The Legend of the Dragon King Chapter 341-350

Chapter 341 – Sparring

Chapter 341 – Sparring

Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. “Count me out. I have too many things to do and not a second to spare. I’ve missed a lot of class after all.” More than

ever before, Tang Wulin felt pressed for time. He had to keep pace with the intense lectures at Shrek Academy, and now that he had three soul rings, there were two blacksmith teachers waiting to guide him. He’d be damned if he let a second go to waste .

“Alright then.” Xu Xiaoyan giggled. “What kind of spirit soul do you guys think I should get this time? I have plenty of money, and Big Sis Gu Yue

said she could snatch me a discount.”

Tang Wulin thought for a moment. “It’s best to get a spirit soul that’s compatible with you. Of course, since it also depends on the selection available, chance will play a large factor in this. Good luck.”

“Mn.”

Before they could say anything else, Shen Yi arrived on the platform and approached the lectern. “Let’s begin class.”

Tang Wulin whipped his head around to find her staring right at him. Taking the cue, he shot up like a rocket from his seat and shouted, “Stand up!”

The entire class rose with him. “Good morning, Teacher.” Shen Yi nodded, satisfied. “Take your seats.”

Her gaze moved from Tang Wulin to the rest of the class, sharp and discerning like a hawk’s. “Today we’re having combat class. You’ll be

 fighting together in your mecha making groups. You won’t be sparring with each other, but with either me or Teacher Wu. Group leaders, lead your groups out! We’re leaving now.” Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong made for the door without a second glance.

A combat class?

The thought left Tang Wulin shocked. Then excitement practically bubbled out of his chest. After all, he’d just received his third ring and shattered

another Golden Dragon King seal. If not for his potent self-control, Tang Wulin would have rushed out of his seat, eager to test out his new strength.

I wonder how combat class will be at Shrek? My group only has four people and we’ll be going against Teacher Shen and Teacher Wu…

However, we’re much stronger than the other groups. We also have Wu Siduo and her four rings. The rest of us have three rings. In fact, Wu Siduo’s soul fusion skill is already as powerful as an entire group

combined!

The sparring arena sat on the south side of the school building’s first floor. After passing through a wide corridor, the students found themselves in the large circular arena. It was over one hundred meters in diameter, with all

sorts of machines lining the perimeter for recording battles, analyzing said battles, and acting as safeguards in case of accidents.

Unlike where they had fought it out for the class presidency, this was a genuine sparring arena!

While injuries inflicted in the virtual battlefield also made their way into reality, the danger of death did not loom above the students. They could not die in there and as such fought more aggressively, taking more risks than they would have had they been in the real world.

This was not the case here.

Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong ascended the stage. The students diverted to the sides and lined up at the edges of the platform. Aware of the chit-chat,

 Tang Wulin gestured for his classmates to quiet down but found that none particularly paid much attention to him. Some outright ignored him.

He let out a long sigh. It seems my absence has made me less important in their eyes!

There’s nothing that can be done about it. I’ll just have to work hard to earn their respect.

Shen Yi swept her piercing eyes through the crowd. “Naturally, combat class consists of live combat. Today’s focus is teamwork. As I’ve said previously, together with your groups, you will fight me or Teacher Wu.

Apart from our battle armors, we will use our full power.” Her lips curled slightly upward. “Any group that defeats us will get full marks. Otherwise,

your score will depend on your performance. Decide who you want to fight: me or Teacher Wu. We will also be judging your decision. You will have five minutes to discuss, then the battles will start with the class council group.”

Gu Yue, Luo Guixing, and Wu Siduo shuffled closer to Tang Wulin’s side.

Tang Wulin’s face was the picture of apologetic. “Sorry about my absence. After breaking through to rank 30, my body encountered some unexpected issues. I had to miss class until my meditation finished.”

Wu Siduo acted as though she had not heard his apology at all. “We can talk about that after the battle. So, who should we choose?”

“Teacher Wu,” Tang Wulin answered immediately.

“Why?” Wu Siduo raised a brow at him. “It’s obvious that Teacher Wu is strong. In fact, he should be stronger than Teacher Shen.”

“Gu Yue and I came to Shrek Academy from Eastsea Academy with

Teacher Wu. He was our teacher during our time there, so we understand his abilities. Since both teachers are strong, I think it’d be best to minimize the unknown factors in the battle. That’s why if we pick Teacher Wu, we

can at least plan around his capabilities.”

 “I agree,” Luo Guixing said. “We don’t have much time. Give us a quick rundown of Teacher Wu’s soul skills.”

His tone was strong. It gave him the appearance of being the team’s leader.

Tang Wulin observed his groupmate for a moment, not quite knowing how he felt about that. Shaking his head once, he proceeded to describe Wu Zhangkong’s soul skills and the characteristics of his martial soul.

“What are our roles?” Wu Siduo asked. As she usually fought solo, she was unfamiliar with team tactics.

“Tang Wulin, you’re good at control, but you’re even better at attacking. You should be the vanguard,” said Luo Guixing. “Wu Siduo, you should launch a sneak attack from the side. I’ll be in the center to control the flow of battle, and Gu Yue will provide cover fire from the back. It’s our first time fighting together, so our plans can’t be too complicated. Simple is key here.”

Just as Gu Yue opened her mouth to say something, Tang Wulin pulled her hand and said, “Alright. Let’s do as you say.”

Luo Guixing smiled. Their five minutes had come to an end. The four of them climbed the stage.

“We choose Teacher Wu,” Luo Guixing said.

Tang Wulin stood at the front with Luo Guixing right behind him. Gu Yue was at Luo Guixing’s rear, and Wu Siduo stayed by Tang Wulin’s side. It was a peculiar battle formation.

Wu Siduo flicked her gaze to Tang Wulin. “Can you keep him occupied?”

He shook his head. “No way. Teacher Wu has seven rings. I can only buy us a little bit of time.”

“Mn. Do your best,” said Wu Siduo.

 “Tang Wulin, just get us three seconds,” said Luo Guixing. “I’ll support you, so don’t hold back at all.”

“Okay.”

Buzzing filled the air as a dome of light covered the arena.

Tang Wulin took in a deep breath, his eyes focusing on the figure before him.

Standing fifty meters away was Wu Zhangkong, his usual white robes gently billowing in his frigid aura.

“Begin,” announced Shen Yi, crisp voice piercing through the buzzing.

Tang Wulin burst into action in the blink of an eye. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he exerted his strength. He leapt toward Wu Zhangkong, his soul rings appearing around him mid-flight, dying him in their purple glow.

He had three purple soul rings now! This was beyond the textbook optimal configuration, and symbolized his strength.

Off-stage, his peers instantly recognized that he had broken through.

Bluesilver grass shot out from all around him at his command. They glistened more brightly than before, the veins within them more complex, as if they had transformed from a leaf’s to a human’s. Although he didn’t have a full grasp of the changes in his bluesilver grass, Tang Wulin knew it had become more powerful.

This growth wasn’t solely attributed to gaining his third ring. Breaking

another Golden Dragon King Seal had also aided in the sublimation of his martial soul.

The grass rushed toward Wu Zhangkong like a giant wave of vines.

It was his first soul skill, Bind! While the vines swarmed Wu Zhangkong, a light flashed in Tang Wulin’s eyes, his blood essence boiling over. Golden

 scales rippled into existence along up his right arm, across his right

shoulder, and through most of his torso. HIs hand transformed into the deadly golden dragon claw. He dared not hold back against Wu Zhangkong, not when Shen Yi had clearly said the teachers would fight at their full

strength!

Only now did Wu Zhangkong make his move. Soul rings materialized beneath him, first two yellow ones, followed by three purple rings. Finally, two black rings appeared, completing this terrifying configuration. The Skyfrost Sword materialized in his hand in an instant, the temperature of the arena instantly plummeting.

He pinched the sword’s tip with his left hand. With a wiggle of his right, the sword expelled a light into his left palm, blossoming into a flower.

It was his first soul skill, Frost Scar!

Rather than relying on his swordsmanship, he resorted to his soul skills without another thought!

Tang Wulin faced off the mighty aura of the seven-ringed Soul Sage with clenched teeth. Not once did his bluesilver grass relax in its assault against Wu Zhangkong, though a portion had split from the rest and returned to him. It spiraled in front of him to form a shield.

Chapter 342 – Team Battle Against Wu Zhangkong

Chapter 342 – Team Battle Against Wu Zhangkong

Frost Scars flew through the air, threatening to tear into the tide of bluesilver grass. The instant they collided, however, the grass released a dazzling azure light. Instead of slicing the it apart, the Frost Scar only managed to coat it in a layer of frost, freezing it in place.

This scene made Wu Zhangkong narrow his eyes, and he nodded to himself in understanding. I may not have used my full strength, but I focused all of my Frost Scars on a single spot. Wulin’s bluesilver grass really has grown

stronger. It’s at least twice as strong as before.

At that moment, a silver light blossomed at Wu Zhangkong’s feet. Luo

Guixing used Spatial Lock, timing it so that it activated immediately after Wu Zhangkong used Frost Scar, the exact moment he was about to send out another soul skill.

The enormous difference in their cultivation meant that Luo Guixing couldn’t completely restrain Wu Zhangkong. However, he did barely

manage to interrupt Wu Zhangkong and keep him from chaining soul skills.

Wu Siduo swooped in at that moment. From the very beginning of the battle, she made sure to stay just one step behind Tang Wulin, ready to pounce at any opening. The instant Luo Guixing tripped up Wu Zhangkong, she dove in with her first soul skill, Hell Rush.

