Chapter 41 – Blacksmith Ranking Test
Chapter 41 – Blacksmith Ranking Test
With narrowed eyes, Cen Yue picked up Tang Wulin’s form. “Follow me.” He had to see for himself what level Mang Tian’s 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 Wulin’s nervousness eased a bit. The forging room was about the same as Mang Tian’s. 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, you’ve 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 President’s 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 you’ll 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 one’s purification abilities.
The surveyor didn’t 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 metal’s 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 Tian’s 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 isn’t small!” The surveyor exclaimed in
astonishment. She was slowly thinking that the nine year old boy in front of her could actually pass the blacksmith’s 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 didn’t 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 blacksmith’s test didn’t 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 wasn’t 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 one’s memories of the thrill of the hunt, and so before he knew it, he had chosen it.
However, he still remembered Mang Tian’s words. He mustn’t use his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers unless he was alone. At the very least, he couldn’t reveal his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers until he was fifteen years old.
Tang Wulin gradually adjusted his breathing as he watched the metal’s 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 Wulin’s gaze sharpen, he couldn’t help but secretly
exclaim in his heart, ‘Oh, Mang Tian, Mang Tian. You’ve truly picked up a gem.’
Cen Yue was the greatest advocate of single-minded devotion to forging within the blacksmith community. He wasn’t 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 Yue’s expression immediately brightened.
Tang Wulin’s 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 blacksmith’s ranking test, she was extremely
experienced in her role. From Tang Wulin’s details, she could determine that this wasn’t the child’s first time forging Heavy Silver. How could a blacksmith who hadn’t 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 Yue’s gaze switched to Tang Wulin’s ears. He clearly saw Tang Wulin’s ears tremble slightly.
‘He’s listening! He’s listening to the feedback of the metal. What an excellent lad!’
Right at that moment, Tang Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s 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 Yue’s eyes widened a bit. ‘Those are… Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers!?’
Chapter 42 – Eight Star Saint Craftsman
Chapter 42 – 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 couldn’t 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 one’s hammering. However, one’s strength would also be consumed quickly.
Without a thought, Tang Wulin’s arms were already in motion, readying the next strike.
His two hammers descended. From the Heavy Silver’s 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 couldn’t 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 couldn’t help but feel at home.
As his eyes focused on on the Heavy Silver before him, his ears twitched unceasingly – 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 Yue’s expressions grew serious.
Tang Wulin was completely focused at this moment. Even compared to other blacksmiths already in their 20’s and 30’s, 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 didn’t
even need to look at the Heavy Silver. With his experience, he already knew how effective Tang Wulin’s purification of the Heavy Silver would be.
Purifying Heavy Silver was originally a second rank blacksmith’s standard due to the excessive difficulty of purifying a metal as dense as Heavy Silver. It wasn’t 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 Wulin’s 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 surveyor’s and Cen Yue’s 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. Blacksmith’s Association’s third floor.
The elevator’s doors opened up and two people exited. Among these two people was a majestic man in his 40’s 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 Blacksmith’s 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. I’m just bringing Mu Xi to take the second rank test. I’d like to speak with the surveyor.” This was the eight star Saint Craftsman as well as the President of the Sun-Moon Federation’s Eastsea City branch of the Blacksmith’s Association. This was Mu Chen!
“Yes. Please wait a moment President. Miss Mu Xi is already taking the second rank test! She’s truly worthy of being a generational genius in the blacksmithing world.”
Mu Xi’s expression was undisturbed in the face of such praise. In response, she just nodded in greeting.
She didn’t like being called a genius. The reason she was where she was today wasn’t 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! What’s 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 blacksmith’s 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. I’m 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 couldn’t 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 didn’t 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.
Chapter 43 – Second Rank
Chapter 43 – 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 blacksmith’s feelings as well as their ideals.
Mu Chen didn’t enter the forging chamber because he couldn’t, even as the President. Nobody was allowed into the chamber when during a blacksmith’s ranking test. Entering might falter the blacksmith’s
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 examinee’s 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 Wulin’s forms.
When Cen Yue’s 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 isn’t a mistake of some sort? This examinee is only nine years
old?”
The staff confirmed immediately. “That’s right. We had doubts about it previously too. I couldn’t 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 blacksmith’s test?’
Beep beep! Mu Chen removed the soul communicator from his waist belt and answered the call.
“Daddy, I’m ready. Are you coming? I’m in room six.” “I’ll be there shortly.”
Though he still had doubts, it didn’t matter as much as his daughter. Mu Chen quickened his steps towards room six.
“Time’s 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 Wulin’s eyes.
