The forest was quiet again.
Only the rustling of leaves and the distant cries of spirit beasts remained as the last traces of golden light faded from Xiao Hongchen's body.
The yellow soul ring rotated steadily around him.
Level 11.
A Soul Master.
For most children, reaching this stage meant excitement, pride, and perhaps a bit of fear about the long road ahead.
For Xiao Hongchen, it meant calculation.
He slowly stood up, flexing his fingers.
The change was immediate.
His body felt stronger, but more importantly, his senses had sharpened. Spirit energy flowed through his meridians with far greater clarity than before. The Three-Legged Golden Toad within his spiritual sea had grown more stable as well, its golden body now carrying faint gray metallic patterns inherited from the Metal-Back Toad.
Inheritance confirmed.
The first soul ring had successfully strengthened the metal attribute of his martial soul.
Jing Hongchen stepped forward.
"Show me the ability."
His tone was calm, but the surrounding guards subtly straightened.
They were curious too.
Xiao Hongchen nodded.
He raised his hand.
The yellow soul ring flashed.
Golden light gathered above his palm as the Three-Legged Golden Toad reappeared. This time, the martial soul looked slightly different than before. Its body seemed heavier, and the circular treasure patterns along its skin glowed faintly.
Then something interesting happened.
The toad opened its mouth.
A soft suction force spread outward.
Small metal fragments from the surrounding ground began vibrating.
Broken iron shards.
Loose mineral particles.
Tiny traces of spirit metal hidden within the soil.
They rose into the air like iron filings drawn toward a magnet.
Meng Hongchen's eyes widened.
"Hey—!"
The fragments flew directly into the golden toad's mouth.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The spirit swallowed the pieces one after another.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then the martial soul glowed brighter.
Golden energy condensed in front of Xiao Hongchen's palm.
The energy hardened.
Compressed.
Reshaped.
Within seconds, a small metallic sphere appeared in his hand.
Smooth.
Dense.
Perfectly refined.
The guards exchanged surprised looks.
Jing Hongchen remained silent for several seconds.
Then he asked, "Explain."
Xiao Hongchen examined the sphere briefly before answering.
"My first soul ability."
He raised the sphere slightly.
"Devouring Refinement."
Meng tilted her head.
"That sounds dramatic."
"It's accurate."
Jing Hongchen nodded slightly.
"Continue."
Xiao Hongchen explained.
"The Three-Legged Golden Toad can devour metal materials."
He tapped the sphere.
"Then refine and compress them into higher-density alloys."
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Higher density?"
Xiao Hongchen nodded.
"The impurities are removed during refinement."
Meng's eyes lit up.
"That means better metals."
"Exactly."
Jing Hongchen took the sphere from his hand.
He weighed it.
Then he crushed it between his fingers.
Not easily.
Even with his strength, the metal resisted for a moment before cracking.
The old man's eyes sharpened.
"This density…"
He glanced back toward Xiao Hongchen.
"You refined ordinary iron into something closer to spirit alloy."
Xiao Hongchen nodded again.
"Yes."
Jing Hongchen stared at the broken fragments in his palm.
Then he laughed softly.
That sound shocked everyone present.
The head of the Hongchen family did not laugh often.
"Interesting."
Very interesting.
Meng walked closer to Xiao Hongchen.
"So basically your frog eats metal and poops better metal?"
Xiao Hongchen blinked.
"That is… a crude description."
"But correct."
She grinned.
"That's actually really useful."
He agreed.
It was useful.
But more importantly, it was scalable.
Right now his martial soul could only refine small amounts of metal.
But as his cultivation increased, the devouring ability would grow stronger.
Eventually it could refine:
Spirit iron.
Deep sea silver.
Heavenly star iron.
Even rarer materials.
And if he combined those refined metals with soul tool engineering…
His future arsenal could become terrifying.
Jing Hongchen turned toward the guards.
"Collect samples."
Immediately the guards began gathering metal fragments from the area.
Several pieces were handed to Xiao Hongchen.
"Refine them."
He activated his ability again.
