Tang Li had not told the two of them that the chains manifested by his Second Soul Skill were intangible until they bound an enemy. The only chance to break them came after the seal was complete.
But once sealed, someone would need an overwhelming level advantage over Tang Li just to break free, let alone snap the chains while still under the seal.
Besides, Tang Li's Soul Power had been strengthened threefold by the Soul Mysterious Heaven Skill, Immortal Spirit Qi, and the Demon-Sealing Pot. Even someone a major realm above him might not surpass him in the quantity or quality of Soul Power.
That made his Second Soul Skill a perfect control skill—one virtually guaranteed to work against an opponent in the same realm.
More importantly, for a Soul Skill named "Refining," the refining itself was what mattered most. Once a Martial Soul had been refined, it became part of Tang Li. If he wished, he could use that Martial Soul and its Soul Skills too.
Tang Li had also sensed that some of the skill's abilities were beyond his reach for now. He suspected it had to do with his Spiritual Power; perhaps it was still too weak to drive the skill's deeper powers.
That did nothing to diminish how formidable the skill was.
Even Big Eyed, who had supplied the Soul Ring, wondered why such an absurd Soul Skill had appeared. Big Eyed had no similar ability!
Tang Li: You're overthinking it. This has nothing to do with you. You're just a tool that made things convenient for me.
After seeing how monstrous Tang Li's strength had become, Tang Wulin seemed to have been spurred into action. Usually, she came home exhausted from forging at Mang Tian's workshop and had to be prodded into training. Today, she began Meditation on her own.
Na'er had not yet awakened the Silver Dragon Spear, so she had no need to train. She curled up and drifted sweetly off to sleep.
Tang Li, meanwhile, had kept to the same rhythm all year, alternating between training his Soul Power and Spiritual Power. Working on one gave the other time to rest.
When Big Eyed's cultivation rose, Tang Li's Spiritual Power rose with it. He did not yet know by how much, but his rough estimate put it at over three hundred points.
Gu Yue, the Silver Dragon King Half-Body, had only a little over a hundred and fifty points of Spiritual Power when she was nine.
Tang Li kept his promises. Since he had promised Elder Ling he would grow strong quickly, he would do everything he could to fulfill it.
At his current pace of cultivation, he was confident he could reach level ninety-five and become a Super Douluo before turning twenty-five. Even surpassing quasi-gods like Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie in overall combat strength would not be a problem.
Of course, that was only a rough estimate. With all the Qi Luck Power he possessed, he was bound to encounter plenty of opportunities in the years ahead.
When he put it that way, Tang Li felt he should work even harder. He had such a bright future ahead of him!
Late that night, Tang Li and Tang Wulin were both immersed in Meditation. Na'er, however, quietly opened her eyes, conflict filling their amethyst depths.
She looked at Tang Li, the brother who treated her so well. As the Soul Beast Master, she had a duty to find a way for Soul Beasts to survive, and Tang Li held just such a possibility within him.
Yet she could not make up her mind. Ever since recovering her memories, she had begun to feel the influence of her main self. That was why the resolve with which she had sealed her memories had given way to uncertainty.
"Brother Xiao Li, Na'er really doesn't know what to do!"
A mist of tears gathered in Na'er's lovely violet eyes, making her look so fragile, as though she might shatter...
The next morning was Saturday. In accordance with Federation requirements, Red Mountain Academy gave its students two days off. But on a day meant for rest, Tang Li and Tang Wulin were up early.
They went out with Tang Ziran, one heading to the workshop to continue learning about Soul Tools, the other to Mang Tian's workshop to learn forging and earn a little pocket money.
Mang Tian's workshop stood close to the workshop run by Tang Ziran and his wife. The two sides were not only on good terms personally, but also closely connected in business.
When Tang Li arrived, he greeted the elders in the workshop with easy familiarity, then ducked into his parents' workroom to get started.
Tang Wulin had given him a good piece of Sinking Silver she had already forged, asking him to turn it into a little toy for Na'er. Now that he had time, he could use it to practice.
Until now, the limits of his Soul Power had kept him at the level of a Second-Rank Soul Master. But he had long since mastered the knowledge needed for Third-Rank Soul Tools. All he lacked was practice.
This was the perfect chance to put that knowledge to the test.
He picked up one of his parents' carving knives with practiced ease and swiftly began engraving the Sinking Silver, which had already been hammered free of impurities.
The Demon-Sealing Pot's blue-gold Soul Power gathered at the knife's tip. His movements flowed like running water, the entire process completed in one seamless sweep. Tang Ziran, watching secretly from the side, sucked in a startled breath.
Making a Soul Tool's core was the hardest part, and the key measure of a Soul Engineer's level. Someone who could engrave the core of a Third-Rank Soul Tool with only two Soul Rings was a genius among geniuses.
What was more, as a fifth-rank Mecha Designer, Tang Ziran could tell that his son was engraving one of the most complex kinds of Third-Rank Core Array—a Sound-Activated Core.
It was also the most precise type of core among low-rank Soul Tools. Beyond that came Spirit-Activated Cores, driven by Spiritual Power and used in Mecha and Battle Armor.
Once the core was finished, Tang Li made the other components, fitted the outer covering he had prepared, and finally set the core inside.
The result was a soft little silver dragon. Like Na'er, it had violet eyes, and they could even light up.
Voice commands could also make the little dragon breathe out elements of different colors. Of course, they were only imitations: colored light that looked the part.
For a Third-Rank Civilian Soul Tool, it offered plenty to play with. If Na'er wanted it to attack, he could modify it later. For now, a little girl was better off without a dangerous Soul Tool.
That evening, after a busy day, Tang Ziran left the workshop with Tang Li. On the way, they stopped by to check on Tang Wulin. Only after confirming she had gone home did father and son head back.
After dinner, Tang Li gave Na'er her present. Her delight was plain to see as she took the little dragon with violet eyes. Under Tang Wulin's displeased gaze, she gave Tang Li an emphatic kiss.
Na'er knew Tang Wulin was about to lecture her on how a girl ought to respect and cherish herself, so she hurried back to her room.
"Na'er!" Tang Wulin gritted her teeth and moved to chase after her, but Tang Li stopped her. Under Tang Wulin's indignant stare, he said:
"Come on, Na'er's still little. We're her older siblings; we should give her some leeway. Besides, aren't you usually the one who spoils her most?"
Tang Wulin froze. She did not know why she had gotten angry with Na'er. Then, with a change of thought, she turned on Tang Li instead!
"You little brat, Xiao Li! This is all your fault!"
Tang Li: ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ...
Before you continue