Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

After Mang Tian finished speaking, the forging room was quiet for a moment.

The furnace fire had died down, but the iron platform still retained its warmth. Tang Wulin was still looking down at the Heavy Star Hammer in his hand, the silver-gray ripples deeply embedded in the black hammer blade appearing and disappearing under the lamplight. It didn't make the hammer more flamboyant; instead, it made it heavier, quieter, and more like something that shouldn't be easily seen through.

He actually had many more questions he wanted to ask.

For example, what will this hammer become in the future? For example, besides the stacking of hammers, will that tide-like texture bring about other changes one day? For example, if one day I can really combine my first soul skill with forging, when I strike the metal, will it hear the sound of hammering or the sound of tides?

But Mang Tian clearly had no intention of letting him stand there in a daze.

He raised his hand and flipped it over, revealing two dusty metal rings in his palm.

The two rings were small and dark in color, unremarkable at first glance, no different from the rough bracelets sold in ordinary shops. But upon closer inspection, one would find that the rings were extremely thin, with perfectly round edges, and the inner wall was pressed with a layer of extremely fine lines. These lines were not forging patterns, but rather resembled some kind of array that had been painstakingly carved in, so fine that they almost seemed to be embedded in the pores of the metal.

"Here, take this," Mang Tian said.

Tang Wulin took it instinctively.

The moment he touched it, his wrist felt a slight sinking sensation.

It's not light.

Moreover, this "heaviness" is different from ordinary metal; it is not a dead weight, but a very stable sense of weight, as if it is good at pressing down.

"This is..." Tang Wulin looked down at it, his eyes flickering slightly, "A soul tool?"

He studied the basics of Soul Masters at Red Mountain Academy for three years. Although he didn't learn it in depth, he could at least recognize these kinds of things. In particular, the extremely fine Soul Guiding Patterns pressed into the inner wall were something that couldn't be made with ordinary craftsmanship.

Mang Tian gave a faint "hmm".

"A storage silver ring. I made it as practice many years ago; it's not worth much."

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

Saying something like "not worth much money" might not seem like much coming from someone else, but when it comes from Mang Tian, ​​it's even more unbelievable.

Storage Soul Guide Device.

That's not something you can just pick up from a roadside stall. It doesn't rely on powerful destructive force, but it's precisely the most difficult to work with, because the most basic storage array inside is not something that can be solved simply by knowing how to forge.

"Teacher, this is too valuable." Tang Wulin almost instinctively tried to return the item. "I can't accept it."

"You can't accept them?" Mang Tian glanced at him. "The hammer you just mastered is worth more than these two rings now. What, you can afford a thousand-times-forged hammer, but not two broken rings?"

Tang Wulin was momentarily speechless.

Mang Tian didn't give him a chance to refuse any further. He reached out and grabbed his left wrist, putting one of the heavy silver rings on it.

The moment the ring touched his skin, it seemed to recognize his size, tightening slightly to fit snugly against the outside of his wrist. It wasn't too tight, nor too loose, but simply pressed down heavily, adding weight to his wrist.

Then the right hand.

After both silver rings were properly attached, Mang Tian withdrew his hand.

"This isn't just a simple storage ring," he said. "The smelted silver itself is heavy, and when I made it, I deliberately included some of the weight in it. Wearing it regularly will help to suppress this excessively upward force you're experiencing now."

"When you need it, it's a storage soul tool. When you don't need it, it becomes your burden."

Tang Wulin looked down at his wrist, momentarily speechless.

These two rings may seem unremarkable, but when they landed on him, the weighty sense of security they brought was incredibly real. They didn't feel like some precious gift that one dared not touch; rather, they felt like a perfectly timed act of care that someone had thought of for him in advance.

Mang Tian seemed to see right through him, but his tone remained cold and hard.

"Don't overthink it. Even though you don't need the external hammer now, you can't go anywhere empty-handed in the future. You need to carry metal materials, blueprints, work clothes, practice parts, and things from the academy. Besides, you can't always have your spirit hammer exposed. Sometimes it's not a bad thing to hide it a little."

He paused at this point.

"Donghai City is not Aolai City. There are more people and more eyes. There will be many places where I can be of use in the future."

Tang Wulin then slowly nodded.

He raised his hand and examined the two dark silver rings closely. They were dull and unassuming, almost inconspicuous on his wrist. But the more he looked at them, the clearer it became to him that these were not simply "gifts."

"Teacher..." he began softly.

"Alright," Mang Tian interrupted him. "You can talk to me about how you don't need to say thank you for something great in the future. For now, learn how to use it."

Tang Wulin immediately shut up.

He knew that was just the kind of person his teacher was; the more he cared, the harsher his words would be. If he went along with his train of thought, the next thing he might say wouldn't be "Learn how to use it," but rather "Get out of the way and stop getting in my way."

"Inject your soul power, but not too much," Mang Tian said. "This thing doesn't have a soul-guided battery; it relies on your own soul power to maintain its operation. You're only level eleven now; feeding it too much is a waste."

Tang Wulin nodded and did as he was told.

