Chapter - 10: Breakthrough to Spirit Sea Realm! Quest Completed!

It had been a week since the kids; Kai, Tang Wulin, Lei La and Aran joined the Red Mountain Junior Soul Master Academy. The kids didn't stop the routine and continued with daily exercise and training as before with just one additional factor that Na'er joined them during their evening training giving them a bit of play time i.e. playing among the kids. And as in original Wulin successfully forced his family to let them adopt Na'er.

The Routine for Kai and the other kids start their day early at 6:00 AM with an intense morning exercise session lasting three hours, focusing on strength, endurance, and agility training. By 9:00 AM, they break for a nourishing breakfast, recharging for the day ahead. From 9:30 AM to 11:30 PM, they attend their academy sessions, diving into both academic studies and martial knowledge. After school, they head home reaching around 12:00 PM while also stopping to pick up Na'er on the way from the Kid's academy she is admitted in.

The afternoon from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM is dedicated to blacksmithing at Mang Tian's workshop, where they refine their skills and work on forging training under Teach Mang Tian's guidance. After a brief break, they start their meditation and evening exercise at 5:30 PM, blending focused energy work with physical conditioning until 7:30 PM.

Around 7:30 PM, they relax with an hour of fun and games, enjoying some downtime to unwind. After wards everyone heads their home i.e. Wulin and Na'er head their home while Kai, lei La and Aran head to their home; Orphanage. Dinner follows at 830 PM, a time to gather and refuel before ending the day with an hour of meditation from 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM, preparing mind and body for the next day. By 10:00 PM, it's time to rest, wrapping up a productive and balanced day.

A week passed by while routine remained same. Currently in Mang Tian's Workshop, Kai was hammering away at the metal ore, focused on purifying it. Alone in the workshop while Mang Tian, Tang Wulin, and the others took their break while Kai continued his work of hammering the metal ore. Days of work had passed, and now, as he struck each blow, he sensed an inexplicable feeling welling up within him—a powerful rhythm that seemed to align with his very being and while also giving a feeling of known, a feeling he had already felt before but a bit too distant though also being a feeling of not not too distant. It was the feeling of his Soul Power about to breakthrough but the breakthrough wasn't limited to just his Soul Power but with his Spiritual Power as well. Well, eventhough, Kai had reached peak of Spirit Connection Realm before awakening his Martial Soul, after more than a month having his Martial Soul awakened, Kai is still unable to breakthrough to the next realm.

As he hammered, Kai as always was circulating his Essence Flow technique but suddenly, waves of soul power and spiritual power surged through him. With each strike, energy from surrounding started to get absorbed in larger amount and flowed deeper into his body, building and compounding with every swing.

Then, without warning—boom!—Kai felt a surge as his soul power broke through from level 4 to level 5. kai was overjoyed but he didn't stop or distract his focus allowing himself to continue into this mysterious rhythm of his because the absorption of the energy didn't stop there. It continued to pour into him, driven by the unstoppable flow of his Essence Flow technique. While this time the amount of Spiritual Power being absorbed from the surrounding was twice the normal amount.

One has to know that compared to a normal person cultivating their Spiritual Power, the essence flow technique allows 10 Times the absorption capability which means he is now absorbing 20 times what a normal person could and the difference is that it is being accumulated within Kai instead of helping him breakthrough. Kai could indeed feel his Spiritual Power getting more and more concentrated and purer compared to before.

Kai suddenly felt a soothing warmth spreading throughout his body easing his fatigue. He surrendered to the sensation, allowing the spiritual power around him to be drawn in more rapid pace while continuing the rhythmic hammering. His mind opened up, expanding as the energy continued to flow and now while he stroke the metal ore instead of getting fatigued, he was getting more energized. Each part of body energetically saying him to strike and strike.

Just 5 minutes had passed by but Kai was already beyond 9900 hammerings though he as only at around 5000 hammerings at best previously. Just as Wulin and teacher Mang Tian arrived, they were shocked to see that Kai was continuously hammering while there trace of excitement and compassion within his eyes. Teacher Tian and Wulin were shocked see that Kai was continuously hammering and so they started to cheer up Kai by trying to motivate him. Ofcourse, Kai was unable to hear them as he was completely focused on his work.

