Mu Chen's Thoughts
"Yes, Father."
Mu Xi was curious, but she was about to take her Level 2 Blacksmith assessment and couldn't afford to be distracted.
Leaving his daughter, Mu Chen followed the resonant sound of metal until he stood outside Testing Room No. 3, where Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin were being tested. He closed his eyes slightly, his experienced ears carefully dissecting the symphony of hammer strikes coming from within.
"Is this... a state of resonance with the metal? For a Level 1 Blacksmith to achieve this... truly remarkable!"
Mu Chen gave a slight, approving nod, his eyes gleaming with appreciation.
As an 8-Star Saint Craftsman, Mu Chen's sensitivity to the art of forging had reached a preternatural level. He could discern the nuances from the sounds alone. While Yao Xuan wasn't performing Thousand Refining, his prolonged, focused forging had led to an unconscious spiritual resonance with the Refined Gold, placing him on the very threshold of that profound state—the foundational feeling for Thousand Refining.
Though intensely curious, Mu Chen did not enter the forging room. Even as the Guild Leader, he did not have the right to interrupt an ongoing assessment. However, in his heart, a seed of fondness for these two unknown talents had already been planted.
"By the way, who are the examinees in Testing Room No. 3?" Returning to the front desk, Mu Chen approached the staff member in charge of registrations.
"Guild Leader, the examinees in Testing Room No. 3 are Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin. They were brought by Master Cen Yue," the staff member replied respectfully, pulling up their information file on a screen for Mu Chen to see.
"So they're Old Cen's people. No wonder, no wonder... Hm? Nine years old?" A look of understanding in Mu Chen's eyes was instantly replaced by sheer astonishment, and he let out a soft exclamation.
"Is there an error in this registration information? Are these two blacksmiths truly only nine years old?" He turned to the staff member, his voice laced with disbelief. In his estimation, a blacksmith with such skill should be nineteen, not nine.
"Guild Leader, our records are correct. We even double-checked. Frankly, we also find it hard to believe that children so young could pass the blacksmith assessment."
"Nine years old? Only nine?" Mu Chen was stunned, his mind reeling. "Such prodigies... I must meet them in person!"
From the sound of the hammer strikes, Mu Chen was certain that the unknown blacksmith, even if not yet Level 3, was at most a single step away from full mastery of Thousand Refining. If he was genuinely only nine years old, it would be nothing short of a miracle in the entire history of blacksmithing. How could Mu Chen not personally meet such a prodigy?
Not only that, but Mu Chen secretly resolved that if the opportunity arose, he would definitely take this blacksmith as his personal disciple and pass on his legacy.
Beep! Beep!
Just as Mu Chen was lost in his thoughts, the soul guide communicator on his waist buzzed, pulling him back to reality.
"Dad, I'm ready. Can you come now? I'm in Room Six." Mu Xi's voice came through the communicator.
"Okay, I'm on my way." As he spoke, Mu Chen turned to the staff member and issued a solemn instruction. "When Cen Yue and those two boys come out, tell them to wait at the Association. Inform them that I wish to see them."
"The Guild Leader wishes to see them?" The staff member was taken aback.
"Yes, I'm not joking." With that, Mu Chen strode purposefully towards Room Six.
Meanwhile, in Room Three...
"Time's up!"
At the assessor's announcement, Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin ceased their forging almost in unison.
After an hour of intense work, the block of Refined Gold before Yao Xuan and the Heavy Silver before Tang Wulin had both compacted significantly, their surfaces now gleaming with a peculiar, inner light—clear signs of successful Hundred Refining.
The assessor approached, meticulously examining both pieces of metal before finally announcing the results. Unsurprisingly, both Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin had passed the Level 1 Blacksmith assessment.
"Masters," Yao Xuan spoke for both of them, bowing respectfully to the assessor and Cen Yue. "We wish to apply for the Level 2 Blacksmith assessment."
"Alright, no problem." The assessor nodded, having expected this. "By the way, you two, can you forge medium-sized parts?"
Generally, a Level 2 Blacksmith needed to demonstrate Hundred Refining on ten different metals, but such an assessment would be too taxing. Therefore, the standard was to forge a single, medium-sized part using a Hundred Refined metal.
"Of course," Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin confirmed in unison.
"Very good. You may begin." The assessor smiled and gave her approval.
With the go-ahead, Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin raised their hammers once more, the familiar rhythm of metal striking metal filling the room again.
Forty Minutes Later
Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin finished their tasks one after the other. Having performed this specific forging process hundreds, if not thousands, of times, they completed it with practiced ease.
"Excellent, congratulations!" The blacksmith assessor inspected their work—a meticulously crafted joint and a perfectly formed bracket—and smiled broadly. "You have passed the assessment and are now officially Level 2 Blacksmiths! Your fundamentals are exceptionally solid; keep up the excellent work." She then turned to Cen Yue. "Old Cen, you've taken on two fine apprentices."
"These two aren't my apprentices," Cen Yue corrected with a shake of his head, a hint of pride in his voice nonetheless. "They are the disciples of Mang Tian, from Aolai City."
"Mang Tian? That fellow?" The middle-aged female assessor's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, him." Cen Yue then turned to the boys. "Yao Xuan, Tang Wulin, while these two pieces are the result of your labor, as part of the assessment process, the Blacksmith Association will retain them. You have no objections, I trust?"
"None," both boys replied, shaking their heads. It was a standard procedure.
"Good. Let's head out, then." Cen Yue led the way.
After thanking the assessor once more, Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin followed Cen Yue out of the forging room and back toward the main hall, unaware of the guild leader eagerly awaiting their arrival.