Chapter 83: This Is Not Soul Power!

"You want to see?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Chu Chengzhou asked.

He could more or less guess what Ning Rongrong was thinking.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Spirit had treasure-seeking abilities. Even ordinary Deep Silver was considered a treasure, let alone Deep Silver that had undergone a thousand refinements.

This Deep Silver Bow, forged from thousand-refined Deep Silver, was naturally classified as a rare treasure by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Spirit, which had piqued Ning Rongrong's curiosity.

"You want to see my precious bow? What a coincidence, I was just thinking of luring you into my fish pond!"

To Ning Rongrong, he was already seen as her best friend's boyfriend. If he didn't create some topics of interest or curiosity, how was he supposed to lure this fish into his pond?

Scumbag or Playboy?

No, no, no. The Chu family had few descendants. His late parents only had him as their son.

He had memories from birth, and he clearly remembered that his father's greatest wish in life was to build the Chu family into a clan of soul masters so that future generations could escape the status of mere commoners.

His father's dying wish had to be honored. But having children wasn't like running a school—if he only married one wife, how long would it take to develop a full-fledged family?

Between loyalty and filial piety, Chu Chengzhou had pondered for a long time. In the end, he chose filial piety.

Whether being a playboy was right or wrong was another matter, but one thing was certain—not being filial was absolutely wrong!

Father Chu: My son is just too filial!

"Mm-hmm! Senior Chu, can your bow shoot soul power arrows?"

Ning Rongrong nodded earnestly.

She was extremely curious why Chu Chengzhou's seemingly ordinary bow was considered a rare treasure by her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Spirit.

"The arrow I just shot is a secret family technique. It has nothing to do with the bow. Oh, and this bow is really heavy—be careful."

Chu Chengzhou pulled out the thousand-refined Deep Silver Bow and handed it to Ning Rongrong.

'Secret family technique?'

Ning Rongrong frowned slightly, but since it was a family secret, it wasn't appropriate to pry further.

As for the weight of the bow? She didn't care. It was called a "great bow," but it didn't seem very big. No matter how heavy it was, how heavy could it be?

Besides, if Chu Chengzhou could lift it with ease, she, Ning Rongrong, even though she was only a two-ring support-type soul master, wasn't weak either.

Predictably, as soon as she took hold of the over 100-pound thousand-refined Deep Silver Bow, she lost her balance. The bow nearly crashed onto her foot, but Chu Chengzhou quickly caught it before it could land.

"See? I told you to be careful! Good thing I caught it, or you'd be crying right now."

Chu Chengzhou chided.

If that heavy bow had landed solidly, the little rich girl might have ended up with a crippled leg.

"Senior Chu, just how heavy is this bow?"

Ning Rongrong was frustrated. It didn't look that big—why was it so heavy?

"Just over 100 pounds."

Regular Deep Silver was already several times denser than gold. After undergoing a thousand refinements, its volume shrank further, increasing its density significantly. Though the bow didn't look large, its weight was astonishing.

That being said, the weight of the Deep Silver Bow wasn't actually excessive. In fact, it could be considered quite light.

For example, Poseidon's trident weighed 108,000 pounds, and even Qian Renxue's Angelic Holy Sword, after she ascended to godhood, was several thousand pounds.

"Over 100 pounds?"

Ning Rongrong's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Chu Chengzhou.

A bow weighing over 100 pounds felt weightless in his hands—how terrifying was his physique?

"I'm going to deal with that big swan. Return the bow when you're done looking at it."

Ignoring Ning Rongrong's astonishment, Chu Chengzhou placed the Deep Silver Bow at her feet and walked toward the fallen Golden Feathered Swan.

Swans were already large waterfowl, and this thousand-year-old Golden Feathered Swan was even bigger—enough to provide them all with a feast.

Ning Rongrong didn't bother with Chu Chengzhou and instead crouched down, carefully inspecting the thousand-refined Deep Silver Bow.

Its dull gray color and surprisingly heavy weight made her increasingly certain that the bow was made of the rare metal Deep Silver.

But something was off. Even though Deep Silver had a high density, it shouldn't be this heavy. Moreover, the bow's surface wasn't particularly refined and was somewhat rough, covered in strange patterns.

She could tell that these patterns weren't carved—they must have formed naturally in the metal itself.

Could this be a rare metal similar to Deep Silver?

"Xiao Wu, what metal is your brother's bow made from?"

Unable to figure it out, Ning Rongrong turned to Xiao Wu.

"I think it's called Deep Silver? I remember my brother saying the material was bought from your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pavilion. Super expensive!"

After recalling for a moment, Xiao Wu answered.

"It really is Deep Silver?"

Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes widened.

She had seen Deep Silver before. It shouldn't have caused such a strong reaction from her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Spirit.

If this bow were a soul tool crafted using a lost method, she might understand.

But the problem was, this bow seemed to be just a simple piece of refined metal—impurities removed, shape altered—how could its value skyrocket so much?

"It really is Deep Silver! But my brother is the greatest blacksmith of this era—he can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. It's normal if you didn't recognize it."

Xiao Wu said proudly.

"The greatest blacksmith of this era?"

Ning Rongrong blinked.

If she remembered correctly, the continent had three recognized divine blacksmiths. One was the Clear Sky Douluo, who once defeated a former Pope of the Spirit Hall with a single hammer strike. Another was Titan, the chief of the Strength Clan residing in Heaven Dou City. The third was someone from the Star Luo Empire.

And now, Chu Chengzhou, so young, had surpassed all three masters in forging skills?

But if this bow was truly crafted by Chu Chengzhou himself from Deep Silver, then perhaps the title of divine blacksmith wasn't an exaggeration.

She had never seen the work of those three divine blacksmiths, but she was sure that none of them could transform ordinary Deep Silver into something that caused such an intense reaction in her martial spirit.

Xiao Wu giggled. "That's just what my brother says~"

Looking at the Deep Silver Bow on the ground, Ning Rongrong fell into deep thought.

Her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had built its fortune on mining. Most of the rare metals on the market originated from their mines.

She didn't yet know the full potential of this special Deep Silver, but one thing was certain—it was vastly superior to ordinary Deep Silver.

If weapons and armor could be made from it, their performance would be greatly enhanced.

Even if high-level soul masters didn't need weapons, equipping regular soldiers and lower-level soul masters with such gear would be highly advantageous.

With millions of elite troops under the Heaven Dou Empire and countless city garrisons, demand for metal was immense.

If their sect could master this "turning the ordinary into extraordinary" forging technique, the profits would be astronomical.

And most importantly, this wouldn't be a one-time deal—it would be a steady, long-term business!

But here was the problem: the technique belonged to Chu Chengzhou. Would he even be willing to teach it? Could others even learn it?

She doubted this was something just any blacksmith could pick up.

Additionally, it's still a question whether this technique is effective only for rare metals like silver or if it can work on all metals as well.

After thinking for a while, Ning Rongrong decided to find some time to discuss it with Chu Chengzhou after returning to Shrek Academy.

Can the technique be taught? In Ning Rongrong's view, as long as the Golden Soul Coins or benefits are sufficient, there's nothing that can't be taught.

Even if there are limitations, it would just be that the Golden Soul Coins offered are not enough and the benefits haven't been met.

However, she didn't know what exactly Chu Chengzhou wanted.

Two hours later, except for Zhao Wujis, who remained vigilant, everyone else gathered around the large pot, enjoying the "iron pot stewed goose," including Dai Mubai.

After all, they were classmates, and with Zhao Wujis, their teacher, present, Chu Chengzhou couldn't just tell Dai Mubai that he wasn't part of it.

It had to be said that the Golden Feather Swan was an excellent ingredient.

Even though Chu Chengzhou's cooking skills weren't that great, and the ingredients weren't complete, the iron pot stew was still extraordinarily delicious.

"Leave some for me, you little brats!"

Smelling the delicious aroma wafting from the pot and seeing Chu Chengzhou and the others picking out the good meat, Zhao Wujis couldn't help but swallow, laughingly scolding everyone.

If it weren't for Oscar still absorbing the soul ring and needing to stay alert for possible soul beasts, Zhao Wujis would have joined in on the feast.

Hearing Zhao Wujis call them little brats, Xiao Wu felt a bit indignant, but she was too busy eating goose meat to care.

"Don't worry, Teacher Zhao, there's still plenty in the pot!"

Chewing on a piece of swan wing, Chu Chengzhou replied without turning his head.

At that moment, a violent wave of soul power surged, and when Chu Chengzhou turned to look, he saw that Oscar had already refined the Golden Feather Swan soul ring and had broken through the level 30 barrier, advancing to level 31 Soul Master.

After advancing to a three-ring Soul Master, Oscar had grown a bit taller and looked more energetic. Perhaps influenced by the Golden Feather Swan soul ring, his peach blossom eyes sparkled with a golden light.

"Oscar, congratulations!"

Zhao Wujis approached with a smile to congratulate him.

"Ha ha~ Thank you, Teacher Zhao."

Oscar was about to say a few polite words when he saw Zhao Wujis turn and walk toward the group gathered around the pot.

"Oscar, how's the soul skill effect?"

Chu Chengzhou asked with a smile.

