Chapter 3 : Forge ahead

The meditation/cultivation methods involved moving soul power through the body's circulation.

It's not surprising that creating such methods from scratch is extremely dangerous.

For example, reversing the flow of soul power against the blood's natural direction while making the cultivation method would be a suicide attempt.

"72,"

"7-73,"

"74,"

"7-75."

THUD

I fell on the ground from sheer exhaustion, unable to continue the workout. While my daily life in the last 3 months is monotone, I am thankful that I no longer need to do the servant work in the mansion.

Apparently, any child with innate soul power is directly given a basic cultivation method and basic combat training to encourage them to walk on the path to the soul master.

[Current soul power : level 6]

It kinda sense, especially when considering the benefits. I broke through yesterday thanks to the custom cultivation method made by AI. This breakthrough gave an all round improvement to me.

Basic physical fitness, hearing, vision, etc.

It is not an insane increase, but attaining the same with training would take more than a year for me.

I walked out of the training grounds among the shouts of punching kids. Thankfully, my days of training under solider Hu bore fruit and made me exempt from joining them.

"For fuck's sake, I can't hear you."

""12.""

""13.."

"Damn it, brats, I said louder. Didn't you brats eat carts' worth of food? LOUDER."

"""14"""

"""15""""

———Huang Town, near Star Luo , Star Luo Empire———-

"..La.. La…. Laa. halala….."

I hummed random things to pass the time as I went to the merchant shop for the herbs. While it was embarrassing, I felt like doing that whenever I was in the mood.

"Little Zhang, are you here for the herbs?"

I nodded while silently passing him a gold coin. He happily took them and stored it away.

"So?"

I sighed and gave him the info. "Yes, apparently there will be an order placed for the new recruits by the royal family. The head servant already received an order to co-ordinate with the head of the military base."

The fat guy rubbed his palms as if preparing for a feast. I inwardly felt disgusted at his dripping saliva, but held on for the herbs.

I asked him the question, "So?"

The merchant nodded and looked at his guard, who according to the rumours is a soul ancestor but considering his white hair and wrinkled body, he is nearing the end of his life span.

"The bag contains all the herbs you requested. Fire grass, blue silver grass, Ice worm meat. And of course, the most precious of them, the meat of Mind eye chicken."

The meat of Mind eye chicken took 20 gold coins, it better be worth it. Even a slight improvement in spiritual energy from it is enough for me.

I took the bag of herbs and was about to leave when the merchant said, "I could get the blue silver grass and mind eye chicken. But why are you taking fire grass and ice word meat altogether? Using them together is plain stupid?"

I didn't answer and came out of the store. After all, the reason I bring in information is so that he would leak nothing about me still possessing my gold. Not for him to poke his nose into my business.

SIGH

It is suffocating to hide and plan for using my money, but I have no choice. As I long as I have any support, I wouldn't have to be so cautious, but the cruel reality is I am an orphan who was luckily recruited into the vacation mansion of Dai family.

—————Blacksmith Association, Huang town branch.—————————-

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG

The metals ringing from the blacksmiths hammering away at the metals is becoming familiar to me by now.

Because of the demanding military training and the continuous exploration of the star duo forest, it comes as no shock that the town has drawn in a blacksmith association.

Therefore, the establishment of a branch of the blacksmith association was a logical move to meet the army's demands and, of course, earn money.

I guess the status of blacksmiths is really low in this era; they need every opportunity to survive.

""Little Zhang!""

"Hello Uncle Mo, Uncle Tian."

"Zhang boy."

"Hello Old Yao."

"*cough* * cough* Fucking brat."

"You know that, kid. Why are you trying to tease him? You are asking for the insult and disrespect."

SNORT

As if it is the old guy who started it first. Besides, it is fun for both him and me.

I took in the forging hammer provided by the association and got to metals. I am not even a junior smith. Just a temp who must repair the crooked and bent tools of everyday people.

