Quest Maker of Soul Land

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If the Heaven Dou Empire can be considered flourishing with consistency, each Kingdom and the Duchy growing simultaneously, then the Duchy and the Kingdoms of the Star Luo Empire represented the opposite. Each flourishing city, town, or kingdom had its specific features that weren't shared by their counterparts.

In Heaven Dou Empire, the ruling Clan— Xue Clan— is a lineage of ancient royalty whose noble status has not changed for hundreds of years. It was partially because of their unique lineage of martial soul like other famous clans, and partially because of their own method of ruling. Even though the difference in class was present in Heaven Dou Empire, it wasn't revealed extremely greatly whereas in the Star Luo Empire, truly the strongest fist ruled.

Out of the seven great sects of the continent, the top three clans— Clear Sky, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile, and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon— and the Elephant Armored Sect which ranked the sixth on the list are situated within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire. Meanwhile, out of the remaining three clans, the White Tiger Clan represented the royalty of the Star Luo Empire. Its vassal clan— Fire Leopard Clan that ranked fifth in the list controlled an entire kingdom.

Finally, the seventh on the list— Wind Sword Sect, was a reclusive sect that did not participate in the political matters and wholeheartedly cultivated spirit energy. Even this sect was situated within the borders of the Star Luo Empire.

Within the Spotted Fire Kingdom under the control of the Fire Leopard Sect, a city named Gengxin has a reputation almost as high as the capital of the Spotted Fire Kingdom.

With high rising stone walls, this city represented the craftsmanship of the entire continent. Blacksmithing, Masonry, Sculpting, and Carving, talents of every form of craftsmanship could be found in this city.

With Bibi Dong, traveling the continent was not only relatively safe, but also convenient. Her token from spirit hall was much higher in rank than all of the students walking behind her. Today marked the third month of their training. Ja Sun had yet to absorb his fourth spirit ring but neither he nor his master was particularly impatient about it.

As Qian Daoliu stated, mastering his spirit energy and reaching the realm of self brought Ja Sun many benefits in terms of control. But the major benefit revealed to be a variation. Now, Ja Sun could control his spirit abilities in any way until he did not disobey the basic intent behind the techniques. This gave him greater adaptability and for this reason, he was suggested not from absorbing his fourth spirit ring yet but to try as many variations as possible. Seeing the benefits to it, Bibi Dong and Ah Yin were even more focused on this technique while she assured her remaining students that she will guide them in this realm once she reaches it herself.

Right now, under Bibi Dong's instructions, everyone wore a full face mask. Their bodies cloaked and their auras reserved.

The Gengxin City had a particular scent.

The scent of burning. In every corner of the street, one could observe smoke rising from the chimney and the forge as bulky men would forge metal with their young ones looking with admiration and sometimes stoking the fire.

The roads were paved with thick blocks of smooth rocks and the cottages in the city were varied except for the fact that stonework on each of them was impeccable. In this city, craftsmanship is not business, but a passion. How would a city not flourish where its citizens are passionate about their jobs?

"We have trained every day for the past three months. Aside from rest every two weeks, we could be said to be exhausting ourselves daily. For the next week, none of you will train. Our stay in Gengxin city is for two main reasons."

Within a tavern, the group sat around an empty table. Bibi Dong's soothing voice echoed calmly.

"First, as I said, rest. By constantly practicing against each other and with Ka-ul now sparring with all of you without the limitation of the spirit rings, it can be said that even without fighting against a group, each of us is familiar with one another. So much that our movements themselves represent our next action. In the future, we won't even have to communicate with one another but I will still teach you the method of compressing your voice.

Second, our main objective to travel aside from training was to gather potential members. Gengxin City is one of the top cities of the Star Luo Empire. This week, we will keep our eyes open and explore the city for any prospective member. In our journey, we met many spirit masters with strange and amazing Martial Souls, but their innate talent is weak, or they are old, or their composition of spirit ring is no longer complete. We need to keep this in mind. Our descriptive need is an Individual with a support-type martial soul under the age of 25 and the cultivation of Spirit Ancestor. Only that way we will have a chance in the Competition."

"Teacher, we can do whatever we want this week while looking for prospective members?" Ja Sun inquired again.

"Yes," Bibi Dong nodded.

