A Solution to Forging

The crystal-like bright blue armor radiated a dazzling glow, quickly drawing everyone's attention.

Looking at the gorgeous, eye-catching armor, Ye Hongling could not help asking, "Teacher Zhao, was this also caused by the Forging Hammer's shaping effect?"

Not just Ye Hongling—even Zhao Gaobo was completely at a loss. This was also the first time he had seen such a situation. At the same time, Zhao Gaobo noticed that the hammer had transformed into the Battle Armor design Ye Hongling had created.

"But how is that possible? I've never heard of a Forging Hammer being able to transform into Battle Armor."

Amid everyone's astonishment, the Battle Armor-like suit of armor turned into a streak of light and merged into his left arm. This was Blood Sacrifice Spirit Forging, linked by life itself!

Once one reached Spirit Forging or above, metal gained life and could merge with the person who had given it life. This was also why metal forged beyond Spirit Forging became so precious.

"Incredible, simply incredible!" Zhao Gaobo said in shock. In his understanding, although Soul Forging-grade tools could alter their appearance to make them more effective, their essence would not change. A Forging Hammer would return to being a Forging Hammer no matter how it transformed, but one that directly became Battle Armor was truly something he had never seen before.

"Chenfeng, how do you feel now?" Faced with a marvel even he had never witnessed, even someone as experienced as Zhao Gaobo had his curiosity stirred.

Strangely enough, after witnessing something so unbelievable, he was still able to remain relatively calm. Even Zhao Gaobo found that incredible. Perhaps, just as Ye Jiulong had said, he had seen too many surprises and miracles in this child that he was starting to grow used to them.

Tang Chenfeng said, "It feels like it has completely fused with my body. It's as if the Forging Hammer gained a soul and is talking to me. Other than that, there's nothing unusual. It just feels like this is how it was always meant to be."

Zhao Gaobo's large hand landed on Tang Chenfeng's shoulder. "I don't even know how to praise the two of you anymore. Whether it's you or Ye Hongling, you are the finest children among your peers that I have ever seen. Especially you, Chenfeng—if you continue at this rate, you will definitely become a Divine Craftsman in the future."

If anyone familiar with Zhao Gaobo saw him praising others like this, they would certainly be shocked. His standards were exceedingly strict even among the upper class, yet he praised Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling so highly. That alone showed just how outstanding they were.

"Oh, right. Chenfeng, you've already reached the Half-Step Soul Forging realm. You now have the qualifications to name the metal you forged. Let me add this: the alloy you forged has never existed before. No one before you has ever created such an alloy, so don't give it some overly casual name."

Tang Chenfeng's heart stirred. "I'm not really good at naming things. Ling'er, why don't you help me come up with one?"

With a smile, Ye Hongling said, "Then I'll have to think carefully of a nice name."

Zhao Gaobo watched them with a smile, thinking, Seeing these two children always reminds me of all the little moments I shared with them.

"How about Star Crystal? It was forged from ore that came from the stars, yet it looks as though it were made of gemstone crystal. And it sounds like the Chen in my brother's name. It fits perfectly, doesn't it?"

Zhao Gaobo said from the side, "It sounds good, but it still feels like it's missing something."

"Star God Crystal. What do you think?" Tang Chenfeng suddenly said.

"Adding the word 'God' to the Star Crystal Ye Hongling came up with only adds one character, but it somehow feels much better." As he spoke, Tang Chenfeng's left arm lit up with a bright blue glow, and a miniature Star God Forging Hammer appeared in his palm.

"Star God Crystal. That's a very good name. Then that Forging Hammer of yours should be called the Star God Forging Hammer."

Zhao Gaobo added, "But honestly, I feel that your Star God Forging Hammer can no longer be considered an ordinary item. I seem to be able to faintly sense the beginnings of a divine artifact within it... Ah, never mind, I'm getting ahead of myself. Chenfeng, next week I'll take you to the Blacksmith Association to have your Blacksmith rank assessed. You should take some time to properly adjust your condition."

"Oh, really? That's great!" Tang Chenfeng became excited at the mention of the Blacksmith Association. Before having his Blacksmith rank assessed, no matter how skilled he was at forging, he was still only an apprentice and could not sell his own forged works without permission. But once he reached Level Two Blacksmith, he could sell his forged creations. The greatest benefit was that the price of metals would multiply tremendously, directly solving the siblings' food expenses.

While Tang Chenfeng was still lost in his fantasies, Ye Hongling's voice suddenly rang out. "Then, Teacher, the living metals my brother makes all have strong exclusivity. How can that be solved?"

