Chapter 303

Di Yun'er finished absorbing the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, which means everyone's soul‑ring hunting journey has officially ended.

As for the result, Tang Wulin did not obtain a satisfactory answer.

There are still many mysteries surrounding Di Yun'er.

Why does she look exactly like him? How did the Golden Dragon Spear in her hand end up winding its way into his hand? In the end, what exactly is the relationship between the two of them—siblings? grandparent and grandchild? or simply strangers? Tang Wulin hasn't figured any of this out.

But this operation truly yielded no gains at all—was it a failure?

Seeing Di Yun'er's complexion much softer than at the start, Tang Wulin silently gave a negative answer in his heart.

The Shilake group returned to Shilake Academy in less than a day, and the sky had just begun to darken.

Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong said farewell to the others and flew toward Haishen Dao.

As soon as they arrived on Haishen Dao, they encountered an unexpected person.

Seeing the two, a gentlemanly yet oddly nervous middle‑aged man walked up.

"Huo Yutong."

"Uh…"

For some reason, Tang Wulin felt that Huo Yutong's body seemed to tense the instant she saw the middle‑aged man.

Is she afraid? The middle‑aged man, his face dark, said, "Where's the assignment you were supposed to hand in to me?"

Huo Yutong coughed twice and gave a goofy smile, saying:

"Um… Teacher Xuan, could you give me a little more time?"

Teacher Xuan? Xuan Zizhen?

When Tang Wulin was gathering information from Wang Dong, he also heard about Xuan Zizhen; it is said that this eighth‑rank soul guide from the Royal Sun‑Moon Soul Guide Academy is an unabashed research fanatic, having brought a qualitative leap to both Shilake Academy and the Tang Sect in the field of soul‑guiding devices.

Seeing him now, Tang Wulin couldn't help but nod to himself inwardly.

The saying "appearance reflects the heart" proved true; just by looking at Xuan Zizhen's looks, they matched the evaluations people had of him.

Xuan Zizhen could no longer control his expression.

"More time? Do you know I've already granted you a full ten‑day grace period?"

"This…"

Xuan Zizhen paused, then, angry, said, "I know the hardships you've endured these past two years, so I can give you and your little boyfriend some tender time, but can you just abandon the soul‑guiding device like that?"

"…I'm sorry."

Huo Yutong obediently lowered her head and apologized to him.

Xuan Zizhen's complexion improved a bit; he hummed and said, "In short, you're going with me tonight to the Tang Sect's Soul‑Guiding Hall to learn how to forge a soul‑guiding device. Don't think about coming back until the task is finished! Follow me!"

"Yes…"

Huo Yutong pitied him with a glance at Tang Wulin, then released his hand and followed Xuan Zizhen.

At that moment, Xuan Zizhen suddenly turned back to look at Tang Wulin and said seriously, "I recall you're called Tang Wulin, right? Good feelings are fine, but they shouldn't jeopardize her future; I hope you understand this."

Tang Wulin's heart instantly tightened, and he quickly nodded.

"Yes."

Xuan Zizhen then nodded with satisfaction, turned, and prepared to leave with Huo Yutong.

As for this kid Tang Wulin, he still held a rather good impression.

That impression, of course, didn't stem from Tang Wulin himself, but came from Huo Yutong.

Back at the Royal Sun‑Moon Soul Guide Academy, whenever Huo Yutong talked about Tang Wulin, she would speak endlessly, and everything she said was praise; this made it hard for Xuan Zizhen to form any negative impression of him.

Moreover, Tang Wulin's return revived Huo Yutong's spirits; although Xuan Zizhen showed no outward reaction, he was actually quite pleased and felt grateful toward Tang Wulin. Watching their backs as they left, Tang Wulin suddenly called after them.

"Wait a moment, Teacher Xuan, Yutong."

"Hmm?" The two stopped, turned their heads, and asked, "What's up?"

Tang Wulin said earnestly:

"I'd also like to visit the Soul‑Guiding Hall; may I?"

Since his planned intimate time with Huo Yutong for tonight was now ruined, he thought he might as well go along to the Soul‑Guiding Hall for a tour.

Xuan Zizhen frowned.

"You just want to look around, that's fine, but it'll be very boring, you know."

He's been at Shilake Academy and the Tang Sect for a year now, and Xuan Zizhen has gained a certain understanding of Tang Wulin's identity.

The next Sea God Pavilion Master and a core figure of the Tang Sect—having both titles, the entire Tang Sect is practically a backyard for this kid, free to wander.

Xuan Zizhen was only worried that this layperson might do something that would raise one's blood pressure, so he gave a special reminder.

Tang Wulin shook his head.

"No, Teacher Xuan, I'm actually not entirely a layperson."

"Oh?"

Xuan Zizhen became interested upon hearing that.

"You mean you have some knowledge of soul‑guiding devices? As far as I know, you're completely ignorant about them."

"That's true," Tang Wulin admitted, "but I do have forging talent."

In fact, he hasn't refined his forging technique for several years.

The reason is that his own research progresses too slowly, and now he's in the golden age of cultivation; Mu En told him to focus on cultivation first, and deal with forging once his cultivation improves.

Even so, a thousand‑fold forge is still easy for him; considering his power now is countless times stronger than when he first arrived in this era, it's not impossible for him to launch a massive force to create a spiritual forge outright.

Xuan Zizhen was somewhat puzzled.

"Forging? Does forging still require talent?"

In his view, forging should be left to machines; human effort is entirely labor‑intensive and unrewarding.

Huo Yutong quickly spoke up for her boyfriend, saying, "Teacher Xuan, Wulin's forging is different from the forging you know—it truly can improve the quality of metal!"

"Oh? I've never heard of such a thing."

Xuan Ziwen has been painstakingly researching in the Ri Yue Di Guo for many years, yet he has never heard of any blacksmith capable of elevating metal.

Seeing Xuan Ziwen still wearing an expression of disbelief, Tang Wulin said earnestly:

"Wait a moment, I can give you a demonstration at the Soul Tool Hall; it won't take long, and if you're not satisfied, I'll just leave."

After looking at his sincere expression, Xuan Ziwen pondered for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright then, let me see what your so-called forging technique is really like."

According to Tang Wulin, it won't take long, so let him do as he pleases.

Anyway, if Xuan Ziwen is dissatisfied, just let him leave.

And if, by chance, this kid isn't lying and really possesses a technique that can elevate metal, then perhaps the entire soul tool domain will undergo a drastic change.

By the way, during the Eleven holiday, I returned home to accompany my mother, and we plan to go out traveling together.

So over the next few days, updates will be casual, depending on my mood~(End of chapter)