Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

When Tang Wulin walked out of the Forging Masters Association, his steps were much lighter than when he came.

He couldn't hide the joy on his face.

It wasn't because Cen Yue and the evaluator both agreed that he had reached the standard of a Level 2 blacksmith. What truly made his heart shine was that the association directly took the silver knee joint part and gave him 10,000 Federal Credits as compensation on the spot.

Ten thousand.

His palms were warm as he carefully put away the heavy stack of money.

He learned forging, taking on jobs, and saving money from Mang Tian in Aolai City, and knew how difficult it was to earn money. But today's ten thousand was hard-earned—it wasn't given away for free, nor was it charity; it was earned by him hammering away, one strike at a time.

It turns out that forging rare metals can really be this profitable.

Before leaving, Cen Yue specifically reminded him to come back in two days to collect his official blacksmith badge. At that time, he would be able to register and take on some basic work suitable for a level two blacksmith.

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin's unfamiliarity and unease with Donghai City suddenly faded considerably.

At least, he's not completely without a foothold here.

After returning to his office, Cen Yue stood silently by the desk for a while before dialing the soul communication line.

The communication was established very quickly.

"Hmm?" The voice that came from the other end was still Mang Tian's usual indifferent voice.

"Where did you find this treasure?" Cen Yue's first words were anything but calm.

There was a pause on the other end.

Speak like a human.

"I'm talking about your disciple," Cen Yue said irritably, "Nine years old, Level 2. He passed the slag refining and medium-sized parts tests, and he did it with an incredibly steady method. Mang Tian, ​​don't tell me you didn't even realize it yourself."

There was a two-second silence on the other side.

Then came Mang Tian's calm voice:

"good."

"Not bad?" Cen Yue was so angry he almost laughed. "Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a nine-year-old level two blacksmith? And that kid's foundation is exceptionally solid. How did you teach him?"

"Teach him however you would normally teach him," Mang Tian said. "He's willing to practice and endure hardship."

Cen Yue frowned as he listened.

"Don't give me that. There are plenty of kids who are willing to practice and endure hardship, but how many can reach this level? I've seen your apprentice; his hands are steady, his ears are sharp, and his mind is calm. To be able to control the rhythm of the hammer strikes like that at nine years old—that's not something you can achieve just by working hard."

Mang Tian didn't reply.

Cen Yue became increasingly uneasy as he spoke.

"Tell me your terms for giving me this child. You usually stay in a small place like Aolai City, how much can he see? If you leave him with me, I can take care of him for a few years, maybe—"

"You wish!"

Mang Tian finally interrupted him.

The tone wasn't harsh, but the refusal was quite decisive.

Cen Yue choked, then let out a cold laugh.

"You deliberately sent him here to show off, didn't you?"

This time, Mang Tian answered very quickly.

"Yes."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the communication.

Then Cen Yue laughed in anger.

"You're really not pretending."

"What are you pretending for?" Mang Tian said calmly. "I trained this person."

"Get lost," Cen Yue cursed. "If you're so capable, then let him stay with you forever. Once he becomes famous, let's see how you hide him then."

"That's for later," Mang Tian said. "For now, I'm hanging up."

"Feed—"

Communication was lost.

Cen Yue stood there for a long time, holding the soul-guided communicator, before finally muttering a curse under his breath:

"That bastard."

Just then, a young man in his twenties knocked on the door and came in.

"Teacher, you wanted to see me—"

"What grade are you in this year?" Cen Yue turned around and asked.

The young man was taken aback.

"I... I'm still trying to reach level three..."

"Trying to reach level three? Trying to reach level three? You even know you're trying to reach level three?" Cen Yue looked at him, increasingly annoyed. "How many years have you been with me? What's your ear training like? You can make two mistakes while refining a piece of blue-veined steel, and you still have the nerve to say you're trying to reach level three?"

The young man was completely bewildered by the barrage of scolding, having no idea what he had done to offend the teacher, and could only lower his head and endure the scolding.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin, who was far away at Donghai Academy, naturally had no idea that his teacher had just used him to "show off" a severe beating.

It was almost evening when I got back to my college dormitory.

Xie Xie was lying in bed. Although the swelling on his face had subsided considerably, the bruises were still there, and he clearly hadn't fully recovered.

Tang Wulin didn't beat around the bush; he walked over and handed over the stack of money.

"for you."

Xie Xie raised his eyes but didn't answer.

"What do you mean?"

"The compensation money," Tang Wulin said, "You paid for it in advance. I'll return 10,000 to you now, and I'll give you the rest in a couple of days."

Xie Xie then sat up, looked at the money in his hand, then at him, his eyes holding a different meaning.

"You went out just to do this?"

"Um."

"Where did you get the money?"

"Forging," Tang Wulin answered directly. "I went to the association for evaluation today and forged a piece of smelted silver, which they accepted."

Xie Xie was stunned for a moment.

Yun Xiao and Zhou Changxi, who were on the upper bunk, also heard it. They looked at each other and their expressions changed at the same time.

"You went to the Blacksmiths' Guild?" Yun Xiao was the first to peek out. "And you even had a piece of heavy silver forged?"

Tang Wulin nodded.

"I passed Level 1 and Level 2."

He wasn't trying to show off when he said that; he was simply stating the facts. But the more he did that, the heavier the weight of the "facts are right here" statement became.

Yun Xiao's glasses slipped down a little.

"Are you a blacksmith?"

Tang Wulin thought for a moment and corrected, "It's now considered level two."

Zhou Changxi sat on his bed, remaining silent for a long time.

He suddenly realized that this guy, whom he had initially mistaken for a country bumpkin when he first entered the dormitory, was really a bit strange.

