Mu Xi's Strange Behavior

"Pfft~"

After Xie Xie finished speaking, Wang Ling and the others, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer hold back their laughter. Even Wu Zhangkong's expression turned extremely peculiar.

Although Xie Xie and the others' achievement of defeating a hundred-year Man Faced Demon Spider as Soul Masters was impressive, compared to Su Mo's unscathed defeat of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, it was simply nothing.

The Man Faced Demon Spider Xie Xie and the others had struggled to defeat would have been finished with a single swipe from the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear. They would not even have had a chance to run.

Xie Xie was no fool. When he noticed the hint of schadenfreude in Wang Ling and the others' gazes, a sense of foreboding instantly rose in his heart.

I'm not going to end up as a clown, am I?

Realizing something was wrong, Xie Xie hurriedly looked toward Wu Zhangkong.

A trace of helplessness appeared on Wu Zhangkong's face as he was about to explain the situation, when a gentle knock suddenly sounded from outside the door, drawing everyone's attention.

A middle-aged man in a neatly tailored suit, yet with an approachable air about him, appeared at the doorway. Behind him stood a large group of Spirit Pagoda staff.

Upon recognizing the visitor, Wang Ling immediately strode forward and greeted him ingratiatingly. "President Mu, what brings you here?"

In Donghai City, one might not know the mayor or the council members, but one absolutely could not fail to recognize the man before them—the Tianhai Region's only eight-star Saint Craftsman.

If Mu Chen had not volunteered to come to Eastsea City and serve as president of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association, a figure of his stature would almost never have appeared in a small place like Eastsea City.

Even someone as proud as Wu Zhangkong showed a trace of respect in his eyes upon seeing Mu Chen.

As one of the Sun Moon Federation's most renowned Saint Craftsmen, Mu Chen had been willing to lower himself and come to the small city of Eastsea City to guide the development of local blacksmiths. It was truly admirable.

"Teacher, why are you here?"

Seeing Mu Chen appear so suddenly, Tang Wulin assumed he had come for him and quickly stepped forward.

"Teacher?!"

Upon hearing Tang Wulin's form of address for Mu Chen, everyone else was stunned. They turned to stare at Tang Wulin in disbelief.

Xie Xie edged closer to Tang Wulin and lowered his voice. "Wulin, when did you become Master Mu's disciple? How did I not know?"

As a local of East Sea, Xie Xie had naturally heard of Mu Chen's great name.

But Xie Xie could not understand how Tang Wulin, a guy from some small place, had become connected to such an important figure as Mu Chen.

It was not that Xie Xie looked down on Tang Wulin. He was simply curious.

When Tang Wulin had first arrived at Eastsea Academy, Xie Xie clearly remembered how shabby he had looked.

"That's a long story..."

Tang Wulin scratched his head awkwardly.

Becoming Mu Chen's disciple was indeed something to be proud of.

But Tang Wulin felt that he had acknowledged Mu Chen as his teacher in order to learn blacksmithing from him. If he went around boasting that he was Mu Chen's disciple, it would seem somewhat self-serving.

So, after becoming Mu Chen's disciple, Tang Wulin had never mentioned the matter to anyone.

"Wulin, why are you here too?"

Seeing Tang Wulin there, surprise flashed across Mu Chen's face.

"My classmates and I came to train in the Spirit Ascension Platform!"

"You came to train in the Spirit Ascension Platform?"

Mu Chen found it hard to believe. He knew Tang Wulin's circumstances all too well.

Given Tang Wulin's current situation, there was no way he could afford the cost of entering the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Moreover, given Tang Wulin's temperament, he would not casually accept financial help from others.

Although Tang Wulin came from a poor background, he possessed an unyielding determination to improve himself. He had repeatedly declined Mu Chen's offers of assistance.

Otherwise, with just one word from Mu Chen, would the Spirit Ascension Platform in Eastsea City not have been open for Tang Wulin to enter and leave as he pleased?

Seemingly seeing Mu Chen's confusion, Tang Wulin quickly explained the whole situation.

After learning that Eastsea Academy had paid for Tang Wulin and the others to train in the Spirit Ascension Platform, Mu Chen finally understood.

"Train well. Do not disappoint your academy's expectations."

Mu Chen patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder encouragingly.

What Mu Chen worried about most regarding Tang Wulin, his disciple, was his cultivation.

Even though Tang Wulin had been born with immense strength and was an excellent prospect for blacksmithing—

because his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, if Tang Wulin could not raise his cultivation, the achievements he could attain on the path of blacksmithing would be extremely limited.

Now that Eastsea Academy was willing to spend such a large sum to let Tang Wulin train in the Spirit Ascension Platform, it showed that Tang Wulin still had talent.

"Teacher, what exactly happened? Why have my teacher's wife and senior sister come too?"

After greeting Mu Chen, Tang Wulin's sharp eyes spotted Yuan Baoer and Mu Xi, mother and daughter, standing behind Mu Chen.

Among the crowd, Yuan Baoer tightly held Mu Xi's hand. Her eyes were red, and two streaks of tears still marked her beautiful makeup.

"Ah..."

Mu Chen sighed and said with lingering fear, "Your senior sister was injured by a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear while training in the Spirit Ascension Platform just now."

"As soon as I received the news, I rushed here with your teacher's wife without stopping."

"Gasp..."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin's scalp went numb.

Tang Wulin had long learned from Wu Zhangkong just how terrifying bear-type Soul Beasts were.

The first time they entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, Wu Zhangkong had repeatedly warned them that if they were seriously injured by a bear-type Soul Beast while acting alone, they must immediately leave the Spirit Ascension Platform or kill themselves without hesitation.

Otherwise, they would have the privilege of witnessing themselves being bitten apart bone by bone and swallowed while still fully conscious.

Mu Chen clearly understood this as well.

Therefore, upon learning that Mu Xi had been severely injured by the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, he immediately set aside his work and hurried over with Donghai City's finest medical team.

After learning the news, Mu Xi's mother, Yuan Baoer, had nearly cried herself unconscious.

Fortunately, just after they arrived at the Spirit Pagoda, they received word that Mu Xi was safe and sound. Only then did Mu Chen finally breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he truly would not have known how to comfort Yuan Baoer.

Tang Wulin was about to ask after Mu Xi when he saw her break free from Yuan Baoer's grasp and jog over to Su Mo under everyone's watchful eyes.

"Um... junior, you saved me just now, but I still don't know your name?"

Standing before Su Mo, Mu Xi appeared exceptionally reserved. After fidgeting for quite some time, she finally gathered the courage to ask his name.

"???"

"Wulin, am I dreaming? Is this really the female tyrannosaurus we know?"

Watching Mu Xi speak softly and put on such an affected manner before Su Mo, Xie Xie's eyes widened in utter disbelief.

If he had not seen Mu Xi's overbearing and unreasonable side before, Xie Xie might truly have been fooled by her.

"I have no idea!"

Tang Wulin gave a bitter smile and shook his head. This was also the first time he had seen Mu Xi like this.

For some reason, seeing Mu Xi this way caused an inexplicable sense of loss to rise in Tang Wulin's heart.

At the side, Mu Chen watched Mu Xi repeatedly twirl the ends of her hair around her fingers in an attempt to ease her inner nervousness, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

As someone who had been through it himself, how could Mu Chen fail to realize that the cabbage he had painstakingly raised was about to be taken by a pig?

Yuan Baoer, Mu Xi's mother, watched with great interest instead.

As the saying went, fathers knew their sons best, while mothers knew their daughters best. When Yuan Baoer saw her daughter anxiously urging Mu Chen to find Su Mo, she had keenly sensed that something was amiss.