditation did help in recovering some of his soul power. As soon as he entered rank 10, he had felt a distinct difference in the time needed to regain his energy. At the same time, he would need more soul power to advance to the next stages. This required him to use far more time to accumulate the amount. As he got off his bed, his gaze rested unintentionally on the occupant within the lower bunk of the other set of beds across the room. Xie Xie, who seemed to be meditating, opened his eyes suddenly. Both pairs of eyes locked for a few moments. Xie Xies gaze was frosty, whereas Tang Wulin had a look of indifference. Shortly after, Tang Wulin broke his gaze and headed for the shower. In his opinion, Xie Xie was just another wealthy city kid; he gave off an image of bossiness, assertiveness, and insolence. Tang Wulin would rather make friends with Zhou Zhangxi than the rich city kid. After finishing his morning shower, there was nothing else to stop him from the most important activity of all, meal time. However, Tang Wulin was unaware that his previous challenge in steamed-bun-eating had earned him the nickname of Rice Bucket, even though he hadnt even started his journey in the academy. As he woke up earlier that others, he was greeted with an empty dining hall. Within the hall were the same three windows. Breakfast was, like previous meals, categorised into three categories. Tang Wulin naturally headed for the third window, which provided free food. Breakfast was a spread of milk, eggs, sausages, bread, and vegetables. Tang Wulin helped himself and piled up a pyramids worth of food on his plate before leaving for an empty table at the corner to devour his food. The dining halls chef recognised Tang Wulin for his record-breaking appetite and was worried that the childs stomach could not take up all the food. But he now knew that the child was doing fine when he caught view of Tang Wulins actions through the window. Xie Xie entered the dining hall just when Tang Wulin started with his meal. Like Tang Wulin, his mind had already been made up and he headed straight for the 1st window, collecting a plateful of food as well. One would think that the food on Xie Xies plate was similar to Tang Wulins from a mere glance. A closer inspection, however, would make one realize the difference. Take for instance the milk; it was not just any milk, but one that was taken from a soul beast bred in captivity. As with the other food on his plate, they contained a higher amount of nutrients, all from various origins. But, if one were to compare the portions of rice consumed between the two, he would realise that Tang Wulins portion was as much or even more than ten times that of what Xie Xie had on his plate. Though both of them were seated far apart, each in solitude, Xie Xie kept glancing occasionally in Tang Wulins direction. Tang Wulin was, however, concentrated on the breakfast before him. The dining hall grew crowded as students began entering. Just like how it was the night before, they started pointing and directing their comments at Tang Wulin. ? As the sun rose high, the opening ceremony started. 46 The Worst Class The opening ceremony on Eastsea Academys huge plaza. It was only during this ceremony that both clusters of students from the Advanced Academy and Intermediate Academy met. Being one of the tallest students there, Tang Wulin was positioned at the back. This gave him ample opportunity to observe the whole plaza, as well as all of the students within the academy. At the intermediate academy, there were around a hundred students within each grade, totalling up to a rough figure of seven to eight hundred students in all. Compared with the intermediate academy, the group at the advanced academy was significantly smaller as there were close to two hundred students. Students in the advanced academy were divided into three grades. It was thus an arduous task to get into the advanced academy that only had a small succession rate of 20% of students coming from the Intermediate Academy. Good day students. We shall now begin the Eastsea Academys annually held opening ceremony. The President of Eastsea Academy has been invited to the ceremony and he will be making a speech shortly. Eastsea Academys President was a senior who looked to be about sixty years old. He had a medium build and didnt look that exceptional. He gave off a bookish atmosphere with his head full of white hair and pair of eyeglasses. Welcome to the academy, students. Every single year at this time, I feel a bit sad that students from the intermediate and advanced divisions have graduated, and have left us. However, some of the intermediate students will enter the advanced academy in addition to our new students. As I see it, academies are like the blood of society. It receives individuals into the academy and later delivers them into society. In the near future, I hope all of you can The President was very eloquent in his speech. In fact, he didnt even have a script to read off of. He spoke excellently for a full hour before he brought his speech to a close. The pinnacle of the opening ceremony proceeded right after the Presidents speech C class assignment. Students who did not need a class assigned to them were slowly making their way out from the crowded plaza. Fresh faces from the advanced academy left towards their academy for their own class assignment. What was left within the plaza were the new students of the intermediate academy. We will proceed with the class assignment. It is known that within Eastsea Academy, the smaller the class number, the more prestigious class. Though that is a fact, we too hope for exceptions where students from the last class will work harder and perform better. We have a total of one hundred and eight new students today, divided up into five classes. The students whom I will call up next are in class one Tang Wulin finally understood the implications of Long Hengxus words towards Xie Xie, Yun Xiao, and Zhou Zhangxi the day before, when they were sent to class five. There were a total of five classes, and students with more ability were positioned at the front. That said, class five was positioned right at the back. Tang Wulin, Zhou Zhangxi, Xie Xie, Yun Xiao As expected, the four names were finally called when the announcer arrived at the list for class five. There were twenty students within class five, and it was the smallest class of them all. Each and every one of them had a listless expression. Class teachers, please direct your students to their classes and help them familiarize themselves within the academy. Five teachers appeared before the crowd as the announcement ended. One of those five teachers headed towards the direction of class five. This teacher looked to be about 27 or 28 years old. When the students of class five turned to look at him, they were all stunned. This teacher was simply too handsome! Although Tang Wulin and Xie Xie had exceptional looks, they were just kids. Thus, there was a possibility that they might change upon maturation. This teacher, however, stood at a staggering height of over 1.9 meters along with a pair of lanky arms and a thin waist. White trousers accentuated his long legs. Though he looked thin, the combination of that along with his brightly lit eyes, well-set nose, and thin lips gave off an image of height and intelligence. The mass of hair was swept to the back of his head. A random current of wind caught on his lake-blue tresses and rested them on his waistline, affirming the length of his hair. His pupils were of a smoky green and the colour matched well with his blue hair, giving off a strange temperament. His face was expressionless, his gaze icy. One of the girls in class five breathed out quietly, The teacher is so handsome! Unknown to the girl, she had voiced out the thought of all the students. Xie Xie twitched his lips at the comment, though his facial expression showed indifference. Come with me! This young teacher spoke simply. Though the words were simple, it left a certain chill among the students, right within their hearts. This feeling Yun Xiao whispered under his breath, The teacher seems powerful. He seemed to be someone powerful indeed. His mere appearance in the plaza had inflicted frostiness onto others to such a great effect. This would not be possible if he were an ordinary person. ? The classroom for class five was located at ground level, positioned at the innermost area of the building and required much more walking to reach. There were thirty sets of tables and chairs in the classroom. The teaching platform was positioned at the front of the classroom. Take your seats. The youthful teacher said coldly. Every single time he spoke, it always gave off a feeling of iciness! Tang Wulin picked a desk on the side after much consideration. His height would have obstructed the view of others if he sat in the middle of the current row, so he picked one on the side. This allowed him to be able to sit near the front and not obstruct his classmates. There were no bearings of what Xie Xie had in mind, he simply picked a seat next to Tang Wulin. Simultaneously, Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi dropped into the seats before and after him respectively. Thus, the four roommates were together again. The youthful teacher walked to the platform after entering the classroom. As he turned and scanned through the faces of the students before him, the chatter stopped and the classroom regained its silence. My name is Wu Zhangkong! The youthful teacher introduced himself plainly. For the next six years, you will all be under my tutelage. I would like to emphasize a point C you may disregard whatever Director Long Hengxu had mentioned at the ceremony. Even if you are a bunch of trash, I will train you into the strongest students within your cohort. That is unless you choose to drop out; otherwise, that shall be your aim for the next six years. While the words were full of arrogance, Wu Zhangkong spoke with a plain tone and it still attracted the attention of all the students within the class. You shall introduce yourselves C your name, martial soul, soul power rank, and your aspirations. Tell me all of it. You may begin! It was clear and simple, nothing overboard. The area Tang Wulin and his roommates sat happened to be the side-most row of the room and Wu Zhangkong happened to be pointing towards their direction. And so, Yun Xiao broke the ice and started his introduction. Hello everyone, my name is Yun Xiao. My martial soul is an Astrolabe, and my soul power is at rank 12. My goal is become an Intelligence Auxiliary Battle Spirit Master. Of course, since Yun Xiao was given the nickname of Mastermind for his quick-mindedness, it was simply fitting for that to be his aspiration. He started and ended his introduction in a dignified manner, though there was a hint of trembling in his voice. Tang Wulin was next in line, and so he stood up. Wu Zhangkongs gaze rested on him. It was then that he understood the tremor in Yun Xiaos voice. His gaze was sharp, to the point that it seemed to penetrate into a persons essence. Tang Wulin, martial soul is Bluesilver grass, soul power is rank 11. My aspiration is He halted when he was introducing his aspirations. I dont have one yet. Thats a trash soul, no wonder you have no aspirations. A comment escaped from the mass of students seated within the classroom. Sou! A piece chalk flew precisely into the mouth of said student, like a guided missile being aimed at its target. Ou! The chalk had some spiralling force as it went into the throat of the student. He started retching immediately. Wu Zhangkong spoked ruthlessly, There are no trash martial soul in this world. Rather, there are only trash people. Consider your own morals first before calling others trash. If you arent a piece of trash yourself, would you have landed in class five? 47 Icily Arrogant Prince Charming Wu Zhangkongs ice-cold and powerful voice caused the whole class to quiet down in fear. Proceed. I, I am Zhou Zhangxi. My martial soul is the Titan Ape; soul power at rank 11. My goal is to become a Strength System Battle Soul Master. Xie Xie. Martial soul is Light Dragon Dagger; soul power at rank 18. Agility System Battle Soul Master. When the words rank 18 came out, the whole class was instantly shocked. A nine-year-old child with rank 18 soul power. This was truly a genius! Moreover, he was actually a Battle Soul Master. After another two soul power ranks, he would become a Soul Grandmaster. Anyone capable of becoming a Soul Grandmaster before twelve years old was qualified to be called a genius. In the end, the highlight of the class was Xie Xies soul power rank. In fact, Yun Xiaos rank 12 soul power was considered quite high as the majority of students entered with rank 11 soul power. As for their martial souls, there were all sorts of fantastic oddities, but none of them were particularly powerful. Of course, Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass was still the worst of them all. This fact was practically set in stone. Starting tomorrow, classes will officially begin. My teaching style is a bit different from other teachers so if youre afraid of pain, fatigue, or aches, quickly change schools or think of a way to change classes. Those who remain should mentally prepare themselves. That is all, class dismissed. After Wu Zhangkongs tall figure strode out from the classroom on his pair of long legs, the classroom exploded with chatter. Nearly all of them were discussing this cold, yet handsome teacher. Lets go then. You still need to fulfill your promise. Xie Xie looked towards Tang Wulin as he spoke. Although it was still morning, their classes had already ended. Classes wouldnt officially start for them until the next day. Alright. Tang Wulin stood up and led the way out. As soon as Tang Wulin walked through the doorway, he found that the entire floor was filled with noisy upperclassmen. What are they doing? Huh? Tang Wulin? Right at that moment, a familiar voice called out. Tang Wulin turned towards the voice, but its elegant owner had already arrived in front of him. It was the senior sister from the advanced academy who had greeted him yesterday, Liu Yuxin. Senior sister. Tang Wulin revealed a smile. He had a highly favorable impression of her. Wulin. Youre in class five? Tang Wulin nodded. My martial soul is Bluesilver Grass. Its a trash martial soul after all. Naturally I can only enter class five. Liu Yuxin hastily said, No, no. Thats not what I meant. I meant to say, Teacher Wu Zhangkong is your classs teacher right? Tang Wulin answered, Thats right! Liu Yu Xins beautiful eyes instantly brightened up. Wulin, senior sister has a matter I need to trouble you with. Tang Wulin was stunned but still said. Alright! Liu Yuxin placed an item in his hands and quietly said, When you have class in the future, help me take a few pictures of the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming. Oh, thats your teacher, Wu Zhangkong. Icily Arrogant Prince Charming? Tang Wulin asked her, puzzled. Liu Yu Xins pretty face blushed red. You guys wouldnt know this, but Wu Zhangkong is the number one lady-killer in our academy. With that coldness of his, regardless of whether its the young female teachers or the female students, we all find him charming. He was a teacher at the advanced academy previously, but for some reason he was sent to the intermediate academy. Moreover, he was actually assigned to your class. We all feel that this is an injustice against him. However, the academy has already decided on it, so there isnt anything to be done about it, even if we all miss him. Help us take some pictures of him and this senior sister definitely wont treat you unfairly. Tang Wulin stood there foolishly. He hadnt expected Liu Yuxin would ask him to do this kind of thing. Senior Sister, isnt this no good? Liu Yuxin giggled. Dont worry about it. Its totally fine. If senior sister leaks some intel regarding Teacher Wu to you, itll definitely be of benefit. Xie Xie was right behind Tang Wulin and was actually a bit impatient when he saw Tang Wulin talking with Liu Yuxin. When he heard what she said however, any desire to drag Tang Wulin away was dispelled. After hearing these circumstances, he gained an important understanding of the exotic flower that was their classs teacher. Liu Yuxin said, Teacher Wu is our academys most formidable teacher. Not only is he handsome and has an excellent build, but hes also knowledgeable and multi-talented. Hes an excellent teacher as well. He has even cultivated to such a high level. Some say that hes the number one expert in our academy. I think I once saw him with at least six soul rings. That means hes at least a Soul Emperor! Soul Emperor? This was simply too far off for Tang Wulin to imagine. With his current soul rank, it was practically impossible for him to cultivate to six soul rings as he didnt have the ability to purchase a powerful spirit soul. The number of spirit souls a human could absorb was limited to the what their spiritual power could bear. White spirit souls could only offer up one soul ring and currently, Soul Masters could only absorb up to three spirit souls. If they absorbed three white spirit souls, then three rings would be their limit. Yellow spirit souls could produce two soul skills at most, which was basically two soul rings. This was also the reason hundred year spirit souls were worth so much more. As for the higher level purple coloured thousand year spirit souls and black coloured ten-thousand year spirit souls, Tang Wulin didnt even dare to imagine obtaining one of them. Teacher Wu Zhangkong actually had six rings. He was actually such a powerful person! Eastsea City only had a few six ring Soul Emperors, but more than that, he was actually so young! Alright then. Im going to head off first. Dont forget to take a few pictures for me! The item she had slipped into Tang Wulins hands was actually a soul camera! Senior sister! Tang Wulin called out, but Liu Yuxin had already run away. She was really fast and was actually chasing after Teacher Wu Zhangkong. You should give that camera to someone else for safekeeping first. You dont want to break it after all, Xie Xie coldly said. Its fine. Lets go, Tang Wulin said as he shot a glance towards Xie Xie. The benefits he obtained from meditation this previous day wasnt small. Unexpectedly, the area he improved the most wasnt forging, but combat. That was the first time he had used his martial soul in a battle. In addition to the pressure Xie Xie exerted on him, he felt that the understanding he had for his martial soul had increased. This was the reason why he hadnt rejected todays battle. His master had said that his Bluesilver Grass was a variant martial soul, so it wasnt purely trash anymore. After exiting the school, Tang Wulin asked Xie Xie, Where are we going? Xie Xie answered, Were going to Eastsea Park. There arent many people there, so you can be at ease; Ill find someone to treat your injuries. Tang Wulin simply said, The facts will prove themselves. 48 The Battle of Eastsea Park Eastsea Park wasnt far from Eastsea Academy. One could reach the park after a 10 minute stroll by following the path next to the exit of the academy. The park was accessible to the public at no charges at all. As it was still early in the day, the park was filled with many citizens doing their morning exercises. As one strolled into the park, their senses would be greeted with a rush of natures perfume C a blend of the crisp scent of the plants and the floral sweetness from flowers, which refreshed their minds. Tang Wulin felt himself gradually relaxing. His Bluesilver Grass was a plant martial soul, and he was currently surrounded by fields of Bluesilver Grass. This was the environment he loved best. He had a faint thought that if he meditated here, the results would be much better than if he were to meditate back in the dorms. He had already proven this point when he was back home in Glorybound City. But it was impossible to compare the small garden back home to this park with its endless boundaries; the differences in size was simply incomparable. Xie Xie wasnt surprise that he wasnt the first to arrive. He strolled casually and with much familiarity into the deepest parts of the park. Following the gravelled walkway into the park, one would realise the differences in the size of the trees. The deeper into the park, the larger they became. Eastsea Park had a history of over a thousand years, long before even the Eastsea Academy had been founded. With its rich history, the park contained many varieties of rare trees. As he moved deeper into the park, Tang Wulin gradually felt even better. This feeling of returning back to nature revitalised the martial soul within him. Such a good place! I will be back again. Tang Wulin thought. As they reached the deepest part of the park, where they were well hidden from others, Xie Xie halted in the center of an open area. Here it is. He turned to face Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin stopped at the same time, returning a cautious look to Xie Xie. I will be fair to you. Since I am an Agility System Battle Soul Master, I will move back 50 meters. When I say start, you may move. As he spoke, Xie Xie began moving backwards. He refused to take advantage of Tang Wulin. Especially not with his pride held up so high. Tang Wulin didnt make a sound. Instead, his mind was filled with the images of their previous match. The yellow colour of Xie Xies martial soul when he released it during the match the other day was still vivid in his mind. Though he hadnt managed to grasp the spirit soul of Xie Xies, it was clear to him that the colour meant that Xie Xie had a hundred year spirit soul. A hundred year spirit soul would naturally have hundred year soul skills. Tang Wulin was unsure about the strength of that power. Are you prepared? Xie Xies voice came to him from afar. Tang Wulin took a deep breath and focused his gaze. Lets start. Xie Xie answered back coldly, I will show you the disparity between our skills. I will make you pay for the shame you have done to me. Start! As soon as he ended his words, he was flying towards Tang Wulins direction like a released arrow. As Xie Xie prepared for his sprint, he had positioned himself low, giving others an image of him hugging the ground. A ring of yellow light appeared beneath his feet. Like the day before, Tang Wulin noticed that as he released this hundred year spirit soul, a 35 centimeter long blade that seemed to be made of crystal yellow appeared in his right hand. As Xie Xie sped forth, the accompanying dagger produced a faint dragons growl. Tang Wulin also released his Bluesilver Grass within a short span of time. A tiny, golden glowing grass snake appeared on his arm and twirled around his wrist. Strands of vine-like Bluesilver Grass flew out. While Tang Wulin had little to no practical experience, the Bluesilver Grass thrived with its ability to cover a wide range of space. As these little blades of grass expanded, its surface area increased rapidly and enveloped Xie Xie easily. Still using the same trick? A trace of disdain flashed across Xie Xies face, he increased his speed swiftly. Xie Xie, who was previously charging in a straight line towards him, shifted into an illusion. At once, Tang Wulin lost sight of Xie Xie and his ability to pinpoint his exact location due to the dizzying blur before him. Xie Xie moved through the gaps of Tang Wulins weaving of variant Bluesilver Grass unscathed and shortened his distance with Tang Wulin. This is bad! If Bind fails to trap my opponent, then this variant Bluesilver Grass is no longer useful in battle, Tang Wulin thought this as he retracted the grass vines and directed them before himself. The denser these vines were, the higher the defense capabilities they would have. It was an idea that came to him during his meditation the night before. At this time, Xie Xie was already within a 10 meter range from Tang Wulin. Xie Xies speed didnt change. Instead, his arm moved even quicker. The Light Dragon Dagger in his hand morphed into a bursting ball of light which released endless golden rays that were aimed precisely at the Bluesilver Grass beneath him. It was then that Tang Wulin realised the immense difference between Xie Xie and himself. Every blade of his Bluesilver Grass had been slashed apart by the light that came from Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger. Although the blades of grass were still intact, they could easily be swung off. With the Light Dragon Daggers sharp blade cutting against his Bluesilver Grass, Tang Wulin felt the soul power within him diminished rapidly. Within a breaths time, Tang Wulins soul power had depleted by more than 10%. If Xie Xie had found out the characteristics of Tang Wulins soul power, he would not have needed to use such a forceful attack against Tang Wulin. This technique would have easily emptied out all of Tang Wulins soul power. As the shield of Bluesilver Grass parted, Tang Wulin no longer had any defense against Xie Xies oncoming attack. Xie Xie was already right before him by then. Since Bluesilver Grass was no longer useful, Tang Wulin shot both his fists forwards, exploding them at Xie Xie. At the same time, he controlled and withdrew all of his Bluesilver Grass. He was hoping that by doing so, he could successfully perform Bind as he tried to shield off his opponents attack. This was his only chance at winning the match. From a typical point of view, Bluesilver Grass belonging to a control system would ideally make it easier to defeat martial souls belonging to the Agility system category. However, the difference between Tang Wulin and Xie Xie was far too great in terms of their skills or experiences. Xie Xie tilted only slightly to avoid Tang Wulins pair of clenched fists that had produced a light explosive sound. With a sharp, flash-like turn, he was already at Tang Wulins side. At this point in time, Tang Wulin was caught defenseless. If this was a battlefield, and Xie Xie had the intention to kill, he could have laid his blade easily on Tang Wulins neck. However, Xie Xie took an abrupt pause. He only had the thought of defeating Tang Wulin in mind, and didnt have any other intention. He changed the direction of his dagger, twitching the blade at its handle, and locked on his target C Tang Wulins cheek. I will pay you back for the swelling that you did to my face. While many decisions were being made within Xie Xies mind during this split-second, Tang Wulin suddenly jerked and tilted his head down, using the back of his skull to knock against Xie Xies handle during this fraction of time. However, Xie Xies response was quick. What made a person an Agility System Martial Soul Master? At its highest realm of mastery, the master would be able to avoid direct combat for as long as they wished. When the opponent was finally selected, they would have already been left defenseless. Though Xie Xie was proud, his analysis of Tang Wulin wasnt influenced by that pride and was accurate. He knew clearly that Tang Wulins strength wasnt something that he could withstand. He twisted his agile wrist in a split-second and sank the Light Dragon Dagger into Tang Wulins shoulder blade. 49 Golden Scales The Light Dragon Dagger pierced into his shoulder. Xie Xie restrained himself in this attack as he thought that Tang Wulins whole arm would have been severed if hed used his entire strength. Neither of them had a deep hatred for the other, so giving him a small lesson would be enough. However, what shocked him was that Tang Wulins shoulder flesh was extremely tough; even his Light Dragon Dagger was only able to cut about an inch. Even if he had restrained his strength, this result was simply too shocking! Bright red blood appeared, accompanied by pain. This caused Tang Wulin to lose control of the withdrawing Bluesilver Grass, leaving the grass limp on the ground. As the Light Dragon Dagger pushed down, Tang Wulin was forced to his knees. After stumbling a bit, he was able to stand back up. He wanted to punch Xie Xie, but Xie Xie suddenly spun and was already at his rear. The Light Dragon Dagger in his shoulder twisted, causing a burst of pain to shoot throughout his body. In particular, the spot where the Light Dragon Dagger had stabbed him had an energy which oppressed his soul power. Admit defeat! Xie Xies voice was proud after having avenged his defeat against Tang Wulins fist the previous day. Tang Wulin clenched his teeth. His stubborn heart couldnt possibly allow him to concede at this point. Right at that moment, the pain in his shoulder seemed to ignite through his whole body. A scorching wave of heat rushed forth, spreading rapidly throughout his being. He wanted to speak out, but found that he wasnt able to speak at all. I ask you, do you admit defeat!? Xie Xie pressed down on the dagger in his hand as he fiercely said this. No! Tang Wulin snarled with a hint a rebellion. Xie Xie was stunned for a moment. He wondered why Tang Wulins voice was so hoarse, even when the wound was so shallow. Subconsciously, even he wanted to pull out the Light Dragon Dagger. At that moment however, an unexpected situation occurred. The Light Dragon Dagger that was stabbed into his shoulder issued out an ear-piercing dragons roar that filled Xie Xies entire being with palpitation. He felt as if he had suddenly encountered something dreadful. The blood suddenly stopped flowing from the location where the Light Dragon Dagger was embedded and a golden light began to spill out of the wound. Bathed in that golden light, the Light Dragon Dagger slid a bit out of the wound. Faced with this unknown situation, Xie Xies first thought was to retreat. However, he was aghast to discovered that the Light Dragon Dagger was practically clinging onto Tang Wulin, and he couldnt retrieve the Light Dragon Dagger at all. Ahhhhhh! Tang Wulin let out a shocking roar as a golden light poured out of his wound, dislodging the Light Dragon Dagger. As Xie Xie watched, a golden mass of light suddenly rushed towards him, then he felt as if he was flying; as though he had been hit by a high-speed soul train. He immediately blacked out, completely unaware of what happened. Bang! Xie Xie crashed into a large tree off in the distance and slowly slid down its trunk. Tang Wulin half knelt on the ground. His eyes were just as red as before, while his whole body violently trembled. Right at this moment, he felt as though he were metal being calcined in a furnace. The blazing heat within his body made him shake unceasingly. However, he was still completely conscious. When he had punched Xie Xie moments ago, he had restrained his strength at the very last moment, otherwise he feared that Xie Xie would have died. He lowered his head and was shocked to see his right hand covered in scales. These were golden scales shaped like rhombuses. Each scale protruded outwards a bit, giving it a sharp look. His fingernails had a sharp scale that narrowed to a point, similar to sharp talons. The little Grass Snake, Goldlight, whod been twisting around his arm had also releasing a faint golden light. Moreover, its whole body had actually lengthened by a whole circle while its two small eyes had turned red, similar to a pair of twinkling rubies. Was it the reason? Was it not a trash spirit soul? What was the cause of all this? Tang Wulin quickly took off his shirt and was dumbstruck when he saw that the change wasnt only around his palms. Rather, the scales covered his entire right arm. Starting from where the Light Dragon Dagger had stabbed him, the golden scales spread all the way to his palms. His arm had an indescribable feeling of power within it. Subconsciously, he suddenly punched out with his right arm. BOOM! When he punched the air with his right arm, a golden ball of light rushed forth and gave an indistinct shape of a dragons head as it travelled a meter out in front of him. The powerful aura from his all out punch confirmed his suspicions as to the effect it would have had on a human body. Goldlight, is this power because of you? Tang Wulin asked the little Grass Snake wrapped around his wrist, pleasantly surprised. Right at that moment however, the inflated body of the little Grass Snake began to gradually shrink back to its original size, while the golden scales on his arm also began to rapidly vanish. Several breaths of time later, everything was back to normal. The only thing that remained was a feeling of exhaustion. Tang Wulins vision faded to darkness, then he lost consciousness. He hadnt put on his clothes yet, so when the golden veins appeared on his body once again, they were visible for anyone to see. In particular, the shining lines on his vertebra were especially bright. ? Xie Xie woke up with a jolt. He was still dazed, but noticed a vague change in scenery. When he raised his head to look around, he saw a familiar scene. The moment he looked up, he saw the gates of Eastsea Academy. The sky had already turned dark, so the lit words of Eastsea Academy were exceptionally clear. Wuluwulu Xie Xie wanted to speak out, but he discovered that all the sounds he made were completely incomprehensible. Tang Wulins brows wrinkled and asked Xie Xie, who he carried on his back, What did you say? Wu what? Xie Xies words were still as unclear as before. As he gradually became more clear-headed, Xie Xie discovered that he was being carried on Tang Wulins back. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his face, finding it swollen up like bread. His whole face was already thick with numbness. Like a surging tide, he gradually recalled the events from before. Xie Xies mind echoed with the words he had said before he and Tang Wulin had left Eastsea Academy. Were going to Eastsea Park. There arent many people there, so you can be at ease; Ill find someone to treat your injuries. But now He had spent twenty four thousand coins just for a beating 50 Unable to Find the Golden Scales Xie Xie was full of grief and indignation! If this were the first time he had lost, then he would think that he had lost due to his carelessness. However, this was the second time he had lost. Moreover, he had lost in such a manner that he wasnt able to make heads or tails of what had happened. He touched Tang Wulins shoulder, feeling for the area where he had stabbed him, yet, he couldnt find it at all. He has a secret! This guy definitely has a secret! What was that golden light? Xie Xie calmed himself and clearly asked. Goldlight? Goldlight is my spirit soul! Tang Wulins hand flashed with a brilliant light. Then the yellow Grass Snake, Goldlight, appeared in his palm. Im talking about the golden light that came from your body! Xie Xie angrily said. Not only had this guy insulted him, he had also insulted his intelligence. This could not be tolerated! Tang Wulin forced out a bitter laugh. Even if I wanted to tell you, I dont know what that was. Do you understand? Xie Xie gave a cold snort, expressing his attitude towards Tang Wulin. Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi were dumbstruck when they saw Tang Wulin carry Xie Xie in and lay him on the bed. Zhou Zhangxi directly asked, You wanted to beat him up, yet you actually ended up getting carried back? Xie Xies swollen cheeks already made the outcome of the duel abundantly clear. When he had introduced himself this morning, didnt he say that his soul power was at rank 18? Hes already spent his money! Tang Wulin answered thoughtlessly. Afterwards, he excitedly turned towards Yun Xiao and asked, Dinner time hasnt ended yet, right? Yun Xiao looked him over for a moment. Not yet. But itll be closing soon. In the next moment, he saw a Tang Wulin run like the wind, disappearing in a flash and not leaving a trace. Hey, you lost again? Zhou Zhangxi asked Xie Xie. Xie Xie fiercely glared at him. I was just careless, thats all. Ill definitely win next time! He said this as he struggled to sit up on his bed. With his face like this, how could he not get treatment? I dont want to have a scar, I dont want to have a scar, I dont want to have a scar. He repeated this line three times to himself. When Tang Wulin arrived at the third window and ordered his sixteenth bowl of noodles, a dining hall worker couldnt help but ask, Little student, could it be that you dont want others to see you eat so much, so you came so late tonight? Were just about to finish working. Tang Wulin bashfully lowered his head. Sorry uncle cook. I arrived too late today. I wont be so late in the future. Ill just eat this last bowl of noodles and Ill be finished. The cook laughed. Its fine if you eat as much as you want. The academys third window is free and unlimited. Its just a question of how much more can you eat. Tang Wulin rubbed his stomach. He hadnt eaten lunch, so he was especially hungry this night. I should still be able to eat a lot more. The cook said, Its good that you came so late then. The second window still has some leftovers. Nobody is going to buy it, so Ill just give it to you then. Otherwise, the food would go to waste. Half a pot of stewed meat was added to a pot of noodles, then given to Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin couldnt wait to eat it. He quickly thanked the cook and began gorging himself. The unknown meat in the stew from the second window was exceptionally chewy, with an ordinary flavor, but his stomach felt nice and warm after he finished eating. He had used up a lot of strength today, but with this meal, some of his strength had been restored. So the second window is actually so good. I wonder how the first window is? Tang Wulin swallowed his saliva as he shot a glance at the first window. However, he quickly regained himself and shook his head. The first windows food wasnt something he could eat. After he acquired some work from the Blacksmiths Association in the future, hed see if he could earn some more money. It was just that, he had to save some money in order to buy another spirit soul in the future too. One million federal coins could buy a yellow hundred year spirit soul. That was his goal. After earning ten thousand coins at the Blacksmiths Association, Tang Wulin had set his sights on a hundred year spirit soul. Xie Xie wasnt there when he returned to his dorm room, but Tang Wulin didnt care too much about him. Although that guy was arrogant and unbridled, he wasnt excessively so. Xie Xies final attack on him that day was made with the daggers handle, clearly showing his restraint. Although Yun Xiao was already meditating, Zhou Zhangxi hadnt begun yet. When he saw Tang Wulin return, he immediately raised his head from his bed and asked, Tang Wulin, is Xie Xie really a rank 18 Soul Master? How did you beat him? Zhou Zhangxi was getting more and more curious about Tang Wulin, who was even more powerful than him. Tang Wulin had an expression of helplessness. Actually, I dont know either. He really didnt know. How could he possibly say that golden scales appeared on his arm? After fainting and waking up, his body had already returned to normal and no matter what he did, he couldnt get those scales to reappear. He only vaguely remembered that there was a surge of heat within his body before the scales appeared on his arm, filling it with berserk power. His consciousness had been somewhat fuzzy at the time, and he hadnt been able to contain the feeling in his body. A tyrannical mood had even come over him at that time. If his willpower hadnt been so resolute, he was afraid that hed have put others in danger. But in the end, what were those golden scales? Could they actually be due to his variant martial soul? Or could it be his little Grass Snake, Goldlight, wasnt actually a trash spirit soul, but was actually an impossible existence? However, no matter how he looked at it, he couldnt see Goldlightbeing so valiant! The bottom of the matter was this: what caused those golden scales to appear? Would they only appear when he was harmed? Tang Wulin took out a sewing needle from his personal items and pricked himself. How painful! A drop of blood flowed out, accompanied by an intense stinging feeling. But still nothing The golden scales didnt appear. He was a bit afraid of pain, so could it be that this prick was too little? He tried it again. But still nothing It still was to no avail. Ill try meditating then! Completely focused on meditating, Tang Wulin began circulating his soul power while in search of the bizarre heat. He had only learned the most basic of meditation techniques, so the path of his soul power was exceedingly simple. Soon after, hed finished circulating his soul power, but still wasnt able to find anything at all. Everything was the same as always. There were absolutely no deviations in his cultivation. This was truly strange! Tang Wulin summoned Goldlightand inspected it. However, no matter how much he looked it over, the undulating energy coming from this guy wouldnt be able to give him such such tyrannical strength. Early morning. When Tang Wulin finished his meditation, he looked across the room and saw that Xie Xie was also meditating. He had returned at an unknown time and the swelling of his face had gone down by a lot. Only his complexion was just as bad as before. Tang Wulin didnt know whether it was because Xie Xie had been beaten again, or because he was angry. No one would be happy after paying for a beating. 51 The First Class Lets battle again! Xie Xie repeated for the umpteenth time as he rushed to catch up with Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin ignored Xie Xies calls and headed straight for the dining hall. I wasnt at my best yesterday! If you dont fight with me, dont think that I wont reveal your secrets! Xie Xie threatened. You can say whatever you want, Tang Wulin replied to his threat nonchalantly. What was he to be afraid of, if he himself knew nothing about the golden scales? You Dont disturb my meal time, Tang Wulin told Xie Xie as if he were shooing a fly, and easily moved him aside as he headed for the third window. Hey! Come fight me! Ill treat you to a meal from the first window! An idea took form in Xie Xies mind as he shouted towards Tang Wulins back. Tang Wulin, who was originally headed towards the third window, suddenly returned to Xie Xies side, as if his back was attached to a rope and it had been yanked backwards. Are you serious? He still had cravings for the meals from the first window. After having tasted the food from the second window the day before, he could feel the significant difference the nutritious food had made for his body. He had felt distinctly more comfortable when he woke up this morning. He had been able to feel it throughout his whole body, as if each and every inch of his muscles had been revitalised. Of course! Xie Xie answered back proudly. Until Ive had enough? Tang Wulins pair of large eyes brightened up. As much as you can eat. Didnt they say that you have a huge appetite? Show me your ability. Ill let you eat until you cant take any more food! Xie Xies lips curled into a smile as he spoke. Deal! Half an hour later, Xie Xie was already beginning to regret his promise. Are you even human? Youve already eaten 30 phoenix turtle eggs, and you still have room for more? A meal from the second window cost 300 federation coins, and a meal from the first window could cost up to 1,000 federation coins. Tang Wulin wasnt aware of these costs, and had already finished at least fifteen meals, but it seemed that he hadnt filled up just yet. Lets just forget about this, then. Ill stop eating. Tang Wulin felt a little ashamed. He had no idea how much one meal course would cost, but with the quantity that he had consumed, it was definitely not cheap. Seeing that Tang Wulin was moving towards the third window, Xie Xie rushed forward to grab him and answered fiercely, Eat. Why did you stop? Youve already insulted my body, I am not going to let you insult my character as well. Ill keep my word. A meal from the first window gave Tang Wulin an astoundingly different feeling. He had never tasted anything as delicious as this. The meal from the second window, though nutritious, was bland. However, this meal from the first window was utterly different, even when putting its incredible taste aside. As Tang Wulin consumed the food, it warmed up his whole stomach and filled him with an inexpressibly comfortable feeling. The warmth from the food flowed into all his limbs and bones, heat radiating off Tang Wulins body. It felt as though there was a wave of energy gently vibrating within him. Tang Wulin finally stopped at his twenty-second meal, satiated. Thank you. Xie Xie rolled his eyes, What? Are you full? Tang Wulin smiled, Ive forgotten that your names Xie Xie1. I was thanking you. After understanding what Tang Wulin meant, Xie Xie cooly replied, Remember your promise to me. Though he was wealthy, Xie Xie only had so much pocket money, and the total price of Tang Wulins servings made him cringe a little. The sum for the repairs of the previous day amounted to around 20,000 coins, on top of the 20,000 today, totalled to approximately 40,000 coins. Worst of all, he wasnt sure if he buying another beating or not Today, Wu Zhangkong was wearing a pair of pants colored in grey, black and white, along with a white shirt. His attires style was simple, but it accentuated his tall and slim figure. By simply standing, his body emitted blasts of cold air, silencing the class effectively. Tang Wulin wore the most satisfied expression, actually looking relaxed. With his tummy full of goodness from the first window, how could he not be? The gushes of warmth were slowly stirring up the soul power inside him. It was true, then, that good and nutritious food could promote a bodys quality and could shorten ones cultivation speed. Today officially marks the start of your classes. Most of your lessons will be taught by me. Stand up, Wu Zhangkong spoke with a cold attitude. The whole class quickly jumped to their feet. Come with me! Wu Zhangkong shoved both his hands into his pockets and walked out of the classroom, followed closely by the students. Being new at this, they lacked the concept of queuing up, which made it looked like a mess. However, nobody dared to speak aloud in front of this icily arrogant god and his powerful aura. Wu Zhangkong brought the group of students to the field. Line up in pairs, and stand properly. Tang Wulin was the tallest in class, after Zhou Zhangxi. The four roommates were once again standing together. Both Tang Wulin and Zhou Zhangxi formed a single file, with Yun Xiao and Xie Xie beside them. Wu Zhangkong spoke deeply, For the first lesson today, you will be showing me your abilities. Thereafter, you will proceed into actual combat. Ill be the judge. Elimination will occur after a single loss. Show me your true colours! A girl raised her hand, Teacher Wu, I am a Tool Soul Master, do I need to join in the actual combat? Wu Zhangkong answered the student icily, In the battlefield, would your enemy spare you if you told them you were a Tool Soul Master? First group, prepare yourselves, we shall start from this end. He pointed towards Tang Wulin and Zhou Zhangxis end. Contrary to experiencing the anxiety that most students felt, Zhou Zhangxi became excited almost instantaneously. He couldnt accept having been punched out the window by Tang Wulin, but after witnessing Tang Wulin defeat Xie Xie after only two strikes, his urge to fight had been quelled when the Director gave the order to stop fighting. Thats good. Lets compete with our strength! I dont believe your strength will be greater than mine. Zhou Zhangxis eyes lit up as he directed his words at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin remained silent. Wu Zhangkong commanded the students to form a circle around the competing duo. You may begin. No rules as to how you may defeat your opponent, Wu Zhangkong pointed out plainly, but his words were directed towards the entire student body as well. Zhou Zhangxi roared loudly, wide-eyed. His soul ring appeared as a white circle beneath his feet, the ray of light instantly flowing upwards, following the contour of his body. In the same moment, his massive build grew in size, particularly the muscles in both his arms, which were visibly swelling up beneath his school uniform. A little brown monkey appeared on his shoulder. It seemed to be his spirit soul, a ten year spirit soul. First soul skill, Power Amplification! Zhou Zhangxi took big strides in Tang Wulins direction, producing a thundering dongdong sound when he stopped on both of his feet. As a match to his massive build, there was his aggressive vigour. A few long strides took him to Tang Wulins side. With both his hands stretched in Tang Wulins direction, he aimed at both Tang Wulins shoulders at once. Tang Wulin shot out both his fists at the same time, aiming towards both Zhou Zhangxis hands. Peng! Deng, deng, deng! The massively-built Zhou Zhangxi was forced backwards three steps before he managed to regain his balance. With a big step forward, Tang Wulin threw a punch in Zhou Zhangxis direction. To counter Tang Wulins punch, Zhou Zhangxi gritted his teeth and forced out all the strength within his body into the punch directed at Tang Wulin. 52 Match Peng! Zhou Zhangxi staggered backward continuously. He finally couldnt stabilize himself from the force and landed on his butt. However, Tang Wulin stood grounded just like before, though his upper body swayed a bit. How could this be? Zhou Zhangxi was at a loss. If one could say hed been defeated during the match that day due to being careless, what about today? Hed released his martial soul and even utilized his soul skill, Power Amplification, yet Tang Wulins strength still crushed his. It was simply unrivaled and had even forced him on his butt. Stop! Wu Zhangkong commanded icily and pointed at Zhou Zhangxi. You. Out. If a Power System Battle Soul Master lost to their opponent in strength during a match, then there was no longer a need to continue the match. Why didnt you use your martial soul? Wu Zhangkong eyed Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin answered, He wanted to compete against me in strength. Wu Zhangkongs expression turned frosty. If he told you to eat shit, would you? Take on every match as if it were a battle. Winning that battle is your sole objective. Even a lion has to give its all to catch a rabbit. You cant allow even the slightest chance for your opponent to defeat you. You advance, wait for the next match. Losers were kicked out and winners were reprimanded. The stress level of the students multiplied rapidly. Next match. The second pair were Yun Xiao and Xie Xie, the two whom had stood closest to Tang Wulin and Zhou Zhangxi. Yun Xiao, with a bitter face, begged Xie Xie to be easy with his actions. Please be lenient on me! Im just anAuxiliary System Battle Soul Master. I cant endure much. Xie Xie commented, To each their own. Start! As soon as Wu Zhangkong announced this, Xie Xie dodged to the side. A yellow ring of light shone beneath his feet at almost the same time. His speed was unimaginably fast. His Light Dragon dagger had a bright golden glow coming from it and it neared Yun Xiao within a short span of time. Right at that moment, a miracle appeared. The white glow flashed from Yun Xiaos body, making the students feel as if there were a flower of light before them. When Xie Xie ambitiously struck, his dagger met nothing but air. Tang Wulin had fought twice with Xie Xie, and agreed to a third battle. Thus, he was focusing hard on this match. He realised that Yun Xiao had been holding something glimmering when Xie Xie had rushed towards him. In the blink of an eye, their positions swapped, and Xie Xies attack failed. However, Xie Xies response was quick. When he realized that his opponent disappeared, hed already shifted his Light Dragon Dagger backwards. It appeared that his arm had moved into an unbelievable positionas if he were jointless. Light and shadow came together as if to protect his back. Yun Xiao was quick enough to only use his soul skill once, but it was soon shrouded by Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger. In addition, Yun Xiaos soul skill didnt allow for continuous use. Just as Yun Xiao was about to be sliced apart by the Light Dragon Dagger, a huge palm appeared and dragged him to the side. Stop! Xie Xie turned around with the dagger at his chest. Though his actions were swift, there was no trace of panic. His small, handsome face was full of ice, causing the eyes of the girls in their class to shine. Not bad. You advance. Wu Zhangkong nodded towards Xie Xie before turning towards Yun Xiao. You activated your soul skill at the precise time. However, you had underestimated the abilities of your opponent. You should have distanced yourself from him after activating your soul skill. When an Auxiliary System Battle Soul Master is restrained by an Agility System Battle Soul Master, you should find ways to strengthen your chances of survival. Yes. Thank you, teacher. Yun Xiao held a round disc in his hand which seemed to have many intricate lines on its surface. He had listened to Wu Zhangkongs words, but Yun Xiao still thought, How did Tang Wulin manage to give Xie Xie, whose skills are unrivaled, those swollen cheeks? Facts have proven that the Eastsea Academys teachers had a unique vision when determining how the classes were sorted. After almost every match, the participants would be berated by Wu Zhangkong. Of the 20 students, eight of them were Tool Soul Masters and were not equipped with any battle skills. Their capacity for assisting abilities were hopeless as well. Of all the Battle Soul Masters in class, three of them were close to the level of the trash martial soul, Bluesilver Grass. Within these matches, there were even two Tool Soul Masters with no battle skills at all. They were merely pushing at each other within the duration of the match. Although Wu Zhangkong had guessed that the caliber of the class as a whole was bad, he hadnt expected that it would be to this extent. If not for the free compulsory education, it would have been meaningless for the students within this class to continue their training. Reaching the rank 20 would be next to impossible. From the current situation, only Xie Xie had caught Wu Zhangkongs eye within the mass of students. Second round starts. You and you. Both of you shall compete. Wu Zhangkong, with a severe-looking expression, pointed at Tang Wulin and a female student. The female student whom Wu Zhangkong pointed to was petite. She looked cute with her short light blue hair and big eyes. A glance at her direction reminded Tang Wulin of Naer. He faintly remembered that Li Chushui was her name and that her martial soul was a cat. Start! Li Chushui gave off an impression of shyness. She bowed towards Tang Wulin before releasing her martial soul. Half of her light blue hair turned white, and one of her blue eyes turned green. A white soul ring rose beneath her feet and a cute little white cat appeared on her shoulder. White fur grew over her palms and claws sprang out from her fingertips. She crouched slightly and sprang agilely towards Tang Wulins direction. Her actions were lithe and her speed was fast; it was her speed that had won her the previous match. Like Xie Xie, she was an Agility System Battle Soul Master. Keeping in mind Wu Zhangkongs remark about his previous match, Tang Wulin brought out his martial soul as well. Blades of Bluesilver Grass appeared from his palms, and a little grass snake appeared, twirling around his wrist. After continuously using his soul skill, Bind, continuously these past few days, he was exceptionally familiar with it. He released his vine-like Bluesilver Grass, but the blades didnt flow towards his opponent. Instead, they appeared around him. They weaved into a big, asymmetrical web that stood near his body. If Li Chushui were to continue at her original speed towards Tang Wulin, she wouldve knocked into and been trapped by this web. She seemed intimidated and halted abruptly, then got to the ground on all fours without a sound. Shifting her body to the side, it seemed as if she were about to attack Tang Wulin from his side. Tang Wulin had tasted what it was like with Xie Xie when they were up close. He was clear that when being near an Agility System Battle Soul Master, with his own speed, he had practically no defense against such an attack so closely. Therefore, he quickly turned his Bluesilver Grass towards Li Chushuis direction and continued to maintain his web of defense, waiting for the opponent to collide with his web. Li Chushui changed positions continuously as she tried to find gaps. Tang Wulins gaze was nailed to her without hesitation as he waited for her move. Though his opponents martial soul was released at the same time as his, his opponent had been moving at high speed, so he could just wait and consume less energy than her. With his insufficient knowledge of controlling Bluesilver Grass, it was best to stay in one place when dealing with the immense movements of his opponent. While his opponent constantly changed directions, Tang Wulin continued to adjust his Bluesilver Grass web, fixing the blades so they looked more orderly, finding and mending any gaps or holes that may appear. The blades of the Bluesilver Grass gave off a sparkling luster. As Tang Wulin checked his web, he found thin golden lines at the roots of the Bluesilver Grass in his palm. They were just barely visible. 53 Victory Streak Li Chushui was, nonetheless, only a nine-year-old child, and her fighting experience wasnt abundant. As Tang Wulin had expected, the continuously quick and ever-changing movements that Li Chushui used to seek her opponents weak points had eventually tired out her rank 11 spirit power. She couldnt wait any longer; she didnt have the strength to sustain her soul skill for much longer. Li Chushui gritted her teeth and seemed to have suddenly vanished as she maneuvered herself behind Tang Wulin with a sudden spurt of speed. At the same time, the white soul ring on her body lit up. With a wave of her claws, two blades emitting white light shot in front of her, followed by her body. Tang Wulin obviously wasnt as fast as her. However, his action of merely changing direction was much simpler. His Bluesilver Grass moved quicker and congealed together. The two white blades slashed quickly at the Bluesilver Grass, a so-called trash martial soul. However, the envisioned image of Bluesilver Grass being torn to bits didnt happen. The white blades flickered gently with light as they both disappeared, and Li Chushui crashed into the web of Bluesilver Grass. Long blades of blue, narrow vines twirled upwards and bound her petite body. Tang Wulin pulled his right hand into a fist and punched toward Li Chushuis bound figure before him. However, he abruptly stopped his fist a mere few centimeters in front of her. Xie Xie unknowingly felt his cheeks warm up as he watched. This jerk! Why didnt he stop when he was competing with me? There was a flash of light in Wu Zhangkongs eyes. Thats no ordinary Bluesilver Grass! His character is free from arrogance and his control is pretty good too. Tang Wulin wins. Tang Wulin loosened his Bluesilver Grass and helped Li Chushui steady herself. Li Chushui blushed as she exchanged glances with Tang Wulins large eyes that were in close proximity to her. She said to him shyly, Thank you. Tang Wulin simply smiled in response, stunning her. She felt as though his smile radiated like the sun. Round two proceeded onward and Xie Xie successfully defeated his opponent. There were 5 remaining students after that round concluded. Tang Wulin originally thought that he would be placed against Xie Xie in his second round, but Wu Zhangkong purposely placed him away from Xie Xie. The same happened during his third round. Tang Wulin, Tao Liufan, both of you can start first, Wu Zhangkong said, monotonously. Tao Liufan wasnt tall, but he looked quite sturdy. He had a head of messy, short, brown hair. Both stood ground facing each other as they released their martial souls. Tao Liufans martial soul was a Willow Tree. His soul power rose, and as he raised both his hands as if to support the sky, strips of willow twigs flowed out and up from both his limbs. They swayed as though they were a part of the willow tree. At first glance, it seemed similar to Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass. Blades of Bluesilver Grass reappeared. Control type versus control type, what would happen? This was what Wu Zhangkong was waiting for. In the match before them, Tao Liufan seemed to be abiding with the rules. With their current strength levels and under normal circumstances, a ControlSystem Battle Soul Master wouldve been advantageous in the match since none of them had a powerful soul skill. Out of the whole class, Xie Xie was the only one with a hundred year spirit soul, while the rest only had ten year spirit souls. Therefore, Tao Liufans soul ring was also a white one. What was more interesting was that he shared the same soul skill as Tang Wulin C Bind. His spirit soul was of the snake family as well, but Tao Liufans spirit soul was a little green snake. His green snake looked significantly stronger than Tang Wulins Goldlight, both in mass and vigour. Start! Willow branches and Bluesilver Grass struck at the other at almost the same time. It looked as if the quantity of the willows branches held a visible advantage; Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass only sprouted out from his right palm and there was none from his left hand. Both had almost the same amount of control, but everyone had guessed the results by sheer comparison of quantity. Of course, the willow branches flew in the direction of the blades of Bluesilver Grass as they intertwined in the air. Tao Liufan, having the advantage of numbers, directed the remaining branches towards Tang Wulin in an attempt to bind him. Tao Liufans gaze revealed a hint of exciteness. Though his martial soul wasnt very strong, he felt that his willow branches were stronger than Bluesilver Grass and the current situation only served to back up his thoughts. Trees would be stronger than grass, wouldnt they? Tang Wulin wasnt frantic at all when the willows branches arrived in front of him. Faced with its branches, he abruptly pulled on the Bluesilver Grass in his right hand, twisting their two martial souls together and transmitted his physical strength through their intertwined martial souls. Tao Liufan only felt a sudden wave of strength coming towards him before his body was pulled in Tang Wulins direction. At this very moment, his willow branches had been strongly bound by Tang Wulin. Tao Liufans response was pretty quick. As his body was yanked into the air, he was still able to raise both his knees. You wanted to pull me over right? Ill come by and knock you out. However, he caught view of Tang Wulins expressionless face, followed by a sudden movement of his arms as he shattered all the willow branches that had bound him. He caught Tao Liufans lower thigh with a quick raise of his hand, and pressed him against the ground. The tender willow branches swung profusely in an attempt to bind or push away Tang Wulin. However, struggling was useless against the strength of their opponent. Neither of them had a powerful martial soul, and it was only through his absolute strength that Tang Wulin was able to achieve victory in the third round. You truly are worthy of being called a Rice Bucket; it seems all that food didnt go to waste. Tao Liufan threw his comments ferociously towards Tang Wulin before escaping out of the circle. Wu Zhangkong frowned. This was not the battle hed been expecting. Without much doubt, Xie Xie had won another round. There was only one student who hadnt competed at all. As the matches progressed, only three competitors remained. The only student who hadnt competed was a female student. This was a chubby girl who looked a little dumb. All of the students gazes were directed towards Wu Zhangkong. There were three remaining students, so how would the competition proceed? Wu Zhangkong drew a slight breath and decided, Tang Wulin, Han Lan, both of you may compete first. The winner will compete against Xie Xie. Xie Xies face revealed a glint of triumph and he looked towards Tang Wulin with arrogance. He was trying to show that the teachers opinion of him was higher. However, he didnt realise that through his arrogance, he forgot that he was continuously competing against an opponent with the trash martial soul, Bluesilver Grass. However, Tang Wulin didnt even bother a look towards Xie Xies direction as he returned to the competition grounds. Although Han Lan had only experienced two rounds of matches, she had left Tang Wulin with a deep impression. It wasnt only for her size, but also for her martial soul. Han Lans martial soul was the Earth Element, a fine martial soul. Her soul power was at rank 13, and one wouldnt have considered placing her in Class Five by the look of her capabilities. Start! The the fourth round of match started with Wu Zhangkongs command. 54 Hammering Through the Stone Prison As he watched Han Lan, Tang Wulins expression grew serene. Having observed Han Lans previous two battles, he had already come up with a plan for her. A white ring twinkled beneath Han Lans feet before a spirit soul that looked like a lump of dirt appeared. She didnt hesitate at all as she held up both her palms in Tang Wulins direction. In response, a yellow ring of earth appeared under Tang Wulins feet. Stone pillars arose from the yellow ring in a flash, entrapping Tang Wulin inside a stone prison. If it had been Xie Xie in this situation, he would have likely rushed out of the stone prisons range as soon as Han Lan had raised her hands. However, Tang Wulin clearly didnt possess such speed, so he hadnt bothered moving at all. At the peak, the stone pillars curved inwards, completely sealing off all avenues of escape. Han Lan had won her previous two matches by controlling the earth in order to contain her opponents. Although her first soul skill was only a ten year one, it was unusually powerful as it was able to directly restrain her opponents. However, it was still a ten year soul skill and its restrictions were not small. For example, after using this soul skill, there was a cooldown period of 20 seconds before she could use it again. If this were a true battlefield, she wouldve likely only had one chance to use this skill. Wu Zhangkong began counting down the seconds that Tang Wulin was trapped. If he reached ten seconds, then it would count as Tang Wulins loss. Han Lan had won her first match with the same method. In the second match, however, shed won even sooner. Her opponent had tried to rush out of the stone prisons range as soon as the match started, but the creation of the stone prison was simply too fast. Just as he had approached the outer range of the stone prison, hed been directly sent soaring by the top of a stone pillar. If Wu Zhangkong hadnt caught him, he mightve been crippled by the fall. Tang Wulin didnt want to challenge the prison at the risk of being thrown to such a height, so he decided to remain stationary and let it entrap him. Ten Wu Zhangkong began to expressionlessly count down the seconds. After the first match had ended, Wu Zhangkong had said that being trapped by a Control System Battle Soul Master for more than ten seconds was no different than death. Thus, he gave them a ten second time limit. If he was able to break out of Han Lans trap within ten seconds, then it would count as Han Lans loss. If he wasnt able to break out, then Han Lan would win. It was just this simple and rough. Tang Wulin wasnt the least bit anxious as he unhurriedly raised his arms. Two gray lights flashed, then a pair of forging hammers appeared in his hands. Nine Bang! He swung the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers in his hands and brazenly smashed the two stone pillars in front of him. Dust flew out as the stone pillars were smashed to pieces! The count of eight didnt even leave Wu Zhangkongs lips as Tang Wulin lifted his hammers out from the rubble. This The whole class simply stared at him and they couldnt help but suck in a breath of air. Even Xie Xie, whom had battled with Tang Wulin before, didnt expect Tang Wulin to use such a method to break out of the stone prison. The eyes of Wu Zhangkong shone as he revealed an unusual expression. He nodded. Tang Wulin is the victor. With his eyesight, he had been able to clearly examine the two hammers in Tang Wulins hands. The hammers hadnt been reinforced by any soul power at all, thus indicating that they werent soul tools. Even if they had been soul tools, what level of efficacy could Tang Wulin even reach with his current soul power? This brats strength is truly prodigal! Xie Xies eyes widened in shock. This guy was actually holding back when he fought me? In reality, Tang Wulin hadnt held back at all. He simply hadnt thought of using his forging hammers to do battle before. He had only taken out his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers today due to his need for destructive power. He hadnt thought that a single attack of his would have such remarkable results. Wu Zhangkong turned towards Xie Xie. Xie Xie, its your turn. Xie Xie leapt onto the stage. He was feeling a bit gloomy at the moment as he recalled the amount of food that Tang Wulin had eaten this morning. If hed known earlier that he would face him in class today, then he wouldnt have bothered to treat Tang Wulin to a meal! Hammers in hand, Tang Wulin changed his stance to face Xie Xie. He wasnt confident in his victory at all. Although he had won the last time, it was simply due to a miracle. But now, with these hammers in hand, he suddenly felt wonderful. It seemed that these Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers had already integrated with his body. When he held them, his confidence surged. Right as Xie Xie was mulling over his thoughts of how to deal with Tang Wulin, a cold voice suddenly cut in from the side. The fourth round, second match. Xie Xie versus Wu Zhangkong. What? Xie Xie nearly lost his voice as he cried out in alarm. He turned to look at the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming. Wu Zhangkong coldly glanced at him. Did you really think that an unfair situation would occur in my class? You will receive one of my attacks. Then you will face Tang Wulin. Xie Xie stared at him, dumbstruck. Teacher Wu, are you playing a joke on me? Youre a teacher. Wu Zhangkong had already strolled over to Tang Wulins side. With a simple wave of his hand, Tang Wulin was carried over to the sidelines, hammers still in hand. Wu Zhangkong patted his waist with his right hand, undoing his belt. Teacher, what are you doing? Xie Xie vigilantly retreated two steps back. However, he soon discovered that Wu Zhangkongs pants were very form fitting. Even after untying his belt, his pants hadnt budged at all. Wu Zhangkong shook his wrist, causing the belt to become completely taut and perfectly straight. With an indifferent voice, he said, I wont release my martial soul. You only need to receive one of my attacks. As he spoke, Wu Zhangkong took a step forward with his left foot as his belt-sword had already thrust towards Xie Xie. Xie Xies combat experience could be considered the richest amongst his classmates. The moment he released his martial soul, he retreated like lightning. What a joke. Was Wu Zhangkong powerless only because he didnt release his martial soul? With the support of just his soul power, there was no difference between his belt and a sharp sword. Running away was Xie Xies best option at that moment. Xie Xie was extremely confident in his speed. As he retreated, he held his Light Dragon Dagger in front of himself protectively. However, a horrifying scene happened before his eyes. Although he was rapidly retreating, Wu Zhangkongs belt-sword stayed in front of him from beginning to end. This attack seemed to be a simple thrust, but no matter what Xie Xie did, he was unable to dodge it. Bang! Aiyou! The belt softened just a moment before it pierced into Xie Xies shoulder. However, it simply smacked Xie Xies shoulder and sent him flying. After rolling over the floor twice, Xie Xie was finally able to get up. He clutched his shoulder and grimaced in pain. Xie Xies forehead dripped with sweat. The most terrifying thing was that in the moment before Wu Zhangkong struck him, Xie Xie actually felt as if his life were about to end. This kind of powerful and oppressive strength would cause anyones spirit to tense up. After he was sent flying, Xie Xie was able to loosen up a bit, but he was still left with this appearance. Too scary. In the end, how deep is Teacher Wus strength? You have one minute to rest. After that, the finals will begin. Wu Zhangkong shook his wrist once again, wrapping the belt around his waist before walking off to the side. 55 Treating Him Like Metal After seeing that one strike from Wu Zhangkong, the students dared not break the silence out of fear. Their lineup was even more orderly now. In front of this teacher of theirs, they all felt as if they were under great pressure. Tang Wulin blinked a few times. Just a moment ago he had been seriously watching the match. When Wu Zhangkongs sword thrust forth, Xie Xie had begun to dodge, yet his futile attempts only resembled a prey caught in a spiders web to Tang Wulin. No matter how much Xie Xie struggled, it wouldve been impossible to escape from this large web. It was done with such a simple sword, but had neither the aid of a martial soul or a soul skill. Yet, Wu Zhangkong easily suppressed Xie Xie. What kind of cultivation was needed for this!? Teacher truly is too formidable! Tang Wulin began to revere the so-titled Icily Arrogant Prince Charming in his heart. Even as he revered Wu Zhangkong on the inside, he also stealthily returned the soul camera to his Heavy Silver Rings. Senior Sister Liu Yuxin had requested a favor from him. Even though it was his first time doing such a thing, he was still prepared. Xie Xie wiped away his sweat as he stood there with a pensive look. He was pondering over the oppression hed just faced from Wu Zhangkong moments ago. Wu Zhangkong hadnt attacked blindly with his sword. In front of this kind of pressure, Xie Xie had felt as if he were trapped. He felt that he was about even with Tang Wulin, but when he was in front of Wu Zhangkongs sword, he felt as if any decision he made would only result in his death. There was no chance of escape at all. In this kind of situation, even if he had wanted to rush out, how was he supposed to do so? One minute has passed. Get ready. Xie Xie raised his head and rested his gaze upon Tang Wulin who had his hammers in hand. In return, Tang Wulin stared at him as well. Looking back, this was their third battle. Xie Xie had lost in the previous two battles, and now held a slight fear towards Tang Wulin. He still clearly remembered that golden light. This time, however, he would be on guard against it. Begin! Wu Zhangkong announced the start of the match, thus raising the curtains for the final showdown within class five. Xie Xie released his martial soul and his Light Dragon Dagger twinkled in his hand. However, he didnt impatiently rush towards Tang Wulin and, instead, began circling around him. Tang Wulin had also released his Bluesilver Grass the moment the match begun and had weaved Bluesilver Grass in a manner similar to the style of his first match against Li Chushui. The blades of grass weaved into a large net, just waiting for someone to walk into its trap. Xie Xies heart stirred. Wasnt Wu Zhangkongs sword pressure simply a formless net? Was Teacher giving me guidance on how to break through Tang Wulins net? But Teacher, you dont know how tough this guys Bluesilver Grass is. Its basically impossible to break through! The very first time they had fought, Xie Xie had underestimated the resilience of Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass! This mistake had allowed Tang Wulin to send him flying. This guy isnt even using his fists anymore, but hammers! If he smashed my face with those When Xie Xie saw the two shiny black hammers in Tang Wulins hands, he immediately got a bad feeling. Tang Wulin was neither in a hurry, nor impatient to start. He just calmly waited for Xie Xie to attack while constantly moving the net in his direction. In reality, Tang Wulin knew in his heart that Xie Xie and Li Chushui were as different as black and white. With Xie Xies soul power level, the one whose stamina would be depleted first would likely be Tang Wulin. Even faced with such circumstances, Tang Wulin wasnt anxious at all. He just waited for Xie Xie to attack so that his golden scales could appear again. Xie Xie continued circling around Tang Wulin thrice before pouncing forward like lightning. Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass spread out in a flash, sealing off Xie Xies attack route. He waved his Light Dragon Dagger, its tip striking towards Tang Wulin. Pu! The blade tip descended on the Bluesilver Grass, and, in flash, a ring of light dissipated, causing the Bluesilver Grass to undulate with blue ripples. Although the interwoven Bluesilver Grass had easily dispelled the attack, Tang Wulins soul power had also dropped a bit. Wu Zhangkongs eyebrows raised in surprise. Xie Xies attack was meant to let their teacher see that Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass wasnt ordinary at all. After committing to an attack with no results, Xie Xie rapidly retreated, once again distancing himself from Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin didnt control his Bluesilver Grass to chase after Xie Xie since his movements were simply too fast. Moreover, Xie Xies dodging ability was astonishing. If Tang Wulin showed an opening, Xie Xie would be in front of him in a flash. Xie Xie was extraordinarily patient this time as he continuously circled Tang Wulin, searching for an opening. With soul power at rank 18, he had more than enough time. Occasionally, he would attack Tang Wulin, but immediately drawback afterwards. Xie Xie gradually began to reveal a smile. This was because hed realized that Tang Wulins soul power was only at rank 11. Although his Bluesilver Grass was marvelous, the gap between their soul power was simply tremendous. As long as Xie Xie exhausted Tang Wulins soul power, it would be his win. What else could possibly stop him? The match between the two was taking longer than all of the previous matches. However, Wu Zhangkong wasnt anxious at all. His arms were folded in front of him as he silently watched the match go on. Tang Wulins soul power was finally approaching the point of exhaustion, which left him with no choice but to withdraw his Bluesilver Grass. During the split second hed begun withdrawing his Bluesilver Grass, Xie Xies body flickered. Immediately, he appeared at Tang Wulins side with his Light Dragon Dagger in hand. In the face of Xie Xies speed, it was practically impossible for Tang Wulin to dodge. However Ding! A brittle note echoed out and sparks flew everywhere. Tang Wulin and Xie Xies weapons were interlocked in a showdown. Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger had missed Tang Wulins body. Tang Wulins eyes narrowed. It was as if he had entered some sort of special state. The Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer in his right hand was held behind him, obstructing Xie Xies attack. In disbelief, Xie Xie spun to the other side, slashing out once again. Dang! The same thing happened as before. Tang Wulins other hammer accurately blocked Xie Xies second attack. How could this be? How could he be so quick? Xie Xies eyes were full of disbelief. Could it be..? This guy was disguising himself as a pig to eat a tiger? Ive actually lost to him twice when he was acting as a pig? Yes! How fast! While he faced off against Xie Xie, Tang Wulin was continuously thinking of ways he could could counter Xie Xies speed. His opponent was an Agility System Battle Soul Master while he could be considered both a Control System Battle Soul Master and a Power System Battle Soul Master; he would lose out to his opponents speed either way. If this continued on, he would definitely lose. He also couldnt rely on his golden scales to appear miraculously. While he had been pondering over this dilemma, he finally had a brilliant idea. His bodys speed couldnt possibly compare with his opponent. However, there was still one area that he was exceptionally fast in. That was forging! In the three years he had spent forging, he had grown so familiar with hammers that they were like an extension of his body. Especially when his strength exploded out; that familiar sensation was even more intense. If he used the heavy Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers, he wouldnt be able to dominate with speed. However, with his lighter Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers, he would be able to make these hammers fly. It would be like the test he took at the Blacksmiths Association. He would dazzle Xie Xie with his ability of wielding his tungsten hammers. He would treat Xie Xie like a lump of metal! 56 Shouldn’t There Be Rewards? That was right, this was precisely what Tang Wuling did. In Tang Wulins mind, Xie Xie was no longer a person, but a piece of metal that he was currently forging. His mind gradually entered the forging phase where one emptied out their thoughts and cleared their mind. Xie Xies previously dizzying actions seemingly slowed down and became clearer. It was in this situation that the pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers were waved around, hammering twice each time to shield off Xie Xies attacks. Though Xie Xie hadnt started his third move, he felt a gush of vile wind blowing in his direction. Tang Wulin struck his hammer towards Xie Xie. From the ear-splitting sound it produced upon moving through the air, one could easily judge the heaviness of a single strike. Xie Xie hastily dodged. However, Tang Wulin unfolded his hammers and started hammering down, his strikes, worthy of being called a ferocious thunderstorm, were aimed towards Xie Xie. The hammers produced a wu-wu sound as they struck down, causing dust to rise from the ground. The repeated strikes left Xie Xie cowering in retreat. Xie Xie didnt dare use his Light Dragon Dagger against Tang Wulins attacks. He was an Agility System Battle Soul Master. He knew that even though his opponent was just using pure power, he wasnt confident he could muster the strength to match it. If one compared both their strengths, the difference was simply too great. With a flash of his body, Xie Xie quickly retreated and distanced himself from Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin didnt give chase; he knew that his speed was of no match to Xie Xies. Involuntarily, he halted his hammering, but his gaze remained glued to Xie Xie and his every action. This bastard! Xie Xie cursed in his heart. His gaze sharpened. Xie Xies expression turned solemn as he caught his breath. The Light Dragon Dagger in his right hand waved slightly. At the same time, he raised his left hand. His entire person suddenly became more vigorous and powerful. He pressed lightly against the ground with the tips of his toes and pushed out, shooting into the air. As he shot up into the air quickly, faint afterimages of himself trailed behind him. He unleashed a speed that had increased by at least 30% more than before. Pelted by the wind Xie Xie produced, Tang Wulin raised both his hammers. With his body in the air, Xie Xie gave Tang Wulins Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers a light tap using the Light Dragon Dagger in his right hand. As he turned, Xie Xies energy was recharged. Simply by borrowing some from Tang Wulin in that little move, he was able to direct his left hand towards Tang Wulin. Pu! Tang Wulins back was marred with yet another scar. The stabbing pain brought Tang Wulin back to his senses and he staggered a little, feeling the burning pain in his back. Despite that burning pain, a wave of heat flowed into his body from his spine. Tang Wulins shock was eradicated by his joy. Are the golden scales appearing? So it was true that the golden scales will only appear under the circumstances of being attacked? However, when he tried stabilising himself again, the sudden heat wave he felt a moment ago disappeared. It didnt rise through his body like it did during his previous experience, when it transformed into a huge volume of strength, along with the appearance of golden scales. Stop! Wu Zhangkong suddenly appeared between the both of them and halted the match. Xie Xie wins! Xie Xie sighed in relief, a strand of glee appearing in his eyes. He finally won! He had finally won for the first time and tears were flowing down his cheeks. But Xie Xie was curious as to why Tang Wulins golden scales didnt appear. Could it be that he was still concealing them from others? Or that he was speaking the truth and didnt know how to control those golden scales? Wu Zhangkong spoke to Xie Xie, You will be in charge of getting Tang Wulin a new uniform set. Eh Didnt I win the match? Shouldnt I be rewarded? Xie Xie felt his surroundings darken with despair. How is this Tang Wulin guy always finding ways to cost me money!? How! Wu Zhangkong turned and faced the class. He spoke coolly, The competition has ended and all of you have witnessed it. What are your feelings? Rotten wood cannot be carved! This Icily Arrogant Prince Charming answered his own question. It is no wonder why all of you have been sorted into class five, you are all a bunch of trash. However, even if you are all merely scrap iron, I will take pride in tempering all of you. As all of you wouldve seen from the previous match. What is Tang Wulins martial soul? It is the widely-recognised trash martial soul, Bluesilver Grass. However, Tang Wulin has successfully made it all the way to the finals, and even almost won the final match. I was the winner, right? Xie Xie grieved silently, why did it sound as if he lost the match? Wu Zhangkong ignored him and continued. He relied not only on his martial soul, but his body strength as well. Some say that physical power is useful in your current stage, but would be useless when everyone has upgraded their ranks and accumulated many soul skills. However, let me mention this; you are in no position to even think about accumulating many soul skills. You should first ask yourself, how many of you are able to reach the stage where you are able to possess a second soul skill? How many more can possess a greater number of soul skills? As you are in charge of your body, would you not think that having a strong physique is useful? Soul power is no longer the only criteria used to assess an individuals potential in becoming a Mecha Master. Possessing a powerful enough energy storage soul tool would allow ordinary people to become aMecha Master as well. However, a strong physique is the foundation of all Mecha Masters. Without a good body, you will not be able to withstand the strong impacts that exist within a mecha, nevermind the high intensity combat. Therefore, those with a weak martial soul should start your physical fitness training with me tomorrow. Physical training in the morning, then theory and knowledge class in the afternoon. This mornings class will end here. With regards to the competition earlier this morning, I want all of you to think about it. I will be teaching meditation for this afternoons theory and knowledge class. Class dismissed! This speech was one of the longest speeches the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming had given during his capacity as their teacher, yet it didnt feel like a lecture. Rather, it was a mere statement of facts. Regardless of whether he was calling them trash or announcing the initiation of special training, his tone remained confident. Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, follow me. Shortly after he finished that last sentence, Wu Zhangkong headed for the Academic Building. Is he giving me a reward? A flash of jubilance appeared in Xie Xies eyes. Prior to his arrival to the school, he had heard of rewards being given out after matches within school grounds. These rewards werent too bad. He was, after all, the champion of class five. What would the reward be for a teacher as powerful as Wu Zhangkong? He started to imagine it. Wu Zhangkong brought both students into his office. This office of his was pathetic in size, a mere ten square meters. The room was bare except for a desk, a cupboard, and a chair. The trash I referred to in my speech included both of you as well! The Icily Arrogant Prince Charmings first sentence killed all the good feeling within Xie Xies heart. Shouldnt there be rewards? If not, just a little encouragement? Wu Zhangkong looked towards Tang Wulin, Your performance in the matches was fine. However, you didnt give your all in the matches. That must be a variant Bluesilver Grass. Its tenacity looked extraordinary, but your soul power seemed weak and couldnt last for a long period of time. In this situation, you wont stand a chance if your opponents soul power is higher than yours. Whats with your hammers? Tang Wulin spoke with reluctance, Ive learnt forging before. 57 Does Your Face Still Hurt? Wu Zhangkong raised an eyebrow. Forging? Youre a Soul Master, but you learned how to forge? The clumsy bird flies early into the forest. Youre a clumsy bird, yet you actually wasted your time on such a pointless thing. Tang Wulin lowered his head and said, But everyone told me that my martial soul is trash. And my spirit soul isnt that good either Wu Zhangkong interrupted, So you decided to become a blacksmith? What a farce! Remember this, you are my student. Unless I deem you to be useless, you must put all of your efforts into developing as a Soul Master. Off to the side, Xie Xies mouth unexpectedly began to twitch. Didnt you just say I was useless? At this moment, he could sympathize with Tang Wulin. Of course, he was only able to do so because he had won. Oh. Tang Wulin agreed. However, there was no way he would actually give up forging. He couldnt possibly renounce forging after all he had achieved. As for his martial soul, he only felt defeated when he cultivated! Wu Zhangkong turned and looked at Xie Xie. What are you laughing for? You think youre better than him? Is it really that fun to hide your twin martial souls? You have rank 18 soul power and are gifted with twin martial souls. Just because you were born with a higher level of soul power, you think you can be proud of yourself? Xie Xie raised his head, staring at Wu Zhangkong in astonishment. How does he know all this? Wu Zhangkong coldly said, Youve still go a long ways to go. Even twin soul holders can be rubbish people. As an Agility System Battle Soul Master, what glory is there in being forced to use your twin souls by a Soul Master with Bluesilver Grass? I Xie Xies face turned red with embarrassment, speechless. Teacher, what are twin martial souls? Tang Wulin curiously asked. Wu Zhangkongs eyebrows wrinkled into a frown. How incompetent was your elementary academy teacher? They didnt even teach you about twin martial souls? Twin martial souls means that you have two martial souls. The benefit of having two martial souls is obvious; people born with twin martial souls usually have innate rank 10 soul power. Its much easier for them to cultivate and they are able to acquire more soul rings in the future. Its just that in this age of spirit souls, they are restricted by their spiritual power, which means their advantage isnt that big anymore. There isnt anyone who possesses the spiritual power necessary to sustain eighteen soul rings worth of spirit souls. Perhaps it would be possible if one possessed a spirit type martial soul like the Spirit Pagodas founder, but each spirit soul would need to be extremely powerful in order to bestow a total of eighteen soul rings. Tang Wulin looked towards Xie Xie. They were both people, but why was life so unfair? He had a trash martial soul, yet Xie Xie had twin martial souls. The disparity was simply enormous. Wu Zhangkong suddenly asked Tang Wulin, Do you think his martial soul is good? Tang Wulin stared back at him. Was there really a need to say it out loud? Wu Zhangkong lips curled. It isnt necessarily better than yours. His martial soul is a dagger, and his second martial soul should also be a dagger. But, its just a concealed dagger, thats all. The attack range of a dagger is very short. In this modern era of mecha conflicts, what do you think of it now? An Agility System Battle Soul Master gains the most restrictions when they become a Mecha Master. Xie Xies eyes widened in shock as he started at Wu Zhangkong. Could it be that Tang Wulin is actually his long lost son? Why else would he belittle me in order to boost Tang Wulins confidence? This is simply too biased! However, Wu Zhangkong didnt even spare him a glance. Alright then. Down to business. Xie Xies spirits were roused. Is he finally giving out rewards? Every new academic year, the academy has a grand tournament. Theres one for both the intermediate division and the advanced division. Our intermediate division has a total of six grades, and all of them will be participating. This tournament is known as the Class Promotion Tournament. Class Promotion Tournament? Tang Wulins eyes were full of doubt. Wu Zhangkong continued, The weakest class starts first and each class picks the students that participates. Class five will challenge class four, and so on. If the challenger is victorious, then the class numbers will be switched. In other words, if we beat class four, we wont be the lowest ranked class five anymore, but the first grades class four. The class rankings depend on the victor of the challenge. If challengers are victorious, they can continue to challenge higher ranked classes until they lose. For all six grades, the most victorious will become their grades class one. If they then proceed to challenge the next grade and win, they will be rewarded. Xie Xie said, Our class is the first challenger? For all six grades, there were five classes and class five was always the worst. In other words, they were currently in the worst class of them all. Correct! Wu Zhangkong nodded. This can be considered a battle of glory for the classes. And if the challengers are able to skip grades, the rewards will be very generous. Xie Xie proudly said, Thats no problem Teacher Wu. Just leave it to me. Ill fight them all and go all the way to challenge the sixth grade. Wu Zhangkong coldly snorted. The minimum number of participants is a pair. Do you actually think that having twin martial souls makes you peerless? Do you know what kind of people are selected to represent class one? There is no lack of geniuses in this world. Although many geniuses lose their way, within the intermediate division, your gifts can only be considered average. Xie Xie had zoned out and hadnt heard Wu Zhangkongs last few words. He only paid attention to Wu Zhangkongs first sentence and turned to Tang Wulin in shock. Teacher, youre saying that Ill be competing in the tournament with him? Wu Zhangkong leaned back in his chair, suddenly exuding an air of magnanimity. If you have any better options, then go ahead. I Xie Xie wanted to say I dont want to be with him, but after recalling the horrible display of abilities by his other classmates, he wasnt able to speak. No matter what was said, this guy in front of him had already beaten him twice. Moreover, he also had the power of those mysterious golden scales. Wu Zhangkong said, The tournament should begin in a month. Thus, from tomorrow onwards, outside of regular classes, I will have you two undergo special training every night. Ill formulate a simple schedule for you two so you better turn our class into the first grades class one. Tang Wulin couldnt help but ask, What if we are unable to do that? Hehe! Wu Zhangkong laughed. He was originally very handsome, but when he laughed, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie couldnt keep their eyes off of him and could only stare blankly. Moreover, while they were stunned, the two of them felt a coldness rise up from their tailbones, penetrating them deeply. After leaving Wu Zhangkongs office, Tang Wulins brows gradually relaxed. A smile even appeared on his face. Although it was because the other students hadnt put in enough effort, hed still been chosen to represent their class in this tournament. This could be considered an honor for a Soul Master. Has he finally taken his first step into the world of Soul Masters? Apart from Teacher Mang Tian, Teacher Wu had also said he held promise. Hey! Xie Xie coldly called out to him. Tang Wulin turned around to face him. What is it? Ill fight you again once we get back. Ill also pay you back for the food. Xie Xie stared at him blankly for a moment. Doesnt this guy really love money? How surprising I dont want to talk about that. I wanted to tell you to not drag me down during the tournament in a month, Xie Xie proudly said. Tang Wulin gently sighed. Does your face still hurt? 58 Mu Xi’s Depression Tang Wulin gently sighed. Does your face still hurt? The arrogant expression present on Xie Xies face hardened in response as he clenched his fists tight. Tang Wulin patted his shoulder. I have something to do tonight. How about tomorrow night, Ill spar with you then. After having been through a few matches against Xie Xie, Tang Wulin was no longer against battling. During these few matches, he had progressed and greatly improved his combat abilities. The stress that Xie Xie exerted onto him didnt go unrecognized. As the morning class ended earlier than usual, Tang Wulin didnt return to his dorm. Instead, he went off to the advanced academy. When the bell rang to signify the end of class, Tang Wulin spotted Liu Yuxin walking out of the classroom together with a few female students. Senior Sister Yuxin. Tang Wulin waved in her direction. Liu Yuxin spotted him easily and, together with her group of classmates, walked quickly in his direction. Wow, Yuxin, I didnt realise you have a soft spot for cute little boys. This little brother of yours is so handsome. Hell grow up into a nice-looking hunk. A girl with red phoenix eyes from the advanced academy said as she gave Liu Yuxin a dubious smile. Liu Yuxin snapped back, Stop speaking nonsense. This is Tang Wulin, our junior from the intermediate academys first grade. Wulin, whats the matter? Tang Wulin took out the soul camera hed brought with him. Senior Sister, I took some photos for you. But, I dont feel good about this. Please take back the camera. Liu Yuxin blushed slightly and rolled her eyes at him. Alright, alright. So be it. Thanks for your help, Ill treat you to a meal. Tang Wulin shook his head immediately. Theres no need for that. I can have my meal back at the intermediate academy. He obviously had some self-awareness. There was no such thing as a free lunch from the third window. A free meal would, at least, come from the second window. With his enormous appetite, he was afraid to eat Liu Yuxin into bankruptcy. That would be very awkward. Looking at Tang Wulins retreating figure, the phoenix-eyed girl asked with complete doubt, Yuxin, what did you get him to take photographs of? Liu Yuxin answered with an air of mystery, Wulin is in Teacher Wu Zhangkongs class. Wow! The Icily Arrogant Prince Charming! Lets look at the pictures! As the camera was switched on, the tiny screen displayed Wu Zhangkongs figure. There were a series of continuous shots taken of Wu Zhangkong unlatching his belt, then removing it. The few female students widened their eyes, then their cheeks flushed. They were nearly drooling. A meal from the first window. Yuxin, please sell me these photos for that. These are exclusives! I will never allow anyone to view these images of my prince charming, not of him removing his belt. Two meals! Thats only reasonable! ? Tang Wulin didnt know about the intense competition his photographs had roused between the few seniors. After finishing his lunch, he continued with the afternoon class. The meditation method that Wu Zhangkong taught was obviously much more complicated than the meditation method that was taught at the elementary academy. However, the results had proven to be far better. Legends have it that this method originated from the continents legendary Shrek Academy, and was a simplified version of their great meditation technique. Under the pressured stare of Wu Zhangkong, the students learning speed increased. They were able to grasp the basics of how to revolve their soul power within one afternoon. After class, Tang Wulin was the first to enter the dining hall and fill his stomach with dinner before speeding out. He had an important task tonight. Currently, he was on his way towards the Blacksmiths Association to collect his blacksmiths badge. He would also collect some tasks from the Association. Savings were of the utmost importance to him, especially when he was saving it for a hundred year martial soul which cost a million federation coins. If he was wealthy enough in the future, he would like to buy himself a meal from the first window. Tang Wulin felt distinct differences in his body when hed eaten a meal from the first window that morning. If he could afford to have it daily, how nice would that be? Excitedly, he walked out of the Academys main gates. As he moved a bit away from the gates, a black soul car sped in Tang Wulins direction. Shocked, he froze on the spot immediately. Out of the way! A crisp voice came from behind. Tang Wulin turned his head to find a long, golden-haired teenage girl staring back at him. Involuntarily, he stepped aside. The teenage girl moved past him and, at that moment, a chauffeur stepped out from the car and opened the door for her. Shortly after the teenage girl boarded the car, the chauffeur closed the door gently before returning to the drivers seat and driving off. Only dust was left in the wake of the car. Another child from a wealthy family! To say that he was not envious was a lie. However, Tang Wulin wasnt completely jealous. He believed that wealthy people were once poor and worked very hard to get where they were now. He believed that if others could do it, he could too. With a smile on his face, he took long strides towards the Blacksmiths Association. ? Mu Xi was in a bad mood recently. It shouldve been her most glorious day two days ago. However, it was ruined by a sudden change in circumstances. Just as she completed her forging and refining and had passed all the assessments, thus gaining herself the title of second rank blacksmith, she was informed that during her assessment, a nine-year-old kid succeeded in the second rank blacksmiths test. Nine years old? Was that even possible? This was simply unbelievable! Since the time not long after she was born, her favourite pastime had been to observe her father as he forged. Her father had mentioned that this rough and weight-laden process of forging was not suitable for girls, but was for men.However, the stubbornness in her kicked in and she stood by her choice to become a blacksmith. She started training at the mere age of five, and started crafting small hammers. Her father thought that it was a joke at first. However, after seeing her persistence for two years, and mimicking his every action, it finally moved the heart of the Eastsea Citys Blacksmiths Association President, Mu Chen. Mu Xi inherited her fathers martial soul. That alone made it suitable for her to become a blacksmith. In addition, she was willing to put in the extra effort. Mu Chen couldnt help but search for some rare herbs in order to try maintaining his daughters figure. While she was training to gain the adequate strength to become a blacksmith, her figure had taken the toll and turned stockier in the process. Mu Xis passion for forging came from the bottom of her heart. She was officially a first rank blacksmith at the age of eleven. Her progression grew at an exhilarating speed under Mu Chens tutelage. Not long after her thirteenth birthday, she took the rank upgrading test and passed immediately. She had remembered clearly that her father mentioned that she had progressed faster than others her age. That she was worthy of being called a child prodigy in the world of blacksmithing. However, how could she share this title of second rank blacksmith with a nine-year-old boy? Second rank blacksmith? Hed also been held in high esteem by the surveyor. In fact, although the surveyor didnt mention it, her gaze alone revealed her feelings. In her eyes, the boy was obviously stronger than her. Mu Xi heard that this boy would be at the Blacksmiths Association sometime today in order to collect his badge. She was keen to see who this boy was. Did he have three heads and six arms? 59 Birthing Life Tang Wulin looked up to see the large hammer on the sign, before taking large strides into the Blacksmiths Association. Although he had only been here once before, he was already fond of this place. After arriving in Eastsea City, this was the only place that felt familiar to him. This was also the place that gave him confidence. Yun Xiaoling stood behind the front desk and saw Tang Wulin as soon as he entered. In reality, she had been ordered by her superiors to specially wait for Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin, youve finally arrived. Yun Xiaoling briskly walked to Tang Wulins side with a smile and inquisitive eyes. How could she possibly not be curious towards this guy? At the age of nine, he became a second rank blacksmith! How did he accomplish this feat? Reportedly, he had already broken the headquarters record. The record for the youngest first rank blacksmith in the Blacksmiths Association was held by their current president with a record of eight years old. However, the president had become a second rank blacksmith at eleven years old. The president was slower than Tang Wulin by two years! The Association highly valued this child and had ordered the employees to immediately bring him up the tower as soon as he arrived. Hello, Big Sister Xiao Ling. Tang Wulins memory was exceptional, and he clearly remembered the name of this big sister. Yun Xiaoling smiled. You really are formidable. I heard you passed the second rank blacksmith test. As Yun Xiaoling spoke, she bent down and looked straight into Tang Wulins two beautiful eyes. Tang Wulins face grew red in embarrassment. No way. I was just lucky. Yun Xiaoling giggled. Youre so young yet youre so modest? Come on now, Ill bring you up. Thank you big sister. After getting onto the soul elevator, Tang Wulin was shocked to see Yun Xiaoling pressing the button for the highest floor. Big sister Xiao Ling, where are we going? Yun Xiaoling smiled. Were going to go get your rank badge. The elevator ascended quickly and when it reached the top floor, Tang Wulins ears hadnt managed to adjust yet. However, he simply shook his head a few times and was able to recover. Tang Wulin was greeted by a wide view of the horizon the moment he stepped out of the elevator. The walls were all made of glass, and at this height, he was able to see nearly half of Eastsea City. A great number of skyscrapers littered the city, just like a steel forest. On the other side, was a great number of plant cover, bringing vitality to the city. Yun Xiaoling found a staff member. Ill have to trouble you to inform the president that Tang Wulin is here. Wulin, wait here for a moment. Yun Xiaoling brought him to a sofa and sat him down. Not too long after, a crowd of footsteps approached. Mu Chen was at the forefront. Mu Chen had arrived very early that day but hadnt even stepped foot into his workshop yet, all for the sake of waiting for the boy who was able to bring him such a great surprise. Cen Yue was also in his office and was following right behind him. If the others in the Blacksmiths Association knew that these two figures had waited a whole day for a child, they wouldnt even know what to think. Right behind these two figures, was precisely Mu Xi. President! Yun Xiaoling stood up and greeted Mu Chen respectfully. Mu Chen smiled and nodded. The next moment, his gaze fell on Tang Wulin. When Tang Wulin heard Yun Xiaoling call him the President, he had stood up and looked at Cen Yue. Cen Yue walked over to his side and said with a smile, Wulin, this is the President of the Blacksmiths Association, Mu Chen. He is also the most famous Saint Craftsman ranked blacksmith in the continent. Saint Craftsman? Tang Wulins eyes began to sparkle. Mang Tian had mentioned Saint Craftsman to him before. Only seventh and eighth rank blacksmiths could earn the title of a Saint Craftsman! He had never expected to meet one so fast. This president didnt even look much older than his own teacher. He truly was formidable. Is that a Saint Craftsmans badge hes wearing on his stomach? Eight stars? An eight star Saint Craftsman! Hello, President. Tang Wulin hastily stepped forward and bowed. Its you? An astonished voice came from Mu Xi, who was at Mu Chens side. To Mu Xi, this was the guy who had stolen all of the limelight from her. In fact, this was the guy who stole the limelight from all the blacksmiths of his generation. Tang Wulin was slightly stunned was he saw Mu Xi. What is this rich girl doing here? Mu Chen looked at his daughter in surprise. Xi Xi, are you acquainted with each other? Mu Xi looked at Tang Wulin and said, Were not acquainted. But it seems we attend the same academy. Mu Chen smiled. Tang Wulin, what grade are you in at Eastsea Academy? Tang Wulin said, I entered the academy as a new student this year. Im in the first grade, class five. When she heard the two words class five, Mu Xis expression immediately revealed a trace of disdain. Naturally, she knew what class five represented. It was a class full of good-for-nothings who could never become a Soul Grandmaster. However, Mu Chens attitude didnt change when he heard what class Tang Wulin was in. I heard from Cen Yue that you passed the second rank test. Thats truly a wonderful achievement. You should know that youve set a new record in the Blacksmiths Association. We truly feel that you are worthy of being our successor! Tang Wulins small face grew red in embarrassment. He had no clue as to how he should respond when faced with praise from others. He took a moment to think before saying, Uncle President, can I get a badge now and begin taking forging tasks? Mu Chen laughed. Of course you can. Cen Yue smiled. The President waited for you the whole day in order to personally give you your badge. Yun Xiaoling had already walked over from the side, carrying a silver tray with a red cloth on top. And on top of the cloth, was a badge. The badge was in the shape of a hexagon, with a blue background, a protruding hammer and two white stars embedded into it. Regardless of whether it was a mecha craftsmen, a blacksmith, or even a technician, their rank badges all looked about the same. First and second rank badges all had blue backgrounds and white stars. It was only at the third rank that there would be change. Mu Chen personally placed the badge on Tang Wulins right breast. His smile vanished and he turned solemn. From henceforth, you are a member of the Blacksmiths Association. As a blacksmith, I hope that you will earnestly complete all your forging work. Use your soul to perceive, and your life to gain enlightenment. A true blacksmith doesnt just forge metal, rather, they will birth life to it. Birthing life? These two words were simple, but they could rouse even the apathetic. Combined with his understanding of Thousand Refinements, Tang Wulin felt as if a great door had opened by a small crack for him. Tang Wulin gently touched his badge and the simple coldness causing an unprecedented sense of accomplishment to ignite within him. At last, he had officially become a blacksmith. I want to compete with you! Mu Xi suddenly interrupted from Mu Chens side. A face that was unconvinced looked at Tang Wulin. It was only now that Tang Wulin noticed that on her stomach, there was an identical badge. 60 Accepting Tasks Seeing that Mu Xi was eyeing him with a pair of provoking eyes, Tang Wulin was at a loss for a moment before deciding to reject her offer. Im not competing. He turned next towards Mu Chen. Uncle President, where may I go to accept tasks from the Association? Mu Chen shot a glance at Mu Xi which prevented her from speaking her mind before smiling back at Tang Wulin. Brother Cen will bring you there. You are now a part of our Associations large family after having passed the test successfully. If you meet with any difficulties in future, you can apply for assistance from the Association. Though our Blacksmiths Association is not the strongest association around, it surely is the most united one. As he spoke of the word united, he gave his daughter a pointed look. Mu Xi, with a discontented expression, lowered her head and pouted. Follow me then, Cen Yue said with a smile. After Mu Xi sent Tang Wulin and Cen Yue off with her eyes, she could no longer wait before bursting out with a question towards her father, Dad, why did you prevent me from having a match with him? Mu Chens face darkened. Such a presumptuous attitude. What do you take this place for? This is the Blacksmiths Association! As a member of the association, especially as my daughter, your every word and action represents the association. This child has just joined our association; what if you scared him off? You should compete with him when both of you are familiar with one another. Until then, if you are still keen on competing with him, I wont stop you. But you should hold such a contest privately. Isnt he your junior? You should keep your eyes peeled and watch for him especially. Mu Chen didnt get a chance to speak with Tang Wulin too much today. With regards to this child, he needed more chances to observe Tang Wulin. He had seen the block of Heavy Silver Tang Wulin had refined, and judging from its degree of uniformity, he knew well that Tang Wulins forging standards was above his daughters. His true motive was that he didnt want his daughter to suffer any blows to her confidence. After all, self-confidence was of the utmost importance, especially for kids at their age. Since Tang Wulin was keen on accepting tasks, he would have ample opportunities observing him. The planning for how he should cultivate Tang Wulin could be done after observing him a little more, which wasnt too late. ? The Task Acceptance Hall was located on the 2nd floor of the Blacksmiths Association, with the whole of the 2nd floor filled with round counters. Each of these counters had task rank sign, that looked similar to the badges of the association. A blacksmith could only collect tasks within their rank or ones of lower ranks. They were unable to collect tasks that required rank higher than theirs. Within this blacksmithing trade, materials were all provided by the entrustors. Because of this, the association would try their absolute best in order to maintain the quality of the end product prior to collection. This was to avoid the association from needing to compensate. Little boy, youve brought me many surprises! That fellow Mang Tian, hes As he thought about Mang Tians taunts towards him that day, Cen Yue was fueled with anger. However, he really had cultivated an outstanding disciple. What type of task would you like to pick? Cen Yue asked Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin said, Anything that is within my capabilities would be good. Cen Yue said, Our association rents out forging workshops too. Are you thinking of forging within the association? Tang Wulin shook his head. Teacher is letting me use his Eastsea Citys forging workshop. Ill complete my tasks over there. Thank you though. A flash of disappointment streaked through Cen Yues eyes. Alright, but I do want to remind you that all tasks from the association must be completed and you cannot fail them. Once you fail, you must compensate for the ruined materials. That counter in the center, facing the front, is where you collect your tasks. The left counter is where you report and place completed products while the right is where you are allowed to purchase all kinds of metals. Our association has, ideally, every kind of rare metal that exist in the market. However, due to an individuals blacksmithing rank, the quantity they can purchase each month varies differently. If you need to, you can get your metals there. Then theres the 4th floor and 5th floor. Thats where the forged products are sold. You can go have a look up there as theres a lot to look at. Yes, Tang Wulin said respectfully. Right now, he didnt have any intention to purchase metals or forged products as he didnt have any need to. Another reason was that he didnt have the money. He was actually hoping to earn coins through forging, enough purchase a hundred year soul spirit. Cen Yue brought Tang Wulin to the front of the two star counter. Behind the counter was a staff member and in front of the counter were ten soul screens. One could collect a task with a mere swipe of the screens. The staff present were to answer on any questions one might have. Following Cen Yues directions, Tang Wulin touched one of the soul screens. A list of available tasks popped up. At the front was a summary of the task, followed by the quantity and payments. The association will take 10% of the payment while the rest will go to you. After listening to Cen Yues words, Tang Wulins gaze sharpened. Task 1 C Refine the rare Sky Dragon Iron. Requirements C Hundred Refined. Time C 30 days. Quantity C 10. Payment C A unit price of 2,000 federation coins. So, one would earn a total of 20,000 federation coins when they successfully refined 10 pieces of Sky Dragon Iron. To Tang Wulin, this was definitely a large sum . After having completed the Thousand Refinements on a piece of Heavy Silver, it had given him the confidence to successfully refine a huge amount of rare metals. It seemed to him that a blacksmithing was a very lucrative career. Without much thought, he picked the first task and a dialog box popped up, requesting information about the delivery location. Shortly after he completed that, the screen requested his Blacksmiths badge. Tang Wulin plucked off his badge and placed it down. Di! Congratulations, second rank blacksmith Tang Wulin. You have successfully accepted the second rank forging task of refining Sky Dragon Iron. The materials will be sent to your indicated location within three days. His badge bounced up. Is that it? Tang Wulin raised his head towards Cen Yue. Cen Yue nodded. Isnt it simple? However, I have to remind you as this is your first task, you have to be very careful. Though the stated payment is quite a hefty sum, many blacksmiths dont have a high pay as they were unable to complete every task flawlessly. If theres a flaw in the product, the blacksmith would have to dig into his own pocket for the amount acquired to purchase the new materials, which is usually a big sum. Yes, Master Cen. I will be very careful. Tang Wulins chest tightened as he noted Cen Yues advice quickly. Do you have a communicator number? Cen Yue asked. Tang Wulin shook his head and blushed. How would he have the sufficient money to purchase a soul communicator? Cen Yue broke into a grin. Then heres two items for you. 61 Surrounded Cen Yue smiled and said, Soul communicators are gifted to new members of the association. Since every blacksmith has one, you can consider it one of the benefits of joining the association. As for this ring, the President wanted me to give it to you. He said that its just a temporary loan. It has a space of ten cubic meters, so itll be convenient for when you hand in your work. How else could you carry around all the metal required for the tasks? There are even benefits? This storage ring is simply too valuable. Tang Wulin couldnt even comprehend the worth of a ring with ten cubic meters of storage space. Cen Yue placed the two items into Tang Wulins hands. Take it. Itll be fine so long as you complete some tasks from the association. Just consider this ring as something that the association issued you. Its usually only given to fourth rank blacksmiths, but the President believes that youll definitely become a fourth rank blacksmith in the future. Dont disappoint us. Tang Wulin took a step back and kneeled before Cen Yue. I must thank you, Grandmaster Cen Yue, and the President. Cen Yue helped him up, then rubbed his head with a smile. Even though Im not your teacher, its still my duty to remind you that every single profession is but a different route to the same destination. Even though soul power is no longer crucial to this profession during this era, and many ordinary people are now able to forge things that previously required the power of a Soul Master to finish, some accomplishments within the cultivation of soul power is needed to reach the peak of this profession. Because of this, you definitely cant abandon your studies! Yes! Tang Wulin earnestly nodded his head. His dream, after all, was to become a powerful Soul Master! Despite being more accomplished as a blacksmith at this moment, hed never wanted to give up on being a Soul Master. It wasnt until he left the Blacksmiths Association that Tang Wulin snapped out of his dream-like state. He owned a soul communicator now? Moreover, the Association would reimburse him for the calling fees? He even had Cen Yues number within the soul communicator already. He looked at the storage ring on his right ring finger. This ring had a storage space of ten cubic meters! Its value was simply unimaginable. It was likely worth even more than a hundred year spirit soul! However, Tang Wulin was unaware that even though this was a benefit given by the association, it still wasnt something a fourth rank blacksmith could receive. Rather, one had to be a fifth rank Master Craftsman rank blacksmith to receive it! Mu Chen had clearly given him this ring as his investment into a talented child. The associations benefits are truly too great. Ah! Tang Wulin suddenly remembered something he had to do. He wasnt just a blacksmith, he also a Soul Master! He needed to go register at the Soul Masters Association. With his current rank, he would receive an allowance of one thousand federal coins each month. After asking around a bit, he discovered that the Soul Masters Association wasnt too far away. Since it wasnt too late yet, he might as well drop by. The Soul Masters Association was about the same size as the Blacksmiths Association. As a one ring Soul Master, Tang Wulin was only able to enter the first floor of the Soul Masters Association. After showing his soul ring, he was able to register and was given one thousand federal coins. His experience at the Soul Masters Association was different from the one in the Blacksmiths Association. In this place, no one would pay attention to a brat with a ten year spirit soul. However, Tang Wulin was still very happy with his gains today. When he returned to his dorm room, he found that Yun Xiao, Zhou Zhangxi and Xie Xie were all already meditating. He quietly climbed onto his own bed and began meditating according to what Wu Zhangkong had taught them today. Teacher Wu had said that he would begin training Tang Wulin and Xie Xie the next day. Tang Wulin couldnt help but wonder what kind of methods he would use. He began revolving his soul power in an even more complicated pattern. Soon after, Tang Wulin entered a meditative state. His weak soul power began circulating its way to his meridians, converging bit by bit. ? Early morning. As Tang Wulin finished meditating, he was astonished to discover that Xie Xie had already disappeared and that the sun had already risen. This was the first time he had tried this new meditation method, and hed woken up much later than before. He immediately got off his bed and ran to wash his face and rinse his mouth. For Tang Wulin, meal time was the most important time of the day. Tang Wulin joyfully ran towards the dormitorys doors. However, before he even neared the door, he saw a group of upper grade students looking all over the place, as if they were searching for something. When he neared them, he suddenly discovered that there was a familiar figure in this group of students. Mu Xi was dressed in the school uniform, her long, golden hair done up in a ponytail. Girls matured early, and she was already half a head taller than Tang Wulin. She had a charming figure, tall and thin. Although she hadnt finished maturing yet, she still had a bit of the scent of a young woman. Just as Tang Wulin saw her, Mu Xi had also coincidentally turned her head, looking straight at him. Its him! She suddenly raised her finger and pointed towards Tang Wulin. Before Tang Wulin could even react, Mu Xi, along with seven or eight upper grade male students, surrounded him. What do you guys want? Tang Wulin asked, confused. Theres a matter I have with you. Come with me boy. A tall, but average looking male student said to Tang Wulin with an odd tone. Tang Wulin asked, What matter? Just tell me it here. He had a faint understanding of the situation in his heart. These advanced division students were here to look for trouble. This was definitely related to Mu Xi. There were quite a number of newly admitted first grade students here. However, they were all scared off by the fierce expressions of the upper grade students. You think you have a choice? The upper grade male student whod previously spoken reached out a hand, grabbing Tang Wulins shoulder. Tang Wulin fiercely shook his grip off of his shoulder. His strength was far greater than that upper grade student had expected, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. Without any hesitation or wishful thinking, Tang Wulin immediately attacked. A strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out of his palm. In a flash, the surrounding upper grade students were bound. He also directly knocked down the one that had been previously staggered. During the time he had been at the elementary academy, regardless of whether it had been for himself or Naer, he had never backed down from a fight. Even if he was outnumbered, he would fight back. If he didnt fight, then he wouldnt have any chances at all. This was an academy after all, and he would be fine as long as he broke out of the encirclement. Clearly, these upper grade students hadnt expected this action. Even with so many people on their side, Tang Wulin had dared to attack. Moreover, he had been very decisive and had been able to bind them all with his Bluesilver Grass in a flash. Right as the male student in front began gathering his soul power, Tang Wulin collided with him. Bang! The upper grade male student was sent flying. It looked as if Tang Wulin was going to break out of their encirclement. Right at that moment, a figure quietly appeared in front of him along with a glaringly bright light. In the wake of this blazing light, Tang Wulin felt as if his whole body was about to ignite. His speed suddenly decreased. He only heard a cold snort before he felt a pain in his stomach and was kicked back into the encirclement. 62 Beat Me and I’ll Act Dignified As he was kicked back into the encirclement, Tang Wulin discovered that his soul power was being consumed rapidly. In no time at all, ten levels of soul power had been used up. Papapa! One by one, the upper grade students broke free of the Bluesilver Grass. Tang Wulin had bound so many people simultaneously, but they were able to break free of the Bluesilver Grass with their greater level of soul power. After breaking, the side-effect of his variant Bluesilver Grass revealed itself; his soul power was quickly depleting. Brat, you dared crash into me! The upper grade student shouted as he swung his fist towards Tang Wulins face. Stop! Mu Xi sharply shouted. The male student resentfully stayed his hand, but he still shoved Tang Wulin onto the ground. Tang Wulin finally noticed that Mu Xi was the one who had previously released that blazing light. Shockingly, two yellow hundred year soul rings rose up from her feet. Atop her head was a golden ball of light that blazed like the sun. On her left shoulder was a small, round flame, pulsing with energy. It seemed that this flame was her spirit soul. Its blaze was momentarily restrained, but the surrounding temperature had still risen by a few degrees. What kind of martial soul was this? It had an aura of power around it. The other upper grade students hurried to get out of the way as Mu Xi walked towards Tang Wulin. Although her martial souls heat had been restrained, it was still as imposing and valiant as before. Two rings. That meant she was already a Soul Grandmaster. I am Mu Xi of fifth grades class one. I want to compete with you in forging. If you have any desire to continue studying in this academy, then you cant decline, Mu Xi coldly stated. Ever since she was a child, Mu Xi had been an exceptionally competitive girl. Tang Wulin glared at her. He hated people who threatened him the most and soon, his stubborn side took over. Right as he was about to speak, an ice-cold voice intervened. If you guys want to live, then stop spewing so much bullshit and screw off with your henchmen! Mu Xis expression soured as her slender and tender body grew taut. Her eyes, however, revealed a trace of surprise. Others wouldnt know what was going on, but she was able to clearly feel a cold sensation on her neck. She felt that if she moved even an inch, her throat would be slit. She didnt dare move, not even to release her martial soul. Make all of those guys leave! An eerie voice came from her side, accompanied by a face. Wasnt this Xie Xie? Xie Xie wasnt much shorter than Mu Xi, so he was able to wrap one arm around Mu Xis shoulder, while his other hand pointed his Light Dragon Dagger at her waist. You scoundrel. What do you think youre doing? That previous upper grade male student spoke out. Xie Xie coldly answered, My patience is limited. If you believe that I dont dare to act in the academy, then you can try my hand. As he said this, Xie Xie exerted pressure through his Light Dragon Dagger, causing Mu Xi to cry out in pain. All of you, leave! Mu Xi quickly shouted. She could clearly feel the killing intent from behind her. After all, she was only 12 years old. In a situation like this, she couldnt help but succumb to her rising fear. The upper grade students had no other choice, so they began to leave. Right at that moment however, a thunderous voice bellowed out, Stop! Xie Xies whole body shivered, he immediately put away his Light Dragon Dagger and his invisible Shadow Dragon Dagger. Immediately afterwards, a tall figure picked him up like a baby chick. ? Intermediate divisions teaching building. Out with it! What happened? Teaching Director Long Hengxu asked with a frown. Mu Xi said with her head lowered, I was just looking for Tang Wulin to have a a forging competition with me. Xie Xie sneered. You brought a whole group of henchmen to our first grade dorm. Is that how you senior students find people? Long Hengxu coldly glared at him. Didnt you threaten your senior student with a blade? What would you have done if they hadnt stopped? Would you have really killed her? Xie Xies lips began to twitch as his gaze swept the senior students with disdain. I cant say for sure. Long Hengxu turned towards Tang Wulin. What about you? Youre the one who acted first. Do you have an explanation? Tang Wulin eyes had a gentleness to them, but his expression was extremely resolute. When I was just a child, my dad explained some principles. When I entered the elementary academy, he told me that if he found out I was bullying my underclassmen, he would ruthlessly lecture me. However, if the older students bullied me, then I should hit them back without any hesitation and he wouldnt blame me at all. As he looked at the child in front of him, Long Hengxu was surprised to find that after acting as the Teaching Director for so many years, he had finally met someone who could leave him speechless. Well said! I dont think my student has done anything wrong either, Wu Zhangkong said with an ice-cold voice as he walked into the office. Long Hengxus expression soured. Teacher Wu, have you already forgotten the most basic of manners, such as knocking? Wu Zhangkong coldly apologized, Sorry! Long Hengxus face twitched. Wheres the sincerity in this guys apology? Hed already caused headaches for the advanced divisions Teaching Director. And now, even after being transferred to the intermediate division and being tasked with the worst class, he hasnt changed at all! The big taking advantage of the small, huh? You guys sure have some skill! Wu Zhangkongs ice-cold gaze swept through Mu Xis group of fifth grade students. Taking advantage of the small isnt something I would do, but if I find that youve provoked my students again, Ill beat up the teacher in charge of your class. Long Hengxu furiously said, Teacher Wu! Please conduct yourself with dignity! Wu Zhangkong coldly answered, If you can beat me, then Ill act with dignity. After speaking, he grabbed Xie Xies head with one hand and dragged Tang Wulin with the other. They left the teaching building. You Long Hengxu angrily got up, wanting to stop Wu Zhangkong, but then he recalled the things Wu Zhangkong had dared to do in the advanced division. After recalling these things, he no longer had the courage to stop him. This guy was simply a madman. You guys! Every single one of you will face a round of disciplinary action. You truly are skilled if you can bully the weak as the strong! Red hot anger sprouted out of the Teaching Director, completely directed at these fifth grade students. After leaving the teaching building, Wu Zhangkong released Tang Wulins hand and walked in front of them. As he gazed at Wu Zhangkongs tall and straight back, Tang Wulin hastily picked up his pace to chase after him. Thank you teacher. Wu Zhangkong indifferently said, You didnt do anything wrong, so theres no reason to thank me. No one is allowed to delay my classes. Xie Xie caught up to them, a rare smile plastered on his face. Teacher Wu, you were so cool just now! I truly admire you. Even if you give us hellish training, I wont complain at all! Remember your words, Wu Zhangkong faintly said. Xie Xie! Tang Wulin pulled on Xie Xies arm. I have to thank you too. 63 Gu Yue Xie Xie was somewhat vexed as he said, Why are you speaking so awkwardly? You dont need to thank me. I just dont like it when people bully others with numbers, or when the big bully the small. Tang Wulin smiled. Were friends now. Xie Xies mouth twitched. You make friends too easily. I dont consider you my friend yet. Tang Wulin said, Thats not important. ? Xie Xie soon began to regret the words he had said to Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkong was definitely a teacher who was true to his word. He immediately began the physical training class he had spoken of the day before. The basics of physical training was running. In the intermediate division of Eastsea Academy, there was a track field with an 800 meter long loop. They were ordered by Wu Zhangkong to run ten laps around this track in the morning as a warm up. However, when they saw Wu Zhangkong take out two heavy chains, each weighing ten kilograms and fashioned into metal shirts, for Tang Wulin and Xie Xie to wear, the two didnt dare say anything. In fact, they could only rejoice. If it were yesterday, Xie Xie definitely would have rebelled with that temper of his. But today, he didnt resist at all. Even though he was still haughty, he would still put his greatest effort into doing everything Wu Zhangkong commanded. Xie Xie truly admired Wu Zhangkong. Xie Xie had never thought of his own icy arrogance as shameful, he even considered it to be honorable. However, not only was this teacher colder and prouder than him, he was also extremely powerful! The title of Icily Arrogant Prince Charming was definitely a well deserved one. Tang Wulin was silent. With regards to training at this intensity, he could only feel excitement. Xie Xie was an Agility System Battle Soul Master, so despite wearing a 10 kilogram metal shirt, he was still very fast at the beginning. On the other hand, Tang Wulins pace wasnt fast, but it was as steady as an armys march. Two laps later however, Xie Xie and the other students pace began to slow. They were panting and heaving after four laps, and their lungs felt as if they were burning. The metal shirt began to feel even heavier. Soon, Xie Xie didnt even have the strength to regret the words he spoke to Wu Zhangkong. How are you doing? Tang Wulins voice suddenly came from behind him. Xie Xie turned around and saw that although Tang Wulin was sweating, his situation seemed much better in every way. Im still good! Xie Xie said with gritted teeth as his pace increased once more. Would he actually let this guy overtake him? Tang Wulins breathing was steady as he said, It was reasonable for Teacher Wu to have us carry weights. After all, were the representatives for our class in the Class Promotion Tournament. Xie Xie remained silent. For the current him, even speaking would be considered a burden. Five laps! Xie XIe was already unable to control his own body. To him, his body was as heavy as lead. Tang Wulin had actually passed him long ago. However, his situation was completely different from Xie Xie; the ten kilogram metal shirt was practically nothing to Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin had only just warmed up after running those five laps. Tang Wulin stealthily stretched out a hand and placed it under Xie Xies arm, making Xie Xie feel lighter and allowing him to increase his pace. Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin in surprise. In response, Tang Wulin only smiled as he increased his pace and brought up Xie Xies pace to a run. Wu Zhangkong stood at the middle of the track, watching the defeated students with a serene expression and an occasional frown. Tang Wulin, you sure have a lot of energy. Since youre bringing him along, you can run an extra ten laps. Xie Xie turned his head to look at Tang Wulin, only to see that his expression was just as calm as before. Tang Wulin simply muttered, If I have an extra ten laps, then Ill need to pick up my pace. I cant be late for lunch. Im already so hungry after missing breakfast. Xie Xie couldnt help but ask, Are you even human? Arent you tired at all? Tang Wulin gave him a slight smile. Im still fine! At that moment, a girl walked through the gates that lead to the field from the direction of the academy buildings. She was dressed in white and was the same age as the students in the first grades class five. Although she wasnt particularly beautiful, she was still a bit delicate and pretty. With long black hair and black eyes, her build was about average among her peers. She was still very well proportioned, and her pair of bright eyes were full of life. As she walked forwards, her steps seemed to have a special rhythm to them, and her aura had an exotic feel to it. Wu Zhangkongs gaze soon landed on her as she wasnt wearing a school uniform. She had come while class was still in session. What class are you in? Wu Zhangkong asked as he walked over. The girls attention seemed to have been attracted by something else, as she watched Tang Wulin run who was dragging Xie Xie along. Apparently, she had taken an interest in the two people wearing metal shirts. Im here to attend school. However, I was told that the registration period has already passed. She said as she looked up towards Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkongs expression soured. Youre not an Eastsea Academy student? The girl said, Im not a student at the moment, but I still want to be a student here. Is that possible, teacher? If it were any other teacher, they might have immediately driven her away. However, was Wu Zhangkong just any other teacher? No! This is a Soul Masters academy. If you want to attend here, then you must have the ability, Wu Zhangkong coldly said. I can take a test. The girl smiled. Wu Zhangkong asked, Whats your name? The girl answered, My name is Gu Yue. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Alright. Ill give you a chance. After speaking, he turned around and went over to Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. Xie Xie, give your metal shirt to Tang Wulin and come over here. Due to Tang Wulins assistance, Xie Xie had completed the previous two laps in a relaxed manner. He quickly stopped, then took off his metal shirt and gave it to Tang Wulin. Will you be alright with another metal shirt? Tang Wulin said, Its still lighter than you. He took the metal shirt and calmly put it on before picking up his pace right in front of Xie Xie. His physical strength truly isnt human! Panting, Xie Xie arrived at Wu Zhangkongs side. Teacher Wu. Wu Zhangkong said, Your physical strength is too horrible. Xie Xie defiantly said, We Agility System Battle Soul Masters only need a burst of power and some nimbleness. We dont need to have too much physical strength. Wu Zhangkong disdainfully said, How shallow. Fine then, Ill give you a chance today. Defeat her and you wont have to run in the afternoon. It was then that Xie Xie finally noticed the girl at Wu Zhangkongs side. After sizing her up, he took a deep breath and adjusted his soul power. No problem. Wu Zhangkong said, Ill give you twenty minutes of rest. Well begin after those twenty minutes are up. Xie Xie didnt complain as he immediately sat cross-legged and began meditating. Running had consumed a lot of his soul power and physical strength. For Agility System Battle Soul Masters, this truly wasnt an area they excelled. 64 Gu Yue vs Xie Xie Gu Yue didnt even spare a glance for him. Instead, she looked all around at her surroundings with complete curiosity. Wu Zhangkong shot her a glance. Looking down on your opponent isnt the smartest behaviour. Gu Yue said, Im not looking down on him! Although thats what her mouth said, her eyes seemed to be saying that Xie Xie wasnt even worth looking down upon. Wu Zhangkong spoke no further. He diverted his attention back to the students who were running instead. Although Tang Wulins pace couldnt be considered fast, it was exceptionally steady, even with the two metal shirts he wore. Like this, Tang Wulin somehow ran at the forefront. The person behind him was Zhou Zhangxi, whose bodys strength undoubtedly gave him an advantage in physical training such as this. Tang Wulins attention was diverted to the center of the field as he ran. He was curious as to why this girl had suddenly appeared. Right as he looked at the new girl, Gu Yue, shed also turned to look back at him and their gazes met. Gu Yue had a meaningful look in her eyes, which gave Tang Wulin the impression that her eyes were exceptionally sharp. Twenty minutes soon passed. Xie Xie shot forward and went through a few exercises. His body was once again brimming with energy. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Stand thirty meters apart from one another and prepare. Xie Xie retreated backwards, each step moving him back at an equal distance. From start to finish, Xie Xies gaze hadnt left Gu Yue. He felt threatened when hed first seen this girl, and now treated her whole heartedly as a worthy opponent. During the battles between Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, Tang Wulin hadnt been the only one who had benefitted. Xie Xie had gained from them as well. At the very least, he understood what it meant when even a tiger had to hunt a rabbit with all of its strength. It was only once the two of them were thirty meters apart from one another that Gu Yues gaze stopped wandering and settled on Xie Xie. Begin! Wu Zhangkong simply announced. In the wake of Wu Zhangkongs shout, Xie Xie immediately released his martial soul and flew towards his opponent with his maximum speed. His explosive power was truly astonishing. He launched forwards like a vigorous cheetah. The thirty meter distance between them rapidly closed. Gu Yue didnt seem to react at all. When she finally raised her hand, Xie Xie was but ten meters away from her. The Light Dragon Dagger sparkled as it struck forth. Xie Xie hadnt released his soul skill immediately. Since he was only a one ring Soul Master, he only had one soul skill. Good steel is to be used on the cutting edge of a blade, so he had to wait for best opportunity to erupt with the soul skill. Furthermore, his opponent seemed to have a slow reaction time, so maybe he wouldnt even need to use his soul skill. At that moment, the pace of the running class five students on the track grew even slower. All of their attention was diverted to the battle occurring in the middle of the field Xie Xie was the most formidable person in their age group, so they thought that this new girl definitely wouldnt be able to defeat him. A soul ring appeared from beneath Gu Yues feet. This soul ring was the same as Xie Xies; it was actually a hundred year yellow soul ring. However, Xie Xie was already right in front of her. It was too late for her to do anything now, unless she were an Agility System Battle Soul Master. Was she? Definitely not. A green halo burst out of her chest, but Xie Xie was right in front of her now. His Light Dragon Dagger was poised to stab into her shoulder. The green light lingered and Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger stabbed into it. Unexpectedly, a force began pressing on him from both sides, like a blowing gale. The Light Dragon Dagger stopped in mid air, unable to continue its thrust forward at all. Immediately afterwards, Xie Xie was dumbstruck when he saw the green light around Gu Yue turn red and a fireball about the size of a fist appeared right in front of him. Xie Xie certainly proved himself as an Agility System Battle Soul Master. At this critical moment, he ferociously twisted his waist in mid air and spun horizontally. That little fireball missed his face by a hair, only being able to scorch a few hairs on his head. Just as his foot touched the ground, Xie Xie launched himself back, putting quite a distance between him and Gu Yue. What was that power just now? After several hops back, he had opened up a distance of 20 meters between the two of them. When Xie Xie looked at Gu Yue now, a serious expression could be seen. Gu Yues eyes flashed with a twinkle of surprise. Naturally, she hadnt raised her hand so late due to a slow reaction time, but rather, it had been deliberate. It had all been for the sake of ending the fight in one attack. However, she had never expected Xie Xies reaction to be even faster than hers. He had actually been able to avoid that fireball! Her serious graze pierced through Xie Xie, while Wu Zhangkong gave her a similar look. This was because Wu Zhangkong hadnt been able to discern what Gu Yues martial soul was. Just what was this girls martial soul? That green light seemed to be of the wind element, but that fireball was clearly of the fire element. Could it be? She has twin martial souls of the wind and fire elements? If this was the case, then it would truly be picking up a precious jewel. Xie Xie was a bit short of breath, but he shot towards Gu Yue once more. His speed was clearly faster than before, and he didnt go straight at her this time, rather, he circled around Gu Yue with lightning speed. His speed was so fast that others werent even able to keep up with his movements. Like this, the distance between the two of them rapidly closed. The yellow soul ring on Gu Yues body twinkled, concealing her spirit soul. She simply stood there calmly, not even turning to face Xie Xie as he circled her. As the distance grew closer and closer, Xie Xie suddenly exploded forth, sliding forwards at a slant. When he was just five meters from Gu Yue, his hundred year soul ring suddenly shined brightly, and he waved his Light Dragon Dagger, sending a blade of light flying towards her. Hundred year soul skill, the first soul skill of Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger C Light Dragon Blade! The yellow light blade flew through the air while issuing out a dragons roar. The light grew more and more brilliant. The strangest thing, however, was that as it got closer to Gu Yue, until it was finally only one meter away from her, it suddenly twisted in the air and changed directions. That was right! This was a powerful hundred year soul skill. Moreover, it had come from Xie Xies high class martial soul. Unfortunately, the opponent he faced today was truly unreasonable. Right as the Light Dragon Blade was about to slash Gu Yues shoulder, a green light appeared once again, meeting the light blade with extreme precision. It was almost as if the green light were also a light blade, only a green colored one. The green light blade wasnt as powerful as the Light Dragon Blade and was chopped apart in moments. However, that moments delay allowed Gu Yue to take a step out of the way, completely avoiding the Light Dragon Blade. 