"Exactly." Zhen Hua sighed in feigned frustration and even deliberately thumped his thigh, looking utterly aggrieved.
"If that fellow Zhang Huanyun hadn't come specifically to give me a heads-up, I wouldn't have known that a forging genius like you had appeared here in Eastsea City. It infuriates this old man! I nearly missed out on such a promising seedling!"
Lu Chen swallowed, his heart pounding. He felt as though he were walking on cotton, and it still all seemed like a dream.
He stammered, his voice trembling slightly. "Master Zhen Hua, you aren't joking, are you? I... I've only just reached the level of a third-rank blacksmith. I haven't even fully found my way through the doorway of forging yet. How could I possibly qualify to be your disciple?"
At that, Zhen Hua waved a hand, the appreciation in his eyes nearly spilling over. His tone was utterly certain. "Skill can be developed through practice. Even a clumsy bird can achieve something by taking flight early. But talent is Heaven putting food in your bowl. You can't force it."
"And at your young age, you've already reached the threshold of the third rank and figured out a way to combine forging with Soul Power. Talent like that is as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns across the entire continent."
As he spoke, he couldn't help letting out another huff. There was a childish competitiveness in his tone, much like a child who had failed to snatch a piece of candy:
"If that fellow Mu Chen hadn't kept going on in my ear every day about a promising seedling in Eastsea City, I wouldn't have rushed over in such a hurry. That brat Zhang Huanyun still beat me to it and drew you into the War God Hall's circle first, but that doesn't affect anything."
Lu Chen's heart pounded as he listened. A divine blacksmith was offering to take him as a disciple. If word got out, the members of the Blacksmith's Association throughout the Federation would probably go mad with envy. Who knew how many people would fight until their heads split open for this opportunity?
But on second thought, he hesitated again, his brows unconsciously knitting. "But Master, I still have classes at Eastsea Academy, and..."
"What's there to worry about with classes?" Zhen Hua cut him off, smiling with complete confidence. Clearly, he had already arranged everything.
"I've spoken to the administration at Eastsea Academy. From now on, you only need to set aside two days a week to come here and learn forging from me. As for everything else, attend your classes and cultivate as usual. Neither will get in the way of the other."
As he spoke, he took a thin booklet from inside his clothes and handed it to Lu Chen.
The booklet's cover was made of kraft paper, rough to the touch, with a certain weight of years to it.
"These are my insights into forging from my earlier years. Take it and read it first. Come ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
Lu Chen hurriedly accepted it with both hands. It felt light in his grasp, yet his heart felt heavy, as though he were carrying a stone weighing a thousand pounds.
He lowered his head and looked at the vigorous, forceful writing on the cover: "Zhen Hua's notes."
Even his fingertips trembled slightly. These were the insights of a divine blacksmith. Any single line leaked from them would be enough to make blacksmiths outside fight until their heads split open.
Seeing him so excited that he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet, Zhen Hua couldn't help bursting into laughter. His tone softened considerably:
"All right, stop standing there in a daze. I know your thoughts are a tangled mess right now, as though your head's been stuffed with paste. Go back and think it over at your leisure. Oh, right."
As though remembering something important, he abruptly paused, then added, "If that girl Mu Xi gives you trouble, just mention my name. I guarantee she won't dare make things unpleasant for you again."
Lu Chen abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with surprise and his mouth falling slightly open.
He truly hadn't expected Master Zhen Hua to have considered even this for him.
Zhen Hua raised his brows as though it were only natural, a hint of smugness in his tone. "That girl is Mu Chen's daughter. Her family's spoiled her until she has no respect for her elders, and she goes around making trouble just because she has a little talent."
"I might not be able to keep that old fellow Mu Chen in line, but surely I can scare his daughter?"
Now Lu Chen was thoroughly won over, the excitement in his heart nearly spilling out.
He really had been right to make this trip to the Blacksmith's Association today!
First, he had gained the War God Hall's protection out of nowhere, acquiring an immensely powerful backer. Now a divine blacksmith had taken him as a disciple, and even his future path of cultivation had been paved for him.
His luck was simply outrageously good. Calling it dogshit luck would be no exaggeration!
Lu Chen had only been back in the dorm for a short while when Xie Xie sidled over with a sly grin on his face:
"Hey, I've got something to tell you. We'll be representing our class in the class promotion tournament!"
Lu Chen raised his brows and turned to look at him, already having a rough idea. "Besides the two of us, is Tang Wulin on the team too?"
"Exactly!" At those words, Xie Xie's face immediately fell, his tone full of exasperation,
"I've got no complaints about being friends with Tang Wulin. He's really loyal. But the thing is, his Soul Power is only at rank eleven right now. Won't he just be dead weight for the two of us once he's out there?"
Lu Chen was just about to reply when he heard soft footsteps coming from the doorway. He hurriedly cleared his throat, deliberately straightened his face, and adopted a serious tone:
"You can't say that. The teacher must have a reason for choosing him. We can't assume he's no good just because his Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass."
With that, he ignored Xie Xie's bewildered expression and climbed straight onto his bed, assuming a cultivation posture.
Sure enough, he had barely settled into place before the dorm room door was pushed open and Tang Wulin walked in.
The boy's gaze swept across the dorm, carrying clear gratitude when it fell on Lu Chen. He said little, quietly returning to his own spot and sitting cross-legged to begin cultivating as well.
Over on Lu Chen's side, he cultivated.
Lu Chen sat with his eyes closed, making a show of meditating, while his consciousness silently sank into Nibelungen.
The moment he entered his personal space, he took the Storage Soul Guidance Device Zhang Huanyun had given him and handed it to Constantine, who had come to meet him. His smile was a little sheepish. "I'll have to thank you for your effort again."
"It's no trouble. A little thing like this is very simple for me." Constantine accepted the Storage Soul Guidance Device with a smile. As he examined the high-grade Soul Guidance Device, his eyes were full of eagerness to try his hand at it.
Watching him deftly handle the metals, Lu Chen suddenly remembered something and asked, "Oh, right. Have you all gotten used to living here?"
"It's pretty good," Constantine answered without looking up. He paused, and his voice grew a little quieter, carrying a trace of sadness that was hard to detect,
"Once my brother and the others come over too, can we... can we stay here forever? And never go back to the Dragon Clan's world?"
Lu Chen froze for a moment and looked at him in confusion. "But the Dragon Clan's world is the place you truly belong. Why don't you want to go back?"
Constantine's fingers paused slightly around the metal. Only after a long while did he softly utter, "It's very nice here..."
But he pressed his lips together and said nothing more.