After leaving the forest behind the mountain, Lin Ye returned to his home in Saint Soul Village.
Since he had spent quite a long time in the mountains and forest, by the time Lin Ye got home, Grandpa Jack had already returned, muttering angrily under his breath, his mood clearly sour.
"Grandpa, what happened?" Lin Ye asked, seeing Old Jack's upset expression.
"Don't even mention it. That Tang Hao is so selfish." Old Jack angrily thumped his cane on the ground, frustration evident in his voice.
"Going to the Soul Master Academy is an opportunity that countless people dream of. For Little San, this is a golden chance to rise above others and make something of himself."
"If he becomes a Soul Master, he won't have to worry about his future. But Tang Hao. Just because he wants Little San to stay home and cook for him, he won't let him go."
"And then he turns it on me, accusing me of being self-serving, saying I'm only pushing for Little San to go to the academy so that our village can produce a Soul Master. What nonsense. Does he really think going to the Soul Master Academy is harmful? Short-sighted ! Completely short-sighted."
The more Old Jack thought about it, the angrier he became, muttering curses under his breath.
"Grandpa, please don't get upset," Lin Ye said, trying to comfort him.
"Tang Hao has always been like that, hasn't he? It's nothing to be too surprised about. But I think Tang Hao probably just reacted impulsively. Little San will still want to go to the academy. There's three months before the term starts, so Tang Hao will probably come around."
"Ah, I hope so…" Old Jack sighed, shaking his head.
"No matter what that Tang Hao thinks, I'm still going to visit the neighboring village tomorrow. I need to ask about this year's quota for work-study students. Better to make preparations early."
…
Days quickly passed by, and more than ten days had flown by.
During this time, Lin Ye balanced his training in the three martial arts his father had left him—Dragon Elephant Prajna, Phoenix Dance Six Illusions, and Dugu Nine Swords—while also studying the knowledge on Soul Beasts and the Soul Master world from the two books he had found in the wooden box.
Lin Ye's talent was exceptional. In less than three days, he had grasped the basics of the three martial arts, and now, after these ten days, he had made considerable progress.
At dawn, the morning light was soft and gentle.
As usual, after bidding farewell to Grandpa Jack, Lin Ye headed into the forest not far from the back of the mountain.
This forest, with its thick trees and solitude, was the perfect place Lin Ye had found to train in martial arts without being disturbed.
Standing in an open space, Lin Ye positioned himself in a horse stance, adopting a peculiar posture. His hands were extended forward, his feet firmly rooted to the ground, as though he were a wooden stake driven deep into the earth. He began a rhythmic, deliberate breathing technique.
'Inhale~ Exhale~ Again and again.'
As Lin Ye continued his breathing, his skin slowly took on a reddish hue, and a faint mist began to rise from his pores.
In the cool shade of the forest, the mist was especially striking.
But beyond the external changes, there was also a peculiar sound coming from within Lin Ye's body, like the faint but deep rumble of an elephant trumpeting. Though the sound was subtle, it was distinct in the stillness of the forest.
This was the Dragon Elephant Stance, a technique from Dragon Elephant Prajna.
The Dragon Elephant Stance was one of the fundamental methods recorded in the Dragon Elephant Prajna, a way to circulate blood and vital energy in the body. When paired with special breathing techniques, it could temper the body and increase strength. It was the most basic secret technique of the art.
Aside from the Dragon Elephant Stance, there were other techniques like the Dragon Elephant Body-Tempering Fist, the Dragon Elephant Swallowing Method, and the Dragon Elephant Dormant Technique—all of which were designed to refine the body and enhance physical power.
With so many incredible secret techniques, Dragon Elephant Prajna was far from an ordinary martial art.
According to the information Lin Ye had obtained, Dragon Elephant Prajna consisted of thirteen levels. Each level granted immense strength, and if all thirteen levels were mastered, one could attain a body of invincible might capable of shattering the heavens.
When Lin Ye practiced the Nine Yang Divine Skill before, it had nurtured his body with its continuous flow of energy, giving him strength far beyond that of an ordinary person. However, much of that strength came from the support of his True Qi.
Without using his True Qi, Lin Ye's physical strength was roughly equivalent to an average adult, capable of lifting around 200 pounds with effort.
But after just a few days of training in Dragon Elephant Prajna, Lin Ye's strength had already multiplied several times over.
Even without the support of True Qi, Lin Ye could now easily lift over 500 pounds. And with True Qi added, he could easily exert the force of a thousand pounds or more!
While practicing the Dragon Elephant Stance in the forest, Lin Ye finally reached his limit after about half an hour.
Though the stance could temper the body and increase strength, it also consumed a significant amount of blood and energy. With his current physical condition, Lin Ye could only maintain it for about half an hour, even with the help of the Nine Yang Divine Skill speeding up his recovery.
