The Gains of an Unconventional Martial Soul Avatar, Progress in Forging, and an Impending Departure

After hearing Tang Shan's explanation, Su Yuntao finally gained a reasonably clear understanding of the special state he had entered earlier.

"The reason I call entering that state a treasure is that it offers several major benefits."

Tang Shan sounded somewhat amazed as he explained.

"The enhanced combat instincts and experience are one benefit. Another is the route your Soul Power followed through your body while you were in that state, big brother."

"Can I use that circulation route directly for cultivation?"

Su Yuntao clearly had his doubts.

"Most likely." Tang Shan paused briefly before continuing, "If it circulated smoothly through your body without any backlash while you were in that unconventional Martial Soul Avatar state, that means there was nothing wrong with those Soul Power circulation routes. Continuing to use them after leaving that state certainly shouldn't cause any major problems. After all, Martial Soul Possession grants you combat instincts; it doesn't alter your physical structure."

"Then I'll give it a try." Su Yuntao immediately sat cross-legged and quickly entered a meditative state.

After a while, Su Yuntao emerged from his cultivation and exclaimed in surprise, "What a fast cultivation speed! But why do I feel as though the Soul Power inside me is being compressed?"

Compressing Soul Power? Could this cultivation method, derived from big brother's Martial Soul and bloodline, help him condense a Soul Core?

Tang Shan had not forgotten that in the era of Douluo I, Soul Masters had no Soul Cores; only Soul Beasts condensed them. Since this cultivation method had been specifically derived from the combination of Su Yuntao's Soul Beast bloodline, Martial Soul, and physical traits, it was only natural for it to have some Soul Power-compressing effect.

"Isn't compressing Soul Power a good thing? Your Soul Power will become denser and more substantial, and you'll be able to use your Soul Skills a few more times."

"But won't my cultivation slow down?" Su Yuntao sounded a little glum.

"You've gained an entirely new cultivation method, so your cultivation speed is bound to increase. Even if compressing your Soul Power slows it down slightly, the two effects balance out, leaving you with denser Soul Power and no losses elsewhere. You're still coming out ahead, big brother."

"Little brother, how do you think I should develop this unconventional Martial Soul Avatar from here?"

With Tang Shan's unique perspective on the matter, Su Yuntao finally calmed down and began considering how to develop his unconventional Martial Soul Avatar in the future.

Su Yuntao waited for a while without receiving an answer. When he looked up, he found Tang Shan staring at him with a strange expression.

Tang Shan felt rather helpless too. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Big brother, I'm only an ordinary Soul Master right now, and my Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul. What made you think of asking me for advice on developing a Martial Soul Avatar?"

"I suppose you're right." Su Yuntao felt a little embarrassed. Ever since they were children, Tang Shan's grasp of theory had left such a deep impression on him that he instinctively assumed there was little Tang Shan did not know in that field, even if he was not completely omniscient.

Now that he had happened to comprehend an unconventional version of the Martial Soul Avatar, he had instinctively asked an "ordinary Soul Master" about it. On reflection, that really was rather inappropriate.

"My understanding of Martial Soul Avatars is still fairly limited, and I probably won't be researching them anytime soon. Actually, you don't need to rush into figuring out how to develop it either, big brother. Just making proper use of its existing effects is enough. What I can do is help you enter that unconventional Martial Soul Avatar state a few more times, so that eventually you can activate it at will, even without being under pressure."

That was the only advice Tang Shan could offer. After all, he really was only a Soul Master at present. Faced with an ability on the level of a Martial Soul Avatar, he genuinely had no idea where to begin.

"All right, then let's continue." Su Yuntao did not have many outstanding qualities, but he was exceptionally willing to listen to advice.

He knew perfectly well that if even Tang Shan could not find a direction for developing the unconventional Martial Soul Avatar in the short term, an ordinary Soul Grandmaster like him stood even less of a chance.

Rather than dwell on theory, he might as well do as Tang Shan suggested: enter the unconventional Martial Soul Avatar state a few more times and strive to gain conscious control over it.

Two Soul Rings slowly appeared beneath his feet, and wolf-like features emerged on Su Yuntao's body once more. Meanwhile, Tang Shan's muscles rapidly bulged, his entire body swelling and growing taller.

"Big brother, let's fight at full strength. We were so busy testing things earlier that we never found out how strong you really are with those vastly improved combat instincts and experience."

As he spoke, Tang Shan instinctively clenched his fists. His carrot-thick fingers curled inward one by one, blue-black tendons standing out beneath his skin. His fists brimmed with power, like enormous hammers capable of forging heaven and earth.

"Then let's go all out!" Su Yuntao crouched slightly, poised to strike like a starving wolf ready to devour its prey, yet his gaze was remarkably calm.

Was this a great demon taking human form, or a fiend attaining Buddhahood—

Clang! Clang!

The hammer fell again and again, and the metal on the forging table shrank at a visible rate.

"Whew!"

Tie Zhong let out a long breath and set down his forging hammer, his face filled with undisguised joy.

"Master Tie, impressive work!" Tang Shan, who had been watching nearby, voiced his heartfelt admiration. His respect was genuine. In just a few short days, Tie Zhong had taken another step forward in metal purification. Even if this was the culmination of years of accumulated experience, it still spoke to his outstanding talent for forging.

