Conscripting the Great Yin

Yun Jingheng's body recovered faster than anyone expected.

Three days later, he could get out of bed and walk. Five days later, he started exercising in the yard. On the seventh night, when Ya Li pushed open the door, the room was empty.

She stood at the door, stunned for a moment, then walked to the window and pushed it open.

By the Sea God Lake, under the moonlight, a silver-white figure was practicing swordplay.

Yun Jingheng's swordplay was very slow.

With every thrust, he paused in the air for a moment, as if confirming something.

The patterns on the Moonlight Sword were crescent moons, curved and emitting a faint, frosty white light.

He practiced for half an hour, sheathed his sword, and sat down by the lake.

Ya Li stood by the window, watching his back, not disturbing him.

Yun Jingheng sat by the lake, placing the Moonlight Sword on his knees.

The frosty white light on the sword slowly faded, returning to its dull silver.

He looked at it, remembering how it had turned red that day in Skysea City.

He didn't remember the details of that day, but he remembered the feeling. It wasn't anger, nor fear. It was something very cold, seeping from the cracks in his bones, freezing him entirely.

He gripped the hilt, then released it.

He realized it.

His parents were existences at the pinnacle of the continent.

Yun Ming, that name signified a top-tier genius, the banner of Shrek, a height countless people looked up to.

But some people wouldn't be happy to see a second "Yun Ming" appear.

His background was quite profound, but the price of such depth was immense attention.

Whether it was attempts to recruit him or assassinate him.

Those eight Evil Soul Masters in Skysea City weren't targeting Yun Jingheng; they were targeting "Yun Ming's son."

However, his own martial soul wasn't as earth-shattering as he'd imagined.

I'm only 10 years old, I can't die young.

So... could I create something to protect myself?

Yun Jingheng's gaze drifted towards the outer courtyard...

In the direction of the Soul Guidance Teaching Building, it was pitch black, with only a few windows lit.

He remembered the scrapped mecha whose core he had dismantled, the dusty parts in the storeroom, and the half-finished product in the abandoned laboratory on the third floor.

Those things were trash in others' eyes, but not in his.

He stood up, put away the Moonlight Sword, and turned to walk deeper into Sea God Island.

Halfway there, he stopped again.

That's not right.

If he went to the Soul Guidance Teaching Building now, just like last time, he'd sneak in, rummage through things, and bring back a pile of items.

And then what? Make another telescope? Another small device?

Those things were useful, but not enough.

What he needed was something to protect himself, not something fun.

He wasn't like "Gray Wolf" who could whip up complex things out of thin air.

So... should he learn systematically?

It felt unreliable... memorizing the theories through rote learning was enough.

Then it seemed the only way left was to explore it himself.

Self-preservation, after all, had only a few methods: run fast, so others can't catch up.

Hide well, so others can't find you.

Endure, so others can't harm you.

Run fast... his flying Soul Tool was destroyed in Skysea City. He could make another one, but flying Soul Tools could only fly in the sky, making him too obvious a target. No matter how fast he flew, he couldn't outrun a Title Douluo.

Hide well... detection devices could sense soul power fluctuations, but that was active detection. It only lit up when turned on; when off, it was just a lump of metal.

He needed something passive, something that worked without soul power.

Endure... armor? Battle Armor?

Could I design Battle Armor now?

He looked down at his hands.

Battle Armor was something only high-level soul masters could possess. It required rare metals, precise forging, and complex assembly.

He is currently at the three-ring level; can he make Battle Armor?

He can.

But what he produces would only be the lowest grade, and he could only craft individual components.

What he needs is something else—not Battle Armor, but something smaller, lighter, and more concealed than Battle Armor.

As the saying goes: the ultimate defense is to abandon defense entirely.

My current offensive means are clearly insufficient; if my attack power is high enough to kill anyone on sight, then naturally, there is no need for defense.

Therefore...

He raised his head, his gaze crossing Sea God Lake and landing in the direction of the Outer Court.

