Forging Certification?

Smoke and dust billowed as rubble rattled down, and a jagged, charred fissure split the bluestone arena.

At the sight of this terrifying scene, Zhou Rui stood rooted to the spot.

Then he immediately turned to face Xiao Jin and raised his hand without hesitation. "Teacher, I concede!"

What kind of joke was this? If that thing hit him, would he even survive?

Xiao Jin stared at the arena, more than half of which had been destroyed, and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Dai Xichen, watching from below, couldn't help turning his gaze toward Lu Lin.

This guy was pretty interesting.

Too bad his level was still too low. Otherwise, Dai Xichen would have liked to spar with him, too.

After a brief silence, Xiao Jin spoke.

"That's enough of the election. Dai Xichen is Class Leader, and Lu Lin is Vice Class Leader. Does anyone have any objections?"

After seeing what Lu Lin was capable of, the remaining students had no desire to keep fighting. They hurriedly nodded and enthusiastically supported Xiao Jin's wise decision.

Lu Lin walked off the arena as if nothing had happened.

Thanks to his ability to recover Soul Power during battle, that last attack had looked frightening, but it hadn't cost him all that much.

Zhou Rui and the others stared at his slender figure, one thought filling their minds: Was this guy, whose Soul Power was only at level seventeen, even human?

He was a monster!

Oh, Shrek was already a school full of monsters. Never mind, then!

Xiao Jin was speechless, too. Lu Lin had ruined the election just like that.

Still, this little fellow called Lu Lin was pretty interesting.

Xiao Jin narrowed his eyes as he looked at Lu Lin, pondering to himself.

As Lu Lin calmly left the arena, Qin He came hurrying over.

"Wow, Lu Lin, what was that move you just used? It was terrifying! But it didn't look like a Soul Skill. Was it a Self-Created Soul Skill?"

Lu Lin smiled faintly. "I said it was a surprise, didn't I? You could say it's a Self-Created Soul Skill."

Since his main body lacked any direct means of attack, Lu Lin had been forced to find another way and come up with this move, "Buddha Fury Red Lotus."

The inspiration, of course, came from the Flame Emperor, Xiao Huohuo.

Not the one from the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

This move combined the fiery lotus form of the Pure Fire Green Lotus with that wisp of Chaos Qi.

Without Lu Lin's formidable Mental Power, honed by controlling two consciousnesses independently, he wouldn't have been able to use it at all.

And you call that a surprise?

Qin He was taken aback, but the facts proved his judgment had been right.

Lu Lin, who had managed to get three Recommendation Letters, wasn't as simple as he looked.

I'm freaking amazing!

Just then, Xiao Jin's voice came from the side, cold as ice.

"Qin He, Ruan Yi conceded without a fight. The two of you will run ten laps around the track. Start now."

Ruan Yi's face stiffened at the order. Ten laps around the track? That would kill him! He should've at least pretended to struggle and used a Soul Skill!

Ruan Yi hadn't expected Xiao Jin to agree so readily back then, only to be waiting for him to spring this on him now!

Lu Lin couldn't help smiling. He shot Qin He a sympathetic glance.

He'd said that with Xiao Jin's personality, Qin He would be in trouble if he ran up and immediately conceded.

And just like that, his prediction came true!

Lu Lin leaned close to Qin He and whispered something. Qin He's eyes immediately lit up. He looked at Lu Lin as if to ask, "Will that really work?"

Lu Lin nodded with a smile.

Just then, Zhou Rui, standing nearby, raised his hand and said glumly, "Teacher, I'll accept the punishment, too."

Xiao Jin was taken aback.

It wasn't that he was playing favorites.

Ruan Yi and Qin He had conceded without fighting, while Zhou Rui had at least waited until the middle of the match to give up. Naturally, that was different.

Still, since Zhou Rui had volunteered to accept the punishment, Xiao Jin didn't refuse. He gave a slight nod to show his agreement.

So Xiao Jin took Lu Lin, Dai Xichen, and the others back to the classroom to continue the lesson, while the two unlucky fellows, Qin He and Ruan Yi, went to run laps along with Zhou Rui.

