Yu Xiaogang watched Tang San hang his head in dejection. After a few moments of silence, he gently patted his shoulder.
"Yu Chen's talent is indeed rare. I won't deny that."
"But don't lose heart, San," Yu Xiaogang said gravely. "You still have a second martial soul!"
"Once you reach the Soul Saint level, you can start adding soul rings to your second martial soul. By then, your hammer's first soul ring will be a ten-thousand-year one. All the way to Titled Douluo, you'll have nine ten-thousand-year soul rings."
Yu Xiaogang spoke evenly, but every word struck with the weight of stone.
Tang San jerked his head up, light flickering in his eyes.
In his previous life, he had been only an outer sect disciple, yet he had managed to create the Tang Sect's greatest hidden weapon, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. He had done it through sheer grit and a refusal to admit defeat.
What did losing a single match today matter? There were plenty of days ahead.
"And another thing."
Yu Xiaogang looked straight into Tang San's eyes and said earnestly:
"I've spent half my life studying martial soul theory. I wouldn't dare promise anything else, but I'm confident I can teach you to forge a path to strength with Blue Silver Grass."
"Remember this-"
He paused and tapped the tabletop twice with his fingertips.
"There are no useless martial souls, only useless Soul Masters!"
Tang San felt his eyes sting.
Across two lifetimes, this was the first time he had known what it felt like to have an elder to lean on.
He blinked hard twice, forcing back his tears.
He straightened his back firmly:
"I understand, Teacher."
The principal's quarters were brightly lit.
Platters and dishes of meat covered the table-red-braised, simmered in clear broth, and roasted-all sending up clouds of steam.
Yu Chen sat at the table, gnawing on a sauce-covered bone until his mouth glistened with grease. Xiao Bai Dragon ate a dish of red-braised heart and liver in quick, small bites, her movements elegant.
"Eat slowly. There's more if that isn't enough."
Ming Dashan sat opposite them, smiling as he watched the boy and the dragon.
"It's enough, it's enough."
Yu Chen's reply came out muffled, his cheeks bulging with food.
Earlier that day, Yu Xiaogang had sought him out specifically to tell him something.
Luo Sanpao could replenish energy by eating and particularly loved white radishes. Eating could not only strengthen soul skills but also help restore soul power.
An idea stirred in Yu Chen's mind, and he immediately began working out a menu for Xiao Bai Dragon.
A dragon should eat meat, of course.
His experiments had produced clear results.
As Xiao Bai Dragon continued eating, a faint silver glow rose over her body. Yu Chen could feel his soul power gradually recovering.
"Uncle Dashan, the energy in this soul beast meat really is different."
Yu Chen shoveled another large mouthful of rice into his mouth.
After swallowing, he felt a warm current spread from his stomach and flow through his meridians, reaching every part of his body.
After absorbing his first soul ring, his appetite had grown a little more. He needed ten large bowls of rice at every meal.
But today, after eating soul beast meat, his stomach was already stuffed to bursting by his third bowl.
Ming Dashan took a sip from his teacup and smiled. "Your first soul ring came from a six-hundred-year Gale Griffin. Meat from a soul beast with such a high-grade bloodline is in great demand even in Heaven Dou City."
Yu Chen nodded, picked up another piece of meat, and slowly chewed it.
Soul beast meat contained far more energy than ordinary livestock. For Soul Masters, it could count as a cultivation resource; eating it regularly could speed up the accumulation of soul power.
Ordinary commoner Soul Masters, however, rarely had a chance to eat it.
Ming Dashan stood and took an oil-paper package from the cabinet.
Yu Chen opened it to find strips of dark red jerky. Their surfaces gleamed with oil, and they smelled even more fragrant than the dishes on the table.
"This soul beast jerky was prepared using a special method. It'll keep for several months."
Ming Dashan spoke with a smile.
Yu Chen wrapped the oil paper back around it and said gratefully, "Thank you, Uncle Dashan."
Soul beast meat should have been useful to Ming Dashan too, yet he had saved all of it for him.
Ming Dashan took a stack of documents from a drawer. "Have a look first. See if any of these academies interest you."
Yu Chen lowered his gaze. The documents listed the names and brief descriptions of more than a dozen academies.
The Fasno Intermediate Academy, the Barak Intermediate Academy, the Heaven Dou Royal Intermediate Academy...
Yu Chen knew little about any of them.
When he had read the novel on Earth, why would he have paid attention to details like these?
The original novel had brushed over the intermediate academies as well. When Tang San appeared again, he was twelve years old with level twenty-nine soul power, already meeting the standard for applying to an advanced academy.
