This happened near the end of Li Changsheng's first year at the Pre-Education Academy.
Bang~~~
One hammer blow sent sparks flying in every direction. A tall, bare-chested figure stood before the forge, raising a gleaming white Soul Power hammer and pounding away at the fist-sized iron ball on the anvil, its surface dark and lustrous.
The boy drove his legs into the ground. With each of several blows, Soul Power surged around him.
Before his eyes, the single metal ball suddenly split into two, one large and one small, like a mother and child.
The surface of the large black ball was smooth and glossy, as though coated in water. The small one was different, weathered as if by a thousand years of wind and rain, its surface rough and uneven.
The boy released the hammer. It immediately turned into formless Soul Power and vanished completely into the air.
He gazed at the two black balls on the table, the corners of his mouth lifting into a broad smile.
Without hesitation, he reached for the iron balls, which were so hot they seemed to be several hundred degrees.
The moment the boy's fair, youthful hands grasped the two iron balls,
they became translucent and began to glow with a peculiar jade-colored light.
With a light wave of his other hand, a book appeared in his palm. Without turning his head, he uttered a single word: "Knife."
At his words,
a small knife appeared in his hand. Like the hammer before it, it gleamed brightly, shaped from Soul Power.
The boy gripped the knife and traced complicated, formation-like symbols across both iron balls.
First, he marked the smaller ball. Then, using the Soul Power blade, he began carving into it, bit by bit.
He carved quickly, as if he had undergone countless trials. Though his thin arm brought the blade down hard against the ball, it never trembled.
Under the boy's repeated carving and grinding, intersecting lines gradually emerged across the large, black iron ball. They were intricate and ingenious, and carried a faint, subtle aura.
Just then, the boy's eyes, fixed intently on the spheres, began to change.
The clear violet in them grew more pronounced. Purple light swelled in his pupils, seemingly reflecting the intersecting lines on the spheres. Each time the violet glow flickered, his fingers moved a few times, continuing the carving without pause.
Shing~~~
Crack~~~
The process lasted about half an hour.
After half an hour of swinging his arm, sweat beaded densely across the boy's forehead, and his delicate face had grown somewhat pale.
But when the glow of Soul Power faded and the two iron balls came back into view, the boy let out a slow breath. His face lit with excitement and delight. All that effort seemed to have been worth it.
He said nothing, choosing to let his actions prove what he had accomplished.
Soul Power streamed into the smaller ball, one thread at a time.
A faint trace of Soul Power escaped from the ball's uneven surface in the blink of an eye. Needle-like Soul Power spikes sprouted from it, transforming the normally gentle Soul Power into something violent and sharp. It was brutally fierce, like an enraged hedgehog bristling with spikes of destruction.
The boy slowly drew the Soul Power back out of the iron ball. A smile appeared on his deathly pale face.
"God of Wisdom, I can be considered a Level 1 Soul Engineer now, right?"
The boy toyed with the two iron balls, one large and one small, and spoke to himself with keen interest.
Congratulations.
A mechanical voice offered a brief congratulation, then faded away.
"Ding! Congratulations on completing one of your missions: Become a Level 1 Soul Engineer. Reward: Genesis Book Martial Soul; First Soul Ring's age increased by one hundred years."
Li Changsheng smiled faintly. Ah, he had finally completed one of his time-limited missions.
That bare-chested boy in the forge was none other than Li Changsheng.
During this time, besides studying within Teacher Zi Buyu's Book Fragrance Domain to raise his Soul Power Level, he had also been studying the basics from the Soul Engineer's handbook, setting aside some time every day. Afterward, he would head to the Soul Guidance Department, which the Pre-Education Academy had opened specifically for students, and watch the forging demonstrations. Over the past five months, starting three months ago, Li Changsheng had forged a complete Soul Tool.
The pair of Soul Tools in his hands, one large and one small, were based on a Hidden Weapon from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record's Hundred Hidden Weapon Solutions: the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Gall. After forging it, Li Changsheng had engraved formation patterns onto it to activate Soul Power.
