第2章 魔药

Old Li spoke with an eager tone, "Deacon Wang, you just saw the situation in our village this year. There is only one person with soul power, and he is a one-in-a-million Innate Full Soul Power!"

As Wang Gang spoke, he took out a gold-stamped black-leather roster from his bosom, picked up a brush to write down An Chen's name, place of origin, Innate Full Soul Power, and Wuhun, stamped it with the exclusive silver Spirit Hall seal, and carefully put it away. Innate Full Soul Power is a rare genius and must be registered. In the future, the Spirit Hall will also keep a file.

"Heaven bless our Qingshi Village! After more than ten years, we finally have another Soul Master." Tears appeared in Old Li's eyes. Seeing Wang Gang walking over here, he quickly suppressed the excitement in his heart, lowered his head slightly to show respect, "Deacon Wang, I'll go call An Chen and his parents to discuss this."

Wang Gang nodded, waving his hand to signal the villagers whispering softly nearby to leave quickly.

"The awakening is over, everyone go back to your homes." Old Li also began to disperse the villagers.

"Dashan, you guys don't leave." Old Li shouted toward An Chen's family, "I didn't mean you."

Old Li brought An Chen's family before Wang Gang.

Seeing the high and mighty Soul Master right in front of them, An Dashan and Li Fang hurriedly said respectfully, "Lord Soul Master."

Wang Gang acknowledged this, then said to them, "Then I won't beat around the bush. Every village has one working student quota to go to the Junior Soul Master Academy in Tieyan City. Food and lodging are completely free, and there is a monthly allowance. If it's Innate Full Soul Power, the academy will definitely take him."

"A working student..." An Dashan rubbed his hands, "Lord Soul Master, once this child goes, what does he have to do?"

"A working student just studies while helping the academy do some odd jobs, sweeping the floor and moving things to offset the meal money." Wang Gang smiled, "Given your son's talent, the academy won't bear to let him do heavy work. You can rest assured."

"Then..." Li Fang cautiously glanced at An Chen, "The child is only six years old, going such a far place alone..."

"Mother, I want to go." An Chen spoke up.

Li Fang opened her mouth and said nothing more. She could tell that this child had his own ideas.

Old Li rubbed his hands on the side: "Deacon Wang, this is the first Soul Master sprout in our village for more than ten years. Please look after him more."

"Rest assured, once he reaches the academy, there will naturally be mentors to manage him." Wang Gang nodded, "In three days I will return to Tieyan City to report on my duties and give him a ride on the way. Have him pack up these few days."

"Ah, ah, good." An Dashan repeatedly agreed.

In the evening, Li Fang cooked a couple of extra dishes and sliced up all the cured meat the family had saved up.

An Dashan drank two cups of wine and had a lot more to say: "Our ancestors for eight generations were mud-legged peasants, but I never expected you to turn out to be such a promising child. When you get to the city, study your skills well and don't let people look down on you."

"Father, I know."

"Mn." An Dashan gave a muffled acknowledgment and picked up another chopstick of cured meat.

An Chen didn't say anything more. After finishing his meal, he returned to his room early.

The oil lamp was blown out, and the room grew dark. An Chen lay on the heated brick bed without falling asleep, staring at the ceiling.

He quietly summoned his own Wuhun.

A pitch-black iron pot floated above his palm. The layer of gray fog on the rim of the pot was slightly lighter than during the day, but it remained just as before, wrapping around the pot body in a faint and elusive manner.

An Chen stared at it. During the awakening earlier in the day, he felt that this pot was not quite right.

When other children finished awakening their Wuhun, they were either excited or depressed. Only he knew very well in his heart that this pot had some problems.

Just as he held the iron pot in both hands, wanting to take a closer look, he discovered two characters within the gray fog, but they were not characters of the Douluo world; they were two Chinese characters.

Those two characters loomed in and out of sight within the iron pot, and An Chen couldn't help but read them aloud:

"Start... the pot?"

