Du Qianyao stood amidst the empty pond, touching every parts of his body.
"Damn, so sore, it like 100 push up in morning, running nonstop midday in summer, and deadlift in afternoon for weeks. But"
He exhaled and breath in deeply, feeling energized and high on- oxygen? His muscles, bloodstream, lung, even his teeth feels like they were dancing in his gum, not the best feeling but interesting enough.
He try to gauge his current level of strength after 3 qualitive boosts, Body Reconstruction, Fusion of Life Gold, and Almost 2nd Awakening of Body Spirit.
He fears his strength may have increased too much that he have to adjust his training schedule difficulty now.
Mu Ye walk over and stand beside him, smiled and say, "Curious about your strength? Don't worry, you can test it out yourself, normally after the Body Forging ended. You have to recuperate your vitality and energy for a week before fully integrate those excess of energy into your body but look like you passed all of that into the next floor. Even Ruheng can't do it."
Qianyao laughs and flex, "I feels at least 3 times stronger, even against a Soul King, I can wrestle with them easy!"
Mu Ye amused, "Sure, but first you should go and rest, tomorrow I'm taking you to meet with my friend."
Qianyao bows, "Okay, see you tomorrow Master."
Mu Ye nods and vanish
Qianyao quickly leave and goes directly to Training Room.
He stand infront of a punching machine that absorb and calculate strength, he took a stance and reel his left arm back.
And punch with pure physical strength shaking the machine and dent the plate.
The monitor flickers a bit before settles at 3,488kg or roughly 3.5 ton of force.
"*Whistles* What a leap in strength, how about my dominant arm?"
Qianyao reset the monitor and took a stance infront and punch again with right arm.
3,671kg
"Goodness gracious, if I do boxing with these hands on Earth, won't I have monopoly World championship even with one hand behind?"
Qianyao smile, "Sadly I can't"
He huff his chest up and activate his Body Spirit covers his body in Golden-white gleams and a faint emerald green.
"Almost 2nd Awaken my Martial Soul, why didn't i push yourself a bit more?? Now I have to go 49 days of pure Olympic swimmer course with Master." Qianyao laments the missed opportunity for more leisure times.
"No matter, i am only 10 now, it's only the matter of time when I can roams around freely, now that I think about it is there any Playstation or Xbox in this world? This can't do, when I turned 15 and at least 6-ring Soul Master, I have to prove it with my eyes."
"Peach out" He dash to his room and took a bath before tuck in to bed.
Next Day
Morning light shine onto the glorious Helix Sunset Luxe-like Bed, golden rays brushing across Qianyao's sleeping salted fish body. At the knock of a firm hand, his eyes blinked open.
"Up. Dress clean. You're meeting your benefactor and Uncle Master." came Mu Ye's voice from beyond the door.
Still groggy, Qianyao yawned. "Yes, Master... I'm moving, I'm moving."
Not long after, Du Qianyao stood by Mu Ye's side, clad in a neat set of training robes with golden hems. His hair was tied loosely, and a faint emerald sheen lingered on his skin—excess energy of the beating Life Heart Core, a secondary heart right beside his actual heart that half-fused together.
"Where are we going?" he asked and jump up the back of Red Mecha.
"You'll see, though it pretty obivious." Mu Ye said simply, eyes ahead as he drove Red Mecha through the sky.
Their journey took them through a Gengxin City, leading to a modest but heavily warded courtyard inside Blacksmith Association Headquarters—its defenses may not be strong but suffocating in presence. As they passed through the formation, Qianyao felt his breathing slow, his body automatically calming under the influence of thick spiritual suppression.
They reached a building of deep sandalwood with golden fixtures. There, an middle-aged man sat at a low table, carefully polishing a translucent block of rare metal.
Mu Ye stepped forward first. "Zhen Hua."
The man looked up. His eyes were deep, wise, yet clear as spring water. "Ah... Mu Ye. So you've brought him."
Du Qianyao bowed deeply, fists cupped. "Greetings, Senior! I—I mean, thank you. I owe you my life for your help with refining the Life Gold. Without your aid, I might've combusted from the violent energy."
Zhen Hua chuckled, setting his tools down. "Don't exaggerate. At best you would've merely passed out and spent a month drooling in a coma and instantly disintegrate at worst. But I suppose a thank-you is still appreciated."
Qianyao smiled sheepishly. "Well... then thank you for sparing me the embarrassment."
Mu Ye grunted in amusement. "He insisted on coming to thank you in person. Even tried to bring something." He blinks at Qianyao.
Qianyao brightened. "Yes!" He pulled a small, folded cloth-wrapped bundle from within his robes and presented it with both hands.
"For Uncle Master, a meeting gift. I made them for Master and Senior Brother too"
Zhen Hua raised an eyebrow and took the bundle. As he unfolded it, a glimmer of spiritual light escaped. Within lay a carefully carved tokens—each forged from purified spirit-refined metal, etched with runes that exuded a sense of balance and peace.
"These... you made these?" Zhen Hua asked, genuinely surprised.
Qianyao nodded. "I can't forge yet, but I asked the Sect's Spirit Design department for help. I designed the runes myself—they're tuned to harmonize life force and regulate pulse deviation. I thought they might help ease post-training fatigue for Senior Ruheng and Master Mu Ye. The largest one has a Life Gold resonance base—I wanted you to have it."
For a moment, Zhen Hua didn't say anything. He held the token under the light, feeling the subtle pulse it gave off. Then, he looked at Qianyao and nodded once.
"You're sharp. Not just in body but in heart. A good foundation for a craftsman... how about that? Wanna learn Blacksmith?"
Mu Ye crossed his arms. "I've trained monsters before, but this one listens, but Zhen Hua isn't this a bit much? Poaching my disciple infront of me?"
Zhen Hua chuckled. "I can't help but want him, and didn't you say that his martial soul might be one of the suitable for my successor?"
They both shared a laugh. Then Zhen Hua added, "Since you're already up and pumping after all that energy flooding through your body, how do you feel?"
"Like my blood is revitalized, just breathing felt overwhelming good." Qianyao said honestly. "But I've already tested it—my strength has increased a lot. It's more... stable now. The Life Gold doesn't fight me anymore."
"Good. That's what I hoped for when I helped refine the circuit energy path inside that. If it had clashed with your Martial Soul, even a second awakening wouldn't have saved you."
Du Qianyao bowed again. "That's why I'm truly grateful. I'll work even harder now—to live up to the expectations."
Zhen Hua waved him off. "Just don't die early. That would be a waste of good materials."
Mu Ye smirked. "With the way this boy eats, sleeps, and trains, I think he might outlive us both."
Qianyao grinned. "Well, if that happens, I'll make sure to craft a memorial gravestone with Life Gold inscriptions for each of you."
They shared another round of laughter. And with that, the meeting ended.
But Qianyao knew—this wasn't just show of gratitude. This was the opportunity his Master built for him: real connections, a growing path, more options.