Leaving the Banquet, an Interrupted Conversation

Inside the office.

Mu Chen looked at the two people beside him with a smile and introduced them.

"Xiao Yue, Xiao Xi, this is Tang Wulin. He has officially been recognized by the Blacksmith Association today and has become a Level 2 Blacksmith."

"Tang Wulin?" Mu Xi nodded with a calm expression. "Judging by your age... you must be a freshman at Eastsea Academy this year, right?"

If it were the old Mu Xi, hearing of Tang Wulin's current achievement, she might have felt jealous, unwilling to accept it, and would have looked for trouble with him in the future.

But now, she was already a Level 4 Blacksmith.

Furthermore, her worldview had been reshaped several years ago.

No matter how shocking a matter was, it was difficult to stir up waves in her heart.

What was a Level 2 Blacksmith? Had she not seen a Grandmaster Blacksmith at the age of six?

"Yes," Tang Wulin nodded. "Grade One Class Five."

Class Five?

Upon hearing these two words, a trace of disdain flashed imperceptibly through Mu Xi's eyes.

A Level 2 Blacksmith at this age was indeed gifted, but the Soul Master aptitude of Class Five was somewhat poor.

Regardless of which aspect it was, compared to Xu Yue beside her, he was far inferior.

Thinking of this, a sense of pride rose in Mu Xi's heart.

"This is my daughter, Mu Xi. She is also a student at Eastsea Academy, just like you, so you can consider her your senior."

Mu Chen looked at Tang Wulin and introduced her with a smile, then pointed to Xu Yue at the side.

"Come to think of it, Xiao Yue is also in the same..."

However, before Mu Chen could finish his sentence, Screech!

A harsh, grating sound suddenly rang out!

Xu Yue, who had been sitting calmly beside Mu Xi, stood up abruptly.

The sudden movement pushed the sofa he had been sitting on, along with Mu Xi, back a short distance.

But the surging emotions in his heart made it impossible for Xu Yue to care about such things at this moment.

Facing the surprised gazes of everyone, Xu Yue spoke in a hoarse, cold voice.

"Sorry, Uncle Mu, I have something to attend to. Please excuse me."

With that, he walked straight out of the president's office.

At this moment, the room was deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at Xu Yue's retreating back, not knowing what had just happened.

Although Xu Yue's expression was extremely cold, anyone could feel the suppressed emotions hidden beneath it.

This was a side of Xu Yue that neither Mu Chen and Mu Xi, who had watched him grow up, nor Cen Yue, who had witnessed his rise, had ever seen before.

Thinking of the scene just now and Xu Yue's expression, Mu Xi's heart twinged with pain, and she couldn't help but hold her breath for a moment.

After being stunned for a moment, Mu Xi stood up abruptly and said to Mu Chen.

"Dad, I'm going to check on A-Yue!"

Before the words had even faded, she didn't wait for Mu Chen to respond and turned to chase after him as if flying.

In such a short time, two people had left in succession, leaving the remaining people with no interest in continuing the conversation.

Although Mu Chen didn't know what had displeased Xu Yue, he feared it had something to do with Tang Wulin standing before him.

Thinking of this, he lost the interest in mentoring a junior.

Tang Wulin's talent was good, but he was far inferior to Xu Yue.

At the same time, over the past two years, Mu Xi's talent had gradually revealed itself.

Breaking through to Level 4 at fourteen and reaching Spirit Forging before twenty was not impossible.

Coupled with her already transformed Soul Master talent, Mu Xi's chances of aiming for the rank of Divine Blacksmith were not low.

They were even higher than his own as an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman.

Thinking this way, two seedlings for future Divine Blacksmiths were enough to occupy his time and energy; there was no need to be distracted further.

Mu Chen handed over the Blacksmith Emblem, offered a few words of encouragement, and then had Cen Yue take the confused and puzzled Tang Wulin away.

Walking through the lobby of the Blacksmith Association.

Tang Wulin still felt somewhat confused about everything that had just happened.

Why would a boy who looked to be the same age as him leave the table in such a rage when the atmosphere of their conversation had been quite pleasant?

Could it be that his talent was too good?

Had it provoked the other party's jealousy?

Based on everything he had experienced at Eastsea Academy over these past few days, it seemed that such a possibility was not entirely out of the question.

Thus, Tang Wulin turned his head to look at Cen Yue, who was walking silently beside him, and asked softly, "Master Cen, is it possible that..."

Hearing Tang Wulin's account, Cen Yue paused his footsteps.

He looked at Tang Wulin beside him with a strange expression.

Stared at by such a gaze, Tang Wulin took two steps back, his face showing a hint of awkwardness.

"Master Cen... did I say something wrong?"

"Ahem..." Cen Yue coughed twice and patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder with a complex expression.

"Tang Wulin, your talent is indeed very good; even the Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua did not have such achievements at your age."

"However..."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "This matter absolutely does not apply to Xu Yue."

"He is a fellow freshman in your year at Eastsea Academy; have you really never heard anything about him at the academy?"

"Uh..." Hearing this, Tang Wulin was stunned.

He truly hadn't heard any information about Xu Yue at the academy, though it was possible that the training schedule arranged by Wu Zhangkong had been too packed during this period.

So, he asked in a low voice, "Is he very famous?"

"Since you don't know, I can't blame you." Cen Yue shook his head with a bitter smile. "You could ask anyone at the Blacksmith Association, and they would be able to give you the answer."

"Since you were assigned to Grade One Class Five, you should be a one-ring Soul Master by now, right?"

Tang Wulin nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Then do you know how many rings Xu Yue has now?"

Without waiting for Tang Wulin to respond, Cen Yue revealed the answer directly, opening his palm to hold up three fingers.

"Three rings. And he had already reached the level of a Soul Elder before graduating from the Primary Academy."

"Although I am not clear on his current specific level, with his natural talent, he will definitely be able to make further breakthroughs!"

Soul Elder?

These two words flashed through Tang Wulin's mind like a bolt of lightning, and his throat moved involuntarily.

There was actually a Soul Elder in his grade?!

Was this the kind of achievement a peer of his should have?

However, the shock brought by the information about Xu Yue was far from over.

Cen Yue glanced around at his surroundings before continuing in a low voice.

"Furthermore, in terms of blacksmithing, Xu Yue's level is also not low. Although you have become a Level 2 Blacksmith, he had already received his Level 3 Blacksmith badge a year ago."

"I believe that with his talent, he will definitely not stop there; he is even highly likely to reach the realm of a Level 4 Blacksmith faster than that Senior Sister Mu Xi you saw!"

"It is only because of his age that the Association President may have shielded and protected him, which is why it hasn't been made public."

After saying this, Cen Yue patted the stunned Tang Wulin on the shoulder once more and said earnestly.

"Although I don't know the exact reason why Xu Yue left, it is absolutely impossible that it was for the reason you suggested."

People will be jealous of those whose achievements are slightly higher than their own, but they will not be jealous of those who are far superior.

Likewise, they will not be jealous of those who are far below them.

Under Cen Yue's guidance, Tang Wulin quickly learned about the facilities of the Blacksmith Association and the procedures for accepting tasks.

Even after walking out of the Blacksmith Association Building, the information Cen Yue had shared about Xu Yue continued to echo in his mind.

"The same age as me? A Soul Elder? A Level 4 Blacksmith?"

The talent that had previously been praised by his teacher Mang Tian felt somewhat shaken at this moment.

"...Or is it that my talent is actually quite average, and what I am seeing now is the real world?"