Cen Yue: "..."
He had made up his mind. He would never compare his composure with Mang Tian's again.
He couldn't compete.
He couldn't compete at all.
On the other end of the call, Mang Tian added, "Oh, right. If they come to you for assignments, remember to look after them for me."
"Look after them?" Cen Yue sneered. "I'm afraid I can't manage that. Those two brats were hammering more steadily than I did just now. I'll be happy as long as they don't end up looking after me."
Mang Tian chuckled. "That's good. It means you still have some eye for talent."
Cen Yue: "..."
He deeply regretted it now.
He regretted making that call to Mang Tian.
He had simply been asking to get himself riled up.
Cen Yue ended the call with a dark expression, feeling more aggrieved the more he thought about it.
He turned his head and spotted a young apprentice who had just come in.
The apprentice still held a forging hammer. Seeing that Cen Yue's expression was off, he instinctively took half a step back.
"M-Master?"
Cen Yue stared at him and asked in a low voice, "Have you mastered the hammer technique I taught you?"
The young apprentice nodded. "Y-Yes, I've mastered it."
"Mastered it?" Cen Yue raised an eyebrow. "Back in the testing room, you couldn't even hammer a piece of ordinary gray iron without stumbling through it. You call that mastery?"
The young apprentice: "..."
Cen Yue planted his hands on his hips and launched into a lecture.
"How many times have I told you? Your forging must be steady! Grounded! You have to feel the metal with your heart!"
"But look at you! One blow heavy, the next light, like you're stepping on springs!"
"And you!" Cen Yue pointed at another apprentice. "Your hammering is steady, all right, but you're as steady as a rock! You've nearly hammered the metal into an iron plate. Take a look yourself. Is that acceptable?"
Both apprentices lowered their heads, not daring to let out so much as a fart.
Cen Yue grew angrier as he spoke, finally concluding, "Look at those two kids! They're already second-rank blacksmiths! Then look at you two. Even first rank is a struggle!"
The two: ...
Did we forget to check the almanac before heading out today?
Meanwhile, Xu Qing and Tang Wulin walked side by side toward Eastsea Academy.
Neither was in a hurry to return to school, and they planned to familiarize themselves with the surrounding roads along the way.
They had not walked far when Xu Qing's nose twitched, and he gently sniffed the air.
"There's a smell of blood, just up ahead."
Tang Wulin looked puzzled. "Blood? What smell of blood?"
Xu Qing had not intended to meddle, but curiosity made him hesitate for a moment before deciding to go over and take a look.
"Wulin, let's go take a look."
Seeing this, Tang Wulin could only follow Xu Qing as he hurried forward.
Soon, they arrived at 101 Second Street. The entire street was silent, and a crowd surrounded the entrance to a shop up ahead. The atmosphere was oppressive and somber.
Xu Qing squeezed into the crowd and gently tugged at the hem of a middle-aged man's clothes beside him.
The man looked down and saw two young children.
Xu Qing asked softly, "Uncle, what happened here?"
The man's expression was grave, and he hurriedly waved them away. "This isn't a place for children. Hurry up and leave!"
He knew perfectly well that this was a murder scene. The bloody sight was entirely unsuitable for children, and he only wanted to get the two of them away as quickly as possible.
Tang Wulin was just about to obediently leave, but Xu Qing did not budge.
"Didn't that uncle tell us to leave? Why are you still sneaking closer?" Tang Wulin asked quietly, puzzled.
"I'll just take one look."
As he finished speaking, Xu Qing quietly activated Dragon Eyes.
In an instant, his vision became incomparably clear, piercing through the gaps in the crowd to see the scene inside the shop directly.
Large patches of dried, blackened blood covered the shop floor, giving off a faint, foul stench of blood and decay.
Mixed in was a presence that made him very uncomfortable.
Seeing his expression change, Tang Wulin hurriedly asked, "What did you see?"
Xu Qing shook his head gently, his eyes returning to normal. "Nothing. Let's go."
Tang Wulin was full of curiosity, but he could also tell that something was amiss. He could only nod obediently, turn around, and leave with Xu Qing.
The two remained silent the entire way as they hurried back to Eastsea Academy, saying goodbye and parting at the dormitory entrance.
Xu Qing entered the dormitory, pushed open his room door, and raised a hand to switch on the lights.
A double bed made by joining beds together stood in the center of the room. He walked over and sat cross-legged on it, lightly rubbing his chin with one hand as his brows drew together and he began to ponder.
That peculiar presence at the murder scene on the street continued to linger in his mind.
Cold, eerie, and carrying a sense of evil.
Could it have been an Evil Soul Master?
Xu Qing shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. His immediate priority was to stabilize his cultivation. Overthinking would not do him much good.
He got up, shut and locked the door and windows, and turned off the lights. The next second, he vanished from the dorm room.
The scene shifted to Xu Qing's new home on Parallel Earth.
The Blue Silver Grass growing all around seemed to sense his return. Its leaves and stems swayed gently, rocking slowly as though softly welcoming its master home.
Xu Qing walked slowly to the garage and controlled four powerfully built zombies, bringing them with him to the lakeside.
He leaped onto a large boulder beside the lake and sat upright with his legs crossed. Taking out several dozen crystal cores, he placed them on the rock before him, then focused his mind and entered a meditative state.
The four zombies each attended to their own duties, remaining in the clearing by the lake and methodically continuing to plant Blue Silver Grass, expanding its coverage across the lakeshore little by little.
After nearly a year of cultivation and care, almost every patch of open ground around the entire lakeshore that could support growth was densely covered in Blue Silver Grass.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but pure azure blue.
Countless blades of Blue Silver Grass bathed in the sunlight, gently stretching their leaves and stems as they absorbed the faint energy drifting through the air.
As for the other, violent energy, a peculiar energy within the Blue Silver Grass broke it down, turning it into energy the grass could absorb to nourish itself.
As Xu Qing sank fully into meditation, his consciousness quietly unfurled.
Countless tiny motes of energy floated gently all around him, gathering toward him as though filled with endless joy and reverence.
A faint golden light slowly spread from his body, extending outward and falling over all the Blue Silver Grass below.
Bathed in the golden light, the entire azure sea of grass stretched its leaves and stems, quietly spreading its roots and growing vigorously.
Its vitality also grew richer.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing rapidly absorbed the energy within the few crystal cores on the rock.
As time ticked by, Xu Qing suddenly felt a slight vibration at his wrist.
He opened his eyes and looked down at his electronic wristwatch, a flicker of understanding crossing his eyes.
So it was time.
Xu Qing nodded lightly, slowly stood, and stretched his limbs, which had grown sore from sitting for so long.
All the energy he had finished absorbing settled within his body. His cultivation was stable, and his presence brimmed with fullness.
After making those adjustments, he vanished from Parallel Earth in an instant and returned to his dorm room at Eastsea Academy.
He briefly straightened his bedding, quickly washed up, then pushed open the door and left the dormitory.
Warm sunlight spilled down at the dormitory entrance, softly brushing his cheek. Its gentle warmth dispelled the faint chill left by his long meditation, leaving him utterly refreshed in body and mind.