Douluo: Dragon King's Star Devouring Wings

Chapter 688 Tang Wulin, the Servile Traitor

In the evening, Tang Wulin returned to the dormitory building with a somewhat heavy expression.

After returning from Qian Gu Huang Yu, he didn't go straight back. Instead, he went to ask Jia Lin about the situation, since Jia Lin had been with Qian Gu Huang Yu for a longer time!

It was from Jia Lin that Tang Wulin learned just how important Qian Gu Qing Feng was in the Spirit Pagoda, or rather, in the current Douluo Star.

Former Minister of Justice of the Empire, the most skilled divine craftsman of the time, a member of the Spirit Tower Council... Any one of these identities would make him a powerful and influential figure in the outside world.

Of course, Qian Gu Qingfeng's most dazzling identity is that he is Qian Gu Huang Yu's older brother. After all, in the Douluo Empire, his status can never compare to that of the emperor.

Everything points to the fact that joining the Thousand-Year-Old Qingfeng Sect is the right choice for him, but Tang Wulin's upbringing does not allow him to do so.

Regardless, Mang Tian helped him during his most difficult time, enabling him to become a blacksmith.

He felt he shouldn't have abandoned Mangtian.

Tang Wulin did not go directly back to his dormitory, but went to the roof of the dormitory building.

In the damp evening breeze of Donghai City, Tang Wulin dialed Mang Tian's number.

“Wu Lin?” Mang Tian’s voice rang out from the soul communication.

"Did you go to the studio? How did the blacksmith assessment go? You should have passed, right?" Mang Tian could sense that Tang Wulin's aura was somewhat low, so he quickly tried to start a conversation.

Previously, Tang Wulin had not gone to the Blacksmith Association or even Mang Tian's studio in Donghai City during this period, as required by Qian Gu Huang Yu.

Tang Wulin's voice was somewhat low as he said, "Teacher, I met someone today who said he wanted to take me as his apprentice and teach me forging."

Mang Tian's voice also fell silent. After a long while, he said, "Is it Mu Chen? The president of the East Sea City Blacksmith Association?"

Mang Tian had actually considered that someone might try to steal his disciple, after all, he had seen how outstanding Tang Wulin was.

But if his opponent is Mu Chen, he will need to think about it carefully.

“No, he is a timeless gentleman,” Tang Wulin said.

"Who did you say it was?" Mang Tian was taken aback.

"A timeless breeze."

"That master craftsman?"

"Ah."

"... "

"Then go and become his disciple! I will not have you as my disciple anymore!" After a roar, Mang Tian hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Mang Tian leaned against his forging table, looking up at the incandescent light in the room, speechless for a long time.

No wonder Wu Lin hasn't been to the Blacksmiths' Association or even my forging room lately.

[Perhaps they don't want to get involved with the Blacksmiths' Association? But to be able to summon Qian Gu Qingfeng, that person is quite formidable.]

Honestly, what's that brat hesitating for? If I had the chance, I'd want to become his apprentice too!

...

Tang Wulin was naturally unaware of Mang Tian's thoughts. However, after Mang Tian hung up the soul communication, Tang Wulin's confusion deepened once again.

Mang Tian wanted to make a decision quickly with strong words, but it obviously had the opposite effect on Tang Wulin.

...

The next day.

Tang Wulin was in a bad mood in class this morning because of his confusion and worries. He had already been called out by Wu Changkong twice.

Just then, Long Hengxu rushed to the door of Class 5 and pushed it open, saying to Wu Changkong, "Teacher Wu, please pause for a moment. Someone outside is looking for Tang Wulin."

Wu Changkong frowned, but remembering what had happened yesterday, he ultimately said nothing more.

Seeing that Wu Changkong did not make trouble, Long Hengxu breathed a sigh of relief. When he saw the disheveled man earlier, he thought he was a beggar and almost sent him away.

Unexpectedly, the ragged man turned out to be a level six blacksmith!

In Donghai City, where owning a purple-grade mecha made entirely of thousand-refined metal is a symbol of nobility, a level six blacksmith who can create two-word battle armor is an existence that is completely unattainable for them!

Long Hengxu was also glad that he hadn't argued with Mang Tian just now. You should know that even Yu Zheng, the dean of Donghai Academy, only had a set of one-word battle armor.

Yu Zheng has wanted a two-word battle armor for so many years, but he just hasn't accumulated enough resources.
Long Hengxu called Tang Wulin over and hurried towards the reception room where Mang Tian was. At the same time, Long Hengxu couldn't help but sigh at how Tang Wulin always managed to get involved with powerful people.

Upon entering the reception room, Tang Wulin immediately spotted Mang Tian sitting there.