She arrived in front of Wu Zhangkong in a shadowy blur, clawing at his ribs.

 Although it was their first time fighting together, the four of them synced up perfectly.

Wu Zhangkong’s white robes fluttered as he twisted his body to meet the claw strike. His sword blocked it with a resounding metallic ringing, his

perfect defense stunning Wu Siduo. She looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Before Wu Zhangkong could punish her for her mistake, Luo

Guixing teleported her away.

Tang Wulin took advantage of Wu Siduo’s attack to close the distance between him and Wu Zhangkong. Now in front of Wu Zhangkong, he

slashed out with his dragon claw, tearing through the air with an audible hiss. Five dark-gold lights streaked out of his claw.

Wu Zhangkong’s icy mask finally cracked, revealing a hint of astonishment. His sword shot up to to meet this attack with a white sword beam of its own. This beam was much larger than the previous Frost Scar, but it was far simpler in construction, merely resembling a long blade. However, Tang Wulin saw through its plain appearance. In reality, it was an attack

composed of thousands of Frost Scars fused together. Although it was Wu Zhangkong’s first soul skill, his masterful use of it transformed it into a terrifying beast to be reckoned with!

The white sword beam and the golden lights collided in an explosion of particles. Tang Wulin came out of the exchange covered in a layer of frost, but Wu Zhangkong had also been forced back.

He blocked it!

Tang Wulin unleashed a primal roar and his three purple soul rings faded away. A radiant golden soul ring appeared in their place. Blood essence bubbled within him, madly coursing through his body as he activated

Golden Dragon Body!

Goldlight slithered out and coiled around Tang Wulin’s body. The roar of a dragon thundered throughout the stadium, and Tang Wulin’s entire body took on a golden hue. His right sleeve exploded, revealing his golden-scaled

 right arm bursting with power. Every single scale was erect, and his claw seemed to have grown a bit larger.

The power of his surging blood essence instantly dispelled the frost on his body. He slashed with his claw once more, sending another five dark-gold beams that were each over two meters long. The moment they appeared, the space between Tang Wulin and Wu Zhangkong seemed to distort, the dragon roar becoming louder than ever.

Moments before this, Luo Guixing teleported Wu Siduo behind Wu Zhangkong. Taking advantage of the time that Tang Wulin bought with his explosive clash against Wu Zhangkong, she summoned her second martial soul. Black and white light swirled around her, her body grew larger and transforming into the Hell White Tiger!

Their opponent was a seven-ringed Soul Sage and a teacher at Shrek

Academy. There was no point in holding back or stalling. All they could do was go all out from the beginning.

Luo Guixing’s plan entailed playing to each of their strengths and having them release their greatest attacks on Wu Zhangkong at the same time. As long as they did that, they would at least be able to properly display their strength.

While Tang Wulin attacked Wu Zhangkong from the front with Golden

Dragon Dreadclaw, Wu Siduo attacked him from behind in her Hell White Tiger form. At the same time, quad-colored spears materialized in the air and shot toward Wu Zhangkong’s head following a precisely plotted arc.

The jaws of basically every spectating student had already dropped. The combined attack of their class council was too ferocious, especially Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon Dreadclaw and Wu Siduo’s Hell White Tiger!

Everyone could feel the tempestuous might of the two attacks.

Facing attacks from three separate directions, Wu Zhangkong’s fourth soul ring lit up as he simply thrust his Skyfrost Sword toward the sky.

 Tang Wulin and Wu Siduo immediately felt as if they were no longer fighting a human. Instead, they were opposing a towering mountain! They knew they wouldn’t be able to shake this mountain no matter what they tried.

A hurricane of energy burst forth from Wu Zhangkong. It swept across his opponents, routing Wu Siduo, overwhelming Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon Dreadclaw, and finally dispersing the incoming hail of quad-colored spears.

A thundering boom shook the arena, the barriers that surrounded it trembling before the shockwave. Tense silence descended upon the spectators as they watched the dust filled stage with narrowed eyes,

impatiently waiting for the dust to settle and reveal the results of the clash.

All of a sudden, a buzzing cut through the quiet, and a blue light pierced the sky. It stretched seven meters into the air, then revealed itself as a gigantic

azure greatsword. A wave of cold erupted from it, knocking Tang Wulin

and the Hell White Tiger off their feet. The giant sword then split into nine separate swords and shot toward Tang Wulin and Wu Siduo. Even the

spectating students off-stage found it hard to breath in the face of the sword’s might.

Silver light enveloped Wu Siduo, teleporting her out of harm’s way once again. With one of their targets gone, the nine swords changed direction, focusing all of their frigid power on Tang Wulin.

Even if he had nine lives, Tang Wulin wouldn’t survive this onslaught!

Wu Zhangkong had used both his fourth and fifth soul skills, Frost Song and Frost Song Moon. He hadn’t held anything back, immediately using two of his strongest soul skills.

There was no way for Tang Wulin to avoid these nine swords. However, inches before they sliced him to pieces, he disappeared in a flash of silver light.

Amazing!

 All of the spectators turned to gaze at Luo Guixing in awe. This was the second time he teleported his teammates out of harm’s way in the nick of time! Furthermore, the second teleport occurred just a split-second before

Frost Song cleaved Tang Wulin to bits! Even Tang Wulin had been bracing himself to take the attack with his dragon claw!

However, the students soon realized that something was wrong. Like them, Luo Guixing wore an expression of shock! He slowly turned his head to look behind him.

Earlier, he had teleported Wu Siduo in front of him to protect him from the wave of cold. Tang Wulin, however, had been teleported to the rear, right next to Gu Yue!

Chapter 343 – Total Defeat

Chapter 343 – Total Defeat

Luo Guixing stared at Gu Yue in shock. “Y-you can control space?” Gu Yue calmly met his gaze. “If you can do it, why can’t I?”

“Be careful,” Wu Siduo warned as she turned to take on Wu Zhangkong. She roared into the sky and shot forward, her enormous tiger form becoming transparent.

Frost Song Moons filled the sky. In the face of Wu Siduo’s charge, Wu Zhangkong only raised his right hand to grasp the enormous Frost Song greatsword. He pointed it toward the heavens, sweeping an icy gaze over his four opponents.

Instead of attacking with his sword, he thrust his other hand at the incoming Wu Siduo. His second soul ring lit up, and a white mist burst out of his palm, swallowing the Hell White Tiger up in an instant. Then, he used Frost Song and slashed at the other three with dozens of Frost Scars.

Tang Wulin walked in front of Luo Guixing, a cool calm settling on his face. Even though he was facing Wu Zhangkong, he wasn’t flustered at all.

His soul rings appeared and lit up, and with him at the center of it all, his surroundings started turning translucent. Bluesilver grass swarmed out of the ground, clambering up to form a giant net around him, Luo Guixing, and Gu Yue.

The tightly-woven net of vine-like grass did manage to resist the onslaught of Frost Scars, buying the three of them time, but vines soon began to

shatter one after another.

 Tang Wulin willed spears of bluesilver grass to erupt from the ground,

sending debris flying everywhere. The spears reinforced the net, acting as a secondary defense against the Frost Scars. With their arrival, the rate at

which the Frost Scars tore through his defenses immediately slowed down.

“Spin!” shouted Gu Yue. With a wave of her hands, her three soul rings lit up one by one, conjuring a giant green tornado around her and Tang Wulin. The tornado sucked in the surrounding debris and expanded, quickly turning into a sandstorm similar to the one she used against Wu Siduo the other day.

Luo Guixing, however, hadn’t been in the eye of the tornado. It sent Luo Guixing stumbling out of its chaos.However, a vine shot out, wrapped

around his waist, then pulled him back to Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.

Gu Yue glared at Tang Wulin. “You’re too kind-hearted. Don’t you see that he’s targeting you?”

Tang Wulin could only give her a meek smile while Luo Guixing’s expression darkened.

However, shock soon spread across both their faces.

Right before their eyes, Gu Yue stepped forward. She wore a grave

expression, her three soul rings twinkling as waves of power rampaged around her. Her hands danced like butterflies, orbs of light continuously

popping into existence and dancing in the winds of the tornado. The tornado started out with a green hue, but Gu Yue added icicles to it as it grew larger, mixing with the loose earth to give it a tinge of blue. With the addition of the icicles, the three of them could clearly feel the chilling suppression of Wu Zhangkong’s Skyfrost Sword decrease.

Luo Guixing stared blankly at the scene before him. It still isn’t over?

Gu Yue’s hands now took on a silver hue as she shot silver lights into the tornado, giving it a hint of darkness.

 Luo Guixing was at a loss for words. She can control four elements? How can this be?

Gu Yue wielded fire, earth, ice, and space. But that wasn’t all. She could even fuse them together. Combining two elements created a tornado at the

peak of the three-ring level. Three elements allowed it to reach the level of four rings. Fusing four elements allowed it to rival the might of Wu Siduo’s Hell White Tiger. However, this was not the end of the quad-element tornado.

At this point, a tinge of gray tainted the tornado’s original green hue. It howled with deathly stillness.

A Frost Scar flew into the tornado but was instantly ground to powder. Another flew in right afterward, but the result was exactly the same.

Shen Yi had shut off the screens for the final battle. There were some things she couldn’t let everyone see after all. This meant that Luo Guixing hadn’t

seen Gu Yue’s final showdown against Wu Siduo during the competition for the position of class president, so he was completely unaware of how strong she was. It wasn’t the sort of thing Wu Siduo would mention either.

