Collecting Badges

The elevator moved quickly, and by the time they reached the top floor, both Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin had a slight ringing in their ears.

The two of them shook their heads at the same time before recovering.

As they stepped out of the elevator, the Brothers were greeted by an expansive Field of vision.

Floor-to-ceiling glass surrounded them. From this height, they could see nearly half of Eastsea City.

Tall buildings filled the city like a Steel Forest, while lush green plants had been arranged along one side, adding a touch of life.

Yun Xiaoling found a Staff member. "Please inform the president that Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang have arrived."

"Wulin, Wuyang, wait here for a moment." Yun Xiaoling led them to a sofa nearby and had them sit down.

Before long, a set of brisk footsteps sounded.

Mu Chen walked at the front. He had arrived at the association early that morning and had not even gone to forge in his own Forging Room, all so he could wait for these two Little Fellows who had brought him such startling surprises.

Cen Yue had also been waiting with him in his office.

If the people of the Forging Master Association found out that these two had spent nearly an entire day waiting for two children, who knew what they would think.

Mu Xi followed behind them.

"President!" Yun Xiaoling hurried forward and respectfully bowed to Mu Chen.

Mu Chen smiled and Nodded. The next moment, his gaze fell upon Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin.

The moment the Brothers heard Yun Xiaoling address him as president, they rose to their feet. However, their eyes were fixed on Cen Yue.

Cen Yue walked over to them and said with a smile, "Wulin, Wuyang, this is President Mu Chen of our Eastsea City Forging Master Association. He is also one of the Federation's most renowned Holy Craftsman Level Forging Masters."

Saint Craftsman?

Tang Wuyang's and Tang Wulin's eyes lit up. They had long heard Mang Tian mention the title Saint Craftsman. Only Forging Masters of the seventh and eighth ranks could be called Saint Craftsmen.

This president did not seem much older than their Teacher, yet he had already become a Saint Craftsman!

Was the Badge on his chest a Holy Craftsman Badge?

Eight stars—he was an Eight-Star Holy Craftsman!

The two hurried forward and bowed. "Hello, President."

"It's you two?" A surprised voice sounded beside Mu Chen.

Mu Xi stared at the two boys in astonishment. They were the ones who had stolen her spotlight—indeed, the spotlight of every young Forging Master.

Tang Wuyang was also stunned when he saw Mu Xi. Why was this wealthy Senior Sister here?

Mu Chen looked at his daughter in surprise. "Xixi, you know them?"

Mu Xi looked at the Brothers. "No, but they seem to be students at our academy too."

Mu Chen smiled. "Tang Wulin, Tang Wuyang, what grade are you in at Eastsea Academy?"

Tang Wulin said, "Wuyang and I are new students this year. We're both in Grade One Class Five."

At the mention of Class Five, a trace of disdain immediately appeared In Eyes of Mu Xi.

As a student of Eastsea Academy, she naturally knew what Class Five represented. It was a group of useless students who could not even become Soul Grandmasters.

However, Mu Chen showed no change in expression because of their class. "Brother Cen told me that both of you passed the second-rank Assessment last time. That is truly an outstanding achievement."

"You should know that this created a new record for our Forging Master Association."

"It truly makes us sigh with emotion. The younger generation will surpass us!"

Tang Wuyang's and Tang Wulin's Small Faces both reddened. They did not know how to react to such praise.

Tang Wuyang thought for a moment. "President Uncle, now that we have our Badges, can we accept Forging Tasks?"

Mu Chen laughed. "Of course you can."

Cen Yue smiled from the side. "The president has been waiting for you all day, just so he could personally put your Badges on you."

At that moment, Yun Xiaoling brought over a tray.

A red cloth lined the tray, and two identical Badges rested upon it.

The Badges were hexagonal, with a blue background. A hammer-shaped emblem protruded from the surface, and two white stars were set into them.

Whether they were Mecha Makers, Forging Masters, or practitioners of similar professions, their rank Badges were generally alike.

First-rank and second-rank Badges both had blue backgrounds with white stars. Only after the third rank would they begin to change.

Mu Chen personally pinned the Badges onto the left chests of Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang. His smile faded as he said solemnly, "From this moment onward, you two are members of our Forging Master Association."

"As Forging Masters, I hope you will complete every forging work with earnestness. Feel with your souls, gain enlightenment with your lives. True Forging is not hammering metal—it is creating life."

Creating life?

Those simple words struck Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin like thunder. It was as though a brand-new door to Forging had opened a narrow crack before them.

Tang Wuyang gently touched his Badge. The Cold and Aloof feel of metal brought him an unprecedented sense of accomplishment, and a burning heat surged through his heart.