"As for that, we'll need to use a somewhat painful method." As he spoke, Zhao Gaobo suddenly produced a small knife from who knew where and cut his thumb. Tiny beads of blood immediately dripped from his finger, landing precisely on the red-hot gear component.

With a hiss, the moment the blood came into contact with the component, the gear part shuddered as if it had been stimulated. At the same time, the drops of blood were absorbed into it like water soaking into a sponge.

Zhao Gaobo casually picked up the scorching gear component and said, "It seems to be about what I expected. As long as you use your own blood like this to let the metal take on your aura, it can be used. And the closer someone is to the Blacksmith, the greater the chance of success should be."

Zhao Gaobo's solution was to use his own blood as a medium, allowing the metal forged by Tang Chenfeng to take on his aura and form a mutual bond with him. However, the success rate of this method was not one hundred percent. The person had to be close enough to Tang Chenfeng.

Upon hearing this, Ye Hongling could not help saying, "Doesn't that mean that if my brother wants to make Battle Armor for someone else in the future, that person will have to bleed?"

Zhao Gaobo said helplessly, "I'm afraid so. But you don't need to take it too seriously. If you want to create advanced Mecha or three-word Battle Armor and above in the future, the other party will almost always have to use their essence blood to prove themselves. This is what people call recognizing a master through blood. But you don't need to consider that yet. Go back for today. I'm making an exception and giving you two paid leave today, so make sure you prepare for what comes next."

The two agreed and left Zhao Gaobo's workshop.

The moment they left, Zhao Gaobo sighed inside the room. "The new waves of the Yangtze River push the old ones forward. What a pity Old Jiulong refuses to hand him over to me. Sigh..." Zhao Gaobo let out a breath. "So be it. But at the very least, I must bring him under my wing. I need an heir as outstanding as him."

The siblings returned to their dormitory once again, but the two groups that had been at each other's throats on the training ground earlier had already disappeared.

They probably went back to their dormitories. Tang Chenfeng thought. When he opened the dormitory door, the Work-Study Students were indeed mostly there. Every one of them wore an excited expression, talking animatedly about something.

"Oh, Boss, Sister Ling, you're back!" Ze Ping spotted them at once and jumped off his bed to greet them.

"Ze Ping, you're all here? I thought you should all be working by now." Usually, the afternoon free time was when the Work-Study Students worked. Only after completing their tasks could they receive their living allowance from the academy.

Ze Ping became even happier when he heard that. "Don't worry, Boss. We don't have to do cleaning work anymore. Ning Tong and Mo Xiaoyu admitted defeat after losing the bet. They found people to take over all the work for us Work-Study Students, and we still get the wages." As he said this, Ze Ping's grin nearly reached his ears.

Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling were secretly delighted as well. This meant that the Work-Study Students would no longer have to worry about making a living and could focus on cultivating and improving themselves. Tang Chenfeng could also devote more attention to improving his Sub-profession and Soul Power Level.

At that moment, Ze Ping suddenly moved closer to Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling and asked in a low voice, "Um, Boss, Sister Ling... are you really Work-Study Students?"

"Huh?" Tang Chenfeng was visibly stunned. "Why are you asking too? Of course we are. Otherwise, why would we be staying here?"

Ze Ping replied, "It's not that I wanted to ask. Ning Tong said I seemed to have a better relationship with you, so he asked me to ask. He also said that if there's a chance, he hopes you can bring your family to his home as guests."

They just wanted to build connections. Tang Chenfeng thought. Ning Tong and the others had probably seen how extraordinary Ye Hongling and he were and assumed there was some powerful force behind them, so they wanted to get closer to them.

Tang Chenfeng laughed inwardly. What powerful force did he have behind him? If he had to name one, it would be Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ling. But while Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ling were peerless experts of extraordinary strength, they probably would not want to attract too much attention and would refuse to show themselves. Still, the other party was one of the most prominent great families nearby. If he rejected them outright, it might cause some more trouble. At that moment, Tang Chenfeng suddenly realized that he had been a little too high-profile in trying to win benefits for the Work-Study Students.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Chenfeng said, "If he asks you again next time, tell him I'll consider it and ask whether my family is willing to meet them."

In short, he would string Ning Tong and the others along as much as possible and delay things as long as he could, avoiding a direct meeting. If it truly came down to it, he would have no choice but to ask Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ling to step in and help.

"Alright, no problem," Ze Ping agreed.

Looking at Ze Ping, Tang Chenfeng thought that Ze Ping and the other Work-Study Students probably had their suspicions too. It seemed he would have to keep an even lower profile from now on.