The Decision (Please Keep Reading!!!)

Before Xu Shengqun found Zhen Hua, he had only said Xu Yuan was one of his juniors and had not mentioned anything about Xu Yuan's parents.

After arriving here, Xu Yuan had addressed Xu Shengqun as his uncle, and Zhen Hua had not thought much of it at the time.

But now, upon seeing Xu Yuan's Heaven Origin Brush Martial Soul and the form of his Pen Spear, Zhen Hua suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. That sudden feeling reminded him of an old acquaintance. Two and a half years ago, that acquaintance had visited the Forging Master Association as well.

"Martial Uncle, did you know my father?" Xu Yuan asked in surprise.

Zhen Hua sighed.

"It was more than just knowing him. Your father had a research project related to forging, and he once came to discuss it with me. I only came to know your uncle because of your father."

Xu Yuan had not expected there to be such a connection.

Xu Yuan guessed that the research Zhen Hua spoke of was the Soul Spirit Cultivation Method. His father had chosen Metal Soul Spirits as the breakthrough point for the project, which was why he had crossed paths with Zhen Hua, the greatest Forging Master of the age. They often discussed it together.

"What a pity. The world is unpredictable," Zhen Hua sighed.

Xu Yuan was silent for a long while before softly asking, "Martial Uncle, do you know why the Spirit Pagoda framed my parents?"

Zhen Hua gazed at Xu Yuan with deep, distant eyes.

"Xiao Yuan, do you know about the Soul Spirit Cultivation Method?"

"My uncle told me about it."

Zhen Hua was briefly surprised. He had not expected Xu Shengqun to have told Xu Yuan everything.

"Yes, the project your father worked on was precisely that. Did your uncle tell you that the project had been disproven?"

"Wasn't it?" Xu Yuan asked instinctively, but he quickly found the answer himself and understood the meaning behind Zhen Hua's words.

"You mean my father's research wasn't flawed, but had to be terminated for certain reasons?"

"Yes. The breakthrough point Xu Zhi chose was Weapon Souls. He drew inspiration from a legendary Sword God Douluo from ten thousand years ago, who had fused Extraterrestrial Meteorite Iron into his ordinary Iron Sword Martial Soul. Confident in modern forging techniques and desperate to become a Soul Master himself, he devoted himself to the research—and he really did achieve some results."

Xu Yuan held his breath and listened closely to Zhen Hua's account.

A Sword God Douluo from ten thousand years ago?

Could it have been that Sword Maniac?

The Sword Maniac's Martial Soul seemed to have been an ordinary Iron Sword. Yet he had fused Extraterrestrial Meteorite Iron into himself and forged it into his own sword. In any case, he had broken through to become a Titled Douluo.

As for his ultimate achievements, Xu Yuan truly did not know.

"What a shame. The direction your father chose suited him best, but it also offended the Qian Gu Family."

"The Qian Gu Family?" Xu Yuan asked in confusion.

Mu Ye snorted coldly from the side. He often visited Zhen Hua and had naturally met Xu Yuan's father before, so he knew some of the details.

"The effects of the Soul Spirit Cultivation Method your father researched on other Martial Souls, and whether it could be applied to Beast Souls, are hard to say. But for Soul Masters with Weapon Souls, it is almost universally applicable. The Qian Gu Family's inherited Martial Soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff, is itself a top-tier Weapon Soul."

"Then shouldn't they benefit from it?"

"Hmph. With Martial Soul Evolution reaching its current state, the Qian Gu Family's Coiling Dragon Staff has long since become one of the finest Martial Souls. How else could they benefit? Once this technique is applied, there will likely be more and more geniuses with Weapon Souls. The impact on the Qian Gu Family would not be small."

Seriously? Was the Qian Gu Family really that petty?

Xu Yuan knew Qian Gu Dongfeng was no good, but surely a great family would not be too afraid to face such a storm?

"Xiao Yuan, you're thinking too simply. Your Martial Uncle has actually already hinted at it. The development of modern forging techniques was what your father valued most. Otherwise, even if he could cultivate at the age of thirty, his future would not be very bright. But with Zhen Hua giving him his full support, forging the metal raw materials most suitable for a Companion Soul Spirit and tempering them through Heavenly Forging, it would absolutely grant him the most outstanding talent. He would still have had hope of becoming a Titled Douluo."

Xu Yuan drew in a sharp breath. At last, he directly understood where the problem lay.

This was truly the artificial creation of a monster.

And the key was not the technique, but Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua!

"My relationship with Qian Gu Dongfeng can't be called bad. It can only be called utterly terrible," Zhen Hua added.

If not for the Spirit Pagoda's enormous influence and monopoly over Soul Spirit technology, as well as the vast number of Soul Masters within the Forging Master Association, Zhen Hua could have refused to forge for them even at exorbitant prices. Otherwise, he would have given Qian Gu Dongfeng an excuse to tear up the agreement to supply the Forging Master Association with high-quality Soul Spirits.

Yes, the Spirit Pagoda monopolized Soul Spirits, but it could not refuse to provide them altogether. That would provoke public outrage. However, it could cut off cooperation.

The Forging Master Association was a colossal organization, and its cooperation with the Spirit Pagoda was deeply intertwined. The Association's outstanding Forging Masters were also outstanding Soul Masters, and their demand for Soul Spirits was immense. Naturally, they had cooperation agreements with the Spirit Pagoda that allowed them to obtain the Spirit Pagoda's high-quality Soul Spirits at low prices and with priority.

It would not work to block a single Soul Master from obtaining Soul Spirits, as that would trigger resistance from the entire Soul Master community. But a cooperation agreement benefiting the whole Association involved only the Forging Master Association.

All that could be said was that although a Divine Craftsman appeared glorious and, in theory, untouchable, that was only in theory.

For someone who truly stood at the peak of strength and power, offending a Divine Craftsman was no great matter.

Qian Gu Dongfeng could use such power to obtain Heaven Forged Metal for his own Four-Word Dou Armor, but that did not mean he could truly obtain Heaven Forged Metal from Zhen Hua whenever he pleased.

A Companion Soul Spirit forged from a piece of Heaven Forged Metal could theoretically grant a Soul Master with a useless Martial Soul cultivation aptitude equivalent to Innate Full Soul Power. And if Soul Spirits were configured according to the optimal theory—using Metal Soul Spirits for subsequent Soul Spirits as well—then as they continued to grow...

"Actually, that alone would not have mattered. The Qian Gu Family's Coiling Dragon Staff was already top-tier, and with their control over the Spirit Pagoda's channels, even if they were impacted, the effect would have been manageable."

"However, there is no doubt that your father's research made his relationship with Qian Gu Dongfeng extremely tense."

"Then, one year ago, some unknown trigger made Qian Gu Dongfeng act directly without regard for the consequences."

After hearing everything, Xu Yuan fell deeply silent.

Mu Ye secretly glared at Zhen Hua, seemingly blaming him for telling such heavy matters to a child like Xu Yuan.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle, for telling me all this. I'll help my father complete the results he failed to achieve back then," Xu Yuan said softly.

"Hm?"

Hearing Xu Yuan's words, Zhen Hua was stunned.

"You mean you want to cultivate the Heaven Origin Brush Martial Soul using your father's theory?"

"That's right." Xu Yuan nodded. "In fact, my uncle already decided on my first Soul Spirit yesterday. It is the Spear Soul Spirit my father created."

Zhen Hua fell silent.

After a long time, he sighed, stepped forward, and patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder.

"Xiao Yuan, do you know how difficult this decision of yours will be?"