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"Terrorist attack?" Xu Yuan's expression turned strange.
When he inquired for more details, Director Long could only say that they knew of five streaks of dark golden light attacking.
"When Teacher Wu told us, that was the only description. Oh, right—there was a powerful individual from the Hao Tian Sect on that soul-guided train. They intervened just in time to block the attack from those five streaks of dark golden light. However, the shockwave still caused significant damage to the train," Director Long explained.
Even his knowledge was limited.
But with just these two clues, Xu Yuan could infer a great deal.
"How are the Zero Class members doing?" Xu Yuan casually asked.
"Tang Wulin is in better shape and managed to withstand the energy fluctuations. Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan will probably need ten days to half a month to recover. Luckily, Gu Yue wasn't on the train this time—she wasn't affected and has already returned to Donghai City." Director Long wiped his forehead, sighing deeply.
Thankfully, these precious talents the academy had invested so much in were unharmed.
Xu Yuan's lips twitched.
"Luckily?"
No wonder—if Gu Yue hadn't been on the train, Bear Lord must have felt emboldened to act.
The dark golden light? Xu Yuan had just fought the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, so the connection came to mind immediately. Combined with the presence of someone from the Hao Tian Sect and Gu Yue's absence, Xu Yuan was 98% certain that Bear Lord had been the one behind the attack.
Others might not know why a strong individual from the Heavenly Tyrant Sect happened to be there, but Xu Yuan was confident that the person was protecting Tang Wulin.
"Could it be that the Hao Tian Sect has secretly sent someone to protect Tang Wulin throughout the story? Or did they only do so initially, withdrawing their protection once Tang Wulin entered Shrek Academy?" Although Xu Yuan had pieced things together, many questions still lingered in his mind.
Since the main group of Zero Class hadn't yet returned, Xu Yuan decided to stay temporarily at Donghai Academy.
Over the next two days, he familiarized himself with the Dark Golden Terror Claw in reality, using his blood energy to temper it. In the Dream Realm Space, he theoretically deduced how to integrate the claw into the Tianyuan Five-Element Spear.
On the third day at Donghai Academy, Xu Yuan finally met the returning Zero Class members.
"Brother Xu Yuan, I apologize for keeping you waiting. This time—"
"I know; Director Long already told me everything." Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "It's good that all of you returned safely."
As he looked at Tang Wulin, Xu Yuan couldn't help but recall an old meme about "train killers" from his past life.
He hadn't expected such a title to apply here so soon.
"You should rest for a few days. Coincidentally, I still have some things to figure out myself." Xu Yuan didn't rush Tang Wulin into helping him with the 'forging.'
His initial idea was naturally to use the crushing effect of the Golden Dragon Claw to help fully integrate the Dark Golden Terror Claw into his blood and qi, then fuse it into the Five-Element Spear Spirit.
However, he still needed to refine some details, so it wasn't possible to start immediately.
He'd already spent the past two days running simulations, but a few more days were still needed.
"Of course, if you encounter any difficulties while practicing the fusion technique these next few days, feel free to ask me. It's actually not too hard once you get into it."
"Thank you, Brother Xu Yuan!" Tang Wulin said with genuine delight.
Old Tang hadn't appeared since before Tang Wulin left Tianhai City. No matter how much Tang Wulin called out, there was no response—not even a heads-up before disappearing. Tang Wulin had been at a loss.
Now, with Xu Yuan—the creator of the fusion technique—guiding him personally, Tang Wulin felt a sense of relief.
There was no other choice—the fusion technique was densely packed with instructions, looking incredibly complicated.
"No problem."
The sooner you master and complete the fusion technique, the better it'll be for me as repayment.
Xu Yuan conservatively estimated that around ten days after Tang Wulin successfully executed the fusion technique, Old Tang would inevitably fall into a deep slumber.
Brainwashing?
That was impossible.
It was merely Xu Yuan's idealistic assumption—an empty boast. Deep down, he knew the chances of success were slim. At most, he could subtly instill some normal values and perspectives into Tang Wulin.
The primary reason for putting Old Tang to sleep was to prevent any interference during future interactions with Tang Wulin.
With Xu Yuan, the technique's creator, guiding him, Tang Wulin quickly grasped the key points of the fusion technique.
And on the night he attempted to practice the technique, Old Tang briefly awoke to safeguard the process.
"Sigh, the instability of the seals is greater than I anticipated. That Xu Yuan is truly terrifying—the fusion technique he developed is still crude, but it directly addresses the essence. His Great Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique must also be extraordinary. If you ever get the chance, you must obtain this supreme skill—it may benefit you beyond imagination."
After delivering his final instructions, Old Tang fell into a deep sleep, his blue-golden light merging into the seventeen chains below.
A message appeared deep within Tang Wulin's consciousness—information about the spiritual materials needed for the next few seals.
From now on, the only way Tang Wulin could interact with Old Tang would be to unlock the faint traces of Old Tang's power embedded in the seals at the moment they shattered. Old Tang could then briefly guide him through the integration process.
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
Through observing Tang Wulin's mood, Xu Yuan inferred the state of Old Tang's slumber.
"Tang Wulin, it's up to you now," Xu Yuan said to him.
Though Xu Yuan had his own calculations, they were all for his own benefit. There was no denying that Tang Wulin's connection to Old Tang was unsettling.
If one were to ask how Xu Yuan truly felt about Tang Wulin, it could only be described as treating him kindly for a stranger.
At its core, the fusion technique genuinely minimized the risks associated with accepting the seals in the early stages.
As for the future relationship between them, Xu Yuan felt no guilt in his current actions.
"Brother Xu Yuan, are you sure this will work?" Tang Wulin looked skeptical.
"Why wouldn't it? You must understand that forging is conceptual, not literal blacksmithing. To truly become a divine craftsman in the art of forging, you can't limit your target materials to just metal."
Xu Yuan's words were correct, but achieving this level in the world of Douluo was exceedingly difficult.
"Let's begin! First, test the crushing effect of your Golden Dragon Claw."
Sharp dark golden light emerged from the tips of Xu Yuan's five fingers, and a phantom of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear's paw appeared over his right hand.
"Be careful, Brother Xu Yuan." Tang Wulin transformed his right hand into the Golden Dragon Claw and swung it directly at him.
At the same time, Xu Yuan activated his substitute technique and countered with the Dark Golden Terror Claw.
BANG!
Xu Yuan hadn't used his full strength, and their forces were evenly matched.
From this exchange, both took a single step back before stopping.
"Again!" Xu Yuan shouted.
He could feel the changes in his right metacarpal bone. The crushing effect wasn't too intense—just right.
This degree of alteration was comparable to the internal restructuring of metal with each hammer strike during forging.
Part of Xu Yuan's consciousness immersed itself in the Dream Realm Space, frantically calculating the optimal angles for each collision with the Golden Dragon Claw.
He channeled his blood and qi, integrating the Five-Element Spear Spirit into his bloodline and splitting it into five elemental forces, which infused into his fingertips.
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