Chapter 9: Recruitment

Tie Li's martial soul is the Forging Hammer, Pre-Heaven Level 2 Soul Power; each time a level is raised, the attribute increase to the body is twenty;

But if it were the White Tiger martial soul? Each time a Soul Power Level is raised, the added attribute increase is at least eighty, and that is the gap between the two.

In the early stage, the two may not be obvious, but as the Soul Power Level rises, the attribute increase alone becomes a huge difference.

If one can practice Advanced Meditation, prolonged cultivation will improve the martial soul's quality, perhaps then each Soul Power level can increase the attribute growth.

Initially twenty, then twenty‑two, twenty‑four.

Perhaps the only way to close the gap with geniuses is to obtain a soul bone.

A soul bone can cleanse your aptitude, and the effect is very significant.

Even a soul bone produced by a thousand‑year‑old Soul Beast can raise each Soul Power level's attribute increase from twenty to thirty.

The earlier you absorb a soul bone, the more it will increase attributes together with your Soul Power Level.

When fused, the soul bone becomes part of the body; as the Soul Power Level rises, the soul bone naturally improves as well.

Then, each Soul Power level's added attribute increase will be thirty plus the soul bone's twenty,

Compared with the previous huge gap, it instantly narrows by a large step.

Tie Li shook his head and decided to abandon this unrealistic fantasy; the soul bone is too far away.

He also doesn't consider himself a destined child; casually killing a Soul Beast won't yield a soul bone.

The current destined child…

Tie Li gazed into the distance, silent for a long while.

All are reborn with memories, all start as blacksmiths; why is the gap so big?

Back home, Tie Li entered his room and carefully took out the Mystic Spirit Dew from his pouch.

He swallowed it, and it began refining immediately.

Compared with the Mystic Spirit Herb, the Mystic Spirit Dew released a far more majestic aura.

A few black impurities were expelled from his body; his sweat mixed with the black particles, and a strong foul odor filled the room.

Tie Li felt as if he had become a lump of iron, undergoing the tempering process of the Forging Hammer.

Perhaps the lingering stench in the room caused Tie Li to end his cultivation early.

"Ugh"

After a dry retch, Tie Li immediately opened the window to ventilate, hurriedly stripped his clothes, soaked them in a bucket, and then washed his body.

At this moment nobody was home; normally his father and mother would be at the forge, the father handling forging and the mother doing chores nearby.

Now Tie Wen and Tie Wu are about the same age, so they learn beside their father; they may not be born with innate soul power, and if they cannot become a Soul Master, they can either apprentice under their father in forging or self‑study the craft elsewhere.

At noon they return to eat, then take a short nap.

Mother returns earlier; she is responsible for buying groceries and cooking.

After rinsing, Tie Li saw his mother returning with a vegetable basket.

"Da Li, where did you go last night?"

Seeing the faint dark circles under his mother's eyes, he knew she hadn't rested well.

"Yesterday I went out with a classmate."

Tie Li gave a brief account of last night but altered the facts: a hundred‑year Soul Beast became a ten‑year Soul Beast, the Mystic Spirit Herb became a common herb, and the hunted Soul Beast and herbs were sold, earning him forty Gold Soul Coins.

"That much? You're not cheating me, are you?" Mother was first surprised, then hesitant.

To keep them from worrying, Tie Li stuck to his story.

When father and younger brother returned, they were also shocked by the amount of Gold Soul Coins.

Tie Li still insisted on his claim and asked his father to accept the Gold Soul Coins.

But his father firmly refused, saying the previous wolf hides and wolf fangs had already fetched enough money for upcoming expenses, and told Tie Li to use the Gold Soul Coins on himself.

Seeing he couldn't persuade his father, he could only stash the Gold Soul Coins for now.

In the following time, Tie Li spent at home cultivating, trying to refine the Mystic Spirit Dew.

Each day his body expelled black impurities, and the benefit was an improvement in his martial soul's quality.

The Forging Hammer's scale‑like patterns grew clearer; most noticeably its weight, now nearly seventy jin.

Correspondingly, his own strength also increased.

One afternoon, Tie Li helped at the forge; with both skill and strength, his crafting speed was fast and the items' quality high.

During forging, Tie Li found his body subconsciously matched the Forging Hammer's frequency, and at that moment the refining speed of the Mystic Spirit Dew was three times normal.

With this discovery, Tie Li visited the forge more often.

Tie Niu even added a ten‑percent surcharge to the cost of Tie Li's forged items; after all, they were made by a Soul Master, a privilege of the Soul Master's status.

On the fourteenth day, Tie Li's Soul Power Level successfully broke through to level thirteen.

The Mystic Spirit Dew was fully refined, and his cultivation speed returned to its usual turtle pace.

During the time Tie Li skipped school, Li Li worried the most, speculating whether Tie Li had an accident at the Wind‑Snow Trading Hall, or encountered trouble that might expose his acquisition of the Mystic Spirit Herb.

While eating in the cafeteria, Li Li saw Tie Li carrying two plates of meat dishes and six large buns, and felt a sigh of relief.

Tie Li's life then returned to the usual two‑point‑one‑line: class and cultivation.

The only disruption to his life was his younger brother's martial soul awakening ceremony.

He awakened the father's Forging Hammer martial soul, but did not develop innate soul power, destined not to become a Soul Master.

He has always looked up to Tie Li as a role model, hoping to be born with innate soul power and become a Soul Master, but reality slapped him, and he threw himself entirely into the forge.

"Da Li, many intermediate academies are recruiting in Manuo City today," Jin Bao said beside Tie Li in the cafeteria, sharing the news he had just received.

"Oh? Do you know where it is?" Tie Li asked curiously.

He wanted to see the recruitment scene of the intermediate academies and learn the entry requirements.

"Word is it's at Guno Square; there will be a crowd, and if we go now we'll definitely be unable to get in," Jin Bao said.

His Soul Power Level is only six, and whether he can breakthrough to One Ring Soul Master within the next two years is still an unknown.

One of the hard requirements for entering the Intermediate Soul Master Academy is that one must be a One Ring Soul Master.

"Going over to take a look won't be a loss."

Tie Li quickened his eating speed, and the two large plates of meat dishes and mantou were all swallowed.

"Wait a moment, I haven't finished eating yet."

Jin Bao, seeing that Tie Li was truly about to go, felt a sudden anxiety; of course he also wanted to go see the scene.

The two quickly arrived at Guno Passage, and wherever they looked, people were everywhere.

To watch the excitement, many people closed their own shops and specifically ran to Guno Square.

"That must be the young master of Lord Har Man's family, right? Impressive, he has a Hundred-Year Soul Ring."

"Look, the students of Man Nuo Elementary Soul Master Academy also have a Hundred-Year Soul Ring."

"Wow, he has two Soul Rings; he's a Great Soul Master."

(End of chapter.)