Tang Wuyang looked up at Tang Wulin, who was looking back at his Younger brother.

The two exchanged smiles, thinking at the same time that they had finally become official Forging Masters.

"I want to compete with you in Forging!" Mu Xi suddenly stepped out from behind Mu Chen, glaring at the Brothers with an unconvinced expression.

Only then did Tang Wuyang notice that she wore the same Badge on her chest as he and Ge did.

Seeing the challenging look in Mu Xi's eyes, Tang Wuyang frowned and shook his head. "I won't compete."

Tang Wulin also shook his head. Ignoring Mu Xi, he looked at Mu Chen. "President Uncle, where can we accept Forging Tasks?"

Mu Chen shot Mu Xi a glare, forcing her to swallow the words she had been about to say.

Then Mu Chen smiled at Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin. "Brother Cen will take you there. Now that you have passed the Assessment, you are members of our association. No matter what difficulties you encounter in the future, you can come to the association and request help."

"Although our Forging Master Association may not be the strongest association, it will certainly be the most united."

When he spoke of unity, he deliberately glanced at Mu Xi, making the displeased girl pout and lower her head.

Cen Yue smiled and patted the two Little Fellows on the shoulders. "Come with me."

Watching Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin follow Cen Yue into the Elevator, Mu Xi could not help asking, "Dad, why wouldn't you let me compete with them?"

Mu Chen's expression darkened. He said sternly, "Insolent! What do you think this place is?"

"This is the Forging Master Association. As a member of the Forging Master Association—and my daughter, no less—every word and action of yours represents the association."

"These two children have only just joined. What if you frightened them?"

"Once you get to know each other better, I will not stop you if you wish to compete with them in Forging. But it must be done in private."

"Aren't they your Juniors? Keep an eye on them. Look after them."

Mu Chen had not said much to Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin today. He still wanted to observe these two children further.

He had seen the two pieces of Sinking Silver they had purified. Judging by the uniformity, he could say with certainty that both Little Fellows were better at Forging than his daughter.

To avoid damaging his daughter's confidence, he had stopped her from competing with them in Forging.

It was a small selfish consideration on his part. After all, confidence was still very important at their age.

Since Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin would be accepting Forging Tasks, he would have plenty of time to observe them. He could decide how to train them after watching them longer.

The task hall was on the second floor of the Forging Master Association.

The entire second floor was lined with counters, each marked with task ranks identical to those on the Forging Master Badges.

Forging Masters accepting tasks could only choose tasks of their own rank or lower. They could not accept tasks beyond their rank.

In the Forging industry, the forging materials were provided by the client.

Therefore, the association had to ensure the quality of the finished product as much as possible. Otherwise, the association would have to pay compensation.

"You two Little Fellows have truly given me quite a few surprises! That fellow Mang Tian really is..."

Whenever Cen Yue thought of Mang Tian's mocking remarks earlier, he could not help growing angry. Still, the man really had trained two outstanding disciples!

After taking a deep breath and forcing himself not to think about Mang Tian's punchable face, Cen Yue looked at the two Little Fellows and asked, "What kind of task do you want to accept?"

Tang Wulin looked toward the counters. "Anything within our abilities is fine."

Cen Yue said, "Our association rents out Forging Rooms. Will you be forging inside the association?"

Tang Wuyang shook his head. "Teacher has already arranged it for Ge and me. He told us to use his Forging Room in Eastsea City. We can go there. Thank you."

A trace of disappointment flashed through Cen Yue's eyes. "All right, then. But you must understand that Forging Tasks allow success only, not failure."

"Once you fail, you must compensate for the losses yourselves. The counters in front accept tasks, the counters on the left are for submitting tasks, and the counters on the right sell all kinds of metals."

"Our association has nearly every Rare Metal available on the market. However, your Forging Level determines how much you can purchase each month. If you need anything, you can buy it here."

"The fourth and fifth floors sell finished forged products. You may take a look there as well."

"Yes." The Brothers answered respectfully in unison.

However, neither of them had any interest in the fourth and fifth floors.

One reason was that they did not need anything there. The other was, naturally, that they had no money.

They were still hoping to earn enough money for a Century Soul Spirit through Forging.

Cen Yue led them to the Two-Star Counter and guided them as they selected tasks.

"The association takes Ten percent as an agency fee. The rest is what you can earn."

Tang Wuyang's and Tang Wulin's eyes lit up when they heard Cen Yue's words.

Task One: Purify the Rare Metal Heavenly Dragon Iron. Requirement: Hundred Refinements Purification. Time limit: thirty days. Quantity: ten. Reward: two thousand Federation Coins per unit.

