NOVEL FROG Chapter 114: Memory Palace
Without cultivating soul power, that was a matter for nighttime.
There was no need to train the body further; mornings were spent practicing various martial forms. Besides, his physical strength had already hit a ceiling. Until a more effective method was developed, he could only focus on how to maximize his existing strength, trying to produce the effect of doing one task with the strength of two or three.
Similarly, he had also paused his study of various external skill sets. Recently, he had invested considerable mental energy in this area, which had him tightly wound. Despite his inherently strong mental fortitude and the brain-restorative effects of deep sleep, Ling Yi still needed to adjust his psychological state himself.
Thus, in the past two days, aside from regular training, Ling Yi could often be found in the study, reading novels.
To be precise, he was browsing through novels in a fledgling memory palace he had constructed in his mind, reviewing works he had read in his previous life.
Sometimes, you have to admit that those who write web novels may not excel in literary style, but when it comes to creativity, they're truly remarkable!
You never know how far the imagination of a usually tongue-tied, introverted office worker can soar behind the screen, even breaking through the sky!
In the past, Ling Yi used to read web novels to pass the time, in between learning various professional skills from others.
When he encountered a particularly brilliant idea, he'd at most type "666" to express amazement, seldom offering any other form of support like rewards or votes, considering subscribing to the whole series enough support.
After all, novels are just a diversion in life, with little impact on his real-life self.
Study, work, eat and drink, accompany the girls to study, work, eat and drink...
But now, after I have crossed into this new world, I often wish I could reconnect to the internet from my past life and buy a supreme VIP package. I would shower gold coins irresponsibly every time I'm inspired, urging those authors to unleash their creativity in their writing. Perhaps I could leverage some of their imaginative ideas for my present and future self.
Even using just one idea would be a worthwhile gain—after all, how much does reading a novel cost anyway?
Back in those days, I subscribed completely to every novel, reading works with over two million words and spending less than a hundred bucks—not even the cost of a family meal deal from KFC.
"What a pity~"
In the memory palace, Ling Yi set down a partial novel called "Soul Master Researcher of Douluo" with a face full of regret and wistfulness.
It was a Douluo fan fiction with an exceptionally creative concept, but the character personalities were slightly twisted, preventing the storyline inside from thoroughly unfolding. It fell apart halfway through, leaving no further content.
Nonetheless, many of the ideas about the Douluo Soul Master System within it were still worth Ling Yi’s deep contemplation and verification.
After all, there were so few Douluo fan fictions with the protagonist having "Blue Silver Grass" as a soul spirit. Before Ling Yi's transmigration, there were just a few such stories, while most other ones featured grand spirits like "Pangu Axe," "Twelve-Winged Angel," or "Golden Dragon"—not at all applicable to his current situation.
"At the time, a few book friends recommended a Douluo fan fiction called 'Starting from Blue Silver Grass,' but the title was not appealing. Also, many comments in the forum mentioned clichés concerning character setup and avatars, and so I hesitated and didn't click to read it."
Ling Yi murmured to himself as he turned his head and gestured, summoning a book that only had a cover, a few pages of reviews, and a sparse table of contents and chapter titles to float before him.
He glanced over it briefly, shook his head, and waved it back to its original place among other web novels.
Picking up the incomplete volume he had just set down, his gaze skimmed over the cursory description of the evolution of martial souls at the beginning, focusing instead on the segment about 'Spirit Forging, Soul Forging, and Heavenly Forging.'
As he read, his thoughts began to wander:
‘Damn it, if I'd known I'd be crossing into the Douluo universe, despite my reluctance, I would have forced myself to catch up on the sequels to the first Douluo series. Now, I'm left to rely on these fanfictions to piece together some of the settings introduced in the later entries…’
‘The issue is, I don't even know if these settings have been revised by the fanfiction authors…’
‘Furthermore, many simply mention terms like soul cores, spirit forging, soul spirits, or battle armor without any clear explanation…’
At this thought, Ling Yi's brow twitched, and a sudden idea struck him: 'Could it be that the originals weren't clear either?'
