In the blink of an eye, another two months passed.
Shrek Academy, training field.
Before dawn, a lone figure was already training in the morning mist.
Fu Wen was bare-chested, his lean, muscular frame on full display.
Bronze-colored patterns stretched from his arms to his shoulders, barely visible in the morning light.
He stood in a horse stance with both arms held straight out, heavy iron weights strapped to his fists.
They weren't ordinary iron weights. Flender had had them specially made; each weighed ten pounds, twenty pounds in total.
Fu Wen held them aloft, perfectly still.
Sweat trickled down his cheeks and dripped to the ground, dampening a small patch of earth.
Yet his breathing remained steady, and his arms didn't move a hair.
"Brother Wen, you're up this early again?"
Ma Hongjun rubbed his eyes as he walked out of the dormitory. The moment he saw Fu Wen already training, he snapped fully awake.
"The early bird catches the worm."
Fu Wen didn't look at him, continuing to hold up the weights.
"But you're a crocodile, Brother Wen. Crocodiles don't eat worms."
Ma Hongjun scratched his head.
Fu Wen glanced at him but said nothing.
Ma Hongjun chuckled and didn't dare wisecrack again. He hurried off to warm up.
Over the past two months, Fu Wen had thoroughly whipped him into shape.
Brother Wen might not say much, but he sure didn't pull his punches.
One punch, and Ma Hongjun would be hurting for half the day.
Two hours later, the sun rose.
Flender stood beneath a tree in the courtyard, watching the three children train with a cup of tea in hand. Every so often, he took a sip.
"Dean, what level is Xiao Wen's Soul Power now?"
Zhao Wuji walked over, arms folded across his chest.
"Level 19 at the peak. He could break through to 20 at any moment."
Flender's tone was calm, but there was no hiding the pride in his eyes.
"He hasn't even been awakened for half a year, has he?"
Zhao Wuji marveled. "From level 10 to the peak of level 19—nine levels gained. An average of one and a half levels a month. At that rate, he'd be a genius among geniuses even at Spirit Hall."
"Just look at whose son he is."
Flender pushed up his glasses.
Zhao Wuji rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond.
Fu Wen's cultivation had never been limited to Soul Power.
The cultivation method of the Innate Divine Crocodile Art trained Soul Power, the body, and the mind together.
That was why his peak-level-19 strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Master at the same level.
Zhao Wuji had once told Flender in private, "Xiao Wen's physical strength is already on par with that of an ordinary two-ring Soul Master. I even suspect he could absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring right now."
Flender hadn't replied at the time, but he'd kept those words in mind.
He'd already heard the news about a nine-hundred-year-old Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile.
All that remained was for Fu Wen to break through to level 20, and then Flender would take him to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Three days later.
That night.
Fu Wen sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed.
Guided by the Innate Divine Crocodile Art, the Soul Power within him flowed in circles.
Ever since reaching the peak of level 19, he'd been able to feel the barrier right in front of him.
It was like a thin membrane, ready to burst at the slightest poke.
And yet that membrane had held him back for three whole days.
Fu Wen wasn't in a hurry.
The cultivation method of the Innate Divine Crocodile Art taught him that the greatest taboo on the path of cultivation was impatience.
When the water came, the channel would form.
Tonight, though, something seemed different.
As his Soul Power completed its ninth circuit, Fu Wen felt a deep thud inside him.
It wasn't a sound so much as a vibration.
It was as if something had exploded inside him—or something had awakened.
The barrier that had held for three days shattered.
His Soul Power surged through him like floodwaters bursting through a dam, roaring along every meridian and through every acupoint.
Fu Wen's face flushed red, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
But his breathing didn't falter, and his hands didn't tremble.
The Innate Divine Crocodile Art began circulating on its own, guiding the unruly Soul Power back into order and drawing it into his dantian.
Hum!
A low resonance rang out from within Fu Wen.
Blue light flared from his body, illuminating the entire room.
Ma Hongjun jolted awake and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"Brother Wen? Did you break through again?"
Fu Wen opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
The breath held together like a white arrow, shooting three feet before it dispersed.
"Level 20."
He spoke softly.
Flender learned the news early the next morning.
Not from Fu Wen, but from Ma Hongjun.
The chubby boy's mouth was faster than his brain. At breakfast, he blurted, "Master, Brother Wen reached level 20 last night," leaving everyone at the table stunned.
"Level 20?"
Flender set down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at Fu Wen.
"Mm."
Fu Wen nodded, his expression calm. "I broke through last night."
