"Hah!"
With a sharp cry, the young girl leaped into the air, spinning gracefully.
With the strength driven by her waist, she swung a massive iron hammer that was completely disproportionate to her delicate figure and smashed it down onto the iron with a thunderous boom, causing the entire forging room to tremble violently.
"Huff... huff..."
Steam rose, filling the entire forging chamber.
Wang Dong'er panted, one hand holding the hammer to support herself on the ground, the other wiping sweat from her forehead. A look of delight surfaced on her pretty face.
"Did it work?"
She stepped forward quickly, examining a piece of iron on the forging table.
Despite the heat, she grabbed it barehanded and studied it intently.
"Is this the ordinary spiritual iron described in the Spirit Forging Manual?"
According to the manual, a true spirit forger could purify metal by channeling elemental energy, imbuing it with elemental attributes. Higher-level forgers could even condense divine core metals and forge true divine weapons.
But before stepping through that threshold, one had to temper mundane iron hundreds of times, removing impurities and fusing it into ordinary spiritual iron.
Though still iron, the piece in her hand had undergone a complete transformation in quality. If used to make soul tools, its performance would be greatly enhanced in all aspects.
And this was just regular iron.
Wang Dong'er's eyes sparkled with excitement.
The manual also mentioned that the initial refining of various metals—mithril, deep gold, and others—could also elevate their quality.
Moreover...
She weighed the iron chunk in her hand.
When infused with soul power, the spiritual iron even emitted a slight response—something normal iron could never achieve.
This meant that whether used to craft weapons or soul tools, the metal would resonate with the user's soul power, unleashing greater power.
"Interesting, interesting." Wang Dong'er grinned.
Only now did she develop a genuine passion for forging.
Especially when admiring the finished product—it gave her an immense sense of achievement.
"There's still mithril… Elder Kong has plenty. I'll go squeeze some out of him..." She chuckled slyly.
"What are you scheming now?"
Xu Cheng lightly tapped her head, expressionless.
"Teacher? When did you get here?" Wang Dong'er was startled, then smiled joyfully. She deliberately pushed the piece of spiritual iron toward Xu Cheng, humming a little tune, turning her head with anticipation.
"Not bad."
Xu Cheng nodded slightly, but inwardly he was sweating.
Thanks to his photographic memory, he had glanced through the Spirit Forging Manual himself.
Hundreds of hammer strikes to refine base metal into ordinary spiritual metal. This usually took 3–5 years to build up the foundational skills.
Talented individuals could perhaps manage in six months.
But Wang Dong'er...
If he remembered correctly, she had taken less than two weeks?
And during that time, she slacked off a lot!
Bear in mind: spirit forgers—granted by the system—were different from the mainstream forgers in the canon a thousand years later. In game terms, this was like unlocking a rare advanced profession, far from a generic crafting class. The things forged and their future potential weren't even on the same level.
"With talent like this, not forging would be a crime." Xu Cheng looked on with genuine satisfaction.
Wang Dong'er flexed her wrist, eager for more.
Due to the high temperature in the forge room, even though she was a soul master, she had taken off her outerwear, revealing a black tank top. Tilting her head back, she chugged a bottle of water, sweat dripping down her neck.
Even under the heat, her skin remained fair—some people just couldn't tan.
Xu Cheng thought to himself with a hint of awe.
Or perhaps, even if she did tan, she'd bounce right back once out of the environment.
"Alright, I won't bother you. As for metal, I've got plenty. Elder Kong gave me everything he had. Going to him again might be a little much…"
Xu Cheng gave her a sideways glance.
"Cough, cough, cough..." She had been gulping water when he spoke and nearly spat it out in panic.
She obviously knew what he meant—she had been there when Elder Kong handed over his stash.
"Drink slower." Xu Cheng casually patted her back.
"Keep the forged metal for yourself, or sell it to Mingde Hall—your choice. Though you're the young master of the Clear Sky Sect, here in the Sun Moon Empire, I, your teacher, am still reliable."
Before Wang Dong'er showcased her talent, some might have gossiped, like saying it wasn't worth offending two Limit Douluos just for her.
But now, with her forging talent shining and boundless future potential, many would be tempted.
The Sun Moon Empire's political web was complex—even Xu Cheng only controlled about 50% of Mingdu.
Some factions might try to manipulate her, using guilt or morality to pressure her into handing over her forged metals—beyond Elder Kong's protection.
"Mm!" Wang Dong'er nodded firmly.
"Forging divine artifacts…"
Xu Cheng smacked his lips and looked at her. If she became a god, perhaps she could forge his divine weapon one day.
No...
Actually, even in the current God Realm, there wasn't a single god who could forge divine weapons.
And judging by the descriptions in the manual, the deities it mentioned seemed even stronger than those in this world.
The potential was astronomical.
But then—
Xu Cheng's expression grew strange.
He suddenly recalled a meme from his past life:
World-ending soul tool—Signal Axe: "Permission to deploy: Granted!"Wang Dong'er: "It said go! Goodbye, Father! Goodbye, cowardice!"Tang San: "Dong'er!!!"
Xu Cheng coughed lightly and asked, "By the way, ever considered forging a signal axe?"
Wang Dong'er turned around, confused: "Signal axe? Like... an axe?"
"More or less." Xu Cheng nodded.
"Hmm... axes are kinda ugly. They're all brute-force weapons. Not as elegant as my Clear Sky Hammer... then again, that's also brute force. Still, axes just feel too crude and violent. I don't really like them." She pondered seriously.
