Second Profession

"Your Soul Power is abundant, and your aura is steady. I underestimated you," Yun Ming said softly.

Gu You remained silent, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Yun Ming smiled faintly. After all, such a sudden change in identity would take time for the child to adjust to.

"Have you thought about what you want to learn as your second profession?"

"Second profession?" Gu You looked at Yun Ming.

"Yes! Perhaps it's too early for you to consider that, but with your talent, it would be better to start training from a young age." Yun Ming nodded.

"I want to learn blacksmithing!" Gu You declared firmly.

Blacksmithing?

Ya Li was startled. This was hard labor, unlike mecha and battle armor design, which taxed the mind.

Yun Ming did not react much. Since the child wanted to learn, then he could learn. If his talent proved lacking, he could switch later. He was still young, after all.

"Brother Ming." Ya Li looked somewhat reluctant.

Yun Ming walked over and stroked Ya Li's head. "Letting a child experience more hardships is a good thing. Without weathering wind and rain, how can one see a rainbow?"

Ya Li said nothing more. Watching from the side, Gu You wore a strange expression, as though he had been force-fed public displays of affection.

Yun Ming walked up to Gu You. "Come with me. I'll take you to meet someone."

The two vanished from the spot in an instant. Inside Shrek Academy's Blacksmith Association, Feng Wuyu was studying a piece of Heaven Forged metal when an intense fluctuation of Soul Power made him pause.

"Pavilion Master? What wind blew you here? And you even brought a child." Feng Wuyu stared at Gu You.

Yun Ming shook his head and explained why he had come.

"What? Godson!" Even Feng Wuyu, renowned across the continent and accustomed to great sights, was dumbfounded.

"I understand. Don't worry, Pavilion Master. Even if his blacksmithing talent is lacking, I'll make sure he succeeds!" Feng Wuyu hurriedly agreed.

"There's no need to go to such lengths. If he has talent, let him continue learning. If he doesn't, I'll come pick him up in a few days." Yun Ming chuckled. After nodding to Gu You, he disappeared.

Gu You curiously examined Feng Wuyu, another holder of the Twin Saint Dragon title: the Blazing Dragon Douluo and an eight-star Saint Craftsman, nicknamed the "Old Madman."

"Stop staring, child. Let's test the strength of one of your arms so I can make a special forging hammer suited to you. Remember, don't use Soul Power to enhance yourself." Feng Wuyu touched the storage ring on his finger, and a massive machine instantly appeared. There was an indentation in its center, with a display above it showing the weight in jin.

Gu You frowned, gathering the strength of both hands into his right arm before throwing a punch. With a bang!, the number on the machine kept changing before finally stopping at three digits.

166!

Feng Wuyu sucked in a breath. He would not have been surprised by that number if Gu You had used Soul Power to enhance himself. After all, how could the godson of the Sea God Pavilion's Pavilion Master have poor talent? But this was the number Gu You had achieved with a single punch of pure physical strength. How could he not be astonished?

How much strength did an adult even have?

That's a pretty lucky number, Gu You thought.

"Your strength is good, but that doesn't mean you can adapt to blacksmithing. Blacksmithing values perseverance. Take these two Thousand Forging Life Essence Hammers. Listen carefully. What I want you to do now is keep swinging this fifty-jin hammer and strike the strength-testing machine. I'll count for you. Every strike must be no less than fifty jin, and you will continue until you are exhausted." Feng Wuyu spoke coldly.

"Begin!" Gu You brought the hammer down again and again, and the room was filled with continuous banging.

36... 46... 70...

As he hammered, the Life Essence Hammer continuously released faint life energy that nourished Gu You's hands. Feng Wuyu had done this deliberately. Hammers forged from Life Crystals would nourish their user. Otherwise, after a few days of his high-intensity training, Gu You's arms might be ruined. He was not afraid of Yun Ming, but he feared the Holy Spirit Douluo. If she saw her godson injured like that, who knew what mad act she might commit.

Although Ya Li could instantly heal Gu You's arms, Feng Wuyu knew perfectly well that Ya Li could not bear children. Taking a godson already meant she regarded him as her own child.

By the time Gu You reached one hundred strikes, sweat had begun to form on his body. At three hundred strikes, his arms had visibly swollen. Even with the nourishment of life energy, they were still red and swollen.

Keep going. Since I've been given such good talent, I absolutely can't waste it!

Enduring the aching, swollen sensation, Gu You gritted his teeth and continued swinging the twin hammers.

At six hundred strikes, Feng Wuyu froze in place. He had to have this child. The intense soreness finally forced Gu You to stop.

No, no! This isn't my limit yet. If I want to compete with Tang Wulin for the title of Divine Craftsman, this is far from enough. I even have an innate advantage in Soul Power. I can't possibly lose to a native of Douluo, can I?

Gu You struggled to continue swinging the hammer. Feng Wuyu did not stop him, because he knew that stopping him would only harm Gu You's unwavering determination.

Eight hundred... His arms could no longer lift. The hammer fell from Gu You's grasp, and he collapsed weakly to the floor. Yet he continued smiling, sweat pouring down like it cost nothing.

"Can I do it?!"

Feng Wuyu burst into laughter. "You can! Why wouldn't you be able to? Child, you're the most monstrous talent I've ever seen!" With that, he picked up Gu You and brought him into a resting room. Only after simply applying medicine to Gu You did Feng Wuyu leave, though he added a few more words before going.

"I'll help you join Shrek Academy's Blacksmith Association, but it won't count as a fully official membership yet. That will have to wait until you become a level-one blacksmith. Once you master Hundred and Thousand Forging Purification, I'll give you a great gift as well."

The room was silent. Gu You stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. His arms still ached, but he barely felt it.

What Gu You could not see was the purple pattern on his spine, constantly moving across his back.

Drowsy...