Within Shrek Academy, there is a building he has never visited—the Blacksmith Association.

It is an association established within the academy, a place for students to practice and exchange ideas.

It houses all kinds of rare metals for students to use in forging.

He heard it requires contribution points or something similar to exchange for them...

But that is not important; he hasn't even enrolled yet, so where would he get such things?

If I don't have those things, why should I pay?

If I haven't paid, then it cannot be proven that I was the one who took them.

Logical!

Time to go!

He turned and walked toward the outside of Sea God Island.

He crossed the stone bridge, passed the training grounds, walked out of the Shrek Inner Court gate, and headed toward the Outer Court.

Passing the Soul Guidance Teaching Building, he glanced at it, then silently shifted his gaze away.

The Blacksmith Association is on the east side of the Outer Court, a gray stone building with an emblem of a hammer hanging on the door.

The door was closed, but not locked.

He pushed the door open and walked inside.

The hall was very dark, with moonlight shining in through the windows and landing on the floor.

On both sides were display cabinets filled with various samples of forged metals, shimmering with a cold light in the moonlight.

He did not linger and walked straight toward the back.

Passing through the hall, there were rows of workshops behind it.

Further in was a heavy metal door with a sign hanging on it—Finished Products Room.

He stood at the entrance and reached out to push it.

The door wasn't locked; it opened.

The Finished Products Room was large, much larger than he had imagined.

The shelves were filled with various metal ingots, stacked neatly, each with a label attached.

Sinking Silver, silver-white like solidified moonlight, piled up on an entire shelf.

Magic Silver, a deeper color with faint, water-like ripples on the surface.

Star Silver, a bright silver that glowed on its own in the dark, very faintly, like stars.

Crystal Silver, transparent like glass, yet very heavy when held in the hand.

Dark Iron, gray-black with a rough surface, but of extreme density.

Crimson Mother, reddish-brown with rust on the surface, but pure metal inside.

Star Steel, deep blue with fine particles on the surface.

Tungsten Steel, gray-white with extremely high hardness.

These items had all been forged by blacksmiths; students could exchange for them to use in crafting Battle Armor or mechas and the like.

He walked over softly, looking at them piece by piece, touching them one by one.

Thousand-forged, Spirit Forged, and even Melting Forged Alloys—several metals fused together, with performance far exceeding that of a single metal.

On the open market, a small piece of these materials would be worth a year's expenses for an ordinary family.

Here, they were stacked neatly on the shelves, waiting for students to use them.

Now, the student had arrived.

He picked up a piece of Sinking Silver, weighed it in his hand, and put it back.

He then picked up a piece of Star Steel, held it up to the moonlight to inspect it, and put it back.

He was in no rush to take anything, first silently making a full circle to look over the entire materials room.

Then, he began to choose.

Three pieces of Sinking Silver, all Spirit Forged, with fine textures on the surface.

Two pieces of Magic Silver, one of which is a Melting Forged Alloy mixed with Star Silver.

One piece of Star Silver, the best quality one.

Two pieces of Crystal Silver, transparent and without impurities.

One piece of Dark Iron, the smallest piece, but extremely dense.

One piece of Crimson Mother.

Two pieces of Star Steel.

Three pieces of Tungsten Steel.

He didn't take much, just a little of each, amounting to only a small box.

He discreetly stored it in his Storage Soul Tool.

He walked out of the Finished Products Room and closed the door.

Standing in the corridor, he pondered for a moment. Instead of going out, he headed upstairs.

Because he wanted to see if there would be anything more high-end upstairs.

As it turned out, there was.

He was now standing in a forging room, looking at several pieces of dark metal arranged somewhat messily on a table.

He didn't know what they were, but he had a vague feeling that these items were of a higher grade than what he had collected earlier.

Without hesitation, he grabbed those pieces of black metal and stuffed them into his Storage Soul Tool.

Then he rummaged through the entire forging room.

