Forging Genius

As he entered the workshop, a wave of heat hit him head-on. The temperature was more than ten degrees higher than outside.

All sorts of metal components were neatly arranged across the floor and worktables, forged into a variety of shapes.

"Hey, Long Yuan, what are you doing here too?"

As Long Yuan walked farther inside and passed a Forging Room, Tang Wulin stepped out. The moment he saw him, he cried out in surprise.

"Tang Wulin, I heard that it would be better for a Soul Master to have a side profession, so I came to give it a try as well."

Long Yuan told Tang Wulin what he had in mind.

Tang Wulin had joined Mang Tian Workshop two years ago. Although most of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline unlocked within his body had been extracted by Long Yuan—

A very small portion had still been absorbed by Tang Wulin, making his physique and strength somewhat greater than those of children his age.

It also gave him a considerable advantage in forging.

Combined with the slight connection between Tang Wulin's parents and Mang Tian—

Tang Wulin had passed Mang Tian's assessment quite smoothly two years ago.

"Oh, I see. I hope you pass the assessment. Then we can forge together!"

Tang Wulin nodded, an excited smile appearing on his face.

"By the way, have you had another episode recently?"

Thinking of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, Long Yuan wanted to see whether the Golden Dragon King Bloodline in Tang Wulin's body had truly been completely cleared out.

That way, he would not suffer another episode in the future.

"No, and I have to thank you for that. Ever since you helped me last time, I haven't had another episode.

To repay you, if you pass the workshop assessment and there's anything you don't understand about forging, you can come ask me. I've been learning forging for two whole years!"

Tang Wulin cupped his hands toward Long Yuan in thanks.

If not for Long Yuan, every episode would have been agonizing for him.

Whenever it happened, his body temperature would rise as though his entire body were about to explode. The pain was unbearable.

Ever since Long Yuan helped him last time, he had never suffered another episode.

"Mm, alright!"

Long Yuan nodded. It seemed that the Golden Dragon King Bloodline inside Tang Wulin had truly been completely transferred into his own body.

It could both relieve Tang Wulin's suffering and solidify his useless martial soul, the Illusory Dragon, raising its rank.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

"You two know each other? This kid Tang Wulin has pretty good forging talent. He's just still too young, and his Soul Power is only Rank Eight.

But once his Soul Power rises, he'll definitely shine in forging!"

After Tang Wulin left to take care of something, the burly man glanced at Long Yuan and asked curiously, "You seem about the same age as Tang Wulin. What rank is your Soul Power at?"

As he spoke, he led Long Yuan to the work area and handed him a form to fill in his basic information.

"Tang Wulin and I are the same age. I'm a little over eight years old, and my Soul Power is Rank Eleven!"

Hearing Long Yuan's words, the burly man's eyes widened. "You're sure you've reached Rank Eleven already? You're still so young!"

"I'm sure!"

Long Yuan handed the completed form to the burly man. After reading the information, the man could not suppress the excitement on his face.

It was the first time he had seen an eight-year-old child who had reached Rank Eleven in this area.

"Come on, let's go for the assessment!"

The burly man picked up the basic information form without lingering and led Long Yuan toward the assessment area.

If Long Yuan's forging talent was good as well, he might receive a reward from Mang Tian Master.

At the thought of the reward, he became wildly excited.

Some time later, Long Yuan was brought before a middle-aged man.

The man was tall and powerfully built, with dark skin and a thick beard covering his face.

This middle-aged man was none other than the owner of Mang Tian Workshop, Rank Six Grandmaster Forging Master Mang Tian.

"Mm. Judging from your basic information, you're not bad. I'll give you a chance to take the assessment."

After looking over Long Yuan's information form, Mang Tian spoke calmly. His voice was deep and resonant, carrying a faint buzz.

After saying that, Mang Tian clasped his hands behind his back and headed toward the assessment room.

"Whether it was you or Tang Wulin, I initially thought you were both too young and unsuitable for forging.

But Tang Wulin's father insisted on letting him try two years ago. I never expected that little fellow to have fairly good forging talent.

Since then, I changed my mind.

No matter one's age, as long as they have forging talent, they can give it a try.

"If you're a Forging Genius, I'll teach you with the same dedication I gave Tang Wulin!"

Mang Tian's voice reached Long Yuan's ears, and he thought to himself that Tang Wulin truly lived up to being a Child of Destiny.

In terms of forging talent, he far surpassed ordinary people.

But now that Tang Wulin had completely lost the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, it would probably not be easy for him to go further down the path of forging.

"See that round metal block? Strike it one thousand times with this pair of hammers, five hundred times with each hand. The counter will only register if your strikes have enough force. Once you finish, I'll explain what forging is. If you can't finish, you fail the test."

Mang Tian picked up two compact Metal Hammers and placed them on the metal workbench beside him.

He pointed at a round metal block on the workbench.

He explained the contents of the test to Tang Wulin.

It was simple: strike the metal block one thousand times.

After saying that, Mang Tian turned and sat down nearby. This time, he did not leave.

He wanted to see what kind of talent eight-year-old Long Yuan had in forging.

After all, Long Yuan's Soul Power was three ranks higher than Tang Wulin's at the same age.

Long Yuan was clearly more gifted than Tang Wulin in cultivation.

He just did not know how Long Yuan would fare at forging.

Long Yuan nodded and reached for the Metal Hammers.

Good grief—he had only just gripped the handle of one hammer when he found himself unable to lift it for a moment.

The Metal Hammer was small, but extremely heavy.

Its handle was about a foot long, while the cylindrical hammerhead was half a foot long and roughly ten centimeters in diameter.

Each hammer weighed around ten jin. For an eight-year-old child, it was no easy task to swing one up and bring it down.

"Ah..."

Seeing that Long Yuan could not lift the hammer immediately even with both hands on its handle, Mang Tian sighed and shook his head. Without saying a word, he turned and left.

This child was here to waste his time. He could not even lift a hammer, so what forging could he possibly learn? When Tang Wulin came here at six, he could already lift the hammer and strike it one thousand times.

It seemed that those talented in cultivation were not necessarily good at forging.

Bang! Just as Mang Tian took two steps forward, a metallic boom suddenly rang out behind him.

The Soul Guidance Screen below seemed to have been activated. It lit up at once, displaying the number one.

Mang Tian frowned. This kid could lift the hammer?

But he did not stop. There had only been one sound; perhaps the number had not even registered.

He had clearly seen Long Yuan struggling just to lift the hammer.

Bang! The second strike rang out. Mang Tian continued walking, unconcerned.

He had already sentenced Long Yuan to death in his mind—there was no way he would achieve much in forging.

Bang bang bang bang bang...

But after Mang Tian had walked five or six meters and was about to leave the Forging Room, a continuous stream of strikes sounded behind him.

The numbers on the screen kept jumping. Before one number had even fully appeared, the next one immediately replaced it.