Night at East Sea Park

After Tang Wulin became Mu Chen's apprentice, Mu Chen brought him to the Blacksmith Association to personally oversee his examination for a Level 3 Blacksmith certification.

Back in Aolai City, Tang Wulin had only barely managed a thousand-refinement. Although he hadn't performed another one since that time, his proficiency in forging had improved significantly.

Naturally, this was primarily because he had absorbed the first seal of the Golden Dragon King, which had granted him a substantial boost in both strength and stamina.

Tang Wulin did not let down the trust placed in him by Mu Chen and Mang Tian; he successfully completed the thousand-refinement, and Mu Chen personally pinned the Level 3 Blacksmith badge onto his chest.

"From today on, you are the youngest Level 3 Blacksmith on the entire continent!" Mu Chen said with a smile, announcing the honor that now belonged to Tang Wulin.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Tang Wulin bowed slightly before saying, "Then I shall return to the academy first. Tomorrow is the Class Promotion Tournament against Class One."

Mu Chen nodded and watched as Tang Wulin departed.

"I believe this child will surely shock the entire Douluo Continent in the future!" Mu Chen remarked while standing at the entrance of the Blacksmith Association.

"Indeed," Mang Tian sighed. "Who could have imagined that a child who once worked odd jobs just to fill his stomach would end up breaking one forging record after another across the entire Douluo Continent?"

After leaving the Blacksmith Association, Tang Wulin did not return to the academy immediately, but instead went to East Sea Park in East Sea City.

East Sea Park was lush with greenery, and Tang Wulin loved the environment here; it felt very close to nature.

Tang Wulin leaned against the railing by a lake, watching the water shimmer under the moonlight.

At that moment, a figure appeared beside him.

"Yao Lao."

Tang Wulin greeted him.

"Wulin, your parents love you very much." Yao Lao placed a hand on the railing and looked up at the night sky, which still felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.

"I know. I love my parents too. I will become stronger, and then I will go bring them home." A faint smile played on Tang Wulin's lips, and the sadness of his parents' departure gradually subsided.

Yao Lao offered a gentle smile and produced a scroll, placing it before Tang Wulin.

"This is the Eight-Level Collapse. It is an incredibly domineering, strength-based battle technique. After some slight modifications, it should be quite suitable for you."

"Can I really use battle techniques from your world?" Tang Wulin asked.

"There is a saying that 'all paths lead to the same source,' meaning that no matter the origin of power, it all comes from the same place—and I believe that place is oneself. While the activation method for battle techniques relies on battle qi, what if you replaced that with soul power? That is the direction of my modifications. You can give it a try," Yao Lao said calmly.

Tang Wulin looked at the scroll before him but did not reach for it immediately. Instead, he asked, "Yao Lao, why are you so good to me?"

Yao Lao lowered his head in thought for a moment upon hearing the question.

"If you insist on knowing why, there are many reasons. For instance, you sustained my life force for three years, which allowed my remnant soul to coalesce. Or perhaps because you promised to help me restore my physical body, and you have kept your word. Naturally, I must help you in return. Furthermore, I quite like your character."

"What about you, Wulin? Why do you help me?"

"In truth, I think I would likely offer help to most people in need if I saw them, just like when I saved Na'er back then. I don't know why, and I don't know if it's right. My father once told me that I shouldn't help everyone I see. He said, 'A gentleman does not save everyone; a sage acts when duty calls.' I am no sage, and I don't know what a gentleman is, but I just like helping others," Tang Wulin answered Yao Lao without hesitation.

"Kindness!"

"What?" Tang Wulin hadn't quite caught what Yao Lao said.

Yao Lao looked at Tang Wulin and said very earnestly, "Kindness. That quality is called kindness."

"What is kindness?"

"To be kind is to harbor a benevolent heart to aid the masses, while also retaining a discerning mind so as not to be naive," Yao Lao replied.

Tang Wulin shook his head awkwardly. "Yao Lao, I don't understand."

Yao Lao smiled gently. "It means that a kind person holds a heart of benevolence to save others, but must also use a discerning attitude to judge whether they should be saved. That is why you must think carefully about your father's words: to save, or not to save?"

Tang Wulin shook his head. "I don't know. I probably can't figure that out."

"The Golden Dragon King power within your body is one of violence, calamity, and rage, yet you are able to view all living things with a kind and calm heart. Is this not a form of mastery? Your inner self has surpassed the nature of the Golden Dragon King, which means the Golden Dragon King can only be utilized by you and cannot influence you. You must maintain this heart in the future; otherwise, if your heart changes, it will be easy for the Golden Dragon King's nature to take hold."

"Yao Lao, I understand."

"Since you understand, don't overthink it. Why don't you try this battle technique? Since you have to fight the first-year students tomorrow, having an extra trump card will make it easier to win." Yao Lao placed the Eight-Level Collapse scroll directly into Tang Wulin's hands.

"Alright!"

Tang Wulin opened the scroll, and a massive amount of information flooded his mind instantly. In just a heartbeat, the battle technique was firmly etched into his memory.

"Go to the lakeside and try it!"

"Alright!"

Tang Wulin climbed over the railing and walked to the water's edge, where there was no one else around.

Standing by the lake, Tang Wulin closed his eyes gently. He lowered his stance and channeled his soul power, condensing it into his right fist. With his soul power restrained, he aimed at the surface of the lake.

He struck out with a punch. Ripples spread across the lake, but a moment later, it returned to calm.

Tang Wulin opened his eyes slowly. He didn't feel disappointed by this, as he knew the true, terrifying power of the Eight-Level Collapse had yet to erupt.

Sure enough, just as he fully opened his eyes, a sound seemed to echo from deep within the lake.

The next moment, starting from where Tang Wulin had struck the water and extending toward the center of the lake, eight consecutive explosions erupted in the water, sending plumes several meters into the air.

The eight explosions corresponded to the eight hidden forces of the Eight-Level Collapse. These hidden forces almost entirely ignored surface defenses, striking directly at the interior of the target, making them impossible to guard against.

"What a terrifying ability! Yao Lao, are all the battle techniques in your world this terrifying?" Tang Wulin asked, looking at the commotion he had caused.

Yao Lao looked at Tang Wulin and shook his head. "Not necessarily, but I think this technique is perfectly suited for you. If you combine it with your Golden Dragon Claw, I estimate that not only will the power increase significantly, but each hidden force will also carry the crushing property of the Golden Dragon Claw. That is the complete state of this technique when used by you."

At Yao Lao's words, Tang Wulin instantly envisioned the scene of his Golden Dragon Claw combined with the Eight-Level Collapse. There was only one word to describe it: terrifying!