Chapter -2 The Dream of Heaven and Ice Silkworm.

Chapter 2.

Chen Feng brandished the Broken Soul knife and swiftly severed Zhang San's head with a single strike.

Given Zhang San's willingness to harm teammates, Chen Feng had no qualms about ensuring he wouldn't survive.

In a flash, blood poured from the severed neck, and Zhang San's lifeless body crashed to the ground, staining the earth beneath him with crimson.

Although Chen Feng's second soul skill could be activated consecutively, using it repeatedly would double his soul power expenditure. After wielding it twice, he found himself with barely any soul power left.

If Zhang San had been wiser and held off on using his third soul skill, Iron Armor Shock, Chen Feng would have thought twice about carelessly teleporting close to him.

After all, while his teleportation range was only three meters, Zhang San's Iron Armor Shock extended five meters. A reckless teleport could have meant a quick end for Chen Feng.

As he surveyed the three corpses and the blood-drenched soil, a frown creased Chen Feng's brow.

Even though they were on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, danger still lurked nearby. Quickly, Chen Feng unearthed the soul bone of the Flame Lion King. The moment his palm brushed against it, something deep within his soul reacted.

Inside his very being, he envisioned a colossal, ancient furnace embellished with intricate patterns. This furnace bore a striking resemblance to the small ancestral furnace he enjoyed tinkering with before arriving in this world, only this one was vastly bigger.

The instant Chen Feng glimpsed the furnace, a flood of knowledge rushed into his soul. This magnificent furnace was known as the Yin-Yang Creation Furnace. Its purpose was straightforward: you would place an item inside, channel spiritual power into it, and the furnace would refine the item, eliminating impurities while retaining its essence.

In the past, Chen Feng hadn't encountered anything that would activate the furnace until today, when he came across the Flame Lion King's soul bone, which finally sparked a response.

Alongside this revelation, a technique called Yin-Yang Decision was transmitted into his mind. However, being in the Star Dou Forest, he had no time to delve into it.

Chen Feng pondered, "Is my presence in the Douluo Continent tied to this furnace?"

Unfortunately, no one was around to answer his inquiry...

As his consciousness returned to the present, only a brief moment had passed. He gazed at the magnificent soul bone glowing red in his hand and the lifeless figures of his employer and teammate, feeling neither happiness nor sorrow.

Chen Feng swiftly removed the storage soul guide from his employer's wrist and donned it himself. He stowed the Flame Lion King's soul bone along with the gold soul coins from Zhang San and Li Si before hastily making his exit from the Star Dou Forest.

The scent of blood would soon draw carnivorous soul beasts, tidy up this mess for him. Furthermore, since the deceased were merely ordinary soul masters without influential backgrounds, their deaths would go unnoticed.

In his previous life, Chen Feng graduated from university at the age of twenty-three. He enjoyed reading novels after work, but suddenly found himself reborn in the Douluo Continent.

After losing his parents during a soul beast hunt when he was five, he was left to fend for himself. Upon awakening his martial soul, he discovered it had undergone a mutation.

While his parents possessed a very ordinary knife martial soul, which had low innate soul power, it transformed into the Broken Soul Blade—having a spiritual attribute—in Chen Feng's case.

This blade was about three feet long, three fingers wide, jet black, long and sleek, exhibiting a faint blood groove. It was plain and unadorned yet strikingly solemn.

When used to injure an opponent, the Broken Soul Blade inflicted spiritual damage and held an innate soul power level of five.

However, while this talent was decent, it meant he would likely never achieve Title Douluo status, and reaching the Soul Sage realm was probably his ceiling.

Yet, Chen Feng was determined not to remain mediocre; he aspired to reach the pinnacle of strength, to be immortal and invincible.

Through hard work and exploration, Chen Feng recalled the journey of the sword fanatic Ji Juechen from the original tale and decided to carve out his own path.

At the Royal Academy of the Sun Moon Empire, Ji Juechen started with an ordinary sword as his martial soul and only a level three innate soul power. His cultivation method involved merging his soul with the sword, turning his martial soul entirely into pure energy rather than a physical weapon, perfecting his synthesis into a celestial iron sword. The man became one with the sword, indistinguishable from it.

Ultimately, Chen Feng summarized his insights and took an approach that was completely different from Ji Juechen's. 

While Ji Juechen merged with the sword, Chen Feng aimed to master the knife, viewing it as an extension of himself rather than his entirety.

The knife represents me, and I remain distinct, wielding it with a powerful spirit that allows full control, achieving an unparalleled connection.

