Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Tang Wulin waited at the Forging Masters Association for less than half an hour.

Mu Chen then personally handed him the two boxes and a small bottle.

The two boxes, one cold and one hot, exuded a faint spiritual energy even before being opened. The small bottle, on the other hand, was dark red, its opening sealed with a special seal, and contained a faint, stagnant aura of blood.

Tang Wulin accepted the three items with both hands and carefully put them away.

He didn't say anything more.

He simply took a step back and bowed deeply to Xiang Muchen.

It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow.

For him now, these three things are no longer just precious resources, but the key to whether he can survive and seize that sliver of opportunity.

Cen Yue then took Tang Wulin to accept a mission that only a level three blacksmith could complete, and personally escorted him out of the association.

Watching Tang Wulin's small figure disappear outside the association's door, Cen Yue did not leave immediately. Instead, he turned around and went up to the top floor, arriving at Mu Chen's office.

Mu Chen seemed to have anticipated his arrival.

He smiled slightly when he saw Cen Yue enter.

"I knew you'd come looking for me."

Cen Yue gave a wry smile and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "President, wouldn't it be too easy for us to just hand over those three items to him like this?"

Mu Chen didn't speak, but simply gestured for him to continue.

Cen Yue pondered for a moment and said, "Young people, especially geniuses, are most afraid of things coming too easily. If something is easily obtained, they are less likely to cherish it. The association has already given him a lot of preferential treatment. A storage ring, mission access, and now these three precious items. Doing so may not necessarily be beneficial to his growth."

Mu Chen listened, but only smiled slightly.

Why do you think he was in such a hurry today?

Cen Yue was taken aback.

Mu Chen said slowly, "He's been very anxious all day. Although he tried his best to suppress it, he's only nine years old after all, and he can't hide many of his emotions. It's not that he wants to show off, nor is it simply that he wants to prove himself; it's that he really needs those three things."

"Because he urgently needed the materials and didn't have enough money, he applied for the Level 3 Blacksmith exam overnight before the typhoon arrived."

"He wanted to earn more money through higher-level missions so he could buy what he needed."

Mu Chen tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

"What I'm doing now is simply using the association's authority to lend him the items in advance. With his talent and potential, the association won't lose out."

"That's one point."

Cen Yue nodded thoughtfully.

Mu Chen continued, "Secondly, as you just saw, he completed the Level 3 assessment with great ease."

"With your skill level, how long would it take you to complete the Thousand Refinements of Sunken Silver?"

Cen Yue did not answer immediately.

Mu Chen then asked, "With your experience, soul power, and skills as a level six blacksmith, can you be twice as fast as him?"

Cen Yue shook his head, almost without thinking.

"cannot."

After saying that, he couldn't help but sigh.

"I have to admit, that kid is a monster. At such a young age, he has already been able to enter a stable state of resonance with the metal, and his mind never left the forging process for a moment. With his comprehension, he will probably reach the Spirit Forging Realm more smoothly than we imagine."

"In addition to his innate super strength and the Starfall Hammer Martial Soul, even if his soul power cultivation will limit him in the future, it is almost a certainty that he will reach at least the sixth level of blacksmithing."

"He will definitely surpass Mangtian."

As he spoke the last sentence, a hint of envy flashed in Cen Yue's eyes.

Mu Chen saw this and smiled.

"Don't even mention you, even I'm a little jealous of Mang Tian."

"He has indeed found a once-in-a-lifetime genius."

Mu Chen's gaze deepened.

"This child has a good foundation and a good character. You were just worried that he might not appreciate what he has because it came too easily. I'm not worried about that."

"A child who can naturally enter a state of focus and truly hear and understand metal will never be restless."

Cen Yue nodded.

He had to admit this as well.

Mu Chen added, "And did you notice? All three things he wanted were related to enhancing his body."

"A hundred-year-old Crimson Flame Fruit, a hundred-year-old Ice Crystal Fruit. One fire, one ice. If used together, the most common application is to temper the body with the power of the clash between fire and ice. The process is of course dangerous, but if one can withstand it, the improvement in physical strength will be very obvious."

"He was born with superhuman strength, and his physical abilities far surpass those of his peers. If he can take it a step further, it might not be a bad thing for him."

"As for those ten drops of blood from a hundred-year-old soul beast with dragon bloodlines..."

Mu Chen paused, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"It's mostly related to his martial spirit, or some special condition of his body."

Cen Yue frowned and asked, "You mean, his Sinking Star Hammer?"

"It's not necessarily just his martial soul." Mu Chen shook his head. "But it must be related to his own unique characteristics. When he brought up these three things, his eyes were very firm, not like he was acting blindly."

"So I believe that giving him these three things will definitely be useful."

Cen Yue was silent for a moment, then said, "President, your judgment of him is more decisive than mine."

Mu Chen smiled and said, "It's not about being decisive, it's about taking a gamble."

"In fact, what I'm considering now isn't the increased preferential treatment the association is giving him, but rather how to help him improve his soul power in the future."

Cen Yue was taken aback.

Mu Chen said seriously, "No matter how high your forging talent is, you can't bypass soul power. Spirit forging might be possible with innate divine strength, comprehension, and mental power. But if you want to enter a higher level, especially soul forging, the support of soul power is indispensable."

"This child's real bottleneck may not be in forging, but in his cultivation as a Soul Master."

Listening to Mu Chen's analysis, Cen Yue couldn't help but show admiration in his eyes.