So, I got to setting a bent rod back in shape. While doing so, I decided today is the day. While forging is looked down by the world, I know that by time of soul land 2 and soul land 3, it will rise rapidly until the blacksmiths can craft divine weapons or equivalent armor. So, I took up the chance to learn to forge.

However, forging is not something that can be done blindly. Information regarding various metals, forging techniques and even channels to get the metals is difficult to find. But, luckily, because of the large amount of profit this branch brings, the branch head is a Grandmaster smith. So becoming his student is a definite path to get all of them.

[Author's note: Grandmaster smith is SS1 term= master craftsman in SS3. The blacksmith can forge spirit refinement metals. More info at end of chapter.]

After completing the tasks assigned, I finally got to my goal of the day-Becoming the branch head student.

BLOW

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG

"WTF! Who started a hundred refinement so suddenly? Are they stupid to do this in such chaos?"

I ignored old man Yao and continued my task at hammering at the spot pointed out by AI.

[Based on the lightness of metal colour in the right edge, it has 10 % impurities.

Calculating the amount of hammering required based on host strength and speed- 2 strokes downwards, one stroke from sideways an inch below.]

I did as the AI suggested. While identifying the impurities and adjusting the hammer strokes during forging requires experience. I luckily got my AI, who can process it from the information I collected as an apprentice in the last 3 months.

"Stupid brat, what are you doing? Messing up with the metal ingots is way above your paygrade. Even you sucking the head servant can't save you from being banned from blacksmith association."

SMACK

"Idiot! Look at the metal."

I could hear old man Yao exclaim, "Fucking hell! The brat is doing good."

A deep voice from before which scolded old man Yao resonated again, "Not just good, He is succeeding. By the purity score of the metal is 72, he needs 28 more to achieve a hundred refinement."

I smiled internally as I inwardly read the AI displayed the Purity score.

[72.4]

CLANG

[72.68]

CLANG CLANG CLANG

[73]

-

-

-

"Fucking hell! Purity score of 90."

My mood was like the balloons in the clouds until it burst by the third comment of the deep voice. "A pity. He failed."

CLANG

I was surprised at the comment at first, then didn't accept it because my AI and the information I collected while looking at the various blacksmiths was correct. So, I grew angry and continued with renewed force.

CLANG

CLANG

CL-CLUCK

I looked at the hammer that slipped and my hands that are swollen beyond words. Impossible! According to the AI and my past data collection, it is within my limits to forge a hundred refinement.

I moved towards the hammer, but my legs gave way to a familiar feeling. Soul power exhaustion.

THUCK

The answer came to me as the owner of a deep voice stood in front of my fallen body. "You wasted far too much soul power. While it is mild in between each stoke, overall came to the failure of completing the forging."

He was right. While AI is calculated based on ideal stokes, the reality is not ideal. Thankfully, I recognised this now. If I messed up in combat, for example, I would have been dead. The thought sent a chill ran down my spine.

"Don't worry, kid. With enough experience and training, you can avoid soul power loss. Though be prepared for years' worth of effort and pain."

I finally saw the owner of the deep voice, a gruff middle aged man with black clothes, but the most eye-catching feature of him is the Blacksmith badge- purple stars with a white background and hammer outline.

A Grandmaster smith and the branch head of this branch, Mo Tian.

"Well kid. Do you want to be my student?"

—————Time Skip- 3 months [ 6 Months since Martial soul awakening]——————

I gained much from accepting Teacher Mo Tian's offer. Far too much.

One a Grandmaster smith's inheritance, two- a backing of a level 39 Soul grandmaster.

Yep, Teacher Mo Tian is a soul grandmaster stuck at level because of his martial soul, a lightning hammer. While the name looks cool, its potential frightened me. An innate soul power of 5. Yes, just like mine. Making me scared if I will be a middle-aged soul grandmaster stuck for life.

You must know within the next two decades, 3 gods will be born and fight to death.