"Excellent!"
Flender slapped the table and burst out laughing.
"Level 20, ready for his first Soul Ring, and not even half a year in!"
"Xiao Wen, you're a full three months faster than Xiao Ao was!"
Sitting opposite, Oscar had a bun stuffed in his mouth. He muttered indistinctly, "Dad, could you stop comparing me to him all the time? Don't I deserve to save face?"
"What face do you have to save?"
Flender glared at him. "How long did it take you to get from level 10 to level 20? Eight months! Xiao Wen did it in less than half a year! A gap is a gap. What's wrong with saying so?"
Oscar rolled his eyes and went back to eating his bun.
Zhao Wuji set down his chopsticks and gave Fu Wen a once-over.
"Xiao Wen, how do you feel? Any discomfort?"
"No."
Fu Wen shook his head. "I feel fine."
"Good."
Zhao Wuji nodded. "You laid a solid foundation over the past six months. Breaking through to level 20 was only natural."
"Next up is your second Soul Ring."
Flender picked up the thread. "You don't need to worry about that. I already got the details: there's a nine-hundred-year-old Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. It's a perfect fit for you."
"Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile?"
Fu Wen raised an eyebrow.
He'd read about this Soul Beast in a book.
The Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile was a Sub-Dragon Species, a Soul Beast known for its strength.
It had a massive body, a ridge of iron-gray bone plates along its back, and extraordinarily powerful muscles in its tail.
One strike could split a river's surface and send up waves several feet high.
At nine hundred years old, an Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile was powerful enough to rival an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast.
If Fu Wen could absorb its Soul Ring, the Soul Skill he gained would surely be powerful.
"Nine hundred years. Can you absorb it?"
Li Yusong pushed up his glasses, looking concerned.
"Yes."
Fu Wen answered without hesitation.
He knew his own physical strength best.
For an ordinary two-ring Soul Master, absorbing a nine-hundred-year Soul Ring would indeed be risky.
But he wasn't an ordinary two-ring Soul Master.
After half a year of training with the Innate Divine Crocodile Art, his body was more than a level stronger than those of others his age.
Nine hundred years was within what he could handle.
Flender watched Fu Wen in silence for a moment, then nodded.
"Good! Then it's settled."
"We leave in three days for the Star Dou Great Forest!"
"Old Zhao, you're coming with me."
"Sure."
Zhao Wuji nodded.
"Xiao Ao, Xiao Pang, you two are coming, too."
Flender looked at Oscar and Ma Hongjun. "Think of it as a training exercise."
"Woohoo!"
Ma Hongjun was the first to cheer.
Oscar smiled too, though there was a trace of nerves in his grin.
The Star Dou Great Forest was a true primeval forest.
The Soul Beasts inside were nothing like the captive beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Fu Wen sat there, his expression calm, but a flicker of anticipation passed through his eyes.
The Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile. Nine hundred years old.
He'd been waiting a long time for his second Soul Ring.
That night.
Fu Wen lay in bed with his eyes closed, but he wasn't asleep.
He was thinking about his second Soul Ring.
The Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile's Soul Skill would most likely involve either strength or its tail.
If it was a strength-based Soul Skill, it would make his close combat even more terrifying when paired with his first Soul Skill, Primordial Bite.
If it involved the tail, it could make up for his weakness in mid-range attacks.
Either way, it would be useful.
Still, Flender was right.
Choosing a Soul Ring was only the first step. What mattered more was the process of absorbing it.
A nine-hundred-year Soul Ring held more than twice the energy of a four-hundred-year one.
The key to absorbing it was whether his body could withstand the strain.
His body was strong enough, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"Brother Wen, are you nervous?"
Ma Hongjun's voice came from nearby.
"No."
Fu Wen opened his eyes.
"I am," Ma Hongjun said. "I heard there are Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. One bite, and they can swallow a person whole."
"You're not going into the core area. What are you afraid of?"
Fu Wen rolled his eyes.
"But what if something happens?"
"Nothing's going to happen."
Fu Wen said, "My dad and Teacher Zhao are both Seven-Ring Soul Sages. Even if a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast shows up, there's nothing to fear."
Ma Hongjun thought it over and decided Fu Wen had a point. At ease, he closed his eyes.
Beside them, Oscar rolled over and muttered, "You two, quit chatting. We've got training tomorrow..."
The corners of Fu Wen's mouth lifted slightly, and he closed his eyes too.
Three days later, in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Iron-Spine Giant Crocodile, nine hundred years old.
He was looking forward to it.
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