Peerless Tang Sect: God Emperor Haotian

Inside the workshop, the furnace burned fiercely, and the crisp, powerful clanging of metal echoed continuously, composing a rugged and stirring symphony of steel.

Ye Sen spent the entire day alternating between forging and resting, and soon it was late at night.

"Almost there, just one last hammer blow."

Ye Sen gripped the handle of the Haotian Hammer tightly with his right hand, his eyes fixed intently on the metal block in front of him, which had undergone a dramatic transformation since its forging.

With just one final touch, he could complete the hundred-fold forging of the metal before him.

However, after a day of training, he was now at his limit, with his mental strength, soul power, and spiritual power all nearing their limits.

Most people would have given up and collapsed by now.

But Yesen is different. He has experienced this state hundreds of times in the past year and has long been used to it. It is precisely by constantly challenging himself in this extreme state that he has been able to make such rapid progress.

Ye Sen focused intently, holding his breath, and finally unleashed the last hammer blow, squeezing out all the strength from his body.

"clang--"

A crisp metallic clanging sound rang out.

After a hundred forgings were completed, amidst the violent tremors, the rare metal on the forging table faintly emitted a dim light, clearly showing that it had become different.

Ye Sen, too, seemed frozen in place, completely still. This strange state lasted for several breaths before being broken by a powerful aura erupting from Ye Sen's body.

"call--"

Ye Sen's eyes regained focus, and then he exhaled.

Ye Sen tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer, a smile spreading across his face: "Finally, I've broken through! I knew this would work!"

After resting in the studio for a while and regaining some strength, Ye Sen immediately set off to find Li Mu.

Li Mu, still in his pajamas, looked puzzled when Ye Sen came to his door alone late at night: "What brings you here so late?"

Ye Sen smiled and got straight to the point: "Grandpa Dean, I just broke through the bottleneck and reached level 20 in soul power. I came to let you know."

"A breakthrough?"

Li Mu was immediately startled upon hearing this.

"Um."

Ye Sen nodded.

After realizing what was happening, Li Mu immediately took a deep breath and clicked his tongue, saying, "Tsk tsk, you're really a monster! In just one year, you've increased your soul power by four levels and become a Great Soul Master. How are others supposed to compete with that?!"

Ye Sen smiled and then said, "Grandpa Dean, I'd like to talk to you about my second spirit ring."

Li Mu readily replied, "You can rest assured. Although I'm not exactly a top-tier expert, a word is a word. Since I've made a promise, I will definitely take full responsibility for your first three spirit rings."

Ye Sen said, "Grandpa Dean, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that I want to challenge for a thousand-year-old soul ring as my second soul ring."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu was indeed stunned: "What, a thousand years?"

Ye Sen was pulled into the house by Li Mu.

Li Mu closed the door and said with a serious expression, "Xiao Sen, are you sure you're not mistaken? The optimal age for a Soul Master's second Soul Ring is around seven hundred years. Don't you know that?"

Ye Sen said, "Grandpa Dean, of course I know that. But I also know that seven hundred years is not the absolute limit for a Great Soul Master. As long as the body can withstand it, it is possible to absorb beyond one's level."

"As you know, I've absorbed whale glue and an external soul bone. Moreover, my first soul ring came from a Titan Giant Ape with 500 years of cultivation. This soul ring's enhancement to me far surpasses that of a typical 100-year soul ring. Therefore, I'm confident in challenging a 1000-year soul ring."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu fell silent.

Although the Dark Water Soul Master Academy is not a top-tier Soul Master Academy, that doesn't mean Li Mu didn't study at a top-tier Soul Master Academy when he was young. Of course, he knew what Ye Sen was talking about.

"I know what you're saying, but it's too risky. No one can guarantee success in the end. Your talent is already so outstanding; there's no need to take such a risk for a thousand-year spirit ring."

Li Mu's persuasion did not cause Ye Sen to waver in the slightest; in fact, his eyes became even more determined.

"Grandpa Dean, I have confidence, so I hope you can agree to let me try. I believe I will succeed."

Meeting Ye Sen's resolute gaze, Li Mu's words caught in his throat. After a moment's hesitation, Li Mu finally nodded and said helplessly, "Alright then, I respect your choice. You can rest tomorrow, and we'll set off the day after."

"OK."

After bidding farewell to Li Mu, Ye Sen left his residence.

When Ye Sen returned to his dormitory, he was greeted by a spotless room. Jiang Nannan had even washed his dirty clothes that had piled up for several days and thoughtfully folded them neatly, demonstrating her care and attention.

"This girl—"

Ye Sen's gaze was unusually gentle.

The next day, Ye Sen still took leave from class. After class, Jiang Nannan learned that Ye Sen was about to set off for the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a spirit ring, and immediately looked worried.

Ye Sen smiled and pinched her cheek, comforting her, "Don't worry, with Grandpa Dean here, and your brother here, I'm a lucky guy, everything will be alright."

"Um."

Jiang Nannan nodded, but still reminded him, "Brother, please be careful. I'll be waiting for you to come back at the academy."

Ye Sen nodded with a smile.

The next day, a carriage left Xuanming City early in the morning.

Compared to the first soul hunt, this time the team had more members, naturally because the target this time was a thousand-year soul ring. Although Li Mu was a Soul King, he couldn't be sure of success against a thousand-year soul beast, so to be on the safe side, he called along the two vice deans of the academy who were both Soul Masters.

Five days later, the group of four arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.

After inquiring about Ye Sen's thoughts on the second spirit ring, the group chose a small path to enter the Star Dou Great Forest.

Compared to last time, this time Ye Sen and his group reached a deeper part of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The mixed zone is mainly inhabited by thousand-year-old soul beasts and powerful hundred-year-old soul beasts. Weak ten-year-old soul beasts can hardly survive in this cruel place without the help of their clan.

There are many soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest that are skilled in strength.

However, there aren't many soul beasts that excel in both strength and have skills to counter speed.

The four of them searched the Star Dou Great Forest for four or five days without any results. Just when Ye Sen was about to give up, a soul beast caught their attention.

This is a giant, tan bear. When it stands upright, it is over three meters tall, and its muscular body makes it appear extremely robust.

"Dean, it's a Thousand-Year Earth Demon Bear!" the middle-aged female vice dean said with a look of surprise. Her name was Qiu Lan, her martial soul was the Devil Vine, and she was a control-type Battle Soul Master.

"If I remember correctly, the Earth Demon Bear seems to have a skill that can limit the speed of its opponents, right?" Another male vice dean revealed the reason for Qiu Lan's surprise.

"That's right, it does have that ability. Judging from its physical characteristics, this guy has been cultivating for a little over a thousand years. Let's go for it!" Li Mu finally made the decision.