He first tried sending a wisp of soul power along his meridians into the silver ring on his left wrist. The patterns inside the ring immediately glowed very faintly, not dazzlingly, like a thin layer of grayish-silver water gliding along the inner metal wall. Immediately afterward, Tang Wulin suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart.

It's not about seeing.

Rather, it is "knowing".

He knew there was a small, square, open space inside the ring, waiting for someone to put something in.

"Just send your thoughts in," Mang Tian said from the side.

Tang Wulin looked around and finally reached out and picked up a very ordinary sample from the side of the forging table.

With a slight rousing of soul power, the mind stirred.

The next instant, the metal trembled slightly in his palm and vanished without a trace.

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up immediately.

He focused again and released the sample. The metal landed steadily in his palm, almost exactly where it had been placed before.

"Teacher, this is so convenient!" he finally couldn't help but say.

Mang Tian glanced at him, and there seemed to be a very slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Of course. Who would make something like this if it weren't convenient?"

Tang Wulin held the sample and tried it twice more. After he was completely familiar with the sensation, he suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up at Mangtian.

"Teacher, since you can do this, you're practically a soul master, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this question, even Tang Ziran subconsciously looked up.

Mang Tian fell silent for a moment.

The silence wasn't long, but it felt as if something had suddenly pressed down on the air. After a long while, he finally spoke softly:

"I know a little bit."

"But I am unwilling to admit that I am a Soul Master."

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

Why?

"Because that's not my path." Mang Tian's tone was calm. "Soul Masters focus on array formations, structures, and energy logic. The higher you go, the more you need to deduce and combine. I can make some practical little things because when you reach this level of forging, you'll inevitably encounter those minor details. But if you really want to go far down that path, I can't."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Tang Wulin, and he became unusually serious.

"You'll gradually understand that you can't be greedy. If you try to grab everything, you'll likely end up grabbing nothing at all."

"What's most important to you right now is your soul power."

"Whether it's forging or becoming a Soul Master, once you reach a higher level, it all comes down to the foundation of your Soul Power. No matter how strong you are, there's always a limit. But if your Soul Power doesn't increase, no matter how heavy the hammer is, it can only stay there."

Tang Wulin listened quietly.

Mang Tian continued:

"And next time you fuse with a soul, don't be like the first time, just thinking about getting through it and that's it."

He spoke in a low voice, but his tone was noticeably more serious.

"Now that your hammer has begun to mutate, you can't just choose your second soul spirit randomly. If you choose wisely, there's a path ahead. If you choose poorly, all the hard-earned achievements you've made might be held back by your own actions."

This time, Tang Wulin answered quickly and solemnly.

"I understand, teacher."

Mang Tian nodded.

"Alright, go back now. Go back and pack your things. Remember to come see me again before you go to Donghai City."

"Yes."

Tang Wulin didn't say anything more, but carefully put on the two heavy silver rings and bowed deeply to Mangtian.

This time, Mang Tian neither dodged nor scolded him for being pretentious. Instead, as he bent down, his gaze lightly fell on the boy's shoulders and back.

When he straightened up, his gaze faded again, as if nothing had happened.

……

On the way home, the night was very quiet.

The wind in Aolai City always carries a bit of seaside dampness. It blows on people's faces, not heavy, but it always manages to gradually settle those light and airy things in people's hearts.

Tang Wulin didn't say much the whole way.

It's not that I'm unhappy; quite the opposite, it's precisely because my mind is so full that I don't know which thing to think about first.

Is it the heavier and quieter Star Hammer that I long for now, or the three-layered hammer sound?

Is it the teacher's words, "Your future path will be different from others," or the pair of understated, almost plain, silver bracelets on her wrist?

He just subconsciously raised his hand.

Two heavy silver rings pressed against his wrist bones. They were not light, but for him now, this weight was more like a reminder, a constant reminder that he had a hammer in his hand and a path ahead of him.

Everything is moving forward.

But the further you go on that road, the harder it becomes.

But Tang Wulin wasn't afraid at all.

Because he suddenly felt that he was finally starting to see a little bit of the future.

As night deepened, the Tang family courtyard gradually quieted down.

After Lang Yue finished cleaning up the dishes, she gently closed the kitchen door. Tang Wulin was exhausted after a long day, and soon fell asleep after returning to his room. The heavy silver ring on his wrist was pressed against the corner of the blanket, and his breathing was deep and even. Since Na'er left, he was always quieter when he slept than before, as if all the joy, sadness, and unspoken words from the daytime could only be suppressed into his dreams.

Tang Ziran stood by the window, gazing at her son's bedroom door for a long time in the faint moonlight before slowly exhaling.

"He was very happy today." Lang Yue walked behind him, her voice very soft.

"Yes." Tang Ziran nodded. "I haven't seen him this happy in a long time."

Lang Yue's eyes were slightly red, but she still managed a forced smile.

"This child may have had a tough life, but he still managed to forge his own path in the end."

Tang Ziran did not respond.

He just stared at the door, his gaze deep and unfocused, lost in thought.

