Even though many years had already passed since then, Tang Wulin was still struck by a sense of bitterness whenever he thought back to those dark days.

"I forged with all my effort every day for three whole years. Layers upon layers of calluses accumulated over my hands, and I popped one blister after another, only to work through the pain. I finally saved up enough money, but in exchange for my painstaking efforts, I received a defective soul spirit. On that day, I cried like the heartbroken little boy I was, and I refused to listen to any words of encouragement or optimism. All I could think of at the time was how unfair the heavens had been to me, and questioned why I was always afflicted by the worst-case scenarios.

"After I shed my tears and got over my pain, I still chose to fuse with it. Even though...