dmims Chapter 11 Mangtian: The Spirit Pagoda of the Killing Blade!
Chapter 11 Mangtian: The Spirit Pagoda of the Killing Blade!
Aolai City.
Mangtian Studio.
As soon as I reached the door, a metallic smell wafted towards me.
Tang Wulin's adoptive mother, Lang Yue, rang the doorbell. After a short while, the door opened, and a middle-aged man walked out.
The middle-aged man was tall and dark-skinned, with a thick beard that made him look somewhat fierce.
"Sister-in-law is here." His voice was deep and powerful, so deep that Tang Wulin felt a buzzing in his ears.
"Uncle Mangtian." He greeted the uncle he had met before very politely.
Tang Wulin has decided to become a formal Soul Master. He has great talent and works hard in his cultivation, so he will definitely be able to break through to level ten before graduation. However, Soul Masters need Soul Rings to complete the breakthrough every time they reach a round number of levels (ten).
Ordinary people only have one way to obtain souls: they must purchase them from the Spirit Pagoda.
However, Tang Ziran was not a wealthy person, and Tang Wulin had a big appetite. It would be too difficult for him and Lang Yue to save up enough money in a short period of time to buy the lowest-level soul spirit to support his breakthrough.
Besides, cultivation also requires purchasing various spirit-transfer potions, Tang Sect spirit pills, Federation-made items, and so on, all of which cost money! Otherwise, no matter how talented a child is, they will fall behind others.
And these potions and items are even updated, and they can't be stopped!
Tang Ziran suddenly missed the Star Luo Continent. This Douluo Continent really knows how to make money off Soul Masters.
A six-year-old child has a very limited concept of money. But the real problems are already in front of him.
Therefore, in order not to make his parents work too hard, and also for his own future plans to acquire a second soul spirit, Tang Wulin decided to learn forging.
"Mm." Mang Tian nodded expressionlessly, then said to Lang Yue, "Sister-in-law, you should go back first. I'll come pick him up in two hours."
"Brother Mangtian, then I'll have to trouble you." Langyue looked at her son with some reluctance, "Linlin, you must listen to your uncle here."
"Come in," Mang Tian said to Tang Wulin.
"oh."
Following Mang Tian into the studio, Tang Wulin found the hall in disarray, filled with various metal parts. He could only barely recognize that many of these parts should belong to the Soul Guidance Mech.
Mang Tian didn't stop and continued walking inside, and he quickly followed.
The storefront wasn't large, but the interior was quite spacious. After passing through a corridor, Mang Tian led Tang Wulin into a room.
There was a worktable in the room, which Tang Wulin couldn't reach at his current height.
Mang Tian stopped and turned to look at Tang Wulin, asking, "Do you know what forging is?"
Tang Wulin shook his head blankly.
Mang Tian said calmly, "Actually, I didn't want to take you on. You're too young and not suitable for forging. But your father insisted that you try. If you find it doesn't work out, leave here, but don't come here crying and wailing, understand?"
"I won't cry, Uncle Mangtian," Tang Wulin retorted.
Mang Tian said, "This is your task for today." He pointed to the side. On the ground next to him was a metal platform about half a meter high, with a circular metal block on top. Below it was a soul-guiding screen.
Mang Tian picked up two small metal hammers from the side and handed them to Tang Wulin. "See that round metal block? Use these hammers to strike it a thousand times, five hundred times on each side. Only when you reach enough force will the counter start counting. It's about the force you need to swing the hammer up and then bring it down. Once you're done, I'll explain to you what forging is. If you don't finish, you don't need to come tomorrow."
After saying that, he shoved a pair of metal hammers into Tang Wulin's hands and turned to leave.
The metal hammer has a handle about a foot long, and a cylindrical head, half a foot long, with a cross-sectional diameter of about ten centimeters. Each handle weighs about ten kilograms. This is quite a heavy weight for a six-year-old child, let alone the effort of swinging it to strike.
When Tang Wulin saw the hammers, he also looked distressed. However, after he took the hammers from Mang Tian, he was surprised to find that the hammers did not seem as heavy as he had imagined.