"Uncle Dashan, which one would you recommend?"
Yu Chen looked up and asked.
"The Heaven Dou Royal Intermediate Academy, of course."
Ming Dashan answered without hesitation.
"It has the best resources and the strongest teachers. With your talent, you're bound to receive special training once you get in. You can also secure guaranteed admission to the Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Academy."
The Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Academy?
Yu Chen rubbed his chin. He remembered the original novel mentioning that only nobles could enroll there.
The next moment, he recalled Ming Dashan's status.
Ming Dashan was a Viscount. With their uncle-nephew relationship, Yu Chen already met the admission requirement.
"All right, then. I'll choose this academy."
Yu Chen nodded as he spoke.
Ming Dashan smiled. He himself had graduated from the royal intermediate academy years ago.
He had originally had a chance to continue his studies at the advanced academy, but unfortunately, he had later offended someone and had one of his legs broken.
"Yu Chen, stay at Nuoding Academy for another year or two and build a solid foundation in the basics. When the time comes, I'll take you to Heaven Dou City myself."
Ming Dashan spoke earnestly.
"Mm."
Yu Chen nodded firmly.
When he had read the novel in his previous life, he had thought Soul Ancestors were merely minor characters, not even worthy of being called cannon fodder.
Only after transmigrating had he discovered that a Soul Ancestor was already a major figure in their own territory.
Throughout his cultivation so far, whether hunting for a soul ring or planning his schooling, he had relied on Ming Dashan's help at every step.
"Yu Chen, Heaven Dou City isn't some ordinary little town. You may have innate full soul power and a mutated martial soul, but don't be too showy or too reckless in anything you do."
Ming Dashan's smile faded, and his tone grew serious.
"Mm, I know."
Yu Chen nodded.
"One more thing."
Ming Dashan paused, then continued, "Make a few trustworthy friends when you're out there. You can't get very far fighting alone."
Yu Chen nodded firmly again.
He wanted to travel everywhere with Xiao Bai Dragon, going wherever the road took them, free and unbound.
But first, he needed sufficient strength.
And cultivation alone would not be enough. Knowledge of soul beasts, combat techniques, local customs, mountains and geography-he had to learn all of it.
"Xiao Bai."
Yu Chen stroked Xiao Bai Dragon's head. "From now on, let's work hard together."
Two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye.
The blacksmith shop.
The forge burned red-hot, waves of heat surging outward in every direction.
Tang San stood before the forge wearing only a short jacket on his upper body. The muscles in his arms stood out sharply in the firelight.
Clang, clang, clang!
With each swing of his hammer, the muscles in his shoulders and back rose and fell.
He had shot up over the past two years, already reaching a height of one meter seventy. With his sturdy shoulders, there was no trace left of the scrawny child he had once been.
"Hah!"
Tang San tightened his grip on the hammer's handle and drew a deep breath.
He twisted his waist, drove through his calves, and channeled the strength of his entire body up his spine into his arm.
Clang!
The hammer slammed into the iron, leaving a deep dent as a ring of tiny sparks burst from its edges.
Clang, clang, clang!
He turned the iron over and continued hammering, sending sparks flying.
Before long, he had hammered out all the impurities, leaving the entire piece gleaming.
"Fine hammer technique."
Yu Chen leaned against the doorframe and clapped twice.
He had grown considerably over the past two years as well, and now stood half a head taller than Tang San.
Standing there, he could have passed for eighteen.
Tang San set down his hammer and wiped away his sweat.
"Yu Chen, do all those pots, bowls, and utensils of yours really have to be made from refined iron? It's not as if the academy in Heaven Dou City won't feed you. You're actually planning to take an iron wok on the road?"
A month earlier, Yu Chen had broken through to level twenty.
He had yet to obtain his second soul ring, but his enrollment in Heaven Dou City had already been settled.
Yu Chen had come to the blacksmith shop to find Tang San, bringing a long list: a wok, a spatula, a ladle, and even a small portable grill.
He wanted every last item forged from refined iron.
After reading the list, Tang San had nearly thrown his hammer in Yu Chen's face.
He was the only one in the entire blacksmith shop who could forge large quantities of refined iron in a short time. Though he could earn a fair amount of money, the work would certainly leave him half-dead with exhaustion.
"It's not as if I'm underpaying you."
Grinning, Yu Chen pulled a small pouch of Gold Soul Coins from his pocket.
"Hmph."
Tang San turned his back on him and resumed forging.
Yu Chen smiled and stepped back twice, silently watching Tang San work.
Clang, clang, clang!
Before you continue