Lu Chen's heart leaped into his throat. He vaguely guessed something, and his expression grew solemn. "Then you mean..."
"I'll adopt you." Zhang Huanyun cut straight to the point, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "From now on, you're my child."
Lu Chen froze completely, his eyes going perfectly round. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
In this life, he had lived in an orphanage since childhood. Now someone had suddenly said he would adopt him. The unexpected turn left his mind utterly blank.
And if he remembered correctly, Zhang Huanyun belonged to the Blood God Legion, didn't he?
"But you need to understand that I'm a soldier. I'm away on missions all year round, and most of the time, I'm not on the Douluo Continent."
Zhang Huanyun's tone grew serious. "If you run into trouble you can't resolve, go to Yu Guanzhi."
As he spoke, he took an exquisite soul communicator from inside his clothes.
The communicator was jet-black all over, with intricate patterns engraved on it. One glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary item.
Zhang Huanyun placed the communicator in Lu Chen's hand. A glimmer of nostalgia flashed in his eyes, as though he had remembered an old acquaintance.
"Take it. Use this to contact him. Just give him your name and tell him you're the child I adopted. He'll fulfill any request you make that isn't unreasonable."
Lu Chen gripped the warm communicator, a hundred feelings mingling in his heart as his nose prickled slightly.
He sniffed and looked up at Zhang Huanyun, his voice carrying a barely perceptible catch. "Thank you, Uncle."
Looking at his reddened eyes, Zhang Huanyun gave a gratified smile and reached out to pat his shoulder.
His palm was broad and warm, carrying a reassuring strength. "Also, from today onward, you're an unofficial member of our War God Hall."
His tone suddenly turned solemn, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Remember, whatever happens in the future, you must never join organizations like the Spirit Pagoda or the Tang Sect. Members of the War God Hall never divide their loyalties."
Lu Chen nodded firmly. "I'll remember."
Zhang Huanyun nodded in satisfaction, then took a Storage Soul Guidance Device from his soul storage device. It was a hundred times more exquisite than the one on Lu Chen's wrist.
He handed it over. "This is yours too. There's enough rare metal inside to last you a long time, along with some cultivation resources. They're all special provisions for the War God Hall, a hundred times better than anything you can buy outside."
Lu Chen accepted the Storage Soul Guidance Device, feeling its considerable weight in his hand.
He could sense extremely concentrated fluctuations of energy within it. Clearly, everything inside was top-quality.
Having finished his instructions, Zhang Huanyun said no more and strode toward the door. His steps were steady and powerful, carrying a soldier's characteristic swift decisiveness.
Just as he was about to step out of the office, he seemed to remember something. He stopped, turned to Lu Chen, and added:
"Oh, right. A big brother should come looking for you in a couple of days. His name is Long Tianwu, and he's from the War God Hall."
"Don't worry. He's not a bad person, just a little blunt. He may stay by your side from now on and look after you a bit more."
With that, he left without looking back.
Long Tianwu?
Wasn't that guy a rank-98 Titled Douluo...?
Huh? Why?
Hadn't they said his talent wasn't that great?
Clearly, Lu Chen had completely forgotten his current status as a third-rank blacksmith.
A nine-year-old third-rank blacksmith was someone countless people would fight to get their hands on. He might even become a Divine Blacksmith in the future.
This was a wager the War God Hall could afford. It was only a matter of freeing up a powerful Titled Douluo to protect a budding future Divine Blacksmith, and the eighteen War Gods were fighting over the chance to come.
If Lu Chen really succeeded in the future, it would mean that his protector could be the first to obtain four-word Battle Armor!
The office door was gently pulled shut, leaving Lu Chen alone in the spacious room.
He lowered his head to look at the two items in his hands: an exquisite soul communicator and a Storage Soul Guidance Device filled with resources.
Sunlight spilled through the glass window onto the communicator, and Lu Chen's gaze suddenly froze.
Several striking red patterns were engraved on the communicator's casing. They resembled flames, yet also sharp swords. This was the Blood God Battalion...
He had read a description of the Blood God Battalion's emblem in the original novel.
The War God Hall, the Blood God Legion...
Lu Chen's heart pounded violently. He stared at the red pattern, his head buzzing.
Did this mean the Blood God Legion had reserved him in advance?
In truth, Zhang Huanyun had meant nothing else by it at all. He simply only had communicators bearing the Blood God Legion's emblem on hand and had casually given one to Lu Chen.
After pondering it for a while, Lu Chen instead breathed a sigh of relief.
This was good too. He had never been particularly interested in the Tang Sect anyway. Now that he was an unofficial member of the War God Hall, even if Teacher Wu Zhangkong urged him to join the Tang Sect in the future, he could refuse openly and justifiably, sparing himself the headache of making excuses.
Who would've thought that the orphanage director, who looked so warm and motherly, was actually a big shot from the War God Hall? She'd hidden it far too well.
While Lu Chen was holding the communicator in a daze, a gentle chuckle suddenly came from the doorway.
He turned to see a middle-aged man standing there, looking full of vigor. His hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a well-tailored robe. There was a refined air about his features as he smiled at Lu Chen.
"Congratulations on joining the War God Hall, young friend." The middle-aged man spoke first, his tone very friendly. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zhen Hua."
"Zhen Hua?!"
The instant Lu Chen heard that name, his entire brain crashed. He nearly lost his grip on the communicator and dropped it on the floor.
Was this some kind of joke?
This was Zhen Hua!
The pinnacle of the entire Douluo Continent's forging world, the legendary divine-rank blacksmith who could make the whole continent tremble three times with a stamp of his foot. What was frightening wasn't the man himself, but his connections!
Why was he here? And why had he taken the initiative to greet him?
Lu Chen's mind was a tangled mess. This day had been far too surreal.
What was even going on? So much had happened in a single day that his brain could barely keep up.
"Don't worry. I don't have any ulterior ill intentions toward you."
Zhen Hua stroked the short beard on his chin, his smile full of kindness.
"I simply want to take you as my disciple, that's all. I've been competing with that old fellow Mu Chen, both openly and behind the scenes, for quite a while to get this chance."
"Take me as your disciple?" Lu Chen pointed at his own nose, his eyes perfectly round. His brain had completely stopped working.
He finally understood now. Today probably wasn't an auspicious day to leave the house. Otherwise, why would he keep running into such outrageous things?
He even felt that it would be nice if he could be as stone-faced and expressionless as his bro Chu Zihang. At least then, unlike now, he wouldn't completely lose control of his facial expressions.