"Your soul power is thick and your aura is stable — I underestimated you," Yun Ming said softly, his gaze resting warmly on Gu You.
Gu You didn't reply. The atmosphere around them felt slightly awkward, the weight of recent events pressing in on both sides.
Yun Ming gave a gentle smile. After all, this sudden shift in identity — from stranger to foster son — wasn't something a child could process easily. He gave Gu You a moment, letting him breathe.
"Have you ever thought about what you want as your second profession?" Yun Ming asked calmly.
"Second profession?" Gu You turned to look at him, blinking.
"Yes. Maybe it's a bit early, but with your talent, it's better to start young. Second professions help develop a soul master's depth. Whether it's forging, mecha crafting, or designing battle armor, early training will make a difference." Yun Ming nodded slightly.
Gu You's eyes lit up. "I want to learn forging!"
Yali, standing nearby, raised her eyebrows in surprise. Forging? That was a physically demanding craft, not something many young soul masters chose — most preferred design or mecha piloting.
But Yun Ming only smiled faintly. "If that's what you want, then we'll try it. If it turns out your talent doesn't match, we can change paths later. You're still young."
Yali's gaze softened as she looked between them, but there was a touch of reluctance in her eyes. She stepped closer to Yun Ming and gently touched his sleeve.
"Yun Ming, do you really think we should push him this hard so soon?" she murmured.
Yun Ming lifted his hand, brushing her hair with a fondness that spoke of decades together. "Letting the child face some hardship will be good for him, Yali. Without enduring the storm, how will he see the rainbow?"
Gu You watched the two, feeling a bit awkward. It felt like he was witnessing something private, like a couple sharing quiet affection in a moment where he was supposed to be the focus. He coughed softly but said nothing.
Yun Ming smiled at Gu You. "Come with me. I'll take you to meet someone."
With a light tap of soul power, Yun Ming vanished with Gu You, stepping through space as easily as walking.
They reappeared inside the Shrek Academy Forging Association. Feng Wuyu was hunched over a table, eyes narrowed in deep concentration as he worked on a rare metal ingot. The old man looked up when he sensed the incoming soul fluctuations.
"Yun Ming? What wind blows you here — and bringing a child?" Feng Wuyu's gaze sharpened as it landed on Gu You.
Yun Ming chuckled softly. "I'll explain." He quickly recounted why they had come.
Feng Wuyu's eyes widened. "Foster son? Yun Ming, you — you always hide the big news!"
Gu You smiled politely, hiding his curiosity. He had heard of Feng Wuyu — the legendary Red Armored Douluo, one of the twin Holy Dragons, an eight-star Saint Craftsman, known across the continent for his fiery temper and near-mad obsession with forging.
Feng Wuyu's sharp eyes studied him. "Alright, kid. First, we test your raw strength. Stand here." He tapped the ground near a massive device with a large indentation. "Don't use soul power, just punch. Let's see what your body can do."
Gu You nodded, rolling his shoulders. He channeled all his physical strength into his right arm and punched hard. There was a solid thud as the machine shook slightly. The numbers flickered across the display: 166.
Feng Wuyu let out a low whistle. "Good heavens! That's without soul power? Not bad, not bad at all."
Gu You smirked inwardly. 'Lucky number.'
But Feng Wuyu raised a finger. "Don't get cocky. Strength alone doesn't mean you'll survive in forging. It takes willpower and endurance. Here — these are two thousand-forged life essence hammers, each weighing fifty jin. Your task: keep swinging them at this testing block. Every swing must hit with no less than fifty jin. I'll be counting. Keep going until you collapse."
Gu You gritted his teeth. "Understood."
He picked up the hammers, feeling the dense weight pull at his arms. Each strike landed with a heavy thud, echoing through the room.
Thirty-six hits… forty-six… seventy…
As Gu You pounded away, the hammers released faint traces of life essence, subtly healing and nourishing his muscles. Feng Wuyu watched silently, knowing the boy would never last this long without those hammers' special properties. Without them, his arms would have torn apart before the first hundred.
One hundred strikes. Gu You's breath was coming faster, sweat trickling down his forehead. His arms trembled slightly, but his jaw tightened.
Three hundred strikes. His arms were visibly swelling, muscles stretched to their limits. He gritted his teeth hard, the hammers rising and falling with grim determination.
Feng Wuyu's eyes sparkled with appreciation. 'Not bad, kid. You've got heart.'
Six hundred strikes. Gu You's vision blurred at the edges. Every lift felt like hoisting a mountain, every slam like shaking the world itself. His body was soaked in sweat, his shirt clinging to his back.
Feng Wuyu began to grin. 'Alright, this one — I'm keeping.'
Eight hundred strikes. The hammers slipped from his fingers at last, crashing to the floor with a final loud clang. Gu You crumpled backward, landing on the ground, chest heaving, a shaky grin on his exhausted face.
"Did I pass…?" Gu You rasped out between gulps of air.
Feng Wuyu let out a booming laugh. "Pass? Kid, you smashed the test! You're the most monstrous little freak I've seen in years!"
He crouched down and helped Gu You up, half-dragging him to a side room where he pulled out a healing salve and carefully smeared it on the boy's swollen arms.
"You rest here for a bit," Feng Wuyu said gruffly. "I'll handle the paperwork. Soon, you'll officially join the Shrek Academy Forging Association. Once you master first-tier forging and start learning hundred-forging and thousand-forging techniques, I'll prepare a special gift for you."
Gu You lay back against the wall, eyes half-lidded, heart pounding but filled with quiet excitement. 'I did it… I really did it…'
What he didn't see was the faint purple glow that danced along his spine, subtle and flickering, hinting at something far beyond ordinary soul power.
Feng Wuyu paused in the doorway, giving the boy a thoughtful look. 'This child… something about him is beyond even what I expected. Yun Ming, what have you brought me this time?'
Outside the rest room, the sky had turned dark, stars beginning to prick the heavens. Gu You's breathing slowed, his mind drifting gently toward sleep, exhaustion pulling at him from all sides.
But deep within, a quiet determination flared.
'I will not lose. Not to anyone.'
Not to Tang Wulin. Not to anyone.
As his eyes finally closed, the night outside stretched vast and endless, waiting for the dawn.
(End of Chapter)
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