After two years of cultivation and exploration, Chen Feng successfully integrated and mastered the Soul-Breaking Blade through the strength of his spiritual power. From this point on, his cultivation speed skyrocketed, matching even the most gifted individuals with full soul power, and his combat abilities far surpassed those of his peers.

Chen Feng continued on his path, fighting countless battles, and by now, he had already been tempered by experience. Just four months shy of turning twelve, he had already reached a soul power level of twenty-three. This was mostly because he had spent extensive time discovering his unique path; otherwise, his soul power would be even higher.

The reason Chen Feng ventured into the Star Dou Forest was not just to earn some extra resources but also to familiarize himself with the terrain. His main goal was to seek the elusive million-year-old Dream Ice Silkworm; passing up such an opportunity would be unwise.

Chen Feng also planned to apply to Shrek Academy. He had managed to secure a recommendation letter ahead of time, and given his remarkable talent, he would surely gain strong support and protection there. Although the academy's teaching methods were somewhat lacking, its reputation for strength was undeniable.

As one of the continent's top three forces, Shrek Academy boasted vast resources of soul bones, elixirs, and various enhancements. The professors in Shrek's inner court shared a variety of powerful secret techniques that were sought after by ordinary soul masters, rightfully holding the title of the best martial soul system on the continent (like Ma Xiaotao's multi-soul skill fusion and Ling Luocheng's linked and instant activation of multiple soul skills).

As for the Sun Moon Empire? Chen Feng hailed from the Heaven Dou Empire; going to a rival nation? That seemed outrageous! The Sun Moon Empire would merely take advantage of you; why would they invest in cultivating someone from a competition? It's akin to a neighboring kingdom fully nurturing someone who might betray them.

Although Chen Feng's cultivation journey felt liberating, akin to a wandering soul, he recognized that acquiring resources at such a slow pace posed a significant handicap, as he had to gather everything on his own and faced numerous dangers in doing so.

Thus, Chen Feng resolved to attend Shrek Academy to navigate through this vulnerable phase. Despite its shortcomings, it was undoubtedly the best choice for him at this moment.

Securing a recommendation letter was not a daunting task. For many city lords, arranging a handful of recommendation letters involved little effort. In fact, many city lords viewed this as a lucrative opportunity; they would offer you a recommendation letter for money, and passing through Shrek Academy's entrance examination was not their concern.

One evening, in Xingluo City, near the White Tiger Duke's mansion, Chen Feng stayed in a hotel room.

This was his temporary home. At that moment, he retrieved the Fire Lion King's soul bone he'd obtained that day from his storage soul guide.

The Fire Lion King's soul bone glowed a bright red and was a torso bone. Chen Feng regarded merging with it—a hundred-year-old soul bone—as beneath him, so he promptly sent it into the furnace.

Activating his spiritual power, he infused it into the furnace. With a surge of energy, the ancient and mysterious furnace began to operate.

The intricate designs etched into the furnace shimmered with light. After some time, Chen Feng had consumed more than half his spiritual energy, but finally, the furnace refined the Fire Lion King's torso bone.

When the furnace opened, two small spheres resembling dragon eyes appeared in his hand. One was red, the other white. The white sphere pulsed with a notable wave of soul power, while the red emitted a delicious aroma, making Chen Feng eager to consume it.

Without hesitation, Chen Feng swallowed the white sphere.

As he sat cross-legged, the moment it entered his stomach, the white sphere transformed into a rush of soul power, flooding into his meridians and finally gathering in his dantian.

After an hour, Chen Feng opened his eyes, elated to find his soul power had surged from level twenty-three to level twenty-five, saving him a significant amount of time.

Next, he swiftly consumed the red sphere. The surge of heat made him feel exceedingly warm; the energy contained within was intended not to enhance soul power but to fortify his body.

Chen Feng sensed his resilience increasing, his strength amplifying, and his endurance improving significantly. When time came to absorb soul rings, he would be able to handle higher-aged ones.

In his view, his physical constitution now rivaled that of Zhang San, whom he had slain earlier, indicating he had reached Soul Master level in physical quality.

Chen Feng then set to work practicing the Yin Yang Technique. Though he currently lacked a partner, which limited his ability to fully utilize part of the technique, refining the world's vital energy and circulating it through his meridians was far superior to any prior meditation techniques he had used.

Using the method of energy circulation, he worked with the eight extraordinary meridians, the five organs and six bowels, as well as the smaller and larger circulations... This technique was significantly more advanced compared to the typical meditation methods found in the Douluo Continent. The usual meditation merely directed the energies of heaven and earth through the meridians to the dantian, typically overlooking the eight extraordinary meridians. No wonder a certain god king can dominate everything with just a single Xuantian skill.

