Chapter 97: Our Eastsea City Is Truly Thriving!
In the spirit‑soul arena, today's opponent was a small flame lion—about the same size as the little Silver Dragon King.
Jiang Chen's expression darkened.
"Oh, this is personal, isn't it?"
When it was his turn, he'd been pitted against massive beasts. But when it was Gu Yue's, they sent something tiny and cute.
She definitely rigged this.
As the referee signaled the start, Gu Yue leapt off Jiang Chen's head and walked gracefully to the center of the ring.
"Little Black—charge in, use Claw!"
Jiang Chen nearly tripped over his own paws.
The small, pitch‑black dragon turned its head slowly toward him, eyes full of mockery.
Then Gu Yue actually did as instructed—bolting into the ring, attacking with one swift motion!
A single claw strike. Clean. Effortless.
Completely opposite from Jiang Chen's own miserable battles.
The fiery lion was sent flying across the arena in one hit.
Jiang Chen's jaw dropped.
"You hacker!"
What kind of joke was this? He had been sealed to one thousand years, but she was clearly at nine thousand! That was nowhere near the same!
Even the referee swallowed nervously, unable to track what had just happened.
That soul had crossed the field in an instant—and ended the fight with one blow.
"Round One, Match Eighteen: Winner—Eastsea Academy's Jiang Chen!"
Jiang Chen bit back a curse. Before he could even yell, Gu Yue vanished without a trace.
"Gu Yue!!!"
Oh, she was so dead later!
Fuming, he stormed back to the hotel, only to find her missing again. Anger boiled in his chest.
"Ancestor? What's wrong? Who made you angry?"
Huo Yun'er blinked, looking up innocently.
"Where's Gu Yue?" Jiang Chen demanded.
"She's… taking a bath?"
Before she could react, Jiang Chen pushed past her and stomped toward the bathroom door.
"Ancestor! Wait—don't do this!" She latched onto him from behind, panicking. "You can't just barge in like that! Gu Yue will kill you! This is illegal!"
"Out of my way! I'm teaching her a lesson!"
"I won't!" she squeaked, clinging tightly to his waist.
"Snow Sister! Jiang Chen's gone crazy!"
Her shouts brought the Snow Empress from her room.
Huo Yun'er pointed frantically. "Snow Sister, he's trying to peek at Gu Yue while she's bathing!"
Snow Empress glanced at Jiang Chen coldly.
"Wait—Xue'er, it's not what it looks like!" Jiang Chen blurted.
Too late.
A gentle wave of her hand sent freezing energy surging down the corridor.
In an instant, both Jiang Chen and Huo Yun'er were frozen solid in a single massive block of ice.
Without another word, the Snow Empress turned around and returned to her room.
Huo Yun'er: "???"
Snow Sister, why me too?!
"Mmmph!" she whimpered uselessly.
Moments later, Gu Yue's door opened. Seeing the frosty statue in the hallway, she gasped—then burst out laughing when she spotted Jiang Chen's frozen face.
"Still… why do I feel… a strangely familiar aura?" she murmured, frowning.
No. It had to be her imagination. The Dragon Kings had all fallen long ago—their remains resting silently within the dragon tomb.
Right… just her mind playing tricks.
Catching Huo Yun'er's pleading eyes, Gu Yue lifted her hand. A wisp of fire gathered at her fingertip, melting half the ice block.
Huo Yun'er tumbled free, shivering. "Gu Yue‑sis, you're the best!"
Jiang Chen groaned. "I'm out too—"
But before he could finish, Gu Yue's hand flashed again—this time radiating frost.
"No! Don't—!"
Hours later, the next tournament results echoed through the stadium.
"Congratulations to Eastsea Academy's Tang Wulin—for winning first place in the Tianhai Grand Forging Competition, Adult Division!"
Gasps rippled through the audience.
Ten years old.
And already the adult champion.
A godsmith reborn.
No one could believe it—he was simply a monster.
At this rate, every championship between now and age twenty was practically reserved in his name.
All of Tianhai Alliance's young blacksmiths would live in his shadow.
On the judges' podium, the panel exchanged glances. The white‑haired elder smiled wryly.
"As expected of the Saint Craftsman's disciple… and that master's student as well. Truly extraordinary."
"Even Tianhai's association has produced talents recently," another sighed, "but Eastsea's future still outshines ours."
And now, not only had their four‑rank blacksmith clinched the adult title, but two youths from the same city had swept the junior division as well.
It was clear—Eastsea would dominate for years to come.
"Congratulations," the announcer boomed again. "To Eastsea Academy's Gu Yue—Champion of the Tianhai Junior Blacksmithing Division!"
"Waaah! Ancestor, I lost!" Huo Yun'er sniffled, running into Jiang Chen's arms.
He patted her head gently. "It's fine. Losing to Gu Yue isn't shameful."
She exhaled in relief—before his next words struck like doom.
"You've been slacking anyway. Once we're home, double practice hours for you."
Her face went pale. "A‑ancestor, nooooo!"
Back at the arena, cheers erupted.
"Wulin, you're the champion!" Mu Xi cried, throwing her arms around him in sheer excitement.
"S‑Senior Sister, I can't breathe—!" Tang Wulin gasped, his face buried.
At the edge of the stage, Ouyang Zixin watched, eyes wide. The sight snapped something in Wulin—he quickly pushed Mu Xi away.
"Senior Sister, propriety between men and women!"
Mu Xi: "?!"
"Unbelievable! After everything I've done for you—!"
Before she could lunge again, Ouyang Zixin grabbed her arm.
"Calm down. Shouldn't we be celebrating instead?"
Mu Xi huffed but conceded.
Ouyang Zixin turned back to Tang Wulin, her eyes soft with a mix of surprise and admiration.
She had underestimated the boy.
A ten‑year‑old five‑star blacksmith—and the youngest champion in history.
Even the Divine Craftsman himself hadn't reached that level so young. The entire Federation—and Douluo itself—would soon know his name.
Her lips curved slightly as she added, "From today on, your name will echo across the Federation."
Indeed, during the competition, he had broken through to five‑star rank—unprecedented in the world's history.
A ten‑year‑old five‑star blacksmith.
None had ever reached such heights before. Future godsmith? Practically confirmed.
His victory didn't just devastate his peers—it shattered all expectations for an entire generation.
"Wulin, you've taken the adult title, Gu Yue the youth one. Two crowns together!" Mu Xi declared proudly. "Our Eastsea City is truly thriving!"
(END CHAPTER)
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