Still Had to Learn Manufacturing

"Chenfeng, you're a forging genius."

"Ah?" Tang Chenfeng was still somewhat bewildered at the sudden praise.

Zhao Gaobo was excited for quite a while before gradually calming down. "Oh dear, I got a little too worked up just now. Chenfeng, do you know you're a once-in-a-million genius? You completed Spirit Forging at six years old! When I was six, I didn't even know what forging was. I finally have a successor! Hahahaha!" Zhao Gaobo could not help bursting into laughter again.

This only left Tang Chenfeng even more confused. "Teacher Zhao, could you explain things more clearly first? My mind can't quite process all of this."

Zhao Gaobo immediately explained, "I told you before that forging is divided into ranks. Metal forging is classified as Hundred Forging, Thousand Forging, Spirit Forging, Soul Forging, and the highest level, Heavenly Forging. There are further distinctions within those ranks; for example, Hundred Forging and Thousand Forging can be divided from third-grade to first-grade. Generally speaking, beginner blacksmiths start with the most basic forging before working hard to break through to Hundred Forging. But you skipped the first two stages and went straight into the realm of Spirit Forging. And by the way, Spirit Forged Metal is a qualitative leap. It is excellent material for making One-Word Battle Armor. This piece of Spirit Forged Dark Star Crystal can even be used directly to make a Battle Armor core. Of course, you can also choose to sell it. Spirit Forged Metal is more valuable than ordinary Thousand Forged Metal. It is expensive and highly sought after, but the choice is yours. You decide what it will be used for."

Tang Chenfeng thought for a while before asking, "Teacher Zhao, about how much is my piece of metal worth?"

Zhao Gaobo considered it briefly. "Dark Star Crystal is a relatively rare metal ore. At normal market prices, it should be worth around ten thousand Federal Currency. If it is Spirit Forged, it should be more than ten times that—over a hundred thousand, at least."

Tang Chenfeng's eyes widened in shock when he heard that number. One hundred thousand Federal Currency! Coming from the relatively underdeveloped Tianhun Town, he had never even imagined having that much money. Looking at the Spirit Forged Dark Star Crystal, he realized that if he sold it, he and Ling'er would not have to worry about tuition or living expenses in the future.

After a fierce internal struggle, Tang Chenfeng made his decision. "Teacher Zhao, I'd rather keep it for now. I don't know why, but I feel like I should keep it. I'm sure it will be useful someday."

"Mm, all right. I respect your decision. Now, there's one more very important matter."

"Ah, is there something else?" Tang Chenfeng was full of confusion.

Zhao Gaobo said, "Of course. Taking you as my disciple. You passed my test, so naturally I'm taking you as my apprentice."

Tang Chenfeng immediately understood and was about to kneel to formally acknowledge his master, but Zhao Gaobo grabbed him. "There's no need for that sort of thing here. Just call me Teacher Zhao as usual. Understand?" Tang Chenfeng immediately said that he understood.

"All right, go back for now. Spirit Forging is still too much of a strain for you. Build a solid foundation before trying it again. Oh, and take this first." Zhao Gaobo pulled out a card from his pocket. "This is my Fund Card. Use mine until you can earn money through forging yourself. I heard from your grandfather that you siblings have quite the appetite. You don't need to hold back; keep using it if you need to. But this only counts as a loan. You'll have to pay me back later."

As the saying went, one should not refuse a gift from an elder. Tang Chenfeng thanked him, accepted the card, and left the office.

Of course, Tang Chenfeng did not know that Teacher Zhao had given him the card out of a little selfishness. He hoped to keep Tang Chenfeng by his side as much as possible. There was probably not another genius like him anywhere in the world. He had to keep him and nurture him with everything he had.

But Tang Chenfeng had no idea what Teacher Zhao was thinking. After leaving the office, he discovered that the sun had already reached the mountaintops and was about to set. Classes would officially begin tomorrow, so Tang Chenfeng could only drag his exhausted body back to the dormitory as quickly as possible.

When he reached the dormitory door and pushed it open, two figures immediately came over. They were Ye Hongling and Ze Ping.

"Boss, you're back!"

"Big brother, you're back! Huh? Why do you look so weak?" Ye Hongling asked with concern.

Tang Chenfeng said, "Well, that's a long story." He then told them everything that had happened earlier, except for the matter of Spirit Forging. Zhao Gaobo had specifically instructed him not to mention it before he left. A man might be innocent, but possessing a treasure could bring disaster.

"So that's roughly what happened. I can be considered a blacksmith now."

Ze Ping, standing beside him, said, "Boss, that's amazing. Hundred Forging! I haven't seen a single third-year student who can do that, though I heard there might be one in ninth year. He should be close to graduating, though."

Tang Chenfeng asked, "So there are other people in our academy who study forging?"

Ze Ping said, "Of course. Sub-professions are also very important to us, and the earlier you start learning one, the better. As far as I know, new students are supposed to choose their sub-professions as soon as possible after entering the academy. Otherwise, they'll fall far behind everyone else."