The gray fog seemed to have heard his words and began to flow slowly.

Immediately afterward, a piece of information drilled into his mind:

Host activation of the system detected, system binding... Ding, binding successful.

[Big Iron Pot System]

[Name]: An Chen

[Race]: Human

[Wuhun]: Big Iron Pot

[Soul Power]: Level 10 (awaiting absorption of soul ring)

[Soul Ring]: None

[Pathway]: ???

[Sequence]: ???

[Digestion Degree]: ???

[System Status]: Shielding activated

[System Prompt]: Potions can be concocted using the iron pot.

[Tasks]: Absorb a soul ring. Reward one: Upon absorbing a water, wind, or lightning attribute soul ring, reward the Sailor Potion formula and its materials;

upon absorbing a light attribute soul ring, reward the Bard Potion formula and its materials; or

upon absorbing a spirit attribute soul ring, reward the Reader Potion formula and its materials; or

upon absorbing a spirit attribute or dragon-type soul beast soul ring, reward the Spectator Potion formula and its materials; or

upon absorbing a shadow attribute soul ring, reward the Seer Potion formula and its materials

Reward two: Obtain divination attempts based on the age of the soul ring

Reward three: Meditation Method

An Chen's breathing paused for a moment.

This is? A system!

In his past life, An Chen liked reading web novels, and having read Douluo Continent, he naturally had also read system novels.

Just this morning when he transmigrated, he was still wondering if there would be a system, and he never imagined he would actually run into one.

Yet he never expected this activation phrase to be so bizarre, and what were these pathways? What were these messy potions?

In his heart, he turned Douluo Continent upside down. Soul Master cultivation relied on soul power, and strength came from soul rings. Those messy pills and potions were at most for replenishing blood and qi, and were of no use.

Yet this panel before his eyes listed things clearly in black and white, leaving him no room not to believe it.

Never mind, once he absorbed the first soul ring to get the reward, he would know after researching it.

Anyway, he was going to hunt soul beasts and absorb a soul ring anyway, so the task would be completed along the way.

An Chen had read the original text of Douluo and knew that among these attributes, water-attribute soul beasts were the most common, followed by wind, lightning, and shadow attributes, while light-attribute, spirit-attribute, and dragon-type soul beasts were even scarcer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

However, An Chen learned from the original owner's memory that Qingshi Village where he currently resided was located in the central part of the continent, neither bordering the sea nor having large lakes or rivers.

Therefore, water-attribute soul beasts were also very rare, and he could only look around to see if there were wind, lightning, or shadow-attribute soul beasts in nearby soul beast forests.

However, why was this system status set to shielding activated? Shielding what?

An Chen shook his head, instinctively putting away his Wuhun, and found that the system panel was still there.

He frowned: "Close panel."

There was no response. An Chen gritted his teeth and said: "Start the pot..."

This time the panel finally disappeared.

Three days later, just as dawn was breaking.

An Chen paid respects before the large pit in Qingshi Village. Whenever villagers were about to leave Qingshi Village for a long time, they would pay respects before the pit to pray for a smooth journey.

After the worship ended, An Chen took the bundle from An Dashan.

Inside the bundle were two sets of new clothes that Li Fang had rushed to make overnight, as well as a bag of dry rations for the road.

Li Fang pulled his hand, tears swirling in her eyes: "When you get to the city, eat well, sleep well, and don't wrong yourself. Add clothes when it's cold, the family has saved up money for you..."

"Mother, I know." An Chen nodded in response, feeling a sourness in his heart.

An Dashan stood to the side, his lips moving for a long time before squeezing out a sentence: "Work hard."

"Mn."

Old Li had also come. Leaning on his walking stick, he fished out a cloth pouch from his bosom and stuffed it into An Chen's hand: "Child, these are a few silver coins pooled by the village, so you'll have some backing out there. When you make something of yourself, don't forget to come back and visit."

"Grandpa village chief..."

"Go on, go on." Old Li waved his hand, his voice a bit hoarse, "Don't keep Lord Soul Master waiting."