The further one progressed in purifying metal, the harder it became. It was like improving from no foundation at all to a score of eighty: that was relatively easy. But advancing from eighty to ninety, or even striving for a perfect hundred, demanded a sharply increasing level of skill with every step. Otherwise, someone would long since have figured out how to purify metal to greater depths.

"You truly are extraordinary, Master Tie. Making such astonishing progress in metal purification in just a few days—I'd say you unquestionably have the makings of a Divine Craftsman."

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Though Tie Zhong put on a modest air, the smile on his face said everything. Who did not enjoy hearing praise?

"The main reason is that you pointed me in the right direction, Tang Shan. That let me pursue my research without any doubts." Compliments were best returned in kind, and Tie Zhong was not quite as simple and guileless as he appeared. He smoothly offered Tang Shan some praise of his own.

Tang Shan smiled and said nothing more. He knew perfectly well that until real results emerged, talk of the right direction was just empty words. Only results could prove a direction correct. Even though he had worked backward from future outcomes, he could not guarantee that this path was entirely correct. Tie Zhong's efforts and contributions were absolutely undeniable.

"Tang Shan, are you leaving?" Recalling their discussions and exchanges about forging over the past few days, Tie Zhong sounded somewhat regretful.

"That's right. I've already spent eight or nine days in Star City. Unless something unexpected happens, I should be setting off tomorrow." Tang Shan nodded.

"Well..." A trace of embarrassment appeared on Tie Zhong's face, and he hesitated.

"If you have something to say, Master Tie, please speak freely." Tang Shan saw his discomfort at once and took the initiative to ask.

"I just wanted to ask whether I could share this approach to forging with my senior brother. Having him join the research might help us progress faster, especially since he's also a Soul Master. Tang Shan, we're willing to pay an appropriate fee."

"Master Tie, you developed this forging method yourself. I merely offered a few suggestions. You can teach it to anyone you like, and there's no need to pay anything. I only hope that if you make another breakthrough with this forging method in the future, you'll be willing to share your insights with me."

Tang Shan agreed without hesitation. Ultimately, this was merely an improvement in metal purification at the Hundred Refinement level. There was nothing worth hiding. Even if they truly managed to research purification to the Thousand Refinement level, its influence on the overall situation across the continent would still be limited.

It was just like the thousand-year second ring theory he had published before. Even if his theory led to the emergence of more top-tier Soul Masters in the future, that would be a long way off. Meanwhile, the entire continent would undergo earth-shaking changes over the next few decades. Who could have imagined that in less than thirty years, three gods and four divine positions would emerge across the continent?

Besides, as he had said, this forging method was the fruit of Tie Zhong's dedicated research. He was not shameless enough to claim the greatest share of credit for the final results merely because he had suggested a direction.

He was a master, but he was not "Grandmaster." He could not appropriate other factions' core materials and pass them off as his own achievements.

"Of course. No problem!" Having received Tang Shan's permission, Tie Zhong readily agreed. Tang Shan felt that merely providing a direction did not entitle him to sole control over this method of further purifying metal, but in Tie Zhong's eyes, Tang Shan fully deserved that recognition.

Over the past few days, Tang Shan had displayed his forging talent to the fullest. Tie Zhong believed that even without his help, Tang Shan would certainly have made a breakthrough in metal purification through his own forging within a year at most.

"By the way, Master Tie, who is your senior brother?" Tang Shan grew curious. To him, Tie Zhong's forging skills were already quite exceptional. What accomplishments might his senior brother have achieved in the field?

Tie Zhong instinctively looked around, as though wary of eavesdroppers, before lowering his voice. "Tang Shan, I'll tell you who my senior brother is, but you mustn't go spreading it around."

Tang Shan's expression turned serious, and he grew a little wary. Could Master Tie's senior brother have some highly unusual identity?

"My senior brother is Iron Dragon."

Tang Shan blinked. The name sounded familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Shan's expression grew strange. Somewhat taken aback, he asked, "Do you mean the owner of the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop?"

Tie Zhong nodded with an honest expression. "He's not just my senior brother. He's also my distant cousin."

Tang Shan abruptly fell silent. He finally remembered where he had heard the name. First, the black gold armor Ning Fengzhi had commissioned seemed to have been made at the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop. Second, he had heard of the shop back when he first wanted to learn forging.

The Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop was supposedly the best blacksmith shop in Star City. However, rumors said that Iron Dragon was extremely greedy and often deliberately inflated his prices. If he had not been a Soul King himself, someone would probably have dealt with him long ago.

Later, the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop had appeared. Judging by its name alone, it seemed to have been established specifically to oppose the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop. Whenever the latter deliberately raised its prices, the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop would sell weapons and armor more cheaply. Though their quality was slightly inferior, their affordability won them widespread favor.

Some people had previously worried that, since Tie Zhong was not a Soul Master, Iron Dragon might suppress his shop. Yet apart from commercial competition, the two sides had almost never come into direct conflict.

Many speculated that the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop might have a powerful faction backing it. It might even have been established by a major faction specifically to compete with the Iron Dragon Blacksmith Shop and force it to lower its prices.

After all, Iron Dragon's forging skills truly were exceptional, but his prices were simply too high. People were unwilling to pay more than they had to, which was what had allowed the Iron Bell Blacksmith Shop to gain a foothold.