Undercurrents Stirring

Aolai City, the usually peaceful, leisurely little city on the East Sea, seemed to have been struck by a depth charge after Tang Wulin's earth-shattering hammer blow. The surface remained calm, but beneath it, undercurrents were surging.

The first group to be stirred was the blacksmiths. In next to no time, the images and data of the Soul-Forged Heavy Silver left at the Mang Tian Memorial Hall had been spread through various channels by those who were present. One-hammer Soul Forging! It was a miracle that overturned every blacksmith's understanding! The naturally formed golden patterns flowing through the metal like veins, and the faint yet unmistakable pressure it emanated, all proclaimed the smith's peerless skill and mastery of the material's essence—almost as if he had "created" it.

"A Divine Blacksmith! This is absolutely the work of a Divine Blacksmith!"

"How could Aolai City possibly be hiding a Divine Blacksmith? Could it be some senior who's been living in seclusion?"

"Those patterns... I've never seen them in any records. And that pressure—I felt like my soul was trembling!"

Amazement, fervor, and disbelief quickly spread through the blacksmithing community. Countless low- and mid-ranked blacksmiths flocked to Aolai City from every direction, like pilgrims making a holy pilgrimage. They gathered outside the Mang Tian Memorial Hall just to glimpse the legendary metal. They surrounded the Heavy Silver, now under tight security, observing, recording, and discussing it in a trance, hoping to glean even the slightest hint of a Divine Blacksmith's insight. Some even began asking around the city, hoping to find a trace of the mysterious master smith.

The news could not be contained. Before long, the commotion caught the attention of those at a higher level.

Ten thousand years had passed, yet Divine Blacksmiths remained the rarest and most revered figures on Douluo Star. The significance of a Divine Blacksmith went far beyond forging a few powerful weapons. As humanity advanced toward the stars and greater Soul Guidance Technology, Divine Blacksmiths were essential to building the keels of powerful outer-space battleships, crafting top-tier Soul Guidance cores, and completing the final fusion of God Rank mechas and four-word Battle Armor! Any faction with a Divine Blacksmith held an absolute advantage in the coming struggle for resources and influence among the stars. Even the Federation still lacked top-tier combat power for its outward expansion.

At present, no more than a handful of peak powerhouses across the entire Federation could perfectly fuse God Rank mechas with four-word Battle Armor and wield power capable of laying waste to heaven and earth. Each was a cornerstone of the nation. Without exception, their equipment had either been crafted by one of the few surviving Divine Blacksmiths of the era or was closely connected to their legacy.

A piece of Soul-Forged Metal imbued with an unknown dragon might and crafted with peerless skill, carrying even a hint of a Divine Blacksmith's aura, had suddenly appeared in a remote little city. The implications were enough to move any major power.

Among the blacksmiths drawn by the news, however, there were soon a few figures with obscure auras and discreet movements. They might wear ordinary clothes, but their sharp gazes, steady bearing, and occasional displays of powerful Soul Power made it clear they were no ordinary Soul Masters or blacksmiths. They were spies and experts sent by various factions to confirm whether the Divine Blacksmith was real and recruit him if possible. At the very least, they wanted to learn the origins of the skills represented by that piece of metal.

For a time, the small city of Aolai became a gathering place for powerful forces, with undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.

This sudden surge of undercurrents naturally drew the attention of the true authority behind Aolai City—the woman who had silently protected the powerful figure living in Tang Wulin's former home. Standing at the office window, she watched the growing number of strangers in the city whose auras were far from ordinary, her brows drawn together.

"What on earth is going on? When did Aolai City become so appealing that it could attract this many hidden experts?" Doubt and wariness filled her. This little city, peaceful for far too long, seemed to be getting swept into an unknown whirlpool.

Before long, her subordinates brought her a top-secret report and a piece of metal sealed inside a special force field. The moment the dark-silver Heavy Silver appeared before her, its golden patterns flowing and a faint dragon might radiating from it, she shuddered violently!

An indescribable familiarity, mixed with an unfamiliar pressure that seemed to come from a higher level of life, assailed her senses. This metal... she seemed to have felt a similar aura somewhere before, yet this was utterly different—purer, nobler, and even more... unnerving.