Ye Hongling suddenly said, "Then Ze Ping, what profession did you choose? You're so strong—did you choose to become a blacksmith too?"

But this time, Ze Ping did not answer immediately. After a moment, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "I chose Mecha Maintenance."

That answer surprised both of them. Ze Ping continued, "I didn't have a choice. I tried everything else. I'm big and clumsy, so I can't draw design blueprints properly. In manufacturing, I can't hold a Carving Knife steadily enough to make Soul Guide Matrices. I tried forging too, but there aren't many forging teachers at the academy, and they're all very strict. When I went to try, they all said my talent for forging was really terrible. In the end, I could only choose maintenance, something I was capable of doing."

After listening, Tang Chenfeng patted Ze Ping on the shoulder. "It's fine. As long as you tried your best, that's enough. The important thing is not leaving regrets behind. At worst, you can repair all my mechas in the future."

"Really? But Boss, I should make this clear first: my repair skills aren't very good. If I cause some huge problems while fixing your mecha, don't blame me."

"It's fine. I'll just give it two punches."

"Wait, then I'd better not be your repairman after all, Boss. I haven't lived long enough yet."

And so, their first night at the academy passed amid laughter and cheerful voices.

Ding—ring-ring-ring—ding—ring-ring-ring—

The wake-up bell rang at around seven in the morning. It marked the start of a new day, and the official beginning of academy life.

"Ze Ping, Ze Ping, get up. The bell has already rung." Tang Chenfeng was the one calling him.

Normally, Soul Masters did not sleep at night and used meditation instead. But perhaps everyone had exhausted too much energy yesterday, so they chose sleep to ease their mental fatigue.

"Boss, let me sleep a little longer. Class doesn't start until eight-thirty." Ze Ping rolled over and went back to sleep.

"How can that do? As the saying goes, the morning is the most important part of the day. Get up early and exercise early. Don't forget the training I said I'd use to make you stronger."

Only then did Ze Ping get up. Rubbing his eyes, he said, "This is way too early. Look, everyone else is still sleeping." As he spoke, he pointed to the dormmates who were still asleep.

Ye Hongling could not help saying, "You're the one who wants to become stronger, and you're also the one who wants to slack off. Don't you want to teach that Ning Tong a lesson?"

The moment Ning Tong was mentioned, Ze Ping immediately became energized. He jumped out of bed. "Then I definitely can't miss it. Come on, how are we training? Bring it on."

Tang Chenfeng simply said, "Come on. Let's go to the training field."

Before arriving at the training field, Ze Ping had assumed it would just be ordinary physical training. But the moment they started, he was dumbfounded. Their physical abilities were simply beyond imagination. Tang Chenfeng was one thing, but even Ye Hongling could easily surpass him. In his words, the two of them completed in one hour the amount of exercise he would normally do in two days. Afterward, they even told him they had reduced part of it to help him adapt and would increase it later. Ze Ping felt like he had shattered on the spot, but there was no taking back spilled water. He could only grit his teeth and continue.

By breakfast, Ze Ping had almost lost his appetite. Looking at the two of them still eating heartily, he could not help complaining, "Boss, what kind of life did you two live before this...?"

When they arrived at the teaching building, the academy rules required everyone to be assigned to a class. The siblings were lucky enough to be placed in the same class. As for Ze Ping, he was already a third-year student, so naturally he would not be there.

There were quite a few people in the class. Haitian City was a place that strongly attracted Soul Masters, gathering many of them from other regions. There were more than thirty students in this single class alone.

The atmosphere in the classroom was lively. Everyone had come from different places and was curious about the others. The topic they discussed most was what their Martial Souls were. The students showed off their Martial Souls, each with their own unique characteristics. It was truly eye-opening.

Before long, the classroom door opened, meaning the teacher had arrived. Everyone returned to their seats.

A female teacher entered from outside. "Hello, everyone. I am your homeroom teacher, Teacher Meng Hua. For the next three years, I will teach you the basic knowledge of Soul Masters. Now, please introduce yourselves. Tell us your names, Martial Souls, and current Soul Power Levels."

There were thirty students in the classroom, so the introductions went quickly. During most of the introductions, no one had a Soul Power Level above level six. After all, who would desperately cultivate right after awakening their Soul Power? So when Ye Hongling announced that her Soul Power Level was fourteen, not only were the other students stunned—even the teacher was shocked. Everyone understood what it meant to have Soul Power exceeding level ten.

However, Teacher Meng Hua's stunned expression quickly returned to normal, and the introductions continued. It was worth mentioning that when it was Tang Chenfeng's turn, Teacher Meng Hua mistook him for an older student because of his height. It took quite a while to explain things clearly. Then, when he announced that his Soul Power Level was sixteen, the entire classroom was stunned once more. Fortunately, the teacher was fairly experienced and quickly calmed down again before beginning the lesson normally.

