Tang Wulin hurriedly unfolded the note in his hand and read it word for word.
"Big brother, I'm leaving. Don't come looking for me. Dad and Mom were afraid you'd be too sad, so they didn't tell you. Thank you so much for taking care of me. I'll miss you all, too, but my family came to find me, so I have to go. But don't be sad. I'll always remember all the yummy things you bought me. I'm sure we'll see each other again before long. —Na'er"
When he read the last word, Tang Wulin collapsed helplessly onto the sofa, tears instantly sliding down his cheeks.
"Na'er, Na'er is gone..."
Long Yuan had still been tinkering with the source of spiritual power he'd obtained from Na'er, but hearing Tang Wulin's sobs, he lost interest.
Only after the sobbing had begun to die down did Long Yuan speak.
[What, you're so heartbroken you can barely go on just because of this? Then I'd advise you not to keep pursuing the path of a Soul Master. You're not suited for it.]
"But, but..."
[No buts! That's how this world is. Today, Na'er has only left for a while, yet you're already this heartbroken. If one day your father and mother pass away, will you go with them too?]
Tang Wulin fell silent.
Seeing this, Long Yuan changed his tone and began to comfort him.
[Wulin, people have their joys and sorrows, their partings and reunions, just as the moon waxes and wanes. Nothing in this world is absolutely perfect. Na'er has only left for a while; you haven't been separated by life and death. There'll be a day when you see each other again, won't there? Just like she wrote in the note, maybe you'll meet again before long. But if you don't pull yourself together now, and you meet Na'er again someday without the strength to shield her from wind and rain, wouldn't that be even more painful?]
Though he said all that, Long Yuan knew Tang Wulin would never see Na'er again.
With him here, he would never let Gu Yuena split herself into Gu Yue and Na'er as she had in the original story, then pull off a whole string of melodramatic antics.
If she really became blinded by love, then all he could say was that this "wise" half of the Dragon God was no longer fit to lead the Dragon Clan and the Soul Beasts. She deserved to be devoured by him, then completely fused with him, so the Dragon God could return!
He would make the Dragon Clan great again!
After Long Yuan's words of encouragement, Tang Wulin finally managed to gather a little strength.
"Teacher, I understand. I'll work hard."
Lang Yue had been keeping an eye on her son. Seeing that he had finally stopped crying, she said, "Go back to your room and get some rest."
Tang Wulin didn't object. He washed his face in the bathroom, then lay down on his bed.
Perhaps he was emotionally and physically exhausted; as soon as his head touched the bed, he fell into a deep sleep.
By evening, Tang Ziran still hadn't come home from work when Tang Wulin arrived at Mang Tian's workshop.
After a nap, Tang Wulin was in much better spirits. Apart from his eyes still being a little swollen and red, there was no sign that anything was wrong.
He didn't continue with Thousand Refinement that day. Instead, he worked on the small parts orders he hadn't touched in a long time.
With his Thousand Refinement experience, he worked through them quickly. Each strike of his forging hammer came as naturally as breathing, precise and powerful.
He didn't clock out until the workshop closed, leaving with Mang Tian and Brother Long.
The next five days went the same way. He forged all day, taking hardly any breaks except for lunch.
Mang Tian could tell he was in a bad mood. After asking Tang Ziran, he learned what had happened.
But he knew how strong Tang Wulin was, and he also knew the work wouldn't hurt him, so he let him be.
After all, it was a way to let off steam. It was better than keeping everything bottled up.
Finally, on the sixth day, after finishing his forging, Tang Wulin didn't leave right away. Instead, he went into Mang Tian's office.
"Hey, got it all out of your system? Still sad?" Mang Tian asked with a knowing smile.
"Yeah. At least I'm not hurting anymore." Tang Wulin smiled a little shyly. It seemed he knew his strange behavior over the past few days had worried the people around him.
Then he said, "Teacher, I'm leaving for Eastsea City the day after tomorrow."
"Oh? You're going that early?"
"Yeah. I have some things to take care of, so I need to get there early." Tang Wulin nodded seriously.
"Up to you. It's your personal business, after all. But when you get to Eastsea City, remember to take the forging master certification exam. Don't show too much the first time, though. You only need to demonstrate the ability of a Level Two forging master."
Mang Tian reminded him again and again.
"Level Two forging master?" Tang Wulin asked, confused. According to his teacher, he could already be considered a Level Four forging master, so why should he only show Level Two ability?
Mang Tian clearly saw what he was thinking, so he said solemnly, "Wulin, remember this: the tallest tree catches the wind. Not everyone can stand seeing someone else do better than they do. So what if you're a genius? Only a genius who survives long enough to grow up is a genius. A nine-year-old Level Two forging master can already break records, but it's still within the bounds of reason. A nine-year-old Level Three forging master, though, is a completely different matter."
"Is there really such a big difference?" Tang Wulin clearly couldn't understand.
Mang Tian patiently explained, "You can imagine that a nine-year-old Level Three forging master is almost certain to become a Level Eight Saint Craftsman. Even if they lack talent, those major powers can force you up there with resources. Every faction would fight tooth and nail to recruit a genius like that."
"Then wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"A good thing?" Mang Tian gave a scornful laugh. "Don't make me laugh. Do you know that, to some people, if they can't have something, destroying it is the right choice?"
He had spent so many years struggling to get by in the Douluo Federation. Naturally, he'd seen plenty of the darkness hidden behind the scenes.
There weren't that many saints in this world. Most factions shared one belief: a double loss was better than letting the other side win alone!
Mang Tian shook his head and dropped the heavy subject. "Enough of that. Since you've decided to leave, I'll give you this gift, too."
As he spoke, he took two dull gray metal rings from his drawer.
"These are Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver Rings. I made them years ago, then upgraded them over the past few days with the Thousand Refinement Azure Rainbow Stone you forged. Now only you can use them."
He paused. "They're Storage Soul Tools, and each ring has one cubic meter of storage space. Also, I made your first piece of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver into a forging hammer. It's inside, along with the remaining Cyan-Red Stone."
"Come to think of it, you're pretty lucky. This Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer actually has the stacked-hammer trait. That's a top-grade trait every forging master wants."
"And that piece of Cyan-Red Stone developed the ability to store and transform elements. Keep it safe. It'll be very useful to you later."