Spirit (Please Follow!!!)

Su Ming could understand Zhang Tianyang's feelings as well.

His changes over the past year had indeed been enormous. The easiest to understand was his breakthrough in Soul Power: six levels in fourteen months.

This cultivation speed was even a little slower than Dou Yi Su Ming's. Dou Yi Su Ming had risen one level every two months, but that had been before Level 10. In reality, after reaching Level 10, Dou Yi Su Ming's rate of improvement had also begun to slow.

Dou San Su Ming had risen from Level 11 to Level 17, all within the Soul Master stage. That could be considered fast.

At this rate, he would break through to Soul Grandmaster before turning eight.

Give him another two years, and he had a great chance of breaking through to Soul Elder before turning ten.

If he hurried a little more, he might even break through to Soul Ancestor at twelve!

Across the entire continent—across all of Douluo Star—he would be among the very best.

And that was only Su Ming's Soul Power cultivation.

His advancement in other fields was even more outrageous.

"You've practically enjoyed the benefits of three Martial Souls," Zhang Tianyang said with deep emotion after learning from Su Ming why his physical condition had improved so dramatically.

The Borrowed Power he had drawn upon was actually a Martial Soul, and he could even have that Martial Soul's abilities feed back into himself.

"Putting aside side professions, you're already among the top talents on the continent," Zhang Tianyang told Su Ming honestly rather than trying to suppress his confidence.

"If side professions are included, then absolutely no one can stand on the same stage as you."

Zhang Tianyang did not think Su Ming would deceive him over something like this for amusement, so he first accepted Su Ming's claim about his proficiency in four major side professions.

Of course, accepting it was one thing; inspecting it was another. He was Su Ming's teacher, after all. If he was going to teach his student, he had to know what stage his student had reached.

"Are you sure you want to cultivate all four professions at once?"

Zhang Tianyang felt that he had asked a redundant question. Su Ming had entered all four major side professions within a year, and his progress had been rapid. Clearly, he had talent in every one of those fields.

Forging in particular—achieving Thousand Forgings in a single year—what kind of heaven-defying talent was that?

In the forging world, that was almost unprecedented.

Su Ming did not think he had exceeded the norm. He knew that this was the result of hammering away one strike at a time. His rapid progress came from the combined efforts of his three bodies. Each accumulated experience separately, then they exchanged memories and integrated their insights, making his efficiency exceed a mere simple addition.

"If you intend to study all four professions at once, then I really can help you," Zhang Tianyang said. "I am a Mecha Repairer. As you know, a Mecha Repairer must master knowledge on the same level as a Mecha Designer and Mecha Manufacturer, though their advanced abilities are somewhat shallower. If you simultaneously reach the level of a Level 2 Mecha Designer and Mecha Manufacturer, then naturally you also count as a Level 2 Mecha Repairer."

Zhang Tianyang gave Su Ming a straightforward explanation of Mecha Repairers.

In terms of what this profession studied, it combined the design and manufacturing stages. However, it also had its easier aspects. One did not need to pursue mastery with the goal of overseeing every detail. In other words, he did not need to design a complete set of Battle Armor Core Arrays without a single flaw from start to finish. He only needed to make corrections and repairs based on existing blueprints. Even if, after years of accumulated alterations, the original blueprint became unrecognizable and the changes were no less than redoing it entirely, there was still an initial template to reference. Manufacturing was the same, also leaning toward later-stage repairs and adjustments.

"I just happen to be able to teach you the theory behind three professions at the same time."

That was very convenient. The only profession Su Ming needed to understand and explore on his own was Blacksmithing.

But Blacksmithing was not a profession where one could improve by shutting oneself away. Having someone teach him hand in hand was extremely important. After pondering for a moment, Zhang Tianyang felt it was necessary to find Su Ming a forging teacher.

Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua?

Naturally, Zhang Tianyang wanted his disciple to study under the best master, but only if he had a way to make it happen.

He was not familiar with the Divine Blacksmith and had never dealt with him before.

"I'll do my best to secure the best possible teacher for you." Zhang Tianyang decided to contact some acquaintances and see whether anyone could help him reach Zhen Hua.

"For the next few days, consolidate your Thousand Forgings first. You can try to explore the properties of more metals. I'll contact someone as soon as possible."

"Alright."

During the Dou Er era.

"Still no spirit."

Su Ming set down his hammer and stared thoughtfully at the Thousand-Forged Sinking Silver on the forging table before him.

None of his three bodies had forged any less over the past year.

Among them, Dou San Su Ming was responsible for studying the most authoritative and cutting-edge techniques and experience of the future, while Dou Yi Su Ming worked hard to grind out the most experience. Then Dou San Su Ming had to verify and consolidate it all, while Dou Er Su Ming was practically picking up the leftovers.

He had no choice. His Soul Power and Martial Soul did not give him any particular advantage physically, so he could only begin forging after his other two selves had mastered Thousand Forgings.

"Rare Metals are not the fundamental reason Thousand Forgings produce a spirit."

Su Ming frowned.

If that was the case, then he and his Dou Yi self could only grind experience. To truly break through in forging skill, he could only rely on his Dou San self, whether it was Spiritual Forging, Soul Forging, or Heavenly Forging.

"Are the laws of spirit insufficient?"

Su Ming recalled every plot point he knew, scene after scene flashing through his mind.

"The turning point comes after my current self."

In the end, he narrowed his eyes and fixed the image on Tang Hao.

"Tang Hao, Lord of the Plane..."

So the forging system was actually Tang Hao's core? By developing the forging system, he consolidated his authority within the plane—effectively digesting the Lord of the Plane's power?

Su Ming did not underestimate Tang Hao.

Tang Hao had pursued forging to some extent as well. He emphasized turning Mortal Iron into Divine Metal.

"During the Dou Yi era, it was all Mortal Iron. Iron that could be forged to possess Spirituality was actually Divine Metal. So perhaps what he meant by turning Mortal Iron into Divine Metal was the pursuit of spirit?"

Could he have created the forging system on his own?

Su Ming did not really believe that.

The word spirit kept echoing through his mind.

"Spirit..."

What change had prompted such a tremendous shift in the Douluo Plane's laws related to spirit?

A gleam of light flashed through his eyes.

The word spirit still echoed through his mind, but now it had gained a prefix.

"Soul Spirit!"

It was Soul Spirits!

Su Ming drew a deep breath, feeling that he had found the truth.

"The laws of spirit were comprehensively perfected because Soul Spirits were created, then extended from Soul Masters carrying the aura of spirit into the field of metals."

Whether that was true or not, he felt that he needed to verify it.

"The perfection of the laws of spirit cannot happen overnight. It would also take a long time for Soul Spirits to affect the field of metals, so even if I find a way to create Soul Spirits now, I may still need to wait."

Time...

His gaze slowly rose. It was as though the sound of a river surging appeared around him. In the unseen distance, he seemed to stand atop an endless, winding river. Every droplet of water around him was a world frozen at a certain instant, and countless scenes washed over his soul.

Su Ming raised his head and looked toward himself at the river's upper reaches.

At that moment, his heart was like the river water surrounding him, surging and roaring.