"He moves quickly, don't you think?" Calmly sitting in a chair off to the side Gu Yuena looked to be the peak of serenity despite the maelstrom occuring within the forge. It was hardly a surprise but Wulin was as monstrous as ever.
"Mhm. I prefer teacher Wu though." Placing his hammer to the side Wulin released a hot breath of exhaustion, his body tense and unfamiliar no matter what he did. It had been a week since the attack of the evil soul masters and the daily lives of Class 0 had changed drastically.
Zhou Shi the Scarlet Dragon Douluo had taken it upon himself to teach the entirety of their class at least until he was recalled back to Shrek. He was a skilled teacher and his lessons always had profound results but Wulin still found himself gravitating toward Wu Zhangkong's harsher lessons. They were painful but the results came from hard work and understanding.
"Don't tell the old man that or he may cry." Rolling her eyes, a symphony of stifled laughter escaped Gu Yuena's lips. Wulin had found himself trapped by her every movement more than once but it seemed these days he could hardly stop himself.
"I wasn't planning on it." Responding to her words a few moments later Wulin returned to his forging in an attempt to hide from her knowing gaze. Her unabashed laughter and the faint heat at the tip of his ears made it clear he had failed.
Silence reigned supreme for a brief instant before Wulin's hammer powerfully struck the metal that lay before him, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Gu Yuena had taken it upon herself to watch Wulin's forging in recent times partially because it was helpful in regards to her plan of creating sentient objects but mostly because it was entertaining.
After not seeing him for so many months, she wanted to see him as much as possible. That was why she could tell very clearly that he had grown immensely in the last week. It was difficult for a Saint ranked smith to progress because there was only one real barrier blocking their advancement. The Heavenly Tribulation.
The universal punishment was something that not even the strong bodied smiths could endure which made most stop at just the rank of a Saint. Wulin was much the same at the moment. It was impossible for him to endure the Heavenly Tribulation in his |Level 0| but he could perform heavenly refinement. It wasn't possible a week ago but now he could with his eyes closed.
It was quite the amusing situation since he went about it entirely backwards but Wulin being struck by the Heavenly Tribulation made it easy to replicate that feeling into metal. His body couldn't handle it but he was in fact a ninth ranked smith.
"Don't push yourself. This is more than enough for now." Patting Wulin's shoulder a jolt of mind shattering pain shot through her body. It happened quite frequently these days as their blood essence grew closer and closer to mutual perfection.
She hadn't confided in him that she occasionally felt a bit of the pain he experienced but she was confident he knew if his worried glances were anything to go off. If it weren't for the fact that he was so confident in his belief that they were equals he would have done all he could to stop her from even attempting to touch him. It was actually quite heartwarming.
"What do you want to eat tonight? I was thinking something a little heavier today." Switching the topic with all the subtlety of her partner, Gu Yuena smiled through the pain just as he did. To be completely transparent, she was glad that she could feel some of his pain.
Logically speaking, it was horrible as their blood essence connection that strengthened them in combat couldn't be used effectively but she was glad nonetheless. It was far from the same but she felt as though she was sharing some of his burden even if only barely.
"Fish." Somewhat lazily answering her, Wulin rested his head on her shoulder. Compared to the boy who so willingly lived off nutritional supplements the affectionate boy beside her was a different man entirely. It was oddly rewarding to see her efforts to reform him into a proper human come to fruition.
"What do you think about the place Xie Xie showed us?" Gu Yuena's question was returned by an uncaring hum. Rolling her eyes Gu Yuena pushed him off her and grabbed his hand. Wulin was often like this when it came to food.
Even the fish he asked for wasn't because he particularly liked the taste but because he often had it as a child. Well, he was still a child technically. From the sounds of things, she was starting to doubt that. It didn't matter to her but it was something to consider.
"…Can we invite Xu Xiaoyan?" Looking at her partner with wide eyes Gu Yuena was honestly caught off guard by his request. However, it did make sense. While Xie Xie was uncaring about murder and shouldn't be taken as a basis Mu Xi fell more towards his side of things. She understood well that it was them or her. It took a while but she got over it.
Xu Xiaoyan was far from that level of selfishness. Even though the man she had killed had attempted to kill her she couldn't forgive herself for taking his life. At this rate, her future as a soul master, as a fighter, was at stake. Wulin had no thought that he could sway her decision but he wanted to assist her not as a leader or an idol but as a friend. Yes, a friend.
Once again he had made friends. It was odd to even imagine but it was the truth. He wouldn't let the same mistakes happen again. He hadn't known Xu Xiaoyan for long but she fell into that category as well. She was a sweet girl, she didn't deserve to suffer by herself.
"I'm lucky I got to you quickly." Shaking her head with a wry smile Gu Yuena ignored his confused glance. He may be a bit robotic but her partner was one hell of a good catch. If she wasn't careful, somebody else may try to steal him from her.
She wouldn't agree to that by any means but she took great pride in knowing her partner could charm many yet he chose her. He wasn't the same as that tyrannical Lone King, he was somebody blessed with good comrades.
She may be included in that list but even she felt a bit jealous.
****
Hey there, hope you liked the chapter.
Maybe it's because it's been so long since we start this journey already but I can't help but remember how Wulin was at the beginning. He wouldn't even dream of going out to eat let alone inviting somebody else. It's honestly heartwarming.
If you want more chapters, head to patre*on.com/TrapOverlord for up to 25 extra chapters. It isn't required but it'd be much appreciated.