Taking an Apprentice

"Since Yun Mu recommended you, give it a try." Zhen Hua set down the hammer in his hand and asked with a smile, "Did you bring your own forging hammer?"

Tang Wulin scratched the back of his head and said somewhat sheepishly, "I... my Second Martial Soul is a hammer, so I don't need to bring one."

"Oh? What kind of hammer?" Zhen Hua's eyes brightened. Clearly interested, he leaned half a step forward and pressed for an answer.

"Clear Sky Hammer." Tang Wulin's voice was quiet, but his words were clear.

"Alright! Let's see it, then!" Zhen Hua slapped his thigh and pointed at the forging table beside them. "Use your best skills and forge a piece of metal. If you can meet my expectations, I may not be able to take you as my apprentice, but I can have my junior brother take you. No problem!"

"Well, Old Zhen, what's gotten into you? A Clear Sky Hammer! That's one of the miraculous Martial Souls in the forging world, yet you're not taking him?" Mu Ye came out of the kitchen carrying a freshly served bowl of Dragon Bone Soup. Hearing this, he smiled and teased him.

Yun Mu quickly ran to Mu Ye's side, and Mu Ye fished out two pieces from the pot and placed them in a small bowl for him.

"Come on, Yun Mu, taste it and see how it is. Sigh, you're still the better one. Unlike Zhen Hua, who eats everything like a cow chewing peonies, without knowing the flavor." Mu Ye muttered quietly to Yun Mu.

Zhen Hua sighed helplessly. "Don't mention it. Yun Ming came to see me a while ago and specifically made me promise to take only one apprentice. But honestly, even if he hadn't said anything, I'd only planned to teach Yun Mu."

"Shrek is still as overbearing as ever." Mu Ye curled his lip, then sighed. "But there's nothing to be done. Both 'number ones' are over there, after all."

While they were talking, Tang Wulin had already walked up to Zhen Hua's usual forging table. Black light flashed in his palm, and the Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his hand.

He took a deep breath, and his gaze immediately turned focused. Staring at the metal block on the table, he was completely unaffected by the conversation beside him.

Yun Mu did not go over to watch the excitement. He simply stood to the side with Zhen Hua and Mu Ye, chatting idly.

Zhen Hua responded to their conversation, but his eyes kept drifting toward Tang Wulin. Whenever he saw the force and rhythm of Tang Wulin's hammer swings, the corners of his lips would secretly lift, clearly showing his satisfaction.

Midway through their chat, Mu Ye suddenly remembered something and patted Yun Mu's shoulder. "You brat need to watch your safety too. Your teacher has enemies all over the place, especially in the Spirit Pagoda. You need to be careful."

"I know. Teacher told me long ago." Yun Mu smiled, then changed the subject. "By the way, Uncle Mu, what do you think? Looking at Wulin's talent, aren't you tempted too?"

"More than tempted!" Mu Ye's eyes widened, and then he asked curiously, "But speaking of which, his Second Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer. What's his first Martial Soul?"

"Blue Silver Grass." Yun Mu said it lightly.

"What? Blue Silver Grass?" Mu Ye froze, his face full of disbelief. "How could that trash Martial Soul possess such terrifying bloodline power? That's not right!"

"My Wulin is different from other soul masters." Yun Mu explained with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "He doesn't just have a Martial Soul. He also has unique bloodline power, and he can use them together. Take forging, for example. He can forge across ranks. He's already a Third-Rank Forger."

"You two really are brothers. Every one of you is so absurdly monstrous!" Mu Ye smacked his lips, his words full of feeling. "Unlike our A Ruheng, who's only got a bit more strength. He's far behind when it comes to this kind of delicate work."

As he spoke, he got up and headed for the kitchen. "I'll go add two more dishes. Judging by this kid's appetite, that pot of food from earlier definitely won't be enough."

The moment he entered the kitchen, the sound of Tang Wulin's hammering began to slow, as though he were about to finish.

By the time Mu Ye came out carrying the last plate of braised red-tailed shrimp and arranged a table full of dishes, a crisp ding suddenly rang out in the forging room. Immediately afterward, a dazzling light burst from Tang Wulin's side, shooting more than ten feet into the air.

"Thousand Forging First Grade!" Zhen Hua's eyes widened, and he sprang from his chair, striding quickly toward the forging table.

Although it could not compare to Yun Mu's monstrous ability to directly perform Spirit Forging, for a nine-year-old child to reach the level of a Fourth-Rank Blacksmith was already monstrous talent!

"Good kid!" Zhen Hua patted Tang Wulin's shoulder, his eyes filled with fondness for talent. "Your name is Tang Wulin, right? I'll call my junior brother right now. He has to take you as an apprentice!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled out his Soul Guide Communicator from his pocket, rapidly dialed a number, and called Mu Chen, who was busy on a lower floor.

Less than two seconds after the call connected, Mu Chen's somewhat flustered voice came through. "Senior Brother? What is it? I'm rushing to finish something here... Oh? A genius? Alright! I understand! Help me keep him there first, and wait until I'm done with this! Let's eat first. I'll definitely come find you this afternoon! I'm hanging up!"

"There, he agreed!" Zhen Hua put away his communicator and said to Tang Wulin with a smile, "At your level, you're more than qualified to be a Fourth-Rank Blacksmith. When your Teacher Mu Chen arrives this afternoon, have him forge you a Fourth-Rank badge, so you'll have proof when you go out in the future."

As they spoke, the group had already gathered around the table.

The table was covered in dishes: tenderly stewed Dragon Bone Soup, fragrant braised shrimp, and several stir-fried spirit plant vegetables. Every dish brimmed with energy. Tang Wulin felt his bloodline surging after every bite.

Yun Mu did not eat much, only tasting each dish once. It was not that he could not eat more; rather, his body was always absorbing the surrounding energy, so he rarely felt hungry. Eating too much only made him feel uncomfortably full.

Tang Wulin was completely different. Once he picked up his chopsticks, he never stopped, mouthful after mouthful, eating with great relish.

Zhen Hua watched him with a smile while discussing the finer points of forging with Yun Mu—sometimes explaining how to control the force of a hammer blow, sometimes teaching how to sense the patterns within metal.

Mu Ye did not stay idle either. From time to time, he added a few remarks about the wonders of a Body Martial Soul, such as how to combine a Martial Soul with the body's strength and how to train to make the Martial Soul more powerful.

They ate and chatted like this, and time passed quickly. Before they knew it, afternoon had arrived.

It did not take long for Mu Chen to come running over in a panic. The moment he entered, he looked for Tang Wulin. Before even catching his breath, he grabbed Tang Wulin and asked a few questions about forging, then immediately decided to take him as his apprentice.

Without wasting any time afterward, he directly pulled Tang Wulin to the nearby forging table and forged his Fourth-Rank badge on the spot. His efficiency was astonishing.

Thus, both Yun Mu and Tang Wulin returned with a full harvest. Yun Mu received his teacher's approval to carry out his bold ideas, such as beginning to fuse his Two-word Battle Armor, while Tang Wulin gained a Sage Craftsman as his teacher.

What had Mu Chen been doing that morning? It was not that he had not wanted to take Tang Wulin as his apprentice right away. Rather, that morning, he had been discussing Tang Wulin with Mang Tian.