Chapter 7 : Enjoying the training

[Spirit refined Magic silver Hammers

Maker : Mo Tian.

User : Zhang Kun

Magic silver innate effect : Conduct soul power and elemental power.

Spirit refinement effect : Stable sending of soul power outside body [Like a syringe piston] -combat application : soul ripple, soul spike.]

[Soul spike: Sending soul power out like a hammer-chisel]

[Soul ripple : Send a wave of power using the impact of concentrated soul power.

Semi finished soul skill- lacking the co-ordination with martial soul aspect.]

————A few days after joining Star Luo Academy——-

It seems Dai Mubai has deep pockets. As expected of a prince.

GROWL

I dodged the roar attack of the Blood Panther being raised in the Star Luo Mimic Forest. As the name implies, it mimics the Star Duo forest environment all the way from soil to trees. Obviously the spirit beasts like blood panther are included.

Joining the Star Luo academy was the right decision for me because they provide a mimic ground specifically designed for beast martial soul master like me.

This place is perfect for my cultivation.

Just like a hammer needs a forge, tool spirits need a suitable environment. Fire attributes of martial soul thrive in a flame mimic ground like the one at Blazing academy.

And for lightning attributes, the mimic grounds at blue tyrant academy are ideal.

The Mimicry ground enhances my tiger martial soul's cultivation.

HISSS

It seems my happiness becomes a distraction. I cleared my mind and ripped away my shirt, which had blood panther's blood.

I can only say that the name is apt considering the corrosive nature of the blood panther.

I ran at the tiger while summoning my hammers and kept sending soul power spikes as I neared.

THUCK THUCK THUCK

Unlike Dai Mubai, this guy is a true spirit beast. So he kept easily dodging my spikes while using the terrain to keep the distance.

Unfortunately for the panther, I am bored right now. A bored me is very dangerous. So, I stopped the spikes and ran into the range of Blood panther's claws.

GROWWLL

Its paws turned blood red and looked real menacing. But I spun, focused my entire self on my hammers and brought them together as if I was holding a single hammer and met the paw head on.

"Soul ripple."

CLANG

GROWL

The rippled wave of power went through the point of contact, ripping the body of the blood panther.

MEOOWWW

I snorted looking at the blood covered blood panther. Pun fully intended.

"Only it's 4 hundred years' cultivation is keeping it from dying from the abuse of your soul skill, Zhang Kun."

I humbly said, " Soul spike is the effect of my hammers. While Soul ripple is still a semi-finished product, my prince. After all a true soul skills incorporated every single aspect of soul master into the usage. Soul master just trains to reduce the wastage or familiarity of soul skill. My soul ripple is unfortunately lacking in one aspect, the martial soul."

Soul power moving in different meridians behaves differently. Especially influenced by the martial soul of the user. With the help of AI, I can explore all the ways my martial soul interacts with me, but it wastes too much time, measured in years.

The prince gave a loud sigh and threw me something and started leaving for breakfast.

It read: Tiger martial souls and their characteristics by Dai Tian.

I smiled at that; it seems my daily bully* Cough* Borrowing of money from Dai Mubai impressed Dai Weisi enough to give this to me. While it might be taken for granted in the Dai family, it is a treasure for me.

After getting here, I realized that while my effort can only bring me to be on the same level as the rest of the geniuses. That in itself is an incredible feat. The evidence is my book in my hands. An investment from Dai Weisi. But, I am not satisfied.

The only way to surpass them is a crude way- getting a better soul ring.

The Canon showed that the optimal soul ring configuration can be broken with a powerful body and sufficient spiritual energy.

My spiritual energy is enough for a 700 hundred-year-old ring. I can make a guess about it because of the spars with a spiritual attribute soul master I found in the academy.

So, there comes my body comes . I already started on it by compressing the soul power and constant training. So, I must proceed with it until my body reaches the strength of a level 20 soul master.

Then, I can start hunting.

GRUMBLE

Hearing the loud sounds of my stomach, I made my way to the cafeteria.

