A Month's Time

Outside, in the room containing the Spirit Ascension Platform pods.

Leng Yaozhu looked at Mu Tianchen, who had regained consciousness, and without hesitation slapped him on the head. "You little brat, you've really made something of yourself, huh? What good did fighting so desperately and beating Qin Jianxin do you?"

At that moment, Mu Tianchen had just crawled out of the pod and was still somewhat dazed. Before he could react, the sudden slap landed directly on his head.

Though the slap was not strong, it still made him cry out in pain. "Ow, stop hitting me!" As he spoke, he held his head.

Beside them, Yan Qingling covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Little Tianchen, your battle with Qin Jianxin just now really shocked both the Tower Master and me. I never expected that after only a few days, you would already possess such formidable strength."

"When I was your age, not to mention unleashing much combat power, I could barely even control the direction of my soul skills properly."

Hearing that, Mu Tianchen could only rub his head and smile awkwardly. At that moment, he did not know how to respond.

Leng Yaozhu shot Mu Tianchen an annoyed glare. "This time, you only lasted half an hour in the Spirit Ascension Platform. Among everyone I've seen, you lasted the shortest amount of time!"

"However, your gains seem quite substantial. Both your first and second Soul Rings gained two hundred years of cultivation. That is already a worthwhile harvest. This slot was not wasted."

Through the external monitors, they could clearly see everything Mu Tianchen and the others had done, such as how they distributed their Soul Power.

"Tell me, what did you feel after that battle?"

Leng Yaozhu folded her arms and spoke calmly to Mu Tianchen. Clearly, she wanted to see what insight he had gained from the battle.

"Then... Teacher, let me think."

Hearing that, Mu Tianchen let out a long breath. Even he had not expected that in the Spirit Ascension Platform just now, Qin Jianxin had cut him into pieces with a single sword strike and killed him outright.

Although his Domination Domain had blocked all pain, the sensation still left lingering fear in his heart.

If possible, he truly did not want to experience that feeling again.

However, his battle with Qin Jianxin had also taught him that if he did not want to experience such a feeling, he needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible. Once he became strong enough, he naturally would not have to face it again.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Tianchen said earnestly to Leng Yaozhu, "Teacher, after this battle, I feel that I still have many shortcomings."

"First, my level is too low. Whether it is Sister Qingshuang, Lin Tiannan, or Qin Jianxin, they are all Soul Elders in their thirties, while I am only a two-ring Soul Grandmaster."

"A three-ring Soul Elder far surpasses a two-ring Soul Grandmaster several times over, both in the refinement of Soul Power and in total Soul Power. The gap is enormous."

"Stop! That is not what I asked you to talk about."

Upon hearing Mu Tianchen's words, Leng Yaozhu immediately frowned and cut him off. "You are only six years old. Reaching level twenty-one at six is already unmatched throughout history. The difference in levels is not your greatest problem."

"Then what is my greatest problem?" Mu Tianchen froze upon hearing that.

If the difference in levels was not his greatest problem, then what was?

Yan Qingling coughed lightly and spoke up in Mu Tianchen's defense. "Tower Master, Little Tianchen really does not seem to have anything that needs particular attention. Whether it was his handling of the battle or his grasp of its rhythm, he reached a level that was beyond reproach."

In truth, Yan Qingling felt that if she had been placed in Mu Tianchen's position, she might not have done better than him. Mu Tianchen had already done exceptionally well.

However, Leng Yaozhu merely snorted coldly. "I know that. But Tianchen, what I want to tell you is that when you fight in the future, you must never act like you did today, as though you do not care whether you live or die."

"You have more than just yourself behind you. You have your parents, your younger brother, and us. No matter what you do in the future, you must take that into account. You cannot be so impulsive."

"Your battle in the Spirit Ascension Platform was completely reckless, a fighting style that threw everything away."

"What if that had not been inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, but reality?"

"If it had been reality, you would already be dead!"

Leng Yaozhu took a deep breath and spoke with utmost seriousness. "What I want to tell you is that no matter when it is, you must first ensure your own safety. You only have one life. Once it is gone, it is gone."

"If even your life is gone, then no matter how great your talent is, it will only be an illusion. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Teacher. I understand."

Although Leng Yaozhu was scolding him, Mu Tianchen still felt warmth from her words. The fact that his teacher spoke to him this way meant that she genuinely cared for him.

Thus, he quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake to Leng Yaozhu.

"Get some proper rest. If anything comes up, call me directly."

Leng Yaozhu opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but when the words reached her lips, she could not say anything at all.

"Then, Teacher, I'll head back first?" Mu Tianchen asked tentatively.

"Go back!"

Leng Yaozhu waved her hand, signaling for Mu Tianchen to leave. Being slain by Qin Jianxin's sword in the Spirit Ascension Platform would still cause him some injury despite its protective mechanisms. He needed to recuperate properly.

After Mu Tianchen left, Leng Yaozhu turned to Yan Qingling. Looking at the quiet young woman, she could not help feeling a little heartache. "Qingling, you are close to breaking through level seventy, aren't you?"

Yan Qingling gently shook her head. "Tower Master, not yet. I am still quite some distance away from level seventy."

