My Little Brother Becomes One of the Original Story's Ridiculous Characters? No Way!

[Mommy gave me this Stellaron, meow~]

"What? You're saying this Stellaron needs to stay dormant for at least another three years?"

After Chen Xing got home,

he had AI Pom-Pom examine the Stellaron.

The result: it would remain dormant for three years.

[That's right, Pom! The Stellaron was already dormant and should have been ready to use within a year. But you awakened it by force of will ahead of schedule. Once activated, it powered your Starfarer, causing massive energy consumption.]

"I see."

Pom-Pom's explanation cleared things up for Chen Xing.

The Stellaron was running low on power, so it had gone to recharge.

So be it.

A Stellaron needed time to recharge. Rush it, and there'd be no power at all.

If that was how it worked, he would wait patiently.

For the next few years, he probably wouldn't be able to use the Stellaron to summon the Starfarer and its overwhelming firepower into battle.

But Chen Xing had no regrets.

He had done it to protect someone he wanted to protect.

Besides, even without the full-fledged Starfarer, he could still use the junior version.

The junior Starfarer was the one he had created earlier with Illusory Creation—the one Di Tian had beaten black and blue.

It wasn't especially powerful. Its grade was only that of a Black-rank Mecha.

Only a Black-rank Mecha?

It wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but it would do.

And if he had the bad luck to run into a truly troublesome enemy...

Well, he had two—no, three powerhouses looking out for him.

Two were Mu Ye and Zhen Hua.

The third?

His little sister, Na'er!

Even setting aside the portion of the Silver Dragon King's power she had already regained,

with her identity, she needed only to call out, and the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest would come rushing to her defense.

At that thought, Chen Xing's lips curved slightly. A secret thrill rose in his heart.

Maybe leaning on someone else's strength now and then isn't so bad?

Three years later.

At the entrance to the Blacksmiths Association in Heaven Dou City,

Chen Xing leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky.

According to Tang Wulin's letter, the kid was supposed to arrive that morning.

But it was almost noon, and there was still no sign of him.

"Don't tell me he stopped to eat again."

Chen Xing muttered under his breath.

He knew his little brother too well.

Tang Wulin's appetite had never been normal, not since he was a child.

Just then, rapid footsteps sounded from around the corner.

Chen Xing looked over and saw a boy running toward him.

The wind had tousled his short blue-black hair. He carried a bulging parcel, and there were a few grease stains on his school uniform.

It was Tang Wulin.

"Bro!"

Tang Wulin called out from afar.

"What took you so long?" Chen Xing looked him up and down. "Didn't your letter say you'd be here this morning?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well... I saw a newly opened steamed-bun shop on the way and couldn't resist..."

Chen Xing's mouth twitched.

He knew it.

"How many did you eat?"

"Just... a hundred?"

Chen Xing's mouth twitched again.

A hundred, and that's "just"?

When Tang Wulin saw that he wasn't saying anything, he hurriedly added:

"I didn't eat them all at once! I split them into three sittings!"

Did that make a difference?

Chen Xing patted his shoulder. "All right, come on in. The two teachers have been waiting for you."

Tang Wulin froze. "Two teachers?"

Inside the hall, Zhen Hua and Mu Ye sat in the seats of honor, drinking tea.

Zhen Hua held his teacup, his face expressionless.

Mu Ye sat with one leg crossed over the other, watching the doorway with open curiosity.

When Chen Xing came in with a boy, Mu Ye's eyes lit up.

"Here they are!"

He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, sweeping his gaze over Tang Wulin several times.

Zhen Hua set down his teacup and looked over with a steady gaze.

Under the scrutiny of these two big shots, Tang Wulin felt his scalp prickle.

He instinctively edged behind Chen Xing.

"Bro..."

Chen Xing glanced back at him and lowered his voice:

"Don't lose your nerve. Show them the same confidence you had during your graduation assessment at Eastsea Academy."

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and straightened his back.

Chen Xing turned to Zhen Hua and Mu Ye. "Teachers, I've brought him."

He stepped aside to let Tang Wulin stand in front.

"This is my little brother, Tang Wulin. He just graduated from Eastsea Academy, and his Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."

Mu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Blue Silver Grass?"

Tang Wulin nodded and raised a hand to summon his Martial Soul.

A stalk of Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm.

But on closer inspection, faint golden patterns could be seen on its leaves.

Mu Ye's gaze locked onto them.

He studied the patterns for a long while, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Kid, what's with those golden markings on your Martial Soul?"

Mu Ye spoke suddenly, curiosity in his voice.

Tang Wulin tensed and instinctively looked at Chen Xing.

Chen Xing's expression did not change. He merely gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Tang Wulin caught on at once. Scratching his head, he put on a puzzled look.

"I'm not too sure either. They seemed to appear after my Martial Soul mutated, but I still don't know exactly why."

Mu Ye narrowed his eyes and studied it for a few more seconds. He clicked his tongue but pressed no further.

Martial Soul mutations were rare, after all, but they weren't unheard of.

Zhen Hua, however, paid little attention to the golden markings. Something else had caught his interest.

"Kid," Zhen Hua said, "Little Chen told me you've studied Forging?"

Tang Wulin paused. "For a few years. I learned from Master Mang Tian."

Zhen Hua nodded, took a metal ingot from his wristband, and casually tossed it over.

"Catch."

Tang Wulin reached out on instinct and caught it.

The ingot was as big as a fist and weighed at least several dozen pounds.

Yet Tang Wulin's hand did not so much as tremble.

Zhen Hua's eyes lit up.

Mu Ye noticed it too. His gaze shifted from the golden markings to Tang Wulin's arm.

"Born with extraordinary strength?" Mu Ye asked.

Tang Wulin scratched his head sheepishly.

"I guess... a little."

Mu Ye and Zhen Hua exchanged a glance.

Each saw the same thought in the other's eyes.

Another uncut gem!

Standing to one side, Chen Xing took in both teachers' reactions.

He wasn't surprised that Tang Wulin had impressed them.

After all, both of them had taught Tang Wulin in the original story too.

This time, they had simply noticed him a little earlier.

Over the past few years, Chen Xing had put considerable effort into setting this up.

He had severed Tang Wulin's Master-Disciple Relationship with Wu Zhangkong and prevented him from joining the Tang Sect, all for this moment.

If both teachers took Tang Wulin under their wing, he wouldn't need to enter that absurd place called Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy was like a giant vat of dye. Hardly anyone went in without coming out just as absurd.

As for the Golden Dragon King's Power...

Chen Xing had never seen a problem with it.

That power had always belonged to Tang Wulin. Bloodline inheritance or so-called "conspiracy"—whatever it was, it had fallen to his little brother, and that made it his.

As Tang Wulin's older brother, all Chen Xing had to do was protect him and let him follow his own wishes, rather than live a life some God King had arranged for him.

"You said you've studied Forging for a few years?"

Zhen Hua rose, walked up to Tang Wulin, and circled him.

"Yeah, a little over six years."

"How far have you gotten?"

Tang Wulin thought for a moment.

"Master Mang Tian said I'm close to becoming a Level 4 Blacksmith."

Zhen Hua stopped in his tracks.

Level 4?