At Graduation

Three years later, Red Mountain Academy.

Wan Yunchao wiggled his chubby body as he leaned close to Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, whispering, "Wulin, Wuyang, I heard Zhou Shaolong broke through to Level Ten. He's going to buy a Soul Spirit tonight."

"How about you two?"

"Hey, Wuyang, didn't you say you were already level nine last time? We're about to graduate. If you still haven't reached Level Ten by then, you'll have to go home and cultivate on your own."

"And Wulin, didn't you already reach Level Ten? When I asked you before, you said you were still saving money. What about now? Have you saved enough?"

"If you can't get a recommendation letter from the academy, getting into an Intermediate Academy later will be a lot more troublesome."

Three years had passed, and the brothers had changed greatly.

They had both grown from one meter twenty to over one meter forty, making them taller than most children their age. Tang Wuyang was even a tiny bit taller than his older brother, Tang Wulin, though only by a little.

The brothers were well-proportioned, lean and tall. As they grew older, their faces became increasingly refined.

Tang Wulin still wore his hair in a neat short cut, while Tang Wuyang still had medium-length, androgynous hair that fell past his shoulders. The hair below his shoulders was tied with a light-blue ribbon, and its tips still carried a faint golden hue.

Strangely enough, even if he had it cut, the ends would turn gold again after just one night.

Tang Ziran and his wife had worried about it for a while, but after discovering it had no effect on their younger son, they let him be.

Although neither of them had broken through to become Soul Masters yet, that did not stop them from being immensely popular at the academy.

Wan Yunchao was the Little Fatty who had provoked them when they first enrolled.

He had originally looked down on Tang Wulin. But one time, while Tang Wuyang was away, he took the initiative to bully Tang Wulin and was thoroughly beaten up for it. After that, he behaved himself for quite some time.

After a period of teaching, Lin Ximeng discovered that Tang Wuyang, who possessed a Beast Martial Soul, improved his Soul Power even more slowly than Tang Wulin, who possessed the typical Useless Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass. Her initial attention toward him gradually faded.

Still unwilling to give up, Wan Yunchao immediately concluded that Tang Wuyang's Qilin Martial Soul had to be a Useless Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass, so he directly turned his attention toward Tang Wuyang.

Yet things did not go as he wished. He never expected Tang Wuyang, whose Soul Power was lower than Tang Wulin's, to be even stronger than Tang Wulin.

Tang Wuyang did not indulge Wan Yunchao's provocations. When he beat him up, he directly lifted Wan Yunchao over his head.

Wan Yunchao immediately screamed in terror. The experience left a lasting shadow on him, and he finally became completely obedient.

Among the dozen or so students in this Martial Soul class, six had already reached Level Ten Soul Power and could advance from Soul Masters, the lowest rank of Soul Master, to true Soul Masters.

Of course, that was on the premise that they possessed a Soul Spirit of their own.

Three years had passed, and they were about to complete their studies at the primary academy.

At an Intermediate Academy, Soul Masters would be specially separated out and attend a dedicated academy.

Small cities like Aolai City did not have primary Soul Master academies.

To attend a Soul Master Intermediate Academy in a medium-sized city, one had to possess a Soul Spirit before enrolling.

Wan Yunchao was one of the six students who had reached Level Ten Soul Power. Reaching Level Ten before graduating from the primary academy allowed him to receive an academy recommendation letter, which would make entering an Intermediate Academy much easier.

Being able to obtain a recommendation letter proved that a student's talent was good enough.

But if one reached Level Ten only after turning ten, entering an Intermediate Academy would require passing many more examinations.

"More or less. Wuyang should be breaking through soon too, right? Then we can go together." Tang Wulin replied with a smile.

"Yeah. I feel like one more night of Meditation should do it." Tang Wuyang answered with certainty.

After seeing Tang Wuyang's Innate Soul Power level and cultivation speed, Lin Ximeng judged that his Qilin Martial Soul was probably a weakened mutation of a Martial Soul. While disappointed, she could not help but feel regretful as well.

But after guiding them many times, Lin Ximeng found that although Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang had one Useless Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, and one Martial Soul she considered a weakened mutation, they were exceptionally talented at Meditation.

When they meditated, they could easily sense the energy particles in the air that suited them best, and both brothers were especially focused during Meditation.

Later, Lin Ximeng guessed that perhaps the brothers' Spirit Power was somewhat stronger than that of children their age, which had led to this situation.

For a homeroom teacher, having two more children reach Level Ten before graduation was an honor and also meant bonuses.

Therefore, during the final school year, Lin Ximeng clearly began to place greater importance on Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang, often giving them extra guidance.

Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang did not disappoint her. With half a month remaining before graduation, Tang Wulin was the first to reach Level Ten, while Tang Wuyang had reached the peak of level nine, just a step away from Level Ten.

After learning that Tang Wulin had reached Level Ten, Lin Ximeng had asked him several times when he wanted to take leave to acquire a Soul Spirit, but Tang Wulin always found excuses to brush her off.

