The Lu family's living room.
The atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.
"You mean Guan'er is going to Heaven Dou City, and Na'er is going to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters?" Lu Beixuan swallowed, finally setting down the teapot.
Mu Ye leaned against the back of the sofa, sitting with his legs spread in a commanding pose.
"Exactly. Your son's talent comes along once in a century. Keeping him in Eastsea City would be a criminal waste of heaven's gifts. I am the Body Sect Master. With me as his teacher, his future will be boundless."
Leng Yaozhu was far more elegant, lifting her teacup for a sip.
"Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu, Na'er has a very special constitution. As the Deputy Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, I guarantee that she will receive the finest instruction and protection."
Mu Chen sat at the far end and hurried to chime in.
"Mr. Lu, these two are among the most eminent figures on our continent. For Guan'er and Na'er to follow them is a blessing earned over several lifetimes."
Lu Beixuan and Xu Ran exchanged a glance.
They were merely ordinary residents of Eastsea City.
The Body Sect Master and the Spirit Pagoda's Deputy Pagoda Master—figures of that stature were people they normally only saw on Soul Guidance TV. Now they were sitting in their living room in the flesh, wanting to take their son and daughter as disciples.
Xu Ran stroked Na'er's silver hair, her voice a little choked.
"Guan'er has always been sensible, and Na'er is such a good child, too. Of course we're happy as their parents if they can make something of themselves."
Lu Beixuan slapped his thigh and rose to his feet.
"Nothing under heaven matters more than our children's future! If you two think highly of them, that's their good fortune. Go! Both of you!"
The man's eyes reddened as well, and he turned to Lu Guan.
"You little brat, train hard when you get to Heaven Dou City. Don't disgrace the Lu family! If you dare slack off, I'll come all the way to Heaven Dou City and thrash you!"
Lu Guan straightened up.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. Once I'm settled there, I'll bring you over for a visit."
Xu Ran wiped away her tears, smiling through them.
"All right, enough of your smooth talk. Hurry up and pack."
Half an hour later, on the outskirts of Eastsea City.
The night wind howled across the empty wilderness.
Leng Yaozhu held Na'er's hand, ready to take her away.
Mu Ye walked to the center of the clearing and rolled his neck.
"Watch closely, kid."
Mu Ye raised his right hand, and the Storage Bracelet on his wrist blazed with red light.
"Boom!"
An enormous machine appeared out of thin air and slammed into the ground, sending the surrounding dirt flying.
It was crimson from head to toe.
Dark gold patterns flowed across its armor, and every metal component exuded the ultimate aesthetic of violence.
A God-Level Mecha!
Na'er stopped in her tracks.
She turned around, her purple eyes fixed on the Red Mecha, her mouth slightly open.
Leng Yaozhu noticed Na'er's unusual reaction.
"Na'er, what is it?"
Na'er said nothing, merely pointing at Mu Ye's mecha. She ran forward a couple of steps to Lu Guan's side and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
She tilted her head up, gazing pitifully at Mu Ye.
"Na'er wants to ride in that big red tin can, too."
Leng Yaozhu's hand froze. This little girl was actually turning her nose up at her?
Mu Ye was startled at first, then pointed at Leng Yaozhu and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Deputy Pagoda Master Leng, it seems you haven't caught this little girl's fancy!"
Leng Yaozhu's expression darkened slightly, while Mu Ye waved his broad hand.
"Sure! The little girl has good taste! I'll give you a ride to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters along the way!"
The armor on the mecha's chest slid apart, revealing a beam-lined boarding passage.
Mu Ye floated into the cockpit first, with Lu Guan pulling Na'er along right behind him.
Leng Yaozhu shook her head helplessly, then flashed inside after them.
The cockpit was spacious, without any of the cramped feeling of an ordinary mecha.
Panoramic simulation screens surrounded them, offering an unobstructed view of the night outside.
Lu Guan stood behind the control console and reached out to touch the metal of the cockpit wall.
Warmth seeped into his fingertips.
The metal actually contained an immense amount of life energy.
"Well? Pretty cool, right?"
Mu Ye sat in the pilot's seat and turned to look at Lu Guan, his face brimming with pride.
Lu Guan nodded with heartfelt agreement.
"Very cool!"
What man could resist that sheer sense of mechanical violence, coupled with the feel of god-level metal?
Mu Ye grinned, his hands working rapidly across the control console.
"Later, I can teach you about mechas. Use one well, and it's a formidable killing machine."
He paused, his tone becoming serious.
"But Battle Armor should be your first choice."
Mu Ye patted the control stick.
"Mechas have been my greatest passion all my life, but I have to admit that they can't compare to Battle Armor's dominance in individual combat. Battle Armor can fuse perfectly with your martial soul. A mecha is ultimately just an external tool."
Lu Guan nodded in acknowledgment.
"Understood."
"Hold tight!"
Mu Ye shoved the control stick forward.
The thrusters on the Red Mecha's back spewed dazzling blue flames.
"Boom-"
The mecha shot off the ground, becoming a red meteor that tore through the night sky in an instant and hurtled toward the horizon.
A powerful force pressed them back into their seats.
Lu Guan instinctively braced his lower body.
Na'er wasn't frightened at all. She leaned against the panoramic screen, watching Eastsea City rapidly shrink below them and clapping her hands in excitement.
Leng Yaozhu sat in the rear lounge area, resting with her eyes closed.
The Douluo Continent was vast, and Eastsea City lay a long way from Heaven Dou City.
Even flying at full speed in a God-Level Mecha, the journey would take some time.
Once the novelty wore off, drowsiness gradually crept over them.
They were, after all, two six-year-old children. After such an eventful day, they could barely keep going.
Lu Guan and Na'er leaned back in the wide seat.
Within minutes, the two little ones were breathing evenly in their sleep.
Mu Ye rose from the pilot's seat and walked to the lounge area.
As he watched the two children sleeping nestled together, a smile appeared on his stern face.
"Red, activate Autopilot Mode. Head for Heaven Dou City."
Mu Ye gave the order.
Blue light flickered on the screen directly ahead of the console, forming a smiling face icon.
A gentle female voice sounded inside the cockpit.
"Yes, Master. The course has been set. Estimated arrival in Heaven Dou City is in four hours."
Mu Ye leaned back in his chair, pillowed his head on his hands, and let out a long, weary breath.
"Red, I'm very happy."
Mu Ye looked at the smiling face on the screen, keeping his voice low for fear of waking the children behind him.
"Today, I finally saw hope for the Body Sect's future."
The smiling face on the screen flickered.
"Congratulations, Master."
Mu Ye nodded.
He turned to look at the night sky outside the window.
"All these years, I've only had that fool A Ruheng by my side. The boy works hard, but his mind runs on a single track. He simply can't bear the Body Sect's banner."
Mu Ye rubbed the space between his brows, a trace of exhaustion in his voice.
"Carrying the Body Sect alone is truly exhausting."
The elite sect that had once shaken the continent now had only a couple of cats left, big and small.
With the old generation fading and no new generation ready to take over, the predicament weighed on him as sect master until he could barely breathe.
But things were better now.
Now he had Lu Guan.
As long as he raised this boy properly, the Body Sect's survival would no longer be a problem. Perhaps he would even have a chance to make its name resound throughout the entire Douluo Continent again.
The smiling face icon on the screen grew a little larger, and the female voice gained a hint of human warmth.
"Master, you still have Red."
"Red will always stay by your side."
Mu Ye smiled.
He reached out and lightly flicked the screen.
"Yes. It's a promise."
The red meteor sliced through the darkness.
The night was silent.
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