The next day after school, Tang Ziran took his son to Mang Tian's workshop.
With the support of the Golden Dragon King's "world-shaking power," Tang Wulin passed Mang Tian's test and successfully became an apprentice at the workshop, beginning his forging career.
Long Yuan didn't say anything. In his eyes, learning to forge really was Tang Wulin's only way forward.
Although the Spirit Pagoda had a series of programs to support talented people, Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and third-rank Soul Power didn't even meet the minimum requirements.
Unless he revealed his Golden Dragon King Bloodline—but how could he do that?
So, over the past few days, Tang Wulin had stuck to a three-point routine: he went to school after breakfast, hurried straight to Mang Tian's workshop after classes, spent two hours learning to forge, then went home to eat, wash up, and sleep or meditate.
During that time, Long Yuan gave Tang Wulin a special cultivation method.
It was a technique for cultivating Blood Qi. It could help circulate his Blood Qi while he forged, guiding it through the body in a full cycle to gradually increase his Blood Qi. The process also helped him learn forging in return, saving him energy.
Long Yuan might not have had "world-shaking wisdom," but his level gave him a different perspective. From his commanding vantage point, even the simplest little tricks could bring endless benefits.
Just like that, a year flew by.
It was Martial Soul Awakening Day once again. Long lines had formed outside every academy, filled with eager children of the right age and parents brimming with hope.
Tang Ziran's family was among them. It was Saturday, so everyone was home, and they'd all come to Red Mountain Academy to accompany Na'er as she awakened her Martial Soul.
"Na'er, what Martial Soul do you think you'll awaken?"
Compared to a year ago, Na'er was much more outgoing. She shook her head. "I don't know. They say there's a very high chance you'll inherit your parents' Martial Souls, but..."
Right, Tang Wulin fell silent.
It was soon Na'er's turn. They followed the guide to the awakening room, where the Spirit Master hired by the academy was already waiting.
"Hmm... You're Na'er, right?" Seeing Na'er for the first time, the Spirit Master's eyes flashed with admiration.
Na'er nodded.
"Good. Come in with me. The rest of you can wait outside for a bit."
The Spirit Master opened the awakening room and went in first.
Na'er followed close behind.
Of course, they weren't the only ones who entered.
Long Yuan floated in midair, watching as the two of them performed the Martial Soul Awakening ritual.
Although he already had some guesses about why Na'er had failed to awaken a Martial Soul, he'd decided to witness the ritual himself and see if there were any details he'd missed.
Inside the room, the Spirit Master waved his hand. The same white light rose, activating the Soul Guidance Array within the room as the energy of heaven and earth surged into Na'er's body.
"Ugh..."
Suddenly, Na'er's face went pale. She clutched her head and crouched down.
The Spirit Master was startled and hurried to stop the array.
But the next moment, a powerful mental shock erupted in a small area.
The unprepared Spirit Master's mind went blank, and he pitched forward, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
Of course, even if he'd been prepared, it would have been useless. A mental shock of this level wasn't something a Soul Elder at level thirty could withstand.
Long Yuan remained unmoved by the mental shock, but his gaze grew more intent.
He hadn't expected something to actually go wrong.
Once the mental shock ended, images began appearing around Na'er.
Most of them were pitch-black, and only a small number could be seen clearly.
The image that concerned him most was the last one to appear. It showed a Golden Dragon, its body blotting out the sky and its presence towering like a mountain, alongside a lithe, nimble Silver Dragon. Around them stood one figure after another.
"Is this the scene of the Divine Realm's gods surrounding and attacking the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King?"
He only had a vague impression of this memory. This was the first time he'd seen such a clear image. Perhaps it was because he'd been imprisoned for so long in the Divine Realm's forbidden grounds, or because of the power of Destruction and his violent nature. In any case, he'd inherited very few memories, and a good portion of them were just scenes of cursing people out.
But this wasn't the time to dwell on that.
What mattered more was the power Na'er was displaying.
Thought Materialization!
The defining ability of a Limit Douluo, but Na'er clearly couldn't control this power yet.
Seeing Na'er clutch her head in pain, Long Yuan drifted down in front of her and placed a hand on her forehead, using his divine sense to soothe her rampaging mental power.
In his vision, the memories inside the seal poured out like water bursting through a dam. Although the seal, formed by seven-colored chains, was drawing those memories back in, it still wasn't enough.
The vast memories were far more than Na'er could bear in such a short time. She could only release them from her body in the form of Thought Materialization, using her immense mental power, and wait for the seal to bind them all again.
As for the reason this had happened...
Long Yuan looked at the Silver Dragon Spear inside Na'er's Sea of Consciousness and had a guess.
The Silver Dragon Spear was a divine weapon, but it was also Na'er's Martial Soul.
Before awakening, a Martial Soul was hidden within one's bloodline and soul. Only through the awakening ritual could these two parts be brought together, summoning the true Martial Soul and finally giving it a place within the body.
But Na'er didn't have a real body, so she could only keep her Martial Soul within her soul. Now that she was awakening her Martial Soul, the process had affected the seal, causing this accident.
However, the rampage of mental power didn't last long. After half an hour, the seal had stabilized again.
"Ugh..."
Na'er's body suddenly went limp, and she fell into Long Yuan's arms.
Perhaps because they were both manifestations of mental power, Na'er could actually touch him.
Na'er opened her eyes blearily and looked at the person before her. "Who... are you?"
She blinked, full of confusion. She clearly remembered there being only two people.
Long Yuan helped her sit down. "Me? My name is Long Yuan."
Na'er blinked her amethyst eyes, as if remembering something. "I remember you."
Remember me? Long Yuan was startled.
Na'er continued, talking to herself. "Sometimes, I can see you. You're floating beside my big brother, and sometimes you watch me."
Long Yuan's expression didn't change. "Then why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I don't know, but I always feel like I know you. And... feel close to you?" Na'er shook her head. "But whenever I try to get a better look, I can't see you anymore."
"I thought you couldn't see me, but it doesn't matter." Long Yuan used his divine sense to check the Silver Dragon Spear, now securely locked away, and finally put his mind at ease.
He glanced at the Spirit Master, who was showing signs of waking. "All right, I should go. Let's keep this between us."
As he spoke, Long Yuan used his divine sense to erase some of the memories the Spirit Master had seen earlier, then drifted out of the awakening room.
"Ugh, what a mess."
After passing through the wall, Long Yuan looked back at the awakening room and sighed.
"Whatever. Tricking one person is tricking one person; tricking two is no different. They're just two little kids."