Unbearable Heat

Studio No. 2, this is the exclusive workshop of Qian Duoduo!

The workshop is quite cluttered; various rare ores that have yet to be forged, as well as Soul Tool metals that have already been hammered, are piled up in heaps.

The machine tools used for cutting, polishing, and drilling Soul Tool metals still emit a peculiar scent of lubricating oil mixed with the friction of Soul Tool metals.

Various finished Soul Tools and semi-finished Soul Tools are, however, neatly arranged and categorized on rows of wooden shelves.

In the center of this workshop stands a large furnace over three meters tall, its entire body a deep crimson hue with layers of flame patterns etched across its surface.

Even though there is no fire burning inside the furnace right now, it still gives off an intense sense of heat; the air around the furnace appears to be faintly distorted—it is truly worthy of being an eighth-level Soul Tool furnace.

Returning to this workshop, Qian Duoduo walks up to the Soul Tool furnace, raises his hand, and reaches into an opening, injecting a surge of majestic soul power that flows like a torrential river.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Accompanied by a dull roar, eight fire ports inside the Soul Tool furnace each spew out a deep yellow fire dragon. The fire dragons converge, causing a raging inferno to ignite within the furnace as the temperature begins to rise rapidly.

"Feng Tianyu, come here!"

"Take out a portion of the Whale Rubber that that stingy Yan Shaozhe gave you!"

Feng Tianyu responds and walks toward Qian Duoduo, simultaneously retrieving a jade box containing 3,000-year-old Whale Rubber from his storage Soul Tool.

Opening the jade box, one finds a piece of deep yellow, gelatinous substance inside; it emits no fragrance and looks just like plastic.

Qian Duoduo's mouth curls into a wide grin, his face full of smiles. Using the Martial Soul Department's resources to cultivate students for the Soul Guidance Department—he simply cannot stop laughing.

He reaches out, picks up the Whale Rubber, and uses his soul power to wrap it before placing it into the Soul Tool furnace. Under the licking flames, the Whale Rubber, which originally looked like plastic, softens rapidly, as if turning into a lump of jelly.

While Qian Duoduo and Feng Tianyu are busy softening the Whale Rubber, Grey Wolf runs around excitedly, inspecting the finished and semi-finished Soul Tools.

He remembers that in his laboratory at Wolf Castle, he also had a huge pile of various inventions; they were all his life's work.

Unfortunately, because his inventions could never catch a sheep, his wife, Red Wolf, always said he collected a pile of trash.

Seeing these various Soul Tools now stirs up a few memories for Grey Wolf.

Before long, a strange fragrance begins to permeate from the Soul Tool furnace.

Just by smelling this scent, one can feel their blood flow accelerate slightly.

Seeing that it is about ready, Qian Duoduo takes the softened Whale Rubber out of the Soul Tool furnace. Before handing it to Feng Tianyu, he asks:

"Are you fully aware of the effects of consuming Whale Rubber and the side effects it will cause?"

Feng Tianyu looks at the Whale Rubber, unable to tear his gaze away:

"I generally know!"

"Consuming Whale Rubber can strengthen muscles, bones, and meridians, improving the body's tolerance; it is of great benefit for absorbing soul rings of higher ages beyond one's limit!"

"As for the side effects, it makes one unbearably hot and difficult to control one's actions. I'll have to trouble Dean Qian to watch over me later, so I don't do anything while in a state of loss of control!"

Hearing this, Qian Duoduo hands over the Whale Rubber with a playful smirk:

"Since you know, you can eat the Whale Rubber once you are prepared."

"With me here, I won't let you make too much of a fool of yourself."

With those words, Feng Tianyu is reassured. Qian Duoduo is a level 94 Title Douluo; under his suppression, he certainly won't end up doing anything disgraceful like letting his lower head control his upper head and taking off on the spot.

Feng Tianyu picks up the Whale Rubber. The freshly softened substance is still a bit hot, so he shifts it between his hands, blowing on it continuously to cool it down.

When the temperature drops a bit, he eats it in large mouthfuls.

The softened Whale Rubber is truly like jelly; once it enters his mouth, it melts at a touch, turning into streams of warmth that flow down his throat into his body, where they are rapidly absorbed and spread throughout his limbs, bones, and internal organs.

Hot!

Agitated!

Both hot and agitated!

Feng Tianyu's small face flushes bright red. It feels as if a fire is burning inside his body, scorching his limbs, bones, and internal organs.

It is as scalding as magma, making his muscles, bones, and meridians... all feel as if they are about to melt within this ball of fire.

"Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!"

Feng Tianyu gasps for air. White mist drifts from his head, and sweat beads roll down his forehead, cheeks, neck, and back like raindrops.

That fire surges upward, turning his brain into mush. Feng Tianyu's amber-like brown eyes turn a deep crimson.

His body trembles violently. His instincts are taking over, as if a primordial power is trying to erupt from within him.

Just as he is about to lose control and act on his impulses, a large, cushion-like hand presses onto Feng Tianyu's shoulder. A soul power pressure as heavy as a mountain descends upon him, rendering him completely unable to move.

Qian Duoduo says earnestly:

"A youth's essence and blood are as precious as oil. You are only six years old; you mustn't ruin your body. Instead of trading that moment of release for emptiness afterward, let me help you vent in a different way."

"Come here and learn to forge iron with me!"

Feng Tianyu's eyes are blood-red, and even his consciousness is blurred. Under Qian Duoduo's guidance, he simply follows along by instinct.

Qian Duoduo leads Feng Tianyu behind the Soul Tool furnace. He feeds rare ores into the front of the furnace, and before long, the ores melt into molten iron, flowing out from the back of the Soul Tool furnace.

Sss! Sss! Sss!

After the coolant, a mixture of oil and water, had done its work and the white mist dissipated, a rough blank of soul-guided metal was revealed.

Qian Duoduo took charge personally, placing the rough blank onto the anvil and handing the hammer to Feng Tianyu, instructing him to strike and forge the metal.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Soon, the workshop was filled with a rhythmic series of metallic strikes.

However, Feng Tianyu was a complete layman, and with his mind blurred by the energy of the Whale Rubber, his hammer blows were erratic—sometimes heavy, sometimes light—leaving the rough blank in a mangled state.

Qian Duoduo didn't mind; these rough blanks were worthless anyway.

As an eighth-rank soul master, his experience in blacksmithing would have been considered that of a Godly Smith in the past.

Under his direct guidance, even with his clouded consciousness, Feng Tianyu quickly picked up the technique by relying on his body's instincts, and the hammer began to swing with increasing rhythm in his hands.

Power surged from his calves to his thighs, then through his waist, back, shoulders, and arms, moving like a tightly wound machine.

Once unleashed, it was earth-shattering.

Feng Tianyu felt incredibly exhilarated!

The primordial power within him was vented entirely into the rough blank of soul-guided metal with every hammer blow he struck.

The intense physical exertion caused his body to consume energy rapidly, forcing it to accelerate the absorption of the Whale Rubber.

Feng Tianyu's muscles, bones, and meridians were all undergoing unprecedented strengthening through this cycle of consumption and recovery.

His muscles swelled, pushing his strength and explosive power to the limit!

His bones grew robust, like a fully drawn bow waiting to be released!

His meridians became resilient, remaining calm and steady even as soul power surged through them.

His body was his second martial soul, and as it was strengthened, every organ and every cell within him began to emit a faint, glowing radiance, as if cheering in delight.