———Cafeteria——-

"...and 2 plates of fire chicken nuggets. Please, send the bill to Prince Dai Mubai."

CLACK

Admit the gritting faces of Dai Mubai and his group, I came to Dai Weisi's table and sat beside Ju Lian.

Zhu Zhuyun said while lazily eating some power grapes, "Apparently, even the fools from Heavenly Dou's empire are hiring the blacksmiths and making the weapons."

Prince Dai Weisi proved he is smart to me by saying the truth: "It is only temporary. This rise in blacksmiths is only temporary."

Zhu Zhuyun smirked while looking at me. "Do you have anything to say, Zhang Kun? After all, it's your people who Dai Weisi is insulting."

Even if he was truly insulting me, I couldn't do anything. Besides, he is not insulting me but saying the truth.

The blacksmiths' weapons are not useful for higher cultivation age. The only ones useful for lower cultivation are spirit refined, but they have a problem- they are take too much soul power to use.

I said my thoughts aloud, "Now, the only way to popularize the blacksmith's weapons is to compress the soul power."

Ju Lian snorted as he ripped into a chicken leg piece, "*Munch* As if anyone would dare do that stupidity ? It essentially kills one's future. Each rise in level makes the soul power required to rise much, much greater. It might be fine now but after you cross soul ancestor the gap will widen into years. Besides, you need to popularize your cultivation method for compressing soul power."

In a way, he is right. My cultivation method is something I worked hard for. Beside even If I gave them, it is tough to use it. My cultivation method needs absolute knowledge of the meridian of the body. The only reason I mastered this knowledge is because of my time as a surgeon in previous life.

Like the portal vein. Who can remember dozens of veins like that which carry blood from one part to another part of the body?

The only ones who have a chance are the heaven defying geniuses, reincarnations like Tang San or Healing Soul masters.

I knocked away these thoughts and got to reading the book on tiger martial souls.

Just like that, my days in the academy were spent.

Morning : Purple Qi absorption, Exercise, spar with Ju Lian, Breakfast

Afternoon: Go to the mimic ground and keep fighting the tiger spirit beasts

Evening : A spar with many of the noble kids from the Dai Weisi group [Has too many losses]

Night : Cultivation.

——————Time Skip : 1 year—————————

[Zhang Kun

Age : 10 years

Martial soul : Tiger

Spiritual Power : Spirit Origin

Soul Power : 10 [Accumulating an estimate of 1 level]

Equipment : Spirit refined Magic silver hammers, Heavy silver hammers-Thousand refined [Blood sacrificed]

Combat usage : Soul ripple, Soul spike, Soul wave

Occupation : advanced Blacksmith]

CLANG CLANG

CLANG

CLANH

BLOWWW

"Increase the heat of the forge."

"You hammer it harder."

"You, go die."

While the kid may be offended, the forge is not a place to do pranks. He is risking his and his friends' limbs by trying to scare them.

The temporary rise in blacksmiths made the civilian students recruited into Star Luo academy pursue it for money. I am naturally happy to teach them how to forge because the orders I received were too many. I can use them to offload much of the grunt work.

The Blacksmith association gained power by becoming famous using the first spirit refinement.

The fame led to more people becoming blacksmiths and with time, a group of skilled spirit refining blacksmiths emerged in the association solidfying their power.

Currently, we have achieved the first soul refinement. I feel lucky to be here at the right time. If the Blacksmith association head Lou Gao is smart, he will come forward and work hard to promote the soul refinement weapons to soul masters using this wave of popularity. Otherwise, the opportunity will be lost until another breakthrough happens.

Soul refinement weapons with two effects are usable even to spirit sage.

The heavy silver hammers were my first thousand refined metals, so I sacrificed my blood to it. This is the advantage of knowledge. Even the teacher didn't know about this benefit and had wasted his first heavy refinement.

Looking at the blood lines on my heavy silvers, it felt good. I mean, the hammer itself felt like a part of my body.

