Five-Hundred-Pound Heavy Halberd, the Sub-Hall Shaken

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Bluestone Town entered early winter.

A thin layer of frost hung beneath the blacksmith shop's eaves, but waves of heat still rolled through the forge shed.

Chu Jin's life became regular.

He practiced the basic meditation method issued by Spirit Hall in the mornings.

He followed Chu Lie to learn forging in the afternoons.

In the afternoon, he practiced the Heavy Halberd and footwork.

At night, he studied Xiao Jin's absorption effects on different materials.

Over the three months, Chu Lie gradually purchased more than twenty kinds of special ores through merchant caravans.

Xiao Jin liked Light-attribute metals the most.

Soul beast bone powder containing dragon aura could also promote its growth.

It could consume Fire- and Lightning-attribute materials, though the effects were somewhat weaker.

It showed little interest in Ice-attribute materials.

It would flee far away after merely sniffing poisonous materials.

There was a clear limit to the energy it could digest each day.

After eating its fill, Xiao Jin's belly would become round, and it needed at least a day to recover.

The effects also gradually diminished when it consumed the same material repeatedly.

The first piece of Starshine Iron noticeably increased Chu Jin's strength, but the boosts grew smaller and smaller when it continued eating Starshine Iron.

Chu Jin recorded all the results.

This gave him a clear path for raising it.

Xiao Jin needed continual exposure to higher-quality and more diverse materials. There was no point in simply piling up one type of ore.

He fed it a small piece of Black Meteoric Iron every three days.

After three months, less than one-third of the meteoric iron had been consumed.

Yet the damaged wings on Xiao Jin's back had become more complete than before, and the golden patterns at their roots grew increasingly distinct.

Chu Jin himself changed even more.

The daily power feedback from Xiao Jin continued to accumulate, and his physical strength had already far surpassed that of ordinary children his age.

The original eighty-pound Iron Halberd had been replaced with a one-hundred-and-fifty-pound one.

A month later, it was increased to two hundred and forty pounds.

By the third month, Chu Lie reforged a three-hundred-pound training Heavy Halberd.

Chu Jin could already wield it normally.

His Soul Power cultivation speed was equally astonishing.

It took him less than a month to advance from level three to level five.

After raising his level by two through cultivation, [Level Up!] activated for the first time.

A surge of Soul Power appeared out of nowhere and merged into his dantian.

He went directly from level five to level six.

When he cultivated from level six to level eight on his own, the system rewarded him a second time.

Level eight became level nine.

After another month of arduous cultivation, Chu Jin finally broke through the final barrier.

Level ten.

Before absorbing a Spirit Ring, his Soul Power could not increase any further.

The excess gains from cultivation would accumulate inside his body and be released all at once after he absorbed his first Spirit Ring.

When Chu Lie learned that Chu Jin had reached level ten, he was speechless for half a day.

A child with innate level-three Soul Power would normally need at least two or three years to cultivate to level ten.

Chu Jin had taken only three months.

Xiao Jin's feedback could explain part of it.

His special meditation talent could explain another part.

Even so, the remaining speed was still absurdly fast.

Chu Jin did not take the initiative to explain [Level Up!].

Nor did Chu Lie ask.

Since Chu Jin awakened his Double Pupils, many changes that common sense could not explain had appeared around him. As long as those changes did not harm his body, Chu Lie had no intention of getting to the bottom of them.

The Azure Stone Sub-Hall of Spirit Hall had also been keeping an eye on Chu Jin.

After Steward Ma sent out the red-edged report, there was no response from above for a long time.

That was not unusual.

Bluestone Town was remote. Reports had to be relayed through several sub-halls, and Spirit City was especially far away.

It was not until the third day after Chu Jin reached level ten that a Martial Soul appraiser from a higher-level city finally arrived.

The appraiser was named Zhou Mingyuan. He was in his forties and had cultivation at level forty-three Soul Ancestor.

He did not make a grand entrance when he arrived in Bluestone Town, bringing only two assistants and a horse-drawn carriage loaded with testing equipment.

Steward Ma personally brought him to the blacksmith shop.

"Lord Zhou, this is the child."

When Zhou Mingyuan first saw Chu Jin, he did not show much surprise.

Twin Martial Souls were indeed rare.

But innate level-three Soul Power limited one's growth rate.

The mental illusions described in the red-edged report, as well as the External Beast Martial Soul consuming metal, could also have been exaggerated.

It was not unheard of for grassroots sub-halls to make unusual Martial Soul abilities sound stronger than they were in pursuit of credit.

"Chu Jin."

Zhou Mingyuan opened his record book.

"Let's retest your Soul Power first."

Chu Jin placed his hand on the crystal ball.

