Soul Power Forging, the Rusty Spear's Initial Evolution

After returning to the village, Ji Wuming hurriedly brewed the herbs and began another round of medicinal baths. Now that he had awakened his Martial Soul, he could also sense the existence of Soul Power within his body.

Ji Wuming half-closed his eyes and tentatively entered a meditative state, sensing the flow of Soul Power within his body and its absorption of the surrounding Spiritual Energy.

Because his Innate Soul Power was low, his Soul Power cultivation had been slow to begin with. On top of that, he lacked a systematic Meditation Method, so his cultivation speed was only slightly faster than a snail's pace. He even had to rest for half a quarter-hour every so often.

"Alas! It's a pity that aside from blacksmithing, I don't know martial arts like Tai Chi or Xing Yi Quan. Otherwise, my Soul Power cultivation speed could definitely rise another level."

But this rudimentary meditation was not without its benefits. Through meditation, his body could better absorb the medicinal properties of the bath, making his physical strengthening twice as effective with half the effort. At the same time, it could heal some of the hidden injuries caused by blacksmithing.

It had to be said that the herbs sold in the city's pharmacies were far more potent than ordinary wild herbs.

Early the next morning,

The familiar sound of hammering rang out from the Ji Family Blacksmith Shop once more, though the blows sounded somewhat weak and listless.

Clang, clang, clang, crack—

The Rusty Spear snapped again. This was already the fifth time it had broken within half an hour.

"This lousy spear is still far too weak, especially the shaft. As soon as I use even a little more force while hammering it, it inevitably breaks."

Ji Wuming brushed several beads of sweat from his forehead and fell into thought as he looked at the Rusty Spear he had summoned again.

Wasn't weapon forging just repeating the three steps of melting iron, hammering, and quenching? Why did that not work when forging a Martial Soul?

A moment later, four words suddenly appeared in his mind: Soul Power Forging. In that instant, it was as though Ji Wuming had achieved sudden enlightenment.

"Soul Power Forging. A Martial Soul is different from an ordinary weapon, so there's no need for the iron-melting step. Hammering alone will inevitably cause metal fatigue in the Rusty Spear and make it break. But if I continuously channel Soul Power into the Martial Soul while hammering it, could it..."

Once he had an idea, Ji Wuming immediately put it into practice. He wanted to maintain the Martial Soul's basic state by channeling Soul Power into it while hammering it, creating a Soul Power Forging method. However, this forging method required Heart Separation Control, and such a technique was not exclusive to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

So-called Heart Separation Control was essentially Dual-tasking. Anyone could master it as long as they invested enough time, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had merely developed the basic technique of Dual-tasking further into Multi-tasking.

For now, he only needed to master Dual-tasking, which was one of the essential abilities required of a good blacksmith. As an outstanding blacksmith, Ji Wuming was naturally very familiar with the techniques of Dual-tasking.

Ji Wuming immediately began channeling Soul Power into the Rusty Spear Martial Soul while rapidly hammering its shaft. If he wanted the Rusty Spear to truly possess combat power, he had to fill the holes in its shaft.

Clang, clang, clang...

After more than ten blows, one of the larger holes in the shaft had shrunk by a full circle, yet the Rusty Spear showed no sign of breaking. Ji Wuming was overjoyed.

"Hahaha—"

"Sure enough, this is how Soul Power Forging should work!"

After more than two hundred hammer blows, the two small holes at the end of the shaft had successfully disappeared, and the shaft had shortened by roughly two or three centimeters.

Half an hour later, as the Soul Power in Ji Wuming's body gradually ran dry and he could no longer maintain the Soul Power Forging state, he looked closely and saw that the Rusty Spear was slowly returning to its original form.

"I can alter the Martial Soul's shape, but its deformation automatically recovers. Sure enough, a Martial Soul is an external manifestation formed from one's own condensed Soul Power. It's extremely difficult to change!"

Ji Wuming was utterly speechless as he looked at the situation before him. Nearly an hour of hammering had been for nothing.

"I won't accept this. I won't accept this..."

Gritting his teeth, Ji Wuming set down the hammer and tightly gripped the spear blade with his left hand, intending to crush it directly. The rusted edge pierced his palm, and several drops of blood fell onto the spear. The Rusty Spear's elastic recovery suddenly stopped.

Seeing this, Ji Wuming looked at his injured left hand, then at the Rusty Spear atop the anvil. He jumped about excitedly and said,

"I never expected the Blood-Sacrifice Edge Opening Method for iron weapons to have such an effect. Could this be one of my Martial Soul's hidden traits?"

Regardless, the method of using Soul Power Forging to alter a Martial Soul's form was viable. Combined with his Blood-Sacrifice Edge Opening Method,

perhaps he really could use his Martial Soul as a foundation to forge an unparalleled treasure weapon. Judging from the traits this broken spear had displayed so far, it could develop in the direction of the Emperor Slayer Spear.

The Emperor Slayer Spear was the Feather Emperor's Natal Immortal Artifact. It contained overwhelming killing intent and was entirely crimson, as though shrouded in a thick mist of blood. It was incomparably mysterious and terrifying, while its attack power was equally astonishing.

Now that he had a clear goal, Ji Wuming seemed as though he had been injected with adrenaline. He sat cross-legged and quickly restored the Soul Power in his body, preparing for another round of Soul Power Forging.

When he went to sleep at night, Ji Wuming did not retract his Martial Soul into his body, lest all his efforts during the day go to waste.

Instead, he kept it in its detached state at all times and maintained a small stream of Soul Power to prevent the Rusty Spear from automatically dissipating due to a lack of Soul Power. To prevent it from getting lost, he practically slept with the Martial Soul in his arms.

And so, Soul Power Forging continued for nearly three months. Although his Soul Power had not increased significantly during those three months, the Rusty Spear had been completely transformed.

Its shaft had shortened by two inches, and dozens of holes had vanished. The spear blades on either side of its tip had also been forged exceptionally sharp. After three months of blood sacrifice, the entire spear was now veiled in a faint layer of blood mist.

As for the Rusty Spear's greatest advantage, its rust, Ji Wuming had concentrated it around the spearhead in order to maximize the spear's greatest strength in thrusting attacks, allowing it to unleash its greatest power.

Today was the opening day of the Vast Sea City Junior Soul Master Academy. Ji Wuming packed a few simple changes of clothes and living expenses for one academic year, then boarded a carriage with a striking two-and-a-half-meter spear strapped to his back.

Seeing this conspicuous sight, the Village Chief could not help saying, "Little Ji, if you carry your Martial Soul on your back into the academy, I'm afraid it may cause some unnecessary trouble!"

As someone who often kept an eye on Ji Wuming, the Village Chief had been delighted when he saw how drastically Ji Wuming's Martial Soul had changed. Sure enough, an outstanding blacksmith could create another kind of miracle.

"Village Chief Grandfather, I absolutely cannot end my Martial Soul Detached State. Otherwise, my three months of effort will all go down the drain. Don't worry. As long as the other children don't provoke me first, I won't hurt them!" Ji Wuming said with an exceptionally determined gaze.

What Ji Wuming needed most right now was the Meditation Method taught by the academy, not childish games with those six-year-olds.

During this period, because he lacked a Meditation Method, his cultivation speed had been slow to begin with due to his low Innate Soul Power. Only a Meditation Method could increase his Soul Power cultivation speed even slightly.