Tang Wulin shook his head. “Probably, but it wouldn’t be good for me as a soul master to take a shortcut.”
Zhuo Shi pressed his lips together, his expression stony. “Alright. But Wulin, just don’t bite off more than you can chew. Especially when it comes to cultivation. I don’t know who your uncle-master is, but you don’t need to take his words too seriously. Blacksmithing is the hardest of the four main professions. The difference becomes even more apparent when you get to the later ranks. That’s also why there’s only one Divine Blacksmith in the world right now. You need to focus on establishing a firm foundation. Don’t put too much faith in the praise others give you. Understood?”
“Yes.” Tang Wulin dared not say anything more to Zhuo Shi’s displeased face.
Suddenly, a barking laugh sounded. “Zhuo Shi you old fool! I have arrived!” In walked Feng Wuyu.
Tang Wulin wasted no time in standing up and bowing. “Teacher.”
Feng Wuyu waved him off. “You stinkin’ brat! You should have visited me first when you got back instead of this nest for old codgers. What can a clueless fool like that teach you?”
A loud slam. Tang Wulin whipped his head to the direction of the sound, eyes widening at the small dent on the table top beneath Zhuo Shi’s palm. “You crazy bastard! You trying to start shit? How am I clueless? You better watch your mouth in front of my granddisciple. Don’t you dare spite me or I’ll kick your ass out of here!”
Feng Wuyu snorted. “You don’t need to bullshit with me. Tell me, do you know who Wulin’s uncle-master is?”
Zhuo Shi scowled. “How would I know who his uncle-master is? Probably just one of your senior brothers. Wait, do you even have any?”
“Nope. In fact, Wulin’s uncle-master is a generation younger than us.”
“Then was I wrong? A talented kid like Wulin doesn’t need excessive praise. I’ll beat that guy’s ass if he’s leading Wulin astray. Now enough with this farce. If you don’t have anything important to say or do then leave. I’m losing my appetite just looking at you,” Zhuo Shi said, mouth twisted into a scowl.
Feng Wuyu smirked. “I’ll leave when I want to leave. Right after I give you a good slap to the face. By the way, Wulin has another teacher too. His name’s Mu Chen. You know of him, right?” He took a step forward, not even blinking in the face of Zhuo Shi’s irritation. “He was the President of the Eastsea Blacksmith’s Association branch and an eighth-rank Saint Blacksmith. He has a senior brother who is the uncle-master Wulin was talking about. Hmm. If I remember correctly, his name was Zhen Hua or something like that. Right, Wulin?”
Tang Wulin looked between his teacher, then to his grandteacher. He didn’t dare utter a word.
“So what about this Zhen Hua, he’s ju—” Zhuo Shi’s eyes went wide, his breathing ragged. Zhen Hua? Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua? If it’s that Zhen Hua, then who else could judge a blacksmith better than him?
Feng Wuyu patted his own cheeks, feeling for the upward tug of his lips, the muscles forming his cheeks. “Ooh! Now that feels good. How about your face, Old Zhuo? Does it hurt?”
“Screw off!” Zhuo Shi shouted, sending a punch at Feng Wuyu.
Feng Wuyu chuckled, catching the fist in his hand effortlessly. The two began brawling on the spot, throwing punches back and forth.
Tang Wulin had long since backed away to a safer distance. But a child before them, he didn’t dare intervene in a fight between Titled Douluos. Even Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong had retreated.
“Here we go again,” Shen Yi sighed. “I swear we can’t go more than a week without them fighting.”
Wu Zhangkong beckoned Tang Wulin to his side. “They’ll finish up soon enough. Get some exercise in the meantime. Take a walk. Just don’t go too far and don’t enter any forbidden areas.”
Tang Wulin turned to Wu Zhangkong, a pout on his lips, eyes with a dash of pitiful flavor. “But Teacher Wu, I’m not done eating yet.”
Wu Zhangkong shot him a dark look. “I’ll save some for you to eat later tonight. Sea God’s Island is already having a tough time accommodating your stomach.”
Each food item on the island was a handpicked delicacy. Even Zhen Hua would be satisfied with the food here. But not Tang Wulin. His appetite was monstrous. The island had enough supplies to easily accommodate one more resident, but adding one Tang Wulin was a whole different story. He alone could eat for well over ten people.
Tang Wulin left the house in resignation. The sky was painted in hues red and orange, dusk settling in. He took in a deep breath, enjoying the taste of clean, fresh air. It filled him with vigor. He had eaten half his fill, just enough so that he didn’t feel hunger’s brush.
He strolled around the island, heading for the densest, thickest areas of vegetation. The stronger nature’s embrace, the more at ease he felt.
Uncle-master said the most efficient way to cultivate was to surround myself with all this green. There should be plenty of places like that on Sea God’s Island.
He paused for a second. Like this place. It’s not bad. Oh, and over there’s pretty good too.
Amidst his wandering, Tang Wulin had walked his way deep into the island. Though the land itself didn’t stretch far since it was contained within a lake, the thick and ancient vegetation made it hard to traverse.
As he trekked onward, Tang Wulin encountered several forbidden areas, dodging past them like a scurrying animal. He didn’t dare intrude. This was Sea God’s Island.
Laughter like the tinkling of bells. Before he knew it his feet took him toward the source of the familiar voice. After pushing away a branch obstructing his view, he gasped, struck surprised by the steep cliff in front of him, over twenty meters in height. Two thick vines hung down it, a makeshift swing at the bottom.
On the swing sat a handsome young man, his robes pressed neat, his posture impeccable. He looked to be in his late twenties, and from what Tang Wulin could discern, carried a gentle touch to his gaze. Tang Wulin didn’t recognize him. He didn’t sense a hint of power on the man either, and entertained the thought that he might be an ordinary person.
Tang Wulin’s gaze moved, and he blinked when he finally registered the other stranger. A woman who sat on the man’s lap. She had her arms around his neck as she leaned on his shoulder, a warm smile on her lips. She was the source of the laughter.
Despite the lack of breeze or other external force, the swing gently swung back and forth. A real fairytale couple.
Tang Wulin gulped, stunned. He didn’t know the man’s identity, but the woman was someone he would never forget. The Holy Spirit Douluo Yali! A woman even his uncle-master respected!
At that moment, the swing came to a stop. The man smiled at Yali. “Looks like we have a young visitor. He seems startled. Let’s get going.”
Yali blushed furiously as she glanced at Tang Wulin. She waved her hand and disappeared with the man in a flash of light.
The swing teetered in place from their abrupt disappearance. If not for that, Tang Wulin would have thought his eyes had been playing tricks on him. He still couldn’t believe what he had just seen. The illustrious Holy Spirit Douluo had sat on a man’s lap, giggling like an innocent school girl!
Tang Wulin swallowed. He immediately spun on his heel toward Zhuo Shi’s house. He felt like he just saw something he shouldn’t have.
But just as he walked, he caught sight of silver hair and a brush of red. Isn’t that the girl from earlier?
The twilight hour did nothing to hide her beauty. In fact, she shone more brilliantly than ever.