Tang San is the Culprit!

The city is full of traps; I want to go back to the countryside...

Lu Chuan truly had not expected that last night's drinking session was entirely a setup to fish for information from him.

Moreover, his own teacher had been an accomplice!

"Teacher, do you know any other presidents of the Blacksmith's Association?"

Lu Chuan looked at Mang Tian with eager, pleading eyes. Although he had been firm when refusing Mu Chen, he did not want his path to becoming a Godsmith to be cut off just like that!

The more he forged, the more he could feel the benefits it brought. Not to mention the physical strengthening and micro-control of power, the Spirit Forging process of awakening spirits alone had elevated his understanding of life to a whole new level!

He had a feeling that if his soul power were sufficient, he could even begin to create life!

"Why, where do you want to go? I recall you were recommended for the advanced division of East Sea Academy, weren't you? As it happens, that girl Mu Xi is there too!"

Mang Tian raised an eyebrow, looking at Lu Chuan with a mischievous grin.

If not for the truths spilled after drinking last night, he would never have known that this kid had so many schemes hidden in his heart!

Lu Chuan's face flushed red under Mang Tian's gaze. Did he like Mu Xi? In all likelihood, no! He hadn't even met her; he purely wanted to borrow Mu Xi's influence to learn Soul Forging when he had no other choice!

"Isn't it all so I wouldn't have to leave you? You actually teamed up with an outsider to set a trap for your own apprentice. Is that any way for a teacher to act?"

Unable to endure it any longer, there was no need to hold back!

Lu Chuan exploded in a fit of rage.

Seeing that Lu Chuan was genuinely angry, Mang Tian hurriedly tried to soothe him: "Don't be angry, this time it was this teacher's fault. But I was helpless in the matter; those of higher rank can crush you with a single word!"

"So you just sold me out?" Lu Chuan glared at Mang Tian, annoyed.

Mang Tian gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject: "Then if you don't want to go to East Sea City, where do you want to go? Tianhai City?"

Lu Chuan shook his head, his eyes gleaming slightly.

"I want to go to Sun Moon City. Tianhai City is still too close to East Sea City; I need to get further away to lay low! Most importantly, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy in Sun Moon City places great importance on blacksmithing. They invite Saint-level blacksmiths from the Ming Capital branch to give lectures from time to time!"

Sun Moon City, formerly known as the Ming Capital, was located in the west-central part of the Douluo Continent.

Aolai City, however, was a small coastal town on the east coast of the Douluo Federation. If one were to take a soul-guided train, they would have to pass through the two major cities of East Sea City and Shrek City, as well as several smaller towns, before arriving.

It was truly a bit too far!

The only advantage was...

As far as Mang Tian knew, the Mingdu Blacksmith Association boasted five Saint Craftsmen! There were two eight-star Saint Craftsmen and three seven-star Saint Craftsmen. However, blacksmiths across the world were considered one family; if Mu Chen were to speak up, and given that Lu Chuan was his disciple, Lu Chuan would effectively be unable to learn anything anywhere else. This involved an ironclad rule within the blacksmith community: a disciple could only have one master. To seek another master after having already apprenticed would be considered an act of betrayal, and one would be shunned by the entire association! The reason he had never allowed Lu Chuan to take on another master was precisely because of this; he was afraid of hindering Lu Chuan's progress.

"Xiao Chuan, given your talent, I still suggest you go to Shrek Academy."

"Because regardless of whether you want to become a powerful blacksmith, a mecha designer, or a maintenance technician... first and foremost, you must become a powerful soul master!"

"Although the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy is slightly ahead of Shrek Academy in the development of forging, mechas, and soul devices, Shrek Academy's cultivation of soul masters is something other academies can only look up to in despair!"

"When I was young, I neglected my soul master cultivation while making rapid progress in forging. As a result, when it came time for Soul Forging, my cultivation level was insufficient, and I have been stuck at the threshold of becoming a Saint Craftsman ever since!"

After much hesitation, Mang Tian still offered his advice, while simultaneously tearing open his own past scars.

Lu Chuan only then realized that his teacher had been unable to advance to Saint Craftsman because his soul power was insufficient! This detail might have existed in the original work, but it was such a minor point that he hadn't remembered it at all.

If that's the case, wouldn't it be enough for me to get a thousand-year Soul Cleansing Grass for Teacher to help him break through to the Soul King realm from the Soul Ancestor realm? That would also save me from having to travel so far to the west! Lu Chuan thought to himself.