As a result, this was Luo Guixing’s first time witnessing Gu Yue’s strength.

Luo Guixing hadn’t accepted Tang Wulin becoming the class president. In his view, Tang Wulin’s control ability and strength were decent, but nowhere near the peak of power. He thought Tang Wulin had won due to his schemes and luck. In fact, he was confident that he could completely restrain and dominate Tang Wulin in a one-on-one battle.Yet, upon

witnessing today’s display of the terrifying might of Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon Dreadclaw, his opinion changed. Although the Dreadclaw couldn’t compare to Wu Siduo’s Hell White Tiger, it didn’t need time to prepare like a soul fusion skill and could instantly explode with deadly power.

Moreover, now that he gained his third soul ring, Tang Wulin’s aura was far more overwhelming than before.

However, none of that could match Gu Yue’s quad-element tornado. The fact that she could wield four elements to create a fusion attack in the

 middle of battle proved that she possessed spiritual power in the Spirit Sea realm at the very least. Even as a ranker, Luo Guixing felt lacking before her.

So she’s the strongest person in our class! But… she yielded the class president position to Tang Wulin. Does that mean there’s still something more to him?

Countless questions popped into Luo Guixing’s head.

As the tornado raged on, the Frost Mist covering the area outside of it receded. The Hell White Tiger was nowhere to be seen, and only a motionless Wu Siduo stood in its place. Her entire body sparkled in the light, frozen solid.

Wu Zhangkong withdrew the Frost Song Moons filling the sky. Then his third soul ring lit up, indicating that the time for his Skyfrost Slash had

arrived.He didn’t move a single step forward. Instead, he simply

commanded his giant Frost Song greatsword to slash downward. A ten- meter-long sword light shot out, traveling fifty meters to slice the tornado apart, instantly dispelling it. Not even a quad-element fusion attack could withstand the might of the Skyfrost Slash enhanced by Frost Song.

Furthermore, the collision of soul skills only slowed the sword light down, causing it to just dim slightly.

The tornado was destroyed in an instant.

By the time Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Luo Guoxing could be seen, Wu Zhangkong had already sheathed his sword.

“Fools.” He stared at them with icy eyes.

The word resounded with truth. The battle had ended, and Tang Wulin’s group had lost. Without Wu Siduo’s Hell White Tiger, and considering how exhausted the rest of them were, if Wu Zhangkong had pressed the attack, they would have been defeated in an instant.

 This single word of criticism made the three feel ashamed. All of them understood what he meant. They only coordinated with each other properly at the beginning of the battle. However, they fell apart shortly after Luo

Guixing teleported Wu Siduo out of danger and Gu Yue did the same for

Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s teamwork was nowhere near perfect, especially when the reluctant Luo Guixing was added to the mix. Their

coordination had self-destructed in a splendid fashion.

The four of them combined couldn’t stand on equal footing with Wu Zhangkong, let alone when their teamwork was in shambles.

Wu Zhangkong slammed one of his palms against Wu Siduo’s body, dispelling the frost that covered her and jolting her awake. Although she had been completely frozen moments before, not even the slightest shiver could be seen in her now thawed body.

The four of them hung their heads as they descended from the stage.

Shen Yi didn’t contribute any words of criticism and simply ordered the next group to go up.

Wu Siduo looked from Tang Wulin to Luo Guixing. She then snorted and walked away, wearing an ugly expression as she looked for somewhere to sit.

Tang Wulin sighed. “This was my fault. I underestimated Teacher Wu. Now that he has seven rings, he’s at least two times stronger than before. I also didn’t properly coordinate with everyone either.”

Luo Guixing didn’t respond. He just walked away silently, searching for a place to sit as well.

“Are you the team leader?” Gu Yue glared at Tang Wulin. “No, you’re not, so why are you taking all the blame? He’s the one who made a plan for the team, but you don’t hear him saying anything.”

Hearing this, Luo Guixing turned to look at Gu Yue, anger flashing in his eyes, but Gu Yue ignored him.

 Tang Wulin knitted his brow. It was impossible to become a battle armor master alone. To do that, he needed everyone’s wholehearted cooperation.

Things definitely weren’t happening as he had hoped they would.

Chapter 344 – Dispelling Doubts

Chapter 344 – Dispelling Doubts

Making a one-word battle armor at their level called for surpassing their limits. If Tang Wulin and his group didn’t stand united, this would all be a pipe dream.

However, it was clear that neither Wu Siduo nor Luo Guixing respected Tang Wulin. This was natural since he was the class president, the position making him the target of much attention and hostility in his class.

Do I really want all of this?

But Tang Wulin wasn’t one to shrink back from his responsibilities. Now that he was the class president, he would do his best to fulfill the role no matter the challenges.

He patted Gu Yue on the shoulder, conveying to her that he didn’t need her to speak up for him. He approached Luo Guixing’s side and took a seat.

“You’re very strong and good at commanding. But you can’t deny that right now, I am the first grade’s class president,” Tang Wulin said quietly.

Luo Guixing’s brows arched. “So what?”

Tang Wulin smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “It’s nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that you have no chance of taking my position this

semester. You’re a smart person, so you should know internal strife will just set us all back. Even if you don’t respect me, you still have to cooperate

with me. We are in the same group currently, a team, and we’re also the first grade’s class council. Cultivating is like rowing a boat upstream. It’s not

 easy and takes a lot of effort. If we want to exceed our peers, then we need to discard our grudges and focus on cultivating.

“I guarantee you that as a blacksmith, I’ll treat everyone equally and forge to the best of my ability. I will work myself to the bone to meet everyone’s expectations, especially so we can succeed in making one-word battle

armor. I will also promise you that by the end of the semester, we will all have several pieces of battle armor. We will all be on the same stage when it comes to that. So if you plan to snatch the class president seat from me,

work hard. Grow and improve. Then come next semester, try to defeat me.”

He left Luo Guixing alone to mull over those words and made his way to Wu Siduo.

Because she had a good pair of ears and sat not too far from Luo Guixing, Wu Siduo had heard everything Tang Wulin said. She raised her head as he drew near, eyes fixed on him.

“I’m the one to blame for this battle’s loss.” Tang Wulin returned her stare, the words leaving his lips steady and unfaltering. “I didn’t coordinate properly with everyone and underestimated Teacher Wu’s strength. We might not be friends, but we have to be comrades. So, I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a fourth-rank blacksmith. I’m actually a fifth-rank one.”

That statement brought all sorts of shivers down her spine.

Catching sight of her reaction, Tang Wulin broke into a smile. “Becoming friends with me, someone who could be a Divine Blacksmith in the future, is a good idea. After all, our goal is four-word battle armor in the future, right?”

He extended his hand to Wu Siduo. After a moment of hesitation, she took it and gave it a firm shake.

“Today after class, I’ll go forge the metal for our battle armors.” As they drew back their hands, a voice sounded off to their side.

 “What you said was right,” Luo Guixing said as he walked over, clearly finished with his thoughts.

Tang Wulin turned to face him. This time, Luo Guixing took the initiative to offer his hand. “You are the class president and our group’s leader. But if you ever make a mistake, then you’ll have to take responsibility. I’ll be

waiting for that time to come.”

Tang Wulin accepted his gesture. “Thank you for your encouragement.” Their gazes clashed in the air, sparks firing off all around. Despite Luo

Guixing’s arrogant nature, he had no choice but to concede, for he couldn’t face off against Tang Wulin at this moment. He had to get stronger. Luo

Guixing’s number one priority was always improving himself after all. If he couldn’t outclass Tang Wulin during their time in the outer court, then he

would never stand at the peak.

Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Wu Siduo were all targets for him to surpass. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin beckoned Gu Yue over to him.

He released Luo Guixing’s hand and placed his own face down in the center.

Gu Yue dropped her hand above his with practiced movements. Wu Siduo and Luo Guixing exchanged a glance before adding their hands on top of the pile.

Shen Yi, who had been paying attention to their group since the beginning of the battle, curved her lips into a satisfied smile as she watched the four finally attaining group solidarity.

Challenges aren’t scary, but not knowing how to overcome them is. I have no doubt that Tang Wulin doesn’t lack in that regard. Senior brother’s judgement was correct. He’s a born leader.

As the rest of the battles rolled by, Tang Wulin’s group watched them

carefully. The group immediately after them also chose Wu Zhangkong.

 Afterward, some decided to try their chances with Shen Yi. They were all crushed in the end.

Only Xu Yucheng and Yang Nianxia’s groups lasted more than a few minutes.

Both Wu Zhangkong and Shen Yi had seven soul rings. As Soul Sages, the soul power they consumed to defeat the students was but a drop in the ocean.

Following this exercise in group combat, the students came to acknowledge the two teachers’ might. They were all powerless before the two.

After combat class, everyone had made various gains and losses from the battles, but neither Shen Yi nor Wu Zhangkong stepped forward to

comment. They simply ended classes for the day.

This was Shrek Academy’s teaching style. Students were left to ponder and comprehend on their own without excessive pointers from others. Whether the students could identify the problem and come up with a solution was up to them.

Only those who could walk this path to the very end were called true geniuses.

“Let’s grab lunch before we discuss making the battle armors.” Tang Wulin had grabbed hold of Luo Gui Xing, Wu Siduo, and Gu Yue as soon as class ended. Together, the four of them made for the dining hall.

Tang Wulin’s bottomless pit of a stomach shocked their two new

companions. By the time he finished eating, Wu Siduo was staring at the mountain of dishes, face pallid and taut. “How can you eat this much? Who raised you like this?”

