I Pick Up Fragments in Douluo Continent Chapter 23

With that, the young man turned his gaze toward Nuoding Academy.

There was also a wielder of the Light Attribute there, though it took the form of a martial soul fusion.

What a pity.

"And I have a feeling that we'll meet again." The young man continued watching Lu Feng until the latter's figure disappeared into a blacksmith shop.

Kori said nothing more. He lowered his head and counted the patterns on the floor.

Who knew what big shots like you were thinking about all day?

I wouldn't dare say anything, and I wouldn't dare ask.

After returning to the academy, Lu Feng's daily routine gradually stabilized.

He studied in the morning, went to the library in the afternoon, and meditated to cultivate at night.

Besides that, Lu Feng had one more task every day: supervising.

Inside the blacksmith shop.

Lu Feng drank fruit juice as he watched Tang San hammer away.

"Tang San, keep it up! You can already swing twenty hammers in a row. Try a little harder, and forty swings, eighty swings—they'll be no dream at all."

"Think about your father. You can't disgrace the title of Holy Soul Village's Number One Blacksmith."

At that moment, Tang San stopped swinging his hammer and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Lu Feng, do you really think Thousand-Forged Steel is that easy to make? What kind of weapon are you trying to forge that even Hundred-Refined Steel doesn't meet your standards?"

Lu Feng took a sip of fruit juice and immediately felt refreshed.

"Little San, don't worry about that. I paid for it! Don't you like working? If you delay the deadline, I'll have the boss dock your wages!"

"Hmph. If you don't mind the heat, then stay." Tang San snorted and ignored Lu Feng, returning to work.

In Tang San's eyes, Lu Feng was just as idle as Xiao Wu.

And he had far too much money.

After all, Thousand-Forged Steel was not cheap. It cost a full ten times more than Hundred-Refined Steel!

And in the entire blacksmith shop, only the owner and Tang San possessed such skill. Since Lu Feng liked handing him money, why would he refuse?

The blacksmith shop was more than ten degrees hotter than outside. Before long, Lu Feng was sweating profusely.

But he did not care at all. He even moved over a small stool and sat nearby.

Suddenly, several balls of light dropped from Tang San's position:

Picked up Yellow Skill Forging Fragment ×1

Picked up Purple Skill Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique Fragment ×1

Picked up Black Martial Soul Clear Sky Hammer Fragment ×1

Lu Feng's eyes immediately lit up when he saw the fragments on the ground.

"Eh! There's even an extra haul today! I'll have the boss add a chicken leg to Tang San's meal later."

One day, Lu Feng suddenly realized that Tang San seemed to be deliberately distancing himself from him.

Though he did not know the exact reason, Lu Feng vaguely guessed that Yu Xiaogang might have said something to Tang San.

How could that do!

Tang San was from the same village as him and had grown up alongside him. He was Lu Feng's beloved friend, his brotherly kin!

Most importantly, Lu Feng had not plucked him bald yet!

So Lu Feng came up with a plan and decided to take a roundabout approach.

"Tang San, I'm leaving." Lu Feng brushed the dust off his backside and quickly walked out of the blacksmith shop.

He did not want to stay in this damned place for another second.

Tang San watched Lu Feng's retreating back and shook his head helplessly. Then he hammered away with even greater effort.

Early Graduation

Time flew by, and before they knew it, another semester had passed.

This year, Lu Feng was eight years old.

At the gates of Nuoding City, three young boys and girls gathered together, chatting and laughing merrily.

Lu Feng wore a light red fitted outfit, his long black hair tied up, giving him a dignified air. His face still retained some childishness, but at a height of around five foot one or two, he already looked like a young teenager.

"Tang San, Xiao Wu, neither of you is going back to Holy Soul Village this year?" Lu Feng asked casually.

"I won't be going back this year. I can already feel the bottleneck at level twenty, so I want to break through as soon as possible," Tang San said calmly.

"Hmph, Sister Xiao Wu is nearly level twenty too. Before long, I'll be a mighty Soul Grandmaster as well." Xiao Wu arched her brows, placed her hands on her hips, and spoke proudly.

"Haha, you two truly deserve to be geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power. I'm far behind you." Lu Feng shook his head, pretending to smile bitterly.

In truth, he had reached level nineteen a month ago. Lu Feng simply did not want to attract attention, so he concealed it.

At that moment, Xiao Wu stomped her foot and complained, "Lu Feng, why did you choose to graduate early? Isn't Junior Academy fun?"

Lu Feng spread his hands and smiled. "I've already mastered all the knowledge taught at the academy. What about you two? Are you planning to stay at Nuoding Academy for all six years?"

There was another half of that thought that Lu Feng kept to himself. There were no worthwhile high-grade fragments left to collect in all of Nuoding City. Staying here any longer would be a waste of time.

"My teacher already made plans for my intermediate academy education," Tang San explained.

"Hmph, Sister Xiao Wu hasn't had enough fun yet. I don't want to go to an intermediate academy!" Xiao Wu declared righteously.

In truth, the academy's knowledge meant nothing to her.

However, after a soul beast took human form, it had to interact with humans in order to cultivate. Otherwise, its Soul Power would improve very slowly.

But the more prosperous a place was, the easier it was to encounter high-level Soul Masters.

If I went to a big city and ran into some Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, wouldn't I be handing them a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone for free? Xiao Wu silently grumbled.

Lu Feng gave a light cough and said, "Once we part ways, who knows when we'll meet again? Tang San, Xiao Wu, until we meet again!"