In Tang Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s 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 – 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 wouldn’t 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 Yue’s remarks. “This kid, he’s a disciple of Mang Tian?”
Cen Yue nodded his head. “I couldn’t believe it either. But I now confirm that the kid is eligible for the second rank test.”
The surveyor considered Cen Yue’s 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 didn’t 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 Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s hammering speed gradually increased. Under his hammer’s 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 textbook’s ideal of forging!
This child’s 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 couldn’t 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.
Chapter 44 – Aren’t You Just Showing Off?
Chapter 44 – Aren’t You Just Showing Off?
When Tang Wulin walked out of the forging room, his face was painted
with joy. It wasn’t 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 blacksmith’s badge, and to start receiving jobs from the Association.
☀
“Mang Tian!” The call to his old acquaintance finally got through.
“En?” Mang Tian’s 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. What’s 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. That’s all.” Mang Tian still spoke plainly.
Cen Yue snapped back at Mang Tian’s explanation. “Was your intention to brandish this kid’s 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.” “I’m 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 Yue’s room.
“What blacksmith rank are you at? How many years have you been under me? Can’t you even complete the Thousand Refinements……” The youngster, while in a state of loss, was unfortunately the target of all of Cen Yue’s 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 Wulin’s 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 couldn’t pay up previously because I did not have any coins. Since I ruined most of the property, I don’t 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 Zhangxi’s 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 didn’t 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 hadn’t used his Bluesilver Grass’s soul skill, his skills alone wouldn’t 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 Wulin’s martial soul really just Bluesilver Grass? Did I underestimate the ability of Tang Wulin’s 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 heart’s 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 Wulin’s 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 Xie’s 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 hadn’t 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 pyramid’s worth of food on his plate before leaving for an empty table at the corner to devour his food.
The dining hall’s chef recognised Tang Wulin for his record-breaking
appetite and was worried that the child’s stomach could not take up all the food. But he now knew that the child was doing fine when he caught view of Tang Wulin’s 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 Xie’s plate was similar to Tang Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s 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.
Chapter 45 – The Worst Class
Chapter 45 – The Worst Class
The opening ceremony on Eastsea Academy’s 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 Academy’s annually held opening ceremony. The President of Eastsea Academy has been invited to the ceremony and he will be making a speech shortly.”
Eastsea Academy’s President was a senior who looked to be about sixty years old. He had a medium build and didn’t 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 didn’t 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 President’s speech – 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 Hengxu’s 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 – 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 – 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 Zhangkong’s gaze rested on him. It was then that he understood the tremor in Yun Xiao’s voice. His gaze was sharp, to the point that it seemed to penetrate into a person’s 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 don’t have one yet.”
“That’s 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 aren’t a piece of trash yourself, would you have landed in class five?”
Chapter 46 – Icily Arrogant Prince Charming
Chapter 46 – Icily Arrogant Prince Charming
Wu Zhangkong’s 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 Xie’s soul power rank. In fact, Yun Xiao’s 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 Wulin’s 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 you’re 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 Zhangkong’s 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.
“Let’s 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 wouldn’t 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. You’re in class five?”
Tang Wulin nodded. “My martial soul is Bluesilver Grass. It’s a trash martial soul after all. Naturally I can only enter class five.”
Liu Yuxin hastily said, “No, no. That’s not what I meant. I meant to say, Teacher Wu Zhangkong is your class’s teacher right?”
Tang Wulin answered, “That’s right!”
Liu Yu Xin’s 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, that’s your teacher, Wu Zhangkong.”
“Icily Arrogant Prince Charming?” Tang Wulin asked her, puzzled.
Liu Yu Xin’s pretty face blushed red. “You guys wouldn’t know this, but Wu Zhangkong is the number one lady-killer in our academy. With that
coldness of his, regardless of whether it’s 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 isn’t anything to be done about it, even if we all miss him. Help us take some pictures of him and this senior sister definitely won’t treat you unfairly.”
Tang Wulin stood there foolishly. He hadn’t expected Liu Yuxin would ask him to do this kind of thing. “Senior Sister, isn’t this no good?”
Liu Yuxin giggled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s totally fine. If senior sister leaks some intel regarding Teacher Wu to you, it’ll 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 class’s teacher.
Liu Yuxin said, “Teacher Wu is our academy’s most formidable teacher. Not only is he handsome and has an excellent build, but he’s also knowledgeable and multi-talented. He’s an excellent teacher as well. He has even cultivated to such a high level. Some say that he’s the number one
expert in our academy. I think I once saw him with at least six soul rings. That means he’s 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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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. I’m going to head off first. Don’t forget to take a few pictures for me!” The item she had slipped into Tang Wulin’s 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 don’t want to break it after all,” Xie Xie coldly said.
