Donghai City, Liu Yuxin
Beyond his soul power, Yao Xuan's spiritual cultivation advanced with the steady, relentless certainty of the tide. The Creation Soul Forging Technique was a gift that kept on giving, boosting his mental power by at least one point every week. After a year of such diligent practice, his spiritual power had swelled by nearly sixty points.
Now, it stood at a formidable 195 points—a mere five points shy of breaking into the mid-stage of the Spiritual Connection Realm.
For a nine-year-old on the Douluo Continent, a spiritual power of 195 was nothing short of monstrous. Even the future Limit Douluos likely hadn't possessed 100 points of spiritual power at his age; Yao Xuan had nearly double that. For ordinary soul masters, such a number was an unattainable dream. The only one who might potentially rival him was Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King in human form, whose innate spiritual power was god-like. Yet, even in the original timeline, her spiritual power at nine years old was only 120 points. Yao Xuan was in a league of his own.
His physical strength was also progressing at a startling pace.
The breakthrough of his Ancestral Dragon bloodline past its first limit had been a baptism of primordial fire. Most of that explosive power had been directly absorbed, catapulting his base strength to two thousand kilograms. The remainder had settled deep within his marrow and muscles, being slowly, steadily refined day by day.
Since then, his strength had increased by nearly three kilograms almost every day, now resting at two thousand three hundred kilograms. When he activated the full suite of his enhancements—Ancestral Dragon Possession combined with the Right Claw Dragon Transformation—the destructive force in his right arm could exceed five thousand kilograms.
With five thousand kilograms of concentrated, savage force, the razor-sharp edge of his dragon claw, and the unpredictable, space-defying mobility of the Ancestral Dragon Shattering Void Step, Yao Xuan could genuinely threaten the life of a Soul Venerable. Even a Soul Grandmaster would think twice before taking a direct hit from him.
Finally, there was his progress in forging.
Thousand Refined metals were graded by quality. When he had first broken through to a Level 3 Blacksmith, his work had been limited to the third and fourth grades. Now, after a year of relentless practice, he could occasionally produce a second-grade Thousand Refined metal.
The requirements for advancing to a Level 4 Blacksmith were twofold: successfully forge ten different types of second-grade Thousand Refined metal, and forge one type of first-grade Thousand Refined metal, also known as a semi-Spirit Refined metal.
While he hadn't yet broken through to Level 4, he had taken a monumental stride forward. With two years remaining on his system quest, achieving it was well within his grasp.
In stark contrast to Yao Xuan's meteoric rise, Tang Wulin's path had been more arduous.
Despite Yao Xuan's constant guidance, Tang Wulin had only broken through to the Soul Master level six months ago. He was currently a Level 12 Soul Master—one level higher than in the original timeline, but still far behind. Furthermore, lacking the intense stimuli that had spurred his growth before, Tang Wulin had yet to breach the threshold of Thousand Refining, even after half a year of study. Yet, Yao Xuan was confident. With Tang Wulin's innate comprehension, success was only a matter of time and the right spark.
Several hours later, Donghai City, Soul Guidance Train Station.
CLANG. CLANG.
The sound of heavy wheels on tracks echoed through the vast station as a dark blue soul-guided train gracefully slid into the platform, hissing to a stop.
"Brother Xuan, we're here!" Tang Wulin exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement as he took in the completely unfamiliar, bustling surroundings.
"Yes," Yao Xuan replied with a calm smile, his own gaze sweeping across the station. "We're finally here." After half a day of travel, covering nearly a thousand kilometers, the soul train had delivered them to the heart of Donghai City.
Unlike the modest Aolai City, Donghai City breathed history. Its architecture maintained an ancient flavor, with many buildings standing for hundreds, even thousands of years. The train station itself, though renovated, was dozens of times older than Yao Xuan, its stones worn smooth by countless footsteps.
As they curiously observed their new environment, the train doors opened with a sigh. A river of people carrying luggage poured onto the platform. Yao Xuan, with a natural air of leadership, guided Tang Wulin off the train and into the flow.
For Tang Wulin, leaving home for the first time and traveling to a city thousands of miles away was a nerve-wracking experience. A faint unease prickled at him. But seeing Yao Xuan's utterly composed demeanor, his back straight and his eyes clear, Tang Wulin clenched his fists. He would not be a burden. He would not let his brother down.
"Let's find the person in charge of welcoming new students from Donghai Academy," Yao Xuan said, his voice cutting through the station's noise. He led Tang Wulin out of the main terminal and began scanning the area.
As a prominent intermediate soul master academy, Donghai Academy sent shuttles to pick up new students at all major transit points every year. Finding their contact was the key to a smooth arrival at the academy itself.
"Found it. Let's go." After walking about three hundred meters, Yao Xuan's sharp eyes spotted a sign bearing the elegant characters: "Donghai Academy." He nudged Tang Wulin and led the way.
Behind the sign sat a group of students clad in the distinctive uniforms of Donghai Academy, most of them appearing to be fifteen or sixteen years old. Seeing Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin approach with their luggage, a girl with sleek black hair and a well-proportioned figure stood up. Her demeanor was friendly and open.
"Excuse me, are you here to register?" she asked, her voice warm.
"Yes, this is my letter of recommendation," Yao Xuan said, producing his document and handing it over. Tang Wulin followed suit, carefully offering his own.
"Mm, confirmed. Welcome to Donghai City, and welcome to Donghai Academy!" the girl said, her smile broadening. "I'm Liu Yuxin, a first-year student at the Donghai Academy Advanced Soul Master School—your senior. I'm in charge of welcoming new students this year. Here, please fill out these information forms." As she introduced herself, she produced two forms, handing one to each boy.
"Yao Xuan, nine years old, graduated from Hongshan Junior Academy in Aolai City, Level 18 Power Attack System Soul Master!" Liu Yuxin read aloud as Yao Xuan filled out his form, her eyes widening in genuine surprise. "Wow! Nine years old and already at Level 18! Junior, you're a real little genius! I'm so envious!"
"Ah, senior, you flatter me," Yao Xuan replied, scratching his head with a slightly embarrassed but good-natured smile. He finished the form and handed it back. Tang Wulin, having completed his own, did the same.
"Alright," Liu Yuxin said, stamping their recommendation letters with an official seal. She then retrieved two metal tags and handed one to each of them. "Well, these metal tags are your passes for entering and exiting the academy. Make sure to keep them safe. You can wait on the soul guidance bus over there. Once we have a few more people, it will take you straight to the academy. After that, you'll need to complete your registration, collect your supplies, and get your class assignments. Good luck!"