Chapter 75: Wait, You Actually Know How?!

"Na'er…"

Hearing her words, Gu Yue froze, her heart suddenly filled with an indescribable bitterness. What Na'er said wasn't without reason.

Wasn't Na'er the first one to arrive by Luo Chuan's side? Yet now, it was she who remained by his side.

"Sigh…"

Gu Yue hesitated, words caught in her throat.

She couldn't help but feel that she had changed somehow—that she cared about Luo Chuan more than before.

Even she didn't understand why she had become like this. Could it be that he truly had some kind of magic over her?

"Since you're already here…"

"Let him spend more time with you these next few days."

Gu Yue took a deep breath and spoke softly. If it were any other girl, she would have wished them as far away from Luo Chuan as possible. But if it was Na'er…

Given their relationship, how could she treat her like that?

"Okay~"

Hearing this, Na'er's eyes instantly brightened.

Her thoughts were simple, and she was easily satisfied. Just hearing Gu Yue say this already made her very happy.

"Gu Yue-jie, I'll be going out with Luo Chuan-gege for a late-night snack later, so I'll head out first, okay?"

Na'er glanced at the time, then looked at Gu Yue earnestly.

"…"

"Go ahead."

"I won't disturb the two of you."

Gu Yue turned her head away, speaking with a hint of frustration before stepping out of the room.

"What's up with Gu Yue-jie…?"

Na'er tilted her head in confusion.

They were supposed to be good sisters, so why did Gu Yue seem so resistant to her spending time with Luo Chuan-gege?

"Luo Chuan, where are you going?"

Not long after Gu Yue left, she ran into Tang Luochuan, who was just about to head out. Her beautiful face instantly darkened with displeasure as she huffed and asked.

"Hm?"

"Nothing much, just going to eat with Na'er."

Tang Luochuan shook his head and replied calmly.

"Eating with her…"

Of course, Gu Yue wasn't surprised—she had just come from Na'er's room. But even so, it didn't stop the irritation bubbling inside her.

"Eat, eat, all you ever do is eat."

"Go on, hurry up and eat."

Gu Yue snorted, speaking reluctantly before turning on her heel and retreating into her room under his gaze.

"Gu Yue, you…"

Tang Luochuan could only shake his head helplessly before making his way toward Na'er's room to meet up with her.

"Gu Yue-jie…"

"What's wrong with you?"

Inside the room, Xu Xiaoyan, holding a toothbrush cup, blinked at Gu Yue's visibly fluctuating mood, her face full of confusion.

Gu Yue-jie had been acting strange all day.

"It's nothing."

Gu Yue took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"…"

The next day.

At the preliminary rounds of the various auxiliary profession competitions—specifically the youth division of the Forging Master tournament—Tang Luochuan, Tang Wulin, and Mu Xi had already gathered, preparing to take the stage.

"Luo Chuan-gege, do your best!"

Beside Tang Luochuan, Na'er cheered enthusiastically, her face beaming.

"Go, go, go!"

Ye Xinglan was also present, watching with anticipation. She had only guessed that Tang Luochuan was a Forging Master—now she wanted to see just how skilled he truly was in this field.

"…"

"Do your best."

Standing between Ye Xinglan and Na'er, Gu Yue looked calmly at Tang Luochuan and softly uttered two words.

"I'll do my best."

A gentle smile appeared on Tang Luochuan's face as he chuckled lightly.

"Wu Lin, are you ready?"

"Of course."

Beside them, Tang Wulin was already eager to begin, his forging hammer tightly gripped in hand. Having long mastered fourth-level forging techniques, how could he possibly be intimidated by such a challenge?

"With you all here..."

"Even if I give it my all, I can only fight for third place at best."

Mu Xi stepped onto the stage and looked somewhat helplessly at Tang Luochuan as she spoke.

In previous years' youth division, with her proficiency in Thousand Refinements and peak third-level forging skills, she would undoubtedly have been the strongest genius among the five coastal cities.

Winning the youth division championship would have been unquestionable.

But now... with these two brothers Luo Chuan—one at fifth-level and the other at fourth—there was simply no chance of victory.

"..."

"Chen'er, is that the boy Xiao Xi told me about?"

