On the way back.
Lou Xu lowered his head and stared blankly at the wax seal on the envelope.
"Xu, how did he know you were the one who developed Runic Forging?"
Xiao Wu asked with wide eyes as she chewed on some pilfered grapes, her little hand sneaking toward the envelope.
Lou Xu swatted her hand away without even looking up.
"Do you know why my grandfather is still so hale and hearty in his sixties?"
"Huh? Why?" Xiao Wu paused.
"Because he never gets curious about things like this."
"Why?" Xiao Wu failed to understand, but Xiong Jun grinned and laughed aloud.
Lou Xu rolled his eyes at her in exasperation.
"Because you can be curious, but you should never be a nuisance."
"Rats have their trails, and tigers have their paths. Just eat your grapes."
Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks and muttered an acknowledgment, then sat to one side with her arms folded and said nothing more.
Xiong Jun looked at Xiao Wu and said with a grin, his voice ominously soft.
"Little rabbit, did you know you just walked past the gates of hell eighteen times?"
"Lord Xiong Jun, p-please don't scare me..."
"Seventeen Soul Douluos and one level 94 Titled Douluo. Why would the Bear Lord lie to you?"
"Without the Bear Lord and young Lou, with that temperament of yours-crying fear while secretly itching to see the world plunge into chaos-I wouldn't be surprised if someone dragged you off to stew one day."
At those words, Xiao Wu felt her calves go weak and cold sweat break out across her forehead. She threw herself behind Lou Xu, closed her eyes, and buried her head against him.
Their words kept churning through her mind.
Lou Xu paid her no attention. As the carriage left Star Luo City, he slowly peeled away the wax seal and took out the letter.
"I, Dai Changkong, a ruler charged with preserving my forebears' legacy, have reigned for over thirty years. That my people have been wearied and their wealth squandered pains me to the heart and keeps me awake at night.
Yet the times have not been favorable, and every step has met with hardship. Now that Runic Forging has appeared, the path to salvation must lie within it.
Grandson of the Lou family, you bring great joy to my heart. Should you be willing to place your trust in me, I shall come personally to invite you to share the stewardship of the Star Luo Empire and discuss the means of bringing peace to its people.
Let the Evil-Eyed Saint King bear witness: should I break my word, may my ancestors spurn me! Dai Changkong bows his head."
After reading the letter, Lou Xu remained expressionless. He summoned the Primal Fire to ignite the paper, then tossed it out the window.
The burning letter drifted through the air, left behind by the carriage heading home.
Its writing flickered in and out of sight amid the flames, like the lights of countless homes in Star Luo City behind them, brightening and fading, all held in the palm of a hand.
The carriage took them all the way to the Blacksmith Association before heading back alone.
Lou Xu bade farewell to the young guard.
Just before leaving, he seemed to remember something. He turned and called the guard back, leaving him with an instruction before departing.
When they reached the corridor on the top floor, light still shone through the crack beneath his grandfather's office door. The sounds of hammering and discussion drifted out; the old man and his four disciples were still studying Runic Forging.
Back in his room, Lou Xu felt keenly how inadequate his cultivation was. For once, he sat cross-legged on his bed to meditate, actively cultivating his soul power.
Xiao Wu turned out the light and tiptoed back to her own bed, entering meditation as well.
As soul power was gradually absorbed, two steady rhythms of breathing mingled in the room.
The surrounding Heaven and Earth Essence quietly stirred, flowing soundlessly into their bodies.
After an indeterminate length of time, a muffled impact sounded faintly.
The hammering stopped abruptly.
Lou Xu sensed something wrong and snapped his eyes open.
Immediately afterward, someone pounded heavily on the door.
Lou Xu opened it to find Xiong Jun. Before he could ask anything, Xiong Jun spoke in a grave voice.
"Young Lou, a Titled Douluo has broken in!"
"Xiao Wu, hide! Big Bear, let's go!"
After giving that instruction to Xiao Wu, who had also been startled awake, he hurried after Xiong Jun toward the source of the disturbance.
It was the office where his grandfather and the others had been working.
They burst through the door, only to see the broad, towering back of a man clad in a tattered black robe.
He had Lou Gao clamped by the throat and pinned against the wall, the skin of his outstretched arm sallow and its muscles bulging.
The old man's face was covered in blood, and both arms were bent at grotesque angles. He had clearly been beaten and tortured.
Si Long and the others lay sprawled across the floor, covered in blood, their breathing faint.
In the furnace, several freshly forged Runic Weapons were slowly melting away in the searing heat.