65 Elemental Mastery Xie Xie hadnt considered the possibility of defeating his opponent in a single move. Thus, as his Light Dragon Blade flew was flying towards Gu Yue, his body sprang towards her as well. While Gu Yue was pacing away from Xie Xie, he had already calculated the distance and appeared on Gu Yues side with his Light Dragon Blade raised. The outcome seemed like Gu Yue had clashed against his dagger. This unexpected move had even earned a nod from the strict Wu Zhangkong. Although Xie Xies cultivation hadnt reached two rings, he had started to grasp the profound meaning of being an Agility System Battle Soul Master. Tang Wulin had his eyes on this match as well. This allowed him to deeply experience the huge difference between him and Xie Xie. His first win was an unexpected victory, and his second was because of the strange golden scales. But in reality, Xie Xies abilities were far above his. Xie Xies landing point was a meter away from Gu Yue. This position was within his predictions, allowing him to be within a suitable distance to attack his opponent, but still with sufficient space for escape. Facing a powerful opponent allowed him a chance to further release his potential. However, this opponent was unexpectedly tough. As soon as the tips of his feet touched the ground, Xie Xie felt a sudden suction from the ground, as if stepping into a muddy swamp. He lowered his left leg with a previous intention to spring himself up, but it had changed instantaneously into a ground attack. Gu Yue staggered and her body tilted slightly forward which allowed her to successfully avoid Xie Xies attack. At the same time, an icicle shot out from her hand. Its target was not Xie Xie, but the area underneath his feet. The icicle struck onto the mud puddle that Xie Xies left foot was in and hardened. Xie Xies leg was stuck. Gu Yue turned and waved her hand, a fireball appeared and flew towards Xie Xie. In this close proximity, it was impossible for Xie Xie to dodge, even if he was an Agility System Battle Soul Master. However, at this point of time, Xie Xie revealed his true capabilities. His Light Dragon Blade appeared, and slashed accurately at the incoming fireball. The fireball smashed into a cluster of embers. Gu Yue raised both her arms and released both the icicles and fireballs continuously. With only a Light Dragon Blade, Xie Xie was soon unable to block off Gu Yues shots. But at the same time, he raised his left hand and the glint between his eyes glowed more intensely. As an Agility System Battle Soul Master with Twin Martial Souls, his movement and speed capabilities were strapped off, but he still had confidence in fighting a close ranged battle. Both of them had one soul ring, which meant that they hadnt reached rank 20 in cultivation. With the gift of twin martial souls and a rank 18 soul master, Xie Xie was confident on winning against his opponent by competing purely on soul power consumption. Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon dagger. Both danced in the air and struck precisely at Gu Yue, who collapsed in defeat. It demonstrated Xie Xies incomparably precise judgment Wu Zhangkongs eyes reflected an array of colours, not only for Xie Xies performance, but Gu Yues as well. Ice, Fire, Earth, Wind C these four elements had been displayed in her match with Xie Xie. And the display showed a variation of skills in both control and attacks. Though Wu Zhangkong didnt fully understand where Gu Yues soul skills originate, judging from her ability to utilise four elements all at once with a soul ring proved that she possessed a superior martial soul! A cold grin broke out from the corner of Xie Xies mouth. Though you are strong, your soul power is incomparable to mine. I possess twin martial souls, and Im ranked 18. Even by competing solely on the soul power consumption, I can defeat you. It was obvious that everyone else was a one ring Soul Master. Xie Xie started feeling the frozen mud loosening and managed to free himself from the shackles that bound his leg, the situation had turned in his favour. However, at this very moment, he caught the grin on Gu Yues face, shortly followed by a white ball of light from his opponents hand instead of fireballs. The light bursted before Xie Xies eyes and blinded him instantaneously. Not good! A voice inside Xie Xie called out and his pair of daggers started waving before him, in hope that by using an intensive series of attacks will fend off the opponents blows. Good. Lets stop here. Wu Zhangkong voiced out. Xie Xies sight was only regained after ten or so seconds, but his eyes were clouded with tears. Youve won. Wu Zhangkong pointed his comment towards Gu Yue. Xie Xie argued, Teacher, I didnt lose! My attacks were very intensive and she didnt manage to break it with her attacks. Wu Zhangkong voiced out coolly, Youve lost, just take it. While you were anxiously waving your daggers about, she had already moved to your side. Gu Yue grinned, the silver light on her body blinked and shot out three meters horizontally. This stunned Xie Xie. This What ability is this? Gu Yue looked towards Wu Zhangkong, Teacher. So, am I admitted into this academy now? Wu Zhangkong nodded his head, Ill definitely fulfill my promise. However, tell me what is your background, and what was that martial soul of yours? Gu Yue brought out a piece of letter from her chest, This is a recommendation letter from my elementary academy. And as of my martial soul, it is Elementalist. Elementalist? Wu Zhangkong questioned himself on the fact that though he had seen much and widened his horizons, this was the first time he had heard of the existence of this martial soul. Gu Yues match with Xie Xie had displayed her shocking and unrivaled abilities in the following six elements C ice, fire, earth, wind, light, and space. One has to know that within the types of martial souls, possessing even one type of element would have been a miraculous existence. But possessing all six of the elements, that wouldve been hard to imagine. When Gu Yue noticed the shock in Wu Zhangkongs eyes, she shared more about her abilities without the intention to hide, I am able to control all six elements, but, I am unable to attach my soul ring onto any of these elements. Thus, although I can control the change in elements, it is hard to strengthen them. My first soul skill is Elemental Tide. It allows my soul power to hold on for a long period of time, and at the same time, allowing me the ability to better control the strength of the elements. After hearing Gu Yues descriptions, Wu Zhangkong finally understood. As expected, there was absolutely no way to have that kind of control of all the elements and an unusually powerful soul per element. She only had one martial soul, not six. The ability to control all six elements at the same time would mean that she wouldnt be able to specialise in any one element and all of the six elements didnt come with additional soul skills. What Gu Yue had displayed a moment ago derived from how she was able to control the elements, as well as their release. No wonder none of the abilities seemed particularly strong, and it was only under Gu Yues clever application that allowed her to defeat Xie Xie. However, this martial soul of Gu Yues was definitely a superior one, and it wouldnt pale in comparison to twin martial souls in any way. Disregarding other abilities, her mere use of the earth element to construct a swamp to trap Xie Xie, and her use of ice element to freeze it was a sign that she had some knowledge in making use of the elements properties to her advantage. If she were to be trained appropriately, it would be possible to groom her into a genius Soul Master. Wu Zhangkong continued, Good. Ive understood. You are now a part of our class, 1st Year Class 5. 66 Did You Win? Thank you teacher. Gu Yue nodded with a grin on her face. Wu Zhangkongs demeanor turned cold. You should join them in running. This is a compulsory Physical Education. Xie Xie, you too. Xie Xie pointed out with a bitter face, Teacher, werent we freed from running due to the match? Wu Zhangkong answered coldly, Did you win? I Xie Xies heart burned with rage as well as filled with depression. Wasnt this so? If one related his matches with Tang Wulin, then most of Tang Wulins successes had some component of luck. However, he had exerted all his efforts and power into this match with Gu Yue, and in the end, he had still lost. This girls martial soul was too weird, wasnt it? It was even weirder than his own pair of Dragon Daggers. Gu Yue smiled. She didnt try to avoid the training but ran towards the side of field and joined the rest of her classmates in their run. Xie Xie let out a long sigh as he didnt have much choice but to join in the training as well. Gazing at their figures, Wu Zhangkongs steely expression cracked to reveal a rare smile. He turned and walked in the direction of the main academic building. Gu Yues steps were light and quick. As she reached Tang Wulin, she asked him with curiosity, Why did you wrap iron chains around your body? Tang Wulin replied, To build up my strength! The teacher gave me stricter requirements. You sure are formidable. Gu Yue grinned. Im really not that great. None of my elements are even that strong. It was just that I had controlled them well. All martial souls are the same. As long as you have enough soul power and you can fully comprehend as well as control your martial soul well, then it will bring you surprises. Tang Wulins heart moved a little upon hearing Gu Yues thoughts. Control? Is your waist not tired at all, from all that standing and speaking? Who could have controlled their martial soul in as many different ways as yours? Xie Xies voice, with an air of nonchalance, sounded from Tang Wulins other side. Without needing to wear the weighted clothes, and after taking a break, he felt rather relaxed when he ran now. Gu Yue answered, Thats because you havent understood your own martial soul well enough. Xie Xie was not convinced. How are you so sure that I dont understand fully? Gu Yue replied, You were just defeated; need I explain more? I Xie Xie grieved and felt like smashing his head into the wall. Was he not a prodigy? What had happened to him after entering this academy? Even more so, this was in the worst class, yet he was humiliated repeatedly. ? Wu Zhangkong walked into the school building. All of the classes were still being held, thus the corridors were empty. Walking up to the teaching office, he stopped abruptly and thought deeply before knocking on the door. Come in! Long Hengxu sounded. Zhangkong opened the door and entered. Long Hengxu was seated behind his work desk and sulking away. He was in a deep thought on how to manage his relationship with Wu Zhangkong. Today, this guy hadnt given him any face. However, if he were to try to get Wu Zhangkong expelled, that would be practically impossible. Even more so if he were to seek the Presidents agreement. How would he suggest to give punishments to Wu Zhangkong instead? Wu Zhangkong had already been sent to teach the worst class of class five, how much more severe a punishment could he be given? Could this be the cause of his attitude? Was that why Wu Zhangkong was acting like a dead mouse that feels no cold? Long Hengxus expression turned into one of surprise when he realised that Wu Zhangkong just walked into the office. With a cool front, Long Hengxu asked, Teacher Wu, how may I help you? Wu Zhangkong walked up to his desk with a calm expression, then bowed towards Long Hengxu. Sorry, Director Long. I have come to apologise to you. Eyeing his bow, if one were to describe Long Hengxus previous heart as full of displeasure, then it wouldve turned into complete shock in that split moment. What situation was this? The Icily Arrogant Prince Charming came to apologize? Had the sun risen from the west? Towards this teacher with such extreme characteristics, he had quite some knowledge of him. Since Wu Zhangkongs first day at the academy, he had been in the limelight. He had the looks, the strength, and the name of being the most powerful person in the academy. But, he was as arrogant as he was unyielding, and he hadnt complied with the academys teaching syllabus and acted solely in accordance to his own views. The female students within the academy had since given him the name of Prince Charming. This man even had the cheek to disregard the President. It was said that there was once a time when the President had sought to speak with Wu Zhangkong and hed just left halfway into the Presidents conversation. However, he had a right to be arrogant as hed originated from that place. With a young age of 30, he managed to possess a Soul Emperors Rank 60, even more so if it was from that place. It was said that he was a prodigy of sorts. But due to unknown reasons, hed decided to come here. That was why this man only had eyes at the top of his head. But why did this man, Wu Zhangkong, apologize to him? Did the graveyard just turn into a garden? Wu Zhangkong continued seriously, What happened today is solely my fault. Thus, I am here to apologise. I hope to seek your forgiveness. Never, nevermind. Long Hengxu didnt know if he was shocked by Wu Zhangkong, or that the apologies had mellowed the rage in him, but as he replied in haste, it revealed some weakness in his vigour. Wu Zhangkong nodded his head and continued, Director Long, a new student has arrived in our class. She has just passed my test and fits well with our academys conditions. In accordance to the academys policies, if a potential student misses the date of admission, but has been accepted into the academy based on special conditions, they can only start from class five. As such, I seek your permission in accepting her into the academy. As he spoke, he handed Long Hengxu the letter that Gu Yue had provided him with. Long Hengxu took the letter. Fine, Ill see to this. Wu Zhangkong replied, Thats it for now. Ill wait for your permission. It was only now that Long Hengxu finally regained his consciousness. He finally understood why Wu Zhangkong came to apologize. Hed done that so he could come and seek Long Hengxus assistance! However, Long Hengxu was no longer in rage after receiving Wu Zhangkongs apologies. He didnt know why, but the Icily Arrogant Prince Charmings charm wasnt just effective on females. Teacher Wu. I will still have to remind you to leave me with some dignity in front of the students Long Hengxu voiced out gravely. Alright. Wu Zhangkong nodded his head. Long Hengxu didnt expect Wu Zhangkong to agree to him so easily. This Icily Arrogant Prince Charming held his head up high. It was also the reason why he was a man of his words. Since hed agreed to it, he would see it to the end. Long Hengxu didnt expect their relationship to turn out well so quickly. It seemed that for now, having Wu Zhangkong in the intermediate academy wouldnt be a bad thing after all. Teacher Wu seemed to hold this student with high regards! As he thought, Long Hengxu opened the letter and read it in detail. This letter came from an Elementary School in a small town, and looked like nothing special. Gu Yue: Female. Soul power: Rank 15. Martial soul: Elementalist. Elementalist? What kind of soul is that? 67 Elementalist? Shes a genius, only Ill be able to teach her appropriately. I hope that Director Long would provide me with your support, and no matter what happens in the future, please ensure that she stays in my class. Long Hengxu couldnt control himself anymore and asked, Elementalist? What martial soul is this? Teacher Wu is well informed, surely you would have some knowledge of this? Wu Zhangkong replied, Ive just seen it. Its not a bad type of martial soul. You will see it in action during the upcoming Class Promotion Tournament. Having heard Wu Zhangkong mention the Class Promotion match, Long Hengxu informed him, Assigning Xie Xie to your class was because I hoped for something to happen from your class during this match. After all, when the worst class increases its strength, it would stimulate the class on top of it to work harder. The existence of this Class Promotion Tournament is purely based on taking advantage of the students sense of honour in stimulating them to practice harder. Teacher Wu, have you already decided the representatives you are going to bring into this tournament? Yes, Ive thought about it. When Wu Zhangkong returned to his class, the task of running laps had been completed. Gather here! The students of class five came to him in the middle of the field like an army of seasoned troops. We will end todays morning training here. Youre dismissed. Gu Yue, please stay. It finally ended! What bliss! Almost instantaneously, all the students made a dash for their dorms; they finally had time to rest. Because of the training, Gu Yues little face looked redder than before. Im Wu Zhangkong, the teacher in charge of your class. This is the key to your dorm, and these are your uniform and your textbooks. From today onwards, you are officially a member of class five. Thank you Teacher Wu. Gu Yue collected the items from Wu Zhangkong. En, Get some rest. We will continue our class in the afternoon. Xie Xie pulled Tang Wulin quickly towards the dorm. Why are you so rushed? What have you got to say, come out with it. The reason Xie Xie rushed Tang Wulin towards their dorm a moment ago was obviously because he had something to say. Rest assured. Im not asking for another fight. Xie Xie rolled his eyes. This is because I have good intentions towards your well-being. Have you seen that Gu Yue? Dont get too close to her. Tang Wulin asked, in doubt, How am I close to her? Werent we being introduced to her just a few moments ago? Xie Xie snorted, Seeing that you were happily chatting with her just now, have you been smitten by her? Teacher Wu had mentioned that the Class Promotion match would require two participants at least. Previously it was us, but now that shes here, do you think you will stand a chance against her? Tang Wulin shook his head, Obviously not. Ill let her participate in it then. Xie Xies eyes widened, Are you an idiot? The Class Promotion Tournament comes with a reward. Do you not want to eat a meal from the first window? This When it came to food, Tang Wulin felt trapped. He hadnt eaten since this morning because of Mu Xi, and the morning training only made him even hungrier. Im guessing that Tang Wulin and that Gu Yue would participate in the match together. Zhou Zhangxi walked in and had obviously overheard the conversation. Xie Xie pointed at himself, Are you saying Im not participating? Zhou Zhangxi explained, In your three matches with Tang Wulin, you have lost to him twice and your cheeks were even swollen from the one of them. And now, youve lost to Gu Yue today. Why would you think that the person eliminated would be Tang Wulin and not you? He was not too happy with Xie Xie from the beginning, and this was too good of an opportunity to strike at him. Xie Xie was shocked at Zhou Zhangxis comments, and as he thought back, he couldnt deny that these things never happen. His face contorted into a marvelous display. Thats enough! Use your brains, will you? With Teacher Wus character, he wouldnt go back on his word. Both of you will still be participating, and the person who wont be participating would be me. A minimum of two participants doesnt mean that there can only be two participants. It might even be three. Yun Xiao was the last to enter the dorm, his expression filled with resignation and his gaze seemed to be askingWhere have all of your brains gone to? Tang Wulin rubbed his tummy, How many participants will be competing in the race is not important. Whats important is that Im hungry. I want to eat. Prior to the commencement of the afternoon class, another legend was being created at Eastsea Academy. A certain glutton god had set yet another record With regards to the weird glances from the students, Tang Wulin was used to it. Without paying them mind, he simply chewed in big mouthfuls while seated within the dining hall. It was mere coincidence, as the menu for lunch was large buns again. And the rest of Tang Wulins dorm mates almost had their eyes bulged out as he took one large bun after another into his stomach. Xie Xie spoke seriously, In the future, if I ever use eating as a wager to bet with you, Im an idiot. Tang Wulin replied, Other than this, I wouldnt bet anything else with you. Theres no motivation. I cant finish this, you can have it. At this moment, a sound came to him from the side, and then came the appearance of a huge snowy white bun, which was then placed on Tang Wulins plate. Tang Wulin raised his head and looked. Wasnt it Gu Yue who gave him this bun? However, she had changed into the academys uniform and looked similar to the students around her. Thank you. Tang Wulin nodded towards her. He always had the tendency of generating good feelings towards individuals who provided him with food. Gu Yue nodded towards him and turned to leave. Zhou Zhangxi moved towards Tang Wulin mysteriously, Wulin, from my view, hasnt she fallen for you? Today, after joining us in our class, she took the initiative to speak with you. And now, shes even given you a bun. It seems to me that shes smitten with you. Tang Wulin replied with a face of helplessness, You are only nine right? What kind of thoughts are in that brain of yours? Zhou Zhangxi continued, During the last few days, I had thoughts on how to bash you up. But I dont anymore. It disappeared when you were hammering. Seeing that this guy was evading his questions, Tang Wulin returned to eating his buns in large bites. The afternoon class resumed with a physical training regimen that was even harsher than what they had in the morning. Where had the Theory and Knowledge class gone to? Wu Zhangkongs explanation was simple. With the current standard of the class, what was there to learn about Theory and Knowledge? When had the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming spoke been reasonable? Running was better in the sense that they could persevere. But when it switched to frog jumps, the field was filled with students of class five lying on the ground in less than 30 minutes. A full day of physical training had these nine year olds crawling back to their dormitories. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue come find me after your dinner. Wu Zhangkong mentioned coolly as the class ended. Xie Xie only stood stably with assistance from Tang Wulin, his legs were still shivering. Gu Yue was slightly better, but her hands were supporting both knees. This girl who possessed the Elementalist martial soul was a gift from heaven. During their physical training, she was visibly more relaxed than the rest, and that wasnt because her stamina was better. But as her martial soul was an Elementalist, that allowed her to interact with the elements in the air, which watched over her as she trained. The wind elements allowed her to be light and quick; the light elements helped regained her energy the fire elements replenished her power; the earth elements enriched her perseverance; the ice element enabled her cool-headedness. It seemed that every type of element was aiding her with the training. 68 Special Training Why are you here this late at night? After Xie Xies feud with Tang Wulin had turned into friendship, his cool exterior had somewhat diminished. His whole person had changed as well and he appeared more genuine. The air of a rich young master slowly disappeared. It was fortunate that Wu Zhangkong was their teacher and had his way with the class. If not, he wouldnt have been able to persevere in the physical training class. Teacher is doing that for our own good. Tang Wulin supported Xie Xie. An hour before dinner, most of the students had fallen into deep sleep. Although Tang Wulin was tired, he persisted and tried to meditate. In these two days, after he changed his method of meditation, he felt an improvement and increased efficiency of his physical recovery. A clumsy bird flies early; those with a weak martial soul should work harder in cultivating. There were even classes in the evening. How would Tang Wulin be able to start forging his Sky Dragon Iron! This was a problem. He could only forge the metal during midnight then, but that wont do. After completing this task, he would stop accepting other tasks, at least for the time being. After dinner, Tang Wulin was practically dragging Xie Xie to the field. Xie Xie was on the verge of walking away. As they reached the venue, Gu Yue was already there, and she seemed rejuvenated as well. It was already evening, and the last rays of sunlight had painted the sky in a fiery red colour. The reflected light had accentuated Gu Yues fine features. Wu Zhangkong had changed into a black training suit and was wearing a stern expression. Not far away, girls from the advanced academy crowded in twos and threes; their gazes were fixated on Wu Zhangkong. Come with me, you three. As he saw the two of them moving towards him, Wu Zhangkong turned and moved off. The trio followed behind Wu Zhangkong into the depths of the Academy. Wu Zhangkong brought them with him to the back of the academy and into an indoor training ground. This was what he requested from Long Hengxu during their meeting earlier that day. By expressing his support to Long Hengxus work, and by promising to not create trouble for this director in the teaching office, Long Hengxu had returned his support by giving his approval to Wu Zhangkongs requests. Similarly, as a director in the teaching office, he was with the director of the advanced department. Wu Zhangkong had gotten into an intense argument with the director of the advanced department, to the point where he had even broken one of the directors legs. This was how he had been demoted to the intermediate academy. And if he wanted to build a good relationship with Teacher Wu, it would help him earn many bonuses from the President. What selfish motives Long Hengxu had wasnt important to Wu Zhangkong as long as his objectives were reached. If not for Gu Yue, he wouldnt have compromised so easily with Long Hengxu, and the apologies wouldnt have even existed. However, as he came to the intermediate academy in this instance, he had met with two students who deeply affected him. And if they were well trained, they would possess the competency necessary to enter that place. As for the other student, it was a rather peculiar case. While that student interested him, this student could barely compare to the brilliance of the other two. This was the current situation for the three. The training ground was circular and there were Soul Barriers in it. These were training areas for students with higher levels. Of course, if ones soul power has reached a certain rank, places like the fields wouldve been damaged easily. Wu Zhangkong brought the three into the middle of the building. From today onwards, you will all have to train with me at night. This is in preparation for the Class Promotion Tournament in three months. As he gone to this point, his gaze were first rested on Tang Wulin, Tang Wulin, your martial soul is Bluesilver Grass. Previously, you were selected for the Class Promotion Tournament because I had no other choice. Even though Gu Yue is here now, and having already seen her talent and power, whatever I said before wont change. But I hope that you will show me you are capable of representing class five in this match with your hard work. However, if after three months you fail to reach my requirements, I will be sending these two to participate in the match without you. Yes. Although Xie Xie had reminded him earlier, there was still a certain dullness inside Tang Wulin. Talent had always been a sore spot for Tang Wulin. Teacher Wu. Im not participating in this match. Gu Yue suddenly said right at this moment. En? Wu Zhangkong looked towards her. Gu Yue spoke mildly, Im a new transfer student, and I dont want to cause any implications to others. So, please take back your decision for me to participate in the match. Wu Zhangkong was shocked. Ever since he became a Soul Master, he had been proud son of the heavens,even after coming to Eastsea Academy with resignation. Not because he had been threatened, but because everyone else was too miserable. However, when this young lady spoke out, he realised that he couldnt do anything to her. He valued Xie Xies twin martial souls highly but in comparison to Gu Yues Elementalist, Xie Xies was at a level lower. Tang Wulin, too, hadnt thought that Gu Yue wouldve done that for him and felt grateful towards her. Thanks, Gu Yue. However, Teacher Wus right. This will affect the honor of our class. And naturally, the strongest would compete. But please rest-assured, Ill work hard as well. The number of participants doesnt stop at two. If I train and strengthen myself sufficiently during these three months, I think teacher will allow me to compete. Wu Zhangkong was shocked as he looked towards Tang Wulin, the emotional intelligence of this kid was exceptional! His words not only showed his willingness to work hard, but had also relieved himself from a possible tense position. This hadnt only gave Wu Zhangkong a good impression of him, but also added some bonus points to it. Teacher, what are we going to do in this special training session? It cant just be more physical training, can it? Wu Zhangkong answered, Obviously not. Whatever training you are going through, there will only be one objective, and that is to increase your power. Power can be classified into two categories C hard power and soft power. From my point of view, all power originates from actual combat. Thus, your special training will include actual combat. We will use that to arouse your own potential, and also use it to give you combat experience. Ill brief all of you on the important pointers, and then youll start. Xie Xie, the speed you have at this level is sufficient. However, your physical fitness is too weak, and you dont have the stamina for long battles. Thus, when battling, you have to be aware and control your physical strength. Your second martial soul has a is good at catching people off guard, but dont release it to your liking. You must only use it when an opportunity presents itself. Gu Yue, I have observed your Elementalist martial soul today. Though I didnt want to say this, but with your current cultivation, your control of each element is pretty good. Tomorrow, Ill bring all three of you to get your spiritual power examined. Tang Wulin spoke, Teacher, Ive done a spiritual power examination before Wu Zhangkong broke him off cooly, I only believe what I see. 69 Your Opponent is Me! He turned towards Gu Yue and said, In the future, I hope that you will continue to experiment with fusing different elements. Ive been carefully reviewing your martial soul all day, and Ive concluded that the Elementalist martial soul is compatible with every element, but because none of these elements can be upgraded with a soul ring, they will never become powerful. You seem to have complete control of the different elements, which is a huge advantage in the beginning. However, as you cultivate to a higher level in the future, you will discover that you wont have any powerful soul skills as a foundation. The soul rings that you obtain in the future will only be able to increase your control over the elements and the strength of your soul power. Under these circumstances, there is only one path to power for you. You need to be able to control more elements. This is an unprecedented path, however, when I saw you combine the earth and ice elements to trap Xie Xie today, I realized that if you were able to combine different elements and control their strength, youll definitely be able to stand at the peak of the world in the future. This evaluation of Wu Zhangkongs wasnt spoken lightly. Clearly, he valued Gu Yue highly. Yes. Thank you teacher. Gu Yue nodded. Wu Zhangkong finally turned to Tang Wulin. As for you, the first thing you need to do is to gain more control over your martial soul. Im going to be honest with you, even though your Bluesilver Grass is a variant martial soul, its still Bluesilver Grass. Its tenacity is both a blessing and a curse for you. Unless you can control it perfectly, then it cant be called control at all. Therefore, you should develop yourself as a Control System Battle Soul Master. Theres also that pair of hammers you used before. Your strength is a gift, and its still very useful at this level. In the future, you can try to attack by combining your hammers with your Bluesilver Grass. Yes. Tang Wulin responded with only one word. With that being said, well begin the special training now, Wu Zhangkong said indifferently. When Xie Xie heard that it wasnt physical training, but rather combat training, he immediately became much more spirited. He said eagerly, Teacher Wu, how are we being matched up? Wu Zhangkong answered, You guys wont be going one after another. Instead, all three of you will battle together. Your opponent is me! Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yues expressions immediately stiffened. A light flashed in Wu Zhangkongs empty hands as a wooden sword appeared. Im not going to use my soul power or any soul skills, but even so, you three must give me your all. Begin! As he said this, he had already shot forward with his wooden sword, quickly approaching Xie Xie. Xie Xie reacted with lightning speed and rapidly fell back. However, the sword was like a leech that was difficult to shake off. Even though his retreating speed was very quick, the wooden sword was quicker. Wuwu! A deep muffled noise broke through the air. Tang Wulin had made his move. He had taken Wu Zhangkongs words to heart and immediately implemented his suggestion. The Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer was flown out, smashing straight towards Wu Zhangkong. At the end of the handle, however, was a strand of Bluesilver Grass that connected it to Tang Wulin. He knew that it would be a futile attempt to bind Wu Zhangkong directly with his Bluesilver Grass. At Wu Zhangkongs level of soul power, it would only take a moment for him to break free. When that happened, Tang Wulins soul power would be consumed to near exhaustion too, and he would no longer be able to use his Bluesilver Grass. As for the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer that he had sent flying, Wu Zhangkong didnt even put them in his eyes, and continued forward with his sword. The tungsten hammers simply flew behind him. Tang Wulin made a face when his strike missed A cool breeze brushed up from beside him, pushing Xie Xie out of the way and causing Wu Zhangkongs sword to meet nothing but air. Wu Zhangkong pursued, but the ground beneath his feet quickly grew soft and an icicle flew towards the ground. Gu Yue was using the same elemental combination technique as before. Wu Zhangkong revealed a calm smile. With a flick of his wrist, the wooden sword gracefully met the icicle, easily shattering it. At the same time, he jumped out of the mud. Wuwu! Tang Wulins Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers arrived once again. This time however, it wasnt just a single hammer, but rather, both of them were present. With both hammers in use, their attack range was even greater. Wu Zhangkongs wooden sword moved exactly to his will and met with the tungsten hammers, causing them to both stop in mid air and immediately drop to the ground. A flash of shock colored Wu Zhangkongs eyes. This little guys strength is simply tyrannical! A fireball showed up at Wu Zhangkongs side. Once again, Gu Yues attack had appeared at just the right moment. Wu Zhangkongs weapon was a wooden sword, so using fire to burn it was definitely the best choice. The wooden sword drew a circle in the air, causing a bizarre stream of air to appear. The fireball suddenly strayed from its path and soared above Wu Zhangkong, heading straight for Xie Xie instead. Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger slashed at the fireball, breaking it into embers. He curled his body in mid air as he was still within range of Wu Zhangkong. Then his left hand made a slight movement, and an invisible blade appeared as he thrust out with his Light Dragon Dagger. Tang Wulins Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers shot towards Wu Zhangkong once again, bombarding Wu Zhangkong. Three fireballs also shot out right at that moment. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue had synchronized their attacks. Unfortunately, their opponent was simply too powerful. The wooden sword in Wu Zhangkongs hands easily transformed into numerous sword silhouettes. The two hammers were deflected while Xie Xie was struck in the shoulder and sent flying directly into the path of the three fireballs. If it wasnt for his courage, along with his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, he feared that he would have been seriously wounded. Wu Zhangkong dropped from the sky. This time, his target was Tang Wulin. The wooden sword thrust towards Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin didnt retreat. Xie Xie was still in a daze and wouldnt be able to help him, and Gu Yue had been buried under Xie Xie, which made her unable to support him. This situation had been meticulously manufactured by Wu Zhangkong in order to isolate him. True combat would excite a students potential. This was exactly what he did back at the advanced academy. When faced with immense pressure, a students potential would be revealed by how they reacted. At this crucial moment, Tang Wulin didnt shrink back. Instead, he launched his Bluesilver Grass and used Bind on Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkong simply struggled a bit and broke free of Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass, draining him of his soul power. There hadnt even been enough time for Tang Wulin to withdraw his hammers which he had previously sent flying. With the wooden sword striking towards his chest, Tang Wulins expression turned to one of extreme focus. He still remembered the battle he had fought with Xie Xie before. It was only because he treated Xie Xie as metal, that he had been able to reach such a level and persisted for so long. At this moment, he will once again treat Wu Zhangkong like metal. He quickly entered an ethereal state that was solely focused on forging. Two grey lights simultaneously flashed. A hammer appeared in his right hand, obstructing the wooden sword, while the hammer that appeared in his left hand smashed towards Wu Zhangkong. Ding! The wooden sword struck the hammer, issuing forth a crisp metallic note. Tang Wulin only felt a tremendous force being transmitted as the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer flew into his stomach from the recoil, knocking him back. 70 SpiritConnection As Tang Wulin entered a state of extreme focus, he became immensely clear-headed and knew very well that if he were to move backwards, the hammer in his left hand wouldnt be able to reach his teacher. Thus, he loosened his grip on the hammer in his left hand which then abruptly flew towards Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkong casually flicked the wooden sword in his hand, horizontally brushing Tang Wulins left hammer. Wu Zhangkongs martial soul was actually a sword. He was practicing to reach the realm of One Sword Cleaves All Techniques. Thus, regardless of whatever assault was used or whoever the opponent was, Wu Zhangkong chose to use only his sword. However, he suffered this time around. As the hammer and sword collided, Wu Zhangkong felt a strong wave of power trasmit through his wooden sword. Although Tang Wulins strength was unmatched by his, he had not released his martial soul and merely used a small portion of his soul power. Wu Zhangkong felt as though his wooden sword was on the verge of breaking. He wasnt even given a chance to gather more soul power, when he felt the power flowing through his wooden sword double. Kacha! His wooden sword broke, and the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer flew brazenly in the direction of his head. Wu Zhangkong flashed aside, avoiding the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers with a close shave. Those seemingly small forging hammers fell towards the ground, creating a deafening booming sound. It gave Xie Xie, who was preparing to give his support to Tang Wulin, a big shock. Tang Wulin had forced back Teacher Wu, and even broke apart his wooden blade? Retreating back a few steps, Tang Wulin held up his heavy silver hammer up to his chest in defense. Wu Zhangkong stopped, staring blankly for a while. He knew Tang Wulins hammers were a bit strange. Stop! He raised his hand, halting Gu Yue and Xie Xie, both of whom were preparing to resume battle. Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin weirdly, and then switched his gaze towards the grey hammer on the ground that hed never seen before. He felt his heart contract with a wave of fear in that instant. The first time he had battled Tang Wulin, hed been bound up by Tang Wulin. If this hammer had gone down towards him Tang Wulin rushed towards the ground and picked up the three hammers, returning them into his Heavy Silver Ring. Your hammers are abnormal. Wu Zhangkong looked towards Tang Wulin with an eye filled with doubt. Tang Wulin answered him, These hammers were made with Heavy Silver, and are slightly heavier than normal forging hammers. How heavy could they be? Let me see! Xie Xie was very curious about those hammers, which had been able to break Teacher Wus wooden sword apart. Dang! Shortly after the Heavy Silver Hammer left Tang Wulins hand, it dropped to the ground. Xie Xie fell from the huge force of the inertia. Aiyoh! Xie Xie growled in pain. You, whats this thing of yours? Its so heavy. Wu Zhangkong walked towards him and picked up the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer. They moved him unknowingly. No wonder his wooden sword had broken apart; the weight of this hammer Tang Wulin commented, One hammer weighs approximately 150 kilograms. Wu Zhangkong asked. There were three waves of power. Did you cause that, or was that from something else? Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment before answering Wu Zhangkong, Thats the ability of those hammers. After forging with the Thousand Refinements, unknown effects could be created. Mine came with one as well, and its called the Stacked Hammers effect. Wu Zhangkong, though he had no knowledge of forging, knew that the pair of heavy silver hammers were precious. With a gentle nod, he questioned Tang Wulin, Are you very talented in forgery? En, Im a blacksmith. As Tang Wulin thought about the treatment hed been given from the Blacksmiths Association, he felt better. Wu Zhangkongs eyes revealed an expression of thoughtfulness as he raised his hand towards Tang Wulin. Come. Hold my hand.Tang Wulin grasped his hand. Wu Zhangkongs hand was huge and his fingers long. The grip felt cool, and there was not a hint of roughness. Pull me with all your might; show me how great your strength really is. Wu Zhangkong ordered Tang Wulin. Oh, Tang Wulin answered. He took a deep breath before gathering strength from within both his arms as he pulled. Wu Zhangkong readied himself. Like a nail, he stood still without moving even a strand of hair. As Tang Wulin put in all of his strength, his little cheeks started to blush profusely. Though Wu Zhangkong looked seemingly still, the partially hidden soul power vibrations revealed that he wasnt as relaxed as he seemed to be. He actually had to utilise his soul power to prevent Tang Wulin from dragging him away. Thats enough. After a moment, Wu Zhangkong stopped Tang Wulin. It was only then that Tang Wulin stopped his pulling. A strange color flashed across Wu Zhangkongs steely demeanor. He patted Tang Wulins shoulder. In the Class Promotion Tournament, the three of you should compete together. If you could exert your strength to the current amount, then adding in our tactics, it should be quite interesting. As Tang Wulin and Xie Xie returned to the dormitory, they were completely exhausted. Forget about forging, it would have been a miracle already if Tang Wulin could force himself into the meditation position. Starting from the next day, Tang Wulin was exclusively excluded from physical training classes. The reason was simply because Wu Zhangkongs physical fitness couldnt even compare with Tang Wulins. Normal training was useless to a talented prodigy like Tang Wulin, and it would be better to make use of the time on other training. But what Tang Wulin was going to practice wasnt simple as well. It was to control his Bluesilver Grass. The other students from the first grades class five couldnt withstand the physical education class anymore, and on the third day, all of them fell into a mess on the ground. This was a return to the original schedule of having physical training class in the morning, then theory and knowledge class in the afternoon. As physical training classes were shortened to only half a day, the students felt more relaxed and nobody complained. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue had all gone through a spiritual power, and the results were astounding. Xie Xies spiritual power was 29, which was regarded as good for others within his age group. It was considered a stage that neared the mid-level within Spirit Origin. Tang Wulins spiritual power was 44, which was also considered within the mid-level range of the Spirit Origin rank. He kept silent about his previous level. Since the previous test showed that his spiritual power was 38, then within that short span of time, his inner spiritual power had grown by a lot. Both of their spiritual power levels had already stunned Wu Zhangkong somewhat. However, this was mild compared to what Gu Yue had to offer. Gu Yues spiritual power was 119, far above the Spirit Origin rank. In ranking spiritual power, Spirit Origin was at the bottom. When the level of spiritual power grew above a hundred, it was considered to have entered the second rank C Spirit Connection. Spirit Connection was when ones mind and heart could communicate, meaning ones thoughts and ones will were one. When one reaches the Spirit Connection rank, that is when their ability to control their spiritual power begins, and where one can start controlling their spiritual power for their own purposes. One would then be able to bear the load of two yellow spirit souls or one purple spirit soul. Wu Zhangkong finally understood that Gu Yues martial soul, Elementalist, might actually be a rare variation of a spirit-type martial soul. It could be controlled fully by her when both her huge spiritual power and martial soul, Elementalist, communicated with one another. Spirit System Battle Soul Masters were one of the rarest type of Soul Masters in the modern era, and also the most sought after. This was because they combined well with mechas. This resulted in Wu Zhangkong increasing his awareness of Gu Yue. Of course, their arduous training process wouldnt differ from others. One would be required to train even harder if they caught the Icily Arrogant Prince Charmings attention. And so, a weeks time soon flew by. Tang Wulin hadnt take time off to visit Mang Tians workshop, so naturally he hadnt managed to complete his forging tasks. 71 Forge for me then! Didi! Just as he laid on his bed, Tang Wulins soul communicator beeped. Tang Wulin had nearly forgotten about this matter. As a Soul Master, he didnt need to buy soul electricity to recharge his batteries. He could simply use his soul power to maintain it. The communicator displayed a particular number. Hello. Tang Wulin accepted the call. What are you doing? A familiar voice came from the other side of the communicator. When he heard this voice, Tang Wulin immediately grew alert and hastily sat up. Teacher. The owner of the voice was Mang Tian. Whats the matter with you? You havent completed the second rank mission even after a full week? Mang Tian harshly said. Tang Wulin hastily responded, Thats not it teacher. Ive just been preoccupied with my training and studies lately. I really havent had the time to go to your workshop, but I had planned to go tomorrow C on my rest day. Mang Tian went silent for a moment. Youre only in the first grade, yet youre already so busy? Tang Wulin explained the course of events he had gone through starting from his arrival. As he spoke to Mang Tian, both Zhou Zhangxi and Xie Xie inclined their heads towards Tang Wulin in search of gossip. En. Come over tomorrow then. Im also here now. Mang Tian hung up after saying these last few words. Hey, Tang Wulin. Didnt you say you have no money? How are you able to afford a soul communicator? Xie Xie questioned unhappily. Tang Wulin answered, This was part of the benefits I gained after I joined the association. I didnt buy it. I wouldnt be able to afford it otherwise! Association? What association? Zhou Zhangxi curiously asked. Yun Xiao also turned his head from the side in curiosity. Needless to say, after a whole weeks worth of physical training, everyones bodies revealed a clear change. Since they were Soul Masters, their physical recovery speed was much faster than an ordinary persons. Ordinary people would be hard pressed to endure such harsh training, but for Soul Masters like them, most would have recovered after a night of meditation. The Blacksmiths Association. My martial souls innate talent wasnt high enough, so I began to learn how to forge at a young age. Yun Xiao pensively asked, Does forging have anything to do with your ridiculous strength? Tang Wulin nodded. Xie Xie said, A blacksmith; the kind that purifies metal? Tang Wulin nodded once again. En, Xie Xie said, Do well on this path and youll have a good future. I remember my father buying a mecha core component that had been Thousand Refined once C it seemed to have been really expensive. How about you purify some metals for me once you reach the Grandmaster rank? Tang Wulin inquisitively asked, You want to become a Mecha Master? Xie Xie proudly answered, Of course. I come from a family of famous Mecha Masters. Its only natural that I want to become one as well. When he spoke these words, both Zhou Zhangxi or Yun Xiao had climbed down from their bunks with their curiosity piqued. For youngsters like them, mechas were the dream. Tell me, tell me. What is a real Mecha Master like? What qualifications would a person need to meet? Zhou Zhangxi urged him on with a childlike wonder befitting his age. Xie Xie had grown familiar with them these last few days, and no longer had his initial air of arrogance. The atmosphere within their room had now grown harmonious. After countless years of development, Soul Mechas have gone from smaller frames to larger then back during the modern era. Despite going through a cycle, their individual strengths have increased by a great deal. A mecha of a powerful Mecha Master would be about the same size as their body. Even with its small size, the amplification effects are huge. With the addition of its fusion with a martial soul, one can become a super solider. Supposedly, the mechas of God Rank Mecha Masters were personally created by their own hands. Tang Wulin said, Then doesnt that mean all God Rank Mecha Masters are blacksmiths? Xie Xie rolled his eyes. Of course they arent. When I say create, I meant that the Mecha Master personally inscribed arrays into their mecha so that its more compatible with them. Naturally, if they also happen to be skilled in forging, then the compatibility rating would be even higher. So, how high is your forging skill then? Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment, but he felt that he couldnt lie to his friends. He had already considered Xie Xie his friend since the day Xie Xie had stood up to Mu Xi for him. Im just barely able to complete the Thousand Refinements, Tang Wulin said. Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxie didnt have much knowledge of forging, but the aristocratic Xie Xie was somewhat aware of details of the field. He asked in astonishment, Are you saying youve already reached the rank of Grandmaster? Tang Wulin shook his head. I havent yet. Im still just a second rank blacksmith. Wow! Yun Xiao cried in alarm. Although he had little knowledge with regards to forging, he still understood the rankings of professions such as blacksmithing. Youre only nine years old yet youve already reached the second rank in your trade? It had to be stated that a second rank craftsman was already able to provide for themselves and survive within their association. All of them were still children, but they understood that even if Tang Wulins martial soul was just Bluesilver Grass, as a second rank craftsman, his situation was completely different. There was a qualitative leap between a second rank craftsman and a third rank craftsman. Once one reached the third rank, they would have stepped through the threshold between commoners and the upper class. Moreover, once they reached the fifth rank, they would be considered one of the elites of society, regardless of their trade. At that rank, they would receive the title Master Craftsman. Xie Xies eyes spun as he came to a realization and wrapped an arm around Tang Wulins neck. Tang Wulin, were brothers arent we? Tang Wulin unhappily shot a glance at him. With nothing to offer while hiding evil intentions like that, what are you up to? Just say it directly. Xie Xie gave a mischievous laugh, Im not up to anything. How about your help me forge mecha components in the future? How about it? Ill definitely pay you the market price. Tang Wulin distrustfully said, What do you need me for? Cant you just go to the Blacksmiths Association and directly issue a request? It would also be at the market price. Xie Xie looked at him in amazement. It seems that you dont have a good understanding of the blacksmithing industry yet! Do you think that just because a task is issued, it is guaranteed to be taken? There are very few blacksmiths at the Grandmaster rank and above, and the people who are willing to Thousand Refine something are even fewer. Not just anyone can issue a task. In order to switch out all of the old components for Thousand Refined versions for my fathers mecha, it had taken no less than four years! And that was with the good relationship he had with the Blacksmiths Association. Youre able to Thousand Refine things right now; in a few years, youll have reached the Grandmaster rank. If you become my personal blacksmith, then wouldnt I be able to get a full Thousand Refined mecha even sooner? Thats the symbol of a true noble. After hearing him speak, both Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxis eyes lit up. Tang Wulin helplessly nodded. Fine. Ill help you guys once Ive reached that rank. Good brother! Xie Xie tightly hugged him before loudly declaring, From this day forth, Tang Wulin is under the protection of I, Xie Xie. Whoever dares to offend him will answer to my Light Dragon Dagger! Keke, Yun Xiao coughed out, You should wait until you can defeat Gu Yue before saying such words. 72 Hammer Practice When Gu Yue was mentioned, Xie Xie couldnt help but sigh. This week, he had competed against Gu Yue more than once or twice. Although he could hardly accept it, he had to admit that he couldnt defeat Gu Yue at his current level. Gu Yues control of the six elements simply involved too many permutations C there was barely any patterns or rhythms behind them. Adding on to that, the amplification effect of her first soul skill, Elemental Tide made it so that even in a battle of soul power attrition, he still couldnt match Gue Yue. Tang Wulin called out, Hey, its getting late; we should all start our meditation. I have to meet with teacher tomorrow, so I wont be attending school. The Intermediate Academy had a break once every week, and students were allowed to do whatever they liked during this period of time. Tang Wulin hadnt had the time to complete his task of forging the Sky Dragon Iron and felt anxious about it. Mang Tians arrival came as a coincidence C he was there to complete his tasks too. The next morning. Tang Wulin headed out of the academy after breakfast, rushing towards Mang Tians forging workshop. Ding Ding Dang Dang. Loud sounds could be heard from the forging workshop, although Tang Wulin hadnt gone in yet. Teacher! Tang Wulin used his keys to open the door and entered the forging workshop. He found a rather busy Mang Tian. Mang Tian looked towards him. En. Youre quite spirited. It seems that you have been earnestly cultivating. Tang Wulin scratched his head uneasily. But, blacksmithing Mang Tian waved his hands. You can already perform the Thousand Refinements. Thats already as good as being promoted to a different stage. Such a thing cannot be improved purely through practice. With regards to your current age, practicing harder to increase your soul power is still the most important. Thus, there was no fault in your actions. But from now on, come here every weekend. Okay, go and change your clothes. Ill help you familiarise yourself on the use of the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. You can complete your task later in the afternoon. Mang Tian couldnt bring himself to maintain a cool disposition towards his disciple. When he tried getting his disciples contact number from Grandmaster Cen Yue, he was pestered endlessly by Cen Yue for a long period of time. Even the President had taken the initiative to personally approach him for it. Despite Eastsea Citys low standing within the whole of the continent, Mu Chen was still one of the ten great Saint Craftsmen on the continent. Such status wasnt only within the world of blacksmithing. He was a prestigious character throughout the continent. If not for his wife being a citizen of Eastsea City, he wouldnt have come here. Yesterday, Mu Chen had suggested that if Tang Wulin had questions about anything in his studies, he would gladly help him. How could this not surprise and delightMang Tian? However, it seemed to him that his own teachings for Tang Wulin was sufficient. He had his own selfish thoughts as well. If he were to pass Tang Wulin to Mu Chen now, who would be considered his actual teacher in the future? This was why Mang Tian didnt give Tang Wulin the opportunity to display the entirety of his abilities with the Thousand Refinements and directly proceed to third rank craftsman. Tang Wulins talent in blacksmithing wasnt simply based on his innate divine strength. Though it was rare to have innate divine strength, it was still possible. However, the real ability needed to rise up and become a top notch blacksmith wasnt simply based on that. The higher the rank of a blacksmith, the greater the importance placed on ones comprehension and soul power needed to be. When they reached the later stages, it would be impossible to achieve a breakthrough without sufficient soul power C Mang Tian was one such example. If not for that requirement, he wouldve been confident enough to reach the Saint Craftsman rank. Tang Wulins inborn power compensated for his insufficient soul power. More importantly, this child had a superhuman level of comprehension. He had the ability to enter a state of extreme focus during every forging session. Especially so when he performed the Thousand Refinements. This was where he was able to understand the life stored within the metal. Mang Tian remembered the past. It was only when he became a fourth rank blacksmith that hed managed to occasionally enter that state.. Having said that, Tang Wulin was talented in many aspects of blacksmithing. With his diligence and determination, Tang Wulin hadnt slacked within these three years, and this had laid a solid foundation for himself. This obedient child C Mang Tian was not willing to send him off to others. Mang Tian had the intention of cultivating Tang Wulin to the Master Craftsman Rank before allowing him to reveal his full ability. Until then, Mang Tian vowed he would not let his disciple be snatched by anymore. After changing his clothes, Tang Wulin started his forging practice on a normal piece of metal with his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. When he started, there was a little fuss due to the Stacked Hammers effect. These hammers, however, were forged via his blood sacrifice! After practicing with these hammers, he had worked to a state where his being synchronized with his hammers. Though similarly Thousand Refined, if one were to describe him and the tungsten hammers as two hearts that beat as one, then these Heavy Silver hammers that were forged using blood sacrifice had created a connection between his heart and soul. This feeling was weird, as it was both soothing and unforgettable. When he was immersed in such a stage, the use of the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers wouldnt be a problem at all. When Mang Tian observed closely, the strikes of his disciple were quite simple. He watched as Tang Wulin worked in a state of deep concentration, with his eyes aglow as they seemed to reflect the sparks shooting from the Heavy Silver Hammers. Mang Tian couldnt help it as a deep sigh escaped him. After completing the Thousand Refinements, this childs brilliance is finally showing itself. All the way until dusk, Tang Wulin skillfully forged the Sky Dragon Iron with his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. Its completion marked the end of this days practice. Lets go! Ill accompany you to the Blacksmiths Association to submit your task. Then you can receive your second task. You can complete it during your break next week, and then have it delivered, Mang Tian told him. Yes! Tang Wulin replied quickly. Mang Tian silently thought that with the presence of a weeks buffer time, nobody would suspect Tang Wulins true forging abilities. The Blacksmiths Association was far busier during the evening than it was during the day. Mang Tian brought Tang Wulin straight up to the second floor to deliver his task and for the Associations specialist to check on the task item prior to giving Tang Wulin his remuneration. 20,000 federation coins. This was the first time Tang Wulin had received such a large amount and he passed the coins to Mang Tian. Teacher, for you. Mang Tian shook his head. After reaching the second rank, and from a certain point-of-view, youve already finished your apprenticeship. This is rightfully yours. Tang Wulin answered, But Ive used your forging workshop! Mang Tians face revealed a smile. Do you think I mind that? Also, when your parents went away on their business trip, they informed me that you dont have to call home. Oh. Okay. Although Tang Wulin knew he was far from his aim, there was still a jubilant feeling within his heart with the gain of these 20,000 federation coins. Hard work brings wealth and glory. This money was earned solely through his hard work. After collecting another second rank task, he left the Association with Mang Tian. Teacher, Ill treat you to a meal. Tang Wulin jumped forth with this suggestion. Mang Tian shook his head. You can have your meal back at the Academy. Teacher has some other matters. You should remember to head to your teachers place weekly to smith. Every month, you have to produce a few Thousand Refined products. Teacher will leave some materials for you at the workshop. Those Thousand Refined products will be the fee for using my forging workshop. Yes! Tang Wulin answered without any hesitation. 73 The Class Promotion Tournament Begins! With the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers Stacked Hammers effect, the difficulty of the Thousand Refinements was now much less than before. The days soon flew by. For six days of the week, he would be hard at work cultivating. On the remaining day, he would forge. At this moment, Tang Wulin, along with Gu Yue and Xie Xie, were inside Wu Zhangkongs office. He informed them that the first match of the Class Promotion Tournament would begin the following week. Before Tang Wulin knew it, two months had already passed. During these last two months, everyone had changed by more than a little. The most important change was that under Wu Zhangkongs special training, all three of them had gained a mutual understanding between each other, causing their relationship to be much more harmonious now. Gu Yue was without a doubt the strongest among the three of them. Even when he went all out, Xie Xie was unable to close the gap between them by even a bit. Xie Xies soul power, however, had surprisingly grown to rank 19 over the past two months. After one more rank up, he would be able to receive the second soul ring from his hundred year spirit soul, thus becoming a Soul Grandmaster. Gu Yues soul power had increased by two and reached rank 17. Despite him having Bluesilver Grass as his martial soul, Tang Wulin worked hard everyday to improve his martial soul control while also using a higher level meditation technique as he underwent Wu Zhangkongs training. This had allowed his soul power to increase by one rank to rank 12. According to his current speed, he would definitely be able to reach rank 20 before he graduated from the intermediate academy. With his abundant self-awareness, Tang Wulin didnt bother to compare himself with Xie Xie and Gu Yue, instead completely satisfied with his progress. Teacher, who is class four sending to battle with us? Do you have their data? Xie Xie eagerly asked Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkong coldly answered, If you guys need data on that measly class four in order to defeat them, could you still be considered my disciples? You only have one mission during the tournament next week: crush your opponents! Do you understand? Yes! All three of them exclaimed. Wu Zhangkong said, The Class Promotion Tournament will begin soon. There will be one battle a day until the tournament ends. Ill give you guys a target: win your way to the fourth grade! Winning all the way until the fourth grade? When they heard these words, Tang Wulins eyes were filled with shock while Xie Xie couldnt help but gulp down his salivadespite his confidence. It had to be known that the talented individuals of the fourth grade would already have acquired their second ring. In fact, there were even some two ring Soul Grandmasters within the third grade! Yet, they were only in the first grade and were tasked with fighting until the fourth grade. This was easier said than done. Wu Zhangkong indifferently replied, What Im talking about is the fourth grades class one. Defeat the fourth grades class one and you will all receive a reward. If not, Ill discard all of your class achievements. Xie Xie defiantly said, Teacher, isnt this too harsh? Wu Zhangkong said, If you find it harsh, then you can withdraw. Only Wulin and Gu Yue will compete then. Great! I dont want this leftover child, Gu Yue said with indifference as she played with her fingers. You! Xie Xie turned to glare at her. Since Gu Yue had always suppressed him with her strength, Xie Xie treated her with hostility from beginning to end. Gu Yue tilted her head and stared back at him. You cant accept this? Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin, who said, Teacher has never changed his mind after deciding on something before. Its best if you do your best, young man! Wu Zhangkongs eyes twinkled as he revealed a smile. He was exceptionally pleased with these three disciples of his. Although Tang Wulins innate talent was lacking, his innate divine strength more than made up for it. Moreover, Tang Wulin always put in his greatest effort! Although they had both increased by one soul rank, it would be wrong to compare Tang Wulin with Xie Xie. In comparison to Xie Xie, Tang Wulin had put in far more effort for that one rank. Moreover, it seems that after his Bluesilver Grass mutated into a variant, it seemed truly decent now. While it seemed that it could no longer evolve anymore, if it did evolve after he obtained his second ring, then there was the possibility of it becoming a high level martial soul. Alright then. Well commence with todays training. Tang Wulin, partner up with Xie Xie and face Gu Yue. Xie Xie revealed a mischievous smile and then proudly said to Gu Yue, Yue Yue, watch how big brother puts you in your place! Gu Yue coldly stared at him. You will pay for how you just addressed me! Thus, the days special training began. ? The Class Promotion Tournament was a grand event for Eastsea Academy and was held annually. This was because the Class Promotion Tournament was the only event where the whole academy participated. The advanced academy had their own advanced division Class Promotion Tournament, keeping their event separate from the intermediate academys tournament. They would show off their most exceptional students in the tournament and the city would record their info and archive it. As for the upcoming Class Promotion Tournament, it was crucial for obtaining a recommendation to enter high class academies in the future. The rewards were also equally as generous. Classes that obtained exceptional results in the tournament would gain not only a change in rank, but the teacher in charge would also receive commendations. As a result, the Class Promotion Tournament had become a symbol of honor and glory over the years. Being defeated by a lower ranked class was considered a disgrace, while defeating a higher ranked class was considered glorious. The reason the tournament was held three months after the start of class was to give the teachers enough time to choose the students who would participate, and also to provide ample time to plan their tactics. There was a moderate wind blowing and a beautiful sun shining down on this day. The blue sky was void of clouds for as far as the eye could see. A competition stage stood in the middle of the intermediate divisions field. Although it was called a competition stage, it was actually just a 10 centimeter thick metal plate with a diameter of 100 meters. It occupied the majority of the fields area, and there were many soul barrier devices surrounding it, guarding against any potential accidents that may occur during the matches. Today was the first day of the tournament. For the sake of not disturbing the studies of the students, the tournament was held after school. At that moment, the bell rang, marking the end of the school day. Students began pouring out of the school building. Despite this, only a few headed towards the competition stage. For a match between class five and class four of the new first graders, how could it possibly be worth watching? The upper graders viewed a match such as this with disdain. They wouldnt come to watch the matches until the next day, when the first grades class three stepped onto the stage. After the bell rang, the students of the first grades class five lined up neatly and made their way to the field, standing to the side. After three months of special training, class five had a completely different aura about them now. Although their talents werent remarkable, under Wu Zhangkongs instruction, their stamina had made outstanding progress and their soul power had also increased greatly. The students of the first grades class four arrived in twos and threes just a while later. It seemed that they werent worried about the match at all. A short and stout teacher walked over to Wu Zhangkongs side, wearing a massive grin. Teacher Wu, your students are pretty good! Im nearly dying from how orderly they are in their line. My class fours students are so undisciplined. As such, please start off leniently on my class four today! Although we might not be able to be promoted to class three, you must help us preserve our position as class four. Wu Zhangkong shot him a glance before returning his gaze to the front, completely treating him as air. 74 The First Match of the Class Promotion Tournament! First grades class four teacher, Kong Hanwen, almost crooked his nose out of anger. This fellows level of arrogance is extraordinary! Thats right, so youre strong. But whats the big deal about the class of trash youre teaching? Can their strength lead anywhere? Seems like Teacher Wu is full of confidence! We shall see what happens on the stage then. With sarcasm-laced words, Kong Hanwen beckoned to his own class and moved towards them. Wu Zhangkongs lips moved slightly, and Tang Wulin, who stood beside him, vaguely caught his words; Teacher Wu seemed to have spoken something unpleasant At this moment, Director Long Hengxu walked towards the tournament platform. Todays Class Promotion Tournament has started. We begin with the match between the first grades class five and the first grades class four. Teacher Wu Zhangkong, have you confirmed the number of participants from your class? The Class Promotion Tournament for lower grades were normally not as popular. As the presiding referee, Long Hengxu had only one point of interest, which was the disciples Wu Zhangkong had trained within the last three months. Especially since Wu Zhangkong had approached him previously in order to seek his forgiveness. Wu Zhangkong nodded. We have three participants from our class. Long Hengxu turned towards the direction of class fours teacher, Kong Hanwen. Class five has three participants. Teacher Kong, you have five minutes to select your participants. Kong Hanwen had changed from the previously grinning face hed shown in front of Wu Zhangkong and commented disdainfully, To compete with class five, anyone from our class four is good enough. Jia Long, Lin Zunyuan, Mo Siyou three compete. Remember, you are representing class fours glory. You must show off the might of class four. Wu Zhangkong merely waved his hand. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue moved up to the tournament stage. Long Hengxu looked towards Wu Zhangkong with a strange expression. Generally speaking, class five as a whole was weak in power, and shouldve put forth the minimum number of participants possible. While he had picked two of his best students, hed selected a total of three to compete. Could it be that class fives power as a whole had strengthened under Wu Zhangkongs training? Among class fours three participants, Jia Long was at the forefront position. He wasnt particularly tall, but he was stout and looking sturdy. Lin Zunyuan was a stringy-framed, weak-looking teenager. Mo Si had a medium build and had an eager look on his face. Tang Wulin was at the forefront position on his end. That was right, it was him. Standing in this position made him feel as if he were the chief commander. Ready! The two teams were 50 meters apart. Long Hengxu had his right hand raised. New academic years Class Promotion Tournament Round 1, first grades class four versus first grades class five. Begin! Together with Long Hengxus words, the three participants of the first grades class four released their soul rings. Three white soul ring appeared underneath each of the three participants. Standing at the forefront, Jia Long took a huge step forward, his body seemingly expanded a few centimeters. He howled deeply as his originally brown eyes turning yellow and his arms grew visibly stronger. With huge strides, he rushed forward. Lin Zunyuan murmured something incomprehensible, and a long staff appeared in his hand. As the soul ring blinked beneath his feet, a ray of red light shone out from the top of his staff and fell onto Jia Longs body. A blood-red streak appeared within Jia Longs yellow eyes, and his body expanded once more, bringing with it an imposing aura as he rushed towards Tang Wulin. Mo Si, who stood positioned on the other side, disappeared shortly behind Jia Long. From their fast and nimble coordination, it could be seen that they had trained for a long period of time. Unlike what Kong Hanwen had said, they were not students randomly chosen to compete. Jia Long was an Assault System Battle Soul Master and his martial soul was probably a wolf. Mo Si was an Agility System Battle Soul Master, but it wasnt clear what his martial soul was. Lin Zunyuan, however, was an Auxiliary System Battle Soul Master, and his first soul skill was of the amplification type. One was from the Assault System, one was from the Agility System, and one could use an amplification type skill. This was a good combination. Looking back at class five, Tang Wulin and the others didnt release their soul rings at the first instance, but they all sped in the direction of their opponents. Xie Xie merely flashed once and appeared near Jia Long the very next instant, yet he didnt attack. With another flash to the side, he headed for Lin Zunyuan who stood behind Jia Long. Mo Si! Jia Long shouted. Mo Si, who hid behind him, immediately appeared and shot towards Xie Xie. If an Auxiliary System Battle Soul Master was being attacked by an Agility System Battle Soul Master, the Auxiliary System Battle Soul Master would be defeated instantaneously. With regards to the other two, Jia Long was confident in fending them off. It was a pity that this confidence didnt last for long. Although Jia Longs build had increased somewhat under the amplification effect on his martial soul, his build was still dwarfed by Tang Wulin. As the distance between both participants shortened, Jia Long felt something strange inside him, Why hasnt he released his martial soul? At this moment, he caught a view of Tang Wulins fist. Tang Wulins fist was plain, void of any soul skills behind it, not even lacked traces of soul power fluctuations. As an Assault System Battle Soul Master, Jia Long was highly confident in his strength. He swept out his right hand, hoping to catch Tang Wulins incoming fist. A shadow flashed behind Tang Wulin, and Jia Long felt his foot slip as he almost fell. His protruding hand was no longer in the same direction as it was before. Tang Wulins fist flew directly towards his chest. Zhou Zhangxi, who watched the tournament from below the stage, shut his eyes immediately. The sight of Jia Long being punched reminded him of his first meeting with Tang Wulinwhen he was punched out of the window. Peng! Jia Long flew back seven or eight meters upon receiving Tang Wulins punch. A blue vine finally crept out at this late stage, but vanished the next instant. That was because the battle at the other end had already ended. After Xie Xie looped around Jia Long, his steps quickened. Mo Si belonged to the Agility System as well, yet he was clearly not on the same level as Xie Xie in terms of speed. As the Light Dragon Dagger Xie Xie held knocked against Lin Zunyuans forehead, Lin Zunyuan was immediately ordered out of the tournament by Long Hengxu. Next, with a twist of his body, Xie Xie stood before Mo Si. Mo Sis martial soul was a short sword, similar to Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger, except that his soul power was only at rank 13. This was a match with no element of suspense. Their weapons had only collided once before Xie Xie appeared behind Mo Si, his Light Dragon Dagger threatening Mo Sis neck. It wasnt until then that the three participants from the first grade class five release their martial souls. White, Yellow, Yellow! One ten year soul ring, and two, hundred! Year! Soul! Rings! Kong Hanwen was awestruck as he witnessed the match. It had only lasted 10 seconds from start to end. Was it even 10 seconds? He was inclined to ask Long Hengxu, who was on the stage, if the team he faced was really from first grades class five, and not instead from first grades class one? Xie Xie sneered a little, his expression showed that he was unsatisfied as he returned to Tang Wulins side and they high-fived each other. It was then that the people on the first grade class fives end started cheering. Oh. Nothey were now the first grades class four. First grades class five wins, but before the end of this tournament, they will remain as class five. Class re-organization will proceed at the end of the Class Promotion Tournament. Tomorrow, you will be competing against first grades class three. 75 The Trio This match couldnt even have been considered as a steamrolling, since there wasnt any steamrolling at all. The entire match had proceeded in a relaxed manner, in such a way that Tang Wulin and Gu Yue didnt even need to use their soul power to defeat their opponents. It was like what Wu Zhangkong had once told Tang Wulin: the sheer force of his strength alone was sufficient to defeat most of his peers. Wu Zhangkong didnt spare a glance at class fours class teacher Kong Hanwen when he announced in an icy tone, Class dismissed. Xie Xie and Tang Wulin stood so close that their shoulders rubbed against each other. Im actually really happy that the Class Promotion Tournament is being held. Were freed from the evenings special training.In order to maintain their physical condition and energy, the competitors were given permission to be absent from their special training classes. That was the cause of Xie Xies exclamation. Long Hengxu walked down the stage at this time and looked towards the trio with a somewhat shocked expression. He had arranged for Xie Xies allocation to the first grades class five in view of the previous fight that had occurred. With Xie Xies talent, there shouldnt have been any doubt to his allocation into class one. However, his family had sought out Long Hengxus help. They had hoped to give Xie Xie more opportunities to hone himself, so he was eventually allocated to class five. At that moment, Long Hengxu had many thoughts running through in his mind. Class five was the worst class in the academy, and was under the greatest amount of pressure within the first grade classes. Moreover, Wu Zhangkong had been transferred to their class. Despite the fact that this Icily Arrogant Prince Charming was not well-liked by the academy administration, it was undeniable that he was possessed both strength and excellent teaching ability. He took his analysis one step further. With the gifted Xie Xie in class five, all the other classes were under even more pressure in the Class Promotion Tournament. With the situation like this, the entire first grade was much more motivated to learn and improve. This action had many benefits, and was why a talent like Xie Xie was allocated to class five. It seemed now, however, that class fives competitiveness had far exceeded what he had previously expected. He was curious as to why Wu Zhangkong had chosen Tang Wulin to participate in this Class Promotion Tournament. He distinctly remembered that Tang Wulins martial soul was Bluesilver Grass! As for the girl, she was probably the student whom Wu Zhangkong was willing to admit his mistakes for. Though he hadnt had a chance to witness her true abilities, her possession of a hundred-year soul ring provided enough explanation. This combination of class five participants was simply one that went against heavens will! Even the competitors of first grades class one would be hard pressed to defeat them. If during the Class Promotion Tournament a lower class in the grade won consecutively, then it would be bad news, especially for Long Hengxu who was in-charge of the allocation of new students. It meant that his allocation of new students was done on unfair grounds. He felt regretful for agreeing to Wu Zhangkongs request to let Gu Yue enter class five. Lets go out and play, how about that? Xie Xie whispered into Tang Wulins ear. Tang Wulin shook his head. I dont feel like it. Meal time in the dining hall is starting. Xie Xie gave a blank look. The only thought in your brain is eating. Tang Wulin answered somewhat angrily, If I dont eat, Ill be hungry! Xie Xie replied, Alright, Ill treat you if you accompany me out. How does that sound? All these days trapped within the academy grounds are killing me. Eastsea Academys adminstration was not very strict as Eastsea City was a prosperous city with good security. Alright. Hearing that Xie Xie would treat him to food, Tang Wulin readily agreed to his request. In reality, he wanted to go complete the task that he had collected from the Blacksmiths Association a week ago. A second rank forging task could fetch Tang Wulin a remuneration of 10,000 to 30,000 federation coins. Within the last few months, he had collected a total of 100,000 federation coins. To him, this was a huge amount of money. If he were to proceed at this pace, he was confident that by the time he needed a second ring, he wouldve collected enough coins for a hundred-year spirit soul. A hundred-year spirit soul could provide two soul skills, and it also meant that he could provide two soul rings. This alone was very important to Tang Wulin. Im going too! Gu Yue had unknowingly appeared beside them. Xie Xie spoke with a face of distaste, I dont bring girls out to play! Gu Yue gave a cold hum and looked towards Tang Wulin. Are you going with him, or with me? Xie Xie answered arrogantly, Isnt that obvious? Were roommates and buddies, what about you? Gu Yue nodded her head, then turned suddenly towards Wu Zhangkongs direction and left, shouting, Teacher Wu, I think that our teams coordination isnt strong enough yet. We should train more. Hey! With a flash, Xie Xie appeared in front of her. He raised his hand to cover her mouth. Gu Yues body glowered with a silver light as she shifted two meters sideways to Tang Wulins side. With a cold laugh she said, Are you starting a fight with me? Xie Xie answered with a face of defeat, Alright, alright. If you want to, then come along then. He really didnt hold a grudge towards Gu Yue. She was stronger than him, and that alone kept him on his toes when against Gu Yue. During their long hours training together, he had never once won against Gu Yue in a one-on-one match. Only on rare occasions when he partnered with Tang Wulin would Gu Yue be defeated. It seemed weird to speak of it, but while she was nice to Tang Wulin, Gu Yue had always picked on him. The three of them had this strange but special relationship where Xie Xie and Gu Yue were both on good terms with Tang Wulin, but not with each other. That was one of the reasons why Tang Wulin had been picked to participate in class fives team. With Tang Wulins constant control, the three of them were able to fully display their power. The trio changed back into their own clothes and walked out of the academy. Where should we go? Tang Wuling asked Xie Xie, who was the one who purposed this outing. Xie Xie answered, Lets eat first. Isnt that what you were looking forward to? I know of a food street so lets head there for some nice food. Tang Wulin affirmed, Youll be treating, right? Xie Xie replied sarcastically, Theyre merely street snacks, can they be something this young master cant manage? Gu Yue said, A body exuding the stench of coins. As she spoke, she moved towards Tang Wulins other side on purpose. Xie Xie was furious. If you have a problem with that then you dont have to eat. Gu Yue answered back arrogantly, I hadnt thought of accepting your treat at all. Tang Wulin, a man should act gentlemanly. You shall treat me then. Tang Wulin tapped his forehead. The both of you, cant you stop arguing? Were here to relax, are we not? Gu Yue lifted up her head and looked seriously at Tang Wulin. Are you not treating me then? I am. Tang Wulin could only reply with that. Gu Yue, after getting an affirmation from Tang Wulin, looked proudly towards Xie Xie. Rest assured, miser! I would never take you up on your offer. Your treats reek like As she spoke, she did a waving motion before her nose with a contemptuous gesture. Xie Xie sucked in a deep breath. He wasnt her match in an argument or in a fight. That was the reason why he wasnt keen on bringing Gu Yue out with them. The food street was some distance from Eastsea Academy, and the three of them walked a full 30 minutes to get there. It wasnt a wide street, and stores sprouted upwards on both sides. As soon as they reached the mouth of the street, their noses were assaulted with the fragrance of a variety of different snacks and appetizing scents. Lets eat that skewered beef first. Its boiled to tenderness. Having it with some rice is simply heavenly. As a landlord of Eastsea City, Xie Xie volunteered the introduction. 76 TheStory of the Stewed Beef Alright! Tang Wulin grinned; he was already starting to feel hungry. The stewed beef dish was prepared by boiling the meat in a light brown coloured earthen jar. After the meat was cleaned, slices of onions and ginger were added inside. The jar was used to trap the moisture in and keep the flavours during the stewing process. As soon as the meat changes colour, ten or so different types of spices were sprinkled into the jar before the long duration of stewing began. The meat would then turn soft and tender, and the flavours of the spices would combine well with the meat. This was a well-known dish within Eastsea City. The shop was small in size, and the cooking table was situated outside the shop. There were a hundred little flames, and on top of the table were earthen jars filled with the savoury stewed beef. The steam coming out from these jars caused small vibrations upon the lids. Soft humming sounds echoed from the jars as a sweet and pungent fragrance lured passersby on the road. Inside the shop, there were only five mediocre-sized square tables. With a maximum occupancy of twenty or so customers, half of the shop was already filled at this time. It was now mid-autumn and the temperature was dropping as the days went by. The entrance welcomed customers with a gush of warmth and the fragrance of stewed beef. This was a comfortable feeling to experience. Gu Yue showed a shocked expression to Xie Xie. Im surprised that a rich young master like you would eat at a roadside shop! Xie Xie didnt bother to argue with her this time round. The stewed beef from this shop used to be my mothers favourite, and I ventured here occasionally. As he spoke, he had already moved into the shop and chose a seat at the table furthest inside the shop. Tang Wulin nudged Gu Yue before following Xie Xie into the shop. He sat opposite Xie Xie. Oh! Xie Xie has come, and he brought friends with him. The usual dishes? The boss was a middle-aged man. He had an oil-stained apron tied around his waist and a wide grin on his face. En. Uncle Li, thanks. Xie Xie grinned back as he gave his thanks. Three portions of stewed beef were delivered to them in a short moment, together with three bowls of rice and two vegetable side dishes. Its a first to see youve bring friends with you. These side dishes are on the house. Uncle Li grinned as he spoke, stroking Xie Xies head as if Xie Xie was his own nephew. Tang Wulin was shocked as he looked at Xie Xie. Xie Xie was obsessed with cleanliness, and his bed was by far the cleanest in the dorm. But at this moment, it didnt seem to matter to him that this roadside shop owner was touching him. Furthermore, he grinned without any signs of cringing. Thank you Uncle Li Both Tang Wulin and Gu Yus image of Xie Xie was overturned by his current behaviour. Xie Xie questioned them, What are you waiting for? Hurry up and eat. He was already opening the lid of the earthen jar as he spoke. At that very moment, a thick wave of fragrance flowed out from the jar. The broth was dark gold in colour, and small chunks of beef were visible within it. These chunks were so tender that they instantly fell apart when Xie Xie poked one with his chopsticks. He picked up a piece carefully and rested it on his bowl of rice, before eating them together. His face lit up in contentment. Tang Wulin had long since lost his patience. He followed Xie Xies lead and started to eat. This is delicious. He voiced some words of praise as it really was tasty. The strong fragrance from the beef and broth was a beautiful marriage of freshness and saltiness that was perfectly supplemented by the rice. It was a perfect combination. Gu Yue tried a mouthful and broke into a smile. This was a small shop, with dingy yellow light and worn furniture. But the food was astonishingly delicious. Beef, broth, side dishes, and rice; these four dishes provided its customers with warmth and comfort. Though the three of them had undergone special training for three months, but this type of moment that had never happened during their rigorous training. A harmonious atmosphere existed around them. Uncle Li, Id like ten more sets. Xie Xie waved towards Uncle Li as he knew too well the eating abilities of a certain someone. Tang Wulin scratched his head awkwardly. Thank you. Yes? Xie Xie lifted his head towards Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin gave a helpless face as he answered, Your name isnt good at all. I was trying to thank you.1 Xie Xie gave a bitter smile, his eyes a little red. My mother gave me this name. She told me that she picked this name as shed chanced upon something she was grateful for. The best thing that happened in her life was that chance encounter with father, but His face turned a shade paler at this moment, his hand gripping his chopsticks harder. Your mother? Tang Wulin questioned cautiously. Though he knew that Xie Xies family was wealthy, this was the first time he heard of his familys matters. Xie Xie pursed his lips before he spoke. Father is always busy during the day. Even when mother was gravely ill, he didnt come home. In the last moments of her life, she had only wished to see father once more, but he came too late. I can never forget that night; Mothers tears, and the regret in her eyes when her grip on my hand finally lost its strength. I hate him. I hate him! I detest my name too. If not for that chance encounter, mother wouldnt have As he reached this moment, Xie Xie dropped down onto the table. In this place, it seemed that Xie Xie had dropped all of that icy arrogance front hed put up when they first met him. This was also the first time he shared his private thoughts with them. At this moment, Uncle Li came to their table with fresh jars of stewed beef. As he placed the jars onto the table, he sighed. This child is really pitiful. His mother loved bringing him here to my shop. But after his mother left, he came here alone with only the memories of his mother to accompany him. You cant blame him for that! Its rare to see him here with friends. Im so happy for him. Hes such a young child, yet he has such a heavy heart. Please help him if you can. Ay, how horrible! Tang Wulin patted Xie Xies back lightly. Gu Yue, however, sat in the same position, staring ahead at the crying Xie Xie. Her eyes seemingly filling with something. Hey, dont cry. Ill take back back my words and let you treat me today then. Gu Yue kicked across at Xie Xie. Xie Xie lifted his head and wiped his tears off with his sleeves. Dont I reek of moneys stench! Gu Yue curled her lips before commenting, So this brat loves bearing grudges. Xie Xie threw back vehemently, We are born on the same year and youre even several months younger than me. If Im a brat, what are you? Bratty girl? Gu Yue opened a new earthen jar and lowered her head to consume it. She spoke as she ate, I wont fight with someone whod just cried. As the trio left the stewed beef shop, Uncle Li gazed at their figures and sighed. Kids these days have such a large appetite!. The meal of stewed beef had not only brought Tang Wulin and his friends warmth, but had unknowingly knitted strong bonds between the three. Salt grilled huge prawns was next in line. These large, fresh prawns were skewed through with bamboo skewers before being sent off to the coal grill and topped with a sprinkle of salt. Tang Wulin fully displayed the demeanour of a glutton god. As the three of them went from one end to the other end of the food street, their conversation was filled with happiness and laughter. Im full now. Gu Yue held onto Tang Wulins shoulder for support while Xie Xie did the same on the other side. Tang Wulin grinned as he spoke, If your appetite isnt big enough, dont try to eat like this glutton god. Xie Xie rolled his eyes. What glutton god? Youre merely a foodie. Thats what I wanted to say when I first witnessed your enormous appetite. Tang Wulin hummed cooly, Come on, lets continue eating since youre paying for it. Xie Xie cried out in astonishment, You still have space for food? Hasnt this guy already eaten enough to equal a whole cow as we went down this street? Tang Wulin answered proudly, Yes! Ah! Whats that over there? Gu Yue broke them off suddenly. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie lifted up their heads and followed Gu Yues sight. There seemed to be a commotion near the entrance of food street and there were many bystanders crowding around. The shops position seemed to be that of the stewed beef shop! 77 Two Ring Opponen Lets go and take a look. Xie Xie couldnt be bothered to bicker with Tang Wulin, so he quickly ran off. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue could only follow him. You guys cant act like this! Not at all! This is how I make my living! Before they neared, the three of them could already hear Uncle Lis voice. Xie Xie was at the front and was thus able to quickly force his way through the crowd. The cooking table beside the stewed beef shops entrance had been overturned. Beef broth streamed out from the countless shattered jars that lay on the ground. The steamy aroma coming from the meat only added to the disarray. Uncle Li lay collapsed in the doorway of the shop. He was bleeding from the corner of his mouth and had a swollen eye, which only contributed to the look of grief and indignation on his face. Three burly men stood before the doorway of the shop. The leader of this trio was a bald man, bare-chested despite the cold weather, showing off the dragon tattoos on his arms. The other two were also quite tall, and were obviously bad people from the look of their scowls. Surnamed Li, a wise man submits to his circumstances. There isnt anyone on this street who dares to not hand over the protection fee money, yet youre always coming up with all sorts of excuses. Could it be that I, Guang Long1, need to beg? Do we need to specially send someone over everyday to collect a bit of money? If it wasnt for the fact that your stewed beef is quite tasty, this daddy over here would have already disposed of you. So stop talking nonsense and hand over the money today. If you dont, then you can forget about opening up your shop here in the future. The bald man cast a cold and gloomy gaze on Uncle Li as he spoke. Despite the large crowd, not a single person dared to intervene. Big Brother Guang Long, it really isnt that I am refusing to pay the protection fees. Its just that my wife is terribly sick and I use the little money I earn every day to take her to the doctor. But youve actually smashed apart my business! Now my wife wont be able to live much longer. When it comes time, I wont live any longer either. Guang Long laughed out loud. Fine then! Trying to threaten me with your life? Do you think that this daddy here cares about your cheap life? Even if you die, I can just substitute you with someone else and Ill be paid all the same. If you cant pay, then beat it! Dont occupy this space. As he spoke, he took a step forward a kicked the kitchen table, flipping it over. In a moment, all of the jars of stewed beef on top were scattered about on the ground. Uncle Li sorrowfully cried, Guang Long, Ill stake everything against you. Uncle Li climbed up with great difficulty, then lowered his head and charged at Guang Long. Guang Long let out a single evil laugh before raising his leg and kicked Uncle Li, sending him tumbling away. Fighting with your life? In front of this daddy here, you dont even have the qualifications to fight with your life. Dont forget this daddy is a Soul Master. So just because youre a Soul Master, you have the right to bully people? A voice angrily rebuked from the sidelines as Tang Wulins trio squeezed past the crowd. Xie Xie quickly rushed over to Uncle Lis side and supported him. Guang Long was met with Tang Wulins angry glare. Guang Long was stunned for a moment, before he began laughing unbridledly at the sight of this child. This street really doesnt have anyone left after all! Even a child dares to get in my way. He truly is a calf that does not know how to be afraid of the tiger. Beat it! This daddy doesnt like to hit children. Tang Wulin had been born into an ordinary family. To him, he found the idea of the strong bullying the weak to be absolutely unacceptable! He approached Guang Long with large strides and said, How could you treat Uncle Li like this!? Are you even human!? Guang Long responded with a cold snort, Can kindness be eaten? He does this in order to provide for his wife, could it be that I dont need to provide for my mother? Screw being honest! Hurry up and get lost brat; dont delay my business any longer. He raised a hand as he finished speaking, moving to push Tang Wulins shoulder. A light flashed within Tang Wulins eyes as he ferociously threw a punch at the oncoming palm. With a bang, Guang Long was sent staggering back. Tang Wulin, however, was similarly stunned. This guy had been caught off guard, yet he was able to control his body. His strength definitely isnt weak! Fine then boy. It seems you actually have some strength. Guang Long spread his large palm once more, but this time, he aimed to grab Tang Wulins shoulders. The dragon tattoos on his muscular arms grew taut, revealing a fierce appearance. Tang Wulins strongest point wasnt his martial soul, but his strength. He raised his fist again and sent another punch flying. Another muffled sound rang out, but this time, Tang Wulin was the one who fell back. He felt as if Guang Longs palm was like cast copper, and even with his astonishing strength, he was still at a disadvantage. Tang Wulin was pushed back two steps. Guang Long was also given a fright. He had already put quite a bit of strength into that grab of his just now, yet the power behind that childs punch had actually been able to make him tremble and miss the grab. Good, boy! Your strength is nothing to laugh at! Guang Long advanced another step forward and attempted to grab Tang Wulin once again. Right at that moment, a strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out from Tang Wulins right hand and in the blink of an eye, Bind was used on Guang Long. The ground suddenly went soft below Guang Longs feet and he felt as though he were sinking into the ground. He was unable to exert any of his strength at all. Then a figure soared into the sky towards him and landed, its feet suspended over his shoulder. Suddenly, a dagger appeared at his neck, threatening him. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie had undergone special training together for the last three months. Now, they had a complete understanding of each other. As soon as they saw Tang Wulin losing out in strength, Gu Yue and Xie Xie simultaneously launched their assault in order to support him. Guang Long was caught off guard when the Light Dragon Dagger suddenly appeared at his throat. The Bluesilver Grass was withdrawn as Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were both highly confident in themselves. Apologize to Uncle Li and pay for the damages. If not, Ill kill you! Xie Xie said with incomparable iciness. His heart had immediately filled with wrath the moment he saw the good-natured Uncle Li being bullied, Dont be impulsive now, little brother. Let us talk things out properly. The two burly men on the sidelines finally reacted. These sorts of murky situations needed exceptional judgement when being handled. If the one holding the knife had been an adult, then they wouldnt be nearly as frightened. After all, not many people dared to kill someone. Children, however, were quite troublesome in this regard. Due to their young age, it was very easy for them to disregard the consequences and act on their impulses. Xie Xie coldly said, Nothing good will come out from talking to scum like you. Compensate for Uncle Lis losses and his medical fees, otherwise Ill kill this baldy. Guang Long suddenly laughed. Little brat, so youre a one ring Soul Master. Do you think Ive been able to control this street all these years without any ability? You think Id be able to collect protection fees like that? Do it then. I want to see how youll kill me. Xie Xie was stunned. At his age, he still wasnt able to comprehend something like being fearless in the face of death. When he had threatened Mu Xi previously, shed quickly compromised! The Light Dragon Dagger pressed down on Guang Longs neck, but Xie Xie still hesitated at the thought of killing someone. Despite this, his loathing for Guang Long had already made him unable to think clearly. When he pressed the Light Dragon Dagger down on Guang Longs neck, however, Xie Xie discovered that his neck was actually extremely hard! His Light Dragon Dagger wasnt able to cut any further! Be careful! Tang Wulin reminded him just in time as Gu Yue shot a fireball towards Guang Long. Guang Longs right hand was struck fiercely, and the resulting explosion separated him from Xie Xie. As this happened, two brilliant rings appeared beneath Guang Longs feet. Shockingly, he had two soul rings; one white, the other yellow. His naked skin took on a metallic sheen and metallic scales protruded out of his neck one after another. 78 Let Me Face Him! Xie Xie backflipped out of range of Guang Longs punch, only to see a powerful aura explode forth from Guang Longs body. Two rings! A Soul Grandmaster! This guys strength actually surpassed rank 20 and hes a two ring Soul Grandmaster! Two little spirit souls appeared atop Guang Longs shoulders. One was an earthen-yellow lizard, while the other was a metal-gray lizard and clearly a bit larger. The strength disparity of a single soul ring between Soul Masters was huge. Regardless of whether it was their soul power or their soul rings, a difference of a rank or ring was significant. In the wake of these soul rings appearance, Guang Longs body expanded by a whole circle. His muscles grew to a ridiculous level, and those scales now made it look like he had metal gray skin. His appearance became much more vicious. I never expected you brats would be Soul Masters too. No wonder you dared to meddle in my business. It seems Ill have to let you witness how powerful this daddy is. As he spoke he violently stomped with his right foot, launching himself towards Tang Wulin. Wulin, be careful! Gu Yue cried out in alarm. A radiance emitted from her hand as she attempted to control the ground beneath Guang Long. However, after Guang Long released his martial soul, his entire bodys essence had underwent a qualitative change that made him much more frightening. He easily broke free of the swamp that appeared beneath his foot. When Gu Yue released an elemental attack on his body, his tough skin was able to defend against it with similar ease. Is this guys martial soul actually a powerful existence? He shouldnt be a simple, mere Soul Grandmaster His soul power is probably above rank 25! Guang Longs martial soul was actually Armored Dragon; a type of land dragon. Land dragons excelled in power and defense, moreover, Guang Long was actually blessed with innate divine strength. In other words, he surpassed Tang Wulin in physical strength! Guang Long was currently using his first soul skill, Armored Body, to block Gu Yues attack. As for Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger, it was impossible for it to penetrate his defenses. It was one versus three, yet his strength completely suppressed Tang Wulins trio! Tang Wulin currently appeared calm, calmer than his age suggested. He knew he couldnt retreat, otherwise he would put Gu Yue in harms way. In their group of three, Wu Zhangkong had stated that Tang Wulins most important responsibility within their team was to act as the vanguard. His two Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers appeared in his trembling hands. If he couldnt retreat, then he would advance. He faced Guang Long head on and charged. The tungsten hammer swung up as Guang Longs fist came smashing. Bang! The rumbling sounds of metal colliding caused the crowd to cry out in alarm. Many of them covered their ears and fell back. Tang Wulins complexion paled as he continuously retreated seven or eight steps. After releasing his martial soul, Guang Longs strength had become even more tyrannical. It was so terrifying that even with the aid of his tungsten hammers, Tang Wulin was still obstructed. Xie Xie had already rushed over and slashed his Light Dragon Dagger against Guang Longs back. Guang Long didnt even turn around and simply let him attack. When the Light Dragon Dagger hit Guang Long, all that was left were a few white scratches. It hadnt even been able to penetrate his skin. Gu Yue raised her hands with a grave expression. A flame flickered in her right hand, while a green light lingered in her left hand. She slowly put her hands together and immediately, a green and red colored tornado began blowing towards Guang Long. This was a fusion technique consisting of fire and wind which she was now capable of. Guang Long wanted to continue attacking Tang Wulin, but he suddenly felt sluggish as cracks began appearing along his skin. The blazing wind blades were frantically cutting his body up. Hou! Guang Long roared as he suddenly used his two fists to punch himself in the stomach. His yellow soul ring lit up, releasing his hundred year soul skill. A faint layer of silver appeared over his metal-gray body while his eyes lit up with a silvery light. Body expanded once more, intense soul power fluctuations surging forth from him. His palms grew larger, and his finger joints protruded further out, giving birth to claws that surpassed eight centimeters in length. Second soul skill, Armored Dragon Body! Guang Long had a pretty good martial soul, Armored Dragon. Due to his poverty, however, he hadnt been able to obtain a spirit soul until he was over eighteen years old. Therefore he had missed the best cultivation period in ones life. This was the root cause of his cynical character. Afterwards, he had just barely been able to climb up to the ranks of a Soul Grandmaster and was able to obtain a second spirit soul. But due to the difficulty of increasing ones rank as one got older, he had started this means of earning money. The Armored Dragon martial soul, however, could truly be considered a high grade martial soul. The two spirit souls he had chosen had also been exceptionally correct. When his second soul skill exploded forth, regardless of whether it was his offensive or defensive power, they had all been boosted to a whole new level. His rank 27 soul power erupted outwards, immediately suppressing Tang Wulins trio. Gu Yues flame vortex met with Guang Longs second soul skill and after a brief moment it was dispersed by his tyrannical soul power. Tang Wulin took advantage of this opportunity to switch out his tungsten hammers for his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. This wasnt the academy, nor was it training. They were facing a true opponent, and he couldnt afford to hold back in such a situation. The heavy silver hammer in his right was thrown directly at Guang Long, a strand of Bluesilver Grass connected to its handle. Guang Long snarled and raised a palm to swat away the heavy silver hammer. Bang! Bang! Bang! Three explosions resounded from his palm, but the most shocking thing was that his palm was completely undamaged! It simply trembled a little. With a simple movement of his arm, the Thousand Refined Heavy SIlver Hammer had been swatted away! What formidable strength! He had even been able to subdue the power of the stacked hammers effect! A light blade suddenly appeared from Guang Longs rear, chopping at him. Guang Longs back simply emitted a burst of twinkling silver light, causing the light blade to shatter in mid air. Xie Xies Light Dragon Blade had failed. Guang Longs eyes were filled with a dark ferocity. He suddenly exerted strength through his feet and launched himself at Tang Wulin. He was even faster than before! Tang Wulin pulled on the strand of Bluesilver Grass that was connected to the thrown hammer as he swung the hammer in his left hand. Bang! Hammer and claw collided. An unstoppable force was transmitted through their collision, causing Tang Wulin to let out a pained groan before he was sent flying. He flew into the stewed beef shops walls. He only felt a vigorous energy enter his body, attacking the pit of his stomach. He nearly coughed up blood. Wulin! Gu Yue cried out. In a flash, she was in front of Tang Wulin, obstructing Guang Long from continuing his pursuit. A ball of light burst forth, blinding Guang Long. Xie Xie also circled around to the front. WIth the Light Dragon Dagger in hand, he drew out a few light rays. Fortunately, they had faced Wu Zhangkong countless times in their special training. In the face of such pressure, they werent frantic at all. Guang Long spread out his arms. He completely disregarding Xie Xies attacks and ferociously threw himself forward in an attempt to throw his arms around Gu Yue. These three brats had already infuriated him. Gu Yue raised a wall of earth up in front of her, but it was immediately destroyed by Guang Long. With her control of the elements, she could simply use the space element to teleport herself away, but she didnt do that. This was because Tang Wulin was behind her! At this moment, Gu Yue only felt her waist tighten as her entire person was immediately lifted up. Two powerful arms were holding her by the waist. At this moment, Tang Wulins voice resounded, Let me face him. 79 Reappearance of the Golden Scales Gu Yues face was slightly flushed but Tang Wulin had already rushed up. With his pair of heavy silver hammers, he directed an assault at Guang Long Guang Long smiled grimly and swung his fists. Two fists and two hammers collided. Boom, boom, boom! Tang Wulin leapt into the air, and with the addition of his hammers, his strength had increased greatly. Guang Long, however, had displayed both his soul skills C Armored Body and Armored Dragon Body. Putting both together had increased his toughness to an astonishing degree. Tang Wulin was thrown out forcibly once more, a stuffy groan emitting out. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose. Xie Xies response was lighting fast. He dashed behind Tang Wulin in the blink of an eye, hoping to support Tang Wulin and prevent him from falling. But he had underestimated the force of Tang Wulins body. After taking hold of Tang Wulins body, the both of them were slammed into the ground. This precisely getting crushed by force. Guang Long shook his shoulders, but didnt continue to pursue Tang Wulin. Instead, he looked towards the surrounding spectators. You see? If you dare defy me, this will be the outcome. Although these kids are Soul Masters, there are in no way a match for this daddy. Whomever dares defy me, beware of this daddys Armored Dragon claws tearing you into shreds. So painful. Xie Xie, your Light Dragon Dagger is stabbing me. Tang Wulin, who had fallen to the ground, howled in pain. Xie Xie, who had initially tried to support him, was pushed away by the immense force and was in no way able to control the Light Dragon Dagger in his grip. It had slashed against Tang Wulins back. Im sorry. That wasnt my intention. Xie Xie had also collapsed onto the ground in a mess. Gu Yue prepared her water element in advance to heal them both. Upon reaching Tang Wulin, however, ,she found a strange energy radiating from his body. So hot! Tang Wulins body trembled lightly. A fiery heat radiated from the wound on his back, spreading throughout his body. The familiar burning sensation from so long ago reappeared once again, flowing from his tailbone, throughout his body and toward his brain. His body felt as though it was lit on fire and had released an intense wave of heat from his body. This wave of heat had completely cleared the tightness within Tang Wulins chest when hed been sent flying by Guang Long The soul power within Tang Wulins body rose as well, but he only felt that his spirit was in chaos. Unknown to him was that his strength had increased to a shocking level, as if it could now shake both the heavens and earth. Tang Wulin turned to look at his right hand subconsciously showing golden spots had appeared upon the back of his hand. The whole of his right arm felt as though it was recharged and it vibrated lightly. That huge increase in strength all came from his right hand. Golden Scales. These were the Golden Scales that previously appeared. A few months had passed, and Tang Wulin had almost forgotten about these golden scales that had once appeared. Now, not only have they reappeared, they also reappeared in his time of need. After a deep roar, Tang Wulin jumped up with full force and sped towards Guang Long. Xie Xie had failed to stop Tang Wulin and shouted at him, Wulin, dont go! Gu Yue, however, kept quiet as shed clearly seen the sudden appearance of the golden scales on Tang Wulins neck. Her expression was dulled. What is that Guang Long hollered arrogantly when he sighted Tang Wulin coming towards him. This time, however, he only had one hammer. Guang Long shouted at him, Punk, youre pretty tough arent you! If you werent a child, this daddy would have already kneaded you to death. After making this remark, he slapped at Tang Wulins incoming heavy silver hammer. At this moment, however, almost instantly, Guang Long felt a shiver from within his body. He now clearly saw the golden luster within Tang Wulins eyes. Golden bits of light flashed, Tang Wulins pupils morphed into a pair of icy slits, and a incomprehensible feeling overcame Guang Longs body, causing him to go limp. Bang! Guang Longs massive body was hammered out of the way. The surrounding spectators clearly heard the bones in his arm fracturing. Guang Longs two men tried their best to catch him as he fell, but failed and crashed into a pile along with him, just like what had happened to Xie Xie a while ago. Tang Wulin looked at his right arm in shock. At that moment, the golden scales had spread up to his wrist as well, and claws had appeared. The whole of his right arm brought a boiling sensation to him. Compared with the previous instance, he had a more vivid experience this time round. He could clearly feel his soul power diminishing at a shocking speed. Quickly release! He prayed in his heart. A bizarre scene appeared. The glowing golden scales that had just grown on his arms dimmed as it rapidly changed into spots of light before disappearing from his arm The heat within his body had also cooled. The entire process of his golden scales appearance to his willful removal of these scales had only lasted a little more than ten seconds, but Tang Wulin felt as though his soul power had been rapidly used up. The only thing he had done better than the last experience was that he hadnt fainted from the overuse of soul power. His arm ached so badly that he felt it couldnt be lifted. Tang Wulins head was only filled with chaos. If last times appearance of the golden scales was like a hallucination, then this time it was a vivid feeling. If it was a hallucination, then how could he possibly explain this feeling? Your your power reappeared again? Xie Xie had been right behind Tang Wulin ever since he rushed out, and had been able to witness first hand how Tang Wulin was able to send Guang Long flying with a single hammer. He had also witnessed the appearance of the golden scales on Tang Wulins arms. Not only did Guang Long feel a wave of fear at that instant, Xie Xie had as well. The appearance of the golden scales on Tang Wulins body had brought some sort of magical power, and it was frightening. Tang Wulin smiled grimly. I dont know what happened too. Ah, where are the others? As he looked for Guang Long once again, Guang Long and his two men had disappeared. At this instant, the surrounding crowd suddenly appeared before him and made themselves useful in aiding Uncle Li in lifting up the kitchen table and clearing the mess. These were passersby who, like Uncle Li, were owners of other shops along the same street. This bastard, ran off without giving any compensation, Xie Xie cursed. Your hand Gu Yue looked skeptically at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin smiled grimly. I also dont know what happened. This was its second appearance. Those scales rapidly consumed my stamina and soul power, but gave me a rapid surge of power for a short time. Thats all I know. Lets return first and talk later. The trio exchanged farewells with Uncle Li. Xie Xie secretly stuffed some money into Uncle Lis chest before speeding off in the direction of the academy. That guy, will he go after Uncle Li to seek revenge? Gu Yue asked Xie Xie. Xie Xie answered, He wont do so in the near future since he doesnt have the ability. His arm has probably been smashed by Tang Wulin. Even if he was here to collect protection money, its merely a street stall, so he shouldnt have gone overboard. Ill have my family keep an eye on the shop. It shouldnt be a problem. 80 Light Dragon Dagger and Golden Scales On the road back, Tang Wulin had a pensive look the entire trip. Gu Yue also looked somewhat thoughtful while Xie Xie wrinkled his brows. Each and every one of them had many things on their mind. Im going back now. As soon as they entered the academy grounds, Gu Yue bid farewell to the other two and returned to the girls dormitory. As for Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, they returned to their own dorm. Xie Xie, wait a moment, Tang Wulin called out as they reached the door to their room. What is it? Xie Xie suspiciously looked at him. Tang Wulin looked him in the eyes and said, I think I know how to get my golden scales to appear now. Xie Xie was startled. You know? Hurry up and spit it out then. Tang Wulin said, I tried nearly everything to get it to happen after the first time it appeared, but no matter how I circulated my soul power, hurt myself, or exhausted my soul power, it never appeared. Its appearance today may seem sudden, but its the same as the first time it appeared. What is it? Xie Xie seemed to have grasped an idea of what it was. Tang Wulin said, Its the Light Dragon Dagger. Your Light Dragon Dagger. The first time the golden scales appeared was when you injured me with the dagger. When it appeared today, it was also because you scratched me with your Light Dragon Dagger. A radiance began to twinkle in Xie Xies eyes. Thats right! It does seem to be so. But, why is it like this? Tang Wulin shook his head. I dont know. I dont even know what those golden scales are. It doesnt seem to be related to my Bluesilver Grass. Xie Xie said, Could it be that you have a second martial soul too? Maybe its just that your second martial soul is hidden, and you need a special kind of power to arouse it from its slumber. Tang Wulin responded, I dont really understand what twin martial souls are so Im not sure if that could be it. He could sense the power from his golden scales, and if it truly was his second martial soul, then he wouldnt be a Soul Master with a trash martial soul anymore. With those thoughts in mind, Tang Wulins heartbeat couldnt help but speed up. Xie Xie said, Lets go look for Teacher Wu and ask then. Teacher Wu is experienced and knowledgeable, so he might be able to explain what it is. Tang Wulin mulled over it for a moment before agreeing. Alright then. Lets go look for Teacher Wu tomorrow. Xie Xie began pulling on his arm. You still want to wait until tomorrow? Lets just go right now. Come on. Teacher Wu shouldnt have gone to bed this early. Tang Wulin said helplessly, Why are you even more impatient than me? Xie Xie laughed mischievously. Its because your body has this kind of situation! Even more things could be hidden in your body, and if there are, Ill definitely benefit from it! Tang Wulin asked with a trace of suspicion, What do you mean? Xie Xie answered, Martial soul fusion skill! Dont tell me that you havent heard of it before? When two people have a highly compatible martial soul, theyll be able to use a powerful combined ability, which is called a martial soul fusion skill. The higher the compatibility rate between the two martial souls, the stronger the fusion skill. If we really do do have a soul fusion skill, that would simply be too wonderful! With regards to martial souls and their capabilities, Xie Xie was clearly much more knowledgeable than Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin had heard of soul fusion skills before. In the world of Soul Masters, it was a peak existence! In fact, there wasnt anyone in the entire Eastsea City who was capable of using a soul fusion skill! The teachers living quarters were also in the dormitory building. In order to make it convenient to supervise the students, the class teachers would all live on the same floor as their class. Thus, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie only needed to walk down the hall to get to Wu Zhangkongs room. Bang bang! Xie Xie knocked on the door. Who is it? Wu Zhangkongs ice-cold voice came from within. Teacher Wu, its me, Xie Xie. Tang Wulin and I have something to consult with you about, stated Xie Xie. Come in then. The door opened, revealing a Wu Zhangkong clad in pajamas. His moon-white pajamas outlined his slender figure. As they looked into the depths of his eyes, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie couldnt help but recall the hardships theyd endured during their special training. As a teacher, Wu Zhangkong naturally got a room to himself. In fact, his room was twice as large as Tang Wulin and Xie Xies room. It had a personal washroom, dressing room, bedroom, and a small living room. Xie Xie stuck out his tongue and said, Teacher Wu, weve interrupted your cultivation. Wu Zhangkong shook his head. Out with it already. Whats the matter? Xie Xie unexpectedly nudged Tang Wulin. After taking a moment to arrange his thoughts, Tang Wulin said to Wu Zhangkong, Teacher Wu, there seems to be a problem with my martial soul. Oh? Wu Zhangkongs originally calm expression suddenly revealed a trace a surprise. He had already confirmed that Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass was a variant, moreover, it had mutated in a good way. Yet now, he was saying that there was an issue with his martial soul. That likely meant that his Bluesilver Grass was mutating even further. This was definitely a good thing. What kind of issue? Wu Zhangkong asked. Tang Wulin explained what had happened the last two times with his golden scales, as well as his guesses and evaluation. Golden scales? Wu Zhangkongs eyebrows bunched together. Tang Wulins situation was indeed something rarely seen. Moreover, Xie Xies judgement was very correct as well. With such a situation, a hidden second martial soul or a soul fusion skill was the most likely possibility. Xie Xie, stab him and try it out. Lets see if the same thing happens again, Wu Zhangkong said to Xie Xie. Yes! Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin with malicious eyes as he released his Light Dragon Dagger and happily laughed. Wulin ah! Where do you think is a good place to stab you? Wu Zhangkong glared at him. Less nonsense. Hurry up with it. Xie Xie stuck out his tongue as Tang Wulin extended his arm. Xie Xie carefully cut Tang Wulins arm with his Light Dragon Dagger. This time, his movements were very slow. Three pairs of eyes attentively watched. Tang Wulin felt a burst of pain come from his arm, but he was astonished to discover that faint rays of light poured into his body from the Light Dragon Dagger and through his wound. A tenseness was felt as the scorching feeling from before appeared once again. His body ignited the same way as before, the scorching heat wave spread from his tailbone all the way to the rest of his body. Golden scales began appearing on his arm. Wu Zhangkong raised his hand and caused a sharp stream of air to scrape against Tang Wulin. Tang Wulins shirt was cut into tatters, exposing his upper body. Golden scales covered all of Tang Wulins right arm and his arm had lengthened a bit as well. Beautiful, sparkling golden scales had instantly covered his arm. His hand had also begun to change. Inch long claws began sprouting out of his five fingers. Wu Zhangkong reached out and gripped Tang Wulins palm. He said deeply, Exert force. Tang Wulin knew it was impossible for him to injure his teacher, so he hastily exerted force through his right arm, kneading Wu Zhangkongs right hand. 81 Strange! Wu Zhangkong raised his left hand and pressed it against Tang Wulins stomach. Then he shut both eyes, sensing the changes in the others body. After exerting his strength to knead Wu Zhangkongs hand for ten seconds, Tang Wulin finally felt his immense strength begin to fade away. The portion of soul power he had used in his match against Guang Long hadnt yet been replenished. If he continued to use his strength carelessly, then he would faint once more. As he thought of that, he willed his golden scales to disappear in the hopes of maintaining consciousness. This was in order to stay awake and listen to his teachers teachings! After Wu Zhangkong released his loosed his grip, Tang Wulins body swayed in a moment of weakness. Xie Xie rushed forward to immediately support Tang Wulin and help him onto the sofa within Wu Zhangkongs living room. Weird! Wu Zhangkong pinched both his brows. His gaze revealed that he was deep in thought. Xie Xie and Tang Wulin didnt dare approach him with questions. Moments later, Wu Zhangkong mumbled, This doesnt seem like a twin martial soul. If it were a twin martial soul, then I wouldve felt the second martial soul when it was activated. It doesnt seem to be an evolution of your martial soul either. That surge of power didnt seem related to your Bluesilver Grass, and neither does it seem to be a fusion skill of your martial souls. If it was, signs of change would have been seen on Xie Xie too. There isnt any existence of one such martial soul fusion skill that only appears on one person. Wu Zhangkong continued prodding about. However, it was a fact that the said conditions had appeared on Tang Wulin without a doubt. Teacher, my golden scales Tang Wulin couldnt stop himself from approaching Wu Zhangkong with this question. Wu Zhangkong looked at him. Very strange. It seems to be a very large increase in strength. Your innate strength has increased by at least thrice its original with the aid of the golden scales. This is also the reason why your soul power depleted so quickly. You dont have the ability to control these golden scales yet either. I did feel a change in your soul power moments ago, yet I can confirm that these golden scales have no link to your soul power. Although your soul power has diminished, this surge of power was not the main cause of it. Rather, it was after the appearance of this power that your soul power started diminishing. Its quite complicated. However, simply said, lets take it that these golden scales are a form of spirit tool. It can deplete your soul power, but the cause of its appearance was not your soul power. This is a first for me as well, and I cant really say if it is a good or bad thing. But to you, this would be an advantageto have a skill with such explosive capacity. You should think of a way to control this skill. I predict that with the growth of your soul power, these golden scales will continue changing. I understand, Tang Wulin answered Wu Zhangkong, but he had some disappointment. Teacher Wu was the most powerful person within the academy, but even he was unclear of the reasons for Tang Wulins strange change. Who else could Tang Wulin seek for more clarification? Xie Xie spoke with disappointment, It really isnt a fusion skill? But, without me, he couldnt have displayed that surge of power! Wu Zhangkong shook his head in disagreement. Thats not a martial soul fusion skill. This power should be similar to your Light Dragon Dagger in some way. In other words, your Light Dragon Dagger activated this surge of power within his body, and thus sparked the appearance of the golden scales. If, one day, he masters controlling this power, he will be able to activate it without your help. This power is special. If this is a martial soul, then it would be one of the highest ranked martial souls Ive ever seen. You only have a single ring of soul power, yet the appearance of these golden scales gave me a feeling of oppression. This oppressing force is one that is innate to the martial soul. The more powerful the martial soul, the greater the oppressive force it gives off. Yes. Yes, I had the same feeling, Xie Xie added on quickly. Tang Wulin looked blankly as he said, Teacher Wu, then, what should I do now? Wu Zhangkong replied, First, you will have to train hard and increase your soul power. As your soul power strengthens, your ability to control this surge of power will be greater. You should also work on increasing your spiritual power as this will help a lot in your ability to control this power. Also, you will need to frequently experience this power, and you can have Xie Xie help you with that. As you and your body continues to experience this power more frequently, your ability to control it may get better too. I will need to contemplate further on this. Yes! Tang Wulin was saddened that he didnt manage to get an answer from Wu Zhangkong, but the reappearance of golden scales had proven its existence and had given him a thread of hope. Even Teacher Wu mentioned that the level of this surge of power was high. That also meant that if he managed to control this power well, it would surely enhance his strength greatly! ? Life regained its normalcy. Though the match between first grade class five and class four had happened a day ago, it didnt cause many waves within the academy since it was merely a match between the two of the lowest ranking classes in the lowest grade. However, this match caught the attention of some. For instance, that of the first grades class three, who would be competing against the first grades class five in the afternoon. The first grades class threes class teacher Ye Yingrong was quite young in age, and was actually a few years younger than Wu Zhangkong. She was a new teacher within the academy, and because of her good looks, as well as her effort in teaching well, she was quite popular among the students in her class. She recalled the first time she saw Wu Zhangkong. She had felt the growing palpitation in her heart. This icily arrogant prince charming had not only attracted the attention of the female students from the advanced academy, but her as well. It was said that he was five ring Soul King. At his age, this was extraordinary. What was more extraordinary was that he was once a student from there. In the eyes of Ye Yingrong, Wu Zhangkong would have been perfect if not for his icy character. Most important was the fact that he was still single, and he didnt have a girlfriend. He probably set his eyes too high up! Wu Zhangkong was worthy of his title as the Icily Arrogant Prince Charming! He even managed to train this first grade class five so well. Ye Yingrong had observed the match a day ago with the participants from her class. She was startled when Xie Xie and Gu Yue released their hundred year soul rings. That was a hundred year soul ring! Students of this rank, why were they in the last class? There wasnt even a single student with a hundred year soul ring within her third class. Nevertheless, this Class Promotion Tournament had to proceed. She wished for her class to go through this match, so as to leave Wu Zhangkong with a deep impression. For the trio The time of battle was the same as the previous days. After the afternoon classes ended, the intermediate academys field was where the match would be held. This was the second day of the tournament, but like before, there wasnt much of a crowd. Ye Yingrong made an effort to be at the venue early. The participating team from the first grade class three stood in an orderly fashion, a male student with delicate features positioned at the forefront. What was peculiar here was that these three participants looked the same. If not for her familiarity with each of them, it would have been arduous for her to even tell them apart. 82 Flying Soul Masters Wu Zhangkong brought the first grades class five over, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Gu Yue following right at his heels. The rest of the students in class five had expressions filled with excitement. After the results of the previous match, they had suddenly gained much more confidence in Tang Wulins trio. Ye Yingrong walked over with a smile. Hello Teacher Wu. She smiled and nodded towards Wu Zhangkong. Ye Yingrong truly was a beauty. Her height exceeded 170 centimeters, her figure was superb, and her eyes were bright and full of spirit. Her rarely seen long, light green hair was tied in a ponytail and, with the addition of her fair skin, oval face, and cherry mouth, many would find it believable if they were told she was just an advanced academy student! She had joined Eastsea Academy as a teacher at the age of 23 and was already a four ring Soul Ancestor. To Wu Zhangkong, he considered this excellent for her age. Hello. Wu Zhangkong nodded in acknowledgement. Im the teacher in charge of class three, Ye Yingrong, she said, stressing her name in particular. This was because she was certain that this Icily Arrogant Prince Charming had no idea who she was. This was the legended Prince Charming who lived in his own world after all. In the entire academy, it was unclear how many of the females names he could actually remember! En. Wu Zhangkong answered with a single grunt before his gaze drifted back towards the stage. Xie Xie stood on the side with eyes full of admiration. The thing Xie Xie envied the most was this icy arrogance Wu Zhangkong had about him. This sort of icy arrogance wasnt a facade, but rather, it was innate! If he compared himself with Wu Zhangkong, he would be found to be truly too lacking! Ye Yingrong didnt mind this response in the least. Instead, she turned her attention to class three and waved them over. The students of class three hurriedly ran over, forming a neat line in front of her. Ye Yingrong said to her class, Friendship is number one, and the competition is secondary. Gu Tianri, Gu Tianyue, Gu Tianming, do you understand? Yes, Teacher Ye! The triplets spoke in unison, making it seem as if only one person had spoken. Wu Zhangkong swung a glance at them. Upon seeing their three identical appearances, he clearly became much more interested in Ye Yingrong and these triplets. At that moment, Teaching Director Long Hengxu arrived on stage. The second match of the Class Promotion Tournament has arrived. First grades class five, is it still the same three people as before? Wu Zhangkong nodded. