Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Cen Yue could tell that Tang Wulin really wanted to decline, so he smiled and handed over both items in his hands.

"Soul-guided communicators are standard equipment and a benefit of the association. Every officially registered blacksmith is issued one. Your having one isn't considered special treatment."

After he finished speaking, he raised the ring in his other hand.

"As for this storage ring, the guild leader asked me to lend it to you temporarily. It has ten cubic meters of space. When you take on missions in the future, you can't exactly carry around a bunch of metal all over the place, and it's inconvenient when turning in missions. Having it on hand will save you a lot of trouble."

Tang Wulin was still somewhat bewildered.

Soul-guided communicators were one thing, but a ten-cubic-meter storage ring was beyond what the word "valuable" could describe in his eyes. He'd never even seen a one-cubic-meter storage soul-guided device before, let alone ten cubic meters.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Cen Yue simply stuffed both items into his hands.

"Take it," he said with a smile. "Just complete a few more missions for the association. Strictly speaking, this ring is an early perk for you. The president said that since you've reached level two at your age, reaching level four isn't impossible. Since it's going to be given to you sooner or later, it doesn't make much difference."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin felt a slight warmth in his chest, and quickly took a step back, bowing deeply to Cen Yue.

"Thank you, Master Cen. Please also thank the chairman for me."

Cen Yue helped him up and patted his head.

"There's no need to keep saying thank you." He looked at the child, his tone gentler than usual. "But I still have to remind you. No matter which path you choose in the future—forging, mecha, or even if you just want to go further on the path of a Soul Master—you can't neglect your Soul Power cultivation. This era is indeed different from before; many things don't necessarily require a Soul Master to do, but if you want to reach the top, Soul Power is always the foundation."

Tang Wulin nodded immediately.

"Yes."

He never forgot this.

Forging gave him confidence and a livelihood, but his initial dream remained to become a powerful Soul Master. Even though this path was far less smooth than forging, he never truly considered giving up.

Even as he left the Forging Masters Association, Tang Wulin still felt like he was walking on clouds.

Communicator.

Storage ring.

Level 2 Blacksmith Badge.

And then there was my first official assignment from the association.

It felt so unreal that all these things had suddenly fallen into his hands.

After he walked out the door, he first looked down at the brand-new soul-guided communicator on his left wrist, then touched the light blue ring on the ring finger of his right hand, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

Ten cubic meters of storage space.

The number was so large that even he could hardly imagine it.

He was, of course, unaware that while the ring did indeed originate from the association's system, it wasn't something an ordinary level-four blacksmith could easily obtain. Mu Chen giving it to him first was itself a clear gesture of goodwill and investment.

However, Tang Wulin didn't have time to think that far ahead right now.

Another idea had already popped into his mind.

Yes.

He was no longer just a blacksmith, but also a soul master.

Register with the Soul Master Association; Level 1 Soul Masters receive a monthly stipend. It's not a lot, but it's still money. One thousand Federal Credits is no small sum for him now.

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin turned around and immediately went to inquire about the location of the Soul Master Association.

Fortunately, the two sides are not far apart.

So, that very evening, he successfully went to register.

Compared to the Blacksmith Association, it was clear that no one in the Soul Master Association paid any attention to him, a newly registered one-ring Soul Master. Presenting his Soul Ring, registering his information, and receiving his subsidy—the process was utterly unremarkable. There was no surprise, no praise, and no one gave him a second glance.

But Tang Wulin didn't care at all.

He clutched the thousand federal dollars in his hand, still very happy.

Tonight's trip has yielded far more than he expected.

When he returned to the dormitory, Yun Xiao, Zhou Changxi, and Xie Xie were already meditating. The dormitory was very quiet, with only the sound of even breathing audible.

Tang Wulin quietly climbed onto his bed and sat down cross-legged.

He still had many aspects of the new meditation technique that Wu Changkong had taught him today that he wanted to try out. Moreover, starting tomorrow, he and Xie Xie would be undergoing individual intensive training. Wu Changkong's words, "Practice until you master it," still sent chills down his spine when he thought about them.

