"Tomorrow. Dad will take you there tomorrow."
Jiang Mingyuan overheard the conversation between Tang Wulin and his father. He also remembered that his own father, a Mecha Designer, had indeed had some dealings with Mang Tian.
"Oh, Grandmaster Mang Tian? I've heard of him. My father has done some business with him."
Aolai City was only a small city. Its Blacksmiths and Designers were normally around rank three or four. For a rank-six grandmaster like Mang Tian to come here, he either had far too much time on his hands, or the mighty hand of fate had gone to work.
"Wulin, if you study forging seriously and keep following that path, it will be a great help to your future journey as a Soul Master."
"Do you remember what I told you before? In this day and age, many powerful Soul Masters have one or two secondary professions in addition to being Soul Masters."
"Yes. Of course I remember. They're Blacksmith, Designer, Manufacturer, and Repairer." Tang Wulin recalled them quickly and smoothly listed the four secondary professions.
"Right. Exactly. In battle, Soul Masters don't just rely on their martial souls, but also on Dou Kai and mecha. Only battle armor and mecha you've personally helped make will feel like an extension of your own hands. Take my parents, for example. They're a Designer and a Repairer, respectively. We have lots of books on those subjects at home, so I've studied them myself. If I took the exams now, I'd most likely qualify as a rank-one Designer and Repairer. I'm even studying the knowledge a Manufacturer needs."
Tang Wulin immediately raised his hand and said excitedly, "Then I'll become a Blacksmith! Whenever you need any metal, Brother Yuan, you can come to me to forge it."
"But becoming a Blacksmith isn't something just anyone can do," Tang Ziran chimed in.
"Of the four secondary professions, forging demands the most talent, and it's also the most exhausting."
Tang Wulin lowered his head and thought for a moment, but in the end, he rallied his spirits.
"I'll stick with it and become an excellent Blacksmith."
By then, Lang Yue had finished cooking. Everyone cleared the odds and ends off the table in front of them and ate there.
Jiang Mingyuan finally witnessed what it meant to have a dragon's appetite.
After dinner, the sky had grown dark. Tang Ziran offered to drive Jiang Mingyuan home, but Jiang Mingyuan waved him off.
"No need to go to the trouble, Uncle Tang. I can fly home myself."
The moment Tang Wulin heard the word "fly," it struck a chord in his mind. But Jiang Mingyuan was heading home this time, so he couldn't take him along.
Jiang Mingyuan noticed that Tang Wulin looked a little awkward.
"Wulin, is something wrong?"
Tang Ziran also looked at his son. Whenever Wulin wanted something but felt too embarrassed to ask, he wore that very expression.
"N-no. Nothing. Goodbye, Brother Yuan."
Tang Ziran escorted Jiang Mingyuan downstairs. His phoenix martial soul possessed him, and pale golden light illuminated the darkness.
"Wulin, Uncle Tang, you can stop here. Goodbye." With that, Jiang Mingyuan beat his wings and flew high into the sky.
Flying really was faster than running. But it also consumed an enormous amount of soul power. By the time Jiang Mingyuan neared home, his soul power had almost bottomed out.
"Whew. Finally home. I'm exhausted."
Jiang Mingyuan landed in front of the door and pulled a key from his pocket, about to unlock it. Suddenly, he sensed that something was wrong. He hurriedly turned around. Something seemed to be hiding in the shadows along the street, waiting for him to let his guard down.
"Who's there? Who's hiding there!"
Jiang Mingyuan shouted sharply. With a flick of his hand, he sent a small flame creeping into the darkness, lighting up the surroundings.
Jiang Mingyuan examined the area carefully but found nothing.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it."
Somewhere Jiang Mingyuan couldn't see, three pairs of eyes watched him silently.
Aolai City was a small city. Hundreds of children awakened their martial souls every year, but very few actually possessed soul power.
Walking into Red Mountain Academy's Soul Master class, Jiang Mingyuan swept his gaze across the room. Including himself and Tang Wulin, there were only sixteen students.
The classroom, which had been filled with chatter, suddenly fell silent at their arrival. The children stared at Jiang Mingyuan and Tang Wulin, inwardly letting out a mournful cry.
Heaven is unfair! Why do these two have such better character models than ours?
Jiang Mingyuan ignored them and led Tang Wulin to seats by the window.
Soon, the class bell rang. A female teacher who had maintained her appearance well and looked barely into her twenties walked in. She wore a neatly tailored professional blouse paired with a fitted pencil skirt, outlining dignified yet alluring feminine curves.
"Hello, everyone. I'm your homeroom teacher, Lin Ximeng. Over the next three years, I'll teach you the fundamentals of being a Soul Master. First, let's have you introduce yourselves. Tell us your name, martial soul, and innate soul power rank."
A chubby boy sitting in the front row stood up first, his face full of confidence and pride.
"My name is Wan Yunchao. My martial soul is a blade, and my innate soul power is rank five. When I become a Titled Douluo someday, my title will be Blade God."
The other students introduced themselves in turn, but almost none had innate soul power above rank five. That was hardly surprising. Rank-five innate soul power was neither high nor low, and only twenty percent of Soul Masters across the entire continent could reach that level.
"My name is Tang Wulin. My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and my innate soul power is rank three. My dream is..."
Before Tang Wulin could finish his introduction, the students in the classroom erupted in mocking laughter.
"Blue Silver Grass! You've got to be kidding."
"Can that kind of trash martial soul really have soul power?"
"Haha! What a loser. I thought my martial soul was weak enough, but I never expected to meet a master of the art."
Listening to their remarks and ridicule, Tang Wulin's previously confident expression instantly crumpled, leaving him utterly dejected.
Bang!
Jiang Mingyuan slammed his hand on the desk and stood up. He swept his gaze over everyone.
What is this, some clichéd novel plot? The protagonist just has to get mocked?
"Jiang Mingyuan. Martial soul: phoenix. Innate soul power: rank ten. What's so funny? What is there to mock? Humble origins are no disgrace. A true man is someone who can bravely scale the heights through his own efforts. This so-called superiority of yours amounts to nothing in my eyes."
The classroom finally quieted down. Lin Ximeng also remembered her responsibilities as a teacher and hurried forward to ease the tension.
Good grief, could he be some wealthy family's young master out here experiencing ordinary life? Innate full soul power! In all 643 years since Aolai City was founded, not a single person with innate full soul power has appeared.
I can't afford to offend him. Absolutely not.
After school, the two walked side by side, and Jiang Mingyuan ruffled Tang Wulin's hair.
"Why so glum? Is it because of what those people said?"
"No, I'm not. I just... All right, I admit it. Brother Yuan, my talent really is terrible, isn't it?"
Jiang Mingyuan smiled helplessly. This kid.
"Wulin, you don't need to care what other people think. All the setbacks you're facing now are only the beginning of your story. They don't define your future. What kind of life you lead depends on your own efforts."
Jiang Mingyuan shifted his steps and moved behind Tang Wulin, then wrapped his arms around him.
"Do you still remember what it felt like to fly through the sky? Hold on tightly to that feeling. One day, you'll stand high in the heavens, and everyone who once mocked you will only be able to look up at you from below."
In an instant, martial soul possession took hold, and fiery red wings unfurled.