Spatial Soul Tool

Tang Wulin hurriedly opened the note in his hand, reading it word by word.

"Brother, I'm leaving, don't come looking for me. Mom and Dad were afraid you'd be too heartbroken, so they didn't tell you. Thank you so much for taking care of me; I'm reluctant to leave you all too, but my family has come for me, and I must go. But don't be sad, I will always remember the delicious food you bought for me, and I believe it won't be long before we meet again. -- Na'er"

After reading the last word, Tang Wulin collapsed weakly onto the sofa, tears streaming down his face instantly.

"Na'er, Na'er is gone..."

Long Yuan had originally been tinkering with the source of spiritual power he had obtained from Na'er, but hearing the crying, he lost all interest.

It wasn't until the sobbing subsided that Long Yuan spoke up.

[What, are you so heartbroken you're dying just because of this? Then I advise you not to continue on the path of a soul master; you aren't suited for it.]

"But, but..."

[There are no buts! This is how the world is. If Na'er's temporary departure today is enough to make you this sad, then if one day your father and mother pass away, are you going to follow them to the grave?]

Tang Wulin fell silent at once.

Seeing this, Long Yuan changed his tone and began to offer comfort.

[Wulin, people have their sorrows and joys, just as the moon has its phases; nothing in this world is ever perfect. Na'er has only left for a while, she hasn't been separated from you by life and death. There will always be a day to meet again, won't there? Just like she said in the note, perhaps it won't be long before you see each other again? But if you don't pull yourself together now, even if you meet Na'er again in the future, wouldn't it be even more painful if you lack the strength to shield her from the wind and rain?]

Although he said that, Long Yuan knew that Tang Wulin would never be able to meet Na'er again.

With him here, it was naturally impossible for Gu Yuena to split herself into Gu Yue and Na'er as she did in the original story, only to pull off a bunch of melodramatic stunts.

If she truly let her romantic brain take over, then it could only be said that this "wise" half of the Dragon God was no longer fit to lead the dragon race and the soul beasts. In that case, she deserved to be devoured by him, to be thoroughly merged into one, and transformed into the return of the Dragon God!

He would make the dragon race great again!

After Long Yuan's guidance, Tang Wulin finally regained a bit of spirit.

"Teacher, I understand. I will work hard."

Lang Yue had been keeping an eye on her son, and seeing that he had finally stopped crying, she said, "Go back to your room and get some good rest."

Tang Wulin did not object; he went to the bathroom to wash his face and then lay down on his bed.

Perhaps it was due to physical and mental exhaustion, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

In the evening, before Tang Ziran had returned from work, Tang Wulin arrived at Mang Tian's workshop.

After a night's sleep, Tang Wulin's mood had improved significantly. At the very least, apart from his eyes still being somewhat red and swollen, there were no other signs of trouble.

He didn't continue with Thousand Refinement today, but instead worked on the small parts orders he hadn't touched in a long time.

With his experience in Thousand Refinement, he completed these tasks quickly. Every strike of his forging hammer felt instinctive, accurate, and powerful.

It wasn't until Mang Tian's workshop closed that he left work with Mang Tian and Brother Long.

This continued for five consecutive days; he spent the entire day forging, barely resting except to eat lunch.

Mang Tian could see he was in a bad mood, and only after asking Tang Ziran did he learn the reason.

However, he knew Tang Wulin's physical constitution and was clear that this work wouldn't cause any harm to his body, so he let him be.

After all, this was a way to release his emotions, which was better than keeping them bottled up.

Finally, on the sixth day, after Tang Wulin finished forging, he didn't leave immediately but walked into Mang Tian's office.

"Yo, finished letting it all out? Still sad?" Mang Tian asked with a half-smile.

"Mm, at least I don't feel bad anymore," Tang Wulin smiled a bit shyly. It seemed he also realized his strange behavior over the past few days had worried those around him.

Then, he added, "Teacher, I'm leaving for East Sea City the day after tomorrow."

"Oh? Leaving so soon?"

"Yes, I have some things to take care of, so I need to go early," Tang Wulin nodded earnestly.

"As you wish, it's your private business anyway. However, remember to take the test for a blacksmith's certificate after you get to East Sea City. But don't reveal too much the first time; just show the strength of a second-rank blacksmith."

Mang Tian urged him repeatedly.

"A second-rank blacksmith?" Tang Wulin was somewhat puzzled. According to what his teacher had said, he could already barely be considered a fourth-rank blacksmith, so why only show the strength of a second-rank one?

Mang Tian clearly saw what he was thinking, so he said sternly, "Wulin, remember: the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Not everyone can stand to see others do better than them. So what if you're a genius? Only a genius who has grown up is truly a genius. A nine-year-old second-rank blacksmith is enough to break records, but that's still within a reasonable range. But if it were a nine-year-old third-rank blacksmith, that would be completely different."

"Is the difference really that big?" Tang Wulin clearly couldn't quite grasp it.

Mang Tian said patiently, "It is foreseeable that a nine-year-old third-rank blacksmith is almost guaranteed to become an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman. Even if your aptitude were lacking, those major powers could use resources to force you up. Every faction would fight tooth and nail for such a genius."

"Then, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"A good thing?" Mang Tian smiled contemptuously. "Don't make me laugh. Do you know that for some people, if they can't have it, destroying it is the correct choice?"

Having struggled and climbed his way through the Douluo Federation for so many years, he was naturally accustomed to the darkness behind the scenes.

There aren't that many saints in this world; the vast majority of factions share a common understanding: a lose-lose is better than a single-winner!

Mang Tian shook his head and didn't continue with these heavy topics. "Alright, let's not talk about this. Since you've decided to leave, I'll give you this gift."

As he spoke, he fished two dusty metal rings out of his drawer.

"These are Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver Rings. They were my work from years ago. I used the Thousand Refinement Azure Rainbow Stone you forged to upgrade them these past few days. Now, only you can use them."

He paused. "This is a storage soul device; each ring has one cubic meter of storage space. Additionally, I made your first piece of Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver into a forging hammer, and the remaining Azure Rainbow Stone is inside as well."

"Come to think of it, you're quite lucky. This Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver Hammer actually has the 'Stacked Hammer' property. That's a top-tier trait every blacksmith dreams of."

"And that piece of Azure Rainbow Stone—it actually developed the ability to store and convert elements. Keep it; it will be of great use to you in the future."