I wonder how the dance teacher will train them.

With this thought in mind, he slowly drifted into a meditative state.

His soul power circulated through his meridians along more complex routes, not fast, but more stable. Each point he passed through seemed a little clearer than before. Tang Wulin quickly sank into this state and slept soundly through the night.

……

early morning.

When Tang Wulin finished meditating, it was already quite bright outside.

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was that the lower bunk opposite him was empty.

Xie Xie is not here.

He was stunned for a moment, then realized that today was his first time practicing the new meditation technique. He entered a deeper meditative state than usual, so he woke up a little later than usual.

"Oh no!"

He quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to wash up.

For Tang Wulin, eating is definitely one of the most important things in the day, and no one can delay it.

After washing up, he practically ran towards the dormitory entrance.

But as soon as he got close to the gate, he sensed something was wrong.

A group of people were standing at the entrance.

They weren't first-graders, nor were they ordinary parents dropping off their children; they were upperclassmen. Seven or eight of them stood loosely, yet they occupied almost the entire most convenient spot by the door. Several of them were looking around, as if waiting for someone.

Tang Wulin slowed his pace.

Then, he saw the golden figure in the crowd.

Mu Xi.

She was wearing the Donghai Academy uniform, her long golden hair tied in a high ponytail, making her stand out in the crowd. Girls develop earlier than boys, and she was half a head taller than Tang Wulin, with a slender figure, and the impatience in her expression was also very noticeable.

As soon as Tang Wulin saw her, he vaguely understood what was going on.

Mu Xi happened to turn her head at that moment and saw him immediately.

"That's him!"

She pointed with her finger, her voice crisp and clear, without the slightest hesitation.

The next moment, the seven or eight older boys sprang into action, surrounding Tang Wulin in a few steps.

Tang Wulin frowned.

"What are you doing?"

One of the tallest boys took a step forward.

He wasn't bad-looking, and he wore his school uniform neatly, even appearing somewhat respectable. But the condescending tone he spoke made people extremely uncomfortable.

"I need to talk to you about something," he said slowly. "Come with us."

Tang Wulin did not move.

"Say it here if you have something to say."

He was already certain that this matter was most likely related to Mu Xi. She had refused his challenge yesterday, and today she brought so many people with her; it was clearly not a coincidence.

Some first-year students had already stopped to watch the commotion, but as soon as they met the gazes of the older students, they immediately backed away.

At Donghai Academy, the natural pressure exerted by upperclassmen on lowerclassmen is not just a figure of speech.

The tall student chuckled.

"Is that up to you?"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Tang Wulin's shoulder.

Tang Wulin's eyes turned cold.

He suddenly shrugged, startling the tall student so much that he stumbled.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Wulin acted immediately.

With a flash of dark light, the Sinking Star Hammer was already in his hand, and the white spirit ring beneath his feet rose simultaneously. That familiar sense of oppression suddenly spread out from him, the area wasn't large, but it was enough to make the movements of the several senior students who surrounded him pause for a moment.

This was the moment Tang Wulin wanted.

He had no intention of fighting so many people head-on. This was an academy; if he could just rush out and make things public, the other side wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

So he darted forward, using his shoulders and back to generate force, and like a thrown iron bullet, he crashed directly into the tall college student he had just knocked away.

"Bang!"

The man was already off-balance, and the impact struck him squarely in the chest, causing him to fall backward and knocking the person next to him off balance as well.

The encirclement immediately cracked open.

Tang Wulin didn't stop; he grabbed his hammer and charged out.

But just then, a figure suddenly moved out to the side, blocking his way. Immediately afterwards, a blinding light suddenly shone, like a red-hot knife slashing directly into his field of vision.

Tang Wulin's vision suddenly went white.

The light was not only dazzling, but also scorching hot, making his cheeks and chest ache slightly, and slowing his forward momentum by half a beat.

not good!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard a cold snort.

The next moment, my chest jolted.

A kick landed squarely on his body.

Tang Wulin was kicked backward and flew back, crashing heavily back into the encirclement. The sinking star hammer in his hand scraped against the ground with a dull thud.