"Mom! What happened?"
As soon as Mu Xi got home, she immediately sought out her mother, Yuan Bao'er. Her eyes were red and misty, clearly in a very unstable emotional state. Naturally—after learning what had happened, how could she possibly remain calm?
Something huge had happened today at Donghai Academy. Nearly all the students were talking about it. Mu Xi had heard some rumors too.
What shocked her even more was that the center of the discussion was none other than her own roommate—and adopted little sister—Heita.
"Why did my sister drop out of Donghai Academy?"
Mu Xi's voice was hoarse. She had always been just a girl who loved forging and wasn't particularly interested in outside gossip.
But after her family situation changed and a cute little sister suddenly entered her life—one who shared her interests, had high talent, and even consulted her on forging techniques—she had started to feel fulfilled. She never expected the situation to change so drastically, so soon.
The news that Heita had left Donghai Academy had already spread across the whole school. In fact, Mu Xi might have been one of the last to know—only hearing about it from Ouyang Zixin. So she ran home immediately, hoping to ask her parents what had happened and why Heita would leave.
"Huh? Where… where did she go?"
But inside the house, aside from her mother, there was no sign of her father or Heita. This made Mu Xi even more anxious.
"They've… already left," her mother said.
Those words caused the light in Mu Xi's eyes to fade. She slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, muttering under her breath:
"My sister is gone…"
Seeing this, Yuan Bao'er couldn't help but sigh. This was exactly what she had feared would happen—why she hadn't told Mu Xi right away.
As a mother, Yuan Bao'er understood her daughter very well. Mu Xi had always been a forging prodigy, surrounded by people who flattered her. As a result, she had very few close friends.
But ever since Heita arrived, Mu Xi had become more reserved and had learned to care for others. She was like a completely different person compared to the prideful girl she used to be.
Yuan Bao'er had been so happy about this change. Her daughter had matured, grown, and become more human. Naturally, she didn't want to disrupt that peace.
But things couldn't go on like that—at least, not for Heita.
It wasn't until Donghai Academy's senior instructor, Wu Zhangkong, paid another home visit that Mu Chen and Yuan Bao'er finally understood the full scope of Heita's talent—and made a critical decision.
It had only been three months since the start of the semester. Some ordinary students still hadn't even grasped the academy's basic rules. But unexpectedly, Wu Zhangkong—who came from the prestigious Shrek Academy—told them he had nothing left to teach Heita.
This declaration shocked Mu Chen and Yuan Bao'er. When they learned that the Rank 30 Heita had already been able to battle evenly with Wu Zhangkong, who was Rank 60—and nearly forced him to summon his battle armor—they finally realized something they had long overlooked:
Could a child as exceptional as Heita really grow up like any ordinary student?
The answer: No!
Wu Zhangkong made it clear: Heita's learning speed far exceeded imagination. Donghai Academy could no longer offer her anything. Staying there would be a waste of her potential.
And given Heita's personality, she wouldn't connect with ordinary students—let alone make friends.
So Wu Zhangkong offered two suggestions:
1. Recommendation to Shrek Academy: As a former high-ranking student of Shrek, he could write a letter that would allow Heita to enter directly, bypassing all the assessments. Only an institution like Shrek could support her level of talent.
2. Immediate Graduation: Donghai Academy would graduate her early and provide a recommendation letter from both the school and Wu Zhangkong. However, Shrek's next enrollment period was in three years. So Heita would need to collect the letter from Hongshan Academy then. In the meantime, she could pursue whatever path she chose—essentially having full freedom for the next two and a half years.
Go to Shrek now, or spend time freely developing and enter later?
Mu Chen and Yuan Bao'er didn't dare make such an important decision for Heita. So when she returned home, they discussed it with her privately. In the end, Heita chose the second option.
The reason was simple.
While she had learned a great deal already, there were many things she couldn't yet apply due to her soul power limitations. She planned to use the next two years to organize her knowledge and prepare.
But that was just the secondary reason.
The main reason? During a conversation with Mu Chen, Heita brought up one word: Divine Forging.
She wanted to study Divine Forging first. Once her soul power caught up, everything else would fall into place.
And who was the only person on the Douluo Continent capable of Divine Forging?
"Divine Craftsman" Zhen Hua, the senior brother of none other than "Holy Craftsman" Mu Chen!
Of course, the priorities were clear.
During the upcoming two and a half years, Heita primarily wanted to do research, increase her soul power, and learn Divine Forging—everything else was secondary. Just icing on the cake!
Mu Chen was stunned by her ambition. Even he hadn't mastered Divine Forging, and yet this little girl planned to do it in just two years? But with her talent, it might actually be possible!
"Well then," Mu Chen had said, "for the sake of this child's future, I'll take her to visit my senior brother."
And that's what really happened.
Heita didn't drop out of Donghai Academy. She graduated. Early. She's now on her way to learn Divine Forging from the Divine Craftsman himself, Zhen Hua!
Mu Xi was dumbfounded by the story. This was probably the fastest graduation in the academy's history—three months after admission!
"So the gap between me and my sister… has already become this wide without me even realizing it?" She had never really seen Heita look all that serious at school. But now, recognizing the truth, Mu Xi was utterly shaken.
She had obviously been dealt a huge emotional blow.
"Xiao Xi…"
Seeing her daughter's crushed expression, Yuan Bao'er immediately embraced her.
She understood her daughter's feelings. Under the brilliance of a true genius, even a so-called "genius" like Mu Xi—would inevitably feel like she was falling behind…
Yuan Bao'er sighed again. She'd have to comfort Mu Xi more from now on—or she might carry this shadow with her for the rest of her life.