[Heavy silver hammers innate effect [Blood sacrificed]: Soul wave propagates soul power into the target as waves.]

They became my exclusive forging hammer. With this soul wave, it is easy to refine the metals. I have been exploring various metals and there.

GRUMBLE

GRUMBLE

Feeling my hungry stomach, I took my hammers back into my body and went to the cafeteria.

After giving a list of food I wanted to taste today, "Please keep the bill on Prince Dai Mubai. We have an agreement in which I will repay this money."

"Yes, sir."

I happily approached Dai Weisi's table, as I always did. Royalty, like him, was known for their generosity. Being a member of his group made most senior students avoid picking fights with me. Unlike other academies, Star Luo academy had students from all levels. This meant that soul scholars to soul ancestors could be found on the grounds, with the princes holding the power.

CLATTER

CLACK

CLATTER

Looking at the fallen cutlery because of the courtesy of angry Dai Weisi, I could only sigh. While the benefits are nice, dealing with the temper of royalty is a pain in the ass.

I sat beside Ju Lian and asked him, "So, what happened now?"

He said in a straightforward tone, "2nd prince Dai Huo, he spread the word that prince Dai Weisi is a cruel, power hungry man who takes pleasure in bullying everyone. Not even his brother is spared from his hunger for power."

I snorted and said, "So, what does he expect? For Prince Dai Weisi to wash his neck and prepare himself like a sacrificial animal. May be give a side dish called the Throne of Star Luo empire."

Ju Lian shook his head. "The food comparison is weird, but the prince mentioned in the rumours is the third prince- Dai Mubai. You know, the full blood brother of Prince Dai Weisi. The guy whom you awe a million gold coins."

Oops! I didn't expect that my 'debt' to raise so high. Considering his anger, it seems the matter about me 'borrowing money' from Dai Mubai, with the support of Dai Weisi, must have spread along with the rumours.

Zhu Zhuyun, who saw me talking with Ju Lian, arrived near us and whispered, "He is really moody right now. Especially since every soul master our invited in this round of awakening rejected him and choose Dai Huo. So, if you have nothing useful to say, you better avoid him for a few days. You know how he is, right?"

I happily said, "Since it is a matter of image. You can easily reverse it by investing some resources and influence."

"It's not that easy. We…."

Zhu Zhuyun fired back, explaining the ongoing clash between their investments in improving Dai Weisi's reputation and prince Dai Huo's investments in tarnishing it.

However, regrettably, the humans seem to readily accept the tarnished reputation of celebrity like Dai Weisi.

No surprise there.

I replied, "Then we have to show them directly that Prince Dai Weisi is better than Prince Dai Huo. We can use the martial soul awakening ceremonies. It is the most memorable thing and also the most impactful for building image.. In fact, it is better if he goes to do the awakening. Like the situation with me and Ju Lian."

I heard Dai Weisi's snort while he said, "As if. If I do that, the time wasted is enough for my brother to catch up with me."

It's true, especially because they are only one year apart in age. Planning and encouraging kids to get married is a thankless task that sacrifices personal growth. That's why soul masters who have reached their peak often take on this job.

"True. You can't go, my prince. But, you see, if someone that is wildly known to be close to you does this job, then you will also benefit. Especially if this person spreads your image."

Dai Weisi immediately looked towards Zhu Zhuyun, who satisfies all the conditions I listed for the job, but she coldly rejected the unasked request from Dai Weisi. "No way. I will also lose my cultivation time if I do this job."

Feeling her cold and angry eyes poking me, I realized that the girls from the Zhu family are also in struggle. According to history, some emperors changed their Zhu family partner to another more talented member of the family. Though, the girl that got replaced always has a sad fate. Kinda reminds me of the Game of thrones.

So, I intervened with a smile, "No need to worry, Princess. I never meant you. The one I meant is mentioned in the rumours to be your closest friend. We can thank the 2nd prince for enforcing that idea. So, obviously, the one who is going is me."