Unlike the original Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Gall, which carried deadly poison, Li Changsheng's Hidden Weapon only contained the secret needles inside. But once he had engraved the formation patterns that channeled Soul Power, the intricate Hidden Weapon had become a Soul Tool with astonishing explosive power.
Li Changsheng hadn't wanted to waste his time on this.
But he had no choice.
Because of the sudden turn of events during the entrance examination, nearly all the time-limited missions the Sign-in and Clock-in System had given him had been cut short.
Win first place in the Shrek Pre-Academy freshman competition.
He hadn't achieved that one because he'd been unconscious for three days and three nights.
He hadn't yet figured out how to tackle the others.
As for the number one genius team, since the Centrifugal Killing Mirror team had left to take the Shrek Academy examination, the Pre-Education Academy had no so-called top genius team during this gap.
So Li Changsheng had been left with no choice but to study Soul Tools.
Clearly, Li Changsheng had some talent in this area.
In a short time, relying on his own ability to understand, he had forged his first Level 1 Soul Tool today.
It was quite an achievement.
After putting away the Soul Tool, which held great sentimental value, Li Changsheng left the forge.
He had just returned to the dormitory
when the Soul Power communication device in his room—the thing they called a telephone—rang.
Li Changsheng picked it up and quickly heard the voice on the other end. It was the Seven Absolute Zither Master.
"Did you succeed?"
The Seven Absolute Zither Master had known for a long time that Li Changsheng was studying Soul Engineer knowledge in his spare time. Whenever Li Changsheng read the handbook written in simplified characters, she would even come over and scan it with an utterly baffled look, asking him what the characters meant.
Li Changsheng, of course, hadn't explained. Simplified characters were profound and extensive; who had time to teach the whole system? He had only told the Seven Absolute Zither Master that they were a special script used by Soul Engineers.
Li Changsheng answered with a "Mm." "I'm a Level 1 Soul Engineer now."
"Congratulations." The Seven Absolute Zither Master's voice held a hint of happiness.
"Oh, and don't forget, we're going to the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow. Bring a change of clothes, and prepare some defensive Soul Tools, just in case. We don't know how Teacher Zi Buyu will test us, and your Soul Ring hunt probably won't be easy. Though I don't really know Teacher Zi's methods for practical training, either," the Seven Absolute Zither Master reminded him.
Li Changsheng gave an awkward laugh. "It's just the opposite. I think Teacher Zi Buyu will only have me get my Second Soul Ring on my own, or maybe with your help. She'll definitely pick a spot and bury herself in a book."
The Seven Absolute Zither Master gave a soft "Mm." Her voice carried a hint of amusement as she said, "I hope so. But isn't the Star Dou Great Forest still a little too much for us? My Second Soul Ring came from a Soul Beast raised in a forest."
"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. With Teacher Zi Buyu coming along, there's no need to worry too much. Besides, I only need to find a Hundred-Year Soul Beast in the outer forest for my Second Soul Ring."
"Mm, then let's leave it there for now. I'm going to buy some ingredients to bring along, as well as cooking utensils."
At the mention of cooking utensils and ingredients, Li Changsheng froze for a moment. The journey to the Star Dou Great Forest was a long one, and they were bound to camp along the way. Wouldn't that mean he could often eat meals cooked by the Seven Absolute Zither Master?
At that thought, Li Changsheng hurriedly said, "Wait outside the dormitory building for me. I'll go with you."
Come to think of it, he had been at the Pre-Education Academy for quite a while, yet he had never explored Two-Part City.
"Ah? Okay, I'll wait."
Strangely enough, although everyone said that the Seven Absolute Zither Master was the student of the Pre-Education Academy's dean, the Sun-Slaying Douluo Ming Taibai, she had actually always studied under Zi Buyu.
Li Changsheng had asked her about it once, but the Seven Absolute Zither Master hadn't given him a clear answer. She had only said that studying under Zi Buyu helped her improve faster.
Soon, Li Changsheng arrived outside the girls' dormitory.
The dormitory buildings were the largest structures in the Pre-Education Academy. There were two, one for boys and one for girls, separated by quite a distance.
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