Hook Pinkies, Hang Yourself-No Changes for a Hundred Years

If I had to describe that feeling, it was like...

The Jie Secret Technique from Shrouding the Heavens, capable of increasing combat power tenfold!

Gu Chen almost instinctively thought of the Jie Secret Technique, which was similar to the state he had just entered.

Mang Tian also came to his senses at that moment, and his gaze toward Gu Chen softened slightly.

Innate divine strength!

"Child! From now on, just like Tang Wulin, you will be my Direct Disciple!" Mang Tian helped Gu Chen up from the ground, gently patted his shoulder, and spoke with a smile.

"Then this disciple, Gu Chen, greets Master." Gu Chen did not feel uncomfortable about it.

With Mang Tian as his master, he could indeed take a huge step forward in the field of forging.

The two had no prior emotional bond. Even if Mang Tian truly regarded him as his successor now, Gu Chen did not mind.

Gu Chen was simply making use of Mang Tian to learn forging. At most, he just needed to repay him generously in the future. Mang Tian understood this principle himself.

How many masters and disciples in this world had not begun with the mindset of making use of each other?

"Master..."

"Enough, no need to say more. Listen to me!"

"If you want to learn forging, you must first understand what forging is. It is the process of a blacksmith personally hammering things out blow by blow. Of course, like casting, machines can also be used to complete the hammering.

"But metal has life too. Machine forging can never truly grasp the texture of metal.

"Therefore, the highest-grade Mecha components are all forged by hand by blacksmiths."

Mang Tian interrupted Gu Chen and could not wait to begin explaining forging to him.

"You possess innate divine strength, which gives you a huge advantage in forging. But you will still need to learn some forging techniques in the future. Otherwise, you will only waste materials."

By the time Mang Tian finished his detailed explanation, night had quietly fallen.

When Mang Tian decided to send Lao Gu, who had committed the crime of exposing his talent, back to his own home, the brilliant sunset had already vanished without a trace, and even the Sun had long since hidden behind the mountains.

Ever since the all-out strike he had unleashed during the assessment, Gu Chen had been steadily recuperating and restoring his condition.

Surprisingly, after less than half a day of rest, his body had nearly recovered completely.

Perhaps people often believed that the bloodline of the Dragon of Destruction could bring only endless destruction and ruin, but who said it could not possess other possibilities?

As the saying went, "When things reach an extreme, they reverse."

Perhaps within this ultimate destruction lay the opportunity for new life to be born.

Therefore, in theory, it was not entirely impossible for the bloodline of the Dragon of Destruction to transform into that of the Dragon of Creation under certain conditions.

Of course, while such an idea sounded alluring and full of hope, achieving such a transformation would be far from easy.

After all, it was still far too early for Gu Chen to speak of such matters.

This was not merely a change in elements, but a change in essence, origin, and laws.

At this moment, he was only a level 19 Spirit Scholar. He still had a long road ahead before he could truly control and alter the power of his bloodline.

Walking down the long, straight street that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance, Gu Chen slowly moved forward with slightly heavy steps.

When he finally reached his doorstep, a familiar and heart-stirring petite figure came into view—silver hair cascading like a waterfall and purple eyes shining with a mysterious light, like the brightest stars in the night sky.

"Brother!" A crisp, melodious cry suddenly rang out, breaking the surrounding silence.

Na'er called out excitedly as she impatiently spread her arms and dashed straight toward Gu Chen on her tiny feet like a cheerful little deer.

In the blink of an eye, she threw herself into Gu Chen's warm, broad embrace.

Looking at the playful, adorable, and lively girl in his arms, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Gu Chen's face, which had seemed somewhat cold from exhaustion.

That smile was like a flower blooming in early spring—unassuming, yet full of life and warmth.

"My little Na'er, what's wrong? Did you miss Brother terribly?" Gu Chen asked softly as he gently held Na'er's bonelessly soft body and tenderly raised his right hand over her head.

Then, with neither too much nor too little force, he slowly stroked the particularly conspicuous ahoge on Na'er's head.

The moment his fingers touched her hair, it felt as though a faint current coursed through his body.

"Mhm. Other than this morning, I didn't see Brother all day. Where exactly did you go today?"

"Uh... My older brother went to learn forging, so I came back a little late."

"Then Brother must tell Na'er in the future. Don't leave without saying goodbye again."

"My little ancestor, how did your own studies go?"

"Hmph! Don't try to change the subject."

"Fine, fine, I was wrong. Since I've admitted my mistake, shouldn't you repay my kindness too, Na'er?" Gu Chen put on an expression of admitting fault, then withdrew it and lightly tapped Na'er's forehead with one finger as he joked.

"Repay your kindness?"

"Mhm, repay my kindness."

Without any warning, Na'er suddenly raised her head. Her large, watery eyes shone with incomparable determination as she looked straight at Gu Chen and loudly spoke those astonishing words without hesitation. (This part was deleted. If it was not changed, it would be impossible to get out of the little dark room.)

Hearing this, Gu Chen froze where he stood as if struck by lightning. He widened his eyes and stared at the innocent little girl before him in disbelief, his mouth slightly open but unable to make a sound.

Only after quite a while did he seem to awaken from a dream and stammer out, "Huh? Uh... yeah!"

At that moment, Gu Chen felt as though his mind had gone completely blank. He had no idea how to deal with this situation.

Wasn't that a rather niche phrase?

He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his head, but even his motion halted when he touched the distinctive purple ahoge atop it.

All that could be said was that they truly were brother and sister. Though their hair colors differed, both had a long ahoge on their heads.

He secretly sighed to himself. Ah, this child!

But on second thought, Gu Chen felt that perhaps it was merely a child's passing whim. Children spoke without restraint.

After all, in his previous life, he had once solemnly declared as a child that he would become a hero like Ultraman, saving the world and defeating monsters. Yet until the moment of his death, had he not remained an utterly ordinary person?

Once Na'er grew a little older, she would naturally understand how childish and ridiculous the things she had said today were.

Thus, Gu Chen quickly adjusted his mindset. A doting smile appeared on his face as he gently stroked Na'er's rosy cheek and said softly, "Mhm, Brother knows too!"

For now, he would simply treat it as an innocent joke between children.

However, what Gu Chen did not expect was that when Na'er heard his answer, her slightly nervous little face immediately blossomed into a brilliant smile. Even her tone carried a trace of irrepressible delight. "That's great! Then let's hook pinkies, hang ourselves, and no changes for a hundred years!"

As she spoke, she swiftly extended her chubby little pinky before Gu Chen and happily wiggled it.