At that moment, Yao Lao's voice appeared in Tang Wulin's mind.
"I never expected my pill recipes to be so valuable in your world. And these are only recipes for some fifth- and sixth-grade pills."
"Yao Lao, thank you!"
"Why are you thanking me, you little brat? I told you that your current situation is largely my fault. How could I possibly stand by and do nothing?"
"Even so, I still want to thank you. If I become a Titled Douluo one day, I'll find a way to send you back to your hometown."
"Ha! That's a long way off. We'll talk about that later! For now, the priority is breaking the first seal on your Golden Dragon King power!"
"Mm!"
A little over ten minutes later.
Cen Yue stepped out of the Soul Guidance Elevator, carrying an exquisite wooden box.
"Wulin!"
"Grandmaster Cen!"
Cen Yue walked over and sat down beside Tang Wulin, then placed the wooden box in his hands.
"Wulin, there are ten drops of century-old Earth-Shaking Dragon blood in here."
Tang Wulin opened the wooden box. Inside was a tiny glass bottle containing a small amount of bright red blood. The box also had a cooling function, which helped keep the blood fresh.
"Thank you, Grandmaster Cen!" Tang Wulin stood up and bowed deeply to Cen Yue once more.
Cen Yue had already lost count of how many times Tang Wulin had bowed to him today. How could such a polite child exist?
Cen Yue hurriedly helped Tang Wulin back up and patted his hair. "You earned this. After I sell those pill recipes of yours, there'll still be plenty of money left even after deducting the cost of this. Remember to come to the association then."
Tang Wulin nodded.
"Oh, right. This is for you, too." Cen Yue took something that looked like a bracelet from his pocket. "You don't seem to have a Soul Guidance Communicator, so take this for now. I've already saved my number in it, so it'll be easier to reach me."
"Grandmaster Cen, this is much too valuable. I can't accept it!"
"I said take it, so take it!" Cen Yue slipped the Soul Guidance Communicator onto Tang Wulin's left wrist. "Mang Tian is such a cheapskate. He finally takes on an excellent disciple, and he can't even be bothered to give you a Soul Guidance Communicator."
"That's not it. My teacher said that we should earn these things with our own hands, and I think he's right."
"So you're saying I'm wrong?" Cen Yue asked, his face darkening.
At that, Tang Wulin shook his head and waved his hands. "Grandmaster Cen, that's not what I meant."
"All right, I'm just teasing you. I have things to do, so I won't see you out. Head back first. I'll call you once those pill recipes of yours sell."
Tang Wulin bowed to Cen Yue once again. "I'm still very grateful to you, Grandmaster Cen."
Cen Yue couldn't help laughing in exasperation. He patted Tang Wulin on the head. "You don't have to be so polite about everything from now on. There's a saying: the kindhearted get bullied."
With that, Cen Yue headed toward the Soul Guidance Elevator.
Tang Wulin watched Cen Yue's departing figure thoughtfully, seeming to take his words to heart.
Inside the Soul Guidance Elevator, Cen Yue picked up his Soul Guidance Communicator and dialed a number, wearing a rather peculiar expression.
"Hello! Who is this?" Mang Tian's voice came from the other end.
"Mang Tian, is Tang Wulin the ordinary disciple you told me you took on?"
"That's right!" Mang Tian replied calmly. "What? Did he come to take the blacksmith assessment?"
"What do you think?"
"Ha! The kid works fast! So, did he pass the second-level assessment?"
"Did you deliberately send him to me so you could show off what a great disciple you have?"
"I never said that."
Cen Yue forced down the profanity that had risen to his throat. "Tell me, what would it take for me to teach him blacksmithing from now on?"
"Then ask him!" Mang Tian ended the call.
"Hello?"
Cen Yue stared at the screen, which showed that the call had ended. He was dumbfounded.
What did Mang Tian mean, telling him to ask Tang Wulin himself? How could Cen Yue not see that, with Tang Wulin's character, there was no way he would betray his sect?
"Old Tang, Yao Lao, what should I do next?"
After leaving the Blacksmith Association, Tang Wulin asked Old Tang and Yao Lao what to do next.
"First, find somewhere secluded, where you can be sure no one will disturb you for a few days," Old Tang said in Tang Wulin's mind.
"Somewhere secluded?"
Tang Wulin thought for a moment. Then he remembered that before he came to Eastsea City, his teacher, Mang Tian, had told him he had a workshop there. Tang Wulin could go there if he needed to forge something.
After considering it, Tang Wulin realized that this was the best place for him.
After asking a passerby for directions to the address Mang Tian had given him, Tang Wulin found the workshop.
He entered the passcode Mang Tian had provided and pushed open the workshop door.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
As soon as he opened the door, a cloud of dust blew out. It seemed Mang Tian really hadn't been here in a long time.
Still, the place was fully equipped—a standard blacksmith workshop.
"Go to the bathroom," Old Tang's voice sounded in Tang Wulin's mind.
Tang Wulin looked around and found the bathroom.
"Find a container and fill it with water. Then take off all your clothes and sit in it."
Tang Wulin nodded, filled the bathtub with water, took off his clothes, and climbed in.
At that moment, Yao Lao and Old Tang appeared beside the bathtub.
"Wulin, when I put the Bone Spirit Cold Flame into your body, try to circulate this cultivation technique. I've adapted it to the Soul Power of your world, so you should have no trouble cultivating it. In the future, you should also be able to cultivate it alongside the Mysterious Heaven Skill of your world." Yao Lao placed a scroll in Tang Wulin's hands.
"Yao Lao, is this a cultivation technique from your world? What's it called?"
"The Flame Mantra," Yao Lao replied calmly, without saying anything more about the technique's history.
Tang Wulin didn't ask any further questions. He opened the scroll, studied it for a while, and then said he understood.
"Old Tang, what should I do next?" Tang Wulin asked.
"Tang Wulin, are you ready?" Old Tang asked gravely.
Tang Wulin nodded firmly.
"Next, drink all ten drops of the dragon-type Soul Beast blood. Then Yao Lao will put his Bone Spirit Cold Flame into your body. Afterward, you must immediately circulate Yao Lao's cultivation technique. The whole process will be extremely painful, but you must keep your mind steady. Otherwise, even if you absorb the Golden Dragon King's power, you'll still be controlled by the Golden Dragon King's raging consciousness. If you're ready, we can begin at any time."
Tang Wulin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then he opened the exquisite wooden box beside him.
Without another moment's hesitation, Tang Wulin opened the small glass bottle containing the Earth-Shaking Dragon blood.
A powerful, bloody stench immediately filled the air.
This was Tang Wulin's first time encountering anything that truly came from a Soul Beast.
"Gulp!"
Fighting back his nausea, Tang Wulin drank all the Earth-Shaking Dragon blood in one go. He even sucked at the bottle twice, not daring to waste a drop.
Before you continue