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue stepped onto the stage together and walked over to the center. Ye Yingrong said with a humble smile, You guys should go now too. The identical triplets got onto the stage. These three brothers shared similar traits, such as a slender figure and exceptionally sharp eyes. Due to their deep understanding of one another, their movements were completely synchronized as they walked on stage. Wu Zhangkong didnt give any pointers to his disciples. They would meet all sorts of opponents in the future, and the Class Promotion Tournament was meant to temper them. If they needed his pointers, then they wouldnt be able to grow. Tang Wulins trio stood in a triangular formation, with Tang Wulin as the vanguard once again. They stood tall and steady like a mountain. The three Gu brothers stood in a line, side by side. Gu Tianri was in the center, with Gu Tianyue to the left and Gu Tiang Ming on the right. Are you all ready? Long Hengxu inquired as per usual. After receiving answers from both parties, he waved his hand, declaring the start of the match. The Gu brothers simultaneously released their martial souls. When Tang Wulins trio saw what their martial souls were, they were utterly flabbergasted. These three brothers martial souls were exactly the same, but that wasnt the baffling part. After all, they were triplets. What was baffling, however, was that wings appeared on their backs simultaneously, creating a very powerful scene. The three pairs of wings opened up simultaneously while a white soul ring appeared underneath each of them. The three Gu brothers flew up into the air together, quickly ascending to great heights. Faced with such a scene, Long Hengxu was stunned. Flying martial soul? It had to be said that flying martial souls were quite rare. With the additional fact of them being triplets, even if there soul power was weak, or they had a less than optimal spirit soul, they definitely should have been sent to a class of elites. It seems that there was a mistake during their enrollment. In reality, it really was a mistake on the academys part. The Gu brothers hadnt signed up together. Gu Tianri had signed up first, as Gu Tianming had a stomach ache and Gu Tianming had other things to attend to. Moreover, there were numerous students signing up at all times, so the teachers were bustling with work and had overlooked the triplets. Moreover, these three brothers had also encountered a problem similar to Tang Wulin. Their familys financial situation was exceedingly ordinary. How could their parents possibly afford to buy them three spirit souls at the same time? Thus, they had delayed it and scraped together the money bit by bit until right before their registration date. Then all three of them bought ten year spirit souls, thus fulfilling the requirements needed of the three to sign up for the academy. Their soul power was only at rank 11, and even though their martial soul wasnt weak, their soul rings were simply too lacking! Due to this, they had been placed in class three. The Gu brothers martial soul was called Skyscraping Battle Eagle. It was a type of high speed bird type martial soul. Skyscraping Battle Eagle was a type of powerful eagle that would overwhelm its opponents with its speed. As a soul beast, Skyscraping Battle Eagles were able to fly up to altitudes of three kilometers. Moreover, it could maintain high speeds for extended durations. From this, it could be inferred that the three brothers were all Agility System Battle Soul Masters. Their first spirit souls were identical, a type of falcon called Gust Falcon. Its speed was exceptionally fast, but its attack power was lacking in comparison. It was only about the size of the palm of ones hand. This was a poor excuse for a spirit soul. If they had been able to pick a slightly more powerful spirit soul, their fighting strength would have been several times higher. The moment they had released their martial soul, a pair of gray eagle wings sprouted from their backs and they ascended into the air. They can fly? How are we going to deal with this? Xie Xie looked towards Tang Wulin as he spoke. Tang Wulin gave him a slight smile. We just need to beat them down. Gu Yue, aid me with your wind element. Tang Wulin said this to Gu Yue as a blue light bloomed in his hand. Bluesilver Grass shot towards Xie Xie and wrapping around his waist. Xie Xie screamed, Im afraid of heights! What are you doing? Tang Wulin unhappily said, Im afraid of pain, but didnt you still stab me yesterday? Without waiting for Xie Xies retort, he immediately pulled Xie Xie close, wrapping a hand around his waist. A green light flashed over, causing Xie Xies body to lighten. It seemed as though his body weight had been lightened by quite a bit. In that instant, he was sent flying like soaring clouds through mist. Offstage, Ye Yingrong saw Tang Wulin holding onto Xie Xie. He then twirled a few times before launching Xie Xie into the air. He was tossed directly at the trio! The green light lingered on Xie Xies body, causing him to unexpectedly rocket straight towards Gu Tianri. How is he able to throw someone so high up? Ye Ying rong was given a fright, but she quickly collected herself. The Gu brothers had flying martial souls and were triplets. Ever since they had entered the academy, she had been placing special attention to training these three brothers. She had drilled them in the art of aerial combat and cooperation. If they only sent one person into the air, then wasnt this just giving the three brothers an opportunity to gang up on him? 83 Teamwork! Im going up too, whispered Gu Yue, informing Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin looked at her with shock, but Gu Yue had already positioned herself in front of him. Tang Wulin used both hands to hold Gu Yues waist, lifted her up and began to spin. Compared with Xie Xie, Gu Yue was much lighter. Her waist was so tiny that it seemed like he could lift her up with a single hand and throw her without requiring the aid of her wind element. Gu Yue flew up in hot pursuit after Xie Xie. Up in the sky, Gu Tianri calmly gave a hand signal. Towards the oncoming Xie Xie, he avoided direct combat with him. With a flap of his wings, he curbed his forward momentum and stopped violently in the air. Their greatest advantage was their ability to fly. They were unafraid when they were up in the sky. The best chance for their attack to have a great impact would be the moment Xie Xie began to fall back down. Ye Yingrong glanced at the side and gave Wu Zhangkong a look. The scene before them was simply a reckless charge by the students of class five. They had flown up when they didnt have the ability to fly, eliminating any advantages they might have had on the ground. Soon, the three Gu brothers would discover the perfect opportunity for a successful strike. She had observed their match the day before. Out of the three from class five, Tang Wulins martial soul was merely Bluesilver Grass. Although his strength was considerable, it was merely that and nothing more. Gu Yue seemed to have control over the earth, so why was she up in the air? The only participant that seemed to be a threat to them was Xie Xie as an Agility System Battle Soul Master, yet he too didnt have the ability to fly. The natural thing to do when competing against a Flying Soul Master was to stay on the ground and wait for the right moment to strike. This was because a Soul Master, upon releasing their martial soul, would continuously deplete their soul power. A Flying Soul Masters soul power depletion was far greater than that of a normal Soul Master. With sufficient patience, class fives team would have had some chance of winning the match. Yet, they seemed to have become reckless at this moment. Their sudden charge into the air gave the Gu brothers a chance to surround them in the skies. It could be said that their success was assured! In Ye Yingrongs eyes, however, Wu Zhangkong seemed as cool as usual. It wasnt possible to read his thoughts from his unchanged expression. Was he not at all concerned with the matchs result? Gu Tianri retreated as Xie Xie sped through the air. He backed up to a height that superseded Xie Xies. It seemed that the force from Tang Wulins throw had begun to wane, and Xie Xie was going to fall. At this time, a sudden flash of blue light appeared beneath Xie Xies feet. With a twist of his body, Xie Xies feet tapped against the blue light and, with some borrowed energy, he sprang towards Gu Tianri like an arrow. This change was too abrupt. Gu Tianri, who had been waiting for the right opportunity, was caught off guard and froze. A match was ever-changing. If any of the participants were to relax for even a moment, it may result in them losing the whole fight. Gu Tianyue and Gu Tianming were positioned to the sides. When they sighted their eldest brother struggling to avoid his opponent, they flew to his aid. The two of them flapped their wings and activated their first soul skill. Their first soul skill wasnt great at all and had no offensive might. It merely increased their speed. Gu Yue was currently halfway up the air. It had been her ice ball which had helped change Xie Xies direction a few moments ago. Right now, she saw Gu Tianyue and Gu Tianming trying to reinforce Gu Tianri and it made her sneer in disdain. She lifted both hands and two icicles were hurled at the two Gu brothers. Gu Tianyue and Gu Tianming both had good control of their aerial abilities. When they sighted the icicles, they hurriedly tried to avoid the attack. More icicles, however, continued to form in Gu Yues hands and as she hurled them, it left the brothers without a chance to aid Gu Tianri. Xie Xies speed was quick. As he flew through the air, his Light Dragon Dagger was released. A golden ray of light was then shot out. Gu Tianri wanted to descend and evade his charge, but his escape route was blocked by this Light Dragon Blade. Xie Xie was then before Gu Tianri, who was at his wits end. He tried to kick at Xie Xie in the hopes of knocking him away. Keeping his knife to the side, Xie Xie pulled at Gu Tianris leg with his left hand. Like a mirage, he leapt and tapped Gu Tianri on the head with the flat of his Light Dragon Dagger. He then stepped onto Gu Tianris shoulder and jumped, flying through the air like a huge bird towards Gu Tianyue, who wasnt far from his current location. Out, Gu Tianri. Long Hengxu was positioned on the ground and had a clear view of the match. He announced that Gu Tianri was out. Just a moment ago, if Xie Xie had the intention to kill, then Gu Tianris throat would have been slit open. Gu Tianri wasnt persuaded, but before long he witnessed a shocking sight. Three bundles of blue light appeared before Xie Xie. Following these tracks, Xie Xie connected himself to those three points and, while flipping thrice in the air, closed in on Gu Tianyues location. It was only now that Gu Yue began to descend from the air. Her body sparkled with a green light. It was rather distinct that it allowed her to descend at a much slower pace than what should have naturally happened. It had been only a few breaths of time since the start of the match, yet the matchs progress had left its audience dumbfounded. Gu Yue and Xie Xies marvellous combination made it seem as though it was as easy for them to fight in the air as it was to fight on the ground. The Gu brothers were obviously not well matched when competing with Xie Xie at close range. Gu Tianming, on the other side of the field from them, could only look on helplessly with clenched teeth. With a sudden about-face, he flapped his wings and charge at Gu Yue, who was slowly descending to the ground. He had to defeat someone at the very least. Then he could fly up and eliminate the chances of being attacked any further. Gu Yue had produced those three ice balls as she descended, but she was in no rush. She didnt even bother to look at Gu Tianming. A blue light flashed at her waist. As soon as Gu Tianming neared her, her body shifted to the side in an instant. A figure on the floor moved and caught her. At the same time, Gu Tianming only felt a tightening around his waist before he found that his body was being pulled down from the air. Xie Xie descended from the air by standing atop Gu Tianyues shoulders. With his Light Dragon Dagger pressed against Gu Tianyues head, the youth didnt dare to not descend. As for Gu Tianming, he was pulled and thrown down by a whirl of Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass. He collapsed on the ground in a complete mess. Total defeat. They werent able to even speak about having a rematch. First grades class five wins! When these words left Long Hengxus mouth, they clearly had a note of shock to them. If one were to speak of the victory of the previous day, then one would discuss the individual capabilities of the first grades class five team. If one were to speak of todays match, then it would be teamwork that won them the game. The Gu brothers, who were supposedly better at teamwork, had looked down upon their opponents and thus failed to unleash the full extent of their true abilities as a unit of triplets. On the contrary, Tang Wulins group of three had won the match by giving surprises, one after another. This was how the match ended. What was more astounding was Gu Yues display of her ice element abilities. Wasnt it the earth element in the previous match? Was this twin martial souls? That was a prodigy among prodigies. Especially so when considering the circumstances surrounding elements. Long Hengxus heart was full of regrets. Hed been fooled by Wu Zhangkong into letting such a prodigy enter class five. This time around, he would be in deep trouble because of this Class Promotion Tournament. He was unclear if class one would be able to prevent them from winning. Ye Yingrong was stunned as well. Shed trained the Gu brothers for the past few months now and told herself that the triplets were practically in unison when in the air. Aside from their slightly weaker attack power, their speed, teamwork, and flight capabilities were perfect in helping them gain the upperhand in matches. But this had caught them off guard. Under the circumstances where they were bound to win the match, their opponents had been able to exhibit such tacit coordination. Gu Yues few ice balls were hurled at just the right time and gained them several advantages. Xie Xie had fully utilized his Agility System Battle Soul Master capabilities, and this was on the premise that he couldnt fly! He had succeeding in making several transformations in the air and borrowed force from those three ice balls. His ability to do this and his control over his body was at the peak! Ye Yingrong took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Smiling, she turned towards Wu Zhangkong and said, Congratulations, Teacher Wu. You will be in class three now. Wu Zhangkong answered mildly, That is not my goal. Please excuse me. As he finished, he made a slight turn towards the trio leaving the stage and swept them a glance before walking over to the dormitory building without any words or comments. Is Teacher Wu pleased with us or not? Xie Xie suspiciously asked this of Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin shrugged. How would I know? Im guessing that well need to summarize the fight, though. Gu Yue nodded her head. We shouldnt have attacked first. Instead, we could have waited for a chance. If we had stayed on the ground and defended that position, they would have had to attack us. Naturally, theyd then reach a distance that makes it comfortable for us to attack them. Once they come down, they wouldnt stand a chance. With their flying martial souls, we wouldnt have any chance if they decided to flee, but for this match they stood no chance. We shouldnt be so rash next time. 84 Guang Biao Xie Xie looked towards Tang Wulin. Wulin, its just as she said; you were too impulsive. Im not someone you can simply pick up after all! I dont know what kind of temper you have, but I just wont stand and bear it! Tang Wulin sincerely said to Gu Yue, It was our first time facing Flying Soul Masters, so I really did act impulsively. Im sorry! Xie Xie said in shock, Hey, I think your temperament is a bit too good now. Shes criticizing you yet you still so easily apologized. Gu Yue laughed. Pfff. Its no use trying to drive a wedge between us. If someone points out a small mistake, then acknowledge your faults and change. Even if they point out a major mistake, then you should still maintain a gentlemans elegance. Do you think everyone is as petty as you? Wulin, Ill treat you to dinner at the first window tonight. Only one meal though! Tang Wulin smiled. Sounds good! Even a housefly is considered meat. Lets go then; Im already hungry. Ye Yingrong watched the trio head off for the dining hall, dumbstruck with silence. Even if she possessed extraordinary self-restraint, at that moment, her mouth couldnt help but twitch at the corner. The opposing party hadnt been focusing on how to deal with them at all. Rather, they had devised a plan on the spot to counter her classs representatives. What did this mean? It meant that everything they did on stage had been improvised! But why was their coordination so deep? She took out a soul communicator from her pocket and punched in a number. Soon after, a pure, cold female voice was heard. What is it little sister? Ye Yingrong said, Big sister, we lost. You lost? Dont tell me that the opponents were also Flying Soul Masters? Ye Yingrong forced out a bitter laugh and said, Not at all. Its just that their coordination is exceptional and their team is comprised of outstanding individuals. Big sister, you need to be careful. Your class one might run into worthy opponents this time. The students of that Icily Arrogant Prince Charming arent easy to handle. You definitely need to be prepared! The soul communicator went silent for a moment before the clear and cold voice returned with a firmness behind it. Ive been waiting a long time for this day. That time, he had humiliated me, but this time Ill return the favor. Big sister, you Ye Yingrong didnt have the chance to finish speaking before her sister hung up. Ye Yingrong let out a helpless sigh as she spoke to the air, You really are too competitive. He wasnt in the wrong when he rejected you that time, yet youve held a grudge for two years already! ? After eating dinner, Xie Xie suggested that they head out of the academy to play again, but was promptly refused by Tang Wulin. His reason was simple, he wanted to go cultivate instead. oul power was the foundation for everything. This was the first and most important lesson Wu Zhangkong drilled into their heads in their first theory class. Moreover, there were no shortcuts to improving ones soul power. The only way to improve was through constant meditation. Tang Wulin refusal to go caused Xie Xie to lose his own drive to go out and play. Thus, he decided to meditate like Tang Wulin, doing his best to strive towards getting his second ring. Sadly, only a few moments passed before their door was suddenly thrown open. Zhou Zhangxi ran in. Its not good. Xie Xie, Wulin, hurry up and come see. A group of people are at the academy gates. Their boss seems to be quite powerful too. And, and, theyre holding a picture of you two and Gu Yue. Theyre calling for the academy to hand you three over to them. Im afraid the teachers will come out soon. Tang Wulin had just begun meditating and had yet to completely enter a meditative state, so he immediately opened his eyes once he heard those words. Sitting on the opposite side, Xie Xie gave him a glance, and both of their hearts tensed up. Could it be? Go! Lets go see! Xie Xie straightened his back then jumped off his bed. Tang Wulin followed, and the two of them briskly made their way outside. As soon as they left their dormitory, they met Gu Yue. Have you heard? Tang Wulin asked Gu Yue. Gu Yue nodded, but her expression was unperturbed. It should be about what happened yesterday, right? A cold light flickered in Xie Xies eyes. Lets go! Having said this, he began walking towards the academys great gates while dragging Tang Wulin behind him. Hold on! Tang Wulin heavily said. Xie Xie angrily responded, What are we waiting for? If its those guys from yesterday, then well just beat them up again. Bullying people into paying a protection fee, yet those thieves still dare to come to the academy and cry thief! Tang Wulin firmly grabbed him. Xie Xie attempted to struggle free, but what kind of strength did Tang Wulin have? Tang Wulin was firm as he said, Dont be so impulsive. This matter shouldnt be that simple. Dont forget where we are right now. This is Eastsea Academy, a Soul Masters academy. If they still dare come here despite knowing this, then it would mean that theyre confident in their backing. Were still far too weak right now. It would be a better idea to go find Teacher Wu first. As he listened to Tang Wulins words, Xie Xie began to regain his calm. He was a smart boy, and no longer had any impulsive thoughts after he understood Tang Wulins meaning. Gu Yue nodded in agreement. I stand with Wulin on this. We should go find Teacher Wu first. Zhou Zhangxi interjected from behind, This matter caused a large disturbance. There are at least two hundred people waiting outside the gates and they all seem very arrogant. What did you guys do? Tang Wulin answered, Ill tell you later. Lets go; we need to find Teacher Wu first. Wu Zhangkongs schedule was extremely strict. After dinner, he would immediately go meditate, so finding him wasnt difficult at all. Wu Zhangkong, clothed in a traditional white chang pao, opened the door. When he saw that his visitors were Tang Wulins trio, he coldly asked, What cultivation questions do you have? Although Xie Xie also had an icy arrogance in him, when he faced Wu Zhangkong he didnt have the guts to say anything. Instead, he looked expectantly at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin said, Teacher Wu, weve caused some trouble Although he was a bit nervous, he still summoned up his courage and retold the events of what occurred the night before. Wu Zhangkong finished listening with an indifferent expression, then coldly said, It seems you guys actually have some ability! Having said this, he walked over. His white chang pao seemed delicate and light, and it rustled in the wind. His hair also drifted up up from his shoulders and danced with the wind. This earthly aura carried a hint of pure coldness within it, making others feel as though they were in a dream. Tang Wulin patted the stunned Xie Xie and woke him from his stupor. The trio followed behind Wu Zhangkong and headed towards the academys great gates. Outside of Eastsea Academys great gates was an impenetrable crowd of at least two hundred fierce and burly looking people holding all sorts of weapons. Among them were quite a few people holding onto federation prohibited soul devices. Following the progress of soul technology, soul devices had developed ot the point that even ordinary people could use them. Soul Masters still had an exalted position, but the gap between them and commoners had been shortened due to technology. Even ordinary people could operate soul mechas now. Under a certain level, Soul Masters werent that much more powerful than ordinary people with soul devices. This was the reason why those people dared to block the entrance of a Soul Master academy. On Eastsea Academys side, many students of the intermediate and advanced divisions had crowded near the gates. Faced with those burly men who held up three photographs, they were surprised to see that it was Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Gu Yue. A few of the burly men in the front were even carrying a stretcher, upon which lay Guang Long wrapped completely in gauze. Another group of people were holding a giant banner, which read, Murder must be paid with life! Debts must be paid! Hand over the culprit! Fortunately, however, this was still a Soul Masters academy. Even though these burly men were confident in their backing, they didnt dare attack the academy. Their leader stood at over two meters tall and possessed an extremely stalwart body. Similar to Guang Long, his head was also shaven, but he had some small sideburns. With this intrepid appearance of his, he seemed like an upgraded version of Guang Long. His bare arms revealed muscles brimming with a terrifying strength. His gloomy eyes continuously swept through the crowd, searching for the three people in the photographs. What kind of people are you, to actually dare to cause trouble in front of the academy? Right at that moment, a furious voice called out. Long Hengxue appeared with over ten teachers trailing behind him. After seeing the people outside of the gates, his heart tensed up a bit. It was exactly as Tang Wulin had said. Even though they knew this was a Soul Masters academy, they dared to come because they had some backing. My name is Guang Biao. The one on the stretcher is my younger brother. The shaven headed man with a stalwart body coldly stated. His appearance wasnt as wild as the others, but his gloomy voice was like a thunderclap resounding in everyones ears. Such powerful soul power! This bastards cultivation is Long Hengxus pupils contracted as he tensed up. He suddenly remembered this name. Guang Biao? You are the captain of Eastsea Citys mecha brigade? That Guang Biao? Every single city had their own armed forces. Apart from the police force which kept order in the city, there was also their military force. Eastsea City was major coastal city, thus the federation had deployed five hundred soul mecha here to form a mecha brigade. 85 Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring A mecha brigade was at the master regiment rank, and it was merely a rank lower than that of Eastsea Citys chief executive. At the same time, there existed no subordinate relationship between these two ranks. Long Hengxus face changed color immediately when he found out that this huge, stoic figure was Guang Biao. Even if Eastsea Citys chief executive was here right now, he wouldnt have the ability to command Guang Biao! I have not come as the mecha brigade captain, but merely as an elder brother with a seriously injured younger brother. Bring out the culprits who caused this, Guang Biao commanded coolly. Chief Guang Biao, I believe there must be some misunderstandings here. Long Hengxu spoke in a much more harmonious tone. There are actually three children in your photograph. It cant be that your brother was wounded by those three children? Long Hengxu had clear knowledge that Guang Biao was not someone to be trifled with. He was someone who had control of a mecha brigade! This meant that all those burly men behind him were all Mecha Masters. Although ordinary people could also become a Mecha Master, this was rarely seen. The majority of Mecha Masters were Soul Masters. Even if their ranks werent high, they still had rich combat experience and extraordinary control of soul devices. In front of such people, their academy really couldnt contend with them, not to mention that the other side could also mobilize mecha. Long Hengxu had also heard of Guang Biaos life. The captain was a legendary figure in his own right. He was from an ordinary family and both of his parents had died when he was a child. Relying on his own talent, as well as his hard work, he had managed to reach his current position at the age of 35. With the position of captain and a soul power cultivation of six rings, he was a true Soul Emperor. His Mecha Master rank had also reached Emperor Rank. As for the entire Eastsea Academy, the only one with a soul power cultivation of Soul Emperor would be Misunderstandings? Children? My brother had been beaten up so badly. As his older brother, it is natural for me to investigate this matter. That will be done at my end, however. Stop your nonsense and hand over these people. I have given Eastsea City enough face by waiting here. If you do not hand over those people in 20 minutes, then we shall go and search for them ourselves. Long Hengxus face darkened as he snapped and said, Captain Guang Biao, you shouldnt go overboard! This is an academy, a place for cultivating students. Which of your lot hadnt before graduated from an academy? I will not hand over the people you seek. If you have the ability, then activate your mecha and step over my dead body. Otherwise, dont think of taking one step into Eastsea Academy! The students who were normally critical of Director Longs stern ways now felt their blood boil as they watched this scene. Some senior students even stepped forward of their own accord and stood behind Long Hengxu. Guang Biao suddenly took a step forward. When his foot landed, a deep roar was heard, as if the ground beneath the whole of Eastsea Academy trembled from it. The students standing at the front swayed on the spot and fell over. I only believe in strength. Do you all think your students will be able to block me? Where is your sense of righteousness when you decline to hand over the culprits who had wounded my brother so badly? I have tried to talk reason with you, but since my fist is bigger, I shall just go and find those I seek. Ill see then who has the ability to stop me. At this moment, an ice-cold voice sounded from the academy. I dislike talking about reasoning the most. Talking with our fists is much better. The spectators only felt a blur before them as a person appeared in front of Eastsea Academy. Clothed in a white chang pao, the persons inky-green eyes sparkled as coral-blue hair fell down his back. An air of arrogance surrounded him as he stood there, the temperature seemingly decreasing by a few degrees. The feeling was most clear for Guang Biao. When this person appeared, the powerful momentum he had built up just a few moments ago had broken apart, as though it collided against a glacier. Teacher Wu. Its Teacher Wu Some of the students on Eastsea Academys side had begun to cheer him on. Who are you? Guang Biaos eyes narrowed as he tried to rebuild his momentum. Wu Zhangkong mildly said, Those three students you are seeking are my students. If you can defeat me, you may proceed. Otherwise, get lost. His voice was frigid, without any feelings behind it. He spoke as if his sentence was a stated fact. Ha ha ha ha! Good, I havent met someone who dared to speak to me in this manner before. Youve piqued my interest! Although Guang Biao was smiling, a flame burned furiously within him. A strong ray of yellow light flowed from his body. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, purple. Six soul rings appeared from beneath him. Soul Emperor, six ringed soul emperor! A sudden exclamation broke out within the student body. As he released his martial soul, Guang Biao grew a good half meter. A metal grey sheen had appeared from his forehead, spreading to his shoulders and upper torso and then the rest of his body. It was as if he had been encapsulated by a layer of armour. At this very instant, three clusters of lights appeared, two yellow and one purple. The two yellow lights seemed to be in the shape of a lizard and were identical. As for the purple light, it seemed to be a huge python. Purple, a thousand year spirit soul! There was no doubt that those six soul rings were produced by these three spirit souls. Only elites could possess a thousand year spirit soul in the world of Soul Masters. Guang Biaos martial soul was similarly an Armoured Dragon, but the aura it emitted out was far more powerful than Guang Long, and it gave off a feeling that this Armoured Dragon was a mountain too massive to be conquered. Strong momentum formed into something like a tornado that roared towards Wu Zhangkong, blowing up his long blue tresses. At this moment, all of the spectators on grounds felt a sudden chill in their bodies, as if the winter had descended. Guang Biao had caught sight of a pale blue flash Then the rage of this tornado was halved before it disappeared. Wu Zhangkong stood in the same spot, his white robes afloat, right hand was raised in the air. A pale blue long sword had appeared within his hand.w Sword tip like an autumn spring, the swords light flowed like a waterfall. White clothes, blue sword; floating in the air like an immortal. Within the Eastsea Academys assembly ground, only a handful had witnessed him fighting before. As such, all of the spectators had their attention focused on that sword. Rings of light appeared from beneath the swords hilt. These soul rings werent great in size, but wandered about along the swords body. Yet, it were the colors of these soul rings that made them bright and eye-catching. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black! Yes, the last two soul rings were black! Black represented ten thousand years. Those were, indeed, ten-thousand year soul rings! The air seemed to still, the sky frozen with the appearance of this sword. Wu Zhangkong stood quietly in the same spot, but Guang Biaos previous violent momentum turned to stone. Ten-thousand year Ten-thousand year soul rings How was that possible How could they be ten-thousand year soul rings! 86 White Robes and Blue Sword, Sky Ice and Snow Cold I Guang Biao stared at Wu Zhangkong with a dumbstruck expression. Ever since the extinction of soul beasts, very rarely would ten-thousand year soul rings appear. Even for the Spirit Pagoda, wasnt it exceedingly difficult to manufacture ten-thousand year spirit souls? But how? How could he have ten thousand year soul rings? What was his true identity? As he was able to obtain ten-thousand year soul rings at such a young age, this pressure clearly had an effect on Guang Biao. While his impulsive side was excited when facing a Soul Emperor possessing two ten-thousand year soul rings, he was no longer certain of his victory. Wu Zhangkong didnt even bother to look at him. Instead, he just lowered his head and stared at the long sword in his hand. Skyfrost Sword, that was the name of his martial soul. It had been ages since the last time hed used it. He had already condensed his spiritual power into his martial soul long ago. Its reappearance was like reuniting with an old friend. His expression no longer possessed its usual cold indifference, instead, it held a trace of foolishness in it at that moment. It almost seemed as if he were looking at his own lover, a gaze as tender as water. Hou! Guang Biao bellowed at the sky. He had already been forced into a corner. If he were to back down in front of all his subordinates, they would think he was a weakling. How would he be able to lead them then? This was the reason why he couldnt back down from this battle now. His first soul ring lit up, causing his armored body to burst with a metallic light. Armored Dragon Body! Guang Biao suddenly pushed off with his left foot, sweeping towards Wu Zhangkong like a hurricane.1 At his rank, regardless of whether it were his speed or power, they were both extremely terrifying! His large fist swung upwards as he straightened his body. If one were struck by this fist, they would likely be on the brink of death. Wu Zhangkong was looking at his Skyfrost Sword just as before, without a single movement in response. The Armored Dragons fist was like a hurricane, its figure massive. At this moment, nothing could disturb the powerful Guang Biaos mind. Teacher, be careful! Tang Wulin called out from afar. Right at that moment, Wu Zhangkong stirred. He rotated his right hand causing all six soul rings to vanish from his Skyfrost Sword simultaneously. Gently raising the tip of his sword, he met the mountain-like fist head on. Ding ding ding ding ding A succession of brittle notes rang out. When the first sound rang out, Guang Biao, whose power was like that of a tyrant dragon, was stopped. The following crisp notes had been his scales flying off one after another. In the end, even with his powerful body, he had been forced back a step. He wanted to resist, to release an even stronger amount of soul power, but when that Skyfrost Sword touched his fist, an icy sword qi penetrated into his body through. The sword qi was like a needle that followed along the veins and into his body, forcing him to gather all of his soul power in order to mount a defense against it. How could he possibly use a soul skill under such circumstances!? Seven brittle notes rang out and he retreated seven steps. Yet it seemed as though Wu Zhangkong had only sent out one sword strike. A blue ray flashed out from his body at the moment of collision. Wu Zhangkongs lofty aura unexpectedly possessed an extremely dense quality to it. His deep green eyes suddenly turned purple, and a purple light blossomed from his pupils as he thrust forth his Skyfrost Sword. This was a simple movement that couldnt be made any simpler! From start to finish, Wu Zhangkongs eyes had never left his Skyfrost Sword. When he thrust out his sword, however, Guang Biao felt as though something within his body had been set aflame. At that moment, extremely cold sword qi burst forth one after another as Guang Biao felt his mind growing slower and slower, his blood beginning to freeze. Moreover, that powerful martial soul he had relied upon to climb to his current position was completely unable to protect him! It was as if the Armored Dragon had completely abandoned him! Guang Biaos purple snake spirit soul finally stirred, causing its powerful body to expand! Silver scales sprouted from the spirit souls purple body and its tail whipped out at Wu Zhangkong from the side. It had to attack the enemy to save its master! All of the onlookers were shocked when they saw that Wu Zhangkong didnt even bother to dodge. That was right, he didnt budge even the slightest bit. An azure light soared up as his eyes continued to release a purple light. Unexpectedly, he just let the thousand year spirit soul attack him directly! Chi. A soft sound was heard. At that winning moment, the blue aura around Wu Zhangkongs body clearly became stronger. When his aura intensified, everyone else saw a change. They felt as though Wu Zhangkongs entire body had become a sword, one that was exactly identical to the Skyfrost Sword in his hand! The purple snake spirit souls tail was whipping towards the tip of that sword! A purple light swept past, yet was cleanly cut. The spirit soul released a blood-curdling screech as its bodys luster dimmed. Moreover, in that moment, the Skyfrost Sword had already arrived in front of Guang Biao. Guang Biao tightly clenched his teeth. Right now, he couldnt use his martial souls power anymore. His opponents tyrannical and extreme cold sword qi had killed his connection with his martial soul. He sluggishly pondered over what he could do. In the end, he could only raise his hands to face the attack in front of him and circulate all of his soul power to his palms. Pu! The blue light slowed to a stop. It stopped right in front of Guang Biaos nose, but the ice-cold air emitting from it seemed as if it had created a net of swords, giving off an aura of death that covered his entire body. His palms had already been impaled and had changed to the same light blue color as the Skyfrost Sword. Your, your eyes Youre from that place Guang Biao said in astonishment. It was clear that he had lost control of himself as his voice quivered It was uncertain whether this was due to the extreme cold or fear. Wu Zhangkong indifferently said, I was expelled from that place. The reason was because my temper wasnt good. As such, dont let me see you again. The blue light vanished, and it seemed as if a blue stream of air flowed towards Wu Zhangkong and condensed within his body. His Skyfrost Sword disappeared without a trace, and he had long since turned around, walking back towards Eastsea Academy. A trace of ice cold qi that had drilled into Guang Biaos body now flocked back towards Wu Zhangkong. White clothed, blue sword, sky ice and snow cold, Wu Zhangkong! 87 White Clothes and Blue Sword, Sky Ice and Snow Cold II After the disappearance of Wu Zhangkong, the whole area stayed in deep silence, as if everyones voices had frozen. Regardless of whether they were teachers or students of Eastsea Academy, or Mecha Masters of the mecha brigade, what had just happened was too shocking. This was a match between six ring Soul Emperors. They had seen a thousand year spirit soul, but also the appearance of ten-thousand year soul rings. What was unclear was that while both sides were at the same level, why was Wu Zhangkong able to defeat Guang Biao with two sword strikes? Since Guang Biao was the captain of the mecha brigade, his battle experience and cultivation had to be suitably high for the position. Even if Wu Zhangkong had better soul rings, he shouldnt have lost that quickly. The disparity could be because their martial souls had a great difference, or Wu Zhangkong had a much greater level of battle experience than him, as well as some other special aspects. Prince Charming An unknown females shriek was heard, and Eastsea Academy turned into a sea of cheers almost immediately. Students from the intermediate and advanced academy began cheering Wu Zhangkongs name, especially so from class five. Each and every one of its student had a flushed face, and stood with their chests raised proudly. Except for the child prodigy Xie Xie, most of those allocated to class five wouldnt feel good about their circumstances, right? Yet, Wu Zhangkongs prowess this match had given the students of class five a sense of fulfilment. Amidst the teachers, Ye Yingrong looked at Wu Zhangkong, her beautiful eyes glazed. She murmured, Sister, I didnt like his icy looks initially. Although he is handsome, hes like ice. Yet, it seems that Ive fallen for him. Hes handsome enough to forget those flaws. By Ye Yingrongs side was a woman about her age that didnt seem all that different in looks from her. Currently, her eyes were also glazed over. Six rings. He really has six ring. I had previously thought I had a chance at pursuing him, but it seems I will never be able to get my revenge on him. From what he has shown just now, it seems hed be able to duel and beat a seven ring Soul Sage. Theres no doubt that he is from that place. Ye Yingrong turned and looked towards her elder sister beside her. She spoke with a bitter smile, Sister, arent you too vindictive? Ye Ying Luos beautiful eyes burned with stubbornness. No one has ever rejected me; he was the first. He shall pay the price for that! ? Guang Biao stood frozen at the same spot for over ten minutes. It was only then that the chill within his body began to slowly disappear. His pulse then regained its normalcy, and his soul power and martial soul returned. Blood started to drip out of the wounds on both his hands. A wave of fear flashed through his eyes as he looked down at his palms. That guy is terrifying! He definitely isnt a nobody Captain, what about us? A man with a similarly valiant build rushed up to Guang Biao and mumbled, Shall we activate our soul devices and mecha? Guang Biao raised his hand and sent the man staggering. Bullshit! If you want to die, dont drag me along. Trying to wipe away todays matter is already difficult. If we also activate our soul devices and mecha, do you think well survive? Go, go back! Guang Biao gave a deep sigh as he looked at his younger brother, who still lay on the stretcher. If it were somebody else, he wouldnt have stepped in and meddled with their matters. It didnt take much thought for him to know that this matter would trace back to him from Eastsea Citys Administrative Department. Yet, this was his younger brothers matter. He doted on his younger brother greatly. He was the elder of the two Guang Brothers, and had been gifted with extraodinary strength since childhood. Guang Long had the similar talent as well, but it was difficult for their poor family to also support him. Even though Guang Long performed well at the academy, he couldnt fuse with a spirit soul, so that process had been delayed. Guang Biao tried to help his younger brother at all costs. He hoped that with his aid, Guang Long would be able to fuse with a spirit soul. Yet, hed already grown past the best age, so it was all too late. Thus, Guang Biao always felt a strong guilt towards Guang Long. Guang Long had since become a broken jar and collected protection money and got into drunken brawls, becoming a criminal. With the backing of Guang Biao, he was regarded as a lawless existence within Eastsea City. Since he had suffered such a great loss, Guang Biao had become furious and had brought a troops along to stir up some trouble. Yet, it had ended like this. They had collided against a metal wall. ? Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue were taken back to their dorms by a wave of ice-cold soul power. Return and continue training! Wu Zhangkong sounded as icy as usual. Teacher, arent you going to blame us? Tang Wulin couldnt help but ask Wu Zhangkong this since it had been them whod caused this mess. Wu Zhangkong gave him a quick glance. Did all of you do anything wrong? Why would I blame you guys? Return to your training. You are not allowed to leave the Academy during the night anymore, rest days included. Yes! Wu Zhangkong walked away, and Tang Wulins trio went back to their respective dorm rooms. Wulin, Im still trembling slightly. What just happened? Xie Xie gripped onto Tang Wulins arm tightly. He was indeed still trembling. Tang Wulin questioned him suspiciously, Are you cold? Xie Xies eyes shone brightly. No. Not cold. Im excited. I never knew that Soul Masters could be so powerful. Did you feel anything? During the moment Teacher Wu drew out his sword, it was as though the surroundings had changed, freezing with its appearance. Thats an expert, a true expert! It would be amazing if I could be as powerful as Teacher Wu one day. Tang Wulin slapped his hand and snapped, Then we should quickly get back to meditating. Youre almost at rank 20, do you still not know how to work hard? Xie Xie answered him doubtfully, Werent you excited when you watched the scene just now? Tang Wulin replied plainly, Yes I was! But what good does it do me? Teacher Wu had also slowly trained himself to be where he is now. We can only train hard as well. Xie Xie rolled his eyes. Im defeated by you. You can go meditate. Ill stay excited for a while more. Giving him a helpless smile, Tang Wulin got back onto his bed and into a meditation position. How could he not be excited? It was the opposite. He was probably even more excited than Xie Xie, only he kept it deep within him and didnt let it show. Grow stronger, I want to grow stronger! Tang Wulin took in a deep breath, his mind focusing on the image of Wu Zhangkongs two sword strikes. With that, he started his meditation. That pair of sword strikes from his teacher was just too amazing. It had almost felt like an alien energy. He recalled how Wu Zhangkong seemed to draw on his mind and heart when he attacked with those two sword strikes. It was as if Wu Zhangkong had turned into the center of the universe and had wielded that universe in the fight against Guang Biao. It might be that for others, Wu Zhangkongs second sword strike was the most shocking. When his Skyfrost Sword had emitted that ice-cold sword qi, it gave off a momentum that seemed as though it could shatter a forest of bamboo. Yet, to Tang Wulin, it had been that first sword strike that left him shocked. 88 I Have a Dragon in My Body? When Wu Zhangkong lifted his blade and pointed it to the ground, it was done in a gentle and free motion, without a trace of forcefulness behind it.. In that situation, Tang Wulin hadnt been able to clearly see what happened next. Yet, when Wu Zhangkongs Skyfrost Sword touched Guang Biaos fist, he could clearly hear a sorrowful dragons roar echo within his mind. Moreover, this dragons roar reverberated continuously. As one scale flew off that fist, one after another, that pained dragons roar caused his mind to tremble. He felt as though Wu Zhangkongs attack had actually been targeting himself. In fact, after the scales flew off, he could even feel the chilling sword qi that had entered Guang Biaos body, and the suffering it caused to his martial soul. In that moment, Tang Wulins heart trembled, and another voice appeared within the depths of his mind. That voice had been in extreme rage and the burning, hot sensation hed felt when he was stabbed by the Light Dragon Dagger appeared once more. Although it was only for a brief moment, and it hadnt caused his body to transform, it still made him greatly shocked. From the moment the power first appeared to now, it seems to have been appearing more and more frequently. Tang Wulin realized that his body seemed to be hiding some sort of secret deep within it. Moreover, this secret likely had something to do with the mutation of his Bluesilver Grass. With this thought in mind, Tang Wulins heart couldnt help but stir restlessly. Normally, it would be very easy for him to enter a state of meditation, yet today, he couldnt keep a tranquil state of mind for a long time. Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi had already returned to the dorm. Despite being normally calm, Yun Xiao was in high spirits as he discussed with Zhou Zhangxi and Xie Xie about Wu Zhangkongs two sword attacks and his charm. Tang Wulin could hear their discussion. As he attempted to enter a meditative state, his mind was gradually filled with more and more distracting thoughts. That continuous dragons roar had excited his body. It seemed that something special was growing within his body. Gradually, his consciousness became hazy, and the dragons constant roaring died down. It seemed that he was finally entering a meditative state. He gently circulated his soul power. The others were already meditating at this time, so they didnt see the golden vein pattern appear on Tang Wulins tailbone. A scorching heat suddenly enveloped his body, causing his entire being to start trembling. His brows were knitted, as if he were in extreme pain. Darkness. It was pitch-black darkness. Nothing could be seen through this darkness. Tang Wulin discovered that he had arrived in a pitch-black world. Suddenly, a golden light appeared off in the distance.The golden light was simply too dazzling, and he couldnt help but give it all of his attention. The golden light drew closer and closer, causing its enormous size to become more apparent the closer it came. When Tang Wulin could finally and clearly see what it was, he was shocked to discover that it was actually a gigantic golden dragon. The golden dragon had five claws, and its entire body was covered in large golden scales. A pair of horns sprouted from its head, and its form serpentine. Ah, why did he know it was a dragon? It was clearly different from the dragons on the continent! It didnt have any wings and it had five claws under its belly. Yet, how did he know it was a dragon? The golden light suddenly blossomed, giving Tang Wulin the feeling of one looking down upon the land. When he lowered his own head, he could see his body. At this moment, his body seemed somewhat illusory. He was standing atop an azure tiled floor and it seemed that he was in an enormous hall. Floating up in the air within this hall was that gigantic golden dragon. Compared to before, he could see much more clearly now. Tang Wulin was amazed to discover that the dragon was over a hundred meters long and had eighteen rings of light around it. Every single ring of light emitted a limpid blue radiance. He didnt know why, but when Tang Wulin saw this blue light, the first thing he thought of was actually his own Bluesilver Grass. Youve arrived at last. At that moment, a pure, cold voice resounded throughout the hall. In an instant, the entire hall was lit up by a golden radiance which then condensed in the center into a human form. The forms body was very transparent, and it was impossible to make out his exact appearance. It was almost as if his body was made purely of light and shadows. Who are you? What is this place? Am I dreaming? Tang Wulin asked. Maybe you are. I dont know who I am either. That golden silhouettes voice seemed to be at a loss. I am just a thread of divine consciousness. I am a thread of divine consciousness dedicated to guiding you. You could say that this is a dream of yours, but you could also say that its a part of your body. Tang Wulin was only nine years old after all, so his curiosity was much greater than his fear. He curiously asked, So youre saying I have a dragon in my body? The golden figure said, It isnt just a dragon, but a dragon king. To be more precise, it is the soul1of the Golden Dragon King. Tang Wulin asked in awe, Is it my martial soul? No, the golden figure answered. In a certain sense, it is a disaster for you. This is because the Golden Dragon Kings energy is too strong, so your weak body cannot bear it. If its energy should ever break loose, you will die. Die? Tang Wulin was dumbfounded. He was still young and had never expected to face the concept of death so soon. If he died, then what would happen to his mother and father? He wouldnt be able to go search for Naer either. Will, will I definitely die? Tang Wulin foolishly asked. If it was certain, then I wouldnt appear here. If you follow my instructions, you will have a chance at life. It will, however, be very difficult for you. The golden figures voice was soothing. Tang Wulin bit his lip. Then what do I need to do? The golden figure solemnly said, Since you have come here, it is proof that you can already sense the souls power and are beginning to be influenced by it. The Golden Dragon King possesses the greatest physical strength, so its energy will also affect your body. Doesnt your strength surpass that of ordinary people? Before this, Tang Wulin had still thought it was a dream. Yet, when he heard the golden figures words, he gradually came to realize that perhaps it wasnt a dream after all. At the very least, this wasnt as simple as a dream. Yes. My strength is much greater than ordinary people, Tang Wulin said honestly. The golden figure said, That is because youre already being influenced by the Golden Dragon King. The Golden Dragon Kings energy is like a ticking time bomb within your body. It is only because of those eighteen seals on its almighty body that you are still able to live. In order to solve this issue, you can only rely on yourself. The Golden Dragon Kings power is immense, but those eighteen seals restrict its strength sequentially. In order to live, you must undo those seals one by one in order to gradually assimilate the Golden Dragon Kings energy. The day you are able to completely assimilate all of its energy is the day when you are truly safe. Assimilate? How do I assimilate its energy? Tang Wulin urgently asked. 89 This Isn’t a Dream! The golden light said, If you have made it here, then it is proof you have the foundation necessary to assimilate the energy of the first seal. In order for you to absorb the soul1 of the Golden Dragon King, you must first be physically strong. Secondly, you will also need external help. For your first seal, you will need to find three objects. These three objects can be used to help increase your physical strength. I have been awakened, so I will wait for you to prepare these three objects. When you apply all three of them at the same time, I will then help you break through the power of the first seal. You have to remember: the soul of the Golden Dragon King has a double-edged effect on your body. When you consume the soul, it will strengthen you. If you take too long to absorb it, however, then the seal will not be able to continue its suppression of the soul. You will die once you reach ten years of age. Find those three objects, otherwise, I will not be able to withhold the pressure of the first seal. Ten years old? He was only half a year away from his tenth birthday. What, what are those three objects? Tang Wulin hurriedly asked his question. Hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit, hundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit, and ten drops of blood from a hundred-year soul beast with a dragon bloodline. Just by hearing those names, Tang Wulin knew that the items would come with a hefty price tag. He hadnt even previously heard the names of those two aforementioned fruits, not to mention the ten drops of blood from a hundred-year soul beast, which was even more Excuse me, but soul beasts are extinct! Where can I find them? cried Tang Wulin, his expression stunned. The golden light quieted down for a moment, as if in thought. It then answered in a glum-sounding voice, I do not know as well. I can only tell you what information I have. As to how you are to be able do this, or how you accomplish it, that is your problem to solve. I cannot help you figure this out. I can only remind you that you must break the first seal and absorb the suppressed soul by ten years of age. Otherwise, you will die. When you have found these objects, enter a meditative state once more and focus on the image of a dragon. I will then escort you here. Now, I shall bring you out of this place. Please wait, Tang Wulin hurriedly pleaded. I am only a thread of divine consciousness, and there is a limit to how long I can stay here. Please stop prolonging my stay. The golden light sounded severe as it spoke. Tang Wulin asked, Why do scales appear when Im in contact with certain objects? Like when I was stabbed by Xie Xies Light Dragon Dagger? Does this have something to do with the Golden Dragon King? The golden light replied, Yes. When your blood makes contact with other dragon-type objects or beings, the power of the Golden Dragon King will temporarily appear. You cannot control this power as you have yet to break the seal. Therefore, you must find these three objects quickly. Tang Wulin had much more to ask, but his surroundings suddenly distorted and began to spin. He woke the next moment. His body was soaked in sweat, and he felt an unspeakable pain. He also clearly felt that his high body temperature had begun to cool. Was it a dream or not a dream? No, it was not! If it wasnt for his previous experiences, then he would have thought it were a kind of dreamland. Yet, was it truly as simple as a dream? If it were a dream, then why did it feel so real to him? Why did golden scales appear when he was stabbed by the Light Dragon Dagger? Why was he so weak and ordinary when he was young, yet had become so much stronger after his martial soul awakened? But if it wasnt a dream, then why was there a dragons soul within his body that was constantly endangering his life? That golden figure of light had said that although this was a crisis, it was also an opportunity. To absorb the soul of a dragon, what would he become then? There were numerous questions in his head, and the golden lights explanations didnt answer them. Shaking his head forcefully, he calmed his thoughts and got out of bed. He went to the washing room in order to clean his body and then changed into dry clothes. After that, he went back to bed. Calm. I have to be calm, he said to himself. As he took in a deep breath, Tang Wulins eyes became focused. At least two points could be summarized. First, there truly was a dragons soul in his body and it was a threat to his life until he could absorb it. Second, if he could absorb the dragons soul, then his strength would gradually become even stronger. Thus, the first thing he had to do was find those three objects the golden light had mentioned to him. After that, he would then try to absorb the power suppressed by the first seal. Only when he tried it could he understand what it was. If he absorbed the soul, could he then control the power of those scales? He was only nine years old, and his mindset wasnt too mature yet. The concept of death to him wasnt as terrible as what adults thought. Even if his heart did have fear, the fear wasnt that strong. Hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit, hundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit, ten drops of blood from a dragon-type soul beast. Merely the names of those objects gave him the impression that they were not commonly found. Where could he find them? With a belly filled with helplessness, Tang Wulin restarted his meditation. This time around, he successfully entered a meditative state. ? Morning arrived and the four occupants of the dorm woke up, appearing fully recharged. Lets go! Wulin, lets go eat. Xie Xie jumped off his bed. Tang Wulin answered him helplessly, You havent even washed yourself. Eh Im a little hungry. Lets go wash ourselves quickly! Tang Wulin spoke up, Xie Xie, I have something to ask. Have you heard of some objects called an Ice Crystal Fruit and a Scarlet Flame Fruit? Xie Xie was stunned when he heard Tang Wulin. Ice Crystal Fruit? Scarlet Flame Fruit? Of course Ive heard of them! Arent those ordinary spirit fruits? You can easily find them in the marketplace. Theyre fruits that are very effective in nourishing martial souls with ice and fire properties. Your martial soul is plant-type though, so arent those fruits pretty useless? Tang Wulin was jubilant after hearing what Xie Xie said. He was most afraid that no one would know of these items or where to get them. Then, are those spirit fruits expensive? Tang Wulin lowered his voice as he asked further. Xie Xie said, Not bad, about 10,000 to 20,000 federation coins for each, depending on quality. Ten thousand to twenty thousand? This was a sum he could afford! Tang Wulin brightened up. If its quality is good, would that mean its something like a hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit and such? Xie Xie rolled his eyes. Have some common sense, please! A ten-year spirit fruit would be considered pretty good. A hundred-year fruit would only be found in auctions, and would be considered spirit treasures. If its a thousand-year fruit, then it would be considered a heaven and earth treasure. The meaning of a heaven and earth treasure is that it would be considered priceless. Tang Wulin gave a bitter laugh. Then, how much would a hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit cost? Xie Xie answered, Those two fruits are more commonly seen than others, but the demand is quite high as well. As such, the price is still reasonable. Id say it would cost probably 80,000 to 100,000 federation coins for each one at an auction. Tang Wulin was awestruck when he heard of the price. Eighty thousand to a hundred thousand? For each one? Following the golden lights explanation that he had only half a year to find these items, how would he gain the ability to earn such a large sum? Wulin, whats going on with you? Why would you ask this all of a sudden? Spirit fruits have little use for us, as their medicinal effects are too strong. They might even endanger a humans life. Unless it were a unique situation, they wouldnt be something youd normally use. They could possibly affect our foundations. There might even be side-effects! Thousand-year fruits should be excluded, however, yet those arent things just anyone can easily obtain. A thousand-year spirit fruit can also be counted as rare as a soul beast. If it reaches ten-thousand years, it would even have its own soul. Tang Wulins mood gradually calmed down, and he looked towards Xie Xie. Xie Xie, can you bring me to the auction house during this weeks rest day? I have never set foot in an auction house before. Sure! Xie Xie agreed without a second thought. He was one who treated strangers coldly, but he changed drastically when treating a friend. Xie Xie was actually a person with frank characteristics. Xie Xie moved on to wash up, but Tang Wulin stayed back and retrieved his rarely used soul communicator from the storage ring. He dialed the first contact stored on the communicator. Du du! Wulin? Whats the matter? Mang Tians familiar voice flowed from the other end of the communicator. Teacher, would you be coming to Eastsea City during this weeks rest day? Tang Wulin asked. Mang Tian questioned, Why? Do you have some questions about forging? Tang Wulin replied, No. but I have something I would like to discuss with you. Mang Tian grew silent for a while before saying, Thats great. Teacher has something to discuss with you as well. Ill come by in the afternoon of that rest day. Yes, Ill wait at the workshop, Tang Wulin answered respectfully, Tang Wulins eyes gave off a hint of deep contemplation as soon as the communication ended. The seal was there, but he had only half-years worth of time. What he needed the most now was money. He needed to earn more money. Yet, he knew well that with his current situation, this was impossible. He had to think of some other ways. 90 Auction House’s Exhibi Eat, study, Class Promotion Tournament. The days flew by quickly. Tang Wulins trio had begun to be pointed out of the crowd countless times throughout the day. Naturally, this was because of the events at the entrance gates the day before. Many people found it strange that Tang Wulins trio hadnt been punished by the academy. In fact, everything went on like normal, as if nothing had happened at all. The number of students who had gathered around Wu Zhangkong to watch him grew even larger now, so much so that many teachers werent even able to enter. After the previous days battle, the Icily Arrogant Prince Charmings fame had reached a whole new level. He wasnt just the female students Prince Charming now, rather, he was the Prince Charming of the entire academy. Despite all of this, Wu Zhangkong showed no reaction at all and was his same old self. In the match after school with the first grades class two, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue hadnt expended too much strength. Only one of their opponents had a hundred year soul ring, and when faced with the coordination of Tang Wulins trio, they were completely helpless. Xie Xie was supported by Gu Yues firepower and was easily able to defeat their opponents. Three battles, three victories. With the addition of the outburst at the gates the day before, class five had become the focus of attention of the entire academy. Tomorrow was their rest day, and after their rest day, it would come time for them to challenge class one. Every single grades class one was completely different from the rest. That was because class one was a gathering of that years most outstanding geniuses. In the last twenty years, class one had never been defeated by a class below them in ranking. After eating dinner, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie prepared to return to their dorm, but Gu Yue stopped them. Where are you two going tomorrow? Hurry up and tell me, otherwise, you cant blame me for being rude. Gu Yue spoke with her hands on her hips and gave them a fierce expression. Although she wasnt particularly beautiful, she was definitely pretty. With her appearance like this, others couldnt help but laugh. Why do we need to tell you where were going or what were doing? Xie Xie snorted out. Gu Yues mouth twitched as she said, I already heard what you guys were talking about when we were eating. You guys are going out tomorrow. Its fine if you dont tell me, but Ill just go and find Teacher Wu and ask him for additional training. Then you two can forget about running off tomorrow. And in any case, were going to do battle with class one soon, so extra training would be fitting. How can you be so loathsome? Xie Xie stared at her with wide eyes before turning it into a glower. Gu Yue coldly snorted. Im just this annoying. Got a problem? Are you going to tell me or not? Tang Wulin hastily smoothed things over. Gu Yue, Im the one who asked Xie Xie to take me to the auction house tomorrow. I havent ever been to one before. Gu Yue smiled. Good. Then well all go together then. Xie Xie avoided looking at her as he said, Who wants you to come? This is a mans matter. Gu Yue answered, I didnt say I want to go with you either. With your revolting behaviour, itll be fine if its just me and Wulin. Xie Xie eyed her suspiciously. Although he was only nine years old, Tang Wulin was still exceptionally handsome. Could it be that you like Wulin? Youre only this old yet youve matured so much already. Are you looking to die? Gu Yue raised her hand, sending an ice ball flying towards him. Xie Xie evaded it in a flurry. Haha. It looks like I was right! Ill go tell Teacher Wu that youre following bad examples at such a young age! You can do so if you wish to die. Gu Yue threw herself forwards, a bright light flying from her hand as she chased after Xie Xie. Tang Wulin helplessly looked at the two of them. He had long since gotten used to the scene of their squabbling. All he could do was raise his arms and stop their fighting. ? Ultimately, the three of them set off early in the morning the next day. Xie Xie had wanted to leave early to throw off Gu Yue, but was unable to have his way. Gu Yue was waiting at the dormitory doors and caught him red-handed. Xie Xie, where is the auction house? Tang Wulin curiously asked as they walked. Xie Xie shot a glance at the smiling Gu Yue to the side. Its in the Eastsea Museum! Our Eastsea Citys auction house is combined with the museum. Theres a special place to exhibit auction goods in the museum. They will also periodically hold auctions. Lets go look at the goods on exhibition. The auction times will also be listed there. Gu Yue curiously asked Tang Wulin, Wulin, how come you suddenly wanted to go to the auction house? I never saw you show this much interest in it before. Tang Wulin said, Its just a sudden whim. Lets just go and casually take a look. Eastsea Museum was located just south of Eastsea Citys center. It was a simple and unadorned building, and consisted of one main building and two secondary buildings. The main building had on exhibition with all sorts of rare soul beast specimen. Eastsea City had encountered all sorts of items and beasts over the various ages. To the left was a secondary building, which was the auction houses goods exhibition area Xie Xie had spoken of. As for the auction house itself, it was on the upper levels of the main building. The auction houses goods exhibition area within the secondary building didnt require one to purchase a ticket to enter, and one could directly enter as one pleased. The number of people who were looking at the goods within numbered more than just a few. The secondary building had four floors in total. Although it was just a secondary building, its size was still enormous. Looking at it from the outside, the building was at least two hundred meters wide. Eastsea City was the second largest city on the eastern coast and this was the citys only auction house. Naturally, its size had to be great. Goods were being exhibited on all four floors. They were, however, separated according to their grade. Naturally, some of the rarer and more expensive items would only be displayed in special areas that werent open to just anyone. As soon as they entered, the trio saw an enormous signboard that showed that the first floor was divided into two large sections: Soul devices and non-soul device. Within these two divisions, the soul device area was divided further into uncommon metal section and the larger finished soul devices section. Where are we going? Xie Xie could vaguely guess Tang Wulins purpose in coming to the auction house, but he still directly asked Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin said, Lets go to the non-soul device section. I want to see if theyre auctioning those two fruits I told you about that day. Spirit fruit? You want to buy some spirit fruit? Gu Yue curiously asked. Tang Wulin said, I dont really want to. Im just a bit curious and want to take a look, thats all. Although Xie Xie and Gu Yue were his friends, the matter pertaining to the Golden Dragon King was simply too shocking to tell them. He was still very young, yet he knew that this was the type of secret he absolutely couldnt tell anybody. Then lets go take a look. Clearly, it wasnt Xie Xies first time here. He was at ease as he guided the other two into the exhibition hall. Their surroundings were filled with enormous glass display cases. Within them were countless things Tang Wulin had never even heard of before. The cheapest of the items would still cost at least a hundred thousand federal coins. These glass cases were all manufactured using a special transparent alloy and were definitely incomparable with normal glass. This is the spirit fruit section. You go and take a look then. After they entered an expansive rectangular room, Xie Xie stopped. The room was approximately three hundred square meters in area. It contained all sorts of spirit fruit and rare plants. Every single spirit fruit had a description attached to them. 91 Poor Youth Dragon Spirit Grass, ten years. A rare plant. The starting auction price for it was 260,000 federation coins and it was expected to be sold between 300,000 to 350,000 federation coins. Water Crystal Peach, twenty to thirty years. A spirit fruit that nourishes the body. For this fruit, the starting auction price was 150,000 federation coins. The expected end price was 180,000 to 210,000 federation coins. They are all so expensive! Tang Wulin looked at all of these spirit fruits and grimaced. Quickly, he took another long look and finally found the spirit fruit he was looking for. It was in the final area he searched. Ice Crystal Fruit, thirty years. An ice type spirit fruit, rare. Nourishes water-type martial souls. It can also help increase ones soul power. The starting auction price for this fruit was set at 180,000 federation coins. Expected end price was 220,000 to 250,000 federation coins. Scarlet Flame Fruit, forty years. Fire attribute, rare. Nourishes fire-type martial souls, and can help increase soul power. The starting auction price for this fruit was 160,000 federation coins and was expected to be sold between 220,000 to 230,000 federation coins. Ice Crystal Fruit was a type of fruit that appeared glittery, translucent, and light-blue in color. This forty-year-old Ice Crystal Fruits size was similar to that of a longan. When viewed beneath a light, wavy lines of white became visible. Scarlet Flame Fruit was a spirit fruit that was deep-red in color with some pale-golden sparkles gleaming on its surface. Its size was only a bit larger than that of the Ice Crystal Fruit. After verifying with his own eyes that both spirit fruits truly did exist, Tang Wulins trust in the golden figures words increased by a bit. Yet, the ages of these two fruits was far from being the hundred-year fruits he needed. Right, these are the ones, Xie Xie unexpectedly appeared and walked up to Tang Wulins side. This is Ice Crystal Fruit, and that is Scarlet Flame Fruit. Tang Wulin mumbled, But theyre not hundred-year fruits! Xie Xie answered, This is an auction. The rarer the good, the higher the level itll be auctioned at. These are only normal goods of the first level. I believe the hundred-year fruits can be found at the second level, but we cant go up to the second level. Tang Wulin questioned, Why not? Xie Xie replied, To enter the second level, you would need to first pay a deposit in order to gain the qualifications to bid. Either that, or you must be a third rank professional and can enter and visit. Deposit? How much is this deposit? Tang Wulin asked. Xie Xie looked at him with a strange expression. You seem very eager to get that hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit, ah? Otherwise, why are you being so serious? Tang Wulin gave a gentle sigh and simply said, Please, just continue and explain. Observing the bitterness in Wulins gaze, Xie Xie frowned. Wulin, have you met with some misfortune? Tang Wulin shook his head. I dont want to lie to you, and I cant tell you either. If you dont explain, then Ill ask someone else. After seeing that Tang Wulin was set to move away, Xie Xie hurriedly stopped him. All right, Ill tell you. The deposit sum is 100,000 to enter the second level. When you reach the third level, you need to add another 100,000 to the deposit. As you move to higher levels, the value of the goods increase and so does the deposit sum. A hundred thousand? Tang Wulin had truly saved up quite a sum of money these past few months and could produce a sum of 100,000. That deposit sum, however, really discouraged him. Then he recalled that Xie Xie had mentioned third rank professionals. Would any professional of third rank qualify for entry? Xie Xie answered, Of course. Third rank professionals are considered elite class. Third rank Soul Grandmasters are also the equivalent of third rank professionals. Yet, you have some distance to go before reaching the level of Soul Grandmaster. Not so for me. Soul Master? Tang Wulin really had some distance to go just to reach rank twenty, but he was a blacksmith as well! After his time completing numerous tasks for the Blacksmiths Association, his understanding of the Association grew. He now knew that the Thousand Refinements was an indication of a third rank blacksmith, and the only obstacle he had to becoming one was Mang Tian disallowing him from revealing his skill. This was the reason why Tang Wulin hadnt tried the third rank blacksmith examination. This afternoon, Mang Tian would be arriving at Eastsea City. Tang Wulins call the other night requesting Mang Tians visit was for the exact reason of allowing Tang Wulin try the third rank blacksmith examination. After becoming a third rank blacksmith, his pay for completing tasks would be much greater. Xie Xie continued, Wulin, if there are areas in which you need my help, please let me know. Ill help you to the best of my abilities. En. Im fine. Okay, lets continue and check the other goods, He concealed his emotions. Since hed confirmed that the auction house had the items he was looking for, he would come back again when he had the ability to do so. As for the ten drops of blood from a dragon-type hundred-year soul beast, there might be a chance he could also find it here. Yet, he kept quiet about it in the presence of Gu Yue and Xie Xie. The most important mission today was to check out the area. In the end, this auction house trip hadnt gone to waste. The trio took a stroll around the first level and, aside from learning about new items, they also checked out a few familiar places. For example, forged metals. The rare metals found on the first level were only hundred refined ones. This level of refinement on the first level meant that thousand refined metals should be found on the second level. This discovery filled his heart with hope. If he could qualify as a third rank blacksmith and take on third rank forging tasks, with sufficient time, it would become possible for him to gather enough funds. After they left the auction house, the trio headed back to the academy for lunch. It wasnt that they didnt want to have lunch outside the academy, but Tang Wulins appetite was too amazing. He was reluctant to ask Xie Xie and Gu Yue to pay for a meal, so heading back to the academy to eat for free was the most cost-efficient decision. Ill be going to the forging workshop this afternoon. You guys should go back and train. Right, can you also go and collect information on class one? We have no knowledge about them, Tang Wulin said to Xie Xie. Xie Xie knew about Tang Wulins habit of going to the workshop every week during their rest day. Fine, you can go. Isnt it only class one? I can defeat them on my own, Xie Xie arrogantly declared. Arent you afraid a huge gale might cut off that tongue of yours? At that moment, a strange, cynical voice sounded. Three little fish from class five, now thats what I call arrogance. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue turned at the same time and found a few intermediate division students standing a short distance away, their ages similar to the trios ages. The person who spoke was a young boy with center-parted hair and good features. While his looks were good, he had thin lips, which coupled with his sarcastic comment, made it difficult for others to produce good will towards him. Besides him, the others standing with him all had stoney expressions as they glared at the trio. Xie Xies expression turned cold as he pounded the table. Just as he was about to move towards them, Tang Wulin pulled Xie Xie back. He spoke to Xie Xie in a low voice, We have already caused enough trouble for Teacher Wu. Cant you control yourself? Glaring icily, Xie Xie spoke out, You guys must be from class one. After tomorrow, youll simply be class two. 92 The Geniuses of Class One The eccentric boy laughed. Good then! I want to see what kind of skill you guys have that will move us to class two. His eyes brightened as he spoke. He tensed, then his body suddenly grew a bit and seemed to become exceptionally soft. Two yellow rings appeared from beneath his feet as cyan scales emerged from his neck. His eyes turned into vertical slits. Two rings? A Soul Grandmaster? Tang Wulins trio were all startled. Even though their opponents were class one, they should have been of a similar level. They were all just nine years old after all! The fact that he was already a Soul Grandmaster was absolutely shocking. Tang Wulin took a step forward to placed himself in front of Gu Yue and Xie Xie. Despite the powerful aura of the other party, Tang Wulin actually felt joyful. He didnt feel fearful at all. A white soul ring rose from beneath his feet and Bluesilver Grass rushed out from his palms. Haha. Trash with only a single ten year soul ring dares to be so arrogant. This is just too funny. But you can be at ease; I wont put you guys in your place right now, Ill wait until were on the competition stage before I do so. Ill let you know the difference between geniuses and trash. I am Wei Xiao Feng from first grade class one. Remember my name. Having said this Wei Xiao Feng withdrew his soul power, causing his body to return to normal before turning around, proudly leaving. Bastard! Xie Xie wanted to rush over, but Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass was already wrapped around his waist, restraining him. Dont be fooled, Tang Wulin said, he wants us to act first so that he wont receive any punishment from the academy. Just wait until we get on stage. A cold light flickered within Xie Xies eyes. Are two soul rings really that amazing? Humph! Well just have to wait and see. Tang Wulin said, Im going to the workshop first, then. Teacher Wu isnt going to help us analyze our opponents. He always left it to us to adapt, so you two go think of a way to investigate the situation in class one and well meet up to discuss it tonight. Although Xie Xie wasnt completely convinced, the three of them still felt quite a bit of pressure when Wei Xiao Feng revealed his two soul rings. Faced with this kind of opponent, how would they secure victory? Nine years old and he had two rings; he was definitely a genius among geniuses! It had to be said that under normal circumstances, class ones of the other grades wouldnt have anyone with two soul rings until at least the third grade. Xie Xie questioned whether or not he himself was truly a genius; after all, there was still a gap between him and someone with two rings. Alright! Well teach them a lesson tomorrow, Xie Xie said as he walked off with a gloomy expression. Gu Yue walked over to Tang Wulins side, an easy smile on her face. No need to pay attention to them. Well definitely beat them. She patted Tang Wulins shoulder before she also moved to leave. Gu Yues petite body was quickly swallowed by the crowd. Tang Wulin clenched his fists a few times. His teammates were so strong, yet, as their captain, his strength was so modest. Regardless of whether it was for the sake of survival or for becoming stronger, he needed to quickly obtain the Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit. Mang Tian hadnt arrived yet when he got to the workshop, so Tang Wulin began working on the forging task hed accepted the week before. With his continued practice of the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers, second rank blacksmith tasks were already easy for him. None of them resulted in defective products and he was now able to accept two tasks each week. As such, he was able to make even more money. Tang Wulin took out all of his savings. After counting it all, he discovered he had over 320,000 federal coins. Although it was still short the price of the Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit, it wouldnt be too hard to make up the difference if he could accept third rank tasks. Tang Wulin sat there staring blankly at a chunk of metal he had Hundred Refined. Ever since he had arrived in Eastsea City, many things had occurred and changed his life. He had encountered many things that didnt even exist in Glorybound City. After several months, the hesitation in his heart gradually faded away. A wonderful world had opened up to him and along with improving his strength, he had found value in being a part of the Blacksmiths Association. His self confidence had increased by a lot. He always kept the words his father had said to him within his heart before he had left. You must always look forward. Thats right! I can only move forward to see an even more wonderful world! Right at that moment, the sound of a door opening came from outside. Tang Wulin hastily went over to give his greetings. Mang Tian was dressed in ordinary gray clothes, giving him a travel-worn appearance. Teacher, Tang Wulin hastily called out in respect. En. Mang Tian responded with that single grunt as he took off his coat and went in. Tang Wulin had long since become accustomed to his teachers habits. Every single time Mang Tian visited, he would inspect all of the finished goods and Tang Wulins forging progress. After hanging his teachers coat, Tang Wulin quickly followed him into the workshop. Mang Tian was playing with the uncommon metal Tang Wulin had just finished. As he became increasingly familiar with the tasks of the Blacksmiths Association, the tasks Tang Wulin accepted grew more difficult. For example, these kinds of Hundred Refined uncommon metal tasks were already at the peak of the second rank. He would earn over thirty thousand federal coins each time. En. Not bad. Your purification is precise. Mang Tian nodded. Considering how strict he was, being able to say such praise was already amazing. This is all due to teachers guidance, Tang Wulin quickly said. Mang Tian put the metal in his hand down and turned to face him. Have you learned how to be glib too? Tang Wulin stuck out his tongue. No! Those words are from my heart. Mang Tian said, Dont you have something to talk with me about? Out with it. Although Tang Wulin had already made a firm resolution, when he faced his teacher, he still hesitated for a moment. But it was just a moments hesitation that was overcome by the crisis of his survival. Teacher, I want to take the third rank blacksmiths test, said Tang Wulin after he drummed up his courage. Mang Tian was stunned for a moment. Why? I need more money to improve myself, answered Tang Wulin. Mang Tian regarded him in complete silence. Tang Wulin felt nervous. Having finished speaking, he lowered his head, awaiting his teachers criticism. He clearly understood the reason Mang Tian wasnt allowing him to take the third rank blacksmiths test. While he had never doubted his teacher before, right now he really was too desperate for money. How are you going to improve? Mang Tian asked after his long silence. 93 Distant Parents Tang Wulin said, I wish to practice the Thousand Refinements more and earn a better income. After saving enough money, Ill be able to buy a spirit soul and eat better food at the academy. My eating ability is too great and nutritious food is too expensive. Mang Tian looked at his growing disciple, who seemed to have become even taller during the last three months, and his expression began to soften. He sighed gently, then said, Maybe I was wrong. Actually, you already had qualifications of a third rank blacksmith when you succeeded at the Thousand Refinements. Your soul power may not be strong enough, but your innate divine strength makes up for that. Especially considering the fact that you are able to enter the mental state and completely devote your being to forging and sense the life within the metal. At your age, thats simply remarkable. One of the reasons I wasnt rushing you to become a third rank blacksmith was because I was afraid of showing you more of the world of blacksmithing, and that you would grow arrogant of your talent. This would bring ruin to your future. Yet, I overlooked the fact that regardless of whether one were a Soul Master or a blacksmith, they all require an enormous amount of resources to cultivate to higher levels. The only person you can rely on is yourself. I really was too selfish. Tang Wulin looked at his rueful teacher as if in a daydream. Teacher, so youre allowing me to take the third rank blacksmith test? Mang Tian nodded. Take it. Since my disciple is such an exceptional genius in the realm of blacksmithing, what kind of reason could I have to not let him blossom and shine? Having received his teachers approval, Tang Wulin joyfully said, Thank you, teacher. Thank you, teacher. Mang Tians expression returned to normal as he seriously said, You dont have any reason to be so happy right now. I must remind you that after becoming a third rank blacksmith, youll have reached a higher status within the blacksmithing world. Ill ask the association to keep quiet about you for a while, so youll need to keep a low-profile too. Yes, teacher! Tang Wulin promised respectfully with haste. Wulin, Ive been stuck at the level of sixth rank blacksmith and have been unable to enter the realm of Saint Craftsman for a long time. This isnt because my efforts have been lacking or that I wasnt gifted enough. Rather, its because I dont have the soul power necessary to become a Saint Craftsman. In the last ten thousand years of our Douluo Continent, soul devices have developed at high speed and become modernized. The superiority of Soul Masters has gradually faded away. Even an ordinary person is capable of using most of the available soul devices now. Moreover, soul devices possess formidable attack power, which has allowed them to completely change the entire continent. Regardless, I must tell you that our Douluo Continent is still founded upon Soul Masters. Thus, no matter the occupation, soul power and Soul Master ranks are crucial in order to reach the highest levels! For example, a divine rank Mecha Master must possess at least eight soul rings! One must be at least a Soul Douluo to reach such a level. For us blacksmiths, its exactly the same. Without seven soul rings, a martial souls true body, and a thorough understanding of ones martial soul, it would be impossible to become a Saint Craftsman. After encountering this problem, I knew it was impossible for me to become a Saint Craftsman in this lifetime. This is the reason why I told you to focus on soul power cultivation when you got here. With your innate divine strength, when you become a fifth rank Craftsman, youll need tremendous spiritual power and soul power to support you. Thus, you must put forth your greatest effort towards cultivation and you cannot be stingy with your money. Eat lots of nutritious food at the academy too. Yes! Mang Tian was usually a man of few words, so when Tang Wulin saw him so rueful, his heart tensed up. Although he was still young, his soul power was still inferior to his peers. Becoming a powerful Soul Master? That was easier said than done. All he could do was redouble his efforts and stubbornly cultivate. Mang Tian hand searched his pocket, fishing out an envelope that he handed to Tang Wulin. Theres another matter I came to settle this time. Read this letter. Its from your father. Ah? Why didnt dad just call me on the soul communicator? He was busy cultivating everyday in order to improve himself so it had been a week since the last time hed called home. Read it and youll know. Mang Tian looked at him with eyes full of meaning as he nodded his head. Tang Wulin had a bad premonition as he hastily opened up the envelope. Inside of the envelope were two cards and a letter. Tang Wulin looked at the letter first. His fathers familiar handwriting was scribbled all over it. Tang Wulin, my son. By the time you receive this letter, your mother and father will already be some place far. Father has always been selfish. Ive let you suffer so many hardships just so I could live a peaceful life. Even when it came time for your spirit soul, I couldnt do anything and you had to settle for a trash spirit soul. That night, your father cried. It was because I didnt have the ability to help you that you were forced to learn how to forge at such a young age. Although I dont regret it, I still made you go through so many hardships. Father is sorry. In fact, father is a mecha designer. In those early years, I had drawn the attention of some powerful figures due to one of my designs. They wanted to completely control me, but I chose to escape with your mom to Glorybound City. From then on, wed lived in seclusion as ordinary people. But it seems that an ordinary persons life isnt suitable for me. For your sake, I will resume my old trade. As for the two cards that came with this letter, one of them is your identity card, while the other is a bank card that can be used throughout the continent. The bank card contains the money I accepted from signing the contract to be that powerful figures mecha designer. Theres one million federal coins in there, enough for you to buy a hundred year spirit soul. This is all that I can do for you right now. Wait for your father to earn even more money; Ill send it to that cards account. Son, you are gifted and must walk towards the apex. Dont look back and only continue walking forwards. Remember the words father told you. In this world, the only person you can rely on is yourself. I believe that with your strength and ability, you will definitely be able to reach the pinnacle. You dont need to look for us. Were in a place that is impossible for others to find. We wont be contacting you anymore, but I know your soul communicator number. Just wait until our situation has settled down, then I will come to find you. Your father and mother loves you. We will love you forever. Tang Wulin stared at the first line of the letter, his entire body and heart seizing up as he did so. His fathers words had been extremely ordinary, but they were filled with his love for Tang Wulin! Dad, mom! Tang Wulin suddenly screamed before turning around, trying to run out. In the next moment, however, he ran straight into Mang Tian whose body was like a copper wall or an iron bastion. Mang Tian grabbed onto his shoulders with both hands. Theyre fine. Theyll just be far away from you for a while. Wulin, you must stand strong. Tears streamed uncontrollably from Tang Wulins eyes. Its for my sake, all for my sake. All to earn money for my sake. Mom and dad have gone far away for my sake. At that moment, three months of yearning for his family attacked his heart all at once. He tightly gripped the letter and broke down crying. 94 I Want to Become Strong! Mang Tian simply held onto Tang Wulins shoulders without giving him any more advice. At this time, letting him vent all of his emotions was the best solution. After crying for some time, the sounds of Tang Wulins weeping gradually died out. He raised the letter in his hand and read it over once more. Whenever he read the words Your mother and father loves you, his tears would once again begin to flow out uncontrollably. Mom and dad are gone, and I dont even know where they went or when Ill see them next. Naer is gone too. My whole familygone. Do you want to search for them? Mang Tians pensive voice called out. Tang Wulin raised his head, facing his teacher with tearful eyes. Mang Tian said, If you wish to find them, then you must first become powerful. Your father is an outstanding mecha designer, but because he is too outstanding, he was threatened by others. Of course, his excellence also secures his safety. But someone with the power to take him away is definitely not someone you can match up to right now. If you want to find them, then you must first become strong enough. The current you is simply too weak. Teacher, Tang Wulin shouted, I want to become strong! Tang Wulin proved strong in the end. After venting his feelings, he was gradually able to steady himself. Mang Tian spoke with him about some matters regarding the Thousand Refinements before leaving. Tang Wulin also returned to the academy shortly after. Within his storage ring were two new cards. His identity card allowed him to go anywhere on the continent, while the bank card carried the money his father left him, a hefty million federal coins. Tang Wulins wealth already surpassed 1,300,000 federal coins and he wasnt too far off from being able to afford both the Ice Crystal Fruit and the Scarlet Flame Fruit. For the current him, spirit souls were no longer the most important thing. The most important thing was for him to ensure his own survival by absorbing the soul of the Golden Dragon King sealed by the first seal before he reached ten years of age. Wulin, whats the matter? When he ate dinner with Xie Xie and Gu Yue that night, they both discovered that there was something off about him. Even though his powerful physique had already gotten rid of the puffy eyes from his crying, his dull expression clearly revealed his sorrow. He was still a child and didnt understand how to hide his own emotions yet. Tang Wulin shook his head. Nothings wrong. Thats right, what have you found out about class one? Gu Yue and Xie Xie exchanged a glance, both of their expressions seeming to grow serious. Xie Xie heavily said, Weve run into some trouble. En? Tang Wulin was roused from his dispirited self. He understood how arrogant Xie Xie usually was, so something that would make him utter the word trouble, meant that their opponents would be difficult for them to handle. Xie Xie said, Our class one this year is actually called the strongest new class in the last hundred years. Its no wonder that the director could throw me into class five without batting an eye. Strongest new class? Tang Wulin said, How strong are they? Dont tell me they have three people with two soul rings? Xie Xie looked at him in shock, while Gu Yue had a meaningful look in her eyes. The two of them spoke in unison, How did you know? Tang Wulin was equally as dumbstruck. No way? All three have two soul rings? Are they really new students? Gu Yue said, Were certain. We saw Wei Xiao Feng today, and we found out that he isnt even the most powerful of the three. I dont know if Teacher Wu picked us three to battle because of those three students in class one or not, but I know for certain it will be hard for us to win this upcoming battle. Tang Wulins expression seemed to have froze. All three of them only had one soul ring. Even if Xie Xie had twin martial souls, Gu Yue was still an ordinary one ring Soul Master. Either way, all three of them only had one soul ring each. The gap between one ring and two rings was simply huge. When they faced Guang Long that time, all three of them had to work together to match him. Even then, they had only prevailed due to Tang Wulins Golden Dragon King power. But now, they were about to face three two ring opponents. How could they fight this kind of battle? Gu Yue said, All for the sake of that class, the academy recently issued out some new rules for the Class Promotion Tournament. Classes can no longer skip grades anymore, they can only climb up to a better class number. Clearly, theyre afraid that this years class one will sweep away the upper grades and influence them negatively. Right now, class one has the most qualified teachers. Clearly, the academy values them highly. Reportedly, theyre considering letting them skip grades right now. Their opponents were actually so powerful! Tomorrow, they would be facing these powerful opponents on stage. This was simply too sudden. In the face of such powerful opponents, did they even have a chance of securing victory? He could tell from Xie Xie and Gu Yues expressions that their confidence had already been shaken. As for himself? Among the three of them, he was, in reality, the weakest one. The three of them sat there silently. Tang Wulin was so disturbed, that he had actually lost his appetite. Right at that moment, a piece of news was suddenly broadcast in the dining hall. Teachers and students, pay attention! Teachers and students, pay attention! The following announcement is an emergency announcement. Our meteorology department has notified us that a strong tropical storm will be passing by tonight. This storm is an extremely powerful typhoon and is forecasted to persist for a whole week. Thus, for the next week, students are advised to not leave the academy and all classes will be suspended during the typhoon. Please wait quietly in your dorms. The Class Promotion Tournament will be temporarily suspended until the typhoon has passed. A typhoon struck? Eastsea City was a coastal city, and encounters with typhoons was a normal occurrence. But they never expected that a typhoon would strike at such a fortunate time. The typhoon had arrived. What Tang Wulin payed the most attention to was the last few words. The Class Promotion Tournament was suspended. The trio looked at one another. This meant they had another week to improve themselves and investigate their opponents. However it didnt make much difference. What could they possibly accomplish in only a weeks time? Even for Xie Xie, who was the closest one to reach two rings, it was virtually impossible to cultivate to that level in a week! Tang Wulins expression suddenly froze as he suddenly stood up and walked away. Wulin, where are you going? Xie Xie hastily chased after him and asked. Tang Wulin didnt even bother to turn around as he answered, Im going to go settle a small matter. The typhoon is about to hit, so I need to leave quickly. Having said this, he quickly rushed out of the dining hall. As he watched Tang Wulins departing figure, Xie Xie turned to Gu Yue and doubtfully asked, Ive always felt that theres been something bothering him these last two days. Have you felt that too? Gu Yue said, I think so too, but hes still much calmer than you. You should change yourself for the better. Xie Xie furiously said, Is it even possible for you to not pick on me? Gu Yue leisurely responded, Not possible. Youve always been a bad example anyway. Arrogant, prideful, and not particularly strong either. Wulin is different. Hes steady, reserved and has unlimited potential. Xie Xie stood up in indignance. I wont argue with a girl. His voice had been a bit loud, drawing the attention of all of the girls within the dining hall. Eh Xie Xie suddenly sped away, disappearing quickly like a wisp of smoke. ? Tang Wulin hadnt just rushed out of the dining hall, he had even rushed out of the academy. His heart had been set ablaze and now, a powerful voice unceasingly resounded in within his heart. I want to become powerful! To become mighty! I wasnt strong enough, so Naer left! I wasnt strong enough, so mom and dad left! Im not strong enough, so Im a burden to my teammates! I want to become strong! 95 Witnessing a Miracle If it was the past, then Tang Wulin would have had no choice but to accept their loss. Now, however, he found out about the Golden Dragon King and the possibility of growing stronger. The seals on the Golden Dragon King endangered his life, but also gave him a chance to change his destiny. One week. He was left with a weeks time. This was the time given by the oncoming typhoon. Dad sacrificed his freedom in exchange for a million federation coins. I need to use that money to strengthen myself. Tang Wulin took out his soul communicator and quickly pressed one of the few numbers stored on the device. Wulin? Very quickly, a warm voice could be heard from the other side. Tang Wulins words were concise. Grandmaster Cen, I want to start my Third Rank blacksmith ranking examination. Can I do it now? On the other side of the soul communicator was Grandmaster Cen Yue, a grandmaster rank blacksmith. Isnt it too late now? Wait, what? What did you say? Third rank craftsman? Cen Yue didnt have much of a reaction at the start, but when he understood what Tang Wulin was saying, he was so stunned that his voice rose a pitch. Not possible? Tang Wulin stopped his footsteps. His eyes were clouded with disappointment. It seemed that there was typhoon today again, and it would be suffocating if he couldnt sit for the examination, when would the typhoons reach the city? What about his own plan? His warm and passionate heart grew colder. You just wait a moment, Cen Yue said in a deep voice. ? At this moment, Cen Yue was dining in a restaurant, but he wasnt alone. Sitting opposite him was the President of Eastsea Citys Blacksmiths Association, the Saint Craftsman rank Mu Chen, as well as his precious daughter, Mu Xi. Who gave you such a shock just for taking the third rank examination? Mu Chen asked with a grin in his face. It was good for the association to have a new blacksmith join their ranks, but he was rather curious about the shock on Cen Yues face. Cen Yues expression changed and there was a hint of strangeness to it. You wouldnt have guessed it right. Its the kid. Who? Mu Chen was surprised for a moment, but then a youthful face appeared within his mind. Cen Yue nodded towards him. He said that he wanted to come in now to complete the third rank examination. But its too late now, you see Mu Chens eyes shone with shock as he took in a deep breath to balance his agitation. He spoke deeply, Tell him, tell him to come by now. The examination may proceed without further ado. Alright. Cen Yue removed his hand from the mic and spoke through it again, Come then, Wulin. You can come now to take on your ranking examination, this is by the presidents request. Yes, I shall be there immediately. Tang Wulins excited voice was heard from the other side of the communicating device. Mu Xi gave her father a suspicious look, then gave one towards Cen Yue. Dad. What are the two of you talking about? Why is there a third rank examination happening at this late hour? Why do both of you look shocked? Mu Chen sighed lightly and rubbed his daughters head. Girl, there are people above people and heavens above the heavens. That person is Tang Wulin! Mu Xi grew stunned when she heard this before she jumped up abruptly like a released spring. No, this isnt possible. How old is he? How could he be entering the third rank craftsman examination? To pass the third rank requires the Thousand Refinements! Mu Chen told Cen Yue, Please call for the bill. Were going back. Seeing is believing, so let us witness this miracle. ? When Tang Wulin reached the association, the skies had already darkened but the gates were wide open. There werent any lights within the gates, however. Its late. Has everyone finished work already? Not only had Eastsea Academy received the news of an oncoming typhoon, the Blacksmiths Association had also received the news as well. Most of its staffs had gone home earlier because of that. None of the reception staff were in when he walked into the main hall of the association. Tang Wulin took the elevator up to the third floor. As the elevator doors opened, he found himself looking at a familiar face. Wasnt this Master Cen Yue? Hello Master Cen. I am troubling you at this late hour. Tang Wulin had calmed down by the time he got here. While he spoke, there was a hint of embarrassment on his face. Cen Yue walked towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder. Thats nothing. No time is too late to witness a miracle. Lets head over then. He hadnt say anything more as he guided Tang Wulin towards the forging workshop where the examination would be conducted. As he entered the workshop, Tang Wulin was blown off. There wasnt just one examiner within the workshop. He had sighted Mu Chen as well as Mu Xi. President? Hello, president. Tang Wulin gave a quick bow before greeting Mu Xi, Hello, senior. Ever since their fight, Mu Xi hadnt approached him with trouble anymore. To meet her again, Tang Wulin felt indifferent to it. Mu Xis expression, on the other hand, was filled with fire when she stared at him. This kid, is it possible? Hes actually coming to take on the third rank examination? This is unbelievable. Mu Chen grinned. Wulin, your breath seems unstable. I would recommend you calm yourself down before the examination. Tang Wulin felt his heart beat. Thank you, president. Ill adjust myself then. Sorry to keep all of you waiting. As he spoke, he settled into a sitting position on the ground. His eyes observed his nose, his nose watched his mouth, his mouth shut his heart as he entered the meditative state. Cen Yue looked at Mu Chen and whispered to him, What do you think? Do you think he will succeed? Mu Chen smiled. Though Ive only seen him a couple of times, his character is much more mature than most kids his age. If he didnt have any certainty, he wouldnt have turned up. He must have met with something, to come seeking you so urgently today. If not, he wouldnt have rushed here at this hour in the night to complete the examination. After his examination ends, you can ask him. Ive also seen that his second rank tasks have grown in difficulty. These are the tasks at the peak of the second ranks. Cen Yue smiled. It seems that we have similar guesses; president has the same thought as me. Were all focusing on this little kid! Mu Chen grinned. This might be the only genius craftsman from our Eastsea City. As a president, how can I not be aware of that? Tang Wulin didnt actually enter complete meditation but had drawn support from his soul power and adjusted its circulation. This was done in order to calm himself down and balance out his emotions. After twenty minutes, he grew more stable when he regained his standing position. President, Master Cen, and examiners, I am now ready. Tang Wulin bowed towards these three individuals. Compared to his current state, the state he had been in when hed just arrived was vastly different when one examined his breath, as well as the calmness that was now present in his eyes. 96 Geniuses, Wait for Me! Mu Xi stood on the side with the cool eye of a bystander. Although she was unconvinced by this boy who was even younger than her, she still paid attention to him. She refused to acknowledge him, but she had to admit that Tang Wulins temperament was better than hers. If she had been the one to take the third rank test instead of him, she would definitely need far more time to calm her heart. After all, the Thousand Refinements was vastly different from the Hundred Refinements. Unless one entered a state of complete focus for the forging, it was basically impossible to succeed. The surveyor said, The third rank blacksmiths test only has one task, complete a Thousand Refinements. You may choose any metal you wish to Thousand Refine, but keep in mind that the degree of your Thousand Refinements and the difficulty level of the metal you choose will determine your final score. Yes! Tang Wulin respectfully answered before he turned around and walked over to the shelf upon which the metals were displayed. I must pass this test! He swept his gaze over the various metals once before taking a chunk of Heavy Silver from the top. Amongst the uncommon metals displayed, Heavy Silver was the one he was the most familiar with. Moreover, it had been the first metal he had ever Thousand Refined and forged. Although it had a higher difficulty than other metals, Tang Wulin was already exceptionally skilled at entering a state of total concentration. He also had an understanding of the Heavy Silvers structure and could communicate with it. When they saw that Tang Wulin had actually chosen Heavy Silver, both Mu Chen and Cen Yue were startled while fury ignited within Mu Xis eyes. This guy is simply too arrogant. Heavy Silver? Even a fourth rank blacksmith wouldnt be confident enough to Thousand Refine it successfully every time. Heavy Silver is an exceedingly difficult uncommon metal! The surveyor warned him kindly, Tang Wulin, are you certain that you want to choose this metal? Although you are able to Hundred Refine Heavy Silver, I must warn you that the Thousand Refinements is completely different from the Hundred Refinements. The difference isnt as simple as just a difference of numbers, but rather, you must infuse spirit into the metal. You need to think about this clearly. I am certain, Tang Wulin calmly responded. From beginning to end, his eyes had never left the chunk of Heavy Silver before him. He clamped the Heavy Silver onto the forging table with practiced movements, then the metal went into the furnace and began to heat up. Tang Wulins breathing was already beginning to adjust to a routine. In that moment, the outside world completely disappeared from his gaze, leaving only the Heavy Silver on the forging table in both his eyes and heart. It was almost as if he could hear the metal breathing within the furnace as it heated. He could feel it thirsting for change, just like him. One hundred tempers to become steel, a thousand forgings enters the soul. Tang Wulin spread his arms to receive his pair of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers, both appearing with a dull gray light into his hands. After all the time he spent forging with these Blood Sacrificed hammers, they had already become an extension of his body. The spiral pattern on the hammers shafts fit perfectly in the hollow of his palm. It felt as perfect as water was harmonious. Mu Chen and Cen Yue had good judgement, so when they saw him take out the Heavy Silver hammers their gazes grew rapt with attention. Just how much did Heavy Silver weigh? In order to have enough to forge a hammer, Hundred Refined Heavy Silver had to be used at the very least. They could clearly imagine how much those hammers weighed, yet Tang Wulin lifted them as easily as a feather. With the hammers in hand, Tang Wulin silently took in the smell of the Heavy Silver calcining. Suddenly, the hammer in his right hand shot out and lightly tapped a button on the forging table. Soon after, the glowing-red Heavy Silver came up from the furnace. Without any sort of prelude, the hammer in Tang Wulins left hand shot out. Ding ding ding! Three crisp notes rang out, resounding towards the blacksmiths present. That ear-splitting boom had been three sounds in one. Sparks flew off the Heavy Silver as well as the hearts of Mu Chen and Cen Yue. Stacked hammers? He actually has forging hammers with the Stacked Hammers effect! Thousand Refined? Are his hammers actually Thousand Refined? Just how heavy are they? How monstrous is his strength? While they stood there in shock, Tang Wulin was already brandishing the hammer in his right hand. Ding ding ding! Another set of rumbling sounds roared. With increasing strength, Tang Wulin swung his Blood Sacrificed Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. His hammers were like howling winds and torrential rains as they continuously smashed the chunk of Heavy Silver. He swung his arms, pounding the metal, causing the entire table to tremble. Yet, he stood as steady as Mt. Tai. Above all else, his gaze never left the Heavy Silver as he continued his single-minded forging. As he forged the Heavy Silver, it gave rise to a familiar voice which Tang Wulin focused on. With each strike of his hammers, Tang Wulin was able to hear the carefree song of the metal. Bit by bit, the impurities were dispelled and the metal grew harmonious on the inside. Under the powerful Stacked Hammers effect of his Blood Sacrificed Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers, the chunk of Heavy Silver reduced in size so quickly that the process was visible to the human eye. Tang Wulins Heavy Silver hammers were incredibly heavy, and with the addition of their Stacked Hammers effect each strike was equivalent to ten strikes from his Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers. In order to ensure success in this exam, he had taken many things into consideration and had come to the conclusion that only with his Heavy Silver hammers could he display his true strength. After Tang Wu Lins three hammer strikes, Mu Xi had already been stunned into foolishly staring at him in awe. As the daughter of a Saint Craftsman how could she not know the significance of the Stacked Hammers effect? Moreover, the effect the hammers had on the Heavy Silver clearly showed just how heavy the hammers were. Even with such heavy hammers, Tang Wulin was able to exercise complete control over them, to the point where they were like an extension of his own body! Just how much strength would one need to be able to accomplish such a feat? But the funny thing was, she had tried to obstruct him in the academy before. Now that he had revealed his forging prowess, regardless of whether it was his understanding of Heavy Silver or his control of strength, she simply couldnt compare with him! Tang Wulin assaulted the chunk of Heavy Silver with his hammers that were like a howling wind and a torrential rain, whilst he himself stood as steady as Mt. Tai, steadily forging the metal. The silver luster gradually disappeared from the Heavy Silver; in its place were deep cloudy lines. Tang Wulins heart was steady and as peaceful as water. In that moment, all other thoughts had been cast to the back of his mind, leaving his heart and soul focused only on forging. This was how he entered a state of complete concentration. His heart and spirit became one as he continued to forge not just the metal, but his spiritual power. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding One perfect hammer strike followed after another without pause, making the Heavy Silver hammers seem as though they were merely a streaking silver light. They unceasingly pounded the chunk of metal, condensing it, compressing it, and purifying it. It had already been three months since he had learned how to Thousand Refine. Since then, this was only the second time he attempted the Thousand Refinements. This was three months of preparation, three months of soul power cultivation, three months of maturing. All of his experiences in these last three months now underwent a catharsis as he forged. Bang bang bang! He finally finished his Thousand Refinements with a strike from his right hammer, causing a three-fold violent boom to resound throughout the room. That chunk of Heavy Silver had already reduced in volume by a third of its original and its dark red coloring was quickly fading away. In its place was an overflowing dark cloudy pattern. Tang Wulin was drenched in sweat as he waved his hammers a bit to disperse their momentum. Afterward, the two hammers disappeared into his bracelet with a brilliant light. The rumbling of metal being forged still filled the chamber, leaving no room for any other sounds. Too fast, he had finished too fast! From beginning to end, he had only taken half an hour to forge the Heavy Silver! A metal as dense as Heavy Silver had been Thousand Refined in half an hour! The surveyor didnt even need to take a look as she already knew from experience that this chunk of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver would receive full marks. The dark cloudy pattern that spread all over the metal was already enough proof. Stacked hammers. He has a pair of Stacked Hammers. Mang Tian is simply too much, Cen Yue exclaimed in admiration. Mu Chens gaze was focused on Tang Wulin, watching his state of total concentration gradually subside. Did you forge these hammers yourself? Mu Chen asked. En. Tang Wulin nodded. It was only after he affirmed it that he began to feel regret, but it was already too late. His mind had still been focused on forging and he hadnt had the strength to think about his answer. Mu Chen laughed. Only something that you forged yourself and used Blood Sacrifice on would be so compatible with you. Congratulations, from this moment on, you are a third rank blacksmith. They didnt need the surveyor to announce his score. In fact, the surveyor was also at a loss as to what to do. With such a high level Thousand Refined Heavy Silver, it would even receive full marks for the fourth rank blacksmiths test. He only had to fulfill a few other skill requirements in order to become a fourth rank blacksmith now. Naturally, the fourth rank blacksmiths test wasnt just on the Thousand Refinements; one had to be able to Thousand Refine three different types of metal in a row. Moreover, the three metals had to be forged into specific forms in order to pass. Thus, it was still impossible with Tang Wulins current strength and soul power. Releasing a long sigh, Tang Wulin somewhat bashfully said to Mu Chen, Thank you, president. Mu Chen spoke with a smile, Dont mention it. Our association didnt nurture you anyway. Everything you possess had been gained through your own strength. Im glad that youre here in Eastsea City. From now on, you are a third rank blacksmith as well as a Grandmaster Blacksmith. Even though I hope you wont grow arrogant, I must still inform you that in the entire history of our continent, you are the youngest third rank blacksmith. Tang Wulin was stunned. It wasnt until now that he understood why his teacher hadnt wanted him to take the third rank blacksmiths test. Mu Chen said, You have brought glory not just to yourself, but also to our Blacksmiths Association branch in Eastsea City. If you have any requests from the association, then the association will do its best to aid you. Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment before raising his head. His gaze gradually grew more and more resolute. President, I want to take a loan from the association. Is that possible? Mu Chen wasnt surprised by Tang Wulins words, he had long since guessed that Tang Wulin had some purpose for coming to take the test so late in the evening. What do you need the loan for? Tang Wulin clenched his fists. I want to become strong. I want to buy some things to improve myself. Thats what I need the money for. Mu Chen asked, Can you tell me what you want to buy? Our Blacksmiths Association still has some influence within the city and maybe we can help you save some money. Tang Wulin went silent for a moment before he spoke. I need a hundred year Ice Crystal Fruit, a hundred year Scarlet Flame Fruit, and ten drops of hundred year dragon bloodline beast blood. Tang Wulin had this brazen idea ever since he had run out of the dining hall. With the current strength of him, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue, it was clear that they were no match for class ones trio of two ring Soul Grandmasters. But if he was able to absorb some of the Golden Dragon Kings soul and gain control of its tremendous power, something which had even caused his martial soul to mutate, then perhaps they would have a chance at victory. He truly wished to become powerful so that he wouldnt be a burden on his teammates! In a weeks time, he had to become a third rank blacksmith and complete as many tasks as possible, then maybe he would have enough money. But he then realized that a third rank blacksmith had many more privileges within the association, thus, he thought to bring up the possibility of taking out a loan. He wanted the absorb the Golden Dragon Kings soul and join his comrades in this crucial match of the Class Promotion Tournament! Mu Chen looked at him with an unfathomably deep gaze. Are you aware that spirit fruits may harm the body? Tang Wulin responded, I know. I am certain of this. Mu Chen nodded. Good then. The association will give you these three things. As for their value, you can complete tasks and slowly pay them off. Tang Wulin stared at Mu Chen. In that moment he only felt a blazing fire ignite within his heart! Geniuses of class one, wait for me! 97 Mu Chen’s Guess Tang Wulin only had to wait less than half an hour before Mu Chen brought out two boxes and a small bottle, placing them in his hands. Treasuring their important weight, he took the three items. Tang Wulin didnt speak as he gave Mu Chen a deep bow. While putting icing on the cake was easy, gifting coal when snowing was hard. To him, these three items were the same as giving away coal when it was snowing! Cen Yue brought Tang Wulin with him to accept a task that could only be completed by a third rank blacksmith and then personally sent him out of the association. Afterward, he moved towards the highest level of the building, the office of Mu Chen the president of Eastsea Citys Blacksmiths Association. Seeing him, Mu Chen smiled. I knew you would come find me. President, we found the three items for him straight away; do you think it was too easy for him to obtain it? If a youth acquires items this easily, they wouldnt know how to treasure it. Furthermore, hasnt the association given him too much preferential treatment? Doing this may not be advantageous to his growth, Cen Yue said with much doubt. Mu Chen grinned. Those three items should be what he currently needs urgently. Didnt you notice? He looked quite anxious today. With his young age, he wouldnt be able to fake these signs. That means that he was in dire need of those three items, but he had some difficulty financially in acquiring them, thus his rush to sit the examination to qualify as a third rank blacksmith. This was so that he could accept tasks of higher rank and hence receive a greater sum of remuneration. I only made use of my authority, and loaned these items to him. With his talent and potential, the association wont incur a loss. This is the first point. Secondly, you would also have noticed that he had completed the third rank examination easily. With your skills as a sixth rank blacksmith, how long would it take you to Thousand Refine Heavy Silver? With your level of soul power and wealth of experience, would you be twice as fast as he is? Cen Yue didnt try to hide his deep thoughts. I cant. I cant deny that this child is a prodigy for being able to be one with the metal at such a young age, and whilst fully concentrated. He hadnt broken out of focus a single time during the entire process. It wouldnt be a problem for him to enter the Spirit Forging realm. Adding on his innate divine strength, even if he was restricted by his soul power, he would be capable of reaching sixth rank blacksmith at the very least. He will definitely surpass Mang Tian. Mu Chen caught a gleam of admiration within Cen Yues eyes. He grinned, saying, Not only you, even Im jealous of Mang Tian as well. He has truly found a genius thats out of this world. This child not only has a strong foundation, but is also very talented. You said that he wouldnt treasure those items because they were easily obtained? Im not worried about that. Its very simple. For him to easily enter that state of concentration and understanding of the metals, it proves that this child has a calmness that surpasses his peers. Also, did you notice that all three items he needed were for increasing his bodys strength? If Im right, the greatest benefit from combining the Scarlet Flame Fruit and Ice Crystal Fruit would be that it promotes his physical strength by constantly forging it under fire and ice. With his innate divine strength, would increasing his physical strength be a bad thing? Blood from a dragon-type beast could be related to his martial soul. His eyes were also full of confidence when he collected those items, so I believe that giving those items to him will give him immense benefits. Actually, the question Im considering is not if the association has given him too much preferential treatment, but rather, what methods should we utilise to assist him in increasing his soul power in the future. Although entering the Spirit Forging realm could be done with his innate divine strength and astounding perception, but to enter into the higher level, the Soul Forging realm, he would require even greater amounts of soul power to be able to support it. As Cen Yue listened to Mu Chens analysis, an expression of admiration formed. He truly was worthy of the title of president. Within a few short moments of meeting Tang Wulin, he was able deduce so much. Mu Chen lifted his head and looked at Cen Yue as he spoke deeply, This childs existence must be kept a secret, we cannot let anybody from the other branches know about him. I am pinning my hopes onto him, so that when he reveals his true colours in the main association in the future, he will bring some glory to our branch. Cen Yue laughed. Please rest assured, president. I have already informed the relevant people. I have always thought that you were impartial, but now it doesnt seem to be completely true. Hehe. Mu Chen gave a sly grin. Im very clear of what Mang Tian was thinking. This Tang Wulin kid, his ability to complete the Thousand Refinements definitely isnt something that had happened recently. It mustve been Mang Tian that told him to hide it, thats why he didnt move up to the third rank during his first examination. Mang Tian was really hoping that Tang Wulin would shock the world with his abilities in the future, eventually becoming a Saint Craftsman in the Soul Forging realm. I have my own hopes as well. In the last thirty years, he is the only child Ive seen who might be able to attain the Heavenly Refinements and become this generations Divine Blacksmith genius! ? Tang Wulin, however, was clueless about the high evaluations Mu Chen had given him. He didnt head back to the academy, instead, he had gone to the forging workshop not far from the association. Tang Wulin didnt know what would happen when he removed the seal. Until now, he was still unsure if the existence within his body was real. This trial would prove everything to him. He didnt want to attract any unwanted attention in the dormitory if something unexpected happened. Wu wu wu Gales howled as the typhoon entered Eastsea City, bringing heavy rain and strong currents of wind along with it. When Tang Wulin rushed into the workshop, it had already become dark and gloomy outside, and a thunderstorm had started. He forced the doors shut and checked the windows. The workshop was undoubtedly a sturdy place in itself. After he had done his checks, Tang Wulin let out a sigh of relief. Despite the endless humming of the wind and the pitter-patter of rain on the windows, Tang Wulin felt something strange inside of him. It was a blessed feeling. Yes! Despite the chaos brought about by the hurricane outside, he was fortunate enough to be able to hide within the solid walls of this small shelter, free from the attacks of the wind and rain. This was something to be blessed about, wasnt it? He took out the three items from the pale blue soul storage ring the association had given him and placed them on the table. Reaching out, he brought a chair towards him and sat down. His heartbeat visibly grew faster. The Golden Dragon King the golden figure spoke of should be real since there had been some strange occurrences in his body, and these three items should be of use in removing the first seal. Tang Wulin opened the first box with great care. The box was made out of exquisite material. Just by opening it, he felt a gush of hot air flowing from the box and into the room, increasing the rooms temperature by a few degrees. It had also chased away the chill Tang Wulin had caught while escaping from the thunderstorm. There was a scarlet colored fruit within the box, and it was a whole circle bigger than the fruit he saw at the auction house. The golden glow it emitted was also denser. Similarly the heat waves coming from the top of the fruit was stronger. A mere look and Tang Wu Lin could imagine how blazing hot the fruit actually was. He quickly opened the second box. With a push to open the lid, he felt a wave of coolness creep from the box, filling the room that had just been warmed up by the Scarlet Flame Fruit. With its chilliness, it brought down the temperature back to normal. Giving off a pale blue glow, the thumbnail sized hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit was resting in the box calmly, emitting a translucent light. Their mere appearances was sufficient in drawing stares and attention. Ice and fire, these two different elemental types had barely offset the others effects and prevented the rooms temperature from fluctuating. But as Tang Wu Lin opened the lid of the Ice Crystal Fruits box, he felt that the light it exuded had grown significantly stronger, as if it were trying to compete with the strength of its shine. What do I do now? Do I just eat them? Tang Wulin was a bit helpless at this moment. He didnt know how he should prepare these two fruits. After he felt the energy emitted from both fruits, he didnt dare to place them in his mouth. President Mu Chen had just told him that consuming spirit fruits would not necessarily bring him any benefits as it might also produce adverse effects. It would be best to ask him then. Tang Wulin shut both his eyes and concentrated hard with all his might. He called out in his mind, Are you there? Ive found the three items, are you there? He didnt even know how to summon the golden figure and this was the only method he could try. There was no reply. Tang Wulin felt somewhat foolish at that moment. Although the process of getting ahold of these two spirit fruits and the bottle of blood of a hundred-year dragon-type soul beast was fairly easy, he would have to pay it back eventually! Could it be that it had been merely a dream? You have found everything? Just then, a calm voice sounded in his mind. 98 Spirit Item Fusion You found everything? When he heard the voice, it was as if a gong had been struck inside his head, causing him to feel a bout of nausea as he once again entered that dark space. The ephemeral golden figure appeared before him. He hadnt entered this world in his sleep this time, but rather, he had entered while completely awake. For him, this confirmed that everything before his eyes was real. I think I have everything. Tang Wulin nervously looked at the golden figure before him before summoning up his courage to say, What should I call you? That golden figure seemed to freeze for a moment, before it slowly answered, You can just call me Old Tang. Old Tang? He wasnt sure why, but when Tang Wulin said this name, a strange feeling stirred within his heart. His family name is also Tang, the same as me? Its just a name. Well then, time waits for no one. I have already sensed the aura of those three heaven and earth treasures. It must have been difficult for you to find them in such a short period of time. Are you ready to break the first seal now? Tang Wulin blinked in astonishment a few times. Do I still need to do anymore preparations? Old Tang profoundly said, You need to prepare many things: endurance, strength, courage, and dedication. When you break the first seal, you will experience unfathomable suffering. This pain may drive you to insanity or cause you to give up. If you dont have the qualities I spoke of, then you will be unable to bear the seals power. If you are driven to insanity, then you may lose all hope of recovering. Startled, Tang Wulin stared at Old Tang. You didnt tell me this last time. Last time you said I only needed to find these three items Old Tang indifferently spoke, Dont tell me you actually thought it would be so easy to undo the seal that is preventing your death? In this world, there is nothing you can obtain without putting in the work. In order to obtain something, you must pay forward an equivalent amount. Regardless of whether this happens in your life or in your cultivation, everything is like this. As a Soul Master, if you dont put in the hard work, to withstand pain and loneliness surpassing others and possess a will stronger than ordinary people, how could you possibly become powerful? The situation you are currently faced with is also the same. The portion of the Golden Dragon Kings soul that is contained within this first seal will fuse with, and transform, your body. If the fusion succeeds, then your strength will increase in every aspect. In the process of fusing with it, the first thing you need to do is endure the pain. Although you are still young, you have no other choice but to do so. Tang Wulin remained silent. Even though he was young, his father had always been instructing him on how to conduct himself. He understood that everything Old Tang said was for his sake. Since I have no other choice, I will definitely succeed. Tang Wulins expression grew resolute as he spoke this. He still wanted to go search for his parents and Naer. He also needed to help his comrades attain victory in the Class Promotion Tournament. If not to become strong, then for what reason had he obtained these three treasures? It was due to these reasons that he didnt cower at all in the face of those risks. Please tell me what I need to do now, Tang Wulin said. Old Tang said, You now need to find a quiet place, a place people wont visit or disturb you for at least several days. After you have done this, you will need some sort of vessel that you can seal. You will put the two spirit fruits into the vessel and pour the hundred year dragon-type beast blood over it. Then you will seal the vessel and wait for the contents within it to calm. Finally, you will drink everything within the vessel. Only then will you be ready to break the first seal. Okay. Old Tang said, After you have done this, I will guide you in breaking the first seal. You must remember, however, that before you take this medicine, you must be in your best state and your heart must be tranquil. Tang Wulin opened his eyes once again and was met with the familiar sight of the forging workshop from before. Similarly, outside the workshop everything was still in chaos from the wind and rain. The hum of the wind and pitter-patter of the rain grew louder and louder. Soon it was accompanied by roaring thunder. It was as if the heavens and earth had been torn asunder. Tang Wulin glanced at the three treasures for a moment before taking out his soul communicator and dialing Xie Xies number. Hello? Wulin, why havent you come back yet? The hurricane has already hit us. Where are you right now? Xie Xies static filled voice fired questions at him in rapid succession. The hurricane was now affecting their communicators transmissions. Tang Wulin calmly responded, Im fine. I finished my business at the Blacksmiths Association before the hurricane struck and now Im taking shelter in my forging workshop. Its too windy and rainy outside so Im unable to return at the moment. Fortunately I can just complete some forging tasks in the downtime. Im calling you to assure you that Im fine. Did you get all of that? Your voice is a bit fuzzy, but I could understand most of what you said. Everything is good as long as youre fine. The hurricane also came at an opportune time. Just wait for this big brother to cultivate hard for the next few days and see if I can make a breakthrough and become a two ringed Soul GrandmMaster. If I can, then well beat up those bastards from class one. Tang Wulin said, Dont get ahead of yourself. Safety is still our number one priority. Xie Xie let out a mischievous laugh. You can be at ease, Ill be fine. Teacher Wu is paying special attention to me. The three of us were originally supposed to undergo special training together, but you didnt come back. Ill cover for you for a couple of days. Just quickly come back once the hurricane has died down a little. En. Alright. After hanging up his communicator, Tang Wulin looked at the window and the door once again. He checked that everything had been locked up before returning to the table. Getting ahead of himself? He was the one getting ahead of himself in his enthusiasm to make a breakthrough. After all, what would he become afterward? It was really easy to find a sealable vessel inside of the workshop. After all, it had been one of the first things he had learned to forge and he could also just quickly forge it if he couldnt find one. He took the metal cup and placed it on top of the table. Do I begin now? No. Old Tang said I must be in my best state. I must be calm and steady. He began meditating and regulating his breathing. He recovered some of the soul power he had expended and gradually stilled his mind. After some time had passed, he awoke from his meditative state with his body in peak condition. Amidst the sounds of the wind and rain, Tang Wulin unhesitatingly got up and put the two hundred-year fruits, the Ice Crystal Fruit and the Scarlet Flame Fruit, into the metal cup. Afterward, he swiftly opened up the porcelain bottle and poured the fishy- smelling dark violet blood into the cup. A powerful wave of energy began overflowing from the cup, causing the entire cup to begin trembling. Tang Wulin hastily covered the cup with its lid, sealing it before holding it close to his chest. A succession of explosions began to rumble within the cup. Tang Wulin nearly let go of the cup as it was scarlet red with heat. The intensity of the rumbling increased even further. The red coloring began to fade and in its place was a layer of frost. He was vaguely able to hear the roar of a dragon within the cup. The Scarlet Flame Fruit and Ice Crystal Fruit were both spirit fruit treasures. After reaching a hundred years, they had already gained a trace of intelligence. Fire and ice were two extremes, and together, a violent rejection would naturally occur. When restrained within the small cup, this violent rejection became even fiercer and the two began to mutually attack the other. The hundred year dragon-type soul beast blood was what increased their effects as well as what brought the two into harmony. These three spirit items mixed together to quietly created a fantastic reaction. Tang Wulin subconsciously drew back a few steps. He had sensed that within the metal cup was a powerful energy that wanted to break free. Its not going to actually explode, right? All of my efforts would go to waste then. Fortunately, the small explosions booming within the metal cup gradually died down. The cup was now intermittently changing between a flaming red and an icy blue color as it calmed. Despite this, Tang Wulin could still sense an immensely powerful energy emanating from within the metal cup. He didnt know where this feeling came from, but it had somehow made its way into his mind. That was wrong. This feeling hadnt come naturally. It was only after he opened the bottle of dragon-type soul beast blood that this feeling came about. Everything he felt was caused by that dragon blood. Old Tangs words echoed within his mind. He didnt dare to delay and hastily stepped forward to pick up the metal cup. Its temperature was oddly normal, merely a bit warm. After unsealing the cup, a reeking, strange smell assaulted his senses, causing Tang Wulin to nearly sneeze. 99 Taking the Spirit Medicine An indecipherable, deep purple liquid bubbled constantly within the cup, like the murky waters of a swamp. With no other choice, Tang Wulin closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, and lifted the metal cup, emptying it. Unexpectedly, the taste of the liquid wasnt as bad as it smelled, and upon entering his mouth, it gave him a miraculously warm feeling. It tasted slightly sweet and fishy and had a tang to it. As if he was consuming a sea urchin, it was both smooth and slimy and stuck to his throat before he swallowed it down. The warmth spread throughout his body, leaving him unspeakably comfortable. Tang Wulin couldnt help but release a sigh. This mouthful had costed him hundreds of thousands of federation coins, and it was already gone! No, it might have been even more than that. Although he didnt personally buy these items, the blood of a hundred-year dragon-type soul beast shouldve been a sought-after item that would fetch a sky-high price. What should I do now? Tang Wulin was dazed for a while, but he sobered up in a flash. Taking two steps back, he sat in a meditative position. He chose to avoid sitting on the chair to prevent the possibility of falling to the ground if something happened during his meditation to cause his body to react. Concentrate, meditate, and circulate soul power. This should be it; by circulating his soul power, he should be able to dissolve the effects of the medicine. Tang Wulin had a thought, how is Old Tang going to help me break the first seal? Suddenly, a strange feeling overcame him from every corner of his body. It felt as though vitality was flowing into his blood, as if steam was rushing out of every pore in his body. This sudden heat left Tang Wulin feeling unbearable, and he could barely remain in his seated position. His temperature rose, his body similar to a furnace. Sweat poured from his body like a waterfall. Tang Wulin couldnt control the heat within him and started trembling violently. A faint golden pattern started appearing on his forehead, growing until they covered his whole body. The golden patterns, in the shape of rhombuses, appeared faint at first, but they slowly grew clearer. Tang Wulins body became as red as acooked prawn. So hot, so hot! Tang Wulin clenched his teeth and persevered, as Old Tang had previously said that he should have strength, endurance and dedication. The weak soul power within him had seemingly escaped his control and began surging throughout his body. Tang Wulin could no longer maintain his state of meditation and felt that his surroundings were turning blood red. Could it be that my body is actually melting? Tang Wulins body trembled, and the golden webs on his body became even clearer. uddenly, the heat disappeared like subsiding waves and with it, the unbearably miserable feeling. After reaching equilibrium, this level of comfort would normally not be reached, but comforting relief from misery would easily cause intoxication. Currently in such a state, Tang Wulin relaxed after going through that agony and felt like his body had been thoroughly exfoliated by the immense heat previously coursing through his body. It left him with no energy; he couldnt even lift up a finger. Without waiting for his mind to relax, a sudden wave of chilliness emerged from his heart and spread throughout his body. Like the heat before, this chilliness circulated right into the depths of his body. The redness that had lingered on his skin was replaced by a pale blue. Tang Wulins body trembled with more violence. The only thing that wasnt trembling as much was the golden webbed pattern. The golden webbed pattern had become even more distinct than before. His body began emitting biting cold instead of extreme heat, the change leaving his clothes in ruin. Torn to shreds, the scraps of clothing fell off his body. Exhausted completely, his mere rank 12 soul power was unable to relieve some of his suffering. It was so cold that his blood would freeze soon. Tang Wulin could only feel his heartbeat falling at an alarming rate, his vision blurring out. Are these the effects of the hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit? Its so painful. Tang Wulin was unaware that with these two spirit fruits of like age, a process called Fire-Ice Body Refining that could be used to increase his physical strength. This was a dangerous process for most, however, as the sudden change from temperature extremes could cause a weakling to collapse. To prevent that, a fruit with balancing properties of higher age was necessary to ensure safety. More importantly, the body refining process required a Soul Master with a significantly higher cultivation to guide and protect the body refiner. To Mu Chen, it was obvious that Mang Tian would help guide Tang Wulin in the process, but he didnt expect Tang Wulin to have consumed all three spirit items by himself, alone. These were hundred-year spirit fruits, and even a Soul Elder with three rings would have been hurt badly in the process, leaving hidden traces of incurable diseases in them. Not to mention the fact that Tang Wulin had merely cultivated to rank 12 soul power. Finally, after an unknown period of time, the extreme cold subsided, and Tang Wulins mental state recovered. Paralyzed, he could only feel numbness throughout his body, as if his body was no longer his. Despite this, he felt strangely clear-headed and could clearly see the patterns of golden webs shimmering brightly on his body, as though his body was wrapped up within a huge web. Old Tang, where are you? What should I do? Tang Wulin thought mentally. But Old Tang didnt reply him at all, as if his existence had always been a mere nightmare. Tang Wulin knew he had no other routes to escape to, so he could do nothing other than allowing these three spiritual items to wreck havoc within his body. At this time, his body regained mobility, and he felt the comfortable feeling once again. He did not let his guard down, however. First was the immense heat followed by extreme coldness; what would be the effects of the dragon-type soul beasts blood? What type of suffering would it be this time? The facts had proven his guess right. Immense heat and extreme coldness were both unbearable, but they were nothing compared to what he felt next. It seemed as if there were tiny ants slowly crawling up his limbs and drilling into his muscles, organs, and bones. Ah! Tang Wulin couldnt bear it anymore and screamed bitterly. He wanted to scratch at the sensations, but his body wouldnt move at all. Even worse was his minds currently exceptional clarity; he could fully experience the inhumane agony. This suffering was too hard to bear with. Why? Why did this happen? Tang Wulins whole body shook violently. Cant take it, I cant take it anymore. If you cant take this, then only death awaits you. If you want to live on, you have to bear this. If you are able to face any sufferings bravely, you will be able to overcome them. Learn to persevere and the doors to success will open to you. Old Tangs voice finally appeared once again, but he sounded sombre this time. Tang Wulins spirit shook. Thats right! I cant give up. If I cant break the seal, I would only be greeted with death. I cant die. There are still many things I have yet to accomplish. I want to be strong. I want to be a powerful Mecha Master and to be able to use a mecha crafted out of the metals I forged myself. I need to search for mom and dad tooand Naer as well. I want to become a powerful Soul Master and a powerful Mecha Master. I want to live on. There are so many beautiful things for me to experience in this world. In his heart, a strong feeling of defiance grew within, and it seemingly reduced his suffering as well as the numbness and itchiness, which retreated from his bones and back to his spine. What Tang Wulin couldnt see was the change in color of the webbed patterns on his body, as it had turned from gold to purple. The purple color didnt stay for long, the patterns shifting back to a gold that shone even brighter than before. It was as if the purplish color had nourished the golden pattern before subsiding thereafter. Tang Wulins numbness and itchiness gradually disappeared as well, and he panted heavily. Feeling returned to his body once again, and he realized that he could move all his limbs. What is happening? Could it be that I have recovered already? Its done? Has the seal been broken? Be prepared; this is just the beginning! Old Tangs icy voice resounded within his mind. This is just the beginning? Three feelingsimmense heat, extreme cold, as well as numbness and itchinesshad all reappeared suddenly without giving Tang Wulin any time to react. At that point, Tang Wulin felt as though he had been engulfed. As he continued releasing his piercing screams, his vision gradually turned white. 