“It’s none of your business,” Gu Yue blurted out.

Seated to the side, Luo Guixing moved his gaze to Tang Wulin then to Gu Yue. And he got the picture.

 At the same time, Wu Siduo glared at Gu Yue, cold enough to freeze. Just as she was about to speak out, Tang Wulin interrupted. “Let’s go. We need

to rent a room. There are lots of workshops at the Blacksmith’s Association, so let’s just rent one there and use it as our base.”

Making battle armors was definitely their top priority at the moment, and the four left for the Blacksmith’s Association. Tang Wulin found Feng Wuyu when they got there, quickly going over the purpose of their visit.

“Mn. Alright. I’ll give you kids a room. It’ll cost you kids one thousand contribution points every month,” Feng Wuyu said with a smile.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Tang Wulin made to leave with his companions, but Feng Wuyu suddenly grabbed his arm. “Wait. I’ll give you two hours. After that, come find me. We’ll go over forging. You don’t have any time to waste, right?”

“Alright, alright. Two hours should be enough.” Tang Wulin smiled wryly.

He feared the crazed light gleaming in Feng Wuyu’s eyes. This teacher of his was unpredictable to the extreme! However, he couldn’t help but be

curious about what Feng Wuyu would teach him now that he was capable of attempting spirit refining again. Two hours was more than enough time to thousand-refine some metal.

Although Tang Wulin already had heavy silver and magic silver in stock, Wu Siduo and Luo Guixing had just chosen their metals at the Blacksmith’s Association.

Wu Siduo’s was stygian iron, a rare darkness-attribute metal with a chilling aura of gloom. Its nature was peculiar and few could use it properly. As a result, it was fairly inexpensive.

Luo Guixing chose thousand moment copper, a space-attribute metal. It was perfect for him, and wasn’t too pricey for a mid-grade metal.

 Tang Wulin could barely conceal his approval of their selections. No one had overestimated their abilities and chosen top-grade metals beyond what they could use. Doing so would have severely hindered the battle-armor- making process, no matter how well he could forge the metals.

Chapter 345 – The First Battle Armor Piece

Chapter 345 – The First Battle Armor Piece

The main purpose of making one-word battle armor was to prepare for the future. Once the time came for Tang Wulin’s group to make two-word battle armor, they would be able to use completely new materials. They wouldn’t be restricted to the metals they chose now.

Upon entering their rented workshop, awe shone in Luo Guixing’s eyes when he saw how large it was. “Elder Feng treats you really well.”

The workshop was at least 150 square meters in area. The space was at least twice as large as what people could normally rent, and it was filled with all the best equipment and tools. An empty shelf for metals stood off to one

side. All of this came at the cheap price of one thousand contribution points a month. Now this was the benefit of having connections.

Tang Wulin smiled shyly. “We can talk about that after I thousand refine your metals. Gu Yue, have you drawn up any rough designs yet? We’ll need to discuss them before I get to forging.”

Gu Yue nodded. “I’ve already been getting feedback from the other two these past few days. I understand your situation as well, so I was able to get some first drafts done.”

She walked over to the forging table and took blueprints out of her storage ring. With one in hand, she turned to face them. “For the first piece of our battle armors, I decided on armor for our right hands. I chose this piece

 because it’s the easiest to use in combat and will immediately result in the largest increase in power.”

She unfurled the blueprint in her hands, then pointed at the various drawings. “Hand armor is made of separate parts that cover the actual hand, extend past the forearm, and go all the way to the elbow. So really, it’s

armor for both your hand and forearm. This is the design I drafted for you.”

“You chose heavy silver, the main property of which is soul power

amplification. After thinking about what would suit you best, I concluded that, since your hand can transform into the golden dragon claw, it would be essential for your hand armor to expand alongside it. To accomodate that, I added a transformation circuit core in the palm that will allow the armor to transform along with your arm. I also left holes in the fingertips of the

armor for your claws since they’re already extremely sharp weapons

anyway. To amplify your blood essence and soul power, I added circuit cores to the back of the hand armor. This is a dual-loop circuit core I

specially designed…”

Gu Yue went over the entire design without leaving out a single detail. Tang Wulin was stunned by how meticulous and complex her work was.

Designers are awesome! This was Tang Wulin’s first time learning about

circuit cores and seeing the complexity hidden within designs. Making this design a reality would clearly be difficult.

Tang Wulin stole a glance at Wu Siduo and Luo Guixing. He couldn’t discern any strange change in expression, a clear sign that Gu Yue’s design was on the right track.

“Any piece of one-word battle armor needs at least three circuit cores,” Gu Yue said, wrapping up her explanations. “In comparison, each piece of two- word armor needs five circuit cores. These circuit cores have to be built into the metal itself, so high-quality refined metal is required. Thousand refined metal is the bare minimum for making one-word armor.”

Tang Wulin nodded. “It’s a good thing I saw your designs first. Now I know what to focus on improving when I forge the metal. After I finish refining it,

 I’ll shape it according to the designs. While I shape it, I’ll refine it a second time and make the metal stronger or more flexible, whichever is more

suited to the design.”

Luo Guixing look at Tang Wulin in shock. “You can refine a metal twice?”

He once heard that twice refined metal was essential in making battle armor.

Tang Wulin nodded.

Luo Guixing looked him in the eye. “If that’s true, then I feel a lot better about the plan now. Making our battle armors should be easier than I thought.”

“Then let’s get started,” Tang Wulin replied. “We’ll take one step at a time. Gu Yue, iron out the rest of the designs and make them flawless. I’m going to begin the first refining of our metals. Once you’ve perfected your designs, I’ll do the second refining.”

“Alright.”

Each of the four had their respective profession, and all were talented in their own field. With their common goal to become battle armor masters, they temporarily set their differences aside to work together.

An hour later, four twinkling metals sat on the forging table. They were chunks of first-grade thousand refined heavy silver, magic silver, stygian iron, and thousand moment copper.

It had only taken Tang Wulin an hour to thousand refine four chunks of metal! Every time he finished, a beam of light shot a meter into the air, signifying that it had been imbued with spirit. Tang Wulin had appeared utterly relaxed throughout the entire process. Despite the discontent

harbored for him, Wu Siduo and Luo Guixing had to admit that he was the best blacksmith they could’ve hoped for. The four shining pieces of refined metal were proof of that.

“Do you have any suggestions for my hand armor design?” Gu Yue asked.

 Tang Wulin thought to himself for a moment, stroking his chin. “I think it’s perfect as is. My right arm is my main means of attack, so making my golden dragon claw stronger is the best thing for my hand armor to do. As for my bluesilver grass… it’ll be fine as long as the armor doesn’t hinder it. I trust in your skills.”

“Good,” said Gu Yue. “I’ll have you approve my designs once I finish them. We’re going to discuss the rest of the designs and the making process now. If you have something to do, feel free to leave.”

“Alright. I’m going to find Elder Feng. If you guys need anything, give me a call.”

Luo Guixing’s watched Tang Wulin as he went out the door, then he turned to Gu Yue. “Has he always been this good at blacksmithing?”

Gu Yue looked at him in disdain. She obviously still held a grudge against him for his actions in the match. “Don’t you know? Some people are just blessed by the heavens.”

Luo Guixing just smiled meekly in response. He went over to the blueprints and examined them. “This part of the design is too complex. It’ll be too hard for me to make it like this, so you should revise it…”

The three of them continued discussing the designs without Tang Wulin. As for him, he went to go find Feng Wuyu.

Tang Wulin liked how busy his life was. Everything was going according to the plan he set for both himself and his companions. Although Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan weren’t a part of his group, they would forever be members of class zero and his trusted comrades. He naturally hadn’t forgotten about them and already had the perfect solution for their predicaments.

☀

Yuanen Yehui was in her male disguise as usual. Not a single thing about her was out of place. Just as she entered the dormitory, its tidiness

astounded her. The floor had been swept, not a single speck of dust to be

 seen. Then she arrived at her room and found a bucket of clean water sitting just outside the of it.

Who did this? She opened her door and carried the bucket in, her brow furrowed. A few people flashed through her mind. Could it have been Tang Wulin? No way. Considering how much he eats, I bet he’s still gorging himself at the dining hall.

Only the heavens knew how Tang Wulin would react if he knew what Yuanen Yehui’s thought of him.

Was it Yue Zhengyu then? …there’s no way that guy is this nice. Even though he definitely knows I’m not an evil soul master now, he still tries to pick fights with me in class… could it be him then? A tall, thin figure popped into her mind, his handsome features fixed into a mischievous smile that held a hint of haughtiness. Then she imagined herself beating him up.

“Hmph!” Yuanen Yehui clenched her fists at the thought of the boy. She grabbed the bucket of water, stomped to her door, opened it, then threw all of the water out, and slammed the door shut.

After putting the bucket down, she placed her hands on her hips. That hadn’t lessened her anger one bit!

It took her a long time to calm down. Letting out a long sigh, she pulled open the blinds. Since they know now, there’s no point keeping this charade up while at the dormitory.

She walked over to her bed and took off her coat and wig, exposing her dark-red hair. She took a moment to rub her face, her pretty features soon resurfacing. Then a popping sound emanated from her bones and she grew a bit taller, her womanly curves becoming more pronounced.

My original appearance really is the most comfortable!

