SlashBlade

SlashBlade, a classic mod in the history of Minecraft mods, had gone through many different versions.

There were countless famous swords and demon blades.

You could even make a Senren Banka, and one swing would trigger a "Ciallo (∠・ω<)⌒☆!"

Who knew which version this new SlashBlade mod came from?

Whatever version or add-on it was, SlashBlade always followed the same basic principles.

He picked up a dropped log block, deftly broke it down into planks, then made a Crafting Table and a wooden sword.

He found a chicken wandering by, hit it once with the wooden sword, then placed two logs and the wooden sword diagonally, one after the other.

Ta-da! A brand-new Nameless Blade: Puppet had been born.

Holding the Puppet, Tang Heng performed an Iaijutsu Slash as smoothly as flowing water, tracing a faint arc of light through the air.

It felt as natural as a sword swing perfected through thousands upon thousands of repetitions. He had mastered it the moment he gripped the blade.

"Sure enough, the most basic way to craft a blade hasn't changed."

"There are all kinds of interesting rare metals on Douluo Continent. The forging process can even imbue them with life. I wonder if I can use those rare metals to forge a SlashBlade?"

Tang Heng's thoughts wandered, and he hit upon the idea.

After all, his younger brother would soon be learning to forge from Mang Tian. He could give it a try himself then.

Battle Armor was great stuff, and mechas were cool, too.

If he became a Divine Craftsman one day and built a mecha entirely out of Heavenly Forged Metal, maybe it could even outclass four-word Battle Armor.

Tang Heng continued wandering through the Star Dou Great Forest, killing Soul Beasts to raise his Soul Power, while gathering resources and mining ore to fill his inventory.

In just three days, Tang Heng's Soul Power Level had risen by another level.

One level every three days—even at the Soul Master rank, that would make him a peerless talent in the outside world.

Rising too quickly wasn't necessarily a good thing. He had no backing right now. It would be fine if Shrek set its sights on him; at worst, they'd try to brainwash him.

But it wouldn't be pretty if the Holy Spirit Cult took an interest in him.

After calculating the time difference between the Minecraft Plane and the Douluo Plane, Tang Heng returned to the village. He didn't go to sleep, but instead chose to leave the plane and return to reality.

Outside the window, the moon shone bright and clear.

A steady stream of Soul Power fluctuations came from the upper bunk. They were faint, yet gave off a sense of endless vitality.

It was Tang Wulin, in a meditative state.

Compared to the original, it felt as if his younger brother's talent for vitality was showing itself more clearly.

"This looks more effective than his first meditation in the original story. Could it be that I scared that Gold Dragon King yesterday? Or did the little guy grasp some of the things I taught him today?"

Tang Heng watched Tang Wulin for a while, then murmured to himself.

On the way home from school, he had shared with Tang Wulin the theories from some forum users about the best cultivation path for a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Sure enough, the Douluo stage wasn't a place for cheaters like him.

He didn't disturb Tang Wulin. Judging by the sounds outside, their parents had both returned.

Just as in the original story, Na'er, the partly revealed incarnation of the Silver Dragon King, had no family to speak of, and naturally ended up staying with them.

"From today on, Na'er, I'm your big brother."

"Let's hear you call me Brother Heng."

Na'er nodded and gave him a faint smile. In a sweet, soft voice, she said, "Hello, Brother Heng~"

Ah, little girls were the best.

Of course, he didn't have any improper thoughts. As an ordinary young man raised under the red flag, he had basic morals.

Na'er was only five and a half. Anyone who could have such thoughts about her was a monster, and people like that deserved to be tied up and given a thorough electric shock.

Tang Heng ruffled her wonderfully soft hair, then took a hazelnut chocolate bar from his bag.

Na'er took the chocolate, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. Its rich fragrance bloomed across her taste buds, and she happily cupped her cheeks. "Mmm—this is so yummy!"

"Be a good girl and listen to your brother. I'll buy you more."

"Mm-hmm!"

Watching this warm scene, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue felt that adopting Na'er had been the right decision.

"By the way, son, aren't you at Soul Power Level ten? It's time to choose a Soul Spirit."

Tang Ziran looked troubled. When he'd gone to the magistrate's office to ask about Na'er's information that day, he'd also asked the staff about Soul Spirits.

Even the cheapest hundred-year Soul Spirit at the Aolai City Spirit Pagoda cost a million Federation Coins.

His son had a high-quality Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power. Giving him a ten-year Soul Spirit would only hinder his future as a Soul Master.

But a million Federation Coins was an astronomical sum for their family.

Still, even if he had to borrow the money, he would scrape together that million Federation Coins.

They could go without themselves, but they couldn't let their child go without.

Tang Heng nodded. He could see his father's predicament, and he knew their family's circumstances better than anyone. So he said, "Dad, you don't have to worry about that. I told my teacher about our family's situation today, and the principal said the school would pay for a hundred-year Soul Spirit for me."

If he weren't trying to keep up appearances, he'd just go find a Soul Beast in the Minecraft Plane and kill it.

"Then we have to thank them. That's no small sum."

Tang Ziran grew serious and reminded him, "We may not be some prestigious family, just ordinary folks, but we must remember to repay kindness. We can't be ungrateful."

"Don't worry. You know what kind of person your son is. Heng and Wulin are both good kids."

Lang Yue came over. When she saw Na'er looking up at her eagerly, she pulled her into her arms. "Na'er is a good girl, too, Mommy's sweet daughter. Remember to learn from your big brothers, okay?"

"Na'er knows!"

Before long, Tang Wulin woke from meditation. When he learned that Na'er had officially joined the family, he bounced around with excitement. Tang Heng had to remind him to calm down.

To welcome Na'er, Tang Ziran went out and bought a huge pile of grilled skewers.

The family gathered around the wooden table, eating skewers and chatting. The warm, cheerful atmosphere filled them with a sense of peace.

Watching them, Tang Heng silently made up his mind.

Only if he was strong enough could he protect the warmth of this home and keep anyone from destroying it.

Once they'd eaten their fill, everyone went to bed.

Tang Heng was still writing furiously in the bedroom, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as lines of text appeared on the screen.

"Green hills and setting suns, autumn moons and spring breezes. In truth, morning's black hair turns to snow by dusk; right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in a blink."

"If the newly refined Spring Autumn Cicada works, then in my next life... I'll still save the world!"

The next morning, Tang Heng said goodbye to his parents and little sister, then dragged his still-drowsy younger brother off to school.

Before they even went inside, a middle-aged man in a sharp suit stood at the entrance, beaming.

"You're Tang Heng and Tang Wulin, right? I'm Wu Qingfeng, principal of Red Mountain Academy."

Tang Heng nodded. After giving his younger brother a few instructions, he went with Wu Qingfeng to the car alone.

"With the Golden Dragon and Innate Full Soul Power, your future is limitless, young man. Make the most of your opportunities."

In the car, Wu Qingfeng lavished praise on Tang Heng.

Innate Full Soul Power might not have been as rare as it was tens of thousands of years ago, but the Golden Dragon Martial Soul was a true True Dragon Martial Soul—the ancestor of strength.

Once Tang Heng made a name for himself, Red Mountain Academy could simply advertise that he'd studied there. Wouldn't students from all over Aolai City flock to enroll?

A mere million Federation Coins was nothing. Using money to build a relationship with a genius like this was the best deal in the world.