Later, she roughly guessed that Tang Wulin was waiting for Tang Wuyang, so she stopped urging him.

But what she did not know was that Tang Wulin had another reason for not going to acquire a Soul Spirit besides waiting for Tang Wuyang.

He had not yet saved enough money to buy one.

Although Tang Wuyang had immediately said he could use his money first, Tang Wulin firmly refused.

"Keep it up, keep it up. Maybe we can get into the same Intermediate Academy." Wan Yunchao chuckled. "Don't say your big brother is bullying you. Once you both have Soul Spirits, let's fight again and see whose Soul Skill is stronger."

Tang Wuyang shot him a glance, then stood up with Tang Wulin and slung his schoolbag over his back. "Keep dreaming."

He certainly would not tell Wan Yunchao how strong he was now.

Tang Wulin merely smiled at the excited Wan Yunchao without saying anything. Just as Tang Wuyang hid his strength, Tang Wulin had only revealed his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to his teachers and classmates over the past three years. He had kept his Holy Dragon Spear Martial Soul hidden, just as Tang Ziran had instructed.

The brothers arrived at the school gate. Tang Wuyang did not continue forward, instead stopping just outside the gate.

Tang Wulin was not surprised. He turned and said, "Wuyang, I'll head off first."

"Okay."

Watching Tang Wulin's departing back, Tang Wuyang quietly stood where he was and waited.

Before long, a flash of silver ran out from the direction of the main teaching building.

"Na'er, slow down. Be careful not to fall." Tang Wuyang's voice was full of affection.

Three years had passed, yet Na'er still had short silver hair. Her appearance had barely changed, save for growing a little taller. She was still small and delicate.

Standing beside Tang Wuyang, she did not look like she was a year younger than him at all.

"Brother, I want candied hawthorn skewers and lollipops." Na'er skipped over to Tang Wuyang and threw herself directly into his arms.

"Okay. Brother will take you to buy some. After I take you home, I'll go to the workshop." Tang Wuyang held her soft body and rubbed her little head.

The students passing by after school had long since grown used to the sight.

In Na'er's second year with the Tang Family, she created a miracle during the Awakening Ceremony.

That miracle was not because she awakened a powerful Martial Soul, but because she had no Martial Soul at all.

Even in the history of the entire Douluo Continent, that was an extremely rare occurrence.

Without a Martial Soul, she could only attend the academy's regular class and study normally.

Because Na'er was very pretty, she was envied by girls her age and also aroused the curiosity of the boys in her class.

Because of that, Tang Wuyang had gotten into quite a few fights over the past three years.

Once, the two of them were surrounded by a group of male classmates. Tang Wuyang could not defeat them alone, so he tightly held Na'er in his arms and protected her with his body.

In the end, his body was covered in injuries, while Na'er, in his arms, had only gotten a little dirt on her.

When they returned home, Tang Wulin saw them. Wanting to avenge his younger brother immediately, he rushed toward the door, but Tang Wuyang stepped in front of him and stopped him.

"Brother, I want to settle this myself."

Seeing the determination in his younger brother's eyes, Tang Wulin gradually calmed down and nodded. "All right, but be careful. Don't get hurt again."

"Mm, I understand." Tang Wuyang quickly agreed.

The next day, Tang Wuyang went straight to the instigator and fought desperately every day until he scared the other boy so badly that he never dared bully Na'er again.

Since Tang Wuyang was in the Soul Master class, he did not receive much punishment. Instead, he became famous in a single battle, and no one in all of Red Mountain Academy dared bully Na'er again.

Ever since Na'er started school, Tang Wuyang had taken responsibility for caring for her just as he had promised, picking his younger sister up and taking her to school every day.

After taking Na'er to buy some snacks and sending her home, Tang Wuyang put down his schoolbag, changed into a thick work uniform, and left for Mang Tian's Workshop.

"Wuyang, you're here! Your brother already started." A young man in his twenties greeted Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang smiled. "Hello, Brother Long. What tasks did Teacher assign today?"

Brother Long smiled. "Quite a few. Go take a look in your room and you'll see."

"Honestly, I'm a little jealous of you two brothers. You're still so young, but your workload has already caught up with mine."

In the Forging trade, the more work one did, the more one earned.

Tang Wuyang scratched his head and humbly said, "How could we compare to Brother Long? Teacher still won't let my brother and me forge large components yet."

Brother Long said, "That's also to make your foundation more solid. All right, hurry up. Otherwise, you won't finish in two hours today."

Mang Tian's Workshop actually had only four people: Mang Tian, Brother Long, and the brothers Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang.

Originally, Brother Long had been Mang Tian's only disciple. After Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang arrived, the workshop suddenly became much livelier.

Mang Tian was a very strict teacher with high standards, but he also taught very diligently.

Here, everyone had a workshop of their own. Mang Tian accepted jobs forging Mecha components from outside, then distributed them among them.

