"Hmph, who are you? Just hugging me like that." Na'er pushed Mu Xi away. Even though she was the one who had rushed over herself, she was still skilled at playing the victim and shifting the blame. This was largely thanks to Arthur's personal example and teaching. "Is my hug something you can just have?"
Mu Xi stood there awkwardly; the scene truly did look like she was the one who had taken the initiative to hug Na'er.
She changed the subject and asked Tang Wulin, "Who are these people?"
She still recognized Tang Wulin; he was a Genius who had just joined the Blacksmith Association this year and was also participating in the blacksmithing competition of the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition.
"I'm also participating in the Junior Spirit Master Team Competition. Our Class Zero is all here," Tang Wulin explained.
"You're all competing?" Mu Xi covered her mouth in surprise. "Then Arthur?"
"Yes, he's participating too." Tang Wulin nodded, his tone full of confidence. In their eyes, as long as Arthur was there, they would definitely win.
"How boring." Mu Xi puffed out her cheeks. "Arthur is in both the blacksmithing competition and the Soul Master competition. Then what am I even doing going to the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition this time?"
"Am I just a participation trophy?"
"What do you mean?" Tang Wulin was confused and asked in bewilderment, "Is Brother Art's blacksmithing very strong too?"
"You didn't know?" Mu Xi thought for a moment and suddenly remembered, "Oh, it seems like you and Arthur have never actually crossed paths at the Blacksmith Association."
"By the time you joined the association, Arthur was already coming in very rarely."
She cleared her throat, her tone filled with admiration. "Arthur completed Spirit Forging a long time ago."
"My current blacksmithing skills, aside from my father's teaching, also owe a lot to Arthur. Every time I hit a Bottleneck, he breaks through it for me with just a single pointer."
Spirit Forging?
Tang Wulin's eyes widened, his face full of shock. He knew all too well the weight of those words.
He had always known Arthur was a powerful Soul Master, but he hadn't expected him to be so formidable in the blacksmithing Domain as well. Instantly, his respect for Arthur deepened even further.
"I had no idea. I didn't expect Brother Art to be so low-key normally."
Low-key?
"If he were truly low-key, he wouldn't be participating in the blacksmithing competition."
Mu Xi immediately thought of the conversation between her father and Arthur she had accidentally overheard earlier, and her lips twitched.
He wouldn't be low-key for much longer... Soon after, everyone had arrived.
"Teachers and students of East Sea Academy, get on the bus!"
Under the leadership of the teachers, everyone boarded the No. 6 Soul Guidance Bus.
Na'er stayed close to Arthur like she was guarding her food, never leaving his side, clearly wanting to sit with him.
Xu Xiaoyan, who had surged into the bus with the crowd, knew she definitely couldn't compete with Na'er. That monstrous strength was too terrifying; she couldn't get close to Arthur at all.
With a roll of her eyes, Xu Xiaoyan decided to give it a try anyway. She sat down in a seat and patted the spot next to her, preparing to invite Arthur.
The next second, Xu Xiaoyu appeared out of nowhere and plopped down, sitting right next to his sister.
Siblings sitting together was only natural.
Xu Xiaoyu sat with his sister every time they went out, and this time was no exception.
"Eh, Xiaoyan, are you feeling unwell? Your face is so dark."
Xu Xiaoyan took a deep breath, clenching her fists to suppress the urge to throw her brother off the bus. With a fake smile, she mouthed a few words to him: "..."
"Hmm?" Xu Xiaoyu's brow furrowed. "Are you cursing at me?"
"You're really picking up bad habits."
Xu Xiaoyan gritted her teeth, her cheeks puffed out high. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Na'er already sitting firmly with Arthur.
The latter seemed to sense her gaze and even deliberately made a smug face at her.
"Hmph!" Xu Xiaoyan was so angry she almost snapped on the spot. She let out a cold snort and turned her head, leaving Xu Xiaoyu with only the back of her head.
Xu Xiaoyu was baffled. He hadn't done anything, had he? Why was his sister throwing a tantrum?
On the other side, Tang Wulin watched this silent scene and couldn't help but exchange a glance with Xie Xie. Both saw a hint of helplessness in the other's eyes. "They seem... very lively."
Wu Zhangkong also glanced at Gu Yue, who was sitting next to him, then looked at Arthur. After a moment of hesitation, he still asked, "Are you sure you want to sit here with me?"
Gu Yue glanced at Wu Zhangkong, feeling a bit strange. She secretly wondered: this spot is right in the center of Arthur's line of sight, if I don't sit here, where should I sit?
"Understood." Wu Zhangkong suddenly nodded.
In his heart, he labeled Gu Yue as a tsundere, while silently lowering her odds of winning.
The conversations inside the bus were kept very low. In this atmosphere where everyone had their own hidden agendas, the Soul Guidance Bus slowly drove out of the plaza, accelerating toward the outskirts of East Sea City, heading for the venue of the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition.
The Federation's technology tree was skewed quite absurdly. Other things were fine, similar to the modern world of his previous life, but the highways actually used maglev technology.
That's right, highways.
It was so bizarre.
Inside the bus, everyone sat with their best friends, either excitedly discussing things or quietly watching the scenery outside the window.
There was a strange sense of warmth in the air.
Tianhai City, like East Sea City, was located on the coast, but its geographical location was superior, boasting the largest port and pier on the Douluo Continent.
Because of this, the Federation Navy was stationed here, and massive warships were visible to the naked eye.
Within the Alliance, ordinary people must perform military service at age eighteen, and the Tianhai City Navy was a top choice.
However, this had nothing to do with the Soul Masters in the bus.
Actually, Arthur found it very strange. As the colossus that unified the Douluo Continent, why did the Federation have a policy where ordinary people must perform military service at eighteen?
It was hard to understand.
Upon arriving in Tianhai City, the leaders from East Sea City coordinated with the Tianhai City side. Class Zero was arranged to stay in a luxury hotel, in ocean-view rooms no less.
The boys stayed in one room, and the girls in another. Wu Zhangkong informed them that the opening ceremony and the drawing ceremony for the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition would be held tomorrow, after which the competition would officially begin.
Before Tang Wulin could be pestered by Xie Xie to go out for a stroll, Arthur stood up first. "Let's go, Tang Wulin."
"Where to?" Tang Wulin asked, confused.
"The Blacksmiths from our East Sea City are having a meeting. Everyone is going to meet each other."
Tang Wulin nodded in response. "Alright. Xie Xie, I'll hang out with you when I get back."
Arthur walked out the door first, with Tang Wulin following closely behind.
"Brother Art, for this Blacksmith meeting, besides people from our East Sea City, are there people from other places?" Tang Wulin asked curiously as they walked.
He was full of anticipation regarding his peers in the blacksmithing field, especially those who could participate in the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition; they were surely all experts.
Arthur didn't stop his pace and explained, "This is just an internal meeting for our East Sea City. We won't see Blacksmiths from other cities until after the opening ceremony."
He paused and glanced sideways at Tang Wulin. "Relax. I actually heard about your blacksmithing technique in the association long ago. It's very impressive for your age. There will be no problem breaking into the top three this time."
"Really? Haha." Being praised by Arthur, who could already perform Spirit Forging, made Tang Wulin quite happy.
As they spoke, they had already reached the elevator.
The elevator doors opened quickly, and Mu Xi was standing inside. When she saw the two of them, her eyes lit up. "You're here! I was just about to go call for you."
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