The manuscripts Lou Xu had written and the records his grandfather and the others had compiled were gone from the bare desk, crumpled into a ball and clenched tightly in the man's lowered hand.
His voice was low and hoarse. Turning his face slightly, he glanced toward Lou Xu in the doorway, a cold gleam in his eyes.
"Lou Gao, your grandson has rotten luck. I meant to spare him, but to think..."
"Tang Hao... you faithless beast... come at me..."
At the sight before him, Lou Xu could no longer contain his fury.
"Big Bear, kill him!"
Terrifying killing intent blazed in Xiong Jun's dark golden eyes. With a sharp metallic hiss, claws sprang from both hands, and in the blink of an eye he charged up to Tang Hao.
His claws thrust forward, stabbing viciously toward Tang Hao's lower back.
Tang Hao released Lou Gao and gripped the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands, bracing it behind his back to block the immensely powerful strike.
Clang!
The collision of metal thundered in their ears. The manuscripts scattered wildly through the air, shredded by the savage soul power.
Lou Xu was about to crouch down and drag his unconscious senior brothers to safety one by one when the tremendous crash made his legs buckle, nearly knocking him to the floor.
His eardrums had been injured, leaving him partially deaf. Lou Xu opened his mouth and shouted.
"Take it outside!"
Xiong Jun understood. Pinning the Clear Sky Hammer with one hand, he gathered strength in his other claw and swung, carrying Tang Hao with him through the glass and down onto the plaza below.
Nine soul rings rose slowly, lighting up the pitch-black night.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
With nine soul rings circling him, Tang Hao's low voice slowly tore through the silent night.
"To match me in strength... the Blacksmith Association has someone like you?"
"Reveal your Martial Soul. I, the Clear Sky Douluo, do not kill nameless men!"
Xiong Jun spat viciously.
"You damned rat, skulking in the shadows and breaking into someone's room at night, and now you demand a name?! The Bear Lord can't stand sanctimonious scum like you!"
"ROAR!!!"
He threw back his head and unleashed a roar that shook the heavens.
A terrifying shock wave exploded outward from him. The stone slabs around the plaza shattered inch by inch, countless cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
The thick clouds were torn apart, and moonlight spilled onto his knotted, rocklike muscles as he transformed into a towering giant in an instant!
This was his strongest form without revealing his true body!
Feeling the terrifying might emanating from Xiong Jun, Tang Hao's gaze sharpened. The contempt in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by solemn gravity.
Judging by his aura alone, this man was at least a level 97 Peak Douluo!
Although Tang Hao's soul power had reached level 95, his old injuries had yet to heal. Who would emerge the victor remained uncertain.
Tang Hao immediately stopped holding back. The Slaughter Domain appeared beneath his feet, and the seventh soul ring on the Clear Sky Hammer suddenly lit up!
"Clear Sky True Body!"
"Roar! Dark Gold Dreadclaw!"
Xiong Jun raised both claws high. Vast quantities of soul power gathered at their edges, and amid the dark golden radiance, his presence, suppressed by the Slaughter Domain, surged higher and higher.
The mighty bear claws collided with the enormous hammer phantom in midair. Amid a deafening boom, violent waves of air tore up the entire plaza.
Shattered stones rained down.
Inside the office, Lou Xu desperately dragged the unconscious Si Long. The unending thunder in his ears sounded muffled, and he felt warm blood flowing from them.
Gritting his teeth, he brought Si Long into his room as well and channeled some life energy into him.
He told Xiao Wu to look after all five of them. Under her worried gaze, he was just about to leave when Lou Gao shakily reached out and gripped his trouser leg.
Blood trickled from the old man's mouth. His eyes were unfocused, yet they remained fixed stubbornly on Lou Xu.
"Xu... run... Tang Hao is a Titled Douluo... Senior Xiong Jun might not be able to stop him..."
"Who the hell does Tang Hao think he is?!"
Lou Xu's eyes reddened, and his hands trembled as he poured more life energy into him.
"Grandpa, don't worry. Once you've slept and woken up, everything will be all right."
Surging fury and hatred filled his chest.
He had naively believed that as long as Xiong Jun was there, everyone could sleep without a care.
He had childishly thought that as long as Xiong Jun was there, a fist would always outweigh reason.
But today, Tang Hao had crawled out through a rat's trail and laid the naked truth before him.
So... you aren't the only one with a big fist! A big fist means never having to listen to reason!
Reaching the shattered window, Lou Xu looked down coldly at the frenzied clash in the plaza, his fists clenched tight.
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