Douluo Continent: I can overdraft the future in advance

The next afternoon, Luo Yun went to Master Fang's shop as usual.

When I pushed the door open, Master Fang was cleaning his tools at the workbench. Seeing me enter, he said without looking up, "What are we practicing today? You haven't mastered the node handling of the second-stage heating boiler yet. Continue."

Luo Yun did not sit down.

"Master Fang, I want to take the Level 1 Soul Master exam."

Master Fang paused for a moment, then looked up at him.

"Okay." He put down the tools in his hand. "Wait for me at the entrance of the Soul Master Association at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

After saying that, he lowered his head again and continued cleaning the tools.

Luo Yun was taken aback. He had thought that Master Fang would ask a few more questions or ask him to practice some more, but he didn't expect him to agree so readily.

"Master Fang, won't you test me first?"

"What kind of test?" Master Fang asked without looking up. "Don't I know your level?"

Luo Yun thought about it and agreed. Master Fang had been teaching him for two years, and Master Fang knew his progress better than he did himself.

"What about the theory test? I didn't pass it—"

"I guarantee it," Master Fang interrupted him. "You've studied with me for two years, so I'll take care of your theoretical foundation. You don't need to take an exam."

Luo Yun opened his mouth, wanting to say thank you, but seeing Master Fang's "don't talk nonsense" expression, he swallowed his words back.

"Don't be late tomorrow," said Master Fang.

---

The next morning, Luo Yun arrived at the entrance of the Soul Master Association.

The association was located in the city center, in a three-story bluestone building. A bronze plaque hung at the entrance, bearing the emblem of the Soul Master Association—a carving knife and a magic circle intertwined. Master Fang was already waiting there, leaning against the wall, holding a cup of hot tea that he had somehow obtained.

"You're here? Let's go."

He turned and pushed the door open to go inside, and Luo Yun quickly followed.

The association's interior was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Several long tables were set up in the hall, and a few staff members were busy with their work. On the walls hung blueprints and finished products of various soul tools, as well as a large sign that outlined the assessment requirements and certification process for soul masters at all levels.

Master Fang spoke a few words to the person who was receiving them. The person glanced at Luo Yun, nodded, and led them inside.

The examination room was on the second floor. It wasn't large, and inside was a worktable with metal plates, carving knives, blueprints, and various tools. An elderly man with gray hair sat in the corner, with a booklet open in front of him; he was probably the examiner.

"Level One Soul Master Assessment, Practical Part." The old man glanced at Luo Yun, flipped through the booklet in front of him, and said, "Master Fang has already guaranteed your theoretical knowledge; you'll be tested directly on practical skills. You will be randomly selected from three types of first-tier soul tools, and you will have two hours to inscribe the core magic array."

He took two slips of paper from the box on the table, unfolded them, and looked at them.

"Tier 1 lighting, Tier 1 communicator. Let's begin."

Luo Yun sat down at the worktable.

He could draw the blueprints for lighting fixtures with his eyes closed. Although he hadn't practiced with communicators much, he had seen many magic arrays of this level based on the experience of synchronizing with the system.

He picked up the carving knife and began with the lamp.

The blade touched the metal plate, and soul power slowly flowed in. With the first cut, he knew he was in good form. His soul power output was as steady as still water, and every line the carving knife traced on the metal was even and smooth. Curves, zigzags, nodes, finishing touches—every step was executed exactly as required by the blueprint, without the slightest hesitation or modification.

After an incense stick's time, the magic circle for the lighting lamp was completed.

He put the metal sheet aside, picked up the communicator blueprints, glanced at them, and then began to carve.

The communicator's magic array was more complex than the lighting array, with more nodes and several intersecting lines. Luo Yun slowed down a bit, but his hands remained steady. Every strike landed precisely where it should, and every line moved straight and smoothly.

Another half hour passed, and the magic circle for the communicator was also completed.

He handed the two pieces of iron to the examiner.

