Everything Under Control

The Level 1 blacksmith test was simple. One only needed to perform Hundred Refinement purification on any rare metal. For Level 2, one had to forge the purified metal into suitable components. Of course, components forged by a Level-Two Blacksmith could only be used for low-level mechas or ordinary Soul Tools, and were far from sufficient for crafting Battle Armor.

"You said you hadn't learned Forging?" The girl froze. Since the Blacksmith Association had assigned her to the front desk to receive all kinds of guests, her professionalism was naturally beyond question.

Had it been anyone else, they would have assumed Xia Yi was deliberately toying with her and become angry long ago.

Yet not only did the girl refrain from doing so, she even revealed a sweet smile and continued, "Besides, a blacksmith rank test is an important matter. Even if you want to take one, your teacher should bring you here. That way, he can guide you from the side."

During the early-stage blacksmith rank tests, teachers were allowed to provide verbal guidance from the side.

Therefore, unless they were absolutely confident, Blacksmiths generally had their teachers bring them along for the earlier rank tests.

"I don't need that. I can do it alone." Xia Yi shook his head, then raised both hands and grabbed the ten-meter-long granite counter at the Blacksmith Association's front desk.

As he exerted force with both arms, the granite counter slowly rose by around three centimeters beneath the girl's shocked gaze.

"Ah!" The girl covered her mouth with her right hand, so stunned that she could barely speak.

Although much of the granite counter had been hollowed out inside, its weight was still nothing to scoff at. More than a dozen strong men would have struggled to move it, yet Xia Yi had actually lifted it so easily.

Xia Yi gently set the granite counter down. Looking at the still-stunned girl, he smiled and asked, "Do you believe I'm a blacksmith now?"

The girl looked at Xia Yi's pale, sickly appearance, his face neither flushed nor his breathing labored. Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that such a small body contained such tremendous strength.

"Honored Blacksmith, please forgive my earlier rudeness. Please follow me." The girl gave Xia Yi a deep bow. Based on his terrifying strength alone, she already believed the "fact" that he was a Blacksmith.

The blacksmith rank tests were on the third floor. The moment they stepped out of the Soul Tool elevator, a wave of noisy clamor reached them, accompanied by the unceasing clangor of Forging.

The girl led Xia Yi to the front desk on that floor and said to the staff member, "Open a test room for me and invite an evaluator over."

"A test? You aren't joking, are you? Look at his age! Is he even twelve? Are you sure he's really a blacksmith?" The staff member looked at Xia Yi curiously.

"Whether this youth is a blacksmith isn't for us to decide. It's for the evaluator," the girl said calmly.

The staff member nodded. He thought of Tang Wulin, who had come a year ago, and did not make much of it. He handed Xia Yi a form. "Fill this out first. Write down your basic information."

"Alright." Xia Yi accepted the form and filled it out carefully.

While in the Star Dou Forest, Zi Ji had taught him some simple, commonly used human writing. Filling out a form was no problem for him.

The girl read it aloud from the side. "Xia Yi, hometown: Heaven Dou City. Ten years old. A new student in Eastsea Academy's first-year division. You're only ten?"

Heaven Dou City was the information Gu Yue had prepared for Xia Yi. Gu Yue's hometown was also Heaven Dou City.

This time, both she and the staff member were shocked.

A ten-year-old was taking a blacksmith evaluation. If not for Tang Wulin a year ago, Xia Yi would have been the youngest person to undergo a blacksmith rank test in recent decades.

If Xia Yi was only ten, and if he could pass the blacksmith rank test, what would that mean?

Xia Yi did not explain. Instead, he finished filling out the form as quickly as possible, then said calmly, "A girl came up earlier. I want to use the same test room as her."

"This..." The staff member was immediately put in a difficult position. The Blacksmith Association was overflowing with money, and it had plenty of test rooms.

Because they feared the sounds of Forging might interfere with one another, it was forbidden to arrange for two Blacksmiths to test in the same room.

The receptionist also spoke up to remind Xia Yi that testing in the same room would not only affect others, but also affect himself.

"No. I want to be in the same room as them. At worst, I'll wait until they finish before taking my test. They looked down on me outside and insulted me. I'm going to slap that master and disciple in the face." Xia Yi revealed an arrogant expression. He had used the most direct method to tell the receptionist that he was a "blacksmith." Wasn't it simply so he could enter the test room sooner and watch that girl's test?

Moreover, with her teacher accompanying her, that teacher might guide the girl throughout the entire process.

That would be guidance for him as well. Why not take advantage of it?

"What happened?" The staff member looked up at the girl and asked curiously.

The girl gave a bitter smile. She had not expected Xia Yi to hold such a grudge. Helplessly, she recounted what had happened in the lobby.

"Since you're willing to wait, then come with me. But let me make this clear first: if they don't agree to let you watch from the side, you can only come out and wait." The staff member also shook his head helplessly, not thinking much of it.

In his view, anyone who came to take a blacksmith rank test at Xia Yi's age was a genius.

With such great talent, it was only natural for them to be young, arrogant, competitive, and fond of proving themselves.

What he did not know was that Xia Yi regarded the words spoken earlier by that master and disciple as nothing more than fart.

The master was already over sixty and still only a Soul King. They were not qualified to compete with him at all.

Xia Yi only wanted to see how they forged.

Of course, Xia Yi could not reveal any of this. He snorted coldly, his expression turning haughty as he said, "If they don't agree, then they're scared."

The staff member's lips twitched slightly. He said nothing more and led Xia Yi into Test Room Number Five.

A test room was, in fact, a Forging Room. Naturally, blacksmith tests had to be conducted there.

The master and disciple from before were already waiting inside, though the evaluator had yet to arrive.

After all, not everyone was Tang Wulin, with a Level 5 Forging Master as a teacher.

When they saw the staff member bring Xia Yi inside, the master and disciple immediately focused their gazes on him.

"What is this supposed to mean?" The elderly Level-Four Blacksmith coldly asked the staff member. He was a Level-Four Blacksmith and a member of the Blacksmith Association, so he naturally knew its rules.

"Why did you bring this country bumpkin here? This is my test room!" The Level-Four Blacksmith's female disciple also asked coldly, her face filled with arrogance and disdain.

Xia Yi could not be bothered with them. He found a place to sit and began meditating. Of course, he was only pretending. From this moment onward, he intended to remember every word this Level-Four Blacksmith said.

"Master Ao Chuang, this little brother Xia Yi specifically requested this Forging Room. He said he came to slap your disciple in the face." Seeing Xia Yi act so arrogantly, the staff member was left speechless. He practically tearfully repeated everything Xia Yi had said to the Level-Four Forging Master Ao Chuang.

"Slap my, Wu Qian's, face? Fine. I'll let you watch from the side. I want to see exactly how you plan to slap my face." The Level-Four Blacksmith's female disciple, Wu Qian, immediately exploded upon hearing that. Though her talent was far inferior to those Forging prodigies, she had already surpassed her master.

Her master, Master Ao Chuang, had even predicted that she would one day reach Level 5 Blacksmith.

What did a Level 5 Blacksmith represent? They could forge the rare metals Battle Armor Masters needed to craft Battle Armor.

And this sickly-looking Xia Yi actually wanted to slap her in the face.

He was even meditating. Wasn't that simply looking down on her?

"He agreed so easily?" The staff member was stunned, then smiled. Sure enough, they were still children. They all loved competing and proving themselves.

How could he know that, from beginning to end, everything had been under Xia Yi's control?