Gu Yue's Return

"Phew, Spirit Refinement is finally a success."

"That being said, by infusing the power of the Light of Orb right from the start of the forging process, I can reduce the consumption of Soul Power during the procedure."

"It's just, I wonder what higher levels of forging will be like?"

"Besides, the situation of incorporating other elemental energies into future forging will likely require separate handling, which is another headache."

Looking at the metal as its glow gradually faded, Lan Kai did not celebrate his breakthrough; instead, he began to ponder further questions.

In his view, this successful Spirit Refinement was due to the unique nature of the Light of Orb, rather than any exceptional skill in his own forging technique.

Moreover, compared to the goals Lan Kai pursued—whether it was hand-crafting Sevenger or even King Joe, or replicating the black-tech equipment of XIG, New GUYS, and XIO—mere Spirit Refinement was not worth mentioning.

Consequently, Lan Kai's demeanor seemed somewhat out of place compared to everyone else.

However, Juggler had already discerned his inner thoughts and walked calmly behind Lan Kai, draping an arm over his shoulder.

"Alright, you don't need to overthink things. For now, you should just be happy about your progress."

"Huh? You brat, you're still not satisfied? Don't tell me you're trying to attempt Heavenly Refinement in one go?"

Seeing that Lan Kai seemed dissatisfied with his Spirit Refinement results, Mu Xi nearly lost her composure.

Mu Xi, who loved forging and had started learning at a very young age, was three or four years older than Lan Kai and still couldn't perform stable Thousand Refinement.

Yet Lan Kai was actually dissatisfied with Spirit Refinement, making it hard for her not to think he was just showing off at Shrek.

"Uh, what if I said that Heavenly Refinement isn't the end goal either? Because even with Heavenly Refinement metal, there are many situations where it's just not enough..."

Lan Kai replied with a hint of awkwardness.

Mu Xi seemed ready to lash out, but Mu Chen interrupted her.

"Not bad! Heavenly Refinement is not the end for us Blacksmiths! If we just stop at Heavenly Refinement and become complacent, then the future of us Blacksmiths will be just that!"

"Lan Kai, I have high hopes for you! You will surely surpass my senior fellow apprentice, become a Divine Craftsman even sooner, and perhaps even redefine what it means to be a Divine Craftsman, opening up a whole new world for Blacksmiths!"

Mu Chen praised him from the bottom of his heart; although he was not a Divine Craftsman himself, he had always maintained a good relationship with his senior fellow apprentice who was.

They had already reached a consensus: there was a realm beyond Heavenly Refinement.

It was just a pity that the number of Divine Craftsmen had always been small, and because they had to provide the necessary Heavenly Refinement metal for the Four-Character Battle Armor required by numerous Super Douluo and Limit Douluo, their peak periods and lifespans were delicate, making it difficult to take another step forward.

However, in Lan Kai, Mu Chen saw a brand-new future.

Although Lan Kai possessed a special power of light and his experience might not be replicable for some time, even if he could just witness a new realm beyond Heavenly Refinement, Mu Chen would be willing to die on the spot!

"Alright, Mu Xi, Lan Kai will be enrolling in Eastsea Academy soon, and he'll be your junior then. Don't you go thinking about bullying him!"

After praising Lan Kai, Mu Chen turned back to look at Mu Xi and reminded her.

Hearing this, Mu Xi immediately pouted, her face full of displeasure.

"Dad, me bullying him? Are you serious?"

"You don't know, a single Ultra Slash he throws out can cut Thousand Refinement Tungsten Steel in two!"

"The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear in the Spirit Ascension Platform isn't even as terrifying as him!"

"Me bullying him? It'll be good if he doesn't come to bully me!"

Recalling a certain performance by Lan Kai not long ago, Mu Xi felt particularly aggrieved.

Lan Kai's Soul Power Level had already surpassed Mu Xi's, and the quality of his Martial Soul was far above hers; if the two of them really fought, it would be a one-to-nine split.

One move from Lan Kai would leave Mu Xi in nine separate pieces.

"I'm not that scary... And the Spirit Ascension Platform? If the teacher allows it, how about I go in with you next time?"

Lan Kai suddenly regretted using the Ultra Slash to cut the metal, but after Mu Xi mentioned the Spirit Ascension Platform, he became very interested in that highly simulated virtual reality.

However, according to Juggler, the previous Spirit Ascension Platform couldn't support Lan Kai's Light of Orb. It would be fine if Lan Kai fought using Soul Skills like a normal Soul Master, but the moment he tried to transform, the platform would throw an error.

Therefore, while searching for the whereabouts of the Dark Ring, Juggler also found ways to make the Spirit Ascension Platform more stable, allowing Lan Kai to enter and engage in more practical combat.

According to Juggler, the current Spirit Ascension Platform was already quite stable, and in another month, Lan Kai would be able to enter it and even transform into his Specium Zeperion Form for short periods of combat.

"Alright! I won't pass up such a good opportunity when the time comes. If you don't help me turn all my Soul Rings into thousand-year ones, I won't let you off!"

Mu Xi's eyes lit up, and she reached out to pinch Lan Kai's cheek.

"That might be a bit difficult. Can your mental strength handle it, Sister Mu Xi?"

Lan Kai retorted without hesitation, a flash of purple light appearing on his body as he put some distance between himself and Mu Xi.

The power of Tiga Sky Type might not be suitable for melee combat, but it was quite excellent for mobility and recovery.

"Lan Kai, come here. I want to show you something interesting."

After returning home, Juggler suddenly handed a Soul Guidance Tablet to Lan Kai, his signature evil smirk appearing on his face again.

"Could it be that the reinforcement work on the Spirit Ascension Platform was finished ahead of schedule?"

Lan Kai took the tablet, bewildered, not knowing what Juggler was suddenly up to.

Then, he saw the profile of a Soul Master, and immediately wore the expression of a subway old man looking at a phone, letting out a sharp, explosive shriek.

"Gu Yue, female, Soul Power Level 18, Martial Soul Light-Dark Elemental Wielder..."

"What the hell is this?!!!!!"

Lan Kai's hands nearly trembled, almost dropping the Soul Guidance Tablet onto the floor.

That Gu Yue could reappear near Eastsea City, and even intentionally miss the enrollment period for the Intermediate Soul Master Academy, was something Lan Kai had long known and prepared himself for.

The Soul Power Level being slightly higher than in the original work didn't surprise Lan Kai either; the fact that she hadn't pushed her level to match his own, or even surpassed him, was already quite restrained in his view.

But what the hell was this Martial Soul? Couldn't she just stick to the original Elemental Wielder? What was this Light-Dark Elemental Wielder? Could a normal Elemental Wielder Martial Soul not control the elements of light and darkness?

"I've checked. In the history of the Douluo Continent, there has never been a precedent for an Elemental Wielder Martial Soul capable of controlling both light and darkness simultaneously."

"She probably wrote it this way because of the experiences we shared back then."

"However, it seems this Gu Yue is still choosing to cozy up to the Golden Dragon King and then take you down."

"If you lose to her... you understand, right?"

Seeing Juggler seemingly preparing to enter combat mode again, Lan Kai nodded.

"Fair enough. By then, I shouldn't need to resort to an Ultra Marriage Escape... right?"