The yellow ring glowed.
Golden light appeared.
The Three-Legged Golden Toad devoured the metals.
Within moments new alloys formed.
This time the refined metal looked different.
Darker.
More compact.
Jing Hongchen inspected it carefully.
"Good conductivity."
He handed the metal to one of the guards.
"Test its spirit power flow later."
The guard nodded.
"Yes, Master."
Jing Hongchen looked back at Xiao Hongchen.
"This ability has enormous potential."
Xiao Hongchen already knew that.
But hearing it from Jing Hongchen confirmed something important.
The family would support his development.
And support meant resources.
Resources meant materials.
Materials meant power.
The group began walking back toward the carriage.
Meng walked beside him.
"So what are you going to do with that ability?"
"Experiment."
"With what?"
"Metals."
"That's obvious."
He glanced at her.
"Eventually I want to create my own alloys."
She stopped walking.
"You can do that?"
"Probably."
"How?"
He pointed toward the city.
"The empire already has metallurgy research."
"And your frog eats metal."
"Yes."
"And refines it."
"Yes."
She stared at him for a moment.
"Okay that's actually terrifying."
He smiled slightly.
The return trip to the city was quiet.
Jing Hongchen seemed deep in thought.
The guards remained alert.
Meng leaned against the window of the transport carriage.
Xiao Hongchen looked outside.
The Sun Moon Empire stretched across the horizon.
Tall mechanical towers.
Spirit-powered factories.
Research facilities.
Military fortifications.
Compared to the rest of the continent, the empire looked almost futuristic.
Which meant something important.
His future path might not rely entirely on traditional cultivation.
It could also involve technological advancement.
Soul tools.
Advanced alloys.
Combat equipment.
Even concepts that wouldn't appear until centuries later.
His mind drifted briefly toward something he remembered from Douluo Dalu III.
Soul Armor.
A technology capable of amplifying a soul master's power dramatically.
If that concept were developed earlier…
And combined with refined alloys created by his martial soul…
The result could revolutionize combat.
But that was a distant goal.
For now, he needed to grow stronger step by step.
They arrived back at the Hongchen estate by evening.
The workshops were still active.
Huge furnaces glowed red.
Engineers tested experimental soul cannons.
Apprentices transported metal plates between research chambers.
Xiao Hongchen felt the Three-Legged Golden Toad stir again inside his spiritual sea.
The martial soul liked this place.
Metal everywhere.
Resources everywhere.
Opportunity everywhere.
Jing Hongchen stopped before entering the main building.
"Xiao Hongchen."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"You will begin basic soul tool training tomorrow."
That surprised Meng.
"Already?"
Jing Hongchen nodded.
"His ability is suited for metallurgy and engineering."
He looked directly at Xiao Hongchen.
"You will learn faster if you start early."
Xiao Hongchen bowed slightly.
"I understand."
The old man added one more instruction.
"And continue cultivating."
"Yes."
Jing Hongchen walked away.
Later that night, Xiao Hongchen sat in his room again.
The moonlight illuminated the metal-lined walls.
He placed several metal fragments on the desk.
Iron.
Copper.
Spirit steel.
He activated his martial soul again.
The golden toad appeared.
"Let's test something."
The fragments floated upward.
The toad devoured them.
Energy surged.
The metal compressed.
Refined.
Then something unexpected happened.
The refined alloy changed shape.
Not randomly.
Deliberately.
The metal formed a thin blade.
Small.
But perfectly balanced.
Xiao Hongchen's eyes widened slightly.
"Interesting…"
The ability didn't just refine metal.
It could reshape it.
That meant something huge.
If his control improved…
He could create weapons instantly.
Or even build soul tool components on the spot.
His mind raced.
Alloy creation.
Instant weapon formation.
Soul tool integration.
Body reinforcement.
Future soul armor concepts.
All of it connected.
The Three-Legged Golden Toad wasn't just a beast spirit.
It was a forge.
And Xiao Hongchen would become its master.
He looked at the blade in his hand.
The metal shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"This world…"
"…is going to be very interesting."