"Hey hey~, luck is on my side! The skill from the third soul ring, Golden Wing Flying Sausage, effect: flying!"

As he spoke, Oscar silently recited a spell, and a golden sausage appeared in his hand, resembling a large recovery sausage but with a pair of cute little wings on either side.

"Cough, cough, cough~"

Seeing the appearance of Oscar's Golden Wing Flying Sausage, Chu Chengzhou, who had just taken a sip of swan soup, immediately choked.

In the original work, the Rooster Crown Snake had given Oscar a mushroom sausage with a 'sinister' appearance, and now with the Golden Feather Swan, the shape of the sausage produced by the third soul skill was naturally different.

However, while the shape of the Golden Wing Flying Sausage might seem strange to the others, in Chu Chengzhou's eyes, it looked very much like an essential item that women carry when visiting relatives.

Both are long and cylindrical, with cute little wings on either side—wasn't that a protective wing?

If Chu Chengzhou was shocked by the appearance of the Golden Wing Flying Sausage, the others were stunned by its effect.

There were many soul masters in the continent, and the martial souls and soul skills were varied and peculiar. Among support-type soul masters, it was not unheard of for someone to possess flying abilities.

However, such examples were very rare, and most importantly, those with flying capabilities were generally six-ring soul masters or above, while Oscar achieved this at the three-ring level.

When they had learned that Oscar wanted a flying effect for his sausage, they thought it was just a joke and didn't have any expectations. But to their surprise, it had really become a flying sausage soul skill!

Seeing the shocked expressions of his friends, even Chu Chengzhou was choked up in disbelief, and Oscar felt a wave of excitement in his heart.

"Little Oscar, can this Golden Wing Flying Sausage really let us fly?"

Suddenly, Ma Hongjun asked skeptically.

"Of course! The effect lasts for a minute!"

Oscar replied proudly.

"Pfft~ I thought you could fly indefinitely! Turns out it's only for a minute? What can you do in a minute?"

Ma Hongjun pouted, sounding a bit dismissive.

"Hmph~ Ignorant! A minute may not seem long, but what if you fly at the speed of the Golden Feather Swan for a minute?"

Oscar straightened up proudly.

"By the way, how far can the Golden Feather Swan fly in a minute?"

After a moment of silence, Ma Hongjun turned to Chu Chengzhou and Ning Rongrong.

"I can't say for sure. If it's a Golden Feather Swan of the same age as Oscar's soul ring, it might be around four to five kilometers?"

Chu Chengzhou replied thoughtfully.

Four to five kilometers in a minute would be a speed of 240 to 300 kilometers per hour, a fifth to a fourth of the speed of sound—not fast, but not slow either.

Compared to the over two thousand meters of the Rooster Crown Snake in the original work, that's almost double the speed.

However, one is a snake, and the other is a swan, so there's naturally a considerable difference in speed.

"Is it that impressive? Eating your Golden Wing Flying Sausage allows you to fly four to five kilometers in a minute? That's impossible!"

Ma Hongjun exclaimed in shock. Could a mere third soul skill have such an outrageous effect?

"What's impossible about that? My third soul ring comes from the Golden Feather Swan, so the soul skill is naturally related to it, and my perception is never wrong!

Fatty, due to your serious distrust, I hereby announce that every time you eat my flying sausage, you have to treat us!

By the way, the taste and standard cannot be lowered; it must meet the standards of the last few months!"

Oscar added at the end.

Everyone: "…"

If it weren't for that last remark about taste and standards, they would have thought it was just an ordinary treat, but with that added, everyone present understood.

"Ahem, Little Oscar, your third soul ring is very good. With your current soul power, how many of these flying sausages can you make?"

Zhao Wujis cleared his throat, changing the subject.

There were still three girls present! It wouldn't be good to talk about such sensitive topics.

"The soul power consumed by my flying sausage is much greater than the first two types. Given my current situation, I can only produce about ten at a time at most."

After some thought, Oscar replied.

Hearing this, Zhao Wujis nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. Ten is already a lot, and as your soul power increases, the quantity will also go up!

Little Oscar, from now on, your sausage martial soul can be considered to be in the top tier!

Alright, everyone, eat up! After we finish, we'll head back to the academy!"

As he spoke, Zhao Wujis scooped out a piece of goose leg meat from the pot.

"Damn, leave some for me!"

Oscar immediately joined the food-gathering crowd.

After leaving the Star Dou Forest, Chu Chengzhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no other reason; perhaps it was because Xiao Wu had concealed her aura very well, the 100,000-year Titan Great Ape that appeared in the original work, Xiao Wu's little brother, didn't come looking for them.

