Phoenix Emperor

Rhythmic hammering echoed through the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The Forging Hammer in Tang San's hand struck the enormous, red-hot block of iron again and again, forging it into shape.

Whenever its temperature dropped, Ma Hongjun replenished the flames with his Evil Fire.

Because the Evil Fire burned too hot, and the object they were forging was too large, they had set up their forge beside a lake.

This was an important tool intended to help Ma Hongjun control his Evil Fire.

An enormous axe.

All the metals used were of superior quality, and after being forged with Evil Fire, the weapon's strength would rival that of some tool Martial Souls.

Most Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent did not use weapons, relying more on their own Martial Souls and Soul Skills.

At most, they would keep a few small knives on hand for emergencies.

Some immersed themselves in ingenious devices and exotic crafts, but such people were exceedingly rare.

Grandmaster believed that, provided someone could make full use of their Martial Soul, adding suitable weapons could increase their strength by at least thirty percent.

Few could manage that, however. For most Soul Masters, simply honing their own Soul Skills was already an accomplishment.

This axe was being forged for Ma Hongjun.

It had been smelted with Evil Fire, with large quantities of heat-resistant materials added so it could withstand the Evil Fire's temperature and energy.

Grandmaster had even brought out a treasure he had kept tucked away: a fist-sized piece of outer-space meteoric iron.

It could suppress the circulation of Soul Power to a certain extent, and now it, too, had been incorporated into the axe.

After nearly three months of work, the weapon was finally nearing completion.

During those three months, Tang San and Ma Hongjun's Soul Power had both reached level twenty and continued to grow.

That growth simply had not manifested because they had yet to obtain Soul Rings.

Nor had they neglected their control over their strength or the tempering of their bodies in the slightest.

The age of the second soul ring their bodies could now withstand approached a thousand years!

Before long, the forging reached its final stage. Only quenching remained.

"Hongjun, you know how to quench it, right?"

"No problem. Brother San taught me properly."

Since the axe was meant for Ma Hongjun, he had taken part in hammering it himself, and the final quenching had to be done by him as well.

Ma Hongjun activated Martial Soul Possession, gathered flames around both hands, and gripped the huge axe.

Then his Soul Power surged as he poured both his Soul Power and Evil Fire into the axe.

The outer-space meteoric iron's suppression of Soul Power forced Ma Hongjun to concentrate a hundred, even a thousand times harder, controlling his Soul Power and the temperature of his flames until they enveloped the entire axe.

Once its overall temperature reached a certain point, Ma Hongjun gave a loud shout and plunged the blazing-hot axe completely into the lake.

Instantly, the lake's temperature soared, and countless fish leaped out of the water.

The vibrations caused by the enormous temperature difference sounded like a clear phoenix cry, echoing along the lakeshore.

"Ha! It's done!"

Ma Hongjun held the enormous axe, admiring its silver-white body, its purple-and-red blade, and the exquisite phoenix head at the top of its haft. He could hardly bear to put it down.

"From now on, I'll call you Phoenix Emperor."

After naming the huge axe, Ma Hongjun began swinging it around with a convincing air.

It was just a little tiring to hold for too long, and Grandmaster would not let him take it off whenever he pleased.

"Looks like you'll have to learn an axe technique, too."

Tang San offered his congratulations as he dipped his right hand into the lake, sending a wave of emerald Soul Power spreading outward.

He helped soothe the lake, which had just suffered this undeserved calamity.

"Hehe, I've already got something in mind. Want to give it a try?"

With guidance from Tang San and Grandmaster, Ma Hongjun had also comprehended a meditation method from the Dharma Sutra, then worked out a set of combat techniques based on it.

"You sound pretty confident."

Tang San looked eager at Ma Hongjun's challenge.

He had recently devised a few new moves himself and wanted to try them out.

Although the two had just finished a major forging project and expended a great deal of energy, their fighting spirit had not diminished.

The strong had to be able to keep fighting under any circumstances.

"You two, I suggest you obtain your second soul rings before having a match."

Grandmaster approached and spoke up to stop them.

"Yes."

"All right. For this Second Soul Skill, I've got to find a powerful Soul Beast that can help me resolve the hidden danger of my Evil Fire."

Afterward, everyone returned to the carriage for a good rest, preparing for the next day's battle.

Grandmaster kept watch all night so the two youngsters could get themselves into peak condition.

Ma Hongjun chose to go straight to sleep. Although meditation could replace sleep, it did not replenish the mind as well as actual slumber.

Tang San cultivated instead. The vitality of the Blue Silver Creation Dao allowed him to replace sleep entirely with cultivation.

He was currently dividing his attention three ways: while circulating the Blue Silver Creation Dao to cultivate his Soul Power, he was also using his First Soul Skill to strengthen his heart and Soul Ring.

Soul Power and vitality were stored within his heart. Driven by Tang San's thoughts, these energies beat against it like waves, nourishing the heart itself with Soul Power and vitality and making it stronger and more powerful.

The first soul ring was undergoing the same process. It had already begun showing faint traces of purple and was about to break past the eight-hundred-year threshold into the nine-hundred-year range.

The capacity of Energy Storage had increased severalfold. Tang San had also tried storing his spiritual power inside it, but failed.

Tang San surmised that this was because his spiritual power had yet to reach a tangible state, and his Soul Ring's level was not high enough either.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Tang San sensed a hint of danger.

He woke Ma Hongjun beside him, and the two left the carriage at once, joining Grandmaster.

"It's only a pack of Netherworld Wolves. There's no need to worry."

Grandmaster reassured them.

He had already laid markers around the area that could drive away the vast majority of Soul Beasts.

Even with a pack of Netherworld Wolves here now, there was nothing to fear. Luo Sanpao was more than capable of driving them off.

"Teacher, it doesn't seem that simple. I can sense something stronger approaching."

At Tang San's words, the other two immediately grew wary.

Tang San's spiritual power far surpassed theirs, and his senses were exceptionally keen.

Grandmaster's Luo Sanpao also assumed an alert stance, while Ma Hongjun activated Martial Soul Possession and tightened his grip on the Phoenix Emperor.

Tang San released his Blue Silver Grass, covering the area for dozens of meters around them.

This further sharpened his perception.

"Up in the sky!"

When his Blue Silver Grass failed to pick up anything, Tang San immediately concluded that their opponents were in the air.

Sure enough, several avian Soul Beasts could be faintly seen flying toward them through the darkness.

They had sensed that faint, phoenix-like cry from this place earlier and had been drawn to it.

Now, they found only three humans, all of them Soul Masters.

Since we're already here, we might as well feast first.

To Soul Beasts, Soul Masters were a deeply nourishing delicacy.