She touched her cheeks, basking in the change, when all of a sudden, pain flashed through her eyes. She stumbled over to her bed, hands clutching her head as she toppled onto it. Her body began to twitch, and her jaw clenched

 so tightly that it was on the verge of breaking. Spasms wracked her body as her eyes gradually went scarlet. Tears streamed down her face as dread began to creep inside of her. All she could see before her eyes was a sea of blood.

“No!” she screamed, forcing herself upright.

As she sat on her bed gasping for breath, the door flew open with a bang, and a figure charged into the room. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

Chapter 346 – Alloy

Chapter 346 – Alloy

Yuanen Yehui looked up at Xie Xie, who had barged in. He met her scarlet eyes and gulped, then meekly asked, “A-are you okay?”

Xie Xie had been waiting for her the entire time. Just like Yuanen Yehui had suspected, he was the one who cleaned the dormitory. He had drawn the bucket of water outside her door as well, using his Shadow Dragon Dagger to invisibly lurk in the vicinity, waiting for Yuanen Yehui to return. When he saw her dump out the bucket of water, he felt as though he were getting punched in the gut. Just as he was about to leave, however, he heard her pained screams and charged into her room without a second thought. Only

as he stared into her crimson eyes did he start to feel awkward. “Get out!” she screamed.

“Ah!” Xie Xie turned tail and ran off. Fear continued to linger in his heart when it came to her. The memory of her attempting to kill him had been burned into his mind, and even as he ran out, Xie Xie did not forget to close the door behind him.

Yuanen Yehui panted for breath as she wiped tears from her face. She then curled up in her bed, gripping her blanket tightly.

☀

“Do you know what the greatest difference is between blacksmiths who can spirit refine and those who can’t? Feng Wuyu asked Tang Wulin.

“Well… they can spirit refine,” Tang Wulin answered.

 “That’s a shit answer. It’s nowhere near as simple as that! Just what has Mu Chen been teaching you?” Feng Wuyu glared at Tang Wulin, the intensity in his gaze forcing the boy to stumble backward a step.

“Teacher Mu said that I shouldn’t bite off more than I can chew… that he’ll teach me what I need to know about spirit refining when I could actually do it,” Tang Wulin answered meekly. “That way, I can focus on improving my skills.”

“Nonsense!” Feng Wuyu shouted. “His way of teaching is half-assed. Only with a comprehensive understanding of your blacksmithing path will you be able to properly prepare and progress on it. Now pay attention. I’ll teach you just what a grandmaster blacksmith is.

“Prior to spirit refining, blacksmiths only need have to work according to routine. In other words, they just have to practice skilled labor. After spirit refining, blacksmiths can finally show their flair and character in their

work. This is a major milestone for blacksmiths.” Feng Wuyu paused for a moment, letting the information sink in. “Herein lies the greatest difference between fourth and fifth-rank blacksmiths. From now on, in addition to

single, homogenous metals, you’ll be forging alloys.”

“Alloys?” The idea left Tang Wulin dumbstruck, and an inkling of what was to come began forming in his mind.

“To spirit refine is to bestow life upon metals,” Feng Wuyu declared.

“You’ve succeeded in doing so once before, so let me ask you this: when you were spirit refining, what was the hardest part of the process?”

“Giving the metal life,” Tang Wulin answered instantly. “The metal gradually gains intelligence while being forged, and after reaching a certain level of intelligence, its very nature transforms. At that moment, we blacksmiths need to imbue it with our vitality to awaken the metal and grant it true life. Only then will the spirit refining succeed. Also, since metal has no life to begin with, the degree to which we can awaken its intelligence is crucial to the chances of successfully spirit refining.”

 “Not bad, kid. That’s a pretty good explanation. Now, what does the innate nature of the metal have to do with the difficulty of bestowing it life? The better the metal, the easier it is to spirit refine. The creation of life is one of the universe’s most important matters. In the split-second life is created, there is a burst of unperceivable energy. This energy is what we call life

energy, and it’s the basis of all life. While we may not be able to sense this energy, lifeless objects are extremely sensitive to it. If an object manages to absorb that energy, it gains life, but if it doesn’t, it’s ravaged by that energy and reduced to garbage. This is why failed spirit refinings result in metal that can no longer be used.

“Your overwhelming vitality is a large part of why you succeeded in your first spirit refining. Your life force poured into the heavy silver along with your blood essence, strengthening it and ultimately allowing it to gain life. You accidently succeeded at an extremely difficult procedure that we blacksmiths call Fledgling Life Guard. Not all blacksmiths are capable of this, and even Saint Blacksmiths only succeed thirty percent of the time. So, after countless experiments, we came up with another method to increase the success rate of spirit refining. The basis of that method is the improvement of the metal’s strength and its ability to absorb life energy. In order to do that, we forge alloys!

“Alloys are just what you’re thinking of: a combination of multiple metals into one. Although they see extensive use in mechas, they’re different from the kind I’m talking about. Alloys used in mechas are made by simply melting different metals into liquid, mixing them together, fixing the ratios, and shaping the completed product. Some chemicals are even used to help with the process. The alloys I’m referring to, however, are forged by hand and hammer alone.

“Blacksmiths also need to carefully mix metals and make sure that the ratios are correct, but we merge them by forging them together, evenly shaping the resulting alloy to strengthen it and bring out the best of its properties. We then finish off the alloy by spirit refining, and at higher

levels, soul refining it. The moment a metal is spirit refined, the future of its growth is decided.

 “From today onward, I will be teaching you how to forge alloys. Once you can skillfully forge ten alloys, we’ll move on to spirit refining. This way, your chances of success will be higher.”

Tang Wulin had been listening earnestly the entire time, but Feng Wuyu’s final words made his eyes start sparkling with excitement.

After he managed to reach a one hundred percent success rate with first- grade thousand refinement, Tang Wulin had actually had no idea how to progress further. After years of forging, he was exceptionally familiar with a wide variety of metals, and his thousand refining technique had been polished to perfection. While spirit refining did bestow life to a metal, it did not significantly improve the metal’s properties. Spirit refining was mainly done to allow metal metal to merge with its user. Tang Wulin knew all of this, but he didn’t know what his next step was supposed to be. Even though he knew about soul refining, he didn’t know how to do it or what it did.

Beyond that was the fabled heavenly refining, something he only knew the name of.

Tang Wulin had been at a complete loss as to how he should proceed, but hearing Feng Wuyu’s explanation of alloys was like a seeing new door open before him. Learning how to forge alloys would allow him to reach greater heights as a blacksmith, and he had no doubt that higher level battle armors used alloys as a base.

This is probably what Teacher Mu wanted to talk to me about… Everything is different now that I’ve reached the fifth rank. It’s a whole new world.

Feng Wuyu continued to teach Tang Wulin about alloys, how to forge them, and most importantly, their formulas. Countless rounds of trial and error resulted in the creation of formulas that were passed down through the generations from master to disciple. Each and every formula was a precious inheritance.

Alloy formulas were categorized as either common or rare. Rare formulas could be considered secrets that only a few privileged individuals were

allowed to know. Common formulas, on the other hand, were basically available to the general public.

 The more metals used in forging an alloy, the harder it was to forge it. This happened because the number of transformations that occurred in the mixture went up with each additional metal. This made formulas that included more metals all the more valuable. Common-grade alloy formulas generally used two to three metals. Any formula that listed more than three metals was considered a rare formula, and rarity increased with the number of metals involved.

Unknown to Tang Wulin, inheritance became important once a blacksmith began learning how to forge alloys. The Blacksmith’s Association even restricted the sale of common-grade alloy formulas to talented blacksmiths alone.

Fortunately, Tang Wulin had Feng Wuyu and Mu Chen, two Saint

Blacksmiths, as masters. He didn’t need to worry about obtaining alloy formulas.

Chapter 347 – Picking up a Treasure

Chapter 347 – Picking up a Treasure

Unknown to Tang Wulin, inheritance became crucial once a blacksmith began learning how to forge alloys. Even the common-grade alloy formulas were restricted in sale by the Blacksmith’s Association to talented blacksmiths. Fortunately for Tang Wulin, he had Feng Wuyu and Mu Chen, two Saint Blacksmiths, as his masters. He needn’t worry about obtaining

alloy formulas at all.

Feng Wuyu’s teaching style was completely different from Mu Chen’s. While Mu Chen was gentle and understanding, Feng Wuyu was short- tempered and impatient. If Tang Wulin made a single mistake, the

workshop would shake with Feng Wuyu’s roars.

Only after four long hours of forging did Tang Wulin’s sturdy body finally give in to exhaustion.

“Teacher, I’m hungry…” Tang Wulin said feebly.

“Alright, go eat then. Come back when you’re done. We can still fit in three more hours of blacksmithing tonight. Did you think blacksmithing was all fun and games? Don’t be a fool. If the metal ratio of the mixture is even a tiny bit off, it won’t qualify to even be called an alloy. Combining multiple metals into one is a slow and complicated process. If the ratio is off, they

won’t form a cohesive whole.”

“Yes.” Tang Wulin listened earnestly.

 Although this teacher of his had a terribly violent nature, his critiques always hit the nail on the head, and he answered all of Tang Wulin’s

questions with ease. Besides, Tang Wulin wouldn’t give in to merely this much pressure.

“Now shoo.” Feng Wuyu waved him off. “Go and get dinner.”

Tang Wulin turned and ran out the door. The instant he was out of sight,

Feng Wuyu’s angry expression eased into grin, and he began dancing around the room in joy.

