Chapter 40: Everyone Wants to Be Your Friend!
"Your head teacher had an emergency, so I'll be filling in for now.
I'm Long Hengxu, Director of the lower grades at Eastsea Academy, Rank 63 Soul Emperor. I'll be substituting for a few days—is that alright?"
Class One shouted in unison, "No problem!"
Of course, no one dared say otherwise with the Director himself standing there.
Long Hengxu nodded in satisfaction. It had been quite a while since he'd last taught a class. Good to know he still had it—he wasn't old just yet.
This group of thirty students was handpicked from the academy's newest generation. Some came from powerful backgrounds—like Tang Wulin, with his so-called "trash" martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, yet a master who was none other than Saint Blacksmith Mu Chen.
Others were gifted commoners with exceptional talent.
And still others—like Jiang Chen, Huo Yun'er, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie—had both noble lineage and rare genius.
After all, among civilians, the chance of awakening a powerful martial soul was vanishingly small.
"Since it's your first day, let's start with introductions," Long Hengxu instructed. "Follow the order I call and share your name, martial soul, and life goal."
"Tang Wulin, you start."
The boy's martial soul was the weakest in the class; letting him go first would help everyone forget about it quickly. Better to open with a forgettable background than end awkwardly.
Tang Wulin stood calmly. "Tang Wulin, martial soul: Blue Silver Grass."
Instantly, murmurs spread through the room. Eyes turned his way—some wide in disbelief, others filled with sympathy, and a few, disdain.
Especially from Xie Xie, sitting behind him.
Earlier, Xie Xie had wanted to make friends with this honest-looking boy—something about Tang Wulin's energy had left a good impression. But when he tried to sit beside him, he'd been politely refused.
No one had ever refused him before.
He'd then tried sitting near Gu Yue; she'd simply told him to "get lost."
Now, embarrassed twice in a row, Xie Xie's bruised ego needed someone to blame—and Tang Wulin was the perfect target.
Another connections kid, no doubt. Blue Silver Grass as a martial soul and still placed in Class One? Influence must run deep.
But on this continent, strength ruled all.
Connections meant nothing if your martial soul was useless.
Blue Silver Grass might benefit slightly from soul spirits, but how high could it go?
What next—someone claiming a divine-tier Blue Silver Grass? Ridiculous.
Ignoring the stares, Tang Wulin continued evenly, "Spirit power: Rank 19. Third-rank blacksmith. My goal is to become a Divine Craftsman."
The room fell silent.
Most had expected him to say something predictable—a modest dream, maybe, since a "Blue Silver Grass" user couldn't aim very high.
But Rank 19? At his age? That was already top-tier.
And a third-rank blacksmith?
Whispers broke out. Most of the children came from families that understood what that title meant—and shuddered.
Third-rank at nine years old? A thousand-forges success rate? That wasn't natural. It wasn't human.
Even Long Hengxu couldn't help but stare.
No wonder the Saint Blacksmith had taken him as a personal apprentice.
A Divine Craftsman seedling.
When measured against the world, yes—there might be many Title Douluo, even Limit Douluo.
But a Divine Craftsman? Only one existed at any given time.
The core components of a Four-Word Battle Armor could only be crafted by such a master.
That alone defined the value of a godsmith.
At that realization, every student who understood the implications couldn't help but eye Tang Wulin like a rare treasure.
A prodigy? No—a Divine-tier cub!
Long Hengxu composed himself and nodded. "Good. Next—Xie Xie!"
The blond boy's mouth had been open the entire time, frozen in astonishment.
His deskmate—the kid he'd wanted to befriend—had the makings of a Divine Craftsman?
Amazing! So his instincts had been right!
He'd picked out a gem at first sight!
Though he'd been brushed off earlier, that only proved his foresight.
His heart soared. I, Xie Xie, future Limit Douluo, have an eye for greatness. When the time comes to build my four-word armor, my friend will forge it for me!
"Xie Xie!"
Long Hengxu's second shout snapped him out of his daydream.
"Here!"
He stood quickly. "Name's Xie Xie! Martial Souls—Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger! Dual-born companion spirits. Rank 19. My goal is to become a Limit Douluo!"
The class buzzed again.
Though not true twin martial souls, his had dragon lineage—far above ordinary spirits. And two at once? Extraordinary.
He had originally planned to hide one of them, but after that performance by Tang Wulin, he couldn't afford to play modest. If he wanted to become friends with the future Divine Craftsman, he needed to display value.
So he revealed both without hesitation.
Rank 19 no longer shocked anyone—the Blue Silver Grass kid had already matched that. Instead, they focused on his dual-dagger talents.
More introductions followed—students with ranks in the 13–16 range, all normal by comparison.
And then, a prideful boy with slicked-back hair rose and straightened his uniform.
"Wei Xiaofeng," he said arrogantly. "Martial Soul: Azure Serpent. Spirit power: Rank 25. My goal—join Shrek Academy and become Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion."
Gasps rippled through the class. None had higher soul power. Truly a genius among them.
For a moment, even Tang Wulin was forgotten as the spotlight turned to Wei Xiaofeng.
He basked in the admiration, lips curving triumphantly.
So what if he's a Divine Craftsman-to-be? His martial soul is trash. Someday I'll be a Limit Douluo sitting in Shrek's Pavilion—and he'll be begging to craft my armor.
Hah! We'll see who bows first.
Next, Gu Yue began to rise from her seat—
But before she could speak, a familiar voice echoed from the doorway, calm and commanding.
The smirk on Wei Xiaofeng's face froze instantly.
"Jiang Chen, Martial Soul—Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Spirit Power—Level 29. Goal: Become a god."
(END CHAPTER)
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