The Assessment, Mu Chen's Surprise
"Very well, then. I'll contact Master Cen first."
As she spoke, the attendant picked up the soul guide communicator on her desk.
A minute later.
"Young sirs, Master Cen is available. Please follow me."
The attendant led Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin across the spacious lobby and into a soul-guided elevator.
Ding!
Several dozen seconds later, the elevator chimed, stopping on the fifteenth floor of the Blacksmith Association building. The attendant then guided them to Cen Yue's office.
After pressing the doorbell, a deep "Come in" sounded from within. Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin entered.
The office wasn't large, only about thirty square meters. A massive wooden desk dominated the space, and behind it sat a middle-aged man of around forty. He wasn't tall but was built solidly, with broad shoulders, a thick waist, and notably well-developed biceps.
"So, you two are Mang Tian's disciples?" Cen Yue set down the newspaper he was reading, his eyes alight with curiosity as he looked them over.
"Yes. Greetings, Master Cen. Our teacher also asked us to convey his regards." Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin bowed in unison, their voices respectful.
"Hmph, so he did inform me. I never thought that arrogant fellow Mang Tian would actually take on disciples. Well then, come with me." Cen Yue stood up and led the two boys down to the third floor.
Compared to the quiet of the fifteenth floor, the third floor of the Blacksmith Association was a cacophony of noise. The relentless, rhythmic clang of metal striking metal echoed from every direction.
After Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin filled out their personal information forms, Cen Yue secured a testing room and led them inside.
The so-called testing room was essentially a fully-equipped forging workshop. Once they had familiarized themselves with the setup, a middle-aged female assessor entered.
The assessment for a Level 1 Blacksmith was straightforward: successfully complete the Hundred Refining process on a piece of metal. After the rules were explained, the assessor led them to a storage shelf to select their materials.
From the array of metals, Tang Wulin chose the one he was most familiar with: Heavy Silver. Yao Xuan, unsurprisingly, selected Refined Gold.
Seeing their choices, both Cen Yue and the assessor raised their eyebrows in surprise. Among common metals, both Heavy Silver and Refined Gold were notoriously difficult to refine. Few blacksmiths would choose such challenging materials for a certification test. Were these boys overconfident?
"May we begin?" Yao Xuan asked calmly, ready to start.
"You may," the assessor nodded.
With permission granted, Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin began their work. They activated the forging tables, fed their chosen metal ingots into the roaring furnaces, and began the heating and tempering process.
After more than ten minutes, the tempering was complete. One after the other, they retrieved the glowing, red-hot metal blocks with their tongs, hefted their forging hammers, and began to strike.
After achieving Thousand Refining, Yao Xuan had forged himself a pair of Thousand Refined Gold hammers. Similar in concept to Tang Wulin's future Heavy Silver hammer, they were "stacking hammers," designed to deliver the impact of multiple strikes in a single blow.
Of course, following Mang Tian's instructions, Yao Xuan did not reveal these personal hammers. He used a standard Thousand Refined Tungsten Steel hammer, just like Tang Wulin. Even so, the sight of the two nine-year-olds wielding the eighty-kilogram hammers with practiced ease was enough to astonish Cen Yue and the assessor.
Many Level 2 Blacksmiths struggled with hammers of that weight, let alone children. Their arm strength was phenomenal. It seemed their confidence was not entirely baseless.
After a few trial taps to gauge the metal's state, Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin began their Hundred Refining in earnest, their hammers falling in a controlled, powerful rhythm.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The synchronized, percussive symphony of their work filled the forging room.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!" Watching their fluid movements, utterly focused expressions, and unshakable calm, the assessor and Cen Yue couldn't help but nod in approval. This level of skill was more than sufficient to pass the Level 1 assessment.
'Geniuses! These two are definitely forging geniuses!'
It was critical to remember that performing a flawless Hundred Refining on both Heavy Silver and Refined Gold was a significant challenge. Many Level 2 Blacksmiths might fail. Yet, observing the boys' skillful, composed work, it was clear they would succeed without much trouble.
This implied that their true skill was not merely at Level 1; they had undoubtedly reached the standard of Level 2 Blacksmiths.
*Nine-year-old Level 2 Blacksmiths.* That was a record-shattering achievement. 'Mang Tian, you old fox, you've really found two exceptional disciples,' Cen Yue thought, a complex mix of admiration and envy flashing in his eyes as he watched them work.
Meanwhile, back on the third-floor lobby, the elevator doors chimed open once more, and a man and a woman stepped out.
The man on the left was around forty, with a dignified bearing and an air of inherent authority. He wore a silver-gray suit, his build was robust, and on his left breast was a prestigious medal.
The medal had a gold base, featuring a raised forging hammer at its center, surrounded by eight gleaming stars.
Any blacksmith present would have immediately recognized it and been struck with awe. Eight stars signified that this man was an 8-Star Saint-Level Blacksmith.
In the entire Douluo Continent, there was only one 9-Star Divine Craftsman. Just below that pinnacle stood the 8-Star Saint Craftsmen—exceedingly rare existences, second only to the very highest master.
Beside the middle-aged man stood a young girl of about twelve or thirteen, dressed in practical, form-fitting clothes. She was tall for her age, with a high, golden ponytail and large, bright eyes that gave her a striking, lively beauty.
As soon as they arrived, a staff member immediately sprang to his feet, bowing deeply at a ninety-degree angle. "Greetings, Chairman! Good afternoon, Miss Mu Xi!"
"Mm," the man nodded slightly. "I'm here to proctor Mu Xi's Level 2 Blacksmith assessment. Please arrange for an assessor."
"Right away, Chairman! Please wait a moment." The staff member nodded deferentially.
Just then, the Chairman's—Mu Chen's—eyebrows twitched. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. In the air, his finely tuned senses had picked up a series of crisp, harmonious, and remarkably rhythmic hammer strikes. The sound was not just competent; it was... pleasant to the ear.
"Hm? Is someone taking a Level 4 or higher assessment right now?" Mu Chen looked up, his tone inquisitive as he addressed the staff member.
"No, Chairman," the staff member replied, looking slightly confused. "But Master Cen Yue did just bring two children in for a Level 1 assessment."
"A Level 1 assessment?" A strange light gleamed in Mu Chen's eyes. "Interesting. Very interesting." He turned to his daughter. "Mu Xi, go to the testing room and prepare. I'm going to take a look."