“Haha! I’ve really picked up a treasure this time! That kid’s well worth his price, he’s a real prodigy! He’s already forged alloy of this level on his first try. If he isn’t a prodigy, he’s a monster! Haha! I have such good eyes.”

Tang Wulin’s hardships were only beginning. He attended classes in the morning and learned from Feng Wuyu in the afternoon thrice a week. He was slowly figuring out the trick to forging alloys, and his blacksmithing skills were rapidly improving. Yet Feng Wuyu still forbid him from

attempting to spirit refine.

☀

“What? He taught you how to forge alloys?” Mu Chen stared at Tang Wulin in astonishment.

“Is there something wrong with that, Teacher?” Tang Wulin met his teacher’s gaze with doubtful eyes. Between making battle armor, learning from Feng Wuyu, and keeping up with his cultivation, Tang Wulin had recently been deprived of nearly all his free time. He only managed to pay Mu Chen a visit after scraping together every second he could.

“Of course not.” The corner of Mu Chen’s mouth began to twitch. “Do you know what rank people usually begin learning about alloys? The sixth! The sixth rank! Fifth-rank blacksmiths only need to know how to spirit refine.

Even if their chances of success are extremely low, a single successful spirit refining elevates a blacksmith to the fifth rank. However, to get to the sixth rank, a blacksmith needs to be able to forge at least six two-metal alloys and

 three three-metal alloys. Teaching you about alloys when you haven’t even solidified your spirit refining foundation is just irresponsible!”

“Huh?” Tang Wulin’s eyes widened at Mu Chen’s words. Elder Feng, why do you always stray from the beaten path!

A pensive expression appeared on Mu Chen’s face. This lasted for a few moments, and then he leaped to his feet. “Follow me.”

Mu Chen led Tang Wulin into a workshop on the same floor that was taller and larger than the others. This was the personal workshop of the

Association’s president. He stopped in the center of the room, then turned to face Tang Wulin. “Many different alloys exist, a large number of which are available for civilian use. Alloys are one of the government’s key areas of research. While there are some alloys that can be processed by machines, us blacksmiths don’t even consider them true alloys. Those are just several metals melted down and mixed together. That mechanical process destroys both the strengths of the metals and the life they held, so we call them

spiritless alloys. Only true alloys forged by blacksmiths are called spirit alloys. The difference between the two is evident in their value. If you compare two alloys, a spirit alloy and a spiritless alloy, the spirit alloy

would be a thousand times more valuable. To display their full potential, spirit alloys need to be spirit refined at the very least. You also need to become skilled at forging spirit alloys if you want to become a Saint

Blacksmith because, when the time comes for you to soul refine, you won’t be able to use just any metal. Regular metals aren’t strong enough endure being soul refined, so you will only be able to use alloys. Since Feng Wuyu has already begun teaching you how to forge them, I don’t want to overwhelm you. Instead of teaching you how to spirit refine on top of that, I’ll teach you the specifics of forging alloys.”

“Understood.”

“Show me what you’ve learned,” Mu Chen ordered. “Let me see you forge an alloy. Just make whatever you’re best at.”

 “Yes!” Tang Wulin walked over to the shelf of metals and quickly picked out two. One was heavy silver and the other was magic silver. If he used heavy silver and magic silver, he could create an alloy called jade silver.

The most important part of forging spirit alloys was ensuring that the product retained the spiritual nature of its components. This was what

separated them from spiritless alloys. Jade silver possessed the strengths of both heavy silver and magic silver. As one of the better two-metal alloys, it reinforced those strengths.

Tang Wulin put the two metals into forging table’s furnace and began

calcining them. He stood there in silence, eyes shut, patiently waiting for the moment they would be ready for hammering.

Off to the side, Mu Chen observed Tang Wulin’s steady breathing and nodded in approval. This child is outstanding. Unlike most people, he’s able to remain calm.

Seconds ticked by, and soon enough, the calcining of the metals had

completed. Tang Wulin pushed a button, bringing out the heavy silver first. He raised his hands, his twin hammers appearing in them in a flash. He lightly tapped the heavy silver with the hammer in his left hand, then struck with the one in his right. The stacked hammers effect triggered, and three booms resounded in a row, marking the beginning of the forging process.

The hammers carried a tremendous amount of force, each strike visibly distorting the resilient heavy silver. No more than a minute later, Tang Wulin finished hundred refining it. Then the magic silver emerged, and he hundred refined it as well.

The pair of hundred-refined metals sat on the table side-by-side. Tang Wulin spread his arms wide in a sweeping gesture, then brought them hurtling toward the two metals. His hammers smashed the metals together, and a series of booms thundered throughout the room, overlapping to become one unified burst of sound.

Mu Chen’s watched this scene unfold with rapt attention. This was a high- level blacksmith technique. A single difference in angle or force between

 his two strikes would make the fusion fail.

Tang Wulin swung his arms out again, and this time three purple soul rings popped into existence around him. Then he swept his arms inward once more, his hammers whistling toward the fusing metals.

Forging alloys wasn’t as simple as smashing two metals together. The process required a constant infusion of soul power to bridge the gap between the metals until they reached a balance. Only this could preserve the spiritual nature of the metals and sublimate their properties in the finished product.

Three rings? Mu Chen stared at Tang Wulin in shock. He wasn’t aware that Tang Wulin had gained his third soul ring. This progress is too fast! Wasn’t he just rank 28 the other day? He’s already broken through to rank 30?

He thought that Tang Wulin’s strength had increased, but now he realized the boy had grown much more than just that.

Two hammers descended once more, filling the room with thunder. A layer of white soul power enveloped the partially fused metals. The Mysterious Heaven Method influenced soul power, having it flow out in a steady but vigorous stream to connect the two metals.

Under Tang Wulin’s steady hammering, the metals kept transforming. They squished together, and the line that indicated which metal was which began to blur.

An hour later, when the two metals completely merged into one, Tang Wulin’s hammering lightened up from crashing strikes to gentle taps. He tapped it with the hammer in his left hand, the hammer in his right quickly followed at the opposite end to keep the metal in place. His two hammers alternated in this way as they lightly tapped the metal, causing it to slowly start spinning. Tang Wulin continued tapping the metal as it spun, each gentle strike adding to its momentum. It was as if he were forging a metal whirlwind on the table.

Chapter 348 – Spirit Alloy

Chapter 348 – Spirit Alloy

Spin forging? Is he capable of doing even this?

Mu Chen finally came to realize he had not known his disciple as well as he thought. His philosophy had dictated that as long as a student established a solid foundation and he was there to steadily guide them, success would follow like water downstream.

As such, he had been livid after catching wind of Feng Wuyu’s actions. That eccentric taught Tang Wulin about alloys, breaking the gradual pace he had set for his student. Yet before his eyes, Tang Wulin was forging the

alloy without a hitch, his hands full of care and his craft methodical.

At first glance, Mu Chen had thought his disciple would create the alloy by press forging, but now it was clear that would not be the case. He switched to spin forging, a far more demanding process.That said, in exchange for requiring more skill, taking longer, and consuming more soul power, it produced alloys with greater harmony and consistency.

Normally, five soul rings were required to spin forge. Tang Wulin only had three. Nevertheless, he had been aware of this, and applied a trick in order to bypass this obstacle; by press forging it in the beginning, Tang Wulin treated the alloy to the point where he could finish the process with spin forging.

And he had more than one trick up his sleeve.

His hammers came crashing down nonstop, emitting light as the metal spun faster and faster.

 Is he alternating between using soul power and raw strength? Mu Chen stared in shock.

Can he really succeed without soul power strengthening his body?

Soul power was mainly used in forging to create a connection between blacksmith and metal. If the blacksmith stopped supplying soul power, however, the connection could hold for a while longer before sizzling out. Tang Wulin took advantage of this phenomenon, only working in bursts of pure strength. While it was mentally exhausting to maintain the residual

connection, providing soul power at the cusp of its death, this technique saved him a wealth of soul power in the long run!

Seconds ticked by. Then minutes. Yet not once did Tang Wulin pause in his time-consuming task. He needed to constantly adjust for the changes and harmonization of the two metals. It was taxing and sipped away at his soul power.

An hour soon crept by. Tang Wulin’s focus had not waned since the beginning, his mind and body working at optimal settings and his soul power dwindling at a steady rate. By carefully timing his switches and using the Mysterious Heaven Method, which had improved after he obtained his third soul ring, he could persist in spin forging.

Astonishment practically dripped from Mu Chen’s form. He had never thought his disciple was this advanced.

Alloy forging was a completely different beast from spirit refining. While spirit refining taxed a blacksmith’s mind, body, and soul power, alloy forging tested a blacksmith’s technique and understanding of metal.

Tang Wulin had spent three years polishing his thousand refining skills,

which helped him build an exceptional foundation and an understanding of metal far beyond his same-ranked peers. He had unknowingly prepared for this the whole time.

After two hours, Tang Wulin’s forehead became slick with sweat, his body swaying from fatigue. Not much was left in his soul power reserves after

 three. Even so, the strikes of his hammer never stopped and the metal continued to spin.

Sucking in a deep breath, Tang Wulin’s gaze sharpened and his blood

essence roared. His three purple soul rings, a golden one appearing in their place.

His body shuddered in tune to the golden soul ring’s radiant shine, his right arm swelling with strength. Golden scales rippled into existence across his arm and chest.

With each stroke of the hammer, a hint of gold spread further into the white whirlpool of light gathering around the metal. The gold ate away at the

white with every strike, and soon the whirlpool was a brilliant gold throughout.