He gave the simple jobs to Brother Long, Tang Wulin, and Tang Wuyang, while he handled the complicated ones himself.

One day each week was dedicated to Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang's lessons. On that day, Mang Tian taught them personally, step by step.

On the other days, they had to complete the tasks Mang Tian assigned. The more they did, the better, and the more they earned.

Tang Wuyang entered his Forging Room. Some raw materials had already been placed on the forging table, with blueprints beside them.

When the two had first arrived, Mang Tian made them hammer iron blocks for three whole months. He only taught them the techniques of striking and exerting force, and they had to hammer away for a full two hours every day.

With constant practice, Tang Wuyang's already considerable strength continued to increase, and the hammers in his hands gradually grew larger as well.

Tang Wulin's strength also improved, but just as Tang Wuyang's Soul Power grew more slowly than his, Tang Wulin's strength increased less than Tang Wuyang's.

Only after a year of studying Forging did the two begin making the simplest small components.

Half a year ago, they had advanced from small components to medium-sized ones.

After carefully examining the blueprint, Tang Wuyang immediately understood the day's task: ten joints.

These were Mecha elbow joints, shaped like spheres.

Like Soul Master ranks, Forging was divided into many levels.

Most common was Hundred Refinements. So-called Hundred Refinements meant that every part of a component had to be hammered over a hundred times before it was complete.

Beyond Hundred Refinements was Thousand Forging. The more times one hammered, the fewer impurities remained within the metal.

Tang Wuyang skillfully pressed a button on the forging table, and two pitch-black iron hammers appeared in his hands.

Mang Tian had given them these hammers as gifts exactly one year after the brothers came here. Tang Wulin had an identical pair.

They were Thousand Refinement Tungsten Steel Hammers personally made by Mang Tian, each weighing over eighty jin.

Under the intense heat of the Smelting Furnace, the metal quickly became red-hot.

Tang Wuyang used the forging hammer in his right hand to prop against the card slot, while the Tungsten Steel Hammer in his left pressed down from above the metal.

The two Forging Hammers, one above and one below, clamped the heated metal and pulled it out.

After placing the metal on the platform, Tang Wuyang raised his right hand high, then smashed it down fiercely. A rapid series of "ding ding dang dang" sounds immediately rang through the Forging Room.

Forging was a skilled craft. Thus, when Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang had first begun learning Forging, Mang Tian told them that to become qualified Forging Masters, they had to use their brains.

During the hammering process, they had to use the rebound force and changes in the metal to judge the metal's own properties and grain structure. Only by mastering these could they forge truly superior work.

Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang both possessed excellent aptitude in this regard. What they did not know was that when Mang Tian gave them the Tungsten Steel Hammers in their hands, it meant they had already become official Forging Masters.

Although the brothers did not earn much each month, they always set aside a fixed sum of money.

After discussing it, Tang Wuyang used the rest of his money to buy snacks for Na'er or for the three of them to buy miscellaneous little things, while Tang Wulin gave his share to Lang Yue to help support the household.

Though they were both only nine years old, three years of Forging had made them steadier than children their age.

It took Tang Wuyang a full two hours to complete the last component. He grabbed a towel beside him and wiped the sweat from his face before leaving the Forging Room to turn in his work to Mang Tian.

When Tang Wuyang arrived outside Mang Tian's room, he happened to see Tang Wulin preparing to knock on the door.

"Brother, you finished too?"

"Mm." Tang Wulin nodded.

The two entered Mang Tian's room together. "Teacher, we're done."

Mang Tian rose and first took them to Tang Wulin's room to inspect his work.

Then he went next door to Tang Wuyang's room, looked over his work, and nodded.

A satisfied Mang Tian turned around and handed each of them a stack of banknotes. "This month's wages. You did well."

"Thank you, Teacher."

After thanking him together, the two quickly accepted the money and tucked it into their clothes, pumping their fists excitedly.

Mang Tian looked at the usually composed brothers with some confusion. "You get paid every month. Why are you so happy this time?"

Tang Wuyang looked at Mang Tian with bright eyes. "Teacher, we've saved enough money to buy Soul Spirits."

Mang Tian froze for a moment, visibly moved. "You mean you've both reached Level Ten?"

He knew Tang Wulin had reached Level Ten, but when Tang Wuyang came yesterday, he had only been level nine.

Tang Wulin nodded. "Wuyang said he feels he's about there."

Mang Tian rarely revealed even a hint of a smile. "Keep it up."

"Teacher, then my brother and I will head back first."

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin bowed to Mang Tian at the same time, then excitedly ran outside.

Watching the two children's backs, Mang Tian's smile deepened. "Those two brats finally look a little like children."

"Ah, what a pity. One has a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, while the other has a malignant Beast Martial Soul mutation. No matter what Soul Spirits they obtain, I'm afraid they will..."

"Still, perhaps that is also my good fortune. In Forging, those two children have enough talent to inherit my legacy."