100 The Eve of the First Grade’s Decisive Battle Eastsea Academy. The hurricane struck Eastsea City this time with a suddenness, throwing the entire city into chaos. Stores were unable to do business, schools were unable to teach, and communications had been paralyzed. Every single department of the citys administration was completely swamped with work. The hurricane lasted a whole week. At its peak, it was even able to uproot large trees and bring about great destruction to the buildings. Fortunately, it had now passed. After the hurricane, Eastsea City appeared fresher than before. A thin mist created a veil in the air while sunshine sprinkled the earth. Occasionally, the two would combine to create a rainbow off in the clear horizon. Whats going on with that guy? He still hasnt answered his communicator. Maybe the communicator ran out of power and we cant get through to him anymore. Xie Xie currently wasnt in the mood to go outside and appreciate the beautiful scenery. He sat in the teachers building like an anxious cat on a hot tin roof. The reason for his agitation was simple: he couldnt contact Tang Wulin at all. As the hurricane passed by, Xie Xie had been hard at work cultivating under the guidance of Wu Zhangkong and had been able to make a breakthrough. After making this breakthrough, the first thing he wanted to do was tell all of his good friends. Yet, who could have imagined that he wouldnt be able to get through to Tang Wulins communicator. More importantly, today was the day they returned to class yet Tang Wulin was still nowhere to be found. Xie Xie didnt even know where hed gone. Returning to class also meant that the Class Promotion Tournament would resume after! Their opponent was the first grades class one, the class with the strongest new students in all of the academys history! Tang Wulin, this guy, where the hell are you!? Do you know which workshop hes in? Maybe we can go find him in the afternoon? Gu Yues brows were creased and her eyes were full of worry. Xie Xie forced out a bitter smile. I dont have much of an interest in forging, so how would I know where his workshop is? He even called me that day to specially explain that he would be staying at his workshop and he wouldnt have any troubles there! But how come there still isnt any news from him? Could it be that he actually forgot the time? Gu Yues expression was overcast and gloomy as she steadily said, What do you know then? Lets go over to the Blacksmiths Association in the afternoon; maybe his workshop is registered with them. Xie Xie didnt refute Gu Yue for once, but instead nodded his head and agreed. Thats a good idea. Lets go there later. Tang Wulin still hadnt shown up to class, even as it was dismissed at noon. Xie Xie and Gu Yue went to find Wu Zhangkong before they quickly flew out of the campus, heading straight for the Blacksmiths Association. An hour later, however, they left the Blacksmiths Association with gloomy expressions. The Blacksmiths Associations reply had been very simple: any information regarding forging spaces registered with the association was confidential and could not be leaked out. It would only be possible if they had the approval of the government. Moreover, Tang Wulins information was on an even higher level of confidentiality than ordinary blacksmiths. What do we do now? Should we ask Teacher Wu to apply for a government permit and then come back and ask? Gu Yue asked Xie Xie. Xie Xie laughed bitterly. We dont have enough time for that! Its easy to get a government permit, but what were short on is time! Our request definitely wouldnt be approved today while our match is tonight. Im afraid itll be up to the two of us to win this battle. Wulin isnt this type of unreliable person! He must have met with some problem that prevented him from coming. Gu Yue raised her head and revealed a sour expression. We can discuss this after we return. Either way, lets first have Teacher Wu apply for a government permit. Its crucial that Wulin is there for our match. En. A government permit? Wu Zhangkong stared at his two students, his originally ice-cold expression gradually thawing to reveal gloom. Tang Wulin hadnt gone to any of his classes at all and they werent able to find him anywhere. Alright then, you two hurry on back to class first. I will handle this, Wu Zhangkong coldly said. Teacher, then will it just be us two in the match tonight? asked Xie Xie. Wu Zhangkong shot him a glance. Itll just be the two of you. Yes. Xie Xie and Gu Yue returned to class with hearts full of worry and a sour mood. Although the difference between a two versus two battle and a three versus three battle seemed small, and that Tang Wulin was the weakest one among them, they were already accustomed to fighting as a team of three. Without Tang Wulin, it felt as though they were lacking something. Their afternoon classes flew by quickly. Maybe it was because the week-long hurricane had stifled the students for too long, but when they were dismissed today, many of them gathered at the field. In fact, there were even some teachers present. They were all there to watch the match today. Have you heard? This years Class Promotion Tournament is full of prodigies! Class five has actually been having triumph after triumph and have already won three matches! Who knows if this dark horse will continue until the end, though. Stop dreaming. Dont you know how frightening this years class one is? Theyre reputed to be the strongest new students in all of the academys history. Their class actually has three Soul Grandmasters with powerful martial souls! In comparison, the three participants from class five are merely one ringed Soul Masters. With a gap between their soul skills and soul power, they dont stand even a chance. I really want to see how far class one can advance in this tournament. I heard that all of the classes in the second grade are presently feeling the pressure of a great mountain upon their backs. Hehe. Students continuously broke into discussion one after another while the teachers soon arrived in a group. The teacher in charge of the first grades class four, Kong Hanwen, had his gaze stuck to the crowd the whole time, searching for something with a grim expression. Teacher Kong, what are you looking for? The teacher in charge of class three, Ye Yingrong, suspiciously asked him. Kong Hanwen answered, Im looking for that bastard, Wu Zhangkong. Isnt he just too arrogant? I want to see if his students can truly prevail today. Kong Hanwen held back a sigh within his heart. After all, his class had been beaten by Tang Wulins trio, meaning that he was now in charge of the lowest class of the grade. Ye Yingrong let out a gentle sigh. Thats right! This years class one is simply too powerful. I dont think anyone in the second grade can face them either. Even the second grades class one only has two Soul Grandmasters right now. I think this years class one will definitely be able to battle all the way until the third grade in this tournament. Kong Hanwen sneered but remained silent. His purpose for coming today was to see how that Icily Arrogant Prince Charmings face would look after his students lost. Theyre here, Ye Yingrong said in a hushed tone. Kong Hanwen followed her gaze and sure enough, Wu Zhangkong stood with the rest of class five, looking towards the stage. Behind him were two of his impressive disciples, Xie Xie and Gu Yue. What astonished Kong Hanwen, however, was that the pretty boy was nowhere to be found. He seemed to recall that the students name was Tang Wulin. Right when Wu Zhangkong appeared with his class, an uproar began on the other side. The students quickly parted to make a path. A female teacher in her late twenties lead the way enthusiastically. She looked exceptionally similar to Ye Yingrong, with at least sixty percent of their features being the same. She was even a bit prettier than Ye Yingrong, but had an air of arrogance to her. Following behind her were the highly acclaimed, most powerful new students of class one in recent history. Leading the class was a trio of three boys. On the left was the one Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue had met previously, Wei Xiaofeng. In the middle was a tall youth who seemed calm in comparison to Wei Xiaofengs arrogance. He had a maturity that surpassed that of his peers. On his other side was an extremely thin boy, as if he was made of only skin and bones. He carried an expression full of gloom and iciness. Even his aura was gloomy. In fact, he was so gloomy that no one walked behind him. It seemed that no one wanted to even approach him. The two parties assembled on opposite sides of each other on the stage, waiting for the match to begin. Ye Yingrong took brisk steps to the side of that female teacher and greeted in a soft voice, Big sister. 101 Tang Wulin Returns The teacher for class one of the first grade was none other than Ye Yingluo, Ye Yingrongs elder sister and the person whom Wu Zhangkong ruthlessly rejected. Ye Yingluo nodded her head towards her younger sister. Her eyes, however, were involuntarily attracted to the person standing on the other side. She looked at Wu Zhangkong, her eyes a bit complicated. A few days ago, she witnessed the battle between Wu Zhangkong and Guang Biao, and it had etched a deep impression in her mind. But this didnt wipe off the scar that Wu Zhangkong had left in her heart. Which part of me doesnt deserve you? Wu Zhangkong, just you wait. Ill ensure your cheeks will be pressed against the ground, and Ill make that arrogant coldness of yours disappear. Wu Zhangkong felt as though someone was watching him from afar, so he turned around to look. Though Ye Yingluos heart was full of hatred towards him, she involuntarily tried to pose in her best position when he looked over at her. But What was that look of his? Ye Yingluo was infuriated. When Wu Zhangkongs eyes rested on her, they didnt stay at all. Furthermore, his gaze was emotionless when they swept past her, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Bastard! This person, hes still a bastard. Ye Yingrong saw the expression on her sisters face and knew it meant nothing good. She understood this arrogant sister of hers well enough to know that. Ye Yingluo was given the title of child prodigy when she was younger. Her failure in getting accepted into Shrek Academy had devastated her, changing her into a highly temperamental person. Thus, when she had been rejected by Wu Zhangkong, she became like this. Sister, you should know very well that whatever you do wont help. There is no place for us in this mans eyes. To put it plainly, we have never been on the same level as him! Regardless of what you do, it wont change anything. Of course, Ye Yingrong didnt dare voice these words out loud to her elder sister, as she was highly aware that with her elder sisters temperament, Ye Yingluo might go mad if she was told this. Yangzi, help me teach them a good lesson. Ye Ying Luo turned back and barked ferociously at the calm teenager who stood behind her. Yes, teacher. There was a flash of light in the eyes of this teenager by the name of Yangzi before he regained his previously calm demeanour. Director Long Hengxu walked up the stage at this point in time. He first nodded his head to both classes teachers in acknowledgement before he began to speak in a deep voice, This ranking tournament had previously been postponed because of the typhoon. Today will be the fourth match; first grades class five will be competing against first grades class one. First grade class fives Teacher Wu, how many participants from your side will compete today? Long Hengxus mood was very complicated at this point in time. He had wanted first grade class five to be defeated quickly to prevent those black horses from climbing up. Class sorting was a duty of his, so if these participants from class five were still undefeated, he would be very ashamed of his decisions! The academy would then question him on his class sorting decisions. In particular, their audit would be on the possibility of first grade class five remaining undefeated. This would include some leads into the investigation of Wu Zhangkongs methods of teaching, but would ultimately cover his error in the sorting of students into classes. Wu Zhangkongs display of strength and power that day, however, had aided in easing the difficult situation for him. At least, Wu Zhangkongs teaching ability was recognised by most of the school directors. A direct advancement opportunity was thus created for this Teacher Wu into the Advanced Academy. After all, it would be very advantageous for the academy to have someone this powerful within Eastsea Academy. Competitions were rife within academies in every city, especially so within the intermediate academies. In the advanced academies, the sole purpose of these students was to bring glory to their academy by competing against higher ranked academies and winning. As these academies became more renowned, they would naturally attract better students to enroll in their academies. Thus, after what happened that day, Long Hengxu didnt really dare to offend Wu Zhangkong. Our class will have Wu Zhangkong was about to mention that two would be competing from his class when a voice traveled to him from behind first grade class five. Teacher Wu, please wait. Upon hearing this familiar voice, Xie Xie and Gu Yue, who were standing behind Wu Zhangkong, broke out into surprised grins. The crowd parted, and a worn and weary Tang Wulin rushed to the front. His current appearance starved him from others compliments as his hair was unkempt and a pale pallor painted the whole of his face. He appeared to be breathing erratically. Where did you run off to? Why did you only come now? Xie Xie snapped at him. Tang Wulin grimaced as he answered. Its a long story. Lets compete first. Teacher Wu, Im able to battle. Wu Zhangkong looked towards him with an expressionless face and nodded his head before speaking to Long Hengxu again, We have three participants from our class. Long Hengxu replied, First grades class one may select three students to compete as well. Ye Yingluo tilted her head upward. Fine. Long Hengxu spoke again, Participants from both classes, please enter. Gu Yue moved towards Tang Wulins side and whispered, Do you think you can compete? Hows your body? While she could see that there was something wrong with Tang Wulin, his body emitted an aura that further befuddled her. Im fine. Tang Wulin had regained, once again, that grin of confidence from before. Gu Yue nodded her head, Lets win together. Tang Wulin moved to occupy the center position once more. Xie Xie and Gu Yue were positioned behind him as the trio walked together up towards the stage. On the other side, class ones three students entered the stage as well. Im Zhang Yangzi, said the calm teenager in the center. Wei Xiaofeng, weve met a while ago. Wei Xiao Feng reached out his hand and stuck out his thumb before slowly twisting his wrist downward, issuing a provocative move. You! Xie Xie was infuriated and was about to rush up towards him, but was prevented from doing so by Tang Wulin grabbing his shoulder. Xie Xie was shocked as he eyed Tang Wulin. This guys strength grew again! Wang Jinxi. The wiry student from class one introduced himself. Tang Wulin introduced his side. First grades class five, Tang Wulin. Gu Yue. Xie Xie! Xie Xies eyes were brimming with iciness as he stared at Wei Xiaofeng. Long Hengxu observed both teams. There seemed to be a powerful smell of gunpowder even when the match had yet to begin. He scowled as he emphasized again, Let me make myself clear once more. This is a school tournament. In this tournament, there will only be winning and losing, nothing else. No participant shall harm the competitor. If they do so, they will be punished severely by the Academy. Understood! All six of the participants shouted in unison. Good. Prepare yourselves; both sides please step back. Under Long Hengxus supervision, both teams moved back and opened up the distance between one another. Start! The crowd hollered out loud in companion to the directors command, signifying the start of the first grades final match in the tournament. From both sides of class one and class five, Wei Xiaofeng and Xie Xie respectively rushed forward at the same time. They had long decided that the other was an eyesore and had since been unable to tolerate one another, even before the start of the match. At that instance, two yellow soul rings appeared beneath Wei Xiaofengs feet. At the same time, a green ray of light appeared on his body and a small green snake appeared on his shoulder. Comparing this with Tang Wulins tiny earthy snake, Goldlight, his snake was vastly different. This small snake was turquoise in color and had a pair of transparent green wings. Although it looked small, it seemed very powerful. What was even more shocking was Wei Xiaofengs apparent changes. He grew more flexible, and his skin now had a green tint. To be an outstanding student in class one and to be able to maintain that title, Wei Xiaofeng was obviously not an easy opponent. This was naturally demonstrated by his attainment of the two ringed realm at such a young age. His spirit soul was a hundred-year Green Shadow Snake. It was an arduous and expensive task to search for this spirit soul which matched his body completely since his martial soul was the Green Shadow Snake. After fusing with this spirit soul, his enhancements when cultivating grew immediately, and within a short span of time, he advanced from one ring to two rings. However, a hundred year spirit soul could only add two soul rings. After twenty ranks, his speed of advancement would greatly depreciate. Nevertheless, the Green Shadow Snake soul spirit had aided him in building up a strong foundation, allowing his advancement to exceed his peers by far. Wei Xiaofeng was also an Agility System Battle Soul Master, and as he was charging forward, he flickered from left to right, creating illusions of himself. Although he didnt have Xie Xies speed, he seemed to be more agile than Xie Xie. What shocked Wei Xiaofeng the most, however, was the two yellow soul rings beneath Xie Xies feet. His vigor had increased greatly with the appearance of those two yellow rings. 102 The Battle Begins! Tang Wulin noticed that the Light Dragon Dagger in Xie Xies hand had reduced in size by one circle and its light had become dimmer, yet it seemed to have grown more solid. The lines on the dagger were even clearer to see and now carried a terrifying aura to it. Two rings? Theres actually a student in class five with two rings? Despite having just arrived at the sidelines, Long Hengxus mouth was already agape. In comparison to class one with its three Soul Grandmasters, the fact that a Soul Grandmaster appeared in class five was even more shocking. It was an unprecedented event in all of Eastsea Academys history! Long Henxu felt his face heat in pain as though hed been smacked in the face. Oh Wu Zhangkong, Wu Zhangkong. You truly are capable! The whole of class five began to cheer when they saw that there were actually two rings beneath Xie Xies feet. In a flash of light and shadow, the two of them rushing towards the other. With a grave expression, Xie Xie sped up, turning into a golden light, spiraling in an arc towards Wei Xiaofeng and pressing him back. Before they even clashed, Xie Xies oppressive aura made Wei Xiaofeng feel as if he was being chopped up. What powerful soul power! He must have just broken through, while Im already at rank 22! How can his soul power still be so oppressive? Naturally, Wei Xiaofeng didnt know that with his twin souls, Xie Xies soul power was far mightier than others at the same rank. None of the other four remained idle while these two clashed. Tang Wulin didnt immediately release his martial soul, but rather he rushed forward madly, making a beeline for the opponents commander, Zhang Yangzi. Gu Yues figure flickered for a moment before quickly reappearing behind Tang Wulin, as if she were his shadow. Although Tang Wulin only relied on his tyrannical strength and was nowhere near as fast as Xie Xie, he was certainly not slow either. Gu Yue was light as a feather, as if she were a ghost. From beginning to end, she stuck herself to Tang Wulins back. Zhang Yangzi stood there without budging a single inch, as if he paid no mind to Tang Wulins charge at all. Rather, it was Wang Jinxi who moved from his side. Similar to his teammates, Wang Jinxi also had two soul rings. His slim figure seemed to swell a bit, but what had grown in size werent his muscles, but rather, his skeleton. He looked like a bony rack as he raised his arms to let forth a stream of black gas. This He actually has martial soul with the darkness attribute? Wang Jinxi took large strides forward to meet Tang Wulin, his arms extended in front of him the whole time. Two black flames seemed to ignite within his eyes as he advanced. His spirit soul was nowhere to be found and no one knew what it was. Despite this, Tang Wulins expression remained unchanged. A white soul ring appeared underfoot as he raised his arms forward and the little Goldlight slithered out from his shirt collar to expose its tiny head. Of those present, it was only Wu Zhangkong in the audience who noticed that Goldlights head had grown much larger than before. But with its body hidden within Tang Wulins clothing, he couldnt get a clear look at it. A layer of earthen yellow light enshrouded Tang Wulin, causing his figure to appear even thicker than before. His speed, however, slowed down a bit. A red ball of light flew by his shoulder from behind, just barely missing. Surprisingly, it was a fireball! Pow! It struck Wang Jinxis right hand, but in a flash of black radiance, the fireball was extinguished. In the moment following, he began his exchange of blows with Tang Wulin. A face to face battle was the domain of an Assault System Soul Master. Bang! A muffled bang was heard. Tang Wulin came to a stop with a trembling body while Wang Jinxi retreated three steps after receiving Tang Wulins punch. The unmoving Zhang Yangzis face colored with astonishment. He understood how much strength Wang Jinxi possessed, as he had a first class close combat martial soul that made him an excellent Assault System Soul Master. In fact, even he himself could not compare in physical strength with Wang Jinxi. He had been absolutely convinced beforehand that within Eastsea Academys intermediate division and for those with less than three rings, there were few who could compete in strength. After all, Wang Jinxis martial soul was just that powerful! Yet, an unbelievable scene played out before him. A mere one ring Soul Master with a ten year soul ring actually possessed strength that surpassed Wang Jinxis? This was simply inconceivable! It wasnt just Zhang Yangzi who thought this way; Wang Jinxi was equally as shocked at Tang Wulins strength. In the moment when they had exchanged blows, he felt as if he was a lone man facing an unshakable mountain. That tremendous strength of Tang Wulins was something he was completely unable to contend with. He couldnt help but retreat. Gu Yue didnt follow up with another attack, but instead continued to hide behind Tang Wulins back. They still had one opponent who had yet to make their move, so she wanted to conserve her strength. In the moment Tang Wulins fist struck Wang Jinxi, the peculiar feeling within Gu Yues heart grew even further. On the other side, Xie Xie and Wei Xiaofeng were still engaged in an intense clash. Faced with the threat of Xie Xies assault, Wei Xiaofengs first soul ring lit up as he used his first soul skill. His body suddenly became illusory as a series of phantoms appeared behind him. These phantoms appeared unreal as they revolved around him and he blended in among them, making it hard for others to identify the real one. For his Green Shadow Snake martial soul, Wei Xiaofengs first soul skill was Green Shadow Clones. Wei Xiaofengs spirit soul and martial soul backed up his arrogance. With their extreme compatibility with each other, the soul skills he obtained had been a level higher than what other Soul Masters could get. Although these Green Shadow Clones were simply clones, they were nearly identical to the real thing and possessed an illusory air to them. Wei Xiaofengs foot quietly reach out, winding about Xie Xies leg. Could Xie Xie distinguish between the phantoms and the true body? Naturally, the current him couldnt. But he still had means. Wu Zhangkong had taught him that if he ever encountered an opponent with abilities he could not analyze, the best method to deal with them was to fully display ones own abilities. With the use of his strongest abilities, Xie Xie would forcefully break through. Thus, Xie Xie activated his first soul ring, lighting up the Green Shadow Clones for a moment. A radiant golden blade slashed out. Why do I care how many phantoms you have? One attack and Ill know which one is real and which are fake. After reaching rank 20, Xie Xies soul power had reached another realm, causing the might of his Light Dragon Blade to grow substantially. The blade of golden light was just like a crescent moon slashing out. A series of shrill sounds could be heard as the edge of the blade sliced through the wind. Wei Xiaofeng was startled. He hastily pulled back his foot and jumped in an attempt to evade Xie Xies attack. But destroyed phantoms were still destroyed phantoms. When he leapt up in retreat, the phantoms followed right behind him. In that moment, he was revealed. Xie Xie exploded off the balls of his feet, raising his Light Dragon Blade as his body spun, heading straight for Wei Xiaofeng. Wei Xiaofengs Green Shadow Clones were assembled together in a desperate attempt to ward off Xie Xie, but these clones only had ten percent of Wei Xiaofengs strength. Whenever Xie Xies Light Dragon Blade passed by, one clone after another would be crushed. He had broken through Wei Xiaofengs soul skill. The spectators from the first grades class one were dumbstruck. Wei Xiaofeng was actually being caught in this wind? His clones had actually been annihilated with such a brute force method? Only Ye Yingluo was able to identify the problem. Xie Xies martial soul was unusual. At first glance, it would appear to be merely a dagger, but it was far sharper than a dagger and possessed its own innate aura which exerted a level of pressure on Wei Xiaofeng. Wei Xiaofengs usual confidence had been stifled and his full strength couldnt be displayed at all. One blue vine after another shot from the ground to bind Wang Jinxi. At some point in time, a pair of metal hammers had also appeared in Tang Wulins hands. In order to face such a powerful opponent, he couldnt hold back this time. The hammers he brought out were his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers. He could already tell from their previous clash that Wang Jinxis martial soul had something to do with his bones. I dont care what kind of martial soul you have. If I can forge uncommon metals, then why cant I smash your bones? Hou! Wang Jinxi was enraged by the loss he had just suffered in their exchange. Beneath his feet, his first soul ring began to shine and a strange transformation overcame his body. His entire right arm rapidly expanded, especially his hand as his five fingers fused into four extremely thick ones, his fingernails turning pitch-black. This enormous arm of his now gave off a tyrannical feeling. His transformation complete, he threw himself straight at Tang Wulin. Wang Jinxi didnt bother to concern himself with Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass. 103 Golden Palm Although a blue vine twisted around Wang Jinxis body, binding him, in the next moment, a strange scene occurred. The vines came off by themselves as Wang Jinxis body became illusory. At some point in time, Wang Jinxi had activated his second soul skill, the corresponding soul ring shining brightly beneath his feet. He had actually used his soul skills in quick succession. Zhang Yangzi revealed a smile when Wang Jinxi had utilized his second soul skill. Even if its him, itll be difficult for him to defeat Wang Jinxi. It had to be known that Wang Jinxis martial soul was actually a first-rate darkness type soul, the Bone Dragon King! Wang Jinxis martial soul was superior to Wei Xiaofengs in every single aspect. First soul skill: Bone Dragon Claw. Second soul skill: Bone Soul Transformation. Wang Jinxis Bone Soul Transformation could transform a part of his body incorporeal. Although the transformation only lasted for a short duration, he was immune to everything during that time. Naturally, with his current cultivation, he could only turn a quarter of his body incorporeal. Under his meticulous control, the incorporeal part was precisely the parts that the Bluesilver Grass had latched onto. Despite his anger, Wang Jinxi was very cool-headed. Zhang Yangzi had told them before the battle that they couldnt underestimate class five. Naturally, it was because this supposedly trash class had the strength to defeat three classes in a row. As a result, their battle plan was to have Wei Xiaofeng engage one in close combat, while Wang Jinxi went all out, taking care of the other two. Zhang Yangzi was left to clean up. After all, their goal wasnt just to defeat those in their grade; it was much higher than that. They had decided to hide Zhang Yangzis abilities in this battle. Without a doubt, Zhang Yangzi was the core of their team. The gigantic Bone Dragon Claw was already in front of Tang Wulin, spreading its claws wide to grab hold of him. Poisonous darkness came from the Bone Dragon Claw. It possessed an extraordinary strength as it made Wang Jinxis bones ten times stronger and his strength five times greater. Furthermore, the amplification effect would be greater as he continued cultivating. One day, if he managed to attain seven rings and reach the level of martial soul true body, he would be able to transform into the Bone Dragon King and reveal its true body. Even Zhang Yangzis martial soul was somewhat inferior to Wang Jinxis. Ye Yingluo had told them before that if they cultivated to become a seven ring Soul Sage, the strongest among them would be Wang Jinxi. At two rings, although Wang Jinxi could only execute a single claw, he was confident in his chances of winning. Even if he faced a three ring Soul Elder, he would still be confident. Wulin, be careful. Gu Yue moved in a flash, removing herself from Tang Wulins back as a burst of light came from her body. Its fine, you have me. A bizarre radiance appeared within Tang Wulins eyes and grew in intensity as he raised his right arm. He didnt even try to dodge the gigantic Bone Dragon Claw; nor did he use his Bluesilver Grass to ward it off. In fact, the hammer in his right hand had disappeared too. In the depths of his eyes, a golden light flickered. He curled his right hand into a fist and punched straight at the center of the Bone Dragon Claw. By his side, Gu Yue suddenly heard a succession of popping sounds from Tang Wulins bones as an astonishing aura suddenly burst forth from Tang Wulins body. This aura had only appeared for a split second, with only two people on the competition stage reacting to it. Right when Xie Xie was pursuing Wei Xiaofeng, he body went sluggish as he felt an extreme sensation of fear flash from the bottom of his heart. Not only did it slow him down, it also caused him to tremble as his soul power became unstable. The other person who had reacted was naturally Tang Wulins opponent, Wang Jinxi. Although Xie Xie had reacted to Tang Wulins aura, Tang Wulin hadnt directed it at him. Thus, the feelings invoked within Wang Jinxi were far stronger. In that split second, Wang Jinxi no longer saw his opponent as a person, but rather, he saw Tang Wulin as a ferocious beast. His power, which originated from his within blood, suddenly turned into a restrictive force. His tremendous strength transitioned into intense trembling while his claw slowed down. Afterward, he could only stare blankly as Tang Wulin extended his right arm. He grabbed one of the Bone Dragon Claws digits, then exerted a tremendous amount of strength to toss him. How can this be? In the moment that Wang Jinxi had been thrown, regardless of whether it was the students on stage or the spectators and teachers off stage, everyone was dumbstruck at this scene. Long Hengxu had just been preparing to intervene and block Wang Jinxi, fearing that the Bone Dragon Claw would seriously harm Tang Wulin. In fact, he was already rushing forward to intervene when the situation took a drastic turn. Wang Jinxis Bone Dragon Claw had slowed for some unfathomable reason, and in the moment following, he was transformed into a human artillery shell! Only Gu Yue, who had been right by Tang Wulins side, had seen his hand glow a golden color the moment he threw Wang Jinxi. Having seen this, her eyes were somewhat dull. That aura and power It resembles In the depths of her beautiful eyes, an indescribable look of shock flickered. Within her heart, the same question many others were asking appeared: How can this be? But there was a difference between her How can this be and everyone elses. Bang! Wang Jinxi landed in a confused mess in the distance. Despite the disarray he was in, however, he no longer felt that trembling. Wei Xiaofeng was the most fortunate. He hadnt been able to use his second soul skill in time as Xie Xie drew closer, but for some baffling reason, Xie Xie had slowed down. This had given him the chance to quickly put distance between them as he dashed towards Zhang Yangzi. Tang Wulin clenched his fist, his expression radiating with happiness. There really is a chance! Without pause, he threw the hammer in his left hand straight at Zhang Yangzi with a strand of Bluesilver Grass connected to its shaft, quietly trailing behind it. As it shot towards Zhang Yangzi, the hammer gave off an ear-piercing whistle. In a flash, it was right in front of him. At that moment, an ominous green light appeared by Zhang Yangzis side. He felt his body tense up as he was no longer able to move a single inch. Gu Yue had used her control over the wind element to bind Zhang Yangzi. Her binding and Tang Wulins hammer attack had happened in perfect concert. It seemed as if that hammer, which weighed over a hundred kilograms, was unavoidable. Tang Wulin held onto the strand of Bluesilver Grass connected to it. If Zhang Yangzi truly couldnt do anything to resist, then he would stop the hammer at the last second. After all, this was only a competition. A trace of shock flashed through Zhang Yangzis eyes, but there wasnt a single trace of panic. Two soul rings lit up beneath his feet and immediately, the loud cry of an eagle came from his mouth. With a shake of his body, he seemed to have overcome the wind element which trapped him, allowing him to take the single step necessary to evade Tang Wulins hammer. Having released his martial soul, a shadow flew out from his back as a pair of black wings appeared from his back. A flying-type martial soul? Zhang Yangzi flapped his wings and flew into the sky. The astonishing thing was that his body was now pitch black and he had violet eagle eyes. The build of an eagle wasnt too large, but its eyes were exceptionally sharp and vigorous. Rather than attacking Tang Wulin immediately, Zhang Yangzi used his flight speed, which surpassed even Xie Xies speed, to arrive at Wei Xiaofengs side in a flash. His first soul ring lit up, inducing his wings to suddenly grow ten meters in length, and became an even deeper shade of black. He enveloped Wei Xiaofeng and Xie Xie with his large wings. This was When one saw a flying-type martial soul, the first thing one would think of was an Agility System Soul Master. However, Zhang Yangzi had actually used a control-type soul skill! Could it be that he was actually a Control System Soul Master? It was at this moment that Wang Jinxi crawled up. After leaving Tang Wulins vicinity, that feeling of fear and dread within his heart had disappeared. Despite the unfathomable mystery they had encountered just now, he had still known Zhang Yangzi since childhood, hence knowing that he should immediately run toward the area of darkness. This isnt good. Xie Xie! Tang Wulin shouted for Xie Xie. His foot made an indent in the ground as he madly dashed straight at that black area. Along the way, he retrieved his hammer and began spreading his Bluesilver Grass in full force, moving it to cover that area. A green light appeared beneath his feet, lightening his entire body. His speed increased by a margin, but at that moment, a golden light began to shine above that black mass. 104 Bluesilver Whip Under that golden light, the area of darkness dissipated, revealing four figures inside. Light attribute? Off stage, Ye Yingluo was shocked once again. Even Xie Xie having two rings didnt shock her to such an extent. Just what is this class five girls martial soul? Ever since the start of the competition, she has used wind element, fire element, and now the light element. How can she control three elements? This is simply inconceivable. Regardless, it was useless. With Xie Xie besieged by three people, how could he possibly endure? What was truly astonishing, however, was that despite them assembling together, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng were unable to catch Xie Xie in that short period of time. The golden ball of light that shone above the mass of darkness suddenly exploded and began to spin. Amidst the chaos of the lights flurry, a series of clashes could be heard. Xie Xies second soul skill, Light Dragon Storm! Thats right, this was the powerful soul skill Xie Xie had obtained after making his breakthrough. With his body as the axle, he would spin rapidly whilst holding his Light Dragon Dagger, turning the edge of his dagger into the winds of a violent storm that spiraled and slashed at his surroundings. This was a skill that encompassed both attack and defense! It was only by relying on this powerful soul skill that he was able to withstand being attacked by all sides. Tang Wulin had already arrived, once again punching out with his right hand. Just like before, only Xie Xie and Wang Jinxi reacted to his punch. Xie Xies Light Dragon Storm halted for a moment, while Wang Jinxi couldnt bear the pressure at all, his entire body turning rigid. One after another, strands of Bluesilver Grass entered the area, heading out to bind their three opponents. At the same time, the hammer in Tang Wulins left hand furiously smashed at Wang Jinxi. Zhang Yangzi moved quickly, but with Wang Jinxis rigid body, it was easier for Tang Wulin to fight. A green light wrapped around Wang Jinxis waist and in the next moment, three shadows retreated back together. A black shadow helped open up a distance between them. It was Wei Xiaofeng who had grabbed Wang Jinxi. His right leg seemed boneless as it continued to bend at impossible angles. The three of them retreated while Xie Xie stopped his soul skill, regrouping with Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. The battle returned to a three versus three. Good, very good! Zhang Yangzis face was colored with excitement, but his battlelust and confidence took precedence. Xie Xie was gasping for breath beside Tang Wulin. He stole a glance at his teammates. He didnt know why, but from beginning to end, he felt a terrifying aura coming from Tang Wulin. Are you okay? Tang Wulin whispered. Xie Xie shook his head. Ive used quite a bit of soul power, but I can still persevere. He wasnt the only one alarmed by Tang Wulin. The opposing Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin as if he were a monster. He was flabbergasted by Tang Wulin, but more than that, he was terrified of him. Whats going on? How come I cant control my martial soul when I face him? Wang Jinxis mind overflowed with questions. Zhang Yangzi said, Very good. Youre even stronger than we thought. Still, it is only till here. The three of us have grown up together, become Soul Masters together, and cultivated together. Well let you see our coordination next. As he spoke, the two wings on Zhang Yangzis back unfolded once more. The black light suddenly strengthened, hiding the three of them within it. The corner of Gu Yues mouth curved into a smile. Darkness attribute control, huh? She pulled Tang Wulin back, preventing him from rushing forward as she took two steps forwards herself. Standing in front of their opponents, a yellow ring glimmered beneath her feet. In that moment, it seemed as if Gu Yues eyes had begun to shine. A faint silver light flashed in the depths of her eyes as she raised her right hand. Suddenly, a golden light burst into life above her palm, as if she were holding a miniature sun. An overwhelming radiant aura rushed forth from her. Xie Xie was alarmed. In the instant that Gu Yues light element shone, his whole body felt an indescribable feeling of comfort, helping him recover his spent soul power. As Xie Xies Light Dragon Daggers were of light attribute and his Shadow Dragon Daggers were of space attribute, basking in this golden light would naturally feel extremely comfortable. Zhang Yangzis Curtain of Darkness received the lights attack, immediately diminishing as the three figures within were now faintly discernible. A blazing red light followed the golden light, fusing to create a golden-red flame that ignited Gu Yues surroundings. Element fusion? Ye Yingluo gaped at that one-ringed girl on stage. A genius. She is absolutely a genius! Although I dont know what her martial soul or soul skill is, for being able to merge the two elements of light and fire at such a young age, even the word genius isnt enough to describe her! As the Curtain of Darkness approached the golden-red flame, it began to melt away, just like snow. It was impossible for it to come any closer. Right at that moment, a Bone Dragon Claw shot out of the Curtain of Darkness with lightning speed, heading straight for Gu Yue. Following the Bone Dragon Claw was a figure surrounded by several large green snakes. There were six in total, their mouths wide open as they revolved around the Bone Dragon Claw. Unlike the Bone Dragon Claw, the snakes went around Gu Yue and shot towards Tang Wulin and Xie Xie in an attempt to bite them. Devouring Green Shadow! This was Wei Xiaofengs second soul skill. A golden-blue vine pulled Gu Yue back while the golden-red radiance spread across all of their bodies, covering them in a layer of light. This light warded off that darkness while Tang Wulin controlled his Bluesilver Grass to attempt a binding once more. Suddenly, Xie Xie exploded forward with great speed. In that moment, his entire body seemed illusory as light and shadow flickered upon his Light Dragon Dagger, creating an even brighter light that met the Devouring Green Shadow head on. None of the snake heads were able to press their assault. As Tang Wulin pulled Gu Yue back behind him, he moved up to face the Bone Dragon Claw once more. He smashed apart a snake head with his left arm while his right arm turned golden again as he threw a punch to meet the claw. The Bone Dragon Claw withdrew, and in its place, a black figure suddenly shot out toward Tang Wulin. The light and fire elemental light covering Tang Wulins body clashed with that black figures black light, causing an explosive boom. He nimbly avoided Tang Wulins right arm and landed a punch on Tang Wulins stomach. This black figure arrived too suddenly; Tang Wulin hadnt been able to react at all! With regards to speed and combat techniques, he was far inferior to Xie Xie, and that black figure had cunningly avoided the Bluesilver Grass covering the ground! It cant be avoided! Tang Wulins eyes twinkled as his Heavy Silver hammer once again appeared in his right hand. Since it cant be avoided, then I wont try to dodge at all! His hammer smashed into that darkness, warding off his opponent. Pu! A punch landed lightly on Tang Wulins body while his hammer swept past. What was strange, however, was that the black figure, after being struck by his hammer, unexpectedly fell apart and scattered into countless black lights. Seeing this, a chill rose from within his body and numerous bones began popping as he was overcome with a cold trembling. Not good. I fell into his trap. Zhang Yangzis second soul skill, Shadow Clone, created clones of himself that possessed half of his combat strength. Anything hit by the clones would be infected by the corrosion of darkness. Their soul power would be unceasingly devoured and their body would corrode. Right at that moment, Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass finally managed to penetrate the mist of darkness. Tang Wulin groaned as he resisted the corrosion within his body and suddenly exerted all of his soul power. A strand of Bluesilver Grass abruptly rose into the air, flying towards that curtain of black light. It didnt bind, but rather, it was a Bluesilver whip! That soft-looking Bluesilver Grass suddenly turned tough in that moment. It covered the Curtain of Darkness, striking towards the interior. Even if it was that Bone Dragon Claw, it still would have been driven aside. For a moment, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng suffered from the move, causing them to stagger backwards at different degrees. Who would have imagined that the weakest-looking Bluesilver Grass with a measly ten year soul ring could actually exert such power! Zhang Yangzi had relaxed a bit when hed successfully attacked Tang Wulin, and as a result, he fell prey to this strand of Bluesilver Grass. It whipped him, sending a scorching pain throughout his body. Wei Xiaofeng also suffered at the hands of this whip, making him to lose control of his Devouring Green Shadow. Wang Jinxi, however, had relied on his powerful body to endure; but was still trembling from the pain of the whip and couldnt help but stagger back. 105 Gu Yue Erupts Are you okay, Wulin? Gu Yue gently pressed a hand onto Tang Wulins back, causing light attribute soul power to enter him. A wave of warmth suffused through his body, lessening the discomfort. Im fine. Tang Wulin sucked in a deep breath. Although there was still some chilliness and pain within his body, it was nothing compared to what he had experienced these past few days. If that previous pain had made him want to die, then the current pain was just like having an upset stomach. When Zhang Yangzi saw the condition Tang Wulin was in, he was startled. Despite being hit by his Shadow Clone and being weakest of his group members, Tang Wulin was still able to stand tall. Just what kind of situation was this? You can go die! Gu Yue suddenly shouted. Before Tang Wulin even had a chance to grab her, shed already rushed forward. Gu Yue suddenly accelerated, a green light flickering around her body. As she sped towards them, she motioned with both her hands, shooting a fireball and an icicle towards her three opponents. While her attack shot towards the opposing trio, the green light covering her body shone brighter and brighter, her eyes growing clearer. After the fireball exploded, her hands had already taken on an icy-blue color. Then, when the icicle shattered, that icy-blue light began to blend with the green light. A chaotic gale screamed through the air, and the spectating students and teachers were reminded of the turbulent hurricane that had swept past just recently. In a short period of time, the wind and ice had already grown into a tornado five meters in height and one meter in diameter and quickly advanced towards Zhang Yangzi and his teammates. The temperature onstage plummeted as the ice shards within the swirling gale became sharp blades that cut through the air, releasing waves of ear-piercing screeches. The opposing trios expressions soured. Wang Jinxi was the first to take the initiative and act as the vanguard, while the other two used their soul power to protect their bodies. Evade? The entire stage seemed to be under the control of this miniature tornado as it drew them into its center. Their speed had also been cut in half, making it basically impossible for them to escape its range. Long Hengxu looked upon the stage with a dumbstruck expression once again. This, this is the soul skill of a one ring Soul Master? Can a Soul Elder with a thousand year soul ring even achieve this? Blizzard! This was a combination of ice and wind. Among the trio from class five, the strongest one wasnt Xie Xie, who possessed both twin martial souls as well as the greatest soul power among them; rather, it was Gu Yue. Gu Yue had never used her true strength until this match. Today, however, Tang Wulin had been injured by their opponents, incurring her wrath. Thus, shed cast her strongest elemental attack. After creating her blizzard, however, her face became deathly pale, her body tottering on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, Tang Wulin gently held and supported her, preventing her fall. Constant collisions were heard from within the blizzard as it tore through the trio from class one. A twinkling light could vaguely be seen within the blizzard, indicating that they still had enough soul power to defend themselves. Xie Xie grasped his Light Dragon Dagger tightly as a light gleamed within his eyes. He had faced the blizzards might long ago and clearly understood just how formidable Gu Yue was. As an Agility System Soul Master, he was afraid that even after obtaining a second ring and with the advantage of his twin martial souls, he wouldnt be able to withstand the power of Gu Yues blizzard. If he were forced to face it, then he would have to prepare in advance and run far away. Although he frequently quarreled with Gu Yue, he still respected her for her strength. The blizzard persisted for a full ten seconds before it began to disperse. In the end, the temperature of the stage and its surroundings had dropped drastically. The figures of Zhang Yangzis trio gradually appeared from within the dispersing blizzard. Standing at the front was Wang Jinxi, his clothes in tatters and his body covered with bruises. Fortunately for him, he had blocked his face with his arms, saving him from having his face disfigured. Zhang Yangzi and Wei Xiaofengs situations were somewhat better, but their faces were still pale. Their soul power was depleted after enduring that blizzard. The spectating students perception of Gu Yue had changed. They all wondered, Is she really a new student? Just how powerful will she become in the future? Light Dragon Dagger in hand, Xie Xie walked over to their opponents and said, Concede defeat. Everyone could see that the opposing trio had used up at least half of their soul power and had been injured to varying degrees. Long Hengxu also approached, prepared to stop the match at any moment. Even though he didnt want to admit it, Gu Yues strength was simply too terrifying. He finally understood why that arrogant Wu Zhangkong had wanted to accept her into his class. Long Hengxu had been the pig-brained one! We still havent lost. Zhang Yangzis gaze was just as sharp as before, but these words were barely audible from behind his gritted teeth. Wei Xiaofeng gave him a look, before saying hesitantly, Do you really want to Zhang Yangzi resolutely looked at him, We cant lose. Jinxi, come! Wang Jinxi suddenly straightened his back, releasing a roar towards the sky as a powerful black aura overcame his body once again. A light of ridicule flashed through Xie Xies eyes. They still want to overturn the heavens in their current situation? In a flash, he began advancing on Zhang Yangzi. After all, Zhang Yangzi was the core of their team. But right at that moment, a dark figure appeared. With black light spraying from its mouth, it obstructed Xie Xies attack and slowing him down. Afterward, Xie Xie was shocked to see that Zhang Yangzi had flown behind Wang Jinxi and was now holding him by the waist. A deep dragons roar and the cry of an eagle resounded throughout the stage. At that moment, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxis bodies became a pitch-black color, like ink. Then, they began to undergo a sort of bizarre fusion. Zhang Yangzi turned into a black light, quietly merging into Wang Jinxi and becoming a pair of wings for him. Wang Jinxis body began to grow. A large tail emerged from his tailbone, while his two arms became Bone Dragon Claws, his aura soaring. Screw off! Wang Jinxi bellowed with a deep voice, slashing out with one of his Bone Dragon Claws. Xie Xie attempted to dodge, but a black light appeared around him and made him feel like he was trying to struggle free from a swamp. This black light had appeared too suddenly for Tang Wulin to rescue Xie Xie with his Bluesilver Grass. The only thing Xie Xie could do was defend himself with his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger as he was sent flying through the air. In the air, a spray of blood escaped Xie Xies mouth, and Tang Wulin could hear fractures come from Xie Xies arms. Xie Xie! Tang Wulin dashed over and caught him. Xie Xies eyes were shut tightly, having already lost consciousness. His Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger began to fade away with his weak aura. You bastard! This is only a match! Tang Wulin snarled as he recklessly charged towards that Bone Dragon. As he charged forward, a layer of golden scales began to cover his right arm starting from his fingertips. His arm seemed to grow thicker by a whole circle. Tang Wulins pupils had already turned golden, and when he suddenly stomped with his left foot, it unexpectedly caused a boom. He exploded forward like an artillery shell, shooting straight towards that transformed Wang Jinxi. Wang Jinxis body was far different than before. With a flap of his wings, his over two meter tall body ascended into the air. Then, with a simple twist of his body, he whipped his tail at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin opened his mouth, releasing a puff of black gas. His right hand suddenly grew larger and his fingers grew longer, taking on the form of a dragons claw. But it was different from Wang Jinxis Bone Dragon Claw; Tang Wulins dragon claw had five claws. Bang! Tang Wulins Golden Dragon Claw violently clashed against that air-twisting Bone Dragon tail. A golden light flashed on the tail before Tang Wulin was flung into the air from the force of the collision. In midair, Tang Wulin curled his body, then used the Bluesilver Grass he had wrapped around the Bone Dragon to pull himself back towards it. The Golden Dragon Claw descended once again, but this time, towards Wang Jinxis head. Wang Jinxi brought his two claws together, swatting at Tang Wulin. But at that moment, Tang Wulin released an ear-piercing dragons roar. 106 Golden Dragon Claw A faintly discernible golden ray of light appeared from his body for a split second, causing Wang Jinxis Bone Dragon Claw to immediately slow down. The Golden Dragon Claw smacked down at his head. Stop! Long Henxu and Ye Yingluo shouted out simultaneously. But at the moment, Tang Wulins mind was only filled with rage over the sight of Xie Xies injuries. With his Golden Dragon Claw attacking at full strength, it was impossible to stop now. Right at that moment, a slender arm noiselessly appeared and touched Tang Wulins right arm, softly pushing it aside. The Golden Dragon Claw that was originally heading towards Wang Jinxis head was deflected and smacked his right claw instead. Bang! Despite being several times bigger than Tang Wulin at this moment, Wang Jinxi was smashed into the ground, while Tang Wulin landed softly on the other side due to the counterforce. Enough! A cold voice rang out. Just like the morning bell and the evening drum, it caused Tang Wulin to wake from his rage. Wu Zhangkong stood beside him, holding the injured Xie Xie. Wang Jinxis Bone Dragon Claw was snapped at an angle as it lay on the ground, while his tail clearly had a fracture where Tang Wulin had struck it. At that moment, a black light separated from Wang Jinxis transformed body. When the two kids returned to normal, they released miserable shrieks of pain. Zhang Yangzi lay on the ground, both of his legs broken, while Wang Jinxis right arm had fractured, bent at an impossible angle. The two of them couldnt help but utter screams of intolerable agony. This match had developed into something so tragic that none had expected it. Teacher Wu, how can you allow your students to be so violent? Ye Yingluo flew onto the stage, finger pointed at Wu Zhangkong as she snarled the accusation. Wu Zhangkong said to Tang Wulin, Go. From beginning to end, he didnt spare a glance for Ye Yingluo. Ye Yingluo wanted to chase after him, but Wu Zhangkong suddenly released a sharp ice-cold aura which caused her whole body to freeze up as she felt the sensation of death. After Tang Wulins arm returned to normal, a wave of weakness came over him. Even though he had puffed out a mouthful of the black gas earlier, some still remained of that ice-cold feeling within the pit of his stomach. Following behind Wu Zhangkong was Gu Yue, who was looking at Xie Xie in Wu Zhangkongs arms. Together, the three of them got off the stage. Long Hengxu remained onstage with a gloomy expressionas if his face was dripping with water. This time we have a major situation. In this Class Promotion Tournament, three students had been seriously injured and as the referee, he had to take responsibility! This was a major situation that hadnt happened for many years. Wu Zhangkong brought Xie Xie directly to the infirmary to have a teacher with a recovery-type martial soul inspect his body. Fortunately, it was only a fracture. Although his two arms had suffered some minor fractures and these injuries couldnt be considered light, his body was fine for the most part. His internal organs had only been shaken up a little, so he only needed some time to rest and recover. The dark energy within Tang Wulin was also dispersed by the teacher. Teacher Wu, I Tang Wulin looked at the silent and ice-cold Wu Zhangkong, wanting to explain himself. You dont need to say anymore as you didnt do anything wrong. You two just hurry up and go back and rest, Wu Zhangkong indifferently said. Oh. Then Xie Xie? Tang Wulin hesitantly asked. I will be here. Wu Zhangkong gave him a look. At that moment, Tang Wulin suddenly felt that this ice-cold teacher wasnt so cold after all. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue left the sick bay with complicated expressions. Xie Xie had broken both of his arms; this was definitely a serious injury. Tang Wulin was full of guilt. If he had been fast enough to pull Xie Xie back with his Bluesilver Grass at that moment, then Xie Xie wouldnt have suffered such serious injuries. He had been too careless as the team captain. Dont think about it too much. Gu Yue turned and said to Tang Wulin, None of us had expected a situation like that. If my guess is correct, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had used a soul fusion skill. Supposedly, soul fusion skills are nearly impossible to see nowadays in the world of Soul Masters. It can only appear if two martial souls are exceptionally compatible with each other. Soul fusion skill? Tang Wulin had heard a bit about them in class. If two Soul Masters had martial souls that were compatible enough, then they had the possibility of using a soul fusion skill, one of the strongest types of techniques. Soul fusion skill effects didnt add the strengths of both sides, but rather, it multiplied the strength of the two Soul Masters! What I am curious about is how you are able to defeat them, even if their soul fusion isnt perfect! Your right hand Gu Yue looked inquisitively at Tang Wulins right arm. Tang Wulin went silent for a moment before he gently shook his head. Gu Yue, were friends, so I dont want to lie to you. But I really cant tell you about it. So, please dont ask, okay? Gu Yue pondered over it for a moment before giving him her reply, Fine then. I wont ask, but you must learn to control your power. It seems to be very formidable, but such great power also requires great control. It seems that during the week of the hurricane, a change occurred in your martial soul. That was right! A change had indeed appeared. Moreover, it was an extremely powerful change. Tang Wulin thought back to when he had taken those spirit medicines and attacked the seal afterward. ? Intense pain. Pain so intense that Tang Wulin couldnt even be bothered to take in the changes around him anymore. Chill, heat, itchiness. These three sensations replaced each other frequently in what seemed like an endless cycle. And when he thought it was over, he began to feel all three at the same time. The only reason he had been able to succeed was by clinging onto his sense of existence. Regardless of how intense the pain was, he never gave up in his heart. This was the reason he had been able to surpass his limits. After some time, he grew muddle-headed. At that moment, he could vaguely see that his body as well as his surroundings had turned golden. The golden veins within his skin came alive, slowly creeping up his body. With a clanging sound, it seemed that something within his body had been torn to shreds. At that time, he still didnt understand the meaning of pain. Suddenly, an indescribably powerful and fantastic energy drilled into every single corner of his body. Cold, heat, itchiness. All disappeared. In its place was a feeling of being bloated. His bones, meridians, viscera, and skin all felt as though they had inflated and would pop at any moment. This, this is the seals energy? In that instant, Tang Wulin no longer doubted Old Tangs words. The energy that was sealed from the Golden Dragon Kings soul could definitely cause his body to explode if his body wasnt strong enough. Faced with the assault of such tyrannical energy, he was afraid that his entire being would shatter. The pain from that feeling of bloatedness gradually reached a peak before receding. He had survived and hadnt blown up. In that moment, Tang Wulin was sure that he was fine. Is the seal breaking done? His mind gradually relaxed as the pain receded, until finally, he lost consciousness. The golden veins along Tang Wulins body broke apart, becoming tiny specks of light that moved away from his body while the golden veins on his vertebra became even clearer. Gradually, the golden veins reappeared on his body, but this time they were much more prominent and deeper in color. The golden specks of light slowly merged with his right arm, while the rest of his body underwent an imperceptible transformation. After surviving the onslaught of the seals energy, he now had to assimilate it and undergo a transformation. The little Grass Snake, Goldlight, slithered onto Tang Wulins body. It lazily curled up atop his body, the golden lines on its skin now closely resembling those on Tang Wulins. Goldlight trembled slightly, as if it was experiencing tremendous agony. Its trembling, earthen yellow body gradually turned golden as it grew longer and larger. It no longer looked as weak and frail as before. A strand of Bluesilver Grass quietly appeared within the palm of Tang Wulins right hand. The golden veins along its body no longer seemed as illusory as before, but rather, a golden light could clearly be seen within. This vine-like grass was now taller and straighter, no longer seeming as delicate as it had been. 107 A Pleasant Surprise in the Future? When Tang Wulin woke up, his entire body felt relaxed and at peace. All of the previous pain and suffering had vanished. The first thing he did was enter his minds spiritual world. You have awoken. Old Tang rejoiced. I succeeded in breaking the seal? Tang Wulin asked. En. You have succeeded in breaking the first seal and have absorbed the Golden Dragon Kings soul. All things begin with hardship, so this first breakthrough can be considered you laying down your foundation. After some time passes, you will experience more and more of the benefits from this breakthrough. Tang Wulin impatiently asked, What kind of benefits? Will my soul power increase by a lot? Old Tang said, No. The Golden Dragon Kings soul will mainly affect your body. Though there will be some improvement to your soul power with each broken seal, it will not be as significant. The important thing is that your body will transform under its influence, gradually gaining the strength of the Golden Dragon King. After breaking through your first seal, you now possess a trace of a dragons might. In the future, when facing dragon-type beasts that are inferior in rank to the Golden Dragon King, you will be able to suppress them with your dragon aura. Naturally, the larger the gap in cultivation between you and your opponent, the weaker the effect will be. Secondly, the part of the Golden Dragon Kings power you have absorbed is its right hand. After you have thoroughly absorbed this piece of its soul, you will be able to transform your right hand into a dragons claw. The Golden Dragon Claws strength is tremendous, and it also possesses a special property that is, crushing. Simply said, there is almost nothing it cannot overcome. Assuming the hardness of the object is within a certain range, anything you attack with your Golden Dragon Claw will definitely be broken. After you break through more seals in the future and fuse with more of the Golden Dragon Kings power, the benefits you receive will be even greater. Do not lightly use the Golden Dragon Claw, however. Although it is now a part of your body, using it will still consume an enormous amount of your soul power. Golden Dragon Claw? I can control the Golden Dragon Claw now? Tang Wulin unconsciously looked toward his right hand. With a single thought, his right hand transformed and a layer of golden scales began to cover it, but that was the extent of the current changes. Dont be so anxious. You still need some time to absorb the Golden Dragon Kings soul before you will be able to use it. Alright then, onto the second seal now. You must undo the seal before you turn fifteen. To do this, you will need to find or purchase four different heaven and earth treasures. I will brand their descriptions into your mind. Oh, and one more thing. If you are able to break the second seal, there will be a pleasant surprise for you. A pleasant surprise? Tang Wulin wanted to ask what it was, but Old Tangs figure was already fading away. ? When Tang Wulin returned to his dorm, Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi were already there. How is Xie Xie? asked his two roommates as they hurriedly got up. Tang Wulin answered with a hint of anger, Im afraid that hell be forced to rest for a while so that he can recover. But you know, Id never have expected them to be so fierce. It was just a competition after all! Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi exchanged a glance before Yun Xiao let out a few small coughs and said, Your moves werent light either. Both of Zhang Yangzis legs were fractured, and Wang Jinxis right arm was also broken. I also heard that Wei Xiaofeng was so scared of you that he pissed his pants. Tang Wulin was stunned. Now that he thought about it, it did seem that Zhang Yangzis legs had turned into Wang Jinxis tail when they were in their combined form. That must be how his legs had fractured after suffering Tang Wulins dragon claws crushing property. He had not noticed because they had truly been in a desperate situation at the time. In hindsight, however, when he had struck the fused form of Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi, they had continued to move despite their somewhat sluggish motions. It seemed that their soul fusion skill was still far from perfect. Moreover, after the fusion, the suppression from Tang Wulins dragon might on Wang Jinxi had clearly lessened. If their fusion was perfect, then Tang Wulin was afraid that he wouldnt have been able to achieve victory in the end. The Golden Dragon Claw increased the strength of his right hand explosively, but it also had its limits. From his estimations, it could only double his strength at the moment. The crushing property was still the most important part. Who did the director declare the winner in the end? Tang Wulin asked. Yun Xiao shook his head. He didnt declare a winner. Long Hengxu had a truly ugly expression as he was arranging your treatments. But even so, everyone could see that if Teacher Wu hadnt stepped in, those two guys would have been crippled by you. I never expected you were still hiding such strength. So what is your right hand? Tang Wulin bitterly smiled. A variation occurred in my martial soul. Im not sure what exactly it is either. Anyway, Im going to go meditate now. The bitterness of this competition left a profound impression on his heart. At this moment, his heart was full of regret from his impulsive actions at the end. I hope theyre fine. Fortunately, we won the match, so we should be class one after the tournament ends. Since he had to rush over to the match as soon as he woke up from absorbing the Golden Dragon Kings soul, he hadnt had any time to rest until now. As his body relaxed, he quickly entered a meditative state where he was isolated from everything. ? The presidents room. How did this happen? With a grave expression, Yu Zhen looked at Long Hengxu from across the desk. Long Hengxu forced out a bitter smile. The new students this time are truly prodigies. It was my fault; I wasnt able to stop them in time. I take full responsibility for this. But I must say, the new students this year are absolutely outstanding geniuses. If we can guide them properly, they will definitely become the pillars for Eastsea Academy in the future. The reason todays match had gone out of control was because at the very last moment, two Soul Grandmasters from class one had used an incomplete soul fusion skill. Their soul fusion skill is most likely an exceptionally powerful one that requires them to have at least three rings to be able to use to its full extent. Soul fusion skill? Yu Zhens eyebrows rose in excitement, a light of surprise flashing through his eyes. In his delighted surprise, his anger had weakened a bit. Yes, a soul fusion skill. Although it isnt complete yet, its strength was able to break both of Xie Xies arms. Whats even more shocking is what happened afterward. A one ring Soul Master with a ten year soul ring from class five suddenly exploded in power. His right hand transformed into a dragon claw. With two attacks of his claw, he was able to break through the soul fusion skill. Fortunately, he was stopped just in time. Otherwise, he might have crippled the other students. Yu Zhen was startled. A one ring Soul Master who can transform his right hand and use it to defeat the soul fusion skill of two Soul Grandmasters? Are you trying to tell me a fairy tale? Long Hengxu sighed. Im finding it hard to believe as well, but it is a fact. Over a thousand students and teachers witnessed it. This isnt something I could make up even if I wanted to! If you dont believe me, then you can go investigate it yourself. In my opinion, that Tang Wulins variant martial soul is likely a body martial soul from the legendary Shrek Academy! Yu Zhen was suddenly terrified. What did a body martial soul mean? A body martial soul combined with a mecha would undoubtedly create a shining genius! The two words, Shrek Academy, were enough to fill the eyes of Eastsea Academys president with a light of reverence. If thats true, then we can pardon the situation today. After all, it was just too unexpected. Director Long, write a detailed report on this matter for me. Long Hengxu said, Tang Wulins martial soul was originally the trashy Bluesilver Grass, but if a variant body martial soul appeared within him, then it might mean he has twin martial souls. Then he wouldnt be trash anymore, but a genius. President, I have a proposal. What is it? Yu Zhen suspiciously eyed him. Long Hengxu bitterly laughed. With the condition the first grade is in at the moment, I dont think it would be fitting for the Class Promotion Tournament to continue. From what Ive seen today, I dont think the second grade, no, not even the third grade could stand up against their might. These students might not necessarily be a good thing. As such, I think we will need to give these new students special treatment. What kind of special treatment? 108 Pondering the Golden Dragon Claw Long Hengxu said with sparkling eyes, With geniuses such as them, an ordinary teacher wouldnt be enough. As such, lets establish a special class in addition to the five classes we already have. The geniuses of this class will have the academys strongest teacher to guide them from the intermediate division all the way into the advanced division. That way, theyll spend at least eight, no, nine years in the academy. As long as we guide them properly, the shining future of our Eastsea Academys success will be just around the corner! Yu Zhen pondered over it for a while. He had to say that Long Hengxus words moved him. A special class for cultivating geniuses with the backing of all of the academys resources With this years new students and their unique talents, this proposal would give the academy a chance to truly shine in the future. If that happened, then the academy would be able to recruit even more talented new students. He envied those first-rate academies in major cities that were able to recruit students from all over the federation. This was exactly one of the reasons why the strong stayed strong. Although Eastsea Academy was in a major city flourishing with business due to the oceans resources, many students were still dissuaded from picking the academy due to its location in a corner of the continent and the nature of the surrounding terrain. Overall, Eastsea Academy could only be considered a rank within the lower middle rankings when compared with the rest of the continent. It wasnt remarkable at all. Perhaps this years new students truly were a turning point for them? Which teacher do you think is most suitable then? Implementing this plan would be fairly easy, but the creation of the special class would necessitate pouring all of the academys strength into cultivating this class. Long Hengxu had clearly decided on someone long ago as he said without the slightest hesitation, Lets assign Teacher Wu Zhangkong to this class. He is the strongest within the academy, and the result of the tournament was clearly influenced by his teaching ability. When he was still in the advanced division, he didnt conform to the group and isolated himself from the other teachers, never displaying his full strength. I think it will be most fitting for him to train these few elite students instead. En. Yu Zhen nodded. I agree with your plan. Ill go make a proposal to the board of directors. Alright then, you may leave now. Long Hengxu respectfully said, President, Ill take my leave then. He rejoiced within his heart. The president had surely been swayed by his attractive words and this matter had now come to a close without any disciplinary actions against him. His calculating methods were actually meant to allow him to shirk his responsibilities. Of course, he did have some hopes for this new class. ? When Tang Wulin awoke from his meditation, he was gifted with the sight of dawn. Xie Xie hadnt returned yet as he was recuperating in the infirmary. Zhou Zhangxi and Yun Xiao were both still meditating. With the provocation of class fives continuous victories, everyone was now diligently cultivating with renewed vigor. Tang Wulins body was brimming with a power that made him want to face the sky and just scream. Ever since he had broken the seal, he hadnt had any time to carefully inspect the changes in his body until now. He subconsciously began to stare at his hands. On the surface they appeared exactly the same as before, but in reality, his skin had become fairer. When he touched his skin, it was also a great deal more elastic. His soul power had risen by at least one rank while his control over his soul power had also grown much stronger due to his spiritual power increasing too. In the end, Tang Wulin wasnt sure exactly how much his power had increased. After all, he had never tested himself in this way before. Is this the power of the first seal on the Golden Dragon King? When he recalled his use of the Golden Dragon Kings power the day before, he began to concentrate on wielding that power once more, and very naturally, a familiar feeling reappeared within his right arm. Immediately, a layer of convex, rhombus-shaped golden scales, covered his right arm like a layer of armor. At the same time, the feeling of power within his arm increased explosively, yet his right hand hadnt completely transformed into the Golden Dragon Claw. The Golden Dragon Kings aura was exposed while Tang Wulin continuously and meticulously circulated his soul power and strength toward his right hand. It was only then that the bones within his right hand started to show a change. His hand slowly swelled in size and dragon claws grew from his fingernails. Apart from the feeling of immense power, he could also feel a tyrannical aura being emitted. This was the transformation that came from breaking the first seal on the Golden Dragon King. His right arm, now covered in golden scales, had doubled in strength. Moreover, the Golden Dragon Claw could further increase his right hands strength by another fold in addition to its crushing ability. It really does feel powerful. Now that he unleashed the Golden Dragon Kings power outside of battle, he was able to clearly inspect the changes that occurred within his body. The most obvious change was to his soul power. His soul power was now being consumed at an astonishing rate. After only several breaths of time, a third of his soul power had already been used up. According to the current consumption speed, he could only sustain his Golden Dragon Claw for about ten seconds. Just as he expected, a wave of weakness overcame him at the ten second mark and his right hand returned to normal. Yet, the power of the golden dragon scales was still there. He suddenly had an epiphany. The Golden Dragon Claw required the Golden Dragon Kings bloodline power and his soul power to sustain it, but the golden dragon scales only required the Golden Dragon Kings bloodline power. If its like this, then I had been really lucky to defeat Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi yesterday! Looking back upon that battle, he realized that Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi couldnt completely control their soul fusion skill, so he was lucky to have been able to use his Golden Dragon Claw at just the right time to counter them. The Bone Dragon King was also of the dragon bloodline, so in the face of the Golden Dragon King, it had been suppressed and received double the effects of Tang Wulins strikes. This was the reason why he had been able to win after two strikes. In other words, the reason he had been able to win was because his Golden Dragon King bloodline was able to suppress Wang Jinxis Bone Dragon King. Im still not strong enough! If my opponent had fought with me a bit longer and realized that I couldnt sustain the Golden Dragon Claw for long, then he could have won by simply evading my attacks and waiting for my soul power to run out! Despite his harsh self-judgement, Tang Wulin wasnt depressed at all. When he compared himself with his past self, he had still gained much from breaking through the first seal. His bodys strength and overall power had increased, and the dragon scales could further increase his right arms strength. He now had the explosive power of the Golden Dragon Claw. In short, his gains had been pretty good. At the very least, he could no longer be considered trash. Oh right, Goldlight experienced a transformation as well. Recalling this, Tang Wulin wanted to release his little spirit soul to take a look. He shook his head in disappointment, however, as his soul power had already been exhausted, and he wasnt even able to release his martial soul, much less his spirit soul! His current cultivation was still too weak! Breaking the first seal had helped him with his cultivation somewhat, but he was still only at rank 13. Moreover, everyone else was around rank 20 now. He was afraid that the gap between them would just keep growing larger and larger. More effort! I need to put in more effort! He leapt down from his bed, his mind crystal clear. Careful not to disturb his roommates, Tang Wulin quietly went to go wash his face and drink a glass of water before going out for a jog. It was the start of a new day, and warming up was first. He ran laps around the track in the sports field and shouted out, I am as lithe as a swallow! He had always been good at running, but after absorbing a part of the Golden Dragon Kings soul, a normal pace was simply too slow for him now. The scenery continuously flitted past him, the cool wind brushing against his cheeks. This refreshing feeling gave both his body and mind a sense of freedom and indescribable comfort. Right at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. As Tang Wulin was currently engrossed with this experience, however, by the time he reacted, he had already collided with this person. A pure voice called out, Be careful! Tang Wulin felt a gentle force move his body, causing him to spin around in circles, dispersing all of his kinetic energy. Tang Wulin didnt grow dizzy due to his powerful body, but when he stopped spinning and was able to look at the figure before him, he still experienced a split second of vertigo. In front of him was a tall and slender girl. Tang Wulin could be considered tall among his peers, but he was still only ten years old. The girl in front of him looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old and was already beginning to turn into a woman. She wore a pink tracksuit which offset her milky white skin and her long blue hair that was collected into a bundle with a comb. 109 Ouyang Zixin The girl was very pretty with delicate facial features and large, limpid eyes. Under the rays of the morning sun, it seemed as if a layer of golden light was drawn to her. She was simply too stunning for Tang Wulin. S, sorry. Tang Wulin hurriedly apologized. In that moment, this girl with a golden radiance around her left a profound impression upon Tang Wulin. So pretty! Shes even prettier than Senior Sister Liu Yuxin! Junior brother, pay attention when youre running. The young lady raised her hand to rub his head as she spoke with a beaming smile. Ah! Youre very good looking. The young lady stared at Tang Wulins large eyes, which were accented by his long eyelashes and was astonished to see that his eyes were even larger than her own. She curiously pinched his face and giggled before she quickly turned around and left. Her pinch had hurt a bit, but it had awakened Tang Wulin from his stupor. That senior sister is so pretty. Shes jogging here so she should also be in the intermediate division, right? When he saw the young lady run further and further away, Tang Wulin hastened his pace to catch up with her. With his powerful body, he caught up in no time. Junior brother, whats your name? She turned her head to look at Tang Wulin. My name is Tang Wulin. Im a student in the first grade. What about you, senior sister? He blurted out his words with an eager heart. He hadnt mentioned that he was in the first grades class five. Anyway, after winning the Class Promotion Tournament, they should be class one now. Youre this young yet youre already so naughty! You want to pick up this senior sister, huh? The girl shot him a crafty glance. I, Im not Tang Wulin said in embarrassment. Haha. Your embarrassed face is so cute! How about this then; lets have a ten lap race. If you win, Ill tell you Before she even finished speaking, she had already increased her speed and rushed forward. Ten laps? There was no way Tang Wulin was afraid of such a competition so he quickly picked up his pace and chased after her. The young lady was still taller than him by about half a head and had already grown into a slender and elegant woman. As she ran, her long hair flowed behind her in the breeze, while her graceful form was accented by her long and flexible legs. With each step, he could see her slender hips sway. Her whole body was just brimming with the vigor of youth. Tang Wulins physical strength was exceptionally formidable, however, despite his shorter stature, he was still faster than her. Trailing just behind her, alarms were going off within his mind for some reason, telling him to be careful of her. Due to this, he followed just behind her and watched her, keeping up with her pace. That girls physical strength was pretty good. Not only was she able to maintain a constant running pace, but her pace was continuously increasing. Like this, the two of them continued their race, one in front, one behind. Soon after, they were approaching the end of the tenth lap. There were still a hundred meters left. It was only then that Tang Wulin remembered the goal of this competition. He suddenly sped up, unleashing his bodys explosive power. He flew forward and overtook the girl by the fifty meter mark. Ouch. A cry of pain suddenly came from behind him, Tang Wulin quickly turned his head to look but was met with the sight of that slow pink clad figure suddenly speeding up, surpassing him, rushing straight toward the finish line. Haha. You little dummy. Youve been fooled! The girls bell-like laughter clearly rang through the first glimmers of dawn on campus. He had obviously been tricked, but when he saw this smile that was like a blossoming flower, Tang Wulin couldnt bring himself to grow angry at all. Tang Wulin ran over to the finish line where the girl waited. He scratched his head awkwardly as he said, Senior sister is so amazing. As the young lady gazed at his bashful expression, her smile couldnt help but grow even wider. Alright then. Ill stop teasing you. Junior brothers strength is pretty good. Keep it up! Finished speaking, she turned around and walked over to the dormitory, waving goodbye to Tang Wulin as she left. Tang Wulin watched her back. A peculiar feeling had been aroused within his heart. He didnt understand what this feeling was, but he knew that he wanted to keep seeing this senior sister. My name is Ouyang Zixin. Im in the fifth grades class one. The girls pure voice floated on over. Ouyang Zixin. What a pretty name. Stop staring. That senior sister is already long gone. Right at that moment, a friendly voice spoke from behind him. Tang Wulin quickly turned around to see Xie Xie watching him with an amused expression. His arms were still bandaged up and while he had a smile, it wasnt quite a smile as he looked at Tang Wulin. Youre better now? How are your arms? Tang Wulin greeted him in surprise. Its no big deal now. My bones have already reconnected, and they were treated by a healing-type martial soul. Ill still need at least ten days to make a full recovery though. But you, I return one day later, and I find that youre actually chasing after senior sisters. You truly are too good. Im not. Tang Wulin hastily defended himself. Really now? You have enough skills to do it. That senior sister even told you her name. Have you really never heard of Ouyang Zixin before? Xie Xie asked with a big grin. I havent! Tang Wulin blurted out. Xie Xie said, Shes the prettiest girl in our intermediate division! I cant believe youve never heard of her before. Actually, I even heard that there are countless seniors from the advanced division chasing after her. Shes in the fifth grade so she should be four years older than us. You can just give up right now. Tang Wulin grudgingly said, Youre talking about age, but why do you have such thoughts in your heart? I only think that senior sister is really pretty, and I admire her. I dont have any other ideas, okay? Dont get me wrong! Xie Xies mouth began twitching. Fine then! You can just stare at her foolishly. You might not acknowledge it, but who wouldnt like this kind of pretty senior sister? Every man has a profound memory of a pretty senior sister. All men have a pretty senior sister that left a deep impression on them? Tang Wulin was shaken by Xie Xies words. The name Ouyang Zixin had already been engraved into his heart. They went to eat breakfast before going to class, where they were informed that all the students in the first grade were to gather at the sports field for a grade assembly. Although Xie Xies arms were still injured, his condition had stabilized, and he was able to attend his classes. A grave expression still colored Wu Zhangkongs face like normal as he brought class five to assemble at the field. It could be said that the first grades class one had changed now. When they arrived at the field, they attracted the gazes of all of the other classes. Most of these gazes drifted toward Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue. Of course, the most prominent one among them was Tang Wulin! The day before he had prevailed at the last moment in a desperate crisis, shocking countless people and engraving a deep impression upon their hearts. Have we become celebrities? Gu Yue asked in a hushed tone. Xie Xie shot her a disdainful glance. With how mature you act, why are you so interested in how people see you? And besides, it would be more accurate to say that Wulin is the celebrity here. I heard he was the one who won us that match in the end yesterday. Ah, thats right. Wulin, I havent thanked you for avenging me yesterday yet! Tang Wulin shook his head. I really shouldnt have acted that way. It wasnt right for them to injure you, but it also wasnt right for me to injure them. After all, we are all fellow students. Gu Yue gave a cold snort. Take a look at Wulin then take a look at yourself. In any case, I dont care if Im a celebrity now or not. And besides, there was a certain someone who was so confident but was immediately knocked out yesterday. You! Xie Xie glowered at Gu Yue. Gu Yue disdainfully said, What? You werent a match for me even when you werent injured, yet youre still trying to show off in your current condition? Ive had it with you! Xie Xie said, smothering his anger. He simply couldnt bear it anymore! With his arms like this and his martial souls being two daggers, he really couldnt do anything right now. Tang Wulin was already used to their bickering, so he held Xie Xies shoulder gently and said, It was just a fluke yesterday. Theyre actually really strong, so you should just go and recuperate properly, and well do our best to cultivate together after. Class five was already assembled in the field when Tang Wulin finished speaking. He noticed that Zhang Yangzi wasnt present among the students of class one. After all, broken legs were really too troublesome. On the other hand, Wang Jinxi had a broken arm, similar to Xie Xie, and had that arm bandaged up. In front of the gathered students wasnt just Director Long Hengxu, but also President Yu Zhen. Long Hengxu looked towards Yu Zhen before he began speaking. Todays first grade assembly is to announce two things. First, due to the special circumstances of this years first grade, the victorious class will no longer be continuing with the Class Promotion Tournament, but the classes of the first grade will still be rearranged according to the results. Namely, what was originally class five is now class one. And all of the other classes have been rearranged accordingly. We cant continue participating in the Class Promotion Tournament anymore? An uproar appeared among the students of the new class one. If they couldnt continue with the tournament, then that meant they were no longer receiving the reward for being able to challenge the upper grades! 110 Class Zero is Established! Long Hengxu continued, In light of the new class ones outstanding achievements in this tournament, the entire class will be rewarded with one meal a day from the first window for one term. After hearing these words, the previous discontent murmuring turned into cheering. What was the first window? It served the most nourishing food! Without even speaking of the taste, it had the most benefits to their cultivation but was extremely expensive. Most families couldnt afford to feed their children a meal from the first window. One terms worth of meals from the first window was worth an extraordinary sum of money! Right now, as the teacher in charge of class two, Ye Yingluos face grew even gloomier at those words. Clearly, she wasnt happy with these developments. Long Hengxu shouted, Quiet down! It was only then that the cheering gradually subsided. Long Hengxu resumed. Due to the excellence of this years first grade, the board of directors has decided to conduct a study. We are establishing an experimental class in the first grade that will be comprised of the best students in the grade. It will temporarily be called class zero, and Wu Zhangkong will be the teacher in charge. The students for class zero have already been selected. From class one, we have Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue. From class two, we have Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, and Wei Xiaofeng. In the future, any other student who shows exceptional ability will also be put into class zero. Class zero? What the hell is this? All of the students assembled were in a daze. In all of Eastsea Academys history, there had never been a class zero! Moreover, what did having Wu Zhangkong as the teacher in charge mean? Tang Wulins trio was startled, while Wang Jinxi and Wei Xiaofeng had similar reactions on the other side. In an almost synchronized motion, the two of them looked towards Tang Wulins trio. Wei Xiaofengs expression was brimming with loathing and enmity, while Wang Jinxis gaze was focused solely on Tang Wulin as he made a complicated face. Wu Zhangkong was expressionless as usual, but in reality he had already been notified by the board of directors last night after they decided on approving the plan. Long Hengxu said, Aside from these two announcements, there are still punishments to be announced. In the match yesterday between class one and class two, both sides prioritized their comrades first and the competition second, which led to three students being seriously injured. This has raised a serious concern with the six participants. As such, they will be deprived of the tournament rewards as a punishment and warning to others. Deprived of their reward? It would seem that for this grades Class Promotion Tournament, even if theyd won, there would be no rewards. Their class would only be promoted! Long Hengxu had said these words harshly, but in reality this wasnt even a punishment at all! President, do you have any words to say? Long Hengxu asked, looking at Yu Zhen to his side. Yu Zhen nodded and began speaking with a clear voice. Students, I am sure you are all very curious as to why we established class zero. This is because the students we have picked out have already far surpassed the level of their peers. If they were to continue advancing with the other students, their talent would be buried. In summary, if you wish to shine in the future, then you must put in even more effort! I hope that I will see more students joining class zero later on, going on to become the greatest geniuses of Eastsea Academy! Alright then, the assembly is over. You may all leave now. Teachers, lead your classes back. Long Hengxu will act as class ones substitute teacher until a new teacher can be found. Wu Zhangkong and the students of class zero will remain here. Filled with shock, admiration, envy, and regret, the students of the five classes returned to their classrooms, leaving only the president as well as those of the newly established class zero. Children, come over here. Yu Zhen beckoned everyone over. Although they were somewhat reluctant, the five of them still walked over. In the presence of the academys president, even Wei Xiaofeng didnt dare to act in an unbridled manner. It was clear, however, that Tang Wulins trio and the other two had some tension between them. As Yu Zhen observed the five children in front of him, he couldnt help but raise an eyebrow. He coldly said, You guys are quite able, huh! Do you think that just because youre a bit more outstanding than your peers that youre great? Look at you all, what have you accomplished? Among the five of you, two have broken arms, and theres still one with broken legs resting in the classroom! The five of them were scolded into a daze. They had never expected Yu Zhen to reprimand them like this. As soon as they arrived, they were showered with a tongue-lashing. Yu Zhen continued on with a stern expression. I have already said what the purpose of class zero is: its to not hold you back. But even with how small you all are, you harbor so much pride and conceit within your hearts. I will have you all behave with integrity in front of me, otherwise, dont blame the academy for being impolite. Im warning you now; if a situation like yesterdays happens again, you will all be punished. Dont think that just because you are geniuses that you dont have to follow the rules. You are all just viewing the sky from the bottom of a well. There are plenty of people even more outstanding than you five throughout the federation! From the very beginning, this world has never lacked geniuses, nor has it lacked geniuses that die young. If a genius wants to become great, then they will have to invest far more effort than an ordinary person. Only then will you live up to your potential. Do you all understand? Understood. In the face of the presidents overbearing aura, none of the five children could raise their head. Sign this contract. With a flip of his hand, a pile of papers appeared, and he quickly distributed them to the five children. The five of them subconsciously took the pen. Tang Wulin looked it over, his attention drawn to the large word at the top: contract. Following the title, the content below it could be summarized as saying: Person XXX voluntarily enters a contract with Eastsea Academy. Before XXX graduates from the intermediate division and the advanced division, they will not change schools. This was the general gist of the contract. What is the meaning of this? The five of them thought in a daze. Now that the academy has established class zero, we will invest even more resources into you. Because of this, the academy wants a guarantee that you will stay here for your studies. It isnt because of some other weird reason. Alright then. Just sign it now. Xie Xie meekly asked, President, shouldnt we discuss with our families before signing this? Yu Zhen blinked a few times. Of course you can! You can go back and discuss it, but you wont be able to join class zero anymore. I am a very busy person, and I dont have the time to wait for you. In the time they had been speaking, Tang Wulin had already signed his name on the contract. To him, this contract didnt mean anything at all. Apart from Eastsea Academy, he didnt even know where else he could go to study. Just the fact that the academy would be investing more resources into him, a good-for-nothing, was a divine gift. He simply didnt have any reason to refuse. Gu Yue signed it in nearly the same time as Tang Wulin. Seeing the two of them signing it, Xie Xie didnt question it anymore. Not being able to leave Eastsea Academy wasnt that big of a deal. On the other side, Wang Jinxi had signed it as well. Only Wei Xiaofeng was currently hesitating. President, I think its bad to not consult with my family first. I still want to discuss the matter with them before I sign. After all, my clan might have me go to an even better advanced academy in the future. Yu Zhen nodded. Youre very ambitious. You can just go back to class two. Now, there are only five students in class zero. As he said this, he had already snatched back the contract from Wei Xiaofengs hands and began shooing him off with his hands. Wei Xiaofeng revealed a complicated expression, but in the end he didnt take back that contract. Instead, he bowed to the president before returning to class. After he left, Yu Zhens stern and cold expression melted into a gentle smile. Seeing his god-like face changing skills, the four students couldnt help but fall into a stupor. Alright then. You have all signed the contract so from now on, you are the elites of the academy. We will respect Wei Xiaofengs decision but in the future, I definitely believe that he will regret his choice this day. Although our Eastsea Academy isnt ranked too highly on this continent, we are still the sole intermediate Soul Master academy in this major city. With all of our resources poured into you, I dare say that not even the legendary Shrek Academy could match us. After hearing the presidents confident words, the four students suddenly felt a bit better about signing the contract. Standing off in the distance, Wu Zhangkongs mouth twitched slightly when he heard those words. 111 Battle Armor After class zero was established in Eastsea Academy, what Tang Wulin found the most shocking was just how differently the academy treated them when compared with their treatment of the normal students. The classroom changed to a much more open one while their dorm rooms had also been upgraded. They no longer shared a room with four people, but rather, they each had their own room now that were situated beside one another. Moreover, their rooms were the same as the ones given to ordinary teachers. In other words, they were enjoying the treatment a teacher would receive. Zhang Yangzi signed the contract without the slightest hesitation when he heard that Wang Jinxi had signed it. Including the teacher in charge, class zero comprised of six people in total. Wu Zhangkong was also given new living quarters alongside the dorms of his students. His previous dorm had now been replaced with a suite. The academy gave them one day to get themselves organized before class zero would officially begin classes the following day. Naturally, even if classes were to begin now, not all of them would be able to attend. After all, three of them had suffered serious fractures and could only attend theory classes for now. Class zeros classroom seemed a bit spacious and empty. Although it wasnt any different than the ordinary classrooms, it seemed very large with only five students in it. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi sat on one side while Tang Wulins trio sat on the other. The five of them were like two separate rivers. Zhang Yangzi rested his legs on top of a chair, his expression dark. Wang Jinxi was his usual silent self, but his eyes would occasionally flit towards Tang Wulin. Wu Zhangkong entered the classroom with a stern expression and walked to the center. He swept his gaze across the five students. From henceforth, your curriculum will undergo a change. His words drew the attention of the five students. Even if it was Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi, they couldnt help but admire the Icily Arrogant Prince Charmings strength. After all, they too had been mesmerized by the battle between Wu Zhangkong and Guang Biao. Wu Zhangkong said, Due to the current conditions of your bodies, we will put off cultivation for a while. Instead, we will begin with theory classes. Today well start with mechas. Mecha? When they heard this word, all five students looked at each other in confusion. Zhang Yangzis expression brightened a bit as he couldnt help but ask, Teacher Wu, arent mechas a topic for the advanced division? Were still in the first grade! Isnt this just too early? Typically, the intermediate division would only cover foundational knowledge, and they wouldnt cover mechas until they entered the advanced division. After graduating from the advanced division, they would enter an advanced academy based on their area of study, walking one step at a time towards their goal. Anyone who could graduate from an advanced academy would definitely be an elite of society. They had just started their first of six years in the intermediate division, yet they were already learning about mechas? Wasnt this just jumping ahead of themselves? Wu Zhangkong responded naturally, The topics in this mecha class will not be taught in detail, so the course load wont be too much. Among you, who wants to become a Mecha Master in the future? The five of them went silent in unison. Mecha Masters were already synonymous with powerful experts in the views of the vast majority. Wu Zhangkong continued, With this being the case, you all better pay attention in class. He shot a glance at Zhang Yangzi as he finished speaking, causing him to tremble from head to toe. Zhang Yangzi no longer dared to utter a single doubtful word. Modern day mechas have undergone ten thousand years of development while soul devices have went through several thousand more years of development, becoming more and more widespread. Technology has always been researched for one main reason: war. Soul devices are no exception. It was only after soul devices filled the battlefield that they began to be used by civilians. The Soul Guide Masters of the time never would have imagined that soul guided devices, or soul devices for short, could be used to empower a Soul Master by such a large margin. It was only after they discovered this that they began researching mechas. Soul Masters have been the most essential profession within the last several tens of thousands of years. Soul Masters were not only rare, but the majority of them were also weak. But with the advent of soul devices, this paradigm had shifted. Low rank Soul Masters could now become much more powerful by relying on their soul power and soul devices. Afterward, soul mechas began to appear, allowing Soul Masters to become even stronger. Soul mechas are operated by using soul power from soul power batteries, thus allowing its user to display strength far surpassing their own. The first soul mechas were developed in a larger form, the factor being that the larger they were, the larger the soul power battery they could install as well as the number of weapons it could be equipped with. As technology progressed, mechas became operable by ordinary people with sufficiently strong bodies. From then on, soul mechas became the main weapon of the modern army. In the history of mecha development, there have been periods where the form was small, medium, and large and now they have taken the form you are all familiar with. This is the basic outline of mecha development. This was a process of trial and error and its resulting improvements. It involved the perfection of soul circuits, various innovations, and the advancement of technology by leaps and bounds. Mechas have only grown increasingly more important in wars ever since their creation. Tang Wulin earnestly listened as this was his first proper lesson on mechas. If he wanted to become a Mecha Master, this was crucial knowledge to him. But these are not the mechas I want to talk to you about. Wu Zhangkong paused right there, letting astonishment wash over the five students. Not these mechas? Wu Zhangkong indifferently said, Didnt you all think that as technology developed, ordinary people could control soul devices better and better? Then let me tell you, thats only what ordinary people think. In the tens of thousands of years of history the Douluo Continent has witnessed, one fact has never changed: Soul Masters are the most powerful existence! With the aid of soul devices, an ordinary person might be able to match up to a Soul Grandmaster, and with a mecha, they could even possibly contend with a five ring Soul King. Mechas truly do offer tremendous power to its user, but even so, it cannot give an ordinary person the fighting power of an eight ring Soul Douluo or a nine ring Title Douluo. At the very least, it is impossible at this point in time. Xie Xie said, Then what if they use a super-weapon? There are some super-weapons that ordinary people can use. Wu Zhangkong nodded. What you speak of is a possibility. But let me ask you in return, what if both sides possess super-weapons then? Who will have more power? Let me tell you first though, currently, the strongest super-weapon cannot defeat the strongest person. Wu Zhangkong spoke without the slightest hesitation, causing the five students to sit down subconsciously in shock. After a short pause, Wu Zhangkong continued speaking. With humanitys trend in weapon technology advancement, perhaps such a weapon will appear in the future. But at the moment, there exists no such weapon. Teacher Wu, this powerful person you spoke of, are they a Mecha Master or a Soul Master? Tang Wulin asked. Wu Zhangkong said, To be exact, they are both. The mechas you commonly see range from five to eight meters in height and have some peculiar differences depending on what type of mecha they are. These are the modern medium-sized mechas I spoke of. From their research, Soul Guide Masters came to the conclusion that a combination of bulk and flexibility along with a balance of offensive and defensive capabilities were the most suitable for the army. But these are just the standardized mechas for the army. Or it might be better to say, these are mechas for ordinary people. White and yellow mechas are of the same category, but that isnt your goal. With your talents, you absolutely cannot develop in that direction. Instead, you must develop towards battle armor! Battle armor? This was the first time the five of them heard these words. Wu Zhangkong continued dully, The truly powerful would not allow their body to become even larger. The reason mechas exist is amplification of power, not to become larger. Purple mechas and onwards are all small in size, to the point where they are almost like armor! Due to this, they are called battle armor!1 Only Soul Masters with battle armor can truly be called powerful experts. They are experts who can perfectly combine their martial soul and mecha together, resulting in formidable combat power. 112 Secondary Occupation Battle armor! This new idea completely captured the attentions of these youngsters. After all, armor-like mechas were considered the peak. As everyone knows, apart from Mecha Masters who operate the mechas, there are also mecha craftsmen who are absolutely crucial to the mechas themselves. There are three kinds of mecha craftsmen: mecha designers, mecha makers, and mecha mechanics. The main purpose of todays lecture on mechas is to impart the knowledge necessary for you all to make an informed decision on your future secondary occupation. I suggest that all of you choose one occupation from these three as your secondary occupation as it will help you in your path to becoming stronger. Gu Yue asked in astonishment, Teacher Wu, shouldnt we concentrate all of our energy on cultivating? At most we should just learn how to operate a mecha, right? Why do we need to take on a second job? Wu Zhangkong said, If you want a powerful battle armor then you must have one that is suitable for you. Thus, powerful Battle Armor Masters will definitely be extremely familiar with their battle armors. They will either design, make, or fix it themselves. Only in this way can you gradually familiarize yourself with every detail of the armor. If you dont take on a second job, you will never be able to have the most fitting battle armor made for yourselves and never ascend to a god altar. With the establishment of class zero, we only have one goal for you: that is to push you towards a god altar! This is a long and arduous process that you may have to dedicate your entire lives to. What I first want to do is minimize any time you may waste through inappropriate methods and then elucidate the path you must walk. As for what occupation you choose, dont worry about it. You all still have plenty of time to think over your choices . But at the latest, you must pick one by the third grade. Even with your talents, your path will be similar to an ordinary persons, and the sooner you begin, the better. This is the reason why within three years, you must give me an answer. Naturally, the three occupations I have given you are only the ones that I think are the best. They arent your only choices, and there are still some occupations related to mechas that are open to you. In fact, there is even someone among you who has chosen already. As he spoke, his gaze landed on Tang Wulin. A secondary occupation? Tang Wulin immediately realized that Teacher Wu was speaking about his work as a blacksmith. Wulin had chosen to be a blacksmith at an exceptionally young age. I believe he is most likely extremely gifted in this field. Blacksmithing is one of the jobs I also want you all to consider. That is because from a purple battle armor onward, the creation process becomes inseparable from forging. Regardless of what job you choose, you will not be lacking in cultivation resources if you can reach five stars or more. Tang Wulin was the calmest one among them as he had already picked a job and wouldnt be reconsidering it either. He was already a three star Grandmaster Blacksmith. Not only was he valued by the Blacksmiths Association but he was also already deep into his forging studies. The more he forged, the more he understood the profundity of the craft. His father had taught him when he was young that regardless of what he chose to do, he had to focus on it wholeheartedly without the slightest bit of wavering. Tang Wulin wasnt interesting in mecha design, making, or maintenance at all since he had already embarked on the path of a blacksmith and couldnt bear to change his profession. The remaining four students were silent. Clearly, choosing a secondary occupation was no simple matter. They were still young and werent completely sure what they liked, but fortunately, they still had two more years to think it over. That was plenty of time to come to a decision. Wu Zhangkong dully said, Good then. That ends todays lesson on mechas. There are only two main points for you to remember. First, truly powerful mechas are called battle armors and all mechas of the purple grade and above are battle armors. Second, you must choose a mecha-related occupation by the third grade. This was extremely easy for them to remember. After all, the information they learned in this class was both simple and interesting to them. Tang Wulin said, Teacher Wu, when can we see an actual battle armor? He had been listening earnestly the whole time and was now finally able to voice his thoughts. Wu Zhangkong gave him a look and said, Ill let you see a battle armor after you finish the first part of your combat training. Whoever finishes first will have the opportunity to see it first. As of now, none of you have the qualifications to see. Combat training? Combat training between Soul Masters? Without giving a chance for them to ask another question, Wu Zhangkong continued, From now on, your curriculum will place an emphasis on combat practice. Right here. Tang Wulin, move the desks to the side and clear a space in the center. Right here? But isnt the power of Soul Masters destructive? A sense of doubt arose within the hearts of the five students, but even so, they followed Wu Zhangkongs instructions. Tang Wulin, come over here. Wu Zhangkong nodded toward Tang Wulin. Yes. Tang Wulin quickly walked over. How do you feel about your battle yesterday? Wu Zhangkong coldly asked. Tang Wulin considered it for a moment before speaking. I was too shortsighted. Were all students after all, so we shouldnt harm each other. We should have been careful to not overdo it. Wu Zhangkong waved his hand in dismissal. Im not asking you about those things. Im asking about how you felt during the battle. How did you feel your teams battle went? Tang Wulin said, Im a bit confused about what happened as it was the first time we saw the strength of our opponents. Our response to their attacks was too disordered and lacking in coordination. As for the other team, they had better coordination but didnt seem to reach a level of tacit understanding yet either. Wu Zhangkong icily corrected, Disordered? How was that disordered? It was simply a total mess. The five of them were stunned by these words. They were geniuses of the first grade and the academy had established a special class for them specifically. Apart from Tang Wulin, they were all extremely confident in their own abilities. Where had the word disordered even come from? Wu Zhangkong gazed into Tang Wulins large eyes. To be honest, I am very disappointed. I trained you three for three months, and you had excellent coordination skills. Yet, when the battle actually started, you gave up your advantages. Xie Xies broken arms are simply a result of this. Xie Xies expression stiffened. He never expected Teacher Wu would assess him in this way. Wu Zhangkong turned to look at Xie Xie. Did you actually believe that you were powerful now that youve broken through to become a Soul Grandmaster? And that you could now just blindly charge at your opponents with your strength? Do you even remember the concept of a team? He turned back to Tang Wulin right after. And you. I let you be the team captain because of your calm temperament, yet you actually failed to stop him or coordinate with the team. That was your responsibility. Your use of power was also a mess. You didnt truly use your martial soul at all and just charged through with brute force. What were you thinking!? Faced with Wu Zhangkongs criticism, Tang Wulin was completely speechless. How could he explain to Wu Zhangkong about his sudden increase in strength and how his Bluesilver Grass mutated due to the Golden Dragon Kings soul, leading to the current situation where he wasnt even completely sure of his current abilities? Wu Zhangkong finally turned to Gu Yue. I told you to act as the teams glue yet with your battle tendencies, you created even more issues in coordinating with the team. Tendencies? Tang Wulin couldnt understand what Wu Zhangkong meant with this word at all. On the other hand, Xie Xie displayed a queer expression. Now that he thought about it, it really was as Wu Zhangkong said. From beginning to end, Gu Yue had been at Tang Wulins side. When she exploded, it had also been due to Tang Wulin receiving an injury. But with regard to Xie Xie, she didnt seem to care at all even though she should have been supporting him with her long ranged attacking abilities. Wu Zhangkongs few words of criticism were enough to burst a blood vessel. Then, Wu Zhangkongs gaze swept over to Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi. The problem with your team is obvious too. Wei Xiaofeng has the same fault as Xie Xie. In fact, his weakness is even more severe. Zhang Yangzi, you didnt immediately engage in battle at the beginning due to your arrogance, but arrogance will only send you to your death. Among the three of you, Wang Jinxi did relatively well. Although he was suppressed by Tang Wulin, he had been cautious and focused on fulfilling his role from beginning to end. Teacher Wu was actually praising Wang Jinxi? 113 Basic Combat Training But! Sure enough, there was a but Wu Zhangkong coldly continued, All five of you have a problem in common, and this will be settled through your combat training. The problem is that you are all severely lacking in combat experience and techniques! What Im talking about isnt your experience with using your martial soul and soul skills as you are all somewhat decent at that, but still not excellent of course. No, what I am speaking about are your basic combat techniques when you arent using your martial soul. Basic combat techniques? Soul Masters need something like that? Dont Soul Masters only need to use their soul skills to attack their opponents? Apart from Tang Wulin who was deep in thought, a look of doubt appeared on the faces of the other four students. Do you actually think there is no meaning to having basic combat techniques? Gu Yue said, I understand, but Teacher Wu, my ability is based solely on controlling the elements. As long as I can control them properly in battle, I will be able to defeat any opponent. What use do I have for basic combat techniques then? Shouldnt I focus on increasing my soul power and spiritual power? Wu Zhangkong nodded. If that is what you really think, then lets have a little test. Gu Yue, you and Tang Wulin will attack me. I wont use any soul skill, and I will suppress my soul power down to your level, about rank 13. Lets see if you can still defeat me. You may use your martial souls. As Wu Zhangkong was speaking, he turned around to walk over to the teachers platform and picked up a teachers pointer before returning to the center. Gu Yue had already bravely stepped forward to stand at Tang Wulins side. Hes not using any soul skills? So hes not using his martial soul at all? Isnt he underestimating us too much? Tang Wulin and Gu Yue exchanged a glance before retreating a few steps back, opening up some space between them and Wu Zhangkong. They released their martial souls in preparation to attack Wu Zhangkong. Come now. Wu Zhangkong beckoned them over as he brandished his pointing stick freely. Tang Wulin took the initiative to charge forward. With his immense strength, he naturally held the advantage in a direct confrontation. As he charged forward, countless strands of Bluesilver Grass emerged, flocking toward Wu Zhangkong on all sides. Right behind him was Gu Yue, who controlled her elements with a deft wave of her hands. Suddenly, she released seven to eight swift wind blades. They sliced toward Wu Zhangkong from tricky positions that cut off all avenues of escape. Suppressing his soul power also greatly limited his own speed, and he was now facing Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, both of whom could be considered Assault-Control System Soul Master hybrids. If they couldnt grasp victory immediately in the beginning, then they would just have to control Wu Zhangkongs movements to increase their chances of victory at a later time. After cultivating together these past few months, they were able to understand the other, even without verbal communication. This led to a coordination that seemed almost telepathic. Wu Zhangkong stood in the center motionlessly with only his pointer raised. In his hand, that pointer was no different from the sharpest of swords. They all saw that when the pointer in Wu Zhangkongs hand trembled, the motion was followed by a phantom image emerging behind it. The wind blades reached Wu Zhangkong first, but something strange happened next. Right as they entered the range of his pointer stick, the wind blades were immediately dispersed into a cool breeze. Trailing behind the wind blades were Tang Wulins vines. The Bluesilver Grass twisted to surround Wu Zhangkong, but the moment they came too close, they were cut apart just like the wind blades. It was impossible to get within a one meter range of Wu Zhangkong. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue revealed troubled expressions. Gu Yue felt Wu Zhangkongs pointer stab the core of her wind blades each time, sowing disorder among the gathered wind elements, thus causing the wind blades to dissipate. Tang Wulin had found what happened even stranger. His Bluesilver Grass was like a snake the moment he released it, yet Wu Zhangkongs pointer was able to accurately stab the seventh inch point of the snake, effectively stopping the flow of his soul power to that strand. As a result, the Bluesilver Grass couldnt resist Wu Zhangkongs attacks at all as its power was now restricted. Just what was this? Gu Yue raised her hand, firing off a few fireballs. The teachers pointer is made of wood. Maybe using fire would be more effective. By then, Tang Wulin had already arrived in front of Wu Zhangkong. His right hand reached out to grab at Wu Zhangkongs chest while golden scales began to cover his right arm. After a few experiments, Tang Wulin had gained some understanding of his Golden Dragon King power. Those golden scales werent just for decoration. Aside from increasing his power, it also increased his defense and thus raised his overall strength by quite a bit. It was because of those scales that he decided to directly launch an attack at Wu Zhangkong. Bang! Wu Zhangkongs pointer struck sharply at Tang Wulins sparkling, golden-scaled wrist. Tang Wulins arm slightly swayed after being struck by the pointer, but its momentum was unchanged, and it was still heading straight for Wu Zhangkongs chest. Wu Zhangkong was unaffected by the approaching scaled arm as he stood there with the same icy-cold expression. He shifted backwards by a step. Despite it seeming to be a simple step back, it opened up some distance between him and Tang Wulin as well as put him out of the path of the fireballs. What shocked the students even more was that even as he was retreating, Wu Zhangkong hadnt forgotten to thrust a few times at the fireballs with his pointer, causing their power to dissipate and preventing the classroom from acquiring damages. This could only be described as brilliant! His pointer shot out once more, stabbing Tang Wulins elbow. His arm felt a weird sensation spreading throughout, but the power of the pointer was not enough to pierce through his scales. It had been blocked automatically. A trace of astonishment finally appeared in Wu Zhangkongs eyes, but once again, he simply took a step out of the way of Tang Wulins right hand. Bang! A scorching pain burst from Tang Wulins neck and seeped all the way down to the marrow of his bones. He stumbled to the side in retreat. His right arm might have scales protecting it, but his neck did not! The pointer in Wu Zhangkongs hand struck once again, but this time, it was aimed at Tang Wulins waist. If it made contact, Tang Wulin definitely wouldnt be in fighting condition afterward. But right at that moment, Wu Zhangkongs expression changed. The reason was simple. Seven to eight fireballs were shooting toward the surrounding classroom equipment in a scattered manner. Gu Yues elegant face revealed a sinister smile. Arent you afraid of the classroom taking damage? Then youll have to stop if I attack it. As expected, Wu Zhangkong had no choice but to abandon his pursuit of Tang Wulin. Yet, in the next moment, the students of class zero finally understood the meaning of true strength. Wu Zhangkongs figure suddenly flickered. In an instant, his countless phantoms appeared throughout the classroom, obliterating all of the fireballs. He was so quick that the students couldnt even see him move clearly. It was all just a blur to them. The teachers pointer struck Gu Yues waist, giving rise to a sharp pain that made her collapse. Before Tang Wulin could even react, he felt a numbness overcome his body, forcing him to fall flat on his butt like Gu Yue. This So powerful! Silence now enveloped the classroom. Wu Zhangkong walked over to face Tang Wulin once more. With a pensive expression, he watched the scales on Tang Wulins right arm gradually disappear. Despite being unable to use his martial soul at a rank similar to theirs, he had still condensed his suppressed soul power. Yet, even with that, he hadnt been able to pierce through the defenses of Tang Wulins joints. He had only caused Tang Wulins arm to bend for a split second, that was all. The defensive power of those scales were extraordinarily formidable when faced with attacks of the same rank. Moreover, Tang Wulin hadnt unleashed the might of his Golden Dragon Claw yet. That would only boost his power even further! Teacher, were you actually only using basic techniques just now? Xie Xie asked Wu Zhangkong with wide eyes. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Do you still think basic techniques are useless? Basic techniques are fundamental. Although martial souls and soul skills can make a Soul Master powerful, the way they are used will determine just how powerful one will be. This is how basic techniques should be used. Its the same even when using battle armor or an ordinary mecha. Starting today, we will begin a lengthy period of combat technique training. Do not slack off; this is a crucial subject for you all. 114 Tes Tang Wulin was quite miserable. As one of the two who received no injuries as well as being a male, he had been used as a living teaching example by Wu Zhangkong. With him as the opponent, Wu Zhangkong continuously used him to demonstrate combat techniques and important topics to the other students. Tang Wulin was knocked down time and time again by the teachers pointing stick. He felt that this was Teacher Wus revenge for him being late to the match. But even so, this type of training was effective as it was clear just how quickly Tang Wulin was improving. This was the so-called, pain and joy.1 News of class zeros establishment quickly spread throughout the academy, turning its five students into celebrities in an instant. Naturally, they couldnt reveal what they were doing in class, so the curiosity of others died down after a few days and the academy returned to its usual tranquility. As their only teacher, Wu Zhangkong provided them with plenty of guidance. Their curriculum required that they study different theories from those of regular classes and become more inclined toward combat training. And just as President Yu Zhen promised, the academy poured a tremendous amount of resources into the class. Regardless of whether it were the teaching methods, nourishing food, teachers, or facilities, all were provided and of the highest quality. Ten days later, Tang Wulin was no longer the only one being beaten up by Wu Zhangkongs pointing stick. Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi had all recovered and could now join Tang Wulin in being beaten up for combat training. Ever since their recovery, inhuman cries of pain would constantly ring out from class zero. They had rejoiced in Tang Wulins misfortune when they were still bystanders that were watching him being beaten up, but after experiencing the painful strikes of the pointing stick for themselves, they had gained a thorough understand of what pain truly was. Wang Jinxi fared a bit better than the others as his Bone Dragon King made his body much stronger. But for Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie they were definitely suffering. Zhang Yangzi was an Agility-Control System Soul Master and Xie Xie was a pure Agility System Soul Master so both of their bodies were suited for nimbleness and couldnt compare in toughness with Tang Wulin or Wang Jinxi. From the very beginning, Wu Zhangkong didnt even know the concept of starting off leniently. Instead, each strike of his pointing stick would create a pain that penetrated all the way to their bone marrow! Yet, despite this unfathomable pain they were subjected to, they didnt suffer any real injuries. In Wu Zhangkongs words: Only pain can deepen your learning! The only one who was fortunate enough to be spared was Gu Yue. Perhaps it was because she was a girl, but Wu Zhangkong reined in a bit of his harshness when he taught her. Even when the occasional pointer struck, it only made her feel a bit numb. Today we will be running a few tests on your bodies so combat training will be suspended. Wu Zhangkong announced this piece of good news the moment he entered the classroom. They all harbored a fear of combat training now. That bone-piercing pain was simply too much. Tang Wulin was the only one who felt some disappointment.2 Having absorbed a portion of the Golden Dragon Kings soul, he had discovered over the past ten days of combat training that his bodys strength had risen to another level. Apart from his right arm, any place Wu Zhangkongs pointer struck would experience extreme pain, but he would recover from it extremely fast without even leaving a bruise. Moreover, he felt that his soul power cultivation rate increased after receiving a good beating. After those ten days of training, he sensed as though his body was on the verge of breaking through once more. It seemed that the fragment of the Golden Dragon Kings soul hadnt been completely absorbed by him yet. The more he cultivated, the more completely he absorbed the soul. He was also growing more and more skilled at controlling his bloodline power. Apart from the Golden Dragon Claw, which he couldnt use too often due to the excessive amount of soul power it consumed, he could use the golden scales as he wished due to its minimal costs. Thus, his right arm had turned into his strongest weapon. Wu Zhangkong brought them to a room that was filled with a scientific feeling. The interior of the room was covered in a layer of a silver metal which made them feel as if they had entered a silver world the moment they stepped inside. Table after table of strange apparatuses were arranged within this room. Well start with the spiritual power test. Xie Xie, youre first. Wu Zhangkong was holding onto a form, ready to record Xie Xies results. Xie Xies spiritual power growth was quite normal. Compared to last time, his spiritual power had increased by two. After Xie Xie was Wang Jinxi. His spiritual power was quite low, a mere 18 points. Wang Jinxi, you must spare no effort in improving your spiritual power otherwise you wont be able to fuse with any more spirit souls in the future, Wu Zhangkong dully advised him. Wang Jinxi was normally very quiet. Just like usual, he merely nodded after hearing Wu Zhangkongs words. Zhang Yangzis turn was next. Spiritual power of 41. Not bad. If you do your best you might be able to break through from the Spirit Origin realm within a year. Tang Wulin was the second last to go. Zhang Yangzis gaze was fixed on him. Among his three ex-opponents, he bore the greatest grudge against Tang Wulin for breaking his legs. He couldnt help but feel the need to compare himself against Tang Wulin now. In the past few days he had interacted with Tang Wulin, he discovered that Tang Wulins main power came from his body that was gifted with strength and that peculiar right arm of his. As for his martial soul, it was merely Bluesilver Grass. It wasnt even worth mentioning to Zhang Yangzi. The more he found out about Tang Wulin, the more he felt that his loss that day was unjustified. Since hes an expert at assault like Wang Jinxi, just how high could his spiritual power be? It cant possibly be that high. Tang Wulin walked over to the apparatus and sat down. The spiritual power testing machine slowly descended, enveloping his head. The test was beginning! This spiritual power testing machine was the most advanced one the academy had. It displayed the spiritual power on a graduated scale with different colors. Thus, one could differentiate the spiritual power level based on the color shown. Spirit Origin was white. The number representing Tang Wulins spiritual power kept on rising, and soon, it surpassed Wang Jinxis 18 points. It steadily increased. 20 points. 25 points. 30 points Zhang Yangzi stared at the scale in astonishment. No way. Hes just an Assault System Soul Master with one rings worth of cultivation. How can he have more than 30 points of spiritual power? Even Jinxi pales in comparison to him 40 43. He had now surpassed Zhang Yangzi and yet, the number was still increasing! Xie Xie proudly said to Zhang Yangzi, You see that? Wulins spiritual power is so great! Zhang Yangzi had an unsightly expression as he snorted. I refuse to acknowledge him! Fifty! The quiet Wang Jinxi suddenly shouted. That was right, Tang Wulins spiritual power surpassed 50. This meant that his spiritual power had already gone from the Spirit Origin realm to the Spirit Connection realm. Sure enough, the scale turned from white to yellow. Spirit Origin. Everything started from the origin and would grow from there. The moment one was born, they would be in the Spirit Origin realm with the most basic of spiritual powers. Spiritual power in the Spirit Origin realm was enough to bear a yellow spirit soul. The Spirit Connection realm was when the heart could connect with the spirit, conveying simple thoughts. Once one attained Spirit Connection, one would be able to truly control ones spiritual power and have it move to ones needs as well as being able to support two yellow spirit souls or one purple spirit soul. There didnt seem to be much of a difference between Spirit Origin and Spirit Connection, but it was truly a qualitative leap! It was only natural for Wang Jinxi to be shocked. After all, reaching the Spirit Connection realm meant that Tang Wulin could already fuse with a purple spirit soul. Dumbstruck, Zhang Yangzi stared at Tang Wulin with his mouth gaping. This guys martial soul is nothing, but his spiritual power is so amazing! He had never heard of someone who could break through to the next realm while still in the first grade of intermediate academy before! Anyone who could break through to the next realm in the intermediate division would already be considered talented. It had to be said that the greatest obstacle for graduating from the advanced division was attaining Spirit Connection! This one requirement had already stopped countless Soul Masters from graduating. Yet, Tang Wulin had already broken through while still being in the first grade! This was simply unfathomable! 66! Tang Wulins spiritual power reading finally stopped at 66 points. Xie Xie had been bragging for him just now, but he was still stupefied after seeing this number. It has only been a few days yet this guys spiritual power has already grown this much? His spiritual power growth rate is almost like a cheat! 66? Tang Wulin was also startled when he saw the results. Although he had felt that his spiritual power had increased after absorbing the Golden Dragon Kings soul, he had never expected to directly enter the Spirit Connection realm. This was simply too amazing for him! Strong spiritual power would be extremely beneficial for him when he fused with another spirit soul in the future as well as when controlling his martial soul and soul skills! 115 Monstrous Numbers The final one to take the test was Gu Yue. A thought suddenly struck Zhang Yangzi. Does the order Teacher Wu arranged us in mean anything? Aside from Xie Xie in the beginning, the spiritual power ratings have only been increasing high afterward. Spiritual power is also essential to Gu Yue Could it be? Has she also broken through to the Spirit Connection realm? His question didnt go unanswered for long as the testing machine gave him the results shortly after. Gu Yues spiritual power flew past the white line and into the yellow zone. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi gawked as the number broke through 100 points in the blink of an eye, and even then it was still skyrocketing! Their jaws dropped in shock! The final number displayed on the machine was 153. How, how can she be this amazing!? Even if we disregard Eastsea City, I dont think there is a single Soul Master on the entire continent that is this young yet has such high level spiritual power! A humans spiritual power would grow as their body matured, increasing all the way until they reached forty years of age. After the age of forty, however, an ordinary persons body would begin to deteriorate, but Soul Masters could continue increasing their spiritual power until they were sixty years old. Gu Yue was only nine years old, the exact same age as the rest of them, yet her spiritual power was actually in the Spirit Connection realm with over 150 points! With her talent, wouldnt she break through to the Spirit Sea realm by the time she graduated from the intermediate division!? In the Spirit Sea realm, the spirit was as vast as the sea and ones spiritual power could be considered to have finally attained a high enough level to be considered the foundation for an expert. The ones who stood at the pinnacle of both Mecha Masters or Soul Masters would need to have at least reached the Spirit Sea realm. At this level, one would be able to support five yellow spirit souls or three purple spirit souls. In fact, one could even support a single black spirit soul! Apart from the effects on spiritual power, the Spirit Sea realm could also help a Soul Master cultivate to six or seven rings. Thus, to become a powerful Soul Master, it was necessary to reach Spirit Sea. Silence. The room was enveloped in silence. Wu Zhangkong seemed to have expected this result as after Gu Yue left the machine, he casually said, Next is the strength test. The order for the strength test was also very peculiar. The first one up was Gu Yue. Similar to when she tested her powerful spiritual power, Gu Yues strength once again blinded everyone. The strength test simply measured the power of ones punch, and it didnt measure anything like carrying capacity or how much stress their bodies could undergo. After all, only attack power held any meaning to Soul Masters. Bang! Left fist, 115 kilograms. D, damn! Zhang Yangzi nearly fell flat on his butt. Isnt, isnt she an elementalist Soul Master? Isnt she just nine years old? How can she have 115 kilograms of strength? Xie Xies reaction was identical to his. In fact, he was even trembling a little bit. As Gu Yue turned her head, she shot a cold glance at Xie Xie, her eyebrows slightly raised. Xie Xie swallowed a mouthful of saliva and quickly averted his gaze. This was his first time finding out that Gu Yues strength was actually so frightening! Bang! Right fist, 143 kilograms. Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie practically had tears streaming down their cheeks now. Cant she give us just a little bit of face? Is she even a girl? Isnt she actually a female T-Rex!? A trace of surprise flashed through Wu Zhangkongs eyes as he announced, Next, Zhang Yangzi. Bang! Left fist, 61 kilograms. Bang! Right fist, 69 kilograms. He was able to attain these results because in addition to his speed, he was also a two ringed Soul Grandmaster, making his body much stronger than an ordinary persons. Zhang Yangzi originally hadnt thought his strength to be subpar because after all, he mainly relied on his special attribute. Yet, when he compared his power with someone elses, and that person was one who was similar as they relied on controlling the elements, he nearly wanted to weep. Xie Xie! Bang! Left fist, 153 kilograms. Bang! Right fist, 164 kilograms. Xie Xie wiped away his sweat as he relaxed and let out a deep breath. At the very least, he was physically a bit stronger than Gu Yue. Although he was an Agility System Soul Master, the nourishing effect his twin martial souls had on his body couldnt be overlooked. Thus, despite being suited for nimbleness, his body was still fairly strong, which was also the reason why Wei Xiaofeng had suffered at his hands during the Class Promotion Tournament. Wang Jinxi! The slim-figured Wang Jinxi walked up to the strength testing machine. He inhaled deeply, mulling over what his results would be. Subconsciously, his gaze began to drift toward Tang Wulin, who was watching the machine for the results.. At that moment, a thought suddenly appeared in Wang Jinxis heart. Just how large is the gap between our strengths? Bang! Left fist, 423 kilograms. Bang! Right fist, 468 kilograms. Terrifying numbers appeared. These numbers exceeded those of ordinary Assault System Soul Masters by far. In fact, it was comparable to a pure Power System Soul Masters. The total strength of his two arms already approached one thousand kilograms. Good! Zhang Yangzi loudly proclaimed as if to vent the gloom he felt within his heart. Wang Jinxi was fairly satisfied with this result. Even though his arms had recently been broken, his strength had still increased, so this result was considered to be pretty good. Tang Wulin. Wu Zhangkong observed Tang Wulin with a steady gaze. Naturally, he had also arranged the students in this test according to his estimates, from lowest to highest. It was just that Gu Yues strength had been outside of his expectations. Tang Wulin walked over to the strength test machine with bright eyes and an intense desire to know just what level his power had reached after absorbing the essence of the first seal. His hands subconsciously clenched into a tight fist, popping sounds emitting from his entire skeleton. The aura of the Golden Dragon King appeared, causing a slight change in Wang Jinxis expression. He hadnt even made a move yet, but his oppressive aura already differentiated him from the previous students. Zhang Yangzis muscles began to twitch as he thought to himself, It wont be that high. It wont be that high. It wont be that high Bang! Left fist, 1156 kilograms. Bang! Right fist, 1348 kilograms. A rumble resounded throughout the room, stunning the other four students. Even though they knew Tang Wulin was very strong, they had never expected him to be this strong. Even Wang Jinxi, who simply burst with power, was only barely able to match up to a third of Tang Wulins strength. Wang Jinxi quickly recovered from his shock because he already had a rough estimate of the gap between the two of them from the Class Promotion Tournament match after Tang Wulin had knocked him back a few steps. He had been able to do this despite the fact that Wang Jinxi had released his martial soul together with his strength increasing soul skills. Moreover, Tang Wulins martial soul was Bluesilver Grass; would it be able to increase his strength at all? Simply put, Wang Jinxi hadnt expected the gap to be this large. He had thought Tang Wulin would only be twice as strong, not three times. Is Is he even a human? Zhang Yangzi muttered in shock. Wu Zhangkong didnt let Tang Wulin return, rather, he coldly instructed, Once more with your right hand covered in the scales. Oh. Tang Wulin raised his right arm as a golden light appeared, covering his arm with a layer of golden scales. As the Golden Dragon Kings oppressive aura emerged, Wang Jinxi subconsciously retreated back a step as his martial soul began to tremble in fear, and perhaps even submission toward Tang Wulin. Bang! 2,700 kilograms. Numbness. Zhang Yangzis entire body was numb now. Everyone else would already be impressed when the total strength of two arms was over one thousand kilograms. Yet, for this guy, one arm already had over two thousand kilograms of strength! When this number appeared, everyone, including Tang Wulin, was fired up. This number was truly too monstrous! No wonder my Heavy Silver hammers feel so light now, especially my right hammer. So my strength has reached this level now, huh? Test your dragon claw now, Wu Zhangkong said with a wooden expression. Oh! Tang Wulin wanted to try it too. After raising his right fist, however, he lowered it and asked Wu Zhangkong, Teacher Wu, if I break the machine, do I need to pay for it? Wu Zhangkong wrinkled his brows. No. This machine can bear up to five thousand kilograms of strength. Even if you somehow manage to break it, you wont need to pay. Okay! A golden light quietly filled Tang Wulins eyes, turning his pupils into slits while a tyrannical aura burst forth from his body. 116 Martial Soul Awakening? Wang Jinxi was overwhelmed with shock. He knew that under the suppression of Tang Wulins tyrannical aura, he could only exert, at most, half of his strength. And even if he wasnt opposing Tang Wulin, the suppression he felt was still too much. Tang Wulins hands began to grow, his joints becoming thick and solid as his hand transformed into the Golden Dragon Claw. That dazzling Golden Dragon Claw was covered in fragmented scales while the three inch claws were as smooth and glossy as a mirror. Honglong, kacha! A number flashed on the screen, but not a moment later, the place on the machine where Tang Wulin had punched it exploded into bits of metal fragments, leaving only a hole behind. This was the effect of the Golden Dragon Claws crushing. It really did break Then just how strong was he? Having just witnessed Tang Wulin absolutely destroy the strength testing machine, the four students were completely in shock and couldnt even recall the number that had briefly flashed on the screen. Only Wu Zhangkong had been able to catch the number. He recorded it into his book, silently writing down 3998 kilograms. Even the steady and ice-cold Wu Zhangkong couldnt help but swallow a gulp of saliva somewhat uncomfortably. Zhang Yangzi felt his legs ache, but at the same time, he no longer felt that the condition his legs were in was that bad anymore. If he didnt have the defensive powers of a soul fusion skill at that time, he feared that he wouldnt have gotten off so lightly with only broken legs. I dont want revenge against this guy anymore. At that moment, Zhang Yangzi only had this thought filling his grieving heart. Wang Jinxi was simply at a loss for words as he stood there in shock. His expression gradually returned to normal, but a slight trembling in his hands could still be seen. Next, reaction speed test. Just as expected, Xie Xie had the best reaction speed. What was surprising, however, was that it wasnt Zhang Yangzi in second place, but Tang Wulin. Following Tang Wulin in third place was actually Gu Yue, leaving Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi in fourth and fifth place respectively. After seeing the results of this test, Zhang Yangzis self-doubt only grew greater and greater. In addition to reaction speed, they continued to test all aspects of the body. Number one was Tang Wulin, followed closely by Gu Yue. Are they even human? Are they human? Human? Did they eat the fodder for beasts of burden when they were growing up? The testing is finished now. Todays tests were primarily on your bodys abilities and doesnt represent everything. Martial souls are still crucial to Soul Masters, so some students shouldnt be discouraged. Now, class dismissed. Tang Wulin, follow me. Wu Zhangkong gracefully walked away with Tang Wulin in tow. Zhang Yangzi stood there, as if a cold wind was blowing on his forehead. Some students? Which ones? Wu Zhangkongs office. Take a seat, Wu Zhangkong said as he pointed at a sofa. Thank you, Teacher Wu. Tang Wulin sat down. Wu Zhangkong indifferently said, I want you to tell me whats going on with your body. Tell me how your spiritual power increased by a third in such a short period of time, how you gained control of the scales on your arm, and what that dragon claw ability is. Your strength has increased immensely in addition to the increase in your reaction speed and resilience. According to the recent events, something should have happened to you during the hurricane. Am I correct? Tang Wulin had already guessed that this was what Wu Zhangkong had called him for. He also knew the he wouldnt be able to hide it, especially those things that could be seen on the surface. Teacher Wu, the bloodline transformation I talked to you about previously occurred. I endured immense suffering during the hurricane, and after I woke up, my body was like this. Im not quite sure what happened either, but it seems that theres some sort of special energy within my blood. It transformed my body and even my Bluesilver Grass and spirit soul. As he spoke, Tang Wulin released his Bluesilver Grass and Goldlight to show Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkong exclaimed in astonishment when he saw that the little snake had grown and its scales now golden. Even your spirit soul transformed? This sort of situation is very rare This should mean the energy within your bloodline is extremely powerful. Hmm. I think Ive seen this kind of situation in some ancient records before. Theres something like this in the ancient records? Tang Wulin was startled. If that was true, then it would be great for him. At the very least, he would be able to find out how this sort of thing progressed from here Regardless, he wouldnt speak of Old Tang. After all, it was simply too outrageous to tell someone else. Wu Zhangkong paced back and forth within his office, his eyes shining as he pondered things over. A while later, he suddenly stopped and raised his head. I remember now. Your situation is similar to a martial soul awakening. Martial soul awakening? Tang Wulin was a bit confused. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Thats right, a martial soul awakening. Think about it; what is the most likely thing to cause a spirit soul to change? Tang Wulin spoke without the slightest hesitation. Its when a Soul Master fuses with it. When the martial soul and spirit soul fuse, the spirit soul will be influenced by the martial soul and experience some mutations. When he had first fused with Goldlight, the changes Goldlight experienced werent that large due to how weak his Bluesilver Grass was. If it had been a powerful martial soul, the influence would have been much larger. Wu Zhangkong said, Correct. Your spirit souls change is similar to the mutation a spirit soul experiences when first fusing with a martial soul. There is an example of this in the history records. That example was caused due to a second martial soul being hidden within your body. This martial soul wasnt able to awaken during the awakening ceremony, but as the Soul Masters body grew, it began to awaken and caused a series of mutations. It influenced both the Soul Masters martial soul as well as the Soul Master himself. Tang Wulin understood one thing after hearing Wu Zhangkongs words: the two situations were completely different! Within Tang Wulins body was the unfathomable mystery of the Golden Dragon Kings soul and the eighteen seals, not a second martial soul. Wu Zhangkong continued. These types of situations usually have two paths of development. Fortunately, both are good. The first is to completely awaken the second martial soul, so you will become like Xie Xie with his twin martial souls. The second one is to fuse it with your current martial soul, causing your current martial soul to transform even further and for the two powers to begin complementing each other. The martial soul will become much more powerful like this. It seems that your current situation is similar to that of the second path as mutations keep occurring. Tang Wulin was secretly admiring Wu Zhangkong in his heart. Although Wu Zhangkongs guess wasnt exactly correct, he had still been able to guess much of the true situation. At the very least, this was proof of how vast Wu Zhangkongs knowledge base was. Moreover, his explanation based on his observations was the best one Tang Wulin currently had. That sounds about right, Tang Wulin said with a monotone voice. Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nod. But during the martial souls mutation process, you may encounter danger. This is because your body needs to be able to endure the mutations too. So the next time you feel something wrong with your body, you must immediately come to me. I will protect you and help ensure your mutation succeeds. I will minimize the danger you face. Tang Wulin nodded as a trace of warmth filled his heart. Although this shockingly handsome Teacher Wu always had a cold expression, Tang Wulin felt that on the inside, Wu Zhangkong wasnt as ice-cold as his exterior. En. No need to think about it too much. These changes you are experiencing will only bring you benefits. It will strengthen your body, which will be very useful to you in the future. Thus, you just need to silently bear with it. The more changes you experience, the greater your future potential. Do you understand? En. En. I understand. Thank you, Teacher Wu. Head back then! Wu Zhangkong bluntly sent him back. Tang Wulin quickly got up to leave. But right at that moment, Wu Zhangkong suddenly stopped him. Hold on a moment. Tang Wulin halted in place before turning around to face Wu Zhangkong. He was curious as to what else Wu Zhangkong had to say. Wu Zhangkongs brows were furrowed,and his eyes filled with a pensive light. After a moment, he began to speak. Do you still remember the footwork I used during combat training? Are you interested in learning it? Tang Wulins eyes were colored with surprise. Of course Im interested. Teacher Wu, are you going to teach us it? Wu Zhangkong heavily said, This footwork is actually very mystical and doesnt actually belong to me. It belongs to a very powerful organization. If you wish to learn it, you must first join this organization. Unfortunately, I dont have the authority to directly recruit you and can only recommend you to take their entry test. 117 Mysterious Organization? A mysterious organization? Teacher Wu is a member of some mysterious organization? This piece of information immediately caught Tang Wulins interest. Yet, did he really want to join it? Tang Wulin was somewhat hesitant. It wasnt that he didnt trust Wu Zhangkong, but his parents had disappeared due to a mysterious organization! Because of this, he harbored some ill feelings toward such mysterious organizations. Teacher Wu, what kind of organization is it? What does it do? Tang Wulin asked. Wu Zhangkong sternly said, It is an organization with righteousness, equality, justice and protection as its main principles. This organization spans across all three continents. As for its name You will only find out after passing the test. Tang Wulin shook his head. Sorry, Teacher Wu, I dont think I will join. He had come to this decision in an instant. Wu Zhangkong was slightly stunned. He had never expected Tang Wulin to decline in such a straightforward way. How can you refuse when you still havent completely understood what the organization is? Wu Zhangkong curiously asked. Tang Wulin shook his head once again. My parents were taken by a mysterious organization and even now, I havent heard anything from them. So I Wu Zhangkongs face wrinkled into a frown. Your parents? Do you have any clues? Tang Wulin forced out a bitter smile as he was once again forced to shake his head in denial. Apart from the one million federal coins his father had left him, he had no clues at all. Wu Zhangkong spoke heavily, If your parents didnt go voluntarily, then I am certain it isnt the organization I speak of. Regardless, you can take your time to think it over. If you change your mind and want to take the test, you will find out the organizations name after passing the test. I am certain that once you do, you will change your mind. But if you dont pass the test, then we dont even need to speak of this topic any further. If thats the case, I think I can do it. Tang Wulin no longer had any reason to decline. After all, what if Wu Zhangkong was a part of a really good organization? Leaving Wu Zhangkongs office, Tang Wulin did not return to his dorm and instead left the academy grounds to head for his forging workshop. He was short on time. After listening to Wu Zhangkongs lesson about the importance of a secondary profession, his passion for forging was rekindled and became a soaring blaze. For the sake of having battle armor in the future, he would have to persist Tang Wulin needed to break the second seal before he turned fifteen, so he still had five years of time left. This may seem like a long period, but after seeing the list of the four spirit items he needed, he no longer felt that he had that much time. The four spirit items were a set, and he also wasnt too clear on what they were. But these four items all had two words in common: thousand year. He could only imagine how much they would cost Forging was his greatest source of income. First, he still had to pay back his debt to the association, and then he would put all of his efforts into raising his forging ability to earn even more money. He would save the profits in preparation for buying those four spirit items in the future. After all, how could he be so lucky as to just find those four items? Purchasing them was a much more reliable method. As the tests had revealed, the absorption of the Golden Dragon Kings soul fragment had increased his bodys coordination, control of power, strength, and speed. All of these gains would be beneficial to his forging. The Thousand Refinements was no longer that difficult for him, so he began accepting tasks to forge all sorts of uncommon metals. In the past few days, Mang Tian had only come once to instruct him. During his visit, Mang Tian told him that he must diversify and Thousand Refine all sorts of different metals to gain a deep understanding of their characteristics. Only when he could fuse with them like he had with the Heavy Silver would he be able to take a step toward grasping the secrets of forging and thus, become a fourth rank blacksmith. As a result, Tang Wulin accepted tasks that required him to Thousand Refine a variety of metals. It had to be said that the reward for completed Thousand Refinements was still astonishingly high. Even a common metal that was Thousand Refined would still be worth at least 100,000 federal coins. Even so, the most profitable Thousand Refinement tasks were worth 400,000 to 500,000 federal coins. The tasks that paid that much, however, required him to infuse the spirit into those uncommon metals, which Tang Wulin didnt dare to attempt yet. Despite that being the case, he had calculated that with his current task completion speed, it would take him three months at most to pay back the Blacksmiths Association. Tang Wulin was now accepting and completing two Thousand Refinement tasks each week. Moreover, he practiced forging two to three nights each week as it helped him circulate his soul power and improve his control over it. In fact, it even refined his spiritual power a bit, so the time he spent on forging wasnt wasted at all. Not only was he completing his final task today, but he was also going to hand in the finished products and accept a new weeks worth of tasks. Aluminium purification, Thousand Refinements! This was the simplest Thousand Refinements task. After accepting it, Tang Wulin discovered that although it was easy to Thousand Refine Aluminium, sensing the mysteries hidden within was no easy project! Compared to ordinary steel, aluminium possessed the hardness of steel while also possessing its own resilience. With this combination of hardness and resilience, Tang Wulin could gradually sense the changes and mysteries within the metal as he Thousand Refined it. After the Thousand Refinements was completed, the aluminiums hardness and resilience increased substantially, as if it had completely transformed. It could be said that this was an uncommon metal that experienced the greatest change after being Thousand Refined. Tang Wulin could vaguely hear the words of Grandmaster Cen Yue echoing within his mind: Thousand Refined aluminium is the most commonly used metal for making purple battle armor. It was because of these words that Tang Wulin possessed such great interest in aluminium. With aluminium being so cheap, wouldnt he be able to forge his own battle armor in the future? Lately, he had been accepting many aluminium forging tasks and was now beginning to gain the ability to feel the inner changes of the aluminium as he forged it. There was never a shortage of Thousand Refined aluminium tasks, so by relying on the powerful Stacked Hammers effect of his Heavy Silver hammers, his output rate was simply outrageous, and he had no need to worry about making a mistake. Tang Wulin had a slight feeling that if he was able to gain an even deeper understanding of the essence of aluminium, of its breath of life and its character, then he would make another breakthrough on the path of forging. ? Todays forging finished without a hitch, and as he looked at the brilliantly shining Thousand Refined aluminium in front of him, he couldnt help but crack a knowing smile. Mang Tian had once told Tang Wulin that just by relying on his perception and innate divine strength, he was already on the threshold of becoming a fourth ranked blacksmith. After all, Tang Wulin was able to bring about simple special effects in uncommon Thousand Refined metals. Yet, the gap between his current level and a true, fourth ranked blacksmith was by no means small. In order to advance to the fourth rank from the third rank, it required an accumulation of experience. Also, reaching the fourth rank wasnt necessarily a good thing if ones foundation was not firm enough. This was the reason Mang Tian wanted him to understand the inner properties of all of the uncommon metals on the market and to be able to Thousand Refine them completely before attempting the fourth rank test. Having learned from Mang Tian for over three years now, Tang Wulins foundations were definitely sturdy. Now he was improving his comprehension of metals in the third and fourth ranks in order to better prepare himself for Spirit Forging in the future. If he were to actually enter the Spirit Forging realm, he would then be considered to truly be one of the federations elites. Just what sort of level was Spirit Forging? Was it to understand the spirit of the metal? Or was it to bestow spirit into the metal? Di, di, di. Tang Wulins soul communicator rang as soon as he turned it on. Teacher Mang Tian, Tang Wulin respectfully said. If youre free right now, then come to the Blacksmiths Association. Mang Tians deep voice rang out. I was just getting ready to head over there. Teacher, are you at the association right now? Tang Wulin asked in surprise as he hadnt seen Mang Tian these past few days. En. Come then. Im waiting for you in the presidents office. Tang Wulin heard a trace of loneliness in Mang Tians voice. He didnt dare delay and quickly packed up the finished products for his accepted tasks. He quickly left the workshop and headed straight for the association. The association was nearby, so he arrived in only a few minutes. He then rode the elevator all the way to the top floor. Inside of Mu Chens office were Mu Chen and Mang Tian. The two were seated across from one another, but Mu Chen had a serene expression while Mang Tian had a slight frown. 118 Teachers Teacher, president. Tang Wulin hastily greeted the two as soon as he entered the room. Since Mang Tians call had seemed urgent, he didnt have the chance to change out of his dusty and metallic smelling work clothes. As soon as Mu Chen and Mang Tian saw his outfit, they knew hed come straight from the workshop. Mu Chen sighed. Oh Wulin! I know youre an overly anxious child and that you want to quickly repay the association, but you must take care of your body. Youre still only nine years old; you cant run yourself into the ground like this. Itll affect your future development, understand? Yes, Tang Wulin respectfully answered, but his gaze was focused on his teacher. This was his first time seeing his teacher in the Blacksmiths Association. Mang Tian beckoned him over, then indicated that Tang Wulin should take a seat beside him. Wulin, I called you over to discuss something with you, Mang Tian heavily said. What is it, teacher? Mang Tian raised his head and looked into Mu Chens eyes. He was met with a look of regret. Mang Tian took a deep breath before speaking. To be honest, I had originally accepted you as a disciple due to your fathers request. At first, I hadnt really wanted to accept a child like you. After all, you had only been six years old at the time. But after I gained an understanding of you, of your innate divine strength, and of your effort and your perseverance, I was moved. In that moment, I could see that you were gifted. Since then, as your teacher these past three years, I have given you a solid foundation for forging. Despite not really understanding the meaning behind Mang Tians words, Tang Wulin repeatedly nodded. Although Mang Tian was strict, Tang Wulin knew it was for his own sake, thus allowing him to progress so quickly on the path of blacksmithing. Mang Tian paused at this point, letting out a long sigh, before continuing to speak. All my life, I have always dreamed of becoming a Divine Craftsman, but clearly, I did not have the talent to do so. My martial soul isnt good enough, and I had taken a detour in cultivation during my early years. The greatest achievement in my life was becoming a sixth rank blacksmith. You, on the other hand, are already a third rank blacksmith, and your talent gives you a chance at becoming a Divine Craftsman. In fact, I dare say that in the entire Blacksmiths Association, you are the one most likely to reach that level. Now that you are approaching the fourth rank, you will need more guidance on your path of blacksmithing. I have only just barely reached the realm of Spirit Forging, and my guidance cannot be considered complete. Therefore, I hope you are willing to accept the president as your new master and study forging under him. In the federations world of forging, the president is an outstanding person. Hes a Saint Blacksmith that has reached the Soul Forging level. If you study under him, you will definitely be able to go even further down this path. Mang Tian had difficulty saying those last few words. After all, who would want their talented disciple to take on another master? But Mu Chen had spoken with him today and said something that moved his heart. Mu Chen had asked him only one questionif Mang Tian wanted Tang Wulin to become even greater in the future. Mang Tian sunk deeply into thought when faced with that question. Until today, he had believed in his own ability to continue teaching Tang Wulin until the end. But now that Tang Wulin was preparing to attempt Spirit Forging, it was inevitable that he would eventually no longer be able to support Tang Wulin. After all, he was just barely at the Spirit Forging level and hadnt completely understood its secrets yet. After carefully pondering the matter over, he decided to hand over his position as Tang Wulins teacher. Tang Wulins emerging talent had already far exceeded his expectations as well as the scope of his teaching abilities. Having Mu Chen take over to teach Tang Wulin would be the best choice. Teacher. Tang Wulin stood up and fell to his knees with a lowered head before Mang Tian. A teacher for a day, a father for life. This is what my own father taught me. Teacher, you cant abandon me! His mother and father had suddenly left, and Naer had disappeared. Now, the only person he considered a close relative in this city was Mang Tian. When he heard Mang Tian renounce his position as master, Tang Wulins eyes immediately turned red as a feeling of helplessness and loneliness surged from his heart, penetrating into every corner of his body. Foolish child, how could your teacher want to leave you? Even if you study under me, it doesnt mean that Mang Tian is no longer your teacher. It just means that you will have one more teacher. Thats all. Mu Chens gentle voice reassured Tang Wulin. Mang Tian looked at Mu Chen in surprise. In the world of blacksmiths, the tradition was to follow a single line of inheritance. In other words, a disciple could only have one teacher. Taking a second teacher would be equal to betraying the first, earning them the scorn of the entire association. Tang Wulin wasnt aware of this fact, but Mang Tian understood it clearly. If Tang Wulin took Mu Chen as his teacher, it would mean that Mang Tian could no longer remain as his teacher. Yet, Mu Chens words went against this long-standing tradition. Mu Chen looked at Mang Tian with sincere eyes. I have to confess, a selfish part of me wants to take Tang Wulin as my own disciple. After all, who wouldnt want to be the sole teacher of a remarkable disciple? But more than that, I want him to grow properly, eventually becoming a legend in the world of blacksmiths. You are the start of this legend. Why cant a legend have two teachers? President, you Mang Tians emotions were surging uncontrollably within his heart. He understood the intent behind Mu Chens decisionit meant that Mu Chen was treating him as an equal. Truthfully, Mang Tian really hated to part with Tang Wulin as well! Tang Wulin looked at Mu Chen. Another teacher? If its like that, then What are you still waiting for? Hurry up and take him as your master. The president is actually an outstanding Saint Blacksmith that reached the Soul Forging level many years ago. You can count the number of people who are a match for the presidents forging abilities on one hand. Mang Tian patted Tang Wulins head as he urged him on. Tang Wulin glanced at Mang Tian, reconfirming Mang Tians sincere wish for him to take Mu Chen on as a master. Then, he turned to Mu Chen and respectfully said, Teacher. Luckily for him, he was still kneeling down so he had no need to change his position. Mu Chen revealed a smile. Come, stand up. Tang Wulin hastily stood up, easing the atmosphere within the office. Mang Tian let out a sigh and forced a smile. Why didnt you tell me earlier? He gave Mu Chen a somewhat begrudging look. Mu Chen laughed. Why would I have told you ahead of time? You were like a zombie the whole day. And anyway, I have already seen you in a bad mood for so many years. I know that you are talented in forging, but your soul power simply isnt enough to help you progress any further. This has always been a point of discontent for you, but you still accepted reality and didnt neglect the talents you already possess. Mang Tians face grew awkward as Mu Chen talked about his matters. He could only bitterly laugh and say, Stop bringing up old wounds. What I want to know is how you intend to teach Wulin? Mu Chen said, Wulin, your most important task is to study properly. I have already heard that youre in the academys newly established class zero and that you had excellent results in the Class Promotion Tournament. This is great, and you should continue to put in your best efforts. What you need to do now is focus on improving your soul power and cultivate to a higher rank. Innate divine strength has allowed you to progress more quickly than other blacksmiths your age, but you must remember that in order to become a first-rate blacksmith, soul power is absolutely necessary. Nearly all of those at the peak of their professions are Soul Masters. The amount of soul power you have will determine your future level. I believe Ive told you this before, but I must stress it again. You do not need to worry about resources because the association will nurture you with all of our strength. Well also take care of your next spirit soul and find you a method to cultivate your spiritual power. You still need to put in effort to increase your spiritual power, otherwise you wont be able to absorb another spirit soul. Under our guidance, you will continue to further deepen your forging studies, and I will guide you in laying down a good foundation. You must remember, the Thousand Refinements is only the gateway leading to the world of blacksmiths. If you want to enter this world, you must reach the realm of Spirit Forging. I hope you will be able to reach this level before you turn twenty years old, then Soul Forging by the time you are thirty. 119 Senior Sisters Mang Tian was shocked at Mu Chens words. Isnt that too quick? Saint rank by thirty? Mu Chen revealed a wry smile. You know what they say; the sooner the better. The important thing is that people have the most energy in their youth, and if they dont take advantage of that time to accomplish something, both the body and mind will begin to decline. My plans for him might seem hasty, but dont forget, hes only nine years old. He still has 21 years until he reaches thirty. If he cant do it in 21 years, then I fear it will be near impossible for him to ever reach that level. Wulin, what level is your spiritual power right now? Tang Wulin answered, I just tested it today and its 66 points. Spirit Connection realm? Mu Chen and Mang Tian exclaimed in unison, eyes sparkling with anticipation. Nine years old and already at Spirit Connection. Just what did this mean? The two of them couldnt even comprehend it. Mu Chen blurted out, No wonder your perception in forging is so great. Its because of your immense spiritual power. This is great; I dont have to worry anymore about whether you can fuse with another spirit soul or not. Now you just need to put all of your effort toward cultivating your soul power. Tang Wulin said, I am certain I can earn enough money through forging to buy my own cultivation resources, so long as the association can help me find the items Im looking for when the time comes. His confidence came from the fact that his income was increasing and that he would soon become a fourth rank blacksmith. This was considering the fact that he still had to balance this with his studies. If he solely focused on forging, then he could support a prosperous family with his output and success rate. Mu Chen wasnt anxious to guide Tang Wulin on how to practice forging yet. Instead, he simply arranged a time for when Tang Wulin would come to the association next. Mang Tian and Mu Chen let Tang Wulin return to the academy first while the two of them stayed behind to discuss some matters. After handing in his task and receiving his reward, Tang Wulin left the Blacksmiths Association. Tang Wulins mood was great. After all, President Mu Chen was a Saint Blacksmith! With him as a second teacher, Tang Wulin wouldnt take any detours on the path of forging and would also have the associations resources at his disposal. Those four thousand year spirit items wouldnt be that hard to find anymore, as he would be able to obtain them as long as he had enough money. He would forge and cultivate with all of his effort and break the second seal by the time he turned fifteen. This was Tang Wulins goal. He clearly remembered what Old Tang had told him: there would be a nice surprise for him after breaking the second seal. But just what was this nice surprise? The golden scales and dragon claw he had obtained after breaking the first seal had already greatly boosted his power and enabled him to barely enter the class of geniuses, class zero. Wouldnt he be on the same level as those geniuses after breaking the second seal then? The only issue remaining was his low soul power. Although he was on the verge of breaking through to rank 14, Tang Wulin could feel the effects of the Golden Dragon Kings soul fragment disappearing. In other words, he couldnt continue as he had before as his soul power continued to increase naturally. In the end, cultivation was an endless process! The Golden Dragon Kings soul had mutated his Bluesilver Grass and made it much more powerful, but it didnt increase his cultivation speed at all. Tang Wulin pondered over his future cultivation path as he left the Blacksmiths Association Hey! A voice called out to Tang Wulin, rousing his from his contemplations. When he turned around, he was met with the sight of Mu Xi standing in the doorway. She stared at him with a complex expression. Hello senior sister. Tang Wulin was surprised to see her. He didnt have any good impressions of Mu Xi after she displayed her bossy attitude in front of him. Mu Xi said, Youve taken my dad on as your master, so you should call me senior disciple sister in the future. Hello senior disciple sister. Tang Wulin greeted her in a docile manner. Thats right! She really is my senior disciple sister now. Youre going back to the academy now? Mu Xi asked. En. Tang Wulin nodded. Mu Xi said, Then lets go. She took the lead to walk ahead. Tang Wulin hurriedly caught up to her and began to awkwardly scratch his head. He really didnt understand why Mu Xi wanted to walk with him back to the academy. So what do you think of Heavy Silver? Mu Xi asked. A discussion about forging? Tang Wulins interest was piqued. Although Mu Xis blacksmith rank wasnt as high as Tang Wulins, she had been learning how to forge from Mu Chen all her life. Her views were definitely much broader than his own. Heavy Silver is very dense, but its internal structure is actually granular. I am able to sense these granules transforming during the Thousand Refinements so I continuously try to pound them to decrease the gaps between the granules. Once the gaps are small enough, my Thousand Refinements is basically complete. I think Heavy Silver is actually very much suited for the Thousand Refinements because I can sense their joy during the process. They tell me just how much strength I need to use to make them the most comfortable. Like this, my Thousand Refinements require half the work with twice the effect. Tang Wulin spoke without the slightest hesitation of his experiences with Heavy Silver. The metal speaks to you? Mu Xi was amazed by what Tang Wulin had said. This was because Mu Chen had spoken to her of the very same thing when she was a child. At that time, she had asked her father how she should forge and in response, Mu Chen told her that the metal would tell her how. Although Mu Xi was prideful, she couldnt help but submit to Tang Wulin at this moment. He actually experienced it himself! The Thousand Refinements was when one understood the thoughts of the metal. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Tang Wulin didnt mind the silence at all, he was just cheerfully thinking about his own matters. Just like this, the two of them maintained a serene silence until they reached Eastsea Academy. ? The sky was now blanketed in darkness. As he walked toward the dormitory entrance, he saw someone sitting on the stairs leading to the door. Mu Xi was still lost in thought and didnt notice this person as she continued walking forward. Senior disciple sister, be careful. Tang Wulin hastily pulled her back, preventing her from colliding with that person. Mu Xi only felt a powerful pulling force on her hand so she instinctively began to struggle. Yet the hand that held hers was simply too strong and didnt move a single inch. So powerful. He really does have innate divine strength. The person sitting on the stairs finally lifted his head to look at Tang Wulin. Youre finally back. Oh, its you. Tang Wulin looked at him with mild surprise. The person sitting on the stairs was his classmate and the Bone Dragon King Soul Master, Wang Jinxi. Wang Jinxis expression was haggard, but his eyes were sparkling. You can let go now. Mu Xis cold voice interjected. Sorry. Tang Wulin quickly let go of Mu Xis hand. Ah, Little Xi. You know each other!? At that moment, a pleasant voice came from behind. Tang Wulin turned around, his eyes shining. A white-robed Ouyang Zixin stood there daintily. Under the focus of the dormitorys soul lights, her figure shown even further, making her seem even more beautiful. Her slender and straight legs created the appearance of a tall beauty who was brimming with the vigor of youth. Fifth grades class one? They should be classmates. Zixin? What are you doing here? Mu Xi brightened upon seeing her. Ouyang Zixin walked over to Mu Xis side and hooked arms, quietly whispering a few sentences into Mu Xis ear. Mu Xi blushed slightly. Go then. Lets go now. She began dragging Ouyang Zixin into the dormitory the moment she finished speaking. Ouyang Zixin smiled at Tang Wulin and waved him goodbye. As he watched the two of them leave, he couldnt help but recall Xie Xies words. There is a senior sister in the hearts of all youngsters. Is she the senior sister in my heart? A cold shiver overcame his body. What am I thinking? But she really is so pretty! Wang Jinxi had already gotten up and now stood in front of Tang Wulin. Theres something I want to talk to you about. Are you free right now? Tang Wulin helplessly said, Youve been waiting here so long already, so how can I refuse? Lets go then. Do you want to go to my place or yours? 120 Complementing One Another After hearing the reason behind their visit, Wu Zhangkong promptly made a decision and said, Lets go test it out. Class zero had many special privileges, among which included the right to use any of the academys testing equipment. In fact, a brand new strength testing machine had already replaced the one Tang Wulin had broken. Wu Zhangkong said, Tang Wulin, release your dragons might. Wang Jinxi, try attacking the strength testing machine after receiving the power boost. Yes! Bang! When Wang Jinxi felt his soul power flare up, he threw out a powerful punch. Right fist, 643 kilograms. Wang Jinxi and Tang Wulin were stunned speechless. He had only just recently taken the test and at that time, his strength was only around 400 kilograms worth. Yet now, it had increased by nearly fifty percent! Your feeling was correct. Tang Wulins dragons might has an amplification effect on you, Wu Zhangkong heavily said. Puzzled, Wang Jinxi asked, But during the Class Promotion Tournament, why was I suppressed instead of amplified? Hostility. Wu Zhangkong answered without thinking about it. It was because you were feeling hostile toward him. His dragons might reacts differently depending on the situation. If either of you harbors hostility toward the other, then there will be a suppressive effect. If neither of you are hostile toward each other, or even have some goodwill, then that suppression turns into amplification. This should be how it works. Wang Jinxi asked with a foolish face, So I can never be his enemy? Wu Zhangkong nodded. In a sense, that is true. But if your cultivation surpasses his by far, then the influence of Tang Wulins dragons might should be minimized. If my guess is correct, Tang Wulin might be awakening a second martial soul, and an extremely powerful dragon-type one at that. This is the reason why he has such a strong influence over you. In fact, its not just you; all dragon-type martial souls should be under its influence. Only someone with a martial soul on the same level or higher can ignore its influence. Honestly speaking, this is my first time seeing this type of situation because there is very little research on martial soul suppression. Its known that top tier martial souls can certainly suppress lower tier ones, but there is no record of a situation like your own, where the suppressive effects are so powerful. Wang Jinxi gazed at Tang Wulin with a strange expression. Just what kind of bloodline is this? It actually has such a strong influence over me. Theres an easy solution to my problem thoughI just have to kill Tang Wulin. As long as hes dead, I wont have to encounter something like this again. Wang Jinxi came from a large clan, so his thoughts and imagination surpassed that of his peers. Wu Zhangkong said, Tonight, the two of you can test this out. Tang Wulin, you and Wang Jinxi will meditate together tonight and see what the effects are. Oh. Alright, Tang Wulin promptly agreed. Meditating together? Wang Jinxi had a distracted look on his face. Just a few moments ago, he had been harboring dark thoughts about murdering Tang Wulin. Tang Wulins special martial soul was a potential threat, not only to him but also to his entire clan in the future. If he asked an expert from his family to act, then there would definitely be a chance to have him killed. But did he really need to go that far? He was in the midst of an internal struggle. After all, nobody liked the feeling of being suppressed. When they returned to Wang Jinxis room, the two of them sat cross-legged and began to meditate. Wu Zhangkong was also present in order to observe the changes in their aura. Tang Wulin soon entered a meditative state, but the turbulent condition of Wang Jinxis heart delayed him. Wu Zhangkong silently observed the two of them. Their soul power circulation proceeded smoothly, but at a certain point, a slight change occurred. Unfortunately, he would have to wait until they woke up the next day before questioning them on their experience. As Tang Wulin quietly meditated, his soul power circulated throughout his body and he could feel the absorption of external energy as it entered his body. It was as if an excess of energy was being poured into his body, causing his cultivation to progress even faster than normal. Although the difference wasnt too clear, there was definitely a qualitative change. It seems that Teacher Wus assumption was correct. Theres really an effect on my body! The next morning, Tang Wulin was the first to rouse himself from his meditative state. He could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had been faster than normal, giving him some benefit. In fact, he was certain that he had now reached rank 14. Wang Jinxi opened his eyes a few moments after Tang Wulin. Youre both awake? The nearby Wu Zhangkong stood up from the floor. Tell me what you felt. My cultivation speed increased, Tang Wulin answered. What about you? Wu Zhangkong turned to Wang Jinxi. Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with a complicated expression. I felt the same thing, but there seemed to be some energy leaving my body as I cultivated. The energy seemed to be floating toward Tang Wulin. Overall, my cultivation gains were larger than normal, but not by much; about ten percent more. Tang Wulin said, It increased by about five percent for me. You complemented one another. Wu Zhangkong exposed a pensive expression. You two hold hands and circulate your soul power while expressing goodwill. I want to see what happens. Wu Zhangkong wanted to test his hypothesis. Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi exchanged a glance before they grasped each others hands and began to circulate their soul power. Immediately, a bizarre scene appeared. Golden scales appeared on Tang Wulins right arm, but even more shocking was that a layer of black scales had also materialized on Wang Jinxis right arm. Although they were not as distinct as Tang Wulins, their existence was indisputable. Wang Jinxi felt his strength swelling within his body as his soul power grew even more frenzied than before. At the same time, his soul power was now being rapidly consumed. My strength has increased, but my soul power is being rapidly depleted. He hastily announced his observations. Isnt that almost the same as my dragon claw? Tang Wulin thought to himself. The black scales continued spreading until they covered all of Wang Jinxis right arm, then started to extend toward his neck and torso. At this point, Wang Jinxis soul power could no longer support the transformation. Despite this, they were able to see a black vein pattern appear on Wang Jinxis left hand. Tang Wulin observed the vein pattern on his own body and compared it with the one on Wang Jinxi. Wang Jinxis was a far simpler pattern. It was just a couple of black lines that lacked any sort of decorative design to it. In comparison, Tang Wulins golden veins had a complex arrangement with a mesh-like pattern. This is Wu Zhangkong gasped. This isnt as simple as complementing one another; its actually similar to a soul fusion. In other words, Tang Wulin can amplify your power to its peak and, for a short time, you will become extremely powerful. Although your soul power consumption rate will be great, this is still an increase to your overall strength. Tang Wulin, your martial soul has a really invasive nature! Tang Wulin scratched his head awkwardly. He had never expected his martial soul to have this kind of effect. After all, it didnt seem to have any effect on Xie Xie when they had cultivated in their room together. Teacher Wu, why doesnt it affect Xie Xie? His martial souls are related to dragons as well. Wu Zhangkong said, Maybe its because his martial soul isnt a genuine dragon, but rather a dagger. I think if it were a true dragon, he would be greatly influenced by your bloodline. On the other hand, this also means that Xie Xie doesnt experience that much suppression from you. Wang Jinxi bitterly smiled. All dragon-type martial souls are top-tier. Wulin, if other Soul Masters know about your ability, they would think you are simply defying the heavens! Tang Wulins eyes brightened. Teacher Wu, is it possible that if I cultivate with many Soul Masters with dragon-type martial souls, the amplification effect will be even greater and, thus, raise my cultivation speed? Wu Zhangkong shook his head. Thats impossible. How did you feel when you were connected with Wang Jinxi? You were a bit distracted with absorbing that foreign energy, right? Tang Wulin nodded. Thats right, but it wasnt that difficult to do. 121 Spirit Ascension Plane Wu Zhangkong said, This is because your spiritual power has already reached the Spirit Connection realm. With your current strength, although you are able to dual cultivate with a dragon-type Soul Master, if you cultivate with more people, it would be too distracting. Similar to fusing with a spirit soul, the greater your spiritual power, the more spirit souls you can fuse with at one time. In this case, you need to guide this foreign energy to merge with your body, so you will use up some of your spiritual power. Even if your spiritual power reaches a really high level, the number of Soul Masters you can cultivate simultaneously with is still limited. Tang Wulin was still scratching his head awkwardly. There really were no shortcuts in cultivating! But even if there were, cultivating with Wang Jinxi was still faster than normal, and it was beneficial for the both of them too. In fact, Wang Jinxi benefitted more than Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin, I will rearrange your bedrooms so that you can remain connected to Wang Jinxi with a strand of Bluesilver Grass at night. You shouldnt have any problems meditating together this way. From tonight onwards, you two will meditate together, and if you experience any other changes, inform me immediately, Wu Zhangkong continued. Yes. They both agreed simultaneously, so Wu Zhangkong left to wash himself. Im also going to go then. Tang Wulin waved goodbye to Wang Jinxi. Wait a minute, Wang Jinxi called out. What is it? Tang Wulin eyed him suspiciously. Wang Jinxi wore a strange expression as he began to speak. Theres something that I forgot to tell Teacher Wu. After cultivating with you, without knowing why, I now feel a bit submissive when I see you. Do you think this feeling is weird? Tang Wulin laughed. How is that a weird feeling? You cultivation speed increases when we cultivate together, so its only natural that you feel friendlier towards me. Anyways, Im going now! He waved goodbye to Wang Jinxi once again, before returning to his own room. Neither of them noticed that as Tang Wulin left, a faint golden pattern glowed on Wang Jinxis forehead. The lines were very faint but bore a resemblance to the one on Tang Wulins body. Tang Wulin was in a good mood. It was still early, so he went to wash up before heading to the field for a morning run. The fact that they both complemented one another by dual cultivating was a good thing for both him and Wang Jinxi. After all, they were classmates and would have to cultivate together for the next five years. Just as he began running, a familiar figure appeared on the track. Its her Ouyang Zixin had also noticed Tang Wulin. She waved at him, before continuing on her run. Tang Wulin didnt purposefully approach her this time. Instead, he continued running at his own pace while watching the energetic and youthful figure running in front of him. He really enjoyed this feeling. Being able to admire something beautiful made one even more joyful, was that not so? Run, eat, then attend class! Tang Wulin was the last one to arrive to class. There was nothing he could do about it, since he had a great appetite and took longer than others to eat his fill. Ever since he absorbed the power of the Golden Dragon King, Tang Wulins appetite had grown exponentially, making him a bizarre wonder within the academy. The benefit of joining class zero that made Tang Wulin the happiest was the fact that they were able to eat at the first window free-of-charge. With his large appetite, Tang Wulin gave Long Hengxu a constant headache, but the director endured it due to Tang Wulins outstanding performance in the Class Promotion Tournament. After all, it wouldnt be right for him to forbid a student from eating their fill. Today we will be going to the Spirit Pagoda. Apart from his lectures, Wu Zhangkongs words were always concise. Going to the Spirit Pagoda? To do what? None of us need a spirit soul though? The five students sank into confusion, but Wu Zhangkong didnt bother to explain. Although leaving the academy while classes were still in session made them feel weird, all five class zero students also felt superior. Wu Zhangkong explained as they walked. From now on, you will all cultivate in the Spirit Pagodas spirit ascension platform once a week. You must treasure this opportunity; the academy fought hard to allocate some funds for this. Spirit ascension platform? Whats that? Tang Wulin silently thought to himself. Gu Yue and Tang Wulin wore similar expressions. On the other hand, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi and Xie Xie had faces full of awe. Xie Xie spoke with a voice full of admiration. Wow! The academy sure knows how to spend money. Looks like joining class zero was a good choice after all! Tang Wulin softly asked, Whats the spirit ascension platform? Xie Xie stared at him in shock. You dont know what the spirit ascension platform is? Its a great place! Tang Wulin grew impatient. Hurry up and tell me. I really dont know. Xie Xie explained, On our Douluo Continent, only the Spirit Pagodas of major cities have a spirit ascension platform. In total, there are eighteen on this continent. They are the best place for us Soul Masters to cultivate. The spirit ascension platform was created by the Spirit Pagoda. Soul Masters can go there to gain experience and increase their strength. Moreover, you can experience the charms of the ancient Soul Masters world. Im not really sure what principles it operates on, but I heard that over ten Title Douluos were involved in its creation, and the greatest researchers of the time poured their efforts into it. Only after the Spirit Pagoda invested an enormous amount of resources was the spirit ascension platform completed. Originally, the spirit ascension platform was used as a step in the Spirit Pagodas research into artificial spirit souls. They hoped that it would be able to upgrade artificial spirit souls, and hence manufacture even stronger spirit souls. After completion, however, they discovered that it was only a partial success. Although the spirit ascension platform could upgrade spirit souls, its effects werent as great as they expected, and its nature wasnt too clear. Naturally, after making such a large investment, the Spirit Pagoda couldnt discard the product. After another period of development, the spirit ascension platform became a unique place. To put it simply, its the crystallization of the continents best soul devices and the efforts of the greatest Soul Masters and researchers. After entering the spirit ascension platform, a Soul Master will feel that they had entered a whole different realm, yet they would still be protected by the spirit ascension platform. The danger inside isnt too high, but Soul Masters can battle with soul beasts to increase their combat experience in there. If youre lucky, you might even be able to improve your spirit soul. Im not sure how to attain the spirit ascension effect though, because this is only what I have heard from others. Ive never actually been in there. Xie Xies explanation had piqued Tang Wulins interest. The spirit ascension platform can upgrade spirit souls? How are spirit souls upgraded? Tang Wulin asked. Xie Xie dismissively answered, Its not easy at all! Our spirit souls are actually pretty good. In the past, you would directly absorb a soul beasts soul ring, and its power would be limited by its cultivation age. Now, however, when we upgrade a spirit soul, we actually increase its cultivation age. This reminds me, since you have a ten year spirit soul, you have a decent chance at upgrading it. If you can cultivate for an extended period of time in the spirit ascension platform, you will have an even greater chance of upgrading it to the hundred year level. Although, I heard that the higher its age, the harder it is to upgrade it. Tang Wulin was shocked, but at the same time, he felt his heart beginning to heat up. If he could upgrade Goldlight to a hundred year spirit soul, then his Bluesilver Grass would naturally be upgraded too! Although he possessed the Golden Dragon Kings bloodline, his martial soul was still the Bluesilver Grass. If he upgraded Goldlight, his soul skill would grow even more powerful too. Furthermore, a hundred year spirit soul would provide him with two soul skills, removing the need to buy another spirit soul at rank 20. This would conserve both his spiritual power and his money. After all, he still had to save enough money to buy the items necessary to break the next seal. What do you need to enter the spirit ascension platform? Two things; money and space! Xie Xie mischievously laughed. The moment he heard money, Tang Wulins heart began to ache. Money and cultivation really can not be separated! Its a good thing I know how to forge, otherwise I wouldnt have any way to continue cultivating. How much money? Xie Xie answered, The spirit ascension platform has multiple layers. It costs about 500,000 federal coins per entry into the elementary spirit ascension platform. Space is even more valuable though! There are only one thousand spots each month for the elementary spirit ascension platform. There are over a million Soul Masters on the continent right now, so can you imagine the demand And spaces for the intermediate and advanced spirit ascension platforms are even fewer. This is because they consume even more resources, so the cost of entry is also several times higher. 122 Eastsea Spirit Pagoda As such, the academy spent a lot of money this time around! Xie Xies voice was full of awe. It isnt easy to buy a spot. Most of the quotas are given to the large and influential clans, so it seems that our academy actually has some influence. I reckon that if Wei Xiaofeng were to know we could enter the spirit ascension platform to cultivate, his intestines would immediately turn green with regret. Zhang Yangzi turned around and glared at Xie Xie. Why do you say so many useless words? Xie Xie let out a cold snort. You still havent submitted? We can fight as much as we want in the spirit ascension platform; you can try it for yourself then. Zhang Yangzis eyes held a cold twinkle in them. He wanted to continue arguing, but Wang Jinxi held his shoulder and reined him in. When he turned around, he saw Wang Jinxi shaking his head in disapproval. Whats going on with him? Lately, Zhang Yangzi felt something suspicious was happening as Wang Jinxi had been acting quite restless. He had a vague idea that it was related to the suppression Wang Jinxi experienced at Tang Wulins hands, but that had happened such a long time ago Unless, he still hadnt recovered from it? ? Eastseas Spirit Pagoda was incomparable to the one in Glorybound City. This Spirit Pagoda was one of the eighteen great pagodas, collectively known as the Eighteen Pillars of Heaven. The towering pagoda was visible from kilometers away. It was at least one hundred stories tall, surpassing a height of 400 meters. Even among a forest of skyscrapers, it was tall enough to become a giant landmark. Spirit Pagodas foundation was in the shape of an octagon and covered a large area. The pagoda then narrowed every ten layers until it reached the peak of the spire. Even by just admiring it from a distance, one could feel its grandeur. This pagoda branch already looked quite grand; what would the Spirit Pagoda headquarters look like? How majestic would it be? Tang Wulin had heard from others that the Spirit Pagoda headquarters was situated in the heart of the continent, inside Shrek City. That was the greatest city in the entire federation! As a comparison, the federations headquarters was instead located in Bright City, the second greatest city on the continent. After a long flight of stairs, the group were greeted by Director Long Hengxu. Clearly, the academy had been prepared for them. When Long Hengxu saw Wu Zhangkong leading the students up the stairs, he quickly walked over and greeted, Teacher Wu. Director Long, Wu Zhangkong bluntly called out, his face as wooden as usual. Long Hengxu said, Follow me. After entering the pagodas first floor, they were met with a dazzling sight of the interior. Dark gold stone tiled the floors, creating a beautiful granular pattern. Several obelisks stood tall in the center of the space, propping up a dome over ten meters in diameter. The most shocking thing, however, was that the dome being held up by those obelisks had a magnificent and colorful mural on it. The mural was resplendent, the scenery painted on the mural seemingly recounting its characters tales. Wu Zhangkong explained, This mural portrays the tale of the Spirit Pagodas founder, a legendary Soul Master and inventor of spirit souls. It tells of how the Spirit Ice Douluo guided humanitys Soul Masters in resisting a tide of soul beasts. This is merely a part of the complete mural, that mural having eighteen parts in total. The mural within the headquarters depicts the Spirit Ice Douluo battling the strongest Soul Beast God, Di Tian. The Spirit Ice Douluo disappeared after that epic battle, never to be seen since. Yet, it is rumored that he was victorious, for the Soul Beast God, the Golden-eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, hasnt appeared since. Although he was only listening to Wu Zhangkongs narration of the tale, Tang Wulins heart was filled with awe. He could feel the impressiveness of the scene that the mural depicted. Within the soul beast tide, one giant soul beast after another advanced toward the walls of a great city, creating an atmosphere of extreme terror. Floating above the city was a person with shining eyes. Surrounding him were several floating figures. One of them was a beautiful woman in white, another a woman dressed in green. Upon his shoulder was an existence that looked like an ice crystal, a gigantic bear, and an enormous white worm. Brilliant soul rings revolved around his body. Thats the Spirit Ice Douluo! Tang Wulin had heard the legend of the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao in his childhood. He was the bastard child of the White Tiger Duke of Star Luo Empire, so his name was actually Dai Yuhao. He was a genius from ten thousand years ago. Despite being an ordinary child, he entered the legendary Shrek Academy and, taking one step at a time, walked the path toward becoming a peak expert, resulting in might that caused the entire continent to tremble. Rumours had it that he had broken through the boundaries of humanity and left for the Divine Realm. The origin of this rumour was due to the fact that his wife had disappeared soon after he did. Tang Wulin gazed intently at the Spirit Ice Douluo when the brilliant figure beside the Spirit Ice Douluo caught his eye. A beautiful woman with a pair of gigantic, radiant butterfly wings floated beside the Spirit Ice Douluo. Despite the numerous companions beside the Spirit Ice Douluo, everyones attention would be drawn to this couple. Dragon Butterfly Douluo Tang Wutong, wife of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao. Look, Wulin, isnt the Spirit Ice Douluos wife beautiful!? Apparently, she was also extremely powerful and possessed a formidable soul fusion skill with the Spirit Ice Douluo. Combined, they transformed into a supreme existence. In that era, that was the peak! Xie Xie said as he admired the mural. Tang Wutong; its so similar to your name, Wulin, Gu Yue exclaimed in astonishment. Also, did you notice that Wulin looks rather similar to Tang Wutong? Especially their eyes. No way. The Dragon Butterfly Douluos hair and eyes are light blue, while Wulins are black. How do they look alike? Xie Xie said dismissively. An odd feeling grew within Tang Wulins heart as he listened to his two friends converse. There really was a feeling of intimacy in his heart whenever he looked at the Dragon Butterfly Douluo. He shook his head in self-mockery. How can I compare myself to the Dragon Butterfly Douluo? I only feel like this because we have similar names, thats all. Alright, lets go. Long Hengxus voice roused the five students. He smiled and continued, I was just like you guys when I first came to one of the Eighteen Pillars of Heaven. I got used to it after a few more visits though. In any case, every single one of the Eighteen Pillars of Heaven has a mural worthy of admiration. Wu Zhangkong said, Restrain yourselves until you enter the spirit ascension platform. Youll only have yourselves to rely on once you enter. Surprised, Tang Wulin asked, Youre not entering with us? Wu Zhangkong explained, Only Soul Masters with four rings or less can enter the elementary spirit ascension platform. Long Hengxu nodded. But you can rest assured, we will be watching all of you carefully from the outside. If you encounter a dangerous situation, it will be your duty to take the initiative to withdraw. Well give you the full explanation in a bit. With Long Hengxu and Wu Zhangkong in the lead, everyone entered the elevator. Contrary to their expectations, they began to descend instead of ascend. A faint feeling of weightlessness told them that they were penetrating deep underground. As for how deep, it was impossible to tell. The Spirit Pagoda was indeed worthy of being called the number one organization on the continent; they possessed both the strongest power, as well as the greatest resources. The amount they spent on engineering such a thing was simply astronomical. This elevator had no numbers displayed to indicate the time or level, but at least three minutes passed before it gradually came to a stop. Everyone exited the elevator and entered an expansive hall where 19 staff members were present. Behind them were countless metal passages Long Hengxu took out a peculiar card and handed it over to one of the staff members. The staff member didnt utter a single word, simply gesturing for them to follow. Ten meters down the corridor, they entered another elevator and continued their descent. This time they stopped after 19 seconds, finding themselves in a circular room upon exit. This room was still made entirely out of metal, but hanging on the wall was a giant soul screen. An image of a green world flickered on the screen. It seemed to be a jungle. The staff member turned around and began to speak. There are five quotas open for entry to the spirit ascension platform. When you can no longer bear the danger, press the emergency distress button and you will immediately return here. Pay attention to what I say next. 123 Entering The spirit ascension platform is the fruit of a millennium years of our Spirit Pagodas efforts and knowledge. We had invested an enormous amount of resources and used our spatial technology to create a different world, therefore, the first thing you need to note is that the spirit ascension platform is a virtual world. To be precise, it is half virtual and half real. This is because a lot of the virtual data relies on your input. However, it can be considered purely virtual within the elementary spirit ascension platform, so there is no need to fear for your lives. You can do anything you want in the spirit ascension platform, but your main objective will be to survive. Do your best to survive as long as you can. The longer you survive, the greater the benefits you will reap. Secondly, dont believe that it is completely safe in there. Although your life will not be in danger as only your brain waves are active in there, in some extreme circumstances, there is a possibility that your brain waves will be damaged and cause danger to your corporeal body. As such, the moment you face danger beyond your power to deal with, press the emergency exit button; and you will immediately exit the spirit ascension platform. Understood? Understood. The five students responded quickly. The staff member nodded. As for the rest, you will learn them after experiencing it inside. Today is the first time you will be inside, so you probably wont survive too long, but it should leave a deep impression on you. Prepare yourselves mentally and remember this: dont panic if you run into a dangerous situation. Soul beasts arent that scary if you know how to react properly. The five children were filled with anticipation after listening to the staff members explanations. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were especially excited since this was their first time learning about the spirit ascension platform. They would enter with their brain waves? Just how would that feel? With a press of a button, five metal boxes came out of the wall. These boxes were laid horizontally, each with a person sized-hollow within it, which made them slightly resemble a coffin. Lay down inside. The five of them followed the staff members instructions and laid down in the metal boxes. The boxes were so cold that it snapped their minds into focus. The interior was lined with electrodes, which quickly began to stick to their body snuggly. Were going to start now. Prepare yourselves. Relax your bodies and wait for the scan to begin. You may feel some discomfort during the scan, but just bear with it for a moment. That was the last piece of instruction the five students received from the staff member before the five metal boxes had slowly slid back into the wall. They were enveloped in darkness. A sudden numbness encompassed Tang Wulins body and agitated his excited soul power and blood; it was as if something was tunneling through his body. His body became paralyzed as the numbness grew stronger. This sort of pain was nothing to Tang Wulin compared to the pain of breaking his seal; in fact, this feeling made him drowsy. A while later, his body suddenly started trembling, rousing him from his drowsiness. To his surprise, he now stood in a brightly lit place. The numbness had disappeared along with the metal box, replaced by a metal device that had a big red button. It was attached to the back of his hand. Is this the emergency exit button? Where is this? Tang Wulin already had an initial impression of what the spirit ascension platform would be like from Xie Xies explanation, but now that he had actually entered, he was utterly shocked. Only now could he understand how much the Spirit Pagoda had poured into their research. He was surrounded by gigantic trees and large thickets of shrubbery. There wasnt a single path in sight. It felt like he had entered an ancient forest. However, what was most astonishing to him was how realistic this place felt. He lightly pinched his own cheeks in disbelief, before examining his surroundings, touching everything, and finally, confirming that it was real. Heavens! This spirit ascension platform is just too magical! His heart overflowed with awe. Such a place was simply too magical for him to fathom. Only after a few moments of admiration was Tang Wulin finally able to calm himself down. In the first place, he was already far calmer than his peers. After all, his many years of blacksmithing hadnt been for nothing. He looked down at his hands, confirming that his bracelets and rings were still there. With this, he concluded that everything on him had been brought over to this world. Next, he roused his bloodline power, and was relieved to see the golden scales appear. Everything is the exact same as in reality. Tang Wulin was not the type of person to make rash decisions, so having heard that the spirit ascension platform wasnt completely safe, he concluded that it was probably dangerous instead. It was possible to encounter an enemy at any moment, just like Wu Zhangkong had mentioned during combat training. With this being the case, the only thing he could do now was to always be on guard, and to survive for as long as possible. Now that Tang Wulin had a clear objective in mind, he silently crouched down and surveyed his surroundings. His spiritual power had already reached the Spirit Connection realm, so it was far more sensitive to changes in the external world. The first thing he felt was the breath of life that permeated the forest. Only this could be considered an authentic ancient forest! Where could one even find such a forest in the modern day federation? The majority of ancient forests had already been cut down by humanity. In fact, it was said that the continents greatest forest, Great Star Dou Forest, was only a husk of its former self, left with a meagre one percent of its original area. So ancient forests are actually so beautiful The air is so refreshing. Ah, it feels so wonderful here. Tang Wulins eyes were twinkling with excitement as he fully absorbed this wondrous feeling. He felt as if he was back in Glorybound City, in the little park beside his home. His cultivation speed had always been faster when he had meditated among the Bluesilver Grass in the park back then, and it was also there that he had broken through to rank 10, becoming a true Soul Master. And now, he was surrounded by a breath of life that was several times stronger than the one in the little park back home. In fact, there was actually Bluesilver Grass hiding below the shrubbery! The Bluesilver Grass here, however, had flourished much better than the ones he had seen back home. It was extremely difficult for Bluesilver Grass to grow past 15 centimeters in height, yet the grass here had grown well over 30 centimeters in height, reaching up to his calves. Sitting down from his squat, he gently ran his fingers through the Bluesilver Grass around him. At the same time, he subconsciously released his martial soul. A strand of Bluesilver Grass had quietly appeared among the surrounding thicket. The aura of life he sensed grew stronger in an instant, as if all the plants in his surroundings were joyously cheering. Tang Wulin immersed himself in this quiet forest that was brimming with life, feeling everything within. The fifth region of the Spirit Pagodas elementary spirit ascension platform. What is he doing? Long Hengxu was pointing at a screen that was displaying Tang Wulin sitting down with his eyes closed. He was leaning against a tree with his mouth slightly curved, a pleasurable smile gracing his face. No matter how he looked at it, Long Hengxu felt that this child was taking a nap! Tang Wulin had such a wonderful opportunity to enter the spirit ascension platform, yet, he was taking a nap? Wu Zhangkong said, He seems to be contemplating something. Dont forget, his martial soul is the Bluesilver Grass, and its rare to find such lush Bluesilver Grass in the real world. Look, he seems to have comprehended something; he has already released his martial soul. Long Hengxu finally realized what Tang Wulin was doing. Thats right, this simulation of the Great Star Dou Forest is really suitable for plant-type Soul Masters to cultivate in. It seems that this childs perception is quite good after all. Wu Zhangkong nodded in approval. Within the class of five, Tang Wulin was not the most talented student. He didnt have Xie Xies twin martial souls or Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxis soul fusion skill. He didnt even have Gu Yues skillful control. Yet, despite all of this, Wu Zhangkong paid special attention to this child. 124 Zhang Yangzi’s Bad Luck Wu Zhangkong felt that there was something special about Tang Wulin, as if he was a block of unpolished jade. Although Tang Wulins cultivation speed didnt seem particularly fast, Wu Zhangkong knew that Tang Wulins rate of improvement was actually the fastest out of his five students. Originally, there was an enormous gap between him and the others when he had first entered the academy, but in the last few months, he had drastically changed and now stood on equal footing with his peers. The most crucial aspects to his success were his tenacious personality, remarkable perception and high spiritual power. If his bloodline power also continued to grow, then perhaps he would be the most outstanding among the five students in the future. ? After landing with a jolt, Zhang Yangzi steadied himself and took in his surroundings with eyes full of amazement. This, this is a forest? Zhang Yangzi found himself in a vibrant forest filled with the lively cacophony of insects and songbirds. The overwhelming vitality of the forest went against his dark-attribute martial soul, making him feel uncomfortable and discordant. After the initial shock, however, he was astounded to discover that the forests aura had caused his soul power to circulate more quickly. I need to prepare myself to fight at any moment. Without the slightest hesitation, he released his martial soul; a pair of black wings unfurled from his back. His martial soul was the powerful Shadow Phantasm Eagle, so his soul fusion skill with Wang Jinxi was called the Shadow Eagle Dragon. Unfortunately, their cultivation was still too shallow and their soul fusion skill incomplete, allowing Tang Wulin to defeat them so quickly at the Class Promotion Tournament. That was right, Zhang Yangzi was still unconvinced. He refused to believe he was weaker than Tang Wulin, and the only reason he had lost during the tournament was because he had been unable to display his full power. He truly was bitter about it. Hmph! You three better not let me find you. With a flap of his wings, he shot up, just high enough to begin rapidly climbing a tree. He figured the best course of action for now was to secure a high vantage point and survey his surroundings. It would be best if he could reunite with Wang Jinxi. With their powers combined, they would mutually augment the others strengths. After transforming his hands into eagle claws, he quickly climbed to the top of the tree. At a height of about ten meters off the ground, his view of the surroundings drastically increased. The tree he had chosen was the tallest one in the area, allowing him to view an astonishing scene. It was an ocean of green as far as the eye could see. There was simply no end to it. With clear skies and boundless greenery, the giant treetops gave him a feeling of indescribable, vibrant vitality. It was as if this world was simply an endless spring of life. This really is so lifelike! He had heard about the spirit ascension platform previously too, but despite his family having the means to send him, he hadnt been able to enter due to his insufficient strength and young age. Huh, whats that? Zhang Yangzi gazed at the vast sky. A large, green bird was soaring high in the skies, but with a flap of its wings, it suddenly veered and headed straight for him. Such a pretty bird! Zhang Yangzi was moved, but at the same time, arrogance appeared within his heart. I already have a chance to engage in real combat so early on. Lets see just how strong the soul beasts are in here. Two soul rings appeared underfoot while his spirit soul, the Dark Devil Eagle, appeared on his shoulder. Zhang Yangzi pushed off the tree trunk and used the rebound to spring into the sky. He spread his wings while his second soul ring started to shine. Second soul skill, Eagle Soars the Sky. From the very beginning, he had already unleashed his most powerful soul skill. He hadnt had a chance to use this soul skill during the Class Promotion Tournament as he needed to coordinate with Wang Jinxi and their team. Having lost without being able to display all of his abilities, only the heavens knew how sullen his heart was. Now that he was in the spirit ascension platform, the first thing he wanted to do now was to vent his frustrations. His body shone with a brilliant, black radiance, his figure becoming illusory. As the Dark Devil Eagle fused into his body, his wings enlarged and his speed suddenly tripled. A powerful aura burst from his body, and like a black arrow, he pierced toward the large, green bird. An eagles cry resounded through the sky. Eagle Soars the Sky increased both his speed and power, combining to create a powerful attack. Zhang Yangzi had always believed that this attack-type skill was unequalled among his peers. After all, a single use of this skill consumed over fifty percent of his soul power. His evaluation of his skill had greatly diminished, however, after encountering Tang Wulins Golden Dragon Claw. The tyrannical might of the Golden Dragon Claw was simply too terrifying for him to face. Furthermore, his skill was a close-combat type, which increased the risk of injury. The gap between him and the bird rapidly closed before his eyes. The large, green bird was also frightened by how quickly Zhang Yangzi had reached it. It spread its wings once more and flapped them, shooting out several green wind blades at Zhang Yangzi. As the wind blades shot toward Zhang Yangzi, the bird issued a sharp screech, like it was flaunting its power. Bang! Although the wind blades were smashed apart in the collision of black and green, they had succeeded in stopping Zhang Yangzis momentum, forcing him to spread his wings. This is bad! Zhang Yangzi cried out within his heart. He still wasnt strong enough to fly with only his wings. He depended on Eagle Soars the Sky to stay aloft for a period of time. When he smashed apart his opponents attacks, it had forced him to halt and start falling. He quickly glided down with his wings spread. He really was clever. From the birds five-meter wingspan, he had deduced that, the bird wouldnt be able to pursue him any further if he took shelter in the forest. However, his expression turned ghastly in the next moment. One green figure after another appeared from the treetops. Wind blades shot at him from all directions from a multitude of large, green birds. How did things turn out like this? This was the only thought running through Zhang Yangzis mind as he pressed the emergency exit button. Only at that moment did he finally understand the profound look the Spirit Pagoda staff member had given them before they had entered. Darkness covered his eyes while his surroundings became tranquil. All of the attacks that had been flying toward him disappeared. He felt his body cooling down as light poured into the box. Get up. Long Hengxu spoke without a single trace of happiness. It was only after he sat up that Zhang Yangzi snapped out of his stupor and realized he was back in the Spirit Pagoda. The screens in the room switched scenes at that moment, letting Zhang Yangzi know that he was actually the first one out. Upon realization, his face immediately blushed. He embarrassedly crawled out of the metal box. Wu Zhangkong remained silent, simply pointing at the chair beside him for Zhang Yangzi to take a seat. Taking in a deep breath, Zhang Yangzi calmed himself. He was still a bit dazed, a side effect of entering the spirit ascension platform, but he could clearly remember everything that had happened in there. His gaze suddenly changed when he noticed the flock of green birds soaring in the sky on one of the screens. They seemed to be searching for something. Isnt that where I was just now? There were no less than one hundred birds on screen, covering the clouds and the sun. Their bright cries resonated throughout the skies, bringing more green birds to join their flock. He swallowed a gulp of saliva when he realized that the flock of birds were actually searching for him! If it had been the real world, he would have already been dead even if there had been ten of him. Long Hengxu only spared him a glance before continuing to watch the events occurring on the screens. Wu Zhangkong didnt give him any words of criticism either. True combat experience was best gained when experienced for themselves. Zhang Yangzi began to ponder over his mistakes. His eyes displayed strong excitement. Apart from being embarrassed, he found that he really enjoyed entering the spirit ascension platform. It was extremely realistic inside, and he was determined to survive even longer next time. 125 Xie Xie’s Adventures in the Spirit Ascension Platform Xie Xie was quietly and cautiously traversing through the forest, shifting from the shadows of one tree to another. Compared to Zhang Yangzi, he was far more vigilant. This was because he had heard countless stories of the spirit ascension platforms forest when he was a child. He knew that danger lurked everywhere in this forest. If he wasnt careful, then he would quickly turn into one of the many corpses that littered the ground. However, danger also meant opportunity. If he was able to kill a few soul beasts, then his spirit soul would gain some strength in the real world. His spirit soul was actually a metal spirit soul that had been specially manufactured by the Spirit Pagoda. When he had fused it with his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, a mutation had occurred. Of course, this mutation was nowhere near as large as the one Goldlight had experienced after fusing with Tang Wulin. Xie Xies metal spirit soul had received a small mutation. As long as he had enough spiritual power, he could absorb two spirit souls and fuse them together as one. At that time, this was the only hundred year spirit soul, so his family had to pay the equivalent of a thousand year spirit soul for this hundred year spirit soul. Thus, his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger both benefited from this spirit soul fusion. And like his first two soul skills, he also kept this hidden. In a certain sense, Xie Xies twin martial souls were actually a bit weaker than true twin martial souls. This was because the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger were originated from the same place and had very little differences between them. As a result, they did not complement one another, and their powers were only additive instead of multiplicative. The most crucial difference, however, was the fact that Xie Xie needed to obtain soul rings for both of his martial souls whenever he hit a bottleneck preventing him from reaching the next rank. This was completely different from true twin martial souls where only one of them needed a soul ring to continue advancing; the other one could be saved to upgrade in the future. Naturally, no one else apart from him and his family knew this secret. Xie Xies first spirit soul was extremely compatible with him, but he knew that it would be impossible to find a spirit soul as compatible as his current one in the future. Despite his twin martial souls giving him an advantage in the early stages of cultivation, due to his average spiritual power, his growth would be restricted unless he had enough spiritual power to support spirit souls for both of his dragon daggers. The spirit ascension platform was one solution to his problems. The first thing he had to do was upgrade his metal spirit soul. If it reached the purple thousand year level, then it would be able to provide him an additional soul ring. If it reached the black ten thousand year level, then there would be another one on top of that. The fewer spirit souls a Soul Master absorbed, the less spiritual power they would need to sustain them. Moreover, if his spirit soul was upgraded, then the soul skills it provided would be upgraded too. This was simply the best method to increase ones strength. For this reason, Xie Xies anticipation for the spirit ascension platform had also been the highest among the five students. Even after exploring the forest for a while, Xie Xie had yet to encounter a single soul beast. His steps were light and his breathing weak as he carefully surveyed his surroundings, just waiting for a soul beast to appear at any moment. It would be best if a lone soul beast appeared. Even if he could only kill one, his spirit soul would still receive some benefits. Xie Xies eyes twinkled with nervousness and excitement. Huh? A strange feeling suddenly washed over his body. He dived forward without the slightest hesitation. Several dozen lights flew over him, just narrowly missing his head. He stood up with a powerful twist of his body. This attack He was horrified to see dozens of pairs of twinkling scarlet eyes open up on the trees. The attacks had been from them. Plant-type soul beast, Scarlet Demon Tree. This is bad. These trees appear in large groups! Compared to Zhang Yangzi, Xie Xie was far more knowledgeable about soul beasts. At the very least, he wasnt one to recklessly attack a soul beast he couldnt identify. He didnt have any intention on fighting them. Instead, he rolled to the side and dashed away from them. Sure enough, the Scarlet Demon Trees shot out rays of light at him just after he moved. Had he been any slower, he would have been turned into a pincushion and died. So close, so close! Xie Xie was panting. Zizi! A screech was heard just before a yellow shadow shot straight at Xie Xie. Xie Xie hastily stopped and slashed out a Light Dragon Blade at his charging opponent while veering off in another direction to escape. That whip-like yellow shadow twisted in the air and easily avoided the Light Dragon Blade. A gigantic mouse taller than a man dug up from the ground. That yellow shadow was actually its tail. It swung its tail like a javelin piercing toward Xie Xies chest. It was a Longtail Mouse over two meters tall. This was a hundred year Longtail Mouse! Rather than fear, Xie Xie was filled with joy at the sight of this mouse. He knew that this was a powerful loner-type soul beast that usually preyed on insects, but wasnt a great carnivore. It could launch shrewd attacks with its fickle tail, and was also equipped with a mouth full of steel-like teeth that could chew through uncommon metals. Xie Xie kicked off a tree, suddenly shooting up into the air. He released a Light Dragon Blade at the Longtail Mouse while his left hand waved slightly in a seamless manner. The Longtail Mouse swayed a little as it thrusted its tail at the Light Dragon Blade. A ray of light flashed on the tip of its tail. The Light Dragon Blade was split in half, sweeping right past the Longtail Mouse. The mouse was actually surprisingly fast and its leap exceptionally powerful as it quickly caught up to Xie Xie. Right at that moment, the Longtail Mouse suddenly shrieked in pain. A bloody line burst from its body and its body was splattered. How could Xie Xie let go of such a good opportunity? He exploded off of a tree trunk and into the air, spinning his body at the same time. With his Light Dragon Dagger as the starting point, he dropped onto the Longtail Mouse like a drill. The Longtail Mouses body was swallowed by the Light Dragon Storm and turned into a splatter of blood in the blink of an eye. Xie Xie and the Longtail Mouses body landed on the ground at the same time. A ball of light emerged from the hundred year Longtail Mouses body and moved to merge with Xie Xie. Xie Xie flicked his Light Dragon Dagger happily, but he knew that he couldnt stay in the area for long, so he quickly ran off in a random direction. In this forest of soul beasts, the smell of blood was the easiest way to attract other soul beasts, especially carnivorous soul beasts. Naturally, he had only been able to kill the Longtail Mouse so quickly because he could launch a sneak attack with his Shadow Dragon Dagger. His second attack with his Light Dragon Blade had actually been used to mask the Shadow Dragon Blade that had been quietly heading toward the mouse. It had been surprisingly effective, and with his Light Dragon Storm prepared beforehand, he had been able to eliminate his opponent in one go. Bang, bang, bang! Before Xie Xie even had the chance to run too far, muffled booms resounded from the earth. Xie Xie was dumbstruck. That sound Why does it sound so terrifying. ? On top of a giant tree, Wang Jinxi was gasping for breath as his enlarged body began to return to normal. He had just fought a fierce battle; he had met a pack of ten year Wind Wolves earlier. Although they werent strong, they were fast and numerous. There had been over twenty wolves in the pack. If he didnt have the great strength and sturdy defenses of his transformation, then he likely wouldnt have made it out of the encounter in one piece. Unfortunately, his spirit soul didnt benefit much from the slaughter as the wolves were only ten year soul beasts. HIs spirit soul was a bone spirit similar to Xie Xies metal spirit soul in that it had also been fused directly into his martial soul. He only had about forty percent of his soul power left, while his physical strength was exhausted. For now, he had to rest and recover. What he wasnt aware of, however, was that a large figure was slowly descending toward him. Why does it seem a bit darker now? A peculiar feeling had crept into the back of Wang Jinxis mind. He subconsciously raised his head to look at the sky but was shocked to find a persons face rapidly descending toward him. It was a beautiful womans face. when she opened her mouth, though, a rows of sinister fangs were exposed. But what was even more terrifying to Wang Jinxi was the fact that this womans face was actually on the stomach of a giant spider! 126 Hundred Year Demon Spider and Thousand Year Soul Beas A Man-Faced Demon Spider. This was the soul beast hunting Man-Faced Demon Spider! It was considered a powerful top-tier soul beast. Even at the hundred year level, it could contend with thousand year soul beasts on equal footing. Wang Jinxi threw himself away from it without the slightest hesitation. Even if hed been in good condition, it was impossible for him to win against such a powerful opponent. With his weakened strength and spent soul power, his only choice was to flee for his life. Pu! Wang Jinxis whole body tensed as he felt something coiling around his body. Despite his enormous strength, he was unable to break free. Even if he wanted to, it was now impossible for him to press the emergency exit button. A xixisuosuo sound emerged from the cold forest. In the next moment, Wang Jinxi felt a sharp pain before his body turned numb and cold from the inside out. ? The Spirit Pagoda staff member urgently ordered, Prepare for emergency treatment. Wang Jinxis body was shivering when the metal box slid out. The affliction didnt stop even after the electrodes were pulled off him. A dozen staff members dressed in white rushed over to him in a flash. One of them took out a needle and stabbed it into Wang Jinxis neck, delivering its contents into his bloodstream. Is it that Man-Faced Demon Spider again? Yes! That thing is so violent. It didnt even give this child a chance to press the button. Ah, this childs luck is truly terrible. Wu Zhangkong and Long Hengxu calmly watched on as the white-clothed people busily moved to do their work. After no less than ten minutes, the leader of the white-clothed group heaved a sigh of relief. Not bad. This childs willpower is very strong and he shouldnt have any problems now. Just let him rest for a while and hell wake up. Finished with his explanation, the man left with the rest of the people in white. The scene returned to normal, as if nothing had even happened. Zhang Yangzi had been flabbergasted since the moment the people in white came in. Wha, whats going on? Teacher Wu, Director Long, is Jinxi okay? Isnt the spirit ascension platform a virtual place? How did he end up like this Zhang Yangzis words trailed off as he glanced at Wang Jinxis pale face, his previous excitement now replaced by fear. The staff member said, I have already told you; although the spirit ascension platform is virtual, it still contains a degree of reality. Everything you sense inside of there would be just as if you were feeling it in reality. So if youre harmed inside, then you will still feel all of the pain. For example, if you had been sliced into a corpse by the wind blades of those big green birds, then you would also feel the exact same sensations as a corpse. The sensations would be exceedingly real and would attack your mind. Simply said, if someone witnesses their wrist being slit, then they will also feel the gushing of their blood, the sound of it dripping down. Even when the wound closes and they stop bleeding, they will still sense the blood dripping, so their brain will think theyre already dead. After this thought appears in their brain, they will truly begin to die. The spirit ascension platform has this problem, especially so for first-timers like you. Fortunately, the effects will gradually decrease as your spiritual power increases. By the time you can ignore the effects though, I dont think youll be able to enter the elementary spirit ascension platform anymore and will have to enter the intermediate ascension platform instead. The sensations in the intermediate ascension platform are even more different. Hehe, the intermediate ascension platform Zhang Yangzis expression took a turn for the worse at these words. He was truly afraid now. This spirit ascension platform could actually result in a true death! ? Gu Yue was wandering about the forest in a daze. The lush forest, the clean air, it reminded her of something she had seen a lifetime ago. So beautiful. I really like this feeling! The fact that the Spirit Pagoda had created the spirit ascension platform could be considered nothing short of a miracle. She continued to head deeper into the depths of the forest. During her travels, she had encountered several soul beasts, but fortunately, they had been weak and easy to deal with. Each time she killed a soul beast, a faint light would radiate from her body. Her eyes grew wider and wider every time she felt this light. Amongst the five students, she and Tang Wulin had the least knowledge about the spirit ascension platform. As she was walking, a bush rustled, then a tall figure suddenly jumped out in front of Gu Yue. It was a giant bear over three meters tall and covered in light brown fur. This bear had a pair of large claws and glistening yellow eyes. The beast released a thunderous roar when it saw Gu Yue, then charged toward her. ? Thousand year, a thousand year soul beast appeared. Do you want to warn her? A staff member looked toward Wu Zhangkong with a questioning gaze. Just watch for now. Wu Zhangkongs eyes were fixed on the screen. It was a rarely seen thousand year Crystal Bear. Even in ancient times it would be exceedingly rare. This thousand year Crystal Bear was a mutated from the same species as the Fear Claw Bear. Only, its mutation made it far weaker than the Fear Claw Bear. Although it was weaker than the Fear Claw Bear, the Crystal Bear did possess a special ability. Every single one of its attacks would cause its opponents body to crystallize by a fraction, stacking until its opponent eventually shatters from its subsequent attack. Only with strong soul power and a quick removal of the crystallized areas would one be able to avoid massive losses from a Crystal Bear. The Crystal Bear also had a weakness; it lacked ranged combat abilities. Even without two soul rings, Gu Yue was considered the strongest among the five classmates due to her incredible control over the elements. Furthermore, with her control over the spatial element even Xie Xies attacks could be evaded. The greater the pressure, the greater the growth of a Soul Master. Wu Zhangkong firmly believed in this. He wanted to see just how his only female student would react in the face of a powerful thousand year Crystal Bear. Just as anticipation filled Wu Zhangkong, the Crystal Bear launched its attack. ? Gu Yue wasnt flustered at all. A single yellow soul ring rose from beneath her feet while her aura strengthened. First soul skill, Elemental Tide. Gu Yues body grew light as a green glow flashed out. Then, with a flash of silver light, she disappeared from her current position and teleported to another. The Crystal Bears charge met nothing but air. Unable to stop itself, it ran headfirst into a large tree. With her back to the thousand year Crystal Bear, Gu Yue ran away. Clearly, she had no intention of fighting the thousand year Crystal Bear. She waved her hands behind her, releasing a tornado. This tornado definitely wasnt meant to harm the Crystal Bear; after all, its defenses were too stout to be affected by some wind. However, this wind was sufficient to stir the leaves on the trees. A gale of leaves fluttered about, obscuring the Crystal Bears line of sight. Gu Yue seized this chance to teleport once more, changing her direction then bolting. ? Beautiful. Her response was clever, fast as well, praised Long Hengxu. Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nod. He was pleased with Gu Yues steadiness in the face of such a terrifying opponent. Shed judged her opponents strength at the very beginning and compared it to her own before quickly choosing how to react. In the end, shed chosen to flee. Although fleeing was easy, the difficult part was in making such a choice in an instant. This just showed how calm and intelligent Gu Yue was. He turned to look at another screen, one which had three dots on it. These three dots meant that there were only three people remaining in the spirit ascension platform. Gu Yue was actually running in Tang Wulins direction at that moment. Yi! Wu Zhangkong let out a light sound of surprise at this discovery. ? Two loud booms put Xie Xie on alert. The origin these booms was fairly close and he could tell it was getting nearer to him. One had to be truly confident in themself if they were willing to cause such a ruckus within this soul beast forest. Xie Xie didnt dare to ignore it, so he climbed up a tree with lightning speed before hiding his presence, waiting calmly. This time, staying still was a better option than escaping for Xie Xie. After all, hed consumed quite a bit of soul power when he killed that Longtail Mouse. A giant figure charged madly out of the thickets not too far from him. Xie Xie was startled by its appearance because it was actually running toward him! The beast stood on two feet and reached a height of over four meters. Its entire body was covered in metallic scales while a single horn grew from its head. It was actually an extremely ferocious Horned Dragon! 127 The Golden Dragon Claw’s Migh Xie Xies mouth felt a bit dry after seeing such a ferocious soul beast. He had seen all the soul beasts he had encountered today in books before. He had an excellent memory and could clearly remember this two-legged Horned Dragon. It was a dragon-type soul beast of the land dragon variety. It possessed tremendous physical strength and was considered among the top ranks of land dragons. Even in the complexity of this forest, it was able to maneuver around at lightning speed with its leaping ability and jerky motions. Although it lacked any ranged attack abilities, it possessed an unstoppable temperament. As long as it had a prey in its sights, it would go to the ends of the earth to kill it. Just what kind of luck was this to run into a hundred year Horned Dragon? In the past, Agility System Soul Masters feared this type of soul beast the most. Not only was it quick, its attack, defensive power, and endurance were all amazing. Xie Xie had only just recently obtained his second ring. Even at his peak, his efforts would have been meaningless when faced with such an overbearing opponent, much less to say his current condition. Why is this bastard heading straight for me? Bang! Just as Xie Xie was feeling panicked, the Horned Dragon had reached him and charged headfirst into the tree Xie Xie was hiding in without the slightest hesitation. A boom resonated throughout the forest as the tree, thicker than two peoples arms wrapped around it, snapped. Xie Xie hurriedly jumped to another large tree. A doubt arose within him. This guys front arms seem weak. It shouldnt be able to climb up here right? Hope was a beautiful thing, but reality was cruel. After breaking the first tree, the Horned Dragon immediately turned and charged at the tree Xie Xie had found refuge in once again. This time however, it didnt run into it headfirst; rather, it jumped. It jumped all the way up to Xie Xie, its gaping maws closing toward him. A golden blade of light landed on the Horned Dragons armor of scales, leaving behind a mere centimeter deep white scar. Xie Xie understood now that he was helpless against this beast, so he could only jump to another tree. The Horned Dragon was both large and agile. By pushing off of a tree trunk with its powerful legs, it was actually able to continue chasing Xie Xie up in the trees. It was extremely fast and didnt lose a single inch to Xie Xie. It truly was worthy of being called the nemesis of Agility System Soul Masters! Xie Xie did not dare to face it in a direct confrontation as he knew that even with his Light Dragon Storm, he would simply be throwing his life away. This Horned Dragons scales was as sturdy as an Armored Dragon, but it was also exceptionally nimble! He was escaping at full speed, yet the Horned Dragon was actually slowly gaining on him! Meanwhile, Xie Xies soul power and stamina was being depleted; he could only run for so long Is my only choice left to press the emergency exit button? Xie Xies heart was smoldering with his unwillingness; after all, this was his first time in the spirit ascension platform! How could he just let it end in such an unsatisfying way? Hou! The hundred year Horned Dragons ear-splitting roar caused Xie Xie to slow down a step as a gale assaulted him from behind. Xie Xie closed his eyes and moved to slap the button. He didnt want to relieve the sensation of having his bones broken again. Right at that moment, he felt something tug at his waist, pulling him to the side. The Horned Dragon crashed into another tree, its attack missing completely. Xie Xie secretly rejoiced within his heart; he was familiar with this feeling of being pulled. He stopped himself from pressing the button. The Horned Dragon was truly stubborn in its pursuit. However, just as it turned to continue chasing Xie Xie, a silver light flew past Xie Xie and whizzed toward the dragon. Get lost! After that shout, the Horned Dragons movements suddenly turned sluggish under the owner of the voices aura. Due to its sluggishness the silver light was able to directly smash into its head. Bang! The Horned Dragon, which stood over three meters tall, was smashed and sent reeling onto the ground. Only after rolling a few times on the ground was it able to stand up once more. Although it was only one strike, there had been three booms. It shook its head a few times before looking in the direction the silver light had come from. Tang Wulin pulled Xie Xie back with his Bluesilver Grass and asked, Are you okay? Tang Wulin had actually been nearby, and the Horned Dragons heavy footsteps had woken him. He had climbed up a tree to survey what was going on when he saw Xie Xie faced with the Horned Dragons onslaught. It seemed that Xie Xie was actually quite lucky since Tang Wulin was nearby. During Tang Wulins meditation, he had grown intimate with the surrounding plants and had been able to clearly detect Xie Xies activities from the rejection of the plants. Furthermore, he had been able to vaguely tell that the plants were rejecting a human, which was why he had been able to reach Xie Xie so quickly. Im fine. Xie Xie said as he gasped for breath. He had faced a life and death situation just moments ago and now his back was already drenched with sweat. Be careful. The Horned Dragon is very stubborn and wont stop at anything once it has identified its prey. Tang Wulin laughed. It seems you forgot that dragon-type soul beasts are the least terrifying to me. Ill just go compare my strength with it. Golden scales covered his right arm as he spoke while a dragons mighty aura began to emanate from him. Normally, with its tyrannical nature, the Horned Dragon would have already charged at them, but Tang Wulins aura caused it to hesitate. Its claws were dug into the ground, as if it were waiting for something. The Heavy Silver hammer he had thrown earlier was retrieved with a pull of the Bluesilver Grass connected to it. Now, with a hammer in each of Tang Wulins hands, what did he have to fear from the Horned Dragon? Ill harass it from the side so Ill have to rely on you to face it head on. Xie Xie turned into a blur and reappeared in the shadows of a nearby tree. This was to be expected since Agility System Soul Masters excelled in backstabbing rather than frontal confrontations. Despite Tang Wulins dragon aura, the Horned Dragons instincts were beginning to take over. After only a slight hesitation, it released a dreadful roar before charging at Tang Wulin. The target of its wrath had already shifted to Tang Wulin after that hammer strike. A brilliant light twinkled within Tang Wulins eyes as a strand of Bluesilver Grass shot toward a tree branch and firmly coiled around it. With a pull of his hand, Tang Wulin soared into the air. He somersaulted midair over the Horned Dragon and landed atop its head. With his feet firmly planted, he released a vicious strike with his left arm onto the Horned Dragon. After experiencing its might once, the Horned Dragon knew just how terrifying this hammer was. It turned its head while raising it, shooting its horn toward Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin didnt dare ignore such an attack, and so he released his Golden Dragon Claw and evaded the horn while grabbing the dragons head. For a moment, The Horned Dragon clearly became more sluggish after Tang Wulin released his Golden Dragon Claw. Although it was only a moment, its reaction speed had still slowed down. Even though Tang Wulins soul power and physical strength were great, it was no match for the Horned Dragon. However, this was balanced by the Golden Dragon Kings influence over the Horned Dragon. Pu! The Horned Dragons scale armor was strong and its skull sturdy, but in a split second, it was pierced by Tang Wulins Golden Dragon Claw like it was rice paper. The hundred year Horned Dragons body lost all its strength. It was unable to even cry out as it collapsed on the spot. A yellow halo emerged from its body and fused into the little snake, Goldlight, who let out a cry of pleasure as a golden layer of light covered its body after the light merged with it. Tang Wulin stared at his right hand as it returned to normal. His heart was filled with an unfathomable feeling at the moment. When his Golden Dragon Claw had made contact with the Horned Dragons skull, it had felt like tofu to him, unable to put up the slightest resistance to his tyrannical strength. It seemed that dragon-type soul beasts and martial souls made excellent opponents for him. Indeed, his bloodline suppression effect was too formidable. He wouldnt have had such an easy victory without it! He made a fist with his left hand and punched the Horned Dragons head. A dull thud was heard. The head moved back a bit, but the rebounding force made his fist ache. Indeed, the Golden Dragon Claws crushing effect was extraordinary. He needed to test its effects and limitations further so he could utilise it to its fullest. In any case, using it for such a short period of time had actually consumed thirty percent of his soul power. This was definitely one of the downsides of using the Golden Dragon Claw. Its consumption rate was simply monstrous. However, without his bloodline power, he likely wouldnt have been able to unleash an attack of this level. So ferocious! Xie Xie said as he walked over, his face expressing shock. The Horned Dragon had been chasing him to the gates of heaven, yet, it had been crushed in an instant by Tang Wulin. 128 The Trio Versus the Crystal Bear If this was a real soul beast, then you would have been able to absorb its hundred year soul ring directly, but too bad its not, Xie Xie said as he gave Tang Wulin a thumbs-up. Tang Wulin said, It wouldnt have been this easy if it wasnt a dragon-type soul beast. Suddenly, a delicate voice called out from the side. Its not exactly a dragon. Now hurry up and help me! A silver light flashed and a delicate figure appeared not too far from Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. With a green light beneath her feet, Gu Yue reached them with lightning speed. A howl came from behind her, announcing the giant figure as it rushed out of the thicket. Damn, that Crystal Bear is huge Xie Xie went wide-eyed at the sight of the bear, while Tang Wulin stood stunned. The thousand year Crystal Bear was practically no different from a bulldozer as it barrelled through the thicket. Any small trees unfortunate enough to stand in its way were simply crystallized, then smashed into fine powder. It was simply overbearing. The silver light flashed again, and Gu Yue appeared right in front of the two. Her face was pale from exhaustion as she mustered her strength one more time and teleported to hide behind Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin swallowed a gulp. His instincts told him that this bear was far stronger than the hundred year Horned Dragon he had just killed! Squatting down, Tang Wulin grabbed the stiff Horned Dragon and hefted it up with both arms. The scales on his right arm began to shine brilliantly when Tang Wulin released a roar and threw the gigantic Horned Dragon corpse at the thousand year Crystal Bear. Heavens, his strength is insane! Long Hengxus eyes had widened in shock at the scene of Tang Wulin lifting up the Horned Dragons corpse. At that moment, Wang Jinxi awakened from his slumber, his complexion still deathly pale. He couldnt help but shudder when he recalled the feeling of the spiders leg entering his body, and the subsequent chill that had spread throughout him. The residual sensations Wang Jinxi was experiencing were far more severe than what Zhang Yangzi went through. When Zhang Yangzi watched Tang Wulin kill the Horned Dragon in a single attack, his eyes had already turned dull, for he knew that even with his powerful martial soul and soul skill, he would never have been able to take out the Horned Dragon in one hit. In fact, he doubted he would even be able to penetrate its defences. Not to mention that now an even more powerful beast had appeared. A single attack from Tang Wulins claw had killed the hundred year Horned Dragon, so Zhang Yangzi could only imagine the horrifying scene of himself receiving the claws attack. Too terrifying. It was simply too terrifying for him to imagine. During the tests, Tang Wulins power had merely been displayed as numbers, but now, Zhang Yangzi could clearly see just how powerful Tang Wulin was. He had thrown that giant Horned Dragons corpse so casually It seemed several thousand kilograms worth of strength really was nothing to scoff at. Will those three really be able to kill a thousand year soul beast? Zhang Yangzi thought nervously to himself. As he watched the three of them face off against such a powerful soul beast, his grudge against the trio cooled off and he began to cheer for them. Hou! The thousand year Crystal bear roared as it grabbed the incoming Horned Dragons corpse by the legs. Dark golden crystals formed on the dragons legs, creeping up the upper body of the corpse. In but a moment, it covered over half of the dragons corpse. The bear lowered its head and threw it down. Bang! The lower half of the dragons corpse shattered into a shower of countless crystal shards. Damn, its so ferocious. Just what kind of trouble have you brought us, Gu Yue? Why would you provoke something so powerful? I think its actually one of the strongest thousand year soul beasts in the elementary spirit ascension platform. Before he finished speaking, Xie Xie had already been flying toward the bear with his Light Dragon Dagger in hand. He had to prepare to launch a sneak attack at any moment. Gu Yue was panting for breath as she said, Who provoked it? It was the one that provoked me, okay? Tang Wulin remained silent as the two of them bantered. With Bluesilver Grass attached to his two hammers, he sent them flying toward the bears head. Ah, this big guy is so hard to deal with! It might not be as nimble or as quick as the Horned Dragon, but its attack and defense far exceeded the hundred year Horned Dragon. This, this is a thousand year soul beast? The thousand year soul beasts that produced purple soul rings in the past!? Tang Wulin wasnt scared at all, rather, he was brimming with a desire to battle. After all, this was the spirit ascension platform. They could escape from the battlefield at anytime and there wasnt anything more satisfying than true combat. He had never encountered a soul beast in the real world, so today could be considered an eye-opener for him. Bang, bang! The Crystal Bear wasnt particularly quick as it remained in place and simply blocked the two hammers with a raised arm. The powerful impact of the two hundred-kilogram hammers knocked into the Crystal Bear, making it stumble back a step. However, the Crystal bear had now become infuriated.. A yellow light flashed on the Crystal Bears body as it charged at Tang Wulin with a roar. Tang Wulin shouted out, You two retreat! Xie Xie, what is this things weakness? Although he had also studied soul beasts, Xie Xie was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable amongst the three. After all, Xie Xie had received a strict education since childhood. The Crystal Bears skin is as hard as copper and its bones are as hard as iron, but its weak point is its neck. Its neck is the weakest part of its body and all of its nerves are gathered there as well. Got it. Tang Wulin pulled on a strand of Bluesilver Grass, sending himself soaring into the air and out of the way of the Crystal Bears pounce. It was good that the beast had a weak point since Tang Wulin wasnt too nimble. And maybe, just maybe, Tang Wulin would manage to defeat it with his Golden Dragon Claw. In any case, they were in the spirit ascension platform! If they didnt experiment with things in here, then where would they test the Golden Dragon Claw? You two distract it and Ill look for a chance to give it a fatal blow. Tang Wulin shouted from the air. The thousand year Crystal Bears attack was met with nothing but air. It was smarter than the Horned Dragon though. It tore a small tree out of the ground and threw it into the air at Tang Wulin. With his hammers already back in his hands, Tang Wulin smashed the tree apart, but was sent flying in the air afterward. The bear made a beeline for him with its arms spread wide open. Pu! An invisible blade of light struck its neck, sending a wave of pain throughout its body. The bear growled in rage as it turned to look at its attacker. Xie Xie shouted at the top of his lungs, Come if you dare! He slashed with his Light Dragon Dagger and sent out another blade of light flying toward the bear. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin quickly stopped falling when a green light covered his body. With another tug on the Bluesilver Grass and the aid of the wind element, he soared back into the air. Over a dozen icicles flew over to provide Tang Wulin with footholds in the air, allowing him to change directions once again. A halo appeared underneath him as vine after vine of Bluesilver Grass twined around the Crystal Bears legs. Tang Wulin didnt expect his Bluesilver Grass to halt and bind the Crystal Bear; he had merely hoped that it would be enough to slow the bear down. However, a bizarre scene appeared. The Crystal Bear exerted its strength in an attempt to break free of the Bluesilver Grass twined around his legs. Normally, it would have succeeded, but at that moment, a golden light appeared on the Bluesilver Grass. Although it was for but a split second, it was enough to halt the bear for a second. It was only a second before the Crystal Bear broke free from the Bluesilver Grass, but that second was all Tang Wulin wished for. In that second, Tang Wulins soul power hadnt been depleted like previously. In fact, it hadnt been consumed at all, as his Bluesilver Grass had grown far more tenacious innately after he absorbed the power of the first seal. Xie Xie took full advantage of the Crystal Bears momentary stillness to turn around and retreat. His retreating speed, with the aid of Gu Yues wind element, was simply explosive. 129 Comrades! While Xie Xie retreated, a giant fireball exploded on the other side of the Crystal Bears head. Gu Yue was starting her assault from the side. The three of them stood in a triangle formation, with the Crystal Bear in the center. It stomped furiously, unable to decide which of the three to attack. Xie Xie, attack its belly. Gu Yue, attack its eyes. Tang Wulin loudly instructed as he shot a strand of Bluesilver Grass at a tree branch, pulling on it to quickly fling himself to the Crystal Bears rear. This level of coordination was to be expected after all their time spent cultivating together. Xie Xie didnt bother to hide himself at this moment. With a flash of his figure, he brandished his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, one tangible and the other invisible. He slashed the air, sending a pair of light blades at the Crystal Bears belly. Pu, pu! The Crystal Bear was furious. It may not have known previously which one to target, but now it did. It immediately took large strides toward Xie Xie. At that moment, however, blazing fireballs flew into its eyes. Although these fireballs were smaller than the previous ones, the quantity was far greater. The Crystal Bear raised a paw in front of itself while lowering its head. When it had received those attacks to its belly earlier, it had already begun to lower its stance. Now, it was forced to hunch in on itself even more. It was then that Tang Wulin chose to sweep in. The hammer in his right hand was held back while the hammer in his left was positioned in a defensive stance in front of his chest. With a golden brilliance, he released his Golden Dragon Claw as his hammer descended on the Crystal Bears neck with an earth-shattering force. Tang Wulin understood that victory or defeat would be decided by this one move. With his current soul power, he only had enough in him for this one attack. He had to bet everything on this attack;if it didnt kill the bear, then the trio would be forced to escape from the spirit ascension platform. Tang Wulins attack was accompanied by an ear-piercing whistle as a green wind blade cut through the air and struck the Crystal Bears belly. Gu Yue had exploded with strength to match Tang Wulins gambit and conceal the sound of his attack. Considering the fact that they were still nine-years-old and didnt have any powerful soul skills, what they had achieved so far in this battle was already amazing. He arrived! Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Wulin swiped at the bears nape with his Golden Dragon Claw. A crunching kaka noise came from the bears neck as Tang Wulin tightly gripped it using his Golden Dragon Claws crushing effect at its full power. The Crystal Bears neck had been crushed. It had to be said that Tang Wulins full strength was over a thousand kilograms! And with the added crushing effect, one could only imagine its tremendous might However, Tang Wulin discovered that compared to the hundred year Horned Dragon, the Crystal Bears skin was exceedingly tough and had actually put up some resistance that prevented him from completely crushing its neck. If he didnt have such immense strength or didnt attack the Crystal Bears weak point, he feared that the attack likely would have failed. Is it finished? Xie Xie stared as the thousand year Crystal Bear fell head first. This sight, in addition to the sound of its neck crunching, were enough to make him jump for joy. With two soul rings, he had the highest cultivation among them, so the fact that they could actually take down such a powerful soul beast was something to be proud of. At that moment, a layer of brilliant yellow light suddenly erupted from the Crystal Bears body. The scope of this light wasnt too far, only about one meter in radius, but it actually enveloped Tang Wulin completely. No Gu Yue shrieked as the yellow light immediately crystallized Tang Wulins body. His body was frozen in its stance. He gradually began to tip over and fall toward the ground. Crystal was frail and would fracture into shards upon impact. Tang Wulin was about to be shattered! Although this was the spirit ascension platform, there would still be residual effects after experiencing the trauma of shattering into pieces! In fact, it might even result in permanent injuries! Gu Yue appeared beside him with a flash of silver light. She hastily extended her arms out to hold up Tang Wulins body. Not only did Tang Wulins crystalized form increase his weight, but he was also still holding onto his Heavy Silver hammers. One could not guess how much he weighed now Gu Yue was pushed onto the ground by the crystal Tang Wulin. The thud rang out and gave her a bout of dizziness, but she relied purely on her physical strength to keep Tang Wulin from falling onto the floor and shattering. As long as he wasnt smashed into pieces for a while after the crystallization, the crystals would gradually recede on their own and vanish. It was due to this that the most terrifying time was right after being crystallized by the Crystal Bear. Tang Wulins consciousness was blurring, but he felt a stuffiness and a sharp pain in his chest. He couldnt perceive his surroundings, but when he looked within himself, he was astonished to find golden thread-like energy that seemed to have emerged from his stifled state to connect throughout his body. A dark, yellow energy poured into every corner of his body, but was resisted by the golden threads. He knew that these golden threads were not soul power since he had already consumed all of it when he used his Golden Dragon Claw. He was also certain that the appearance of these golden threads served to alleviate the suffocation he felt. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue! Xie Xie hurriedly rushed over to their side. He carefully lifted Tang Wulin and pulled Gu Yue, who was trapped beneath him, out. Gu Yue had her eyes closed, her face like a golden sheet of paper and her breathing weak. She had been injured when the crystallized Tang Wulin fell on top of her. Xie Xie looked around him. He hesitated slightly, before slapping the exit button on the back of Gu Yues hand. In an instant, she turned into a ray of light and disappeared. Tang Wulin was still covered in crystals, so it was impossible for him to hit Tang Wulins button. Suddenly, the surrounding thicket rustled fiercely. It seemed there were a number of beasts approaching them. What do I do? Tang Wulin is still crystallized, and I cant send him back. What should I do? Xie Xie firmly held his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger as he mulled over his options. He should escape now while he still could, since his soul power was nearly depleted, but if he left, then the crystallized Tang Wulin would remain here all alone. Faced with such a dilemma, he didnt hesitate to choose the harder path. He knelt beside Tang Wulin to conserve what little remained of his strength and began to regulate his breathing. His gaze shone with a resolute light. His comrade was right beside him, so how could he leave him at such a moment? When he was small, his father had told him that a true man could support both heaven and earth! He had to be a man who could support both heaven and earth! Men had to be loyal, face danger head-on, and never abandon their comrades, even at the price of their lives! This was Xie Xies first time encountering a situation like this, and despite the fact that he was like a newborn calf, he wasnt gutless at all. Rather, he felt himself getting fired up. One dark green figure after another slowly emerged from his surroundings. There were at least ten of them. They were wolves with dark green fur on their backs, their amber eyes filled with ice-cold ruthlessness. Slowly, they advanced in Xie Xie and Tang Wulins direction. Half of them headed for the remaining Horned Dragons corpse while the other half continued advancing towards Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, surrounding the two. Green Wolf, a ten year soul beast. Among the ten year soul beasts, it was considerably powerful, with a violent nature and naturally inclined towards living in packs. Powerful Green Wolves were able to cultivate to the hundred year level by relying on decaying corpses for food. Frankly speaking, they were scavengers of the forest. Xie Xie shifted into a defensive stance with his two daggers and watched the slowly advancing wolves. He shouted at the top of his lungs, You can have the Crystal Bears corpse, but if you attack me, then dont blame me for being rude! He didnt know whether or not these ten year soul beasts could actually understand his words, but his yelling still made them hesitate for a few moments, and that was enough for him. As long as he could delay them for long enough, Tang Wulin would break free of the crystallization, and then they could escape together. However, the Green Wolves were clearly far more interested in him than the corpse of the Crystal Bear. They didnt understand a single word he said and simply continued to tighten their circle around him. Under the gaze of their grim eyes, Xie Xies heart couldnt help but race anxiously. I cant hesitate anymore. I have to take initiative and make the first move. 130 End of the Spirit Ascension Platform Trials Xie Xie slashed out a Light Dragon Blade while sliding to the side, rapidly closing the distance between him and another Green Wolf. Pu! One of the Green Wolves had their neck sliced open by the Light Dragon Blade, uttering a sad cry as blood sprayed out. Xie Xie agilely moved toward another Green Wolf, but it opened its mouth and released a green wind blade at him. Xie Xie responded to this attack by bending his body, completely avoiding the wind blade. With his back bent, he pounced on the Green Wolf. After a sweep of his two daggers, the wolfs throat was torn open and he arrived at another wolfs side. With a flick of his wrist, he cut open an artery on the wolfs neck with his Shadow Dragon Dagger, immediately releasing another burst of blood. It only took a moment before life ceased to course through the wolfs veins. Although his attack had gone according to his plan, causing three wolves to die, the wolves were launching their assault now too. Dozens of wind blades were flying toward him at that moment. Xie Xie dodged with all his might, but he sustained some injuries on his back and left leg from the wolves he had just engaged with. His jacket was already dyed crimson. Bastard! Xie Xie screamed, then rolled to the side, evading another wind blade as he brandished his two daggers and continued to wage war against this pack of wolves. He didnt dare to use a soul skill with the meager amount of soul power he had left. His left leg was injured and proved to be a burden on his speed now, while his entire body was covered in scars and bruises. It had only been a few moments, yet he was already soaked in blood. The scene of their battle could only be described as one of desperation. For every wolf he killed, multiple wounds were inflicted on his body in exchange. Despite being completely soaked in blood, he didnt falter and retreat. From beginning to end, he was moving in circles around the crystallized Tang Wulin, protecting him from the wolves. With his Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger in hand, he continued his reckless defense against the wolves attacks. The dark yellow energy finally receded, and Tang Wulins senses gradually began to return to him. The first thing he smelled was the stench of blood. After a moment, he saw a crimson figure that was barely able to remain standing. Wooo! A wolf howled, drawing an especially large Green Wolf to pounce on the bloody figure. Ill fight you to the death! Xie Xies crazed roar woke Tang Wulin from his stupor. The Light and Shadow Dragon Daggers scattered at that moment. The Green Wolf landed on Xie Xie and pushed him down. It opened a mouth full of sharp daggers and bit at Xie Xies neck. Bang, bang, bang! A silver light flew over and three booms resounded one after another. The giant wolf cried out in pain as it belatedly realized that its skull had already been cracked open. Dazed, Xie Xie only felt someone slap the back of his hand, and in the next moment, darkness entered his eyes. He didnt know what was going on anymore. After crushing the skull of the wolf that was on top of Xie Xie, Tang Wulin took in the bitter scene around him, renewing his determination. He didnt see Gu Yue anywhere and guessed that she had already returned. He hit the button on the back of his hand, and darkness entered his eyes just like the others. After disappearing from the forest, the wind blades shot by the wolves were met with nothing but air. Darkness was replaced with light as Tang Wulin quickly shot out of the metal box and shouted, Xie Xie! Tang Wulin squinted his eyes to avoid being dazzled by the sudden presence of light as he searched for Xie Xie. He saw Zhang Yangzi, the twitching Wang Jinxi and Gu Yue, who was sitting pale-faced. Then there was the open metal box beside him. Tang Wulin rushed over to the box that Xie Xie was in. Xie Xie, Xie Xie! Tang Wulin anxiously called out. I, Im fine. Just a bit sore. Xie Xie said weakly, as he struggled to open his eyes. Tang Wulin was finally able to relax now that he knew Xie Xie was alright. A wave of exhaustion and the feeling of the crystals suffocation overcame him. His legs lost strength, making him fall onto his butt. Wu Zhangkong and Long Hengxu stood to the side. Long Hengxu was thoroughly shocked, while Wu Zhangkong remained as unperturbed as usual. The Spirit Pagoda staff member exclaimed sincerely, Geniuses! They truly are geniuses worth nurturing! Are you sure these children are only nine-years-old? The gaze of the staff member was burning with expectation, especially when he turned his gaze to Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Gu Yue. He had watched their whole performance. The most breathtaking scene was undoubtedly when Tang Wulin had taken down a powerful soul beast in only two strikes. His transformed right hand had clearly possessed strength several times higher than normal. Not only was it able to kill the hundred year Horned Dragon in a single strike, but it had also been strong enough to crush the thousand year Crystal Bear. If they had been a bit more knowledgeable about the Crystal Bear, then they wouldnt have suffered at the end, and their kill would have been considered perfect. Gu Yues performance was equally worthy of admiration. Her coordination with Tang Wulin had been amazing. She had used a variety of elements at optimal moments to aid him, and it was also thanks to her that Tang Wulin hadnt been harmed at the end. She had actually used her own body to hold up his crystallized form, which weighed over five hundred kilograms, to prevent it from shattering. The staff member knew that in situations like those, people normally wouldnt have the time to consider whether things were real or virtual. The fact that Gu Yue had been able to make such a quick decision to save Tang Wulin meant that even in reality, she would have been just as decisive. They were only nine-year-old children! With such a strong friendship, how could their coordination not be this deep? No wonder Eastsea Academy is willing to spend so much money to bring them here. Although they werent in the spirit ascension platform for long, they were faced with the greatest obstacles the whole time! And Xie Xie at the end Despite knowing he was no match for the wolves, he had stayed behind for the sake of his comrade! He had continued to protect Tang Wulin until the crystallization disappeared and was finally sent out only when Tang Wulin had been freed! Although one wouldnt truly die in the spirit ascension platform, the injuries they sustained all felt exceedingly real. Xie Xie had suffered tens of cuts on his body, yet he had still continued to fight and protect Tang Wulin all the way until the end. During that whole time, he had been minimizing the injuries he sustained while maximizing the number of enemies he killed! He had simply been extraordinary! This staff member had never seen such outstanding first-time performances from Soul Masters before. Even more so astonishing was the fact that these children only had either one or two rings. Wu Zhangkong slowly walked over to the five students, his dull voice filling their ears. From now on, you five are a mini battle squadron. The captain is Tang Wulin, and the vice-captain is Xie Xie. Lets go. Finished speaking, he began leading them toward the elevator. The five looked at each other in dismay and shock as a single thought entered their heads. Mini squadron? Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin, then Zhang Yangzi, whose face was unsightly, but more than that, it was full of shame. Before coming here, Zhang Yangzi had been full of ambition and competitiveness, but after witnessing the events in the spirit ascension platform, his ambitions had been completely washed away from his heart. Without even speaking of his strength, just his actions in the spirit ascension platform had been severely lacking in comparison with his peers. Regardless of whether it was Tang Wulin who had killed two powerful soul beasts, the self-sacrificing Gu Yue, or Xie Xie who had fought nearly to the death for his comrade, every single one of them had been remarkable. When compared with those three, he and Wang Jinxi were simply too lacking. Wang Jinxi had met his demise after encountering a powerful soul beast, but him? He had simply been courting disaster! On the road home, the five students were still brooding over the events in the spirit ascension platform. Zhang Yangzi was full of remorse, while Tang Wulin pondered over the situation inside of the spirit ascension platform, the battles replaying over and over inside his mind. What he was certain about, however, was that their battles in the spirit ascension platform today had been incredibly stimulating. Tang Wulin had a particularly profound impression. I actually fought with a soul beast! So thats what it feels like to battle against a soul beast Even though I know everything was virtual inside of the spirit ascension platform, I cant help but feel a bit frightened when I recall it. That was the pressure of a battle of life and death. Cultivating in situations like that really is far better! 131 Spirit Soul Evolution Tang Wulin suddenly felt warmth spread from his spine to his whole body. At first, it was so faint that he could barely feel it, but the closer they got to the academy, the more apparent the feeling became. As the warmth diffused into his four limbs and seeped into his bones, he felt exceptionally comfortable, but at the same time, exhaustion washed over him. To his side, Gu Yue discovered that Tang Wulins entire body was swaying as he stumbled forth. She quickly supported him, worriedly asking, Wulin, whats going on? I dont know, I just feel really sleepy. With Gu Yues support, it was like a switch had been flipped. His entire body went weak and collapsed into Gu Yues arms. Wu Zhangkong halted mid-step and quickly turned around, astonishment coloring his face. The others had also started to notice Tang Wulins abnormal behavior. In a flash, Wu Zhangkong appeared in front of Tang Wulin, quickly taking his wrist. Tang Wulins skin shined with a golden-blue layer of light as he lay unconscious, his breathing haggard. This kind of situation When Long Hengxu arrived and saw the state that Tang Wulin was in, he couldnt help but think of a certain possibility. His gaze grew rapt with attention. Wu Zhangkong hefted Tang Wulin onto his back. Hes fine, its just that his spirit soul is evolving. Ah? All four students exclaimed in unison. Spirit soul evolution? On their way to the spirit ascension platform, Xie Xie had already explained to Tang Wulin how it was possible to evolve his spirit soul inside of it, but he had only been speaking of a possibility! A spirit soul evolution was so rare that it was like winning a lottery ticket. The opportunity to enter a spirit ascension platform even once was hard to come by, much less a chance to kill powerful soul beasts. Furthermore, the thousand year Crystal Bear they had encountered today had been an extremely formidable foe, such that even three-ringed Soul Elders would have found it challenging. In fact, they would have needed at least a team of seven people to defeat it. In such a situation, everyone who had paid a large price to enter the spirit ascension platform would always dispute over who would land the final strike on the soul beast and reap the rewards. However, either way, they would suffer many casualties fighting against such a powerful soul beast. Under the shocked stares of everyone, Wu Zhangkong spoke calmly. His spirit soul is naturally weak, so its easier for it to evolve. For every soul beast you kill in the spirit ascension platform, you obtain one-tenth of its cultivation energy. That energy, in turn, will be spread evenly among your soul rings. In other words, if you kill a ten year soul beast, your spirit soul will gain one years worth of cultivation energy. If your spirit soul has 110 years of energy, then it will become 111 years of energy. When it accumulates till it reaches 1000, then it will evolve. Tang Wulins spirit soul is only ten years. He gained at least twenty years worth of energy from killing the hundred year soul beast, and one hundred years worth of energy from the thousand year soul beast. Furthermore, since he only has one soul ring, all of the energy was concentrated into that one ring, allowing him to evolve his ten year spirit soul into a hundred year spirit soul. As for the rest of you, you will need to kill at least 18 or 19 thousand year soul beasts to evolve your spirit soul. With this in mind, do your best in the future. That was right! Apart from Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, everyone else had two soul rings. This meant that the energy they obtained from killing a soul beast would be split between two soul rings, with each ring receiving five percent of the original! Although there would still be some benefits, it was far harder to evolve their spirit soul! Not mentioning killing a thousand year soul beast, even if it was just trying to find that many thousand year soul beasts in the elementary spirit ascension platform, it was already exceedingly difficult! So in the end, there were still benefits to having one ring . After returning to the academy, Wu Zhangkong silently dismissed everyone to return to their dorms and cultivate. They needed to digest todays combat experiences, and Tang Wulin would remain muddle-headed until his spirit soul finished its evolution. An analysis of todays events was better left for tomorrow. Wu Zhangkong brought Tang Wulin back to his dorm. The only thing was Wu Zhangkong stayed, even after dropping Tang Wulin off. For anyone else, Wu Zhangkong wouldnt do such things, but Tang Wulin was different. Tang Wulin had a unique, mutated martial soul. Wu Zhangkong had to ensure that Tang Wulin wouldnt be endangered during his spirit souls evolution. Tang Wulins experience this time was a far cry from when he had broken the first seal. As his spirit soul evolved, he felt as if he was soaking in a warm pond. This warmth penetrated into the bones of his body, gently circulating inside of him. He was completely free of any worries in such a comfortable state. His body was beaten and his spirit exhausted, but his tiredness gradually dissolved under this warmth. Tang Wulin didnt even want to open his eyes as he basked in this wonderful feeling. As he continued to soak in the warmth, the golden halo around his body gradually turned blue. Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass began to extend from his palms, surrounding him. Wu Zhangkong gently twirled a strand of Bluesilver Grass around his finger. He carefully examined it, eyes brightening with astonishment. Is this really Bluesilver Grass? It wasnt abnormal for Bluesilver Grass to become vine-like or elastic, but what really amazed him was the fact that he could see energy channels within the Bluesilver Grass. These energy channels glowed with a faint, golden light. Together with the faint, blue glow of the grass itself, it greatly resembled the golden-blue light that was covering Tang Wulins body right now. Moreover, Wu Zhangkong discovered that the faint, vein lines grew more distinct under the light of the energy channels, as if they were some sort of fine imprint. All of these details were noted under Wu Zhangkongs careful observation. Just as I thought, his bloodline is causing his martial soul to mutate again. From what I can see, this should be a very beneficial mutation. He already has his Golden Dragon Claw, which gives him power beyond his rank. Although it cant be sustained for long and is restricted to close combat, its still a huge boost to his power. The only thing Im uncertain of is whether or not his bloodline can evolve further. If it can, that would truly be a sight to behold. Right at that moment, a faint golden light flashed from Tang Wulins chest, and Goldlight slithered out. It had grown to be approximately ten centimeters long, and about as thick as Tang Wulins little finger. Although it was still as slender as before, its golden scales were far more eye-catching now. The scales on its forehead were a different shade of gold. Compared to the other scales on its body, the gold shined dazzlingly. With each breath it took, the scales grew even more radiant, and its previously murky eyes clearer. A dim, yellow halo appeared from Goldlights body, incomparably stronger than its previous white. It evolved, it really evolved! It was a hundred year spirit soul now! Tang Wulins defective spirit soul had evolved to a hundred year spirit soul due to his hard work in the spirit ascension platform and his bloodlines power! It finally had some value to it. Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly. Not bad. Tang Wulin has finally made up for his shortcoming. But how will his soul skill change after his spirit souls evolution? Will its transformation make him even stronger? As a teacher, Wu Zhangkong couldnt be clearer about Tang Wulins weak points. His strong points were obvious; he had innate divine strength, and a bloodline power that allowed him to dominate his peers. His weaknesses, though, were just as obvious. When it came down to it, a Soul Masters strength came from their martial soul. If their martial soul wasnt powerful, then they wouldnt be able to walk far on the path of cultivation. Physical strength and bloodline power certainly had their benefits, but there had never been anyone in the entire history of Soul Masters who had climbed to the peak with just these two things. Tang Wulin wanted to grow stronger, so his martial soul had to grow stronger too. The spirit soul was a part of the martial soul, so any improvements to it would have a significant impact. 132 Bind Post Spirit Soul Evolution Tang Wulins martial soul had already become an extension of his own body, but his control over it during combat wasnt greathe simply used it like rope. Wu Zhangkong was able to clearly discern these issues, but he didnt talk to Tang Wulin about them because he knew just how amazing Tang Wulins perception was. He had faith in that Tang Wulin would discover these flaws himself. Moreover, Wu Zhangkong wanted to see if Tang Wulins bloodline power would gain any other effects when he reached rank 20. But now, he didnt even need to wait until Tang Wulin reached that rank. The answer had already presented itself. If its like this, then the growth of his martial soul is something to look forward to. Wu Zhangkong had never believed that Bluesilver Grass was a weak martial soul. After all, the strongest member of the first generation of Shrek Seven Monsters, who was also the strongest Soul Master in history, had eventually ascended to godhood with Bluesilver Grass at the beginning. It was through using Bluesilver Grass that he had taken one step after another on the path toward godhood. In the last 20,000 years, apart from the Spirit Pagodas founder, no one else had been able to ascend to godhood. Thus, Bluesilver Grass wasnt necessarily as weak as one may think. The radiance emitting from Tang Wulin gradually dim. Little Goldlight opened its mouth wide as if to yawn before lowering its head, disappearing into Tang Wulins body. With the evolution now complete, Tang Wulin stopped glowing and entered a deep slumber. The evolution of a spirit soul would lead to many changes both in the martial soul and the Soul Master. An improvement in ones martial soul also led to gains for the Soul Master as a whole. Whether it be in terms of strength, speed, soul power, reaction speed, or the tenacity of ones body; all of them would be increased. ? The evolution had taken a long time and left Tang Wulin exhausted. That was some great sleep! Tang Wulin woke up the next day feeling incredible. Ever since he broke the first seal on the Golden Dragon King, he felt as if his whole body were swollen. But now, this feeling had disappeared, leaving a pleasant surprise in its place. His soul power had increased a bit, and though it had yet to reach rank 15, this increase was still something that would have taken far longer had he cultivated normally. It seems I benefited a lot from yesterdays battle! Youre up? The sudden voice gave Tang Wulin quite the scare. He looked over to discover Wu Zhangkong sitting legs crossed on a chair nearby. Teacher, you After staring blankly at Wu Zhangkong for a moment, Tang Wulin started to recall the events of the previous evening, and of how Wu Zhangkong had watched over him throughout the night. His heart surged with warmth as he quickly got off his bed. Wu Zhangkong met his eyes and said, Wash up and go eat breakfast. Your spirit soul has evolved so we can go test the changes that your soul skill gained after that. Having finished speaking, he got up, patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder, then left. Spirit soul evolution? A spirit soul evolution! My spirit soul evolved! Tang Wulin stood there stunned. His spirit soul had always been a sore spot for him. His heart would ache whenever he saw his comrades and their hundred-year spirit souls. He compared them with his own mere ten-year spirit soul. With his competitive spirit, it had simply been too demoralizing! When Xie Xie told him about the possibility of a spirit soul evolving in the spirit ascension platform, he hadnt seriously taken it to heart. After all, it wasnt something he would even dare dream of. But Wu Zhangkong wouldnt lie to him! With a flash of light, his Bluesilver Grass appeared and a halo rose from beneath him. The originally white soul ring had been transformed into a soul ring with a gentle yellow glow! It was yellow! A hundred-year soul ring! Little Goldlight slithered out onto Tang Wulins shoulder. Tang Wulin lifted his hand toward it and it slithered onto his palm. After carefully examining Goldlight, Tang Wulins eyes became a bit dull as he reminisced for a moment. Not too long ago, he had been filled with sorrow to the point of wishing for death due to this little Goldlight. It had been a defective spirit soul that represented three years worth of hard earned money. Amidst his despair at that time, it had only been due to his sheer willpower that he had been able to persevere! At last, his source of sorrow had now turned into a source of joy! Goldlight could no longer be considered trash now that it had evolved. As a hundred-year spirit soul, it could provide him with two soul rings. This meant that he didnt need to purchase another spirit soul for a while longer. With Goldlights evolution, he could save even more money and buy the spirit items needed to break the second seal. Tang Wulin released a long sigh as these thoughts crossed his mind. He felt that now, endless possibilities had opened up to him. Bind! With his command, strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out and bound everything in his room. Along with the evolution of his spirit soul, Tang Wulin discovered that his Bluesilver Grass had grown thicker, become more tenacious, and consumed less soul power than before. When he used his soul skill, a golden color, the same as Goldlights color, appeared in his mind. This had never happened before. Goldlight, whats this? You Without even waiting for Tang Wulin to finish speaking, Goldlight suddenly sprang forth and sank into the numerous strands of Bluesilver Grass. Immediately, several strands of Bluesilver Grass turned golden as they were covered by a fine layer of scales . This is Is this a fusion of the spirit soul and martial soul? It is! Little Goldlight isnt a defective product anymore. He can help me in combat now! When Tang Wulin tugged on a strand of golden Bluesilver Grass, he immediately discovered that not only was it tougher than before, it was also stronger than the other normal strands of Bluesilver Grass. This strand of Bluesilver Grass felt as if it were an extension of himself, like an additional limb. Although it wasnt nearly as strong as his right arm with the golden scales, it was still only just slightly weaker than his left arm. This is a hundred-year spirit soul! With how strong my Bluesilver Grass is now, my Bind will definitely be much more impactful from now on! Tang Wulins face was plastered with a knowing smile as he rushed out of his room, cheering. It was still early in the morning and the first glimmers of light had just then creeped up over the horizon. After washing his face, he madly rushed over to the training field. Evolved. My spirit soul evolved! Im the same as the others now. I have a hundred-year spirit soul too! With a hundred-year soul ring! Tang Wulin shouted with excitement in his heart as the wind swept past him, seemingly dispersing the haze within him. This spirit soul evolution didnt only upgrade his strength, it had also given him peace of mind. He was able to circulate his soul power more smoothly than before, while the power of his bloodline and martial soul seemed to fuse under these bizarre circumstances. Standing outside the dormitorys doors, Ouyang Zixin stared at the scene in shock. A youngster was running wildly on the training field with his arms spread wide. Whats going on with him? Ouyang Zixin couldnt help but smile at this scene. This boy is really interesting. After running for some time, Tang Wulin caught sight of a beautiful figure and slowed his pace at last. Good morning senior sister! Tang Wulin wasnt his usual bashful self today and had actually taken the initiative to call out to Ouyang Zixin. Tang Wulins large eyes were shining and his cheeks flushed with wildness, showing off his youthful vigor. Why are you so happy junior brother? Ouyang Zixin curiously asked. Tang Wulin laughed. Its nothing really. I merely made a breakthrough in my cultivation so Im pretty happy. Ouyang Zixin beamed a smile at him. Thats good then. Fight on! Mn. This is how a kid should act. You shouldnt always be so depressed, looking like an old man. After all, youre still only ten years old. Child? Tang Wulin was stunned and awkwardness filled his heart. So Im just a child in her eyes Tang Wulins body was feverishly hot by the time the sky had lit up and he went to the dining hall. The first window provided nourishing gourmet food that comforted Tang Wulins gloomy heart. After all, wasnt a good frame of mind beneficial to his cultivation speed? 