Chapter 334: Breaking Through

“Quit complaining. I’ll lower the price to five spirit refinings just for you. And in case that’s not enough, the Association will provide you with the metal to forge.”

Tang Wulin stopped struggling at Feng Wuyu’s words. Just five? And they’ll give me the metal free of charge too? If I don’t have to buy the metal, I’ll save a ton of money!

Sensing the change in Tang Wulin, Feng Wuyu scowled. “I get it now. Kid, you’re a super stingy money grubber!”

Tang Wulin broke into a smile that fell a bit short of being straight. “Elder Feng, I’m not a money grubber! I’m just from a poor family. If I don’t plan each cent of my spending every day, then I can’t afford to eat. Don't forget, I’m a working student. I have to pay for my meals too. I can’t afford not to be stingy. How about you cover all my meals too? If you do, then I’ll listen to anything you say.”

“Give me a break already!” Feng Wuyu groaned, throwing his hands up in the air. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, I’ll cover your meals. But only if you accept me as your teacher.”

“Deal!” Mu Chen had urged him to be his student. Feeding himself was currently his biggest challenge after all!

Tang Wulin’s quick response left Feng Wuyu in a daze. He narrowed his eyes seconds after, suspicion thick in the air. “Why’d you agree so quickly? You’re acting like a little thief! What’s going on!”

Tang Wulin revealed a fox’s smile. “It just so happens I met Teacher Mu Chen today, and he agreed to let me accept you as my teacher. Of course, Teacher Mu Chen is still one of my teachers too. Elder Feng, your words have a lot of weight, you know? So you have to keep your promise!”

Feng Wuyu understood now. “Kid, you really know how to take advantage of opportunities! That kid Mu Chen is also quite tactful. I was actually planning on paying him a nice visit and rampaging a bit. Hmph!”

If Mu Chen were present to hear Feng Wuyu’s words, he definitely would have broken out into a cold sweat. Feng Wuyu was a true madman! Besides Mu Chen, not even Zhen Hua, a Divine Blacksmith and president of the Blacksmith’s Association, dared provoke him.

“Elder Feng, so you agreed to pay for my food, right?” To Tang Wulin, this was the most important part of their deal.

“You’re still calling me ‘Elder Feng’?” Feng Wuyu massaged his forehead with his hands, his previous irritation snuffed out. “Do you think I’m senile?”

“Teacher!” Tang Wulin quickly corrected himself.

For a moment, because of the pride from acquiring Tang Wulin as a student, he let slip a giant grin. After enjoying his new disciple’s salute for a while longer, he kicked Tang Wulin from the ground. “Alright. Get up you brat. You’re my disciple from now on. If anyone dares bully you on campus, just tell me and I’ll go beat the crap out of them.”

“Thank you, Teacher.” Tang Wulin lowered his head, the picture of respect.

Now that Feng Wuyu was his teacher, Tang Wulin acted completely differently than before. There was a limit to how impudent Tang Wulin could act. He understood the saying: ‘a teacher for a day, a father for life’.

That he made it this far and accumulated what little achievements he had were in large part due to the guidance and life lessons of his teachers: Mang Tian, Mu Chen, and Wu Zhangkong. If not for them, perhaps Tang Wulin would still be in Glorybound City, doomed to mediocrity.

But he had had the fortune of learning under those three, and now he was the first grade’s class president at the continent’s greatest academy.

“Are you your class’s blacksmith representative?” Feng Wuyu asked.

Tang Wulin nodded, a proud smirk forming on his lips. “I’m the class president too.”

“Are you serious?” His voice hitched up an octave from the shock.

“Mn.” Tang Wulin nodded happily as he waited for his teacher’s praise. Although he wasn’t the strongest person in his class, he was still the class president! There were only six class presidents in the entire outer court! However, reality was not as forgiving.

“So a two-ringed soul master is the class president… Looks like this year’s batch of new students isn’t anything special.”

Tang Wulin’s face fell.

“Alright, enough nonsense. Let’s get you to rank 30 now. The longer you can practice spirit refining, the better. Same thing with starting earlier. Now sit upright and stabilize your body.”

Tang Wulin quickly straightened his back and steadied his core.

Sitting behind Tang Wulin, Feng Wuyu raised both hands. In an instant, absolute silence descended on the workshop.

Tang Wulin noticed this change, but he couldn’t begin to fathom what had happened.

Then Feng Wuyu placed his hands on Tang Wulin’s back and said, “No matter how painful this is, just endure it. You have to persevere. Understood?”

“Yes,” Tang Wulin answered.

Pain? I’ve already endured the torture from breaking the seals! There’s no way it could be worse.

Two gentle, gurgling streams of energy poured into his body, filling him with a soothing warmth.

The two energies stirred and merged with Tang Wulin’s soul power and blood essence.

“Circulate this energy the same way you would when you cultivate,” Feng Wuyu said.

Applying the Mysterious Heaven Method, Tang Wulin willed his spiritual power to guide the warm energy, moving it along with his soul power.

He could feel his meridians being purified as the energy ran through them, leaving behind a faint golden hue wherever it traveled. Somewhat elastic as his meridians were, they were not immune to feeling bloated. Despite this, Tang Wulin experienced no pain.

As soon as Feng Wuyu let out a bewildered grunt from behind him, the flow of warm energy grew from a stream to a torrent. Tang Wulin felt more and more bloated as time passed, but as Feng Wuyu had instructed, he continued to circulate the energy through his body. While the amount of energy within his meridians continued to increase, he maintained skillful control of it. Soon, he finished one cycle of the Mysterious Heaven Method.

His meridians and body were saturated with energy now. Each of them pulsed, seared as if on fire. Even so, Tang Wulin went through it all, knowing his soul power was increasing.

“Endure it!” Feng Wuyu commanded.

Tang Wulin obeyed, continuing to circulate his soul power.

After familiarizing himself with the energy, the next cycle went by faster than before. With each circulation cycle, Tang Wulin felt the improvement in his soul power and the purification of his meridians, not to mention the fading of the bloated feeling.

Teacher, what sort of soul power is this? How can it have this kind of effect? Is it actually refining my meridians?

This was Tang Wulin’s first time experiencing something of this nature. However, he wasn’t naive to its value; he understood how incredible this procedure was, hand what a stroke of luck this was. Not only did the warm energy refine his meridians, it also strengthened his viscera and bones. Comfort washed over him, replacing the previous bloated feeling.

It’d be great if cultivating was always like this!

After Tang Wulin completed his forty-ninth circulation cycle, the warmth began to make its way into his dantian, spiraling toward the center.

“Stop!” Feng Wuyu ordered. The energy swirled within Tang Wulin’s dantian, combining with his soul power to form a whirlpool. Something was pressed to his lips all of a sudden, leaving behind a cool tingle.

“Open your mouth!”

Right when he complied, a cool object fell down his throat, melting into a liquid then flowing into his dantian.

Immediately, Tang Wulin felt a burst of cold energy within him. The cool sensation morphed into a freezing chill, spreading to every corner of his body in an instant.