Training at the Limits of Douluo I, Plans for the Future, and Learning to Forge

Tang Shan suspected that Titled Douluo in the Douluo I Era had yet to develop Soul Cores because Poison Douluo was still plagued by his own toxins. If Soul Cores existed, Tang San's proposed solution of forcing the toxins into a Soul Bone would be a joke. What could hold a person's own toxins better than a Soul Core condensed from their own Soul Power?

There were no Soul Cores in this era. How Titled Douluo continued to advance, or even reached the rank of Limit Douluo, was well worth studying.

Then there was Battle Armor.

Could forging produce a prototype of the Battle Armor from the Douluo III Era? Its enhancement was practically a cheat, generally letting its wearer fight ordinary Soul Masters without Battle Armor who were two ranks above them.

Thinking of Battle Armor reminded Tang Shan of Star City's special metal, black gold.

He could visit a blacksmith shop tomorrow.

With his decision made, he sat cross-legged on the bed, cleared his mind, and began cultivating, guiding the Soul Power within him through his meridians.

Transparent Soul Power flowed from his dantian, passed through the Lung Meridian and Large Intestine Meridian, then reached the Stomach Meridian.

His Martial Soul drew in Soul Power from the world around him. He rapidly refined it and settled it in his dantian, adding it to his cultivation.

Innate Soul Power was said to determine one's aptitude for cultivation. But which aspect of that aptitude did it determine?

Cultivation grew harder in the later stages. Even someone with Innate Full Soul Power should not pull too far ahead solely because of an early advantage. Yet Innate Soul Power did, to some extent, determine a person's upper limit.

The stray thought flashed through Tang Shan's mind. He gathered his focus again and quietly felt his Soul Power grow bit by bit.

The next morning, Tang Shan emerged from cultivation feeling refreshed. Though he had sat cross-legged all night, his body felt no fatigue at all.

Stirred by the shift in his presence, Su Yuntao, who was also sitting in cultivation, slowly opened his eyes. The faint fluctuations of Soul Power around him quietly faded.

"Big brother, you broke through to Level 23?"

Sensing the still-unsteady aura around him, Tang Shan asked in surprise.

Su Yuntao nodded happily. "I was already at the peak of Level 22 after absorbing that Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Breaking through to Level 23 now was only natural."

Tang Shan was happy for Su Yuntao, but the breakthrough also reminded him of his own cultivation.

He had, after all, absorbed a Thousand-Year First Ring. Combined with the Soul Power he had accumulated over nearly a year, it had brought him to Level 18. Reaching Level 20 after a few more months of cultivation should not be difficult. Hunting for his next Soul Ring, though, might prove troublesome.

A thoughtful look crossed Tang Shan's eyes. He hoped things would work out once they reached Heaven Dou City.

"Let's train on the roof."

Su Yuntao stood and made the suggestion. Tang Shan agreed, and after a quick wash, the two went up to the inn's top floor.

The roof covered a little over a hundred square meters. Apart from Tang Shan and Su Yuntao, no one else was there.

Without a word, they separated, each taking half the roof to begin his own training.

The sun had only just peeked above the horizon. Its soft glow was not yet dazzling.

Tang Shan kept his shins perpendicular to the ground and his thighs parallel to it. His body rose and fell in a set rhythm, his tailbone brushing the ground as lightly as a dragonfly touching water. His gaze stretched into the distance, taking in the whole scene.

As his body rose and fell, his feet shifted with it. On the rise, his toes gripped the ground, rooting him deep; on the descent, all five toes spread in a natural, fluid motion.

Su Yuntao did the same. He began with the fundamentals of Standing Stake, stabilizing his lower body and regulating his energy, vitality, and focus.

Half an hour later, the brothers slowly let out long breaths, their eyes clearer and brighter than before.

Their pores remained closed, their bodies warm and their skin faintly flushed. Their bodies had plainly begun to shake off the stillness of the previous day's sitting and come back to life.

Tang Shan's body expanded, revealing the contours of his lean, powerful muscles. A Purple Soul Ring flashed beneath his feet as he applied the Soul Skill Self-Control to himself.

He moved through a few simple punches and kicks, using his precise control to rouse every part of his body further.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

As his fists and feet cut through the air, sharp cracks rang out from Tang Shan's body. He drove surging qi and blood into his skin, flesh, and sinews, nourishing and tempering his entire body;

Su Yuntao trained differently. After Martial Soul Possession, he did not activate a Soul Skill. Instead, he closed his eyes and carefully recalled how various wolf-type Soul Beasts walked, sat, and lay down, and how they pounced and seized prey. He tried to weave those movements into his own offense and defense.

Time passed slowly as the two trained in silence.

Their morning practice ended only when the sun was high in the sky.

They returned to their room and wiped away their sweat. Su Haichao knocked and came in soon after.

"How are we spending the next few days?"

At Su Haichao's question, Tang Shan thought for a moment. "Big brother should keep going to the Great Soul Arena."

"No objections here. Yesterday's fight taught me quite a bit about how wolf-type Soul Beasts attack and defend."

Su Yuntao agreed eagerly. He looked ready to get started, his fighting spirit blazing.

