"Here, Yao Xiaopang. I bought this for you."
The dormitory area in the western part of the academy.
Lu Lin pushed open the door and stepped inside. When he saw Yao Yue sitting on the bed, he tossed him the little paper bag in his hand.
Yao Yue caught it with both hands on instinct. A closer look revealed the signature roast chicken from a food shop on Frostwind City's pedestrian street.
Word was, the owner used a recipe passed down through his family. The chicken tasted incredible, and the place was packed every day, with demand far outstripping supply.
Its one drawback was the price: nine Copper Soul Coins per chicken.
That was enough to cover two or three days of his expenses.
Yao Yue looked at Lu Lin and beamed. "Hey, thanks! Thanks, buddy. But why'd you suddenly bring me this?"
"It's a thank-you gift. Teacher Liu took me to a blacksmith shop, and the owner hired me."
Lu Lin kept it brief.
If it weren't for Yao Xiaopang, Teacher Liu wouldn't have taken Lu Lin to meet Zhao Shiyan.
Though, to be honest, he hadn't planned on finding a job outside the academy at all.
"A blacksmith shop? Isn't that going to be exhausting? Well, never mind. A blacksmith shop sounds good, too.
"But don't buy me anything next time. I haven't done anything, and this stuff's expensive."
Lu Lin smiled faintly.
Meanwhile, Yao Xiaopang had already opened the package. When Lu Lin said he didn't want any, Yao Xiaopang dug in by himself, eating with gusto.
Lu Lin sat down on the bed and began his daily cultivation.
Three months had passed since his Martial Soul awakening.
He had been cultivating the Body Sect's Flawless Body Casting Art for a full month now.
Just last week, his Soul Power Level had broken through to level five. One level in three months—Lu Lin felt that wasn't particularly slow.
Back at the Body Sect, his avatar, Ji Ming, was still absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber inside the bronze hall.
But as time passed, perhaps his body had developed a resistance. In any case, Lu Lin no longer felt that burning pain, so there was no need to say more about it.
The next day, after his morning classes ended.
Lu Lin went alone to Zhao Shiyan's Giant Rock Blacksmith Shop.
Aside from Lu Lin, the newcomer, Zhao Shiyan was the only person working there.
There used to be another apprentice, but he had since left.
That was why Zhao Shiyan wanted to hire another one.
The main tasks were stoking the fire and hammering iron blanks for him.
Unless someone was especially gifted or naturally strong, an ordinary person wasn't suited to blacksmithing. Soul Masters were the ones best suited to it.
Even if a Soul Master wasn't strong enough, they could use Soul Power and their Martial Soul to help.
Of course, that didn't count the exceptionally hardworking commoners.
"You're here."
When Lu Lin arrived, Zhao Shiyan gave a slight nod.
As yesterday, he was bare-chested, his bulging muscles highlighting his powerful, sturdy physique.
"For the next few days, just help me hammer the iron blanks. I'll teach you how to put your strength into it. Using brute force like you did yesterday won't work... Though, your aim was decent."
During yesterday's "interview," Zhao Shiyan had noticed that whenever Lu Lin's hammer missed, he adjusted its direction to improve his accuracy. He kept doing that, and only missed once every three or four strikes.
That was impressive for a child with no forging experience whatsoever.
In Zhao Shiyan's view, with that kind of adaptability, Lu Lin could do well in almost any profession, not just blacksmithing.
More importantly, he had grit.
Lu Lin showed no sign of nervousness.
While forging, he hadn't even glanced at Zhao Shiyan or Teacher Liu standing nearby. He had focused entirely on the work in front of him, paying no attention to anything else.
That was why Zhao Shiyan was willing to let him stay.
Zhao Shiyan didn't know that Lu Lin's composure came from experience carried over from his previous life.
"All right."
Lu Lin nodded.
Zhao Shiyan had Lu Lin stand beside him and watch. Then he used iron tongs to pull a glowing-red piece of refined iron from the furnace and picked up a massive Forging Hammer in one hand.
He set his stance and brought the hammer down, striking the red-hot iron on the anvil with pinpoint accuracy. His movements flowed like water.
His strength and angle were both flawless.
"What did you notice?"
"It seems... you're not relying on your arms alone to generate force?"
Lu Lin answered hesitantly.
Only after seeing Zhao Shiyan demonstrate did Lu Lin understand how crude it had been to rely entirely on brute force yesterday.
"Right. The strength in your arms, waist, abdomen, and thighs needs to work as one. As long as you understand that, you're fine.
"Now help me hammer the iron blanks. Find the right way to generate force for yourself. The standard is a hundred strikes per blank.
