Blacksmith Association

"Blacksmithing? I didn't expect you to make this choice after all. Give it a try, then!"

Xiao Yu was not surprised by this. People strived upward, while water flowed downward. If the child wanted to see the scenery from higher ground, why should he stop him?

"I'll help you contact the East Sea Blacksmith Association and see whether that person can personally teach you."

The person he referred to was none other than Mu Chen, an Eight-Star Blacksmith and the junior brother of a Divine Craftsman.

But someone of that stature was not someone a mere Tower Master of an East Sea Spirit Pagoda branch could invite at will.

If that did not work out, someone else could teach him. There was no need to necessarily establish a connection with a Divine Craftsman.

Mu Chen likewise did not take disciples easily. He had seen a genius before—Zhen Hua—and only a genius who truly displayed talent in blacksmithing would be accepted as his disciple.

Before that, staying behind the scenes was actually better.

As Xiao Yu ended the call, just as expected, Mu Chen refused outright. He said regretfully, "Jinsheng, I contacted them for you. You'll be learning blacksmithing from Master Cen Yue at the East Sea Blacksmith Association."

"Master Cen Yue?!" Li Jinqiu knew a little about this man. He seemed to be a Grandmaster Blacksmith and an old acquaintance of Mang Tian, Tang Wulin's first blacksmithing teacher.

Rounded up, didn't that make me Tang Wulin's senior brother?!

"That's right. Master Cen Yue will be teaching your blacksmithing lessons. Don't underestimate him—he's a Master Blacksmith capable of forging Spirit Forged Metal."

"Thank you, Tower Master. I'll work hard!" Li Jinsheng said gratefully.

"Tomorrow, go to the Blacksmith Association. If you pass his test, he'll guide you into the profession. If you don't, you can choose another profession." Xiao Yu spoke earnestly. He did not believe Li Jinsheng possessed much talent in blacksmithing. In this era, those who could reach Soul Forging and become Saint Craftsmen were exceedingly rare.

Among all sub-professions, blacksmithing was the hardest to cultivate. Across the entire Douluo Continent, there were only a dozen or so Saint Craftsmen. There was only one Divine Craftsman: Zhen Hua.

Even Shrek Academy had only one Saint Craftsman, Feng Wu Yu. That showed just how difficult it was to cultivate this path.

Watching Li Jinsheng's departing back, he let out a long sigh. "I hope you really do have that kind of talent in blacksmithing!"

Just then, his email chimed. Opening it, he exclaimed, "It's actually from headquarters!"

Li Jinsheng did not hear Xiao Yu's final blessing. The youth was thrilled as he looked at the Life Element in his palm, which had finally changed.

At this moment, after half an hour of daily research, the Emerald Orb had taken on the shape of a Cross Windmill. However, its blades were still thick and blunt. Once his spiritual control became stronger, perhaps it could become an offensive soul skill.

"I can't improve its sharpness for now, but I can try making it spin!" Watching the windmill rotate rapidly in his palm, Li Jinsheng became even more certain that he could create his own soul skill.

He would definitely have offensive capabilities in the future. When the time came, he could deprive his opponent of tactile sensation, grab the wind wheel, and slash right at his mou—no, his neck!

The thought of possessing offensive capabilities in the future gave him even more motivation to cultivate. He had already transmigrated—how could he possibly lack some insanely cool and overpowered offensive ability?

As the saying went, cultivation was for longevity, and longevity was for showing off longer. Therefore, offensive capabilities were very important!

The next morning was the start of Eastsea Academy's junior division break. Li Jinsheng stood before the entrance of the Blacksmith Association.

It was a gray building around thirty stories tall, with a prominent hammer emblem on its outer wall.

Passing through the glass doors and entering the lobby, he found the floor spacious and open. Two young women in professional attire sat at the reception desk.

Li Jinsheng naturally walked up to the counter and said to them, "Big sisters, I'm here to see Master Cen Yue."

"I'm from the Spirit Pagoda, and I'm here today to take Master Cen Yue's assessment!"

One of the curvaceous young women looked at him with a smile. "Little brother, so you're the child from the Spirit Pagoda! Wait a moment. I'll notify Master Cen Yue that you've arrived!"

As she spoke, the sweet-looking young woman beside her had already connected the call to Cen Yue and informed him of Li Jinsheng's arrival.

After ending the call, the sweet-looking young woman said to Li Jinsheng, "Little brother, my name is Yun Xiaoling. Master Cen's office is on the fifteenth floor. I'll take you to see him first, and then he'll bring you to take the blacksmith entry assessment."

"Thank you, big sister!" Li Jinsheng replied politely.

Yun Xiaoling looked him over from head to toe. Black hair, black eyes, a short-sleeved shirt and jeans—he had the air of a little adult trying to look cool.

"Ding!" The elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor, and the doors opened.

The walls were made of silver-white metal, while the ceiling and floor were white. Clean and tidy—those were Li Jinsheng's first impressions of the place.

Outside the elevator was a corridor, with doors lining both sides.

Yun Xiaoling led him down one side and stopped before a door with Cen Yue's nameplate on it. She pressed the button beside it.

"Master Cen, this is Yun Xiaoling. I've brought the child to you."

"Mm." A deep voice sounded, and the door opened.

It was an office of roughly thirty square meters. A massive wooden desk alone occupied almost a quarter of the room. Behind it stood a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties. He was not tall, but he was extremely burly, with especially broad shoulders. His deltoids stretched tight against his black shirt.

Cen Yue looked directly at Li Jinsheng. "You're the child the president mentioned? Your Innate Soul Power is high, but that doesn't mean you necessarily have talent in blacksmithing. If you can't pass my test, give up on the path of blacksmithing!"

His words were ruthless, but he also knew exactly how much blacksmithing depended on talent.

"Yes, Master Cen Yue. My name is Li Jinsheng, and I'm the one who wants to learn blacksmithing." Li Jinsheng bowed respectfully.

Cen Yue nodded, forming a favorable impression of him. At the very least, he was a polite child. Rising to his feet, he said, "Come with me! My test is very difficult. I hope you can pass it."

The two took the elevator down to the third floor, where blacksmith assessments were conducted. The constant clanging of metal rang out from the corridor.

Cen Yue led Li Jinsheng to the reception desk and told a staff member, "Open a testing room for me. I want to see this child's talent in blacksmithing."

"Master Cen, is this a disciple you've taken a liking to?" The staff member looked at Li Jinsheng with great curiosity.

"No, it's..." Cen Yue did not finish speaking, but Li Jinsheng heard the word "can" caught in his throat loud and clear.

He could not help frowning, but then he thought that if he had no talent for forging, Mu Chen would lose nothing. If he possessed exceptional forging talent, then Mu Chen could step forward and teach him himself.

They entered a testing room. There was a workbench inside, and at Li Jinsheng's current height, he could not even reach its surface.

At the sight of this, Li Jinsheng could not help missing the long legs of his previous life, when he had stood 1.8 meters tall—even though that would only have made him a short man on the Douluo Continent.

"Do you know what forging is?" Cen Yue stopped and asked Li Jinsheng.

"Hundred Forging for purification, Thousand Forges Refinement, Spirit Forging to grant metal life..." Before he could finish, Cen Yue cut him off and handed him two small metal hammers. "Since you know that, do you see that piece of pig iron? You have one hour. Keep hammering it without stopping."

"I want to see your talent for forging—and your perseverance."

Listening to this deliberately difficult test, Li Jinsheng could not help recalling the test his disciple had given Tang Wulin in the original story. He could only sigh. Sure enough, it was passed down through the same line.