A Year Later

Since Na'er joined their family, time had flown.

Tang Li joined the Spirit Pagoda Aolai City Branch as Lin Ye's assistant. Every morning, he studied Soul Master theory at school; every afternoon, he went to the Spirit Pagoda to cultivate his Soul Power.

With the help of a specially designed Meditation Room at the Spirit Pagoda, Tang Li had forced his Soul Power Level up six ranks in a year. He was now at Rank 19, just a hair's breadth from Level 20.

His Spiritual Power had also risen rapidly with the Evil Monarch, that Big Eyed fellow, helping him without pause. It had passed 180, reaching the Intermediate Spirit Connection Realm.

With Spiritual Power at the Spirit Connection Realm to support him, Tang Li had finished nearly all the Soul Master theory taught at the Primary Academy in just six months. He spent the rest of his time studying Soul Tools and Mecha.

Whenever he had time, Tang Li sought out his father, Tang Ziran. Under his guidance, Tang Li could now easily make Rank-2 Soul Tools. A month earlier, he had even used scrap materials in Tang Ziran's workshop to make Na'er a toy with a Rank-2 Soul Tool Core hidden inside.

Nourished by the dragon energy around Tang Wulin and Na'er, Tang Li's physical strength had improved considerably. With Tang Wulin yet to release the Golden Dragon King's First Seal, his physique was already about as strong as hers.

According to the Spirit Pagoda's tests, an ordinary non-Strength Type Three-Ring Soul Elder was only about that strong.

Tang Wulin had been spurred on by his relentless drive, too. She had worked hard alongside him and finally reached Rank-10 Soul Power today. Now she could fuse with her first Soul Spirit.

The Iron-Backed Earth Dragon had been prepared for her long ago. At last, it would meet its true master.

After their theory classes ended, Tang Wulin rode with Tang Li to the Spirit Pagoda branch, where Lin Ye would help her fuse with her first Soul Spirit.

Tang Wulin had long known from Tang Li that her first Soul Spirit would be a century-old Sub-Dragon Soul Beast. With its dragon blood, the powerful Iron-Backed Earth Dragon stood near the top of the food chain.

Before the fusion, Lin Ye reminded Tang Wulin to be careful. Dragon-type Soul Beasts were proud creatures. If the fusion was not working, she should give up, and he would find her another.

Hearing that, Tang Li yawned and went off to the Meditation Room to cultivate. Another Soul Spirit might have posed some danger to Tang Wulin, but to a dragon-blooded Soul Beast like the Iron-Backed Earth Dragon, she was its most fearsome ancestor.

If this Iron-Backed Earth Dragon had even half of Big Eyed's intelligence, it would have slid to its knees the instant it sensed Tang Wulin's dragon energy, then thrown itself flat before her and begged her to accept a little shrimp like it.

In the Meditation Room, Tang Li sat cross-legged and circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill Buddha Tang had "given" him.

A year had passed, and Tang Li had cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill to the peak of its first layer. Once his Soul Power broke through to Level 20, he could enter the second.

Over that year, the Plane Will had also sent him another wisp of the Fire of Chaos. After the Demon-Sealing Pot swallowed the strange flame, Tang Li could clearly feel both the Soul Power and Spiritual Power within him being tempered continuously by the fire and the pot.

As Tang Li saw it, anything that could make the Demon-Sealing Pot tremble and so easily unlock its sealed abilities was no ordinary thing. It had to be connected to the realm of gods.

Unfortunately, whenever he asked the Plane Will about it, the being who called himself Elder Ling always gave him a vague answer. He only said it was a cosmic wonder. As for what it truly did, Tang Li would naturally find out after reaching Rank 95 and taking over as Master of the Plane.

Tang Li stopped asking. Not only were he and Elder Ling bound by a contract, Elder Ling had also given him plenty of guidance over the years. Tang Li still thought highly of him.

