Tang San's Constantly Slowed Cultivation Speed

The carriage returning to school rolled over the gravel road outside Nuoding City. Lin Xuan leaned against the window, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Silver Sinking Storage Soul Tool beneath his cuff, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.

The appearance of the Thousand Forging Deep Silver Hammer and the Storage Soul Tool made him increasingly certain that Tang Wulin's opportunities were being fulfilled step by step according to the "script"—and Old Tang, the trump card capable of temporarily suppressing the Abyss Demon Lord, presumably would not be far behind.

At the thought that once Old Tang appeared, he would have the means to contend with Tang Hao and no longer need to live beneath the invisible surveillance of that Titled Douluo, Lin Xuan could not help but feel lighter.

Over the past three years, Tang Hao's shadow had felt like a thorn at his back. Even though the man had never truly acted against him, the pressure of being watched by a top-tier powerhouse had kept his nerves taut at all times.

Now that his trump card was within reach, he could finally relax a little.

The carriage entered Nuoding City, and familiar streets came into view.

Lin Xuan and Xiao Wu bid farewell to the driver and walked toward the academy side by side.

"Lin Xuan, you seem especially happy lately?"

Xiao Wu skipped ahead, then turned back to study him curiously.

"Is it because of those two hammers?"

Lin Xuan smiled and nodded without explaining much.

He had told only Xiao Wu about the Thousand Forging Deep Silver Hammer and warned her not to spread the news—such a Thousand Refinements weapon was far too conspicuous. Before he possessed absolute security in his strength, exposing it would only invite unnecessary trouble.

As for the Storage Soul Tool, he kept it tightly covered beneath his sleeve, completely invisible to the naked eye. Even a powerhouse on Tang Hao's level would have a hard time discovering it without deliberately examining him.

It was not that he was overly cautious. Sinking Silver was simply too precious.

Even Tang San had coveted tungsten steel. If Sinking Silver appeared, Tang San might dare to kill someone outright for it.

After returning to Nuoding Academy, aside from his daily cultivation, Lin Xuan continued practicing Soul Power control and training his body. He also frequently focused his mind inward, hoping that Old Tang's voice would suddenly sound in his head.

He remembered clearly that Tang Wulin's Soul Spirit, Old Tang, had appeared shortly after he obtained his first Thousand Forging Hammer. Now that the opportunity had arrived, his trump card should have activated alongside it.

Yet day after day, the depths of his consciousness remained calm. Let alone a second consciousness appearing, there was not even the slightest unusual fluctuation.

Lin Xuan gradually furrowed his brow.

He began to calmly sort through his memories. Since his transmigration, most of Tang Wulin's opportunities had indeed arrived as expected, but the details always seemed to differ slightly.

For example, Jin Lin had appeared half a month later than he remembered, while Thousand Forging Sinking Silver had appeared several days earlier.

Could his memories have been wrong?

That had to be it. After all, he had transmigrated so many years ago. It was normal for his memories of a novel to become distorted.

Once that thought arose, it grew wildly like vines.

He repeatedly recalled the details of Douluo Dalu 3, and blurry fragments of memory gradually pieced together a crucial piece of information.

It seemed... Old Tang had only formally appeared when Tang Wulin was nine and a half years old?

Counting on his fingers, Lin Xuan realized that he had only just turned nine years and three months old. There were still nearly three months until he reached nine and a half.

"So that's how it is."

Lin Xuan let out a soft sigh. Most of the ease in his heart faded, replaced by faint disappointment.

Then Tang Hao could only be allowed to live another three months.

Perhaps he had simply been too impatient and remembered the crucial timing incorrectly.

Still, it was only delayed, not gone. He could afford to wait three months.

Having thought it through, Lin Xuan stopped fixating on Old Tang's appearance and instead devoted his energy to cultivation and forging.

Although he still could not use the Thousand Forging Hammers for forging, Tang Wulin's memories of Thousand Refinements still benefited Lin Xuan greatly.

In just half a month, his forging skills improved noticeably, and he felt somewhat more confident about Thousand Refinements.

The Silver Sinking Storage Soul Tool on his body also became a secret treasure vault.

His own two pairs of Thousand Forging Hammers were stored inside.

Finished firearm components, Soul Master subsidies, and everything else were kept within it. It was both safe and concealed, and he no longer had to worry about carrying heavy items around.

Even when he occasionally used the Thousand Forging Hammers while Tang San was absent from the Blacksmith Shop, he deliberately avoided people's eyes. At most, others might catch sight of a hammer handle.

At the same time, Lin Xuan finally determined the effects of the two pairs of hammers.

A single Thousand Forging Tungsten Steel Hammer weighed roughly forty jin, and its special effect was a thirty percent weight increase.

It was suitable for long periods of swinging in battle.

A single Thousand Forging Deep Silver Hammer, on the other hand, weighed three hundred jin.

Even with Thousand Jin Strength, Lin Xuan found it difficult to sustain long-term combat with them.

They were suitable for facing powerful enemies.

Furthermore, the Sinking Silver Hammers possessed a stacked-hammer effect. One strike could produce the effect of three.

Using the Sinking Silver Hammers for forging, he could complete Hundred-Forged Fine Iron in just a few strikes.

He just did not know what forging Rare Metal would feel like.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the academy, Tang San was experiencing the wild joy of a breakthrough.

One month after returning to Nuoding Academy, the Soul Power in his body finally broke through the shackles of Level 19, successfully entering the realm of a Level 20 Soul Master.

