Blink of a Kun Year

Spring turned to autumn, autumn to spring again—two and a half years passed in the cycle.

Aolai City was still the same Aolai City, but its people had grown anew.

Mangtian Forging Workshop.

Bang!

Lin Xuan hammered Purple Wave Gold strike after strike, his movements smooth and fluid, worlds apart from when he had first begun!

As his final hammer fell, the Purple Wave Gold on the workbench bloomed with an intense violet radiance.

"Radiance overflow! Thousand Forging Second Grade!"

Mang Tian nodded calmly and lifted the teacup beside him for a light sip.

Was a nine-year-old Thousand Forging Second Grade blacksmith really that remarkable?

It was fucking remarkable!

He had lived most of his life and had never heard of such a thing...

Mang Tian's fingers around the teacup had turned white. He kept taking sip after sip from the empty air inside the cup.

He even wondered if he had saved the Goddess of Luck in a past life. He had taken in two forging geniuses, and each was more terrifying than the last!

More than two years ago, Lin Xuan had been utterly ordinary, but his progress over the past two years had been breathtaking.

It was not as though Mang Tian had never seen geniuses before, but he dared swear to the heavens that he had never seen one like Lin Xuan.

Tang Wulin was the kind of genius who charged ahead triumphantly all the way, but Lin Xuan was different.

Lin Xuan improved bit by bit, in a way visible to the naked eye. The gains might not have been great, but every time, there would be results.

One had to know that no one in the world could guarantee gains every single time! Such steady progress was the most terrifying of all, and Lin Xuan was so steady that it made Mang Tian's heart go cold.

At first, Mang Tian had even suspected that some old monster had possessed the boy, but after carefully observing Lin Xuan's routine, he found that it was simply a straight line between school, physical training, and forging practice.

At most, the boy's training methods were a little strange: one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day.

Yet with such ordinary exercises, Lin Xuan's stamina had advanced by leaps and bounds, even surpassing Tang Wulin, who had been born with immense strength.

It was truly outrageous!

Mang Tian had secretly followed along with the push-ups for half a year, only to discover that they were not very useful. The boy was simply different from everyone else!

"Done! One hundred thousand in the bag."

Lin Xuan put away the finished component. Hundred Refinements and Thousand Forging were worlds apart. A single Thousand Forging material started at no less than one hundred thousand.

Although Mang Tian had accepted the commission, a dignified Sixth-Grade Blacksmith like him would never deign to compete with Lin Xuan for profit.

"Xiao Xuan, has your school given you your recommendation letter yet?"

Mang Tian asked as he watched Lin Xuan approach.

His two young apprentices would be advancing to the next school level in the second half of the year. He was not worried in the slightest about Lin Xuan's cultivation talent, but Tang Wulin was a little lacking in that regard.

"The principal told me to pick it up after next month's graduation ceremony. As for Wulin, he should be close to Level Ten by now."

Lin Xuan sat down beside Mang Tian and skillfully poured himself a cup of tea.

A year ago, Lin Xuan had already applied to study from home.

If not for the Federation's safety regulations prohibiting Soul Master Class students from skipping grades during the beginner academy stage, he would have reported to Eastsea Academy long ago.

"That's good! Xiao Xuan, what level are you now?"

Mang Tian gave Lin Xuan a curious look. The boy had not revealed his Soul Power Level since last year.

"Level Nineteen."

Lin Xuan took a sip of tea and answered calmly.

After two years, he had finally raised that damned Simple Meditation Method to Level Twenty-something, which then provided him with as much as a 2% cultivation boost.

Mang Tian nodded, not particularly surprised. Lin Xuan had already been Level Fifteen a year ago. Four levels in a year was a little fast, but still reasonable.

"This is Wulin's payment for this month. Pass it on to him later."

Mang Tian handed a small stack of Federation Coins to Lin Xuan, then looked at him with a mysterious smile.

"I've already taken care of what you asked me to arrange earlier."

Mang Tian placed a yellow card face-down on the table, then gave it a slight push and slid it over to Lin Xuan.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Lin Xuan's expression brightened at once. He quickly accepted the card.

The yellow card seemed to be made from some unknown material. It felt delicate and smooth, and several ancient beast patterns were engraved upon it, making it quite exquisite. But what excited Lin Xuan even more were the large words in the center of the card.

"Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform!"

This was an entry pass for the Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform of the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda!

The price for one entry into the Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform was five hundred thousand, but the admission quota was even more precious.

A Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform only had one thousand admission slots each month. Without connections, ordinary people could not buy one even if they had the money.

Lin Xuan had also spent a full year forging iron after reaching Thousand Forging before he finally saved enough money to ask Mang Tian to get him a ticket.

"Mm! As long as it helps you, that's good."

Mang Tian waved his hand, feeling somewhat gratified.

Only at times like this did Mang Tian feel any sense of accomplishment as Lin Xuan's master. Usually, Lin Xuan's own practice was more than enough; there was no need for him to worry at all.

At Red Mountain Academy, the moment the dismissal bell rang, the students surged out in a swarm like floodwaters released from a dam.

Amid the crowd, Lin Xuan spotted the more conspicuous Tang Wulin at a glance.

"Brother Xuan! Why are you here?"

Tang Wulin walked over, scratching his head as he spoke.

"I came to pick up Na'er! Oh, right, this is your payment for this month."

Lin Xuan handed the money to Tang Wulin, then asked, "Wulin, has your Soul Power broken through level ten?"

"Thank you, Brother Xuan!"

"As for my Soul Power, I just broke through yesterday."

At the mention of this, a smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face as well.

After three years, he was finally about to become a true Soul Master.

"Wait, Brother Xuan! Why is there so much more money this month?"

Tang Wulin counted it, then suddenly cried out in shock.

"The extra forty thousand is a loan from me."

"The cheapest white spirit soul costs seventy thousand. With thirty thousand, you can only take your chances on a random draw, and most of those are incomplete spirit souls."

Lin Xuan explained.

Setting aside Tang Wulin's status as the protagonist, Tang Wulin had earned Lin Xuan's approval over the past three years. It was only forty thousand; to Lin Xuan now, it was not much at all.

Before long, once Tang Wulin reached Thousand Forging himself, he would be able to earn that amount easily. It was better to do him a favor now.

"Brother Xuan, thank you! You're so good to me! I..."

A glimmer of tears appeared in Tang Wulin's eyes as he stepped forward, intending to give Lin Xuan an affectionate hug.

"Stop, stop, stop! Men shouldn't be so intimate with each other!"

Seeing this, Lin Xuan hurriedly took a step back and stopped Tang Wulin.

"Brother Xuan, you really are..."

Tang Wulin's tears circled in his eyes before he forcibly held them back.

He remembered Na'er doing the same thing before!

Come on, the mood was already perfect—how could Brother Xuan play favorites like this?!

"Big Brother, why are you here?!"

Just then, an excited voice rang out. Immediately afterward, a purple figure pounced toward Lin Xuan like the wind.

Na'er wrapped her arms around Lin Xuan's neck and her legs around his waist, clinging tightly to him like a little koala.

"I came to pick you up, of course!"

Lin Xuan smiled and patted Na'er's head. Then he waved goodbye to Tang Wulin before turning to leave.

"Mwah~ Big Brother, Na'er wants kisses!"

"Hehe, this side too!"

Tang Wulin watched the two leave while flirting and playing around affectionately, his gaze full of resentment.

He suddenly recalled something his mother, Lang Yue, loved to say to Tang Ziran.

"Heh~ Men!"

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