“It’s fine. Let’s go,” Tang Wulin said as he shot a glance towards Xie Xie.
The benefits he obtained from meditation this previous day wasn’t small. Unexpectedly, the area he improved the most wasn’t 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 hadn’t rejected today’s battle.
His master had said that his Bluesilver Grass was a variant martial soul, so it wasn’t purely trash anymore.
After exiting the school, Tang Wulin asked Xie Xie, “Where are we going?”
Xie Xie answered, “We’re going to Eastsea Park. There aren’t many people there, so you can be at ease; I’ll find someone to treat your injuries.”
Tang Wulin simply said, “The facts will prove themselves.”
Chapter 47 – The Battle of Eastsea Park
Chapter 47 – The Battle of Eastsea Park
Eastsea Park wasn’t 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 nature’s perfume – 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 wasn’t surprise that he wasn’t 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 didn’t make a sound. Instead, his mind was filled with the images of their previous match. The yellow colour of Xie Xie’s martial soul when he released it during the match the other day was still vivid in his mind. Though he hadn’t managed to grasp the spirit soul of Xie Xie’s, 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 Xie’s voice came to him from afar.
Tang Wulin took a deep breath and focused his gaze. “Let’s 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 Wulin’s 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 dragon’s 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 Xie’s 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 Wulin’s 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 Xie’s speed didn’t 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 Xie’s Light Dragon Dagger. Although the blades of grass were still intact, they could easily be swung off. With the Light Dragon Dagger’s sharp blade cutting against his Bluesilver Grass,
Tang Wulin felt the soul power within him diminished rapidly. Within a breath’s time, Tang Wulin’s soul power had depleted by more than 10%.
If Xie Xie had found out the characteristics of Tang Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s soul power.
As the shield of Bluesilver Grass parted, Tang Wulin no longer had any defense against Xie Xie’s 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 opponent’s 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 Wulin’s pair of clenched fists that had produced a light explosive sound. With a sharp, flash-like turn, he was already at Tang Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s neck.
However, Xie Xie took an abrupt pause. He only had the thought of defeating Tang Wulin in mind, and didn’t have any other intention.
He changed the direction of his dagger, twitching the blade at its handle,
and locked on his target – Tang Wulin’s cheek. ‘I will pay you back for the swelling that you did to my face.’
While many decisions were being made within Xie Xie’s mind during this split-second, Tang Wulin suddenly jerked and tilted his head down, using the back of his skull to knock against Xie Xie’s handle during this fraction of time.
However, Xie Xie’s 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 wasn’t influenced by that pride and was accurate. He knew clearly that Tang Wulin’s strength wasn’t something that he could withstand.
He twisted his agile wrist in a split-second and sank the Light Dragon Dagger into Tang Wulin’s shoulder blade.
Chapter 48 – Golden Scales
Chapter 48 – Golden Scales
The Light Dragon Dagger pierced into his shoulder. Xie Xie restrained himself in this attack as he thought that Tang Wulin’s whole arm would have been severed if he’d 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 Wulin’s 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 Xie’s voice was proud after having avenged his defeat against Tang Wulin’s fist the previous day.
Tang Wulin clenched his teeth. His stubborn heart couldn’t 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 wasn’t 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 Wulin’s 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 dragon’s roar that filled Xie Xie’s 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 Xie’s first thought was to retreat. However, he was aghast to discovered that the Light Dragon Dagger was practically clinging onto Tang Wulin, and he couldn’t 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, who’d 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 wasn’t 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 dragon’s 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 Wulin’s vision faded to darkness, then he lost
consciousness.
He hadn’t 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 Wulin’s brows wrinkled and asked Xie Xie, who he carried on his back, “What did you say?”
“Wu what?” Xie Xie’s words were still as unclear as before.
As he gradually became more clear-headed, Xie Xie discovered that he was being carried on Tang Wulin’s 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 Xie’s mind echoed with the words he had said before he and Tang Wulin had left Eastsea Academy.
“We’re going to Eastsea Park. There aren’t many people there, so you can be at ease; I’ll find someone to treat your injuries.”
But now…
He had spent twenty four thousand coins just for a beating…
Chapter 49 – Unable to Find the Golden Scales
Chapter 49 – 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 wasn’t able to make heads or tails of what had happened. He touched Tang Wulin’s shoulder, feeling for the area where he had stabbed him, yet, he couldn’t 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 Wulin’s hand flashed with a brilliant light. Then the yellow Grass Snake, Goldlight, appeared in his palm.
