Getting Closer to Her

The Twins nodded at once. "All right, Elder Cai!"

Cai Yue'er looked at the two, then suddenly pulled them a little to the side. In a voice only the three of them could hear, she said quietly, "Although these two Soul Beasts came from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, they're Ferocious Beasts, after all. They're not of our kind, so you must be extremely careful."

After Cai Yue'er said this, Yun Qianzhao and Yun Qianyue's gazes flickered slightly. They both nodded.

"Don't worry, Elder Cai. We know what we're doing."

When Zhen Hua and Feng Wuyu went to see Mu Chen, Tang Wulin happened to be there, too! It was his first time meeting Zhen Hua. Only after Mu Chen introduced them did he learn that the man before him was the only Divine Craftsman on the continent, and his martial uncle!

"Martial Uncle Zhen Hua!"

Tang Wulin bowed respectfully to Zhen Hua.

Zhen Hua nodded slightly and praised him. "Mu Chen, you've taken on a fine disciple!"

Mu Chen couldn't hide the smile on his face. Looking at Zhen Hua, he asked, "Senior Brother, what brings you to Shrek Academy?"

"I'm here for Sky-Piercing Douluo's disciples!"

Zhen Hua didn't hide anything from Mu Chen. He looked at Tang Wulin and said, "Come to think of it, those two seem to be your homeroom teachers, don't they?"

Tang Wulin nodded. "That's right! But it seems that Uncle Yun and the others have gone into seclusion."

"They've already come out."

Zhen Hua told Tang Wulin, "They're a heaven-sent opportunity for blacksmiths! Young man, you must build a good relationship with them! Their forging skills may not be as good as yours, but for the blacksmithing profession, they're no less important than a Divine Craftsman!"

No less important than a Divine Craftsman!

Tang Wulin's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Zhen Hua to think so highly of the Twins!

Even Mu Chen looked at Zhen Hua in confusion and asked, "Senior Brother, what exactly have those two done to earn such praise?"

The Twins' ability to temper Heavenly Forging a second time was the Blacksmith Association's most closely guarded secret. Only Zhen Hua, Mu Ye, and a number of other Titled Douluo knew about it. Although Mu Chen was Zhen Hua's junior, he spent most of his time away and wasn't a Titled Douluo, so he had no idea.

But Zhen Hua didn't keep anything from them here. He laid out the Twins' situation in full.

Mu Chen stared at Zhen Hua in disbelief and exclaimed, "Good heavens—is that true?"

Feng Wuyu nodded with a smile. "Of course. Why would we make it up?"

Tang Wulin was astonished by the news, too. His regard for the Twins rose several notches. Whether it was due to the properties of their Martial Souls or their strength, their ability to influence Heavenly Forging, and earn such acclaim from Zhen Hua, the Divine Craftsman, was proof enough of how extraordinary they were.

"It would be wonderful if talents like them belonged to our Blacksmith Association!" Mu Chen sighed.

"Zhen Hua said the same thing. Unfortunately, Shrek got to them first." Feng Wuyu grinned whenever he brought that up.

Zhen Hua looked a little chagrined at Feng Wuyu's words. He waved a hand. "Enough of that! I came to have a drink with you. Come on! Old Feng can pay today. We're at Shrek Academy, so this is his turf."

"Then, Your Excellency Blazing Dragon, Teacher, Martial Uncle, I'll take my leave!" Tang Wulin bowed to the three of them at the right moment.

After returning to the academy, he couldn't wait to tell Gu Yue and the others what had happened.

They were all astonished to learn that the Twins could be so helpful with forging!

"Are they even human? That's Heavenly Forging we're talking about!" Xie Xie blurted out, his face full of disbelief.

Yun Qianzhao's image surfaced in Xu Xiaoyan's mind, and she sighed, "No wonder they're Sky-Piercing Douluo's disciples. Not only is he handsome, but his talent is incredible, too!"

"Heavenly Forging... I wonder when I'll be able to reach that level!" Tang Wulin sighed as well.

At this point, he could barely manage Spirit Forging. Heavenly Forging was still nothing more than a fantasy!

Gu Yue looked at him earnestly. "I believe in you. Heavenly Forging is nothing you can't overcome!"

"That's right, boss!"

Xie Xie nodded in agreement with Gu Yue.

"Yeah! I'll work hard, too. One day, I'll become a Divine Craftsman!" Tang Wulin nodded firmly and clenched his fist.

Perhaps the Twins' achievements had spurred him on. That night, Tang Wulin entered meditation again, hoping to continue absorbing the Golden Dragon King's power. But just as he was about to touch the Golden Dragon King's seal, Old Tang stopped him in his spiritual sea.

"With the strength of your body as it is now, you can't withstand any more of the Golden Dragon King's power!"

Old Tang looked at Tang Wulin and asked gravely, "Were you spurred on by the Sun-Moon Twins' talent today?"

Tang Wulin nodded. "Yes!"

"Wulin, don't treat them as enemies. You can become friends."

Old Tang spoke earnestly to Tang Wulin. "Try to get closer to them. It'll also greatly benefit your cultivation! Their Martial Soul attributes are pure, and training with them will do you good."

Hearing this, Tang Wulin found it a little strange. "But wouldn't that mean using them?"

"Wulin, remember this. There's a dragon inside you! At any moment, it could take your life! You have to keep getting stronger, by any means necessary! Only then can you hold on to yourself."

Old Tang changed tack, his expression stern as he spoke to Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin fell silent. When Old Tang saw that he didn't answer, he continued, "Don't you want to find your parents? If you die, you'll never see them again! And not only that—the people you cherish will all be gone!"

At these words, Tang Wulin clenched his fists. "I understand, Old Tang! But I still don't want to use them. I'll do my best to befriend them and make them my comrades!"

Seeing Tang Wulin's confidence, Old Tang fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Since that's what you've decided, do as you wish."

All day long, Tang Wulin kept thinking back to what Old Tang had told him during meditation.

Seeing him distracted, Gu Yue frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Tang Wulin shook his head. "N-no."

Just as Tang Wulin had finished saying those words, Cai Yue'er walked in from outside. She swept her gaze across the room, and everyone in the class hurriedly sat up straight.

Everyone sat upright.

Cai Yue'er took her place at the lectern and addressed them. "Your homeroom teachers are here!"

As soon as she said this, Yun Qianzhao and Yun Qianyue walked in from outside the classroom, with Jiaojiao and Bajiao close behind.

Tang Wulin's eyes immediately settled on the Twins—or, more precisely, on Yun Qianyue. It had been two months since he'd last seen her, and today she gave him a strange, inexplicable feeling.

With everyone watching, Cai Yue'er announced, "The next course is Ice-Fire Body Tempering, taught by your homeroom teachers! Your usual grades will be based on how long you can endure it!"