The courses at a Soul Master Academy mostly focused on Soul Master knowledge, but there were also general education classes, such as history, advice on choosing sub-professions, understanding the biological forms of Soul Beasts, the classifications and branches of mechas, and more. What interested Tang Chenfeng most was history. According to the course material, Douluo Star was not the only inhabited planet. Many humans who had migrated there also lived on other administrative planets.

There was also the classification of mechas. From it, Tang Chenfeng learned that Battle Armor was essentially a scaled-down mecha custom-made for Soul Masters, though its power was closely related to the strength of its maker. Besides mechas, there were also fighter jets and spacecraft. Why did they need to learn about spacecraft? The teacher explained that for high-level Soul Masters, training on their home planet was limited, so some would choose to seek opportunities for progress in space. Furthermore, space exploration work was currently very popular, and everyone would come into contact with it to some extent in the future.

Academy classes were held in the morning, while afternoons were generally free to arrange as they wished. As soon as afternoon came, the two of them went to find Ze Ping for the special training they had promised him. At first, he was quite serious, but as time passed, Ze Ping gradually understood what true special training meant. That very afternoon, he collapsed exhausted onto his bed.

Afterward, Tang Chenfeng was preparing to go to Teacher Zhao's forging room when Ye Hongling followed him, saying she wanted to learn something too.

When they arrived at Teacher Zhao's office, Tang Chenfeng discovered that Teacher Zhao had been preparing to look for him.

"Chenfeng, you're finally here. I was just about to find you," Zhao Gaobo said.

"Teacher Zhao, what did you need me for?" Tang Chenfeng asked.

Zhao Gaobo said, "I think we need to discuss the forging matter from earlier in greater depth."

After a lengthy explanation, Tang Chenfeng finally understood. After he had left earlier, Teacher Zhao had planned to process the Spirit Forged Dark Star Crystal he had forged. But when he began, he suddenly discovered that the Rare Metals forged by Tang Chenfeng possessed an extremely strong rejection response. The moment he tried to process it, it reacted violently. If he handled it carelessly, the Rare Metals might be ruined. This only meant one thing: Tang Chenfeng's forging had given the metal an unyielding soul. It was devoted but narrow-minded, and only the person who had forged it, or someone with a special connection to him, could gain its recognition and process it further.

Tang Chenfeng asked, "Then Teacher, what should we do now?"

Zhao Gaobo pondered for a while before saying, "Although it may be a little early for you to learn this now, this task seems to belong to no one but you. Chenfeng, do you want to learn Mecha Manufacturing from me as well?"

"Teacher, isn't that a bit too casual? I still need to learn forging," Tang Chenfeng said. Normally, one needed to specialize in a sub-profession. Unless someone was extraordinarily talented, it was easy to end up biting off more than they could chew and lacking stamina later on.

Zhao Gaobo said helplessly, "But there's no other way. If only you can process the metal you forge, then you must learn how to carve Soul Guide Matrices. Otherwise, having only metal with no one capable of processing it would be pointless. And this way, it would also be difficult for me to ensure that your forging talent could become cultivation resources for you."

While master and disciple were engaged in an intense discussion, Ye Hongling naturally could not understand much of it. So she wandered around the forging room, looking here and there. Before long, though, her gaze was drawn to a design blueprint. It was an unfinished matrix design blueprint...

The master and disciple had also reached a conclusion. Tang Chenfeng agreed to study both forging and Mecha Manufacturing, but only on the condition that it would not affect his cultivation too much.

Zhao Gaobo said, "Don't worry too much. With your talent for learning, you should succeed very quickly. If you ask me, you're excellent material—you just need to be polished properly."

Tang Chenfeng said, "Actually, I'm not too worried about how difficult Mecha Manufacturing will be to learn. I'm more worried about the speed of my cultivation."

What followed was a period of forging practice and observation of the Mecha Manufacturing process. During this time, Zhao Gaobo discovered that Tang Chenfeng's talent for forging was simply too powerful. Although his success rate at Spirit Forging was very low, his success rate and quality in Hundred Forging and Thousand Forging were extremely high. He was already skilled enough to go out and find work directly.

After a busy afternoon, today's forging practice came to an end. Before Tang Chenfeng left, Zhao Gaobo said to him, "You have great talent in both forging and Mecha Manufacturing. Keep working hard these next few days. Also, at the end of this month, I'll take you to the Forging Association to register. Go back for now." Only then did Tang Chenfeng leave with the bored Ye Hongling.

"Huh..." Ye Hongling gave a quiet sound in her heart. She felt as though she had forgotten something.

Inside the forging workshop, Zhao Gaobo was searching for something.

"Huh, strange. Where is my Soul Guide Matrix design blueprint? Oh, here it is. Good thing—I haven't finished drawing it yet. I was really afraid it had gone missing... Hmm? Who drew this for me? The lines are a little crooked, but the matrix circuit diagram is nearly perfect." Zhao Gaobo thought about it. Other than himself and Tang Chenfeng, there had only been...

No way. Zhao Gaobo thought to himself. Then he muttered, "Old Jiulong, you old fellow, I really am growing more and more jealous of you."