A Surprise for Mang Tian!

Feng Wuyu's arrival meant that Lu Chuan had entered Shrek's field of vision after all.

As for mediocrities,

they turned them away at the door.

But for geniuses,

they thirsted for them,

all while remaining aloof,

even making things difficult for them at every turn!

Who would have thought

that the continent's foremost holy land for soul masters

had been founded with the purpose

of giving commoner soul masters a chance to rise?

After bidding Wu Zhangkong farewell,

Lu Chuan returned straight to his dormitory.

After washing up,

he checked the time and figured Mang Tian was most likely still awake.

So,

Lu Chuan picked up his Soul Guidance Communicator and called Mang Tian.

The call rang twice with a "beep—beep—"

before being answered almost instantly.

Mang Tian's trademark gruff voice came from the other end,

mixed with the clanging of metal and the howl of bellows in the background.

He was clearly pulling another all-nighter to rush an order.

"Hey, kid, what made you call me? Don't tell me you got yourself into trouble out there?"

Mang Tian joked with a laugh.

Lu Chuan grinned.

"Teacher, what are you saying? Can't I call because I miss you?"

"Cut the act!"

Mang Tian snorted.

The hammer in his hand seemed to pause for a moment.

"If you really missed me, couldn't you just come back and see me? Go on, what is it?"

"It's really nothing else."

Lu Chuan put away some of his usual flippancy.

His voice turned more serious.

"I just wanted to ask if you're free tomorrow. I've got a real treasure here. I guarantee you won't be able to walk away once you see it."

"A real treasure?"

Mang Tian sounded suspicious.

"Did the association make some special exception and give you rare metals—"

"Not rare metals." Lu Chuan lowered his voice as though sharing a secret.

"Then what is it?" Mang Tian lowered his voice as well.

The master and disciple spoke through the communicator

like street-corner spies.

Lu Chuan kept him in suspense, but his tone was utterly confident.

"You'll know when you get here. I guarantee... you definitely won't be disappointed!"

At that,

Mang Tian's curiosity was instantly piqued.

As Lu Chuan's master,

he understood him well.

Ordinary things simply could not catch Lu Chuan's eye.

"So mysterious... Fine. I'll come over Saturday morning. If you're fooling me, I'll break your legs!"

Mang Tian pretended to threaten him.

But Lu Chuan's lips curled upward beyond his control.

As Mang Tian's disciple,

he knew the fish had taken the bait.

"Don't worry, you'll know when you get here!"

After ending the call,

Lu Chuan lowered his head and looked at the jade box on the table.

Inside lay a tiny herb, white from stem to leaf, its leaves as thin as silver needles.

It had neither roots nor soil,

yet it gave off a faint fragrance.

A soft glow seemed to flow between its leaves,

as though life itself were breathing within.

It was the Soul Cleansing Grass!

Bi Ji had given it to him when she came to stand guard during the day.

The moment he got the spiritual herb,

Lu Chuan had wanted to call Mang Tian.

But he had tested Xiao Wuyue's second soul skill with her,

then Wu Zhangkong had invited him to the seaside that evening.

That was why it had been delayed until now.

The next morning,

before dawn had fully broken,

while the sea mist outside Eastsea City had yet to disperse,

Mang Tian arrived at the gates of Eastsea Academy.

He had deliberately changed into clean work clothes that day.

He had even shaved his beard clean.

But the weariness between his brows could not be concealed.

He had barely slept at all the night before.

Half because of orders,

and half because of anticipation.

"Hello, I'm here to see Lu Chuan?"

Mang Tian greeted the guard with a smile.

Since it was the weekend,

the students were all on break.

So the academy mascot,

the old gatekeeper,

made his limited-time return.

After a brief exchange,

Mang Tian entered the academy.

As he looked at the teaching buildings rising one after another in the distance,

a complicated feeling inexplicably welled up within him.

If the spring breeze took pity on flowers, could it grant me youth once more?

Perhaps that was his state of mind at that moment.

Strolling through the campus,

looking at the lush trees lining both sides of the paths,

was sometimes a different kind of pleasure.

When he pushed open the door to Lu Chuan's dormitory,

the young man was sitting by the window.

On the table before him

sat an ancient jade box.

"Teacher, you really came early." Lu Chuan stood with a smile.

"Heh, how could I not? I didn't sleep a wink last night."

"Enough nonsense! Where's this great treasure?"

Mang Tian strode to the table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup, and drained it in one gulp.

"Far away in the sky, right before your eyes!"

