Yuanen Zhentian was also very pleased. Perhaps this would delay Yuanen Tiandang from taking over as family leader, but having just become a quasiG.o.d, Yuanen Zhentian would be able to live for much longer, so this wasn"t an issue. With that in mind, an elated smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, let"s go back. I"m going to set up a banquet to celebrate this," Yuanen Zhentian said in an excited manner as he led the way back.
This was a win-win situation, and Yuanen Yehui was the happiest one to see this arrangement being made as she wouldn"t have to separate from her father.
In contrast, Xie Xie was feeling quite concerned. Generally speaking, fathers were always disapproving toward their son-in-law; who knew what would become of him with his father-in-law constantly supervising him? He couldn"t shake the feeling that Yuanen Tiandang was looking at him in a strange, almost vicious manner.
It appeared there were going to be some hard times ahead! Having said that, it was the first time that he had seen Yuanen Yehui this happy, so he was still very excited. This was the Yuanen Yehui that he wanted to see.
Just as Tang Wulin was walking along, someone suddenly tugged gently on his sleeve, and he turned around to discover Yuanen Tianshang with a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Ahem, Sect Master Tang, do you still need other teachers aside from my brother?"
Tang Wulin immediately nodded in response. "Of course! Most of our teachers perished during the bombing to save the students, so we"re sorely lacking in teachers."
Yuanen Tianshang asked, "Would I fit the bill?" Up to this point, he still didn"t have a suit of three-word battle armor.
In terms of apt.i.tude, he couldn"t match Yuanen Tiandang, but was certainly no slouch. During these past few years, the hatred in his heart had spurred him on to cultivate like a madman, allowing him to progress to the t.i.tled Douluo level. Even though his progress had stalled since then, he was still a t.i.tled Douluo.
Most importantly, with the return of his brother and Yuanen Yehui, the wounds in his heart had been healed, and to his surprise, his stagnant cultivation rank was beginning to creep up at a relatively fast rate again.
Ever since the pa.s.sing of his wife, he had lived for cultivation, but even though he was already a t.i.tled Douluo, he still didn"t even have a suit of three-word battle armor. Now that the opportunity to become a three-word battle armor master was being presented, he certainly couldn"t miss it!
Tang Wulin took a hesitant glance at Yuanen Zhentian, who was walking up ahead, and didn"t offer an immediate response.
He had already taken Yuanen Zhentian"s direct heir; it didn"t seem appropriate to take his other son as well.
Yuanen Tianshang said in an urgent manner, "It"s alright, I"ll convince Father. I"m not the heir to the family anyway, so I"m a free man and can even stay permanently at Shrek Academy. I"ve always longed to go to Shrek Academy!"
Tang Wulin nodded in response. "If Senior Zhentian agrees, then we"d be more than happy to welcome you."
He was sure that Yuanen Zhentian could hear their conversation, and he was leaving that decision to him. As Tang Wulin was walking along, he noticed that Yuanen Tianshang wasn"t the only one looking at him with glowing eyes.
Among the dozen or so members of the Yuanen Family present, even the weakest were at the Soul Douluo level. Even though the Yuanen Family led a peaceful and reclusive existence, it really was lacking in resources.
Yuanen Zhentian didn"t say anything, and nor did he turn around as he led everyone back to the manor.
A lavish feast was soon prepared, and Tang Wulin was the main guest; this was treatment that no one had ever received at the Yuanen Family.
Power always demanded respect, and Tang Wulin had gained everyone"s acknowledgment during his battle against Yuanen Yehui and Xie Xie. However, that alone wasn"t enough to earn Yuanen Zhentian"s respect; what was most important was his status as a Divine Blacksmith.
After having a few drinks, Tang Wulin was beginning to grow into his element, while Xie Xie was already lying sprawled on the table.
His intuition had been right; Yuanen Tiandang seemed to have a natural vendetta against him as his future father-in-law. He proposed for Xie Xie to drink with him and shamelessly forced Xie Xie to have three drinks for every drink that he had.
Xie Xie was a powerful Soul Douluo, but he didn"t dare to use his soul power to ward off the effects of the alcohol and was quickly drunk.
Yuanen Yehui made no effort to step in and merely looked on with a smile. This amount of alcohol wouldn"t be able to harm Xie Xie, and through her father"s interaction with Xie Xie, she could sense the fatherly love that had been absent for many years, so her heart was filled with bliss. She would just have to make it up to Xie Xie in some other way.
"Sect Master Tang, I propose a toast to you," Yuanen Zhentian said as he rose to his feet.
Tang Wulin hurriedly stood up as well, and said, "You"ve been far too hospitable, Senior; I should be the one toasting you."
Yuanen Zhentian and Tang Wulin then downed their drinks in unison before the former said, "Sect Master Tang, I have a request that I know I shouldn"t make, but I can"t help myself; feel free to turn me down if you want."
Tang Wulin smiled, and said, "Go ahead, Senior."
Yuanen Zhentian continued, "I"d like you to demonstrate heavenly refinement for us, Sect Master Tang. Truth be told, I"ve never had the opportunity to witness heavenly refinement, and I"ve always wanted to see it; would you be able to show us?"
It was clear that Yuanen Zhentian was still rather skeptical about his claims, but that was only reasonable. As such, Tang Wulin nodded, and replied, "Sure, I can do that. Would you like to see it now?"
Yuanen Zhentian was very surprised to hear this. The fact that Tang Wulin was making this offer indicated that he was very confident in his own abilities.
"We"ve already had some wine; that"s not going to affect your performance, is it?" Yuanen Zhentian asked.
Tang Wulin smiled, and said, "That"s alright, I"ll give it a try. Having said that, the success rate for heavenly refinement isn"t very high, so I can"t guarantee anything, but the process is still worth watching."
Yuanen Zhentian"s heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, and he nodded in response. "Alright, then I"ll be looking forward to your display, Sect Master Tang. Do you need us to prepare anything? Should we do this after the meal?"
Tang Wulin shook his head in response. "There"s no need to prepare anything; I"ll do it here and now as entertainment for everyone."
He wasn"t displeased in the slightest by Yuanen Zhentian"s skepticism. After all, he was trying to take a Limit Douluo from the Yuanen Family; of course he had to display some of his abilities. It would be all worth it as long as he could recruit Yuanen Tiandang to the academy.
The impression that all of the powerful beings of the Yuanen Family had of Tang Wulin was improved even further by his display of confidence.
Even though they felt like their family leader was being a little rude, they were also very much looking forward to seeing a Divine Blacksmith in action.
Tang Wulin strode out of the hall and arrived in the s.p.a.cious courtyard outside. Everyone else also followed him out of the room.