Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Xie Xie immediately felt deflated when Gu Yue was mentioned.

He had sparred with Gu Yue more than once or twice this week. Although he refused to admit defeat verbally, he knew in his heart that he couldn't win against her right now. Gu Yue's six elemental transformations were too fast and too varied, yet they were not chaotic. You thought she was going to use fire, but the next moment she might use wind; you thought she was going to trap you, but ice might follow. Coupled with the amplification from her first soul skill, Elemental Tide, if it really came down to a battle of attrition, Xie Xie wouldn't gain the upper hand either.

Tang Wulin glanced at him and said, "Alright, it's getting late, everyone hurry up and meditate. I'm going to see my teacher tomorrow, so I won't be at the academy."

The intermediate academy has one day off each week, which students can use as they please. Tang Wulin's week was packed with classes, special training, and solo hammer practice, and the forging task of the Heavenly Dragon Iron had been put on hold. He was actually getting a little anxious. Since Mang Tian was also here, he naturally wanted to take advantage of the weekend to complete the task.

The next morning, after breakfast, he left the academy and went straight to Mang Tian's studio in Donghai City.

Before he even got close, he heard knocking sounds coming from inside.

Ding, ding, ding.

The rhythm is not fast, but very steady; it is the most familiar language between iron and fire.

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up immediately.

"teacher!"

He unlocked the door with his key and went straight into the forging room. Mang Tian was standing in front of the forging table, his hammer rising and falling with precision. The firelight illuminated his profile, revealing his usual cold and hard demeanor.

Mang Tian glanced at him and said indifferently, "Hmm. Your energy and spirit are good. It seems you haven't been slacking off in your cultivation lately."

Tang Wulin scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "But forging..."

Mang Tian waved his hand, interrupting him.

"You've already mastered the Thousand Refinements, which puts you in a different stage. This stage isn't something you can advance to simply by forging more metals. At your age, improving your soul power and physical strength is more important than anything else."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "So, what you've done these past few days hasn't been wrong."

Tang Wulin felt relieved upon hearing this.

Mang Tian continued, "However, you'll have to come every week on your days off from now on. Okay, go change your clothes. This morning I'll help you master the Heavy Silver Hammer, and this afternoon we'll do the quest you accepted."

"Yes!" Tang Wulin immediately replied.

Mang Tian knew very well about this disciple; he could no longer maintain the same stern expression as he did with others.

Yesterday, when he got Tang Wulin's contact number from Cen Yue, Cen Yue kept talking about it for a long time, his words full of envy. Even Mu Chen personally asked a few questions, the meaning of which was also very clear—if Tang Wulin needed any help with his studies, the East Sea City Blacksmith Association could definitely lend a hand.

Who is Mu Chen?

He was one of the ten most skilled blacksmiths on the continent. Not to mention in the blacksmithing world, he was a truly influential figure even on the entire continent. If it weren't for his deceased wife being from Donghai City, he would never have been able to stay here for so many years.

Even someone like him had such thoughts, so Mang Tian's smugness was beyond words.

Despite his pride, he also had his own plans.

Tang Wulin doesn't need to be handed over to someone else yet. At least in Mang Tian's view, he can still teach him, and must continue to teach him. Otherwise, if the child is really sent to Mu Chen's place, who will be Tang Wulin's teacher in the future?

More importantly, Mang Tian did not want Tang Wulin to reveal all his abilities now.

This is also why he never let Tang Wulin apply for the Level 3 Blacksmith qualification.

While innate superhuman strength is rare, those who truly reach the highest levels of forging rely on far more than just brute force. The further one progresses, the more one considers soul power, comprehension, and understanding of metals. Mang Tian himself had suffered from this; if his soul power hadn't consistently fallen short, he might have been able to break through to the Saint-level Craftsman.

Tang Wulin, however, is different.

This child not only possesses astonishing strength, but also remarkably high comprehension. Over the past three years, he has been able to immerse himself in almost every forging process, and by the time he completed the Thousand-Refined Silver Forging, he had even grasped the meaning of "metal has life."

Mang Tian himself only occasionally encountered that state after reaching the fourth level of blacksmithing.

So he wasn't in a hurry at all.

What he needed to do was to push this disciple up step by step until he was truly established and no one could take him away from him anymore.

After changing his clothes, Tang Wulin quickly returned to the forging room.

Today, Mangtian didn't let him touch the Heavenly Dragon Iron right away, but instead let him practice with ordinary metals.

