"A real man had to be tempered in blood and fire."
Xu Cheng smiled as he looked at Xu Tianzhen, who clung to his arm and swung it from side to side, little tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"But this time..." Xu Tianzhen pouted, sounding rather disgruntled.
"Enough. Anything else is negotiable, but not this." Xu Cheng waved a hand dismissively.
"..." Xu Tianzhen hung her head. "Fine."
She had always been spoiled and willful, doted on by the Imperial Family, but she knew her brother's limits. Once he said no, he meant no. Even if Imperial Father came, he could not change that.
Her brother seemed easygoing, but in truth, he was stubborn as hell.
"Then... then protect him a little more, okay?" Xu Tianzhen stepped back, tugging at Xu Cheng's arm as she wheedled. "He's your brother-in-law, your own sister's husband! If anything happens to him, I won't go on living either!"
Xu Cheng: "..."
His fist clenched.
Still, he could only stroke Xu Tianzhen's head helplessly. "He'll be fine. Just think of it as a trial to gain experience. Sending a genius like him to the front lines as cannon fodder would be a criminal waste of heaven's gifts."
He had tested it long ago: Huo Yuhao truly was a child of destiny.
Like a blank sheet of paper, pristine and flawless, his character, strength, and talent could all be gradually shaped and polished by Xu Cheng.
Otherwise, with Huo Gua's original talent and without absurdly powerful cheats like Tian Meng, Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Electrolux, he could never have undergone three Martial Soul awakenings and advanced to Level 4 Soul Engineer within a year, all while gaining talent and opportunities one after another. (Xuan Ziwen had taken him as a disciple, he