To hold out longer, Lin Ye would need to consume more life-nourishing food, especially meat, using the Dragon Elephant Swallowing Method to convert it into energy.
After finishing his practice, Lin Ye felt no stiffness in his body despite standing in place for so long, thanks to the circulation of his vital energy. A few light stretches were enough to loosen him up before he moved on to the next part of his training.
As True Qi surged within him, Lin Ye leaped into the air, his body as light as a feather. He landed atop the branches of a tall tree.
With each leap, Lin Ye moved effortlessly from tree to tree, a display of the agility he had gained through practicing the second martial art, Phoenix Dance Six Illusions.
Phoenix Dance Six Illusions was a movement technique that allowed the user to become as light as a feather, enabling them to glide across treetops or any surface with ease. By mastering this lightness, one could achieve unimaginable speed.
Currently, Lin Ye could cover over ten meters in just a second, a terrifying speed for someone who had only just begun learning the first of the six levels of Phoenix Dance Six Illusions.
After finishing his practice with Phoenix Dance Six Illusions, Lin Ye landed back on the ground. He broke off a tree branch and began practicing his sword techniques.
Holding the branch as though it were a sword, Lin Ye moved swiftly through the forest, striking with precision—slicing, slashing, thrusting, parrying, shaking the branch with fluid grace.
These were all the fundamental techniques of Dugu Nine Swords. Only after mastering these basics would Lin Ye be able to move on to the nine specific forms described in the sword art.
Before he knew it, half an hour had passed.
Because Lin Ye had focused his full energy on practicing, executing each movement with all his strength, by the time he was finished, he was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
"That's enough for today. Time to head home."
After finishing his sword practice, Lin Ye tossed aside the branch, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and made his way out of the forest and back toward his home.
When he returned, Grandpa Jack had already prepared breakfast.
After eating, Grandpa Jack headed off to the fields to work.
Normally, during this time, Lin Ye would stay at home and study the Soul Beast Encyclopedia and Soul Master Common Knowledge books that his father had left behind.
But over the past ten days, Lin Ye had already finished both books. Now, there was something else on his mind.
During his recent training, while Phoenix Dance Six Illusions and Dugu Nine Swords had progressed smoothly, Lin Ye had encountered a bottleneck with Dragon Elephant Prajna.
As Lin Ye's body grew stronger, advancing in Dragon Elephant Prajna required more and more blood and energy. However, even though Grandpa Jack was the village chief, their meals were still simple—mostly coarse tea and plain rice, with the occasional fish. There simply wasn't enough meat to fuel Lin Ye's training.
Lin Ye knew he would have to find a solution himself.
His solution? Hunting in the mountains.
With his current speed and strength, Lin Ye could easily venture deep into the back mountain to hunt. What he lacked, however, was a suitable weapon—a sword.
If he had a proper sword, Lin Ye could use Phoenix Dance Six Illusions to quickly navigate the forest and find prey.
With the strength gained from the Nine Yang Divine Skill and Dragon Elephant Prajna, even fierce beasts like lions and tigers wouldn't stand a chance against Lin Ye.
And Lin Ye knew exactly where he could get his hands on a sword—at Tang San's house.
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The Tang family had the only blacksmith shop in Saint Soul Village.
Though Tang Hao's personal character left much to be desired, even Lin Ye's grandfather, Old Jack, had to admit one thing: Tang Hao's blacksmithing skills were truly exceptional. The tools he forged were not only top-quality but also incredibly affordable.
Because of this—and coupled with Tang San's polite and well-behaved nature, which made Old Jack quite fond of him—Old Jack had yet to chase Tang Hao out of the village.
Despite his remarkable blacksmithing skills, Tang Hao usually only made farming tools. Lin Ye had never heard of him forging weapons; at best, he might craft axes.
But making a sword was definitely more difficult than forging an axe or other agricultural tools.
Still, Lin Ye wasn't about to give up. After all, this was crucial to his training. He wanted to gain strength quickly so that one day he could venture out and explore the continent.
Although Tang Hao had never been known to forge weapons, if he could create exceptional farming tools, making a sword shouldn't be an issue.
If worse came to worst, Lin Ye had even considered sketching out the general design of his Golden Sword Martial Soul and having Tang Hao replicate it.
With a detailed blueprint, it would be hard for even someone like Tang Hao to mess up the job.
Plus, by training with a sword modeled after the Golden Sword, Lin Ye would grow more accustomed to wielding the real one when performing techniques like Dugu Nine Swords.
...
Lin Ye rummaged through his belongings and found some sheets of white paper left over from his time studying at the village's private school.
Selecting one sheet, he summoned his Golden Sword Martial Soul, and using a piece of charcoal, he carefully sketched out the basic design of the sword.