Is it hollow? Uncle Mangtian looks fierce, but he's actually a very nice person.
A knowing smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face as he swung the hammer down onto the round metal object.
Mang Tian was not in a good mood because he had some relationship with Tang Wulin's father, and he couldn't refuse when Tang Wulin asked him to take Tang Wulin as his disciple.
But he thought to himself: Even if your son has a level three innate soul power, he is only six years old and is still a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master. How can he learn forging? Wouldn't this harm the boy and me as well?
With this in mind, he deliberately made things difficult for Tang Wulin, hoping to make him back down.
Then, Mang Tian regretted it.
One thousand—the enormous number was displayed before them. The device was set up by Mang Tian himself; a six-year-old child couldn't possibly have cheated. Yet, it was still unbelievable.
The two iron hammers weren't heavy for him, but they weren't hollow either; each one weighed a solid ten pounds. A normal adult male would probably find his arms too sore to lift after swinging such hammers a thousand times, and it would be difficult to finish in half an hour. Let alone a six-year-old child.
The test Mang Tian gave was essentially a polite way of refusing. He had a good relationship with Tang Ziran, so he couldn't refuse directly, but he really didn't want to teach a six-year-old child who, in his opinion, had no chance of mastering forging.
But everything before my eyes...
It was accomplished in just half an hour?
Mang Tian completely forgot his initial reluctance to accept Tang Wulin, and a look of joy appeared in his eyes. This kid has superhuman strength?
This is simply a born forging genius!
"Good lad, you've trained before?"
Mang Tian pinched Tang Wulin's aching arm, but didn't feel anything special about it. Could this really be a disciple bestowed by heaven?
"no."
Tang Wulin shook his head.
"Alright. You've passed. From now on, you're my apprentice." Mang Tian nodded with a smile, unconcerned.
"Didn't I come here to be an apprentice? Teacher, an apprentice and a student are different, aren't they?"
Tang Wulin suddenly asked, not showing the joy Mang Tian had expected, which displeased him somewhat. However, this child was a promising talent, and he was afraid of scaring him, so he tried his best to calm himself down. "Of course it's different. An apprentice can't learn much from me. I'm a level six blacksmith. Would it be beneath you to take you as my apprentice?"
He revealed his strength to Tang Wulin: a level six blacksmith, a top-tier blacksmith even in the Federation, incredibly prestigious! Moreover, blacksmiths held a special status in this era. If Tang Wulin hadn't been chosen by Chen Yuan, he might have happily become his apprentice.
But Tang Wulin kept in mind what Chen Yuan had told him.
It's not that I look down on Mangtian.
In Tang Wulin's mind, Chen Yuan was just a master without any real title, and everything he said was for Tang Wulin's own good.
Tang Wulin, though young, understood Mang Tian's extreme attitude. He also possessed considerable talent in forging. Given this, how could he waste such a talent? The Spirit Master had said that if he were to take a master, he should do so at the Soul Saint level.
Could that person possibly harm him? In Tang Wulin's mind, Chen Yuan was the "Yu Xiaogang" sent down from heaven, his precious adoptive father, so what he said must make sense.
Level 6 Blacksmith...
You think I'd believe you just because you say so?! Even though you and my dad are acquaintances, you can't just fool me like that! If you're a level six blacksmith, why are you staying in Aolai City? Isn't it more comfortable in a big city?
So he spoke his mind.
"I'm sorry, I can't become your disciple right now."
He needs to contact Chen Yuan to ask if it's true.
Mang Tian: ?
This isn't right!
Shouldn't you bow down and worship?
He couldn't help but ask further questions and learned that it was the work of a certain spirit master, who also gave him a pass to enter the Spirit Tower. Mang Tian felt envious and fell silent.
Why didn't he encounter such a good spirit medium back then?
Oh, his awakened soul power isn't high, and he also has a bit of a background.
That's fine.
—Yeah, right!
That damned Spirit Pagoda!
My new apprentice!
"...It's alright. I'll go talk to that spirit medium."
Mang Tian forced a smile, cursing the Spirit Pagoda in his heart once more.