The Tournament Begins, the Hungry Little Fatty
A moment later, a voice rang in Mu Chen's ear. "It's rare that you would take the initiative to contact me."
There was a hint of surprise in the voice, and the owner of the voice was none other than the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua!
Mu Chen gave a habitual snort, "I never expected that you, this arrogant Divine Craftsman, would quietly take in such a... good apprentice."
"Huh?" Zhen Hua's voice betrayed obvious surprise. "You saw Yuhao?"
But the surprise quickly subsided. "He's currently studying in Eastsea City, so it's not unusual for him to run into you, the president of the Blacksmith Association."
"Hahaha!" Zhen Hua's voice carried an undisguised smugness and pleasure as he asked, "So, does my disciple meet your standards?"
Despite their long-standing animosity due to certain past events, the two have been rivals for many years.
However, faced with Huo Yuhao's astonishing talent, Mu Chen couldn't bring himself to belittle or nitpick.
After a moment of silence, Mu Chen reluctantly spoke, his tone complex. "Not bad... You've had incredible luck to have such a disciple."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Hua's smugness grew even stronger. "What do you mean by 'lucky break'? It was because Yuhao personally came to ask to become my apprentice that I accepted him."
He changed the subject abruptly, habitually adding a sarcastic remark to his old rival, "Besides, although you are Eight-Star Saint Craftsman, your reputation is still a little less impressive than mine as a Divine Craftsman."
Mu Chen's fists clenched involuntarily, and his breathing quickened slightly.
He suddenly realized that he probably shouldn't have made that call and gotten himself into this mess.
"Call!"
He let out a long breath, suppressing the slight displeasure in his heart.
"It's quite a coincidence, I recently took on a new disciple who happens to be in the same class as Huo Yuhao."
"Now... I'm Level-Four Forgemaster."
Zhen Hua, on the other end of the communication line, also showed a hint of surprise upon hearing this.
Is he a classmate of Huo Yuhao?
Doesn't that mean they're about the same age, around ten years old?
A ten-year-old Level-Four Forgemaster —that's an extraordinary talent, enough to cause a sensation in any era.
This guy, Mu Chen, actually found such a gem?
Just as Zhen Hua was pondering this, Mu Chen's voice came again. "Right now, your disciple has taken the lead, but the road ahead is long, and no one can say for sure."
"Perhaps my apprentice will become the next Divine Craftsman on this continent."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Hua fully understood the purpose of Mu Chen's initiative to contact him.
On the path of forging, Zhen Hua has always been one step ahead of Mu Chen, that is an indisputable fact.
Now, judging from Mu Chen's words, he wants the two successors to have another match to see who is better!
However, these words also prove Mu Chen's absolute recognition of Tang Wulin and Huo Yuhao's talents.
He believes that both of these young men possess the potential and qualifications to become "Divine Craftsman" in the future!
Upon hearing this, Zhen Hua burst into a hearty laugh, "Hahaha! Alright! Let's wait and see!"
His laughter was full of confidence and anticipation. "I believe that day... won't be long before we have to wait."
After the call ended, Zhen Hua, who was in another city, still wore that confident and gratified smile.
He muttered to himself, "The next Divine Craftsman...?"
January has passed by in a flash.
The Heaven Sea Alliance Tournament, a triennial event encompassing dozens of coastal cities, has finally begun.
As a key academy in Eastsea City, Eastsea Academy naturally sent teams to participate in various competitions in the Youth Group and Junior Group.
Logically, the average age of the students in Class Zero is only ten years old, so they shouldn't have to participate in a competition of this scale so early.
However, at the request of their homeroom teacher Wu Changkong, Class Zero will also participate in the Junior Group's Three-Person Team Battle this time.
And their goal... is still the championship!
Upon arriving in Skysea City, the group was accommodated in a luxury hotel built right by the sea.
The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent, but it couldn't dispel the tension and excitement in the boys' hearts.
The next morning, as dawn broke, Wu Changkong led the five students from Class Zero to join the Eastsea Academy's team and headed in a grand procession to the main venue of the competition— Heaven Sea Stadium.
At 8:00 a. m. sharp, accompanied by rousing music and dazzling fireworks, the opening ceremony of the Heaven Sea Alliance Tournament officially began.
On the podium, several high-ranking officials from core cities of the alliance delivered speeches in turn.
The content consisted of nothing more than welcoming, encouraging, and wishing success—long and tedious platitudes that made the young contestants in the audience drowsy and unable to resist whispering among themselves.
Fortunately, the opening ceremony did not last long, and the draw for the competition immediately followed.
The teachers leading the teams went up on stage to decide their teams' first-round opponents and schedules.
As for the young people who are about to participate in the competition, they don't have much to do at the moment.
Just then, everyone's attention was drawn to the commotion in the center of the stadium.
Many workers were busy at work, and a square platform was being assembled at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Tang Wulin craned his neck curiously to look, and couldn't help but ask, "What's going on here? Isn't the competition supposed to start tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Xie Xie raised his head slightly and explained, "You don't know this, do you? I found out some inside information! I heard that the organizing committee went all out this time and specially invited the strongest people from the Shrek Academy to come!"
"Later, we'll be playing an Opening Exhibition Match against the champions of last year's competition! This is the main event!"
Shrek Academy?!
Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed in surprise almost simultaneously, their voices filled with disbelief and excitement.
In their hearts, Shrek Academy is a legendary symbol with a 20,000-year history, the number one academy on the continent, and the ultimate goal that countless Soul Master dream of!
Tang Wulin's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He felt that his trip to Skysea City had been worthwhile, having the opportunity to witness firsthand the prowess of the Shrek Academy's experts.
His teacher, Wu Changkong, was a graduate of Shrek, and he had always been curious about just how strong those orthodox Shrek students, whom his teacher called "monsters," really were in actual combat.
Just then, a weak voice, mixed with the surrounding noise, reached his ears intermittently.
"I'm so hungry... Does anyone... does anyone have anything to eat...?"
Tang Wulin turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw a chubby little boy who looked about the same age as them wandering aimlessly through the gaps in the crowd not far away.
As a seasoned foodie, Tang Wulin reacted almost reflexively; a flash of light appeared in his left-hand Soul Tool, and a piece of dried fish appeared in his palm.
He barely hesitated before taking a step toward the chubby boy.
However, just as he lifted his foot, his arm was gently pulled from the side.
Tang Wulin turned his head in confusion and found that it was Huo Yuhao who had grabbed him.
Meeting Tang Wulin's gaze, Huo Yuhao asked, "Where are you going?"
Tang Wulin pointed to the chubby boy who was still looking around for food and said matter-of-factly, "He looks really hungry, he's quite pitiful. I'll go get him some food."
Huo Yuhao's gaze remained calm as he glanced at the chubby boy not far away.
Sometimes he felt that although Tang Wulin had a strong personality, he was also quite naive at times, and his words and actions were like those of a child who didn't think things through.
But then I thought, they're just ten-year-old children.
His unique experiences, however, made him more composed and mature at a younger age.
Huo Yuhao didn't let go of Tang Wulin's arm, and calmly analyzed, "Judging from that chubby boy's appearance, he should also be participating. With classmates and teachers around, how could he really be starving? Don't worry about it!"