"You are really fated to be my disciple. We have the same innate soul power, achieved the same progress at the same time. HAHAHA."

Looking at the shining hundred refined metal forged by me, I bit down a sigh at his comparison.

Unfortunately, my teacher is a braggart. Yes, it took me 6 months to achieve a hundred refinement if we count from the day I first took up forging. But, the first half of 3 months is spent without guidance and resources by me.

While Teacher Mo Tian was a soul ancestor in his late twenties when he took up forging and had abundant resources. Yet, he still took 6 months.

Though I still hold him dear. Because of these beauties.

ZING

[ Spirit Refined Magic Silver Hammers: A pair of hammers made by blacksmith Mo Tian, using magic silver as base.

Host-Zhang Kun's blood was used during the spirit refinement to make the tools life connected to Host.]

Since they were made by magic silver, their weight is manageable for me. If these were made of heavy silver like Tang Wulin, then I couldn't even lift them.

Still, I have to say, "You really spoiled me with these gift teachers. Otherwise, I couldn't do a hundred refinements until I broke through level 10."

I mean a spirit refined tools are almost like the flesh and blood of the user.

ZING

Just like now, with a thought from me, the hammers entered my hands. Becoming a part of my flesh. Seriously, the only reason they aren't popular like in soul land 3 is because-

SNORT

"What's the use? I could only sell them for a thousand gold coins for some Nobel or an auxiliary soul master passing by. At least by giving you the hammers, you can finally get the experience you need. Unlike normal blacksmiths, your knowledge is more than sufficient for the next level but is held by you low strength. Really quite opposite to normal."

I gave a nervous chuckle or two. He is really pissed off that his life achievement is looked down upon. I guess there is a reason for the inferior status. The spirit refinement tools without the advanced support of battle armor tech in Soul land 3, are really pitiful..

According to the teacher, a soul master ( above level 10) with a good tool spirit can break the spirit refined tools with a single blow.

Still, the teacher really differs from the general populace. Not in a good way. He literally used all his wealth and influence to splurge a lot of resources for me to train blacksmithing and cultivate. Fuck, he directly bought a house for me.

You know this type of raising is terrible. If it was a normal child, he would become a spoiled trash seen in novels.

Though, for me, it is a heaven sent. His behaviour towards me directly made the head servant give back my money and give me a guard post of the mansion.

While the money is secondary, the guard post for the mansion means I am directly employed by the royal family. You must know all the guards are soul masters (above level 1) and an occasional soul grandmaster.

Of course, my cultivation must also be a factor. I am currently at Level 7.

While it might look like a hard working prospective soul master. I know the truth of reality. I need another year to get to level 8. It becomes tough to break through with each level. Especially for soul masters with normal martial souls.

The only way to increase the speed is two options- resources and cultivation method.

Resources are already used to the current limit by me. Any further increase needs higher quality herbs.

So, my cultivation method can actually improve by adding the hidden meridians to the cultivation paths, which are like the shortcuts in human circulations- third duct, circle of Willis, portal vein.

Unfortunately, it is also a dead end because these arteries/veins are too delicate and also need a large amount of soul power to continue a cultivation path before stabilizing.

Fuck.

The only way to break this is having more resources. Because with more resources I can solve these. The way to attain this also done by me already.

Increase my status. I had gone from being an orphan servant to the student of the Blacksmith association's branch head.

My new status is already better than 10% of people.

Surpassing my current status would involve becoming a noble or achieving an equivalent position.

It is apparent that without significant strength or exceptional war merit, attaining nobility is impossible.

So, I must attain status equivalent to nobility.

Everyone knows that in an empire, equivalent to a nobel is the confidant of the royalty.

It's convenient for me that the prince with most resources in the empire gives regular visits to his vacation mansion, beside the Military base.

His purpose is also obvious, to win over the military officials in the conflict for the throne.

Sorry Dai Mubai. My current circumstances force my hand, we are enemies.

I choose you, Prince Dai Weisi.