Dark Bell walked into a deserted corner. The small, delicate figure instantly grew taller, turning back into a young man.
Yan Qing pinched the soul camera hanging around his neck. He had picked one up on the train earlier, and it had come in handy.
The first round of his final exam had been recorded.
Even though that scrawny man was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, his spiritual power could not reach the soles of Yan Qing's shoes.
One blast of Purple Demon Eye had brought him down, though Yan Qing felt he was not quite dead yet.
He could probably cause some trouble for Dark Bell, far away on another continent.
It was hardly Yan Qing's fault that he kept plucking wool from Lilina alone.
Of everyone in the Holy Spirit Cult, he had only remembered Dark Bell's appearance and Soul Skills.
Before long, a tall, magnificent gate tower came into view.
He had arrived at Heaven Dou City.
Heaven Dou City's landmark was the Heaven Dou Blacksmith Association.
The Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua and the Body Sect's sect master, Mu Ye, were both inside.
Yan Qing had already paced around the entrance several times.
With such a huge mountain of gold before him, he itched unbearably to chip off a piece.
His forging was currently still at rank five, nowhere near the level of shaking the ages and dazzling the present.
Yan Qing looked at the soul camera on his chest, and inspiration suddenly struck.
A figure shrouded entirely in black robes slowly entered the Heaven Dou Blacksmith Association.
The black-robed figure skirted the crowd and headed straight for the top floor.
Quite a few blacksmiths were inside the association to pick up assignments.
Yet not a single one noticed him.
The moment he stepped onto the fourth floor, a deep voice rang out.
"Friend, you've overstepped."
The black-robed figure gathered his sleeves, looking straight ahead.
An ordinary-looking middle-aged man blocked his way.
Neither joy nor anger could be discerned on the face beneath the black robes.
"Sect Master Mu, I trust you've been well."
"I've come to see Grandmaster Zhen Hua."
Mu Ye snorted, clearly somewhat surprised that the visitor had recognized him.
"He isn't here. Please leave."
The black-robed figure showed no intention of leaving.
"Since I've come here, naturally, I'm confident I'll meet Grandmaster Zhen Hua."
"Brother Mu, let him through. I'm very curious how you're so certain of my whereabouts."
A gentle voice came from behind Mu Ye, and a handsome man with black hair and black eyes stepped out of the shadows.
The black-robed figure bowed to the handsome man before him.
"Greetings, Grandmaster Zhen Hua. As for how I knew, my title is Prophet."
Mu Ye said disdainfully,
"Since when could a Soul Ancestor have a title?"
No, something was wrong. Mu Ye's expression grew more solemn. That spiritual power...
Mu Ye raised his hand. Without any warning, the black hood instantly shattered, revealing Yan Qing's true face.
The face beneath the black robes regarded the two men as calmly as an ancient well, clearly unsurprised by Mu Ye's actions.
"You've possessed this child?"
"That isn't important. Grandmaster Zhen Hua, I've come to make a deal with you."
"Let's hear it."
After a moment's silence, Zhen Hua still decided to hear the proposal of the person before him first.
"My title is Prophet. Naturally, what I offer is prophecy."
Yan Qing took out four sealed brocade pouches.
"The times are marked on the pouches. You absolutely must not open them before those times."
"If you're impatient, heh heh heh, you won't be able to bear the consequences of the backlash from heaven's secrets."
Half believing and half doubting, Mu Ye took the brocade pouches and carefully examined them in his hands. Only after finding nothing wrong did he pass them to Zhen Hua.
"What do you want in exchange?"
Zhen Hua's expression grew a little more curious.
"The embryonic form of a set of god-grade armor."
"That's impossible!"
Zhen Hua cut him off immediately.
If a Three-Word Battle Armor Master merged their own Battle Armor with the embryonic form of god-grade armor, then inscribed its formations anew, they could advance to Four-Word Battle Armor.
The black-robed figure's demand was practically for a complete set of Four-Word Battle Armor!
Unexpectedly, the black-robed figure did not accept the brocade pouches Zhen Hua held out to return.
"It doesn't matter if you don't think it's worth it."
"When you think the information inside is enough to warrant the trade, send the divine foundation metal to my address. Of course, the address is also in that brocade pouch."
"A word of warning: the importance of the contents of these four pouches increases exponentially."
The black-robed figure finished calmly, bowed once more, then turned and slowly left the way he had come.
Neither Zhen Hua nor Mu Ye stopped him. They watched the boy's retreating figure disappear into the corridor.
"Do you really believe him?"
Mu Ye toyed with the brocade pouches in his hands. The cords were tied so carelessly that they could come apart at any moment.
Zhen Hua waved a hand.
"You know perfectly well what a set of Four-Word Battle Armor is worth. Besides, with my physical condition, I can hardly complete a full set of Four-Word Battle Armor anymore."
For some reason, as Zhen Hua said this, he kept feeling a flutter of unease.
He lowered his head to look at the four brocade pouches and suddenly discovered that the time marked on the first was, astonishingly, one hour from now.
The two exchanged a glance, and Zhen Hua could not help feeling tempted.
But before leaving, the black-robed figure had warned them not to open them early.
After some thought, Zhen Hua handed the pouches back to Mu Ye.
"Help me check them one more time."
Mu Ye understood his meaning and gently opened the pouch.
There was only a note inside.
[During a teaching event at the Heaven Dou Forging Association, you encounter a once-in-a-thousand-years forging prodigy, Tang Wulin.]
[His talent gives him hope of glimpsing the threshold of a Divine Craftsman.]
The writing ended abruptly.
Zhen Hua's heart shook violently. Hope of glimpsing the threshold of a Divine Craftsman-as a Divine Craftsman himself, what concerned him most was passing on the legacy of forging.
Among his disciples, never mind glimpsing the threshold of a Divine Craftsman, none were even certain of being able to attempt soul forging in the future.
"Grandmaster Zhen Hua, it's time to teach on the first floor."
Mu Ye and Zhen Hua raised their heads at the same time, each seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.
Zhen Hua unfolded the note, wanting to read the name again, and unexpectedly discovered more writing on the back.
He turned the note over. The writing on this side was especially eerie.
[Heh heh heh, I knew you'd open it early. The consequence is that this forging prodigy will soon be attacked by an Evil Soul Master and left on the brink of death.]
[If you want to save him, you'd best protect him without leaving his side.]
After leaving, Yan Qing quickly tossed away the black robes, then found a small shop and watched Tang Wulin enter the Blacksmith Association.
Because he had been thrown off the train, Tang Wulin had arrived a little late.
Yan Qing's conversation with Zhen Hua about their deal had neatly filled that gap in time.
Tang Wulin made it to Zhen Hua's lesson in Heaven Dou without a hitch.
Soon, Zhen Hua noticed this fervent little boy in the crowd.
Recalling the prophecy on the note, he quietly suppressed the shock in his heart and still invited Tang Wulin onto the stage to demonstrate his forging skills.
As expected, the thirteen-year-old Little Golden Dragon King's Spirit Forging stunned everyone present, and even Zhen Hua could not help speaking.
"Little friend, what's your name?"
"Tang Wulin."
Zhen Hua's pupils contracted. If things really were as the black-robed figure had said, then Tang Wulin did indeed have the makings of a Divine Craftsman.
Then what exactly was inside the other three brocade pouches?
With their importance increasing exponentially, each piece of information would be several times more important than the previous one.
Could the last pouch possibly say that the continent was about to be destroyed?