About an hour later, the three of them appeared at the classroom door, exhausted as dogs.

For some reason, Qin He was cowering behind Zhou Rui like a turtle pulling its head into its shell.

Xiao Jin knew exactly why. He gave the three of them a strange look, then glanced at Lu Lin, who was sitting below.

But Lu Lin sat ramrod straight, his eyes lowered in perfect composure, as if he knew nothing.

Xiao Jin knew, however, that the three of them had indeed run all ten laps. They hadn't skipped any.

He nodded and told them to return to their seats and join the lesson.

At Xiao Jin's words, Qin He looked as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He dashed back to his seat and silently mouthed a thank-you to Lu Lin as he passed him.

Lu Lin smiled knowingly.

As mentioned earlier, Shrek Academy was absurdly vast, and naturally, its track was just as enormous.

Zhou Rui was all right, but if someone as slight as Qin He or Ruan Yi really ran ten laps, they'd probably lose half their lives.

So Lu Lin had given Qin He a tip—not to cheat by skipping laps. If he dared do that, Xiao Jin would probably expel him on the spot.

Lu Lin had merely suggested that Qin He use his Martial Soul and Soul Skills when he was about to run out of stamina. Qin He was a Food System Soul Master. Lu Lin didn't know what his two Soul Skills were, exactly, but he figured they were probably related to support.

After all, Xiao Jin hadn't said they couldn't use their Martial Souls.

Of course, he hadn't said they could, either.

In any case, according to Xiao Jin, only a few students did this...

Xiao Jin didn't object to it, though.

After that, Lu Lin's life at Shrek Academy settled into a routine.

His mysterious roommate still hadn't shown up.

According to Xiao He, there would be a class competition for the new students in three months, and the winner would receive a Soul Bone. Lu Lin had no idea where he'd gotten that information.

The guy had only just enrolled, too.

But whether the news was true or not, Lu Lin wasn't interested for the time being.

He was eating in the cafeteria.

As Xiao Jin had said, Shrek really did have the finest resources on the continent. That wasn't an exaggeration—at least, not for Soul Masters.

Perhaps it was because the academy stood right beside the vast Star Dou Great Forest.

The most obvious sign was the row upon row of cafeteria stalls selling delicacies and nourishing meals made from Soul Beast meat. As long as you could afford it, even a hundred-year Soul Beast could end up in your stomach.

After eating there for a few days, Lu Lin felt as though his Soul Power was on the verge of breaking through.

Of course, eating like that also meant he'd soon run out of money.

A nourishing meal made with the meat of a sixty-year Soul Beast cost one Gold Soul Coin.

It was common knowledge that one Gold Soul Coin—equivalent to a hundred Copper Soul Coins—could keep an ordinary family of three going for dozens of days.

That showed just how expensive Shrek Academy was.

Lu Lin needed to find a way to earn some money. Otherwise, the savings he'd built up over the past two years would eventually run dry.

Taking advantage of the weekend, Lu Lin slipped out of the academy.

It was already nearing dusk.

A warm golden hue washed over the vast city.

Shrek City sat at the junction of the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Soul Empire, and the Dou Spirit Empire, with the Star Dou Great Forest directly to the southeast.

To some extent, Shrek City had become the heart of the entire continent.

It was far more prosperous than Frostwind City, where Lu Lin had grown up, and even more so than Heaven Dou City, which he'd visited before.

Blacksmith Association.

As soon as Lu Lin stepped into the lobby, a beautiful woman came toward him.

Before she could speak, Lu Lin got straight to the point. "I'm not here to buy anything. I'm here to get certified as a blacksmith."

???

The woman was immediately covered in question marks.

She looked him up and down. After confirming that Lu Lin was clearly only twelve or thirteen years old, she began tactfully, "I'm sorry, but blacksmith certification isn't something you can just—"

If she couldn't talk him out of it, she'd have to force him to leave. That was what she thought. She hadn't even finished speaking when her pupils suddenly contracted.

Lu Lin had taken an enormous Forging Hammer out of his Storage Soul Tool. He swung it around one-handed several times, then smiled at her and asked,

"Will this do?"