Eastsea City, Soul Guidance Train Station.
With a long blast of its whistle, the silver-white Soul Guidance Train slowly pulled into the station.
The doors opened, and the noisy crowd poured out in an instant. The first thing to greet them was the salty, humid sea breeze unique to this coastal metropolis, with a hint of metal and engine oil mixed in.
Tang Heng's family wore masks and carried bags and bundles as they stepped out of first class.
Mu Chen had arranged everything for them. Not only were the seats comfortable and the service attentive, but most importantly, meals were provided free of charge.
Tang Wulin loved anything that didn't cost money. He'd pounced on the free lunch in the train's dining car and wolfed it down.
After unlocking one seal, his appetite had grown quite a bit.
In the end, Tang Heng had to step in and stop his little brother's rampage. It wouldn't be much fun if he ate the dining car out of food.
"Waku waku! Big bro, look at that! That building's so tall!"
"Brother Heng, what's that?"
The moment they left the platform, Tang Wulin and Na'er looked like country folk visiting the big city. The siblings craned their necks and pointed at the metal skyscrapers spearing into the clouds in the distance, crying out in amazement.
How unsophisticated! They were just two Low-Level Dragon Beasts who'd never seen the world.
Tang Heng had been a Shanghai native in his previous life, so Eastsea City's urban scenery didn't shock him much. He even felt as though he'd been transported back to his hometown.
Only the aircraft darting across the sky and the civilian mechs traveling along dedicated routes reminded him this was reality, and that he was still on Douluo Planet.
"So this is Eastsea City. When we come here for school, will we get lost and not find our way home? It feels dozens of times bigger than Aolai City!"
Tang Wulin's eyes shone as he took in everything around them.
Na'er seemed a little shy around so many people, but she still hid behind Tang Heng, secretly observing her surroundings.
It was as if she wanted to measure this panorama of human civilization with her own eyes.
"Don't worry. We'll stay in the academy dorms from Monday to Friday, and we can take the association's car home on weekends."
After the family left the station, Tang Heng contacted Mu Chen on his communicator. Mu Chen quickly agreed to come pick them up himself and told them to wait a little.
Just then, a flashy black Soul Guidance sports car roared up with a piercing engine, then came to a neat stop by the road after a stylish drift.
The dark windows lowered slowly, revealing half the face of a cold and arrogant young man.
The boy wore an expensive designer tracksuit and looked toward the station exit with an air of arrogance, as if searching for someone.
When he spotted Tang Wulin looking around and blocking his view, he couldn't help snorting.
"Roll up the windows. The smell's getting in."
"Young master, what smell?"
"The smell of poverty."
Tang Heng stood nearby, and with his Soul Power already at level 24, he naturally heard the arrogant boy's taunt.
Looking more closely, wasn't this Xie Xie, one of the East Sea F4 from the original story, and a little brat with a sharp tongue?
Just as Xie Xie was about to roll down the window and tell the driver to go to another station, an even deeper, heavier engine roar sounded nearby.
A pitch-black Soul Guidance Car, over six meters long, came to a steady stop in front of Tang Heng's family.
If it had just been a luxury car, Xie Xie might not have paid it much attention.
After all, this was Eastsea City, the heart of the coastal economic zone. Many prominent families and wealthy merchants lived here, so there were plenty of rich people.
But having been born into a powerful family, he recognized the car's owner at a glance.
It was the exclusive vehicle of the East Sea Blacksmith Association president!
Before he could react, a tall, imposing middle-aged man stepped out of the car.
His silver-gray fitted outfit was eye-catching. Even more shocking to Xie Xie was the badge on the man's left chest.
The gold-backed badge bore a slightly raised hammer, with eight black stars above it.
Eight stars meant a professional rank of Level Eight. The gold background and hammer marked him as a blacksmith.
Combined with the identity of the car's owner, the middle-aged man's name was practically obvious.
"Eight-star Saint Craftsman, Mu Chen, president of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association?!"
Mu Chen looked puzzled. How had he been recognized by some little kid just by going out?
But he paid Xie Xie no mind and walked straight over to Tang Heng's family.
"Hello, I'm Mu Chen. Are you Mr. Tang Ziran?"
Tang Ziran nodded and shook Mu Chen's outstretched hand. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "Hello, President Mu. I'm Tang Ziran. This is my wife, Lang Yue, and these are our children."
After exchanging greetings, Mu Chen's gaze settled on Tang Heng. The more he looked, the more he liked him. The gleam in Mu Chen's eyes made Tang Heng shiver.
It felt like being watched on the streets of Chengdu.
"You've had a tiring journey. My staff can take care of your luggage. How about we head to Eastsea Restaurant for a meal first?"
"Sure. Sorry for the trouble, President Mu."
Mu Chen laughed heartily. "Calling me President is too formal. Just call me Uncle Mu."
Tang Heng's family got into Mu Chen's car, leaving Xie Xie standing there in a daze, still wondering who they were.
Before they left, the rear window slowly rolled down.
Tang Heng and Xie Xie met eyes.
"Tch, country bumpkin."
The window quickly rolled shut, not giving Xie Xie a chance to retort. The specially modified Soul Guidance Car's engine roared, leaving him with nothing but a mouthful of exhaust and nowhere to vent his indignation.
After eating and drinking their fill, Tang Ziran and his wife took Na'er back to their new home first.
Mu Chen naturally took the Tang brothers to the Blacksmith Association.
After observing them along the way, Mu Chen was more and more pleased with the brothers.
Leaving aside their downright terrifying talent, their ability to remain calm and composed in front of an eight-star Saint Craftsman like him already put them far beyond their peers.
As soon as they entered the association, a girl spotted them, put down what she was doing, and ran over.
"Dad!"
"Oh, Mu Xi, you're here too."
The girl looked about eleven or twelve. She was tall, dressed in a neat white blacksmith uniform, and had golden hair tied back in a ponytail, giving her a crisp, capable look.
From that greeting, Tang Heng could tell that the girl standing before him was Mu Xi, Mu Chen's daughter.
"Let me introduce you. This is my daughter, Mu Xi," Mu Chen said. "She's currently working toward becoming a Level Two Blacksmith. When I heard that two little geniuses had come from Aolai City, I planned to have her meet you later. I didn't expect this girl to be so impatient."
Mu Xi was very pretty, though not as pretty as Na'er.
There was a hint of pride between her brows as she sized up the brothers.
"You're the genius Tang Heng who made a first-grade Thousand-Refinement with a single hammer strike?"
"Mm."
Mu Xi stepped closer, circled Tang Heng once, then said, "You don't look like much. You're just fairly handsome."
Tang Heng could sense the provocation in Mu Xi's words. Perhaps Mu Chen, that big oaf, had been praising him behind her back every day, making the talented girl feel that her pitiful self-esteem had taken a hit.
He understood that feeling very well. It was like how, in his previous life, his parents were always talking about how great the boy next door was.
Even though he barely knew the guy, he couldn't help feeling a little dislike for him.
"Watch your words. Xiaoheng, aren't you taking the blacksmith rank assessment soon? Show this little girl what you can do and teach her that there's always someone better, and a sky beyond the sky."
Tang Heng gave a strange smile and silently took an Unbreaking III Enchanted Book out of his backpack.
"Sure, President Mu. Please give me a forging room now."
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