Although no one in the original work from Shrek Academy lost their lives, many were injured, and there were indeed life-and-death moments.

If it were to play out like in the original work, Chu Chengzhou wouldn't dare guarantee that they could all survive.

Of course, if Dai Mubai were to die, Chu Chengzhou wouldn't mind.

By the time night fell, Chu Chengzhou and the others had returned to the same soul-hunting town they came from.

It was already late, and they had no intention of traveling overnight, so they prepared to stay at the same hotel as before.

"Teacher Zhao, you said you would treat us last time, but due to a little incident, you couldn't do it. This time, you can't back out again~"

Once seated at a table in the hotel restaurant, Chu Chengzhou directly addressed Zhao Wujis.

"Exactly, Teacher Zhao, it's your treat this time!"

Oscar chimed in, nodding.

Ma Hongjun? He was already flipping through the menu at this point.

"Fine, but little fatty, you'd better not go cheap on me!"

Zhao Wujis didn't refuse but turned to warn Ma Hongjun not to go for the cheapest options like last time.

"Teacher Zhao, that's not fair! When it comes to treating, the most important thing is to enjoy, and Golden Soul Coins are just external things. You don't have a girlfriend; are you saving them to marry someone?

Fatty, don't hold back with our Teacher Zhao!"

Chu Chengzhou quickly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wujis felt a mix of embarrassment and anger. Why should it matter to you whether I have a girlfriend or not?!

"Right, right, Chu Chengzhou is right! Teacher Zhao, we are still growing; we need to make sure our nutrition is adequate! Xiao Wu, Zhu Qing, don't you agree?"

Ning Rongrong also chimed in.

"Mm-mm!"

The two nodded in agreement.

"You little brats have really worn me down!"

Zhao Wujis felt helpless.

Xiao Wu: "…"

Considering that Big Bear was treating them to a meal, this rabbit wouldn't hold it against him this time!

Without further ado, Ma Hongjun immediately called the waiter, putting on a show of "I'm not short on cash."

While they were chatting, a group of people suddenly walked into the restaurant.

Leading the group was a middle-aged man in his forties, who looked handsome and wore an exquisite moon-white soul master robe, adorned with numerous silver-thread embroideries. As he moved, the light reflected off the robe, making it somewhat flashy.

Following the middle-aged man were six young men and one woman, all around twenty years old, dressed in similar moon-white soul master robes, but without the silver embroidery.

However, both the middle-aged man and the seven young men and women had a green circular emblem on their left shoulders, with the words "Canghui" embroidered inside the circle.

Yet the whole group looked rather worn out, and their once pristine soul master robes had numerous rips, clearly having just come out of the Star Dou Forest.

At a glance, it was obvious they were soul masters, and not just any soul masters, but ones with a background from an academy. The restaurant owner, being somewhat snobbish, hurried to greet them with extreme politeness.

"Little Oscar, that girl looks pretty good! Judging by her clothes, she should be from Canghui Academy, right?"

Ma Hongjun's eyes were glued to the only girl in the group of eight.

It had to be said that the girl indeed had some looks; in Chu Chengzhou's previous life, with a little dressing up, she would have been considered a goddess.

Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were all pretty, but Ma Hongjun knew his place—one was his big sister, another was the direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and the last was cold and distant, with ties to Dai Mubai. He didn't dare to have his eyes on the girls from his own academy.

"Fatty, have you forgotten the lesson from last time?"

Chu Chengzhou felt a bit annoyed. He initially thought that with their journey diverging from the original plot, they wouldn't run into Canghui Academy. But to his surprise, they hadn't met them on the way there but did after hunting souls.

Moreover, similar to the original story, the persistent Fatty was already acting like a rogue, flirting with the girl.

To say that Ma Hongjun was a bad person wouldn't be entirely accurate, but to say he was good wouldn't be correct either.

After all, any rogue would be unwelcome wherever they went.

"Don't worry, Big Chu. This group is from Canghui Academy."

Ma Hongjun waved his hand without looking back.

This statement was quite clear; they could deal with a small Canghui Academy.

Ma Hongjun didn't bother to lower his voice, and even though the restaurant was somewhat noisy, the middle-aged man among the eight still cast a glance their way.

He was already displeased that someone was flirting with his students, and now he noticed that the rather unsightly little fatty was staring at the only female student in his group. The middle-aged man's expression immediately darkened even more.

Could he endure a little rogue flirting with his students?

Immediately, the middle-aged man whispered a couple of words to a young man behind him.

The young man nodded slightly and walked toward Chu Chengzhou, while the remaining seven, including the middle-aged man, found an empty table to sit down.

It was clear that the Canghui Academy group didn't take Chu Chengzhou and the others seriously.