"Dad, what about you?"

Tang Shan looked at his father.

Su Haichao shook his head. "I'll probably look around Star City. I've spent so many years in Nuoding City without ever taking a proper look at another city. Now that I'm finally out, I ought to see the sights. But I'll stop by Spirit Hall first."

He turned to Su Yuntao. "A little preparation can't hurt. If Yuntao runs into trouble later, Spirit Hall here in Star City should be able to lend a hand."

Su Yuntao nodded. "All right. If anything happens, I'll go to Spirit Hall."

"And you, Shanzi? What are your plans?"

Su Haichao looked at Tang Shan.

Tang Shan thought of Star City's special metal and of Battle Armor. He scratched his head. "I'll probably visit a blacksmith shop. I'm interested in forging."

"Little brother, you want to learn smithing? Where did that idea come from?"

Su Yuntao was baffled.

"People used to think Body Martial Souls were Trash Martial Souls, too."

Tang Shan answered helplessly.

"That's different, isn't it? Your Body Martial Soul only showed how extraordinary it was because you worked so hard to figure out how to cultivate it."

"Shanzi, are you saying forging might have the same potential as a Body Martial Soul?"

Su Haichao was better at catching the important point. He immediately noticed Tang Shan's comparison.

"I can't say for sure. It's only a possibility."

Tang Shan made no promises. Forging was, at heart, a craft of the future. Bringing it to the Douluo Continent twenty thousand years early would be no easy task;

Besides, he did not know whether the emergence of true forging techniques had been influenced by Tang Hao or the Soul Spirit System. The Plane Master in the Douluo III Era was Tang Hao himself, and the entire forging system had risen only after Soul Spirits appeared. Its higher levels even involved granting intelligence, souls, and life. Tang Shan found it hard to believe the Soul Spirit System had played no part in any of that.

"All right, Shanzi. Make your own plans. We still have several cities to pass through before Heaven Dou City, so we can stay here for ten days or so."

Su Haichao did not press him. His younger son always had plans of his own and had rarely given him cause to worry.

"Yuntao, remember to keep a cool head. Don't get carried away. If you can't win, surrender right away."

Su Haichao could not help reminding Su Yuntao again.

"Don't worry, Dad. I value my life. It's not as if I'm facing a mortal enemy. I won't fight to the death."

Only after Su Yuntao had made his promise with a thump to his chest did the three go downstairs for breakfast.

Clang! Clang!

Loud metal strikes rang from a spacious shop. The enormous hammer on the sign above its entrance, together with the noise from within, made its trade unmistakable—a blacksmith shop.

Black gold was a metal found only around Star City. Its defining property was simple: unmatched hardness. Before fire softened it, almost no force could damage it.

That did not include powerful Soul Masters, of course. What black gold could do in the hands of such Soul Masters remained unknown.

Apart from its own hardness, even a little black gold added to a weapon or suit of armor greatly increased the material's durability. That was why Star City had so many blacksmith shops. Nobles and organizations such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect came here to commission weapons and armor.

After leaving the inn, Tang Shan had asked around and learned that this shop might not be the largest, but it treated its apprentices relatively well.

He would leave Star City in a little over ten days. Learning to forge in such a short time would be difficult enough; a shop that did not treat its apprentices harshly was a good choice.

"Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop."

Tang Shan read the name above him, then stepped inside without further hesitation.

The shop had two sections. Finished weapons, armor, and a few farming tools were displayed in front; the actual forging area lay at the back.

"Hello, young man. Are you looking to buy something or have an item made?"

A man in his early twenties came over to greet him.

Tang Shan noticed the thick calluses on the man's palms and the bronze tone of his skin. He was most likely a blacksmith himself.

Tang Shan now stood 1.7 meters tall. With a little makeup on his face, he looked no different from an ordinary young man.

After a brief glance around the shop, Tang Shan got straight to the point. "Are you hiring?"

Only then did the young man take a closer look at the "young man" before him. Tang Shan's limbs were well coordinated, his build balanced, and clear lines of muscle showed faintly beneath his clothes. He plainly possessed considerable strength.

After a quick assessment, the young man smiled. "I'm Tie Qian, the shop manager. Are you looking for work here?"

Tang Shan shook his head. "More precisely, I'm here to learn the craft. Forging interests me, and I'm a Soul Scholar close to a breakthrough."

As he spoke, Tang Shan activated his Martial Soul. His body swiftly expanded, revealing thick, knotted muscles brimming with explosive strength. A faint fluctuation of Soul Power, roughly at Level 10, emanated from him, but he did not release his Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Tang Shan could not yet change his Soul Ring's color, but choosing whether to release it was easy. Any Soul Master could manage that much with a little training.

Powerful. Sturdy. Overflowing with strength...

Tie Qian's eyes lit up at the sight of Tang Shan's physique. He was born to work a forge.

"Wait right here. I'll be back in a moment."

But Tie Qian hesitated when he recalled what Tang Shan had asked. He gave Tang Shan that earnest instruction, then turned and headed into the forging area at the back.

Tang Shan's mouth twitched. Remembering the young man's parting words, he decided not to say anything.

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