Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1437 I Was Born in an Era of Geniuses (Part 2)

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……

Dead, all dead.

Two Soul Douluos, three Soul Saints... all turned into shattered ice and broken jade in pools of blood, and some even vaporized.

In the center of this brutal battlefield, only I remained, along with the Shadow Butterfly Soul Emperor beside me, whose will had been completely shattered by the scene before him, and who was trembling like a leaf.

We were like two clay sculptures nailed to the ice, unable to even entertain the slightest thought of escaping.

The immense, prison-like pressure had not dissipated; even the mere lingering aura robbed us of any possibility of resistance.

We were easily captured, and cold, heavy chains bound our hands and feet, sealing our soul power.

Then, amidst endless despair and coldness, they were escorted through heavily guarded barriers filled with the aura of iron and blood, and finally thrown into the gloomy depths of the Chen family's dungeon—the final place symbolizing rules and judgment.

The interrogation room was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant and a chilly, gritty atmosphere.

The dim light of the soul-guiding lamp could only illuminate the narrow area, leaving huge shadows on the walls, like lurking monsters.

There were no whips, no branding irons, but the calm interrogation and the all-seeing, sharp gaze were themselves unbearable torture.

The immense psychological pressure felt like a millstone grinding every nerve.

Confess... the last vestiges of reason are screaming.

There was no room for luck, no room for struggle.

I spilled everything I knew without reservation: the stronghold of the Unrighteous Pavilion, the secret code for the rendezvous, the list of other people involved in the operation, their covetousness of the young master of the Chen family... All the filth, scheming, and greed were laid bare under that cold gaze.

After confessing, all that remained was utter exhaustion and complete surrender to fate.

The cold stone bed is like a final resting place, awaiting the verdict after the dust settles—whether it will lead to utter destruction or eternal damnation.
The trajectory of fate took an unexpected turn here.

Perhaps it was that complete honesty, perhaps the Chen family saw the value I still possessed, or perhaps... it was just a chance glance from Lady Luck.

I survived.

After the final verdict was confirmed, I was no longer transported in a prison van, but rather in an inconspicuous enclosed carriage, which took me away from that enormous fortress that symbolized power and order.

The bumpy journey felt like a long dream, finally ending outside a quiet mountain village filled with the scents of earth and vegetation.

Chenlin Village.

This is where my name was born, and this is the starting point of my journey of atonement.

Here, I was relocated.

When the heavy hammer was once again in his hand, the long-lost charcoal fire crackled in the furnace, and the anvil endured the familiar hammering and forging...

The heat of the furnace scorching the skin, the unique hum of metal stretching and deforming, the acrid smell of sweat dripping onto the red-hot iron billet...

These long-lost, tangible sensations of warmth and noise, like a faint yet continuous stream of warmth, stubbornly pierced through the cold bloodshed, desperate screams, and abyssal fear in my memory.

They finally regained their vitality.

Although faint, it truly exists.

On this unfamiliar land, the sound of forging became the only lifeline my sunken soul clung to, forging a new beginning in this land of redemption.

……

For the past two years, I was like a dull piece of iron covered in dust. My soul power was sealed, and I could only hammer familiar everyday objects in the Chen family's workshop—after all, it was my beloved blacksmithing work.

Unexpectedly, in the corner illuminated by the furnace fire, I stumbled upon old figures from the Gengxin City Blacksmith Academy: my classmate Tie Buyi, and that carefree fat guy, Lu Xiaoxiao!

Fate has played such a cruel trick on us!

Damn it, the Lu family, known as one of the "Three Great Enemies of Sword Souls" in the Soul Master world, is actually a branch of the Chen family? They really hid it perfectly!

These two were my teammates when we were on the school team. We not only honed our skills together, but also competed in the English Proficiency Competition.

Thanks to this old friendship, the days after the ban was lifted weren't too difficult to endure.

I immersed myself in forging iron plows and casting farm tools. The ingenious creations of my family, such as the 'heat pump' specially developed for the harsh northern lands, truly changed the winters of ordinary people. A little warmth was generated in the hammering and hammering, and the days became peaceful in the rhythm of the anvil.

In the third year, the village elders, seeing that I was calm and well-behaved, transferred me to that more mysterious and alluring place—the Soul Guidance Device Workshop.

They told me I could move freely in the village's public areas, but I couldn't leave the village.

The seal on the soul meridian was finally broken. This was achieved through the subtle guidance of soul power, the engraving of runes, and the smelting of materials. Brute force alone could not make any progress.

