Wang Dagou: Adoptive Father, Please Accept Your Son's Bow!

"If you can make it, I, Wang Dagou, will call you Dad every time I see you!"

Xu San frowned at that, but said nothing.

Could this kid really have some strange ability?

Chen Xing ignored Wang Dagou's teasing and kept refining the blueprint.

A moment later, he put down his pen. Wang Dagou was surprised, but paid it no mind. He didn't believe Chen Xing could make the part anyway.

A child with Zero Soul Power creating something out of thin air? Unheard of.

But the next moment, Chen Xing waved his pen. Golden energy gathered on the paper, and seconds later, a complete Drive Arm Base landed on the table.

Wang Dagou froze, his eyes wide as saucers.

What... just happened?

Chen Xing picked up the base and weighed it in his hand. It was much lighter. Looked like he'd succeeded.

Warmth flowed into his body. His Wish Power had actually increased, and excitement surged through him.

Creating a Mecha through Illusory Creation required Wish Power. So did repairing and starting the train—a great deal of it.

If his Wish Power kept growing, perhaps one day he really could start the train's engine, build another Starfarer, and restore the glory of Trailblazing.

Chen Xing held the base out to Wang Dagou with a smile.

"Senior apprentice brother, what do you think?"

Wang Dagou took it mechanically. After inspecting and testing it, he found that Chen Xing had been right: transmission efficiency had improved by twelve percent.

"Twelve percent... Impossible. That's impossible. You don't have Soul Power. How could you..."

Xu San hurried over, took the base from Wang Dagou, and turned it over and over. Then he looked up at Chen Xing, his voice dry.

"It's real. The tolerances, surface finish, and assembly precision all meet the standards. We could use this thing right now!"

Wang Dagou raised his head. It took him a long time to get the words out.

"You call that... not using Soul Power?"

Chen Xing blinked.

"I really didn't use Soul Power. What I did is called Illusory Creation."

Illusory Creation? Creating something from thin air? It upended everything they knew about Mecha.

They had worked in Mecha repair for years and seen plenty of geniuses, but never one who could create objects from thin air with Zero Soul Power.

Xu San glanced instinctively toward the inner room. If their master found out, wouldn't he lose his mind?

Wang Dagou took a deep breath and set the base back on the table.

Shocked as he was, he wasn't quite ready to admit defeat. What if this was the only kind of part the kid could make? What if it had been a fluke?

"Fine... You're good."

Chen Xing gave him an amused look.

"Senior apprentice brother, about what you said earlier..."

Wang Dagou's face flushed bright red.

"That... We'll talk about that later!"

Xu San couldn't hold back a snort. Wang Dagou glared at him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Xu San shrugged.

"Nothing. I just remembered something funny."

Chen Xing stifled a laugh and let it go. He had to leave his senior apprentice brother some dignity.

Before long, though, Wang Dagou's competitive streak returned. The first part must have been a fluke. There was so much to know about Mecha; the kid couldn't be good at everything.

So he dug out a more complicated part.

"Junior apprentice brother, let's try something different this afternoon. This is the transmission core for a Mecha's knee joint. It's much harder than this morning's part. If you can explain how it works and... and make one, I'll admit you've got me beat."

Chen Xing took it. The structure was complex, with multiple layers of nested gears inside, but he didn't panic. He called out in his mind.

"AI Pom-Pom, analyze it."

"Understood. Analyzing..."

AI Pom-Pom soon finished. Once Chen Xing understood the analysis, he picked up his pen again.

The complex structure took him longer to draw.

At first, Wang Dagou watched with the air of someone waiting for a good show. But as he watched, he couldn't help swallowing. Chen Xing's lines were orderly, his labels clear, and he had even drawn the internal circuits!

Two hours later, Chen Xing put down his Paintbrush and channeled Wish Power. A complete knee-joint transmission core took shape through Illusory Creation.

Wang Dagou had nothing left to say. He stared at the part for a long while, then let out a long breath.

"Adoptive Father, please accept your son's bow!"

This time Xu San burst out laughing. But as he laughed, he shook his head. Chen Xing had won him over too.

Chen Xing was enjoying the rise in his Wish Power when he heard what Wang Dagou had called him. He nearly lost his composure.

"Senior apprentice brother, what are you..."

Wang Dagou dropped into a chair and scratched his head.

"I've studied under Master for three years, and I thought I knew a thing or two. But you learned more in one day than I do in three months, and you can even make the parts. I'm convinced. From now on, you're my little adoptive father. When you make it big, don't forget me."

Chen Xing quickly waved a hand, smiling.

"Senior apprentice brother, I was only joking. You've taught me so much. How could I presume to let you bow to me as your adoptive father? I couldn't."

"How about you teach me more instead? I want to learn as quickly as I can."

Wang Dagou agreed. For the rest of the afternoon, he taught Chen Xing more advanced material.

Xu San pulled up a stool too, occasionally adding insights from his own experience.

Dusk fell. Tang Ziran finally finished repairing the Mecha, and as soon as he came out, he saw Wang Dagou and Xu San talking nonstop to Chen Xing.

He walked over and gave a pretend cough.

"Ahem. How did it go? He didn't cause any trouble, did he?"

Wang Dagou looked up, his expression complicated.

"Master... Your son modified the Drive Arm Base today. Transmission efficiency went up twelve percent."

Tang Ziran froze.

"He modified it? How?"

"He drew the blueprint himself, then made the part on the spot."

Xu San nodded beside him in confirmation.

The wrench slipped from Tang Ziran's hand and hit the floor with a clang. He looked down at it, then up at Chen Xing. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Xu San tactfully stepped back to give father and son some space, though he couldn't hide his smile. He knew his master too well. That dropped wrench was more honest than any expression.

Chen Xing secretly delighted in Tang Ziran's reaction. Go ahead and be surprised. I told you I could draw it, but you didn't believe me.

"Dad, I learned so much today."

Tang Ziran swallowed as he looked at Chen Xing, then bent to pick up the wrench.

"Mm. Well done."

His voice was steady, but his trembling hand gave away how excited he was.

Xu San stole a glance at Tang Ziran and noticed that the tips of his ears had gone red.

Tang Ziran quickly hid the wrench behind his back to cover his reaction, then took a deep breath.

"Uh... I just remembered I have repair records to enter. I need to finish them tonight."

Chen Xing didn't expose his father's little excuse. He simply nodded.

"Then I'll wait for you."

"No need. Go home first. Be careful on the way. I'll leave when I'm done."

Chen Xing said okay, waved to Wang Dagou, and headed out the door.

Xu San watched him leave, then glanced back at Tang Ziran. That kid's going to soar one day.

As soon as the footsteps faded, Tang Ziran seized Wang Dagou by the collar.

"Say that again. How much?!"

"Twelve! Twelve percent! Master, let go!"

Wang Dagou yelped as Tang Ziran shook him.

[Dagou, no yelping.]

Xu San stood nearby, his shoulders shaking with laughter. He made no move to help.

Tang Ziran let go, took two steps back, and leaned against the wall with his face in his hands. His shoulders trembled for a long while.

"Zero Soul Power... Illusory Creation... That kid..."

As he spoke, he finally gave up trying to suppress his grin. He paced in two circles, then looked at the other two.

"You both did great today. Raises tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, on his way home, Chen Xing passed an intersection and saw a group of thugs surrounding a little girl.

He instinctively started toward them, but when he saw the girl's face, he stopped short.

"So it's her."