133 Summary Tell me about your thoughts on your experiences in the spirit ascension platform yesterday. Wu Zhangkong stood at the lectern and unenthusiastically told his five students. Wang Jinxis and Zhang Yangzis eyes were puffy and dark. Clearly, they hadnt had a good nights rest. The difference, though, was that Zhang Yangzis restless night was due to depression, while Wang Jinxis was caused by nightmares. Wang Jinxi simply couldnt forget the chill the Man-Faced Demon Spider instilled in him. That chill had reached to the depths of his very soul. He had felt like he was truly about to die at that moment. It was a terrifying feeling that was permanently etched into his heart. Xie Xies complexion wasnt too healthy either. After fighting a bloody battle yesterday and receiving countless injuries, his nightmares were filled with wolves throwing themselves upon him, one after another It had been impossible for him to meditate calmly and recover properly under such circumstances. In fact, he had tumbled onto the ground midway through the night, waking him from his nightmare. Contrary to the others, Gu Yue was just the same as usual. Tang Wulin was the only one in high spirits. After all, how could he not rejoice after his spirit soul evolved? Well go in order of yesterdays eliminations. Zhang Yangzi, you first! Seeing that no one wanted to be the first to speak, Wu Zhangkong singled out Zhang Yangzi by name. Yes! Zhang Yangzi responded in embarrassment and quickly stood up. My performance yesterday was simply horrible. Teacher Wu, I was wrong. Wu Zhangkong rebuked him with a wave of his hand. I dont need you to tell me you were wrong, its your own life after all. What you can do, however, is use this chance to acknowledge your errors and improve yourself. If you had really been in a soul beast forest yesterday, then all that would have remained of you would be a corpse. In fact, your skeleton might also have been destroyed. So tell me then, what do you think of your experience and of yourself in the spirit ascension platform yesterday? Zhang Yangzis face twitched awkwardly. The world of the spirit ascension platform is too realistic. I couldnt feel anything unauthentic about it at all! I was really curious about the world when I first entered, so I climbed up a tree to survey my surroundings. With my martial souls ability to glide, I thought I would be able to fly in any direction I wanted, so I did. In the beginning, I didnt do anything wrong. My mistake was underestimating my opponent afterward. I was arrogant and didnt carefully observe my surroundings when I chose to impulsively battle it. In the end, I was besieged on all sides and was quickly eliminated. The next time I enter the spirit ascension platform, I will be far more careful and place preserving my life as the number one priority. That way, Ill be able to survive even longer. Finished with his summary, Zhang Yangzi sat back down. Without any words of criticism or praise for Zhang Yangzis assessment of himself, Wu Zhangkong simply moved on to Wang Jinxi. How about you? Wang Jinxi forced out a bitter laugh. Teacher Wu, right now I cant really remember too much about what happened in there, the only thing I remember vividly is that face falling on me from above and the soul freezing chill that followed it. The way it trapped me still gives me nightmares. Im not even sure how I should react if I were to face it again in the future. Wu Zhangkong calmly spoke. You need to relax your mind and take several days to recover. Your situation is actually a bit special. The Man-Faced Demon Spider is an extremely rare and powerful soul beast. Even at the hundred-year level, its able to hunt thousand-year soul beasts. Although theres no shame in dying to it, you must remember to immediately press the exit button the moment you encounter such a powerful soul beast next time. You actually faced some danger to your real self when it killed you this time. Teacher Wu is consoling someone? No way! Thank you, teacher. Wu Zhangkong then turned to Gu Yue. Gu Yue was prepared and quickly gave her analysis. The spirit ascension platform is an exceedingly realistic world and I felt that I was truly in an ancient forest during my stay there. I really like it in there. Its great. Battles with soul beasts are really realistic, I cant see a single difference from real combat. Is that it? Wu Zhangkong made a slight frown when he saw Gu Yue sitting down so quickly. Gu Yue nodded. Wu Zhangkong prodded her on. Then explain to me, how were you able to find Tang Wulin? Gu Yue was stunned. It was just by chance. Chance? Wu Zhangkongs eyes narrowed suspiciously. Xie Xie running into Tang Wulin can be considered chance since they werent too far from each other in the beginning and Xie Xie had only encountered Tang Wulin after running around chaotically. But you, you were quite far from Tang Wulin, yet as soon as you encountered the Crystal Bear, you immediately chose a direction to flee in; and this was precisely in the direction of Tang Wulin. Furthermore, the direction you fled would continuously adjust for Tang Wulins position when he moved elsewhere. How could you have encountered him by chance? Its simply impossible to be that lucky. Gu Yue remained silent while Tang Wulin looked at her in shock. How was she able to pinpoint my position? Tang Wulin didnt have a complete understanding of all the events that had happened yesterday. All he knew was that Xie Xie had fought a bloody battle against a pack of wolves for him. As for Gu Yue, he had no idea how or why she left. Ill admit it. I have a way of tracking him by controlling the elements. I can place a marker on the bodies of my comrades by manipulating the elements. This marker lets me find them easily. I thought that being with Tang Wulin would be the safest decision, so I prioritized finding him first. Gu Yue finally gave a seemingly far-fetched explanation. I see. Wu Zhangkong didnt pry too deeply and simply moved on to Xie Xie. Its your turn. Xie Xie began going over his experience. I really like it in there too. The feeling of hunting soul beasts in the forest is so invigorating. That sort of forest environment is really suitable for us Agility System Soul Masters, and my ability to survive increases with the improvement of my speed. My final battle against those Green Wolves felt amazing too. I had to carefully avoid any fatal injuries while fighting a battle of attrition. I learned the theory of such battles before, but that was the first time I had actually experienced the bitterness of such a bloody fight. I gained a lot of combat experience this time, and I learned the importance of avoiding injuries to vital parts. The very last person to go was Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin muttered a few words under his breath, before he began voicing his thoughts. We were actually really lucky to be able to kill a thousand-year Crystal Bear this time. If we made even the slightest mistake, we would have died. Although I knew that the forest is virtual, it was so realistic that I was no longer able to differentiate it from reality. I subconsciously began treating everything like it were real. Especially the injuries; I could feel all the pains and aches of the injuries I had sustained in there. The sensation of battling with an actual soul beast is also very helpful to improving my combat abilities. I think that if we could continue to cultivate in such an environment, we will be able to become true Soul Masters. Furthermore, I feel that we need to strengthen our cooperation as a team, so that well be able to face even stronger soul beasts in the future. Wu Zhangkong nodded in approval after hearing their evaluations. If I were to score your performances in the spirit ascension platform this time, then: Zhang Yangzi, 0 points. Wang Jinxi, 1 point. Gu Yue, 5 points. Xie Xie, 5 points. And Tang Wulin, 4 points. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi expected that they would receive low scores, but when they all heard Tang Wulins score, they were shocked. If Tang Wulin hadnt killed the hundred-year Horned Dragon and thousand-year Crystal Bear, then Xie Xie and Gu Yue would have died far earlier! Tang Wulin, do you know why you scored less than Xie Xie and Gu Yue? Wu Zhangkongs burning gaze locked onto Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin lowered his head and pondered over it. Although he had also been stunned when he heard his score since he thought hed done the best, Wu Zhangkong challenged him to come up with the reasoning, so he began to consider it seriously. As he continued to mull over the events of the day before, Tang Wulin gradually understood Wu Zhangkongs reasoning. Gu Yues score is higher than mine because of the coordination in our joint attack. It was only because of her excellent control over the elements that we were successful in killing the Crystal Bear. Xie Xies score is higher because he risked his life to defend me from the pack of wolves. Wu Zhangkong corrected him. Thats not all of it. If Gu Yue hadnt sacrificed herself to catch you when you were crystallized, you would have shattered into pieces. Although you wouldnt have died in reality, you would have suffered from residual effects like Wang Jinxi and experience some dangers. If we count the minor details, then Gu Yue would actually have the highest score out of all of you. As for Xie Xie, his score isnt higher than yours because he saved you, but because of his greater knowledge of soul beasts. You were deducted points because you were crystallized after killing the Crystal Bear. If you had studied more and had known the traits and features of a Crystal Bear, then you would have known that its soul power explodes when it is on the verge of death, crystallizing everything in a certain radius. You would also have known that the stronger the Crystal Bear, the greater the radius of its soul power explosion. Clearly, however, you were lacking in such knowledge. 134 Before the Final Exam If you had been able to kill the thousand-year Crystal Bear without being crystallized, then neither Xie Xie nor Gu Yue would have needed to sacrifice themselves for your sake, and together, the three of you wouldnt have had any problem taking out the pack of wolves. Their sacrifices, were all because of you. Wu Zhangkongs words seemed especially cold to Tang Wulins ears at that moment. He had been proud of the battles results, yet, Wu Zhangkongs words were like a bucket of cold water being poured over him. So the battle was actually like that? Thats right! If it had been a true battlefield, then my mistake would have caused the whole team to collapse and my comrades to die for my sake! How can I consider that a victory then? Wu Zhangkong continued to speak dully. You need to strengthen your knowledge and understanding of soul beasts. Dont think that just because soul beasts are rare nowadays, studying them is useless. On the contrary, a deeper understanding of soul beasts will greatly benefit your future cultivation. Research has shown that over 90% of the soul skills we Soul Masters possess have belonged to a soul beast at one point or another, so a greater understanding of soul beasts is the equivalent of understanding your competitors. It will also increase your odds of survival in the spirit ascension platform. You all should understand by now that the longer you survive in the spirit ascension platform, the greater the benefits are. You all still have a long ways to go. Tang Wulins previous joy from having his spirit soul evolve disappeared completely. Thats right! All because I lacked knowledge, I was a burden to my comrades! Bitterness encroached his heart the moment he realised this. Gu Yue and Xie Xie died because of me! In todays morning lesson, Ill be discussing the soul beasts you encountered yesterday. I will explain any special traits they have and their abilities at each level. Wu Zhangkong indifferently announced the days lesson. A chill suddenly swept through Tang Wulins body. He looked to his side to see Gu Yue giving him a nod. A drop of cold water slid down his neck. He trembled, which immediately cleared and awakened his mind. Thanks, Tang Wulin whispered. Whats up? Xie Xie looked over and asked. After their adventures in the spirit ascension platform, the five students tackled studying with renewed vigor, as if their desire to study had gained a soul ability itself. Their desire to improve left no room for Wu Zhangkong to spur them on. In fact, Zhang Yangzi even dropped his grudge against Tang Wulins trio. All that were on their minds were studying and cultivation. With a strand of Bluesilver Grass connecting them, Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi attempted to dual cultivate at night. As expected, their cultivation speed was a bit faster than cultivating alone, so both of them found this arrangement to be very beneficial. Furthermore, Tang Wulins cultivation speed was much faster now due to the evolution of his spirit soul. Even if he had yet to catch up with the other geniuses, at the very least, the gap between them was rapidly closing. Nevertheless, it was impossible for him to overtake them in such a short period of time considering the large gap between their cultivations. A bustling life made one feel enriched, or, at least, Tang Wulin felt this way. Tang Wulin would study and cultivate throughout the week and go to the Blacksmiths Association to learn from Mu Chen on rest days. Mu Chen may have seemed kind on the surface, but when he acted as a teacher, he was extremely fierce. He was actually stricter than Mang Tian and, after a day of forging, Tang Wulin would be left even more exhausted than after a weeks worth of studies. Despite his constant state of exhaustion, Tang Wulin could feel his forging abilities gradually improving under Mu Chens tutelage. Mu Chens style of teaching didnt differ too much from Mang Tians. He hadnt started teaching Tang Wulin about Spirit Forging yet; instead, Mu Chen focused on solidifying Tang Wulins foundation and correcting any mistakes he had. Even for the slightest errors he would force Tang Wulin to practice them until perfection. A perfect foundation! Tang Wulin had never thought that having a perfect foundation was important since he was already a third rank blacksmith, but after a month of studying under Mu Chen, Tang Wulin was astonished to find that he could complete third rank Thousand Refinement missions 10% faster now! As he continued to forge tirelessly, Tang Wulin gradually started to understand the importance of a perfect foundation. The most important aspect of a perfect foundation was that it would rid him of any useless movements. Put simply, if a hammer strike was perfect, it would possess its full power, but if it strayed even a little bit, then the results would also suffer! This wouldnt actually affect the refinement process, but just how many strikes did it take to Thousand Refine a metal? If every single strike was perfect, then the Thousand Refinements would be more efficient, thus saving time. When Tang Wulin told Mu Chen what he felt while forging now, Mu Chen smiled for the first time since he had taken Tang Wulin in as his disciple. He then explained the differences between Thousand Refinements. These differences lied in the number of hammerings a metal received during the Thousand Refinement process. The less strikes it received, the greater the effects of the Thousand Refinements. A blacksmiths ability was representative of their efficiency in Thousand Refinements! After understanding this point, Tang Wulin studied with greater diligence than before. It became a requirement for class zero to enter the spirit ascension platform once a week. After entering, the five of them were exceptionally cautious and would only engage soul beasts they encountered after thorough preparations. However, being cautious did not necessarily mean that they would reap the greatest benefits in the spirit ascension platform. Luck was also essential. If they were unlucky enough to meet an opponent beyond them, then they would be eliminated quickly and ejected. One time, as soon as Tang Wulin entered the spirit ascension platform, he met an extremely agile thousand-year soul beast. Before he could even make a move, he was heavily wounded and had no choice but to exit. In the blink of an eye, the end of the first term approached. Teacher Wu, do we also need to take a final exam too? Tang Wulin asked in astonishment. The other four students also had surprised expressions. For their class, the first grades final exam was useless. This wasnt arrogance, but confidence in how greatly they had changed in the last three months. Gu Yue was already at the peak of rank 19 and was only a step away from reaching rank 20. Tang Wulin had also reached the peak of rank 15 and wasnt too far off from rank 16. In a short six months, he had improved from rank 11 to rank 15. Tang Wulin hadnt even dreamt of making such progress before coming to Eastsea Academy. Most importantly, however, was the increase in their combat abilities. Their experiences in the spirit ascension platform had proved useful as it pressured them to cultivate even harder. At the young age of ten, they actually had such unbelievable combat ability. President Yu Zhen had invested greatly into class zero; they were provided with the best teaching facilities and equipment, as well as entry into the spirit ascension platform. This was the only way for them to raise these little monsters properly. Yes, you need to take them, Wu Zhangkong said with his usual stony expression. Your final exam will test two things. The first is the spirit ascension platform. Spirit ascension platform? In these last three months, they had already entered the spirit ascension platform a total of eleven times and were already familiar with it. As long as they werent unlucky, they would be able to survive for at least one hour each time. The current record for the longest survival time was actually held by Xie Xie, with his stay of three hours. The more they experienced it, the more they sensed the changes the spirit ascension platform was had on their combat abilities. Whether it was their application of soul skills, combat techniques and so on, they had all greatly improved. As they now understood the benefits of the spirit ascension platform, they began to greatly anticipate their weekly visits there. You must survive for at least an hour to pass the exam. However, this time you will be entering the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Xie Xie asked in shock, Teacher, what is the rebellion spirit ascension platform? He had never heard of it, but it seemed to be a special type of spirit ascension platform. Tang Wulin and the others all stared at Wu Zhangkong in shock and curiosity. If the spirit ascension platform had already proved to be extremely effective at improving their combat ability, then what about the rebellion spirit ascension platform? 135 Rebellion Spirit Ascension Platform? Wu Zhangkong said, Twice a year, the spirit ascension platform will rebel. At first, they were caused by the unstable energies that the spirit ascension platform was made of. As the technology progressed, however, they were able to gain control over the rebellion periods and turned them into a special feature of the spirit ascension platforms. During a rebellion period, the soul beasts will grow excited and become more visible, increasing the danger within the spirit ascension platform. The Eighteen Pillars of Heaven imposed a limit of 300 people to enter the rebellion spirit ascension platform each time. This time, you five are fortunate enough to be one of those 300 people after the academy spent an enormous amount of resources to secure five quota spaces for you. You should appreciate just how great of an opportunity this is. During the rebellion period, you will be able to enter the spirit ascension platform as a team, but your number cannot surpass seven. Since there are only five of you, so there will be no problems for you to enter together. This will serve to test your coordination as a team. Dont forget though, in addition to soul beasts, you might encounter other Soul Masters. They will pose just as much of a danger to you as soul beasts, because if you are ejected from the spirit ascension platform within the 100 seconds it takes to absorb a soul beasts spiritual energy, the remaining energy will go to the nearest Soul Master. These are the special rules of the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Zhang Yangzi asked, So youre saying that other Soul Masters can steal our spiritual energy, and we can steal their spiritual energy too? Wu Zhangkong spoke dismissively, If youre confident you can try, but dont forget that Soul Masters with up to three rings can enter the elementary spirit ascension platform, and those that want to enter a rebellion spirit ascension platform have to pay an enormous price. This means that there is a high chance that three ringed Soul Masters will appear and kill as many soul beasts as they can to try to upgrade their spirit soul. If you truly decide to attack them, then you should be prepared to face a powerful opponent. Tang Wulin said, Dont worry, teacher. We will rely on our strength as a team! Zhang Yangzis relationship with the others had mended long ago. After all, they were young and had the temperament of children. How could he hold a grudge considering that? Moreover, as Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi grew closer together, Wang Jinxi had astonishingly advanced two ranks to reach rank 23. On the other hand, both Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie had only just reached rank 22. You will enter the spirit ascension platform in three days. You can take the next three days off as a vacation to rest and prepare. Vacation? Ever since they had entered class zero, they hadnt had any opportunities to rest apart from the one rest day they had every week. But now they were given three days off! Xie Xie and Zhang Yangzi immediately took the lead to express their joy with cheers. Tang Wulin turned pensive at the thought of three days of free time. What should I do in these three days? That much time isnt enough to make any improvements for battle. After school, they all headed back to the dormitory. Wulin, what do you plan on doing in these three days? How about we go out to play instead? Xie Xie mischievously laughed. Play? Play what? Zhang Yangzi looked over and asked. Xie Xie rolled his eyes. I wasnt talking to you. Zhang Yangzi laughed. Ill treat you guys to dinner then, how about it? Will you bring me now? Xie Xie said, Ill have to consider it then. Thats right, I just remembered something. Teacher Wu said our final exam has two parts to it, and the spirit ascension platform is only one part! Whats the other part then? What do you guys think? After pondering over it, they were at a loss and could only shake their heads. Wang Jinxi answered with a bitter smile, The rebellion spirit ascension platform is a wonderful opportunity, but its still a bit early for us. I heard that the competition within the rebellion spirit ascension platform is extremely fierce and there is no room for empathy inside. After all, the chance to evolve your spirit soul is simply too valuable. Tang Wulin said, The academy has invested a lot to give us the opportunity to enter the spirit ascension platform this often. I think they want us all to evolve our spirit souls to the thousand-year level by the time we graduate. Have any of you measured and calculated the growth of your spirit soul yet? When they heard these words, they all froze in place. A thousand-year spirit soul? Just what did that signify? A thousand-year spirit soul, a thousand-year soul ring! Their first ring would become a thousand-year soul ring! If their first spirit soul was a thousand-year one, then it would be able to provide them with three soul skills and help them conserve some spiritual power. They could then fuse with another thousand-year spirit soul in the future and not need to worry about obtaining their first six soul rings. The number of spirit souls one could support had always been one of the greatest limitations that prevented Soul Masters from reaching higher levels of cultivation. If ones spiritual power was insufficient, then any attempts at fusing with a spirit soul would only end in failure. This was one of the reasons why Wu Zhangkong emphasized cultivating spiritual power. After researching spirit soul fusion for the last 10,000 years, 3000 years ago, the great Soul Master organizations released a report which detailed that a correlation between a Soul Masters spiritual power level and the number of spirit souls they could fuse with existed. At the basic Spirit Origin realm, only one spirit soul could be fused with. With spiritual power at the Spirit Origin realm, one could support up to a single yellow spirit soul. At the Spirit Connection realm, ones spirit could then communicate with their spirit soul and gain basic control over their spiritual power. By controlling ones spiritual power, one could support two yellow spirit souls or even a single purple spirit soul. At the Spirit Sea realm, ones spirit became as vast and as boundless as the sea. It was at this realm that ones spiritual power could be considered high and was a sufficient foundation to become a powerful expert. All Mecha Masters and Souls Masters who reached the apex had reached this level at the very least. At this realm, one could support either five yellow spirit souls, three purple spirit souls or a single black spirit soul. When one entered the Spirit Abyss realm, their spirit would act like an abyssal prison. If the spirit was the world, then the upper boundary would be heaven while the lower boundary would be hell! Should one have such powerful spiritual power, they would also possess a legendary spirit soul that acted as their foundation. One could fuse with any level of spirit soul at this realm; even orange spirit souls and red spirit souls could be fused with. If one fused with an orange or red spirit soul, then their remaining power would only be at the Spirit Sea realm. However, if one didnt have an orange or red spirit soul, it was possible to fuse with a maximum of five spirit souls of any color. Normally speaking, the Spirit Abyss realm was considered the limit of humans, but there was still the Spirit Domain realm. Should one reach the Spirit Domain realm, their spirit sense would become a domain, a world unto itself. Their spirit sense would control the domain and their spirit souls become the foundation of their world. Their mind would then be boundless, and their spiritual power able to fuse with spirit souls of any level. In theory, the limit was nine legendary spirit souls, just like the fabled founder of the Spirit Pagoda and creator of spirit souls, the almighty Spirit Ice Douluo. Then, there was the rumored Divine Origin realm. One would transform into the primordial state, while their spirit sense would become omnipotent and change into the primordial spirit. Spiritual power would convert into primordial spirit power; that was the realm of the gods. With a single thought, one would know everything under the heavens and could peek into the realm of the gods. Once one reached the Divine Origin realm, they could already be considered a demigod. Only a gods inheritance was missing. For Soul Masters, the first four spiritual power realms were the most important as Spirit Domain realm and Divine Origin realm were only attainable by pure spirit attribute Soul Masters. The Spirit Origin realm was something everyone possessed innately as soon as they were born. From there, it wasnt too hard to cultivate 100 points of spiritual power and reach the Spirit Connection realm. However, a huge gap existed between Spirit Connection and Spirit Sea, preventing the majority from ever reaching the latter. The Spirit Sea realm required 500 points of spiritual power. The Spirit Abyss realm required 5000 points of spiritual power. The Spirit Domain realm required 20,000 points of spiritual power. As for the Divine Origin realm, it required a terrifying 50,000 points of spiritual power. There were rumors that an even higher realm existed: the legendary Godking realm. This was the current extent of Tang Wulin and his classmates knowledge. Among the five students of class zero, Gu Yue possessed the greatest spiritual power and would easily reach the Spirit Sea realm in the future. Only after reaching the Spirit Sea realm would it be possible for a Soul Master to have nine rings, assuming these nine rings were all thousand-year rings at most. As for the other four students, Tang Wulin was second in spiritual power strength since he was already at the Spirit Connection realm. The remaining three were all at the boundary of the Spirit Connection realm and would soon reach it. Even so, with how talented they were, reaching Spirit Connection would be easy, and considering their young age, it was very likely that they would be able to reach the Spirit Sea realm too. 136 Closed Door Forging If they were to actually have a purple thousand-year soul ring as their first ring, then when they reached the Spirit Sea realm, they would be able to have three thousand-year spirit souls. This meant that they would have the chance to become a Title Douluo. Naturally, this was only a chance. An extremely small chance too, since a Title Douluo with only three thousand-year spirit souls a total of nine purple rings had never appeared before; they would be too weak! Take Wu Zhangkong for example. He currently possessed six rings and had a ten-thousand-year spirit soul. Just how powerful was he? It seems like the academy really is planning for that? Zhang Yangzi gulped. Although his ambitions had always been to become a powerful expert, his nature was actually that of a straightforward and kind person. It was due to these ambitions that he had acted so arrogantly when hed first met Tang Wulins trio. Xie Xie said, Thats probably what theyre planning. If this really is true, then thatll be great for us. We will definitely have to treasure every chance we get when we enter the spirit ascension platform. Tang Wulin said, Im not going to go out to play then. I plan on going to the Blacksmiths Association to temper myself a bit. Gu Yue said, Im going to meditate. Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with grief-filled eyes, forcing Tang Wulin to laugh. Jinxi, Ill be back at night. Dont worry. Ahem! Jinxi, when did you become a jealous woman? Zhang Yangzi poked fun at Wang Jinxi as he patted him on the shoulder. Everyone knew that Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi complemented one another when dual cultivating. Wang Jinxi shot him a glare. If you can help me cultivate an extra half a rank in three months, then Ill also act like a jealous woman to you too. Wulin, can I go with you? Or maybe Ill pick blacksmithing as my secondary occupation too? Do you think I have any talent for it? Tang Wulin said, I still think its best if we all have secondary occupations different from one another so that in the future, well be able to help each other out when we start making our own battle armor. Xie Xie said, That makes sense. Ive already decided on my secondary occupation anyway. Ill be a mecha maker! A mecha maker doesnt require too much technical knowledge, but instead focuses on practicing technique. I think its quite suitable for me. What about you guys? Zhang Yangzi said, Im still not sure yet. Gu Yue said, I think Ill study mecha mechanics. Ah? You want to study mecha mechanics? But youre a girl! I thought you would choose mecha designing, said Xie Xie with shock. Gu Yue coldly said, Only brainless people would think like that. You Alright, you two hurry up and go back to rest and eat. Tang Wulin could only helplessly look at his two quarreling friends. Hed already gotten used to their bickering long ago. ? After getting to know the others these last few months, Tang Wulin discovered that Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had the best relationship, while Xie Xie and Gu Yue were like fire and water. Although Gu Yue seemed gentle on the outside, her real personality was rather haughty, and she kept a distance from the other three. The funny thing was, everyone had a good relationship with Tang Wulin, so he acted as the teams mediator. Tang Wulin was grateful for having companions such as these. He had been born with a trash martial soul and his cultivation was the weakest among them, yet he was allowed to enter class zero and study together with these geniuses. He couldnt slack off now that he had found himself in a good situation. Although his cultivation speed was still the slowest among them, he had improved greatly compared to his old self. Tang Wulins attitude went through an amazing change ever since hed come to Eastsea Academy. He no longer compared himself against these geniuses, and simply compared himself to himself. As long as his cultivation speed kept increasing, he would be satisfied. The final exam was approaching, and it was also a team exam. As the captain and the one with the weakest cultivation, he carried within him an enormous amount of responsibility. After eating dinner and doing some light exercises, he started meditating. During his meal, he had already decided on his plan for the next three days. ? Early morning of the next day. Tang Wulin ran out of the academy grounds and headed straight for the Blacksmiths Association. He bought a few things from there, then entered a forging workshop and began a three-day period of closed-door forging. Hammering sounds rang out without pause from within the workshop. For the next three days, Tang Wulin would come here during the day to forge. At night he would return to the dorms, beaten and exhausted, to dual cultivate with Wang Jinxi via a strand of Bluesilver Grass. Tang Wulin, come over here for a moment. After he finished forging for the day, he received a call from Mu Chen, summoning him. Yes teacher. Ill head over now. When he arrived at the association, he directly walked toward Mu Chens office. By now, the association employees already recognized him as Mu Chens disciple, but they still didnt know that this nine year-old kid was actually a third rank blacksmith. Under Mu Chens special orders, all of the tasks that Tang Wulin accepted went through Cen Yue first to hide the fact that he was a third rank blacksmith. A nine-years-old third rank blacksmith was simply too shocking. Mu Chen instructed Tang Wulin that before he reached the Spirit Forging level, he wasnt allowed to cause a ruckus in the outside world. This was the reason why Tang Wulin never wore his blacksmiths badge, as it would give away his rank. Teacher! The moment Tang Wulin walked in, he saw Mu Chen perusing something. Ah, youre here. Come and take a seat. Mu Chen was a mild-mannered person outside of the times he taught Tang Wulin forging. After Tang Wulin seated himself opposite Mu Chen, he was handed a metal card. Tang Wulin took the metal card and inspected it. It had unusual complex and fine lines on it. Although Tang Wulin hadnt reached a high enough level yet, he could tell that it likely held a profound soul circuit. Flipping it over, he saw three familiar words inscribed into it: spirit ascension platform. Spirit ascension platform? Tang Wulin asked in surprise. Mu Chen nodded. The spirit ascension platform is about to enter a period of rebellion, and that will be a great opportunity for you to gain experience. This is an invitation card that will let you enter it. But be careful; a rebellion spirit ascension platform is far more dangerous than normal, and you will be under even greater pressure. Of course, the opportunities are just as great. Go participate in it and temper yourself. Temper yourself well. Tang Wulin was well aware of how few slots a rebellion spirit ascension platform had, so when he saw how carefree his teacher was being, he couldnt help but feel warm within his heart. Ever since hed joined the Blacksmiths Association, this was the very first time he had received aid from his teacher. Thank you teacher, but this is too precious. You should just give it to big sister Mu Xi instead. As he spoke, Tang Wulin returned the card. Mu Chen revealed a warm smile. She already has one. You two should look after each other inside there. Tang Wulin, somewhat awkwardly, said, The academy has already arranged for us to take part in a rebellion spirit ascension platform as our final exam, so I already have a slot. Mu Chen was surprised. Your class zero is actually treated this well? It seems Eastsea Academy really does value you guys! Although Mu Chen knew that Tang Wulin had joined a class of geniuses, he also understood that Tang Wulins cultivation was only just barely above average. With his young age taken into consideration, however, his cultivation speed certainly couldnt be considered slow. For a blacksmith, however, the martial soul wasnt nearly as important. As long as a blacksmith had sufficient soul power, they would be fine. He hadnt expected that this class of geniuses that Tang Wulin joined would actually be treated so well. Despite this, Mu Chen didnt accept the card back. He simply smiled and said, You can just keep it then. I obtained two cards anyway. With an extra card, you can go in one more time. After all, a rebellion spirit ascension platform lasts for seven days. Entering it another time will still be a great experience for you. Entering another time? Tang Wulins heart stirred at the thought. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the rebellion period, So you should hurry back and prepare soon. I dont have any other warnings to give you since youre already far more level-headed than your peers, but if you happen to run into Mu Xi, I hope you two will take care of each other. Yes teacher. The relationship between Tang Wulin and Mu Xi had never been particularly good because in Mu Xis heart, she still harbored some rejection toward Tang Wulin. Mu Xi would often say that Mu Chen treated Tang Wulin even better than her, rousing her competitive spirit. While she went through the hard labor of forging, she was able to control, to some degree, the temperature with her martial soul, which was a skill she had inherited from Mu Chen. She was gifted in forging and had a firm foundation, and was now preparing for the Thousand Refinements. Mu Xi still needed some time, however, before she could reach the third rank. 137 Thousand Refined Cloud TitaniumVests After returning to the dormitory, Tang Wulin didnt return to his room first. Instead, he knocked on someone elses door. Youre back. Whats up? After Xie Xie opened the door and saw Tang Wulin, he said these words somewhat discontentedly. He hadnt seen anyone around these last few days so he had no one to go out and play with. In the end, he could only cultivate in boredom. Come over to my room. I have something to tell everyone. Tang Wulin waved, then proceeded to the next room. It was already late into the evening and everyone had just returned from dinner, so they were all resting in their rooms. It didnt take long for Tang Wulin to round them up and assemble them in his room. Mr. Captain, what did you call us all here for? Zhang Yangzi said in a teasing manner. Tang Wulin said, I have something to give all of you. Here, try it on and tell me if I need to adjust it. As he spoke, a pile of metal objects poured out of his storage ring. He then proceeded to distribute them. This is When they saw the items that Tang Wulin handed out, everyone was shocked. They were vests, vests forged from metal. This metal vest was made from numerous thumb-sized silver metal disks linked together in an ingenious manner to form a chainmail. What was even more astonishing was how flexible and light the vest was. It was made in the style of chainmail, and if one inspected it closely, they would discover faint cloud patterns sprawling across the pieces of metal, exuding an exotic aura. Its so light. What is it made of? Zhang Yangzi curiously asked. Tang Wulin said, Its made from an uncommon metal called Cloud Titanium. I used the Thousand Refinements to purify it then forged chainmail from it. Although its light, its still extremely tough. When we enter the spirit ascension platform, were scanned and everything on our person will be brought inside, so if we wear this vest when we enter, well be able to use it inside and itll increase our chances of survival. Wang Jinxi spoke slowly. Is this considered cheating? Zhang Yangzi said craftily, How could this be considered cheating? Were just taking advantage of the rebellion spirit ascension platform to improve ourselves. Although it doesnt fit perfectly, it doesnt hinder my movements either. It doesnt encumber my agile movements. Jinxi, try punching it. Zhang Yangzi said eagerly. Okay. Wang Jinxi punched straight at Zhang Yangzis stomach. With a bang, Zhang Yangzi was knocked onto his butt. Ouch, you should have taken it easier! Zhang Yangzi complained. Wang Jinxi cooly said, What use is there in going easy? Captain really made these well. When I hit it, it felt as if I was striking solid armor or an iron panel. Technically, you were only pushed over by my force, you werent knocked down. Zhang Yangzi got up and rubbed his stomach. Thats right! My stomach doesnt hurt at all. Gu Yue looked at Tang Wulin. Is this the reason you were gone the last three days? Yea. Its just making some preparations before the battle. Jinxi and Yangzi were both correct, this can be considered cheating in a way, but at the very least, we can ensure that everyone wont be as fragile when faced with those soul beasts anymore. As long as we can survive even a minute longer in the spirit ascension platform, it will be considered an achievement in our exam and allow us to hunt even more soul beasts. Xie Xie looked at the Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest in his hands. He then shifted his gaze to Tang Wulin, a hint of shame filling his eyes. So this is what that guy was doing Hurry up and try them on! Tang Wulin urged them on. Everyone started experimenting with their vests. Though Tang Wulin had little experience with making clothes, a vest was simple enough for him to make. He had also taken Wang Jinxis martial soul transformation in consideration and made his vest a bit larger. Alright, thats all. Lets all do our best tomorrow. Tang Wulin stretched out his right hand. Xie Xie was the first one to pick up on Tang Wulins intent and quickly placed his own hand atop Tang Wulins. Afterward, Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Gu Yue took their cue and added their own hands underneath his palm. The five of them cheered in unison, Lets do it! Early morning. A heavy fog had enveloped Eastsea City during the night, hindering visibility and making it seem like everything were just hazy figures. Despite the usual lack of cheer haunting the city at this time, the Spirit Pagoda was bustling with excitement. As one of the Spirit Pagodas Eighteen Pillars of Heaven, it was one of the entrances into the rebellion spirit ascension platform. A single entry card for the rebellion spirit ascension platform auctioned for over 100,000 federal coins and it had no set market price. The Spirit Pagoda organized the distribution of these cards every year. Even though the chance to achieve spirit ascension was miniscule, everyone would go crazy for that chance. The moment that the first glimmers of dawn peeked over the horizon, Wu Zhangkong and the students of class zero had arrived at the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda. The earlier they entered, the less likely they were to encounter any competitors. You all must remember that at its peak, the spirit ascension platform will be filled with many other people, of whom many will be your enemies. You only have one mission inside of there: survive! Anyone who doesnt pass the final exam will be penalized. After hearing Wu Zhangkongs warning, Xie Xie couldnt help but ask curiously, Teacher Wu, whats the penalty? Wu Zhangkong shot him a glance. Your vacation days will be cancelled. After every term was a month-long vacation, so when he heard that their vacation might be cancelled, Xie Xie immediately went wide-eyed in shock. He had been looking forward to the month-long vacation for so long already. The others also exchanged looks of panic, while only Tang Wulin maintained a calm expression. Even Gu Yue had frowned at the prospect of losing her vacation. Lets go. After the five students handed over their entry cards, they were lead by a staff member to a familiar room. As Eastsea Citys only intermediate academy, not only did Eastsea Acaademy have tremendous influence, they also maintained a cordial relationship with the Spirit Pagoda. If not, they wouldnt necessarily have been able to secure spirit ascension platform spots even if they had money. Eastsea Spirit Pagoda had set up this room especially for them, which allowed Wu Zhangkong to monitor them. This wasnt normal but was actually preferential treatment. The spirit ascension platform is highly dangerous during the rebellion period. You have all entered the spirit ascension platform numerous times now and understand what its like inside, so I dont need to give you any more warnings. Just remember to immediately hit the exit button the moment you are in danger. The staff member gave them a few words of warning. The more times one had entered the spirit ascension platform, the less chance one would encounter danger like Wang Jinxi had during his first time. The five students separated and entered their own metal boxes. Under the staff members control, the boxes closed and the light disappeared. The scan initiated, preparing to send them into the spirit ascension platform. The staff member inserted five cards into a slot then pressed a big red button. This was a part of the safeguard system for the rebellion period. These cards allowed one to enter into the spirit ascension platform, as well as the designation of the coordinates one would appear at. After a moment, the five of them them awoke from their daze and were greeted with the sight of a boundless great forest. The forest was no different from the one they were used to, but this time, the five of them had entered together. The air was fresh and the plants a vibrant green, just like how they remembered it. They couldnt see any difference from the normal, peaceful spirit ascension platform. Tang Wulin ordered, Into formation. He took a few steps forward to stand as the vanguard of the group while Wang Jinxi took position behind him, facing the opposite direction. Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie were arranged on the left and right. They were all facing outward, while Gu Yue was situated right in the center. A gentle green light flickered, covering the five of them. It was precisely Gu Yue controlling the wind elements to lighten them and increase their agility. Tang Wulin raised his right hand, releasing two strands of Bluesilver Grass as a yellow soul ring appeared beneath his feet. The two strands of grass were like snakes as they slithered forth and sweeped the surrounding shrubbery, creating a path for them. Our number one priority is to survive for at least an hour to pass the final exam, while our second priority is to hunt as many soul beasts as we can. Be careful everyone. Four strands of Bluesilver Grass spread out from underneath his feet, connecting him to his four comrades by their waist. This way, he would be able to save them at a moments notice. Zhang Yangzi released his spirit soul, and a little black eagle soared into the sky. Beside the boost to his combat abilities his little black eagle gave him, it was also able to share its vision with him as long as it was within ten meters of him. Like this, they would have another set of eyes with a broader view. 138 Rebellion Spirit Ascension Platform They werent naive and released their martial souls as soon as they entered. ? Inside the Spirit Pagodas monitoring room. The staff member turned to Wu Zhangkong and said, These kids are pretty good. Teacher Wu really is very good at teaching. Wu Zhangkong gave a humble nod. Lets see how they do first. Although he had always been the type to suppress his emotions and keep a stony expression, he couldnt help but feel pleased with his disciples. As he watched them undergo their trials, a 20,000-year-old motto popped into his mind: Shrek Academy only accepts monsters, not ordinary people. Regardless of the time period, Shrek Academy had never failed to uphold that motto. This motto was engraved into every single student of Shrek, instilling them with a sense of pride. I wonder how far these brats will be able to go. In order to become a monster, other than having first-class talent, one also needed unyielding perseverance. From his observations, all five of his students possessed talent, with Gu Yue being the most talented among them. There were no records of her martial soul or anything similar within Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagodas history. Miraculously, she was able to control five elements, and despite the fact that her soul skill could only increase how effectively she utilizes her soul power to control the elements, she was still able to combine the five elements into a variety of attacks. What need did she have for extra soul skills then? Her spiritual power had also reached unprecedented heights, especially when compared to her peers. Just the fact that she was able to reach the Spirit Connection realm at her age, combined with her speed of improvement, meant that by the time she graduated in six years, she might actually reach the Spirit Sea realm. If she actually managed such an unprecedented feat, then her future potential would be limitless, rocking the Soul Master world. Xie Xie was undoubtedly the second most talented individual. His twin martial souls were a rare and amazing gift, regardless of era, and though his twin martial souls were artificial rather than natural, they were still beneficial for him. No one could say for certain, but in the future, Xie Xie might just be able to As for Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxis talent, it could only be considered as decent. Neither the Bone Dragon King nor the Shadow Phantasm Eagle could be considered as peak level martial souls, but the two were compatible. If they could one day perfectly control their fusion skill, their combat strength would then be on the same level as a peak genius. Although, only time could tell whether or not they perfect their soul fusion skill. After all, their grasp of their fusion skill was still at a rudimentary level. Lastly, there was Tang Wulin. Wu Zhangkong had appointed him as the team captain because he saw a quality in Tang Wulins character that couldnt be found in his peers. He was tenacious, his so-called trash martial soul having never discouraged him from cultivating hard. He slowly followed behind his classmates, step by step. He also had innate divine strength, making him the strongest one amongst them and could make up for the deficiency of his martial soul at these lower ranks. What was even more notable, though, was that he had a variant martial soul and possessed the peculiar Golden Dragon Claw. Out of the five individuals, he was possibly the strongest,, but it was still too soon to tell. If his martial soul continued to mutate, then there was a high chance he would become a super genius like Gu Yue. Tang Wulins steady temperament made him the best choice for a leader, and he was also a natural at taking care of everyone at his side. The most important point, however, was that he was brave enough to shoulder this responsibility. Wu Zhangkongs greatest hope for Tang Wulin was for him to mature and become one of the geniuses of this generation. The Thousand Refined hammers also made it clear to Wu Zhangkong that Tang Wulin was a first class genius in the art of forging and that he would not stray in his secondary profession. Although blacksmithing wasnt as popular as the three great Mecha Master professions, fifth rank blacksmiths and higher were one of the scarcest talents on the continent. Although battle armor designing and crafting were extremely high level skills, blacksmithing was the foundation they built upon. With excellent materials, the designs could be even better and the workmanship of even higher quality, allowing the battle armor to reach the peak. Wu Zhangkong truly wished for Tang Wulin to travel as far down this path as possible. If he had to choose which of the five students to take the exam to enter his organization, then Tang Wulin would definitely be the most suitable. He couldnt make heads or tails of Gu Yue, but he could tell that she carried many secrets and would have to keep a close eye on her. ? Tang Wulin used his Bluesilver Grass vines to part the grass in front of them and create a path, allowing them to advance slowly and carefully. As this was their end-of-term final exam, their number one priority now was to survive. As such, hunting soul beasts was a secondary priority placed at the back of their minds. Finding a safe area to occupy was their most important objective now. No signs of souls beasts at the rear or sides, reported Zhang Yangzi. As Tang Wulin nodded in acknowledgement, a Heavy Silver hammer appeared in his left hand with a flash of light. His right hand was empty in case he needed to use his Golden Dragon Claw. Suddenly, a low growl came from ahead of them, announcing the arrival of a large beast as it leapt out. It was a giant ape as tall as a human. A faintly fishy odor wafted from its ash-black furred body as it glared at them with crimson eyes. After his first experience in the spirit ascension platform, Tang Wulin earnestly studied the various species of soul beasts. That, combined with his experiences in the spirit ascension platform, increased his understanding of soul beasts to a level incomparable with before. With a single look, he identified this ape to be a hundred-year Ironarm Ape, a type of human-like soul beast. It was both quick and strong and possessed arms like steel. The most troublesome aspect, however, was its crowd skill, Threaten. If someone with weak spiritual power was hit by its Threaten, then they would receive its full effect and may even lose their desire to do battle immediately. Thus, the best method of dealing with an Ironarm Ape was to strike first and gain the upper hand. Whoosh! Tang Wulin instantly threw his hammer, sending it flying in an arc toward the beast. As it flew through the air, Tang Wulin took large strides forward and charged. Golden scales crept up his right arm as he launched his frontal assault. As he did so, a strand of Bluesilver Grass slithered along the ground, twisting around the Ironarm Ape and binding it. Xie Xie had also acted the moment Tang Wulin made his move. He dashed forward and stuck behind Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin grabbed one of the strands of Bluesilver Grass tied around his waist and swung it upward, launching Xie Xie into the air. Xie Xie somersaulted beautifully over the Ironarm Apes head. His Light Dragon Dagger flashing as he stabbed toward the back of the apes head. As a humanoid soul beast, the back of the Ironarm Apes head was a weak point. A pair of small fireballs with faintly discernable green glows pierced through the air like arrows. This might seem unremarkable, but wind accelerated the fireball. Although the fireballs may have been weak, they were blazingly fast. A silver light appeared in front of the Ironarm Ape at that moment, blocking its view of Xie Xie soaring through the air and over it. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yues coordination was amazing. It had reached a point where it could be said that they were a hairs width away from reaching the peak. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi hadnt launched their own attacks. Instead, they had gathered together quickly and observed their surroundings. Even though their fusion skill hadnt yet been completed, it would still be a formidable option should they encounter a powerful foe. Their current goal was to guard against any other soul beasts that might appear while the other three took care of the Ironarm Ape. The hundred-year Ironarm Ape could do nothing in the face of the quick little fireballs; it couldnt even raise an arm in time to protect itself. All it could do was lower its head and knock them away with its hard forehead, sending sparks flying everywhere. At the same time, it swung its arm and met the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer head on. Bang! The hammer flew backward, but the Ironarm Ape had also been shaken. After all, that hammer had carried over five hundred kilograms of force. It wouldnt have been easy to receive such an attack, even if the ape had innate divine strength. 139 Meeting Mu Xi Tang Wulin was the last to arrive in front of it, yet he suddenly stopped in place and raised the retrieved hammer while a yellow ring emerged from beneath him. Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass climbed up the apes body like ivy, binding it completely. Even with its tremendous strength, the Ironarm Ape was unable to break free. A light flashed behind its head as Xie Xie took advantage of its reaction to the fireballs to quickly stab it in the head. Hou! The hundred-year Ironarm Ape released a roar as its red eyes flashed with an ominous glint. It moved to sweep an arm at the back of its head. Before it could even raise its arm halfway, however, the glimmer of life in its eyes disappeared, and its large, two meter tall body toppled over with a loud thud. Xie Xies first soul ring pulsed with light as a ball of gentle light floated over from the hundred-year Ironarm Ape and circled around him. This was undoubtedly the spirit energy of the Ironarm Ape. Just as they were told, the spirit energy absorption rate during the rebellion period was far slower than usual. Fortunately, it had only been a hundred-year beast, so it wouldnt take too long to digest. When Xie Xie had stabbed the Ironarm Ape with his Light Dragon Dagger, he hadnt been able to kill the beast immediately, as after all, the apes skull was extremely hard. What he did to make up for it, however, was use his first soul skill while his dagger was still in the apes head. Like that, he was able to shoot his dagger forward into the apes brain, destroying it. Tang Wulin gave a thumbs up to Xie Xie and proceeded to recall his Bluesilver Grass when Zhang Yangzi called out from behind him, Reporting on the left side, its safe for now. Tang Wulin did not hesitate in leading the others to the left side. They didnt dare stay in one place for too long after killing a soul beast. From the moment the Ironarm Ape had appeared to the moment it was killed by the trio, only a dozen or so seconds had passed. During the battle, Gu Yues only role had been to confuse it, yet it was crucial in allowing them to achieve such an amazing and neat victory with their low cultivations. This was the result of their three months of combat experience in the spirit ascension platform. An individuals strength wasnt solely dependent on their cultivation and soul skills; their application and techniques mattered just as much. There were many gifted Soul Masters, but the ones who lacked combat experience wouldnt be able to display their full power in a battle. As such, Wu Zhangkongs actions had all been for the sake of laying a good foundation for the students of class zero. With the growth of their combat experience, they would be able to display 120% of their strength! In his experience, combat Soul Masters were meant to battle, not serve as decorations. Thus, the best way for them to improve was through combat! For example, Xie Xie had used his Light Dragon Blade soul skill while his dagger was stabbed into the apes head, allowing him to puncture the apes brain. Only through combat experience could this type of decision making skill be cultivated. After running to their left side for several hundred meters, they hadnt encountered any other soul beasts, so Tang Wulin ordered, Stop! Well rest here for a bit. Yangzi, youre responsible for scouting this time. Yes! Zhang Yangzi affirmed before nimbly climbing up a nearby tree to a vantage spot. From there, he observed one side while his black eagle spirit soul observed the other, allowing him to keep an eye out in all four directions. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were seated cross-legged, intently recovering the soul power consumed in the previous battle. Although they hadnt used much soul power in that one battle, it was best to maintain their peak conditions in the spirit ascension platform. Only like this could they survive for even longer. There are three people approaching in our direction. Two males, one female. They seem to be about 15 or 16-years-old. One of them has three rings while the other two have two rings. One of the ones with two rings seems to be absorbing spirit energy right now. Zhang Yangzi succinctly reported his evaluation of the approaching group. Without any warning, a red light streaked across the horizon, shooting straight towards the branch Zhang Yangzi was perched on. Ive been discovered! Zhang Yangzi immediately leapt off the tree and spread his wings while Tang Wulin and Xie Xie shot forth like a bullet. Xie Xies figure blurred for a moment and then reappeared in the shadow of a tree. Meanwhile, the other four stood together, waiting for Xie Xie to alert them of their opponents arrival. Three people, two male and one female, approached, giving Tang Wulin a shock when he saw them. There stood one girl in the middle with the two boys to her side. Tang Wulin didnt recognize the boys, but he recognized the girl. It truly was a coincidence; that girl was Mu Xi. Floating above Mu Xi was a fireball as fiery as the sun. Clearly, she had been the one to shoot that fireball earlier. Mu Xis Shining Sun martial soul was powerful and excelled in long distance artillery, with firepower that Gu Yue couldnt even hope to compare with. The truly shocking thing was the fact that Mu Xi now had three soul rings. She actually had three soul rings now! Its you? Mu Xi was equally shocked when she saw Tang Wulin, and her Shining Suns radiance weakened a bit. Senior disciple sister. Tang Wulin hastily took two steps forward and loudly greeted her. Mn. Mu Xi nodded at him. Were going. She immediately turned around and took large strides forward. Tang Wulin had long since become accustomed to Mu Xis cold indifference towards him, but what he didnt see was the proud look in her eyes after she turned around to leave. She was quite proud of herself after seeing Tang Wulins reaction to her third ring, and she also noticed that Tang Wulin still only had one ring. Arent you a genius? Werent you born with innate divine strength? Yet, your soul power is so lacking. Youre making quick progress in the early stages of forging, but just wait until you reach Spirit Forging. Then youll understand the importance of soul power. Ill definitely surpass you when that time comes! Senior disciple sister? Zhang Yangzi gave Tang Wulin an astute look. So its like that! Your senior disciple sister is so pretty! Why havent you ever introduced us to her before? Senior disciple sister, wont it be better if we go together? His final words were shouted at the departing Mu Xi. Mu Xi didnt even bother to look back and simply left with the two boys, soon vanishing into the forest. With her current strength, she was definitely one of the strongest Soul Masters in the elementary spirit ascension platform, so it wasnt worth her time to babysit Tang Wulins group of one rings and two rings. And besides that, she didnt really want work together with Tang Wulin either. Tang Wulin said somewhat helplessly, Shes the daughter of my teacher. I dont think she likes me all that much, so we havent really interacted much. Xie Xie let out a mischievous laugh. This senior sister of yours sure is cruel. Yangzi, you can try getting to know her better if youre interested. Well support you as your classmates. Zhang Yangzi shook his head earnestly. Forget about it. Im not into being subdued, and were too young for this stuff anyways. We should focus on studying and cultivating right now. Xie Xie raised an eyebrow at this. Just what are you thinking? I only said you could try getting to know her better. Stop thinking about it too much. Youre only a brat in her eyes anyways. Hmph! Zhang Yangzi proudly raised his head. Just wait until this big brother is in the fifth grade. Ill definitely have three rings, too. With his current cultivation speed, it wasnt impossible for him to reach three rings by the time he was 14. Gu Yue asked Tang Wulin, What are we going to do next? Tang Wulin didnt hesitate at all with his answer. Wait. There arent too many soul beasts in this area, so we should be able to survive in this area until we pass. After that, we can go hunt soul beasts, so theres no need to be so anxious right now. The five of them once again moved into position and with the large trees surrounding them, they were able to to maintain a perfect defense. During the rebellion period, the number of soul beasts in the spirit ascension platform was far higher than normal, and they were also much more aggressive. In a short timespan of twenty minutes, they had encountered over ten soul beasts. Most of them were at the ten-year level, so they were able to make quick work of them. There were also some hundred-year soul beasts, and though they werent particularly strong, they required more effort to kill. Everyone shared the spirit energy, not for the sake of being fair, but for the sake of quickly absorbing all of it. Xie Xie had taken about ten minutes to absorb the spirit energy from the hundred-year Ironarm Ape, gaining about five years each for his two soul rings. Evolving a spirit soul to the next level was a gradual process, and it would be a long time before Xie Xies spirit soul reached the thousand-year level. They had already survived for half the necessary time to pass their final exam and were relatively relaxed as they hadnt encountered any strong soul beasts yet. The rebellion period isnt that bad after all. Zhang Yangzi had loosened up a lot from his previous nervousness since they had only encountered weak soul beasts until now. The most dangerous situation for them was to encounter a powerful soul beast that they had no choice but to flee from. In their panic, they may run into one powerful soul beast after another and die. Although their current course of action restricted the number of soul beasts they could hunt, it was a safe, defensive plan that maximized their survival time. 140 Faced Demon Spider Captain, should we take the initiative to attack? Zhang Yangzi asked Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin calmly replied, Theres no need to be anxious, well see after one hour passes. All we need to do in this first hour is survive. Just then, Zhang Yangzi suddenly paled and his body swaying in shock. Not good, Little Black The five of them simultaneously looked up to see a yellow-green net descending from the sky. At the same time, they were faced with the shocking scene of Little Black being impaled by numerous limbs. He immediately disintegrated. When a Soul Masters spirit soul was killed, they would suffer from recoil and it would take them a very long time to restore their spirit soul. In a flash, Zhang Yangzis cultivation dropped by a third. A violent gale appeared within the formation of the five students. Gu Yue was the quickest one to react with her immense spiritual power. Yet, against all expectations, that yellow-green net didnt even sway in the face of her fierce gale and directly cutting through it. Retreat! Tang Wulin decisively ordered as dozens of strands of Bluesilver Grass shot up to obstruct the net. However, Tang Wulin was aghast to see that the moment his Bluesilver Grass touched the net, it started smoking from corrosion. If Little Black hadnt been flying up in the sky, the net would have ambushed and trapped them. It was likely their trials in the rebellion spirit ascension platform would have been cut short there. A massive figure descended from the sky after Little Blacks figure disintegrated completely. Eight long legs were extended like eight spears, surrounding the five. The five of them took advantage of the few seconds the Bluesilver Grass bought them to escape the range of the net. In their rush to escape, however, their formation had been broken. Apart from Zhang Yangzi being deathly pale, Wang Jinxi also started trembling once he saw that beast. Black and white lines ran along a body as large as a millstone. Every single one of its legs were over two meters in length, while its body emitted a strange splendor. They had clearly seen a beautiful human face on its abdomen when it had descended, which only served to increase their fear. Man-Faced Demon Spider! The five of them shouted in unison. That was right! It was the same Man-Faced Demon Spider that had nearly destroyed Wang Jinxis mind. Wang Jinxi could even sense that this was the same one that had ambushed him before. Even with Little Blacks extra vision, it hadnt been able to discover this Man-Faced Demon Spider and had been swiftly killed. The Man-Faced Demon Spider truly was a terrifying killer in the world of soul beasts. Gu Yue shot out a fireball which exploded on the face of the Man-Faced Demon Spider while the others quickly assembled. Tang Wulins heart sank. Its a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider. Even though its only at the hundred-year level, its far stronger than other beasts of the same level! This guy is going to be really difficult to deal with! Even if I use my Golden Dragon Claw, it would be impossible for me to approach it with those eight legs acting as defence. Its body is also highly toxic and the slightest contact could wipe out my whole team! Although the battle had yet to truly begin, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi were already shaken. It might not be a good idea for them to fight this battle. They had originally thought that they were lucky to not have met a powerful foe in their first half hour, but it seemed that their fortune had come to an end. Are we running? Xie Xie asked Tang Wulin. They had learned a lot about the Man-Faced Demon Spider since their first entry. They knew that even if its cultivation was only at the hundred-year level, it was still a terrifying existence that could hunt thousand-year soul beasts! Moreover, they were currently in the spirit ascension platform, so even if they killed it, they would only gain the spirit energy of a hundred-year soul beast. Simply said, the potential profits did not outweigh the risks. In their moment of hesitation, the hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider revealed its might. Two of its legs flashed, destroying all of the fireballs Gu Yue had shot out with lightning speed. All that was left of the fireballs were drifting sparks. The Man-Faced Demon Spider wasnt guarded against them at all; rather, it slowly circled around them, a yellow-green thread of silk dragging along from its spinnerets. Anything that touched this silk would immediately wither. Were not running! Were defeating of it! Tang Wulin ordered without the slightest hesitation. They had already been here for a while now and had some understanding of the area, so they knew that if they carelessly ran around during the rebellion spirit ascension platform, it would be likely that they would meet some powerful soul beasts. In that situation, it would be very hard to survive for another half hour. Moreover, Wang Jinxis fate was linked to the Man-Faced Demon Spiders now. If he didnt kill it, then it would continue to influence him. They had happened to run into it today with their full team of five; if they didnt take advantage of this opportunity to kill it, then a chance as good as this one wouldnt come again. These were the reasonings that ran through Tang Wulins mind when he made his quick decision. No matter what, they had to kill the Man-Faced Demon Spider before them now. Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass slithered along the ground while he grasped his two hammers tightly. His mind went over all that he had learned of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Man-Faced Demon Spider. Excels in quick and toxic attacks. Has a strong defense, but not particularly strong physically. Its the killer of the forest. Whenever it appears, fear strikes the hearts of its prey. Tang Wulins greatest advantage was his strength. The best plan would be for him to land attacks on its weak points, so he didnt even think about utilizing his Golden Dragon Claw. In this situation, his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers were the best choice. Everyone, stick together, well face the enemy head on. Gu Yue, provide assistance. Xie Xie, look for an opening. Yangzi, Jinxi, observe for now and wait for an opportunity to strike. Im fine! Wang Jinxis gloomy voice shouted. Tang Wulin turned to look at him. Although Wang Jinxi was still trembling, his eyes burned with the will to battle. As he and Tang Wulin cultivated together, Wang Jinxi gradually became influenced by him. His cultivation speed had increased and he had also felt slight changes to his martial soul under this influence. Dread had filled his heart when he had seen the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but when he heard Tang Wulin say, Were not running! Were defeating of it!, a surge of courage replaced the dread in his heart. Tang Wulins words had caused his blood to boil and fill him with valiance. He felt that as long as Tang Wulin was at his side, he would be able to face any trials that came his way. In a sort of special state, he locked eyes with Tang Wulin, expressing complete trust in his gaze. Rather than trembling from fear, he was actually trembling from excitement. Even before they had cultivated together, he had felt an affinity with Tang Wulin, but it had never been this strong. This time, faced with the Man-Faced Demon Spider, he felt as if he was about to explode. Defeat it! Its merely a hundred-year soul beast. Whats there to be afraid of? The Man-Faced Demon Spider was still circling around them, its silk thread continuously trailing from its spinneret to form a ring. The Man-Faced Demon Spider was naturally cold, cruel and extremely patient. In fact, it was its patience that made it so terrifying. It would quietly stalk its prey for hours, all the way until an opportunity presented itself. The five students werent anxious at all. They would wait for it to slow down. Besides, it had already used up quite a bit of its silk. Instantly, its thread was wrapped around a large tree. Although the tree began to wither, it still stood tall. Gu Yue launched a variety of elemental attacks at the spider, but they proved to be uneffective. Toxic spider threads protected it. Even flames had little effect. Its creating a prison for us and when its finished, itll shrink the prison until were trapped. Xie Xie said grimly. 141 Team Battle Against the Demon Spider Mn! Wait for a chance. Tang Wulin sternly ordered. From below his feet, strands of Bluesilver Grass arranged themselves into a formation as he continuously supplied them with soulpower. The Man-Faced Demon Spider is giving us a chance, how could he not take it? Gu Yue silently sat cross-legged in the middle, meditating to restore her soul power. Wang Jinxi stood next to Zhang Yangzi, trembling with excitement. The two were prepared to use their fusion skill at any moment. Coordination didnt matter anymore in the face of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. What was important, however, was whether they had the power to defeat it. Tang Wulins Golden Dragon Claw possessed immense power, but the problem was he didnt know how to approach this gigantic poisonous spider. Xie Xie, if Im unable to break free, then youll be the acting captain. Tang Wulin warned Xie Xie. Considering the toxicity of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, the possibility of all of them to constantly evade its attacks were small. None of them were anxious to attack as this was their final exam. Their chances of passing were more uncertain now that they had to face the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but they still had to fight for as much time as they could get in order to pass their exam. After all, they couldnt truly die in the spirit ascension platform. As long as they were able to persevere for one hour, they would pass their exam. Naturally, none of them wanted to pass the exam that way. Tang Wulins eyes shrunk in shock. Suddenly, he threw the hammer in his right hand straight at the Man-Faced Demon Spider. With a strand of Bluesilver Grass connected to it, it streaked through the air like a shooting star. The Man-Faced Demon Spiders legs powerfully launched its massive body out of the the web it had weaved. The hammer smashed into the spider webs, stretching it backwards. The webs were too resilient and elastic though, so not only was the hammer unable to break through them, it even became glued onto the web. Tang Wulin forcefully pulled to retrieve his hammer but the spider webs caved in and were dragged along with it. The area that the hammer touched the webs had already turned pitch-black. Fortunately, the hammers were Thousand Refined and its internal structure denser so it hadnt been corroded just yet. These webs are really strong. Tang Wulin had only thrown his hammer as a probing attack, yet he had already lost it to the webs. It seemed that the Man-Faced Demon Spiders nimbleness and cunning was far higher than they first thought. They all knew that it was waiting for just the right moment to pounce on them, and the moment it did, its assault would be as swift as lightning and as powerful as thunder. The ball of webs tightened continuously around the five students and restricting their movements. Of course, there was a silver lining to their situation. At the very least, other soul beasts could not attack them right then. Were still not attacking? Xie Xie asked in a hushed voice. Patience. Tang Wulin sternly said. Xie Xie didnt utter another word when he saw that Tang Wulins gaze was intently fixed on the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Ten minutes later, the original hundred meter radius of webbing shrunk only about a dozen or so meters in radius. Squatting down next to Gu Yue, Tang Wulin whispered a few words into her ear, to which she nodded in agreement. With their plan settled, the two stood up. The Man-Faced Demon Spider halted in place when it noticed Gu Yue stand up. With icy eyes that seemed to possess a wisdom far beyond a soul beast, it watched the five while its abdomen began to swell. Its preparing to attack. Xie Xie shouted. On Tang Wulins signal, Gu Yues eyes narrowed as a wave of soul power surged from her body and a soul ring rose from beneath her. This was her first soul skill: Elemental Tide! Pew! The hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider suddenly turned around and shot a yellow-green net from its abdomen straight at them. After shooting out this net, it screeched and charged straight at them. This net was far bigger than the first one, and was large enough to cover all of the class zero students this time. They quickly retreated in this cramped space and narrowly avoided the net. There was no room for them to maneuver at all, especially since the walls were toxic. One wrong move and they would meet their end. Now that its net had failed to ensnare the students, the Man-Faced Demon Spider brandished its eight legs as if they were sharp blades. At that moment, however, Gu Yue stood up and released a yellow radiance from the center of their formation. From this radiance, a giant obelisk with a diameter of approximately a foot long skyrocketed out of the ground and pierced into the sky. The spider webs that had been woven into a net were extremely strong, but fortunately for the students, it possessed no attacking power. The obelisk shot at just the right spot, piercing through the peak of the toxic spider web dome. At that moment, the Man-Faced Spider was finally upon them. Xie Xie rapidly climbed up the obelisk while Zhang Yangzi used his first soul skill, covering him in a pitch-black fog. The strongest point of Zhang Yangzis Curtain of Darkness was the fact that it could differentiate between friend and foe, so it only obstructed those he was hostile towards. Moreover, its coverage was directly proportional to the amount of soul power he expended. As soon as the Curtain of Darkness descended, the Man-Faced Demon Spider lost all traces of the five students. It had no choice but to slow its pursuit. Suddenly, a strand of Bluesilver Grass shot up from the ground toward Man-Faced Demon Spider while a figure valiantly flew into the sky. Astonishingly, Wang Jinxi had been thrown into the air by Tang Wulin. A pair of soul rings shined brightly on Wang Jinxis body. Using his first soul skill, Bone Dragon Claw, his right arm quickly transformed while the rest of his body also transformed to a lesser degree under the effects of his second skill, Bone Soul Transformation. His transformation finished just in time for him to smash into the Man-Faced Demon Spider midair. It was at this moment that the Man-Faced Demon Spider was forced to reveal the grace of a super soul beast. Faced with the Bluesilver Grass shooting up from below, it spun its body while unfolding its eight blade-like legs. Although Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass was tenacious, it was no match for the Man-Faced Demon Spider and was promptly cut into pieces. It didnt have a the slightest chance of binding the spider. As Wang Jinxi descended upon the Man-Faced Demon Spider, it spun around and shot out a yellow-green spider web at him. The web this time was smaller than before, but it was still more than enough to cover Wang Jinxi. They exploded into battle, starting at the climax from the very beginning. Victory or defeat would be decided at any moment. Suddenly, the Bluesilver Grass tied around Wang Jinxis waist pulled him back toward the ground. Meanwhile, a single strand of Bluesilver Grass had managed to wrap itself around the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Right then, it turned gold. The corrosion and toxicity of the spider was no longer effective against it, while the spiders body abruptly became sluggish. The binding of the Bluesilver Grass was finally beginning to bear fruit. At that instant, a golden whirlwind appeared out of nowhere. Its target was the Man-Faced Demon Spiders rear! Clang! The golden whirlwind of light ferociously landed a sharp blow on the spiders rear, issuing an ear-piercing screech as an explosion of sparks showered from the collision. The Man-Faced Demon Spider shrieked in pain as it shook the figure off of its back. Yellow-green blood oozed from where its carapace had been cut open. The second figure who had appeared was precisely Xie Xie with his Light Dragon Storm! Wang Jinxi had used his two soul skills for the sole reason of catching the Man-Faced Demon Spiders attention and drawing its second attack. After taunting it to use up its spider web, he was pulled back into the Curtain of Darkness by Tang Wulin. Xie Xie took advantage of that moment to launch his assault. Although his Light Dragon Storm wasnt strong enough to tear the Man-Faced Demon Spider to shreds, its powerful penetrating power could still wound the spider. Bang! The golden Bluesilver Grass finally snapped from the Man-Faced Demon Spiders frantic struggles. To be more precise, however, it snapped after it had lost its golden color. Suddenly freed from the restrictive force, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was unable to adapt. Its eight legs which were using their utmost power suddenly felt no resistance, causing them to slip outwards, and its whole body to sink down. Two lumps of earth opportunely shot out, knocking against two of its legs and setting it off balance, creating a small crack in its defense. A figure quietly passed through the crack in its defenses, thrusting a golden claw at the human face underneath its abdomen. Pu! The Golden Dragon Claw stabbed into its abdomen, causing yellow-green blood to gush out. A layer of ice rapidly covered Tang Wulins body, preventing the blood from touching him. He used his Bluesilver Grass to bind the Man-Faced Demon Spider once more while he retreated back into the darkness. 142 True Control The Man-Faced Demon Spiders giant body shuddered as yellow-green blood continuously gushed from its abdomen. It wanted to attack, to shoot some spider threads, but they only flew a few meters before hitting the ground. They were completely unsuitable to use as an attack now. It continually struggled like this as it grew weaker by the minute. Simultaneously, a yellow light shot out from the Curtain of Darkness. The darkness gradually vanished while the yellow light lingered on the pale-faced Tang Wulin. His arm had already transformed back to its normal human form, with only golden scales covering it now. Thanks to those scales, he hadnt suffered any corrosion from the Man-Faced Demon Spiders blood. Hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider, killed! Xie Xie had already been pulled back awhile ago, so the five of them stood there, exchanging looks of astonishment from prevailing over such a calamity. Wang Jinxi couldnt help but embrace Tang Wulin with an ardent expression that overflowed with passion. This battle had fully displayed the teams ability and was the culmination of the knowledge and experience they had gained. In the end, the formidable Man-Faced Demon Spider had died by their hands! From start to finish, there had been no room for luck. They had claimed this victory purely with their own strength. Even as they blatantly stared at the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider that was a few meters away from them, they still couldnt believe that they had succeeded. Tang Wulin was the most surprised of them all; he had been prepared to sacrifice himself in their plan, yet they had actually achieved victory. If his Golden Dragon Claw had been unable to resist the toxins, or if Gu Yues ice had been incapable of shielding him from the corrosion of the spiders blood, he would have died. Fortunately, the two of them were able to give a perfect performance. His Golden Dragon Claw proved its might once again with its immunity to the toxins corrosion, while Gu Yues control of ice had been able to isolate the toxic blood for a few moments. These two elements had combined to give him enough time to break away from the corpse and toxins. Every single moment of their battle had been ridden with extreme danger. The Spirit Pagoda staff member stared at the screen dumbstruck. He was completely speechless. Just how perfect were their tactics!? That was actually a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider that even four or five ring Soul Masters would avoid! They wouldnt even dare to engage it without thorough planning. Yet, this group of kids, who at most have two rings, actually performed a miracle and defeated the Man-Faced Demon Spider! This is unbelievable! Even Wu Zhangkong was a bit shaken by this. A smile had actually appeared on his ice-cold face. He meets the requirements of a Control System Soul Master, he quietly muttered under his breath. Hes also the one who has made the most progress in the last three months. This battle had tested not only the limits of their strength but also the breadth of their knowledge. During their battle, Wu Zhangkong took note of every single detail with his experienced eyes. Even if the students were baffled, Wu Zhangkong observed the events with clarity. It wasnt until Tang Wulin appeared beneath the Man-Faced Demon Spider that he suddenly realized Tang Wulins intentions. Teacher Wu, are these children thinking about joining the Spirit Pagoda? If I send a recording of this battle to the higher-ups, I think an exception can be made to accept these children as members. Their potential is simply astonishing. The Spirit Pagoda staff member finally snapped out of his daze, but his eyes were still filled with shock and admiration. As a staff member of the Spirit Pagoda, he had a comprehensive knowledge of various soul beasts as well as Soul Master battle styles. Yet, after witnessing the unconstrained battle style of class zero, every single inch of his body was in awe. He could only describe the battle as shocking. To prevail over the Man-Faced Demon Spider, the first thing the students needed was a deep understanding of it. At first, he assumed the children to be foolishly standing still, letting the Man-Faced Demon Spider weave its webs and continuously tighten it around them. After their remarkable performances in their previous battles, it came as a disappointment. Hed been anticipating just how these children would deal with a powerful soul beast such as the Man-Faced Demon Spider. The staff member thought that the best course of action would have been to immediately flee. Although the Man-Faced Demon Spider was fast, it was lacking in long-range attacks; as long as they were ahead of it, they would have a chance at escaping. The second best choice, in his opinion, was for one of them to sacrifice themselves in order to allow the others to escape. This way, they would minimize their losses. There was once a team of Soul Masters who similarly encountered the Man-Faced Demon Spider in the spirit ascension platform and had verified that these two choices were indeed the best. Yet, the response Tang Wulin initiated with his team today had widened the staff members horizons. Gu Yue hadnt revealed her control of the earth element until this battle. Against the Man-Faced Demon Spider and its toxic spider webs, it wasnt her other elements, but her use of the earth element, that had the greatest impact on the battle. As the Man-Faced Demon Spider continuously decreased their area of mobility, thinking them trapped, it was, in truth, the one to have been tricked instead. Soul beasts were also living creatures, and so they shared some similarities with humans. Once it felt that its victory was all but assured, it subconsciously relaxed a bit. None of their soul power fluctuations were particularly strong, and they were trapped in a cramped space. To the hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider, they were as good as dead. It didnt consider any other possibility of survival remaining for them. At that moment, it decided to shoot out its largest spider web net, minimizing the maneuvering space of the five opponents. Thus, the five students were forced to attack the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Clearly, it never imagined an obelisk would suddenly shoot out of the ground to block the spider web though, as it had been stunned for a split second. Then there was the Bluesilver Grass which had shot up from the ground and bound both the spider and Wang Jinxi, who had appeared out of nowhere. Just this was enough to praise their coordination. The Man-Faced Demon Spider responded amazingly as well. It effectively used the sharp points of its legs to resist the Bluesilver Grass and bought it the time necessary to shoot out another spider web. Yet in the end, it was tricked. Wang Jinxi was pulled back by a strand of Bluesilver Grass, and the spider web it shot out was met with nothing but air. Then, Xie Xies Light Dragon Storm appeared out of nowhere to begin the first wave of their assault. It was at that moment that the staff member began to shower them with praise. After all, who wouldnt exclaim in admiration of children who could reach such a level? At the very least, they had secured a chance at victory. There was also the vital golden strand of Bluesilver Grass, which was the result of fusing it with a spirit soul. Tang Wulin controlled it perfectly to trap the Man-Faced Demon Spider. However, how could he have imagined the miraculous scene that occurred after? That strand of golden Bluesilver Grass had broken with meticulous precision and timing. Thanks to the strands pulling force, that final moment caused the Man-Faced Demon Spider to stumble as the child dragged himself under its body. At the same time, Gu Yue had manipulated the earth to propel him even further, ensuring he slid beneath the spider completely. When the staff member saw Xie Xie unleash his Light Dragon Storm on the spiders rear, he thought the children didnt have the necessary understanding of the Man-Faced Demon Spiders weakest point on its underside. He was proven wrong, however, in but a few moments. It turned out that the chain of attacks didnt stop with Xie Xie, and the final attack was the most marvelous and shocking one. Covered in ice to protect himself from the toxins, Tang Wulin pulled himself underneath the spider, his toxin resistant golden claw ready to attack. A total victory, it had been a total victory! They hadnt lost a single member. These children who had two rings at the most were actually able to kill a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider! If anyone heard this, they would find it completely unbelievable! Was the Man-Faced Demon Spider stupid? Of course not. This was all due to the meticulous planning of these five students. The staff member couldnt help but stare at the handsome, young teacher. This is the man who taught them! 143 Massacre of the Toxic Spider Web As a side effect of exhausting his soul power, Tang Wulin felt fatigue wash over him as he sat down on the ground. Right. That feeling of controlling everyone had left an indelibly deep impression upon his heart. This sense of satisfaction just couldnt be gained elsewhere. He had used little Goldlight to strengthen his Bluesilver Grass, but there were no benefits that didnt come with a cost. During the time his grass had been strengthened, his soul power had also been rapidly consumed. It wasnt that he didnt want to keep the Man-Faced Demon Spider bound the whole time. If he could do that, he would be able to easily kill the Man-Faced Demon Spider with his Golden Dragon Claw, regardless of whether he struck a vital spot or not. However, the soul power consumption was simply too great for him to sustain. He had no choice but to recall Goldlight from his Bluesilver Grass in order to preserve enough soul power to use his Golden Dragon Claw. Although his actions seemed to have been in perfect concert with Gu Yue at that final moment, in reality, it was simply that everything had gone according to their plan. Of course, no one would actually believe this. All of their actions incorporated a deep understanding of one another. In fact, even Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were surprised by the depth of their mutual understanding. That was an incredible victory! Zhang Yangzi exclaimed, giddy with excitement and admiration. His words echoed everyones thoughts at that moment. Everyone, rest here and recover your soul power, Tang Wulin said weakly, before taking the lead and closing his eyes to begin meditating. As for the issue of safety? Why did they need to worry about that now? They were surrounded by the highly toxic spider webs of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, preventing both humans and soul beasts from approaching. They were in a perfectly safe position to rest right now. The five sat in a circle with Tang Wulin in the center. Although they had been acting as a team for several months already, it wasnt until a few moments ago in their triumph that they truly acknowledged Tang Wulin as their team captain. Tang Wulin had controlled their entire battle against the calamity known as the Man-Faced Demon Spider, and had even fought with it face-to-face. Even though he may have potentially suffered torturous pain at the hands of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, he had not backed down from his duty. His unyielding will had truly been admirable to them. Not only had he fulfilled his duties as the team captain, but he had also demonstrated the Bluesilver Grass power over control. Regardless of whether they were friend or foe, the degree of control would be unparalleled and would likely be even more amazing if his soul power had not been so weak. The dim yellow light of spirit energy was slowly being absorbed into Tang Wulins body. Despite its outward similarities to other yellow spirit energies, the energy from the hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider was far different from those of ordinary soul beasts. The thousand-year soul beasts energy they had killed before hadnt been like this either. Due to it currently being the rebellion period, the energy was even more rich and distinct. The benefits of killing a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider soon appeared. As it was currently the rebellion period, there were more soul beasts actively roaming the forest than usual. Very quickly, soul beasts began to appear. Not all soul beasts possessed sharp senses and different soul beasts possessed different ways of perceiving the world. As such, they were all taking a detour around the remains of the chaotic battle. The Man-Faced Demon Spider possessed a terrifying toxin within its body, as well as its webs. Furthermore, its webs were extremely tough, to the point that even large soul beasts might not be able to break it if they charged into it. And after that they would only be met with tragedy. Ten-year soul beasts would be killed in a flash by the toxic spider web while hundred-year soul beasts would only be able to struggle for a few moments, before they too, met their demise. As long as one was ensnared by the spider webs, there was no hope for survival. Those with keen senses could avoid the webs, but those with dull senses could only fall prey to the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Spirit energy overflowed from the soul beasts that died within the webs. If it were the normal spirit ascension platform, the energy would quickly disperse, but it was currently the rebellion period so the dispersion rate was much slower. Not too far from the spider webs, the five students of class zero meditated in the only calm of the webbed chaos. They were subconsciously slowly absorbing all of the spirit energy of the beasts that fell prey to the webs. In the beginning, there were only a few weak soul beasts that died, but gradually, the number and strength of soul beasts increased. More and more spirit energy drifted over to the five students. This how can this be? There must be some issue with the spirit ascension platform. The staff member stood there, dumbstruck as he watched the spirit energy surrounding the five coalesce and grow stronger and stronger. His expression was almost as if he had seen a ghost. Could he say the five of them were cheating? Absolutely not! However, the amount of spirit energy the five would be able to absorb would only increase as time passed. This spirit energy didnt come from thin air either, its origin the Spirit Pagodas greatest secret. Yet, it was being consumed rapidly right now. It could be said that the students of class zero had accidently exploited the strength of the Man-Faced Demon Spider to obtain such a wonderful opportunity. Teacher Wu, Ill definitely have to report this situation to the higher-ups, the staff member solemnly stated. Wu Zhangkong merely glanced at him. What rules have my students broken? They defeated the Man-Faced Demon Spider and now theyre just meditating and recovering. Everything happened naturally. With my impression of the spirit ascension platform, you shouldnt have the power to change any of this either. The spirit ascension platform runs by itself; you can only provide maintenance, nothing more. Beads of sweat dripped down the staff members forehead. Yes, the spirit ascension platform cannot be easily altered. But if this continues on, your students will also experience difficulties. Can their spiritual power and body bear the pain of their spirit soul evolving to the thousand-year level? Especially the two children with only one ring, their pain will be even greater. They will definitely be in danger if their spirit souls level surpasses what they can handle. That was right. In their current situation, their spirit souls were continuously undergoing small evolutions and eventually, their bodies would meet the limit of what they could support. Fortunately, they were still quite far from meeting their limits. As for whether a one-ringed Soul Master could support the rebound of gaining a thousand-year spirit soul there was not one bit of worry in Wu Zhangkongs heart. Tang Wulins body was far stronger than an ordinary Soul Master and he was also at the Spirit Connection realm, so a thousand-year spirit soul would be no problem for him. He was even less worried about Gu Yue. She was on the boundary of reaching rank 20 and gaining a second soul ring while both her body and spiritual power were superb. These brats have really gone above and beyond this time for their final exam! Seeing Wu Zhangkong void of any sort of reaction, hesitation crept into the heart of the staff member. Still, he picked up the communicator and dialed a number. Anyway, the original reason why they existed was to ensure that the spirit ascension platform operated normally. Tang Wulins body felt bloated after he finished recovering all of his soul power. When he opened his eyes, he was met with a frightening scene. An extremely thick yellow light surrounded him and his comrades. Is, is this spirit energy? A bit further away was a pile of soul beasts corpses. Some of them had already been dissolved by the spider webs corrosion, but many were still mostly intact, and there were even some that were still in their last moments of struggling for their life. He had exhausted the most amount of soul power, so he was also the last one to awake from his meditation. Everyone else had long awakened and were all staring dully at the scene outside. What, whats going on? Tang Wulin quietly asked. Its the toxins, the Man-Faced Demon Spiders toxins, the normally quiet Wang Jinxi said with an odd expression. Tang Wulin quickly understood their current situation. The Man-Faced Demon Spider truly was worthy of being called a soul beast killer; its toxic spider webs had killed numerous ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts. Moreover, all of the beasts spirit energy had been absorbed by them. Their spirit souls had continuously evolved in such a fortunate situation. Without any conscious thought, Tang Wulin looked down to see Goldlight on his chest shaking its head. Its body had expanded by a whole circle. If we continue like this, wont our spirit souls Tang Wulin said in shock. A bitter smile forced its way onto Wang Jinxis face. Not really. Theres only so much our bodies can bear right now. Those of us with two soul rings definitely cant do it. At the very least, I know for certain that I cant support two thousand-year soul rings with my current level of spiritual power. I estimate that my limit is five hundred years for both my soul rings. Yangzis limits should also be similar, maybe just a bit better actually. Only you and Gu Yue havent gotten your second rings yet, so you two might still have a chance at obtaining thousand-year soul rings. Tang Wulin immediately made an awkward expression. Considering their current situation, if their spirit souls grew saturated with spirit energy, then they wouldnt be able to enter the spirit ascension platform anymore and battle soul beasts. There was also the potential danger of their spirit souls exploding due to their insufficient spiritual power. You guys dont need to look so confused. The Man-Faced Demon Spiders webs will disappear soon. We need to prepare to depart. Gu Yues voice cut in. 144 Another Chance at Spirit Ascension Tang Wulin swept his gaze over the spider webs in his surroundings and sure enough, they were beginning to weaken. There were even some cracks visible in the webs now. Although the Man-Faced Demon Spider was extremely toxic, there was still a limit to its toxicity. Once the protection of the webs disappeared, they would no longer be safe to rest in this spot as after all, they, too, were afraid of the toxic spider webs! Tang Wulin asked, How much spirit energy do you all think weve absorbed? Gu Yue frowned. We all should have absorbed four to five hundred years worth of spirit energy. You and I have it all concentrated in our single soul ring, while the others have increased each of their two soul rings by about two hundred years. There should also still be about one or two hundred years worth of spirit energy in our surroundings, but itll take us too long to absorb it. Well need to be especially careful of other Soul Masters after we depart. Theyre a much greater threat to us now than soul beasts. Gu Yues deduction was correct. A thick air of spirit energy currently hung around their bodies, and if another party of Soul Masters saw them, they might immediately be targeted. After all, there were no true deaths in the spirit ascension platform, and who wouldnt want to absorb such rich spirit energy? Tang Wulin responded with a calm smile, Take it easy. In one move, weve already passed our final exam and absorbed far more spirit energy than usual. Even if we encounter a powerful foe and get ejected from the spirit ascension platform, thats okay, too. Everyones recovered now, right? Lets go then. Tang Wulins words had injected vigor into everyones minds. He took out his hammers once more and reminded his comrades, Everyone, pay attention to how much your spirit soul can bear. If you feel like youre approaching the limits of how much it can absorb, then immediately press the button to exit the spirit ascension platform. Dont be greedy, or else your body or your spiritual power might collapse, and then youll really be in trouble. Although he himself was beginning to feel a bit bloated, he hadnt reached the limits yet. According to Gu Yues assessment, he should still be able to absorb a lot more spirit energy, so he didnt have to worry about it for now. After all, the strength of his body and spiritual power was directly related to how strong of a spirit soul he could support. There was no need to even speak of his bodys strength and his spiritual power growth rate. They were both outstanding, allowing him to already reach the Spirit Connection realm, so he certainly had the capabilities to bear a single thousand-year spirit soul. A thousand-year spirit soul Would he truly be able to walk this path? Tang Wulin led his team out, carefully avoiding the toxic webs. They left their miraculous, safe heaven and once again returned to the dangers of the forest. The chaos of an assortment of noises soon entered their ears. There were the sounds of collisions, the roars of soul beasts, and occasionally, some wretched screams from Soul Masters. It truly was a rebel period! Tang Wulin mulled over their choices for a moment before he decided to have everyone absorb the remaining spirit energy in the area. Normally, they would have to kill countless soul beasts before earning this much spirit energy. Though it would take awhile to absorb all of this energy, it was a rare opportunity for them. Wu Zhangkong could help them out in the matter of combat experience, but not in evolving their spirit soul. This was the most important goal in entering the spirit ascension platform after all! A sudden realization dawned on Tang Wulin. Those with fewer soul rings actually have an advantage in the spirit ascension platform. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie all have two soul rings. Furthermore, Xie Xies rings come from two spirit souls, and theyll need to evolve all of their soul rings to the thousand-year level in order to evolve their spirit soul. In other words, the more soul rings someone has, the more spirit energy necessary to evolve the spirit soul! The strength of a Soul Masters spiritual power and body also determine how much spirit energy they can bear to absorb. Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi cant handle having two thousand-year soul rings then. Their spiritual powers are both too weak. Having come to this realization, Tang Wulins heart began to stir. If its like this, then isnt being a one-ringed Soul Master the best for the spirit ascension platform? If my spirit soul actually evolves to the thousand-year level, then once I hit rank 20 and get a second soul ring, that ring will also be at the thousand-year level. And when I get my third, it will be at the thousand-year level, too! Wouldnt I save a lot of money like that? Tang Wulins heart sped up at this discovery, but he soon calmed himself at the thought of the rare situation they were in. First of all, the spirit ascension platform was strictly monitored by the Spirit Pagoda, and they had already calculated the maximum level of spirit soul a one-ringed Soul Master could bear to be a little over four hundred years. Basically, it was impossible for a one-ringed Soul Master to attain a thousand-year spirit soul. However, the spirit energy they absorbed would be split when they reached rank 20 and gained a second soul ring. Tang Wulins current situation could be said to be truly marvelous. One reason was that he coincidentally found himself such a wonderful cultivation environment while the other was that his body was far stronger than normal peoples, allowing him to absorb more spirit energy. These two factors combined to allow him to potentially obtain a thousand-year spirit soul. Following this line of thinking, his original guess that the academy wanted them all to obtain thousand-year spirit souls was wrong. The others wouldnt even be able to support two thousand-year soul rings even if they wanted to! At most, they would only be able to absorb enough spirit energy until they reached their current limits. In the future, as he grew stronger and gained more soul rings, it would only grow increasingly harder to evolve his spirit soul. This was the reason why spirit evolution was rarely seen in the spirit ascension platform. Ordinary Soul Masters with ten-year spirit souls wouldnt even be lucky enough to enter the spirit ascension platform, and even if they did, they wouldnt be able to defeat any soul beasts. Those with the means to directly obtain a hundred-year spirit soul wouldnt opt for such a convoluted method of evolving a ten-year spirit soul either. As for those who wanted to evolve their hundred-year to a thousand-year spirit soul, the vast majority had bodies that were too weak to bear it. Everything was clear to him now and more importantly, he had found the path he would travel from now on. Others might not be able to evolve their spirit souls, but I can! My body is far stronger than normal, and my spiritual power is high too. Though, I cant even compare myself to Gu Yue. With his current circumstances, he could absorb as much spirit energy as he wanted, until his body reached the saturation point. He wasnt clear on the strength of his body after absorbing the power of the Golden Dragon Kings first seal, but he knew he was about as strong as an ordinary Soul Master with three or four rings. With this in mind, he deduced that he would have no problems obtaining a thousand-year spirit soul. After this was over, he planned on having Wu Zhangkong assess him. Then there was the matter of his spiritual power. The level his spiritual power attained would determine just how much spirit energy he could absorb in the spirit ascension platform. Teacher Wu said that if I joined his organization, Id be able to obtain a cultivation method. It seems I should really consider joining it now As for talent, my comrades are all far more talented than me. After all, my martial soul is just Bluesilver Grass. Tang Wulin had no way of knowing whether or not his Bluesilver Grass would continue to mutate as he broke the seals on the Golden Dragon King, but a Soul Masters spirit souls and soul rings were directly representative of their strength! If I can evolve my spirit soul once more, then Ill have paved the path for my next two soul rings. Even if I absorb as much spirit energy as my body can handle, my body will strengthen again when I break the next seal on the Golden Dragon King, and then Ill be able to absorb even more spirit energy. I need to have two rings before I break the next seal, but what if I break it when Im only approaching two rings? Will I be able to survive it? Countless possibilities continuously appeared within Tang Wulins mind, as if numerous, brilliant doors were slowly opening up to him. 145 Ice Staff Siblings Tang Wulin was unaware that his current thoughts and ideas were laying a foundation for his future. A path never traveled before was quietly opening before him thanks to the power of the Golden Dragon King. Careful! Xie Xies warning jolted Tang Wulin out of his exciting train of thought. He instinctively responded by activating his Bind skill to send out a mass of Bluesilver Grass at the lean leopard in front of him. Xie Xie reacted in a flash, his Light Dragon Blade streaking across the sky and slashing the ten-year soul beast. Sorry everyone, my mind was wandering just now, Tang Wulin bluntly apologized while a cold shiver ran down his spine. This is still the spirit ascension platform. Instead of being preoccupied by my ideas, I must focus on absorbing the remaining energy here. That should be my main goal for now. Zhang Yangzi gently chuckled. My mind was wandering just now, too. After all, the events just now changed the way we think about the spirit ascension platform. In any case, our harvest this time is already quite good. Even if were to be eliminated, itll still be fine. Tang Wulin sternly said, Dont think like that. Since weve been blessed with luck this time, we have to do our best to secure the opportunity and not let it slip away! Otherwise, wed be letting down the expectations of the Heavens. Everyone, lets all do our best. Hed prepared these words to say at the moment of their departure. With their distracting thoughts dispelled, Tang Wulin took the lead once again, ready to intercept any potential dangers. Soon, a roar announced the presence of a monstrous, six-armed python ahead of them. A hundred-year Six-armed Fire Snake. Everyone, be careful, Tang Wulin grimly ordered. Suddenly, a bright, white light flashed from far ahead of them and heavily wounded the Six-armed Fire Snake. A bizarre ice wheel fluttered in the breeze, its points dripping with the blood of the soul beast. Although the Six-armed Fire Snake couldnt be considered a powerful soul beast, especially with regards to its defense, it was still shocking that it had been cut up so easily and quickly by that ice wheel. A figure with three soul rings underfoot appeared before them, quickly absorbing the spirit energy of the fallen Six-armed Fire Snake. It was a youth, about seventeen or eighteen years old. Two yellow soul rings and one purple soul ring coiled around his body, identifying him as a Soul Elder. In his right hand, he held a snow white staff which was topped by an icy, blue crystal. His expression was cold and arrogant, and the yellow aura around him was similar to that of the five students of class zero. Powerful! The five teammates could already tell how powerful this Soul Elder was just by his aura. Not only that, he actually wasnt alone! A girl seemingly around the same age as Tang Wulins group popped her head out from behind the youth. Her blue hair was styled in twintails, and she looked as if cut from jade. Her beauty was stunning and far exceeded that of Gu Yues. In her hand was a staff nearly identical to the youths, only hers being a bit smaller. A single yellow soul ring flickered beneath her, illuminating her frightened expression in the face of such killing. The male youths gaze immediately fell upon the students of class zero. When he saw the rich aura of spirit energy surrounding them, his eyes brightened a bit and he started taking large, decisive strides towards them. Tang Wulins eyes narrowed as he signaled with his left hand to those behind him. Withdraw from the spirit ascension platform voluntarily and leave behind your spirit energy. Then youll be spared from some pain, the youth with the ice staff stated, as if it was only natural. The corner of Xie Xies lips curled in disdain. Is he some sort of soul beast in human form? Apparently, this human-shaped soul beast can even speak now. Its done a good job evolving. The youths eyes sharpened as a cold light flashed through them. He pointed his ice staff at Xie Xie, and immediately, an ice wheel shot straight toward him. Xie Xie wouldnt take it lying down, as he swiftly responded with a slash of his Light Dragon Dagger, shooting out a Light Dragon Blade. Tang Wulin and the others didnt make a single move. Their opponent had three soul rings, with one of them even being a thousand-year soul ring, so they couldnt underestimate his strength. It was best to let Xie Xie probe him first. The ice wheel flew through the air, slashing in a bizarre arc and easily avoiding the Light Dragon Blade. Then, it sped up, transforming into a whirlwind that appeared in front of Xie Xie in a flash. It changed directions and sped up! Such formidable control! This was Tang Wulins first impression. Xie Xie was also given a fright, but he quickly adapted. He simply lowered his body to let the ice wheel fly over him. Just as he was about to launch his counterattack, Gu Yue shouted, Let me try! A sparkling icicle shot forth and hit the ice wheel precisely on its core, smashing it into pieces. The youth was stunned for a brief moment. The weakest point of his ice wheel was the center, but it was extremely difficult to hit it due to its rapid spin and his precise control. Moreover, his opponent had accurately hit it with a mere icicle. This keenness of eyesight and level of control couldnt be considered weak at all! Gu Yue walked forward from beside Tang Wulin, who was shocked to see that Gu Yue didnt just have one soul ring anymore, but two! That was right, during the battle with the Man-Faced Demon Spider, Gu Yue had made a breakthrough! Although none of them knew what her spirit soul was, there was no doubt that it had already provided her with her second soul ring. A pair of yellow soul rings twinkled on her body, making her seem even more imposing than before. Even with a single soul ring he had been able to defeat a two-ringed Soul Master, as well as causing the twin-souled Xie Xie to cower in fear. Just how powerful was she now that she had two soul rings and had absorbed all that spirit energy? It was impossible for Tang Wulin to even guess. Let me take a shot at him, Gu Yue told Tang Wulin. Okay! Tang Wulin understood her intentions; she wanted to verify what her current strength was, now that she had two rings. The youth looked at Gu Yue and frowned. After seeing her attack with an icicle, he had come to the conclusion that she had a martial soul similar to his own. It was normal for Soul Masters with similar martial souls to feel an affinity with each other. Ice attribute? the youth asked. Youll find out in a moment, Gu Yue indifferently said as she raised her right hand to shoot another icicle while a bright light suddenly exploded out of her left hand. The youth was blinded and cried out in alarm. Bright Light techniquean application of the light element. The youth unleashed his strength. Despite his temporary blindness, he wasnt disoriented. He raised the staff high, releasing a series of dazzling blue lights from its peak. Everyone was bathed in the light, including the young girl beside him. The icicle rapidly dissolved in the light, leaving not even a drop of water. Although Gu Yues teammates had also been bathed in the blue light, they were further from the source and were able to vaguely make out the youths shining, second soul ring. Taking advantage of her opponents momentary blindness, Gu Yue activated both her soul rings. With the activation of the first, it only seemed as if her aura had grown stronger, but when the second began to shine, they couldnt sense any changes to her. In a silver flash of light, Gu Yue suddenly appeared behind the youth. Countless lights covered the sky and flew forth, some of them attacking, while some shot straight into the sky instead. There were fireballs, wind blades, icicles and rocks. Water, fire, earth and wind. She brilliantly controlled all four of these elements simultaneously. In another moment, the sky was painted with these elemental colors. Is she even human? The youth had nearly recovered from his blindness when he heard the girl beside him cry out in fear, Big brother, big brother, I cant see anything. What do I do? I cant see. Dont panic. Just close your eyes, and youll be able to see again in a few moments. The youths vision had already returned, only to find that his opponent had disappeared, leaving her teammates behind. Xie Xie kindly pointed behind the youth who automatically turned his head to look and was greeted with the sight of the magnificently brilliant Gu Yue. 146 The Powerful Gu Yue A green tornado gradually whipped up as Gu Yue waved her hands in a mystical rhythm mid-air. Its viciousness increased as numerous icicles flew inside The youth wielding an ice staff thought he was going to lose his mind. He simply couldnt figure out what this ladys martial soul was. If he said that her martial soul was of the ice attribute, then what was with that bright light? And then, what about this current tornado As the icicles merged with the tornado, Gu Yues aura grew at an insane rate. Even though the youth was a fair distance away from her, he could sense just how crazy this soul skill of hers was. Its a dual attribute soul skill. So powerful! His second soul skill receded as his purple soul ring lit up. Tang Wulins group watched the battle raptly. A thousand-year soul skill! They had never witnessed the might of a thousand-year soul skill before. Furthermore, a thousand-year soul skill was already considered high-end in the current era of Soul Masters. As for ten-thousand-year soul rings Tang Wulin had only ever seen the one Wu Zhangkong had. Extremely pure ice energy erupted from the peak of the ice staff, slowly coalescing into a spear. Fury of Ice! A powerful soul skill attack! The ice spear grew to two meters in length. Faint magic patterns shone in its shaft. The students of class zero could instinctively sense its power just by looking at it. They were certain that none of them could survive a single strike from that spear. This thousand-year soul skill is so powerful! Theres still time for all of you to voluntarily withdraw, the youth said to Gu Yue. His expression wasnt as cold as before. In his eyes, the fact that Gu Yue was able to release such powerful elemental waves despite only having two rings made her worthy of praise. Although he had always been prideful, he now felt a bit of pity for her. The corners of Gu Yues lips curled. It wasnt a smile, as only one side of her mouth curled up. It was clearly a derisive smirk. The youths eyes dulled with frost as he pointed his staff at Gu Yue once again. The ice spear shot forward in a flash, piercing toward Gu Yue like lightning. But in that split second, the icicle tornado in front of Gu Yue crumbled apart and she disappeared in a flash of silver. Space attribute soul skill? Is it that legendary teleportation skill, the godly skill that can evade the lock-on of another soul skill? How can this be!? Countless possibilities flashed through the youths mind in a single moment. His Fury of Ice had already flown off into the forest and disappeared. Big brother, whats that above us? The young girl beside him suddenly pointed at the sky. The youth looked up. He stared, dumbstruck, at the sight of brilliant fireworks raining down upon them from the sky. Even though his soul power had reached rank 35 and he was the strongest amongst his peers, it still didnt change the fact that he didnt have enough time to prepare another thousand-year skill attack which drained so much soul power. How can this be!? As that last thought ran through his head, he moved to hit the button on the back of the girls hand. He couldnt let his little sister suffer. Immediately afterward, he was baptized in water, fire, earth and wind Two lights flickered one after another, then disappeared. Only, one of them had been sent out by the button, while the other had been destroyed by the four elements. Tang Wulin muttered, That guys actually decent. He knew to protect the person at his side first. As he finished muttering, Tang Wulin abruptly felt as if there was something wrong with the atmosphere. When Gu Yue turned back to her team, she saw Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi standing there frozen, as if they were statues. Their faces looked even weirder since their emotions were in chaos.. Whats wrong with you guys? Tang Wulin asked, puzzled. Xie Xie respectfully bowed to Gu Yue. Big sister. From now on, youre my big sister. I wont ever argue with you again. Zhang Yangzi hastily mimicked Xie Xies actions. Hello, big sister. Of the three, only Wang Jinxi remained as he was, bashfully staring at Gu Yue with eyes filled with both admiration and fear. Gu Yue silently walked over to Tang Wulins side and dully said, Whats so amazing about defeating that arrogant guy? Come on, lets go. As she spoke, the spirit energy that had surrounded the ice staff wielding youth flew over to them like a storm. Of course, the one who absorbed most of it was Gu Yue, followed by Tang Wulin who was standing next to her. The spirit energy released from a Soul Master was no different from the energy received from killing soul beasts. After losing its host, the spirit energy would be absorbed by the closest being to it. On top of that, the closer one was to it, the more one would absorb. Tang Wulin finally understood why the other three had reacted like that. That was right! That was a three-ringed Soul Master, and not just any three-ringed Soul Master; it was one with a thousand-year soul ring! That meant he had two spirit souls at the very least. They had seen just how powerful of a Soul Elder he had been when he had instantly killed the Six-armed Fire Snake. Yet, Gu Yue had only needed a few minutes to defeat him! They could only imagine how strong Gu Yue was now that she had two rings Tang Wulins heart began to race as he guessed what Gu Yues second soul skill was. Her first soul skill was Elemental Tide, which strengthened her ability to attract elemental energy, but in the previous battle, she had been able to launch numerous low-level attacks as well as a icicle tornado. Using those attacks, she had provoked her opponent to use his thousand-year soul skill, giving her an opening to kill him with a mass of low-level attacks afterward. This level of control was simply too powerful and was definitely impossible to attain with just her spiritual power. If it wasnt for her second soul skill, then just how had she managed to cover the sky with low-level elemental attacks? Although neither of Gu Yues soul skills were directly related to attacking, did she really need them to be? She could control six elements! With this array of elements, she could not only fight in countless styles, but also constantly change her tactics. And then there was her powerful spiritual power Among the students of class zero, she was undoubtedly worthy of being called the strongest! It was no wonder that Xie Xie no longer had any dreams of defeating her. How could he even possibly be a worthy opponent for the powerful Gu Yue? Although, Gu Yue had been right. That ice staff wielding youth had been careless and hadnt even bothered trying to understand her abilities. If he had been more cautious and immediately used his second soul skill to defend, he likely wouldnt have lost so easily. Furthermore, Gu Yue couldnt possibly match him in a battle of attrition. Do you want to rest for a while? Tang Wulin asked Gu Yue. Gu Yue shook her head. Lets go. Without the protection of the Man-Faced Demon Spiders webs, it was extremely dangerous for them to stay in place for an extended period of time. Soul beasts are approaching. Zhang Yangzi, who was in charge of reconnaissance, urgently informed them. There are a lot. It seems to be a group of soul beasts, and there are at least thirty of them. They seem to be Blazing Demon Lions. Horror took over everyones faces when they heard his words. Lions were one of the strongest types of soul beasts that lived on land. Generally speaking, the greater a soul beasts individual strength was, the greater its inclination toward being independent. That way, they would be able to obtain even more resources. Only lion-type soul beasts were unique in this aspect. With a single leader lion as the head of a pride of lionesses, they formed a powerful force regardless of whether they were in the forests or the prairies. Even soul beasts that were far stronger than the head lion wouldnt dare to provoke the pride lightly. The combined power of the whole pride was simply too fearsome. Run! Tang Wulin shouted the order without the slightest hesitation before turning around to flee. Gu Yue waved her hands and enveloped them in a green light. Its effects were stronger than before and now they felt as if they were light as feathers, giving them a large boost to their speed. 147 Successive Eliminations The greatest and most powerful advantage of Gu Yues control over the elements was the fact that she could use them to attack, defend, and control, making her strong in every aspect of combat. Now that she had gained her second soul ring and become a Soul Grandmaster, her strength had received a massive boost, firmly cementing her position as the strongest member on the team. Xie Xie took the lead and scouted for a path ahead while Zhang Yangzi continued to direct his little Black Eagle spirit soul to watch their rear. During his meditation, he had restored his spirit soul enough to come out again, but it was still too weak to contribute in combat and could only share its vision with Zhang Yangzi. If he wanted to completely restore it, he would need to meditate for several more days. A roar rumbled behind them. Soon, numerous red figures could be seen madly rushing toward them. Soul Masters werent the only ones who could absorb spirit energy; soul beasts could too. It was precisely due to the powerful waves of spirit energy emanating from their bodies that had attracted the soul beasts. Blazing Demon Lions were one of the strongest soul beast races and could easily sense the students spirit energy fluctuations, spurring their rapid pursuit. Run! If they could run for even a moment longer, then it was a moment longer they would live. Even a fraction of a second more would allow them to absorb a bit more spirit energy. They stood no chance against a whole pride of Blazing Demon Lions. Perhaps if they all possessed three soul rings, they might have had a glimmer of hope. In a previous trip into the spirit ascension platform, they had been unlucky enough to encounter a pride of Blazing Demon Lions and were met with a deadly fate. That horrific slaughter was still fresh in their memories. The Blazing Demon Lions had surrounded them, and despite their best efforts to resist, they had been slaughtered within moments. For the rest of that day, they were plagued by the sensation of being burned alive. This pride of Blazing Demon Lions was definitely an existence that stood at the very apex of the elementary spirit ascension platform. Though the Man-Faced Demon Spider was extremely powerful as an individual, even it wouldnt be able to survive an onslaught from a pride of wild lions. In such a scenario, its only choice would have been to flee. The head lion of a pride of Blazing Demon Lions was equivalent to a thousand-year soul beast. As for the remaining lionesses, every one of them had the cultivation of a hundred-year soul beast at least, if not a thousand-year level. They were able to become so powerful simply because they had very few natural predators in this forest. Regardless of whether it was an individual Soul Master or a group of them, it was practically impossible to defeat the Blazing Demon Lions with only three soul rings. This was the reason why Tang Wulin had immediately given the order to flee the moment he heard that they were being chased by Blazing Demon Lions. The only thing they could do now was to run until they either lost the lions or perished. Of course, there was a silver lining to this. The roars of the Blazing Demon Lions scared off all other soul beasts. After all, the lions were just as terrifying to soul beasts as they were to humans! Regardless of which lion species, they all shared one thing in common: they were carnivores! They hunted both humans and soul beasts alike. As such, not a single soul beast dared to block their way in their mad escape. Even if a soul beast were to appear before them, they would soon flee in fear when they heard the declarations of the lions hunt. Despite their best efforts to flee, however, the Blazing Demon Lions were natives and were able to traverse the great forest far more quickly than humans. Coordination was useless in such dire circumstances. Surprisingly, the slowest one among them was Wang Jinxi. Just as the lions were about to reach him, he helplessly slapped the button on the back of his hand. Wang Jinxi disappeared in a flash of light, the spirit energy he had yet to fully absorb drifting over to the remaining four Soul Masters. The next slowest person was Gu Yue. Although she could enhance her speed with the wind element, she still couldnt hope to match Agility System Soul Masters or Tang Wulin, who had been born with innate divine strength. She was the second one to hit the button on the back of her hand. Perhaps it was due to her meticulous planning, but after she disappeared in a flash of light, all her unabsorbed spirit power flew toward Tang Wulin with barely any dispersion. The remaining three were too preoccupied with the Blazing Demon Lions drawing closer and closer to question her control over the spirit energy. For the time being, they were able to gain a little breathing room thanks to Gu Yue as she had cast a giant blizzard at the pride behind them before she exited, slowing them momentarily. Captain! I have an idea, blurted out Zhang Yangzi. What? Tang Wulin urgently asked as he continued to madly flee. His method of running was different from Xie Xies and Zhang Yangzis as he wasnt an Agility System Soul Master, and lacked their raw speed. Instead, he possessed tremendous power. He would launch off the ground like an artillery shell, leaving a deep imprint in the ground each time. Every leap was filled with so much momentum that he didnt even bother dodging the branches. Instead, he plowed straight through them, just like a bulldozer. Tang Wulins actions simply left Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie speechless. This wasnt the point though. The important thing was that with this method, Tang Wulin was actually a bit faster than the other two! In fact, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie could enjoy a clear path as long as they stayed right behind Tang Wulin. There should definitely be some soul beasts flying in the sky. Ill try and lure them down here, and maybe theyll attack the Blazing Demon Lions. Dont go, Its too risky. Tang Wulin immediately rejected the proposal. Provoking the soul beasts in the sky was an easy matter, but with one mistake, Zhang Yangzi would die. Zhang Yangzi smiled mischievously. This is the spirit ascension platform; we wont really be in danger. If worst comes to worst, Ill just be a bit shaken for a few days. Weve already made enough gains to make up for the losses this trip anyway. I havent contributed much this time, so let me try this at least. After he finished speaking, without even waiting for Tang Wulins reply, Zhang Yangzi kicked off a tree branch and swiftly climbed up the tree with the aid of his wings. Zhang Yangzi had yet to forget his first experience in the spirit ascension platform. His failure that time had brought to light many of his shortcomings. It was then that he had truly understood he wasnt the most outstanding student in his class anymore. As he approached the top of the tree, a shocking scene filled his eyes. In his first trip into the spirit ascension platform, he had only seen a single green bird flying, but this time, he witnessed flocks of all kinds of flying soul beasts that covered the sky. There were a few green birds among the mass of beasts and were in a chaotic battle against each other. Every once in awhile, a killed soul beast would drop from the sky and into the forest thicket. What, what is this?! Just as he was about to reach the trees peak, he saw a giant nest with several pitch-black eggs within. The eggs were large, each similar to the size of a large ball. These should be a flying soul beasts eggs. Big brother is really apologetic, but Ill have to crack you. Zhang Yangzi quickly picked up an egg and lifted it overhead. Utilising his second soul skill, Eagle Soars the Sky, he rushed into the sky. Hey, whose egg is this? Quickly come claim it! Zhang Yangzi shouted at the top of his lungs. The nearby flying soul beasts turned their gazes to this newly ascended human. A moment later, a gigantic black soul beast released a sharp cry full of wrath. Hehe. Catch! While saying this, Zhang Yangzi threw the egg toward the speeding red specks on the ground. After provoking the flying soul beasts, he slapped his escape button with lightning speed. Mission accomplished! Zhang Yangzi disappeared in a flash of light while dozens of gigantic flying soul beasts dove into the forest. As the spirit energy contained within Zhang Yangzis body began to disperse, the flying soul beasts arrived just in time to absorb it. I stole your egg, but youre gaining so much spirit energy that youre profiting from this. Of course, you still need to survive the battle with the Blazing Demon Lions. These were Zhang Yangzis final thoughts as he disappeared from the spirit ascension platform. The last two remaining heard a cacophony of twigs breaking and leaves rustling from behind them. Following that, the pressure of the lions pursuit dissipated. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie exchanged a knowing look. They knew that Zhang Yangzi had succeeded. Nicely done! Xie Xie couldnt help but praise their fallen comrade. Zhang Yangzi had given up on absorbing more spirit energy in order to create an opportunity for his teammates to survive. Although, I dont think he had enough spiritual power to absorb much more spirit energy anyways. Haha! Xie Xie heartily laughed as he sped up once more. Tang Wulin couldnt help but crack a smile too. Although he was absorbing more and more spirit energy, he had yet to reach his limits. As for his teammates with two rings, however, they were probably feeling awfully bloated by now. Suddenly, a dark golden radiance flashed ahead of them. Xie Xie wasnt able to stop his mad dash forward in time, so his body was instantly sliced up into pieces and scattered onto the forest floor. Xie Xies corpse then disappeared in a flash of light. Tang Wulins scalp began to tingle. Without any hesitation, he shot Bluesilver Grass out of his hand toward a tree, forcefully changing his direction. Another dark gold light flashed by and an ear-piercing hissing sound came from where he had been standing just a split-second ago. Three lines in the air could be made out. 148 The True King Half of Xie Xies spirit energy flew toward Tang Wulin while the other half flew in another direction. As he watched the energy fly away, a giant figure emerged. It was an enormous bear, its fur dark-gold in colour. Standing over three meters tall, it had thick arms and its majestic shoulders, akin to a great wall. Four golden claws of at least one meter in length extended from each paw. Xie Xie! Tang Wulin screamed in agony within his heart, for he knew just what sort of backlash Xie Xie would experience after being slashed into pieces. Although dying in the spirit ascension platform did not signify a true death, Soul Masters would still face powerful mental backlash from their death experience. Though they all had plenty of experience in this by now, it was still Xie Xies first time being killed in such a gruesome manner. Tang Wulin could instantly recognize the formidable soul beast before him. As a matter of fact, it would be impossible for him to not recognize it; it was simply too famous in the world of Soul Masters. Reputed to be the strongest soul beast in the world, the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear. It was rumored that the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear was one of the most powerful bears within history and when mature, it would not need to fear any predator, not even true dragons. Should a battle between titans come to pass, the outcome would be difficult to guess. The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear preferred to to live independently. Whether it be attack or defense, it possessed overwhelming power in every aspect. It truly was an existence that stood at the apex of the soul beast world. If the Blazing Demon Lions were said to be one of the top predators in the elementary spirit ascension platform, then when faced with the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, all they would be able to do was beg for their lives. The reason was simple. Throughout the ages, the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear had always been an existence that stood at the very peak! This Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear before his eyes was only three meters tall, but should still be at the hundred-year level, if not higher. In comparison to other hundred-year soul beasts, if it was said that a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider could kill a thousand-year soul beast, then a hundred-year Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear could make even ten-thousand-year level soul beasts run away in fear! That was just how frightening it was. Never in his wildest dreams did Tang Wulin expect to run into this legendary bear within the rebellion spirit ascension platform. After all, wouldnt such an amazing beast appear in the higher leveled spirit ascension platforms instead? Fight it? You have got to be joking with me. Tang Wulin threw his hammer straight at the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear before turning around and fleeing. Clang! A metallic note rung out as the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear tore the hammer apart with one swipe. Furthermore, it had already completely absorbed the spirit energy left behind by Xie Xie. Such a powerful claw! At this moment, a bizarre thought popped into Tang Wulins mind. Is my Golden Dragon Claw stronger, or its Duskgold Dreadclaw? Pressured by the dangerous aura behind him, Tang Wulin felt as if the entire forest had darkened. As soon as the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear had appeared, the entire forest fell into a complete silence. Not even the chirping of birds could be heard. Having dealt with the unexpected troubles from the sky, the Blazing Demon Lions roared and rushed toward Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin knew that it was impossible for him to escape. He clenched his teeth and run headfirst into the pride of lions. Regardless of who kills me, you wont get off lightly either. He didnt immediately hit his ejection button. To him, even a little bit more spirit energy absorbed could lead to a wonderful situation. He wanted to hold out and absorb as much energy as possible. The head lion stood over four meters tall and had a fiery red mane like a flickering flame. Its entire body was coated in an orange fire. A domineering aura emanated from its body, which was only bolstered when it roared wrathfully as if it was proclaiming its sovereignty. It was telling all the surrounding soul beasts that it was the ruler of this forest. With one glance, it spotted Tang Wulin, his rich aura of spirit energy instantly catching its attention. The Blazing Demon Lion snarled a command to its lionesses, who quickly split up and surrounded Tang Wulin while it pounced directly at him. With such a fat slab of meat in front of it, how could it share with others? Its strength would leap substantially if it absorbed all of Tang Wulins spirit energy. At that moment, however, Tang Wulin suddenly leapt up. A strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out. Pulling on it, he instantly changing his direction. A dark-gold light flew out, announcing the arrival of the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear. Its speed was completely uncharacteristic of its gigantic body. It hadnt made a single noise while running. Aflame with arrogance and wildness, the thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion took one look at the bear and, as if a switch had been flipped, it immediately pressed down on all four legs and skidded to a halt. The flames on its body blew out and even its fiery mane had become dull. It flipped over a few times and landed in front of the bear with its tail between its legs. Rather than immediately trying to flee, it crawled on the floor and let our some sad cries. This, this is the Blazing Demon Lion King? Is it really a thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion? Tang Wulin was dumbstruck as he witnessed such a shocking scene. Isnt that guy just a little kitty now? That was right. In front of the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, the thousand-year Blazing Demon Lion and its lionesses were merely kittens. All their fires had extinguished as they crawled on the floor, swishing their tails as they begged for pity. The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear didnt even put them in its eyes. Its icy gaze had been fixed on Tang Wulin the entire time. Tang Wulin urgently raised his right claw just as a dark-gold light flashed, filling his heart with panic. He immediately pulled on the strand of Bluesilver Grass he had shot out and swung in another direction. A gigantic dark-gold figure destroyed everything in the place he had been just a split-second before. That was right! Everything! There wasnt even any rumbling as the trees, bushes and even the earth were torn to shreds. Duskgold Dreadclaw Thats a real Duskgold Dreadclaw! It could even tear open a dragons body! The humongous Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear soared into the air with a terrifying leap, overtaking Tang Wulin in a flash. Ill risk it all! A golden light twinkled in Tang Wulins eyes as he directed all his soul power into his right arm. A wave of golden scales covered his arms and his Golden Dragon Claw appeared. Compared to the huge Duskgold Dreadclaw, Tang Wulins Golden Dragon Claw was simply tiny. He fiercely slashed at the Duskgold Dreadclaw with his dragon claw. While attacking, Tang Wulin adjusted his posture in the air, keeping his head away from the bear. Even if his Golden Dragon Claw was torn apart and his body was cleaved into two, it would be fine as long as his head wasnt destroyed immediately. If it were, the split-second of pain he would experience would leave many residual effects. He had just decided on this retaliation, because if he didnt test the true might of his Golden Dragon Claw, he would regret it. Clang! The Golden Dragon Claw met with the Duskgold Dreadclaw in an explosive collision. In the brief moment that their two claws had clashed, Tang Wulin felt all his soul power being drawn out and his blood boiling. In particular, a spot between his eyebrows was burning as a faint golden light appeared. As the Duskgold Dreadclaw swept past, it not only missed his head, but also his entire upper body. Unfortunately, Tang Wulins Golden Dragon Claw disappeared in the next moment while the Duskgold Dreadclaw continued to slash across his body. Xie Xie had been torn in half vertically, while Tang Wulin was cleaved in half horizontally. The last thing he felt was his lower body separating from his upper body. An icy numbness washed over him as darkness enveloped his mind. 149 Full Marks and 99 Points Hurry! Quickly go save him! Does this child not recognize the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear? Why didnt he hit the ejection button! An anxious voice echoed in Tang Wulins mind as he gradually regained consciousness, the icy numbness fading from his body at the same time. A metallic friction sound rang out and in the next moment, light filled his eyes. Im back. Im fine. Those were Tang Wulins first thoughts, but then he noticed something strange about his state. Why do I feel fine? His body had been shredded into pieces so he should be experiencing strong residual effects, and yet, he didnt feel anything in particular. How are you doing? Wu Zhangkongs face appeared above the metal box. Staff members also came over, prodding Tang Wulins body with a sort of popsicle-looking thing. Are you conscious? Do you feel cold? Yes, Tang Wulin answered. Hes awake and has feeling. This is odd! He recovered this quickly? Tang Wulin grabbed the edge of the metal box and slowly pulled himself up. A burst of weakness struck his brain, as if his mind had tired. Apart from this, everything else felt normal for him. Teacher, Im fine. After confirming that his body had no abnormalities, Tang Wulin got out of the metal box. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Gu Yue were waiting at the side. Standing right beside his box, Gu Yue only let out a breath of relief when she saw Tang Wulin sit up. However, the box next to his was bustling with people. Xie Xie, thats Xie Xies box. Xie Xie should be fine, right? Tang Wulin anxiously asked, How is Xie Xies state right now? Wu Zhangkong said, He managed to avoid having his head destroyed at the final moment, but the spiritual backlash for the rest of his body is still great. Hes currently unconscious, but he should wake up after resting a bit. Oh, hes conscious. A long sigh of relief escaped from Tang Wulin after hearing that Xie Xie was awake. The most important thing after exiting the spirit ascension platform was waking up. As long as one was able to wake up, the body would be able to slowly recover. After all, they hadnt truly sustained any injuries. Tang Wulin quickly reached Xie Xies box and peered inside. Xie Xies complexion was pale and his body was twitching. Abnormal twitching of the body was a typical residual effect from dying in the spirit ascension platform. Twitching is normal after dying in there, but there arent any effects in my body at all. Why arent I twitching too? Tang Wulin wasnt the only person thinking of this question. Within Wu Zhangkongs heart, he was asking himself the exact same question. It was obvious, however, that Tang Wulin was unable to answer this question. As long as everybody is fine, then thats good. Wu Zhangkong dully said. Wulin, thank you. Xie Xies weak voice called out from the metal box. Huh? What are you thanking me for? Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. Xie Xie forced out a difficult smile. Thank you for your Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest. If I hadnt worn it on my shoulders, helping to block some of the attack and giving me enough time to react, then my head might have been shredded too. That would have been truly troubling. It was only then that Tang Wulin understood Xie Xies words. Although it had seemed to him that Xie Xie had been sliced apart, the vest had still slightly protected him. With his sharp reflexes as an Agility System Soul Master, he had just been able to narrowly avoid having his head destroyed. Come to think of it, it was also like that when the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear tore me apart from the waist down. Its just that I was already dodging at that time. You guys cheated. Wu Zhangkongs cold voice suddenly cut in as he stood there holding a vest. That vest was undoubtedly Xie Xies, stripped off during his post-ejection medical inspection. Tang Wulin immediately blushed with embarrassment and awkwardness. Teacher Wu, that shouldnt be considered cheating, right? I only made it because I was afraid everyone would suffer like Wang Jinxi the first time. Wu Zhangkong handed the vest to Tang Wulin and indifferently commented, The craftsmanship is not bad. You can already Thousand Refine? Ah? Tang Wulin was stunned. Yes! Wu Zhangkong said, For the first part of your final exam, everyone gets full marks except for you, the captain. You get points deducted because you cheated and encouraged your teammates to cheat. Your final exam score is Tang Wulin listened anxiously for the final verdict, his heart racing. Just 99 points. Huh? Ninety-nine points? Thats not a huge difference from one hundred though? At that moment, Tang Wulin was at a loss as to how to react. The Zhang Yangzi at the side had already started yelling, Long live Teacher Wu! Wu Zhangkong coldly responded, Dont get so excited just yet. Theres still one more section to your final exam. You will need to pass this section too in order to pass your exams. A staff member brought out a machine to stabilize Xie Xies conditions. This machine sent electric currents into his body to alleviate the side effects of the spirit ascension platform. Xie Xie had suffered from many residual effects after being killed, so it took him over an hour before he was able to muster enough strength to sit up. Everyone else had already recovered and were all waiting for Xie Xie. Tang Wulin walked to Wu Zhangkongs side and softly asked, I still have another entry card for the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Am I actually able to go in again? Mn? Wu Zhangkong stared at the card in Tang Wulins hand, a trace of astonishment flashing through his eyes. The Blacksmiths Association gave this to me. Tang Wulin didnt bother trying to hide it. Wu Zhangkongs impression of Tang Wulin changed. He then shook his head and said, You dont need to go in again. Theres no meaning in it for you. As the rebellion period progresses, the spirit ascension platform will grow increasingly powerful, and even more rabid soul beasts will emerge. If you go in right now, you wont be able to survive for long at all. You can just hold onto the card for now and use it during the next rebellion period. The card itself is also worth a lot. You could auction it off for quite a sum. Tang Wulin had originally wanted to return to the rebellion spirit ascension platform to absorb more spirit energy, but after hearing Wu Zhangkongs words, he understood that his thoughts had been too naive. Teacher Wu, I have an idea, but Im not sure if its possible to achieve or not. Its about the spirit energy we absorbed. This time we Just as Tang Wulin was about to explain, Wu Zhangkongs hand shot out and covered his mouth. Wu Zhangkongs eyes shifted to the nearby Spirit Pagoda staff members then whispered, Well discuss this when we get back. Tang Wulin realized his error. Thats right! We had absorbed so much spirit energy this time that we must have surpassed the average. I really shouldnt talk about this in front of the Spirit Pagoda members. Yes! Xie Xie was piggybacked by Tang Wulin all the way back to the academy. Although Xie Xie was recovered now, he still didnt have full control over his body and all his movements were uncoordinated. According to a Spirit Pagoda staff member, he would need at least a day to recover from this state. Fortunately, there would be no lasting effects. As for whether a shadow had been cast over his heart, only Xie Xie could answer that. Im fine? I didnt even see what soul beast killed me, so why would I have a shadow over my heart? Xie Xie said, all thick-skinned. Thats good then. A faint smile appeared on Tang Wulins lips after hearing such a typical response from Xie Xie. Xie Xie grumpily complained, Its so unfair. You were slashed apart too, yet why are you completely fine? Tang Wulin shrugged. I dont know either. Anyways, Im just happy I made it out alright. Perhaps its also related to your body strength. Your body is still too weak. How about you come with me on morning runs from now on? Itll increase your constitution and strength. Xie Xie teased, Alright! I can go meet that senior sister with you then. Tang Wulin blushed crimson. What meeting with the senior sister? Stop talking about things you dont know about. Gu Yues gaze instantly locked onto Tang Wulin, while Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi cast curious glances in his direction. Tang Wulin said dismissively, Its nothing. There are a lot of people going on runs in the morning so naturally Ive met a few seniors. Even though the words he spoke denied it, a delicate face appeared within his heart. It was just as Xie Xie had said; every day he would be able to see Ouyang Zixin on his morning runs. Although he only greeted her each time and occasionally spoke a few words with her, the more he ran, the more familiar he had grown with her. Moreover, he was so accustomed to seeing her every morning that disappointment would fill his heart if she wasnt there one morning. Go back and rest properly. Well be summarizing your experiences tomorrow. Tang Wulin, come to my quarters. Wu Zhangkong immediately issued out these commands the moment they arrived at the academy. Tang Wulin first delivered Xie Xie to his room and laid him down to rest before heading over to Wu Zhangkongs office. Wulin, you must remember that in the future, regardless of whether it be the spirit ascension platform or the Spirit Pagoda, you mustnt speak of any ideas. Instead, wait until you come back. Understood? Wu Zhangkong advised. Tang Wulin nodded. Understood, teacher. But why? If the spirit ascension platform has a problem, shouldnt I tell the Spirit Pagoda? 150 It’s Possible In Theory Wu Zhangkong said, Youre still young and there are some things you neednt know about just yet. As long as you remember my words, youll be fine. The Spirit Pagoda doesnt think the same way you do. They possess so much power that even the Federation is afraid of them. Moreover, the Spirit Pagoda spans across to other continents too. Tang Wulin was stunned. Other continents? The Star Luo Continent and the Heaven Dou Continent? Teacher, have you ever been to the other two continents? Do you know whats different about them? Tang Wulin curiously asked. Wu Zhangkong calmly answered, There are many different kinds of places in this world, and youll know what they are like when you visit them in the future, but for now, you shouldnt be thinking about that. Now tell me, what did you feel in the spirit ascension platform today? Seeing that Wu Zhangkong didnt wish to talk about the other two continents, Tang Wulin wisely chose to drop the topic and quickly began explaining his thoughts. Teacher Wu, after absorbing all that spirit energy today, I realized that itll be extremely hard for my teammates with two soul rings to evolve their spirit souls. In fact, its practically impossible for them to evolve them to the thousand-year level since the spirit energy is split between their two rings evenly. Even if they did evolve their spirit souls to the thousand-year level, their bodies wouldnt be able to bear two thousand-year soul rings, not to mention that neither Wang Jinxis nor Zhang Yangzis spiritual power is strong enough to handle a single thousand-year spirit soul yet. Isnt this the reason its so hard for Soul Masters to evolve their spirit souls in the spirit ascension platform? Wu Zhangkong nodded. The fact that youve arrived at this conclusion shows just how seriously you have been thinking about this. Not bad. Even if you had enough resources to enter the spirit ascension platform more times, there is still a limit to what your body can handle. In the end, your chances of success would still be tiny. What you really should be considering isnt that. Mn. Tang Wulin nodded in understanding. I think my situation is actually a bit special. My body is stronger than an ordinary Soul Masters so Im actually able to support a thousand-year soul ring despite only having one ring. Im not restricted to an up to four-hundred-years ring like other one-ring Soul Masters. My spiritual power is also at the Spirit Connection realm, so if I absorb enough spirit energy, I should be able to gain a thousand-year spirit soul, right? For a moment, a glimmer of surprise twinkled in Wu Zhangkongs eyes before he nodded and said, Its possible in theory, but you will have to absorb enough spirit energy to evolve your spirit soul before you gain a second soul ring. Moreover, your body will need to be able to bear two thousand-year soul rings when it comes time for your second soul ring. Wu Zhangkongs words immediately reminded Tang Wulin of something. Thats right! If I evolve my spirit soul to the thousand-year level, that means my second soul ring will also be at the thousand-year level. Its no problem for me to handle one thousand-year soul ring right now, but will I be able to handle two thousand-year soul rings by the time I become a Soul Grandmaster? Wu Zhangkong continued, How about this, well run some tests on your body later and figure out just how much you can bear. We already know your spiritual power can support a single thousand-year spirit soul, so all thats left to determine is whether or not your body can bear two thousand-year soul rings. Youll really be a unique case if you can. Thank you, teacher. Teacher Wu isnt the only person I can ask about how much my body can bear. I can also ask Old Tang! After Tang Wulin left, Wu Zhangkong sat there in deep thought. There really is something special about Tang Wulin. I think hell actually be able to do it. Should he actually obtain a thousand-year spirit soul, then even though his martial soul is weak, it will be enough to make up for it and make him strong! This set of circumstances is even rare in Shrek Academy. However, this isnt a certainty. After all, Ive never entered the land of the true monsters of Shrek. He should only be a step away from evolving his spirit soul once more. It seems Ill need to conduct some special tests on him. Wu Zhangkong narrowed his eyes. Its best to keep this matter a secret from the Spirit Pagoda. At the very least, this cant be revealed until hes stronger. As his train of thought traveled along this path, a series of plans began to form. He had never expected these children to make such a great harvest this time in the rebellion spirit ascension platform. Without a doubt, having survived the longest, it was Tang Wulin who had benefited the most. He had absorbed the most spirit energy with Gu Yue in second place. She had suddenly broke through to become a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, gaining enough power to even defeat a three-ringed Soul Elder who had two spirit souls and a powerful martial soul! It was true that her opponent had been careless, but it would have been impossible to grasp victory without her insane control over the elements! Nobody knew just how strong Gu Yues spiritual power was after gaining her second soul ring. This little girl had a chance of reaching the Spirit Sea realm by the time she turned fifteen! The others spirit souls had also made some progress, but now they were faced with a problem. They couldnt enter the spirit ascension platform again for a while, otherwise they might accidently absorb too much spirit energy which would negatively influence their bodies. He had never expected they would make so much progress in a short six months. According to the original plan they had for class zero, they shouldnt be this powerful until the third grade. It seems Ill have to adjust the originally planned curriculum. Old Tang, now that I have fully absorbed the power of the first seal, how many soul rings and spirit souls can my body handle? The moment Tang Wulin returned to his room, he began meditating to call out Old Tang. Old Tangs body was still bathed in a golden light, but for some reason, Tang Wulin felt as though the light had grown a bit more resplendent than before. Old Tang also no longer seemed as transparent to him. Old Tang asked, Oh? What do you mean? Is there a problem with your soul rings? Tang Wulin didnt know why, but he placed an immense amount of trust in this mysterious Old Tang that dwelled within his body. He didnt bother to hide anything as he explained what had happened in the spirit ascension platform, as well as his thoughts on the spirit soul evolution he had already experienced. After hearing his explanation, Old Tang suddenly blurted out, I understand what youre thinking. Youre worried that your body wont be able to absorb that much spirit energy, correct? Thats right! Thats what Im worried about. Tang Wulin hurriedly added, So what level of soul ring do you think my body can bear right now? And my spirit soul? Old Tang said, This is actually a very simple matter since theres no one more familiar with your body than I. Your spiritual power is gradually increasing, but your job to find a way to improve faster. It would be best for you to find a spiritual power cultivation method that will help you increase your spiritual power improvement rate. With your current level, you should be able to support a single thousand-year spirit soul or two hundred-year spirit souls. As for soul rings, you need not worry. Having absorbed the power of the Golden Dragon Kings first seal, itll be no problem for your body to bear two thousand-year soul rings. Tang Wulin said, Then, is it possible for me to break the second seal before I reach rank 20? And what level will my body reach after absorbing the second seals power? Old Tang answered, Based on your bodys current condition, it should be possible. However, you will need to find the items I told you about first. You can only break the second seal after obtaining those items. You will also need to strengthen your body further by that time. Actually, if you really can evolve your spirit soul and soul ring to the thousand-year level, it will provide you with an overall improvement to both your body and essence, so I fully encourage you to evolve them before you reach rank 20. When that time comes, Ill give you some new advice. Just remember though, the earlier you break the seals, the higher the chance they will break on their own in the future and so your period of safety will become even smaller. 151 The Xu Clan’s Siblings The seals will break on their own? They can do that? Tang Wulin doubtfully asked. Old Tang said, Of course. If you grow old enough or accidentally run into something that purifies the Golden Dragon Kings essence, then theres a chance that a seal might break forcefully. Should that happen, youll be faced with great danger. More importantly, the latter seals will become even firmer. Basically, the more seals you break by yourself, the lower the chances are that the following seals will break automatically and endanger your life. It would be best you if they never break by themselves, otherwise Old Tang didnt finish his sentence, but the grim tone in his voice made his meaning clear. Thank you, Old Tang. Ill definitely do my best! My goal now is to first evolve my spirit soul to the thousand-year level! Thats right. Do your best. You all scored highly on yesterdays exam, and this can be attributed to each of you doing exactly what was necessary. It seems that the last three months havent been a waste after all. At the very least, you are now a functional team. Strangely enough, although Wu Zhangkong was clearly praising his students, his voice was still as icy as ever. The five students were doubting whether they should be happy or ashamed. Tang Wulin, your control has obviously made much progress. Good work, and continue to do your best. Unfortunately, every one of you has absorbed too much spirit energy yesterday, so once the final exam period is over, well run some tests again and figure out just how much more spirit energy your bodies can bear. Keep in mind that it is absolutely crucial that you do not absorb energy beyond your limits. Based on his initial observations, Wu Zhangkong proceeded to summarize the battles from the previous day and gave them his assessment. The five students couldnt help but beam proudly as he talked about the rebellion spirit ascension platform, especially when he mentioned the Man-Faced Demon Spider. A sort of wonderfully unfathomable feeling still lingered in their hearts at the thought of that battle. Although Gu Yue had not yet broken through to two rings at the time of that battle, her tactics had been absolutely perfect. Tang Wulin, I have a question for you. Was it part of your plan to use the Man-Faced Demon Spiders toxic webs after its death to kill even more soul beasts? Wu Zhangkongs burning gaze bore into Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin ardently shook his head. I was thinking that if I let it spin its web, then it would lower its guard and we would be able to use the webs as a protective barrier after it died. Id never imagined that the webs would actually kill so many soul beasts for us, letting us absorb so much spirit energy. Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nod. While your coordination control was exceptional, you must keep in mind that the essence of a Control System Soul Master is to never let your opponent know your intent. This time, your constant, coordinated attacks served to misdirect the enemys attention, creating a vital opening for you. At the mention of this, Tang Wulin could only scratch his head in embarrassment. Wu Zhangkong continued, But you are still not calm enough! After killing the Man-Faced Demon Spider, it was clear that you all lost your previous tension. Compared to your state of mind from before the battle, the difference was too great! Did you feel satisfied after gaining that much in the spirit ascension platform? The students looked at each other in dismay. Even Tang Wulin was no different in that he had harbored the same thoughts at that time. After all, by then, they had already gained far more than they had planned. Wu Zhangkong said, Then let me ask you one question. What if you had been in a real forest that time, facing a horde of rebellious soul beasts? Would you still be standing before me now? No one dared to utter a word. Wu Zhangkong continued his lecture, Remember this: no matter how enticing or how beneficial something is, it cannot compare to the value of your life. Xie Xie meekly said, Teacher Wu, I have a question. If we encounter something like the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear in the future, what should we do? Wu Zhangkong answered without the slightest hesitation. Run. If you dont run, then you die. Eh Xie Xie stared at Wu Zhangkong in shock. Wu Zhangkong said, The Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear is a special kind of soul beast. From the moment of its birth, it is a king. Its strength simply cant be measured in years, unlike normal soul beasts. But theres no point in continuing this conversation. It would be miraculous for you to encounter a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear in the future, since they have already been hunted to near extinction long ago. Is it because theyre dangerous? Zhang Yangzi asked. Wu Zhangkong shook his head. No. Its because theres a high chance of collecting a soul bone from them. From the perspective of soul beasts, humanity is the greediest existence in the world. Soul beasts are on the brink of extinction not because they are a danger to us, but because hunting them brings us too many benefits. Tang Wulin was dumbstruck at these words. For the first time, he was exposed to the true relationship between humanity and soul beasts. When he thought back to all the soul beasts he had killed in the spirit ascension platform, his feelings of triumph couldnt help but turn a bit sour. Those soul beasts had only been illusory existences, but still ? Big brother, dont be so angry, Xu Xiaoyan timidly begged her brother. Xu Xiaoyus distorted expression looked ready to erupt. He couldnt feel anything but anger at the moment. Their clan had paid such a heavy price to obtain entry cards to the rebellion spirit ascension platform for the two of them, yet, due to his moment of carelessness, they had both been eliminated! The sensation of being annihilated by that elemental attack remained vivid in his mind. It had taken him a full day of rest to recover. The only people in the rebellion spirit ascension platform region we entered yesterday shouldve been Soul Masters from Eastsea City. From their age, they should currently be attending an intermediate academy. Could they really be students of Eastsea Academy? Xu Xiaoyu narrated his thoughts with an ashen expression. Xu Xiaoyan remained stunned for a moment. Really? If thats true, then they should be my seniors. Although Xu Xiaoyu was the only son in their clan, his stubbornness and arrogance displeased the elders. On the other hand, the gentle and timid Xu Xiaoyan was an absolute treasure in their eyes. Despite the fact that Xu Xiaoyan was gifted with innate soul power, she didnt like to cultivate. Fortunately, with an outstanding elder brother like Xu Xiaoyu protecting her, no one dared force her. When she had first awakened her martial soul three years ago, the clan had run tests on her using their equipment, only to discover that not only did she have soul power at rank 17, she also had a martial soul that had undergone a starlight phenomena rarely seen throughout the history of their clan. After this, they realized that she was an even greater genius that the outstanding Xu Xiaoyu. The Xu family was the largest clan in Eastsea City, and Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyans father was the minister of Eastsea Citys financial affairs, which was a position with much prestige and influence. When he found out that his daughter possessed the legendary martial soul of their clan, he was simply overjoyed. He used his power and influence to obtain another entrance card so that his son and daughter could enter the rebellion spirit ascension platform together. Before they entered, he had repeatedly warned Xu Xiaoyu to take care of his little sister and to help her gain as much spirit energy as possible. Due to Xu Xiaoyans timidness and her lack of Soul Master training, she had been cowering in fear behind her brother from the moment they entered the spirit ascension platform. She didnt have the courage to kill a single soul beast. Xu Xiaoyu was able to absorb a great amount of spirit power, but his younger sister, with her reluctance to kill, had barely absorbed any. As he tried his hardest to convince her to at least attack the next soul beast they came across, they accidentally stumbled upon Tang Wulins team of five. Afterwards, they were met with tragedy Upon returning home, not only did he have to suffer the side effects to his body, he also had to endure a lecture from his father. It would have been strange if he was still in a good mood after all that. Dont let me find out who they are, otherwise, I wont be able to stop myself! Xu Xiaoyu said grimly. Despite his words, Gu Yues apathetic expression and serene appearance appeared within his mind. Although she wasnt as pretty as his little sister, she possessed an amazing temperament. Just how had she been able to control that many elements? Even now, Xu Xiaoyus heart was in turmoil with his doubts and confusion. ? Teacher Wu, the final part of our exam is about to start. Will todays combat class be postponed? Zhang Yangzi flatteringly asked Wu Zhangkong the moment he entered the room. This was to be expected of course. With their holidays upon them, it was only normal for students to start feeling a bit lazy. Wu Zhangkong dully said, Due to the amount of spirit power you all absorbed this time in the spirit ascension platform, the academy has arranged for you to test your soul ring year levels and your bodies again. Dont think that you can squander your time just because you are young. If you dont put in effort at this age, itll be useless to begin putting in effort when you grow old. Dont you all have a good understanding of each other? Combat class will still proceed as planned. Ive thought about it for a while, and considering your current situations, it wouldnt be suitable for you all to enter the spirit ascension platform again for a while. Your combat classes will actually need to be modified a bit. Follow me. Wu Zhangkong immediately turned on his heel and walked out. Crestfallen, Zhang Yangzi muttered, Teacher Wu is so unreasonable. 152 A Problem Appears Xie Xies mouth twitched as he said, Just be content with how things are. Icant even count the number of advanced department students that want TeacherWu to teach them. Catch up, Tang Wulin cut in. The five students followed Wu Zhangkong to the academys training facilities. These facilities were specially prepared for students to engage in realcombat. It was equipped with a soul barrier to minimize the damage caused bystray soul skills. Are we being demoted? Zhang Yangzi covertly whispered to Wang Jinxi. Thistraining facility was frequently used by the ordinary students. After joiningclass zero for several months, they hadnt come here as much, so it was onlynatural that Zhang Yangzi was confused. Their combat training had largely beenconducted in the spirit ascension platform against the various soul beasts as,after all, they wouldnt be sufficiently challenged otherwise. Wang Jinxi shot him an annoyed glare. You really speak a lot of nonsense. Eh Wu Zhangkong found the teacher in charge of the building and reserved atraining field for them. The training fields varied in size, ranging from 30 to 50 meters in diameter.The facility had three floors in total. Each floor had four training field ofdiffering sizes, and each field was usually bustling with students from allgrades training. Wu Zhangkong had requested a field on the third floor as it was currentlyempty. This way, they would be able to train in peace. Wu Zhangkong brought them to a large training field that reached 50 meters indiameter. Xie Xie eagerly asked, Teacher Wu, are we three going to fight against themtwo? Hehe. Xie Xie shifted his gaze to Zhang Yangzi, a mischievous grin on hislips as he geared up for battle. No. Wu Zhangkong said in a cold voice. The five of you willing be battlingme. Five against one, thats very unfair Huh? Against you Xie Xie stared at WuZhangkong, dumbfounded. With his usual indifference, Wu Zhangkong said, Dont forget, this no longeris the spirit ascension platform. You wont revive here in the real world and Imight not be able to properly hold back. I will suppress my soul power to thesame rank as you all, and I wont amplify my soul rings. This time, however, Iwill be using my martial soul. Begin. Without even giving the students a chance to respond, soul rings immediatelyrose up from beneath his feet. Two yellow, two purple and two black soul rings appeared. An unstoppable auraengulfed the students for a split second before his soul power rapidlydecreased to about rank 20. An ice blue sword appeared in his right hand. It was as if his usual coldnesshad condensed into that glacial sword; a rarely seen tender expression gracedhis face. White robes and blue sword, sky ice and snow cold! These words couldnt help but pop into Tang Wulins head. The memory of when Wu Zhangkong revealed his martial soul in the battleagainst Guang Biao was still crystal clear in his mind. He hadnt even beenable to make out what sort of attacks Wu Zhangkong had used back then and thebattle had already ended in a few brief moments. Yet today, they were supposed to face his Skyfrost Sword? Into formation! Tang Wulins thunderous order shocked the rest of hiscomrades out of their stupor. Gu Yue was the first to respond, appearing behindTang Wulin in a flash. Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi and Xie Xie moved into theirpositions, forming a cross with Gu Yue at the center and poised to face WuZhangkong. Tang Wulin shouted, Everyone, be careful! Ill restrain him, Gu Yue, youcontrol the battle. The rest of you, focus on attacking. Go! Bluesilver Grass gathered in his right hand as he spoke. Tang Wulin hadlearned from his experiences in the spirit ascension platform and was far moreskillful in his control over the vines now. Strand after strand of Bluesilver Grass issued forth, closing in on WuZhangkongs position. At his rear, two soul rings sparkled as Gu Yue raised herhands to shoot out a series of blazing fireballs at Wu Zhangkong. With someflying straight at him and others arcing toward him, Wu Zhangkong faced a fieryassault. Although ice could indeed extinguish fire, fire could also melt ice. Aftertaking into consideration the fact that Wu Zhangkong had lowered his soul powerrank to their level, Gu Yue decisively chose to first suppress his attribute. Dozens of fireballs filled the air, some quick, some slow. Regardless ofwhich, in the end, they all shot toward Wu Zhangkong. The fireballs besiegedhim from all sides, seemingly impossible for him to deal with the all at once. Tang Wulins Bluesilver Grass exploded forth at the same time. A multitude ofstrands engulfed Wu Zhangkong, binding his body. Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi dashed forward from different directions,but all three converged towards Wu Zhangkong. With strands of Bluesilver Grasstied around their waists, Tang Wulin was in complete control of them. The first to arrive were the fireballs. Despite this, Wu Zhangkongs gazenever left his Skyfrost Sword. He took a slow and calculated step to the sideas the fireballs seemed to slow down. In the blink of an eye, the Skyfrost Swords chilly aura filled the traininggrounds. Dozens of fireballs extinguished quietly, and as their warm lightdisappeared, the surroundings returned to its original luster. For a brief moment, a sliver of emotion made it past Gu Yues grim expression.She had felt the cores of her fireballs obliterated instantly by Wu Zhankongsmove. The next second, Wu Zhangkong moved in an eerie rhythm, his mystical footworkdodging the bindings of Bluesilver Grass as they shot forth one after another. At that instant, he was no different from a ghostly general, his body almostillusory. This scene shocked and dazzled the assault team of three to theirvery bones. Not good! Tang Wulin pulled ferociously on several strands of Bluesilver Grassas he shouted, Withdraw! Its best not to aim too high against an opponent like Teacher Wu. We need toavoid making any mistakes and prioritize our safety first. His reaction was swift enough, but his actions were still lacking in power. Xie Xie had understood Tang Wulins thoughts from the very beginning, so themoment he heard the order to withdraw, he had immediately changed directionsand flown back at his maximum speed. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi, on the other hand, were a moment too slow. Thefrost had already crept onto their bodies. They were not fools though. Having learned from past experiences, theyinstantly locked hands and were enshrouded in a black light. Martial soul fusion skill! Shadow Eagle Dragon! They didnt dare to hold back against Wu Zhangkong! Waves of darkness rippled out, unveiling a monstrous scene. Wang Jinxis aurahad clearly grown stronger; however, there was a hint of dissonance between himand Zhang Yangzi. The two of them let out a groan before their bodies quicklyseparated. Two cold lights landed on their bodies, causing them to stiffen in place as WuZhangkong appeared before them. Whats going on? He didnt continue attacking and began to examine the twoinstead. Their soul fusion skill failed? Although they had only partially succeeded in using their soul fusion skillduring the Class Promotion Tournament, it was still considered a success. Butnow, their soul fusion skill had actually failed? Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi paled. They both knew that their martial soulswerent particularly powerful, and it was only because of their soul fusionskill that they had been able to enter the ranks of geniuses with a slimpossibility of becoming famous powerhouses in the continent in the future. Yet, their soul fusion skill had just failed. They were dumbstruck. Try it again. Wu Zhangkong moved back and brandished his Skyfrost Sword onceagain. The chill immediately returned. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi exchanged a knowing look as they charged at eachother once again, their soul powers pushed to their very limits. A pair of wing unfurled from Zhang Yangzis back as he swept Wang Jinxi intohis arms. 153 Wang Jinxi’s Pain Wang Jinxi mirrored Zhang Yangzi, and the two collided in the next moment. A deep dragons roar rumbled from Wang Jinxi as his Bone Dragon King and ZhangYangzis Shadow Phantasm Eagle fused in an instant. They could feel WangJinxis body rejecting the fusion immediately. It was as if his body was tryingto push Zhang Yangzi out the moment it saw the Shadow Phantasm Eagle. Zhang Yangzi stumbled away from Wang Jinxi and landed his butt. Suddenly, hewas filled with rage as he shouted, Wang Jinxi, what is the meaning of this?!Why wont you fuse with me?! I, I didnt do anything! Wang Jinxi stared at him in confusion. He couldntcomprehend what was going on either. Wu Zhangkong knitted his brows and turned to Zhang Yangzi. Calm down. Thisisnt something Wang Jinxi can control. I fear that there really might be aproblem with your soul fusion skill now. Zhang Yangzi got up from the floor, breathing heavily. On the other side, WangJinxis eyes clouded with apprehension as a vague reason formulated within hismind. Wu Zhangkong went silent for a moment. Jinxis martial soul has probablymutated, so now your two martial souls arent compatible enough to use yoursoul fusion skill anymore. Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with a conflicted expression. Similarly, Tang Wulin also wore odd expression. Is it possible that his BoneDragon King was influenced by our dual cultivation? His gaze alternating between Wang Jinxi and Tang Wulin, Zhang Yangzi began tohave an inkling as to the cause. After all, he was a bright kid. Could it bebecause the two of you are cultivating together? Wang Jinxi let out a sigh that was filled with all his pent up emotions. Icant think of any reason other than that. Wu Zhangkong said, Todays classes will end here. Tang Wulin, Wang Jinxi, youtwo follow me. I need to examine your martial souls. Yes. It was a very simple process to examine their martial souls; Wu Zhangkongsimply used his own soul power to scan their bodies and observe any changesthat had occurred when they used their martial souls. Jinxi, I am almost certain that the problem was caused by Tang Wulinsinfluence on your martial soul. As an individual, its something fortunatesince your martial soul is mutating to a higher level under the influence ofTang Wulins bloodline. As for how far it will mutate, I have no way ofknowing. The one thing I can be certain of, though, is that if you continue tocultivate with Tang Wulin, your martial soul will continue to mutate, but youwill likely no longer be able to use your soul fusion skill with Zhang Yangzi.That is the drawback of this situation. You need to carefully think things overand decide which direction you want to develop in. Wang Jinxi stilled, completely dumbstruck. Then, will I return to normal if Istop cultivating with Tang Wulin? Wu Zhangkong grimly said, From what I have seen so far, it should bepossible. You two have only cultivated together for a few months and his soulpower is weaker than yours, so he hasnt influenced you much. As a result, yourmartial soul mutation is still not firm, and you should be able to slowlyreturn to normal if you stop cultivating with Tang Wulin. His bloodlinesinfluence affects similar martial souls within a certain range though, so ifyou choose to stop, I will rearrange your rooms further apart from each other. Wang Jinxi raised his head to look at Tang Wulin, his eyes flickering withconflicting emotions. Im sorry, Jinxi! I didnt know things would turn out like this. Tang Wulinearnestly apologized. He was well aware just how important a soul fusion skillwas to Soul Masters. Wang Jinxi shook his head. How can I blame you for this? No one could havepredicted it. Teacher Wu, is it fine if I return to my room and think aboutthis before deciding? Wu Zhangkong nodded. Of course. This is an important decision. Its best foryou to go back and think about it carefully. Wang Jinxi looked at Tang Wulin with a deep gaze before giving him a curt nod. Wu Zhangkong said, Theres something else I must remind you. From my currentobservations, Tang Wulins bloodline is actually gradually growing stronger. Ifyou continue to cultivate with him, your martial soul could potentially groweven stronger than a soul fusion skill. Furthermore, that would purely be yourstrength as an individual. This is an important point to consider. Thank you, Teacher Wu. Sadness and bitterness found its way into Tang Wulins heart after Wang Jinxileft. He had never expected that their mutually beneficial cultivation methodwould have such a large drawback. Wang Jinxi was still benefiting either way, but what about Zhang Yangzi?Without Wang Jinxi, he would no longer be able to use their soul fusion skill. Tang Wulin hated to see a situation such as this, but it had already happened,and the decision rested in Wang Jinxis hands. It wasnt his place to try toinfluence Wang Jinxis decision. A strange mood fell over class zero from that day onward. Zhang Yangzi became uncommunicative while Wang Jinxi was even more taciturnthan usual. Two days quickly passed and the second part of their final exam was upon them. Follow me. Were going to take the second part of the exam now. Wu Zhangkongsaid with his usual indifference. Teacher Wu. Wang Jinxi suddenly stood up. Hm? Wu Zhangkong gave him a curious look. Tang Wulin also turned to stare atWang Jinxi, a hint of dread welling within his heart as he anticipated whatwould happen next. Wang Jinxi hadnt been cultivating with him these last fewdays, and the moment they were dismissed from class he would immediately returnto his room and not come out. Teacher Wu, Ive decided. I wont cultivate with Tang Wulin anymore.Although Wang Jinxi spoke quickly and monotonously, his voice was resolute. Stunned, Zhang Yangzi stared at Wang Jinxi with wide eyes. Wu Zhangkong gazed at him for a moment before asking, And you have reallythought this over carefully? Wang Jinxi earnestly nodded. While I might be able to reach even greaterheights in the future if I continue cultivating with Tang Wulin, only I wouldbenefit that way. I grew up with Zhang Yangzi, and were the closest ofchildhood friends. We played with each other everyday. Were inseparable andare practically brothers. I cant abandon him for my own sake, otherwise Iwouldnt be able to live with myself. Besides, were already two-ringed SoulGrandmasters and have a soul fusion skill, so we can definitely be consideredgeniuses already. This is why I choose to cultivate with Zhang Yangzi. At this point, Wang Jinxi took a moment to stop and swept his gaze at TangWulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue. He took in a deep breath, beating the drums ofcourage as he readied his next words. Also, Teacher Wu, thank you for thissemesters guidance. I also thank my comrades as well, but Im sorry; I want totransfer academies. Ill transfer schools together with Yangzi. Wulinsbloodline influence is just too much. As long as I stay within this academy,Ill continue to be influenced by him. Even during the last two days where Ihavent been cultivating with him, I still felt oppressed by him. The onlything I can do now is leave. Tang Wulin was rendered speechless at these words. He had never expected thathis mere presence would force Wang Jinxi to transfer academies. Jinxi, I can try to keep myself away from you if my effect is really thatstrong. You wont have to transfer academies then Tang Wulin hastilyinterjected. Wang Jinxi relaxed as he let out a deep breath. A gentle smile found its wayto his lips as he shook his head. Dont be silly. Wulin, you cant blameyourself for this. This decision isnt related to you at all. These changeshappened to my body, not yours. You also could never have predicted that yourbloodline would have such great influence either. This change wont affect ourfriendship at all, we just cant cultivate together any longer. Its not justmy martial soul thats being affected; my mind is as well. Maybe if I leave youand go cultivate somewhere else for some time, Ill be able to return tonormal. Ever since the Class Promotion Tournament, Ive felt this mentalpressure, but I just never wanted to acknowledge it until now. Yangzi and I canstill cultivate properly together, so you dont have to worry about us. Teacher Wu, Ill have to trouble you to handle the contract with the academy.I have already discussed things with my father and weve decided to pay for theresources that were used on Yangzi and I this semester. Im sorry for theinconvenience. Wang Jinxi bowed deeply before Wu Zhangkong, expressing hisdeep regret. Tang Wulin saw two water droplets fall to the floor as Wang Jinxibowed. How could Wang Jinxi actually want to leave? They hadnt just become friendsafter a semester together, they had reached a rarely seen level of tacitunderstanding between Soul Masters! They had come together to form a squad; asquad that was able to kill a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider! How could hebe willing to part with his cherished comrades now? 154 Leaving It was just as Wang Jinxi said. If he continued to stay here, he wouldinevitably be influenced by Tang Wulin and reap many benefits by cultivatingtogether. During the two days they had been apart, however, Wang Jinxidiscovered just how deeply he had been affected. He could no longer sleepsoundly at night and he wasnt even able to meditate properly. His heart was inturmoil. It was only after contemplating his situation deeply these last two days thatWang Jinxi realized that if he continued to cultivate with Tang Wulin, he mightnot be able to part with him. In fact, he might subconsciously become TangWulins vassal. Regardless of which type of martial soul, it was a fact that bloodlines andmartial souls would affect each other. The stronger ones soul power was, thestronger their bloodline would be. Currently, he was a level higher than TangWulin, yet he was already being influenced so greatly; then what would happenif Tang Wulin overtook him in the future? He feared just how much he would beaffected then. Despite his young age, Wang Jinxi clearly understood this terrifying concept.Furthermore, in consideration of his relationship with Zhang Yangzi, he hadfinally arrived at this decision. It was a hard decision, and although itpained him to do so, he had no other choice. Jinxi! Zhang Yangzi suddenly rushed over and embraced Wang Jinxi. Hecouldnt hold back anymore; tears began to stream down his face. Hadnt he also been suffering these last few days? Losing his soul fusionpartner would leave him as nothing more than an ordinary Soul Master. Hiscultivation speed would take a hit, and his clan would no longer place as muchvalue on him. After all, strength was what decided his position within his clan. Yet, Wang Jinxis staunch words had washed away all the worries within hisheart. Friendship truly prevailed over all and his heart was touched by such adeep friendship. Wu Zhangkong still stood there like an unfeeling statue, but Xie Xie hadnoticed it. For just a brief moment, a tinge of sadness had flashed across thedepths of Wu Zhangkongs eyes. Fine then. Since you have already decided on this, you dont have to worryabout the rest. I will settle things with the academy and handle it with yourclan. Perhaps this really is the correct choice. Wu Zhangkongs reply wasutterly simple. Then, do you two still want to take the second part of thefinal exam? Wang Jinxi could only force out an awkward smile. Teacher Wu, Im sorry. Idont think Yangzi or I am in any frame of mind to participate in the examtoday. Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, good luck! Please dont let our decision disturbyou. You three are amazing. Well meet again in the future; at that time, wemight even be challenging you then. The two of us will definitely become strongsoon. We wont let you leave us behind. Tears fell down Wang Jinxis face as he spoke with a bright smile and clenchedfists. It took all his willpower to just wave goodbye at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin suddenly charged over and brought the two of them into his embrace,letting out a few quiet sobs. We will conduct the exam tomorrow. After stating this, Wu Zhangkong left theclassroom with large strides. ? Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi returned to their rooms to pack up theirbelongings. Tang Wulin didnt know what agreement their clans and the academyhad made. What he did know, however, was that class zero only had threestudents left. Wei Xiaofeng was the first to leave, and now Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi areleaving too. Mom and dad left me. Naer left me too. Why do the people I holddear always leave me? Tang Wulin looked out the window, staring listlessly at the field outside assorrow and dejection welled within his heart. His heart pained from the loss of his friends, as well as self-blame. Hey! Whats up with you? A pleasant voice suddenly called out from thefield. Tang Wulin turned toward the voice. It was the pretty Ouyang Zixin, and shewas waving at him. Senior sister. Tang Wulin blankly stared at her. He didnt know why, but forsome unfathomable reason, his mood instantly uplifted the moment he saw her. Youre so big already yet youre still snivelling like a child? Ouyang Zixinsaid with a teasing smile. Tang Wulin touched his cheeks, completely unaware that he had been crying. Now that he noticed his tears, he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve,embarrassed. Im fine, senior sister. Come down here. Ouyang Zixin beckoned him. Oh He climbed onto the window sill. With a strand of Bluesilver Grassattached to the window, he jumped from the fourth floor which was dozens ofmeters tall, and landed gently. Wow! So cool! Ouyang Zixin beamed sweetly at him. Tang Wulin awkwardly scratched his head. No way! Im just Ouyang Zixin giggled. Okay, okay. You dont need to explain yourself. Itsnormal for children to like showing off. So, why were you crying? Come tellsenior sister. Tang Wulin bravely shook his head. Its nothing much. Two of my classmatesare just transferring academies, so Im a bit sad. Ouyang Zixin said with an air of maturity, Youre such an emotional kid; itsnot like you wont see them again in the future. Theyre simply transferringacademies, thats all. Alright then! Life is just like this and the world isever-changing. Who would know what tomorrow holds for them? As long as youlive, then live each day happily! Go pursue your goals and your own happiness.Youll be fine as long as you do that. She rubbed Tang Wulins head as she spoke. Come on, Ill take you out forsome good food. She grabbed his hand and immediately began dragging him towardthe academy gates. Ouyang Zixins hand felt soft and delicate over his own, and as she pulled himforward, he was able to catch her fragile fragrance. Warmth filled his heart for a brief moment. He had always devoted himselfwholly to cultivating his martial soul and blacksmithing, but at that moment hewas in desperate need of affection. Both his parents and Naer had left him. All the people he held dear had alsoleft him without a single trace. All he could do was throw himself intocultivating to numb the pain. Yet, it was precisely because of this that OuyangZixins gentleness made him warm; it was the feeling of being loved. Big sister will bring you out for some barbecue skewers and grilled fish. A normal persons appetite would grow when they were in a good mood and TangWulin was naturally no different. Ouyang Zixins beautiful eyes simply stared in shock as Tang Wulin continuedto stuff more and more barbecue skewers into his mouth. There was a mountain of bamboo skewers in front of of Tang Wulin, attractingcurious glances from the surrounding customers. Ouyang Zixin was on the verge of crying. Junior brother, big sister broughtyou here to comfort you, but do you hold some kind of grudge against me? Youvealready eaten a weeks worth of my food budget! Huh? Tang Wulin finally noticed just how much he had eaten. He looked up andwas instantly attacked by Ouyang Zixins lovable pout. His appetite today was abit bigger than normal, especially since he hadnt eaten much in the morningwith the matter of Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzis still weighing down on hismind. Ah, sorry! Senior sister, Ill pay today. A man should treat a lady anyways.Tang Wulin hastily put on the airs of a gentleman. In any case, he had morethan enough money to pay for food with all the forging he had been doing. Pa! Ouyang Zixin hit his head with a karate chop. What do you mean by man?Youre still just a child. What kind of big sister brings her little brotherout to eat and actually lets him pay? Come on, eat, eat. Even if you eat awayall my money, Ill just have to rely on the academys dining hall then. Ohright, could you be the rumored Super Rice Bucket of the lower grades? I heardthat even the academy fears your appetite. Eh Thats probably me Tang Wulin said with a hint of shame. Seriously though, you can eat so much! Your future wife is going to be workedto death cooking for you! Ouyang Zixin teased. Zixin, a voice suddenly called out. 155 The Arrogant and Pampered Ice Staff Guy Ouyang Zixin turned toward the voice, her eyes lighting up when she saw who itwas. Hastily standing up, she walked over and greeted, Senior brother, are youhere to eat? Tang Wulins vision was obstructed by her body, so he could only make out thatthe person she was talking to was a tall male youth. Yeah! I brought my little sister out for a nice meal. Its only been twoweeks since the last time I saw you, and youre even prettier than before, theyouth said with a bright smile. Ouyang Zixin held her face as she bashfully said, Really? Thank you for thecompliment, senior brother. Ah, there arent any free tables right now. Do youwant to eat with us? Sure! the youth said with a laugh. Tang Wulin didnt know why, but a feeling of dissatisfaction crept into hisheart when he heard Ouyang Zixin speaking to the youth with such a tendervoice. An inkling of hostility grew within him, but he didnt raise his head,instead choosing to wallow in his bitterness. Damn, you guys really ate a lot! the youth exclaimed in astonishment. Ouyang Zixin proudly explained, Thats right! My little brother here hasquite the big appetite. Senior brother, please, Ill treat you today. The youth revealed a gentlemanly smile. How can I let a girl pay for me?Boss, I want to order some more food. I want to order one dish of broiled codand one dish of roasted chicken wings. Xiaoyan, is there anything else youwant? I want some barbeque skewers. Lamb skewers and beef skewers. Big brother, canI have some beer too? I like it, and itll be refreshing. A melodious voiceattracted Tang Wulins attention. However, he could only stare in shock at the two people who sat across fromhim. Just how small is the world that I managed to run into you here! Isnt thisthe arrogant and pampered ice staff guy and his little sister? That was right. The one Ouyang Zixin called senior brother was actually XuXiaoyu, and naturally, the girl at his side was Xu Xiaoyan. He had been in abad mood these last few days, so he wanted to bring his little sister out toeat some good food to cheer up. Yet, who would have thought that he would runinto Ouyang Zixin and Tang Wulin. Xu Xiaoyan was excitedly picking out what foods she wanted to eat while XuXiaoyu was turned toward the restaurant owner, so neither of them had noticedthat Tang Wulin had raised his head yet. Hey, little guy, slow down a bit! Youre going to frighten the others.Ouyang Zixin took this as a chance to scooch closer to Tang Wulin and whisperedthis warning into his ear. Indignance instantly attacked his heart. Could senior sister actually think ofthis arrogant and pampered ice staff guy that way?Although Tang Wulin wasyoung, he wasnt ignorant to the affairs between men and women after all thethings Xie Xie had told him. Tang Wulin lowered his head once more. Its best if they dont notice.Otherwise, therell be some trouble. Ill just focus on eating then. Finished ordering food, Xu Xiaoyu turned back to see the sweetly smilingOuyang Zixin and said, Junior sister, is this your actual little brother? Ordoes he attend our academy? Ouyang Zixin laughed. Hes not my actual little brother, I just treat himlike one. Ah, thats right! This little brother of mine is actually a genius.Hes in the newly created class zero! Eh? Class zero? Xu Xiaoyus voice was full of surprise, exchanging curiouslooks with his little sister. Ouyang Zixin said, You know about class zero even though youre in theadvanced division? Xu Xiaoyu said, I only started hearing about them in the last few days. Mylittle sister will be attending an intermediate soul master academy startingnext year, but father said that he wants her to enroll early and transfer intoclass zero. I think his arrangements should be nearly finished. Transfer student? Without thinking, Tang Wulin raised his head and asked.The ice staff girl is joining class zero? His sudden outburst attracted the gazes of Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan. The twosiblings were immediately dumbstruck when they saw Tang Wulin. The gloom that hovered over Xu Xiaoyu had originated from Tang Wulin and hisfriends, so there was no way he wouldnt recognize Tang Wulin. His gazeimmediately sharpened. Its you! Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth as she cried out in surprise, Ah! You Realizing that he had exposed himself in his excitement, Tang Wulin could onlyshow an abashed expression. Ouyang Zixin directed a puzzled glance at him, before turning to ask XuXiaoyu, Senior brother, do you know my little brother? Xu Xiaoyu was about to say yes, but after thinking about it once more, herealized that it wouldnt be too good for his reputation if Ouyang Zixin foundout he had been beaten by a bunch of brats in the spirit ascension platform. Hestill wanted her to have a good opinion of him. I dont know him. It just seems like our meeting is fated, Xu Xiaoyu coldlysaid. Big brother, isnt he The pure Xu Xiaoyan was quickly cut off with a nudgefrom her brother. With her cleverness, Ouyang Zixin could immediately tell that something wasoff, but since Xu Xiaoyu didnt want to speak about it, she wouldnt pry.Instead, she cheerfully said, Ill introduce the two of you then. This littleguy is from the first grades class zero, Tang Wulin. Wulin, this seniorbrother is our academys most outstanding genius. Hes in the advanceddivisions second grades class one; our senior brother, Xu Xiaoyu. Hesalready a three-ringed Soul Elder, and he might even make a breakthrough tofour rings by the time he graduates. And then hell be a Soul Ancestor! Prettygirl beside him is his little sister, Xu Xiaoyan. Upon hearing Ouyang Zixins introductions, Xu Xiaoyu felt his face grow hot,as if he had been slapped in the face. If not for the presence of Ouyang Zixinand his junior brother, he wouldnt have been able to restrain himself frommaking a scene. Hello, senior brother, Tang Wulin said as he forced himself to offer ahandshake. Xu Xiaoyu snorted. This junior brother sure is capable! Could your class zerobe the ones I ran into the other day? Or was it someone else? Tang Wulins scalp numbed. Is this guy out for revenge? Gu Yue might havedefeated him that day, but that was only because he was acting so despicably! The terrifying memory of the Fury of Ice skill was still fresh in his mind, sohe didnt dare utter a word to contradict him. Ouyang Zixin quietly prodded Tang Wulin. Senior brother asked you a question. Shifting his gaze toward her, Tang Wulin realized that Ouyang Zixins gaze hadnever left Xu Xiaoyu even when she was speaking to him. A repressed tendernessexuded from her eyes. Senior sister, Im full now. Lets go. Tang Wulin took a napkin and wipedhis fingers, then got up to leave. Wulin, whats going on with you? Ouyang Zixin hastily scolded him beforequickly turning back toward Xu Xiaoyu. Sorry, senior brother! Ill take himback first. You two go ahead to eat, Ill be back in a bit. Xu Xiaoyan watched with curiosity as Ouyang Zixin chased after Tang Wulin. Sohes actually from class zero. It seems class zero is really powerful! That bigsister can even defeat you, big brother! A dark frown instantly settled on Xu Xiaoyus face as he lightly smacked XuXiaoyans head. Cant you keep quiet about that? Feeling wronged, Xu Xiaoyan cried out, You hit me! Im going to go tell dad! How can that be considered hitting? It was just patting, okay, patting! XuXiaoyu helplessly denied. ? Wulin, whats going on with you? Ouyang Zixin finally caught up to TangWulin to ask him. Tang Wulin had already regained his senses from the chilling winds. Herealized that he had acted inappropriately. His senior sister had been so kindto treat him to a meal yet he had actually run out like a little kid. Im sorry, senior sister, Tang Wulin apologized. I havent been in my rightmind these last few days. Lets go back. Ouyang Zixin shook her head. Forget it. Im already full from watching youeat. Why dont you just head back first? Ill go keep them company for a bitlonger. Huh? He finally understood when he saw the look in Ouyang Zixins eyes asshe gazed back toward the restaurant. Xu Xiaoyu occupied a larger place in herheart than he did. Okay. Thank you, senior sister, for treating me today. Ill return the favorsome day, Tang Wulin said with the utmost courtesy. Eh, forget about it. Its fine. We can talk about it next time. Ill be goingback to the restaurant now. You be careful on the road back. With theseparting words lingering in the air, Ouyang Zixin quickly rushed back toward therestaurant. Tang Wulin laughed in self-ridicule. He still liked Ouyang Zixin, but therewas still the gap in their ages. Huh, but is there really going to be another student joining class zero? XuXiaoyan doesnt seem that strong though! She didnt even have the courage toattack that day. All she did was hide behind that arrogant and pampered icestaff guy. Ill just go back and ask Teacher Wu. If we dont get another classmate, thenwell really be a small class with just me, Gu Yue and Xie Xie ? Once he got back to the academy, instead of returning to his room, he wentover to Wu Zhangkongs room and knocked. Come in. Wu Zhangkongs cold voice penetrated through the door. Knowing that the door was unlocked, Tang Wulin opened it and walked in to seeWu Zhangkong clad in white, as per usual, sitting cross-legged on his bed as ifhe had been meditating. Whats the matter? Wu Zhangkong dully said. Tang Wulin asked, Teacher Wu, I met someone today who said that theyre goingto join class zero. Are we really getting another classmate? Wu Zhangkong suddenly opened his eyes, a purple light flashing through themfor a split second. This isnt something you should be concerned about rightnow. Instead, you should be thinking about how you will pass the second partof your final exams. Let me remind you, the exam was originally prepared forthe five of you to take together, but now youre down to two people. That meansthe three of you will be taking a test meant for five. Huh? How can this be called reminding? I found out just now!? 156 You have the scent of a woman on you! Tang Wulin stared at Wu Zhangkong, dumbstruck. He felt dazed as a thoughtpopped into his mind,So there really exists someone this unreasonable! Wu Zhangkong continued, If there isnt anything else, you may leave now. Oh. Tang Wulin left the room dejected, but could not wait inform Xie Xie andGu Yue of what Wu Zhangkong had said. ? If its a test for five, then its a test for five. Gu Yue was unperturbedby this revelation. On the other hand, Xie Xie was a bit nervous, but he knewthat it was useless to worry about things they had no control over. Wulin, actually, theres something I want to try with you, Xie Xiemischievously whispered into Tang Wulins ear. Tang Wulin eyed him suspiciously. What is it? Xie Xie said, I was thinking, when I stabbed you with my dagger back when youwere still unable to control your bloodline, you suddenly exploded with power.Now that youre able to control it, do you think even more power will burstout? After a moment of astonished silence, Tang Wulin answered, I dont knoweither. That mischievous smile returned to Xie Xies lips. Then, do you want to testit out? Unacceptable! Why dont you go stick a knife in yourself?! Gu Yue smiledbrightly while kicking Xie Xie away. Xie Xie groaned out, I knew you would be overprotective of him! Jeez, cantyou be a bit more unbiased, Gu Yue? We got to know one another at the sametime, so why do you favor Tang Wulin so much? Gu Yues smile grew wider. Her smile was beautiful, giving a sense ofhomeliness. Despite its beauty, though, all it did was strike panic and fearinto Xie Xies heart. What, what are you smiling about? You want to know why I treat Tang Wulin better than you? The answer is verysimple; hes more handsome than you! Gu Yue said maliciously. Eh How can you be like this! Xie Xies voice was filled with indignance. Tang Wulin couldnt help but chuckle at their banter. Settle down, you two.Lets figure out how were going to tackle the exam first. Gu Yue said, Well just do things the same way we moved in the spiritascension platform. We have the best coordination between just the three of usanyway, so we should just adapt to the situation as we see fit. Besides,Teacher Wu wouldnt give us an impossible test. Tang Wulin nodded in understanding. I think Teacher Wu will target our usualarrangements. How about this then, well change things up a bit. Xie Xie,youll still be our main assault-support force. Gu Yue, youll also join in theassault this time. Ill be in charge of defense and control. Gu Yue nodded. Alright. Im fine with anything. Okay, well go with that then. After the two of them left Xie Xies room, GuYue pulled on his arm before he could return to his room. Wait. What is it? Tang Wulin asked, puzzled. Gu Yue moved closer to him and circled around him once, sniffing the wholetime. Theres the scent of a woman on you. Speak; what you were doing earlier? Tang Wulin was astonished. Your nose is so sensitive! Youre actually able todistinguish the scent of a woman over the smell of barbecue. Amazing, soamazing! Dont try to change the subject. Out with it already, Gu Yue fiercelyinterrogated. Tang Wulin awkwardly smiled. Its nothing much! I wasnt in a good moodtoday, so senior sister Ouyang treated me to some barbecue. Can you guess who Imet there? He explained how he had went out to eat with Ouyang Zixin and hadrun into the Xu siblings. Even after she heard his explanation, Gu Yue still eyed him suspiciously. Soyoure telling me that this senior sister Ouyang likes that arrogant andpampered ice staff guy? Tang Wulin grudgingly said, It seems so. Oh right, Xu Xiaoyan is probablyjoining class zero. What do you think about that? I dont mind! Gu Yues answer was normal, considering her usual attitude ofindifference. That Ouyang girl is no good, valuing love over friendship. Youshould distance yourself from her. Tang Wulin frowned. Dont talk about her like that. She was kind enough totreat me to a meal. Senior sister Ouyang is a kindhearted person! Gu Yue said, Kindhearted? If she was kindhearted, then she would have walkedyou back. The restaurant you guys went to was so far away, and youre still sosmall Where am I small?! Tang Wulin asked in dissatisfaction. Placing her hands on her hips, Gu Yue retorted, Anyway, just dont meet herso much in the future. One look and I could already tell that she wasnt anygood. Go get some sleep. Having proclaimed her decree, she quickly turnedaround and left. Tang Wulin couldnt make any sense of what had just transpired. Choosing toforget about it, he returned to his room to focus on cultivating. Although hisday had been full of gloom and suspicions, becoming a powerful expert was stillhis ultimate goal so he couldnt stray from his routine just because of a smallpsychological attack. ? After returning to her room and closing the door, Gu Yues eyes seemed totwinkle with an unusual light. She walked over to the window by her bed andopened it, basking in the cool night air. As her hair fluttered in the evening wind, her eyes gradually changed fromtheir usual black and began to emit a faint purple light. She held out her palms, letting several lights dance within her palms. Bluewas water, yellow was earth, red was fire, green was wind, silver was space andgold was light. Yet, a dark purple light also danced about. In the next moment,it disappeared. ? Dawn of the next day. Tang Wulin was jogging on the fields per usual when a familiar figure enteredhis sights. Good morning senior sister, Tang Wulin called out to Ouyang Zixin ingreeting. Beaming her usual smile, Ouyang Zixin said, How are you? Are you in a bettermood now? Tang Wulin scratched his head in embarrassment. Im good now. No problems atall. Ouyang Zixin giggled at his embarrassment. Thats good then. Oh right, it wassenior brother Xu who paid the bill yesterday. You should go thank him when youget the chance. He paid the bill? Once again, gloominess shrouded his heart immediately. Ouyang Zixin said, Yeah. He paid the bill to give me face. Ah, this sister isjust joking with you. You can treat me next time instead. Come on, lets pickup the pace. Lets see if I can beat you this time. It was clear that Tang Wulin held the advantage as they sped up. Ouyang Zixinwas by no means slow, but there was definitely a gap between her and him. TangWulin, however, restrained himself to maintain a pace that matched OuyangZixins. Finished with their run, Ouyang Zixin went back to wash her face as she alwaysdid. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin went about his usual routine too; rushing off toattack the dining hall with his one man Rice Bucket Brigade. ? Unexpectedly, the second part of the final exam was also not conducted on theacademys grounds. Wu Zhangkong led them out of the academy and onto a soul busthat headed to the outskirts. Teacher Wu, cant you at least give us a hint of what todays test is aboutyet? Xie Xie asked with a grin. Wu Zhangkong merely glanced at him. Youll know when we get there. Itssimilar to the spirit ascension platform, but not really. Eh Xie Xie gave a slight nod. Although Tang Wulin had already lived in Eastsea City for over half a year, hehadnt really explored anywhere else besides the academy, the BlacksmithsAssociation, and their vicinity. He was unfamiliar with the rest of the city. Unfamiliar scenery flitted past them as the bus entered the suburbs. Although it was still crowded and bustling with activity, the suburbs wereclearly more spacious than other parts of the city. After getting off in the outskirts, Wu Zhangkong brought them to a giganticpark called Eastsea Soul Technology Park. The park was filled with greenery and buildings that had a variety of styles.Every single building had its own unique characteristics, but the majority ofthem were made of metal. Do you know what this place is? Tang Wulin quietly asked Xie Xie. In a similarly hushed voice, Xie Xie answered, I heard that Eastsea Citysbest tech companies are based here. Apparently, they even have a mecha factoryhere. Mecha? Tang Wulins eyes instantly lit up at this word. Although WuZhangkong had explained to them that high-end mechas were battle armors, theyhad never seen one yet, so in Tang Wulins mind, mechas were still the coolest! 157 Eastsea’s Little Zhangkong The park was enormous, so it was only after half an hour did Wu Zhangkong leadthem to a smaller park within the park. They were greeted with a wide expanse of greenery. There was a small buildingin the center, tiny in comparison to the other buildings they had seen on theway there. Along with the vast emptiness that surrounded it, the scene lookeddisproportionate. When they reached the building, the students were surprised to see that itdidnt have a name plaque. They couldnt make heads or tails of just what thisplace was.Is the second part of the exam really being conducted here? The building was dark blue, and its walls shimmered like a mirror, each wallseemingly cut from a block of glass. There was a bizarre sense of beauty tothis reflective-like quality. Every angle refracted the light in a differentway. It was breathtaking. No one guarded the dark blue double doors that were also made of glass. WuZhangkong walked up and pressed onto the glass. A blue light suddenly appeared. It projected an image that was accompanied byan amused voice. Oh, long time no see! Its Eastseas Little Zhangkong! Wu Zhangkong coldly said, Open the doors. The voice answered back willy-nilly, Youre still so boring. With a crisp ring, the doors wordlessly opened up. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue stood there dumbfounded. Eastseas LittleZhangkong? What in the devil? Zhangkong is Teacher Wus name, and Eastsea should be referring to EastseaCity right? But this way of calling him is just Ahem. Entering the door, they saw the same dark blue walls, but there was now ashining white floor and gentle fluorescent lights overhead. They came togetherto paint a scene of calm and order, further emphasizing the lack of people. Acircular metal platform holding three metal wristbands hovered over. Put them on, instructed Wu Zhangkong. Xie Xie curiously asked, Teacher Wu, what does it do? Wu Zhangkong answered back, Its to identify you. If you wear it, you wontbe considered an enemy by the defense systems here. Xie Xie gasped. So high-tech! Without wasting any more words, Wu Zhangkong lead the trio over to anotherdark blue glass door. A bright blue light swept out once more, but without thevoice this time. After scanning them and taking note of their wristbands, itquieted down. Past the door was a long tunnel with several bends in it. As Wu Zhangkong leadthem through the tunnel, he passed through another glass door and disappearedin a flash of light. Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Gu Yue instinctively stopped. This is Spatial technology? Xie Xie exclaimed. He had been born to a large clan soit was only natural that he had a deep understanding of just how advanced thecontinents technology was now. He clearly remembered that spatial technologywas still in its development stage, and was far from being implemented intopractical uses. Yet, what they had just experienced was the result of spatialtechnology! Forward. Wu Zhangkongs voice resonated from all sides. Exchanging glances with his two companions, Tang Wulin lead the way forward. After entering the area Wu Zhangkong had just been in, an odd feeling sweptover them. Tang Wulin felt as if his whole body was being wrapped up in pureenergy. In the next moment, he found himself in a completely different place. It was a dark blue space. Dark blue stalagmite and stalactite crystalssurrounded him. The walls were made from a silver-white metal. The crystals andmetal came together to refract light in astonishing ways. Shortly after, Xie Xie and Gu Yue appeared by his side with two flashes oflight. Wow! It really is spatial technology! Our final exam location is sohigh-tech! Xie Xies voice was full of awe. Wu Zhangkong was leaning against a wall. A moment later, some unknownmechanism seemed to have been activated as one wall suddenly split open toreveal a large screen with a myriad of symbols on it. A keyboard popped up andWu Zhangkong began typing. The sounds of his typing was like the pitter-patterof rain that struck down with lightning speed. Identity confirmed. Eastseas Little Zhangkong. Test difficulty: medium. Participants: three. Commencing in ten seconds. Ten Nine Whats going on? Why is it starting a countdown? Xie Xie asked, startled. Wu Zhangkong turned to stare at them. Dont tell me you still want morepreparation time? Just go do what you always do. Eight, seven, six Three, two, one. Begin! Three blue lights descended onto the trio and in a flash, they disappeared. Tang Wulin felt that energy wrapping him up again. This time, though, thefeeling was far stronger and lasted longer. Tang Wulin hastily circulated his soul power and sped up his blood flow whenhe felt the sensation that he was being pulled apart. He could now clearly hearhis own heartbeat continuously accelerating. Each powerful beat of his heart fended off the pain, allowing him to calm downand steady himself. After some unknown period of time had passed, another light flashed and TangWulin lost control of his body. He was enveloped with a sense of weightlessness. Not good! He didnt hesitate to release and shoot his Bluesilver Grass downwards tolatch onto something while he frantically took in his bearings. The first thing he felt was the world spinning around him. He then felt astrong pull on his body. His Bluesilver Grass had finally attached itself tosomething. As two other lights descended near him, he hastily exerted all hisstrength in controlling his Bluesilver Grass to slow his fall and act as aspring for his other two comrades. The elastic force of the grass disappeared just as he gently landed on theground. Xie Xie and Gu Yue were nowhere to be found. He was alone now, and astonishedto discover that this place was somewhat familiar to him. The ground was whiteand there was no sky, yet, there seemed to be no boundaries to this world. This place resembled the world he had met Old Tang in. It was different, ofcourse. This place had far more things present and couldnt possibly be thespace within his consciousness. This Just what is this place? Welcome to the Hall of Heroes. First trial, medium difficulty. Name: TangWulin. Age: 10. Test objective for the first round: survive for thirty seconds. Without even giving Tang Wulin a second to understand what was going on, abeam of light appeared in front of him, revealing a pretty girl. She had gentleeyes and wore a kind smile. Begin! The electronic voice announced. The girls eyes lit up and a powerful light enveloped her body. As the lightgrew brighter, a yellow ring rose from beneath her feet. Tang Wulin saw her figure flicker and in an instant, she appeared right infront of him. She struck out a palm straight toward his stomach. This footwork! Its similar to Teacher Wus! Having experienced Wu Zhangkongs strange footwork before, Tang Wulin wasprepared when the girl charged him. With a wave of his hands, dozens of strandsof Bluesilver Grass shot out in front of him to create an all-encompassingdefense. A three-legged cauldron materialized in front of her all of a sudden. Tooquick for Tang Wulin to even react, the cauldron descended with an eruption ofblack gas. The ground trembled and a loud rumble resounded, jolting Tang Wulin intolaunching his Bluesilver Grass net upward. He was completely powerless toresist his opponent. Taking advantage of the opening, a delicate palm struck out. It was too late for Tang Wulin to even attempt to dodge. The moment her softpalm pressed into his stomach, he felt an attractive force. Combined with thesudden straightening of her arm, it delivered an explosive strike that sent himflying. Fortunately, he was wearing the Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest. When thepalm had struck him, every piece of the vest had locked together anddistributed the palms force evenly. Even after distributing the force, TangWulin felt as if his stomach had been struck by a battering ram. Of course, with a body far stronger than that of his peers, he could endure it. He wasnt given a chance to even stand up, however, as the black cauldron wasalready rushing toward him. Tang Wulin simultaneously noticed that there was apurple light within the girls eyes. A bout of dizziness struck him, and hisattempts to remount his defense paused. The black cauldron struck like thunder, but Tang Wulin retaliated with anexplosive right punch. A golden-scaled punch met the cauldron, their collision creating a rumblingboom. He had long since activated his bloodline power. Even while he was dazed, hehad managed to force his fist forward. However, it was impossible for him to exert his full strength in suchconditions, so he was sent flying once again. 158 A Formidable Opponen After a vigorous shake of his head, Tang Wulin realized how shocking hisopponent was. They both had one ring. They both only had one ring! Yet, hercombat prowess was so great! He couldnt let himself be shaken though. Taking a moment to compose himself,Tang Wulin waved his arms in flurry, sending Bluesilver Grass shooting towardthe black cauldron. For now, he wanted to try binding his opponents martialsoul. Falling short of his expectations, the girl didnt mind her martial soul atall. Instead, she chose to accelerate her charge at Tang Wulin. She wants to fight me in close quarters? Tang Wulin sucked in a deep breath as a wave of golden scales covered hisright arm. He stood there, as steady as a mountain. He could tell from theirprevious exchange that her attack possessed tremendous power. Other thanattacking with her soul power, she also seemed to have other tricks up hersleeve. Since Tang Wulin couldnt beat her in speed, he chose to steady hisperson and meet her head on. A subset of the Bluesilver Grass Tang Wulin had shot out split apart andreturned to him, assembling protectively around his body. The girls figure flickered again and then disappeared without a trace. Thistime, however, when she reappeared, she was everywhere around him. The onlything Tang Wulin could do to resist was to lash out with the few strands ofBluesilver Grass he had, trying to stop her. Suddenly, a phoenixs cry pierced the air. A flute had appeared in the girls hands all of a sudden. The moment the harshnote attacked Tang Wulins ears, he felt as if his entire world had sloweddown, which was clear from the sluggishness of his Bluesilver Grass. In hissluggish state, the cauldron was easily able to escape the entrapment of thegrass as it soared high into the sky before crashing into Tang Wulin. Bang! Tang Wulin was felt a jolt which was promptly followed by numbness. He hadbeen sent flying with greater force than before. Meanwhile, the girl had pulledapart his Bluesilver Grass defense using her jade-like hands. His defenseshaving been broken, the girl reached Tang Wulin in a flash before moving toattack his stomach, this time using both hands. Im finished! Despite the intense threat he felt from the girl in that instant, only onethought occupied his mind.Twin martial souls. This girl has twin martial souls! And she can even use them both at the same time! She doesnt need to switchbetween them at all! The moment her white-jade-like hands landed on his body, Tang Wulin trembledas a bizarre power rushed into him, washing away his numbness. Tang Wulin only had enough time to sweep his right arm out in front of him. Bang! A bone-breaking force met his right arm, leaving it in tatters. It reboundedback into his chest, pushing him back even further. This time, however, he didnt fly too far back. As he crashed into thecauldron which was right behind him, darkness filled his eyes. Drawing strengthfrom who knows where, the girl continued to chase after Tang Wulin. She struckout with her right hand which possessed some sort of attractive force, sendingTang Wuling flying back towards her, while her left hand curled into a fist asshe punched towards his chest. Although his right arm was in acute pain and Tang Wulin was being continuouslybeaten, this had actually roused his blood. He let out a deep roar as his right hand transformed into the Golden DragonClaw in a splendid burst of light. Meanwhile, he lashed out with a vine ofBluesilver Grass that Goldlight had slithered into. This strand of golden Bluesilver Grass was just like a spear as it piercedinto the ground. Using all the strength his body could muster, Tang Wulinsuddenly changed directions and barely evaded the girls palm attack. Taking advantage of the attractive force of the girls attack, he rushedtoward her and soared over her head, taking this chance to grab her head withhis Golden Dragon Claw. This had been the first time since the start of the battle that he couldlaunch a counterattack. Another note of a phoenixs cry rang out. Tang Wulin immediately froze inplace while a wave of dizziness assaulted his senses. As the girl descended from the air, she pointed one finger at Tang Wulin,commanding the black cauldron to smash him. Tang Wulin forced his Golden Dragon Claw to move, brazenly smacking it intothe black cauldron. Bang! The black cauldron was smashed into pieces, completely falling apart. Thegirls body was still swaying from the rebound when Tang Wulin descended. At that moment, Tang Wulin had figured her out. As he withdrew his GoldenDragon Claw after smashing apart her cauldron, a strand of golden BluesilverGrass shot out from the ground, propelling him forward and into the air like abullet. Havent thirty seconds passed yet? They should almost have. The girl stared at him blankly for a moment. She charged forward in pursuitonce again, but when she arrived before the golden Bluesilver Grass, shehesitated for a moment. In reality, Tang Wulin wasnt in a good condition either. He was alreadyrunning low on soul power after using his Golden Dragon Claw and golden vine. The Bluesilver Grass propelled him further away from her. Meanwhile, thegolden Bluesilver Grass vanished as Goldlight returned to him. He was currently maximizing his time airborne to open up the greatest distancehe could between him and the girl. Thirty seconds have passed. First trial over. The long awaited voice appeared once more. He rolled when he landed tomitigate the force, then stood up and looked behind him. The second trial begins. Defeat your opponent or survive for another thirtyseconds. Tang Wulin was speechless at the ball-breaking objective theelectronic voice announced. Just before, he had been forced to use two-thirds of his soul power just tosurvive the short battle against her. Yet now, he had to survive another thirtyseconds? Seemingly unaffected by the electronic voice, the girl charged toward him oncemore. This time, however, she only wielded the flute. What do I do? Run? Im nowhere near as fast as her. My footwork cant compare with hers. Icant run. A battle of attrition? If she really is only a one-ringed Soul Master, then there shouldnt be a bigdifference between our soul power capacities. Shes a bit stronger with hertwin souls, but using both their soul skills consumes a lot of soul power too.Assuming my guess is true, then I need to engage her as much as possible now.Even if I cant beat her, I should be able to survive another thirty seconds. Arriving at this conclusion, Tang Wulin turned around and ran. A second lessspent in combat meant a second more of survival. Though he was low on soul power, his physical strength was in no way affected.With every stomp of his feet, he shot forward like a cannonball. With thismethod, he was oddly quick. Yet, the girl was still a bit faster than him. Fortunately, it wasnt thateasy to catch up to him. With one fleeing and the other pursuing, ten secondshad soon passed. Just as the girl was about to catch up to him, Tang Wulinsuddenly leaped with all his strength while summoning his two Thousand RefinedHeavy Silver Hammers. Wu~ Here it comes again Tang Wuling turned sluggish, and a sense of dizziness overcame him, so hehadnt been able to fully turn his body as he wanted to. He had only managed toturn halfway when the girl arrived before him. This time, she didnt immediately attack him. She instead reached out andgrabbed his right shoulder and pulled him toward her while kicking his calveswith her right leg. Tang Wulin was immediately thrown off balance, dropping onto the ground. He waved his arms in an attempt to fight back, but the girl was jumping aboutlike a fairy, dodging every single one of his attacks. Even while evading hisattacks, she had somehow been able to land two more punches into his stomach. Bind! Wu! Slowed! Once again, his Bind soul skill was slowed down. In fact, the slow effect wasso great that the girl grabbed a strand of Bluesilver Grass and threw him up. All Tang Wulin could do now was go into a fetal position in an attempt toprotect his head and vital organs. Bang bang bang bang bang! He was like a human punching bag, getting pounded from all directions. After some time, the electronic voice appeared once more. Thirty seconds haspassed. Second trial over. Tang Wulin felt as if his whole body had lightened and the aching of his boneshad been washed away. 159 Tang Sec Tang Wulin rejoiced that he had the Thousand Refined Cloud Titanium vest toprotect his body. He also realised that the strength of the girls attacklessened as her soul power ran out. A single glance at her martial souls madeit clear that she wasnt a Power System Soul Master, but rather a ControlSystem Soul Master. It was shocking, however, that a Control System Soul Masterwas able to display such attack power.If I hadnt shattered her cauldron, wouldI have been able to endure? Tang Wulin crawled up from the ground. The girl had already disappeared, buthe was still in the same space as before. Its already been two trials. Is it possible that the test isnt finished yet?Tang Wulin harbored this suspicion in his heart. Advanced test, first trial. Get ready. Advanced? Its been upgraded toadvanced now? A figure appeared with a flash of light. Surprisingly, it was the same girl asbefore. This time, she appeared to be slightly older. Tang Wulin felt aggrievedas he saw two soul rings rise from her feet. He knew just what he was in fornow. ? Tang Wulin stumbled out of a flash of light, his face green and purple frombruises. He truly made for a sorry sight. When he looked up, he saw Xie Xie standing relatively close, his appearanceeven more haphazard than his own. Xie Xies complexion was truly unsightly. How many trials did you pass? Tang Wulin asked him thoughtlessly. Xie Xies face darkened. One trial. This test is too hard, my opponent wasway too powerful! There wasnt anything I could do against her. She surpassedme in both explosive power and speed, and even in close combat ability! I washelpless to defend against her even with my twin martial souls. What about Gu Yue? She still hasnt come out? Tang Wulin asked. Xie Xie nodded. In the end, shes the strongest! How many trials did youpass? A bitter laugh escaped Tang Wulins lips. Just two trials. I passed thesecond trial only because Im good at taking a beating. From when they had entered until now, Wu Zhangkong hadnt moved an inch fromhis previous position. The screens here were different from those of the spiritascension platform; they didnt show everything that had occurred within thetest, so all he could do was wait patiently. Another minute passed before a pale-faced Gu Yue stumbled out of a flash oflight. Tang Wulin, who just happened to be standing right in front of her, sawshock in her eyes. How many trials did you pass? Xie Xie asked. Advanced, two trials. The final level was too hard, And I was defeated in thefirst trial. What about you guys? Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stood there, utterly speechless. They truly felt thatcomparing themselves to others could only lead to madness! Wu Zhangkong turned towards the trio and nodded. Come here. The trio approached before him. Having the worst results, Xie Xie hung hishead low, his heart filled with self-deprecation. As these thoughts surged in his mind, a bright light flashed, and the triodisappeared in a spatial wave. With another light flash, they found themselves in an expansive office. It wasat least 200 square meters in area. Off to one side, there was a large officedesk and a white sofa across from it. Take a seat. There are a few matters I need to discuss with you three, WuZhangkong said as he pointed to the sofa. Confused, the three sat on the sofa nonetheless. Wu Zhangkong took a seat across from them. Each of you must have felt that todays test was strange. You all haddifferent opponents who, at some point in time, were all Soul Masters that hadlived on this continent. Unfortunately, only seventy percent of their truestrength can be replicated by the simulation. How did you compare to youropponents? They were real Soul Masters? Tang Wulin immediately recalled that girl with twin souls, while Xie Xierecalled the tall and beautiful girl whose waist seemed as flexible as a bow. As for Gu Yue, she recalled the black-haired youth whose eyes twinkled with abizarre splendor. He had easily defeated her in the ultimate level trial. Sheshuddered at the memory of their battle. I brought you all here for two reasons. First, you are nearing the limits ofhow much spirit energy you can absorb in the spirit ascension platform. Afterentering a few more times, youll reach that limit, so you need another placeto gain real combat experience. Compared to the spirit ascension platform, theHall of Heroes can provide even better combat experiences as the injuries youreceive in there are all real. Of course, youll automatically be ejected whenyoure injured to a certain degree. There also wont be any mental reboundslike you received in the spirit ascension platform when you had your bodiesdestroyed. In other words, the experience you gain in the Hall of Heroes iseven more valuable than in the spirit ascension platform. Second, this test is actually unrelated to your final exam. Your final examhad already ended in the rebellion spirit ascension platform and your scoreshave already been given. The test here is instead an entrance test to anorganization. If you become a member of this organization, youll be able toaccumulate points in the future to use the Hall of Heroes again. Organization? This word, coupled with the memory of his opponents footworkfrom earlier, made Tang Wulin realize immediately that this was theorganization that Wu Zhangkong had told him about before. The very organizationhe had originally refused to join. Xie Xie and Gu Yue stared at Wu Zhangkong with curiosity while thinking, SoTeacher Wu is actually part of some organization. Teacher Wu, what does this organization do? Xie Xie asked. He was from alarge clan, so he couldnt casually join any organization; the fact that thisorganization was able to have a base here in Eastsea Citys technology park,however, meant that its background should be nothing to laugh at. Wu Zhangkong asked, Have you heard of the Tang Sect? Tang Sect? Hearing these two words, the trio began to tremble with excitement. The Tang Sect? Its the Tang Sect! How could they not have heard of it before? There was practically no one inthis world who didnt know of the Tang Sect! Legend had it that the Tang Secthad existed from the ancient era until now. It could be said that the greatesthistorical events of the Douluo Continent all involved the Tang Sect in one wayor another. The Tang Sects founder was the guardian of the continent 20,000 years ago. Itwas rumored that he had ascended to godhood! With the Tang Sects founder leading the first generation of Shreks SevenMonsters, Shrek Academy had also risen to power in that era. It could be saidthat without him, Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect would not have become suchlegendary existences. At that time, the Martial Soul Hall had been ambitious in its attempts toconquer the entire continent and unite it under one banner. Against them, theTang Sect founder assembled the forces of nations and Soul Masters to fightwith the Martial Soul Hall in a final, decisive battle. In the end, he stood onthe side of victory. It was said that while wielding the Sea Gods Trident, he had ascended as theSea God. Tang Wulin had always loved to listen to the Tang Sect founders story becausehe also possessed the Bluesilver Grass martial soul! It was possible for someone on the continent to not know of the Spirit Pagoda,but it was impossible for them to not know of the Tang Sect. As time went on, the Tang Sect had nearly withered away due to the advancementof soul device technology, when suddenly, another legendary figure appeared outof nowhere. That was right, he was the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, as well asthe creator of spirit souls. His mark on history had completely altered thestructure of the world of Soul Masters to this very day. After the Tang Sects resurgence into power, they had never declined again.Though, it was rumored that, along with the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven DouEmpire, they had long relocated to the two other continents. In the lastthousand years or so, they were rarely spoken of, but their legend had neverbeen forgotten. The trio was truly shocked at the utterance of the two words that representedsuch a legendary organization.Could it be that were in the Tang Sect right now? Teacher Wu, didnt the Tang Sect already disappear? Or move to the other twocontinents? Tang Wulin blurted out in disbelief. Wu Zhangkong shook his head. No, the Tang Sect never truly disappeared. Whileits true that the Tang Sect has founded bases on the other two continents likethe Spirit Pagoda, but the Tang Sect has never left the Douluo Continent. Thefederal government knows of the Tang Sect too, but for the sake of adapting tothe current societal norms, the Tang Sect now operates in a low-key manner.After all, the Tang Sects reputation is truly too great. The building were inis actually owned by a company under the Tang Sect; the Dazzling Era Tang SectTechnology Company. They developed the Hall of Heroes as a learning system, andthe opponents you just fought were once members of the Shrek Seven Monsters. Tang Wulin was electrified. He recalled his opponent with the newfoundrealization of her identity. My opponent was she in the same generation asthe Spirit Pagodas founder from the Shrek Seven Monsters ten thousand yearsago? The possessor of the Three Cycles Soul Cauldron and the Nine PhoenixFlute, Xiao Xiao the Phoenix Flute Douluo? The dumbstruck Xie Xie gasped. Then, wasnt my opponent also from the samegeneration of Shreks Seven Monsters, the Demon Rabbit Douluo Jiang Nannan? 160 Gu Yue’s Decision Gu Yues eyes were blank. Wu Zhangkong glanced at her, not particularlysurprised at her expression. Gu Yue, your opponent was the Spirit Pagodasfounder, the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao back when he only possessed two soulrings. So you three shouldnt be discouraged. You were defeated by powerful legendsafter all. If you do well in the Hall of Heroes and keep rising up, you mighteven get the chance to battle the original Shrek Seven Monsters one day. Tang Wulin subconsciously swallowed at these unbelievable words. He didnteven need to think about his answer and directly shouted out, I want to join! Having heard the tales of the legendary Tang Sect since childhood, one couldonly imagine his burning desire to join the organization. These stories,however, werent the main reason behind his willingness to joinit was hisidol, the founder of the Tang Sect who possessed the same martial soul as him!Any previous doubts he held towards joining Wu Zhangkongs organization wereblown away after hearing that it was the Tang Sect. Xie Xie came to a similar conclusion after a moment of hesitation. I want tojoin too. Wu Zhangkong cautioned them, You dont need to decide so quickly. You can gohome and ask your family first. Xie Xie shook his head. Theres no need. I dont want to miss out on such anopportunity. Teacher Wu, I will join. Im sure I can convince my family too. Tang Wulins and Xie Xies gazes drifted to Gu Yue. Neither of them knewwhether she would join or not, but it was indisputable that her performance wasthe best out of all of them today. In reality, their only requirement was to pass the first trial of the mediumlevel to be eligible for membership. The trials after that were to push them totheir limits. Im sorry, Teacher Wu. Wulin, Xie Xie, I wont join, Gu Yue said with utmostcalm. There wasnt a single shred of regret in the depths of her eyes, as ifshe was only dealing with a mundane matter. Huh, why? Xie Xie and Tang Wulin asked in unison. Gu Yue simply shook her head. Theres already another organization that Iwant to join, so I cant join the Tang Sect. Tang Wulin wanted to say something, but Wu Zhangkong cut him off. Thatsfine. Everyone has their own ambitions, so its fine as long as you havethought things through properly. Gu Yue, youre very talented and would be ableto shine no matter where you go in the future. With this being the case, Illmake some other arrangements for the combat component of your education. Thank you, Teacher Wu. Gu Yue curtly nodded. Still in disbelief, Tang Wulin approached Gu Yue. But Gu Yue, its the TangSect! The Tang Sect that has traditions from 20,000 years ago and countlessmysteries! There was a slight change in Gu Yues expression, but her mind was firm. Sheshook her head once more at Tang Wulins words. Im sorry Wulin. I had alreadydecided to join the Spirit Pagoda before we came here, and they require that Idont join any other organization. While Tang Wulin was stunned at these words, Wu Zhangkongs eyebrows jumped upin surprise.When did the Spirit Pagoda approach Gu Yue? They made their move soquickly! But Gu Yues excellence had been apparent from the beginning. Regardless ofwhether it was during the rebellion period or the ordinary spirit ascensionplatform, Gu Yue had always demonstrated extraordinary strength and potential.Neither Tang Wulin nor Xie Xie could compare to her, especially with hernever-before-seen martial soul which could control six elements. Moreover, hercontrol power was formidable, allowing her strength to far surpass her peers.The Spirit Pagoda had undoubtedly paid a tremendous price to rope her in. It was exactly as she had said. There would be some disputes if she joined theTang Sect after joining the Spirit Pagoda. Wu Zhangkongs gaze returned to Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. What Gu Yue said wascorrect. Both the Tang Sect and the Spirit Pagoda are top-notch organizationson the continent. An organization isnt like an association; you can only joinone organization. If you choose to join the Tang Sect, then in the future, youcannot join the Spirit Pagoda. If you want to leave the Tang Sect, then youllneed to return everything you received from it, including cultivation methods.With this in mind, you two should carefully consider your decision again andtell me at a later time. Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Wulin said, I dont need to think itover. I want to join the Tang Sect. Its my dream! That was right, he haddreamed of joining the Tang Sect since childhood. Though he didnt want to separate from Gu Yue, he had to prioritize his dream! Xie Xie looked back and forth between Tang Wulin and Gu Yue before nodding tohimself. Teacher Wu, I have also settled on joining the Tang Sect. Fine. Well end todays testing here. After filling in some forms later, youwill officially become outer members of the Tang Sect. Ill explain to you at alater time everything you need to know about the organization such as rules,benefits and duties. On the bus ride home, Tang Wulin stared off into the distance with a lonelyexpression. Wang Jinxi had left. Zhang Yangzi had left. Even Gu Yue was choosing adifferent path from him. His companions were leaving one by one, and he trulyfelt powerless since he had no basis to influence their decisions. If joiningthe Tang Sect hadnt been his dream, he definitely would have chosen to jointhe Spirit Pagoda with Gu Yue. Companions had to stay together after all! Yet, it was as if fate had decreed that he must be alone. His family andfriends were leaving one after the other, and the only one left by his side wasXie Xie.Will Xie Xie leave me too? Seated beside him, Xie Xie prodded him with a few words. Whats up? Are youfeeling down because Gu Yue isnt joining the Tang Sect? Tang Wulin shook his head. I just feel like everyone I hold dear is leaving.My parents and Naer left. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi left, and now Gu Yue haschosen a different path. Maybe I really am meant to be alone. Xie Xie heartily laughed. How can that be? Dont you still have me? I wontleave. A depressed sigh escaped Tang Wulins lips. Maybe you wont have a choice butto leave me in the future too. Who said Im going to leave?! Gu Yue suddenly appeared beside them. Shepulled Xie Xie out of his seat before stealing it to sit beside Tang Wulin. Youre so emotional, Gu Yue said, displeased. Tang Wulin was startled by her words. Maybe. Gu Yue pressed on. I only chose not to join the Tang Sect, and its not likeIm leaving class zero. Whatever organization I join doesnt change the factthat Ill always be together with you guys. Seeing an opening, Xie Xie took this chance to cut in. If you just say youinstead of you guys, hed be far more moved. Go away! Tang Wulin and Gu Yue yelled at him in unison. You guys are bullies! Xie Xie said with grievance. Tang Wulin chuckled. Sorry Gu Yue, I didnt mean to blame you. Everyone makestheir own decisions. I just feel a bit frustrated. You were right. Maybe itsbecause my family left, but Ive been very emotionally weak. Ill do my best tofix that. Poking his head in once more, Xie Xie said, Just vent your feelings wheneveryou need to. For example, let me beat you up once. Tang Wulin snorted. Im not so certain Id be the one getting beat up. ? The end of a semester was a joyous occasion for all students as it marked thestart of their one month long vacation. They could finally relax and forgetabout studying or cultivating during this time. Despite their status asprestigious Soul Masters, in the end, they were only children. After one more trip to the Dazzling Era Tang Sect the next day, class zeroalso began their vacation. Gu Yue and Xie Xie chose to spend their vacationaway from campus. Naturally, they were both going home to play and relax, leaving Tang Wulin theonly one left in the dormitory. Where can I even go? Back to Glorybound City? Mom and dad arent there anymore, so can that place even be called homeanymore?Tang Wulin bitterly laughed at his lonesome thoughts. The only place he had now was Mang Tians workshop. He hoped that by devotinghimself to cultivating and work, hed be able to forget about his family. He had already filled out the Tang Sects registration form and handed it toWu Zhangkong, who submitted it to the Dazzling Era Tang Sect for review. Onlyafter approval would he officially become a member of the Tang Sect. 161 The Rules of the Tang Sec Tang Wulin sighed as he packed what he needed for the next months stay at theworkshop. Wulin, a familiar voice called out. Teacher Wu. Wu Zhangkong stood in the hallway, patiently waiting for Tang Wulin. What plans do you have for your vacation? Wu Zhangkong stoically asked. Somewhat at a loss, Tang Wulin shook his head. I dont really have any plansyet. I figured Id just focus on forging and cultivating. Thinking it over, Wu Zhangkong set out a proposal. Since you dont have anyplans, how about you come with me? Im visiting another city in order to takecare of some business. If you come along, youll be able to learn more aboutthe world outside of school and relax at the same time. Huh? Tang Wulin stared at Wu Zhangkong in astonishment. Wu Zhangkong considerately asked, Do you want some time to think it over? Tang Wulin quickly shook his head. No, Ill go with you. In thatsplit-second, his mood brightened up from his previous lonely depression.Iwonder where Teacher Wu will be taking me? Since Wu Zhangkong didnt say, Tang Wulin didnt bother to ask. ? A short hour later, they were waiting for the train at Eastsea Citys soultrain station. As usual, Wu Zhangkong was clothed in his white garbs and carried no luggage.Clearly, he possessed a soul storage device similar to Tang Wulins. As forTang Wulin, he had packed lightly, only bringing along a few sets of clothesand his two forging hammers. The white-clad Wu Zhangkong caught the attention of many women in the trainstation. Regardless of their age, their eyes would naturally drift to WuZhangkong. Surprisingly enough, there were quite a few younger girls who choseto eye Tang Wulin instead. Tang Wulins appeal was different from that of the mature and handsome WuZhangkongs. His large, limpid eyes as well as the calm aura that was beyondhis years easily drew the gazes of girls around his age. Today, Tang Wulin wore white sportswear that he had purchased himself. Theywere the cheapest of the cheapest clothes he could find. Though he was in noway hurting for money right now, his frugal nature wasnt something he couldeasily change. He couldnt even imagine what kind of high-quality materials WuZhangkongs white robe was made of. After spending a semester together, it was clear to Tang Wulin that WuZhangkong liked silence, so as long as Wu Zhangkong didnt say anything to him,he didnt try to engage him in conversation either. He was resolved to be aquiet and well-behaved child. The trains arrival was preceded by a low, rumbling noise. At the sight of thetrain they were to take, Tang Wulin finally realized their destination. They were headed toward Heaven Dou City. Heaven Dou City? Didnt that use to be the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire?It was a large metropolis that could still be considered one of the greatestcities on the Douluo Continent today. The distance between Eastsea City and Heaven Dou City was by no means small! Wu Zhangkong had bought them economy class seats. Each carriage could seatfour passengers, two on each side separated by an aisle in the middle. Thecheap price of the ticket was obvious from how cramped the carriage was. TangWulin was fine since he was still a small child, but Wu Zhangkongs long legswere already leaning against the back of the seat in front of him. While Tang Wulin was seated by the window, Wu Zhangkong had taken the outerseat, acting as a human barrier between him and the rest of the crowd. In hisisolated space, Tang Wulin felt a sense of security. Here. Wu Zhangkong handed him a booklet. Tang Wulin curiously examined it. There wasnt a single word on its cover,making him assume it was a notebook. When he opened it, however, there weredrawings of people alongside many notes. What is this, Teacher Wu? Tang Wulin inquired. The Tang Sects investigation into your background shouldnt turn up with anyissues, so Im giving you this booklet right now. Inside it is the Tang Sectscultivation technique, the Mysterious Heaven Method. It can also be used tomeditate, so you could also call it a meditation method. The benefits you getfrom it should be far better than what youre receiving now. Later, when youlearn other Tang Sect techniques, this Mysterious Heaven Method will serve asthe foundation. The Tang Sects methods? Tang Wulins eyes instantly lit up with excitement.So far, hed been using the basic cultivation methods provided by the academy,but now he would be able to replace it with a method from the legendary TangSect! Considering its reputation, he had no doubts about its quality. However, Wu Zhangkong had to caution him. When you first join the Tang Sect,youre initially only allowed to learn the Mysterious Heaven Method since itsthe foundation of everything. Only after familiarizing yourself with it willyou be able to cultivate in the other methods and techniques of the Tang Sect.But in your case, since you entered by passing the medium level test, you canalso pick one more technique to cultivate. Teacher Wu, wait a minute. Tang Wulin suddenly interrupted Wu Zhangkong andthen lowered his voice. Can we really talk about the Tang Sects methods insuch a crowded place? Wu Zhangkong shook his head dismissively. They wont hear our voices. Listenand see for yourself. Huh? It was only then that Tang Wulin noticed the total silence thatsurrounded him. The people continued to clamber onto the train, but not a peepcould be heard. As he focused on his surroundings, he observed a thin layer of soul powerseparating them from the crowd. What is this? Tang Wulin looked back at Wu Zhangkong in astonishment. Wu Zhangkong casually explained, This is merely a way of using soul power.Youll be able to do this once you reach a certain level as well. Now back tothe topic of Tang Sect techniques. There are a total of six: Mysterious Heaven Method, Mysterious Jade Hands,Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Purple DemonEyes, and Hidden Weapons Hundred Separations. Among them, Hidden WeaponsHundred Separations has already fused with the development of soul devicetechnology and is incorporated into the Tang Sects unique battle armors. Asfor the other five techniques, youd still learn them as you normally would. You may learn one extra technique after passing the medium level test, theadvanced level test, and so on. So right now, you can choose another one inaddition to the Mysterious Heaven Method. I personally recommend that youchoose Purple Demon Eyes. Its a method to cultivate your eyes strength whilealso increasing your spiritual power. Eyes are the windows to the mind, and this is the easiest way to increaseyour spiritual power. You will gain many advantages, so you really should pickPurple Demon Eyes. Okay! Tang Wulins gaze sparkled. Its a Tang Sect technique! Then, Teacher Wu, what obligations do I have to keep for the Tang Sect inreturn? Tang Wulin asked. Wu Zhangkong said, You must memorize and abide by the rules of the Tang Sect.As long as take care not to break any of them, your status as a member of theTang Sect will be guaranteed. In this world, nothing comes freely. If you wantto increase your position in the Tang Sect, you will have to contribute to thesect. For example, you can complete missions in order to earn some contributionpoints, which you can then exchange in the sect for many different items thatyou cant obtain anywhere else. You may also use them to increase yourcontribution level in the sect. As for the matter of documenting your contribution points, even as you spendthem, your total, recorded contribution points never change. As such, you cancall that total your effective contribution points value. Ill explain these things more in detail later, but what you really need toremember right now are the rules of the Tang Sect. If you break any of them,the lightest punishment you will receive is expulsion and having to returneverything you received from the sect. In the worst case scenario, there aremuch harsher and more severe punishments that may follow. As such, payattention. The first rule of the Tang Sect: be filial to the sect and to your teachers.This one is pretty simple. Just dont join any other sects or organizations andyoull be fine. Second rule of the Tang Sect: you will not commit rape or robbery. Third rule of the Tang Sect: you must not divulge the secrets of the sect. Fourth rule of the Tang Sect: It is the duty of everyone in the Tang Sect touphold virtue and condemn evil. Fifth rule of the Tang Sect: you must not deceive others. Wu Zhangkong continued to profoundly list off one Tang Sect rule afteranother, and Tang Wulin took each of them to heart. Though there were ten rulesin total, none of them were particularly harsh. The intent behind theirregulations could be summarized in one phrase: be a good person who cherishesthe Tang Sect. Tang Wulin, are you capable of following all of these rules? I am, Tang Wulin solemnly answered. With a more solemn tone than usual, Wu Zhangkong said, Remember, this is alifelong commitment. The Tang Sects objective is to uphold virtue and condemnevil while supporting the continents steady development. There arent manyrestrictions other than the ten rules, but you must absolutely never breakthem. As your teacher, as well as the person who recruited you, I will be heldresponsible for any mistake you make. Sensing the sudden severity in Wu Zhangkong, Tang Wulins pulse began to race,and he nodded solemnly. Alright then. Return the book to me after youve finished reading it. WuZhangkong let out a long sigh, then reclined in his chair and closed his eyes.He was now quietly waiting for the train to arrive at their destination. Yet, the clamoring of the crowd didnt return, and they were still envelopedin the same peaceful calm as before. Tang Wulin understood that Wu Zhangkongwas maintaining the barrier of soul power so that he could read in peace. The section on the Mysterious Heaven Method wasnt particularly long, and TangWulin finished reading it within half an hour. Despite that, he still had someconfusion about some of the acupuncture points and things of that nature. Wu Zhangkong gave him detailed explanations to any questions he asked aboutthe cultivation method and even had him begin moving his soul power along someof the paths outlined in the booklet. 162 Mysterious Heaven Method Though the seat was narrow, Tang Wulin was fortunately still a child so therewas just enough room for him to sit cross-legged. And with the tall andreliable Wu Zhangkong blocking any prying eyes, he could continue his lessonswithout any worries. He gently urged his soul power to slowly circulate through his body. He wasstill unfamiliar with the complicated pathways of the Mysterious Heaven Method,and he needed to circulate his soul power through meridians hed never evennoticed before. There was one area that proved to be quite a challenge for him,where his meridians were particularly complex. The only thing he could do wasslowly explore within himself and build his understanding bit by bit. Luckily for Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong was present to provide him with guidancewhenever he ran into any troubles. Every time he ran into an impasse, a coldstream of energy would enter his body and guide his soul power back onto theright path. Through trial and error and with Wu Zhangkongs guidance, TangWulins understanding of his meridians grew deeper and deeper. In such a manner, Tang Wulin was finally able to complete one cycle of soulpower circulation as outlined in the Mysterious Heaven Method. He graduallytuned out his surroundings and wholly focused on the task at hand. Slowly butsteadily, his soul power was on its way to completing another cycle. Withdrawing his hand from Tang Wulins stomach, Wu Zhangkong gave a slight nodof approval. This childs perception is pretty good. He only took two hours to complete hisfirst circulation cycle with my guidance. Not bad.When he was helping TangWulin, Wu Zhangkong was also pleasantly surprised to discover that Tang Wulinsmeridians were far stronger than normal. Not even three or four-ringed SoulMasters had meridians that could compare. With Tang Wulins tough meridians andhis soul power at the one-ringed level, he would be able to circulate his soulpower quickly without worrying about his body. This was the advantage of a powerful physique! The soul train steadily sped along, but even with its high speeds, it wouldtake one days worth of travel to reach Heaven Dou City. Fortunately for thepassengers, there were over a dozen stops at major cities in between, givingthem a chance to stretch their legs. Even though it was Tang Wulins first time cultivating the Mysterious HeavenMethod, he had somehow managed to enter a state of deep meditation, not leavingit once. Wu Zhangkong could feel the soul power within Tang Wulins bodycirculating more smoothly and with greater speed. This was the result of possessing both great perception and a strong body. Thedeep meditative state he was in was highly beneficial to Soul Masters, butrarely entered. Wu Zhangkong was a bit frightened though; from the looks ofthings, Tang Wulin might not even wake up when they arrived at theirdestination. Entering a deep meditation as soon as he was introduced to the MysteriousHeaven Method meant that he would come out of this meditative state with acomplete understanding of the method and the optimal benefits from it. He wouldnot need to familiarize himself with the method any further. Wu Zhangkong held up a hand to stop a passing train attendant. Hello, what may I help you with? The train attendants eyes widened a bit atWu Zhangkongs handsomeness and a blush found its way onto her cheeks. Hervoice was clearly sweeter now than when she had been talking to the otherpassengers. Im sorry to bother you, but Im looking for the conductor, Wu Zhangkongsaid in his usual cold tone. Youre looking for the conductor? Shes busy at the moment, so could you tellme what matter youre looking for her first? Perhaps Ill be able to assist youinstead? Although Wu Zhangkongs handsome figure had set her heart aflutter,she still retained her professionalism. You wont be able to help me. Please ask the conductor to come here. As hespoke, Wu Zhangkong raised his right hand to reveal several floating halos. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black! Six soul rings rose in thisorder. They were visible only to the attendant as she was currently positionedin a way that obstructed the gazes of others. Ah! The attendant couldnt help but cry out at the shocking sight. After the soul rings disappeared in a flash, Wu Zhangkong curtly nodded ather. On the Douluo Continent, this was the easiest way to demonstrate onesstrength. Soul rings equalled strength and status after all. Not only was WuZhangkong a six-ringed Soul Emperor, he was even a powerful expert thatpossessed a pair of ten-thousand-year black soul rings! How else was theattendant supposed to have reacted? Hey, you, dont use your handsomeness to take advantage of young ladies. Atall and robust man had appeared beside the attendant. He hadnt seen WuZhangkongs soul rings, but he had heard the attendants cry of alarm. Wu Zhangkong only shot him a glance and remained seated with his signaturecold and silent manner. Boy, I was talking to you. Stand up! The tall man clearly had a short temper. Its nothing, nothing at all. The train attendant had finally snapped out ofher daze and hastily stopped the man from approaching Wu Zhangkong. I was justsurprised at their credentials. They really do have an important matter to talkto the conductor about. Thank you for looking out for me, but you can return toyour seat now. The tall man cast a doubtful look at the attendant before mischievouslylaughing. Dont be afraid, little sister. I didnt like that pretty boy fromthe start. If he dares to try anything with you, just tell this big brother,and Ill help you punish him. Its fine, its fine, the attendant quickly assured. She turned back to WuZhangkong and respectfully said, Please wait a moment. I will immediately getthe conductor. Stating this, she hurriedly left. Perhaps it was because of the attendantsdeferential attitude to Wu Zhangkong, but the tall man no longer bothered them. Not too long after, the attendant returned, followed by a middle-aged woman. Hello, I am this trains conductor. What may I help you with? The trainconductor spoke with the utmost courtesy. This was only natural of course. Infront of her was a young, six-ringed Soul Emperor. Considering his age and thestrength he possessed, she could only imagine how high his status must be andfrom what great clan he hailed from. The conductor saw a slight change in Wu Zhangkongs expression before shediscovered with alarm that they had been isolated from the clamor of theirsurroundings. My disciple has entered a state of deep meditation, and I dont know how longthis will last. May I know if this train is heading anywhere else afterreaching Heaven Dou City? Deep meditation? For someone who wasnt a Soul Master, these two words didnthave much meaning, but she still answered quickly. We will be resting inHeaven Dou City for one day before continuing westward all the way to Sun MoonCity. This train runs from east to west, across the whole continent. That iswhy this train is also called the Traveler. Wu Zhangkong frowned. Then is it possible to stop in Heaven Dou City for awhile longer? The conductor made an awkward face. Im afraid thats impossible. Manytravelers have already bought tickets, so we wouldnt be holding up our end ofthe deal if we didnt continue on. Nodding in understanding, Wu Zhangkong said, Okay. I understand. Ill thinkof some other way then. Alright. Sorry for the inconvenience. If theres anything else I may helpwith, please notify me, the conductor said with a smile. After she left, the tall man from before said with disdain, What kind offarce is this? The conductor came yet you guys didnt even speak a word. As if he hadnt heard the mans complaints, Wu Zhangkong closed his eyes andignored him. Bored now, the tall man didnt continue deriding Wu Zhangkong. Like this, the soul train smoothly reached Heaven Dou City. To all passengers, please make sure to take all of your luggage and exit inan orderly fashion. Due to the cramped quarters, we ask that you watch out foryour belongings and your step to prevent any injuries from falling. Speakers projected the conductors voice throughout the train. Passengers stood up one by one to make their way to the exit, but Wu Zhangkongremained still. Tang Wulin was still in a deep meditation. His brows wrinkled as he thought about his plans. Not too long after, he and Tang Wulin were the only ones left on the train.The attendant tasked with tidying up the train walked over and politely said,Weve arrived at the station. You must disembark now. 163 Deep Meditation Troubles Wu Zhangkong stood up. I want to bring this chair with me. Heres money tocompensate for the cost. He took out some federation bills as he spoke. You want to bring this chair with you? The train attendant had never metsuch an eccentric passenger before.What did he mean by bring the chair withhim? Very soon, Wu Zhangkong explained the meaning of his words with a simplemotion. A ripple of blue light welled up in Wu Zhangkongs hand as a chill sweptthrough the surroundings. A blue flash later, the train attendant was shockedto see that the chair with the child sitting atop of it was steadily hoisted upby the white-robed man. Carrying the chair with only his left hand, he tooklarge strides towards the train exit. Huh? He really carried the chair away? Heavens! He detached the entire chair. The attendant hurriedly took out her soul communicator. Conductor, conductor,over here, theres And at this time, Wu Zhangkong had already left the train while carrying thechair that Tang Wulin sat on. Since he couldnt force the train to stop here, all he could do was take thechair and Tang Wulin along with him. He isolated Tang Wulin in a bubble of soulpower to prevent any distractions, which could lead to deviations in hiscultivation. For now, he planned on quickly leaving the train station beforelooking for an inn to stay at. Of course, as soon as Wu Zhangkong alighted from the train, he became thecenter of attention as he single-handedly carried a seated child. Thesurrounding tourists were all dumbstruck as a single thought crossed theirminds:whats going on? At that moment, an alarm resounded as a group of police officers from thetrain station came running over with soul laser guns in hand. Freeze! They formed a line in front of Wu Zhangkong, obstructing his path.The head officer stepped forward and gravely said, Sir, youve vandalized apublic train and taken a child. Please come with us and explain yourself. Fine. Wu Zhangkong agreed without a hint of resistance. The officers were stunned at such an icy and tranquil response. Theirimpression of him changed to one of a strange man, but surprisingly easy totalk to! They were already aware of his status as a six-ringed Soul Emperoranexistence impossible for them to stand againstand they were nearly tremblingfrom apprehension. Fortunately for them, Wu Zhangkong didnt resist and was actually compliant. Still carrying the chair that Tang Wulin sat on, Wu Zhangkong was escorted tothe police station in charge of patrolling Heaven Dou Citys train station. An officer wearing a captains badge welcomed them with an even largerentourage of officers accompanied by a pair of gigantic mechas surpassing tenmeters in height. The entire police force in charge of patrolling the train station had gatheredhere. Hello, you are a Soul Emperor, correct? The captain cut right to the chase. Wu Zhangkong was expressionless as he dropped the concealment on his aura, sixsoul rings rising from his feet. Coupled with the two black soul rings, thecaptain was at a loss in the face of the sheer power of Wu Zhangkongs aura. Greetings, revered Soul Emperor, said the captain as he gave a slight bow.Although ordinary people could use soul devices now and possessed some degreeof strength, they were still conscious of the insurmountable gap between themand true Soul Masters. And above all, before him was a Soul Emperor! Even for the police captain, it was his first time meeting an esteemed SoulEmperor. How could he possibly dare be disrespectful? Black soul rings were atthe ten-thousand-year level, a realm that could rend the heavens and raze theearth. Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldnt dare to offend an expert of thislevel! Wu Zhangkong curtly said, I apologize for troubling you, but my disciple hasentered a deep meditative state and must not be disturbed. Because of that, Icould only act in such a way. If its possible, please provide us with a quietroom and some food and water. An odd expression made its way onto the faces of all the police officers. Theyhad never encountered a suspect so cool that he would actually make demandsbefore the questioning even began. Yet, what was even more unexpected was how the captain immediately replied.Alright. Please follow me then. I have already heard of your circumstancesfrom the conductor and have asked the higher-ups for orders, so a quiet roomhas already been prepared for you. Please excuse me for cautiousness. Afterall, you are a very powerful individual. Lead the way. Wu Zhangkong wasnt one for small talk. Just as promised, the room prepared by the captain was utterly silent. Eventhe windows had been sealed with soundproofing material. High-class food andwater were soon delivered. There really was no room for neglect when dealingwith a Soul Emperor. In truth, the chief police officer had been quite reassured when he heard thatWu Zhangkong had left a stack of bills with the attendant after slicing apartthe chair. The fact that he bothered to pay for damages meant that he harboredno malice. If he indeed possessed ill intentions, the chief would have longcalled for backup. Although he had two standard mechas greet Wu Zhangkong, theycouldnt even be considered a match for a Soul Emperor, let alone one thatpossessed two black soul rings! A Soul Master powerful enough to possess ablack ten-thousand-year spirit soul had a boundless future. At the very least,it was guaranteed that he would break through to become a seven-ringed SoulSage. At that level, his status would be equal to that of a second-tier cityschief executive. Tang Wulin was completely unaware of his surroundings as he immersed himselfin this state of deep meditation. He felt as if his body was stretching outendlessly to absorb the energy of the heavens and the earth, bringing him anindescribable feeling of comfort. The soul power within him gently undulated asthey cleansed his meridians. In return, the meridians gradually absorbed thesoul power. His martial soul, soul power, body, and bloodline were allharmonizing together in his state of deep meditation. This type of situation wouldnt give a major leap in strength by any means,but in this harmonization process, his body basked in a feeling of wonder. Itlaid the foundation for a stronger body and smoother cultivation in the future. After some time had passed, Tang Wulin awoke. As he opened his eyes, heimmediately felt the changes in his body, as if it had been refined completely. Letting out a faint, but long breath, a rumble resounded from his body as hissoul power squirmed and penetrated into every part of his body. This feeling offreedom was simply impossible to describe. So comfortable! Tang Wulin joyfully exclaimed. There didnt seem to be any change even after his soul power returned to hisdantian. In fact, there seemed to be slightly less than before. Yet he clearlyfelt that his soul power had solidified by several degrees, giving him the ideathat if he used his soul skills or the Golden Dragon Claw now, he would be ableto use it a longer period of time. Where am I? As his soul power calmed down, Tang Wulin finally took note of hissurroundings. It was only a second later that he discovered Wu Zhangkongmeditating nearby. Teacher Wu? Shouldnt we be on a train? What is this little black room were in? Youre awake? Tang Wulin was able to clearly see Wu Zhangkongs eyes as heopened them in the darkness. They seemed to contain a vast, starry sky within them. Tang Wulin felt as ifhis soul was being sucked into those deep eyes. Teacher Wu, where is this? Weve already reached Heaven Dou City. Since youre awake now, lets be onour way. Wu Zhangkong swiftly stood up. Tang Wulin hastily followed suit andtrailed behind him to exit the black room. A loud rumble came from Tang Wulins stomach all of a sudden. A crimson blushimmediately colored his face, but he still trembled from intense hunger. Hungry? Mn. Tang Wulin lowered his head in embarrassment. Eat then. You can eat all of the food in the room. Wu Zhangkong pointed tothe food. It was only then that Tang Wulin noticed that there was a pile of food on thefloor and several cups of water. Unable to resist his hunger, Tang Wulin began to gorge himself. For the first time, Wu Zhangkong was exposed to Tang Wulins eating habits. Aquarter of an hour passed, and even Wu Zhangkongs icy expression had becomedull. Was it really the right choice to bring this kid with me after all? He hejust really eats way too much! Tang Wulin wasnt aware that he had actually been meditating for a full sevendays. All he knew was that he was ravenous and needed to fill himself up. It didnt take long before the pile of highly nutritious food disappeared intothe abyss that was Tang Wulins stomach. Even when all that was left was thefood packaging, Tang Wulin was still hungrily licking his lips. He was actuallystill hungry after devouring over a dozen boxes of food! Lets go, Wu Zhangkong said in a slightly off tone. Oh. A team of guards respectfully escorted them out of the train station. Taking in the scenery around him, Tang Wulin finally began to understand thedifference in scale between an ancient city such as Heaven Dou City and EastseaCity. Heaven Dou City has existed for over 20,000 years, as early as the era of theMartial Soul Hall. This was one of the greatest cities on the continent and hadeven held the title of being the greatest city back in the age of the HeavenDou Empire. 164 The Melancholic Prince Charming The pre-federation Sun Moon Empire later annexed the Heaven Dou Empire andturned Heaven Dou City into an ordinary city. Tang Wulin clearly remembered,however, that the city was founded on a splendid location. It was right besidethe legendary Great Star Dou Forestwhich teemed with soul beastsand wasfairly close to the great Shrek City, said to be the very core of the DouluoContinent. I wonder when Ill be able to visit Shrek City and Great Star Dou Forest. Whatwill it be like? Heaven Dou City was completely different from Eastsea City. Tang Wulin hadthought Heaven Dou City would have taller and more developed buildings, butonly when he saw Heaven Dou City did he realise that it was his own imagination. His initial impression of the city was that it was simple and plain. That was right, simple and plain! The city was filled with old era-styled buildings, but what was mostsurprising was that not a single skyscraper could be seen. The tallest thing inhis line of sight were actually some towering ancient trees. Teacher Wu, why arent there any skyscrapers here? Tang Wulin quietlyinquired. Wu Zhangkong explained, Heaven Dou City is a historical city; in order topreserve its historical value, the city imposed regulations that buildings werenot to surpass fifty meters in height and were, at most, ten stories high.These regulations are the reason why you will see plenty of ancient treestaller than fifty meters rather than skyscrapers. A lot of history fanatics love this city and come here as tourists. This cityis filled with culture and was actually where the Tang Sect was first founded.Even now, there is an important branch of the Tang Sect situated here. Tang Wulins curiosity was piqued. Then what about the Tang Sectsheadquarters? Where is it? Wu Zhangkong gave him a sharp glance. The headquarters? Its in Shrek City ofcourse. Oh. It suddenly struck Tang Wulin. Thats right! The Tang Sect is powerful,so its headquarters has to be in a super city like Shrek City! Teacher Wu, what are we doing in Heaven Dou City then? Tang Wulins interesthad only grown with this newfound knowledge. Wu Zhangkong answered with indifference, Im here to see a friend. Afterthat, Ill bring you to a few places. Lets get going. The duo didnt board another vehicle, opting to roam the historical streets ofHeaven Dou City. The weather in Heaven Dou City was pleasantly warm andslightly humid. Coupled with the abundance of plant life, the air wasexceptionally refreshing. It only took a few minutes for Tang Wulin to develop a liking for the city.Walking along these streets was a type of enjoyment. Wow! Teacher Wu, whats that over there? It smells so nice! Tang Wulinbounced with excitement as he pointed toward a fragrant shop. At a loss, Wu Zhangkong could only doubtfully ask, You can still eat? Tang Wulin nodded without a thought. Teacher Wu, let me treat you to a meal!I have money too. Shaking his head, Wu Zhangkong responded, Lets go. Ill pay. The two entered the shop. Its signboard said Yuhaos Roasted Fish. Seeing the name of the shop, Wu Zhangkongs eyes instantly lit up. No wonderit smells so good, its actually this shop. Tang Wulin asked, Youve been here before? Wu Zhangkong answered, Yuhaos Roasted Fish is famous in the central part ofthe continent, especially in Heaven Dou City, Shrek City, and Star Luo City. Itwas said that the recipe for their roasted fish was passed down from thefounder of the Spirit Pagoda, Huo Yuhao. Thats where the shop got its namefrom. It was also said that he used his roasted fish to woo the DragonButterfly Douluo. Speaking of which, your name is rather similar to the DragonButterfly Douluos; her name is Tang Wutong. A hint of yearning colored Tang Wulins eyes. So those legendary figuresloved to eat too! Wu Zhangkongs face twitched. Thats what you got out of what I said? Eh Tang Wulin awkwardly scratched his head as he tried to suppress hisimpatience to eat. Teacher Wu, lets go in then. Yuhaos Roasted Fish bustled with noise. Even though it couldnt be considereda proper restaurant, the shop was filled to the brim with customers savoringthe delicious fragrance of the roasted fish. The two seated themselves in a corner. Wu Zhangkong had clearly been herenumerous times so he ordered several dishes quickly, but with Tang Wulinsinput, he just ended up ordering ten of every single dish. Roasted fish tasted the best right after it had finished roasting. The skinwould be crispy yet have tender and succulent meat. The light fragrance anddelicate fish stock combined to create one of the worlds delicacies. For once, Tang Wulin was able to eat until he was satisfied. Although he couldeat a lot in the academys dining hall, there was just one problem with itsfood: their taste was only decent! Every meal he had had at the dining hall wasonly for the purpose of filling his stomach and nothing more. Yet, every biteof roasted fish was pure bliss! Tang Wulins face was flushed from the delicious roasted fish. A brave lighttwinkled in his eyes, as if he was prepared to eat his own tongue together withthe fish. After gracefully eating two roasted fish, Wu Zhangkong shifted his attentionto Tang Wulins eating performance. Thats ninety-one fish in total The price Wu Zhangkong had gotten the bill. Thank you, Teacher Wu. Tang Wulin was so invigorated after eating so muchthat he actually wanted to eat some more. Wu Zhangkong merely looked at him. It must have been hard for your family toraise you. Only after staring blankly at Wu Zhangkong for a moment did Tang Wulin realizethat Wu Zhangkong meant his ability to eat.Teacher Wu actually knows how totell a joke? Teacher, what are we going to do now? Well find a place to stay first. You were in a deep meditation for sevendays after all. After washing up and changing into a fresh set of clothes,well go out again. Wu Zhangkong said. Okay. The inn Wu Zhangkong chose was by no means luxurious; in fact, it was veryplain. Its only merit was that it was clean. Wu Zhangkong only rented out a single room with two beds. The first thing Tang Wulin did was wash up and take a relaxing bath. Hechanged into a clean set of clothes and felt completely refreshed. Wu Zhangkong took a little longer than Tang Wulin to wash up before changinginto a set of almost identical white robes. His white robes fluttered about while his long hair draped behind him. He hadalready used his soul power to evaporate the water in his hair. Were going! A trace of melancholy swept past his eyes as he peered out thewindow. Tang Wulin had a feeling that the moment he entered Heaven Dou City, there wasa change in Wu Zhangkong. Leaving the inn, Wu Zhangkong chose to continue their journey on foot. It wasclear though that their pace had sped up. Wu Zhangkong lead Tang Wulin withfamiliarity along the winding streets that gradually changed from bustlingcrowds to quiet cheerlessness. Just where are we headed? Turning onto a small, narrow road, there were even less people to be found.Only two soul cars could fit side-by-side on this street. On one side of the small road was a tall wall. A dense thicket of vegetationcould be seen over it. On the other side of the road was a forest. Tang Wulin felt a clear change in Wu Zhangkongs mood as they walked thisroad. Both Wu Zhangkongs breathing and pace clearly sped up, but what was evenmore obvious was the disappearance of the usual coldness in his eyes, replacedby complicated feelings. Depression, longing and melancholy could all be seen in his eyes. If he wasusually described as white robes and blue swords, sky ice and snow cold, thennow he could only be called a melancholic man. He had completely shed off hisshell of coldness to reveal his original warmth, but this change was stillovershadowed by the complex emotions within his heart. They followed the road for another five hundred meters before a gate appearedin the large wall. Heaven Dou Public Cemetery. Tang Wulins heart trembled at these four words. This is actually a cemetery? A chill crawled down his spine. Teacher Wu brought me to a cemetery? Who is hepaying his respects to? 165 The Grave of Long Bing Sure enough, Wu Zhangkong led the way into Heaven Dou Public Cemetery. Theplant life seen peeking from over the walls was actually part of the cemetery.A collection of large trees were orderly arranged between the gravestones. Wu Zhangkongs robes fluttered behind him as he entered, seeming to fit in asa ghostly specter. This was Tang Wulins first time entering such a place, and so his gaze beganto wander. There were only a few people present in the cemetery paying theirrespects to the deceased. As if possessed, Wu Zhangkong didnt stop until they arrived at a gravestonejust off of the cemeterys center. The gravestone was tall and adorned with a few simple words: The grave of LongBing. Long Bing? Whos that? It sounds like a girls name. Wait here. Turning around to speak to Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkongs tone hadthawed from its usual iciness to a warm tenderness. Okay. Tang Wulin considerately moved to stand at the side. Now holding a white cloth, Wu Zhangkong began to clean the gravestone. Eachmovement was filled with heartfelt gentleness as if he was caressing a mostcherished item. The gravestone wasnt dirty by any means; in fact, only a thin layer of dustcovered it. In no time at all, it was sparkling clean as jade. Compared to theother gravestones, it was clearly much brighter. The tenderness in Wu Zhangkongs expression had completely eclipsed themelancholy and sorrow he carried before. As if in a trance, not a single word left his lips as he caringly wiped thegravestone clean. Though Tang Wulin wished to step forward and lend a hand, something told himthat he shouldnt disturb his teacher in such a moment. A stifled feelingpressed down on him. After a full hour of earnest cleaning, Wu Zhangkong finally finished and stoodup to gaze upon the gravestone, his eyes filled with a level of love andkindness never seen until now. It was as if the spring winds had blown a smileonto his face, creating a cozy atmosphere around him. You were always fond of white, so Im wearing white today. You said you liked my smile, so I will smile only for you. Binger, how are you doing in the next world? As he softly spoke, Wu Zhangkongs fingers traced the grooves that made up thename Long Bing. Not a single tear escaped, presenting only a gentle smile. By the time they left the cemetery, it was already evening. Wu Zhangkong had assumed his usual cold attitude, and Tang Wulin didnt dareto ask anything. All he could do was follow behind his teacher.Long Bing shouldbe a relative of Teacher Wu, right? Or could it be one of those lovers Xie Xietalked about before? Without bothering to explain anything, Wu Zhangkong simply led the way back toHeaven Dou City. Crowds of people were bustling along the warmly-lit streets of Heaven DouCity. The shops had opened long ago and were engaged in fast and hard businesstransactions. Though Wu Zhangkong had regained his composure, Tang Wulins image of him hadbeen irreversibly changed. Teacher Wu isnt really a cold person! He said his smile is only meant forthat person! What do you want to eat for dinner? Wu Zhangkong peered at Tang Wulininquisitively. Huh? Anything is fine! Tang Wulin was fine with anything as long as it wasfood. Not one to overcomplicate things, Wu Zhangkong decided thus, Lets go fornoodles then. Some delicious noodles. Tang Wulins interest was piqued. Wu Zhangkong had actually described a foodas delicious, something out of character of him. These noodles really are delicious! Tang Wulin thought to himself for thetenth time as he devoured his tenth bowl. The noodles were cooked just rightand were perfectly complemented by the rich soup. At first glance, it seemed tobe a simple dish with only some meatballs and vegetables as toppings, but thetaste was amazing. Wu Zhangkong had only eaten one bowl, but he had savored each and everynoodle. The previous tenderness had resurfaced in the depths of Wu Zhangkongseyes, astonishing Tang Wulin. Although he wasnt smiling, that gentleness inhis eyes along with his handsome looks had the mysterious effect of melting thehearts of every single woman that entered the small noodle shop. In fact, there were even some courageous ladies who came up to flirt with himfrom time to time. And every time, Wu Zhangkong had a simple, sure-kill answer prepared for theseentanglements. He would simply shift his gaze to Tang Wulin and say with hisusual indifference, This is my son. S-son? Neither of them looked similar to the other, especially when comparing theadorableness of Tang Wulins large and bright eyes with the chillinghandsomeness of Wu Zhangkongs narrow and sharp eyes. Yet, none of the pretty ladies who approached him doubted their relationshipas father and son after a brief glance at Tang Wulin. Son? Tang Wulin didnt refute Wu Zhangkongs statement. Instead, heattentively watched the constant changes in Wu Zhangkongs expression. He couldtell that the iciness of todays Wu Zhangkong was different from the one he wasfamiliar with. After half a year of cultivating with Wu Zhangkong, he had gradually begun tounderstand that Wu Zhangkongs heart really wasnt as cold as it appeared. Onthe contrary, under the cold exterior, he was a passionate person full of loveand kindness. A seed of fear had found its way into Tang Wulin when they had visited thecemetery this morning, but the actions of Wu Zhangkong afterward had reaffirmedhis thoughts.Teacher Wu really is kind. He must have lost someone really important to him. Soon after, another shocking scene took place in the noodle shop. In front ofa child lay a mountain of bowls while the handsome young man sitting acrossfrom him only had a single bowl before him. He was slowly eating each noodleone by one as if they were the worlds greatest delicacy. Such a strange combination simply demanded the attention of their surroundings. Lets go. After they finished eating and paid, Wu Zhangkong brought TangWulin back to the inn. Go meditate. Were getting up early tomorrow morning. Taking a few minutesto wash his face first, Wu Zhangkong quickly climbed onto his bed and beganmeditating cross-legged. Taking care not to disturb Wu Zhangkong, Tang Wulin silently crept to thefront of the bed and peered out the window. It was deep into the night, butHeaven Dou City was still thriving with warm lights and rowdy people. TangWulin liked this city far more than Eastsea City. Instead of the cluster ofskyscrapers that made up the core of Eastsea City, there was history, cultureand most importantly, human warmth that permeated throughout Heaven Dou City. At his young age, Tang Wulin wasnt able to understand that this ambiguousfeeling originated from the culture and history of the city. In the moments of twilight as the sky transitioned from darkness to a deepblue, Tang Wulin was stirred awake by Wu Zhangkong. Tang Wulin could clearly feel the Mysterious Heaven Methods greater efficacycompared to the standard methods provided by the academy. In his first session,he had entered a deep meditation and refined his body, and in this secondsession, there was a tangible increase in his soul power. His soul power andbody had blended together and were now working in complete harmony, completelydevoid of the unease his bloodline had previously brought about. Though Tang Wulins body hadnt increased in power, it had definitelyincreased in toughness. Lets go. Wu Zhangkong beckoned to Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin hastily rushed over to Wu Zhangkong, and the moment he reached him,Wu Zhangkong grabbed hold of his arm. A sudden gale struck Tang Wulin, and thenext thing he knew, they were on the inns rooftop. From behind Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong reached over to grasp his head. Twofingers poked into Tang Wulins jaw, the thumbs pressing into the temples, andthe remaining three fingers stabbed into other acupuncture points on his face. Feel how my soul power circulates. Ill have you start cultivating the PurpleDemon Eyes soon after. Breathe according to the Mysterious Heaven Method andlook to the east. Every morning, there is a streak of white rising from theeast. The moment it appears, it is followed by a trace of purple qi. The TangSects Purple Demon Eyes is a method to absorb that purple qi and use it toimprove eyesight. When we absorb that energy, we are also cultivating ourspiritual power. Understood? I understand. It wasnt hard for Tang Wulin to comprehend such a simple idea. Thin threads of soul power began pouring into Tang Wulins facial acupuncturepoints from Wu Zhangkongs fingers. His face immediately felt refreshed as ifhe was washing it in a crystal-clear spring. The feeling was simplyindescribable. Amidst this feeling of clarity, Tang Wulin noticed that his eyeshad grown stronger, and he was able to see faraway things even more clearly now. In complete silence, he memorized how Wu Zhangkongs soul power flowedthroughout his face. Gather your soul power and follow my guidance. Steadily breathe according tothe Mysterious Heaven Method, reminded Wu Zhangkong. Tang Wulin quickly did as instructed. He was already familiar with what he needed to do and spurred on by WuZhangKong, it didnt take long for him to begin circulating his soul power asneeded for the Purple Demon Eyes. Right at that moment, a streak of white crept up on the horizon and for thefirst time, Tang Wulin noticed the purple of the morning dawn. Suddenly, the purple light seemed to fill his eyes, and a comforting warmthpermeated through them. He didnt know why, but tears began to well up. Butinstead of streaming down, they glistened and created a thin layer across hiseyes. An indescribable feeling of soothing and warmth were absorbed into hiseyes, merging into their depths and the minuscule acupuncture pointssurrounding it. 166 Branchmaster Zhao of the Tang Sec How mystical! Though he couldnt feel a change in his spiritual power, there was an apparentchange in the clarity of his eyesight.This really is an extraordinary eyecultivation method! It really deserves to be one of the Tang Sects secretmethods. The purple qi disappeared as quickly as it came. It truly was an ephemeralexistence. Wu Zhangkong had stood behind Tang Wulin, patiently guiding Tang Wulins soulpower according to the Purple Demon Eyes method til the end. The horizon shone with a halo of light as the sun vanquished the darkness withits slow ascension to its zenith. With dawns brief moment of twilight gone, WuZhangkong removed his hands and let Tang Wulin absorb the secrets of the methodcompletely. Done. From now on draw the purple qi into your eyes every morning andimmediately cultivate for half an hour. Cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes willtake time and constant practice to reach a high level. You will progressrapidly in the beginning, but it will soon be difficult to improve and you willeventually stagnate. How do you feel now? Wu Zhangkong said. Tang Wulin nodded and said, I feel warm and comfortable. I can see in greaterdetail than before now that my vision is clearer. The colors are more vibranttoo. Wu Zhangkong eyes glazed over. You really feel like that? Youre notexaggerating? Tang Wulin shook his head. Nope! It really feels like that. Thank you,Teacher Wu. An unknown emotion clouded Wu Zhangkongs mind. He distinctly remembered thatwhen he had first begun cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes, it had taken himhalf a month to reach that stage.Could this child be compatible with the PurpleDemon Eyes? This is the first time hes cultivated it yet he has alreadyprogressed so much? Peering into the depths of Tang Wulins large, bright eyes, Wu Zhangkong couldonly nod. Continue practicing. If you have any questions, you can ask me.Lets go down now. The two quickly washed up and ate breakfast. Fortunately for Tang Wulin, the inn they stayed at provided buffet-stylebreakfast. Even a child as cute as Tang Wulin was unwelcomed once the inn discovered hisunparalleled eating prowess. This was a commonly heard tale of Tang Wulin. Teacher Wu, what are we doing today? Tang Wulin asked with youthfulcuriosity. Wu Zhangkong answered, Youre staying in the room to cultivate the PurpleDemon Eyes method today. This method is still beneficial to your spiritualpower even without purple qi to enhance your eyesight. Oh. Okay. Tang Wulin deflated. He had wanted to go out and see the city withWu Zhangkong but was tasked with cultivating inside the room. Tang Wulin never imagined that this continued for half a month. Every day in the early morning Wu Zhangkong would observe him cultivate thePurple Demon Eyes, provide guidance when necessary, then head out alone to takecare of some unknown matters. Where was the relaxation mentioned? Tang Wulin was immersed in gloom andboredom. Although he had a relatively steady temper, he was still a child.Coming to such a magnificent city yet unable to explore it at all, it was nowonder he was dejected. To make things worse, Wu Zhangkong had forbidden him from meditating. He wasto focus on practicing the Purple Demon Eyes method to increase his spiritualpower. Such a monotonous life truly was dull. Fortunately, the improvements were morethan enough to motivate Tang Wulin onwards. It seemed that not only was he exceptionally compatible with the Purple DemonEyes, it was the same for the Mysterious Heaven Method. He had made significantand smooth progress in both of these two Tang Sect methods.His cultivation ofthe Mysterious Heaven Method had stabilized; while his speed was not consideredfast, it was greater than before. Tang Wulins most prominent discovery though was that could condense his soulpower with the Mysterious Heaven Method. As such, despite not increasing itsvolume, his soul power had become incredibly dense. He had immersed himselfinto condensing his soul power after Wu Zhangkong told him that the greaterdegree of purity and density his soul power was, the further he would reach inthe future. Tang Wulins cultivation of the Purple Demon Eyes was extremely quick. Hereached the first realm of the Purple Demon Eyes that Wu Zhangkong hadmentioned in half a month. The world seemed to slow and become crystal clear in the wake of himcirculating soul power according to the Purple Demon Eyes method. The smallestof details and changes were all observed by him in this state. For instance, every speck of dust was clearly outlined under the gentle gazeof the sun; he could even discern the faint veins of distant leaves. Withoutsuch spectacular results, Tang Wulin would have found it too dull to persevere. Today was their fifteenth day in Heaven Dou City yet Wu Zhangkong had onlybrought him around town on the first day. He had been cooped up in their roomcultivating for the other days. After cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes and eating breakfast, Wu Zhangkongfinally spoke the words Tang Wulin had been yearning to hear. Lets go, yourecoming with me today. Okay! Teacher Wu, where are we going? Tang Wulin was jumping with joy at thelong-awaited chance to go out. Wu Zhangkong turned around and said to him, Did you feel that cultivating wasvery dull these last 14 days? Though Tang Wulin was taken aback for a moment, he quickly regained himself.He spoke truthfully, In the beginning, it was like that, but it got better asI continued. I like being able to see many things I couldnt before with thePurple Demon Eyes. Nodding, Wu Zhangkong reminded him, Remember, cultivating is not for the sakeof harming others but to have the strength to protect your loved ones. Strengthis the basis for everything. The efforts you put in now are all to prevent anyfuture tragedies. Tang Wulin wasnt mature enough to comprehend Wu Zhangkongs words completely,but within Wu Zhangkongs eyes were the same emotions he had in the cemetery.Tang Wulin carved those words into his heart. Lets go. Wu Zhangkong walked away, leaving Tang Wulin to catch up. Just like before, they walked on foot; this time though, they werent headingfor the suburbs. No, this time, they headed straight for the core of the city.Tang Wulin didnt mind walking at all; in fact, Tang Wulin was fond of it as itgave him the chance to look around. Heaven Dou City truly was a city filled with beauty. Whether it be itshistorical sites, breathtaking scenery, or culture, it had it all. The lessersoul cars compared to Eastsea City changed the mood of the city.There was aqualitative difference between Eastsea City and Heaven Dou City, the twoincomparable. Heaven Dou City, however, was far less industrialized thanEastsea City. Two hours on foot later, the two arrived at their destination: an antiquatedgarden. The garden was surrounded by tall, mottley walls and a vermillion door. Therewere no signs or markings to name this aged garden. Wu Zhangkong briskly strode over to the door and pressed his right hand on itwith practiced movements without any regard to its outward appearance. This Isnt this the same action Teacher Wu did when we were at the DazzlingEra Tang Sect? A faint light swept over his body and beeped once before the door opened. WuZhangkong lead the way in. The vermillion doors silently closed behind them. Inside was a space that wasuntouched by time and without any signs of soul technology. It possessed anaura so pristine that it was almost as if they were back in the ancient era. Youve brought him? A deep voice penetrated the silence before an elderlyman walked out from the only building present in the garden. The old mansshort height emphasized how fat he was. Coupled his bald head, he looked almostlike a mountain of meat. Wu Zhangkong actually let his usual arrogance go and bowed in greeting to thisold man. Branchmaster Zhao. Come on in. Is this really a Tang Sect branch? Tang Wulin wondered. Tang Wulin was awed beyond comparison the moment he entered the building. Tworows of towering sculptures lined each side, exuding a majestic air. The building appeared to be a single-story building that was no taller thanfive meters from its exterior but he was shaken to discover that once he wasinside, the ceiling was well over thirty meters tall and the interior larger!The sculptures loomed over him at a height of more than ten meters. These sculptures were of both men and women, all appearing to be in theirtwenties and were displayed with an assortment of martial souls. Tang Wulin suddenly found a familiar figure among the sculptures. The thirdsculpture on his left was a smiling sweetly young lady with a delicate figure.In her left hand was a three-legged cauldron while in her right was a flute. 