Xiong Jun, You Must Be Called Cute All the Time; Your Hands Shouldn't Be Stained with Blood

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The two of them swung their hammers in a blur.

Neither was willing to give an inch.

Whoever slowed down would lose.

"Go!"

The Hundred Refinement was complete.

"Not enough, not enough! Hundred Refinement isn't enough. This isn't my limit!" Tang Wulin's veins bulged.

His sweat boiled.

Though he was still just a little boy, at that moment, he radiated an overwhelming masculine aura. It hit you right in the face.

In the audience, Lang Yue watched Tang Wulin's match, tears filling her eyes.

"Lin'er is back on his feet."

"Look at him now—he's so full of manly spirit."

"We... we did it."

By the end, Lang Yue was so moved that she burst into tears.

Tang Ziran, who was watching with her, gently put an arm around her. "Yue'er, don't cry. Everything will get better."

"This time, we should thank Brother Mang."

"If it weren't for his advice, we wouldn't be seeing Wulin like this now, brimming with manly spirit."

Mang Tian looked deeply pleased. "There's no need to thank me. Wulin is my disciple. He took a few wrong turns, and as his teacher, it's only right that I help him get back on track."

"Besides, Wulin has a real talent for blacksmithing."

"Given his momentum, he has a very good chance of winning this competition."

But just as Mang Tian finished speaking, a man who looked much like him in both build and appearance came over.

Mang Tian furrowed his brows.

The man before him was his younger brother, Mang Di.

Mang Tian asked in a low voice, "Why are you here too? I don't remember you taking on any disciples."

"You remember who I was yesterday, not who I am today," Mang Di replied with philosophical profundity.

"And besides, Brother, you were being far too certain just now."

"There's always someone better, and there's always a higher sky."

"Your disciple might not win."

Mang Tian looked displeased. His younger brother was always contradicting him and never knew when to keep quiet.

"I know Wulin's talent. He mastered Hundred Refinement in less than three months. If he performs well, even Thousand Refinement isn't out of reach."

Mang Tian spoke with certainty. "You should know that someone who can master Hundred Refinement in three months is one in ten thousand."

Mang Di's lips curled. "Then I guess you've never met a super-genius who mastered Hundred Refinement in half an hour and Thousand Refinement in three, a genius with the makings of a divine smith."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Mang Tian immediately retorted.

Inwardly, Mang Di thought, My foolish brother, nothing is impossible. You can't even begin to understand the terror of Money-Adding Girl.

Just then—

"Boom!"

Tang Wulin ran out of strength. A piece of Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel lay before him.

He'd done it!

He'd succeeded!

Boundless confidence blazed in Tang Wulin's eyes. He cried out in his heart, Brother Luo, did you see that? I surpassed my own limits. I forged a piece of Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel.

I'm stronger than your younger sister...

The Golden Dragon King's spirits soared, determined to prove himself superior to the Silver Dragon King.

Almost at the same moment Tang Wulin completed his Thousand Refinement, Na'er finished her own work and gently set down her hammer.

The judges first inspected the tungsten steel Tang Wulin had forged.

"Gasp! Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel. This boy is terrifying."

"He's probably the champion."

But the next moment, they stared at Na'er's work and cried out in amazement. "Good heavens, another Thousand Refinement! No, this isn't an ordinary Thousand Refinement. It's the finest of its kind, and it's already gained a spirit."

"It's flawless. There isn't a single imperfection."

"The champion!"

"She's the champion!"

When the judges made their final announcement, Tang Wulin was dumbfounded. He'd given it everything, and he'd still lost.

As expected of Brother Luo's younger sister. She's extraordinary, Tang Wulin thought.

Mang Tian was dumbfounded too.

His disciple, Tang Wulin, had been outdone by a little girl?

It seemed Wulin still wasn't working hard enough.

He couldn't give Wulin even a single day off. Not only that, he'd have to add an extra hour of practice every day.

Mang Di, meanwhile, was positively smug.

He really wanted to say to his brother, Mang Tian, My foolish brother, have you seen the terror of Money-Adding Girl now?

Mang Di grinned at Mang Tian. "Brother, she's from my workshop. The Mang Di Workshop."

Mang Tian roared, "So what if she's from your workshop? Does that mean I'm not your brother? I'm your brother today, and I'll be your brother for the rest of your life."

"You're still my little brother!"

Mang Di was roundly chewed out...

Na'er dashed off the stage and threw herself into Li Luo's arms.

Li Luo smiled. "Na'er, you were amazing!"

"Your brother is proud of you!"

Hugging him, Na'er said sweetly, "Brother, I'm so happy you came to watch my match."

"From now on, no matter what happens, even if knives rain from the sky, I'll come for you. All right?" Li Luo said softly.

Na'er hugged him tightly. "You're the best, Brother. I feel like the happiest person in the world."

As the siblings shared a tender moment, a pair of resentful eyes fixed on them.

Tang Wulin felt his heart shatter.

Into piece after piece.

Heaven above, earth below—why wasn't he the one in Brother Luo's arms?

The Golden Dragon King was led away from the Blacksmith Association by his parents.

Besides the resentful gaze of the Golden Dragon King fixed on Li Luo and the others, another pair of eyes was watching them too.

In the farthest corner of the audience, a middle-aged man and a youth sat quietly on their chairs.

The youth, Wu Liuqi, asked softly, "Teacher, are we still waiting to make a move? I really want to blow them to bits right here, right now."

Ba Jiushi smiled. "Xiao Wu, are you jealous of them?"

"I wouldn't call it jealousy."

Wu Liuqi replied calmly, "Mainly, we're short on time. If we act now, we can still catch the last Soul Guidance Train back to East Sea."

Ba Jiushi shook his head. "Xiao Wu, you don't need to lie to your teacher. I know that after those Federation beasts violated your adorable younger sister and left her to die..."

"You could no longer stand seeing anyone else with an adorable younger sister."

"You thought you hid it well."

"But your teacher knows everything."

As Ba Jiushi spoke, Wu Liuqi's face twisted into a grimace. He laughed coldly.

"If I can't have one, then I'll destroy them all!"

Ba Jiushi pulled the Nine-Section Skull Scepter from his pack and stood it upright. "Then go."

"May you recreate the glory of that great predecessor, the Death Messenger, from ten thousand years ago!"

"May the Holy Spirit be with you!"

Wu Liuqi rose and slowly walked toward Li Luo. His face was no longer twisted; it had returned to calm.

He came to stand before Li Luo and said, "I'm jealous that you have such an adorable younger sister."

"Truly jealous."

"But I'm sorry."

"Please—you, no, all of you—go to hell!"