Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by.
Inside the forging room of Skywater Academy, Mu Yang held a spirit-forged refined gold carving knife, meticulously engraving a soul tool formation onto a piece of battle armor.
After a long while, Mu Yang finally put down the refined gold carving knife and exhaled deeply.
"Two-word battle armor, complete!"
Looking at the freshly crafted upgraded Iceflame Battle Armor on the forging table, Mu Yang nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to before, the upgraded Iceflame Battle Armor did not see a qualitative improvement in its materials—the main component was still spirit-forged Blue Copper. However, the engraved soul tool formation array was fundamentally different. This was a new formation he had recently developed, specifically tailored for two-word battle armor.
Besides the new formation, the previously bulky helmet had been replaced with a sleek and aesthetically pleasing headband that did not compromise defense. Additionally, a pair of wings had been added.
This meant that even without the flying ability granted by the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, he could still fly while wearing the upgraded Iceflame Battle Armor.
Following the bloodline connection with the blood-forged metal, Mu Yang guided the Iceflame Battle Armor from the forging table into his body.
In the next instant, a flash of blue light erupted. A fully azure battle armor, adorned with countless flame patterns and equipped with metallic blue wings on its back, emerged, emitting a faint radiant glow.
Raising his hand, he condensed a soul power beam in front of him, forming an ice mirror.
"Tsk… a masterpiece of aesthetics!"
Gazing at the reflection of his handsome figure in the ice mirror, Mu Yang couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
"Pfft—"
Suddenly, a soft laugh came from the doorway of the forging room.
"Bing'er, what are you laughing at? Are you saying your fiancé isn't handsome?"
Mu Yang turned around with a serious expression, addressing Shui Bing'er, who was covering her mouth as she giggled.
Half a year ago, upon leaving Blazing Academy and returning to Skywater Academy, Mu Xiyue personally took him to the Shui family to formally present the betrothal gifts, finalizing his engagement with Shui Bing'er. From then on, they had officially gone from being a couple to being fiancé and fiancée.
"Narcissist!"
Shui Bing'er rolled her eyes at him.
She carefully examined Mu Yang's upgraded Iceflame Battle Armor, paying special attention to the new wing and headband components. Then, with a serious expression, she asked, "Is this the upgraded battle armor?"
Mu Yang nodded. "That's right! Compared to before, the enhancement effect of the new battle armor has increased by a full level.
"Previously, a five-ring Soul King wearing the old version could match a seven-ring Soul Sage. Now, with the new version, a six-ring Soul Emperor wearing it can rival an eight-ring Soul Douluo.
"And with the added wings, it also grants flight capability.
"Oh, by the way, to differentiate the levels, I've named this upgraded version Spirit-Forged Battle Armor. The previous version will be called Half-Spirit-Forged Battle Armor, and the lowest tier, which cannot be stored in the body, will be known as Thousand-Forged Battle Armor."
Mu Yang didn't classify battle armor based on the number of words in its name. Instead, he determined its rank based on the level of the materials used.
After all, since he was the inventor of battle armor, he had full authority to define its classification. Plus, this system would prevent future generations from ridiculing inconsistencies.
"A six-ring Soul Emperor reaching eight-ring Soul Douluo strength?"
Hearing this, Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up. Her voice carried a hint of excitement as she asked, "With our martial soul fusion technique, doesn't that mean many Title Douluos in the soul master world won't be a match for us?"
While Shui Bing'er didn't know exactly how many Title Douluos existed on the continent, it was undeniable that the majority of them were below Rank 95.
Currently, both she and Mu Yang were at Rank 64. With Spirit-Forged Battle Armor, their overall capabilities would be comparable to high-level Soul Douluos.
And if they factored in their martial soul fusion technique's amplification, their combat power could likely rival Rank 95 Title Douluos or even exceed them—though their soul power consumption would be relatively high, making sustained combat a weakness.
Even so, this level of strength was enough to be considered among the true powerhouses of the era.
"Keep a low profile~"
Mu Yang waved his hand with a smile.
For now, he had no intention of revealing his identity as someone from the homeland.
Was a baseline of Rank 95 enough? Not at all. He at least needed to reach a level comparable to Rank 99, the pinnacle of the mortal realm, so that if he ever encountered a situation where he didn't want to "eat beef," he wouldn't be taught a lesson with someone's fists.
Two days later, after equipping Shui Bing'er with her Spirit-Forged Ice Phoenix Battle Armor, Mu Yang took her and left Skywater Academy.
Their destination: the City of Slaughter!
With Spirit-Forged Battle Armor in hand, their strength ceiling had skyrocketed. Moreover, neither the amplification from the battle armor nor that from their martial soul fusion technique would be affected by the special environment of the City of Slaughter.
With this level of power, Mu Yang had absolute confidence in clearing the City of Slaughter and obtaining a qualification for the Asura God Trials.
Although the true identity of the Slaughter King was Tang Chen, the long-missing "Invincible Land" of the soul master world, by this time, Tang Chen had already been parasitized by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King. His strength was far inferior to what he had been at his peak, where he stood at the pinnacle of all beings below gods. Now, at best, he was merely a top-tier Title Douluo.
Moreover, the City of Slaughter had its own rules—it wasn't a place where the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King could act recklessly.
Even though Mu Yang had no "Killing God" backing him, meaning he would likely be targeted by the Slaughter King upon entering the City of Slaughter, as long as he had the strength to withstand some of its minor schemes, he wouldn't have to worry about the Slaughter King personally intervening. After all, the Asura God King, who had established the City of Slaughter as a trial ground, wouldn't let such a beast act unchecked.
Three Days Later, at Dusk
On a road outside Loran Town, located in the southwestern part of the Star Luo Province, two figures with blue hair walked forward—one male and one female.
"Bing'er, have you memorized everything I told you?"
After explaining the general situation of the City of Slaughter to Shui Bing'er, Mu Yang asked.
"Mm-hmm, I remember everything."
"Good!"
Mu Yang nodded.
The City of Slaughter had more than one entrance. Apart from the official entrance located within the Balak Kingdom—which facilitated the external supply of various living necessities and resources—there were also many unofficial entrances scattered across the continent.
In the original work, the tavern in the small town where Tang San entered the City of Slaughter was one such unofficial entrance.
These unofficial entrances were not exactly top-secret in the soul master world.
After all, a significant number of criminals entered the City of Slaughter every year. If even the elemental academies weren't aware of them, then how would rogue evil soul masters—who had committed heinous crimes and were on the run—ever find their way into the City of Slaughter?
Mu Yang had every reason to suspect that the so-called "paradise for evil soul masters" reputation of the City of Slaughter, along with the widespread knowledge of its unofficial entrances, was something the Spirit Hall had deliberately disseminated.
The purpose?
To lure the most depraved and dangerous evil soul masters into a trap of their own making.
After all, the City of Slaughter was practically a one-way trip. For a thousand years, excluding those affiliated with the City of Slaughter itself, the number of people who had entered and successfully left could be counted on less than two hands.
For evil soul masters and criminals who had nowhere else to go, entering the City of Slaughter was no different from seeking death. This saved Spirit Hall a great deal of effort in hunting them down.
And ahead of the two, within Loran Town, lay one of the unofficial entrances to the City of Slaughter.
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