"If I bring a prospective member in, will you test him using that external refinement method, too?" Ja Sun continued.

"Yes," Bibi Dong nodded.

"Hmm, got it. Alright, guys, I'm leaving."

Ja Sun stood up.

"Where to?" Ah Yin called out.

"To become an apprentice of a blacksmith," Ja Sun shrugged.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him strangely but Ja Sun had long left.

"Alright, everyone, disperse. Meet me here in seven hours. I will find us an inn," Bibi Dong stood up while the four of them looked at each other.

Sighing, Xie Xan waved his hand at the waitress of the tavern before ordering themselves food. Taking off their masks, they finally ate freshly cooked food. Ah Yin would sometimes bring her chopsticks to Caihong's and Olivia's beak, feeding them.

"Yin, Erlong, after this, how about the three of us find a bath? In the description of the city, it was written that Gengxin City has the best naturally formed hot spring," Hu Lana inquired. Liu Erlong remained silent. But this was already an agreement from her side. By now, everyone knew that Liu Erlong will be the most expressive when she is excited and aside from fighting, she never felt any form of excitement. In fact, Hu Lana adored Liu Erlong's doll-like appearance now rather than the throat-tearing beast she morphs into during a battle.

Ah Yin nodded with a calm shrug. They have been traveling for a long time. Clearly, a hot bath wouldn't hurt them.

"Oh, a bath!" Xie Xan's eyes lit up.

"Yeah. I will ask teacher to join us later," Hu Lana smiled. Despite her charms, she was sometimes innocent as Ah Yin and Liu Erlong eyes Xie Xan's twisted expression when Hu Lana spoke about adding Bibi Dong.

"You aren't slapping this pathetic beast in the bed enough times," Liu Erlong drank from her jug after saying that and Hu Lana frowned before gazing at Xie Xan. Seeing his smile frozen, her lips trembled while fury burned her heart.

"Oh, you like hot springs? I'll be sure to throw you in a pot of boiling water," Hu Lana's charming smile attracted everyone in the tavern.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Xan shook his head, "Too bad... I actually enjoy cold baths. I'll be disappointing everyone."

"Sure. I think Ka-ul would be happy to enter the hot spring," Lana remarked while eating her food calmly.

"Huh?" Xie Xan closed his eyes. He seemed to be imagining something before he shook his head, "Forget it. I know we're all joking. But the first thing he will do if he actually enters the hot spring is jest about balls... balloons, or packets..."

A slap struck Xie Xan in the cheek as Hu Lana trembled in fury.

"You!" She hissed.

"Xie Xan... you're older than all of us. Please don't speak such things," Ah Yin ate calmly but her eyes glinted in satisfaction as she looked at his red cheek.

"B-but I'm saying that Ka-ul might make such jokes..." Xie Xan deflated with a pout. The slap, of course, didn't hurt.

"But you said it," Liu Erlong sighed softly, "I pity Sister Lana. She has to sleep with a perverted trash every day."

Xie Xan's eyes looked hollow as he silently ate the rest of the meal and slowly walked out.

"He doesn't even pay for the food," Liu Erlong shook her head in disappointment while stacking up the seventeenth bowl of rice.

"I'm sorry for such a display," Hu Lana smiled, "I'll teach that youth well next time."

"Please don't be like this, Sister Lana. Aside from teacher, you're the eldest."

Ah Yin sighed herself.

"That is right. If the both of you need my help in teaching someone a few 'lessons' of your own, find this sister of yours. I will give you tips that even teacher cannot!" Hu Lana grinned in excitement as Ah Yin's and Liu Erlong's expressions turned dark momentarily. But not minding any of it, Hu Lana paid for the food and the trio left simultaneously.

---

"Is this the entirety of it?"

Qian Daoliu's expression was certainly amazed. He flipped through every page that accurately described any and every circumstance Qian Xunji could think of. Everything he had, Xunji revealed to his father. Not to gain his trust. The Pontiff knew that he couldn't hide anything from this old man of his. He revealed the entire plan to make Qian Daoliu evaluate the prospect and its feasibility.

"I hadn't thought that you were stuck up on that old method. It certainly is possible to achieve that realm with this plan. There will be countless problems ahead since the continent isn't as politically and religiously united as the Islands of Sea," Qian Daoliu whispered before he looked up and matched his son's gaze. Aside from approval, admiration flickered in Qian Daoliu's eyes.

