Tang Wulin Failed His Assessment

In Mu Xi's private forging room at the Eastsea Blacksmiths Association, Mu Chen watched Mu Xi and Yun Chen gathered around the anvil, discussing something about the metal. His expression was just a little displeased.

Ever since Mu Xi had used Yun Chen as a shield last time, rumors had spread through the association that she had a boyfriend. Someone had deliberately passed the news on to Mu Chen, and he had originally intended to find an opportunity to give Yun Chen a warning. But seeing them today, the two children were clearly just forging partners. Whether they were eating or practicing, all they talked about was forging. They had not discussed anything else at all!

If this was supposed to be dating, Mu Chen would be the first not to believe it. He had beaten his Divine Craftsman senior brother in matters of the heart and successfully won the beauty's hand, so he considered himself to have quite unique insights into romance. In any case, he did not think his daughter liked Yun Chen.

While Yun Chen and Mu Xi were immersed in forging, Tang Wulin called Cen Yue through Soul Guidance Communication. He wanted to take the Level-3 Blacksmith assessment because he had followed the advice of Old Tang, who was Tang San's divine consciousness disguised within him, and decided to break the first seal of the Golden Dragon King.

However, he simply could not afford the spiritual items needed to remove the seal. So, he wanted to demonstrate his forging talent by passing the Level-3 Blacksmith assessment, then take out a loan from the Blacksmith Association.

Cen Yue was shocked when he heard that Tang Wulin wanted to take the Level-3 Blacksmith assessment. If Tang Wulin succeeded, he would be a nine-year-old Level-3 Blacksmith!

Just as Cen Yue was about to report the matter to Mu Chen, Mu Chen was stunned by the sight before him.

On an anvil not far away, a piece of metal emitted a faint gleam. This level of radiance naturally could not compare to the glow of Thousand Refinement Grade One or Grade Two, but it still meant that the metal had reached Thousand Refinement!

"Did... did it succeed?" Mu Xi stared at the metal before her in surprise, then turned to look at Yun Chen.

"It succeeded." Yun Chen calmly set down the Forging Hammer in his hand and looked at Mu Xi. "I have to thank Senior Sister for reminding me of the key points. Otherwise, I might have needed a few more attempts."

"Um, it was nothing." Mu Xi said somewhat embarrassedly. She knew perfectly well that her reminders had not decided anything. This was entirely because Yun Chen's constant practice had accumulated to a critical point.

"Congratulations. At nine years old, you are a Level-3 Blacksmith. You have broken the record and made history." Mu Chen stepped forward and patted Yun Chen on the shoulder.

At that moment, Mu Chen felt that it might not be so bad if Yun Chen and his daughter really ended up together. It was just that Yun Chen was still too young, only nine. They would have to wait a few more years.

"Thank you, President. If not for your guidance from the side, I would still have been far from achieving this," Yun Chen said sincerely.

"No need to be so polite. Even if I teach you experience, you still need to be able to absorb it," Mu Chen said.

At that moment, the forging room door opened, and Cen Yue walked in. He leaned close to Mu Chen's ear and quietly reported Tang Wulin's situation.

"Hm? That boy is that talented too? Then I have to go see for myself." Mu Chen was immediately intrigued.

Previously, he had only thought that Tang Wulin and Yun Chen reaching Level-2 at the age of nine was already rare talent. But Yun Chen had just completed Thousand Refinement before his eyes and advanced to Level-3 Blacksmith. If Tang Wulin could also complete Thousand Refinement, then the Eastsea Blacksmiths Association would truly strike it rich.

Not long after, Tang Wulin arrived at the Blacksmiths Association, travel-worn and dusty. Under the personal supervision of Mu Chen and Cen Yue, he began his Level-3 Blacksmith assessment.

Yun Chen and Mu Xi did not go watch after learning the news. After all, it was an assessment, and having too many people present might affect Tang Wulin's state of mind. Still, Mu Xi asked curiously, "Little Brother Yun Chen, do you think that little guy Tang Wulin can succeed?"

"I think he probably can," Yun Chen replied.

In the original story, Tang Wulin had passed the Level-3 assessment at this time, obtained a loan from the Blacksmith Association for the spiritual items, and broken the first seal of the Golden Dragon King. Yun Chen had not interfered with Tang Wulin's growth, so there should not have been any problems, right?

Yet who would have thought that Tang Wulin really did make a mistake at a crucial step in the forging process? Although he noticed it quickly and tried his best to make up for it, he ultimately fell short, and the Thousand Refinement failed.

With Mu Chen and Cen Yue's discernment, they could naturally tell that Tang Wulin had indeed grasped the essentials of Thousand Refinement. But an assessment was an assessment. They would not give him more room for trial and error simply because they thought highly of him.

Tang Wulin, having failed the assessment, was deeply disappointed. Even if he tried again, he might not succeed.

"Little Wulin, don't be so discouraged. Your talent is quite good. Build up your experience for a while longer, and you should be able to succeed. I think highly of you. Try again next time." Mu Chen patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder, comforted him briefly, and then left the assessment area.

Cen Yue sighed softly. He stepped forward and put an arm around Tang Wulin's shoulders, preparing to see him out of the association. Before leaving, though, he asked why Tang Wulin had been in such a rush to take the Level-3 Blacksmith assessment. Cen Yue felt that Tang Wulin seemed extremely anxious. Especially during the forging process, if he had maintained a steadier mindset, perhaps he would not have made that mistake.

After all, Tang Wulin was a kid introduced by his good friend Mang Tian, so Cen Yue naturally had to look after him.

Tang Wulin pondered for a moment before explaining his situation. Of course, he did not directly state what the spiritual items were for, only that they would help his martial soul. Cen Yue found it strange that a Blue Silver Grass martial soul would require spiritual items of that grade. But when he called Mang Tian to verify the matter and learned that Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass was a mutated Blue Silver Grass, and that his first Soul Spirit had been a Little Grass Snake, Cen Yue formed his own guess.

In the end, Cen Yue and Mang Tian pooled some money together. Adding Tang Wulin's own savings, they used the Blacksmith Association's internal channels to obtain the spiritual items Tang Wulin needed.

When Cen Yue placed the items in Tang Wulin's hands, glistening tears flashed in his eyes. But Cen Yue only told him to hurry home. A typhoon was coming, and wandering around the city would be far too dangerous.

It was not until dinner that Yun Chen learned from Mu Chen that Tang Wulin had failed the assessment. He did not say much, only found it somewhat strange. By all rights, Tang Wulin was surely the Child of Destiny of this era. His grandfather, Ritian Douluo, was still watching over him from above. How could he fail over such a minor mistake? Even if a Child of Destiny made a mistake, shouldn't luck help him remedy it?