Leng Yaozhu walked to the window, looked outside, and sighed. "Within the entire Leng Family, the ones I value most are you and Tianchen. Tianchen may have extraordinary talent, but he is still young after all."

"But you are different. You are only eighteen, yet you are already a level sixty-nine Soul Emperor, stronger than I was at your age. Before you turn thirty, you will definitely break through to the realm of a Title Douluo."

"Your parents were both Federation heroes. They died fighting against the Holy Spirit Cult and deserve the respect of everyone in the Federation. You inherited their martial souls and possess even greater talent."

"As the child of heroes, I never wanted you to live such an exhausting life, but you..."

Yan Qingling's body suddenly trembled. Tears seemed to glisten in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself. Her gaze became resolute. "Tower Master, thank you for saving me back then. But I will definitely avenge my parents!"

"For the rest of my life, I will never coexist under the same sky as the Holy Spirit Cult!"

"Ah..." Leng Yaozhu sighed helplessly as she looked at Yan Qingling.

Although Yan Qingling appeared soft and fragile on the outside, she was an incredibly strong girl at heart.

Avengeing her parents had always been her motivation for cultivation. If one day she told this girl that she did not need revenge anymore, that motivation might disappear.

Helplessly, Leng Yaozhu looked at the strong expression on Yan Qingling's face, then patted her delicate shoulder. "Qingling, you are already eighteen. You have grown up. I believe you now possess the ability to handle your own problems."

"If anything happens, call me directly. I'll be leaving first."

With that, Leng Yaozhu left as well.

Yan Qingling watched Leng Yaozhu's departing back for a long time without speaking.

Yes, her father and mother were Federation heroes.

But she did not want her father and mother to become heroes. She only wanted them to be ordinary people.

That way, their family could have lived together happily.

Meanwhile, Mu Tianchen had already returned to his room.

The moment he entered, he threw himself onto his bed. It was a specially made multifunctional bed. Not only was it comfortable for sleeping, but it could automatically massage every part of the body and promote blood circulation.

His battle with Qin Jianxin had consumed a tremendous amount of mental and physical energy.

Just as his teacher Leng Yaozhu had said, he truly needed to rest properly.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

During that month, Mu Tianchen cultivated the Vortex Meditation Method while also going to the Forging Room to improve his forging techniques.

After a month of cultivation, both his Vortex Meditation Method and forging skills had improved considerably.

First was the Vortex Meditation Method. With the aid of his forging, the completion rate of its first level had reached one hundred and twenty thousandths, or twelve percent.

This was an enormous improvement.

If he continued at this pace, he would need at most one more year to fully cultivate the first level of the Vortex Meditation Method and form a vortex cyclone within his body.

Compared to the previous estimate of three years, he had saved a full two years.

Next were his forging skills. Perhaps he truly had some talent for forging. After a month of training, his success rate with Hundred Refinement had reached ninety percent, while his success rate with ordinary metals was nearly one hundred percent.

As long as he could later raise his Hundred Refinement success rate to above ninety percent when forging rare metals, he would more or less be able to advance to a level-two Blacksmith.

A level-two Blacksmith was neither particularly rare nor particularly powerful, but for a child who was only six years old, it was incredibly astonishing!

Furthermore, after a month of training, his level had directly broken through to twenty-three. Compared to level twenty-one a month earlier, he had risen by two full levels.

Those two levels had increased the Soul Power within his body by around seventy percent.

At the two-ring Soul Grandmaster stage, every level generally increased an ordinary person's Soul Power by around thirty percent. Mu Tianchen was different—his had increased by a full thirty-five percent.

That meant that at the same level, he possessed a far greater total amount of Soul Power.

A month had passed, and the Spirit Pagoda's Genius Youth Elite Tournament was about to begin.

This was an extremely prestigious competition. Those participating were all among the strongest members of Spirit Pagoda's younger generation. Qin Jianxin, Lin Kuang, Lin Tiannan, Leng Qingshuang, and the others would all participate.

Whether it was Qin Jianxin, Lin Tiannan, Lin Kuang, or Leng Qingshuang, they were all Soul Elders in their thirties.

Among young people of the same generation across the entire Douluo Continent, their cultivation placed them among the very best. Even Shrek Academy's students might not necessarily be stronger than them.

Mu Tianchen heard that several experts from Shrek Academy had been invited to watch this Spirit Pagoda Genius Youth Elite Tournament.

Although no one knew exactly who had been invited, the news still excited the vast majority of people.

At this time, Shrek Academy was still the undisputed strongest organization on the Douluo Continent.

At this time, the number one figure in the Soul Master world, the Sky-Piercing Douluo Yun Ming, was at Shrek Academy, presiding over the Sea God Pavilion and suppressing all petty troublemakers, ensuring that no ambitious schemer dared reveal their intentions.

Mu Tianchen had entered the competition, but just as he was preparing to head to the venue, Qiangu Tinglan dragged him away.

Qiangu Tinglan hurriedly told him that she was taking him out to attend an auction.

Mu Tianchen was also extremely curious. What kind of auction could make Qiangu Tinglan drag him away just as the Genius Youth Elite Tournament was about to begin?