The Intermediate Academy officially began its term.
For Xu Yue, it merely meant moving to a new environment where he could keep urging Xu Xiaoyan to cultivate, while also being a little closer to Mu Xi.
Although Eastsea Academy required all students to live on campus, it did not make much difference to locals.
Whether they commuted or boarded, they had plenty of freedom.
Inside a forging room at the Blacksmith Association.
"Mm... A-Yue, be gentler..."
Xu Yue looked at Mu Xi, who lay facedown on the lounge chair receiving a massage while continuously crying out in pain, and slapped her pert backside irritably.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out!
"Ow... A-Yue, what are you doing?" Mu Xi complained coquettishly.
"Mu Xi, if you're getting a massage, then just get one properly. Don't make such strange noises."
After all, Mu Xi had long reached the age where she was developing rapidly, and the figure she had inherited from her mother, Yuan Bao'er, was gradually becoming apparent.
Like a flower blooming in full vigor, her entire body radiated the vitality of youth.
More importantly,
the two had been childhood sweethearts who had grown up together. Their close daily companionship made Mu Xi's allure to him multiply severalfold.
Xu Yue took a deep breath of the slightly scorching air in the forging room and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.
"Also, haven't I told you already? Hold back a little when you forge. Look, you strained yourself, didn't you?!"
"Hmph! Wasn't that because I got too excited?"
Mu Xi pouted her red lips and said proudly, "I'm a Level 4 Blacksmith now, you know."
"I know, my genius blacksmith sister."
The special effect of the Spirit Forging Star Meteor Hammer, Star Spirit, could produce different effects based on different Star Martial Souls.
In Mu Xi's hands, with her Blazing Sun Martial Soul, the resulting effect was called Fire Refining.
It allowed blacksmiths to refine metal more quickly and temper away impurities. During the Hundred Refinement and Thousand Refinement stages, its effects were excellent, capable of raising efficiency by nearly thirty to forty percent.
Combined with the physical improvements brought by Xu Yue's Gravity Training Method and Mu Chen's constant personal guidance,
Mu Xi's forging had improved by a level almost every year over the past few years.
Just moments ago, Mu Xi had officially met every requirement for becoming a Level 4 Blacksmith.
She had completed First-Grade Thousand Refinement multimetal Fusion Forging.
Xu Yue rubbed the last bit of ointment into Mu Xi's injured spot. Only after watching the reddened skin, flushed from overexertion, return from pink to snowy white did he clap his hands and rise.
"All right, Mu Xi. Get up now."
"No!" Mu Xi shook her head, narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, and opened her arms toward Xu Yue as she pleaded, "I want you to carry me!"
"If Xiao Yan sees you like this, the image she has of her dashing, heroic big sister will probably shatter."
Xu Yue shook his head helplessly, but he still smiled and gently lifted Mu Xi from the lounge chair in his arms.
"So what?" Before Mu Xi could finish speaking, Xu Yue set her down. "Xiao Yan can't see us anyway... Hey, hey!"
"All right." Xu Yue looked at Mu Xi, who had become increasingly clingy lately, and said with a smile, "Let's go tell Uncle Mu the good news. He'll definitely be happy."
"Mm!" Mu Xi nodded vigorously, her smile dazzling as she linked arms with Xu Yue and walked out of the forging room.
But when she thought of something, her eyes dimmed slightly, while the arms wrapped around Xu Yue tightened further.
As they passed the front desk, the two greeted a woman standing behind it.
"Sister Xiaoling!"
Yun Xiaoling looked at the sibling-like pair acting so intimately before her, and her expression did not change in the slightest.
This was practically common knowledge within the association.
"Miss Mu Xi, Young Master Xu Yue."
"Don't, Sister Xiaoling." Xu Yue interrupted with a smile. "If you keep calling us that, Uncle Mu will scold us again."
"That's right!" Mu Xi said with a smile as well. "Where is my dad right now? In the forging room?"
"No. The president is currently in his office with Master Cen Yue. Would you like me to take you there?"
"No, no, we can go ourselves."
Mu Xi waved with a smile and headed toward the elevator together with Xu Yue.
Yun Xiaoling watched their retreating backs, an auntie-like smile unconsciously appearing on her lips.
The couple she shipped had grown up. What a wonderful thing.
The two took the elevator directly to the floor where Mu Chen's office was located. The moment Xu Yue pushed open the door, he saw Mu Chen and Cen Yue at a glance.
"Uncle Mu, Master Cen."
Xu Yue and Mu Xi greeted the two men.
"Xiao Yue, Xiao Xi, why are you here?" Mu Chen nodded and asked with a smile.
"Uncle Mu, Mu Xi can now be evaluated as a Level 4 Blacksmith. I've confirmed it."
Xu Yue smilingly recounted what had just happened, immediately shocking the two people present.
"What? Level 4?!"
Mu Chen abruptly rose from his seat and said excitedly.
"Xiao Yue, is that true?!"
"Of course it's true!" Before Xu Yue could answer, Mu Xi pouted her red lips, somewhat dissatisfied by her father's doubt.
"Do you think A-Yue and I would lie to you?"
"Good, good, good!" Mu Chen laughed heartily, utterly delighted.
Seeing this, Cen Yue congratulated Mu Chen as well.
"Congratulations, President, on having such a beloved disciple and daughter. Perhaps one day, the continent will speak of a legendary pair of Divine Blacksmiths from the same family."
Seeing how happy Mu Chen was, Xu Yue did not interrupt him. After sitting down close beside Mu Xi, he finally asked:
"Uncle Mu, why do you have the leisure to chat with Master Cen today? That's quite rare."
At Xu Yue's question, Mu Chen's laughter gradually subsided. He chuckled and said, "Today, I'm awarding a Blacksmith Badge to a young man. As it happens, you can get to know him too."
"Oh?" Mu Xi froze for a moment, curious.
Just as Mu Chen was about to explain, there came a gentle knock at the office door.
Knock, knock!
"President!" A familiar female voice sounded.
"Look, we were just talking about him, and he's here!" Mu Chen chuckled and called toward the door, "Please come in!"
When the office door opened and the young man personally brought in by Yun Xiaoling walked into the room, Xu Yue's expression instantly froze.
The newcomer had black hair, large eyes with distinct black and white, long eyelashes, and a handsome, clean-looking face.
Even without an introduction, the person's name immediately surfaced in his mind.
Tang Wulin!
Was Tang Wulin here today to collect a Blacksmith Emblem?
Xu Yue did not know.
Aside from a few major events, he rarely thought about the story he had seen in his previous life.
After all, he had his own life to live, and the so-called Legend of the Dragon King was merely someone else's life.
Yet at this moment, as Xu Yue looked at Tang Wulin, his gaze involuntarily shifted from that delicate face to his forehead.
Though it appeared perfectly smooth, Xu Yue knew exactly what was there.
In an instant, a fierce and irrepressible rage surged within him.
The emotion came swiftly, but instead of fading, it developed in a direction that became increasingly difficult to control.
Before you continue