"But this will take a long time. Longer than you can imagine. Your talents in political matters are certainly higher than anyone else in the Hall and your grasp is tight. But I understand from experience that if you wish to complete this method, you may not be able to depend on the assistance of the Elder's Hall. If this path is corrupted by our presence, then all this hard work will be for naught."

"I understand, father," Xunji's exhausted gaze revealed a light of unconcealed delight.

Storing the plan, Daoliu looked at Xunji and inquired calmly, "My disciple had a plan that Dong'er struck down. Help me consider the repercussions if Bibi Dong's team snuck within the territory of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and kidnapped a suppressed talent? Even with their reputation, there are bound to be dissatisfied talents, right?"

Xunji's expression froze before he gave a chuckle.

"I thought of it myself, father. But after thinking about it deeply, the answer was clear. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is weak. The only reason it is considered strong is that the group these spirit masters support is strong. Alone, even an external support-type spirit master can compete with them.

Their reputation raises from their wealth and achievements. Not from their true talents. They are valued by strong individuals because the enhancement will only be stronger on them. In a way, it can be considered a cycle of benefits that keeps this clan afloat. Dong'er is right this time not acting against the clan privately.

Father, do you want me to assign them a support-type spirit master myself? They won't find the truth."

Qian Daoliu shook his head, "Dong'er could think what you thought at a deeper level. Ka-ul could think about what your devious mind is capable of creating every day. Two of them together will be able to find out the truth if you assign a spirit master yourself. Focus on your side. Don't be distracted at this moment. This competition must go through smoothly even if the result offends the entire continent."

"Yes," Xunji nodded.

"As for the group outside. This competition is merely a method of tempering. Whether they win or not doesn't change the bigger picture. Crocodile's kid had already created a formidable team for the competition."

"Ah, yes. They definitely are dangerous," Xunji smiled but Daoliu managed to find that he seemed to be hiding something.

"But?" Daoliu inquired.

"They, too, are weak," Xunji chuckled. "That Late Bloomer needs tempering but Elder Crocodile will not let go of him easily. Not until he reaches Spirit King. But he barely reached the peak of rank 36 now."

"I heard that!"

A low growl echoed as the room shook.

"Who's the late bloomer?!"

A bitter smile touched Daoliu's lips as he vanished while Xunji grew dazed before his head was suddenly smacked against the table by an unbridled pressure.

"I told you not to call Yu Xiaogang that, didn't I?" Daoliu's chuckle echoed in Xunji's ears as the pressure continued for three full minutes.

---

*Ting*

*Ting*

The heavy sound of hammers colliding against pieces of metal echoed in the city from every direction. A black-masked figure could be seen walking around the streets.

His gaze lingered over the surrounding blacksmiths. After entering the city, Ja Sun was considering how to make the best use of this week. There were possible paths he can take but if he wants to gain the greatest advantage, he had to stick to one path itself.

Creating missions around blacksmithing would gain him forging techniques, material, and possibly metallic arms. But blacksmithing wasn't the only profession in the city, though it was the most popular one.

With the profession of Spirit Master being the greatest, mortal arts such as forging and other craftsmanship are often looked down on by many spirit masters. Ja Sun was distinctly aware that including Ah Yin, his group was the same. Xie Xan with his Moon Blade will never require any sword. Ah Yin with her Blue Silver Goddess could create a hell of plants that tears the opponents apart. Hu Lana with her fox martial soul could entice any warrior. Liu Erlong's claws would even give spirit beasts a run for their money. And Bibi Dong's poison could corrode the most poisonous of serpents and spiders.

Who among them required any other profession? As long as they focus and get strong, every one of them will have the strength to face armies. Why would they lose themselves in other craftsmanship?

This was also indicated when Bibi Dong defined Array Masters are an unpopular branch of spirit masters. But Ja Sun's believes were different. He believed in stocking. Stocking of rewards.

Why?