The old man took the iron pieces, used a magnifying glass to examine the depth of the patterns and the integrity of the nodes. He then used his soul power to test the conductivity of the two iron pieces and made a few notes in his notebook.

"Passed." He placed the iron plate back on the table. "Both the first-tier lighting and the first-tier communicator arrays are qualified. From today onwards, you are a first-level Soul Master."

He took a bronze badge from the drawer and handed it to Luo Yun. The badge was small, with a carving knife engraved on the front and the words "Soul Master Association" engraved on the back.

Luo Yun took it and held it in his hand.

After leaving the assessment room, Master Fang was still leaning against the wall outside, waiting.

"Did you pass?"

"Passed."

Master Fang nodded and turned to leave. Luo Yun followed, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Master Fang, thank you."

"No need to thank me." Master Fang didn't even turn his head. "Level 1 Soul Master is just the beginning. Don't think that just because you passed the exam you're all set."

"I know."

---

That evening, Luo Yun returned home and told the reporter about passing the Level 1 Soul Master exam at the dinner table.

Luo Xing was drinking soup when he heard this and was stunned for a long time.

"Did you pass the exam?"

"I passed the exam."

Luo Xing put down his bowl, sat up straight in his chair, and stared at Luo Yun for a long while.

"Good!" He slammed his hand on the table. "I knew it! My son, Luo Xing's son, can't be bad!"

After dinner, Luo Xing called Luo Yun to the study.

He took a small wooden box from the cabinet and placed it on the table. The box was not large, but it was exquisitely crafted, with some simple patterns engraved on its surface.

"Open it and take a look."

Luo Yun opened the box, inside was a small, white jade-like bottle, its mouth sealed with wax. A small label was affixed to the bottle, bearing three words: "Mysterious Water Pill."

Luo Yun was stunned for a moment.

The Mysterious Water Pill is no ordinary pill; it is a truly effective substance that can improve physical constitution and enhance innate soul power.

"Father, this thing—"

"Really." Luo Xing interrupted him, "I asked several friends to buy it from the Xuanming Sect. It cost a lot of money."

He looked at Luo Yun, his tone very calm.

"You're a Level 1 Soul Master now, but your foundation is what it is—Level 4 is Level 4. No matter how much you improve later, there's only so much. This Profound Water Pill can help you raise your foundation."

Luo Yun held the small bottle and remained silent for a while.

---

Back in his room, Luo Yun sat on the bed and opened the small bottle.

A sweet fragrance wafted from the bottle. He poured out the pill inside, a small, milky-white ball with a smooth surface, like the finest jade.

He put the Xuan Shui Dan into his mouth.

It melted in my mouth, a warm liquid sliding down my throat and quickly spreading throughout my body. The feeling was wonderful, like being soaked in warm water, my pores opening up, and something inside my body being slowly washed away and replaced.

The warmth lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and then slowly subsided.

Luo Yun closed his eyes and circulated his soul power.

He sensed it.

Not the same.

Previously, when my soul power circulated through my meridians, there was always a slight feeling of stagnation. Now, that feeling has completely disappeared, and my soul power flows more smoothly than ever before. Moreover, with each cycle, the amount of growth of my soul power is also much greater than before.

Master Fang once said that there is a limit to how much you can supplement your diet after birth, and you can't change the root cause of things too much.

But the Mysterious Water Pill changes the very essence of things.

Luo Yun opened his eyes and did some calculations. His current cultivation speed was at least equivalent to the sixth level of the Innate Realm. Although he couldn't compare to those monsters at the seventh or eighth level of the Innate Realm, he was at least no longer at the bottom.

He looked down at his arms. The shrunken meridians were still there, and soul power flowed slowly within them. The strength of his arms, his level 20 soul power, his status as a level 1 Soul Master, coupled with his current cultivation speed at the sixth level of the Innate Realm—

When Shrek entered school at the age of twelve, he had more confidence.