Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, the Divine Craftsman Arrives

The heart-stopping events at the Spirit Ascension Platform eventually settled into calm. Li Chen, Gu Yue, and Na'er recuperated for several days in the Spirit Pagoda's private resting hall, fully recovering the minor Soul Power depletion left behind by their Spirit Ascension training.

All three had gained greatly from this trip to the Spirit Ascension Platform. Not only had their Soul Power cultivation improved, but the rapport between them had also deepened considerably. The talent and combat strength they displayed within the Spirit Ascension Platform had thoroughly earned the recognition of the Spirit Pagoda's upper ranks.

As a high-ranking figure within the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu greatly admired the three young people before her, each of whom possessed boundless potential. Considering Li Chen's many prior dealings with the Spirit Pagoda in the Spirit Ascension Platform, she simply took the initiative to point them toward a path leading to a higher institution—the Sun Moon Federation's Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

This academy was no ordinary institution of higher learning. It belonged to the entire Sun Moon Federation and was a premier hall of Soul Tool studies built with the Federation's full support. It brought together the Sun Moon Federation's finest Soul Engineers, the most complete practical Soul Tool facilities, and even the most cutting-edge Soul Tool theoretical research. Its reputation resounded throughout the entire Douluo Continent.

To enter this academy, one had to pass an exceptionally rigorous entrance examination. There were no shortcuts, and even a true genius could only gain admission by standing out during the assessment.

Leng Yaozhu's recommendation merely secured the three of them the right to participate in the examination. Whether they could enroll successfully depended entirely on their own abilities.

Li Chen, Gu Yue, and Na'er felt no fear whatsoever. Young people were naturally resilient, and the harsher the challenge, the more it stirred their fighting spirit.

Three days later, at the Sun Moon Federation's Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy entrance examination site, the vast assessment square was packed with people. Talented youths from all over the continent had gathered there, determination gleaming in every pair of eyes, though their tension was difficult to conceal. The examination was divided into two major sections: a foundational Soul Master strength assessment and a Soul Tool-related talent assessment. Both were indispensable. Failing either one meant immediate elimination.

During the Soul Master strength assessment, Li Chen stood beside Gu Yue and Na'er the entire time, his expression calm. His Pluto Martial Soul remained concealed within his body, while the powers of life and death and reincarnation lay quietly dormant in his soul veins without leaking the slightest trace. Yet even so, an indescribably steady aura lingered around him, forming a sharp contrast with Gu Yue's lively freedom and Na'er's innocence that concealed a keen edge.

When it was Li Chen's turn, he slowly stepped onto the assessment platform. He did not show off any extravagant techniques, merely circulating his Soul Power. Pale golden Soul Power flowed around his body, seeming gentle yet containing extreme weight and majesty. The assessment instrument instantly registered data far beyond that of Soul Masters his age, drawing repeated glances from the examinees and examiners below.

He had not released the complete form of his Pluto Martial Soul, but the examiners were all highly experienced people. They could clearly sense the strange and powerful force hidden within his Soul Power, an unusual aura that stood above ordinary beast Martial Souls and weapon Martial Souls alike, making them unwilling to underestimate him.

Gu Yue, meanwhile, controlled the elemental powers of heaven and earth. Wind, fire, water, earth, light, and darkness moved at her will. With a light pinch of her fingers, elemental power burst forth, while ribbons of seven-colored elemental light wound around her body. Her assessment result was nothing short of stunning.

When it was Na'er's turn, she lightly leaped onto the platform. Her gaze suddenly sharpened, and brilliant silver-white radiance erupted from within her body. The phantom of a long spear appeared in an instant, pure white throughout and engraved with dense dragon patterns along its shaft. It was her Body Martial Soul—the Silver Dragon Spear.

A flash of silver-white spear light vanished in an instant. Sharp dragon might swept across the entire venue alongside incomparably pure Soul Power. With a single swing of her spear, the assessment instrument erupted with a full-score rating. Her physical strength and dragon-type Soul Power fused perfectly, and her spear intent was chillingly fierce, making the examiners nod again and again in admiration.

With their absolute individual strength, the three of them easily passed the Soul Master strength assessment.

The following Soul Tool talent assessment tested the students' perception, concentration, and basic hands-on ability even more thoroughly.

Li Chen had previously studied forging under an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman in the Spirit Pagoda. Though he had never formally become the man's disciple, that eighth-rank Saint Craftsman had taught him without reservation, meticulously instructing him in everything from the most basic metal identification and heat control to the application of force in forging and the fusion of spiritual power. Li Chen had long regarded him as his own forging master and diligently practiced day and night, laying down an unshakable foundation in forging. As for his Soul Master cultivation, Han Tianyi had guided him in Soul Power circulation, Martial Soul control, combat techniques, and more. Though he had likewise never formally taken Han Tianyi as his master, Li Chen sincerely regarded Han Tianyi as his Soul Master mentor and faithfully followed his teachings.

Because of these two precious learning experiences, Li Chen's understanding of metal properties and the basic principles of Soul Tools far surpassed that of the other examinees his age. During the Soul Tool perception test, his spiritual power precisely covered the assessment area, and he identified every type of Soul Tool metal and core component without the slightest error. In the practical portion, he was calm and efficient, flawlessly completing the preliminary polishing of a basic Soul Tool component and successfully earning high marks.

