Douluo: Trinity, I run through the timeline.

Chapter 8: Wholehearted Forging

"Living in this era, let alone absorbing spirit rings beyond one's level, even obtaining the best spirit ring ratio is a problem."

Su Ming felt helpless.

His current status isn't very good, and his goal for his first spirit ring is only a hundred-year spirit ring. As for absorbing spirit rings beyond his level, he can only wait until the next spirit ring.

"Xiao Su, your soul power is at level ten, right?"

While Su Ming was thinking, Duan Tie came up to him and asked a question.

Duan Tie's question startled him for a moment, then he replied, "Yes."

"Haven't figured out how to obtain a spirit ring yet?"

Su Ming nodded.

"Uncle Duan, could you be a hidden Soul Master?"

Duan Tie gave a wry smile and waved his hand.

"No, I'm not a Soul Master. Of course, my son is a Soul Master. He'll be back to see me in a couple of days. If you need anything, I can ask him if he can take you on a Soul Hunt."

Duan Tie's son?
Su Ming had some recollection of Duan Tie's son. When he was working at the blacksmith shop, he had overheard some adults occasionally mentioning him. It seemed that Duan Tie's son had gone to Gengxin City for further studies.

It turns out that Duan Tie's son is also a Soul Master.

"Little Jin is a three-ring Soul Master, he should be able to help you."

Soul Lord?

"Thank you very much, Uncle Duan."

Duan Tie laughed and said, "You have a good talent for forging. This time when my son came back, I wanted to introduce you to him and have him take you to Gengxin City."

Gengxin City?
Su Ming's expression shifted slightly.

Isn't this exactly what he was thinking?

“Xiao Su, Gengxin City is the holy land of blacksmiths. You can learn the most advanced forging techniques there.” Duan Tie said, “I see that you are also very passionate about forging, so I have this idea.”

Su Ming said, "Uncle Duan, do you mean you're suggesting I go to Gengxin City with your son to learn forging?"

“That’s right.” Duan Tie said, “I also know that you have the talent of a Soul Master and many other options. If you don’t want to go to Gengxin City, there are better options. I won’t say more.”

Su Ming smiled.

"Uncle Duan, how could I not want to go?"

Duan Tie's eyes lit up.

He hadn't told Su Ming because he was worried about being rejected.

Although he had only known Su Ming for less than a year, he had personally witnessed Su Ming's transformation from a complete novice to someone whose forging skills had become increasingly proficient, even surpassing his own. Naturally, he hoped that Su Ming would have a better future in forging.

He had the same idea when he sent his son to Gengxin City to become an apprentice.

"Uncle Duan, what is your son's martial spirit?" Su Ming inquired.

"My martial spirit is an iron hammer, just like my new forging hammer," Duan Tie said, pointing to the forging hammer he was using on the stall outside.

Hammer?

That's pretty good.

With such a martial spirit and the cultivation of a Soul Master, dealing with century-old soul beasts is not a problem.

so.
Is the problem of Soul Hunter solved just like that?
If that's the case, I wonder if it's possible to try absorbing a spirit ring from a higher level?

"Although the significance of skipping levels in the first ring may not seem significant, and it is difficult to directly reach the first ring of a thousand years, skipping levels is significant in itself. Breaking the limit can often allow the martial soul to grow beyond its current limit."

For a martial soul, breaking its limits must become the norm in order to successfully awaken a second time later.

"I've also been training my body this past year, which has allowed me to make full use of the advantages of my original martial soul. I'm not going to go too far; I'm looking for a four-hundred-year-old soul beast."

According to the master's statistics, the limit for the first spirit ring is 423 years.

While it's absurd to pinpoint the lifespan of a soul beast to single digits, it should be roughly accurate, around four hundred years, with a maximum of ten or twenty years. Su Ming could attempt something closer to five hundred years. "I'll go a little overboard and experience the feeling of absorbing from a higher level first," Su Ming thought to himself.

