Douluo Dragon King: I, Huo Linfei, the Mecha Illusionary Lin God

Zhenhua raised an eyebrow: "Speak."

"My younger brother, Tang Wulin, is also Master Mangtian's apprentice. Although his forging talent is slightly less than mine, he is still very skilled. He is only nine years old, but he is already close to becoming a level five forger."

Huo Linfei said, "I would like to ask Teacher Mu Chen to accept him as a disciple."

Upon hearing this, Zhenhua and Muchen were both stunned.

"There's another one?" Zhenhua asked in surprise.

"Nine years old, almost at level five?" Mu Chen's eyes lit up.

Huo Linfei nodded: "That's right. Wu Lin is my sworn brother, we came to Donghai City together. He follows the most orthodox path of forging, with a solid foundation and amazing perseverance. Although he may not be as good as me now, his future achievements will not be low."

Mu Chen's breathing became rapid.

Huo Linfei was already incredibly powerful, but there's also Tang Wulin? He's almost at level five at nine years old—that's a genius among geniuses!

He stared intently at Zhenhua: "Senior brother, you have to give this to me! Huo Linfei is yours, Tang Wulin is mine! Otherwise... otherwise I'll never forgive you!"

Seeing Mu Chen's "I'll fight you to the death if you dare to take it" expression, Zhenhua couldn't help but laugh: "Fine, fine, Tang Wulin is yours. I won't take it."

"It's a deal!" Mu Chen said quickly, afraid that Zhen Hua would go back on his word.

Huo Linfei smiled too. This was for the best; Zhenhua would teach him, and Muchen would teach Wulin, so both brothers could receive the best guidance.

He walked up to Zhenhua, straightened his clothes, and then knelt down respectfully and kowtowed three times.

"Disciple Huo Linfei greets Master."

Zhenhua laughed heartily and stepped forward to help Huo Linfei up: "Good! Good! From today onwards, you are my last disciple!"

He took out a gold badge from his pocket and pinned it to Huo Linfei's chest.

The badge is engraved with a hammer and a star, surrounded by nine lines, which is the mark of the master craftsman.

"This badge represents that you are my disciple. Any blacksmith association on the continent will recognize me upon seeing this badge," Zhenhua said solemnly.

"Also, I'll give you that star-patterned steel ball you forged. Take good care of it; it will become your most capable assistant in the future."

"Thank you, teacher." Huo Linfei touched the badge, feeling very excited.

He knew all too well the weight of being a disciple of a master craftsman.

Zhenhua looked at Huo Linfei with satisfaction, liking him more and more the more he looked at him:

"Lin Fei, since you've accepted me as your master, I'll make you a promise: in the future, I will definitely help you forge your own four-word battle armor, making you the youngest four-word battle armor master on the continent!"

He spoke with great pride; this was the confidence of a master craftsman, and also a promise he made.

Four-word battle armor is the pinnacle that countless Soul Masters dream of. A set of four-word battle armor can allow a Title Douluo to fight against a Limit Douluo, and gives a Soul Master the ability to fight beyond their level.

Zhenhua thought Huo Linfei would be excited, thrilled, and moved to tears.

But Huo Linfei simply... shook his head.

"Teacher." Huo Linfei raised his head, his emerald green eyes staring directly at Zhenhua.

"I do not aim to become a four-word battle armor master."

Zhenhua was stunned: "What?"

"I said, I don't want to become a four-word battle armor master," Huo Linfei repeated, his tone calm but firm. "My goal is to create the strongest mecha in the world."

The testing area fell silent again.

Mu Chen opened his mouth, as if to say something, but didn't say anything.

Zhenhua frowned:

"Child, do you have some misunderstanding about battle armor? Or have you never seen a real battle armor master fight? Let me tell you, mechs of the same level will never be a match for battle armor. This is an ironclad rule that has been proven on the continent for thousands of years."

"That's because they've never seen a real mecha," Huo Linfei said.

"A real mecha?" Zhenhua chuckled.

"Child, you're only nine years old. How many mechs have you seen? I've studied the Federation's most advanced 'Black-level' mechs. They are indeed powerful, but they're still inferior to two-word battle armor. Not to mention three-word or four-word ones."

Huo Linfei did not argue; he simply looked at Zhenhua with a profound look in his eyes that transcended his age.

"Teacher, you're right, I haven't seen many mechs," he said slowly, "but you haven't seen my mech either."

"Your mecha?" Zhenhua was taken aback.

"Yes, my mecha." Huo Linfei raised his hand, and his supernatural ability lock appeared on his wrist.

"Its name is Phantom Qilin God. I can't summon it yet because my soul power isn't enough. But one day, I will bring it to this world."

He paused, his voice brimming with confidence: "Then you will see what a real mech is. It will fly, transform, combine, and unleash devastating attacks. It will show everyone—"

Huo Linfei said, word by word, "Mechs are the future."

Zhenhua remained silent.

He had lived for so many years and seen countless geniuses and madmen. But he had never seen anyone like Huo Linfei, who dared to utter such outrageous words at the age of nine, aiming to overturn the entire continent's understanding of the world.

Was it youthful arrogance? Or was there genuine confidence?

Zhenhua didn't know. But what he saw in Huo Linfei's eyes was not the arrogance of the ignorant, but a kind of... almost obsessive belief.

"You..." Zhenhua was about to speak when he was interrupted by a voice.

"Well said."

The chef's uniform man, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

He stepped out from the corner and walked up to Huo Linfei. This man had been rather unremarkable; dressed in a chef's uniform and carrying a cleaver, he looked like a cook.

But when he spoke, the air in the entire testing area seemed to freeze.

"Your name is Huo Linfei, right?" the man in the chef's uniform asked.

"Yes."

"You just said that mechs are the future." The man stared at Huo Linfei. "Why do you think that?"

Huo Linfei also looked at the man. From the first glance, he knew this man was no ordinary person. That unfathomable aura was even more terrifying than Zhenhua's.

"Because mechs have infinite possibilities," Huo Linfei said. "No matter how strong a battle armor is, it's still a personal weapon. It's limited by the strength of the Soul Master—a strong Soul Master means a strong battle armor, and a weak Soul Master means a weak battle armor."

"But mechs are different. Mechs are tools, weapons, and bodies of steel. They don't require a Soul Master to be very strong. As long as they are well-designed and well-made, an ordinary person can pilot a mech and unleash the power of a Soul Master, Soul Sect Master, or even a Soul King."

"Imagine if there were ten thousand of these mechs, forming an army. What enemy couldn't they defeat? If mechs became widespread, giving every ordinary person the power to protect their home, what would this world be like?"

Huo Linfei grew increasingly excited as he spoke: "Battle armor is for the elite, while mechs are for everyone. Even the strongest elites are still a minority. True power comes from the people being soldiers!"

The man in the chef's uniform listened quietly, his face expressionless.

After Huo Linfei finished speaking, he slowly said, "Your idea is dangerous. But also... very interesting."