Chen Feng reflected, "The Douluo Continent truly lives up to its reputation as a fantasy realm; its cultivation methods are so primitive. After practicing the Yin-Yang technique, my soul power recovery speed, the strength of my soul power, and the overall quality of my soul power have improved dramatically—it feels like moving from shooting birds to firing cannons."

Chen Feng felt confident he could easily defeat his former self who hadn't practiced any cultivation techniques.

...

Three days passed.

In a gilded palace, a small figure quietly slipped out the back door of a grand mansion. A boy, appearing to be around eleven or twelve years old, with a well-proportioned physique dressed in clean, simple gray fabric, carried a small bundle on his back. His short, neat black hair framed a small face that radiated determination.

Gently closing the back door, the boy took a few steps before stopping abruptly, turning back to gaze at the Duke's mansion. A flicker of deep hatred shone in his blue eyes.

"Mom, please watch over me from above. No matter how much effort it takes, I will one day return and reshape everything here. From now on, I will take your surname and go by Huo, Huo Yuhao."

After saying this, he cast one last look at the Duke's mansion before turning away and heading out without hesitation.

At that moment, Chen Feng was watching Huo Yuhao make his way toward the Star Dou Forest, suppressing his own excitement.

Also bound for the Star Dou Forest, Chen Feng knew the route from Xingluo City to the forest well, and with his cultivation level far exceeding Huo Yuhao's, he reached the forest in just one day.

Chen Feng aimed to arrive at the Star Dou Forest first. If his involvement altered the narrative and the heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm appeared sooner, he would be left with nothing but regret.

As the sun set, casting a golden-red hue over the woods, the birds returned to their nests among the branches. 

Suddenly, as steady footsteps crunched on the dry leaves and twigs, birds scattered in alarm.

"I've finally made it."

The figure was Chen Feng, who had traversed several hundred miles from Xingluo City to reach the Star Dou Forest's edge in a single day. Thanks to his remarkable physical condition, comparable to that of a Soul Master, he was only slightly winded.

While practicing the Yin-Yang technique, he found that the soul power he expended while traveling was restored faster than he consumed it, leaving his soul power fully charged.

Chen Feng thoroughly appreciated the efficacy of the Yin-Yang technique; it comprehensively outperformed any rudimentary meditation technique.

Looking around, he noticed a weathered wooden sign cloaked in moss.

"Fifty kilometers ahead is the entrance to the Star Dou Forest, where soul beasts roam. Please exercise caution."

Chen Feng mused, "Yes, this is definitely the right place," and pressed onward. Soon, he spotted several dark figures.

They were baboons, about a meter tall, sporting brownish-yellow fur and brown eyes. Their unusually long arms ended in sharp claws, and their teeth bared as one launched a surprise attack at Chen Feng.

"Ten-year-old Wind Baboon?" Chen Feng raised an eyebrow. Image of Huo Yuhao nearly perishing against such a beast flashed through his mind.

But for Chen Feng, there was no challenge; he could easily dispatch it.

With a quick movement, a flash of white light cut through the air as Chen Feng swung his black Broken Soul Blade, cleanly severing the Wind Baboon's neck as if slicing through tofu.

Blood sprayed forth from the baboon's neck like a fountain.

Enraged by their companion's demise, the other Wind Baboons charged at Chen Feng.

With three more swift flashes, the sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed.

"Bang, bang, bang—" Several headless corpses tumbled down from the surrounding trees.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao was unhurriedly continuing his journey towards the Star Dou Forest.

Three days later, Chen Feng kept a watchful eye on the outskirts of the forest.

Although he hadn't ventured deep within, even in the parameter, he encountered several thousand-year-old soul beasts and an abundance of hundreds and tens of years old beasts.

Despite his strength, after three days, Chen Feng was looking somewhat worn out.

His once-smooth hair was now tousled, giving him a disheveled appearance with a rather haggard, handsome face.

After these three tiring days, his mental state had been under constant duress; even with his exceptional mental fortitude, fatigue was creeping in.

Just as he prepared to leave the outskirts for some much-needed rest, a powerful mental force suddenly surged within his mind. "Don't go! Save me, brother! I can make you a god!!"

An unexpected wave of mental energy washed over him, accompanied by an urgent voice that reverberated in Chen Feng's thoughts.

Tl/N : Reading this? Give some power stones for faster release!!