Rejection

Unlike Feng Wuyu, who was delighted,

Lu Chuan's eyes were terrifyingly cold at that moment!

He slowly rose to his feet,

and the aura around him suddenly sank.

Even the Soul Power fluctuations permeating the air froze for a moment.

"Who allowed you to barge in?"

Lu Chuan's voice was not loud,

yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness!

Feeling Lu Chuan's aura,

Feng Wuyu's blazing eyes immediately grew even hotter.

He studied Lu Chuan as if looking at a treasure,

drool nearly dripping from his mouth.

"Don't panic, little fellow. This old man is not a bad person.

I am the record holder for the youngest Saint Craftsman on the continent, the record holder for the youngest level-eight Saint Craftsman on the continent, the president of Shrek Academy's Blacksmith Association, the Blazing Dragon Douluo—Feng Wuyu!

I came here not to bring you trouble, but to discuss a stroke of fortune with you!"

Feng Wuyu believed this was an exceptionally beautiful self-introduction, one that would make Lu Chuan weep and beg to become his disciple.

After speaking,

he even gave a light cough

and smoothed his flowing red hair.

However,

Lu Chuan did not even give him a proper look.

He merely swept his gaze over him,

then said coldly,

"I don't know you. Please leave!"

"Besides, I have no need to discuss any stroke of fortune with someone who has no manners and breaks into others' homes."

Feng Wuyu froze upon hearing this. He had never expected Lu Chuan not even to let him finish speaking.

"Hey, brat, are you sure you want to give up the chance to become the personal disciple of a level-eight Saint Craftsman and a Title Douluo?!"

Lu Chuan chuckled and answered without hesitation, "I'm sure!"

That firm, decisive tone

made Feng Wuyu feel as though a ball of fire were burning in his chest.

He took a deep breath

and consoled himself that geniuses all had tempers before saying again,

"This old man personally invited you, and you won't give me even a shred of face?"

After hearing that,

the corner of Lu Chuan's mouth curled in the faintest hint of mockery.

He then turned around

and continued attending to Tang Wuyue's cultivation state.

When dealing with someone as brainless as Feng Wuyu,

he felt that saying even one more word was unnecessary.

Although,

in the original work,

the old man had an excellent reputation,

what did that matter?

The Golden Ancient Tree

was something he had to destroy!

Therefore,

he and Shrek Academy had long since stood on opposing sides.

Since that was the case,

why should he be polite?

Yet how could Feng Wuyu possibly know any of that?

Faced with such a cold reception,

the old man was truly enraged.

He took a step forward,

and fiery Soul Power erupted around him.

The air twisted and steamed,

and even the specially made floor of the training ground was baked until it glowed a dark red.

"Brat! Do you know how many people beg me to accept them as disciples, yet can't even touch my threshold?!"

Lu Chuan turned back at those words, his gaze as cold as ten-thousand-year black ice.

"Then go find those 'many people.'"

"I am not one of them."

Feng Wuyu was about to explode with rage. Pointing at Lu Chuan's nose, he cursed,

"You little bastard! I've said all the nice things I could, and you really think I can't do without you?!"

He violently flung his sleeve,

turned around, and left.

He strode out of the training ground,

his footsteps making the corridor boom and shake all the way,

like a Fire Dragon Beast whose tail had been stepped on.

When Wu Zhangkong saw Feng Wuyu leave,

she secretly

let out a long sigh of relief.

But the next second,

Lu Chuan's cold voice reached her ears.

"Teacher Wu, put yourself in my shoes. I think you wouldn't want to be disturbed while cultivating either, would you?"

Half an hour later,

on a secluded terrace somewhere within Eastsea Academy,

Feng Wuyu was gulping down a bottle of strong liquor.

The smell of alcohol mingled with his fire-attributed Soul Power,

wilting the surrounding flowers and grass until they curled up limply.

Thinking back on what had happened that day,

Feng Wuyu felt more stifled and miserable the more he thought about it!

He, Feng Wuyu, had dominated the blacksmithing world for decades. When had he ever suffered such a rejection?!

But unfortunately...

the person he had encountered was a freak genius unseen in a century across the entire continent!!

But wasn't he himself also a freak genius unseen in a century?

"Damn... this little brat?"

Feng Wuyu smashed the bottle heavily to the ground,

cursed aloud,

and his slightly drunken eyes suddenly became exceptionally determined.

"I'm determined to take him as my disciple!"