167 The Legends of the Tang Sec She Isnt this the girl I fought in the Hall of Heroes? She appears moremature in this sculpture though; the one I fought was when she was a young girl. This is the Flute Cauldron Douluo, Xiao Xiao? One of the numerous titles sheheld was being a member of the Spirit Pagodas founders generation of theShrek Seven Monsters. Her Three Cycles Soul Cauldron and Nine Phoenix Flutetwin martial souls were famed for their strength. Then the other sculptures should be of the remaining Shrek Seven Monsters inher generation, right? Tang Wulins excitement soared as he recalled all his favorite tales of theTang Sect that had been imprinted in his heart. The most famous were the first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, inparticular, the illustrious Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San, leader of the ShrekSeven Monsters and founder of the Tang Sect. After that was the next generation that existed 10,000 years ago, thegeneration of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, founder of the Spirit Pagoda. Herebuilt Tang Sect from its crumbling husk of an organization back to its formerglory. Tang Sect never stopped shining majestically throughout the world fromthen on. Despite their achievements though, the federation had a less-than-kind view ofthem. After all, the Spirit Ice Douluo had led his comrades to force the SunMoon Empire into a peace treaty. There were even some that said that the following generations great emperorwas the Spirit Ice Douluos illegitimate child. No one knew whether thisdoubtful story was true or not, however. Ah! The person beside Xiao Xiao should be Caitou, right? Then the ones overthere should be the Mysterious Underworld Douluo, Xu Sanshi and the DemonRabbit Douluo, Jiang Nannan. The one at the front with shining eyes and sixspirit souls should be the Spirit Pagodas founder, the legendary Spirit IceDouluo, Huo Yuhao. Legends said that he had a million-year Skydream Iceworm as one of his spiritsouls. He also had two of the ten great soul beasts of the time, the GlacialHeaven Snow Empress and the Frost Jade Scorpion Empress. Thehundred-thousand-year Arctic Bear King and hundred-thousand-year Eight-PointedFrozen Grass were also among his array of spirit souls. There was no mistakinghis claim as the most legendary figure of the time! Unfortunately no one knew what happened after his earth-shattering,heaven-turning battle with the Beast God, Di Tian. The Beast God vanished whilethe Spirit Ice Douluo and his wife, the Dragon Butterfly Douluo, disappearedaltogether. Perhaps only the other five members of that generations ShrekSeven Monsters would know where the two had gone. Tang Wulin felt as though he were right there with them as he gazed upon thesculptures and recalled the legends of their epic adventures. Tang Wulins eyes glowed brighter when he switched his gaze to the sculptureson the right.If the left are the Shrek Seven Monsters from 10,000 years ago,then the right should be the original Shrek Seven Monsters! The sculpture of the Civet Douluo, Zhu Zhuqingone of the original Shrek SevenMonsters and a founding member of the Tang Sectstood at the very back. In front of her was Ning Rongrong, the Nine Treasures Douluo. There wererumors that said she transformed her auxiliary-type martial soul, the SevenTreasures Glazed Pagoda, into the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda. With it, shehad brought the sect 10,000 years of prosperity. The bloodline of the NineTreasures Glazed Pagoda was rare even in ancient times. Now it was merely alegend of eras long gone. Many other powerful martial soul bloodlines of theancient era shared a similar fate and were lost with the passage of time. The Demonic Fire Phoenix Douluo, Ma Hongjun with his flaming phoenix, stoodbefore Ning Rongrong. As one who bore the exalted title of being one of theShrek Seven Monsters, it was only natural for his Demonic Fire Phoenix to beknown as a martial soul that stood at the worlds peak. In front of him was the Food God Douluo, Oscar. Whats that revolving aroundhim? Is that a sausage? Ah! Thats right! I heard his nickname was Big SausageUncle! Standing further along the line was a man with a regal air, the White TigerDouluo, Dai Mubai. It was said in the stories that he was the strongest memberof the Shrek Seven Monsters for a long time. Tang Wulin finally looked at the two most magnificent sculptures in theforefront. He didnt know why, but a shiver ran down his spine the moment he set his eyeson them. An incomprehensible feeling of warmth and longing filled him. His gaze rested on the girl in a pink dress first. Her sculpture was carvedexquisitely, every line and curve capturing her essence and filling her with aspark of life. Her long scorpion braid hung down her back while her large,beautiful eyes accentuated her sweet smile. Even though spirit souls hadnt existed in that era, a pair of rabbit earspopped out from the top of her head. She was the co-founder of the Tang Sectand the only member in the entire history of the Shrek Seven Monsters to be ahuman-transformed soul beastSoft Bone Douluo, Xiao Wu! She was supposedly a hundred-thousand-year soul beast that gained human formand became the Tang Sect founders lover. When her identity was revealed andothers aimed for her life, the Tang Sect founder didnt hesitate to protect herwith his life. Yet, just when she was about to truly metamorphose into a human,the Soft Bone Douluo chose to sacrifice herself and become the Tang Sectfounders soul ring. Though the Tang Sect founder lived thanks to her sacrifice, all that remainedof her was a corpse. Tormented by his loss, he used a rare herb to just barelypreserve the core of her life. He finally managed to resurrect her afterundergoing many trials throughout the world, utilising every method he couldthink of and severing his own arm to return the soul bone he had received fromher sacrifice. Such a romantic tale of tragic love moved the hearts of countless people. Itwas also because of such a heart-wrenching story that the original Shrek SevenMonsters were the most renowned. Tang Wulin took a subconscious step forward as he regarded the sculpture ofsuch an eminent figure. His gaze wavered and his body began to feel feverish ashe felt something calling out to him. His heart in turmoil, he turned to look at the foremost figure. This strikingman had long aqua-blue hair that trailed over his shoulders while a smile warmand serene. In his left hand waved a strand of blue-gold grass and apitch-black hammer, and spread from his back were eight spider legs that werestretched out like an array of spears. An air of simplicity and mystery clungto him. But it was the resplendent golden trident in his right hand that offset thoseprevious airs. The head of the long trident had an elegant and regal designcarved on it. It was clear that the sculptures on the right were closer to the two words,Tang Sect, than those on the left. The closest one of all was the founder ofTang Sect. There was no doubt that this was the ancestor as well as the founder of TangSectthe peerless figure who had ascended to godhood, praised as the strongestin all of history, the Thousand Hands Douluo, Tang San! As Tang Wulin stared at Tang Sans sculpture, a sense of familiarity andsecurity embraced his heart. Under the gentle gaze of Tang San, Tang Wulin felthis boiling blood settle down and a similarly pleasant smile found its way ontohis lips. These two generations of Shrek Seven Monsters had each created their owneternal legends in two different eras of the Tang Sect! They brought the TangSect to the zenith of glory and gave birth to a Tang Sect saying: We are allTang Sect. We are born to be peerless. These two provocative phrases wereactually hanging on the wall right beside the large Tang Sect. Three bows. Wu Zhangkongs sudden instruction roused Tang Wulin from hisstupor. Tang Wulin hastily straightened his back and fought back the urge to keepadmiring the sculptures around him. The two of them respectfully bowed threetimes to the two large words Tang Sect. Pride gushed from the depths of Tang Wulins heart. This was the pride ofbeing a Tang Sect disciple. This is the Tang Sect, the Tang Sect with over 20,000 years of history! Seeing that they finished their three bows, the old man gave them an approvingnod. Now then, you two follow me. The old man led them to the left side of the hall. Wu Zhangkong pulled on Tang Wulins hand, indicating for him to follow andquietly said, This garden was established by the Tang Sects founder, TangSan. Its also the place with the longest history in the Tang Sect. It wasseized by someone else 10,000 years ago, but Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao tookit back and used this place as the starting point to rebuild the Tang Sect upto what it is today. This isnt the Tang Sects headquarters anymore, but itsstill a critical location to the Tang Sect. Every year the core disciples ofthe Tang Sect come here to pay their respects. The only reason youre able tocome here today is because your membership has been approved now. My membership has been approved? Then, Im an actual Tang Sect disciple now!Tang Wulin was on cloud nine at the moment. Old Man Zhao brought them into a side room. Silence pervaded the simply furnished room. Only a seemingly timeless woodenbed which exuded an air of antiquity sat in the room. The old man turned to face Tang Wulin, expressionlessly saying, Get on thebed. Huh? Tang Wulins brain stopped working. Wu Zhangkong quickly asserted the order. Do what Branchmaster Zhao says. Oh. Tang Wulin replied blankly, then took off his shoes and climbed onto thebed, sitting cross-legged. Old Man Zhao climbed onto the bed with him. When Zhao placed a hand on hisshoulder, a slight floating sensation enveloped his body. A moment later, TangWulin found himself facing the other direction. Old Man Zhao sat down behind him. Pay close attention and loosen your body.Relax both your mind and body. As he complied with the old mans instructions, two streams of soul power boreinto his back, one firm while the other gentle. Its the Mysterious Heaven Method! His familiarity with the method allowed himto immediately recognize the root characteristics of the old mans soul power.Yet, Tang Wulin had never faced such vigorous soul power before. He felt like asmall boat drifting along the tides of the sea that was Old Man Zhaos soulpower. 168 Tang Wulin’s Endurance Very quickly Tang Wulin felt bloated as an unknown pressure expanded withinhis body like inflating a balloon. The swollen sensation transitioned from a mere discomfort to piercing pain astime ticked on. His meridians and internal organs began to groan with pain andin response, his blood grew frenzied and widened his meridians, dulling thepain until it was just a numb throb. Ah! Tang Wulin yelped in surprise. His already swollen body began to enlargeonce again, sinking his mind into a muddled state. After an unknown period of time, the distended feeling subsided like the oceantide. It was if it had never been there in the first place, leaving Tang Wulinfeeling utterly refreshed. A shiver ran down his spine and he woke from hisinvoluntary slumber. Branchmaster Zhao stood by the bed, astonishment written all over his face.Eastseas Little Zhangkong, just where did you find such a freak? His soulpower is obviously weak, but his body is extraordinarily strong. With a respectful tone muting his usual bluntness, Wu Zhangkong said,Branchmaster Zhao, what are the maximum level of spirit souls and soul ringsdo you think he can bear right now? Branchmaster Zhao paused before replying, The spirit souls level isdependent on spiritual power, and soul rings are dependent on the body, so itshouldnt be a problem for his current body to support a thousand-year soulring up to 4000 years old. Wu Zhangkongs face now mirrored the Branchmasters look of amazement. Hehadnt expected Tang Wulins body to actually be able to bear this much. An ordinary Soul Masters first soul ring could reach up to 400 years, yetTang Wulins body was already more than ten times stronger than his peers andhis meridians had proved to be extremely durable as well. It was normal foranyone who discovered such a little freaks capabilities to feel astounded. Wu Zhangkongs voice still held a trace of surprise as he clarified, Soyoure saying that if his spirit soul evolved into the thousand-year level andhe has sufficient spiritual power, if he had two soul rings, each will be 2000years? By the time he breaks through to two rings, his body will have growneven stronger and at that point, wouldnt he be able to support two soul ringsof the 3000-year level? Branchmaster Zhao nodded in affirmation. You could think of it like that. Ofcourse, thats assuming he has enough spiritual power to support a 3000-yearspirit soul, which is approximately 200 points of spiritual power. What is hiscurrent spiritual power level? Wu Zhangkong recalled Tang Wulins remarkable results as he said, He hasalready started cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes and he is very compatiblewith it, showing much insight. With such a powerful method and coupled with hisperception, he should make quick progress in his spiritual power until hereaches the Spirit Sea realm. I estimate that his spiritual power has alreadybroken through 100-points since his spiritual power was already extraordinaryto begin with, so it should be no problem for him to acquire a 2000-year spiritsoul and a pair of 2000-year soul rings. His spirit soul should also improvefurther as he cultivates his spiritual power, but since his soul power is onlyrank 16 at the moment, hell need at least half a year to a year to reach rank20, and thats only in the best of circumstances. He should have plenty of timeto increase his spiritual power. A mysterious smile tugged at Branchmaster Zhaos lips as he ran his hands overhis shiny bald head. I understand now. Youve been planning on raising him tobe extraordinary from the very beginning. Not bad, not bad. He seems like apromising disciple. Tang Wulin sat there without speaking, blankly listening to the two converseand unable to comprehend their conversation. Wu Zhangkongs voice snapped himout of his daze. Wulin, thank Branchmaster Zhao. Tang Wulin hastily scrambled off his chair and bowed deeply in gratitude.Thank you. Branchmaster Zhao dismissed his gratitude with a wave and spoke with aprofoundness that was beyond Tang Wulin. Not bad. It seems we have anotherpromising young disciple in the Tang Sect now. Well be taking our leave then, Branchmaster Zhao. The branchmaster responded with a knowing nod. Go then. You can give him theTang Sect badge now. This child has great potential. Teach him well. Yes. Wu Zhangkong gave a respectful salute and made to leave the branch withTang Wulin. Teacher Wu, I dont really understand what you two were talking aboutearlier. Were you saying I can still improve my spirit soul in the spiritascension platform? Wu Zhangkong nodded. Branchmaster Zhao has a gentle and pure martial soulwhich is suited for accurate measurements of bodily endurance and tested you.Now our goal is to upgrade your spirit soul to the 2000-year level so your soulrings will be at the thousand-year level at the very least. Your physique isalready strong enough so you must focus on cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes.Quickly reach the Spirit Sea realm, and dont get distracted. Once you reachthat realm, you wont have to worry about your spiritual power again until youattain six rings. Yes! A thousand-year spirit soul? A thousand-year soul ring? Tang Wulins heart raced with excitement and yearning. Wu Zhangkong was fully aware of the effect his words had on his disciple. Nowwere going to the Spirit Pagoda to measure your spiritual power. The local Spirit Pagoda branch was situated in the center of Heaven Dou City,surprisingly closer to the local Tang Sect branch than one would initiallyassume. Though it couldnt compare in size to the one in Eastsea City, itssimplistic architecture exuded an ancient elegance. Be careful of what you say once we enter. Listen and observe closely insteadof speaking. Do not be fooled by appearances. There are many powerful peoplewithin the Spirit Pagoda, especially so in Heaven Dou City. With his teachers cautionary words, Tang Wulin stepped past the pagodassimple doors and was immediately assailed by noise. An endless stream of peopleentered and exited, bustling to and fro within the pagoda. Compared to EastseaCitys trickle of people, this was akin to a steady current. Tang Wulin suspected that not only were they all Soul Masters, they werelikely far more powerful than him as well. They conducted the spiritual power test in a small, isolated room after payingan excessive 5,000 federal coins. The cost of living in Heaven Dou City trulycouldnt be compared to Eastsea City. As for the results, they were unexpected, to say the least; even Wu Zhangkonghad a look of shock. 124! Tang Wulins spiritual power had nearly doubled! It would not have been thissurprising if he were a Spiritual System Soul Master like Gu Yue with a weakerbody as spiritual power and physical strength were typically inverselyproportional for Soul Masters. Yet his spiritual power had actually grownexponentially, exceeding the 108-point threshold to the intermediate rank ofthe Spirit Connection Realm by such a large margin! Wu Zhangkong was more certain of Tang Wulins chances to acquire a pair of2000-year soul rings and a 2000-year spirit soul after seeing Tang Wulins twounexpected results today. The darkness of night descended by the time they returned to the inn. After a sumptuous meal, Wu Zhangkong summoned Tang Wulin. Wulin, you should have an idea of what I have planned for you by now. In allhonesty, your martial soul is very weak. After all, its the Bluesilver Grassthat is praised as a trash martial soul. Tang Wulin was beset by bewilderment. Can calling it trash really be calledpraise? Wu Zhangkong continued without minding Tang Wulins brooding expression. Yourstrange bloodline, however, has caused it to mutate and has affected yourspirit soul as well. Even now, they continue to transform. This is beneficialto you. With your powerful body, you can upgrade your spirit soul further thanyour peers; it would naturally be upgraded too. Perplexed, Tang Wulin asked, Teacher Wu, I understand that I can upgrade myspirit soul further, but what do you mean by naturally? 169 Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform Wu Zhangkong said, There are unnatural existences too. Some large clans orsects use heavenly treasures or unique methods to stimulate their disciplesbodies. With stronger bodies, they are able to contain more powerful soul ringsand spirit souls, but this isnt done normally. Only in rare situations wherethe disciple far excels in one aspect will such a method be considered. Take GuYue for example. With her high spiritual power, she only needs to strengthenher body before shed be able to upgrade her spirit soul as you did.Unfortunately, with two soul rings, it would be too difficult for her tostrengthen her body to the necessary level now. This is the key point thatallows one to possess a pair of thousand-year soul rings and a thousand-yearspirit soul. Though Gu Yues physique has strengthened with the addition ofanother soul ring, it only serves to amplify the areas she already excels inand widens the gap between her existing weaknesses. It truly is a pity. If hersituation was better, I would help her regardless of whether or not she joinedthe Tang Sect. Currently, your current greatest advantage is in your soul power, which has,by nature grown inversely proportional to your physique and spiritual power. Insuch a situation you are able to evolve your spirit soul further than yourpeers without resorting to unnatural methods, which will free you from anyfuture side effects. Thats not all though; through this, youll be able to laya firmer foundation, so it is absolutely crucial to your future that you do notwaste this opportunity. To aid you in evolving your spirit soul as quickly and as safely as possible,Ill enter the spirit ascension platform together with you. Before we can dothis, Ill need to obtain two intermediate spirit ascension entry cards sinceonly those with seven rings and under can enter. The soul beasts will be morevicious and harder to deal with in the intermediate level, but that also meanstheir year levels will be higherabout the same as the ones in the Great StarDou Forest. With my help, it shouldnt take too long to gather enough spiritualenergy. Intermediate spirit ascension platform? Puzzled, Tang Wulin asked, But Teacher Wu, can I really enter theintermediate level with only one soul ring? Wu Zhangkong assured, There are no minimum rank requirements. As long as youhave the necessary entry card, youll be able to enter even an advanced spiritascension platform. In fact, the Spirit Pagoda actually wishes to see weakerentrantsquicker deaths mean fewer resources expended. And its actually verycommon for large clans to escort the younger generation in like I am. Thedifference, however, is that their charges usually lack the necessary physiqueor spiritual power to fully take advantage of it, quickly reaching their limitsat the hundred-year level. Since the advent of spirit souls, it wasnt body strength that perplexed mostSoul Masters, but rather their spiritual power. In order to grow stronger, morespirit soul fusions are necessary, yet this increases the spiritual powerrequirements. Sadly, eighty percent of Soul Masters are just barely able toreach the Spirit Sea realm and host three spirit souls. Because theyre unableto break their limits, a few are spurred into using daring methods thatforcibly raise their first spirit soul to a higher level. Ten-thousand-year spirit souls are the hardest to obtain since they cant beartificially manufactured. Luckily, my fifth soul ring is at theten-thousand-year level despite my spiritual power, which is only at the peakof the Spirit Sea realm. Normally, this only allows me to support three spiritsouls, but with a ten-thousand-year spirit soul, Im able to have four soulrings, allowing me to cultivate to eight rings. Thats my limit though. If Iwant to make any more progress and fuse four spirit souls, my spiritual powerwill need to break through to the next realm, but that is a dream that I willlikely never achieve in my lifetime. As long as your first spirit soul evolves to the thousand-year level, youwont have to worry about your first three soul rings. Then if you obtainanother thousand-year spirit soul for your second and somehow obtain aten-thousand-year spirit soul for the third, you will have opened the path topotentially becoming a Titled Douluo. These are my hopes for you, and I hopeyoull make it your goal. An epiphany struck Tang Wulin. This entire explanation had been from theperspective of a high-level Soul Master, a viewpoint so far above his young ageand inadequate experience. Entry cards for the intermediate spirit ascension platform are hard to obtainand practically impossible to buy with money. Any cards that a city possessesis completely monopolized for internal use, which leaves us with two options:either trade for them or buy them at an auction. Tomorrow night well try ourluck at the auction house and if that fails, well have to arrange a trade. Youshould be able to trade your rebellion spirit ascension platform entry card fortwo intermediate level ones. A new question occurred to Tang Wulin. Teacher Wu, why arent we doing thisin Eastsea City? Wouldnt it be easier since were more familiar with the area? Wu Zhangkong shook his head. The three of you are too outstanding and caughtthe attention of Eastsea Citys Spirit Pagoda. I doubt Gu Yue would have joinedthem otherwise. With their growing influence, it would be troublesome to drawmore attention to yourself when you evolve your spirit soul to thethousand-year level. The situation in Heaven Dou City is more favorable for ourgoals. There are many more geniuses and large clans here, with no clanexplicitly dominant. The chances of drawing unwanted attention will be far lessif your talent only shines for a moment amongst the rest. Tang Wulin finally understood how much deliberate planning and considerationsWu Zhangkong had put into this endeavor. Okay. I understand. It wasnt Tang Wulins first time visiting an auction house; he had been tothe one in Eastsea City before. The moment he walked through the great doors ofthe Heaven Dou Imperial Auction, however, he finally understood how lackingEastsea Citys auction house truly was. The Heaven Dou Imperial Auction hosted their weekly events in an enormousimperial hotel. Beautiful paintings lined the brightly lit hall and amagnificent crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Each seat was a comfortable leather sofa, while tables to one side of the hallheld a variety of refreshments, including pastries, fruits, drinks, and alcohol. This was to be expected of course. Wu Zhangkong had paid a deposit of1,000,000 federal coins to gain entry for the two of them. It was only thischeap because Wu Zhangkong had presented themselves as father and son again,meaning they only had to pay one deposit. They donned the masks that every guest received with a numbered sign uponentry. The auction houses splendor dazzled Tang Wulin, his heart trembling at such alavish scene. Its so big! Over three hundred people were present on the ground floor;this didnt include the occupants of the second floors private rooms. Wu Zhangkong was unfazed by the atmosphere of luxury, his icy expressionremaining steadfast. Teacher Wu, here, take my savings card, said Tang Wulin as he presented itto Wu Zhangkong. Theres a little over three million federal coins inside.Please manage it for me. The intermediate entry card would definitely be expensive and Wu Zhangkong wasonce again acting for his sake, so Tang Wulin felt that it was only naturalthat he contributed his own money. Where did all this money come from? Wu Zhangkong faced Tang Wulin with afrown. I earned it from blacksmithing, Tang Wulin replied frankly. Wu Zhangkong was left speechless for a moment. He soon composed himself andasked Tang Wulin, What is your blacksmith rank now? Tang Wulin brightly answered, Third rank! I should have known. I originally thought those Thousand Refined vests hadbeen partially forged by you, but they were actually all your handiwork,werent they? Mn. Tang Wulin nodded. Only ten years old and hes already at the third rank of his secondaryoccupationEven with his limited knowledge about blacksmithing, he understoodthe significance of reaching the third rank. But, he chose not to comment on it or pursue the topic further. A half hour later, the lighting dimmed and the clamoring crowds quietened. Welcome, honoured guests, to the Heaven Dou Imperial Auction. Our weeklyauction is about to start, and I am pleased to tell you that we have many greatitems to offer you. We have spirit fruits, rare metals, battle armor, mechasand other unique items. We will now be handing out tonights program. Pleaselook through it in the twenty minutes before the official start of the auction. The backs of the sofas lit up with gentle lights while several scantily cladyoung ladies arrived, smiling seductively as they handed out the programs. Different auctions had different rules. Some auctions revealed the catalog inadvance, but Heaven Dou Imperial Auction did not do so. This prestigiousauction was highly reputed throughout the continent, and though it could not bedeemed one of the best, it had its own distinguishing features. The goal ofthis auction was to always give its guests a pleasant surprise. Wu Zhangkong accepted the booklet and flipped through pages of illustrations,searching for intermediate spirit ascension platform entry cards. Tang Wulin wiggled close to Wu Zhangkong, curious about what items were beingsold today. The items in the catalog were separated into several categories. 170 The Backgrounds of the Four Spirit Items Tang Wulins eyes were instantly drawn to the last category: battle armors.His interest was piqued. He had never seen one before. Wu Zhangkong diverted Tang Wulins attention to the miscellaneous treasurescategory with a pointed finger. Following his finger, his gaze landed on thethree intermediate entry cards listed, starting at 5,000,000 federal coins each. At least it was better than having no entry cards; furthermore, he had alreadycontributed 3,000,000 coins of his own. Still, Tang Wulins heart ached; thatmoney was saved to buy the spirit items needed to break the next seal! Hearing Wu Zhangkongs explanation of his naturally advancing spirit soul theother day, Tang Wulin inwardly knew that his situation wasnt natural at all.After all, his powerful physique was a consequence of absorbing the sealedGolden Dragon Kings soul. Ah! Thats right! Wouldnt a big auction like this have the four spirit itemsI need for the next seal? Thinking of this, Tang Wulin shifted his gaze to the section containing spiritfruit. He was taken aback by the very first item. Thousand-year! Those two wordspopped out at him. Even all the spirit fruits that followed were at the minimumof a thousand-years. This auction doesnt sell any spirit fruit at the hundred-year level? Itreally is a high-class auction! He recalled the four items he needed, two of which were spirit fruit. Willthey have it? Scanning the catalog once more, it didnt take long to find what he waslooking for. His eyes shined upon reading the sixth line. Thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit! Its a thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit! Isnt that one of the items I need?Tang Wulin trembled at the thought. Although he had a few years until he turned15 and had to break the second seal, the necessary items were far too rare! Hehad already searched Eastsea Citys auction houses and even the EastseaMuseums auction in hopes of finding them but had come out empty-handed. Hecouldnt enter the higher levels of the auctions, and the common level wouldntsell anything at the thousand-year level or higher. How could he not be thrilled by the sudden appearance of something heabsolutely needed? But when he saw the price his face began to twitch. The starting price was 2,000,000 federal coins and the estimated sale pricewas between 3,000,000 and 5,000,000. So expensive It took half a year of hard work to earn three million, but this thousand-yearspirit fruit is going to cost three to five million! So expensive! Nonetheless, this was his first time coming across one of the necessary items. Compared to when he had needed the hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit and ScarletFlame, his mentality now was completely different. He was no longer skeptical,his belief cemented by the rapid grow he experienced after breaking the seal.He also wondered about Old Tangs promised surprise that was waiting beyond thesecond seal. Teacher Wu, I want to buy this. Tang Wulin pointed at the thousand-yearDragonscale Fruit. Wu Zhangkong frowned, asking, Why do you want it? Tang Wulin lowered his head to think. A moment later, he answered, Actually,Teacher Wu, I have a secret. When my bloodline awakened, I instinctively knew what my body needed.Sometimes I could even visualize them in my mind. Do you remember my growthafter the hurricane? I had used a hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit and ahundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit to break through during the storm. Back then,I wasnt sure if I was just imagining things or not, but after testing thingsout, my strength really did grow exponentially. Now new spirit items haveappeared in my mind, and the thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit is one of them. Astonishment rippled through Wu Zhangkongs eyes. So youre saying that yourbody is this strong because you ate those two hundred-year spirit fruits? Mn. It only took a moment for Tang Wulin to determine the necessity of telling WuZhangkong. Of course, he couldnt reveal the sealed Golden Dragon King or OldTang. Those were his greatest secrets, never to be divulged. But he knew hedbe with Wu Zhangkong for years to come and itd be discovered sooner or lateranyway, so he needed to give an abridged version of his situation at the veryleast. It was also imperative that he obtain the thousand-year DragonscaleFruit; he knew Wu Zhangkong wouldnt aid him without a good reason, and withouthis teachers help, he wouldnt have enough money! Wu Zhangkongs mulled over Tang Wulins story, his icy eyes pensive. He canfeel what items his body needs? What kind of ability is that? Itsunprecedented. He would have scoffed at Tang Wulin a few years ago, but he was different now.He had been forced to acknowledge Gu Yues control over six elements, so hecouldnt immediately reject the possible reality of Tang Wulins strange body. He was once again reminded of Shrek Academys motto: Shrek Academy onlyaccepts monsters, not ordinary people. Maybe my students really are monsters? Alright, I will help you buy it. What else do you need? Wu Zhangkongs gazebore into Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin shook his head after looking through the catalog once more. Thereisnt anything else in the catalog. The other three items I need are athousand-year Azure-Veined Vine, a thousand-year Land Dragon Tendon, and athousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow. Tang Wulin could only force out anembarrassed smile. He only knew the names and nothing else, but it was clear that thethousand-year Land Dragon Tendon was the tendon from a thousand-year landdragon. As for the other two, he hadnt been able to find any records on them.The only reason he was still so relaxed was because there was still plenty oftime left. How will you benefit from these four items? asked Wu Zhangkong. Will yourbody transform again? Is there any danger? Tang Wulin was at a loss. He himself didnt know how to answer because he wasjust as clueless! The pain from breaking the first seal had left him on theverge of death, but he didnt know if it would be the same for the second seal. But how could he tell Wu Zhangkong the truth? If he knew, Wu Zhangkong wouldnever support his decision to break the seals. My physique will improve and mybloodline will transform, and Im certain the change will be for the better.Im not sure how much my body will improve though. His words were both true and false. While it was true that his body would growmore powerful and his bloodline stronger by breaking of a seal, he skirtedaround the topic of danger. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Sea Dragons are a type of deep sea soul beasts andtheyve already vanished from the continent. Their marrow is mainly used forconsolidating foundations by strengthening the qi and blood, and since itsdoesnt have any side effects, its in high demand and extremely rare. Youdont need to lose hope though; Eastsea City is one of the largest coastalcities on the continent so theres a chance we can find it there. As for thethousand-year Azure-Veined Vine, I vaguely recall hearing in Shrek City thatits a plant-type soul beast that used to be abundant in the Great Star DouForest ages ago. The forest is dilapidated now, but if its to be foundanywhere, it will likely be in Shrek City. The thousand-year Land Dragon Tendon should be fairly easy to find in anylarge city, but it will be expensive. Just like the Sea Dragon Marrow, itstrengthens the body without any side effects, thus is another priceless andin-demand item. 171 Year Frozen Grass At Wu Zhangkongs words, Tang Wulin was delighted. He knew he wouldnt have toworry about finding the items needed to break the second seal in the futurewith Wu Zhangkong by his side. Thank you, Teacher Wu. Ill work hard to earn enough money to buy them all ina few years. Tang Wulin glowed with optimism; he saw hope now! According to the current estimated timeline, he still had five years to breakthe second seal and when he did, he probably would not have to worry about thenext seal until he turned 20. He was only ten right now. He was certain that anopportunity to break the third seal would appear in those ten years of peace. Wu Zhangkong responded with a slight nod and didnt continue the conversation. Although he certainly could help Tang Wulin find the items and it would beeasier for Tang Wulin, he had no intentions of doing so. One would never trulycherish something if one didnt obtain it ones self. Only by relying on onesself could one walk forward steadily. This wasnt for the sake of cultivatingones strength, but for growing ones character. Though the items Tang Wulinspoke of were expensive, they were not impossible to obtain when consideringthe blacksmith rank he had achieved at such a young age. It was only a matterof time before he could buy them. Wu Zhangkong determined that it was best forTang Wulins growth if he worked for it himself. Honored guests, we will begin the auction shortly. A tender and melodiousfemale voice resounded throughout the hall. The lights dimmed while the stagelights glowed, serving as a signal for a beautiful lady in a dark red dress tomake her entrance onto the stage. She gave a slight bow to the seated guests. Several staff members that were each charged with an area of bidders appearedfrom the side to aid the auctioneer in controlling the bidders once the biddingstarted. The moment a bidder raised their sign, the staff member would pointthem out to the auctioneer, helping facilitate the proceedings. First, let me welcome all of our honored guests on behalf of the Heaven DouImperial Auction. Now for the first item The lady didnt waste any words andcut straight to the point as she walked to the back of a gilded wooden tablewith a smile. A cart was pushed onto the stage while a screen at the back of the stage litup. Our first item today is the very rare spirit fruit Frozen Grass. As everyoneknows, the Frozen Grass is a top-tier ice-attribute spirit fruits and will beof great assistance to any ice-attribute Soul Master. We sacrificed much toacquire this thousand-year Frozen Grass so I will tell you, our honored guests,that this is the best spirit fruit we are auctioning today. The cart was covered by a red cloth; sitting on it was a jade-white box. Mistas cold as ice overflowed from its opening, enshrouding the light blue grassthat was swaying gently within. A faint halo of purity surrounded the crystal-clear grass as if it was carvedfrom a gem. So pretty! That was Tang Wulins first thought upon seeing it. Wu Zhangkongs voice cut in from beside him. Shes not wrong; the FrozenGrass really is the best spirit grass for those of the ice-attribute. Tang Wulin turned to Wu Zhangkong and asked with a quiet tone ofconsideration, Then is it of any use to you, Teacher Wu? Wu Zhangkong bluntly answered, It does, but not this particular one; its tooyoung. When the Frozen Grass reaches a certain age, its leaf will produce apoint. Each point represents 15,000 years of its life. Do you remember thesculpture of the Spirit Pagodas founder you saw in the Tang Sect? You mean the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao? Tang Wulin asked. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Correct. One of his spirit souls was an Eight-PointsFrozen Grass, meaning it was a hundred-thousand-year level spirit grass withits own consciousness. It truly was a powerful plant-type soul beast and thefact that it became the Spirit Ice Douluos spirit soul shows that. Understanding dawned upon Tang Wulin. So its like that! This spirit item isactually really ordinary! The starting price is 1,000,000 federal coins, and each bid must exceed theprevious by at least 100,000 federal coins. Let the bidding begin. A wave of signs flew up throughout the auction house the moment the biddingstarted. This was the auctioneers goal and why they placed it first. Auctionhouses would always sell their best items within the first three to fiveshownthis way, they could set the most profitable mood of the auction. Whatthe auctioneers wanted most was for the bidders to lose their rationality andmake bids well over the market value of an item, thus selling the items for anexorbitantly high price and reap the profits. The price soon exceeded three million. While the starting price was low,anyone with a discerning eye could see just how valuable it was. It may not beworth much to a Soul Emperor like Wu Zhangkong, but it was a priceless treasurefor two to three-ringed Soul Masters that could increase their soul power bytwo ranks and improve the basic qualities of their martial soul! The allure ofsuch potential was irresistible. The chaotic bidding soon quieted down when the price reached a level whereonly the bidders on the second floor had wallets deep enough to afford it. Five million! A bidder on the second floor cried out a jaw-dropping bid. The thousand-year Frozen Grass flickered with a blue light as though it wasresponding to the bidder. The silence was cut short, however, when another bidder on the second floorannounced, Six million. They immediately raised the price by one million. Six million five hundred thousand! The previous bidder called out. Seven million! The second bidder firmly stated. The smile on the female auctioneers face grew wider and wider. Seven millionexceeded the market value of the item, a mere six million. Although it was arare species, its was simply too young, only having one point. If it had twopoints instead, the price would have truly been sky-high. Seven million five hundred thousand! Tang Wulin couldnt see the bidder inside the box clearly, but then heremembered he had the Purple Demon Eyes. He activated it and his eyes easilypierced through the darkness. The bidder in the fourth box was beginning tofume with anger, gnashing his teeth. Eight million! An unwilling voice called out from the sixth box. The fourth box finally ceded defeat. The price had clearly exceeded the truevalue of the thousand-year Frozen Grass. Nine million! The eighth box dropped a number that left everyone speechless. Ten million! Yet, the bidder of the sixth box was more resolute. Silence filled the hall. This time, no one raised their sign to contend. Ten million going once! Ten million going twice! Three times! Sold! Theauctioneer slammed her hammer down. The first item of the auction, thousand-year Frozen Grass, had been sold atthe astounding price of ten million. Tang Wulin made a somewhat unsightly expression. He hadnt expected that athousand-year spirit grass could sell for such a preposterous price. How muchwould the thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit sell for then? If it reached asimilar price, he definitely couldnt afford it! If all the four items heneeded were this expensive, he feared he wouldnt have enough money by the timehe turned fifteen even if he poured all his efforts into completing forgingtasks. Frozen Grass is special. The only reason I can imagine they paid such a highprice is that they wanted to continue raising it. This isnt a normal price;you dont need to worry. Wu Zhangkong whispered assurances into his ear. When Tang Wulin turned to look at Wu Zhangkong, he found Wu Zhangkong sittingupright and still with his usual icy expression. Is Teacher Wu really a cold person? Why does my heart feel so warm now? Sure enough, things proceeded according to Wu Zhangkongs words. Thethousand-year spirit fruits and spirit grass auctioned afterward sold for highprices, but nowhere near as high as the thousand-year Frozen Grass. Tang Wulinlet out a breath of relief. Next, our fourth item for today, a thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit. Dragons are the most powerful soul beasts according to legends, and theDragonscale Fruit thrives on soil that has been soaked in the blood of adragon. Its name comes from the faint traces of dragon scales on it. We dontknow whether the legend is true or not, but we are certain that it really doesneed to be watered with dragons blood to grow, making it extremely difficultto nurture. From our examination,it is highly probable that this DragonscaleFruit has absorbed the blood of a highly powerful dragon-type soul beast, andthus more potent than other fruits. 172 Battle Armor! As Im sure everyone knows, Dragonscale Fruits are usually light blue incolor, but this one is actually azure. This is why we have such a highevaluation of this fruit. Unfortunately, it was plucked too early and no longerhas a chance of turning into a priceless purple ten-thousand-year DragonscaleFruit. Let us begin the auction with a starting price of one million. The starting price is one million? Aside from the Frozen Grass, the previousitems only had a starting price of a few hundred thousand! Why did it suddenlyjump to one million? Tang Wulins originally tranquil heart began to jump with anxiety again. Can Ieven win this bid? One million one hundred thousand! A bidder made a bid. Tang Wulin clenchedhis fists. The auctioneer had said that this particular Dragonscale Fruit wasspecial, stirring Tang Wulins excitement. The stages screen showed the fruit that was presented with an oval shape andthat still had branches attached to ensure the preservation of its energy. Itshone with a breathtakingly azure color that was as crystalline as a gemstone.Yet, what was most remarkable was the faint pattern of jagged golden veins thatran along its surface, its reputed scaly appearance. Those scales bore astriking resemblance to the golden scales on Tang Wulins right hand when hetransforms. Tang Wulin was filled with longing just by taking a single look. Itlldefinitely help me break the second seal if I can get it! Your luck is pretty good. This Dragonscale Fruit isnt an ordinary one; theauctioneer hadnt exaggerated at all. Wu Zhangkong whispered into his ear, butall this did was leave him even more anxious. Wu Zhangkong wasnt the only onewith a discerning eye, after all. Two million! Wu Zhangkong calmly raised his sign, taking advantage of thecurrent bid of 1,100,000 by raising it straight to 2,000,000. The hall quieted for a moment, but soon, another voice called out a bid. A few more bids later and the price already approached three million! Witheach bid, Tang Wulin grew more and more irritable. What are we going to do? Five million! A voice boomed thunderously, so loud that Tang Wulin saw starsdance around him.Five million? Its already at five million? The bidder had not only subdued Tang Wulin, but dominated the entire hall. Itwas the same bidder from the sixth box who had previously won the thousand-yearFrozen Grass! The beautiful auctioneers brows jumped, not with excitement, but a frown. Shehad a bad feeling. This Dragonscale Fruit was valued at the same price as the Frozen Grass,roughly six million. The high sale price of the Frozen Grass was a pleasantsurprise, but if the bidder from the sixth box threw out such a high bid onceagain, she feared no one would dare contend! Teacher Wu, what are we going to do? Tang Wulin anxiously asked. Wu Zhangkong looked him in the eye. Lets give up. Huh? But Tang Wulin was worried. He felt that this Dragonscale Fruit wasparticularly suitable for him and he just couldnt resign himself to give up onit! Teacher Wu, I want it. I need it. Can you lend me some money? Ill pay youback when we get back. Tang Wulin said in distress. Wu Zhangkong shook his head and before Tang Wulin could say anything else, WuZhangkong released a chilly air. A cold shiver ran down his spine, banishingTang Wulins panicked state. He didnt know how much a thousand-year spirit fruit was worth, but since WuZhangkong decided to give it up, it was surely because the price had farexceeded its true value now. Tang Wulin possessed a far steadier temperament than his peers and it onlytook him several moments to accept his frustration and loss. He sat in silence,restraining himself. Five million going once! Five million going twice! Three times! Sold! Tang Wulin quietly watched as an opportunity slipped away and as theauctioneer could only helplessly announce the sale. The auction house didntharbor any resentment to the bidder; this was simply the nature of auctions.Not every item could be sold at the ideal price and when they averaged theFrozen Grass and the Dragonscale Fruit, the auction house still reaped a heftyprofit from the sixth box. Disheartened, Tang Wulin had lost his interest in the auction. His head wasfilled with images of that thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit. Each item was sold as quickly as it was put up, facilitating an unusuallysmooth auction, Wu Zhangkong had no problem winning the bids for two intermediate entry cardsat a total price of 2,600,000 coins. Even then, Tang Wulin was numb to their success. The Dragonscale Fruit! MyDragonscale Fruit!Incessant laments echoed in his heart. We only have three items left for today, and theyre actually three battlearmor parts! It was only after much difficulty that we were able to acquirethem. I believe our honored guests should all be familiar battle armor, whichis usually only sold at the great seasonal auctions. Everyone should grab holdof this opportunity today! Battle armor? Tang Wulins boyish spirit ignited at these words, his eyes shooting straighttoward the stage. What does battle armor look like? Ive never seen one before. Our first battle armor piece is a battle armor belt! Im sure youre allaware that the belt acts as the energy core for a battle armor since it is theclosest to the dantian, where Soul Masters condense their soul power. PowerfulSoul Masters will guide their soul power into the belt then disperse itthroughout the battle armor, which will give them the best results. This is a purple battle armor leveled belt and its entirely possible to buildan entire set of battle armor centered around it. Please look at the screen. A metal belt appeared on the screen, its exquisitely crafted body shrouded bya shimmering purple light. Tang Wulin could tell with his experience inblacksmithing that it was made from no less than three metals, but itscomposition wasnt particularly complicated. It only took him a single glanceto know it was made from Thousand Refined metal. However, it was different from ordinary Thousand Refined metals. Bizarre grainlines that shone with the purple light ran around the entire belt. This is battle armor? Its only a bit bigger than a normal belt. At the centerof the belt was a circular, unusual metal. The purple light shined thebrightest there, preventing Tang Wulin from evaluating the material properly. Metal is shaped according to a mecha or soul circuit design after it isforged, before being assembled and engraved. These are all part of a mechacraftsmans job. An excellent battle armor requires the designer and thecraftsman to be of the same mind and level, another reason why having asecondary occupation is so helpful to growing ones strength. The mostimportant reason, of course, is to increase the familiarity between one andtheir battle armor and so that its easier to find a suitable partner. Wu Zhangkong outlined the basic characteristics of battle armor for TangWulin. The most effective method of learning was to use situations such as thisto teach. Battle armor, this is a battle armor! Excitement swept away the gloom in TangWulins heart, his face shining with yearning now.Ill definitely be able toforge battle armor in the future! I may not know how to design mecha and soulcircuits or engrave, but I still know how to forge metal! I can already Thousand Refine metals right now. That should be the foundationof making a battle armor. Wu Zhangkong lectured, Battle armor is the second life of a Soul Master. Asingle excellent piece of battle armor can increase a Soul Masters strength bythirty percent. The biggest difference between battle armor and mecha lay intheir compatibility; battle armor is made according to the user and theirmartial soul. 173 To Lose and Regain! Its true that ordinary people can become Mecha Masters now and thatAuxiliary System Soul Masters can become quite formidable with a mecha, but theorigin of true strength hasnt changed in the past hundred thousand years. Onlytruly talented Soul Masters can become genuinely powerful entities. It is forthis reason that real Battle Armor Masters are unequivocally powerful SoulMasters. On its own, battle armor doesnt have any power, only serving toamplify a Soul Masters abilities. A six-ringed Auxiliary System Soul Masterwith a mecha is merely cannon fodder in front of a similarly ranked Soul Masterwith battle armor. That is the unbridgeable gap between the two. Understood? Yes! I understand! Tang Wulin answered with a heavy breath. He had long known the history of soul mecha. Soul Masters were rather doubtfulwhen they were first introduced since it narrowed the distance between SoulMasters and ordinary people. It also reduced the significance of ones martialsoul; Soul Masters of similar ranks would be almost of equal strengthsregardless of their martial soul. It wasnt until the following era that Soul Masters finished developing battlearmor, returning the world to how it had always been. The strong were alwaysstrong! Although Tang Wulin couldnt comprehend the level of power a Soul Masterpossessed when equipped with battle armor, Wu Zhangkongs reverence for battlearmor was clear in his tone of voice.Considering how powerful Teacher Wu is, hemust have seen one before! The starting price is two million, and the minimum bid increase is twohundred thousand. Let the bidding begin. The three pieces of battle armor each sold for sky-high prices, their combinedbids easily surpassing twenty million. This was only natural since they werebattle armor after all. Virtually all battle armor were custom-made for specific Soul Masters andrarely sold, so it was difficult to find a piece on the market. Furthermore, it was challenging to make them, each piece requiring ThousandRefined metal and a design specific to ones martial soul. For some markedlyunique Soul Masters, their battle armor wouldnt sell even if they put it onthe market. For these reasons, powerful Soul Masters devoted their time to create theirown battle armor and the situation was similar for divine rank mecha. Even six-ringed Soul Masters rarely had a battle armor to call their own, notsimply because they lacked the strength but also from a financial deficit andplain bad luck. It was impossible to master every secondary occupation, andeven if they did, they most definitely wouldnt have the energy required todevelop as a Soul Master. In the end, they needed to rely on craftsmen todesign, make and adjust the armor for them. Every set of battle armor was like an extension of the users flesh and blood,their most valued treasure as well as a sign of power and wealth. Battle Armor Masters had long become the most prestigious existences on thecontinent; even one could outshine an entire Mecha Master regiment. To have even a chance of using battle armor, at least four soul rings werenecessary. With such a requirement, it was no wonder that the great clans ofthe Douluo Continent were able to maintain their positions throughout the agesas they possessed both the finances to make battle armor and the Soul Mastersto equip them. Tang Wulin still buzzed with excitement after leaving the Heaven Dou ImperialAuction.If the Dragonscale Fruit appeared once, then itll appear a secondtime. I dont have enough money right now anyway. Once I earn enough money,Ill definitely be able to get it. After setting his eyes on the battle armor, a burning desire had been ignitedwithin Tang Wulins heart, his mind filled with scenes of donning such armor onhimself in the future. The domineering figure he conjured up made his bloodboil as he wondered if Battle Armor Masters were like the generals of oldentimes. Wait a moment. Wu Zhangkong called out to Tang Wulin who was already makinghis way back to the inn. Tang Wulin paused, and without any explanation, Wu Zhangkong led him to standon the side. The two quietly observed the other bidders coming out. Tang Wulins didnt ask for the reason why, his mind still preoccupied withfanciful thoughts about battle armor. With his adolescent temperament, this wasall it took to sweep away his gloom over the loss of the Dragonscale Fruit. When a familiar figure entered his view, however, Tang Wulins brows jumped insurprise. Isnt that Branchmaster Zhao? The plump branchmaster exited the auction andheaded straight for them. He handed a jade box to Wu Zhangkong and dully spoke,Pay back the money to the companys account. Im going now. He rubbed TangWulins head with a faint smile before walking away, leaving Tang Wulin baffled. The jade box in Wu Zhangkongs hands disappeared in a flash of light. Ill help you sell the rebellion entry card later. It should fetch enough tocover the price of the two intermediate entry cards. You can pay me for theDragonscale Fruit once we get back, Wu Zhangkong said in his usual cold tone. Tang Wulin was dazed. Dragonscale Fruit? What are you saying? Understandinghit him suddenly. Remembering Branchmaster Zhaos exit from the auction house, a possibilityoccurred to him.The mysterious bidder from the sixth box was actuallyBranchmaster Zhao! So he was the one who won the bid. From this new perspective, he realized that five million federal coins wasntactually that expensive.Teacher Wu was taking advantage of the intimidationfrom Branchmaster Zhaos counterbid on the thousand-year Frozen Grass to saveme some money. Although Wu Zhangkong had clearly stated the debt, this was just what TangWulin wantedto earn it through his own efforts without having to rely on otherpeople. Only then would his conscience be clear. Lets go back now. The master and disciple duo returned to the inn. Back in their room, WuZhangkong said to Tang Wulin. Rest properly tonight. Tomorrow morning wereentering Heaven Dou Citys spirit ascension platform to upgrade your spiritsoul. After that, well return to Eastsea City. Okay! Tang Wulin passed the night meditating and cultivated Purple Demon Eyes atdawn. He was now practically bursting with energy. This trip had brought himgenerous returns. He obtained one of the four spirit items he needed and had anidea of where he could acquire the rest. Now he would enter the spiritascension platform under Wu Zhangkongs guidance to ascend his spirit soul. Itwas almost guaranteed that he would return to Eastsea City with a thousand-yearspirit soul! Now his rubbish Little Goldlight would transform into a powerfulthousand-year Little Goldlight. At this moment, Tang Wulin could finally tell himself: Im not a loseranymore; I have the potential to become a powerful Soul Master now! Wu Zhangkong had Tang Wulin pack early in the morning before checking out oftheir room and boarding a soul bus headed for the spirit ascension platform. Compared to Eastsea Citys, Heaven Dou Citys spirit ascension platform wassmaller in scale but brimming with heritage. The dazzling mural in the hallclearly depicted a tale that was far more complex than the one in Eastsea City. Yet Tang Wulin was in no mood to appreciate it, still jumping with exitement.I wonder what the intermediate spirit ascension platform will be like? The cards were easy to use; after a simple registration they were brought to aroom resembling the one in Eastsea City except smaller in size and with glasschambers instead of metal boxes. The staff member who guided them didnt question the master and disciple. Itwas quite normal for a clan to send a powerful adult to escort members of theiryounger generation and aid in upgrading their spirit soul to the limit since asturdy foundation was crucial. But while it wasnt difficult for large clans toobtain entry cards, only the most gifted children earned such an opportunity. Before entering the glass chambers, the two were required to strip down due toadditional restrictions set before entering the intermediate level. WuZhangkong explained to Tang Wulin that it was a rule set by the Spirit Pagodato prevent others from wearing battle armor into the spirit ascension platform.No one except the innermost members of the Spirit Pagoda knew the reason behindthe regulation. It was impossible for someone entering the elementary level to possess battlearmor, but the intermediate level was different, forcing strict inspections toenforce this rule. After finishing their preparations, metal rings fastened onto their bodies,holding them in place as the glass chambers cover closed. Prepare to enter! A golden light radiated from the metal rings, spreading a numbness throughoutTang Wulins body. In the next moment, his vision of the outside was replacedby a blank void. Only after some time did the dark space transform into a sea of green filledwith a refreshing air that he knew all too well. Intermediate spirit ascension platform, here I come! 174 Ice Fire Demonic Tiger Lush foliage monopolized this viridian world, the differences between theintermediate and elementary levels minute but Tang Wulin was still aware theyexisted. It was highly likely he would encounter thousand-year soul beasts in theintermediate level. There was even a small chance of encountering powerfulten-thousand-year soul beasts! Wu Zhangkong stood beside him, his white robes fluttering from the cold aurahe emanated as he observed their surroundings. Tang Wulin was filled with a sense of security with Wu Zhangkong beside him. Follow me! Wu Zhangkong strode forward. A ring of light rose with each step.Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, and black. It wasnt Tang Wulins first time seeing Wu Zhangkongs soul rings.Nonetheless, he was still shaken.This is an expert! I wonder how long it willtake me to reach six rings A blue light coalesced in Wu Zhangkongs right hand and transformed into theSkyfrost Sword. His actions clearly indicated how seriously he regarded theintermediate level. Only those with less than seven rings could enter the intermediate level. Tang Wulin followed behind him silently. Ten minutes later, they still hadntencountered any soul beasts. Dont you find this strange? Why arent there any soul beasts? Wu Zhangkongasked Tang Wulin. Yeah! Tang Wulin nodded. From his experiences in the elementary spiritascension platform, he knew that they should have been attacked by now. Wu Zhangkong indifferently said, The spirit ascension platform is modeledafter the largest soul beast forest on the continent, the Great Star DouForest. In the past, there were Ten Great Beasts, the strongest soul beasts inthe world. All ten beasts exceeded one-hundred-thousand-years in age, and theGreat Star Dou Forest was actually home to five of them. The Great Star Dou Forest is divided into four regions. The outer region,middle region, inner region and the territory of the Great Beasts. When battlearmor was introduced thousands of years ago, humanitys strength exploded andwe began to suppress soul beasts. Yet even though were developing and usingmost of the forest now, the territories of the Great Beasts remain untouched.Ive have never been there, but I heard that after some powerful Battle ArmorMasters ventured into their territory, they have never returned. Thoseterritories are one of the few forbidden regions on this continent. Soul beasts surpassing one-hundred-thousand-years in age can take on a humanappearance so if we send too many Battle Armor Masters to attack them, it islikely they will abandon their territories and wage guerilla warfare throughoutthe continent. We have a mutual understanding with those beasts now; as long aswe dont enter their territory, they wont attack humanity. Tang Wulins brows knitted. Teacher Wu, what about the soul beasts in theother regions then? Wu Zhangkong said, Soul beasts have almost all been exterminated by humanityafter all these years. This is one of the reasons why the Spirit Pagodapossesses such great status. Artificial spirit souls are the only option gainsoul rings for most Soul Masters now, and natural spirit souls are nearimpossible to obtain. Without any soul beasts to kill, soul rings can nolonger be obtained directly. Tang Wulin asked, Then are soul beasts becoming extinct? A sigh escaped from Wu Zhangkongs lips. It is certain that as soultechnology continues to develop, soul beasts will eventually be extinct. Yet,this isnt necessarily a good thing for humanity. Its true that battle armorcan greatly increase a Soul Masters strength, but compared to the Soul Mastersof the past, we are truly lacking in terms of soul rings. Soul skills providedby artificial spirit souls are different from those given by soul beasts.Furthermore, there is no doubt that their extinction will bring about anecological imbalance. According to the research, the number of people whopossess soul power when they awaken their martial souls has dwindled over thelast several hundred years. I suspect that once soul beasts disappear, SoulMasters will soon follow. That is the price for destroying the ecologicalequilibrium. Now, back to the topic. Entering the elementary spirit ascension platform issimilar to entering the outer region of the Great Star Dou Forest. The outerregion is filled with ordinary soul beasts that reach the thousand-year levelat most. Here in the middle region, however, the forest has thousand-year soulbeasts, and even some at the ten-thousand-year level. With soul beasts of suchpower present now, the forest is definitely split up into territories, so thereis a lower density of soul beasts. Its normal that we havent run into oneyet, but if we do encounter one Wu Zhangkong abruptly stopped mid-sentence and his gaze sharpened. An icydraft swept out as he pointed with his Skyfrost Sword. A deep roar reverberated through the air, announcing the arrival of a soulbeast, a tiger that stood over one and a half meters in height and over sixmeters from head to tail. Purple stripes stood out in sharp relief against its bronzed fur. Its eyeswere dual-coloured, frosty blue and fiery red. Its bizarre appearance wascompleted with a pair of blue and red wings on its back. It seems our luck isnt that good today. This Ice Fire Demonic Tiger is atleast four-thousand-years in age. Its no wonder no other beasts roam thisterritory. Just focus on protecting yourself and ignore the rest. Got it? WuZhangkong had twisted his body slightly towards Tang Wulin, but his eyes neverleft the tiger. Ice Fire Demonic Tiger? Tang Wulin recalled the records he had read on it. Itwasnt as fierce as the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, but it was on the same levelas the Man-Faced Demon Spider. It excelled in both long-ranged and close-ranged attacks and could control iceand fire. It could also fly short distances with its wings. This fearsomecombination placed it as one of the most fearsome beasts. There was a peculiarlegend attached to the tiger; it was said that once killed, it would providetwo soul rings, one of ice and one of fire. Of course, in the spirit ascension platform it couldnt provide any rings, butstill, encountering such a fearsome beast had broadened Tang Wulins horizonsonce more. Wu Zhangkongs gaze never left the tiger as it spread its wings open andcircled them, growing closer with every pass. With each step, its wings of fireand ice flared brighter, as if foreboding the eminent devastating attack. Wu Zhangkong stood still, simply turning so that he always faced the tiger. Tang Wulin had already released several strands of Bluesilver Grass andattached them to nearby trees. The moment the situation took a turn for theworst, he would be able to launch himself out of there. An overpowering odor assailed Tang Wulin as the distance closed between thetwo parties. He wasnt the same ignorant boy when he first entered the spirit ascensionplatform; faced with a thousand-year soul beast now, it wasnt fear thatoverwhelmed him, but excitement. He obviously understood just how powerful the thousand-year Ice Fire DemonicTiger was and knew that he was no match against it, but he didnt have to worryabout that. His safety was assured, so he could whole-heartedly observe justhow strong this tiger was. 175 The Skyfrost Annihilation of the Demonic Tiger The Ice Fire Demon Tiger unleashed a heaven-shaking roar that released ablazing fireball straight at Wu Zhangkong. It paid no heed to the Tang Wulinwho was hiding behind Wu Zhangkong. The fireball expanded as it shot forward, spanning a diameter of one meter. Wu Zhangkongs soul rings glowed as he stepped forward with his left foot andthrust his Skyfrost Sword forward. The azure sword shone with a resplendentsapphire color as a sword light flew out to meet the fireball. Even though the fireball burned with a scorching heat, it was no match for WuZhangkongs sword light and burst the moment they touched. In the face of hissword, neither heat nor flame could survive. Tang Wulin wanted to cheer. This is true strength! He couldnt sense any soulpower fluctuating around Wu Zhangkong; clearly, Wu Zhangkong had mastered soulpower compression to a high level and was able to internalize it all. Teacher Wu also cultivates the Mysterious Heaven Method! Tang Wulin had discovered that the most useful aspect of the Mysterious HeavenMethod was its ability to refine soul power. His soul power would grow denserwith every passing day. Just when Tang Wulin believed the fireball to be extinguished, blue colorenveloped its body and it suddenly transformed into an icicle a half meterlong. The icicle exploded into millions of jagged shards that hailed upon WuZhangkong. It seemed impossible for Wu Zhangkong to dodge this at such a close range. Before Tang Wulin could cry out, the Skyfrost Sword in his hand became a bluras Wu Zhangkongs first soul ring lit up. An icy blue arc bloomed from the tip of his sword, shattering every icefragment. They quietly disappeared under its touch. This is Teacher Wus soul skill! Tang Wulin stared, wide-eyed. This was the first time he saw Wu Zhangkong usea soul skill. He had assumed that Wu Zhangkong was a pure swordsman and so hissoul skills would only enhance his ice attribute and the quality of his sword. But that was not the case; he had used an offensive soul skill. Although TangWulin didnt know its name, its power was unquestionable. The destruction of the fireball-turned-icicle marked the start of their battle. The Ice Fire Demonic Tiger immediately pounced at Wu Zhangkong after thefireball. Its movements were agile like a civet, at odds with its large frame. An iceball burst under Wu Zhankongs slash just as the Ice Fire Demonic Tigerreached him. Hovering in midair, its unfurled wings spanned more than tenmeters, shining brilliantly as they unleashed a baptism of fire and ice. A spectacular scene played out. Its wings magnified over ten-fold, becominglight itself as they released an earth-scorching barrage. Tang Wulin stopped admiring Wu Zhangkongs magnificent swordsmanship andescaped to a nearby tree with a pull on his Bluesilver Grass while letting hisgolden scales take over his arm. He had no place participating in a battle of this level. The best course ofaction was to watch from far away. As he retreated, he saw the tempest of iceand fire swallow Wu Zhangkong. Teacher Wu! Tang Wulin cried out, his heart in his throat. He knew this wasthe spirit ascension platform and that it wasnt a true death, but anxietygripped him all the same. At that moment, a regal blue appeared amidst the chaos. If the tigers wings were waves of ice and fire, then this was a royal bluereef, proud and steadfast. The waves gradually dispersed in the face of the reef that remained staunchand valiant. Tang Wulin realized what it wasan arctic blue cocoon! Wu Zhangkong stoodwithin, his figure blurred to the point it was unclear what skill he had used. A purple light twinkled in Tang Wulins eyes as he activated the Purple DemonEyes, granting him sharper eyesight. He was just barely able to see that thecocoon was spun from countless blue threads of ice.Just how many sword slashesdid that take? While he was still comprehending this shocking revelation, the next scenenearly stopped his heart. An azure sword light flew out to shock the heavens,growing ten meters long as it flew toward the Ice Fire Demonic Tigers head! Chills ran down his spine the moment the sword light appeared. Frost formed,coating everything within one hundred meters. The tiger furled up its wings to shield its head. Boom! Its gigantic body froze over, splitting in half. An arctic mist erupted intothe surroundings in the same instant, summoning a white drizzle of snow forhundreds of meters around them. The drifting snow and stagnant mist obscured Tang Wulins sight even with hisPurple Demon Eyes. Tang Wulin could only rely on his ears now that he wasunable to see Wu Zhangkong, his sword lights found everywhere throughout thismist. A mournful roar resonated throughout the forest as countless crimson and azurelights flashed within the snowy mist. Terrifying soul power fluctuationswhipped the surroundings into a frenzied tempest. Tang Wulin hugged a treetrunk with all his might for fear the turbulence would blow him away. Time seemed to slow and stretch on, yet it was only a few minutes later thathe heard the tigers roars be replaced with resigned whimpers. Come! Tang Wulin was still in awe when Wu Zhangkong reappeared before him. With his white robes and azure sword, he seemed to be unruffled from thebattle. If a difference had to be identified, then perhaps his breath was alittle more ragged. With one hand around Tang Wulins waist, Wu Zhangkong slashed the void beforehim. All of the surrounding icy mist flowed back to the sword. The aftermath of the battle was clear now. The Ice Fire Demonic Tiger laid on the ground a distance away, its wingsbroken and body covered in countless small cuts that were dyed red in blood. Wu Zhangkong brought Tang Wulin onto the tigers back in a flash. Tang Wulincould still feel the faint beat of life within the tigers body. Use your Golden Dragon Claw. Tang Wulin understood Wu Zhangkongs intentions. Apart from his Golden DragonClaw, he had no other method to penetrate the thousand-year Ice Fire DemonicTigers defense. Soul power surged and the Golden Dragon Claw struck out! His claw stabbed into the back of the Ice Fire Demonic Tigers head, endingthe life of this powerful soul beast. A mass of dense spirit power flowed into him. Goldlight appeared, basking inthe spirit power as its eyes lit with joy. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Considering the age of your spirit soul now, your spiritsoul should evolve after absorbing this Ice Fire Demonic Tigers spirit energy. After the rebellion period of the elementary spirit ascension platform andtheir constant training within the regular spirit ascension platform,Goldlights spirit energy had already surpassed 700-years. This four-thousand-years Ice Fire Demonic Tiger would convert into about fourhundred years of spirit energy. With this, Goldlight would reach thethousand-year level. Goldlights body dazzled brighter with every bit of spirit energy it absorbedwhile Tang Wulin sensed a slight change within his body. His bloodline power stirred and the golden light emanating from Goldlightenveloped him. The golden scales on his right arm rippled. A golden-veinedpattern appeared on his other hand. What he wasnt able to see, however, was that the gold pattern actuallyextended all over his body. My spirit soul is ascending? A prickling numbness spread throughout his body. Tang Wulin instinctively satdown cross-legged, silently exploring the changes within him. As Goldlight returned to its usual splendor, the golden light enveloping TangWulin also vanished along with the numbness. Teacher Wu, I Tang Wulin looked to Wu Zhangkong in confusion, his eyesclouded with anxiety. Wu Zhangkong shook his head. Dont worry. All youre doing is accumulatingspirit energy here in the spirit ascension platform. This isnt your real body,so your spirit soul will only ascend properly after exiting. The process youjust experienced was your spirit soul absorbing the spirit energy, and thelarge influx of spirit energy made your body respond. 176 Wu Zhangkong’s Soul Skills Tang Wulin understood now that there wasnt any problem with his body. Teacher Wu, then whats next Were continuing, Wu Zhangkong dully answered. Lets bring your spirit soulup to two thousand years, which is just under your current limit. We shouldntwaste this trip to the intermediate level after all. Okay! Tang Wulin earnestly nodded, happy to do whatever Wu Zhangkong wished.Although he hadnt been able to clearly see the course of the battle, it wasmore than enough to convince him.Teacher Wu isnt just a normal Soul Emperor ifthat Ice Fire Demonic Tiger wasnt able to harm a hair on him! Now thats truestrength! The two proceeded onward, Tang Wulin following with complete faith in WuZhangkong. Not even a minute later, Wu Zhangkong grabbed Tang Wulins shoulder as a blurflitted past followed by several twinkling lights. Just as Wu Zhangkong gripped Tang Wulin and pedaled backward using the GhostShadow Perplexing Track, a host of ivy-green needles silently rained down fromthe sky. Their tips stabbed into the ground and corroded the area around themto a rotten black. The desiccated plants cried out, but even as Tang Wulin heard them, he had notime to share in their grief. Wu Zhangkong continued retreating before landinga few seconds later on a tree branch where he deposited Tang Wulin. Before their eyes, an enormous figure stepped into view. At five meters tall, it couldnt compare with the Ice Fire Demonic Tigerstowering figure, yet its five-meter girth made it resemble a giant sphere,larger than the Ice Fire Demonic Tiger by far. Its body was ivy-green and two elongated fangs jutted out of its mouth fromwhich it issued a low growl that reverberated through the air. Without givingany more time to examine it, it madly dashed forward and rammed into the treethey were on. With a deep rumble, the tree snapped. Wu Zhangkong grabbed Tang Wulin and leaped into the air, but the beast hadalready anticipated this, spraying a rain of needles that blocked any path ofretreat. This bastards body is covered in poison! Wu Zhangkong thrust the Skyfrost Sword, summoning a storm of sword waves thateasily cut down the needles. The defense was not perfect, however, as anoverwhelmingly saccharine smell assaulted Tang Wulins nose, bringing a bout ofdizziness. Soon after, a chilling mist rolled off of Wu Zhangkong and enveloped the twoof them, immediately restoring Tang Wulins lucidity. Its a giant porcupine! It should be the Venomquill Porcupine! With such a large body, its cultivationshould be at least three-thousand-years! Only now did Tang Wulin finally understand his place in the intermediatespirit ascension platformthis was not a place he could enter. With his currentcultivation, coming in alone meant he would die from the first soul beast heencountered without a chance to put up an honorable fight. The Venomquill Porcupine possessed not only highly toxic quills but also anastonishing ability to launch them at its opponents. Upon hitting its target,the toxins would quickly invade and wreak havoc within the victims bodytrulyterrifying. And even with a bulky body that lent it a fearsome ramming power,it was also remarkably agile. Its covered in thorns. I dont think I can leave your side this time, WuZhangkong stated. For once, Tang Wulin was able to clearly see Wu Zhangkongs attack. His third soul ring, the thousand-year purple one, lit up and the SkyfrostSword slashed out, filling the sky with a ten-meter-long sword wave. Skyfrost Slash, Wu Zhangkongs third soul skill! From the side, Tang Wulin observed Wu Zhangkongs eyes as he attacked and sawthe telltale purple shimmer of the Purple Demon Eyes, which was clearly farmore advanced and powerful than his own. The mighty sword wave struck the Venomquill Porcupine. Despite its thick andtough defense, it was not enough to withstand the attack as a jagged gashappeared, and from its wound, an icy blue rime spread across its body until itwas entirely frozen. Its mad snarls soon turned into miserable shrieks. Wu Zhangkong descended withTang Wulin then activated his fourth soul skill that enlarged his SkyfrostSword by ten-fold into an azure greatsword. He stabbed the greatsword straightinto the wound, nailing the porcupine into the ground. Wu Zhangkong gripped the sword hilt with one hand while he lifted Tang Wulinwith the other. He floated in midair, his white robes fluttering in his frostyaura. The mighty Venomquill Porcupines spirit energy flowed into him, yet heacted as if this triumph was nothing at all. Afterward, he held Tang Wulintightly and leaped away, out of range of the porcupines toxins. So powerful! The gigantic icy sword shrunk back to its original form, sending chills oncemore down Tang Wulins spine. He couldnt help but ask, Teacher Wu, what isthat soul skills name? Frost Song, Wu Zhangkong indifferently said. Frost Song? Tang Wulin repeated, baffled. Although he didnt understandthe meaning behind the icy greatswords name, he had to admit that it wasbeautiful. This is Teacher Wus thousand-year soul skill! I dont think that was the fullpower of his Frost Song. That was just a small glimpse! The Venomquill Porcupine wasnt considered weak among thousand-year soulbeasts, but to Wu Zhangkong, it was simply a pig waiting to be slaughtered. First soul skill, Frost Scar! Wu Zhangkong started listing his soul skills. Second soul skill, Frost Mist! Third soul skill, Skyfrost Slash! Fourth soul skill, Frost Song! Wulin, take note of this: there isnt only one way to use a soul skill; infact, there are infinite ways to utilize it. Pay attention to how you use themfrom now on. As he spoke, Wu Zhangkong lightly raised his Skyfrost Sword and activated hisfirst soul skill. A sword wave instantly flew through a tree leaf a dozenmeters away, yet it remained undamaged. This is Frost Scar! From off the ground he walked ten meters forward. With a slight tremble of hisright hand, the Skyfrost Sword projected sword waves that flew out,interweaving to become the azure cover from before. The light cocoon blossomed and then unraveled into a tempest of sword waves. This is also Frost Scar. Wu Zhangkongs cold voice penetrated Tang Wulinsmind. Tang Wulin trembled with excitement. Its the same soul skill, but with minutedifferences in control and soul power output, the result was entirely different! In Wu Zhangkongs hands, the Skyfrost Sword became an instrument used to weavea work of art at any time!This is the true Teacher Wua white-robed enigmaticman with a blue sword in hand, dominating the frozen skies! Understood? Wu Zhangkong asked. I think I understand a bit. What you mean is that even with a weak soulskill, as long as I can use it properly, it will be powerful. There are endlesspossibilities with soul skills, and the crucial point is how I utilize it. Mn. Wu Zhangkong nodded. Lets go. Only in actual combat were lessons most effective. Wu Zhangkong believed inthe saying that the master leads you to the door, but the rest is up to you.In line with his beliefs, he didnt give detailed explanations but rather, helet Tang Wulin fully comprehend things on his own. A tremor ran through Tang Wulins body from his revelation. He now realizedhis mistake. After receiving Bind as his first soul skill, he wanted to diefrom dejection. In his eyes, a trash spirit soul had given him a similarlytrash soul skill. Now he realized though that the only thing that was trash was himself. Therewere no trash soul skills. Compared to Xie Xies Light Dragon Blade and itsvaliant brilliance, Frost Scar was an exceedingly simple soul skill, yet it hadbrilliantly blossomed in Wu Zhangkongs hands. 177 Eyed Demon Ape When Teacher Wu battled the Soul Emperor Guang Biao, he didnt use a singlesoul skill! He completely destroyed Guang Biao with only his comprehension ofhis martial soul! So in the end, it wasnt a disparity of soul power, but oneof insight! It was as though a door unlocked within his heart, revealing a new path tohim. While Soul Masters were divided into systems such as Assault, Agility,Control and so on, in reality, these classifications were not mutuallyexclusive but instead interconnected. This meant that the crux of the matterwas in how a Soul Master utilized their martial soul and abilities. Why was Gu Yue so powerful? Her miraculous six-element martial soul alonecouldnt make her strong; rather, it was her nimble control over the sixelements. Teacher Wu, spiritual power isnt as simple as a container for spirit souls,right? Tang Wulin suddenly asked. Wu Zhangkong looked back at him with pleased eyes and nodded. The fact thatyouve understood this proves that you have felt it for yourself. Thrilled to have his hypothesis confirmed, Tang Wulin vigorously nodded. Ineed to improve on a lot more than just my soul power! Perhaps it was due to the sparsity of soul beasts, but the intermediate spiritascension platform was lush with foliage, undisturbed by wandering creatures.As the two penetrated deeper into the forest, the dense trees towered into theheavens and blotted out the sun, creating a world of evergreen gloom. Their advance slowed a bit when four soul beasts appeared before them, but itgave Wu Zhangkong another opportunity to gift spirit power to Tang Wulin. Whileone was at the thousand-year level, the others were at the hundred-year level,yielding very little spirit energy. Follow closely. Now that weve entered the middle region, we could run into aten-thousand-year soul beast at any time. At this level, soul beasts haveundergone a qualitative change. Their intelligence far surpasses that of beastsat the thousand-year level, with some even on par with humans. Intelligence? It wasnt something humans particularly cared for having grownto take it for granted over the ages. Soul beasts, however, depended on it todisplay their full might, especially when faced with humans. A truly terrifying soul beast possessed high intelligence. If Tang Wulin andhis friends had encountered a shrewder hundred-year Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear inthe spirit ascension platform, he would have had no chance of survivalXie Xiewould have died the moment he attempted a sneak attack. A ten-thousand-year Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear could single-handedly destroy atown armed with both foresight and strength. Tang Wulin calmly released his Bluesilver Grass in preparation for any suddenattacks. He understood his vulnerability in this forest that forced him to relyon Wu Zhangkongs strength. Since hed be useless in battle, all he could dowas act prudently and prepare to defend himself against any soul beasts theyencountered.I still have a long ways to go Stop! Wu Zhangkong halted in his tracks forcing Tang Wulin to do the same,nearly bumping into his teachers back. Somethings off. Wu Zhangkongs expression became solemn. Whats going on, Teacher Wu? Wu Zhangkong answered, Its too quiet. Even if soul beasts are sparse in theintermediate level, there should still be some insects around. Dont you feelthat its getting dimmer and dimmer? And its not just because of the treesblocking the light either. No, this is something else. We may have encountereda powerful soul beast, and if my guess is correct, were in for a lot oftrouble. Wu Zhangkongs vigilance alarmed Tang Wulin, but even so, he could onlycontinue relying on him. Tang Wulin disliked this feeling of powerlessness as if he had no control overhis own fate. Unfortunately, he knew it all too well. Wu Zhangkong stood in place, poised with his Skyfrost Sword. Waves of frostrolled off of it as he surveyed their surroundings with icy yet calm eyes thatoccasionally glowed with a purple sheen. Tang Wulin felt it now; it was eerily quiet, devoid of even the sound of thewind through the trees.This definitely isnt normal. I wasnt paying enoughattention. Around them, shadowy figures suddenly appeared and glided towards the duo,faintly discernable among the trees. What are they? Wu Zhangkong remained still, aware of the encroaching figures. Though theSkyfrost Sword swayed in his hands, pointing from one direction to another, themovements were calm and unhurried. The last of the light snuffed out, and anabsolute darkness descended on the forest. Even as the shadowy figures grew near, Tang Wulin couldnt sense anything. Then, fast as lightning, a black figure suddenly shot toward them. With thePurple Demon Eyes activated, Tang Wulin could just barely discern its trueappearance. Shockingly, that black figure was himself! Without a doubt, it was an exact copy of Tang Wulin! The only difference wasthat it was shrouded in darkness and exuded a chilling, bloodthirsty aura. Wu Zhangkong slashed out, releasing a Frost Scar from its tip that slicedtoward and through the shadow Tang Wulin. Completely unaffected, the shadowsuddenly sped up and pounced on Tang Wulin. Hmph! Wu Zhangkong let out a cold derisive snort. Purple light flashed inhis eyes, and the shadowy figure shrieked as it dispersed in a puff of smoke. Wu Zhangkong swung his head around, glaring at a mirror figure of himself thatwas dashing toward him. The shadow Wu Zhangkong shrieked and turned into smoke. This is possible? The Purple Demon Eyes can do this? Tang Wulin contemplated the wonders of the Purple Demon Eyes as the purpleshimmer faded from Wu Zhangkongs eyes.Teacher Wu is so awesome! What cant hedo? Wu Zhangkongs face still carried a grave expression. A darkness andspiritual dual-attributed soul beast. How powerful. The remaining shadows no longer dared to approach, intimidated by thefrightening power of the Purple Demon Eyes. They quietly turned around andretreated, but in their place, a black fog appeared. The moment he laid eyes onthe billowing smog, fear gripped Tang Wulins heart. At that moment, Wu Zhangkongs second soul ring lit up, and a chilling mistspread out to envelop the two of them, eventually clashing against the blackfog. When the two met, the black fog condensed to become drops of black liquid thatreleased a bizarre smell into the air. This was a collision between elements of ice and darkness. Could thisdarkness-attribute soul beast possess the rumored domain ability? He heard that within the domain, the ability user had absolute control.Despite some exaggerated elements, it was certainly true that their strengthwould be greatly amplified in the domain. The trouble now wasnt resisting the opponents ability but locating theiropponent! If they couldnt find their enemy, then they couldnt defeat it! Domain? Tang Wulin had a revelation. He immediately crouched down and touched theBluesilver Grass on the ground, closing his eyes. As he grew to understand his martial soul, he became more intimate with allplant life, especially wild Bluesilver Grass. Sometimes, he could even sensetheir emotions. Through the network of Bluesilver Grass, he attempted to extend his sensoryrange. Considering the forests lush environment, it would have been an amazingplace for him to cultivate had it not been the spirit ascension platform. During the previous battle, Wu Zhangkong had reminded him of the importance ofspiritual power and creative uses of abilities, and now he was putting thatadvice to use. He silently concentrated on the gentle spiritual fluctuations ofthe surrounding Bluesilver Grass. Its true! The corner of Tang Wulins mouth lifted; he knew how to find theiropponent now. Its ability to strike fear into the hearts of both him and theBluesilver Grass ultimately allowed him to locate their foe. 178 Thousand, Year Soul Skill So then, where was the source of their fear? Tang Wulin tried to convey thisquestion to the plants using his own spiritual senses. Although he had never attempted this before, he thought it was worth a try. As his conscious melded into the spiritual network of the plants, his sensesbroadened and the fear grew. Where is it? Where is the cause of our fear? He asked again. He suddenly felt the surrounding Bluesilver Grasss consciousness ripple inone direction. Its over there. Tang Wulin opened his eyes and pointed. Trusting Tang Wulin, Wu Zhangkong immediately brandished his sword andreleased a gigantic Skyfrost Slash in that. It sliced through the black fog,leaving a trail of frost-covered plants in its wake. Awoo! A deep howl filled the air, and the black fog converged into anewly-appeared purple light. The Skyfrost Slash collided with the purple light and dispersed. Tang Wulin patiently waited for the darkness to disappear and reveal their foe. A two-meter tall black ape appeared from the black fog. A head full ofpeculiar blazing gold hair, it didnt look particularly strong, though it wasclearly agile. A shimmering purple aura surrounded its body as it stared at Tang Wulin and WuZhangkong with bright topaz eyes, incredulity on its face. What soul beast is this? Tang Wulin couldnt remember any records of such abeast. Its a Three-Eyed Demon Ape! Be careful, it has already reached theten-thousand-year level and has opened its third eye. It will be a difficultopponent. Wu Zhangkong immediately dashed forward, aiming to enter a meleecombat with the ape. Wu Zhangkong had never acted hastily in previous battles, but this time wasdifferent. He knew that against such a formidable opponent, he would not beable to protect his charge if they stuck together. The Three-Eyed Demon Ape snarled, baring its large white fangs. Tension curledin its body before it shot forward like a whirlwind to welcome Wu Zhangkong. The fear emanating from the Bluesilver Grass fed his own until Tang Wulinsentire being screamed of danger as the two clashed. Tang Wulin instinctivelydashed ahead and rolled to the side, latching onto a distant tree with hisBluesilver Grass to alter his trajectory. His gut feeling had been right. Whilethe Three-Eyed Demon Ape and Wu Zhangkong fought back and forth, the apesuddenly turned into mist and reappeared where Tang Wulin had just been. It hadswiped at the air, forming a hexagon of amethyst light. If Tang Wulin had actedany slower, he would have been pulverized. He broke out into a cold sweat. How terrifying. It even deceived Teacher Wu! Hmph! Wu Zhangkongs expressionless face finally showed traces of anger.Tang Wulin sensed something from behind him and turned around in time to seecountless azure sword waves explode, swallowing the Three-Eyed Demon Ape. The Three-Eyed Demon Ape lacked the ability to teleport, and its suddendisappearance just now was attributed to the illusion it had created to trickWu Zhangkong. But thats all it was, a trick. It would not work a second time. Wu Zhangkongs eyes glowed amethyst, his Purple Demon Eyes in full force nowas a barrage of Frost Scars flew out. The Three-Eyed Demon Apes reaction speed was remarkable; it lowered its bodyand a ball of violet light burst forth and ensconced him. The light deflectedthe Frost Scars before exploding outwards to repel Wu Zhangkong. Its other arm fired a tanzanite light that flew past Wu Zhangkong and headedstraight for Tang Wulin. Just where did I provoke it? Why is it still after me? Tang Wulin didnt dare to relax and launched himself out of the way with awrench on the Bluesilver Grass he prepared. A tanzanite flame blazed into existence at the spot he just vacated,crystallizing all the plants touched by its fire into amethysts that meltedsoon afterward. Tang Wulin paled at this hauntingly beautiful scene. Once the strength of a darkness attribute reached a certain level, it couldachieve such terrifying effects. Meanwhile, Wu Zhangkong relentlessly pursued the Three-Eyed Demon Ape,unwilling to let it escape. Frost Scars cut through the air and struck the ape,but it dissipated into purple lights once more, merely another illusion. Wu Zhangkong, having expected this, immediately dodged to the side and evadedthe apes attack while countering with a Skyfrost Slash. This Skyfrost Slash was different than before; its energy was now condensedinto a one-meter sword wave and shone with a blinding azure light. The soulpower was condensed to the astonishing point that not even a drop of energyleaked out. The Three-Eyed Demon Apes violet barrier split open and the sword wave slicedright toward it. This was the first time the battlefield had gone out of its control, throwingit into a panic as it fiercely swung its arms and threw up another shield. TheSkyfrost Slash and the shield of light collided and paused momentarily, givingthe ape just enough time to leap out of the way. Wu Zhangkong didnt chase after it, motionless as the sword wave and shieldclashed. He switched to a two-handed grip on the Skyfrost Sword and his sixthsoul ring lit up. Thats His sixth soul ring? Its a ten-thousand-year soul skill! Tang Wulin stood rooted in place, his eyes wide open and unblinking to captureevery moment. Ten-thousand-year soul rings were almost on the same level as myths. In theworld of Soul Masters, out of ten thousand, perhaps only one person would belucky to have it!I wonder just how amazing Teacher Wus ten-thousand-year soulskill is? The Three-Eyed Demon Ape continued moving to the side, leaping and rolling. Itwas fuming with fury, its eyes shining a brilliant gold and its black furtinged with indigo. It looked like a blazing violet flame. A golden lightappeared on its forehead and finally revealed its third eye. Golden lightgushed out as its body swelled until it was three meters tall. So formidable! The ape stood up on its hind legs and raised its hands in Wu Zhangkongsdirection. Violet light gathered in its hands and coalesced into a ball oflight that kept growing larger. Its getting bigger? Will Teacher Wus sixth soul skill be more powerful? Tang Wulin looked back to Wu Zhangkong with anxiousness. Though Wu Zhangkongssixth soul ring still flickered, he stood as still as a statue. It was asthough he didnt care about his opponent any more, and had even gone as far asto close his eyes, his mind seemingly free from mundane worries as it driftedoff to another world. If it wasnt for the fact that the black soul ring continued to enlarge andthe increasing radiance of the Skyfrost Sword from icy blue to pure white, TangWulin would have believed Wu Zhangkong had given up. An indignant roar sounded from the Three-Eyed Demon Ape. Its palms struck theone-meter in diameter ball of violet light and the moment they touched, a beamof indigo power shot straight at Wu Zhangkong. The apes energy quickly drainedas it maintained this attack. 179 Breaking Through the Crisis! The Three-Eyed Demon Ape unleashed a second attack in concert with his first,shooting a golden beam of light from its third eye at Wu Zhangkongs head. This is a spiritual attack? Wu Zhangkongs eyes flashed open the instant the third eye attacked. A goldenviolet light, far more resplendent than before, burst from within his eyes.This was clearly the full strength of his Purple Demon Eyes. Purple and gold clashed mid-air, fighting for dominance as they released wavesof spiritual power that rippled outwards. Tang Wulin was still hit by the energy waves while watching from afar. Withoutany methods to defend himself against a spiritual attack, pounding nauseaassailed his mind before his eyes went blank and he lost his grip on reality. Tang Wulin had been perched atop a tree when the spiritual wave swallowed himand amidst his confusion, he fell to the ground. Back on the battlefield, Wu Zhangkong raised his head. His complexion waspale, blood flowing freely from his nose and ears. He had taken some damagefrom that spiritual confrontation just now. The moment the dust from their spiritual battle settled, the violet energyarrived before him. In the split second before it arrived, Wu Zhangkong closed his eyes. Then hefinally made his move. His jet-black sixth soul ring rose into the air, enveloping his entire bodybefore flaring with a resplendent white light that flew into the Skyfrost Sword. Both Wu Zhangkong and the Skyfrost Sword appeared to be as white as snow. Hisfigure vanished an instant later, becoming a white blur that flitted across thebattlefield. Ice bloomed behind the blurs wake as it shot forth and froze the light inplace when it swept past it. Cracks formed at the core of light as it struggledwithin its icy prison. Then the frozen casing split open and that radiant violet light exploded inall directions. The white blur flashed by once more. Clad in white and armed with a whitesword, Wu Zhangkong appeared behind the Three-Eyed Demon Ape. The apes smug expression froze in place. A vertical white line appeared on top of its head, slicing through its thirdeye and all the way to its crotch. Wulin, the third eye! Wu Zhangkongs booming voice sobered Tang Wulin. Hishead was still splitting from the spiritual shock-induced headache when heheard his teachers call. It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing his brain, a pain thatoverwhelmed his senses to the point where he wanted to smash his head into awall. Although his vision was fuzzy, he still managed to send out his BluesilverGrass with a thought. Goldlight slithered out of his body and bore into a strand of BluesilverGrass. The strand seemed to breathe into life as it transformed from azure togold and hardened. It pierced through the Three-Eyed Demon Apes third eye likea spear before penetrating into the apes brain. Tang Wulin collapsed in exhaustion as dark spots darkened his vision and sweatpoured from his body. At that moment, an immense wealth of energy flowed into him through the goldenvine. While it wasnt his first time absorbing spirit energy, this time was the mostunique. The energy was split into two; Goldlight was rapidly absorbing one partof the energy as it rested within the grass, while the other was flooding intoTang Wulins brain. It was this latter energy that was the cause of thestabbing pain in his brain. Releasing a muffled groan, Tang Wulin immediatelylost consciousness. Wu Zhangkong silently stood there, pale-faced as he took notice of TangWulins situation. He appeared beside his disciple like a bolt of lightning,brows furrowed and eyes bewildered. He had been so focused on obtaining this ten-thousand-year soul beasts spiritenergy for Tang Wulin, that he forgot a crucial fact; the beast was of theten-thousand-year level that could range from the beginning of the realm allthe way to the peak. If it was more than the maximum age, just how much excessspirit energy was Tang Wulin absorbing? During the previous evaluation, it was determined that Tang Wulins spiritualpower was strong enough to endure little more than two-thousand-years worth ofspirit energy. Any more than that would risk his mind and body crumbling apart. Tang Wulins spirit soul had reached about 1,300 years after absorbing theenergy of the previous soul beasts. Currently, he was absorbing the spiritenergy of this ten-thousand-year Three-Eyed Demon Apea minimum of 1000 yearsworth. The question now was whether Tang Wulins body was strong enough toendure this magnitude of spirit energy! Furthermore, this Three-Eyed Demon Ape was different from ordinary soulbeasts; it possessed a tremendous amount of spiritual power. Although there wasno method to obtain soul power in the spirit ascension platform,spiritual-attributed soul beasts possessed a special characteristic. Should aSoul Master absorb their spirit energy, they would be faced with a spiritualattack. Wu Zhangkongs eyes held a trace of rarely seen worry. His mind had beenmuddled after the spiritual clash with the Three-Eyed Demon Ape, thus leadingto his thoughtless decision of having Tang Wulin absorb its energy and endingup in this perilous situation. There was nothing he could do now but wait. The moment a Soul Master began toabsorb spirit energy, it would fuse and evolve the spirit soul. No externalinterference was possible once this process began; even a Title Douluo couldonly be forced to watch on helplessly as Tang Wulin absorbed the energy. Not only did the spirit ascension platform increase the age of spirit souls,it also influenced the soul power and spiritual power of Soul Masters. WuZhangkong could only silently wait and pray for Tang Wulins success. ShouldTang Wulin fail, it would end up as more than just a major problem. ? Waves of dizziness slammed into Tang Wulin. Though he felt no pain, he wasnumb to any other feeling as well. Chaos reigned in his spiritual world. After some time, a sliver of his consciousness woke. He opened his eyes, onlyto find himself floating in a pitch-black space. In its wake came endless,torturous, pain. Wher-where am I? The pain drilled into his head, making him tremble. The darkness gradually waned and a pale gold appeared. He watched as Goldlightslowly grew stronger, but then, so too did his pain. The pain was so unbearablethat he seemingly yearned for the release that only death provided. Nothing could alleviate his agony, so he surveyed his surroundings. Cracksappeared within this golden world soon after, numbing his pain. An idea struck him. Could this be my spiritual world? The space of myconsciousness? Old Tang! Tang Wulin screamed in panic. He could sense that as the cracksgradually widened, his impending death was also likely to become a reality. Hah A sigh resonated throughout the space, announcing the arrival of thegolden light before him. The golden light possessed a shape similar to that ofa weapon with a long shaft, but that was all Tang Wulin could discern. Golden rays of light blossomed from the long-shafted weapon and entered thecracks of this golden world. The cracks paused before slowly beginning to repair itself and restoring theworld to its original pristine. His piercing torture also eased as warmth filled Tang Wulin, healing hissuffering mind. My powers are limited, you know. You absorbed more energy than you couldhandle, forcing me to use some of my power to aid you in this crisis. While youshould be fine for now, the problem is that I wont have as much power to helpyou break the next seal anymore. The pressure you will have to face will beseveral folds higher than what it should have been. Prepare yourself. Eventhough you received a large upgrade this time, you absolutely must not do thisagain, otherwise I will run out of power needed to help you and you will riskyour life each time you break a seal. Old Tangs voice resounded throughout this golden world. Tang Wulin felt as ifhe had reunited with a long-lost relative, but in the next moment the goldfaded away and darkness returned. He lost consciousness once more. ? A fit of dizziness unlike anything before hit Tang Wulin when he woke up andleft him paralyzed, unable to move a finger or raise his head. It was one ofthe greatest struggles of his life just to simply open his eyes. Its cold! The first thing he noticed was the chill in the air. Sensation returned to hisbody, but it was still as heavy as lead and uncontrollable. 180 Another Spirit Soul Evolution The world around him gradually came into focus; then, he saw Wu Zhangkong. Wu Zhangkongs white robe was in tatters and he haggardly stood while usinghis Skyfrost Sword as a cane. His long hair was a disheveled mess, creating a sight of him that Tang Wulinhad never seen before. Yet he still stood tall, despite his injuries andexhaustion. Looking out further, Tang Wulin realized that a dozen soul beasts circled themwhile several beast corpses littered the ground. Hes Hes protecting me Were still in the spirit ascension platform? Tea-Teacher Wu Tang Wulin feebly called out. A tremble ran through Wu Zhangkong as he looked back. Although Wu Zhangkong cut a sorry figure, Tang Wulins appearance was far morefrightening. Little snakes of blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nostrils andmouth. Youre awake? Wu Zhangkong dashed to Tang Wulins side. The ice in WuZhangkongs eyes thawed to reveal a burning self-blame, but Tang Wulin didntnotice thishis mind was still muddled. Mn. Tang Wulin simply responded. Wu Zhangkong ordered, Were returning! He let out a deep breath, relievedthat Tang Wulin was fine. Even though it would take some time for Tang Wulin torecover, everything was good so long as he lived. He slapped the escape button on the back of Tang Wulins hand before hittinghis own. The two instantly disappeared with a beam of light. ? Tang Wulin remained motionless as the glass cover opened slowly. The murkinessof his mind hadnt disappeared even after leaving the spirit ascension platformbut rather, it became more obvious and pronounced. His body felt bloated and hewas unable to move his body. The glass cover of the container beside him opened and Wu Zhangkong got out.He rushed over to Tang Wulin and lifted him out of the glass case. Tang Wulins case could only be described as a rag doll-like body right now.His limbs were so feeble that he could do nothing but be at the mercy ofothers. Wu Zhangkong helped Tang Wulin into his clothes before clothinghimself. Gently lifting Tang Wulins limp body, Wu Zhangkong carried Tang Wulinon his back. He absorbed too much spirit energy. Does he need an inspection? A staffmember asked. Wu Zhangkong shook his head. No need. Ill be enough to take care of him andhell be fine once he wakes up. Alright. But once you leave it will no longer be a concern of the SpiritPagoda, warned the staff member. Wu Zhangkong nodded then left the Spirit Pagoda with Tang Wulin on his back.He had planned on heading back to Eastsea City immediately after their venturein the Spirit Pagoda, but right now he needed to find an inn to stay anothernight. It was necessary for Tang Wulin to adjust to the sudden influx of energy atthe moment, otherwise he may be faced with some residual effects. Tang Wulins mind was still befuddled, so he immediately dozed off the momenthe hit the bed. Wu Zhangkong also yearned for rest. His complexion was paleafter a day-long adventure in the spirit ascension platform, one that wasplagued with challenges far more difficult than he had expected. There werevery few beasts that posed a threat to him in the intermediate level, yet theyactually managed to run into one today. The Three-Eyed Demon Apes advantage lay in its spiritual-attribute. Not onlycould it employ spiritual attack, it was also bestowed with intelligence farbeyond its peers. Even so, it wasnt really that difficult for him to defeat the Three-EyedDemon Ape. What he never expected was to make such a grave mistake while hismind was rebounding from the spiritual attack. If it hadnt been Tang Wulin whoabsorbed the energy, then the consequences would have been far worse. ? It took a full nights rest before Tang Wulin awoke, yet his mind was stillmurky, preventing him from sensing the changes in his body. Are you feeling any better? Wu Zhangkong asked. Tang Wulin strained himself to nod, having finally regained some control overhis body. Wu Zhangkong helped him sit up. Your mind received a powerful attack and youwill need some time to recover. I know youre in pain right now but you muststill cultivate your Purple Demon Eyes to adjust your spiritual power. Theremay be some residual effects left otherwise. Okay! Tang Wulin readily agreed. Wu Zhangkong took a seat behind Tang Wulin and pressed one palm into TangWulins back while the other lay against the back of his head. A gentle streamof soul power seeped into Tang Wulins body, facilitating his cultivation ofthe Purple Demon Eyes. Tang Wulin had never found cultivating hard, but now he faced somedifficulties in controlling his soul power. Without Wu Zhangkongs help, hewould have been unable to circulate his soul power properly in this state. He circulated his soul power according to the Mysterious Heaven Method,gradually filling every inch of his body with power. Warmth spread throughouthis body and restored his vitality. With the immense gap between their cultivations, it required practically noeffort on Wu Zhangkongs part to guide Tang Wulin along. After cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Method for a whole day, he was able tostart practicing the Purple Demon Eyes. His body felt refreshed and his mindgrew clearer, relaxing him. Tang Wulins suffering gradually subsided as his mind and body regained theirnormalcy. It took him a few more circulation cycles before he was able tocultivate on his own again. Wu Zhangkong withdrew his hands and released a long sigh. This child really isa genius! Who else would be able to bear an over two-thousand-year spirit soul! Tang Wulins spiritual world barely contained all of this energy but his bodywas more than sturdy enough. His soul power had also been refined through thisprocess and was now at rank 16. His spirit soul, however, had not yet finished its evolution due to hisinsufficient spiritual power and it would take a while longer before theprocess was complete. Danger shadowed him during this process, forcing the twoto sit there and wait until it finished. Even once it finished, they would haveto continually examine Tang Wulins state. Unexpectedly, they stayed for a whole week. Tang Wulin meditated nonstop the entire time. A golden glow appeared on hisbody the third day, signaling the beginning of the spirit soul evolution. Goldlight resonated with Tang Wulins breathing and gradually began to change. Compared to the first spirit soul evolution, the changes were much moredistinct this time. Goldlight grew to one foot in length and its scales rose upslightly, gaining a sparkling and limpid luster. Its entire body was now a dullgold while two small points appeared on its head. The golden veined pattern onit became more distinct. Its bright eyes possessed a violet gloss as the evolution progressed. It had grown from a ten-year to hundred-year to thousand-year spirit soul insuch a short period of time. It was as if Goldlight had been born again,possessing an aura completely unlike before. With each breath, the goldenveined pattern on Tang Wulin brightened. When the spirit soul evolution finished four days later and Tang Wulin rousedfrom his meditation, there was an imperceptible change to him. His skin became more fair and radiant, his height had increased by at leastthree centimeters, his eyes were practically sparkling now, and his aura hadtransformed. Tang Wulin was well aware of these transformations. He also discovered that ashe practiced the Mysterious Heaven Method, a small whirlpool of soul powerbegan to form in his dantian. When this whirlpool appeared, both hiscultivation and recovery accelerated. 181 Improvemen This whirlpool compressed his soul power and barely took up any room in hisdantian. The bitterness had ended and the sweetness began the moment Tang Wulin awoke. We should go now. Due to their one week delay, their one month vacation hadalready passed. In fact, as a teacher, Wu Zhangkong was supposed to report in afew days earlier than students and was already late. Teacher Wu, thank you. Tang Wulin sincerely spoke his thanks as they walkedto the soul train station. This trip actually wasnt particularly enriching for him as he spent most ofhis time cultivating, but still, he was bursting with joy. During this trip in Heaven Dou City, he laid eyes on the sculptures of thealmighty and legendary Tang Sect figures and officially joined the Tang Sect.He also started cultivating two Tang Sect methods; the Mysterious Heaven Methodand the Purple Demon Eyes. In both he had reached a relatively high level andheld a basic comprehension of the two. He managed to acquire a thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit, one of the fourspirit items he needed and later evolved his spirit soul. Every one of theseevents had been a major event for him. Although he didnt know how much his strength had grown, he could feel afundamental change in his entire being. The Mysterious Heaven Method helped consolidate his understanding of thechanges brought about by his spirit souls evolution on his own body.I have athousand-year spirit soul now, a thousand-year spirit soul! Im probably theonly student in the academy whose first soul ring is at the thousand-year level! These events solidified his foundation and would aid him as he developed as aSoul Master. Although the timeframe posed some problem to him, especially therisk he faced when it came time to break the second seal, all of this was aproblem for the future. For now, he was developing quite nicely. I only showed you the way. The only person you can rely on is yourself. WuZhangkong said. Tang Wulin stared, dumbfounded. He clearly remembered his father telling himthe same thing.In this world, the only person you can rely on and trust isyourself. These words were carved into his heart. He never expected Wu Zhangkong to saysomething so similar. Yearning welled up in his heart. Mom, dad, where are you? Naer, where did yougo? ? After entering the soul train, Tang Wulin didnt waste any time andimmediately began meditating. He didnt let his spirit souls evolution get tohis head; he clearly knew how weak his martial soul and innate soul power wereas well as how his cultivation rate lagged behind Xie Xie and Gu Yue. Soul power was the foundation of all Soul Masters and all he could do was workhard to compensate for what he lacked. His spirit soul had evolved and he wouldsoon become a rank 20 Soul Grandmaster. Tang Wulin was filled with confidence, now convinced that he would reach thatlevel within the next year or two, depending on his luck. He would become aSoul Grandmaster by the time he turned twelve. A rank 20 at twelve years old was the definition of genius. Once they reached Eastsea City and the familiar skyline filled withskyscrapers entered his view, Tang Wulin though he gained an appreciation forthe city. Every city was different and had their own unique character.Its apity I didnt get a chance to properly sightsee inside Heaven Dou City. In thefuture, I definitely have to travel the continent and see all the famoussights! Maybe Ill even travel to the other continents. I wonder what kind ofscenery Ill see in the other two continents? There are still three days left until school resumes. Use this free time foryourself and relax a little. Even as his words lingered in the air, WuZhangkong was already walking away. Tang Wulin didnt immediately return to the dormitory but instead went to theblacksmiths workshop. He hadnt touched the forging hammer for a whole month and his skills werebeginning to rust.Ill go visit Mu Chen first and accept two tasks to warm upmy forging. I still owe Teacher Wu over one million coins! I need to pay it back quicklyand earn enough money for the other three items. He had felt wealthy saving three million but after buying the thousand-yearDragonscale Fruit, he understood just how frighteningly expensive it would beto break through his second seal. He resigned himself to spending every freehour earning money. If I continue to improve my forging, will I be able to forge my own battlearmor when I have four rings? The very thought of having a battle armor got his blood pumping. On the roadhome, he recalled Wu Zhangkongs explanation about battle armors.If I had abattle armor, that Three-Eyed Demon Ape wouldnt have even stood a chance! Teacher Wu is so awesome! Tang Wulin had witnessed five of Wu Zhangkongs sixsoul skills, and though he didnt really know what the ten-thousand-year soulskill was, the unparalleled might of that slash which killed the Three-EyedDemon Ape was obvious. Will I be that strong in the future? Tang Wulin had unknowingly placed WuZhangkong as his goal. Tang Wulin visited the Blacksmiths Association and immediately went to findMu Chen. Teacher, Im back. At the sight of his enthusiastic disciple, Mu Chen cracked a smile. How areyou? Was your vacation relaxing? He was the most easy-going among Tang Wulinsteachers. As long as he wasnt in the middle of teaching, he would reveal awarm temperament. I gained a lot from it, but I didnt have a chance to practice forging thewhole time. Tang Wulin lowered his head in shame. Mu Chen let out a hearty laugh. Youre such an honest child. Dont worryabout it so much; relaxing is also a part of cultivating. Once you reach acertain level of forging, practicing constantly is no longer as important asaccumulating and consolidating your experiences. Dad, youre too nice to him. Why didnt you let me go out and play during myvacation? You made me forge every day, a familiar voice whined. Mu Xi enteredthe room with a pouting face. Mu Chen said, When your own forging level is as good as Tang Wulins, thenyou can have a vacation too. Hmph! Mu Xi shot a glare at Tang Wulin before stomping out. Tang Wulin was at a loss as to how to deal with his senior disciple sistershostility.She really is unbridled. This kid Mu Chen knit his brows. He understood the competitive nature ofhis daughter but he never thought about correcting it. It was a virtue foryoungsters to have such a personality. A competitive heart would drive one towork harder. Mu Xi definitely made Tang Wulin her goal, otherwise she wouldnt have actedlike that. This is good, but its a pity that her rival is a little freak likeWulin. It wont be easy for her to surpass him! Youve just returned; go rest first. But let me warn you, your training willbe even more rigorous from now on, so prepare yourself. Since you have threedays until school resumes, use one day to rest and return to learn the othertwo days. Yes. The lack of any admonition set Tang Wulin at ease, but still, heresolved himself.I cant let Teacher down! After leaving Mu Chens office, Tang Wulin went to accept two rank threeblacksmith tasks before returning to the workshop. He had meditated the entire ride home so he wasnt tired at all and planned oncompleting these two assignments before he went to learn from Mu Chen. Theywould count as a warm-up and prevent his hands from being shaky when he waswith Mu Chen. He adjusted the forging table, set the metal down, and began forging. He became more comfortable with the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers astime passed and was surprised to discover the truth in Mu Chens words. Hehadnt simply said them to comfort Tang Wulin. After a month away from forging,the process he made was actually going more smoothly than before. He couldeasily sense the fine changes within the metal and its spirit now. Tang Wulin had assumed he would produce a failed product the first time as hereadjusted himself to forging, but contrary to his expectations the entireprocess flowed smoothly. Every chunk of metal was Thousand Refined successfullyand was of an even higher quality than before the vacation. With the aid of thePurple Demon Eyes, his efficiency had also increased by fifty percent. His soulpower had also increased, and aided by the compression due to the MysteriousHeaven Method, he now possessed more stamina to forge for longer lengths oftime. This was a markedly pleasant surprise. In the past, he could only ThousandRefine two chunks of metal in a row, but now he could work with four and end upwith even higher quality results. Regardless of whether they were Hundred Refined or Thousand Refined, therewere several grades assigned to the quality. There were three grades forHundred Refined: low, medium and high. The Thousand Refined had five gradestotal with first grade at the top and fifth grade at the bottom. 182 A New Semester Begins Tang Wulin usually produced fourth-grade Thousand Refined items. When theoccasional luck was with him, he would create third-grade metal, while when itwas against him, he would forge fifth-grade items. Although making fifth-grade products were enough to complete the tasks, itemsof the third-grade and higher would receive additional payment. Tang Wulin waspleased to discover that after forging a third and a fourth-grade metal in thebeginning, the rest were all second-grade. That was a lot of extra money! The fact that the quality of his products had improved signified that he hadbettered his understanding of metal.Teacher Mu told me before that when I canforge first-grade metals with a thirty percent success rate, Ill be ready totry Spirit Refining. He had originally thought that it would take three years before he couldattempt it, but now it seemed that he would be able to try it sooner than heexpected. If he could easily produce second-grade metals without trying hisbest, how far off could first-grade be? What Tang Wulin wasnt aware of was that his harvest from his trip to HeavenDou City truly was astounding. Apart from the Dragonscale Fruit, hisexperiences and gains in the intermediate spirit ascension platform hadbroadened his view on soul beasts and soul skills. What was most significant ofall, however, was the complete upgrade he had received from absorbing theThree-Eyed Demon Apes spirit energy. As a spiritual-attribute soul beast, the Three-Eyed Demon Apes spirit energywas far more volatile than that of normal beasts. Combined with the excessspirit energy that surpassed his bodily limits, Tang Wulin had faced atremendous amount of danger. If Old Tang hadnt come to his rescue, his cultivation would have deviated,resulting in permanent injuries at the best and an agonizing death at theworst. Wu Zhangkongs guilt had stemmed from this grave possibility. But, Tang Wulin had survived and made an extreme breakthrough. Although hehadnt benefited as much as breaking a Golden Dragon King seal, his gains wereclear. His spirit soul had reached heights he never thought possible and theMysterious Heaven Method had improved both his spiritual power and soul power. After refining these two energies, his fundamental strength had increasedsignificantly. No matter which occupation a Soul Master has, these two energieswere an essential part of their foundation. This was why Tang Wulinsimprovement in this regard had aided his forging. Having finished earlier than he expected, Tang Wulin didnt immediately goturn in the tasks. Instead, he chose to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Method.His understanding of metals deepened over the next three days as hecomprehended many things during this meditation. Eastsea Citys month-long calm came to an end with the new school semesterstarting and was once again bustling with noise and excitement. Students streamed into the academy, all of them brimming with positivity. Thiswas their second semester. After they finished it, they would advance to thenext grade. Though they looked forward to moving up a grade, the dreaded gradepromotion exams loomed over them. For those attending an intermediate Soul Master academy, they absolutely hadto have reached two rings by the time they graduated from their six years inthe elementary division, otherwise they wouldnt be issued a graduationdiploma. On the other hand, those in the advanced division needed to have threerings to properly graduate. Regardless of the academy, not every student could meet this requirement.Those in the upper grades would be extremely pressed for time. Students in the first two grades were still able to relax though. The urgencyof advancing their cultivation was still at the back of their minds. Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi were exploring the academy while chatting aboutvarious things. The two had become good friends after a semester together. Have you seen Wulin or anyone else from class zero? Speaking of them, theressomething really weird! I heard that Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi transferred toanother academy. Zhou Zhangxi smirked. Theyre probably too ashamed to be inthe same class as those three. Yun Xiao rolled his eyes. Do you think a genius who already has two rings inthe first grade would feel ashamed? Its definitely something else. You know, Ibet Wulin is feeling the pressure now. I heard Gu Yue is already a SoulGrandmaster now and hes the only one in their class who still only has onering. I wonder how much longer class zero will last? Zhou Zhangxis eyes lit up. It would be good if the class shuts down, thatway they would have to come back. Were class one right now, but we both knowhow strong our class really is. What will we do for this semesters ClassPromotion Tournament? Wont we just get demoted at this rate? Yun Xiao shrugged. Well just drop down to class two I guess. Zhou Zhangxis twisted with displeasure. Dont you feel even a shred of teamhonor? Yun Xiao said, You need strength to win honor. Shouldnt you focus oncultivating instead of thinking about such useless things? The two continued to converse as they made their way to the dormitories.Suddenly, something caught Yun Xiaos eye. He nudged his friend and whispered,Look, its Gu Yue. Zhou Zhangxi followed Yun Xiaos gaze and found an expressionless Gu Yue thatwas wearing the academy uniform. She had a delicate appearance, but wasnt particularly pretty. At least, shewas still far from Ouyang Zixins level. Her unique temperament, however, had adominating effect on others. Even Xie Xie found himself affected by her; onlyTang Wulin seemed immune to her charms. Yun Xiao and Zhou Zhangxi were no exceptions. They felt suppressed the momentthey saw her as if they were a low-level soul beast seeing a powerful soulbeast. Gu Yue had grown taller and prettier over the last semester, which somehowcondensed her domineering aura. Gu Yue didnt notice the duo and continued to walk toward the academysentrance. She really doesnt have any regard for others! Zhou Zhangxi waited for herto leave before he whispered to his friend. Yun Xiao snickered. What do you understand? I found out long ago that Gu Yueis actually the strongest in class zero. I dont think anyone below the fifthgrade is her match. If class zero participates in the Class PromotionTournament Hehe. I cant even imagine how much she will shine. Shes that strong? Even stronger than Xie Xie? Yun Xiao smirked. Should be. Outside of the teachers building. Teacher Wu, please take care of this student. Weve examined her and shedefinitely qualifies to enter class zero. Long Hengxu solemnly told WuZhangkong. Wu Zhangkong shifted his eyes towards Long Hengxu before lowering his head tolook at the timid girl before him. He coldly said, My class only acceptsmonsters, not ordinary people. Do you really think she qualifies? She only hasone ring. Long Hengxu frowned. Speaking of which, Teacher Wu, I think your class zerocould use some adjustment. Theres no problem with Gu Yue and Xie Xie, but whydid Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi leave? The academy principal explained whathappened to me, but I dont think forcing a pair of Soul Grandmasters to leavefor the sake of the one-ringed Tang Wulin is right. Also, why does class zerostill need to exist? I found a genius for you yet youre making all sorts ofexcuses. Im going to ask the academy to close down class zero since you onlyhave three students then. Wu Zhangkong gazed at him with icy eyes. You should say that to the principalinstead of me. Students have their own choice, and I have my own choice. YoureXu Xiaoyan right? Ill give you a chance. You have one month to obtain mine andmy students approval. If you dont, then regardless of your background, Iwont accept you as my student. Understood? Xu Xiaoyan listened with her head lowered, timidly nodding. She wanted to buryher little head into her chest right now. Follow me. Ill arrange your dorm assignment. Wu Zhangkong didnt bother tosay goodbye to Long Hengxu, quickly turning around and leaving. 183 Transfer Student Xu Xiaoyan Xu Xiaoyan hastened after Wu Zhangkong. Long Hengxus gaze followed their departure as his lips quirked up at theedges. Not for a second did he think Wu Zhangkongs behavior to be unreasonableor irritable. That guy, he really cares about class zero! He wouldnt submitotherwise. This is good. Its good that he cares since itll motivate him togive his best effort. Im looking forward to the results! He sat down and quickly dialed a number on his soul communicator. Hello, President. So, I have an idea. This past semester, we poured ourresources into class zero, yet ever since the two students left, the board ofdirectors has been questioning your decision, correct? I believe its time todisplay class zeros strength while also determining whether to continuesupporting this endeavor or not. What do you think? Long Hengxu listened to the other line and nodded. Right, thats exactly whatI was thinking. Well have them go. While Im unsure of how itll develop,theyre still young, so it should be fine so long as they achieve decentresults and garner some prestige for our academy. This way, everyone will notethe superiority of our academys teachers. Once they realize this, wont evenmore geniuses apply to our school? Yes, yes. Ill start making the arrangements. ? As Xu Xiaoyan followed behind Wu Zhangkong, her sparkling eyes took in theunfamiliar surroundings. Her previous school had been an ordinary one, andsince her family excessively doted on her, her life was devoid of any hardships. It was the mutation in her martial soul that led her onto this path. She had originally set on this path unwillingly, but after meeting WuZhangkong, her rejection rapidly diminished. Handsome! Teacher Wu is so cool and good-looking. Her heart hammered insideher chest. The next moment, however, she remembered her classmates whom she hadinvestigated after meeting them once before when they had pummeled her brother. Big brother was careless, but they were still so strong! Brother couldnt evenstruggle against that girl whos only a bit older than me! Unfortunately for Xu Xiaoyu, he was unaware of Xu Xiaoyans thoughts, or elsehe would have choked to death. This is your dorm room, Wu Zhangkong said as he opened the door and entered. Xu Xiaoyan followed him inside, only to be shocked by the sight of the singlebed. It seemed almost too good to be true. What kind of student dorm has such nice conditions? I was given specialtreatment before, but I still had a roommate! Remember, everything you receive is because youre currently in class zero,but you still have one month to prove yourself. Wu Zhangkong turned on hisheel and exited the room. Left behind, Xu Xiaoyan eyed the room doubtfully, but a smile soon appeared onher charming face. It looks like I really need to do my best. I have a handsome teacher andstrong classmates. Things are going to be fun. Huh, whats this? Whys there ahole in the wall? After she caught sight of the depression in the wall of her new room, XuXiaoyan got onto her stomach to peep through it and saw another room on theother side. Where does this lead? she mumbled to herself. She took a cloth andcautiously covered the hole, fearing any peeping toms on the other side. Bang bang bang! She gave a startled jump at the violent knocking and quickly went to open herdoor, thinking someone was outside. But when she stuck her head out, there was no one there. Instead, she saw afamiliar figure rapping on the door of the room beside hers. He was a delicately handsome boy who carried himself with a slight aura ofcoldness. Wulin, are you back yet? Jeez, he always appears and disappears in aflash. Its him! Xu Xiaoyan could immediately identify the boy. Isnt he thedagger-wielding boy? Hey, theres no one in there, Xu Xiaoyan said. Who are you, and why are you here? Enough time had passed since their lastencounter that together with her weak presence, Xie Xie didnt recognize XuXiaoyan. Xu Xiaoyan snorted. Why cant I be here? Youre in class zero, right? Xie Xie nodded. Im going to be a student in class zero too. Remember this, my name is XuXiaoyan. Away from Wu Zhangkong, the timid girl from before transformed into apretty, little tyrant. Im Xie Xie. No different from any other boy, Xie Xie was drawn to prettygirls. Thank you1