Lu Chuan smiled and glanced at the jade box on the table.

Seeing this, Mang Tian's gaze immediately fell on the jade box.

He examined it, but found nothing special about it.

"This is the 'great treasure' you were talking about? It doesn't look like anything special."

"Really? Why don't you take another good look?"

A smile played at the corners of Lu Chuan's lips as he gently lifted the lid.

A wisp of crisp fragrance instantly spread through the room.

It was not the scent of flowers,

nor was it the scent of medicine.

It was a fresh scent, like the clearing sky after rain, like all things beginning to grow.

"This is... Soul Cleansing Grass!"

Mang Tian's pupils abruptly contracted.

For a moment,

he even suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him!

But he rubbed his eyes,

and when he looked at the jade box again,

the Soul Cleansing Grass still lay quietly within.

It was real!

"Where did you get this?!"

Mang Tian held his breath and stared at Lu Chuan in disbelief.

Even his normally mountain-steady body could not stop trembling at that moment.

It was as though the very ground beneath his feet

trembled

at the appearance of this tiny herb.

Lu Chuan smiled. "Secret. You only need to remember that it's for you!"

"For me?"

Mang Tian went blank.

The shock in his eyes gradually turned vacant.

It was as though his soul had been pulled from his body.

He stared blankly at the jade box.

All the noise around him faded away,

leaving only the faint glow flowing over that little herb,

reflected deep within his pupils.

He stretched out a trembling hand.

That hand had once held Qian Jun's massive warhammer without the slightest tremor,

yet now it could not seem to judge the distance properly.

It hovered in midair several times, unable to descend.

"It really is for me?"

Mang Tian asked again.

He seemed as though he were still trapped in a dream.

Seeing this, Lu Chuan could not help but laugh. "Of course it's real, Teacher. Would I lie to you?"

Only after hearing Lu Chuan's certain tone

did Mang Tian finally believe he was not dreaming.

He looked at the gleaming white blades of grass.

The flowing halo reflected in his eyes,

as though he had seen the nightmare that had plagued him for decades.

Without enough Soul Power, one could not undergo Soul Forging, and for the rest of one's life could only gaze up at the threshold of a Saint Craftsman.

"Bastard..."

A low growl rumbled from Mang Tian's throat.

It was unclear whether he was cursing Lu Chuan for acting recklessly,

or cursing himself for wavering at this moment.

His eyes instantly reddened.

"Do you know how much this thing is worth out there?

It's a priceless treasure you couldn't buy even if you emptied your fortune!

What's the difference between giving it to me and wasting it?

Use it yourself! I won't take it! I don't need it!"

As though unable to bear the humiliation, Mang Tian finally pushed the jade box back in front of Lu Chuan.

Right after that,

he said nothing more,

rose to leave,

but

how could Lu Chuan possibly let Mang Tian go?

He grabbed Mang Tian's wrist and said earnestly,

"Teacher, please accept it! Yes, Soul Cleansing Grass is extremely valuable. But to me, you are more important than it! You once taught me that on the path of forging, to craft something of worth, one must first temper oneself."

"I believe I should be someone who repays kindness, so when I have the ability to do so, repaying you for teaching me is the right thing."

"If I know full well about your regret, Teacher, yet turn a blind eye to it—if I have spiritual grass that could help you, yet hide it away in secret—would I still be myself?"

"If I lose myself, Teacher, do you think this hammer of mine could still forge metal with spirit? Could I still reach the highest realm of forging—creating life?

"By then, wouldn't all I forge be nothing more than cold lumps of iron?"

"Not to mention the heart of a craftsman, let alone reaching the pinnacle of forging and becoming a Godsmith!"

"And most importantly, you know it—I'm a genius!"

Lu Chuan's final emphasis

almost instantly swept away all of Mang Tian's hesitation.

A nine-year-old Soul Elder,

a nine-year-old level-six blacksmith—

did such a monster need him to worry?

"That's right, this kid's a genius. What am I worried about?"

Mang Tian sighed inwardly.

He slowly closed his eyes,

and when he opened them again,

most of the murkiness in his gaze had vanished,

replaced by a terrifyingly sharp gleam.

"Fine."

He stopped refusing, snatched up the jade box, and moved so quickly that he stirred up a gust of wind.

"Since you dare to give it, I dare to take it!"

"When I break through to Soul King, I'll definitely become a Saint Craftsman and show you, brat! I'll make sure you have a Saint Craftsman for a teacher to back you up!"