His unrestrained blood essence rose the temperature in the room several degrees. It coursed through his body so loudly even Mu Chen could hear it.

Although Mu Chen had been aware of Tang Wulin’s blood essence soul ring, this was the first time he experienced for himself the extent in which Tang Wulin’s blood essence had strengthened since coming to Shrek

Academy.

If there was something Tang Wulin couldn’t accomplish with three soul rings, then he would pull through with his blood essence soul ring and bodily strength!

However, now that he activated Golden Dragon Body, he could no longer use the previous switching method to conserve soul power. He redoubled his efforts, his forging more touched of frenzy than ever before. Now

whenever his hammers struck the metal, a radiant ring of light blossomed. Coupled with the golden whirlpool, the spectacle was more than awe- inspiring.

Suddenly, Tang Wulin dropped one of his hammer-wielding arms and raised the other high into the air.

 “Rise!” And he slammed his hammer down.

A beam of light shot out of the metal toward the skies. The golden

whirlpool accelerated its spin, a droning buzz filling the surrounding space. The light rose five feet into the air!

For a moment it quivered, then tendrils of blue bloomed from its peak. A second later, a dragon’s roar shook the room as golden light sprouted from the blue, rising another three feet in height.

“It’s thousand refined with spirit, forged together to give rise to the spirit,” Mu Chen proclaimed.

The label of first-grade thousand refined was different between alloys and homogeneous metals. An alloy becoming thousand refined with spirit marked the success of the metal fusion. Or at the very least, an initial

success.

A pleased smile formed on Tang Wulin’s lips. It was his first successful alloy forging since he began learning about them.

The beam of light shooting from the metal represented its spirit rising and signified a successful alloy forging. That light only appeared when the metals completely fused while retaining their spirit. The act of spirit rising differed for every blacksmith as it was affected by their martial souls.

Furthermore, the tendrils of blue light came from Tang Wulin’s bluesilver grass and the golden light stemmed from his Golden Dragon King bloodline.

Since the golden light reached five feet into the air, it was clear as day that his Golden Dragon King bloodline eclipsed his bluesilver grass. The height of the light correlated with the degree of the metal’s fusion and the

characteristics of the soul master’s martial soul. Generally, a foot-tall light was considered rare. Yet Tang Wulin managed to get it to three feet. This was a blacksmithing miracle.

 The light of white, blue, and gold persisted for over twenty seconds before gradually dissipating.

An oval lump of metal sat on the forging table. Its body glistened like jade, the cloud pattern within it dancing like mist. Even though it wasn’t spirit refined, it was full of life, a silver aura hovering around it.

This was jade silver!

Mu Chen stood up from his seat, grabbed the metal, and placed it in an apparatus. “The harmony rate is ninety-one percent,” he declared.

“Only ninety-one percent?” Tang Wulin thought his forging had been perfect and was disappointed by how far he was from one hundred percent.

Mu Chen’s mouth twitched. “Only? What do you think alloy forging is?

Just a sixty percent harmony rate is enough to be considered a success, and with every five percent increase, the level of the metal also increases. The ninety-one percent harmony rate isn’t due to solely your blacksmithing

skills. No, it’s also influenced by your martial soul and bloodline. Without those two, you never would have been able to produce something of this

calibre.”

Kid, that’s a ninety-one percent harmony rate! Even a Saint Blacksmith like me isn’t guaranteed to produce this kind of feat!

Of course, Mu Chen didn’t forge alloys as easy as jade silver. In addition, heavy silver and magic silver shared many of the same qualities, which

eased the alloy forging process. However, Tang Wulin was only thirteen years old! Once again, he set a new record in the blacksmithing world!

Before he could think further, a voice derailed his thoughts.

“Teacher, can I keep this piece of jade silver?” asked Tang Wulin.

Chapter 349 – Saint Blacksmith’s Notebook

Chapter 349 – Saint Blacksmith’s Notebook

Mu Chen glanced at the jade silver in Tang Wulin’s hands and then

switched his attention to his student. “Of course you can take it,” he said.

This piece of jade silver was first-grade thousand refined. Normally, the grade of the metal was finalized after the first forging, but alloys were different. If the alloys forged still retained their life, then they could be reforged a second or third time. The higher the grade of the alloy, the more times this was possible. By the second forging, most blacksmiths were able to grasp the essence of the metal and bring out it’s true potential. Compared to most spirit refined metals, the jade silver in Tang Wulin’s hands was far more valuable.

Mu Chen’s stare grew blank. He was at a loss, unsure how to progress with his student’s instruction.

Tang Wulin’s success proved the validity of Feng Wuyu’s teaching methods. After a few short days of lectures, he was able to fuse forge. His next step was to polish his technique and practice forging more alloys.

Spirit refining would naturally follow, and by the way things were looking he would become a sixth-rank blacksmith in no more than three years. Not only that, Tang Wulin made up for his lacking soul power with his blood

essence soul ring, and coupled with his powerful draconic bloodline, he was stronger than other blacksmiths.

Now this was what it meant to be gifted! He belonged at Shrek Academy truly, no doubt about it. Only here could his monstrous talent blossom into a

 stunning flower.

“Take this.” Mu Chen retrieved from his storage ring a book and handed it over

Tang Wulin accepted the book. He inspected it, noticing its lack of any titles.

“This notebook contains everything I know about spirit refining and alloy forging.” Mu Chen watched as the sound of his words brought his student’s line of sight back to his own. “I was going to wait for you to become more familiar with spirit refining before giving it to you, but it seems you’re ready.

“Honestly speaking, you’re growing faster than I ever expected. Once you reach a certain level, there wouldn’t be much I can do for you besides

warning you if you ever stray down the wrong path. Never forget that your perception and efforts are crucial to advancing as a blacksmith. Take a look through the notebook when you have some time. Every blacksmith has their own forging style, so cross-reference it with both Feng Wuyu’s and your own. Keep it safe and don’t lose it. I wrote some of my secret alloy formulas in there. You can’t let anyone else read it, understood?”

“Got it.” Tang Wulin gazed at the notebook like it was a treasure. Its pages contained all of an eighth-rank Saint Blacksmith’s knowledge pertaining to spirit refining and alloy forging! Not to mention, secret formulas. It was truly priceless no matter how anyone thought of it..

Mu Chen smiled warmly at Tang Wulin’s gentle handling of the notebook. “This is all I can give you for now. I’m sure you’re busy with various things at Shrek Academy, so you don’t have to visit me so often in the future. Just come once a month. Feng Wuyu’s teachings won’t be any worse than mine. Study the contents of the book, focus on deepening your comprehension of blacksmithing, and find your own path. Think of spirit refining as gathering your strength and soul refining as taking flight. But I don’t want you to be

anxious to become a Saint Blacksmith. Build a solid foundation in the spirit refining stage, just like you did for thousand refining. That way, you’ll be

able to immediately grasp the meaning of soul refining when it comes time.

 The stronger your foundation, the higher your chances of becoming a Divine Blacksmith.”

A flash of light, and another object appeared in Mu Chen’s hand.

“Here. This is your new blacksmith’s badge.” A pleased smile formed on his lips.

Compared to Tang Wulin’s current one, which was orange in color with four yellow stars, this badge showcased five twinkling purple stars peppering a white background. It was the noble and elegant badge of a fifth-rank blacksmith.

In other words, those five stars represented a grandmaster blacksmith!

Tang Wulin carefully exchanged his old one with the five-star badge. The moment his fingers grazed the surface, he felt a cool breeze enveloping his body. His concentration grew. The badge felt heavy in his hands, at least twice as heavy as his old badge.

“Five-star badges are all forged by Saint Blacksmiths. I personally forged yours and added a soul circuit. More specifically, a focus circuit. It clears and invigorates your mind. Wearing the badge will help your spiritual

power grow and increase your concentration when you forge. I soul refined the stars on the badge. That way, you can inspect them and have a glimpse of what soul refined metal feels like. I’m sure it’ll be helpful for your development.”

“Thank you, Teacher.” Tang Wulin couldn’t keep his eyes off the badge, marvelling at it. After a moment of hesitation, he finally put it on and hid it under his clothes.

The cool breeze spread to the rest of his body, his mind sharpening and his perception expanding from three meters in range to five. I

Although Mu Chen had explained the uniqueness of the badge in simple terms, it was far from that. Tang Wulin’s strong mind and the added effects

 of the badge brought him to a shocking revelation: his spiritual power was now on par with those in the Spirit Sea realm.

Teacher went through all the trouble just to make this for me!

“I’ll add another star for you once you get to the sixth rank.” Mu Chen smiled.

“Yes.” Tang Wulin grinned.

“How did Elder Feng assess your blacksmithing skills?”

Tang Wulin hesitated then lowered his head, not knowing how to answer.

Mu Chen stared at Tang Wulin in surprise. “What? Was he dissatisfied with you?”

Tang Wulin shook his head. “He’s not dissatisfied. He just always says I’m a slow learner and stupid.”

“Is he crazy?” Mu Chen blurted out, realizing how inappropriate his

comment was a moment later. “My bad. I’m not trying to insult him. I think Elder Feng is treating you like this because of how highly he values you.

Therefore, his expectations are similarly high. Since you succeeded in forging an alloy, it’s clear that his teaching methods aren’t wrong.”

Mu Chen kept his more negative thoughts hidden. He thinks Wulin is stupid? Then are there any smart blacksmiths at all? Wait, isn’t he also insulting me then?