She immediately retrieved the Soul Guidance surveillance footage from the Mang Tian Memorial Hall that day. In the recording, the black-haired, black-eyed young man with an unremarkable face moved and raised his hammer with an air that seemed to merge with the laws of heaven and earth. It made him feel unfathomable. The woman beside him, equally disguised and possessing a cool, aloof bearing, was no ordinary person either.

"Investigate! Use every resource at your disposal to find out who these two are!" she ordered gravely, her expression solemn. Her instincts told her that the arrival of these two and the upheaval caused by that piece of metal could not be a coincidence. Yet no matter how much she racked her memory or searched the databases, she could not match either face to any known expert or faction. They seemed to have appeared from thin air, then vanished just as suddenly.

While the outside world was thrown into turmoil over a piece of Soul-Forged Metal, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena, at the center of the storm, were enjoying the last quiet moment before the tempest in their little home filled with memories.

Their divine senses were immensely powerful. The sudden appearance of those "uninvited guests" in Aolai City and the probing thoughts they carried, each with their own agenda, shone as clearly as lanterns in the night.

"Looks like the metal I left behind has brought us no small amount of trouble." Tang Wulin stood by the window, his gaze seeming to pierce the walls and reach the figures hidden among the crowds in the distance. His tone was calm, with a trace of helplessness.

Gu Yuena sat on the edge of the bed, gently combing her long silver hair. Her violet eyes were undisturbed. "They're nothing but ants. If this were before..." She left the sentence unfinished, but the aloof authority of the Silver Dragon King slipped out all the same. With their current strength, sweeping aside every visitor in Aolai City would be no difficult feat, even without using their full power.

Tang Wulin returned to her side, took her hand, and shook his head. "We're here to recover our memories, not to stir up a bloody storm. The more we get entangled and expose ourselves, the more trouble we'll bring, and it'll interfere with our journey."

He paused, a trace of remembrance in his eyes. "Besides, this is Aolai City. It's our home. I don't want to bring a fight here."

Gu Yuena felt the warmth of his palm and the fondness for this place in his words. The coldness in her eyes quietly melted away, and she nodded. "Mm. I'll listen to you."

Strength could crush an opponent, but wisdom lay in knowing what to choose. They chose the simplest way, and the one least likely to affect this little city: leaving.

That night, the two of them embraced and fell asleep on the old bed that held countless memories, paying no mind to the turmoil brewing in the shadows outside. To them, it was little more than a farcical interlude.

Early the next morning, while the sky was still dim, they disguised themselves once more and quietly left home like the most ordinary travelers. They made their way to Aolai City's Soul Guidance Train station.

Tang Wulin bought two tickets for the premium carriage bound for Eastsea City. The premium carriage offered privacy and attentive service, minimizing their contact with the outside world.

Sitting in the comfortable, spacious waiting room, Gu Yuena looked at the words "Eastsea City" on the tickets. A complicated, hard-to-read emotion surfaced in her violet eyes. According to the information Di Tian had given her and the fragments of memories beginning to return, after leaving Aolai City back then, she had split into two people. Her main personality had gone to Eastsea Academy. She had chosen it as a way to get close to Tang Wulin, who was still studying there at the time.

There, more of their youthful encounters were buried. It was where the story of "Gu Yue" and "Tang Wulin" had continued.

"Let's go," Gu Yuena said, taking his hand. Tang Wulin picked up their modest luggage.

"To Eastsea City, to see the place where we used to study."

The train pulled away slowly, then gathered speed, leaving the little city, now growing restless, far behind.

The scenery outside rushed backward. Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena leaned against the soft seats, their fingers still tightly entwined.

Aolai City's commotion and undercurrents had been shut out, but they both knew the ripples stirred up by that piece of Soul-Forged Metal would not simply die away. It was like a stone dropped into the center of a lake; its ripples were spreading farther and farther, sure to stir deeper currents.

Ahead of them lay Eastsea City, a much larger stage. Waiting there were clearer traces of the past—and, inevitably, a direct encounter with the world as it was now.

Their journey in search of their memories had left Aolai City, its warm starting point, and was now carrying them toward a much wider world.