At the Blacksmith's Association, Ray went straight to Nigel.

"Teacher, I'm back."

Nigel smiled warmly. "How was your break? Relaxing?"

"I gained a lot," Ray replied honestly, lowering his head. "But I didn't forge at all."

Nigel laughed heartily. "Honesty is good. Don't worry so much. Rest is also part of cultivation. Once forging reaches a certain level, constant hammering matters less than understanding and consolidation."

"Dad, that's unfair!" A familiar voice complained. Rachel stormed in, cheeks puffed. "Why didn't you let me go out during vacation? You made me forge every day!"

Nigel replied calmly, "When your forging level reaches Ray's, you can have vacations too."

"Hmph!" Rachel shot Ray a glare and stormed out.

Ray stood awkwardly. He never knew how to handle her hostility.

Nigel shook his head. "That child…"

He understood Rachel well. Competition-fueled growth. The fact that she treated Ray as a rival wasn't a bad thing.

It's just unfortunate for her… her opponent is a little monster.

"You just returned," Nigel said. "Rest today. Starting tomorrow, training will intensify. Use two days to learn. Be prepared."

"Yes!" Ray answered firmly.

Leaving the office, he accepted two rank-three blacksmith tasks and returned to the workshop.

He wasn't tired at all. Meditation during the trip had restored him completely. These tasks would serve as a warm-up before formal lessons.

He adjusted the forging table, placed the metal down, and raised his hammer.

Clang!

As the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer fell, Ray froze in surprise.

It flowed.

The forging felt smoother than ever.

The metal responded vividly, its spirit clear and obedient beneath his strikes. Nigel hadn't been comforting him—he'd been right.

Even after a month away, Ray's forging had improved.

He completed the process cleanly, producing a piece of Thousand Refined metal of higher quality than before. With the Purple Demon Eyes assisting, his efficiency rose dramatically. The compressed soul power from the Mysterious Heaven Method granted him greater stamina.

In the past, he could only Thousand Refine two pieces in succession.

Now, he forged four.

And the quality was better.

Hundred Refined metals had three grades: low, medium, and high.

The Thousand Refined metals had five.

And for the first time, Ray could clearly feel himself approaching the higher tiers.

Ray's usual output hovered around fourth-grade Thousand Refined metal. When luck smiled on him, he could occasionally produce third-grade pieces; when it didn't, the result dipped to fifth-grade. Fifth-grade was already sufficient to complete tasks, but any piece of third-grade or above earned additional pay.

What pleasantly surprised him was that after forging one third-grade and one fourth-grade piece at the start, every subsequent piece came out as second-grade.

That meant a substantial bonus.

The improvement in quality clearly reflected a deeper understanding of metal. Teacher Mu had once told him that when he could produce first-grade Thousand Refined metal with a thirty percent success rate, he would be qualified to attempt Spirit Refining.

Originally, Ray had thought that the milestone was still three years away. But now… if he could forge second-grade metal so smoothly without pushing himself, how far could first-grade really be?

What Ray didn't realize was just how enormous his gains from Arcana City truly were.

Beyond the thousand-year Dragonscale Fruit, the experiences within the intermediate spirit ascension platform had broadened his understanding of soul beasts, combat, and soul skill application.

More importantly, absorbing the spirit energy of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape had brought about a fundamental transformation.

As a spiritual-attribute soul beast, the ape's energy was volatile and intense. Coupled with the excess spirit energy beyond Ray's limits, the danger had been immense. Without Grandpa Mel's intervention, the outcome could have ranged from permanent damage to outright death. This was the true source of Alfred's lingering guilt.

Yet Ray had survived.

Not only that, he had broken through.

While the improvement wasn't as drastic as breaking a Golden Dragon King seal, the gains were undeniable. His spirit soul had reached heights he never imagined, and the Mysterious Heaven Method had refined both his soul power and spiritual power.

These two energies formed the foundation of all Soul Masters, regardless of profession. Their refinement was precisely why his forging had advanced so noticeably.

Having finished the tasks earlier than expected, Ray didn't rush to submit them. Instead, he spent the remaining time cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Method. Over the next three days, quiet realizations settled into place, further deepening his understanding of metal.

*

The calm of West Ocean City's break ended as the new semester began. The academy once more filled with noise and vitality as students poured in.

This was their second semester. Once it ended, they would advance a grade. Excitement mixed with anxiety, for the looming promotion exams were never far from their thoughts.

In intermediate academies, students had to reach two soul rings by the end of the elementary division to graduate. In the advanced division, three rings were required. Not everyone could meet these standards, and upper-grade students felt the pressure most keenly.

First- and second-year students still had room to breathe.

Lucius and Miel wandered through the academy, chatting as they went.

"Have you seen Ray or anyone from class zero?" Miel said with a grin. "Something weird happened. Volt and Barbaratransferred to another academy."

Lucius scoffed. "You think Soul Grandmasters would be ashamed? There's more to it. But I bet Ray's feeling pressure now. I heard Lily already reached rank twenty. He's the only one in class zero still stuck with one ring."

Miel's eyes lit up. "Wouldn't it be great if class zero disbanded? Then they'd come back. We're class one now, but let's be honest, our class is weak. If this keeps up, we'll get demoted in the Class Promotion Tournament."

Lucius shrugged. "Then we drop to class two."

Miel frowned. "Don't you have any sense of honor?"

"Honor needs strength," Lucius replied calmly. "Focus on cultivating instead of worrying about useless things."

As they neared the dormitories, Lucius suddenly nudged him. "Look. Lily."

Miel followed his gaze.

Lily walked past in her academy uniform, expression calm and distant. She wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, certainly not on Uriel's level, but her unique temperament pressed down on those around her like an invisible weight.

Even Raziel Phoenix was affected by her presence. Only Ray seemed immune.

As she passed, Lucius and Miel instinctively felt suppressed, as if low-level soul beasts were encountering a superior predator.

"She's grown taller," Miel whispered once she'd gone. "And even scarier."

Lucius chuckled. "I figured it out last semester. Lily is the strongest in class zero. I doubt anyone below fifth grade can beat her. If class zero enters the tournament… heh."

"Stronger than Raziel Phoenix?" Miel asked.

"Most likely."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.