Yun/Xi: This Noble Circle's Relationships Are Truly Messy

Just then, Tang Wulin's Soul Tool communicator rang.

After Tang Wulin finished his conversation and hung up, he noticed that Xie Xie had turned around at some point, his right hand propping up half his face while he remained covered by his quilt.

"I say, Old Tang," Xie Xie said eerily.

"Do you have any idea that the model you're holding is the latest Soul Tool of the year?"

"One of those costs tens of thousands!" Xie Xie chuckled lightly.

The moment the words left his mouth, Yun Xiao and Zhou Changxi from the opposite bed flashed directly in front of Tang Wulin.

Zhou Changxi looked excited. "What? Tens of thousands of Federal Coin!!"

Yun Xiao's eyes sparkled with "¥" symbols. "Rich kid, rich kid, let's be friends! Best friends!"

Tang Wulin waved his hands repeatedly. "This is a benefit issued by the association, not something I bought. I can't afford it!"

"Association? What association?" Zhou Changxi asked curiously.

"Yeah, yeah, what kind of association gives out such good benefits?!" Yun Xiao nodded in agreement.

"It's actually the Blacksmith Association," Tang Wulin said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "My martial soul wasn't strong enough from birth, so I started learning blacksmithing very early. I told you I'm a second-rank blacksmith!"

"You're that amazing?!"

Looking at the three of them, a mischievous idea suddenly struck Xie Xie.

His Xie Family's mecha manufacturing needed blacksmiths!

Although his family had an independent team of blacksmiths, how could they compare to a future Godsmith?

Xie Xie immediately reached out, pulled Tang Wulin into his arms, rubbed his hands together excitedly, and said with a fawning expression, "Tang Wulin, we're good brothers, right?"

"We are," Tang Wulin said subconsciously.

As soon as he spoke, Tang Wulin frowned. "Well... not exactly."

Xie Xie turned to stone and shattered on the spot.

The next second, Xie Xie pulled out a handkerchief, covered his face, and began to wail miserably. "I knew it! Once you have Gu Yue, you forget about me, your childhood friend and brother! My heart, it truly hurts~ Wuwuwu..."

Tang Wulin waved his hands frantically, rushing to explain, "That's not what I meant, I just wanted to say..."

"You hesitated, you actually hesitated!"

Xie Xie sobbed even harder.

Finally, after burning through his brain cells, Tang Wulin came up with the right words: "I meant that we are even better than brothers; we are partners who fight side by side!"

Xie Xie's crying stopped abruptly. He quietly moved the handkerchief aside, peeked with his left eye, and stared at Tang Wulin suspiciously. "Really?"

"Of course it's real." Tang Wulin nodded, feeling both helpless and amused.

"Then you have to agree to one condition," Xie Xie said, seizing the opportunity.

"No problem!" Tang Wulin replied immediately.

Having received a positive answer, Xie Xie instantly put away his handkerchief. The tear tracks on his face vanished as if they had never existed, and he returned to his usual cheeky self.

"You should've said so earlier! Since we're good partners, how about you join my Xie Family's blacksmith team?"

Tang Wulin asked in confusion, "Blacksmith... team?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Xie Xie gave Tang Wulin a rough overview of his family's blacksmith team structure, as well as the various benefits and resources they enjoyed.

"Tang Wulin, have you ever heard of Battle Armor?" Xie Xie asked mysteriously.

"I have." Tang Wulin nodded.

But he had only heard the name; he didn't know the specifics.

Xie Xie explained, "After so many years of development, Soul Tool mechas have gone from their initial small size to large-scale, and now they've returned to being small. Their individual combat power is becoming increasingly formidable!"

"And Battle Armor is the most compatible type of small-scale mecha that one can wear!"

"Let me tell you, almost all god-level Mecha Pilot experts forge their own mechas and Battle Armor to maximize their strength!"

"And, you know, Battle Armor can be engraved!"

"One-Word Battle Armor can have one character engraved on it, Two-Word Battle Armor can have two, and so on."

"Engraved?" Tang Wulin asked, puzzled. "Why would you need to engrave characters?"

Xie Xie smacked Tang Wulin on the head. "Are you stupid?"

"Ow..."

Tang Wulin clutched his head, feeling aggrieved.

"Engraving, first, is to display the rank of your Battle Armor, and second is..."

As Xie Xie spoke, the playfulness in his tone faded unconsciously, replaced by a seriousness he hadn't even noticed himself.

"Second is to engrave the name of the person you love or who is most important to you on your Battle Armor. Beyond martial soul fusion, it is another kind of promise—to accompany you onto the battlefield and protect you for a lifetime."

After saying this, Xie Xie returned to his usual devil-may-care demeanor.

He reached out to hook his arm around Tang Wulin's shoulder, winking and nudging him. "Once you become a Title Douluo in the future and forge a four-word Battle Armor, who knows whose name you might end up engraving on it!"

Golden Dragon Moon Language, oh~

Silver Dragon Wulin, huh~

Tang Wulin nodded, seemingly understanding yet still a bit confused, his gaze subconsciously landing on Xie Xie for a brief moment before quickly darting away.

Yun Xiao, who had been completely treated like air, nudged Zhou Changxi, who was also being treated like air, beside him.

"Hey, don't you feel like those two are... a bit gay?" Yun Xiao pointed at Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, whispering.

Zhou Changxi was puzzled. "But earlier in the cafeteria, didn't I see Tang Wulin and Gu Yue...?"

"Tang Wulin and Gu Yue?" Yun Xiao frowned. "Doesn't Gu Yue often bicker and mess around with Xie Xie?"

"Then isn't Tang Wulin also with Xie Xie..."

Zhou Chenxi's rebuttal trailed off halfway, suddenly coming to a halt.

The two exchanged a look and simultaneously took a step back.

Well, the relationships in this circle are truly messy.

In the end, under Xie Xie's various forms of guidance (coaxing), Tang Wulin agreed.

Watching Tang Wulin accept the token symbolizing the Xie Family Blacksmith team, the corners of Xie Xie's mouth nearly reached the sky. He pounded his chest on the spot and guaranteed:

"Good brother, you really are a good brother!"

"From today on, you're under my protection! If anyone dares to bully you, they'll have to ask me first—see if my Light Dragon Blade agrees!"

Yun Xiao said weakly, "That line seems like something you should say after you manage to beat Gu Yue, right?"

"Get lost!!"

Fulfilling days passed in the blink of an eye.

Xie Xie's life became a three-point line between the dormitory, the cafeteria, and training.

Every day, he opened his eyes to work and closed them to sleep.

When Wu Zhangkong called the three of them to her office to tell them that the first match of the Class Promotion Tournament would begin next week, he realized that over two months had already passed.

In those two months, the changes in Xie Xie were almost visible to the naked eye.

Not only had his soul power broken through to the peak of rank 19, but his physical stamina was also three or four times what it had been when he first enrolled.

Now, Xie Xie could completely wield Tang Wulin's hammers as weapons, which moved him so much that he spent the entire day hugging the hammers and refusing to let go.

As a result, the very next day, Tang Wulin went and swapped them for a heavier pair of hammers.

Xie Xie: ...Damn it!!

It was funny, come to think of it.

Xie Xie could exert his full strength and occasionally even defeat the combined efforts of Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, yet in one-on-one duels, he was always pinned down and beaten by Gu Yue.

Every time he neared victory, Gu Yue would pull a trick, and yet every single time, Xie Xie would fall for it.

Other people learn from their mistakes.

With Gu Yue, he just kept falling for the same mistake, over and over again.

After two months, Xie Xie was left doubting his own existence.