The final bell of the day echoed through Red Mountain Academy, releasing a tide of chattering students. Yao Xuan emerged from the Soul Master building but didn't head for the gates. Instead, he found a spot by the main path, leaning against the sun-warmed brick wall, his posture relaxed but his gaze fixed on the entrance of the regular academic building. He was waiting.
Soon, a familiar figure appeared at the top of the steps. A little girl with hair like spun silver, her large amethyst eyes scanning the crowd until they found him. A smile, small and reserved for him alone, touched her lips.
"Brother Yao Xuan, I'm here!"
She hurried down the steps, her uniform skirt swishing with her movement.
"Na'er, slow down," Yao Xuan called out, his voice a blend of affection and gentle admonishment. "There's no rush. I don't want you to trip."
A year and a half had passed. The constant, subtle tempering of the Ancestral Dragon bloodline had added nearly ten centimeters to Yao Xuan's height, giving him a more lanky, poised stature. Na'er, in contrast, had grown more subtly, her form still delicate and petite, the age difference between them seeming to blur into irrelevance.
As she reached his side, she instinctively slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, giving it a light, familiar tug. "Brother Yao Xuan, let's go quickly."
"Alright, alright. I'll take you home." His response was automatic, a ritual born of necessity. Na'er's otherworldly beauty, while a source of his quiet pride, was also a beacon for trouble. Since her first day of school, he had been her guardian, her escort. There had been incidents at first—foolish boys with more bravado than sense, drawn like moths to her silent flame. Yao Xuan's responses had been swift, efficient, and utterly demoralizing for them. He never threw a punch, but simply lifting a troublemaker off his feet and setting him down, dazed and off-balance, was enough to convey a message of unassailable power. The word had spread: the silver-haired girl was under the protection of Yao Xuan from the Soul Master class. Do not test him. Their walks home had been peaceful ever since, a cherished slice of quiet companionship in both their days.
After seeing Na'er safely to their apartment, Yao Xuan changed into his simple, durable work clothes and set out again, his path now leading to the heat and hammer-falls of Mangtian Studio.
"Brother Xuan, you're here!"
The voice, filled with undisguised admiration, came from Tang Wulin as soon as Yao Xuan entered the forging room. The younger boy looked up from his anvil, his face smudged with soot but his eyes bright.
"Yes, I'm here, Wulin," Yao Xuan replied with a nod, a faint smile touching his lips. He made a conscious effort to maintain this camaraderie. Tang Wulin was not just a fellow apprentice; he was a wellspring of destiny, a key to the Golden Evolution Points Yao Xuan needed. "You should be starting the hundred refinements on your fifth metal soon, right?"
"That's right," Tang Wulin confirmed, a sigh escaping him. "Teacher says my talent is good, but... compared to you, Brother Xuan, the gap feels immense. And... you must be about to break through to level ten, right?"
"Level ten?" Yao Xuan paused in organizing his tools. "Yes. My soul power is saturated. I feel that with one or two more meditation sessions, tonight or tomorrow, I should be able to cross that threshold."
"Level 10!" Tang Wulin's eyes widened with pure, uncomplicated envy. "A true Soul Master! I really envy you, Brother Xuan!"
Though Tang Wulin had worked diligently and benefited from Yao Xuan's guidance, his progress had been steady but slower. He had only recently broken through to level 7.
"Don't sell yourself short, Wulin. Level 7 is a solid achievement," Yao Xuan said, clapping a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "If you keep meditating properly, breaking through to level 10 before graduation is certain. We'll go to the intermediate academy together." He infused his voice with encouraging warmth. "And remember, if you have any questions about cultivation or forging, come to me. My experience is yours to share."
The gratitude in Tang Wulin's eyes was immediate and sincere. "Thank you, Brother Xuan! I will work hard! Becoming a powerful Soul Master is my dream. With your help, I know I can reach it!" He clenched his fist, his determination visibly fortified.
After their brief exchange, Yao Xuan moved to his own workstation. The rhythmic clang of his hammer soon joined the symphony of the forge. Mang Tian had hinted that once Yao Xuan became a Soul Master, he could attempt the profound art of Thousand Refinements. The anticipation was a quiet hum in the back of his mind, but for now, his world was the hundredfold repetition of refining basic components, each strike a lesson in patience and control.
An hour and a half later, his task for the day was complete and had passed Mang Tian's taciturn inspection. Yao Xuan left the studio, the evening air cool on his soot-stained skin.
Dinner at home was a quiet, comfortable affair. After helping clear the table, Yao Xuan spent a little while with Na'er, listening to her recount her day in her soft, melodic voice. Then, with a final ruffle of her hair, he retreated to his room.
He locked the door, drew the thick curtains, and donned a pair of simple earmuffs, creating a cocoon of silence. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, his back straight, he willed his consciousness inward.
The system data glowed in his mind's eye. A slow, steady breath left his lungs.
'Good. The time is now.'
He closed his eyes, allowing the concerns of the day—the forge, his studies, the world itself—to drift away like leaves on a stream. His mind became a still pool. Then, silently, he initiated the "Five Hearts Towards Heaven Technique."
In his spiritual perception, the world transformed. The air around him shimmered with countless motes of white light—the ambient soul power of the world. With the practiced ease of a fisherman casting a net, his consciousness reached out, gathering these wisps of energy and guiding them into his body. They flowed along his meridians, a cool, refreshing current that warmed as it cycled, finally pooling and condensing within his dantian, adding their substance to the vast lake of power already there.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. An hour slipped by. The process was one of intense concentration and gradual accumulation.
Then, as he assimilated one final, significant stream of energy, it happened.
Crick—Crack!
A sound that had no physical source echoed through the heart of his being, a clear, sharp fracturing deep within his sea of consciousness. It was the sound of a barrier breaking, a shackle shattering. A wave of pure, potent energy, previously held back, surged through his meridians, washing away the last vestiges of the bottleneck. His dantian expanded, its capacity increasing in a sudden, exhilarating leap.
He had broken through.
He was now at Level 10. A quasi-Soul Master. The final step—fusion with a soul spirit—awaited, but the hardest part was over.
Yao Xuan slowly withdrew his spiritual sense, letting the "Five Hearts Towards Heaven Technique" wind down. He opened his eyes. The dark room seemed sharper, the faint light around the curtains more vivid. His entire body thrummed with a new, profound sense of power and potential.
Yao Xuan rose to his feet, a slow, genuine smile spreading across his face. He flexed his fingers, feeling the new currents of power coiling within him.
The Soul Master realm was now within his grasp.