"Th-this is the most powerful continuous forging technique—the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!" Seeing this, Tom gaped in astonishment. He was so excited that his dark face flushed red.
Tom thought he could hammer a piece of pig iron into the shape Tang San had made, too, but it would take him most of a day. Tang San, however, had used the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and finished in less than fifteen minutes. How could he not be shocked?
Tang San was just as astonished. He asked Tom what the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was, and Tom naturally told him everything he knew.
After learning that his father, Tang Hao, had taught him the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, Tang San chatted with Tom for a while. In the end, they agreed that he would come to work every afternoon for a monthly wage of one Silver Soul Coin. Only then did he leave.
"Haha, that boy's a treasure you've found for our smithy!" Watching Tang San's departing figure, Tom excitedly patted Lan Si on the shoulder and laughed. "I'll talk to your Uncle Otto later. I'm sure he'll be thrilled."
Lan Si smiled, walked over to the forge, and picked up the forging hammer Tang San had used earlier. Turning to Tom, he said, "Uncle Tom, let me give it a try, too!"
Seeing Lan Si lift the forging hammer with ease, Tom looked delighted. "A-Si, don't tell me you were born with divine strength, too?"
Lan Si shook his head. "I wasn't born with divine strength. I'm just using Soul Power in a simple way. If you use Soul Power properly, you can exert several times—or even more than ten times—the strength of your body alone."
Tom slapped his forehead, then chuckled sheepishly. "Look at me, I nearly forgot you're a Soul Master. Since you're interested in forging, be careful. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."
Lan Si nodded slightly and closed his eyes. He recalled the scene of Tang San using the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer. Taking a deep breath, he let out a low shout and suddenly swung the hammer.
"Ha!"
With the same movements and the same force, Lan Si swung the forging hammer in a half-circle through the air, then struck the piece of pig iron, which had already shrunk by a ring.
Clang, clang—the metallic blows rang out one after another.
By the thirteenth strike, Lan Si could hold on no longer, and the hammer nearly flew from his hand. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and prevented an accident.
"Phew." Lan Si exhaled heavily, thinking, As expected, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer isn't easy to master. Thirteen strikes—that's already my limit. I'll have to watch more closely from now on.
"A-Si, just now, you..." Seeing Lan Si perform the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, Tom swallowed and quietly pressed him for an explanation.
Lan Si raised a finger to his lips and said with a soft laugh, "Uncle Tom, copying someone else's technique isn't exactly something to be proud of. Please keep it between us."
Tom nodded emphatically, looking bewildered. He realized he was beginning to understand less and less about the boy he'd watched grow up.
And so, sneaking into the Otto Blacksmith Shop to learn the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer became part of Lan Si's daily routine.
Every morning, Lan Si got up early to do physical conditioning and review his martial arts moves, strengthening his ability to fight at close quarters;
in the morning, he attended class as usual;
in the afternoon, he went to the smithy to watch Tang San forge and perform the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, then practiced himself. He also learned to forge some firearm parts, which he assembled back in his dormitory;
in the evening, he went to the library to read up on Soul Master theory;
at night, he cultivated the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art, tempering his Soul Power and improving his cultivation.
It could be said that Lan Si made every day count.
Even after Xiao Wu lost to Lan Si and successfully earned the title of Soul Master, she still failed to become Nuoding Academy's big sister. Nor did she win the admiration of Xiao Chenyu and the others.
As Xiao Chenyu put it, they might not be able to beat Xiao Wu, but only the strongest person deserved to be the academy's leader.
Xiao Wu had lost to Lan Si, so she could only serve as Second Brother.
This infuriated Xiao Wu, who challenged Lan Si every few days. Lan Si never refused. Having a punching bag to improve his combat experience was too good an opportunity to waste.
The result was obvious. Every time, Xiao Wu returned in defeat and had no choice but to accept her status as the eternal runner-up.
A year later, when Nuoding Academy went on break, Xiao Wu returned to Holy Soul Village with Tang San. The two of them were noticeably closer afterward.
Lan Si knew that, barring any surprises, they'd become sworn siblings—of the romantic kind.
During that year, Yu Xiaogang had sought Lan Si out more than once, repeatedly hinting that he wanted to take him as a disciple. But Lan Si brushed him off every time.
As if! Aside from knowing more kinds of Soul Beasts than most, did this guy have anything else going for him?
To become the disciple of this sanctimonious fellow for such a negligible, dispensable benefit? He'd have to be out of his mind.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five years passed.
Southeast of Nuoding City, near the border between the Balak Kingdom and the Star Luo Empire, in a stretch of dense woodland beside the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Night had fallen. The moon was hidden, and the wind howled.
Deep in the gloomy forest,
a young figure moved forward cautiously.
She looked to be only a teenager. She carried no luggage and was a girl.
The girl's long black hair hung over her shoulders, and her skin was fair. Her voluptuous, fiery figure seemed far too mature for her age. Her expression was somewhat cold, and her black eyes held not a trace of life, clashing with her otherwise exceptionally beautiful face. Her limbs were well-proportioned and slender. Though an icy, deathly stillness radiated from her, difficult to endure, and she rarely smiled, there was a sincerity to her that held not a trace of pretense.
Now, she watched her surroundings warily, moving forward on foot with great care.
Towering trees, dozens of meters high, crowded around the black-haired girl.
In places she couldn't see, four or five dark figures had concealed themselves among the trees around her, hidden by the night.
The scene shifted. One of the shadowy figures, a graceful woman whose figure was even more voluptuous than the black-haired girl's, lightly cupped a hand beneath her chest. She raised her other hand and snapped her fingers elegantly, pointing a slender index finger at the girl.
At the signal, the other figures activated their Martial Souls and attacked the black-haired girl.
A Support-type Soul Master with a violin Martial Soul held a bow against the strings, poised and waiting for the right moment to play a tune that could agitate the mind and induce hallucinations, disrupting the black-haired girl's senses.
Three Battle Soul Masters with bow Martial Souls drew their longbows and fired dozens of pale purple Soul Power arrows at the black-haired girl in a continuous barrage from all directions.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sounds of arrows cutting through the air startled the black-haired girl. Two Yellow Soul Rings rose beneath her feet. As she activated her Martial Soul, she leaped into the air, darting left and right, twisting and turning as she zigzagged in an S-shaped path toward the front right, narrowly dodging the arrows.
But before she could steady herself, even more arrows swept toward her, sealing off every direction she might use to evade.
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