This time, Su Ming wasn't 100% confident about the outcome of the leapfrog, but he was at least 80% confident.

He even had his future self collect information on absorbing spirit rings of higher levels to confirm that his situation met the prerequisites for absorbing spirit rings of higher levels.

Soon, two days later.

Su Ming arrived at Duan's blacksmith shop.

"Xiao Jin, this is the Xiao Su I told you about." Duan Tie led Su Ming into the inner room.

Su Ming was very surprised when he met Duan Jin, because Duan Jin did not look middle-aged, but rather young, and very young, and looked very energetic.

He wasn't the typical brute image of a blacksmith; instead, he was lean with perfectly defined muscles, giving him an explosive look.

"Xiao Su, this is my son, Duan Jin. He's only twenty years old this year. You can just call him brother."

Only twenty years old?

Su Ming was even more surprised.

To become a Soul Master at such a young age is already considered genius. The Soul Master Competition requires participants to be no older than 25, and Soul Masters are extremely rare in the competition.

Given Duan Jin's age, he might even have a chance to reach the Soul Master level within five years!
In the Soul Master Competition, Soul Masters are already among the top tier.

"It's all thanks to the teacher's help," Duan Jin said.

He spoke very sincerely, genuinely believing that his success today was due to having a good teacher.

Blacksmiths with soul power are a minority. Even in Gengxin City, it is very rare to find a disciple with good soul master talent, and they are usually trained seriously.

However, the apprentice must also strive to improve and genuinely pursue a passion for forging.

This requires a two-way effort.

And the master and apprentice who can meet this condition are often the most enviable.

“My father said you learned his skills in just six months.”

Seeing this, Duan Tie instructed Su Ming to open the furnace and forge iron.

"Xiao Su, show off your skills to Xiao Jin."

"it is good!"

Su Ming is also very motivated.

He knew that if he performed well in Duan Jin's presence, Duan Jin would be more dedicated when he hunted souls.

He could sense that the Duan father and son were both blacksmiths who had a passion for forging.

As long as you can demonstrate your talent in forging and show your passion for it, you will gain the other party's respect.

Not only for his first spirit ring, Su Ming will need a second, third, and even more spirit rings in the future. If he wants to absorb spirit rings that are level up, he certainly won't be able to hunt them down on his own, so he must find a powerful backer.

Duan Jin may not have a titled Douluo behind him, but he can help Su Ming quickly gain a foothold in the Blacksmith Association.

Next, Su Ming devoted himself entirely to forging.

In fact, he didn't need to deliberately show it; his natural state while forging was enough to convey his attitude towards it. Duan Jin could tell from Su Ming's joyful expression every time he swung the forging hammer that Su Ming was enjoying the process.

This is crucial for any blacksmith.

If you can't enjoy the pleasure of forging, then you can't pursue the ultimate secrets of forging.

Su Ming felt that he was in an unusually good state.

Every strike was perfectly timed.

He felt as if he were dancing, wielding the forging hammer in his hand, massaging the piece of iron in front of him, each strike hitting the most comfortable spot on the block.

The iron block didn't make any dull sound; instead, it made a crisp clanging sound, as if responding to Su Ming's state.

　Seeing the feedback and suggestions from many readers, I also felt a sense of disjointedness while writing. This is to explain the protagonist's situation in the early stages. The frequent switching of the protagonist's perspective in the first few chapters was indeed not handled well. Later on, I will stay in one period for a longer time, and after finishing one section, I will switch perspectives to show the growth path of another protagonist. I will try my best to plan that the protagonist of Dou Di Zhuan II and III will have a storyline while the protagonist of Dou Di Zhuan I is engaged in monotonous training. Then, the protagonist of Dou Di Zhuan I will enter a period of arduous training, and special plots will be arranged in Dou Di Zhuan II. I will try my best to write this genre well.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)