Forging (Please Follow!!!)

"Once you get to the Soul Master Academy, make sure to listen to your teachers. Become a Soul Master as soon as possible. Our Holy Soul Village can finally count itself as having Soul Masters this time."

Old Jack was delighted the entire way.

Tang San had awakened Innate Full Soul Power, while Su Ming also possessed Level 5 Innate Soul Power. No matter what, both of them would be able to become Soul Masters.

As long as one was a Soul Master, one stood above ordinary people.

The enrollment process went just as he had imagined: a gatekeeper who made things difficult, a Master who happened to pass by, and Tang San being called away alone to be taken as a disciple.

Su Ming paid it no mind. After completing his registration and tidying up his dormitory, he took a walk around the academy.

Once he had familiarized himself with everything, he found a suitable place to cultivate—the back mountain.

"A Martial Soul is a Martial Soul, and the body is the body. When the two become intertwined, the Main Body affects the Martial Soul, and the Martial Soul affects the Main Body."

Su Ming closed his eyes in meditation, pondering the characteristics of a Body Martial Soul.

"As my Soul Power cultivation increases, my body will definitely grow stronger, and my Martial Soul will naturally strengthen with it. But the human body has limits. The Martial Soul will also be confined, and once that limit is reached, it may even in turn hinder my Soul Power cultivation."

"This is the Body Martial Soul."

What was the normal limit?

Su Ming pondered...

Was it the threshold before the Second Awakening?

The simplest model was naturally for the Soul Master and Martial Soul to grow in tandem, reaching their limits at the Soul King or Soul Emperor stage. Then, the Soul Master would complete the Second Awakening of the Body Martial Soul, breaking through that shackle and continuing to cultivate.

But was the human body's limit really that high?

"My body affects my Martial Soul. Conversely, my Martial Soul should also affect my body, helping it break through its shackles and giving it greater potential to develop—a body beyond that of ordinary Soul Masters."

"And the only ways I can think of for a Martial Soul to affect the Main Body are Soul Rings and Soul Skills."

There was no need to say much about Soul Rings. Every Soul Ring comprehensively transformed a Soul Master and had an enormous impact.

Soul Skills, meanwhile, were another key point.

A Body Martial Soul originated from the body, yet it still existed in the form of a Martial Soul.

It merely meant that the Martial Soul and the Soul Master's body overlapped in one area rather than completely overlapping. It still possessed characteristics that belonged wholly to the Martial Soul.

"There is a difference between the Main Body and the Body Martial Soul, a fundamental difference," Su Ming thought. "The Body Martial Soul has far greater room for manipulation. It can be comprehensively tempered with Soul Power without worrying about it being unable to withstand the process. As long as the tempering effects can be synchronized to the Main Body, it will become a supreme body-tempering method."

"So the Body Sect's proficiency in all kinds of combat techniques should stem from using the Martial Soul to temper the body in reverse."

"Twenty thousand years later, they even developed a Bloodline Power system, pushing the Martial Soul's influence on the body to the extreme."

Su Ming had worked out these underlying principles himself, but he had no actual method to put them into practice.

"Wait. Once the me of ten thousand years later joins the Body Sect, I'll be able to learn combat techniques." (PS: When the protagonist thinks, his perspective is based on the protagonist he is currently considering, whether it is ten thousand or twenty thousand years in the future or past.)

"Of course, I can't give up on developing combat techniques on my own either—that is, Self-Created Soul Skills."

"What I possess is not the Soul Master techniques and cultivation experience of this era, but experience from twenty thousand years later. Creating Soul Skills is not impossible."

In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened. Su Ming opened his eyes and stopped meditating.

After eating, he returned to his dormitory and continued meditating.

The next day.

Su Ming got up early, left the academy, and arrived at a blacksmith shop not far from the academy.

He had made up his mind. Since he possessed a Body Martial Soul, he was perfectly suited to the secondary profession of a blacksmith. From now on, he would begin practicing Forging.

It was not just a matter of Martial Soul configuration. Another important point was the environment of the era he lived in.

In an environment where Rare Metal was already difficult to find, he could only go to Gengxin City, the Metal Capital, to find enough suitable metals.

It was not that this era lacked Rare Metal, nor had Rare Metal completely vanished from Douluo Continent. There was simply very little of it, and people lacked the ability to effectively make use of the properties of these Rare Metals.

If he wanted to find suitable metals in Gengxin City, the best method was to join the association there.

"The biggest problem isn't learning Forging or searching for Rare Metal, but whether this era even has a Forging system."

Forging had not developed into a complete discipline in a single step.

The profession of blacksmith had only emerged at a particular point in history.

Su Ming suspected that the establishment of the Forging system could not be separated from the evolution of the world's laws.

"Boss, are you hiring apprentices?"

Duan Family Blacksmith Shop.

Three or five burly men were swinging hammers bare-chested. Upon hearing Su Ming's childish voice, they all raised their heads and glanced at him.

"Kid, with that little body of yours, you probably can't even swing a hammer, can you?"

Su Ming said, "I've awakened my Martial Soul, and I have Soul Power. My Martial Soul can also enhance my body in every aspect, so I should still be able to do some apprentice work."

After hearing Su Ming's words, the blacksmith shop's owner, Duan Tie, handed over the large hammer in his hand.

"Come on, let me see how strong you are."

Su Ming stepped forward and reached out to take the hammer.

Duan Tie slowly loosened his grip. He felt the hammer sink slightly, but it was caught, so he let go completely.

Su Ming activated Martial Soul Possession, and Soul Power flowed through his body.

The large hammer Duan Tie had handed him was very heavy. The handle alone was 1.2 meters long, while the hammerhead was a slightly rounded rectangular block with edges, larger than three of Su Ming's heads combined.

"Good!"

Seeing Su Ming hold the hammer steady, Duan Tie cried out in approval.

"Try swinging it."

Su Ming nodded. Gripping the handle with both hands, he slowly raised the hammer high, then smashed it viciously onto the tabletop. He repeated the motion more than a dozen times in succession.

From the way Su Ming swung the hammer, Duan Tie could tell that he had no Forging experience whatsoever, but he did not mind.

As long as he had strength, that was enough.

He was only an apprentice, after all. Usually, he would just serve tea and run errands, with the occasional easy Forging task.

"Working here is much tougher than going to school. If you can accept the conditions here, you can become my apprentice. There won't be any pay at first, since your skills are too poor and you can't take orders at all. But you'll get all the food you can eat. Once your skills are up to standard, I'll give you one Silver Soul Coin a month, the same as everyone else. If business is good, I'll give you more."

Su Ming thanked him. "Thank you, Boss."

Duan Tie laughed heartily. "Not many Soul Masters are interested in Forging these days."

Even work-study students at the Soul Master Academy had academy assignments. Sweeping and cleaning the academy every day was enough to cover their living expenses there, so there was no need for them to come out and forge iron for money.

If Su Ming had come to the blacksmith shop, then either he wanted to experience it for himself or he was interested in Forging.

"You don't have any foundation in Forging, right?"

Duan Tie had the other blacksmiths continue working while he personally led Su Ming indoors.

"No," Su Ming answered truthfully.

"I won't pay you at the beginning. As for a Forging Hammer, use one of my old discarded ones." As Duan Tie spoke, he scanned the iron blocks inside and selected one of moderate size.

Su Ming stepped forward, picked up the Forging Hammer Duan Tie had mentioned, and tried it out.

This hammer was much lighter than the one outside, but he still had to use all his strength to swing it.

"Your task today is to hammer this piece of iron into a long strip. Don't just pound it with brute force. Take it slowly. It would be best if you can find the knack."