Task Two: Purify the Rare Metal Crimson Gold. Requirement: Hundred Refinements Purification. Time limit: thirty days. Quantity: ten. Reward: two thousand five hundred Federation Coins per unit.

In other words, completing these two tasks would earn them twenty thousand and twenty-five thousand Federation Coins respectively.

To Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, that absolutely counted as an enormous sum of money.

Ever since completing Thousand Refinement Purification of Sinking Silver, the two of them had become very confident in purifying the vast majority of Rare Metals.

Without hesitation, the Brothers selected the first two tasks. A dialog box appeared, asking them to enter the delivery address. Once they finished, it asked them to place their Badges into the Slot below.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin removed their Badges together and placed them into the Slot.

Beep!

"Congratulations, Second Rank Forging Master Tang Wulin. You have successfully accepted a second-rank Forging Task: Heavenly Dragon Iron purification. The materials will be delivered to the listed address within three days."

"Congratulations, Second Rank Forging Master Tang Wuyang. You have successfully accepted a second-rank Forging Task: Crimson Gold purification. The materials will be delivered to the listed address within three days."

When the mechanical voice ended, the Badges popped out.

"That's it?" Tang Wulin looked up at Cen Yue.

Tang Wuyang retrieved his Badge and looked at Cen Yue with the same question in his eyes.

Cen Yue Nodded. "Isn't it simple?"

"However, I must remind you that this is your first time accepting tasks. You must be cautious."

"Although the processing fees we Forging Masters collect are considerable, many Forging Masters do not earn much. The fundamental reason is that they cannot perfectly complete every task."

"Once a Defective Product appears, the Forging Master must pay out of pocket to purchase materials and forge it again. The cost of such remedial measures is quite substantial."

"Yes, Master Cen. We will definitely be very careful."

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin both sensed the seriousness in Cen Yue's words. They immediately became fully focused on the Forging Tasks they had just accepted.

Seeing that they had taken his words to heart, Cen Yue asked, "By the way, do you have Communication Numbers?"

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin shook their heads awkwardly, their faces flushing. How could they afford Communication Soul Tools?

Cen Yue smiled slightly. "These are for you."

As he spoke, light flashed In Hand. Two identical rings lay in his Left Hand, while two small Communication Soul Tools appeared in his right.

The rings had an Ancient and Simple design, their overall color a pale blue.

Tang Wuyang could not tell what material they were made from. Fine, dense dark patterns covered them. At first glance, they seemed quite ordinary, but a closer look revealed their splendor.

The Soul Guidance Communicators were the most popular style at present. They were also wristbands, about two fingers wide, and could be fastened directly around the wrist for convenient use.

"We can't take these. They're too valuable." Tang Wuyang hurriedly shook his head.

Though he did not know what the ring was, the Soul Guidance Communicator alone was worth more than ten thousand Federation Coins, not including call charges.

Tang Wulin also took two steps back and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.

Cen Yue smiled. "Soul Guidance Communicators are standard equipment for our association, and they are also an association benefit. Every Forging Master has one."

"As for these rings, the president asked me to give them to you. He said they are being lent to you for now."

"They have Ten Cubic Meters of storage space, making it more convenient when you submit tasks. Otherwise, how would you bring all that task metal here?"

There were even benefits?

But these Storage Rings were far too valuable. The Brothers could not even calculate how much a Ten Cubic Meters storage space was worth.

Cen Yue stuffed the two items into each of their hands. "Take them. Just complete more tasks for the association."

"These Storage Rings are considered benefits the association is giving you in advance. They are benefits for Fourth Grade Forging Masters."

"The president said he believes you two will definitely become Fourth Grade Forging Masters in the future. Don't let us down."

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin exchanged a look, then bowed to Cen Yue together in perfect understanding. "Thank you, Master Cen. Please thank the president as well."

Cen Yue helped the Brothers up, rubbed their heads, and smiled. "Though I am not your Teacher, I still have the duty to remind you that in every profession, All Roads Lead to Rome."

"Although, with the development of the times, Soul Power is no longer the foundation that plays a decisive role in every profession, and many Ordinary people can accomplish tasks that once required Soul Masters."

"However, no matter which profession you enter, if you wish to reach the pinnacle, you must achieve something in your Soul Power Cultivation. Do not neglect your studies."

"Yes!" Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin both Nodded earnestly.

Not to mention that Tang Wulin's original dream had been to become a powerful Soul Master.

Even though he now seemed to have greater potential as a Forging Master, he had never considered giving up the profession of Soul Master.

As for Tang Wuyang, although he had not initially been as determined as Tang Wulin to become a Soul Master, adopting Na'er had undoubtedly given him enough motivation.

After all, he wanted to become stronger as soon as possible and gain enough strength to find Na'er.