Zhou Linlan let out a sigh after cultivating with the Mysterious Heaven Skill technique alongside her mother.It was already noon, and she began to take out a soul tool that Zhen Len had given her several months ago. She had been touched because she had seen him spend two months making several of them before giving one to her and one to her mother. Although he had asked for her blood, unlike with her mother, this made it so that no one but her could use the soul tool. Because of that, she felt that in Zhen Len's heart, she was more important to him than her mother, as he had made it personally for her.
He had also told them it was a simple spiritual mobile device with some interesting features, like video games for entertainment. It also allowed for long-distance communication between them across several kilometers, and most importantly, it contained information she should study in her free time because it would be very useful to her.
Among this information were many herbs she had never seen before, metals, common soul beasts and some very powerful ones, soul cores, soul tools, blacksmithing, soul engineering, and what caught her attention the most: theories about martial souls. These included the relationship between soul rings and martial souls, and how they could affect the bodies of soul masters in different ways. It explained the concept of spiritual power and its importance in absorbing soul rings over 10,000 years old.
There were even very complete and well-explained theories that challenged all her and her mother's understanding because they contradicted the common knowledge mostly derived from the book Ten Great Core Spirit Competencies, written by Yu Xiaogang. He, the Golden Iron Dragon Titled Douluo himself, had been the master of the Seven Shrek Devils who became gods. His profound knowledge of soul master theory allowed him to overcome the limits of his martial soul, becoming a great inspiration for untalented soul masters.
After glancing through it briefly, she saw that her mother had started cooking.
"Mom, can I help you cook?" she asked, wanting to help prepare food for Zhen Len. But to her disappointment, her mother declined.
"No need. I want Zhen Len to keep tasting my cooking."A slight blush appeared on her pale cheeks as she said those words, though Zhou Linlan didn't notice anything strange. She was already used to seeing that expression on her mother's face when they spoke with or were around Zhen Len, so she took it as a sign of her mother's deep admiration for him.
"Alright, I'll go check on Zhen Len and tell him to come eat when he finishes refining."As she walked away from her mother, she saw how the other Fire Spirit Foxes brought the corpse of a soul beast for her mother to cook with. They seemed happy and full of anticipation, although for some reason, one of the fire spirit foxes always appeared to feel a certain hostility and challenge toward her mother, but not toward her. which confused them. But since it never tried to do anything harmful other than look at her mother resentfully, they began to ignore it.
After giving them a brief glance, she continued walking into the den, which had become more cozy, with smoother, thinner walls and several decorations Zhen Len had made to make them feel more comfortable.
After crossing the hallway that led to the forge, the most isolated chamber.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!She hadn't even reached it yet and could already hear the beautiful ringing sounds that echoed every time Zhen Len struck the metals and minerals on the anvil.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!...
Peeking cautiously into the forge, Zhou Linlan held her breath. The air escaping the room was dense and hot, though not unbearably so, unless she got too close, where she'd feel as if she were about to be burned alive.
A faint reddish glow danced on the rocky walls and reflected off the dark, solid surface of the metal anvil Zhen Len was using. Around him, various rocks and mineral veins were arranged in an orderly fashion.
At the center of it all, Zhen Len's figure was mesmerizing. In his fire spirit fox form, he radiated concentrated energy. The tips of his red and white fur glowed with a soft orange light, and gentle waves of heat rose around him. His movements were fluid and precise as he lifted one of his front paws, now covered by a milky jade layer that came from one of the techniques he had taught her. With intense focus in his eyes, he struck a vein of dark mineral placed on the anvil.
Clank... Clank... Clank... Clank... Clank...
Each impact was not just a strike of force, but a controlled vibration that resonated deeply in the anvil's metal and the mineral being worked. Zhou Linlan could feel the faint tremors in the air. To her ears, it was a series of rhythmic chimes—a metallic melody that spoke of patient, expert labor.
Her eyes lit up with a soft purple glow as she activated the Purple Demon Eyes technique. Through this enhanced vision, she could better perceive the way Zhen Len's paw struck the mineral, how the vibrations propagated through it. Though she couldn't discern internal details as deeply as Zhen Len could, she could see how impurities seemed to tremble and separate with each blow.
A surge of fascination ran through Zhou Linlan. Though she disliked the heat of the forge, the transformation Zhen Len achieved was hypnotic. Watching those dull, lifeless rocks gradually turn, strike by strike, into metals that gleamed with near-ethereal purity was something that always amazed her. She knew Zhen Len was performing the Thousand Refinements, a process she only knew from the brief explanations on the spiritual mobile device, which described the refinements and their importance.
She remembered the long hours Zhen Len had devoted to crafting her soul tool, the meticulous care he had taken with the metals. Every time she witnessed this raw process, her respect for his skills deepened. It wasn't just brute strength, but a deep understanding of the materials and a technique honed over time.
Although her age and lack of knowledge didn't allow her to fully grasp how remarkable the techniques he was using were, if a blacksmith from Soul Land 3 were to see the precise and meticulous movements and methods he used to convert ordinary black iron Spirit Refinement, they would be shocked and overwhelmed with ecstasy, excitement, or euphoria. It would be considered extremely difficult even for four-ring blacksmiths, and even more so for a soul beast not even 500 years old. And since he wasn't even using higher-grade, rare minerals that were more suited for the Thousand Refinements or Spirit Refinement, if someone were to claim he was the reincarnation of a divine blacksmith, no one would doubt it, they would believe it instantly.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!...