He abruptly stood up

and strode toward Wu Zhangkong's residence.

Since force would not work... he would try another method.

After being berated by Lu Chuan during the day,

Feng Wuyu was much more proper when he knocked on the door this time.

Although every knock still sounded like he was smashing the door down,

at least he was knocking.

The moment Wu Zhangkong opened the door,

she saw Feng Wuyu's face piled high with a fake smile,

and immediately felt an ominous premonition!

"Zhangkong~"

Feng Wuyu lowered his voice, which only made him sound even more frightening.

"Could you do me a favor?"

Before Wu Zhangkong could refuse,

he leaned close

and lowered his voice.

"Go persuade that kid for me."

Wu Zhangkong's expression immediately turned cold at those words.

"Elder Feng, I already helped you during the day! Lu Chuan doesn't want to take you as his master, and there's nothing I can do about it!"

"Then help me one more time! Just once!" Feng Wuyu pleaded cutely.

A rough man acting cute

made Wu Zhangkong feel as though she were about to go blind.

She sighed helplessly.

"Elder Feng, I won't make things difficult for my student."

Feng Wuyu chuckled, but a trace of cunning flashed through his eyes.

"I know. Neither will I."

"So I can only make things difficult for you."

"You have to help me!"

"Otherwise, I'll write to Zhuo Shi and tell him you're here."

Wu Zhangkong's expression instantly stiffened.

What she feared most

was facing her teacher, Zhuo Shi.

Back then, she had left without saying goodbye

and betrayed his painstaking efforts in nurturing her.

If they met again now,

she did not even have the courage to raise her head and look him in the eye.

Feng Wuyu understood her too well.

That strike hit directly at her weak spot.

"You..."

Wu Zhangkong's chest rose and fell,

her fingertips trembling slightly.

In her heart, she cursed Feng Wuyu's ancestors for eighteen generations.

She did not want to help,

but she had no other choice.

"Just this last time!"

"Fine!"

The night grew deeper.

Lu Chuan had just finished cultivating

and was preparing to leave

when he saw Wu Zhangkong standing at the entrance to the cultivation room with a complicated expression.

"Lu Chuan, can we talk?" Wu Zhangkong's voice was somewhat awkward.

It was the first time Lu Chuan had seen her display such a demure, womanly manner.

After hesitating for a moment,

he ultimately nodded and agreed.

After all, it was an invitation from Eastsea Academy's number one goddess!

After putting his things down,

Lu Chuan followed Wu Zhangkong.

The two walked along a quiet path,

They walked all the way to the academy's highest observatory before stopping.

The distant sound of the tides drifted over faintly.

It already had a bit of a date-like atmosphere.

But when Lu Chuan thought of the topic to come, his head began to ache.

"Teacher Wu, if I'm not mistaken, you want to persuade me to take Feng Wuyu as my master, right?"

Lu Chuan asked.

Wu Zhangkong shook her head.

"No, I don't. In fact, I'd rather have you take my teacher, Red Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi, as your master."

"But Feng Wuyu forced me to recite this little speech. Just listen to it."

With that, Wu Zhangkong began to perform with complete sincerity.

"Lu Chuan, ... is one of the continent's foremost eighth-rank Saint Craftsmen."

"If he is willing to teach you everything he knows, you will surely become a grandmaster in forging."

"I know you dislike being constrained, but an opportunity like this will never come again once missed."

Her voice sounded utterly genuine.

It was Lu Chuan's first time seeing this side of Wu Zhangkong.

"Teacher Wu, if you became an actress, you'd definitely be a huge star."

Wu Zhangkong froze. "What is an actress? And what is a star?"

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chuan explained,

"An actress is a profession. Other people write stories, and actors perform them. A star is someone with superb acting skills who is known by every household."

"Known by every household? That impressive?"

"Of course. In the future, I'll write a script for you to perform. I've got so many stories in my head..."

As the teacher and student talked, they gradually drifted off topic.

Meanwhile, in the shadows some distance away,

Feng Wuyu leaned against a wall,

clutching the letter he had already written,

remaining still for a long while.

There was only one line on the paper:

"Zhuo Shi, your disobedient disciple is with me."

He stared at that line for a long time,

then suddenly cursed under his breath,

crumpled the letter into a ball, and tossed it into the sea.

"Forget it..."

"The disciple I insist on taking—could I really force him to death?"

"Little Monster..."

"We'll take it slow."