Tang San's Sorrow

"Good child." Gu Chenyu smiled and raised a hand to pat Lu Jun's shoulder.

Leng Yulai covered her mouth and giggled softly from the side.

"Blood Demon Crown, aren't you stealing a treasure from our Spirit Pagoda?"

"We can each call it our own." Gu Chenyu laughed heartily. "Besides, we're both working for the Spirit Pagoda. He also needs someone to guide him along his Second Profession, doesn't he?"

"That's true." Leng Yulai did not refute him.

"Go on. It's time to assess your skill."

As Gu Chenyu spoke, he pointed toward the workshop inside.

Lu Jun nodded, entered the workshop, and took out his own forging hammer from his Storage Soul Tool.

His strength-related stats were still quite good.

Although he was a sword-wielding mage, strength training for swinging a sword was still essential.

Thus, his physical condition was also quite outstanding among people his age.

Upon entering the workshop,

Lu Jun stood before the forging table as Gu Chenyu announced the assessment requirements beside him.

"The Third-Level Forging Master assessment has only one requirement: Thousand Refinements."

He stood to one side with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as he watched Lu Jun.

"You may choose any metal you wish to complete the Thousand Refinements. The level of completion, as well as the difficulty of the metal you choose, will determine your final score."

Hm?

He could choose the metal himself?

Remembering the contents of the previous assessments, Lu Jun nearly shed tears of gratitude.

Lu Jun could not help looking at Gu Chenyu.

This was practically going easy on him.

"What? Unlike the other examiners, I don't think a forging master necessarily needs to excel at forging every type of metal," Gu Chenyu said.

"Do what you are best at. If you can master a single field to the utmost degree, that means you are a Saint Craftsman as well."

Wonderful.

Since he could choose for himself, Lu Jun had nothing to fear.

Without hesitation, he chose a metal related to the Ice Attribute.

Compared to Lu Jun, who was busy forging, Gu Yue Na's Mecha Design work went exceptionally smoothly.

She was already a Third-Level Mecha Designer.

Having completed her task for the day, Gu Yue Na prepared to return home and got into a luxury car.

The driver was still Zi Ji.

"The Lord seems to be in quite a good mood today?"

Zi Ji keenly noticed the faint upward curve of Gu Yue Na's lips and could not help asking softly.

Gu Yue Na had been staring out the window in a daze. Hearing this, she paused slightly before speaking as if nothing had happened.

"...It's nothing. Also, don't call me The Lord when we're outside."

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she hesitated again.

Zi Ji blinked but did not press the matter. She merely said,

"My... Miss, you understand. It's difficult to change the way I address you all at once. It's a habit."

"I'll gradually change."

After a moment of silence, Gu Yue Na finally spoke.

"My relationship with that human called Lu Jun seems to have progressed rather well lately."

"Oh?" Zi Ji immediately understood. "It seems The Lord gets along very well with him."

Gu Yue Na lightly played with the ends of her hair, seemingly weighing her words.

"He said... he wanted to treat me to a meal and properly thank me." She paused, then added as though confirming something, "This should be the kind of relationship humans call 'good friends,' right?"

Zi Ji's movements paused slightly. Then she raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth, barely suppressing her amusement.

"Yes, Miss," she replied warmly.

The Lord... was unexpectedly innocent.

No wonder Di Tian had suggested that she undergo Humanoid Transformation into the form of a child and properly adapt to human society.

Zi Ji recalled Di Tian's original proposal.

He had suggested that Gu Yue Na integrate into human society in the guise of a human child rather than appearing directly in her Adult Form. Now, it seemed that decision truly had its reasons.

"Zi Ji." Gu Yue Na suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes, Miss."

"Among humans, how exactly should 'friends' get along?" Her tone remained calm, but Zi Ji could hear a subtle hint of distress within it.

Zi Ji smiled faintly and said softly,

"The Lord only needs to... let things take their natural course."

"Being overly intimate may instead have the opposite effect."

"I see. I understand." Gu Yue Na nodded, her thoughts gradually drifting away.

Compared to Lu Jun's development in Mingdu, which had gradually stabilized,

at this moment, in distant Eastsea City,

Tang San silently watched his son, Tang Wulin, arrive in Eastsea City to attend school.

"Strange... Why hasn't the amnesiac Silver Dragon King come into contact with Wulin according to the original plan?"

Tang San, within Tang Wulin's body, racked his brains but could not figure it out.

"What happened to Father? Could it be that his attempt to become the Plane Master failed?"

"And the fortune around Wulin hasn't reached the height I imagined, either."

"Ah."

Thinking of all the problems that had failed to come to pass, Tang San began to worry and worry.

"Back in the God Realm, I had countless ways to obtain the Divine Artifact that fell in the Extreme North and make it mine. But that damned Destruction Divine King kept obstructing me."

"Because that Divine Artifact blocked the connection between Douluo Continent and me, I was unable to further take control of Douluo Continent. Even my plan to make Huo Yuhao my son-in-law failed."

"This time, Wulin must gain control of that Divine Artifact's power. Such a divine weapon must never fall into another's hands, or it will surely pose a fatal threat to us."

Tang San sighed.

He remained here, watching bit by bit as his son Tang Wulin grew up. Seeing that he had now entered Eastsea Academy, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

The next moment, another Spiritual Sense approached Tang Wulin, putting Tang San on alert.

"Who? This is... Wait, Father?"

"...Xiao San, you really are here."

Tang Hao's voice rang out, establishing communication with Tang San inside Tang Wulin's body.

Tang Wulin, who was currently meditating and cultivating, was entirely unaware.

Tang San's Spiritual Sense trembled slightly. "Father? How did you..."

"According to your previous arrangements, the Tang Sect has made all the preparations. Also, the Tang Sect has discovered the existence of that Divine Artifact in Mingdu."

"What? So soon?"

Tang San was overjoyed.

Speak of the devil, and he appeared.

Tang Hao said gravely,

"It's just..."

"Just what?" Tang San asked instinctively.

"According to the Tang Sect's report, that Divine Artifact seems to have undergone Humanoid Transformation." Tang Hao's voice carried a trace of strangeness. "And it's a child with an Ultimate Ice Attribute Weapon Spirit."

"The Tang Sect hacked into the Spirit Pagoda's system and found clues in its records. It is said that three years ago, a heavenly anomaly appeared at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters..."

"That child is registered in the Spirit Pagoda's files under the name Lu Jun. His Martial Soul is an Ultimate Ice Attribute sword, and he is suspected to be connected to the Ice Attribute Divine Artifact of the Extreme North."

"Humanoid Transformation?! Lu Jun?"

Tang San repeated the name, his expression shifting unpredictably.