Tang San nodded. "Until we meet again!"

At the academy, Lu Feng was one of his few friends.

"Stinky Lu Feng, when we meet again, Sister Xiao Wu will beat you flat! Then I'll pin you to the ground and spank you hard!" Xiao Wu said viciously.

"Tch, stupid rabbit!"

"Hmph, dead Lu Feng!"

The sun slowly rose as the young boys and girls went their separate ways.

Holy Soul Village.

"Oh, Little Feng is back! Tang San said you went hunting soul beasts last semester?"

"That's right, Uncle. I'm already a Soul Master now."

"Oh my, that's incredible! Holy Soul Village is truly prospering now. We've produced two Soul Masters all at once!"

"Creak—"

The old wooden gate was pushed open with a squeak.

"Huh? Village Chief? Why are you in my house?" Lu Feng was stunned when he saw Old Jack in the small courtyard.

"Little Feng, you're back. There was heavy rain a while ago, so I came to check whether your house was leaking," Old Jack explained with a smile.

"Is that so? Thank you, Village Chief." Lu Feng spoke gratefully.

In his previous life, Lu Feng's hometown had been in the countryside. Some people from the village went away to work for years at a time. If no one looked after the old houses they left behind, they would soon become uninhabitable.

Now that Lu Feng had become a Soul Master, a little courtyard naturally no longer meant much to him. Besides, he already planned to travel and train, so he likely would not return to Holy Soul Village for a long time.

But in this courtyard, the old hunter had taught him to speak, taught him to walk, and taught him to shoot arrows.

This little courtyard carried too many beautiful memories. It was also where his dream had begun.

"Village Chief, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

As he spoke, Lu Feng took out a small bag of coins from his Soul Tool and handed it to Old Jack.

"Village Chief, I'll be leaving to study elsewhere in a few days, and it'll be a long time before I can return. I'd like to ask you to help clean the house once a month. Consider this money your payment."

Old Jack froze for a moment, then waved his hand. "Lu Feng, you're being too formal. We're all fellow villagers. Just go study without worry. Leave the house to me."

With that, Old Jack handed the money pouch back to Lu Feng.

Lu Feng smiled. "Village Chief, just take it. Isn't Little Tiger almost six? I heard that eating more meat before the age of six greatly increases the chances of awakening Soul Power."

Old Jack's eyes widened at once. "What? You're not lying to me?"

Lu Feng handed the money pouch back to Old Jack. "Village Chief, I read it in a book. Could a Soul Master Academy's books be wrong?"

Half believing and half doubting, Old Jack tucked the pouch into his clothes. "All right, then I'll accept the money. Lu Feng, come eat at my house these next few days. You can bring some of that Soul Master good fortune with you."

"Sure, no problem!"

Lu Feng stayed in Holy Soul Village for half a month before setting out from home once more.

However, he did not intend to attend some so-called intermediate Soul Master Academy. Instead, he chose to travel and train on his own.

Whether teachers or students, most people in intermediate academies had mediocre talent.

There was nothing worth collecting from them.

As for advanced academies?

At Lu Feng's current level, he was not qualified to join one yet.

Therefore, Lu Feng planned to reach level thirty first before deciding what to do next. Even if he lacked noble status and could not enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy, joining Skywater Academy would be "excellent."

As for that Spirit Hall recommendation letter, Lu Feng only regarded it as a backup plan.

He had no desire to become a wage slave at such a young age.

Inside the carriage, Lu Feng stroked his bracelet and took stock of his belongings.

The space inside the bracelet was enormous, a full ten cubic meters. Even after Lu Feng put all his luggage inside, it occupied only a tiny corner.

Originally, Lu Feng had chosen to hand over the spirit materials out of a desire to spend money to avert disaster.

Now, it seemed that he had actually gotten the better deal.

Well, when someone was handsome, their luck was usually not too bad.

"Datura, colorless and odorless. A single drop can make someone drowsy."

"Seven Star Begonia gives off a pleasant fragrance when burned. It can damage a Soul Master's meridians and obstruct the circulation of Soul Power."

"One-Day Fatal Powder, Smiling Half-Step Mad, I Love a Bundle of Firewood..."

Lu Feng counted the various spirit medicines he had concocted, then suddenly frowned. "Why does it feel like I, a Tang Sect disciple who joined halfway through, am more Tang San than Tang San himself?"

I'm obviously a righteous character!

"Bone-Piercing Nail, Money Dart, Flying Fish Thorn..."

"Sigh, crafting hidden weapons demands far too much from the materials. It really isn't worth the effort."

"Good thing I have a brotherly kin lending his full support!"

With a flick of his hand, a black box appeared in Lu Feng's left hand. His right hand casually tapped the mechanisms atop it, producing a series of soft chimes.

A Tang Sect hidden weapon—the Godly Zhuge Crossbow.

Making Some Progress

The Godly Zhuge Crossbow was extremely domineering and specialized in piercing Soul Power defenses. If a Soul Master below level forty was struck head-on, they would almost certainly have no chance of survival.

In the original story, Tang San used the Godly Zhuge Crossbow to kill a Man Faced Demon Spider with two thousand years of cultivation. The Shrek Seven Devils had even relied on the Godly Zhuge Crossbow to wipe out the entire Fierce God Team.

Lu Feng gently stroked the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, feeling the box's smooth texture. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

No one ever complained about having too many trump cards.