Blue light instantly filled the entire sphere.

"Level ten?"

Zhou Mingyuan's movements paused.

He lowered his head and glanced at the report date.

Three months ago.

The report clearly stated that Chu Jin's initial stable test result had been level three.

"Seven levels in three months?"

Steward Ma explained from the side, "After Chu Jin's External Beast Martial Soul consumes special materials, it feeds power back to its host. His cultivation speed is also much faster than that of ordinary children."

Zhou Mingyuan did not comment immediately.

He used his own testing Soul Tool to inspect Chu Jin again.

Level-ten Soul Power.

A stable foundation.

Meridians far stronger than those of others at the same level.

No impurities left behind from taking medicines that forcibly increased Soul Power.

"Summon your Martial Soul."

Chu Jin raised his right hand.

Xiao Jin leaped out from the golden light.

Three months of feeding had made it larger, growing from palm-sized to nearly the size of an adult cat. Its body was still round and plump, but the damaged wings on its back were visibly stronger.

Zhou Mingyuan took out testing materials.

Ordinary iron ore, hundred-year Fire-attribute soul beast meat, Light Stone, and low-grade dragon-type soul beast bone powder were placed on the ground in sequence.

Xiao Jin ignored the ordinary iron ore entirely.

It took two bites of the Fire-attribute soul beast meat.

But it swallowed all of the Light Stone and dragon-type bone powder.

Zhou Mingyuan activated a sensory soul skill and observed the changes within Xiao Jin's body.

He quickly discovered that the Light and dragon energies were being converted by Xiao Jin, slightly strengthening its damaged wings, scales, and bones.

Even more outrageous, part of that power entered Chu Jin's body through their Martial Soul connection.

"It really can feed power back."

Surprise finally appeared in Zhou Mingyuan's eyes.

"Is there a limit to this feedback?"

Chu Jin handed him the experimental records from the past three months.

"There is."

"There's a daily limit to the energy it can absorb, the effects of identical materials diminish, and different attributes have different levels of compatibility."

Zhou Mingyuan accepted the record book.

The farther he read, the more serious his expression became.

Material names.

Amounts consumed.

Digestion times.

Changes in the Martial Soul.

Changes in the host's strength.

Possible side effects.

Every item was recorded with exceptional clarity.

"You recorded all of this yourself?"

"My uncle buys the materials. I conduct the tests."

Zhou Mingyuan looked at Chu Jin again.

He had originally thought this was simply a child lucky enough to awaken an unusual Martial Soul.

Now, it seemed that Chu Jin's most valuable trait might not be his Martial Soul alone.

At six years old, he already knew how to judge a Martial Soul's abilities through repeated experiments, and he had not become blindly optimistic after suddenly gaining power.

Such temperament was rarer than talent alone.

"Test his strength and combat ability."

Zhou Mingyuan closed the record book.

Steward Ma had already cleared out the sub-hall training grounds.

Everyone went to the sub-hall's rear courtyard together.

Stone locks, iron hammers, and weapons of different weights were arranged around the training grounds. On the weapon rack in the center rested a Heavy Halberd specifically used to test the strength of adult assault-type soul masters.

The halberd weighed five hundred pounds.

Zhou Mingyuan had originally planned to start Chu Jin with one hundred pounds.

But Chu Jin walked straight toward the five-hundred-pound Heavy Halberd.

Steward Ma's expression changed.

"Chu Jin, don't force yourself."

A five-hundred-pound Heavy Halberd was an entirely different concept from a three-hundred-pound training halberd.

Though the weight increased by two hundred pounds, the burden on the body was far more than two-thirds greater. The inertia created while swinging it could easily strain his arms, waist, and abdomen.

Chu Lie frowned slightly as well.

He knew Chu Jin's strength had improved again recently, but he had never let him try a five-hundred-pound weapon.

"I'll only use three moves."

Chu Jin gripped the halberd shaft with both hands.

He lowered his body.

His feet planted firmly on the ground as his legs, waist, abdomen, shoulders, and back exerted force at once.

The heavy iron halberd slowly lifted from the weapon rack.

Zhou Mingyuan's gaze gradually turned solemn.

Chu Jin hoisted the five-hundred-pound Heavy Halberd onto his shoulder. His breathing noticeably grew heavier, but his hands remained steady.

He took two steps forward.

His Double Pupils opened.

Every point where force moved through his body came into view.

First move, horizontal sweep.

The five-hundred-pound Heavy Halberd tore through the air with a deep howl.

A visible gust formed before the halberd blade, making wooden stakes several meters away sway.

Second move, upward sweep.

Borrowing the momentum of the horizontal sweep, Chu Jin spun his body, and the halberd blade carved an arc from below upward.