In truth, he didn't care about going to Shrek Academy or the Sun Moon Federation Soul Engineer Academy. As the king of the soul beast lineage, these top-tier soul master academies were all hostile forces to him! His ultimate goal was to join the Federation once his strength was restored. Of course, he didn't intend to protect the Federation, but rather to incite a war!

In this world, there were simply too many top-tier human powerhouses. Under the restrictions of the world's laws, even if he restored his peak strength, he would only be able to exert the power of a demigod! He had the ability to kill eight, nine, or ten Limit Douluos or even demigods on his own, but he could not do so quickly. Once he exposed his true form as the Golden Dragon King, the war between humanity and the soul beasts would be triggered instantly! At that time, if he were held back, there was no telling how many more sacrifices the already withered soul beast lineage would suffer. Therefore, Lu Chuan wanted to stand behind the scenes, inciting war and causing humanity to consume itself.

The Federation's ambition to destroy the Spirit Pagoda, the Tang Sect, and Shrek Academy, along with its desire to conquer the other two continents, had always existed.

This made them the perfect faction for Lu Chuan to join!

By joining the Federation, he only needed to guide the situation, and a war that would sweep across the entire continent would descend!

When that time came, everything would be reshuffled, and the soul beast lineage could seize the opportunity to reclaim the territory that belonged to them!

However, the only thing that made Lu Chuan hesitate was that if he started a war, it might affect people like Tang Ziran, Lang Yue, and Mang Tian...

People who were so pure and kind!

They did not fight, they did not scramble, they were not greedy; they would not wall off resources to keep for themselves, nor would they ignore the weak, and they would even sacrifice themselves to help others.

Such people did not deserve to die!

But humanity and soul beasts were natural enemies. As long as humans needed to rely on soul beast soul rings and soul bones to cultivate, the grievances between the two races could never be resolved!

The weaker side would eventually resist, until one side was completely annihilated!

"Teacher, if one day I become bad, become heinous and murderous, would you regret teaching me?" Lu Chuan pondered for a long time before asking.

Mang Tian was stunned the moment he heard this.

He had never imagined that Lu Chuan would ask such a heavy question, but seeing the worry in the youth's eyes, he decided to answer earnestly.

"I would not regret it. Even if you were to slaughter a city tomorrow, I would still say the same thing today."

"Why?" Lu Chuan asked, puzzled.

Mang Tian smiled gently.

"Because right now, you are kind. You were not born evil. If one day you become evil, it might not necessarily be your fault. If we trace it back to the source, we might find that it was this world that failed you! In that case, the evil side might be this world, while you are the only justice!"

After saying this, Mang Tian fell silent.

He simply accompanied Lu Chuan quietly. He did not know what was wrong with Lu Chuan that he would suddenly ask such a question, nor did he know how to comfort him; the only thing he could do was stay by his side.

He believed that—

Given Lu Chuan's intelligence, he would certainly be able to think it through and rationally find his way out.

"Trace the source..."

"It is this world that is evil..."

Lu Chuan repeated these words, and in the darkness, he seemed to have grasped the key to the problem.

From the very beginning, it was never a conflict between humans and soul beasts, but a mistake of the Douluo Will!

First, soul beasts were born powerful, feeding on all living things and ruling Douluo for countless eras.

Later, the human race saw the first soul master to absorb a soul ring, the martial soul system emerged, and they rose up to resist, beginning to hunt soul beasts incessantly!

But this was not the fault of humans or soul beasts; both sides were merely fighting for survival!

The only mistake was the will of the Douluo Planet!

The Dragon Horse Galaxy tempered bloodlines to grow stronger, and the Crimson Jade devoured external energy to grow stronger; one relied on itself, the other on aggression, yet only the Douluo Galaxy relied on infighting!

It was practically raising venomous insects!

In the long run, the powerhouses of the soul beast lineage would become fewer and fewer, and the same would go for human experts, because even a Limit Douluo only had a lifespan of three hundred years!

The only one to benefit in the end was the Douluo Planet itself, as the energy of all the strong returned entirely to the planet!

And it was precisely because Tang San had seen through all of this that he had placed his parents in the positions of Plane Masters!

"So, in the end, the final conclusion is... Tang San is the culprit! As long as I kill Tang San's parents and change this rule, everything will be fine?"