The moment Tang Wulin grasped the Sinking Star Hammer, his entire demeanor changed.

It was a different kind of wonderfully fitting sensation. It wasn't just a simple "smooth" feel, but more like the hammer already knew how he wanted to land the moment he had a thought.

At first, he was a bit flustered.

The stacked hammer effect delivers a follow-up shockwave after the first hammer strike, creating a rhythm completely different from a regular hammer strike. The second and third strikes follow almost immediately after the first, making it easy to lose control of your movements if you're not aware of the timing.

But this is a hammer he forged using a blood sacrifice method.

Even if it's unfamiliar, it won't feel really unfamiliar.

By the end of the morning, his hammer-wielding movements had gradually become more stable. By the time he practiced again in the afternoon, the awkwardness had basically disappeared.

The hammer rises, the hammer falls.

There were no fancy moves or unnecessary actions, just simple, repetitive tapping.

Mang Tian, ​​standing to the side, could see clearly that Tang Wulin had completely immersed himself in the moment. His eyes held nothing but the metal in front of him, the hammer in his hand, and the slightest vibration and echo with each strike.

This state is the most precious.

As he looked at it, he couldn't help but sigh softly.

After completing the Thousand Refinements, the child's radiance has gradually begun to emerge.

It wasn't until evening that Tang Wulin truly began to deal with that batch of Heavenly Dragon Iron.

After a full day of practice, his mastery of the Heavy Silver Hammer became significantly smoother. When the hammer fell, the force no longer surged erratically, but rather progressed in layers, with almost every strike landing precisely on the spot where the Heavenly Dragon Iron should bear the most weight.

The Heavenly Dragon Iron was not easy to purify, but under the influence of these Blood Sacrifice Silver Hammers, its echo gradually became cleaner.

When the last hammer fell, Tang Wulin let out a long breath, his forehead covered in sweat, but his eyes shone brightly.

It became.

"Let's go," Mang Tian said from the side. "I'll go with you to the Blacksmith's Association to turn in the quest. We can also pick up another one while we're at it, and turn it in next week after we finish it during the weekend."

"yes!"

Tang Wulin answered very quickly.

Mang Tian had already made up his mind.

Having Tang Wulin submit the report once a week ensures the mission progresses without seeming too exaggerated. At least it won't arouse suspicion too quickly about just how far the child has progressed.

The Blacksmiths' Association is much more lively in the evening than during the day.

Mang Tian led Tang Wulin directly to the second floor to complete the task, undergo inspection, registration, and settlement. The process wasn't complicated, but when the inspector confirmed the purification results were correct and counted out the reward, Tang Wulin couldn't help but pause for a moment.

Twenty thousand federal dollars.

It wasn't accumulated piecemeal; it was a single, clear, and immediate offering of 20,000 yuan right in front of him.

He picked up the stack of federal currency and almost instinctively handed it to Mang Tian.

"Teacher, here you go."

Mang Tian glanced at him and shook his head.

"You're already a level two blacksmith; in a sense, you should have been able to take on jobs independently long ago. This is something you earned yourself; what does it have to do with me?"

Tang Wulin said, "But I've always used your forging room."

A rare, faint smile appeared on Mang Tian's face.

"You think I care about that?" he said. "Besides, you just need to provide me with one finished product made with a thousand-fold forging every month from now on, consider that as rent. That's enough."

Tang Wulin then put the money away.

Mang Tian casually mentioned, "By the way, your parents are busy out of town lately, so you don't need to call home anymore."

Tang Wulin paused for a moment, then nodded: "Oh, okay."

As he put the 20,000 Federal Credits into his storage ring, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and joy.

This money wasn't given to him by someone else, nor did he get it by chance; he earned it by hammering it out, one hammer blow at a time.

Earning wealth through hard work can truly bring joy.

After accepting the second task, the master and apprentice went downstairs together.

When I left the association, it was already dark outside, and the streetlights were turning on one by one, making Donghai City even more lively than during the day.

Tang Wulin was in a good mood and couldn't help but say, "Teacher, let me treat you to dinner."

Mang Tian shook his head.

"Go back to the college to eat by yourself. I have other things to do."

As he spoke, he added, "Remember, come to my place every weekend. I'll prepare the materials in advance. Produce at least one finished product every month."

"Okay," Tang Wulin answered readily.

Mang Tian glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Tang Wulin stood there, watching his teacher's figure disappear into the night. He looked down and touched the 20,000 Federal Coins in his storage ring, and couldn't help but smile again.

It feels so good to have money.