Moreover, he was applying the necessary techniques for soul refinement, meaning he was not only forging the metal from the outside but also from within. The only thing preventing him from performing full soul refinement was that, due to the low quality of the ores and metals, the consumption of spiritual and soul power would be too high. He would also have to compress the metal so much that, even after refining a large chunk, only half a cubic centimeter would remain, something that would be extremely unprofitable, as it would take not just years, but centuries or possibly even a millennium to create enough material for a mecha if he attempted it that way.
As she observed the dedication on Zhen Len's face, the way his fur bristled slightly with focus, Zhou Linlan felt a mix of admiration, curiosity, and emotions she had yet to recognize.
She longed to understand the secrets behind this refinement, the patience and skill required to take raw ore to the perfection of the Thousand Refinements or Soul Refinement, in order to better understand Zhen Len. But she knew she couldn't. He had told her she wasn't suited to become a blacksmith and should instead focus on cultivation, as she didn't possess much innate talent. Therefore, she would have to work far harder than others to reach higher levels.
She also criticized herself for only having reached level 22 at age 12, even with the help of the techniques Zhen Len had taught her. Without those techniques, she wouldn't have advanced so quickly at all, so she felt she wasn't working hard enough, given how powerful her cultivation methods were.
While she was lost in her thoughts and the fascinating way Zhen Len refined, she didn't realize she had been watching for over half an hour, until a column of light rose several meters from the metal and the space began to glow with various beautiful flames of different sizes floating through the air, creating a mesmerizing scene before gradually fading away.
"[Linlan, when did you get here?]"
Zhen Len had noticed her watching from the entrance, her gaze intense—she even had her Purple Demon Eyes activated, which implied a considerable consumption of spiritual energy if maintained too long.
"Not long ago. Mom told me to let you know that it's time to eat," she said with a smile.
"[Alright, let's go. I've finished what I was working on for now and can continue after eating.]"
As they walked toward the kitchen, Zhen Len suddenly said something that shocked Zhou Linlan, stopping her in her tracks.
"[By the way, now that you've turned 12, it's the right age for you to attend an academy. What do you think about Shrek Academy? Enrollment should be opening in a couple of months.]"
She couldn't believe what she had just heard and tried to deceive herself, thinking she must have misheard.
"Why would I need to go to an academy if you're supposed to be my teacher? Someone who nearly reached Title Douluo rank and who has vast knowledge... Learning directly from you will help me cultivate faster than any academy."
In the past, she had always dreamed of joining Shrek Academy, but ever since she met Zhen Len, her interest had waned. She knew that if she went, she would be separated from him for a long time and wouldn't be able to return to Star Dou Forest, which made her resist the very idea of going to an academy.
Zhen Len was moved by her desire to stay, but he also knew that, while he could train her effectively, he would also be limiting her.
"[You need to go to an academy to interact with other humans and gain experience. If I'm the only one training you here and you only spar with nearby soul beasts, you'll become a greenhouse flower that won't survive the harshness of the outside world. At an academy, you'll meet companions, go on adventures, compete in tournaments, and see how vast the world really is.
Also, if you want to progress faster, you'll need to interact with students at Shrek Academy. Maybe their teaching methods aren't better than mine, and maybe they don't know as much as what I implanted into your soul tool, but they have influence and talented students, nobles who can cultivate faster and have more powerful martial souls. Being among them will push you to grow faster through competition.]"
There were many benefits to sending her to study at an academy. Most importantly, the connections she'd make. Many nobles would send their heirs, children from sects, clans, aristocrats, not just to grow stronger, but to forge alliances. It would be perfect for her future, allowing her access to auctions where she could ask him to sell soul tools or buy rare metals and items others saw no value in, like whale glue.
After hearing Zhen Len's explanation, Zhou Linlan was convinced, but she had a bad feeling. What if, by the time she returned, she wouldn't have to call him "Master" anymore, but "Father"? She didn't believe her mother would fall in love with Zhen Len just because he had the mind of a human, even if he was a soul beast... but anything could happen when a man and woman were alone together. Still, she knew Zhen Len was suggesting it out of care for her, and she didn't want to disappoint him, so she reluctantly agreed.
"Alright... I'll try to enroll at Shrek. But how will we pay the tuition? Mom only has five gold coins left."
Zhen Len thought about it. At this time, Liu Erlong was still alive, so she wouldn't allow the reform that limited admission to only those recommended by nobles. But Flender's rule of a 10-gold-coin fee still stood. So, after a moment of reflection, he said:
"[Just give them a small storage-type soul tool instead of coins. That should cover the full tuition fee. They're easy to make, so don't worry about it. And if anyone asks where you got it from, just say it's a family heirloom.]"
"Alright... I won't let you down."
Hearing her and seeing the determination in her eyes, they went to speak with Xi Zexi and explain the situation. Upon hearing that it was Zhen Len's idea, she agreed immediately.
After all of that, Zhen Len began instilling logic and individuality in Zhou Linlan, so she wouldn't fall into ideas like feeling pride just from belonging to Shrek. He spoke poorly of Yu Xiaogang, accusing him of stealing theoretical knowledge from Spirit Hall's books and seducing Bibi Dong to access the secret archives. He wanted to say more about Tang San and his companions, but if he revealed too much, she might realize he knew things from the time when Dugu Bo was a Title Douluo, contradicting his lie about being kidnapped by an evil soul master, so he decided to remain silent on that topic.