The Storm Has Arrived

"Are you all prepared?"

Inside a cave where no one could find them, an old man in black robes asked in a voice like an old bellows.

"Yes!"

Before him, dozens of other figures in black robes bowed their heads to listen.

Though their faces were hidden and their builds obscured by the robes, their voices revealed a mix of men and women, young and old.

"Heh, Elder, the people from the Spirit Pagoda are all distracted by the pawns we threw out; what is there to fear?" Among the group, a middle-aged man stood as the leader. He tilted his head slightly, revealing a scorpion-like tattoo surrounding his right eye.

He was the strongest among them besides the elder, a level 91 Title Douluo.

"Furthermore, this Sky Sea City only has one Title Douluo guarding it, and other places like East Sea City have nothing more than mere Spirit Douluos. What do we have to fear?"

The elder nodded slightly. "That may be so, but we must still act with caution. If we draw out the East Sea Legion, it may create unnecessary variables."

"We understand that, of course. But with a typhoon approaching, the East Sea Legion's fleet will be unable to deploy for at least seven days. Naturally, they won't be able to use those high-powered fixed-location soul guidance devices, and those high-ranking soul masters won't be able to react in time to our surprise attack."

"Hmm, you have thought this through well. Then, proceed according to the plan." The elder stroked his beard, clearly satisfied with the original plan.

Yet, for some reason, he had a lingering sense of foreboding. Did I overlook something? Forget it, at this point, there is no turning back.

Their plan had reached the point where the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired; otherwise, all their previous investments would vanish into thin air.

At the thought of the special cloaking soul guidance device that had been scrapped during the attack on the Spirit Pagoda's transport team, the elder felt a pang of heartache.

That thing was not some cheap, mass-produced item, and the crucial part was that the Holy Spirit Cult wouldn't reimburse him for it.

That was right; this group was none other than the Holy Spirit Cult members who had attacked the Spirit Pagoda.

"Once this is done, I will surely be able to rise further in the Holy Cult, and the Master will reward me handsomely..."

"What? You're going to the Blacksmith Association?" Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin in front of him, very surprised. "Isn't the school under lockdown now?"

Tang Wulin packed his things. "There's still a while left. I've already asked Teacher Wu for leave. Since I can't do anything in the dorm anyway, I might as well go to the Blacksmith Association to study forging."

"Hey, you..."

Xie Xie wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by Yun Xiaoling, who poked her head out from her bed. "Young Master Xie has a fortune, so naturally, you don't need to worry about making a living, but you have to think about us!"

Ever since they had fought side by side, Yun Xiaoling and Tang Wulin had become much closer, and now she dared to tease him openly.

Xie Xie thought about it carefully. He had seen Tang Wulin's daily habits; although he had some savings, he ate the Grade A meals at the academy quite aggressively, and the cost of every meal made his own heart ache.

Moreover, forging was one of the four major auxiliary professions. If he could master forging techniques, he might have to rely on him in the future.

"Fine, since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything more. Be careful on the road."

Tang Wulin had finished packing his things. He waved his hand and left the dorm.

"I know, I'll be careful!"

"Xie Xie, when did you become so long-winded? I remember you were quite cold and aloof when you first arrived." Yun Xiaoling was in the mood now and wanted to tease him a bit more.

But Xie Xie didn't respond, standing there in deep thought instead.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Yun Xiaoling, do you think we can really defeat those people in Class One?"

Xie Xie asked suddenly.

They now knew the strength of Class One—three level 20 Great Spirit Masters, and an unfathomable Gu Yuena. Just knowing that she could suppress those three Great Spirit Masters to become the top genius of Class One was enough to show her power.

And the three of them were only one-ring Spirit Masters. Although Tang Wulin's combat power couldn't be judged by common standards, two fists were ultimately no match for six hands.

Yun Xiaoling slumped back onto her bed, adjusting to a comfortable position. "We've already fought our way from Class Five to Class Two; we should be content. Besides, it's not shameful to lose to three Great Spirit Masters."

Xie Xie shook his head. The logic held, but he still didn't want to admit defeat so easily.

"I'm going home too." After saying that, Xie Xie prepared to head out.

"Hey, wait!" Yun Xiaoling sprang up from her bed. "If you leave, won't I be the only one left in the dorm? Don't!"

"Isn't Zhou Changxi still here?" Xie Xie said without looking back.

Yun Xiaoling reached out toward Xie Xie's retreating figure, trying to hold him back.

"But I'm really not familiar with him!"

"Sister Xiaoling, it's you again today!" Tang Wulin walked into the Blacksmith Association and discovered that the receptionist today was an acquaintance.

Come to think of it, Yun Xiaoling and Yun Xiaoling's names were only one character apart; Tang Wulin was always a bit surprised whenever he thought of that.

Yun Xiaoling noticed it was Tang Wulin and smiled playfully. "Aren't you here too? As a student of East Sea Academy, I can naturally come here as well."

"Hehe." Tang Wulin scratched his head. "Is Master here today?"

"President Long isn't here today; I saw him leave earlier." Yun Xiaoling shook her head. "Not only him, but Master Mu Chen and Master Cen Yue are also away. I heard they went to Sky Sea City to attend a meeting."

Tang Wulin nodded and headed straight to his forging room.

If they weren't here, they weren't here. Anyway, he was only coming to practice what he had already learned; he wasn't looking to learn anything new.

"Hey, hey, Brother Yuan, hurry and pass me that bottle of soy sauce!"

The typhoon arrived right on schedule, bringing with it a massive deluge of rain. Bean-sized droplets pelted against the window, but none of that concerned Long Yuan or Gu Yuena.

Gu Yuena kept her eyes locked on the alloy wok in front of her while directing Long Yuan to assist her.

Long Yuan placed the soy sauce into Gu Yuena's free hand, but he couldn't help but sigh as he watched her clumsily wield the spatula with her right hand.

"Are you actually capable of cooking?"

"Hmph! Don't underestimate my intelligence, alright? Could something this simple possibly be harder than me fusing the seven elements? I learned it after watching just twice!"

Gu Yuena looked full of confidence, though the black smoke rising from the pot made it difficult for Long Yuan to believe her.

After a long while, Gu Yuena set the final plate of charred remains on the table and sat down across from him.

"How is it? How is it?" Gu Yuena asked, unable to contain her impatience.

To be honest, aside from that last plate of charcoal, the previous dishes had actually looked quite normal.

But it was precisely this plate of charcoal that made him hesitant to trust Gu Yuena.

"Um, Na'er, it's not that I'm underestimating your intelligence, it's just that this... uh..."