From Martial Soul Awakening to breaking through Level 20, he had spent a full three years and four months. That pace was not slow among ordinary Soul Masters, but compared to those around him, it was somewhat awkward.

Xiao Wu had long since reached Level 21, and even Lin Xuan had risen to Level 11.

(Xiao Wu was already Level 24, and Lin Xuan had also broken through to Level 12 with the help of the template, but neither had told anyone. This meant that the information Tang San received was inaccurate, or several versions behind.)

Thinking of how Lin Xuan had begun with only Innate Level 3 Soul Power yet managed to rise eleven levels in three years, Tang San inexplicably felt a sense of urgency.

He knew very well that if not for Lin Xuan's bizarre brute strength and astonishing reaction speed, he would have long since crushed him with the advantages of Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power.

Yet now, despite leading by eight levels, he still did not have absolute confidence that he could defeat him.

"I must obtain my Second Soul Ring as soon as possible!" Tang San clenched his fists, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes.

Yu Xiaogang had already selected a suitable Soul Beast for him. Supposedly, once he absorbed it successfully, his second soul skill would form a powerful chain of control. By then, no matter how strong Lin Xuan was, he would not escape his restraints.

The day after his breakthrough, Tang San deliberately took a detour near the Seventh Dormitory and happened upon Lin Xuan, Xiao Wu, and the others practicing Soft Skill in the courtyard.

The moment Tang San stepped within 60 Meters of Lin Xuan, Lin Xuan noticed his arrival.

After breaking through to the Soul Master realm, his Blue Silver Perception seemed to increase by five meters with every level gained.

Thus, when Tang San arrived at the Seventh Dormitory, he discovered that a group of people were watching him.

They looked as if they had known he was coming.

There were around twenty people in the Seventh Dormitory now, including three little ones from Sacred Soul Village.

They had become Lin Xuan's loyal, diehard fans.

At the academy, they had heard far too many legends about Lin Xuan.

Tang San took a deep breath, suppressed the unease in his heart, and strode over. He deliberately straightened his back, his face bearing an arrogance he could not hide.

"Lin Xuan, I have some good news for you."

Tang San's voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear clearly.

"I've already broken through to Level 20. I'll soon be going to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain my Second Soul Ring."

Upon hearing this, the Work-Study Students of the Seventh Dormitory stopped what they were doing, surprise appearing on their faces.

A Level 20 Soul Grandmaster was already among the top students at Nuoding Academy. Xiao Wu curled her lips and said without ceremony.

"Only Level 20. What's there to show off about? I'm already Level 24."

Tang San's expression stiffened slightly, and disbelief flashed through his eyes.

We both have Innate Full Soul Power. How are you so outstanding?

But now was not the time to lose heart. He had come to make threats. How could he be intimidated?

He immediately forced himself to remain calm and said:

"You're different. My Second Soul Ring was carefully selected by Teacher. Its power far surpasses ordinary Soul Rings.

"Besides, Teacher has already found a way to restrain Lin Xuan's strength."

His gaze fixed fiercely on Lin Xuan, his tone full of threat.

"When I return from my hunt, I'll show you what I can do. Then you won't be able to swagger around just because of your brute strength anymore!"

His harsh words rang out forcefully. Tang San had expected to see Lin Xuan panic, but when he looked up, he saw only Lin Xuan, Xiao Wu, and the others looking at him as if he were an idiot.

Lin Xuan leaned against a tree trunk with his arms crossed, an amused smile curling his lips.

"Restrain my strength? Yu Xiaogang can't even break through his own Soul Power shackles, yet he thinks he can restrain someone else?

"Tang San, did your Teacher's empty promises trick you into becoming an idiot?"

"Exactly," a Work-Study Student beside him chimed in. "Back when Boss Lin was still a Soul Master, he could already beat you down while you were a Soul Master.

"So what if you become a Soul Grandmaster now? Even if you obtain your Second Soul Ring, you'll definitely still be the one getting beaten.

"Maybe Boss Lin will still send you flying with one punch!"

The teasing voices came One After Another, making Tang San's face flush bright red. He wanted to argue, but found himself completely unable to defend himself.

Lin Xuan's strength had long surpassed his understanding. That terrifying force of nearly 500 Jin was not something ordinary soul skills could restrain.

(It's 1000 Jin now!)

But the words had already left his mouth, and he was trapped in an impossible position. He could only glare fiercely at Lin Xuan, throw out a "Just you wait," and flee in embarrassment amid everyone's laughter.

Watching Tang San's retreating back as he fled, Xiao Wu could not help laughing.

"Is that guy stupid? He comes to make threats every time, gets slapped in the face every time, and still refuses to learn his lesson."

Lin Xuan shook his head, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

He did not believe Tang San was merely showing off. Yu Xiaogang was Deep-Minded. Since he dared let Tang San make such threats, there might really be some scheme behind it.

And Lin Xuan could probably guess what they were planning.

Wasn't it the Ghost Vine?

That thing was indeed troublesome. Its parasitic ability was exceptional, and it could instantly grow Blue Silver Grass through spores.

It really could restrict some of his movements.

Even with Blue Silver Perception, he might not necessarily be able to avoid it.

His strength was great and his speed was fast, but those were advantages of the physical body.

If he possessed a fire attribute, he truly would have nothing to worry about.

But he did not.

That would make dealing with Tang San rather difficult from now on.