Having fully learned from yesterday's lesson, Long Hengxu also left with great foresight.

"Teacher, what brings you here?" Tang Wulin was excited but also a little confused when he saw Mang Tian arrive at Donghai Academy.

Mang Tian first gestured for Tang Wulin to sit next to him, and after Long Hengxu left, he said in a deep voice, "Wulin, I'm here today to discuss something important with you."

Mang Tian took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, the reason I took you as my disciple was mostly because of your father."

“At that time, I was unwilling to take you in as a child, after all, you were only six years old.”

"However, as I got to know you better, your innate strength, combined with your hard work and perseverance, gradually moved me and made me see your talent."

"As your teacher, I can say that over the past three years, I have laid a solid foundation for your development."

Tang Wulin blinked, already guessing what Mang Tian was about to say.

At this point, Mang Tian paused and sighed. He said, "My greatest dream in this life is to become a master craftsman."

"But obviously, that's impossible. My martial soul talent isn't enough, and I went astray in my early cultivation. The highest achievement I can attain in this life is only to become a level six blacksmith."

"You have now completed the Thousand Refinements, and you are only one step away from becoming a Level 3 Blacksmith. Your talent gives me hope for becoming a Master Craftsman."

“I would even say that you are the most likely person in the entire Blacksmiths Association to reach that level.”

"Therefore, now that you have reached level four and are close to level five, your training direction and future forging path also need to be planned more systematically. Your teacher's level is only at the Spirit Forging realm, and it is already somewhat beyond my ability to teach you."

"Therefore, since you say that Senior Qian Gu Qing Feng is willing to take you as his disciple, then seize this opportunity. He is a titan in the forging world, a living legend."

"To be honest, I'm even a little jealous of you. If he had been willing to take me as his disciple back then, perhaps my life would be different." Mang Tian said the last few words with obvious difficulty. No one would be willing to relinquish their authority as a teacher if they had such an outstanding disciple!

However, after pondering all night yesterday, Mang Tian finally made up his mind that he could not jeopardize Tang Wulin's future because of his own selfish desires.

Mang Tian naturally hoped that Tang Wulin could go further, but he wasn't really sure what level Tang Wulin could reach before.

Although Tang Wulin has good talent in forging, his talent as a Soul Master is really too poor.

This will seriously affect Tang Wulin's progress in forging. Normally, to become a divine craftsman, one must be a titled Douluo, and to become a saintly craftsman, one must be a seven-ring Soul Saint.

If one's cultivation level is not up to standard, it is very difficult to make further progress.

However, since Qian Gu Qing Feng was willing to take Tang Wu Lin as his disciple, it means he believed that Tang Wu Lin could definitely become a master craftsman.

Otherwise, with so many master craftsmen appearing over the years, why didn't he take them as disciples? Why did he choose Tang Wulin?
Seeing that his disciple might fulfill his lifelong dream, Mang Tian was excited, but he had no choice but to give up teaching Tang Wulin.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Mang Tian decided to relinquish his position as teacher. Tang Wulin's displayed talent had far exceeded his expectations and was beyond his ability to teach.

The best choice is for him to continue being taught by Qian Gu Qing Feng.

What Mang Tian didn't tell Tang Wulin was that Qian Gu Qingfeng, as the current emperor's brother, possessed immeasurable wealth and resources.

For a family like Tang Wulin's, the things that fall from Qian Gu Qingfeng's fingernails are enough for them to live a wealthy life for a lifetime.

"Teacher." Tang Wulin stood up, then knelt down before Mang Tian with a thud, bowing his head. "A teacher for a day is a father for life. That's what my father told me. Teacher, you can't abandon me!"

Mang Tian looked at Tang Wulin kneeling before him, and his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. Becoming Qian Gu Qingfeng's disciple was a chance to rise to the top in one step.

If it were someone else, even hesitating for a second longer would be disrespectful to themselves.

"Well, brother, I told you Wu Lin is a good person, right?" Qian Gu Huang Yu's voice suddenly rang out.

Qian Gu Qing Feng nodded slightly. "Indeed, it's quite good."

Mang Tian was startled, suddenly realizing that Qian Gu Qing Feng and Su You Li were standing right next to him without him noticing.

"Is this what a Limit Douluo is like?" Mang Tian thought to himself, but he didn't complain. As a Limit Douluo, Tang Wulin was already being very kind of him by not directly trying to take his disciple away from him but letting him make his own choice.

"Teacher?" Tang Wulin exclaimed in surprise when he saw Qian Gu Huang Yu suddenly appear.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said, "Wu Lin, you don't need to be in such a hurry to sever ties with your forging teacher. Your situation is rather special, and there is actually another way."

