Chapter 51: Hammered Into Wisdom — Of Pranks, Pain, and Profound Paths
The morning air in Holy Soul Village was unusually crisp, as if nature itself knew something important was beginning. Two blocks of pig iron sat cold and unmoving on twin forge stumps. Until—
**Clang!**
The first strike rang out, followed immediately by a theatrical groan.
Tang Yan held the forging hammer in both hands, looking personally betrayed. "Ten thousand strikes? Father, are you forging men or breaking them?"
Tang Hao stood with his arms crossed. "Ten thousand. No soul power. No shortcuts. You'll forge strength with every swing—or fail."
Tang San nodded silently, already aligning his feet and hammer as though he had studied blacksmithing his entire life.
Tang Yan tried to mimic his posture, then immediately adopted a one-legged stance, hammer raised high like a polearm.
"BEHOLD—"
**BOOM!**
The pig iron cracked under the soul-powered blow.
Tang Hao didn't say a word. He walked over and flicked Tang Yan sharply on the forehead.
**System:** "Warning: Host has triggered paternal counterattack. Pride -1, Sanity +2."
Tang Yan rubbed his head, pouting. "Abuse. Unfilial treatment. Where are my civil rights?"
---
**1. Status Display — Tang Yan and Tang San**
**[TANG YAN - STATUS]**
- **Soul Power:** Level 18
- **Martial Souls:** Blue-Gold Warlord Trident, Destructive Clear Sky Hammer
- **Attributes:**
- **Strength:** 64
- **Agility:** 57
- **Physique:** 90
- **Intelligence:** 3,800
- **Bloodline:** Dragon God × Ancient Behemoth
- **Physique:** Draconian Variant
- **Traits:** Void Resonance, Life-Destruction Dual Core
**[TANG SAN - STATUS]**
- **Soul Power:** Level 15
- **Martial Souls:** Blue Silver Grass, Terror Clear Sky Hammer
- **Attributes:**
- **Strength:** 32
- **Agility:** 38
- **Physique:** 43
- **Intelligence:** 1,000
- **Bloodline:** Rooted Plant Domain × Hammer Lightning Variant
- **Physique:** Rooted Expansion Core
---
**2. Awakening Through Iron**
By noon, Tang San's strikes fell with precision—controlled, methodical, guided by calm breath and internal circulation. Each blow carried intention.
Tang Yan had stopped showboating. His muscles ached, and his hands blistered. But as he ceased forcing it, something clicked.
He began to feel the rhythm, the bounce, and the sound of iron responding.
**System:** "Host evolution: From Drama King → Apprentice Smith. Forgiveness pending."
---
**3. Rewriting Heaven — Cultivating Under the Tree**
That evening, Tang Yan sat cross-legged beneath an old spiritwood tree, Xu Tian Gong circulating slowly within him.
But he wasn't cultivating as usual; he was rebuilding it.
He reached into his soul sea and beyond—toward the link with the Endless Void, a bond etched into his being from birth. The void pulsed, offering raw, unshaped power—cold, wild, and infinite.
Tang Yan gritted his teeth. "Absorb it. Reshape it."
Over hours, he sketched new meridian paths in his mind—smaller ones interlocked with larger ones—forming a network that absorbed pure, compatible soul power from the void, space, and ambient world essence.
Failures came hard. One wrong thread meant collapse. Misaligned energy resulted in an internal backlash.
But finally—
It aligned.
The new flow wove itself into him, saturating his meridians, bones, muscles—refining them. Warmth blossomed in his dantian.
His soul power stirred and then expanded, the pressure around his core softening.
---
**4. System Reward — The Refined Path**
**System:**
"Host has constructed a functional Level 6 technique. Basic-tier."
"Generating proper refinement for safety and excellence."
Congratulations! You've received:
**[Xu Void Cycle] – Upper Grade Level 6 Cultivation Technique**
- **Type:** Cultivation Technique
- **Energy Sources:** Void, Space, Natural Essence
- **Meridian Architecture:** Interlocked Small-Major Flow
- **Features:**
- Absorbs only compatible and purest soul power
- Constantly refines meridians, bones, muscle, dantian
- Enhances soul power capacity ×100
- Reduces energy conflict during high-level soul ring absorption
- Stabilizes breakthroughs and post-battle spiritual flow
**Best Fit:** Dragonic, Spatial, and Destructive Bloodline Physiques
Tang Yan exhaled slowly. "This… is real power."
---
**5. Tang San's Awakening**
At sunrise, he handed a sealed scroll to Tang San. "Practice this instead of Xu Tian Gong. It'll work better for you."
Tang San hesitated, opened the scroll—and his breath caught. "These patterns… this structure… it's so refined. Where did this come from?"
Tang Yan smiled, hands behind his head. "A gift from a friend. Just try it."
Tang San sat down and began circulating it.
Though his soul power didn't jump levels, he felt the difference instantly. The energy drawn was cleaner and smoother. His meridians felt refreshed, and his dantian warmed.
"I feel like this technique listens to me," he murmured.
Tang Yan nodded. "It does. The flow is yours, not borrowed."The morning air in Holy Soul Village was unusually crisp, as if even nature knew something important was beginning. Two pig iron blocks sat cold and unmoving on twin forge stumps. Until—
Clang!
The first strike rang out, followed immediately by a theatrical groan.
