Chapter 548 - Dreams of Rank 40 (2/2)

As Na’er watched Tang Wulin leave, a voice snapped her out of her longing gaze. “It’s impossible for you to go with him.”

Na’er turned around. Standing right before her was Gu Yue, the latter’s eyes shining bright. Na’er pushed down on the stone table and rose to her feet. She climbed on top of the table. “Why not? Don’t you know what love is?” Her words dripped with ire.

Gu Yue met Na’er’s gaze in silence. Faced with no counterattack, Na’er quickly regained her calm. She shot Gu Yue a glare then jumped down, her hair waving as she stormed off.

When Na’er’s figure could no longer be seen, Gu Yue finally moved from her spot. Alone in this corner of the Spirit ice Plaza, she allowed herself one soft muttering of a sentence.

“Do I know what love is?”

☀

Tang Wulin reached the front gates in a flash. To his surprise, it wasn’t just Mu Chen waiting for him at the gate. Zhen Hua was present as well. Upon seeing Tang Wulin, Zhen Hua grinned, his eyes lighting up with his face. Tang Wulin hurried over to greet them. “Teacher! Uncle-master!”

Mu Chen smiled. “That was fast. I thought you would be another couple of minutes.”

Tang Wulin laughed bashfully. “Why are you two here? If there’s something you wanted, you could have just called me and I would have went over to you.”

“Private matters shouldn’t be discussed at the Association,” Mu Chen said.

“Private matters?” Tang Wulin raised a brow.

Mu Chen glanced at Zhen Hua, passing the ball to him.

“We’re here this time to give you a gift,” Zhen Hua said as he held out his right hand to Tang Wulin. Sitting in his palm was a white badge. Six twinkling stars graced its surface.

“This…” Tang Wulin’s jaw dropped as he looked back and forth between the badge and Zhen Hua. “But Uncle-master, I haven’t reached the sixth rank yet!”

Zhen Hua smiled wryly. “Actually, common sense would dictate that you’ve long since earned the qualifications to call yourself a sixth-rank blacksmith. It was only because of your weak soul power that you haven’t been able to make the last step. Once you achieve a breakthrough, spirit refining should be easy for you. Your foundation is more than sturdy enough now. You’re about to leave for Star Luo for a whole year, so I’m sure you’ll be able to break rank 40 sometime during that. That’s why I decided to award you your badge now. I’m certain you’ll have earned it by the time you return.”

“Take it,” Mu Chen urged. “Your Uncle-master personally forged it for you.” There was a sour note in his voice with the last few words. He had no choice but to admit that he couldn’t compare with Zhen Hua as a blacksmith. There was no competing with the only living Divine Blacksmith!

“Thank you, Uncle-master! Thank you, Teacher!”Tang Wulin bowed his head low. It was unprecedented for the President of the Blacksmith’s Association to personally forge the badge for a sixth-rank blacksmith. And to award it early too!

“Be safe and quickly make a breakthrough in your cultivation,” Zhen Hua said, tone hardening. “Again, your foundation is superb, but your soul power is lagging behind. If your soul power is still growing so slowly when you return from Star Luo, we’ll help you think of a method to fix that.”

“Thank you, Uncle-master.” Tang Wulin understood just what methods Zhen Hua was alluding to, but he didn’t want to walk that path. He still wanted to progress solely with his own efforts.

In the past year, Tang Wulin may not have increased his soul power much, but his soul power perception skills had improved and his understanding of his bluesilver grass had deepened. If he used heavenly treasures to boost his cultivation, the cultivation foundation would definitely suffer.

Zhen Hua’s stern expression melted back into a kind smile. “I’m sure you’ll encounter a few nice surprises during your trip to Star Luo.”

“Nice surprises? What?” Tang Wulin furrowed his brow inquisitively.

Zhen Hua smirked. “I shouldn’t ruin the surprise for you. You’ll find out soon enough, so just be patient.”

Tang Wulin looked to Mu Chen in an appeal for help. Unfortunately for him, Mu Chen merely shook his head and gave a mysterious smile of his own.

“Well then, that’s about everything. We should get going now,” Said Zhen Hua. “Have a good trip!” With that he and Mu Chen left together.

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