“I’m 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 don’t 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 Xie’s swollen cheeks already made the outcome of the duel abundantly clear.
When he had introduced himself this morning, didn’t he say that his soul power was at rank 18?
“He’s already spent his money!” Tang Wulin answered thoughtlessly.
Afterwards, he excitedly turned towards Yun Xiao and asked, “Dinner time hasn’t ended yet, right?”
Yun Xiao looked him over for a moment. “Not yet. But it’ll 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, that’s all. I’ll 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 don’t want to have a scar, I don’t want to have a scar, I don’t 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 couldn’t help but ask, “Little student, could it be that you don’t want others to see you eat so much, so you came so late tonight? We’re just about to finish working.”
Tang Wulin bashfully lowered his head. “Sorry uncle cook. I arrived too late today. I won’t be so late in the future. I’ll just eat this last bowl of noodles and I’ll be finished.”
The cook laughed. “It’s fine if you eat as much as you want. The academy’s third window is free and unlimited. It’s just a question of how much more
can you eat.”
Tang Wulin rubbed his stomach. He hadn’t eaten lunch, so he was
especially hungry this night. “I should still be able to eat a lot more.”
The cook said, “It’s good that you came so late then. The second window
still has some leftovers. Nobody is going to buy it, so I’ll 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 couldn’t 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 window’s food wasn’t something he could eat.
After he acquired some work from the Blacksmith’s Association in the future, he’d 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 Blacksmith’s
Association, Tang Wulin had set his sights on a hundred year spirit soul.
Xie Xie wasn’t there when he returned to his dorm room, but Tang Wulin didn’t care too much about him. Although that guy was arrogant and unbridled, he wasn’t excessively so. Xie Xie’s final attack on him that day was made with the dagger’s handle, clearly showing his restraint.
Although Yun Xiao was already meditating, Zhou Zhangxi hadn’t 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 don’t know either.”
He really didn’t 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 couldn’t 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 hadn’t been able to contain the feeling in his body. A tyrannical mood had
even come over him at that time.
If his willpower hadn’t been so resolute, he was afraid that he’d 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, wasn’t actually a trash spirit soul, but was actually an impossible existence?
However, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t see Goldlight being 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 didn’t 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. ‘I’ll 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, he’d finished circulating his soul power, but still wasn’t 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 Goldlight and inspected it.
However, no matter how much he looked it over, the undulating energy coming from this guy wouldn’t 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 didn’t 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.
Chapter 50 – The First Class
Chapter 50 – The First Class
“Let’s battle again!” Xie Xie repeated for the umpteenth time as he rushed to catch up with Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin ignored Xie Xie’s calls and headed straight for the dining hall.
“I wasn’t at my best yesterday! If you don’t fight with me, don’t think that I won’t 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……”
“Don’t 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! I’ll treat you to a meal from the first window!” An idea took form in Xie Xie’s mind as he shouted towards Tang Wulin’s back.
Tang Wulin, who was originally headed towards the third window, suddenly returned to Xie Xie’s 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 I’ve had enough?” Tang Wulin’s pair of large eyes brightened up.
“As much as you can eat. Didn’t they say that you have a huge appetite? Show me your ability. I’ll let you eat until you can’t take any more food!” Xie Xie’s 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? You’ve 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 wasn’t aware of these costs, and had already finished at least fifteen meals, but it
seemed that he hadn’t filled up just yet.
“Let’s just forget about this, then. I’ll 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?
You’ve already insulted my body, I am not going to let you insult my character as well. I’ll 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 Wulin’s 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, “I’ve forgotten that your name’s 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 Wulin’s 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 wasn’t 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 attire’s 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 body’s quality and could shorten one’s 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. I’ll 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 Zhangxi’s end.
Contrary to experiencing the anxiety that most students felt, Zhou Zhangxi became excited almost instantaneously. He couldn’t 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.
“That’s good. Let’s compete with our strength! I don’t believe your strength will be greater than mine.” Zhou Zhangxi’s 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 Wulin’s 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 Wulin’s side. With both his hands stretched in Tang Wulin’s direction, he aimed at both Tang Wulin’s
shoulders at once.
Tang Wulin shot out both his fists at the same time, aiming towards both Zhou Zhangxi’s 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 Zhangxi’s direction.
To counter Tang Wulin’s punch, Zhou Zhangxi gritted his teeth and forced out all the strength within his body into the punch directed at Tang Wulin.
1. Thank you is pronounced as xie xie in chinese.