He's strong, eats a lot, and fights fiercely. On his first day at the academy, he managed to pull out 10,000 Federal Dollars to pay off his debts, and now he's even telling them that he's a Level 2 Blacksmith.

This is no longer just "somewhat impressive".

This is nothing like a normal nine-year-old child.

Xie Xie finally took the stack of money, but still frowned.

"Are you sure you're not showing off?"

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment.

"What are you showing off?"

"Showing off your fighting skills, your appetite, and your ability to make money," Xie Xie said coldly. "Now you have another level two blacksmith."

Tang Wulin looked at him and thought about it seriously.

"I didn't mean that," he said. "I just owe you money and don't want to keep dragging it on."

Xie Xie stared at him for two seconds, then snorted coldly and didn't say anything more, just tossed the money onto the pillow.

"Okay. Remember the rest. Come with me after school tomorrow."

"Okay," Tang Wulin replied quickly.

Yun Xiao couldn't help but interject, "Are you still fighting?"

Xie Xie said calmly, "This is between him and me."

Tang Wulin did not deny it.

Today's fight was chaotic and rushed; many things weren't even planned out. He himself knew that if it weren't for the cramped space in the dormitory, and if Xie Xie hadn't taken the first hit, it was hard to say who would have won or lost.

He was aware of this.

After returning the money, Tang Wulin felt much lighter.

He rolled onto the bed, sat cross-legged, and quickly fell into meditation.

The battle during the day did not leave him without any gains.

On the contrary, the gains were substantial.

This was his first time truly fighting as a Soul Master, and the first time he had actually used the Soul Skill of the Sinking Star Hammer in real combat. Previously, he had practiced more forging, and his Martial Soul was more like a force suppressed within his body. But today, when he fought Xie Xie, he clearly felt for the first time that the "way of exerting force" between Soul Masters and Blacksmiths was different.

The heavy hammer is his foundation.

But how to make good use of this opportunity, how to ensure that the hammer truly lands where it should, there is still much to learn.

Xie Xie was also lying on the lower bunk, not meditating.

He closed his eyes, but his mind kept replaying the battle from earlier that day.

Tang Wulin's soul power wasn't high, and his soul rings were only white, but that hammer was strangely heavy. The moment the first soul skill struck down, even Tang Wulin's steps slowed by half a beat. What puzzled him even more was that the guy clearly hadn't learned any real combat techniques, yet his body's reactions were incredibly tough, he was resilient, and his strength was absurd.

This is nothing like an ordinary first-ring weapon spirit master.

Especially that punch.

Thinking of this, Xie Xie touched the swelling on his face that hadn't completely subsided, and his eyes turned cold again.

Tomorrow, this fight cannot be fought recklessly.

He absolutely has to get his revenge.

After dinner, Tang Wulin meditated again.

He has always deeply believed in the saying "diligence can make up for lack of talent." Whether it's martial spirit, soul power, or even forging, he never thought he could easily go far by relying on a bit of luck or talent.

The ability to move forward steadily relies on the accumulation of knowledge and experience over time.

The next morning, Tang Wulin woke up as the first rays of sunlight streamed into his dormitory.

After a night of meditation, he felt refreshed, and his soul power flowed more smoothly than yesterday. After entering the first ring, his soul power did indeed grow faster than before, but he could also feel that the amount needed to be added would increase as he progressed.

He had just sat up in bed when Xie Xie, who was in the lower bunk opposite him, also opened his eyes.

Their eyes met, and neither of them spoke.

Xie Xie's eyes remained cold.

Tang Wulin seemed completely indifferent to him, got out of bed, grabbed his toiletries, and went to wash up.

In his eyes, Xie Xie was still not an easy person to get along with. Even though the other party had paid the compensation for him yesterday, it hadn't changed his impression of him immediately. After all, first impressions are sometimes hard to shake off.

After washing up, Tang Wulin only had one important thing on his mind.

Eat breakfast.

He got up early; there weren't many people in the cafeteria yet. Breakfast was still divided into three categories: A, B, and C. Tang Wulin went straight to the C-category window without thinking.

Bread, eggs, sausages, milk, and vegetables—today's meal was even more lavish than he had imagined.

He quickly filled a large plate to the brim, found a corner, and started eating.

The head chef who served the food had already remembered him yesterday, and when he saw him come, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.

He still remembers the scene of those eighty steamed buns yesterday.

As expected, Tang Wulin ate with the same seriousness and focus as before, as if he were not eating breakfast, but some important task that required his full attention.

Not long after, Xie Xie also entered the cafeteria.

He glanced at Tang Wulin and went straight to the Class A restaurant window.

The food served looked similar to the Class C meal, but anyone with a little knowledge could tell that many of the ingredients were different. The milk wasn't ordinary cow's milk, and the meat and eggs clearly came from better domesticated spirit beasts, making it significantly more nutritious and costly.

Tang Wulin saw it too, of course.

However, he only glanced at it before turning his attention back to the plate in front of him.

For him, the biggest difference between meal A, meal B, and meal C is actually only one thing—

Meal C is free.

As for the others, it's not his turn to choose yet.

As time went by, the cafeteria became increasingly crowded. Many students who had witnessed the "steamed bun battle" the day before glanced at him as soon as they entered, then whispered a few words to the person next to them.

Tang Wulin was unaware that he had already acquired a nickname before the official start of the school year.

big eater.

And it spread very quickly.

He was completely unaware of this, and simply finished the large plate of breakfast in front of him. He went to get another one before finally feeling that it was almost ready.

After eating, his mood improved significantly.

Today marks the official start of the new semester at Donghai College.

The opening ceremony was held in the morning.