Beginning of the Golden Age

From the Spirit Pagoda, class 0 received many things. They got free access to the ascension platform next month, a few hundred year old heavenly treasures, and a few other things of lesser importance. They could have gotten more but that would have irreversibly damaged their relations with the Spirit Pagoda.

"Hey, don't you think the boss has been… different recently?" Xie Xie asked Gu Yuena as he rested on the ground, sweat covering his soft skin. He had just gotten out of a 'fight' with Gu Yuena that he lost badly while Wulin and Mu Xi forged together in the next room.

"Hm? Different how?" Gu Yuena asked with a faint hum, not even a trace of sweat on her skin let alone as much as Xie Xie. Xie Xie was actually quite the easy opponent for her. That would change when his understanding of space and especially time increased but that would take years and she'd get stronger during that time as well.

"Like he's more… relaxed? He doesn't seem as focused I guess." Xie Xie clarified unsurely with a frown. Wulin's changes were obvious yet small enough that it was hard to explain what had truly changed. So many tiny things had happened to the robotic boy.

"That's true. It took a lot of time and dedication but he's definitely more alive now." Gu Yuena declared proudly. It was oddly pleasing to take a boy such as him and make him into a real human being. Really, it was more fun than it should have been.

But, she often felt like that with him. Whether it be watching him forge or even punch candles endlessly, as long as they were together it felt so much more enjoyable. It wasn't always this way, rather it only recently became this way, but she didn't hate it at all. 

It was objectively a bad thing, but the Silver Dragon King was glad she fell for the second Golden Dragon King. Having an equal to speak freely with, to spend time with, to banter with was worth so much to her.

"You know, I think he changed you too." Xie Xie declared softly, his words shocking Gu Yuena more than they should have. Has she changed? When looking back on herself… she certainly did change.

In the past she wouldn't have even considered bantering with Xie Xie nor would she have spent her time training him. So much about her had changed in such a short time. She was still her, her arrogance was a showing of that, but she was also different.

Giggling softly Gu Yuena felt oddly relieved that she had changed. If she fell in love with Wulin while changing him then what's to say he didn't do the same? Not that she doubted his care for her by any means.

It was obvious that the boy cared deeply for her. The issue was that he himself didn't understand the depth of his care. Gu Yuena personally liked to believe it rivaled her own but as long as he wasn't sure himself she'd patiently wait for him.

Well, patiently may be an exaggeration.

"So. How's the forging in there?" Xie Xie asked blandly just to fill up the silence. Unlike Gu Yuena he didn't have strong enough spiritual power to just endure the heat nor did he have the affinity of Mu Xi that made it seem like nothing. He was practically locked out of the room.

"Hmm… well the room is destroyed for a start." Gu Yuena began with a giggle while Xie Xie sighed in exhaustion. The school made them a pretty good forge so that Wulin would help them with materials but it had been destroyed each and every time he forged.

It wasn't as if the materials were bad, they handled the heat pretty well, the issue was apparently in Wulin's blood. Xie Xie didn't get it but apparently, every time Wulin used his blood to soul forge the room would be destroyed. Adding in the destructive storm Wulin made every time from the Disorderly Splitting Hammer it was pretty bad for the forge.

"But other than that it's going well. Another soul forged metal was born. It looks like Wulin's in top shape today." Gu Yuena declared, a satisfied and proud grin on her face. This was the third soul refined metal he's made today when usually one was his limit.

"Another one? The boss is on a roll today." Xie Xie declared simply yet the grin on his face showed the depth of his joy. It only made sense that Wulin was on a roll today, he had become a spirit elder.

Rank thirty at the age of nine. All things considered, that was actually fairly normal. Compared to a rank seven blacksmith or having the power of a spirit king at the same age it was actually quite tame. It helped that somebody else reached the same milestone at the same time.

"Congratulations by the way." Xie Xie declared softly, a faint blush on his face as he looked away from his teammate. Gu Yuena had also reached rank 30 and become even more of a monster but he found it much harder to congratulate her than it was for Wulin.

"Oh? I didn't expect to get praised by a hatchling like you. What has the world come to?" Gu Yuena asked with a 'pitiful' shake of her head that couldn't hope of hiding her playful smirk. His words were kind and she certainly appreciated them but that was that and this was this.

"Why do you keep calling me that? I'm the same age as you!" Xie Xie shouted with an accusatory finger pointed at her, annoyed to no end that his kindness, which embarrassed him to no end, was spat on like that. 

"Do you not know your martial soul's name?" Gu Yuena asked, pleasantly surprised by his words. His martial soul, the Jade Dragon King, was one of the Nine Dragon Kings and the most solitary being among them.

For him to not know his martial soul's name meant one thing. The Jade Dragon King hadn't contacted him which meant by extension his soul wasn't held within it. Naturally, this was an unbelievably good thing.

Since it wasn't, that meant that Xie Xie was an atavist of the Jade Dragon King who had happened upon his bloodline rather than inheriting it. This meant that if Xie Xie was to get the Jade Dragon King as a spirit soul then his potential would well surpass the former time dragon.

That meant their group would soon consist of the Golden Dragon King who was simultaneously the first and strongest God of FUG, the Silver Dragon King who was going to take over the strongest force in the world, the Jade Dragon King, and the Embodiment of the Sun.

At that point, what group could stop them?

****

Hey there, hope you liked the chapter.

Rank 30 at 9? That's one hell of an achievement. Sometimes I can't help but think that I'm pushing the limits of what is realistic with the growth of the group and then I remember just who I'm talking about. Then I realize I can push much, much further. 

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.