He drove the movement with his waist and hips, bringing his shoulders along, and his shoulders drove his arms.
What Tang Hao had taught him flashed through his mind.
The Clear Sky Hammer swept out with a low rush of wind and struck the young man square in the chest.
"Bang!"
A muffled impact rang out. The young man in the lead flew backward like a kite with its string cut and slammed into the wall across the street. By the time he slid down, his eyes had rolled back, and his dagger had fallen from his hand, clattering sharply against the ground.
The other two young men froze.
"A... a Soul Master?!"
One of them went deathly pale, his voice trembling.
"He's a Soul Master! Run!"
The two hauled their unconscious companion up and fled, scrambling on hands and feet. In the blink of an eye, they vanished around the street corner.
Tang Wulin snorted and relaxed his right hand. The Clear Sky Hammer turned into points of light and withdrew into his palm.
He turned to the silver-haired girl and gave her what he thought was a very friendly smile.
"Are you all right?"
The silver-haired girl looked up at him, the light of the setting sun reflected in her purple eyes. She watched Tang Wulin for several seconds, then gently shook her head.
"What's your name?" Tang Wulin took a step closer.
"Na'er." The girl's voice was very soft.
"Na'er..." Tang Wulin repeated the name in his mind. It sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it.
He remembered a Gu Yuena in the original book, but he didn't remember a Na'er.
"Where are your mom and dad?"
Na'er lowered her head and didn't answer.
Tang Wulin sighed.
He had been an orphan in his previous life, and he couldn't bear to see a scene like this.
A little girl with silver hair and purple eyes, standing all alone in the street, unable even to find her family.
He thought for a moment, then held out his hand.
"Come home with me for now. My mom's cooking is really good."
Na'er looked up at him and hesitated, then reached out and took hold of his finger.
Her hand was small and cool, but her grip was tight.
When Tang Wulin brought Na'er home, Lang Yue was chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
"Mom, I'm home."
"You're back! How did your studies go today..."
Lang Yue came out, wiping her hands, but stopped halfway through her sentence. She saw the little silver-haired girl behind Tang Wulin, and then the dust on his school uniform.
"What happened?" Lang Yue's expression changed. She hurried over and checked Tang Wulin from head to toe.
"Did you get into a fight? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Mom. I'm doing great." Tang Wulin patted his chest. "A few punks were bullying her on the road, so I helped her out."
"A few punks?" Lang Yue's voice rose.
"You're only six! What if you'd gotten hurt?"
"I'm really fine. I sent the leader flying with one swing of my hammer."
Lang Yue glared at him, then turned to Na'er.
The little girl stood quietly in the doorway, her silver-white hair a little messy. She looked at Lang Yue without blinking, her purple eyes fixed on her. She neither cried nor made a fuss, nor was she afraid of a stranger.
"This child..." Lang Yue crouched down. "What's your name? Where's your home?"
"Na'er," the little girl said softly. "I can't find my mom and dad."
Lang Yue asked her a few more questions, but Na'er only repeated the same answer over and over. She couldn't get anything else out of her.
Lang Yue sighed, stood up, and patted Tang Wulin on the head.
"Stay home for now. I'll take her to the consul and see if anyone has reported her missing."
Tang Wulin nodded.
Lang Yue took Na'er by the hand and went out. Before she left, Na'er looked back at him, his reflection in her purple eyes.
After the door closed, Tang Wulin returned to his room and sat cross-legged on his bed.
Meditation.
Although he had yet to obtain a Soul Ring and his Soul Power Level wouldn't rise, Tang Wulin knew that all the Soul Power he accumulated through meditation now would be stored in his body and released together once he obtained a Soul Ring.
He had read Douluo Continent 1, so he knew this.
He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and let his Soul Power circulate slowly through his meridians.
One circuit, two circuits, three circuits... The flow of his Soul Power gradually steadied, and his consciousness sank deeper and deeper.
Soon, he entered Deep Meditation.
The familiar hazy gray light lit up before his eyes again.
He opened his eyes.
How did I end up back at the forge again?
Tang Wulin found himself sitting cross-legged in the middle of the forge, cold black earth beneath him and the steaming furnace in front of him.
Tang Hao sat opposite him on the other side of the furnace, pouring wine into his mouth from the gourd in his hand.
Seeing Tang Wulin open his eyes, he wiped his mouth and snorted.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to be a Soul Master, much less know how to cultivate."
Tang Wulin was taken aback. "Uncle, how did you know I was cultivating?"
"Your Soul Power was circulating. I'm not blind." Tang Hao set the wine gourd on the ground and narrowed his eyes at him.
"But your cultivation speed is very slow."
Tang Wulin scratched his head. "Uncle, my cultivation speed really is very slow. Maybe my talent is just too poor."
Tang Hao shook his head.
"It's not that your talent is poor." He studied Tang Wulin for a while. "Your talent is far, far better than my son's. What you lack is a good cultivation method."
Tang Wulin's heart skipped a beat.
"Have you ever heard of... the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record?"
Tang Wulin froze for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
He did know, in fact.
In his previous life, he had read the first Douluo Continent book. Tang San had transmigrated from the Tang Sect, bringing the Tang Sect Secret Arts with him. The Mysterious Heaven Skill was their foundation; the Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track were their techniques; and the Hundred Separations of Hidden Weapon contained their killing moves.
But he couldn't reveal that he knew, so he could only play dumb.
Tang Hao snorted. "You don't even know that? Try cultivating with the Mysterious Heaven Skill from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, and your cultivation speed will improve."
He paused, his gaze turning serious.
"Remember, the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record must not be passed on to outsiders. What I'm teaching you is the complete version, with nothing missing."
"Come to think of it, my son gave it to me."
"Can you promise me that?"
"Think carefully before you answer. A man shouldn't make promises to others lightly."
Tang Wulin nodded and said solemnly, "Uncle, I promise. Since I've given my word, I'll definitely keep it!"
Tang Hao smiled faintly.
He extended his right hand and gently touched his rough index finger to Tang Wulin's forehead.
A warm current of power poured in between his brows. Tang Wulin felt a boom in his mind as a flood of information surged in.
Cultivation methods, formulas, and diagrams of meridians unfolded one after another in the depths of his consciousness.
At the head of them, three characters were written neatly.
Mysterious Heaven Skill.
"You can also try cultivating the other contents of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. They'll all help you learn forging."
Tang Hao withdrew his finger and picked up the wine gourd again.
"Right now, you're an apprentice. As long as you can swing a hammer, I'll feed you."
"Later on, if you can't forge good metal, I'll fire you."
"I don't keep idlers in my forge."
Tang Wulin grinned. "All right, Uncle. I'll remember!"