Copper Skin

The first layer of the Diamond Skill is called [Copper Skin].

Duan Fan clearly felt that his body had grown much stronger, his entire frame brimming with power.

His skin was as tough as copper and iron, as if ordinary blades could hardly pierce it.

In Duan Fan's view, the reason he reached the first layer of the Diamond Skill so quickly was related to his own soul power.

The more soul power within his body, the faster the speed of cultivating the Diamond Skill.

Furthermore, this was a virtuous cycle; the higher the layer of the Diamond Skill he cultivated, the faster his soul power cultivation speed would become.

Having cultivated the Diamond Skill for the entire day, Duan Fan felt his soul power was one step closer to level eighteen.

At this rate, he might be able to achieve a breakthrough by tomorrow, or at the latest, the day after.

Duan Fan had already experienced the might of the Diamond Skill and grew increasingly fond of this technique.

When Duan Fan walked out of the Mimicry Cultivation Area, the sky had already begun to darken.

Coincidentally, he ran into Wen Xiyue on his way out, who had also just finished her cultivation.

Duan Fan greeted Wen Xiyue politely.

Wen Xiyue merely nodded slightly, maintaining her usual icy expression.

Duan Fan had long since grown accustomed to this.

The fact that Wen Xiyue responded at all was already a significant improvement.

In the past, when he greeted her, she wouldn't even lift her eyelids or spare him a glance.

Duan Fan once thought that Wen Xiyue might have some psychological issues, which was why she had become so cold and introverted at an age that should have been innocent and lively.

The most emotional he had ever seen her was during their first actual combat training session.

Wen Xiyue had suffered a crushing defeat and lost her composure, unable to control her emotions.

That was also the time she had spoken the most.

Since then, Duan Fan had never seen her like that again.

Setting aside her personality, Wen Xiyue could definitely be considered an extremely hardworking genius Spirit Master.

This was not the first time Duan Fan had encountered her in the Mimicry Cultivation Area; she, too, cultivated diligently every single day.

Wen Xiyue's current soul power was level sixteen, only one level lower than Duan Fan's.

That was how fast a Spirit Master with Full Innate Soul Power cultivated; as long as they were willing to put in the effort, their soul power growth was incredibly rapid.

It was only a certain "Three" who didn't cultivate properly, wasting a vast amount of time and energy on other matters, causing his soul power to stagnate.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Duan Fan checked on Tang San's current situation while eating dinner, just as he always did.

To Duan Fan's surprise, Tang San was currently having dinner with the Grandmaster at the Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy cafeteria.

Huh, hasn't the Notting Academy started yet?

Tang San was at Ding Xiulun's place yesterday, and today he's already at the academy?

Duan Fan immediately checked Tang San's experiences for the day.

It turned out that Tang San had run into the Grandmaster this morning.

Curious about the Grandmaster's identity and wanting to learn more about the situation inside Notting Academy, Tang San had taken the initiative to greet and converse with him.

The two hit it off quickly, and the Grandmaster even brought Tang San inside the academy for a tour.

When they discussed Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul, the Grandmaster deduced that Tang San possessed Twin Martial Souls, leaving Tang San greatly shocked.

Seeing this, Duan Fan had expected Tang San to become the Grandmaster's disciple on the spot, just like in the original plot.

However, looking further, that didn't happen.

Having been left with psychological trauma by Ding Xiulun during this time, Tang San had developed an instinctive resistance to taking on a master.

He planned to leave Ding Xiulun the moment Notting Academy officially opened.

He would even leave a Gold Soul Coin behind as rent for his stay.

After understanding the situation, Duan Fan couldn't help but think to himself, It seems Tang San is determined to cut ties with Ding Xiulun.

I suspect Ding Xiulun won't be able to accept this result and might try to sabotage Tang San in the future.

This actually aligns with my previous modification where Su Yuntao reported Tang San's Full Innate Soul Power, drawing the attention of Spirit Hall and putting Tang San at risk of his identity being exposed.

Ding Xiulun had been harboring selfish motives, wanting to take Tang San as his disciple and keep him by his side, to the point where he hadn't reported Tang San's Full Innate Soul Power further up the chain.

Now that Tang San is determined to run away, Ding Xiulun, unable to secure him, will likely report the fact that Tang San has Full Innate Soul Power.

When that happens, the higher-ups in Spirit Hall will surely discover the clues regarding Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul; if even the Grandmaster could guess that Tang San has twin martial souls, there's no reason the higher-ups in Spirit Hall wouldn't.

Things are getting more and more interesting.

As for Tang San, him getting closer to the Grandmaster is a good thing. When it comes time for Tang San to obtain his next Soul Ring, he can completely leverage the Grandmaster to test the theory that plant-type martial souls can absorb beast-type Soul Rings.

The only annoying thing is that Tang San isn't cultivating hard at all; I wonder when he'll finally obtain his second Soul Ring.

I've just finished modifying Xiao Wu's thread, so there aren't any other opportunities to alter Tang San's fate for the time being.

Duan Fan tucked away his thoughts, and the text regarding Tang San's current situation quickly vanished from his sight.

After finishing dinner, Duan Fan returned to his dormitory.

Just as he was preparing to follow his usual routine—drawing a blueprint for a firearm component before reading for a while—a knock sounded at the door.

"Is Duan Fan in?"

The voice of a middle-aged man drifted in from outside.

"I am."

Duan Fan went to open the door.

As the door swung open, a tall, slender middle-aged man stood outside, wearing a grey long coat and black-rimmed glasses, with a small black mole between his eyebrows.

His appearance bore a slight resemblance to Duan Fan's teacher, Li Ruolan.

The middle-aged man smiled and spoke, "Duan Fan, do you remember me? I am Teacher Li Yi."

Duan Fan nodded. "I remember."

Of course he remembered.

Ever since Duan Fan first displayed his soul skill, Life from the Brush, this Teacher Li Yi had sought him out only a few days later.

He was a teacher at Spirit Hall Academy who specialized in the study of spirits, and he was also the older brother of Duan Fan's teacher, Li Ruolan.

Li Yi had already visited Duan Fan several times, appearing whenever Duan Fan's soul power level increased to inquire about his spirit, soul rings, and soul skills, as well as any changes that occurred after his level rose; he was always incredibly thorough with his questions.

Sure enough, with Duan Fan's soul power level about to reach eighteen, Li Yi had come to schedule an appointment in advance.

"It's good that you remember. How has your cultivation been lately?" Li Yi asked.

Duan Fan replied, "It's going alright. I should reach level eighteen in the next day or two."

Li Yi smiled upon hearing this. "That's truly impressive."

"You are the most hardworking Soul Master with Full Innate Soul Power that I have ever met!"

"In that case, I will come to see you in five days to check on your progress."

Duan Fan said, "Understood."

Li Yi had only come to set a time; once the appointment was made and he had offered a few words of concern, he left.

Duan Fan was already used to this.

As long as Li Yi didn't interfere with his cultivation, everything was fine.

The next day.

Spirit Hall Academy's Soul Fighting Arena.

Junior Class Ten began a new day of practical combat training.

When the entire class arrived at the arena, three people were already waiting there.

Two boys and one girl, all around twelve years old.

Li Ruolan smiled and introduced them, "Students, these three are the seniors I mentioned to you yesterday. They have all reached the level of three-ring Soul Exalt and are the three most outstanding students our Spirit Hall Academy has produced in recent years."

"Today, they will be guiding you through your practical combat training."