Late at night, approaching dawn, Gu You worked for hours on his song.
He wasn't just casually uploading something — he carefully used special software to record his own voice, then ran it through an AI singing simulator. It wasn't that Gu You didn't want to sing with his own voice; it was that… well, he was honestly afraid of getting scolded for how it might sound.
Thankfully, the Federation's AI technology was excellent — the simulated vocal line was practically indistinguishable from a real human's.
After finishing the track, he spent another long stretch editing a dynamic subtitle video to go with it. Once complete, he uploaded the final product onto two different platforms. One was called Yinxun, a popular music app where uploading original songs was easy — just sign up for a premium membership. The other was the official video-sharing app run by the Sun-Moon Federation, a place where music videos often went viral.
Gu You groaned, rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness. Damn, this was more exhausting than he'd expected. After the system confirmed the video had passed its content check, he even spent five or six thousand Federation credits to give it an initial popularity boost.
And, cheeky as always, he left a mischievous comment pinned at the bottom:
'This song is available for copyright sale — highest bidder wins!
Bidding time listed in the comments. Bidding closes after tomorrow.'
Stretching his arms high, Gu You finally relaxed with a satisfied grin. This project should net him a decent profit.
Tonight, he chose not to cultivate. Instead, he sprawled lazily on the bed and fell into regular sleep.
Gu You had long noticed that his natural meditation (or "cultivation") state felt oddly draining on his body — whenever he finished meditating, he'd wake up feeling tingly all over, his eyelids heavy and hard to lift. Honestly, plain old sleep just felt more cost-effective.
---
Morning arrived.
Standing at the bathroom sink, Gu You washed up briskly, splashing cold water onto his face. His communicator chimed, making him flinch a little. He quickly tapped Answer with shaking fingers — and sure enough, as expected, it was Mu Chen on the line.
He sighed inwardly. Looks like his school life was officially about to begin…
"Kid, all the admission paperwork's finished," Mu Chen said over the line. "I've left the recommendation letter and enrollment documents at the association's first-floor front desk. Just go down and ask for them. Ah — and, well, thanks to you, my daughter's still upset with me after yesterday!"
Suddenly, another sharp voice cut in faintly over the call, clearly audible even through the device:
"Mu Chen! Explain to me right now — how could you leave our precious Xi'er alone during her level-three blacksmith test yesterday? Do you know how worried—"
Mu Chen let out a dramatic groan. "Ugh, never mind, I'm about to get an earful again."
Click — call ended.
Gu You chuckled softly. So, even this legendary Divine Blacksmith was a henpecked husband, huh?
---
He headed downstairs, taking the elevator to the first floor.
Approaching the front desk, Gu You looked around for Yun Xiaoling, the friendly receptionist he was familiar with, hoping to pick up his paperwork directly from her.
But surprisingly, she wasn't there. Only someone he faintly recognized — Yuan Yuan — was at the desk, along with another unfamiliar girl who looked new.
"Hey! Little cutie, it's you!" Yuan Yuan's eyes sparkled as she spotted Gu You walking over.
"Mm, I'm here to pick up the recommendation letter and the Eastsea Academy admission packet," Gu You nodded politely.
The shy new girl glanced over curiously but didn't say anything, clearly not good with strangers.
"Oh, this is yours? Wow, I didn't expect you were still a student!" Yuan Yuan giggled, teasing slightly as she pulled out the prepared materials and handed them to him.
As Gu You accepted the envelope, it instantly dissolved into a flash of light, vanishing straight into his soul storage ring.
"Whoa!"
Yuan Yuan and the shy new girl both jumped slightly in surprise.
"You're a soul master?!"
Gu You didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "By the way, where's Yun Yun — the sister who guided me the other day?"
At the mention of Yun Xiaoling, Yuan Yuan's expression shifted, a faint trace of complexity in her eyes. She didn't seem upset that Gu You had ignored her question. Instead, she quietly explained, "I heard she left to apply for a top university. Honestly, I don't really understand it… She had such a good job here, with a great salary. Why would she give it up just to gamble on some uncertain future?"
Gu You fell silent.
He hadn't expected his casual comment from the other night — encouraging her to aim high, to pursue her ambitions — to actually strike so deeply in her heart.
But even so, he didn't think it was a mistake. After all, when it came to the future and the past, no one could predict which would triumph over the other.
There was no absolute right or wrong in these choices.
---
Later that day, Gu You sat by his window, watching the bustling city outside.
In his heart, he thought about the path ahead.
The road he would walk was one of ambition — not only to cultivate and strengthen himself, but also to carve out his own space, his own legend, in this vast world.
His small experiments — uploading a song, making a splash online, testing the commercial waters — were just the first steps.
There was still so much more he wanted to do.
So much he wanted to prove.
And so many people he wanted to protect.
Whether it was the playful front-desk girls at the blacksmiths' association, the powerful figures like Mu Chen, or even distant acquaintances like Yun Xiaoling — they were all pieces in the broader web of life he was weaving around himself.
He smiled faintly.
Past and future, hope and challenge — they all danced together on the horizon.
And he, Gu You, would walk forward to meet them head-on.
(End of chapter)
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