A full year passed under the guidance of the Divine Blacksmith, Zhen Hua.
Du Qianyao days were divided. He spent nights in cultivation, mornings exercises, afternoons forging beside the furnace, and he almost spent the entire resources with rich vitality that year, fortunately Mu Ye come to the rescue with stable income from Body Sect. What began as a temporary arrangement evolved into an uninterrupted training cycle, overseen personally by both Zhen Hua and Mu Ye.
By the end of the third month, his Soul Power had already broken through Rank 36. Zhen Hua's refinement techniques and personal teaching allowed Qianyao to progress in his forging skills steady, though his brain is quite slow, without any flaws in foundation knowldge, he successfully perform 1,000 refinement almost Spirit Refinement.
Mu Ye and Zhen Yua deduced that was possible because of his Life Heart Core, Divine Strength, and unusual high Mental value made it feasible.
In the sixth month, he was invited(dragged) to participate in a joint-forging competition—a collaborative contest support by Blacksmith Association. Though not a blacksmith yet, Qianyao was entrusted with core material handling. Under strict supervision, he processed three rare alloys using ordinary hammer. His performance earned quiet approval from the veteran old smiths.
When the seventh month comes, his Spirit Soul—Shen Yuan—had suggests Qianyao to help it grow a bit more before finding his second Spirit Soul, when Qianyao reach Soul Elder and about to suggest Mu Ye to take him to find a new Spirit Soul, Shen Yuan already added a soul ring to him, so he had to extent the time.
After a frequent visit(extortion) to Spirit Ascension Platform, he entered a rapid state of maturation after the fifth month. Aided by Zhen Hua's spiritual nourishing pills and nutrient baths, Qianyao began madly rampage until Shen Yuan grows and gained new ability.
By month eight, the Titan Giant Ape had reached 9,400 years. Its aura had grown significantly since 3 years ago—more savage and ferocious, its consciousness beginning to affect Qianyao's battles. When summoned in its projection form, the ape's footsteps cracked the reinforced sparring ground, and its pressure forced Soul Ancestors to retreat.
During the tenth month, Mu Ye pushed Qianyao into full-body resistance training with the evolved Spirit Soul present—forcing the two to synchronize in movements. Qianyao began to exhibit better synergy between the Sky Anchor Spear and the Ape's Gravity Domain, making use of the Innate ability of Sky Anchor Spear weight, the power to bring hallucinating but tangible weight like the sky was falling, alongside the recently awakened Domain of Shen Yuan.
The final push came in the twelfth month.
Zhen Hua prepared a complete resonance chamber for the advancement process. Du Qianyao and Shen Yuan entered a state of meditative fusion, pressured in Gravity Domain and pure vitality cystals, a lower high-life force material found in rich vitality area.
Qianyao was trying to break through the 40 Rank with high gravity intensity Stimulated Environment and bond with a new Spirit Soul. Shortly after the energy surround him intensifies and exploded around him.
The changes were immediate. The ape's skin darkened slightly, becoming mineralized and radiant with deep silver veins. Its energy output nearly doubled. When Qianyao summoned it now, it no longer roared—it simply stood, and that alone was enough to crush everything within a 30-meter radius.
At the same time, his Soul Power had reached Rank 40 just one ring away from Soul Ancestor. Though he had to wait a bit, the foundation was solid with no unstable energy. Zhen Hua said his piece of mind "Took you a while brat, who else but you will used such primitive method to cultivate, in my home no less but at least your foundation is solid with no brittle energy."
Aside from that, Du Qianyao had fully completed his Second Profession preparatory phase. Though not yet an official blacksmith, he had passed the internal apprentice-level forging benchmarks. Under Zhen Hua's strict observation, he forged over 160 basic 100 refinement tool parts, 22 1,000 refinement low-tier rare alloys, and one successful spirit-refinement spear shaft using simplified inscription methods he personally invented too.
By the end of the year, Zhen Hua officially handed Qianyao a compressed metal token—his qualification for the Blacksmith Association's Secondary Profession Certification Exam. He would be eligible to take it after turning twelve.
When the twelfth month ended, Du Qianyao stood in the same courtyard and the exact place where he had first bowed to Zhen Hua one year prior. This time, he did not come with gift or requests.
He came with results.
And Zhen Hua, watching the boy's Spirit Alloys in his palm without any guidance, simply nodded and said:
"Good. Now you're worth all the time i'd wasted."
Two days after his final forging session, Du Qianyao stood before the towering gate of the Spirit Pagoda's Tiandou City Branch. The building pulsed with soul power activity.