Xu Cheng glanced at the massive hammer she was leaning on and shook his head helplessly.
"Whatever makes you happy."
"Not planning to take a ranking badge test?"
Meng Hongchen wiped sweat from her forehead.
She had just finished training and came straight to Xu Cheng's office—this had become her habit.
"Gurgle..."
She picked up Xu Cheng's personal teacup and drank.
Sweat glistened on her fair face, flushed from the exertion. She fanned herself while standing close to Xu Cheng. The subtle scent of her perfume mixed with her body heat reached his nose.
"Do you think I need one?" Xu Cheng smiled.
Soul engineer badges were divided into control-type and research-type.
Generally, research types were more prestigious.
After obtaining the Level 5 badge, Xu Cheng had broken five records and lost interest in further tests—they felt like a waste of time.
"If I'm not wrong, you're probably already a Level 7 soul engineer?" Meng Hongchen raised her brows, smiling proudly.
Typically, soul engineers' rank matched their cultivation: a Soul Emperor should only be Level 6.
But Xu Cheng didn't play by normal rules.
Neither did her brother—that's what genius was, she sighed.
"Heh, you're underestimating me." Xu Cheng grinned.
"Wait—don't tell me..." Meng Hongchen was shocked.
"Be bold. Yes." Xu Cheng took the cup from her hand, sipped it calmly.
Truth was, he had long met the requirements.
The system had initially rewarded him with the ability to analyze all soul tool cores under Level 8, and later upgraded that to Level 9 and below.
Due to mental power limitations, he could now create nearly all Level 8 soul tools. But Level 9 tools were qualitatively different—he couldn't recreate them unless he used the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's origin power.
"If I tested now, it might not inspire others—it might crush them." Xu Cheng shrugged.
He didn't want to shatter the confidence of Sun Moon Empire's proud students.
"Why ask?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, some students were talking trash, saying a mere Level 5 soul engineer doesn't deserve to be an idol." Meng Hongchen replied nonchalantly.
"Did you beat them up?" Xu Cheng's eyes glinted.
"Mhm. They were weak. I KO'd them in two moves." she admitted freely.
"Used poison?"
"You're like omniscient now." she replied, annoyed.
"You usually avoid poison in sparring—too risky. But today..." Xu Cheng smiled knowingly.
"Who dares gossip about me now?" he raised a brow.
With all that had happened lately:
The royal family was shaken, Xu Jiran sidelined, Xu Tianran falling apart. It was clear to all—the next emperor could only be Xu Cheng.
Even those who hated him had to keep it to themselves.
"Xu Daoran. Full brother of the Fourth Prince." Meng Hongchen shrugged.
"You poisoned him?!" Xu Cheng's mouth twitched.
This was actual royalty.
If it were the Fourth Prince's lackey, fine—but Xu Daoran? As long as Xu Zhen was alive, Xu Cheng wouldn't normally seek his life.
"He insulted you. It was nasty." she pouted. "If it causes trouble, I'll apologize and detox him..."
"Don't be silly." Xu Cheng shook his head.
"The boy hasn't been beaten by life yet. He still worships Xu Jiran—but does Xu Jiran even dare breathe loudly in front of me anymore?"
"If he dies, that would be hard to explain to the Emperor."
"You really don't mind?" Meng Hongchen sat in his lap, arms around his neck.
"Haha, Xu Jiran is my mortal enemy," Xu Cheng said gently. "He should be begging for mercy. His brother courting death is his problem… As for the Emperor, he just wants peace and quiet. As long as I don't go overboard, he won't care."
"Really?" she beamed.
"You looked a little guilty earlier." Xu Cheng teased.
"No way!" she blushed.
Being royalty, she was a little nervous…
"It's fine. Your grandfather is Mingde Hall's master, your brother is the heir. You're no less noble than a princess."
"My brother will inherit Mingde Hall?" she lit up.
She knew Xu Cheng never spoke lightly—if he said it, then even the Emperor and the highest-ranking figures must be on board.
That position was eye-coveted across the Empire.
Meanwhile—
At Shrek Academy, inside the Martial Soul Department Head's office.
Xiao Hongchen sneezed hard.
No time to wonder who was talking about him—he had bigger problems.
Yan Shaozhe squinted at him.
"Beibei was taken. Do you know anything?"
Xiao Hongchen quickly denied, "How could this be my fault? Total coincidence! We were leaving campus when Beibei showed up, said he missed Tang Ya and begged Xu Cheng to take him. Xu Cheng found him annoying, but caved eventually."
All rehearsed lines—he'd practiced them well.
With no solid proof, Yan Shaozhe couldn't do much. Especially since Beibei was already in the Sun Moon Empire.
At most, he could scare him a little.
So Xiao Hongchen acted scared on the surface, but inwardly, he was calm.
Yan Shaozhe's face darkened.
To him, Beibei was a complete useless simp.
This behavior wasn't surprising—it was pathetic.
"Get out."
He waved him off, no longer in the mood.
"Sure thing." Xiao Hongchen left cheerfully.
Once he was gone—
BANG!
Yan Shaozhe slammed the desk.
"Useless piece of shit!"
If Beibei was a simp, Yan Shaozhe was the first to believe it.
So despite Xiao's mocking tone, he took it seriously.
"This is the great Pavilion Master you picked, huh?"
He clenched his teeth.
"If someone like that leads the Sea God Pavilion, what future could it possibly have?"