The hand, accustomed to wielding a hammer, felt a strange joy as it rediscovered the subtle vibrations of soul power flowing through it.

The techniques here are not the same as those found on the mainland; the connection between lines, ideas, and energy circuits reveals a pioneering spirit.

All the craftsmen were like dried-up sponges, absorbing the torrent of knowledge they had never seen before, day and night.

Strangely enough, those two years of "pure strength" spent hammering iron with only muscle and bone strength unexpectedly laid a solid foundation.

Once the soul meridians were connected, the suppressed soul power burst forth like a mountain spring that had been accumulating for a long time!

Before long, the bottleneck that had been hindering them for many years was finally broken down—a level 69 Soul Emperor!
Although there is no official salary in the village, the secret storehouse is not stingy with rare materials and elixirs to aid cultivation, which are no less than the money I earned by risking my life when I was wandering. Within this "Chen Clan Kingdom", the prices of those rare resources are so low that it is reassuring.

Another year has passed, and the plants have withered and flourished. When the elder told me that I had regained my freedom and could leave at any time, I was at a loss.

This tranquil village, the faces glowing red from the hearth, the days and nights spent focused without the need to guard against the blade, even the endless stream of novel skills flooding into my mind... my heart has long since taken root here.

Moreover, having witnessed that irresistible power, like the collapse of the heavens (that blazing white that could melt stars intertwined with a profound darkness that devoured everything, was not a simple light, but the authority manifested by rules, a judgment posture that transcended the status of individual life!), how could I dare to place my chance of survival on so-called "benevolence"?
After careful consideration, I stood before the old clan chief, Chen Yu.

No longer concealing the filth of the past, nor shying away from the earnest desire to stay.

After I finished my petition, fate led me into an even more special group—"Hundred Flowers Village".

The blood flowing here is a wondrous substance, a fusion of the precision and coldness of mechanical arts and the ingenuity and agility of mechanics!
Those puppet creations, with their exquisite structure and fluid movements, completely captivated me, leaving me utterly mesmerized!

Over the past few years, that kid from the Tie family has become a regular visitor to my workshop.

Intelligent, persistent, and born with the ability to listen to the breath of metal.

Apart from the few secret forging techniques of the Xuanhuang Tang family that were kept closely guarded secrets and bore the imprint of their bloodline, I imparted them all to him.

It wasn't that I was stingy or unwilling to teach him, but rather that I was afraid of causing him unnecessary trouble.

Until a few months ago, this bright-eyed young man with calloused hands solemnly bowed deeply before me and said, "Uncle Tang, please accept me as your apprentice!"

I was stunned, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

It turns out that the door to life that I thought I had already opened, the shackles of the title "teacher," were actually the barriers that I had never been able to overcome in my subconscious.

Later, with his two mischievous friends Tie Buyi and Lu Xiaoxiao taking turns to encourage him, and looking into Fu Er's eager and sincere eyes, as clear and bright as tempered steel, he finally blurted out "Good".

When master and disciple are of one mind, their strength can break even metal.

These days, in the symphony of blueprints and metal, we are giving birth to "Ru Hua" in various forms and functions.

Each report of results is accompanied by anxious waiting, and in the process, we tirelessly refine, iterate, and create new possibilities.

However, the turmoil in the village never ceased.

The old patriarch, Chen Yu, fell into a deep sleep after being seriously injured, while the young patriarch, Chen Xun, donned armor and took charge of the family.

On one day, three mighty and vast wills, seemingly capable of suppressing mountains and subduing the deep sea, rose one after another like an invisible torrent, silently enveloping the entire sky above Chenlin Village!
That's... the aura of a Title Douluo!

I felt a similar aura in my late great-grandfather!

The Chen family's foundation is unfathomably deep!

Two months after the final report was submitted, just as the excitement surrounding the conclusion of the provincial Gao Ying competition subsided, instructions came from higher-ups—to examine "Ru Hua."

At that moment, Tie Fuer suddenly looked at me, his eyes filled with excitement and a hint of barely perceptible tension.

I understand his intentions, and I know even more deeply the true meaning of this order—it is not merely a test for the cold puppet, but also the final test that I, Tang Yucheng, the former traitor and now the craftsman, must personally face on the long road of the Chen family!

The hustle and bustle of the world seemed to freeze for a moment, with only the deep beating of the heart echoing in the chest, knocking on the door of that destined and unavoidable confrontation.

What I will face is no longer blueprints and furnace fire, but the boy who once bathed in my memory and accompanied by that light of destruction—the young master of the Chen family, Chen Xiaojun!
(End of this chapter)