Soul Power flowed freely through him, completing each circuit smoothly. The stray Soul Power between heaven and earth surged toward Tang Li like young swallows returning to their nest.

Blessed with Qi Luck Power by the Plane Will, Tang Li absorbed Soul Power even when he sat motionless. His affinity for Soul Power was so strong that he could enter Deep Meditation at any time—a state ordinary people might never experience in their entire lives.

He could also leave that state whenever he wished. For him, Deep Meditation was practically no different from ordinary meditation.

Before long, Tang Wulin arrived at the Meditation Room too. Under the rules, she could cultivate there for a day, one of the benefits of buying a Century-old Spirit from the Spirit Pagoda.

The moment Tang Wulin entered, she noticed how different the Soul Power here was from outside. The Spirit Pagoda piqued her interest.

But as soon as that interest arose, some deep-seated obsession suppressed it, as though a destiny hidden in her blood would not allow her to think that way.

"Finished the fusion?"

Tang Li opened his eyes and looked at Tang Wulin. A year had passed, and now that she had fused with a Soul Spirit, she was taller than him.

"Mm. Uncle Lin said I was lucky. This Iron-Backed Earth Dragon had a trace of the Golden Bloodline, and it awakened just as I fused with it. That caused it to mutate. It's called a Golden-Backed Earth Dragon now."

Tang Wulin immediately perked up at the subject. She held out her hand, and the miniature Golden-Backed Earth Dragon she summoned lay in her palm. The usually ferocious Sub-Dragon was now as docile as a kitten. No matter how she stroked it, it did not so much as hiss.

Tang Li studied the Earth Dragon, whose armored back had turned dark gold. He knew perfectly well that Tang Wulin herself was the reason. It had nothing whatsoever to do with some hidden bloodline awakening.

Meanwhile, the Golden-Backed Earth Dragon trembled under the siblings' gazes. From one came the supreme authority of the highest bloodline; from the other, absolute suppression at the level of the soul.

"Awooo!"

The Golden-Backed Earth Dragon soon gave in and let out a meek cry at Tang Wulin. Whatever it sounded like, it was no dragon's roar. It was more like a small animal trying to be cute.

Tang Wulin thought nothing of it and recalled the creature with a thought. She sat down beside Tang Li. "Xiao Li, I've forged another batch of metal recently, and Teacher Mang Tian was in a good mood, so he gave me a small piece of Sinking Silver. How about we use it to make Na'er a present?"

"Sure. Whatever you like. Just bring it to me when you're ready, and I'll make it."

Tang Li had no objections. Na'er had come to live with them when she was five and a half. Six months earlier, Tang Ziran had paid to have her Martial Soul awakened, but the result had shocked everyone.

Na'er had no Martial Soul at all. The Spirit Master in charge had been stunned and declared that he had never seen anything like it.

Ever since, Tang Wulin had often roped Tang Li into preparing little gifts for Na'er, afraid she might take it too hard.

Na'er herself was quite accepting of having no Martial Soul. She only felt bad that the family had spent money on her for nothing.

But Tang Ziran and Lang Yue did not mind. An awakening outside the designated awakening day did cost a fair amount, but Tang Ziran could afford it. Surrounded by her family's care, Na'er gradually stopped worrying about it.

As for forging, Tang Wulin truly had extraordinary talent. Mang Tian, who regularly supplied metal to Tang Ziran's workshop, had invited her to try her hand at his studio after hearing that she possessed the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.

Tang Ziran thought it was a good idea and let her go. One visit was all it took for her to win Mang Tian over!

Tang Wulin's talent for forging was extraordinary, and the weight of her Golden-Patterned Clear Sky Hammer put ordinary forging hammers to shame. She was a born Blacksmith.

The most outrageous part was Tang Wulin's physique. Tang Li had expected all that forging to turn his older sister into a muscle-bound Barbie. Yet after a year, she had only grown taller; her figure remained just as well-proportioned.