Tang Yan held the forging hammer in both hands, looking personally betrayed. "Ten thousand strikes? Father, are you forging men or breaking them?"
Tang Hao stood, arms crossed. "Ten thousand. No soul power. No shortcuts. You'll forge strength with every swing—or fail."
Tang San nodded silently, already aligning his feet and hammer like he'd studied blacksmithing his entire life.
Tang Yan tried to mimic his posture—then immediately adopted a one-legged stance, hammer raised high like a polearm.
"BEHOLD—"
BOOM!
The pig iron cracked under the soul-powered blow.
Tang Hao didn't speak. He walked over and flicked Tang Yan sharply on the forehead.
System: "Warning: Host has triggered paternal counterattack. Pride -1, Sanity +2."
Tang Yan rubbed his head, pouting. "Abuse. Unfilial treatment. Where's my civil rights?"
1. Status Display — Tang Yan and Tang San
[TANG YAN - STATUS]
Soul Power: Level 18
Martial Souls:
Blue-Gold Warlord TridentDestructive Clear Sky Hammer
Attributes:
Strength: 64
Agility: 57
Physique: 90
Intelligence: 3,800
Bloodline: Dragon God × Ancient Behemoth
Physique: Draconian Variant
Traits: Void Resonance, Life-Destruction Dual Core
[TANG SAN - STATUS]
Soul Power: Level 15
Martial Souls:
Blue Silver GrassTerror Clear Sky Hammer
Attributes:
Strength: 32
Agility: 38
Physique: 43
Intelligence: 1,000
Bloodline: Rooted Plant Domain × Hammer Lightning Variant
Physique: Rooted Expansion Core
2. Awakening Through Iron
By noon, Tang San's strikes fell with precision—controlled, methodical, guided by calm breath and internal circulation. Each blow carried intention.
Tang Yan had stopped showboating. His muscles ached. His hands blistered. But when he stopped forcing it, something clicked.
He began to feel the rhythm. The bounce. The sound of iron responding.
System: "Host evolution: From Drama King → Apprentice Smith. Forgiveness pending."
3. Rewriting Heaven — Cultivating Under the Tree
That evening, Tang Yan sat cross-legged beneath an old spiritwood tree, Xu Tian Gong circulating slowly within him.
But he wasn't cultivating as usual.
He was rebuilding it.
He reached into his soul sea and beyond—toward the link with the Endless Void, a bond etched into his being from birth. The void pulsed, offering raw, unshaped power. Cold. Wild. Infinite.
Tang Yan grit his teeth.
"Absorb it. Reshape it."
Over hours, he sketched new meridian paths in his mind—smaller, interlocked with larger ones, forming a network that absorbed pure, compatible soul power from void, space, and ambient world essence.
Failures came hard.
One wrong thread—collapse.
Misaligned energy—internal backlash.
But finally—
It aligned.
The new flow wove itself into him, saturating his meridians, bones, muscles—refining them. Dantian warmth blossomed.
His soul power stirred, then expanded, pressure softening around his core.
4. System Reward — The Refined Path
System:
"Host has constructed a functional Level 6 technique. Basic-tier."
"Generating proper refinement for safety and excellence."
Congratulations! You've received:
[Xu Void Cycle] – Upper Grade Level 6 Cultivation Technique
Type: Cultivation Technique
Energy Sources: Void, Space, Natural Essence
Meridian Architecture: Interlocked Small-Major Flow
Features:
- Absorbs only compatible and purest soul power
- Constantly refines meridians, bones, muscle, dantian
- Enhances soul power capacity ×100
- Reduces energy conflict during high-level soul ring absorption
- Stabilizes breakthroughs and post-battle spiritual flow
Best Fit: Dragonic, Spatial, and Destructive Bloodline Physiques
Tang Yan exhaled slowly.
"This… is real power."
5. Tang San's Awakening
At sunrise, he handed a sealed scroll to Tang San.
"Practice this instead of Xu Tian Gong. It'll work better for you."
Tang San hesitated, opened the scroll—and his breath caught.
"These patterns… this structure… it's so refined. Where did this come from?"
Tang Yan smiled, hands behind his head. "Gift from a friend. Just try it."
Tang San sat and began circulating it.
Though his soul power didn't jump levels—he felt the difference instantly. The energy drawn was cleaner, smoother. His meridians felt refreshed. His dantian warmed.
"I feel like this technique listens to me," he murmured.
Tang Yan nodded. "It does. The flow is yours, not borrowed."
6. A Scholar Among Beasts
Back in his room, Tang Yan summoned two massive scrolls from the system:
[Soul Ring Absorption Methodology – Advanced Compression Paths][Soul Beast Encyclopedia – Evolution Edition]
System: "Host now knows how to harvest 100,000-year soul rings with precision. But please don't. Yet."
Tang Yan flipped pages at superhuman speed, his mind churning.
"Beasts with elemental alignment… resonance patterns… symbiotic absorption..."
He absorbed it all—formulas, visual diagrams, combat reaction maps.
System: "Host's current soul power limit raised: 18 → 25 potential. Danger: Controlled."
Closing Scene
Outside, the clang of hammers rang again.
Inside, Tang Yan sat in silent glow, void energy streaming into him like a second breath.
For now, he looked like a lazing genius.
But beneath the humor and the shrugging, a new force had awakened—a cultivator who could shape heaven from iron, and time from void.
And for the first time…
He felt ready for what came next.
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