He truly deserves to be called a master craftsman.

After only a few encounters, they had already seen through Tang Wulin's strengths, problems, and potential challenges in the future so clearly.

Mu Chen looked up at Cen Yue, his voice lowered.

"His affairs must be kept secret. The other branches must not know."

"I'm still hoping that he can shine in the headquarters in the future and bring real honor to our Donghai City branch."

Cen Yue laughed heartily.

"Don't worry, Chairman. I've already given instructions to all the relevant people."

He looked at Mu Chen and couldn't help but tease, "I always thought the president was a selfless person, but now it seems that's not always the case."

A sly glint flashed in Mu Chen's eyes.

"I know exactly what Mang Tian is thinking."

"Tang Wulin's ability to reach the Thousand Refinement level is definitely not something that happened in the last few days. The fact that he didn't directly advance to the third level during the first assessment must have been because Mang Tian instructed him to keep it a secret."

"His goal is simply to protect this child first, so that he can make a name for himself in the future and steadily rise to the rank of Master Craftsman, or even higher."

At this point, Mu Chen's tone became unusually fervent.

"He has his ideas, and I have my goals."

"Tang Wulin is the only child I have seen in the past thirty years who has the potential to challenge the Heavenly Forging and become a master craftsman."

……

Tang Wulin had no idea that Mu Chen's evaluation of him had reached such a high level.

After leaving the Forging Masters Association, he did not return to Donghai Academy, but went directly to Mangtian Studio, which was not far from the association.

He had no idea what would happen if the seal was broken.

Even now, he is still not 100% sure whether the so-called eighteen seals in his body are real.

For him, this attempt was to prove everything.

He couldn't possibly do that in the dorm.

If anything unusual happens, it will not only frighten Xie Xie and the others, but may also bring unnecessary trouble.

"Waaaaah—"

The wind had already begun to howl through the streets.

The leading edge of the typhoon finally made landfall in Donghai City.

Large raindrops, whipped up by the gale, pelted down, stinging one's face. By the time Tang Wulin rushed into the studio, the outside was already dark and raging with wind and rain.

He slammed the door shut and then checked each window one by one.

The blacksmith's workshop was built to be exceptionally sturdy, so there was no need to worry about that.

After confirming that everything was correct, Tang Wulin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside, there was the howling of the wind and the pattering of heavy rain against the roof and windows.

Inside, however, it was very quiet.

This stark contrast gave Tang Wulin a very strange feeling.

It feels like happiness.

Yes.

Outside, the wind and rain raged, but he was able to hide in this sturdy little house, protected from the storm.

Isn't that a kind of happiness in itself?

He took out the two boxes and a small bottle from his light blue storage ring, carefully placed them on the table, and then pulled up a chair to sit down.

My heart rate has noticeably increased.

What the golden light and shadow said must be true, right?

Golden scales did indeed appear on my body, and I was indeed stimulated by the Light Dragon Dagger.

Now, all three things are ready.

We should be able to break the first seal.

Tang Wulin carefully opened the first box.

The box was clearly made of special materials. As soon as it was opened, a scorching heat rushed out, and the temperature in the entire studio seemed to rise instantly, dispelling the chill he had brought in when he came in the rain.

Inside the box, a bright red fruit lay quietly.

It was a size larger than the Crimson Flame Fruit he had seen on the first floor of the auction house, and the golden spots on its surface were much denser. A scorching aura was spreading out from the fruit in circles, and just by looking at it, Tang Wulin could almost feel the burning heat contained within.

The Hundred-Year-Old Crimson Flame Fruit.

He then opened the second box.

As soon as the lid was lifted, a cool breeze rushed out, quickly easing the rising heat in the room.

The temperature then returned to equilibrium.

Inside the box lay a fruit, about the size of a thumbnail, emitting a faint blue glow, lying quietly at the bottom. It was crystal clear, like a star frozen in ice, its light soft yet utterly pure.

Century-old Ice Crystal Fruit.

Judging from their appearance alone, these two spiritual fruits are already eye-catching enough.

Ice and fire, two completely different attributes, attract and confront each other, yet they form a delicate balance on the table.

Tang Wulin clearly felt that after he opened the Ice Crystal Fruit box, the red light on the Crimson Flame Fruit next to it also became brighter, as if it was unwilling to be outdone and wanted to compete with it.

What should we do now?

Eat it directly?

Tang Wulin looked at the two spirit fruits and the small bottle on the table, feeling somewhat bewildered.

He didn't know how to process these kinds of spiritual fruits.

Moreover, Mu Chen had just reminded him not long ago that these things might not only be beneficial. If he couldn't withstand them, they might even damage his foundation.

Just by feeling the energy fluctuations they emitted, he really didn't dare to put them directly into his mouth.

Let's ask it.

Tang Wulin closed his eyes, trying to concentrate his mind as much as possible, and called out from the depths of his mind.

"are u there?"

"I've found all three items."

"are u there?"

He didn't even know what to call that golden light, so he could only try again and again.

no respond.

Tang Wulin's heart immediately jumped into his throat.

No way?

Although the two spirit fruits and the bottle of blood from a hundred-year-old dragon-type soul beast came more smoothly than he had imagined, he still had to pay for them.

Was that day really just a dream?

If this is a dream, then what are all these things I'm doing now?

Just as his heart was growing colder, a calm voice suddenly rang out from the depths of his mind.

"Have you found them all?"