Just as the readings on the machine showed 9990, both of them; Tang Wulin and Teach Tian yelled loudly, "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2..." and just when both the guys yelled, "ONE!" as Kai was striking with all his force at the last 100 hammerings, on the 10,000th strike, Kai concentrating all his energy hit the metal with all the energy he could gather, ofcourse without using Soul and Spiritual Power and just with Physical Force, causing a loud metallic sound to resound throughout the Workshop. And as Kai stopped, the energy of Spiritual Power swelled within, spreading through every fiber of his being, reaching a crescendo, until—boom—a flood of Spiritual Power erupted inside his mind.

And as he fell unconscious from his physical body he was forcefully attracted to a whole different area. As Kai opened his eyes, he found himself in to a new realm—a vast space that, somehow Kai was able to tell, spanned a maximum of 100 meters from end to end in spherical form. The space was filled filled with a gentle, pulsing energy, felt expansive and powerful while also being familiar to Kai. Suddenly, an spherical orb of light attracted Kai's attention.

Kai noticed something radiating a familiar warmth—a sphere of light, glowing with an almost divine presence. It was the very core of the Gaia system. Unlike the usual blue interface he was used to summoning, this time a Golden Screen Interface appeared in front of Kai as he neared the place. Then, a message resounded, echoing warmly in his mind, as if Gaia itself was speaking to him:

[Kai, don't be afraid, this is your own Space, your own Spirit Sea. Your Spiritual Power successfully brokethrough from 499 points to 500 points of Spiritual Power]

Hearing that this was his own Spirit Consciousness Sea as a result of him successfully breaking through from 499 points to 500 points of Spiritual Power, Kai was overjoyed. So looking towards the Spherical Orb of light, Kai asked, "Than, that?"

A message came from Gaia: [Ah! It's me. I am rooted in your Spirit Sea.]

To this reply Kai nodded in understanding.

Just as so, another message came from Gaia: [Congratulations, Kai, for reaching the Spiritual Sea Realm.]

A sense of excitement and gratitude filled Kai as he thanked the Gaia system for congratulating him.

Another message warmly arrived: [Kai remember that those who cultivate this technique will have both, soul power and spiritual power, of theirs to be deeply interconnected. A minor breakthrough in soul power can trigger significant increase in spiritual power, and similarly, spiritual breakthroughs can enhance soul power. However, only a major or repeated advancement in spiritual power has a greater influence, often causing breakthroughs in soul power.]

Kai once again nodded and just then looked at his own Soul power he found that he who had just broken through to Soul Level 5 was now at peak of Soul Level 5 and just needed meditation and training for a day or two to reach Soul Level 6.

Then, Gaia's voice returned, filling him with surprise:

[Congratulations once again, Kai. For your breakthrough, you have been awarded a choice as a reward for your breakthrough.]

| Please select one of the following two options: |

| 1. [Martial Arts] |

| 2. [Spiritual Energy] |

Kai was once again overjoyed as he looked at the awards. Wasn't his life too blessed...? He works hard and gains success and his success and efforts are again enhanced by the system. He smiled with pride. He then focusing back to topic asked for a brief description to which Gaia System gave following replied:

[First choice; Martial Arts: This option grants access to a variety of martial arts techniques. While the specific art you receive will be randomly selected, it will be of a high quality, compatible with your level, and rely primarily on spiritual power rather than soul power.]

[Second choice; Spiritual Energy: This choice allows you to obtain Spiritual Energy to strengthen your Spirit Sea while also increasing the length by 50 meters. This will also allow increase in Spiritual Power by a total of 50 points.]

Hearing this, Kai was shocked beyond limit due to being overly happy causing him to almost fall faint of happiness. Kai thought for a bit and went with option 2.

Why not option1?

Simply because of the reason that Kai was about to complete the [ Blacksmith Quest - 1 ], which would allow him to get the 'Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer' that would be enough for both combat as well as forging.

As Kai chose option 2, he felt a surge of energy from nowhere, yest from out of nowhere. The energy filled Kai, as he was in Spiritual Form, as well as the Spirit Sea where kai could instantly see the Surrounding get filled with stronger energy with the sea expanding at visible speed. After a few seconds, Kai found the Spirit Sea to be a sphere of diameter--150 meter.