Web novel authors write stories sometimes out of interest, but mostly for profit. They have no need, nor is it feasible, to create a complete worldview.
Therefore, as fantasies become reality, as a transmigrant, the memories of my past life can only serve as stepping stones on my path to growth, not as a strategic guide for action.
Otherwise, the consequences could be dire.
After all, this is a real world, where every aspect naturally evolves and fills in the gaps of those illusory parts that originally did not exist.
With a wave of his hand, Ling Yi sent the book he was holding back to the shelf. He looked up at the simplified version of his memory palace, which currently only resembled his study. Flashes of information from several Douluo fanfictions crossed his mind as he swiftly distilled their content: "A thousand refinements give essence, spiritual refinement creates life, soul refinement imparts wisdom, heavenly refinement merges with the path..."
"According to these Douluo fanfictions," he pondered, "through these years of exploration and especially after breaking through the thousand-refinement stage to become a blacksmith, I can now release my aura. This allows my blood and energy to resonate along with the forge hammer, influencing the metal being struck..."
"With mental power control, this part isn't too difficult. It's just a matter of understanding the key points. With practice over time, it can be mastered..."
Thinking of this, Ling Yi murmured, "I wonder how long it will take for Senior Lou Gao and Uncle Tie Futu to make the metal exhibit spirituality after receiving my letter.
Given their status as the only divine craftsmen in Douluo Continent, it probably won't take them long, right?
As for further engraving soul guide patterns, that will depend on their own skills."
Currently, set before the start of the Douluo plotline, blacksmiths are not only seen as lowly by soul masters, but there is also little to commend in their forging skills.
Perhaps the only thing that can impress is the mastery of metal properties by divine craftsmen like Lou Gao, who can develop various alloys with seemingly miraculous effects.
For now, let's set aside the lower-level blacksmiths and focus solely on the art of hammering metal—refining, enhancing, or even simply restoring the intrinsic quality of the metal itself.
Mastering a specific alloy formula that can withstand the intense tempering of a thousand folds allows a creation to be effective in the hands of a Soul Master at the Soul Sovereign level, thus achieving the status of a blacksmith.
Beyond that, a Blacksmith Master must independently develop a unique alloy formula. The performance of the crafted tools should be such that they can be wielded effectively in the battles of Soul Sect-level soul masters.
The works of a Blacksmith Grandmaster do not differ much in quality from those of a master blacksmith, but while the masters often excel in crafting a particular single instrument, the grandmaster excels by mastering multiple types of craftsmanship.
One is specialized, the other specialized yet expansive.
Only when these seemingly contradictory aspects are achieved simultaneously can one rightfully be called a 'Grandmaster'!
Ascending further to the level of a Divine Blacksmith marks yet another transformation, where the quality of a single creation reaching the standards of a Soul King's weapon signifies everything.
It could be said that even Divine Blacksmiths like Lou Gao and Tie Futu remain deeply entrenched in meticulous research into the metal's inherent properties. They have not yet reached the point where, in the millennia that followed, they could imagine endowing metal and their creations with spirituality and life.
In their understanding, iron was simply iron. No matter how refined an ironwork was, even if the blacksmith himself viewed it as a labor of love, akin to his own child, it could not escape being perceived merely as a tool by other soul masters.
There were indeed blacksmiths who considered crafting their works as if bringing up a child, but they often found themselves constrained by their capabilities and the murky unknown of what lay ahead, struggling to maintain a steadfast belief, ultimately failing to achieve their anticipated results.
There are times when some rare synchronicities give rise to spiritual metals and spiritual artifacts. Due to their exceedingly low probability, they are often regarded as mere coincidences or divine miracles.
Given such circumstances, it might only be possible in the future for a 'Destined One,' who aligns with the right time, place, and people, to discover the reason behind spiritualizing metals. This person would then verify and summarize the patterns step by step, eventually sparking a revolution among blacksmiths.
(End of Chapter)