And then he found something incredible: Titanium Crystal.

This was a rare metal strictly controlled by the Federation!

It was hailed as the "universal enhancer" that must be included in Four-Character Battle Armor and Rank 9 Soul Tools!

His heart stirred, but he controlled himself, taking only the smallest piece, about the size of a wristwatch.

However, he didn't notice that in the corner of the office, a figure was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching his every move.

Feng Wuyu hadn't slept yet tonight. Just as he was preparing to return to Sea God Island after "working overtime," he sensed Yun Jingheng's aura heading towards the Blacksmith Association.

Out of a sense of humanistic care, Feng Wuyu didn't show himself. He had heard that Little Jingheng had started making soul tools after a trip to the Soul Guidance Teaching Building.

What if he really came here for a stroll and fell in love with forging?!

And if he took him as a disciple...

Then that old fellow Zhuo Shi would never be able to hold his head up in front of him~

Wahahahahaha--!

But in reality, he regretted it.

When Yun Jingheng entered the Finished Products Room, looking around and touching things, he almost burst out laughing.

He even thought that Yun Jingheng was taking some items to experience the profundity of forging.

But when he walked into his own forging workshop and saw that the Black God Iron, which he had just been researching and had spent a large sum to buy from Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, was stuffed into his Storage Soul Tool without a trace left.

He finally realized something was wrong.

This kid... couldn't have come to my place to stock up, could he?

No! This kid is definitely here to stock up!

Then he saw Yun Jingheng take a piece of Titanium Crystal. Fine, fine.

Although it pained him, it wasn't entirely unacceptable.

He continued to watch, thinking that the kid should have taken enough by now.

Yun Jingheng didn't leave.

He stood in front of the workbench, looking around, his gaze finally landing on the wall opposite the workbench.

A painting hung on the wall, depicting a blacksmith at work.

The painting was old, with curled edges.

He looked at the painting for a while, then walked over and took it down.

Behind the painting was a wall, no different from any other wall.

But when he reached out and tapped it, the sound was hollow.

Feng Wuyu's eyelids twitched.

No way...?

Yun Jingheng traced along the wall and found a seam below the picture frame.

It was very fine, almost impossible to find without careful inspection.

"Click..."

!!!

Yamei lo--!

But it was too late, Yun Jingheng had already lifted that spot...

Behind it was a hidden compartment, not large, containing only a piece of metal.

The metal wasn't large, about the size of a thumb, entirely silver-white, but it was a different kind of silver-white—like moonlight on snow, or like frost forming before dawn.

It glowed on its own in the darkness, faint and soft, pulsing like a breath.

He looked at it, and suddenly felt his heartbeat synchronize with its light.

He reached out and picked it up.

Very light, so light it felt weightless.

It lay in his palm, cool, like holding a small piece of solidified moonlight.

Feng Wuyu leaned against the wall, watching the kid lift the hidden compartment, watching him pick up the piece of metal, watching him play with it.

He felt like he was about to shatter.

That wasn't Black God Iron, not Titanium Crystal, it was Lunar Divine Metal!

Heavenly Forged Metal!

It was a piece he had sought for a long time to obtain.

He had planned to keep it for himself to comprehend the true mysteries of Heavenly Forging.

Now it lay in the kid's palm, being examined from every angle.

Yun Jingheng didn't know what it was, but he could feel it.

There was a strange resonance between this metal and him, as if it was responding to him, or as if he was responding to it.

He held it up and looked at it in the moonlight.

The moonlight passed through it, casting a silver-white patch of light on the wall, within which fine patterns flowed.

He suddenly smiled.

"Forging is truly miraculous," he said softly, "to be able to create such a divine object."

He pocketed it without hesitation.

Feng Wuyu snapped out of his daze.

"Damn it! You brat! Do you know what that is? And you just took it?!"

He bared his teeth, his body contorting at a strange angle.

"My Heavenly Forged Metal--! My Lunar Divine Metal--!"