As soon as Yin Hongye left the mall, he received a call from Mu Ye, the Body Sect's leader.
"Hongye, are you there?"
"What is it?"
"I'm going to the East Sea to look for some ingredients. Could you protect the Divine Craftsman for a while?"
"That's all...?"
Yin Hongye had thought it was something serious he didn't know about. Turns out Mu Ye was just going away for a while.
He spoke again. "So that means I won't be able to come mooch meals off you for a long time."
"Wait, the part you care about is not being able to eat my cooking?"
"Isn't that the important part?"
"Fine, I'll bring you back a couple more Silver Ribbons."
"Now that's more like it."
The two chatted with easy familiarity, without the slightest hint of estrangement. After putting away the Communication Soul Tool, Yin Hongye noticed Qian Renxue's expression.
"What's that?"
"It's a Communication Soul Tool. In terms you'll understand, it lets you talk to someone a thousand miles away."
"How does this Soul Tool work?"
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it. I'll find you some children's books later."
"Why children's books?!"
"You're not from this era. You know everything around you is made with Soul Tools, but are you really used to it?"
Qian Renxue paused, then looked around, realizing she couldn't understand any of it.
"I'll put it in terms you do understand. Your era had some Soul Tools too. You know a Soul Guidance Lamp can give off light. In my understanding, it's because Soul Power flows through a specific Soul Guidance Array that the lamp lights up."
"I think I understand."
Qian Renxue nodded, then suddenly asked, "What's a Divine Craftsman, like you just mentioned?"
"The pinnacle of this era's blacksmiths. A blacksmith who forges Heavenforged Metal. That metal has to withstand heavenly lightning. Only after surviving the tribulation can it be called Heavenforged Metal."
Yin Hongye did his best to explain it in terms Qian Renxue could understand.
But to someone from twenty thousand years ago, those words were a tremendous shock. Lou Gao, especially, was genuinely curious about metal tempered by heavenly lightning.
He had spent his whole life smithing, yet never once had he encountered metal that needed to survive a lightning tribulation.
Lou Gao gazed out the window at the sky, setting aside all his work. His interest was now at its peak.
The Soul Guidance Technology had already astonished him enough.
But the pinnacle of smiths from that era made him even more curious. If he could learn even a little of it, he could leap beyond this age.
"He's going to protect the Divine Craftsman. Maybe I'll get to witness the smithing techniques of that era. Even if I see them just once, it'll be enough for the rest of my life."
Tang Hao alone was unimpressed. Smithing? So what if it was twenty thousand years later? No one could surpass him.
Not even the other Divine Craftsmen who were his equals in smithing.
"Smithing—no matter how good you are, can it really compare to a Titled Douluo?"
At that moment, the scene on the Heavenly Screen shifted once more.
The Soul Guidance Vehicle left the city lights behind and followed a private road lined with meticulously pruned plane trees.
Branches overlapped above the car, forming a canopy. Streetlights seeped through the gaps, sweeping across the windshield in stripes. The road stretched on and on, as if it meant to leave the entire city behind.
Suddenly, the shadows of the trees fell away, and the view opened up.
This was Gu Yue Manor.
The main house had gray-white stone walls and three stories, its symmetrical wings adorned with intricate old-world patterns. The lawn was trimmed to perfection. At its center stood a round fountain, its streams of water glowing amber beneath the night lights.
In the distance, a grove and one corner of a greenhouse were just visible. Farther in, the surface of a lake seemed to catch the light.
The wrought-iron gates slid open silently, and the wheels crunched over the gravel in a steady rhythm.
Qian Renxue sat in the passenger seat. "You live here?"
"No. What, you think I'm poor? In the Federation, I can't even borrow a hair's worth on my credit. I'm tens of trillions in debt. I'm lucky to have a place to stay."
"Wait, you're a Titled Douluo. Do you really have to live like this?"
"There are plenty of Titled Douluo in this era. And I spend a lot. Everything else is necessary for fighting."
"Somehow I feel sorry for you now! With talent like yours, you're still not appreciated. Back in my era..."
Yin Hongye cut Qian Renxue off. "The Federation treats me well enough. At least they wiped the slate clean for the things I did before."
"What things?" Qian Renxue asked curiously, wondering just how much trouble a person could cause.
"First, I tested a Soul Skill and nearly got half the people in Shrek City killed. Then I tested a Soul Tool and almost leveled the Tang Sect's headquarters in Heaven Dou City. After that, I went straight to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters and killed Pagoda Master Li, one of their Eighteen Heavenly Pillars."
"What kind of standing do those powers have in the Federation?"
"They each control a third of the world. The Federation can't keep all three in check if they join forces."
Qian Renxue now had some idea how much pressure the Federation was under. And they still let him get away with all that? He was one tough bastard.
"Anything else?"
"That's the smallest thing I've ever done. I accidentally killed someone."
Qian Renxue thought that really did sound minor. She simply asked, "Did that person have family?"
"Yes!"
"Did his family forgive you?"
"They even thought I did the right thing!" Yin Hongye answered without hesitation. After all, it was him. How could he have done anything wrong? Old Li deserved to die!
"It's amazing you're still alive," Qian Renxue remarked. She felt that Red Lotus Douluo wasn't just lucky to have survived.
He looked like he could easily live another thousand years.
Soon, the vehicle pulled into a garage beside the main house. The motion-sensor lights came on one by one, revealing a row of Soul Guidance Vehicles whose names she didn't know.
Some had sharp, sleek lines; others were solid and imposing. Every one of them was polished to a shine, like a beast lying in wait.
Yin Hongye pushed open the car door, and Qian Renxue followed behind him. Her high heels clicked softly against the gravel.
The front door opened soundlessly, and the lights in the entryway switched on automatically.
A blast of cool air carrying a faint woody scent greeted them.
The scent was clean, and there were only two or three servants and a butler in the house.
"Your room is upstairs." Yin Hongye called to the butler. "Show her up. Just don't disturb me."
"Should I prepare the usual, young master?" the butler asked.
"The usual. That room will do. Oh, and give her some beginner's books on Soul Tools."
Hearing Yin Hongye, Qian Renxue couldn't help asking, "Do girls come to your house often?"
"Can you blame me? They keep sending women over for no reason. Those people act like they've never seen a man before."
Yin Hongye was exasperated. He really disliked Chen Xinjie and Yu Guanzhi's arrangements. More than anything, what kind of trash were they even finding?
None of them were good enough for someone as outstanding as him. Clearly, he was just too outstanding.
"You don't like them?" Qian Renxue asked, wanting to learn more about Yin Hongye's temperament.
"I don't like people bothering me, especially people who don't respect boundaries."
Yin Hongye's voice turned icy as he spoke. He didn't like anyone invading his private space.
He liked even less what he couldn't control.
Like when he was a child and watched his mother die with his own eyes.
Watching, helpless to do anything.
And the one who killed his mother was that person...
"Tomorrow, come with me to meet the Divine Craftsman. You can learn about this era too, especially smithing. It's the foundation of the highest technological achievements of this age."
Yin Hongye's voice was calm. He knew Qian Renxue would leave sooner or later. Though she was foolish, dumb, and stupid, it wouldn't hurt to learn a little more.
And even if she couldn't leave, he'd send her on her way himself.
Before you continue