Douluo: This Legend of the Dragon King is not quite right

Chapter 289 Gu Chenyu: "My savings over the years! My culinary soul, no!"

Deep within the Mingdu Forging Association lies Gu Chenyu's private workshop.

The air was filled with the distinctive smell of burning metal and the faint fragrance of various rare minerals.

However, at this moment, the somber atmosphere in the workshop almost overwhelmed these familiar smells.

Gu Chenyu, the renowned gourmet master craftsman, was currently glaring at the uninvited guest with a dark expression.

Hades Douluo Halosa.

Harosa stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly sweeping over the metallic delicacies in the workshop, which were carefully preserved by special soul tools and exuded an enticing luster and surging energy.

There's the blazing steak, translucent like a ruby; the cold spring fish sashimi, flowing with icy blue starlight; and the rock-heart bread, exuding the rich, earthy scent of the land...

Each piece is a work of art created by Gu Chenyu with painstaking effort, perfectly blending soul-forged metal with top-quality ingredients, containing immense energy sufficient to transform a soul master.

"Since you ascended to the rank of Saint Craftsman, countless years have passed." Harosa's voice was calm and even, yet it struck Gu Chenyu's heart directly. "The pure soul power and life essence contained within these soul-forged metals that you treasure are piled up like mountains."

"If you wish, you can probably activate them at any time, break through the bottleneck, and reach the limit. Am I right?"

Gu Chenyu's face darkened further, as if it had been smeared with soot from the bottom of a pot.

He looked at his precious collection with heartache, as if his heart had been ripped out:

"You mean... for that damn Shrek City trip in a month, I have to make all the Soul Forging Delicacies I've saved up over the years...?"

"Brother, my dear brother, even if we're incredibly wealthy, we can't be this wasteful! Do you know how frugal I am? I only eat a tiny bit of food each day, the size of a fingernail, and it has to be paired with simple meals before I can even bring myself to eat it. You're practically making me eat a Manchu Han Imperial Feast like it's nothing!"

Harosa's lips seemed to twitch upwards very subtly, or perhaps not at all.

His voice remained cold, yet it struck at Gu Chenyu's Achilles' heel:

"So, you plan to stand by and watch Lu Jun face the dragon's den and tiger's lair of Shrek City alone?"

"Watch him fend for himself amidst the open and covert attacks of the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy?"

"In that case, your martial soul is quite wasted. Such a powerful martial soul has been turned into a metal gourmet by you. You're amazing."

"..."

Gu Chenyu was speechless, his facial muscles twitching.

He stomped his foot hard, causing the expensive soul-guided alloy floor to groan under the strain. He deflated like a punctured balloon, carrying a tragic sense of resignation.
"Fine, fine, fine, Harosa, you win. Just you wait, the day I break through to the Divine Craftsman realm, I'll leave a huge hole in the back of your four-word battle armor!"

"Let me show you what it feels like to have your butt feel cool in the wind!"

"That's a real shame." Harosa chuckled unusually, the sound of which seemed somewhat eerie in the quiet workshop. "My four-word battle armor is already complete, so I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy Gu Shengjiang's future 'divine craftsman's gift'."

"you--!"

Gu Chenyu was so angry he almost jumped up. He gave Harosa the middle finger and then let out a mournful wail at the room full of treasures:
"My soul-forged metal, my delicious food!!! My hard work, my lifeblood, I can't bear to eat so much at once, I'll get indigestion!"

"Eat it first, then forge it," Harosa said unmoved, even offering a solution, "If you don't have enough materials, I'll personally go to Zhenhua, or one of the other master craftsmen, to purchase the soul-forging metal you need." "You know nothing!" Gu Chenyu practically roared, his eyes turning red, "What I'm eating isn't metal! It's soul! It's spirit! It's the soul I personally imbued in them! Only what I forge myself carries a unique flavor! It carries my heart! Do you understand?"

"This soulful flavor, could it be something that anyone else could forge? That's called soul-forged metal! It doesn't have that flavor! It doesn't have that soul! Do you even know what a craftsman's heart is? Do you even know what the soul of a delicious meal is?!"

Harosa watched silently as Gu Chenyu went into a frenzy, trying to explain his stingy behavior with abstract concepts like craftsmanship and the soul of food. Her eyes behind her sunglasses remained completely calm.

He doesn't understand any of this nonsense.

So Harosa stepped forward and patted Gu Chenyu's shoulder lightly twice, as if soothing a sulking child:
“I really don’t quite understand your unique gourmet philosophy.” His voice remained calm. “Let’s go to the quiet room. You can savor it slowly, and I’ll protect you. I’ll make sure no one disturbs your digestion.”

Looking at Harosa's expressionless face, then at his room full of treasures, Gu Chenyu finally let out a long, sorrowful sigh, like a warrior being led to his execution.
"What a terrible thing... Harosa, how are you going to repay what you owe me...?"

He turned back every few steps, reluctantly walking towards the quiet room specifically used for secluded energy absorption, his back view filled with a desolate sense of lifelessness.

Seven days later, at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

The sun was shining brightly, and the college was filled with youthful energy.

However, the lively atmosphere paused when Lu Jun appeared at the classroom door.

He was still dressed in white, but his face was deliberately pale and sickly, and his steps were unsteady. He would cough occasionally, and his whole being exuded the weakness of someone recovering from a serious illness.

He was a completely different person from the extremely calm and even mysterious figure he had been at the Spirit Tower meeting a week ago.

"Brother Lu!" Xie Xie was the first to rush forward, his face full of worry. "Your injuries... are they still not fully healed? Why do you still look so weak? Isn't the Spirit Pagoda supposed to have top-notch medical facilities?"

Lu Jun raised his hand and waved it weakly, which triggered another suppressed cough:

"Cough, cough, it's nothing, Xie Xie, I'm much better now. My mental energy was shaken, so it's taking a while to recover... but I can move around freely now, so I can't miss any classes."

His voice was noticeably hoarse and tired.

Other classmates also gathered around, expressing their concern in various ways.

Yuan Enhui frowned, a hint of confusion flashed in the depths of Gu Yuena's purple eyes, and Xu Xiaoyan directly took out a bottle of medicine that was said to be able to calm the nerves and replenish qi and handed it to Lu Jun.

Even Wu Changkong, the usually stern and strict homeroom teacher, relaxed his tightly furrowed brows slightly upon seeing Lu Jun's frail appearance. For the first time ever, he didn't ask him to participate in any strenuous activities, but simply said in a deep voice:

"Return to the team, you can just sit in on the proceedings, your health is the most important thing."

Wu Changkong is still very gentle.

After class, there is time for team practice and coordination.

Lu Jun stood on the sidelines, watching Xie Xie, Yuan En Ye Hui, Gu Yue Na, Le Zheng Yu, Long Chen, and Xu Xiao Yan begin their coordinated drills.

He wore an encouraging smile, and his voice, though weak, was clear:
"Keep it up, you guys work out together well. Don't worry about me, I'll catch up with you as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)