Gu Yue and Na'er also displayed remarkable Soul Tool talent. All three passed every stage of the assessment and successfully received admission notices from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, becoming official students of this top Federation institution.

The moment they entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, an exceptionally dense aura of Soul Tools rushed toward them. Exquisitely designed Soul Tool machinery could be seen everywhere within the academy, along with spacious and bright Soul Tool classrooms, fully equipped forging practice rooms, and incomparably precise Soul Tool research halls. Students dressed in uniform academy attire hurried through the grounds, either discussing Soul Tool theory or exchanging forging insights. The entire academy brimmed with a strong atmosphere of scholarship and practical work.

Here, there was no unnecessary restlessness, only the ultimate pursuit of the Soul Tool path and the forging path. Li Chen, Gu Yue, and Na'er were assigned to the same class and began their studies at the academy.

Li Chen maintained his low-key and diligent attitude. In class, he seriously studied the Federation's most advanced Soul Tool theories, integrating what he had learned at the Spirit Pagoda with the academy's knowledge. After class, he immersed himself in the academy's forging practice rooms, repeatedly refining his forging techniques and consolidating the insights imparted by the eighth-rank Saint Craftsman. During his spare time, he followed Han Tianyi's guidance to cultivate Soul Power, control his Pluto Martial Soul, and temper the powers of life and death and reincarnation, never relaxing in the slightest.

He never took the initiative to reveal his strength, and even when forging, he only practiced alone in empty practice rooms. Thus, after a month at the academy, most of the students around him merely believed him to be quiet by nature and hardworking in his studies. None knew of the powerful strength hidden within him, nor of his superb forging skill that had already reached the sixth rank.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed. A piece of explosive news swept through the entire academy—the continent's only Divine Craftsman, Zhen Hua, president of the Blacksmith Association across the continent, had been specially invited by the academy's upper ranks to personally conduct an exclusive forging lecture at the academy!

Who was Zhen Hua? He stood at the pinnacle of the continent's forging world, the goal countless blacksmiths spent their lives looking up to. His status as a ninth-rank Divine Craftsman was enough to earn him the reverence of the entire Douluo Continent.

Upon learning that the Divine Craftsman would personally give a lecture, every student and instructor in the academy who loved or practiced forging was thrilled. The vast Soul Tool practice auditorium was filled to capacity early on, and even several senior Soul Tool professors from the academy arrived in person, all to listen to the Divine Craftsman's forging insights.

When Li Chen learned the news, a ripple also stirred in his heart.

He had studied forging under the Spirit Pagoda's eighth-rank Saint Craftsman for a long time and understood how profound the forging path was. He was filled with admiration for Zhen Hua, this Divine Craftsman.

It happened that Gu Yue and Na'er had mandatory advanced Soul Tool practical classes arranged by the academy that day and could not leave. Li Chen therefore came alone to the Soul Tool practice auditorium fifteen minutes early and chose a seat toward the back.

When the lecture began, Zhen Hua displayed no airs. From the opening, he went straight to the heart of forging, discussing the properties of special metals newly discovered by the Sun Moon Federation, the techniques for harmonizing Soul Power and spiritual power in high-level forging, and the tricks behind applying force in Thousand Forging and Soul Forging. Every sentence was an essence distilled through countless practical experiences, profound yet easy to understand, each word invaluable.

Drawing on his decades of forging experience, he explained dry theory with vivid clarity. The audience listened in rapt attention, while Li Chen compared the lecture's content with his own knowledge. Many doubts that had troubled him before suddenly became clear.

As the lecture entered its latter half, Zhen Hua stopped speaking so much about theory and decided to personally demonstrate high-level forging in practice.

The staff quickly lit the forging furnace, and blazing flames rose into the air. Zhen Hua slowly walked to the forging table and casually picked up a piece of ordinary refined iron, his gaze abruptly becoming focused. He raised and dropped his hammer, his movements smooth and flowing. In only a few dozen strikes, he forged the ordinary refined iron into a high-quality piece of Thousand Forged metal. Every gesture displayed the foundation of a Divine Craftsman, drawing waves of astonished exclamations from the audience.

After finishing the demonstration, Zhen Hua lowered his hammer and stood tall. His gaze swept across the hall, and his voice rang out, loud and imposing. "The path of forging cannot be mastered through empty theory. Only through personal practice can one comprehend its true essence. Today, I will give you all an opportunity. Any student confident in their abilities may come onstage and show what they can do. Regardless of your level, I will offer some guidance on the spot."

The moment those words fell, the entire hall plunged into dead silence. Though the students desperately wished to receive guidance from a Divine Craftsman, most possessed only third- or fourth-rank forging ability. Feeling inferior, they feared embarrassing themselves before the Divine Craftsman. They looked at one another, yet not a single person dared to stand.

Amid that silence, a lean yet upright figure slowly rose to his feet. It was Li Chen.

His expression was calm, his gaze focused and resolute. Under the attention of the entire audience, he strode through the crowd and ascended the platform step by step, walking straight to the forging table.

He first gave Zhen Hua a slight bow, respectful but neither servile nor meek. Then he raised his hand and took the forging hammer handed to him by a staff member. The instant his palm closed around the cold hammer handle, all the quiet restraint around him vanished, replaced by extreme focus and steadiness. An obsession with forging that came from deep within his soul quietly spread through the air.