Once the sketch was completed, he folded the paper neatly and tucked it into his pocket.
However, Lin Ye didn't head straight to Tang San's house. He had somewhere else to go first.
Since childhood, Lin Ye had observed how his grandfather, Old Jack, handled the village's many affairs as the village chief. People often came by to bring gifts—such as pheasants, rabbits, or large fish—asking Old Jack for help with various tasks.
Old Jack, being the village chief, would always try his best to assist the villagers, whether or not they brought him gifts. But offering a token of appreciation certainly helped.
Old Jack had a saying for this: "Renqing shigu," or "the ways of the world." If you wanted someone's help with something, even if the person was kind-hearted, giving a small gift would ensure the job was done well. It didn't matter how valuable the gift was; it was the thought behind it that made the difference.
Lin Ye planned to follow this principle.
Since he wasn't entirely sure how skilled Tang Hao was at forging weapons, Lin Ye decided to bring a gift to show his sincerity and to ensure Tang Hao would take the job seriously.
Tang Hao loved his liquor, so naturally, Lin Ye intended to bring him some wine. A few copper soul coins would be enough to buy a small keg of barley wine, which wasn't too expensive.
Digging out a small wooden box from under his bed, Lin Ye opened it to reveal some old childhood toys and a small pouch of coins.
Opening the pouch, he saw more than twenty copper soul coins—his savings from various New Year's gifts over the years.
He took out five coins, put the pouch back into the box, and pushed the box back under his bed before heading out toward the village tavern.
The tavern in Saint Soul Village was located on the east side of the village, housed in a small wooden building.
Inside, right by the entrance, stood a counter, and behind it, various bottles and barrels of wine were displayed on a sturdy shelf. The tavern offered just three types of alcohol: rice wine, fruit wine, and barley wine.
Outside the tavern, several large wooden barrels were stacked, and above the entrance hung a wooden sign shaped like a barrel, indicating the shop's purpose.
Lin Ye made his way to the front of the tavern.
As soon as the owner, a middle-aged man with a beer belly and a balding head, saw Lin Ye, he greeted him with a smile, "Well, well, if it isn't little Lin Ye! What brings you here today?"
"I'm here to buy some wine, Uncle Max. Could you give me a small keg of barley wine?" Lin Ye said as he placed five copper soul coins on the counter.
"Hmm? Lin Ye, you're still so young. Don't tell me you're planning to sneak a drink?" Uncle Max raised an eyebrow, not taking the coins immediately.
"I'm not drinking it myself, Uncle Max. I'm giving it as a gift," Lin Ye explained, shaking his head.
"A gift? To whom? Don't tell me you're giving it to that drunkard, Tang Hao?" Uncle Max chuckled heartily at the thought.
Lin Ye nodded, his expression calm. "Yes, I want to ask Uncle Tang Hao to help me forge something."
Uncle Max, hearing Lin Ye confirm it, looked a bit puzzled. "You need something forged? You really don't need to bring him wine for that. Tang Hao may love his drink, but when it comes to forging, he takes it seriously. His work is always top-notch; there's no need for bribes."
"It's fine," Lin Ye replied, shaking his head. "I'd like Uncle Tang Hao to do his very best, and giving a gift to show my sincerity certainly won't hurt."
Uncle Max chuckled again, shaking his head. "You sure are something, Lin Ye, acting like a little adult. Well, if you insist."
Seeing Lin Ye was set on his plan, Uncle Max didn't argue further. He took the five copper soul coins and handed Lin Ye a small keg of barley wine from the shelf behind him.
"Here you go, little Lin Ye. Your wine."
"Thank you, Uncle Max!" Lin Ye thanked him, then turned and left the tavern, heading toward the blacksmith shop on the west side of the village.
Saint Soul Village wasn't very big.
After leaving the tavern, it didn't take long for Lin Ye to reach the area near the blacksmith shop.
All he had to do was walk up a flight of steps, and he'd be at the Tang family's doorstep.
As Lin Ye climbed the stairs, carrying the small keg of wine, he could already hear the rhythmic clang clang of hammering coming from the blacksmith shop.
It seemed that Tang Hao was hard at work.
"Hey, Tang San!" Lin Ye called out as he approached the shop, making his way inside.
However, to Lin Ye's surprise, the person working the forge wasn't Tang Hao—it was Tang San! This caught Lin Ye off guard.
The forging hammer in the shop was incredibly heavy, weighing at least 300 to 400 pounds. It wasn't something an ordinary child could even lift, let alone swing with such ease.
"Lin Ye, what brings you here?" Tang San smiled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, clearly happy to see his friend.
"I wanted to ask Uncle Tang Hao to help me forge something, and I brought this as a small token of appreciation for him," Lin Ye said, holding up the small keg of wine.
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