Mu Chen's Guidance

Holding the two hammers in his hands, Li Jinsheng found them exceptionally light. He felt that the most demanding part of this task was not the hammers, but the forging itself.

But as the saying went, even if he had never eaten pork, had he not seen a pig run?

He dragged over a small stool and stood on it, barely reaching a height where he could forge.

After taking a deep breath, Li Jinsheng looked at the red-hot pig iron before him, recalling the scenes he had watched in videos in his previous life. He kept telling himself that he had to strike with force.

He swung his left hammer and smashed it down!

"Bang!"

The hammer struck the pig iron, making the entire Forging Table tremble.

Seeing this, Cen Yue, who stood to one side, could not help but stare. This child truly did not know how to forge, but he had brute strength. If he learned how to control that strength, he would make a promising blacksmith!

President, President! This kid was definitely a genius. With a Martial Soul possessing a life attribute, reaching Spirit Forging in the future would absolutely not be a problem.

His gaze toward Li Jinsheng became especially focused, and he was deeply satisfied. Among blacksmiths, he himself was the strongest advocate for dedication to forging.

He had never possessed outstanding talent among blacksmiths. He had entered this profession simply because he liked it, and he had made it this far step by step, with solid, steady effort. Relying on his love for forging and his dedication, he had finally crossed the threshold into Spirit Forging and earned himself a place in the world of blacksmiths.

Because of this, when it came to strict assessments, if he claimed second place in the East Sea Blacksmith Association, no one would dare claim first.

In his eyes, talent was certainly important, but persistence and perseverance were equally important.

Still, Li Jinsheng was only a six-year-old child, so he could not possibly be excessively demanding. Yet Li Jinsheng's performance afterward completely stunned him.

The iron hammers struck the pig iron in an unbroken stream. The red-hot metal block continued to deform as impurities were steadily forced out.

Li Jinsheng said nothing and simply kept hammering, doing his best to maintain the metal in a fixed shape to make his subsequent strikes easier.

Watching the hammer shadows fall again and again, Cen Yue finally realized that something was wrong. After so long, this child's strength had not diminished in the slightest.

It even seemed to be growing stronger. How was that possible? Was he even human?

Time passed second by second. An hour slipped by quietly. Looking at the metal on the table, which had clearly already undergone Hundred Forging, Cen Yue stood dazed for a moment before saying, "One hour is up! Your assessment is complete!"

"Congratulations! You passed the assessment!"

"What a pity!" He let out a long sigh. "With your talent, the president should personally teach you the basics. You really are a fine prospect."

Li Jinsheng set down his twin hammers and looked awkwardly at the iron sheet on the Forging Table, which was nearly as thin as tinfoil. Yet, feeling that his strength seemed to have increased quite a bit again, he could not help thinking that forging was a pretty good way to train.

"The president will teach me personally?" His mouth fell open. He knew Mu Chen must have had something planned.

"That's right! Come with me!" Cen Yue nodded, then led Li Jinsheng toward the top floor.

Standing outside Mu Chen's office, Li Jinsheng wore a calm expression, still looking as cool as ever.

When he entered, he saw a dignified middle-aged man around forty, dressed in a gray fitted outfit. A badge hung on the left side of his chest.

The badge had a gold background, with a slightly raised hammer pattern and eight stars representing an eight-star Saint Craftsman.

"Greetings, Saint Craftsman!" Li Jinsheng said respectfully.

"No need for formalities!" Mu Chen's voice was gentle. He looked at the boy with Innate Full Soul Power before him and felt greatly pleased. Innate Full Soul Power meant that he would surely become a Titled Douluo in the future.

In other words, as long as this child cultivated properly and became a Titled Douluo, he would have a chance to reach the level of Divine Craftsman.

"You are Li Jinsheng?" he asked again.

"Yes!"

"You're a good child. From now on, I'll teach you forging. But I'm very strict!"

Mu Chen gave this final reminder. He feared people who were only enthusiastic for three minutes. Such people were destined not to go far on the path of a blacksmith—or, rather, they would not go far in anything.

"Alright, I'll work hard!"

Li Jinsheng nodded in agreement, but neither of them mentioned taking him as a disciple. One planned to observe him for a while longer, while the other understood the importance of master-disciple lineage on Douluo Continent.

Having a master was a lifelong matter.

"Very good. Starting tomorrow, come to the Blacksmith Association to study forging! I'll make time to teach you personally!" Mu Chen smiled in satisfaction. He also knew that Li Jinsheng had just gone through an assessment, so today was not suitable for instruction.

Upon hearing this, Cen Yue led Li Jinsheng out of the Blacksmith Association. Watching the boy's departing figure, he could not help wondering just how far this six-year-old would go in forging.

Over the following days, Li Jinsheng displayed his astonishing talent for forging. It took him only three months to completely master the techniques of Hundred Forging.

Then, over another six months, he gradually began forging Rare Metals.

In less than a year, he had touched upon Thousand Forging. He had even become a Rank 2 Blacksmith and reached the threshold of Thousand Forging, commonly known as a Rank 2.5 Blacksmith. This child definitely had the potential to become a Divine Craftsman.

Mu Chen marveled at the talent Li Jinsheng had displayed and could not help falling into thought, considering how to make this child take him as his master.

But it was already too late...

After the boy's forging lesson ended, he returned to the Spirit Pagoda once more and saw that every staff member wore a solemn expression, as though they were waiting for something.

Seeing this, Li Jinsheng suspected that some high-ranking leader was coming to inspect their work. Curious, he walked over to Su Haitao, whom he was fairly close to, and asked, "Uncle, what's going on with you all?!"

"We received notice from above that a senior leader from headquarters will come to inspect our East Sea Spirit Pagoda today, so we were told to stay alert," Su Haitao said quietly, his gaze unconsciously turning toward the entrance.

"Got it. I'll be going, then!" Li Jinsheng nodded and quickly left the hall. After all, he was technically a member of the Spirit Pagoda. It would not be good if he got singled out for inspection by a leader!

After returning to his room, he began cultivating as usual. First, he practiced his Self-Created Soul Skill. By now, being a fan was no problem at all!

Just as he was about to begin meditating, someone knocked on his door.

"Li Jinsheng, are you there?" Gu Yue's cool voice came from outside.

The boy paused, wondering what this old woman wanted with him.

He opened the door and looked at the black-haired girl before asking, "Miss Gu, what brings you to my door in person?"

"I came to say goodbye today," Gu Yue said.

"Goodbye?!"

"Yes. I'm going to Spirit Pagoda Headquarters!"

Li Jinsheng was filled with question marks. Although the original story never stated when Leng Yaozhu had taken a liking to Gu Yue, it had to have been when she was nine, at the earliest!

This had actually happened two years ahead of schedule!

Did that mean several years in East Sea were gone?!

The boy congratulated her, "Congratulations! You're joining Spirit Pagoda Headquarters!"

"Good words actually came out of your mouth!" Gu Yue burst into laughter.

"No, what kind of image do I even have in your eyes? Am I really that inhuman?" Li Jinsheng always felt that the way Gu Yue looked at him carried some inexplicable deeper meaning, as though she wasn't looking at a person at all!

Gu Yue turned and walked toward the elevator, her ponytail swaying lightly with her steps. "Why do you care how I see you?" She tilted her head slightly, her voice light and casual. "I'm leaving! If fate allows, we'll meet again!"

Watching the girl enter the elevator, Li Jinsheng smiled helplessly.

Just then, his phone watch suddenly rang. Xiao Yu was asking him to come to the lobby downstairs.