"..."
Before long, it was time for school to let out.
Wu Changkong's expression remained unchanged as he calmly watched the students leave one by one. Then he quietly turned around and looked toward Jiang Yan, falling into silence.
At that moment, Jiang Yan was chatting with Gu Yuena about something, and the two looked so cozy together. But Wu Changkong was having no such luck.
Rain was falling in his heart.
And this was no ordinary rain. It was the...
Rain of Despair!
The rain that fell when a student smashed his Battle Armor during a sparring match...
"Jiang Yan."
"You asked me to stay...?"
Wu Changkong paused for a moment, then walked over a few steps. Looking at the precocious boy, he felt a jumble of emotions and a faint sense of foreboding. He really didn't understand.
Since when had "Don't leave after class"...
Become something a student said to a teacher?
"Teacher Wu, I didn't mean to damage your Battle Armor during today's match. If you need help, you can visit the Blacksmith Association and look for Grandmaster Mang. He'll provide you with new materials."
"He's a friend of an elder in my family."
"He'll make sure everything is taken care of."
Jiang Yan looked at him with a smile.
As he spoke, he held out a business card. On it was a smiling middle-aged man: Mang Tian, once the top blacksmith in Aolai City and a sixth-level master.
Now, compared to the past, Mang Tian had gained a new identity: a renowned blacksmith recruited by the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda.
Three years ago, when Jiang Yan had come to Eastsea City, Uncle Li had already prepared suitable spiritual treasures for Mang Tian as a thank-you for his help.
Mang Tian had moved to Eastsea City around that time. Over the years, Zhen Hua had visited many times, and Mang Tian had benefited greatly from attending some of his public lectures. Becoming a Saint Craftsman wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.
But that was beside the point.
He had sought Mang Tian's help for no other reason than to handle the damage to Wu Changkong's Two-Word Battle Armor.
Perhaps hearing this would make Wu Changkong feel even worse.
But he still had to say it...
He really hadn't done it on purpose.
"This...?"
"So that's all it was."
Looking at the business card Jiang Yan had handed him and listening to what he'd said, Wu Changkong found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Yan with a more complicated expression. He'd never imagined that Jiang Yan's reason for asking him to stay was to discuss repairing his Battle Armor.
This kid...
Had actually put some thought into it.
"That's not all I wanted to say."
"One more thing, Teacher Wu. If we spar again..."
"I'll be more careful."
Jiang Yan smiled and continued, his expression turning serious.
He wasn't looking down on Wu Changkong. If anything, it was the opposite: he thought highly of him. After all, there weren't many people who could be his opponents. Wu Changkong was at the peak of Soul Emperor. He barely qualified.
Jiang Yan might not yet know where Wu Changkong's strongest burst of power lay, but he already knew exactly how much force his Battle Armor could withstand: one Flame Fist.
If Jiang Yan hit too hard...
Teacher Wu really would break.
He meant physically. With Wu Changkong's cultivation, which hadn't even reached Soul Saint, sparring with Jiang Yan really was dangerous.
"Teacher Wu, we won't keep you any longer."
"Goodbye."
With that, Jiang Yan made no move to linger. Smiling, he took Gu Yuena by the hand and turned to leave.
"..."
Wu Changkong said nothing, silently reflecting—
What, there'd be a next time?
After what Jiang Yan had put him through today, who could possibly think they'd ever spar a second time?
"This kid."
Watching Jiang Yan and Gu Yuena walk away, Wu Changkong could almost see Jiang Yan's confident smile lingering in his mind. He sighed.
He had talent, strength, and looks. What was more, when he did something inappropriate, he had a plan to make it right. Jiang Yan was unquestionably a man who knew how to solve problems.
The light Jiang Yan would shine in the future would surely tower above everyone else's!
"As for the Two-Word Battle Armor..."
Wu Changkong glanced at the business card Jiang Yan had given him and smiled, then casually put it into his Soul Tool.
He was simply outmatched.
Since he had lost, he should bear the consequences. He would find a way to deal with his Battle Armor himself.
"Eastsea City shouldn't be dangerous, anyway. Evil Soul Masters aren't likely to gather here."
"Mm!"
"I'll manage without Battle Armor."
Wu Changkong thought it over for a long while, but evidently couldn't come up with a solution. His secondary profession wasn't very advanced, and it had nothing to do with Battle Armor components.
He'd put it aside for now.
Eastsea City was peaceful most of the time, anyway.
It should be fine!
"Brother, I knew you were the best! So you asked Teacher Wu to stay just to help repair his Battle Armor."
On the way home, Gu Yuena had kept her attention on Jiang Yan. She smiled with pursed lips and murmured,
She'd known it. Her brother was the best.
"Teacher Wu isn't a bad person, and we'll be seeing him for a long time. I felt bad about damaging his Battle Armor right after meeting him."
Jiang Yan smiled and spoke frankly.
"Really?"
"Then why are you leaving it to someone else?"
Na'er looked at him and said quietly.
"Ahem, well... Having me personally forge it for him wouldn't be worth the effort."
Jiang Yan smiled and shook his head.
As the saying went, one thing at a time.
For him to personally forge something, even Zhen Hua would have to come over and teach him each time to make that happen. As for anyone else...
There was even less chance of that.
"Of course, if it were you, Na'er..."
"I'd definitely do it."
The next moment, he looked at Gu Yuena, who was deep in thought, and added with a soft laugh.
"Ehhh!"
Gu Yuena froze, her little face turning red.
"What does that have to do with me?"
She said it quietly, but there was no hiding the delight in her eyes.
"..."
"So you're saying you beat the Battle Armor to pieces on someone who was close to Soul Saint, and who'd graduated from Shrek Academy?"
Back at home.
At the dining table, Jiang Luochuan was so shocked when he learned what his grandson had done that he nearly couldn't speak.
A Two-Word Battle Armor Master.
And Jiang Yan had beaten him with one hand!
This wasn't some third-rate nobody. He wasn't weak—and, in truth, he was quite strong.
Even Jiang Luochuan, an old Soul Douluo with a chance of becoming a Titled Douluo, was no exception. In fact, even true Titled Douluo and Super Douluo experts often remained Three-Word Battle Armor Masters their entire lives.
The value of Two-Word Battle Armor was second only to Three-Word Battle Armor. And Jiang Yan had already reached that level, after all his unmatched talent.
At just nine years old!
He'd already come a long way toward completing the journey that took most people half a lifetime.
"..."
"Mm."
"Grandpa, is this really that shocking?"
Jiang Yan only smiled without saying much. Beside him, Gu Yuena looked doubtful.
Her brother...
Hadn't he always been this amazing?
"..."
"You two little rascals!"
"How could this not be shocking?"
Jiang Luochuan smiled helplessly as he looked at the two geniuses before him. He wanted to tell them that they'd understand once they'd faced some hardship in the future, but the words just wouldn't come.
He was thinking.
Whether it was Yan'er or Na'er, either one of them had the kind of talent that made it unlikely they'd ever suffer a setback. Besides, the two of them would never be apart.
Together, they'd be invincible.
In the future...
They'd only bring even greater astonishment to the Soul Master World!
"..."
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