Semi-automatic Pistol

"Lan Si, say that again." Director Su stared at Lan Si, his face full of disbelief.

Lan Si had awakened his Martial Soul three months ago with Innate Soul Power of level five. By the day he enrolled, his Soul Power had reached level nine.

Rising four levels in three months as a Soul Scholar—an average of less than a month per level—had nearly put him among the ranks of peerless geniuses.

Those with this kind of talent usually had Innate Soul Power of level eight, nine, or even ten. They hardly needed to gain so much Soul Power while still Soul Scholars.

Lan Si was different. He had actually broken through the first bottleneck of a Soul Master on top of reaching level nine, advancing to level ten. What did that mean?

As long as Lan Si obtained a Soul Ring now, he could become a true Soul Master.

And then there was his age: six years and three months.

A Soul Master of six years and three months was already no worse than those geniuses with Innate Soul Power of level nine or even Innate Full Soul Power.

"I broke through to level ten," Lan Si said calmly.

"Good, good, good." Director Su said "good" three times in a row. He hadn't expected Nuoding Academy to welcome three geniuses today: two with Innate Full Soul Power, followed by Lan Si, the owner of a Mutated Martial Soul who was no less gifted than someone with Innate Full Soul Power.

"Director Su, when do you think you can take me to Soul Hunting Forest to obtain my First Soul Ring?" Lan Si asked.

"Well..." A troubled look crossed Director Su's eyes. "Lan Si, could you wait a little while? The teachers have been busy handling the new students' enrollment these past few days. Three days."

As he spoke, Director Su held up three fingers. "At most three days, and I'll organize a group to take you to hunt for a Soul Ring."

"All right, then." Three days it was. If that didn't work, he'd have to try asking Su Yuntao for a permit.

Just then, Yu Xiaogang, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, came over. "Director Su, I happen to be taking my disciple to obtain a Soul Ring tomorrow. Why don't I take him along?"

At that, Lan Si and Director Su both turned to look at Yu Xiaogang.

"Grandmaster, wouldn't that be a little inappropriate? After all, Soul Hunting Forest is full of danger, and you'd be taking two children..." Director Su tried to be tactful. Tang San, another child with Innate Full Soul Power, had already been misled by Yu Xiaogang. He didn't want to see another promising talent ruined by Yu Xiaogang's impractical theories.

"Don't worry. I won't take the children deep into the forest. We'll only look for suitable Soul Beasts around the outskirts of Soul Hunting Forest." Yu Xiaogang looked confident, completely missing the deeper meaning behind Director Su's words.

From their conversation, Yu Xiaogang learned that Lan Si's Soul Power had already reached level ten. His extraordinary cultivation speed once again caught Yu Xiaogang's attention. So he thought Lan Si had concealed his Innate Soul Power, or that the crystal ball used by Spirit Hall to test Soul Power had malfunctioned. Otherwise, there was no way Lan Si could have cultivated from level five to level ten in just a few months.

In his view, Lan Si's Innate Soul Power had to be at least level eight, and level nine wasn't out of the question.

That was more than enough to earn the attention of a theoretical master like him.

Hearing Yu Xiaogang say this, Director Su didn't want to sour their relationship. After all, Yu Xiaogang was the headmaster's friend. He winked his right eye at Lan Si to signal him not to agree, then asked, "Lan Si, are you willing to go with Grandmaster to Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow to obtain a Soul Ring? If not, I'll take you myself in three days."

"Either way is fine." Lan Si shrugged slightly. Naturally, the sooner he obtained a Soul Ring, the better. And he already had an idea of what type of Soul Ring to choose.

"This..." Director Su was at a loss for words.

"In that case, Lan Si, come with me tomorrow to obtain a Soul Ring. After dinner, come with me to learn where I live, so we can meet up easily tomorrow." Hearing Lan Si's answer, Yu Xiaogang grinned from ear to ear, looking every bit like a crooked-mouth battle god.

"Then I'll trouble you, Grandmaster." Lan Si put on the innocent, guileless smile expected of a child his age. All he needed was Yu Xiaogang's permit. Once they reached Soul Hunting Forest, he'd make his own decisions.

Hearing their exchange, Director Su could only sigh helplessly, silently praying that Yu Xiaogang wouldn't lead Lan Si astray.

With Lan Si's agreement, Yu Xiaogang was in high spirits. He sat down beside Lan Si and chatted with Director Su as they ate.

Director Su finished first and left. Then Lan Si and Yu Xiaogang finished dinner too and went downstairs.

"Teacher, what are you two...?" Tang San came over as soon as they left the dining hall.

"Oh, Lan Si's Soul Power has reached level ten too. I'm taking you to Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow to obtain a Soul Ring, and he'll be coming along with us," Yu Xiaogang explained with a smile.

"Level ten?" Tang San was a little surprised. Like him, Lan Si had awakened his Martial Soul a few months ago. Even allowing for a difference in timing, it couldn't have been all that great.

Three months had passed, and because he hadn't obtained a Soul Ring in time, his Soul Power was still at level ten.

But Lan Si's Innate Soul Power had only been level five, and he'd managed to raise it to level ten in such a short time. Even someone as composed as Tang San couldn't help being shocked by that bizarre cultivation speed.

"All right, you two, come with me." Yu Xiaogang glanced at them and headed toward the dormitory building. He was brimming with pride. He'd encountered two commoner geniuses in a single day—he, Yu Xiaogang, was finally going to rise!

Before long, the three of them arrived at Yu Xiaogang's residence: a room in a corner on the top floor of the dormitory building.

Lan Si's room was directly below Yu Xiaogang's. After confirming where Yu Xiaogang lived, Lan Si returned to his own room, washed the clothes he'd changed out of, and hung them up to dry.

Yu Xiaogang had originally wanted to keep Lan Si there and show off his "invincible theory," but Lan Si refused. After washing and hanging out his clothes, he hurried out of the academy while it was still early and went to Otto Blacksmith Shop.

The blacksmiths had already finished for the day. Only Otto was still working.

"Uncle Otto, have you eaten?"

"Heh, I've already eaten. How's everything at the academy, A-Si?" Otto stopped hammering and put the unfinished piece of iron back into the furnace.

"Everything's going well." Lan Si smiled from the heart, then said, "Uncle Otto, did you finish making those parts I asked you to work on in your spare time? I might need them tomorrow."

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I might've forgotten. I just finished them today. They took quite a bit of effort." As he spoke, Otto walked to the counter and took a bundle out from underneath it.

Lan Si opened it to find everything needed for a Semi-automatic Pistol: bullets, casings, a rifled barrel, a magazine, a spring, and all the other parts.

"How is it? Not bad, right? As you requested, I made every part out of Iron Essence. Oh, right, I also made this tool for pressing the bullets and casings together." Otto took a Bullet Press from beneath the counter too.