The movement was not easy, but the transition was complete.

Third move, heavy cleave.

He raised the Heavy Halberd high with both hands, stepped forward, and brought the blade crashing down upon the thick stone slab at the center of the testing ground.

Boom!

The ground shook violently.

The halberd blade stopped half a foot above the stone slab.

At the last moment, Chu Jin forcibly reined in his strength and didn't truly bring it down.

Even with only the wind from the halberd and the shockwave of its power, several fine cracks still spread across the slab's surface.

Zhou Mingyuan stood directly in front of him.

When the Heavy Halberd came down, he neither dodged nor summoned his Martial Soul to defend himself.

He wanted to personally experience Chu Jin's control over his strength.

In the end, the halberd blade stopped steadily before his forehead.

The gale blew all his hair backward.

Zhou Mingyuan didn't even blink, but the shock in his heart far surpassed what showed on his face.

A five-hundred-pound Heavy Halberd.

Six years old.

Level ten Soul Power.

His strength already surpassed that of most two-ring assault-type Soul Grandmasters.

What was truly frightening was that Chu Jin could forcibly stop after a full-power heavy slash.

Great strength wasn't uncommon.

Only being able to control that strength meant it could truly be used in actual combat.

Chu Jin slowly withdrew the Heavy Halberd.

The muscles in both arms had already begun to ache, and red marks had been rubbed into his palms by the halberd shaft.

Five hundred pounds was still beyond the weight most suitable for him right now.

He could explosively unleash three moves in a short time.

But he was far from capable of sustained combat.

Zhou Mingyuan didn't ask him to continue.

"What about the attack capabilities of your first Martial Soul?"

"Xiao Jin doesn't have a Spirit Ring yet. For now, it mainly relies on physical attacks."

Chu Jin stirred his thoughts slightly.

Xiao Jin fluttered its damaged wings. Its flight couldn't be called stable, but it could briefly leave the ground.

Zhou Mingyuan released a shield of Light Soul Power, suppressing its strength to the Soul Grandmaster level.

"Have it attack."

Xiao Jin stared at the shield for a moment, then opened its mouth and bit down.

Zhou Mingyuan's expression was calm at first.

The next second, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Where Xiao Jin's teeth made contact, the Light Soul Power rapidly thinned.

It didn't bite through the shield in one go, but it forcibly gnawed off a small clump of Soul Power from its surface and swallowed it.

Zhou Mingyuan immediately increased his Soul Power output.

Xiao Jin was blasted backward, tumbling through the air. After landing, it shook its head, quickly climbed back up, and bared its teeth at the shield.

"It's devouring Light Soul Power?"

Zhou Mingyuan swiftly came to a conclusion.

Xiao Jin's current abilities were still very weak.

But its future direction of growth was already quite clear.

It could consume special materials to strengthen itself.

It could feed that strength back to its Soul Master.

It possessed independent awareness and combat ability.

It could gnaw apart externally released Light Soul Power.

If it chose the right Spirit Rings in the future, this seemingly incomplete External Beast Martial Soul might very well grow to heights beyond the judgment of existing theories.

Zhou Mingyuan withdrew the Soul Power shield.

He didn't conduct any more ordinary tests.

Many of the things that followed were no longer matters a city's sub-hall could decide.

That evening, an urgent report of a higher grade was sent out from the Azure Stone Sub-Hall.

The report meticulously recorded Chu Jin's cultivation speed over the past three months, physical strength, Double Pupils abilities, and Xiao Jin's growth.

Only one final assessment remained.

[If this child can grow normally, he is highly likely to change the current upper limit of beast Martial Souls.]

The report was relayed upward through Spirit Hall's special channels.

Several days later.

Tiny ice crystals suddenly began to drift through the skies above Bluestone Town.

The townspeople raised their heads one after another.

Though the sky was still clear, the temperature plummeted within a few breaths.

A streak of icy-blue light flashed across the distant horizon.

It was so fast that the naked eye could barely catch it.

Whoosh!

An icy-blue arrow descended from the sky and pierced the ground before the Azure Stone Sub-Hall.

Chill spread rapidly along the stone steps, freezing a layer of frost over them in the blink of an eye.

Steward Ma hurried out with the people of the sub-hall.

A young-looking figure in white had somehow already appeared beside the arrow.

The newcomer raised a hand.

The icy-blue arrow turned into light and vanished.

He glanced at the sub-hall's plaque, then shifted his gaze to Steward Ma.

"Where is Chu Jin?"

Feeling that unfathomable Soul Power aura, Steward Ma's breathing instantly stopped.

He recognized the newcomer's identity.

The fifth worshipper of Spirit Hall's Worship Hall.

Guang Ling Douluo.