The extremely unique spirit techniques that collected dust in his private collection, the ones Qian Daoliu promised Ja Sun... half of them Ja Sun already knew. Being the greatest collection of spirit records, it was believable that most of the copies Ja Sun was rewarded came from Spirit Hall itself. Even if Ja Sun didn't go deeper into those techniques and merely learned their concepts before storing them in his essence tool, it already revealed that many things are hidden in the strongest and most secure vaults of the factions of the continent and he could loot their knowledge without facing them directly.

Why would Ja Sun willingly stay his hand from creating missions?

A mission was already created in front of him.

[Objective: Join a certain craft present in Gengxin City.

Mission Rank: F

Mission Rewards: Based on the accomplished objective.

Time Limit: 20 hours.]

But finding a relatively exotic profession would certainly be harder. Knowing this, Ja Sun's pace quickened. Aside from blacksmiths, he saw masons and sculptors but their show of business clearly fell pale when compared to the boisterous display of forging. Even a few seamstresses with varying displays of clothes didn't attract Ja Sun. His gaze lingered on various stores. The clearest choice was blacksmithing because of its popularity. With popularity came competition. And with competitions, the chances of success in any mission would lower itself, giving rise to higher-ranked missions.

Now, Ja Sun just needed to find an appropriate master of the craft. Since he only had seven days, the missions needed to be as taxing and short as possible. In essence, the more blood it could draw from Ja Sun, the better.

'The best place will be the blacksmith association... let's check it out,' Ja Sun gazed at the tall building that may as well be a fortress in the heart of the city from a distance. The Blacksmith Association held a crucial position in the entire Continent for there was no other major organization of the craft.

Although there were guards standing outside the blacksmith association, they didn't stop anyone from entering.

The Blacksmith Association, thought rugged from outside, had a lavish interior. Marbled flooring with all the furniture being developed from Spiritual materials gave every guest a sense of refreshment hard to find in the humid environment of the southern regions.

Walking up to the reception counter, Ja Sun looked at the burly man sitting behind while setting up the desk within and spoke calmly, "I want to learn the requirements of joining the Blacksmith—" Before Ja Sun completed his words, he accidentally looked at the parchments with various drawings on them as they resembled a pattern. Gazing at it, he couldn't help but inquire, "Is that an array?"

The burly man's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Good eyes, brother. That is indeed an array but one of the simplest kind. If stoked the first while creating this array, the chance of successfully creating an alloy increases by 5%. Of course, a spirit blacksmith needs to be extremely delicate in this matter."

Ja Sun nodded but as he looked at the array, he couldn't help but shake the feeling if Arrays were really useless. After all, the two arrays merged above his spirit sea already provided him with great benefits. It is entirely possible that the only known arrays to the Spirit Hall are useless only to them and thus, their condescending viewpoint on the subject matter.

"Hmm, Brother, I want to ask if there is any master in the art of arrays," Ja Sun changed his words, "I have practiced this method for a long time and have some achievements. For instance," Ja Sun raised stretched his palm up while his spirit energy instantly twisted and turned over his palm in a thin silky pattern that turned into the drawing. Within seconds, the spirit energy passing through this small array actually revealed a strange warmth that extended outwards.

The receptionist frowned at the display at first but when he saw the simple array easily forming over the palm of the masked individual, he stood up with widened eyes.

"What's the enhancement rate of the fire element?" He inquired anxiously.

Narrowing his eyes, Ja Sun, of course, wouldn't reveal that he himself was pleasantly scared of his own spirit control and created it on the first try. Instead, he stretched his hand towards the man and stated faintly.

"You tell me."

He asked sincerely.

But the man felt that the masked expert in front of him was allowing him to inspect the array personally. With a gulp to curb his excitement, he pushed his head closer to the gauntlet-covered hand and a burst of warmth instantly made his cheeks rosier while sweat soon collected over his forehead.

"T-this... Brother, you wanted to join Blacksmith Association, right? Just wait a minute."

The man hurriedly left while Ja Sun retracted his spirit energy.

In a few minutes, Ja Sun heard a soft clamor ahead on the floor from the end where the staircase led the customers to the higher floor. He patiently stood in front of the reception while looking at all the goods presented on the first level for sale in the large and grand hall behind the reception. From distance, he saw the receptionist return with a relatively young man who wore a thick trench coat. Just looking at him made Ja Sun cringe a little. After all, the environment of the city was quite warm, and seeing someone wear such heavy clothes made him feel slightly uncomfortable internally.

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