From the judges' seat, an elderly man pointed in Tang Luochuan's direction, his face thoughtful.

He was none other than the president of the Tianhai City Forging Masters Association, and also held another identity—Mu Chen's father-in-law and teacher.

Moreover, he was the teacher of the world's only Divine Blacksmith, his forging skills unparalleled in the entire forging community.

"Yes, Teacher."

"That's Luo Chuan."

Mu Chen's face was filled with deep approval as he responded.

He hadn't yet informed his senior brother Zhen Hua about such a prodigy, but naturally, he hadn't kept it from his father-in-law.

The old man had known about this genius for some time, but this was actually their first meeting.

"To become a fifth-level Forging Master at such a young age, and even capable of guiding Xiao Xi in forging practice—his talents in both self-learning and teaching are extraordinary."

The old man's face showed astonishment as he couldn't help but remark repeatedly,

"What an impressive young man..."

"What do you think?"

Meeting the elder's gaze, Mu Chen nodded, though he soon seemed to realize something.

"Teacher, are you suggesting..."

"This isn't my suggestion. If Xiao Xi develops a good relationship with him in the future, I believe without our interference, a wonderful match..."

"May well come to pass."

The old man shook his head with a smile. Their Xiao Xi was an excellent girl too, and he believed...

There was real potential here.

"This..."

Looking at the composed elder before him, Mu Chen was momentarily stunned, truly understanding what it meant to have the composure of the older generation.

"..."

As it was the preliminary round of the youth division, the first stage's requirement was simply to forge metal of at least third-grade Hundred Refined quality.

This posed no difficulty whatsoever for the three of them, who completed the task and left the stage remarkably quickly.

"Finished already?"

Below the stage, Ye Xinglan watched the trio's efficiency with surprise—their speed was almost unbelievable.

Wasn't forging supposed to be the most challenging of the secondary professions? Yet judging by their performance, it didn't seem that way at all. In fact...

Wasn't Sister Mu Xi the slowest among them?

"Brother Luo Chuan's talent in forging is truly unparalleled. This has been evident since he was very young."

"This competition is far too easy for him."

Na'er, standing nearby, shook her head with a light chuckle.

"That's true."

"After all, Luo Chuan is already a fifth-rank Forging Master."

Gu Yue also nodded faintly.

When it came to this topic, neither of them seemed particularly astonished by his abilities, speaking in calm tones.

"..."

"Huh?"

"Wait, what?"

"A fifth-rank Forging Grandmaster?!"

Yet as she listened to their casual remarks, Ye Xinglan's face involuntarily filled with question marks.

"Yes."

Na'er responded with a smile.

"..."

Ye Xinglan was speechless.

She had suspected Tang Luochuan might have some talent in forging, but she hadn't imagined anything this shocking—after all, his Martial Soul talent was already ridiculously overpowered.

Surely his forging rank couldn't be even higher...

"A fifth-rank secondary profession, and in forging no less."

"That's just too absurd..."

Ye Xinglan couldn't help but marvel. Forging was already the most difficult of all secondary professions, growing exponentially harder at higher levels. Yet in Luo Chuan's hands, it seemed...

She had once thought herself quite remarkable for becoming a Mecha Manufacturer at such a young age. Only now did she realize she had merely been a frog at the bottom of a well.

"At least he's not a Mecha Manufacturer."

"Otherwise..."

"I'd really have nothing to boast about in front of him."

Ye Xinglan watched as Tang Luochuan approached them, pressing her lips together as this thought crossed her mind, a faint smile on her face.

This was what she had always believed.

Until she noticed Tang Luochuan's gaze shifting toward another competition area—the preliminary rounds of the youth division Mecha Manufacturing tournament.

"Gu Yue, Na'er."

"Don't tell me..."

"He's also a Mecha Manufacturer?"

Ye Xinglan frowned slightly, unable to hold back her question.

"Mhm."

Gu Yue gave a slight nod before casually adding two words.

"Fifth-rank."

"..."

Ye Xinglan took a deep breath.

Tang Luochuan...

Is there anything he can't do?

Later, Ye Xinglan wrote in her diary:

"Meeting Luo Chuan was like a mayfly beholding the vast sky."