BOOM!!!

His Soul Power as well brokethrough to Soul Level 6.

Kai in joy looked at his Status Window:

____________________________________________________________________________________________

| Name: Kai

| Age: 6 Years Old

| Class: Melee Fighter

| Ability: Lord of Dark Dimension [Not-Activated]

| Spiritual Power: 601 (Spirit Sea Realm) [Spirit Sea - 150 meters (Diameter)]

| Master Soul: Clear Sky Hammer (Mutated), Jade Emperor

| Soul Power: 6 (Soul Scholar)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

In a dark room, the air thick with the sharp scent of metal and sweat, Kai suddenly felt himself choke and splutter. Cold water splashed into his face again and again. His head snapped up as he gasped, disoriented and half-soaked, blinking up to see Mang Tian's expression of exaggerated focus as he dunked Kai's head into a bucket for the fifth time.

Dunking head 5 rims in water... What The Heck?

"Kai, wake up!", Teacher Tian said with prided holding Kai. "Ten thousand strikes, my boy, and you cannot pass out on me!"

Kai looked around, completely drenched and bewildered. His muscles ached, and for a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying. Teacher Tian undeterred, continued, "While you finished hammering, you hit 80% purity on that metal ore. That's a huge step up!"

Kai's eyes widened, a dawning realization spreading over his face. "80%…? Are you serious?"

"Oh, absolutely," Teacher Tian said, his voice an odd mix of jest and pride. He continued, "DO you know what this means?"

Kai's heart skipped a beat as he realized and asked, "Could it be-?"

He slipped something from his pocket—a small badge, gleaming faintly in the dim light. "Yes. So I think this makes you...a Rank 1 blacksmith now."

Kai's face lit up as he stared at the badge, the weight of his achievement dawning on him. But as he reached for it, Monk Tien pulled it back with a chuckle, giving him a sly look.

"Except, little Kai…don't get too excited." Mang Tian's face was the very picture of mocking as he said, "It's a fake badge. I don't actually have the real badge for time being to officially rank you up without registering it. Just needed something to push Wulin a little."

Kai blinked, mouth hanging open. "A… f... fake... fake badge?" His initial excitement deflated as he processed the situation, disbelief warring with amusement.

Beside them, Wulin was furiously hammering, his eyes blazing with determination. "So what if Kai got ahead of me by a few 10 or 20 percent? I'll show you brother Kai, I won't lose out!" he muttered to himself, his face twisted in a mix of admiration and competitiveness.

Teacher Tian turned to Wulin with an approving nod, "That's the spirit! If Kai can do it, surely you can too. Just hit… what, ten thousand more times?"

Tang Wulin yelled loudly, "PASSION!!!" A word and line that was embarrassing but also something taught by their teacher Mang Tian.

Meanwhile, Kai looked down at the badge, bemused, "So…do I even get to keep this?"

"Of course, consider it a souvenir," Teach Mang Tian grinned, his eyes twinkling. "And, don't forget, I'll get you registered soon…probably along with Wulin after all I am too bored for anything."

At the same moment, Wulin caught the edge of their conversation, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, now that I'm definitely not letting go of. Watch me, Kai. By tomorrow, I'll be holding a real badge!"

Kai looked back, half-smiling, half-exasperated as and Mang Tian patted him on the shoulder with a knowing grin, "Enjoy your reward, little one. After all, brotherly friends can always use a little competition."

Just as Kai was about to protest, a sudden notification flashed before his eyes—a message from the Gaia System: [ Congratulations, Kai! You've completed the First Quest of the Blacksmith Chain Quests! ]

Kai who was a bit confused to laugh at his situation or cry, suddenly hearing the message smiled his face out getting jolted with extreme joy. And hurriedly he took his rewards: [50 Points of Spiritual Power, Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique and Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Training Method (1st Part)] 

Having already obtained a lot of Spiritual Power a few moments ago, Kai was now only focused at the 'Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique' as his mind and body excited and itching to learn the technique.

To Be Continued.