An Chen took a deep look at them, turned around, and walked toward the carriage at the village entrance.

Wang Gang was already sitting in the carriage, and seeing him approach, he nodded: "Get in the carriage, we can reach Tieyan City by evening."

The carriage drove out of Qingshi Village, and An Chen lifted the curtain to look back. The large pit in the center of the village was getting smaller and smaller, and that huge bluestone at the bottom of the pit lay there quietly.

He put down the curtain and leaned back inside the carriage.

On the way, Wang Gang told An Chen about the power levels of the Douluo Continent, as well as the rule that every ten levels required hunting a soul beast to absorb a soul ring.

As a transmigrator, An Chen naturally knew all this, but he was currently just a six-year-old child, so he could only pretend to listen with an expression of excitement.

Tieyan City was much livelier than An Chen had imagined. The city walls were dark gray, and people came and went at the city gates, with cargo bearers, cart drivers, and pole-porters crowding together into a mess.

The carriage drove through the long street and stopped in front of a courtyard gate hanging a plaque.

Inscribed on the plaque were six characters: Tieyan Junior Soul Master Academy.

Wang Gang jumped out of the carriage and walked inside with familiar ease: "Old Chen! I've brought you a good sprout!"

A middle-aged Soul Master with graying hair walked out from the room and joked, "What good sprout? Could it be an Innate Full Soul Power?"

"Sigh, you actually guessed right. You must take good care of him." Wang Gang laughed out loud.

He turned and told An Chen: "This Elder Chen is a senior professor serving in the main headquarters of the Spirit Hall. This time he voluntarily came to stay and lecture at the Tieyan Junior Academy specifically to sink down and unearth genius sprouts in remote villages and towns. Once you consolidate your foundation, he will personally take you back to the Spirit Hall main headquarters for advanced study."

An Chen nodded.

Wang Gang smiled and added: "Elder Chen has a discerning eye and doesn't like to stay put in the headquarters. Instead, he likes to run around various junior academies in person to personally cultivate children with potential."

At this moment, Elder Chen looked at An Chen with a look of astonishment, and said excitedly, "Is it really Innate Full Soul Power? Finally, I've encountered another one."

He then said to Wang Gang: "Little Wang, you can rest assured. You know my teaching strength."

Wang Gang nodded: "The working student quota uses Qingshi Village's. I'm heading back to the Spirit Hall first."

Old Chen waved his hand and impatiently led An Chen into the courtyard. His white beard trembled: "Release your Wuhun, let me see."

An Chen summoned the iron pot.

The pitch-black iron pot floated in his palm, and the gray fog on the rim of the pot was almost invisible in the sunlight.

Elder Chen walked around it twice, and his frown deepened: "A tool Wuhun... a pot? That's truly the first time I've seen it."

"Test your soul power." Elder Chen handed over the crystal ball.

An Chen urged his soul power, and the crystal ball suddenly lit up, its light blinding.

Elder Chen's eyes lit up as well: "Innate Full Soul Power, no doubt about it." He paused, then stared at the iron pot for another two looks, "As for a working student, I remember food and lodging are completely free, with a monthly subsidy of thirty copper coins. Later I'll have a teacher take you to the dormitory, and you will officially enroll tomorrow."

"Teacher," An Chen withdrew his Wuhun, "Deacon Wang mentioned soul rings on the way. When can I go hunt soul beasts?"

Elder Chen was stunned, then laughed: "What's the hurry? Rest for a night first, and tomorrow you can get familiar with the place. As for the matter of soul rings, in a while I will personally lead you for a trip into the Soul Hunting Forest."

An Chen nodded and asked no more.

Elder Chen had a young teacher lead him to the dormitory.

The dormitory was not large, with four beds already occupied by two children. One round-faced boy looked at him with curiosity, while another tall and thin boy curled his lip: "Another working student."

An Chen didn't reply, put down his bundle, and chose the bed by the window.