"Set the finished blanks aside. Ask whenever you don't understand something. Don't pretend you do."
A hundred strikes?
Hundred Refinements Purification?
But actual Hundred Refinements Purification couldn't be that simple.
Lu Lin remembered some details from the original story, after all. Three generations of Tang Shenwang's family had been blacksmiths.
He just didn't know if this era could produce the Spirit Forging Method.
Lu Lin pondered it.
After saying that, Zhao Shiyan left him to it. He grabbed his own Forging Hammer and went straight to another furnace to get to work.
Lu Lin didn't mind. He went to the corner, picked up the Forging Hammer he had used yesterday, then walked over to the spot where Zhao Shiyan had been standing.
Lu Lin didn't swing right away. First, he recalled Zhao Shiyan's movements.
Then he circulated his Soul Power and imitated Zhao Shiyan, setting his stance and using his whole body to drive his arms. He gripped the hammer handle with both hands and brought it down hard.
Clang!
With just that one strike, Lu Lin could feel the difference. It was not only easier than yesterday, but also used far less Soul Power.
Not bad. He was quick to learn.
He caught on after one demonstration.
Standing by the anvil, Zhao Shiyan caught a glimpse of Lu Lin's movements from the corner of his eye and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
After that, Zhao Shiyan didn't say another word. A steady series of clangs rang out through the Giant Rock Blacksmith Shop.
For Lu Lin, whose body was somewhat frail, swinging the hammer continuously was no small burden.
Two hours passed. Lu Lin was close to finishing his second iron blank.
But he had been so focused that he hadn't noticed the time passing. Zhao Shiyan had to come over and remind him:
"That's enough, Lu Lin. Time's up."
At the sound of Zhao Shiyan's voice, Lu Lin stopped hammering and let out a long breath.
After two hours of nonstop forging, sweat had soaked through his clothes. His arms ached and trembled slightly.
On instinct, Lu Lin circulated the Flawless Body Casting Art, using his Soul Power to ease the soreness and fatigue in his muscles.
Zhao Shiyan walked over and glanced at the iron blank. A hint of approval flickered in his eyes. "Not bad. Keep at it tomorrow."
"Thanks for your guidance, Master Zhao."
"Come have a meal with me later. If you're going to be a blacksmith, you can't stay this skinny."
Lu Lin was taken aback. Was a meal included, too?
The benefits were great. They hadn't mentioned that yesterday when he came here. Still, he didn't particularly want to become a hulking mass of muscle...
After a brief pause, Lu Lin shook his head. "No, thanks, Master Zhao. I'll eat back at the dorm."
Lu Lin felt the workload and pay weren't quite in balance yet.
A meal would cost Zhao Shiyan money, and Lu Lin didn't want to owe too many favors.
"All right."
Zhao Shiyan nodded. He didn't press the matter, keeping his words as brief as ever. "Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to tend the fire."
"Thank you, Master Zhao."
After a short pause, Lu Lin asked curiously, "By the way, Master Zhao, are you a Soul Master?"
He hadn't seen Zhao Shiyan use Soul Power, but somehow, Zhao Shiyan didn't seem like an ordinary blacksmith.
"Yeah. I'm a Soul Grandmaster."
Zhao Shiyan admitted it readily.
Lu Lin nodded, understanding. No wonder he knew Teacher Liu.
Maybe Zhao Shiyan also had ties to the Blacksmith Association.
After leaving, Lu Lin headed straight back to the academy dorms and sat with his eyes closed, cultivating his Soul Power.
As soon as his Soul Power began circulating, Lu Lin noticed something slightly different from before.
Simply put, his Soul Power seemed to be drawn and stimulated by something, making it more active and refined.
Why was that?
Could it be because his Soul Power was more closely connected to his body now?
During those two hours of forging, Lu Lin had relied on his Soul Power to assist his body the whole time.
He wasn't sure if that was the reason.
He had only wanted to use blacksmithing to strengthen his physique a little—even just a little—but he hadn't expected an unexpected bonus.
It looked like it would take much less time to break through to level six.
Over the next few days, Lu Lin settled into a steady routine between the academy, the blacksmith shop, and the dormitory.
On weekends, when he had no classes, he spent longer at the blacksmith shop.
Lu Lin's forging skills improved at a visibly rapid pace. It was fair to say he got better every day.
And so, time flew by. Several days later...
That day, Lu Lin was hammering an iron blank when his movements suddenly stopped.
From his other perspective, his avatar Ji Ming, at the Body Sect, had finished absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber and was about to emerge from seclusion!
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