Mu Ye stood beside him with crossed arms, clad in plain robes, but every attendant at the entrance bowed respectfully.
"Body Sect Elder Mu Ye, welcome."
Qianyao stepped forward his hands in his pockets. Though he wore no emblem, the compressed spirit alloy badge Zhen Hua gave him hung proudly on his chest.
The staff led them into the inner sanctum. A tall man with neatly combed silver hair and aquamarine robes awaited them in front of a sealed hall.
"Elder Mu Ye," the man greeted. "It's rare to see you visit us. The Spirit Pagoda is honored. This is the child you spoke of?"
Mu Ye nodded. "He's the one, we need atleast 10,000 years one for his second Spirit Soul."
The man's eyes widened slightly. "How old is he?"
"Eleven."
The man didn't question it further.
He waved a hand. The double doors to the Soul Spirit Vault rumbled and parted open.
"Due to Elder Mu Ye's recommendation and the Spirit Pagoda's debt to Master Zhen Hua, you're granted access to our third floor vault. Please choose one most suitable to you."
Qianyao stepped through.
The vault was cylindrical and wide, with crystalline containers floating in air. Within each container, the projected form of a Soul Spirit flickered like a hologram—beasts of various ages and types, all tagged with cultivation years and affinity descriptors.
A soft voice echoed in the room:
"Current Soul Power: Rank 40. Existing Spirit Soul detected. Body Spirit Martial Soul recognized. Suggested affinity range: strength, earth, …"
He ignored most of the suggestions.
Instead, his gaze snapped to one projection suspended near the far wall—flickering with stormlight. He read the description.
A Mutated Tyrant Dragon?
it was a titanic, sixty-meter tall monster with a body as vast as a hill. There were armored golden-black scales, covering its entire body, each one an irregular shape. Most of which were oval and semicircular, but in the middle of the forehead was a brilliant blinding golden colored diamond shaped scale was lined, Its monstrous head was almost a quarter of its body length, and with colossal pair of eyes. It was dragging a thick and strong tail behind its back. Its legs were thick with power but sharp with golden claws,
and its narrowed pupils looked down at Qianyao with show defiant.
"Species: Tyrant Light Dragon
Cultivation: 14,000 years
Nature: Aggressive
Affinity: Light, Strength
Description: An extinct species with portion of Light Dragon bloodline.
[Caution]: Highly aggressive and will attack anything in sight, possessed unusual light ability that has yet to demonstrate, possibly a domain."
Qianyao stopped.
That one.
He pointed. "That's the one I want."
'Not only will I have more Strength and muscle but Light attribute to boost.'
Right behind him, the staff raised an eyebrow. "That? It's a wild Soul Spirit. Failed to synchronize with two prior candidates due to violent backlash. Last one spent two weeks in recovery, both a Soul Douluo with 3-Word Battle Armor too. Its just like the other one, unyielding and violent."
Mu Ye simply said, "If Qianyao says he wants it, then that one's the only choice."
The staff input the command.
The capsule opened. The dragon's spirit surged outward—not with roar, but sheer pressure, shining a brilliant savage crimson-light down on the vault's walls.
Qianyao stepped forward without hesitation. His own pressure flared—the combined weight of his Body Spirit, his Sky Anchor Spear, and the monstrous Shen Yuan radiating behind him.
"Du Qianyao," he spoke clearly, raising his spear toward it's eyes, "seeks the contract."
The Tyrant Light Dragon opened its eyes fully.
Crimson Light burns the chamber floor scorched.
Boom!
The air rippled, energy sparking around him like bloodstained halo of light.
But Qianyao remained unmoved.
He stepped once more, feet rooted into the vault's array lines, body surrounded by swirling soul power.
The dragon growled, come with it a vibration that threatened to tear the entire vault—but something shifted. Shen Yuan's spirit presence coiled around Qianyao like an unseen protector, not suppressing the Tyrant Dragon, but taunting it.
And in that moment, something bizarre happened, the dragon trembling slightly before it head lowered slightly. Its spirit flared and collapsed into a core of energy—blinding gold stormlight—before rushing straight into Qianyao's chest.
Contract complete.
[Du Qianyao has successfully contracted his Soul Spirit: Tyrant Light Dragon (14,000 years)]
Qianyao exhaled once. Sparks danced across his skin.
Outside, the staff looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
"How is that possible..…"
Mu Ye folded his arms, unsurprised.
Inside Qianyao spiritual sea, Tyrant Light Dragon observe it surrounding before lock it eyes on a trembling ape before it before snorts and tail-whip it square in the face.