☀

After stepping foot outside the building, Tang Wulin felt invigorated by the effects of his new badge. He was now officially a fifth-rank blacksmith. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he thought about the jade

silver he forged. It was definitely worth loads of money.

 Despite successfully forging a few alloys during Feng Wuyu’s instruction, he had not been permitted to keep them. The old man had kept them all. It wasn’t unreasonable, however, since Feng Wuyu provided the metal for him to practice with. Moreover, forging alloys was the same as spirit refining.

Failure resulted in a useless spiritless metal.

The jade silver was the first alloy Tang Wulin had been allowed to keep.

By the time he returned to his dormitory, the sun had set beyond the horizon. He didn’t head to the dining hall at once as he grew accustomed to late-night meals. By arriving later, he could avoid becoming a spectacle, the working student with a bottomless pit for a stomach.

The trees rustled in a gentle night breeze, the cool scent of evening dew filling his nostrils. Shrek Academy was marvelous. Tang Wulin had come to fall in love with this place even with his hectic cultivation schedule. He was certain that he would enjoy his time here even more if he weren’t so busy.

The working student dormitory was as spotless as usual, not a single speck of dust to be seen. Instead of returning to his own room, he paid Yue Zhengyu a visit.

Tang Wulin knocked on the door. “Anyone home?”

Yue Zhengyu opened it, peeking his head through the crack. “Come in.” Then he turned around and walked back to his desk without another word.

“Aren’t you being too cold? I only switched out one of the items from our previous agreement,” said Tang Wulin, smiling.

After his breakthrough, Tang Wulin had visited Yue Zhengyu to amend his order, requesting the spirit items needed for his fourth seal instead.

However, Yue Zhengyu had already obtained one of the spirit items he had originally asked for and was furious. The whole event created a rift between them.

“It’s shameful to not keep your word and alter the conditions at the last moment.” Yue Zhengyu spat, jaws clenched..

 Tang Wulin scratched his chin in embarrassment. “I didn’t have a choice. Besides, didn’t I lower the terms for you? It was originally two spirit items but now it’s one. I’m losing out a lot as well.”

“Bullshit. The two spirit items you originally requested were both one- thousand-year, but now you want something that’s two-thousand-year. You really have the gall to say you’re taking a loss?” Yue Zhengyu glared at him.

Tang Wulin sighed. “Alright, alright. How about I just give you one piece of meteoric iron, and you don’t have to pay me anything anymore? We’ll just call it even.”

Chapter 350 – Shocked

Chapter 350 – Shocked

Yue Zhengyu was taken aback by Tang Wulin’s suggestion. “Really?” Such an offer was definitely in his favor. First-grade thousand refined meteoric iron was one of the best materials he could hope for to make his one-word battle armor, and all the better if it was free!

True to his word, Tang Wulin retrieved a piece of meteoric iron from his storage ring and handed it over.

Yue Zhengyu accepted it, inspecting it with a sharp eye. The way light reflected off the metal confirmed it was the real deal, and he gulped as his surprise grew.

“And here I thought you were a stingy person. I would never have expected you to be so generous! Let’s do as you said and call it even between us.

Also, if you make any good stuff in the future…”

He almost swallowed his tongue as Tang Wulin unbuttoned his shirt, revealing something white beneath. It was a dazzling five-starred badge..

That’s!

Yue Zhengyu’s eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets. He pounced on Tang Wulin and ripped open his shirt.

At that very moment, Xie Xie happened to be passing by Yue Zhengyu’s room, a bucket of water in his arms. His attention strayed to the window, and he caught a glimpse of the scene within.

Huh? Isn’t that Wulin? What’s he doing in Yue Zhengyu’s room?

 From his perspective, Xie Xie could only see Tang Wulin from behind. Then he nearly yelped in surprise when he saw Yue Zhengyu crash into

Tang Wulin and tear his shirt open like a madman. And most shockingly of all, drop his head to a very suspicious level.

What the hell are they doing?

Then it hit him like a speeding bullet. N-no way! It couldn’t be…

“Oi! Just what are you trying to do?” Tang Wulin shoved Yue Zhengyu off of him, recoiling back as he covered himself.

“Fifth rank? Y-you’re a fifth-rank blacksmith?” Yue Zhengyu could hardly believe it. In the brief moment he had come in contact with the badge, he felt its energy and knew it was a genuine fifth-rank badge forged by a Saint Blacksmith. A scion of the Holy Angel clan, he definitely wouldn’t be

wrong about such thing. Not when there were seventh-rank craftsmen in his family.

For every profession, the fifth rank existed as a great divider that separated peasants from lords. The moment a blacksmith hit the fifth rank, their status increased a hundredfold! At that rank they could forge spirit refined metals, material that served as the foundation of two-word battle armors! But in the face of all this, all Yue Zhengyu could think about was Tang Wulin’s age.

Despite being a few years his junior, Tang Wulin had reached the fifth rank!

This… Yue Zhengyu’s heart lurched, and countless thoughts flooded his mind in an instant. He was certain that Tang Wulin was the youngest fifth- rank blacksmith in history!

“Yeah, so? If that’s all you wanted to talk about, I’m leaving.” However, just as Tang Wulin turned away, an object fell out of his sleeve.

Yue Zhengyu’s eyes darted to the object. Isn’t that jade silver?

 Meteoric iron was precious, but in no way could it compare to jade silver, an alloy!

“I-is this a spirit alloy? Yue Zhengyu asked, bending to pick it up. Tang Wulin was a step ahead of him, however, and he snatched it from the floor..

“D-did you forge that?” The words tumbled out of Yue Zhengyu’s mouth.

Tang Wulin smiled wryly. “Yes, though it was a fluke. I can’t even remember how many times I failed before I succeeded in forging that. The harmony rate isn’t that great.”

“How high is it?” Yue Zhengyu asked, suspicious.

“I don’t know. My teacher just said it isn’t that high.”

If Mu Chen were present to witness this exchange, he would be struck speechless. Never in a million years would he have guessed that his treasured disciple possessed such a cunning side.

“Let me have it. I can deliver it to my family and have them check. It’s important to know exactly how high the harmony rate is, you know.””

“I can just check it at the Blacksmith’s Association,” said Tang Wulin.. Yue Zhengyu didn’t flinch. “You still don’t trust me?”

A chuckle escaped from Tang Wulin’s lips. “Alright then.” He handed the jade silver to Yue Zhengyu, departing with a wave goodbye.

Yue Zhengyu resolved himself as he took in Tang Wulin’s departing figure.

If he really can forge alloys, then I need to form a relationship with him no matter the cost. It’ll be worth it!

By the time Tang Wulin was out the door, his face had morphed into a pleased smirk. His charade wasn’t for the sake of teasing Yue Zhengyu, but to manipulate him in an effort to carve out a good relationship between them. Tang Wulin still remembered how haughty Yue Zhengyu had acted

 the day they first met, throwing his weight around and purchasing a drink shop to get a girl’s number. The Holy Angel clan must be wealthy and influential, a great help in acquiring spirit items he would later need.

There were eighteen Golden Dragon King seals, each one stronger than the previous. Each required spirit items more expensive than the last to break. Fortunately,Tang Wulin shattered his third seal without paying anything, but the process still required a ten-thousand-year spirit item! He couldn’t rely on luck or the free gifts of others. He had to prepare to buy what he needed himself.

Only by becoming a great blacksmith could he afford the materials needed to cultivate, break the seals, and preserve his life! Because of this, blacksmithing had crawled its way to the top of his priority list without him realizing.

Every seal he broke made him more powerful, but poor as he was and

struggling to buy the items needed, he feared more for his life. The strength the Golden Dragon King offered him was as dangerous as it was great.

Failing to shatter a seal would mean death!

Tang Wulin couldn’t for the life of him guess what he would need to break the later seals. Just the fourth required spirit items of the two to three- thousand-year level. Perhaps ten-thousand-year spirit items before the ninth seal were in order. But then there was the problem of finding them.

For now, he had to prepare for the future.

His stomach wailed midstep. Even if the sky shattered to pieces and fell tomorrow, food always came first!

Tucked within the shadows, Xie Xie watched Tang Wulin march for the dining hall, face twisted into a grimace. He glanced behind him, zooming in on Yue Zhengyu’s room, gulping. He fled.

After eating dinner, Tang Wulin returned straight to the working students dormitory. Finished forging for the day, he planned to extend his cultivation period for the night.

 Instead of walking to his room however, he made a detour once he stepped inside, heading for the grove behind the dormitory. It was a quiet place, generally untouched by the hubbub of many people living under the same roof. More often than not, he was the only person there.

Tang Wulin stood in the center, basking in the tranquility of the forest, silently adjusting his soul power and blood essence.

Little by little the range of his perception expanded, and he became in every sense of the word aware of the surrounding plants. He could feel the life pulsing from them, their simple emotions. Joy. Anger. Fear. He could feel it all.

Although bluesilver grass was not strong in the traditional sense, it enabled him to connect the the world of plants. In addition to his increased

cultivation speed, his perception range grew in this state as well.

Not only that, because he was also a fifth-rank blacksmith, which had raised his spiritual power, his senses were especially sharp today. He could hear the murmuring voices of the trees, the gurgling of the blood within his veins. The powerful and rhythmic beat of his heart that pumped the scarlet liquid of life throughout his body.

Tang Wulin took pleasure in those sensations.

He slowly swung his hands in circles, a gentle breeze lingering in their wake. Pure white light emitted from them. It was the soul power of the Mysterious Heaven Method, and circles of the same white light formed with the movement of his hands.

And Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon kicked into action.