After a moment, Lang Yue said softly, "Are you still thinking about those things?"

"I want to," Tang Ziran didn't deny it. "The more I think about it, the more I feel that I can't put it off any longer."

Lang Yue's fingers curled slightly.

She knew perfectly well what her husband meant by "those things." But over the years, neither of them had truly lifted that veil, as if as long as they didn't talk about it, the past could remain buried in the past.

But now, things are different.

Tang Wulin is no longer that child who knew nothing.

He awakened his martial soul, acquired a soul ring, and embarked on the path of a soul master. Furthermore, he displayed a talent in forging that even moved Mang Tian. A child who begins to shine so quickly will inevitably be seen by more people sooner or later.

"I'm scared," Lang Yue finally said softly.

"I'm scared too," Tang Ziran said.

He spoke calmly, as if he had already said those words to himself many times before.

But it was precisely at this moment—

Suddenly, a very faint metallic scraping sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

Tang Ziran's body tensed instantly.

That wasn't the sound of the wind rustling the door knocker, nor the sound of a neighbor accidentally bumping into the gate on their way home late at night. It was too soft, too steady, like someone subtly and firmly reminding the person inside—

They have arrived.

Lang Yue's face turned pale instantly.

The couple looked at each other almost simultaneously, neither uttering a sound. But that one glance was enough for them to understand: the thing they least wanted to happen had finally come to pass.

The next moment, the courtyard gate was silently pushed open.

Two dark figures walked in one after the other.

They made no attempt to conceal their faces or hide their figures, seemingly unafraid of being seen. Moonlight streamed down from the wall, slicing their silhouettes with a chilling sharpness. The leader wore a long, dark gray robe, his face expressionless, only his eyes chillingly still. The man behind him was noticeably taller, his right hand hanging at his side, a faint glint of a soul-guided device gleaming between his fingers.

Tang Ziran stood in front of Lang Yue.

"You still managed to find me."

The leader glanced at him, his tone as calm as if he were stating a matter that had already been settled.

"After hiding for so many years, it's enough."

Tang Ziran didn't move, but her voice became deep.

"Once you're in this city, don't disturb my son."

Upon hearing this, the man chuckled very softly.

"Don't worry, we didn't come here for him tonight."

These words did not truly put Tang Ziran at ease.

Because he knew all too well that since the other party was already here, it couldn't have been just "dropping by on the way."

"What do you want to do?" Lang Yue finally couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling, but still very low.

The leader turned to her, his eyes showing no malice, but an overly calm demeanor.

"I'll take you away."

"If you leave with us quietly, this child will not wake up tonight and will not know what happened."

"If you don't want to—"

He paused here, his gaze returning to the door.

He didn't finish his sentence.

But the more unsaid it is, the colder it feels to people.

Tang Ziran's hand clenched tightly in her sleeve, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "Give us some time."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

The tall man in black behind him frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but the leader raised his hand to stop him.

"How much?" he asked.

Tang Ziran looked at her son's bedroom door, her voice low and steady.

"One month."

The man looked at him for a moment, as if weighing his options.

"Too long."

Tang Ziran did not back down.

"Since you were able to come in quietly, it means you don't want to make a scene tonight. We won't run away either." He paused, his gaze finally returning to the newcomer's face. "Let me leave some things for the child, pack a couple of clothes, and then... go see him."

The last three words were spoken softly, yet they seemed to tear apart the stubborn resentment in Lang Yue's heart. She abruptly turned her face away, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, but she still bit her lip tightly, refusing to let out a sound.

The leader was silent for a moment, then finally said:

"Two weeks."

"You must come with us in two weeks."

"If we alert him, these two weeks will be wasted."

Tang Ziran nodded slowly.

"it is good."

The two men didn't retreat far; they simply stood in the shadows inside the courtyard gate, like two silent locks, firmly securing the entire courtyard.

Time suddenly felt very short.

So short that every breath felt like a leak.

Lang Yue was the first to turn around and enter the house. Her movements were very light, almost trembling. She first went to the closet and took out two sets of the simplest and most durable clothes. Then she carefully sorted out the money that she had at home, putting half of it into her bosom and the other half on the table.

Tang Ziran stood there, separated by the door, not going in for a long time.

The room was very quiet.

Moonlight streamed in through the window. Tang Wulin slept soundly, lying on his side with one hand under the covers. The silver ring on his wrist gleamed faintly in the dim light. Na'er's little bed remained empty, its edge standing quietly, like a bygone era that hadn't truly passed.

Tang Ziran walked step by step to the bedside and squatted down.

He didn't wake his son, nor did he dare touch him for too long. He simply reached out and very gently pulled the corner of the blanket up.

For the first time in his life, he realized that his hands could tremble so badly.

"Linlin," he called out in his mind.

No sound.

Only that heavy, aching soreness in my chest pressed in inch by inch.

If possible, he would like to wait until the children grow up, until everything can be explained slowly, and until the family can still be like it is now, even if it is poor or small, the lights are always on.

But some things never wait for someone to be ready.