Although Tang Wulin didn't know what method Qian Gu Huang Yu was referring to, his eyes lit up when he heard that it would allow him to avoid severing ties with Mang Tian.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said, "You know Huo Yuhao, right? He's the founder of the Spirit Pagoda. He had many teachers in his life, like Tang Ya, who was one of his teachers at the Tang Sect."

“Mu En was his teacher in terms of Soul Master, and Xuan Ziwen was his teacher in terms of Soul Strategist.”

Tang Wulin blinked; he naturally knew Huo Yuhao's story.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said, "Wu Lin, you've been in the Spirit Pagoda for several months now, but we still haven't assigned you a mentor."

Tang Wulin opened his mouth. According to his understanding, since it was Qian Gu Huang Yu who pulled him into the Spirit Transmission Tower, and Qian Gu Huang Yu was even the tower master, then his teacher in the Spirit Transmission Tower should be Qian Gu Huang Yu.

Qian Gu Huang Yu naturally saw the doubt in Tang Wu Lin's eyes and said, "I only hold a nominal position in the Spirit Pagoda. I haven't participated in any of the Spirit Pagoda's activities for many years."

This is a lie. Every time there is a major celebration on the 5th or 10th anniversary, Qian Gu Dong Feng will use Qian Gu Huang Yu as a mascot.

"And your elder brother spends most of his time in the Spirit Pagoda. Having him as your teacher in the Spirit Pagoda will greatly benefit your future development."

Seeing Tang Wulin still standing there in a daze, Mang Tian slapped Tang Wulin on the head in annoyance and said, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and become his disciple. Your Majesty is a Grandmaster who has been in the Divine Craftsman realm for nearly a hundred years. Looking at the entire Douluo Star, no one can compare with him."

Tang Wulin could sense that Mang Tian genuinely wanted him to become his disciple, so he turned to Qian Gu Qingfeng and respectfully said, "Teacher." He then immediately kowtowed to Qian Gu Qingfeng.

A slight smile appeared on Qian Gu Qing Feng's lips. "Get up."

Tang Wulin quickly stood up, and the atmosphere in the reception room eased.

"It's rare for your teacher to come here, so you should catch up today and start training tomorrow," Qian Gu Qing Feng said calmly.

After Qian Gu Qingfeng and Qian Gu Huangyu left, Mang Tian still felt like he was living in a dream. "That really was Qian Gu Qingfeng! It really was him!"

For Mang Tian, ​​who dreams of becoming a master craftsman, the Eternal Breeze can be said to be the embodiment of his dream.

Then, Mang Tian belatedly looked at Tang Wulin and whispered, "Wulin, tell me honestly, the one who calls Qian Gu Qingfeng 'Big Brother,' isn't he...?"

A rare look of gossip appeared in Mang Tian's eyes. He remembered that the current emperor should be Qian Gu Qingfeng's younger sister.

Tang Wulin quickly said, "No! Teacher is a distant cousin of the Qian Gu family. She was adopted by the Qian Gu family when she was young for some reason. And because she was young, many people gave way to her."

Tang Wulin repeated what Qian Gu Huang Yu had told him before.

"Is...is that so?" Mang Tian said with some doubt.

...

"Xiaoyu, you think so highly of that kid?" Qian Gu Qingfeng asked Qian Gu Huangyu.

Qian Gu Huang Yu said, "I have a premonition that he will be of great help to our future endeavors."

"And it's just a casual move; if it succeeds, great; if it fails, so be it."

“However, with his talent and character, he is more than capable of inheriting my mantle,” said Qian Gu Qingfeng.

In fact, Qian Gu Huang Yu's initial plan was to have Qian Gu Qing Feng be Tang Wu Lin's guide in the Spirit Pagoda.

Yesterday's events were merely a test from Qian Gu Qingfeng for Tang Wulin. If Tang Wulin had bowed down without hesitation, Qian Gu Qingfeng would have simply turned and left.

Qian Gu Qingfeng never expected Tang Wulin to be so disrespectful, almost embarrassing him.

However, Qian Gu Qingfeng's decision to teach Tang Wulin forging, as Tang Wulin's guide in the Spirit Pagoda, can be considered a final concession.

As someone who is a master craftsman himself and has also taught a master craftsman, Qian Gu Qingfeng's desire to take on apprentices is not actually very strong.

Moreover, as a quasi-god, he couldn't possibly share Tang Wulin as a disciple with Mang Tian like Mu Chen from another timeline did; he couldn't afford to lose face like that.

Therefore, this situation is actually the best possible outcome.

(End of this chapter)