"Good! A man should lead by example and show those who doubt him that they're wrong."
Mu Chen burst into laughter and raised a hand to clap Tang Heng on the shoulder.
Tang Heng reacted faster, stepping forward and leaving Mu Chen's large hand to pat empty air.
"President Mu, please don't do that. My sister might get the wrong idea."
He silently grumbled to himself, then followed a staff member into a forging room.
Mu Xi followed too. She wanted to see for herself just what kind of person this so-called genius was—the one her father praised in her ear all day long!
Mu Chen and Tang Wulin followed close behind. The former wanted to see Tang Heng's true talent, while the latter simply wanted to watch his older brother give that sharp-tongued woman a sound slap in the face.
"Sister Mu Xi."
Tang Wulin, walking behind her, suddenly spoke up. Mu Xi didn't even turn around. She said coolly,
"What is it?"
"I want to make a bet with you. My brother will reach at least the level of a fourth-grade blacksmith in this assessment."
Mu Xi raised an eyebrow, her face full of disbelief.
She studied and practiced forging every day, and her father guided her. Though she didn't believe she deserved the title of genius blacksmith that people around her had given her,
she was still outstanding compared with her peers.
Even so, Mu Xi had only just started preparing to break through to the level of a second-grade blacksmith.
And Tang Wulin had just claimed that his brother could reach the level of a fourth-grade blacksmith in this assessment?
What else could that be but a pipe dream?
"I bet he can't. So what are we wagering?"
Tang Wulin wore a peculiar smile, like an angler watching a fish take the bait.
"Sister Mu Xi, you must be pretty well-off, right? How about we bet fifty thousand Federation Coins?"
"Sure."
Mu Xi agreed offhandedly, then hurried ahead.
Seeing how readily she'd agreed, Tang Wulin couldn't help but gloat. His personal little treasury was about to get another deposit.
He and his brother had spent more than a year in the forging room, and Tang Wulin knew all too well just how amazing his brother was.
So he was absolutely confident.
And so, in the space of a few moments, Tang Heng had no idea that his dear little brother had sold him out again.
Beyond the glass wall of the forging room, the assessor responsible for recording the test seemed more nervous than usual.
He'd thought there wouldn't be much to do today and that he could clock out right on time.
Then a seven-year-old showed up to take the blacksmith-level assessment—and he was someone the president had brought along. The president was even standing right beside him to watch the test.
With a superior looking over his shoulder, the pressure was through the roof!
The assessor didn't dare slack off. He called out to Tang Heng in the forging room. "Young Tang Heng, we'll begin your first test now."
"Metal purification. Choose one of these thirty-odd rare metals and hammer it until it's purified. You have fifteen minutes. Please begin."
Tang Heng's gaze swept over the various metals arranged on the table. With Mu Chen and the others watching, he finally chose a dull gray piece of metal, about one chi square.
The assessor stared at the metal and froze for a moment.
"Why Star Meteor Iron? Did the staff make a mistake?"
Star Meteor Iron came from beyond the heavens and was extremely rare. After being tempered by the atmosphere, even its raw ore usually possessed a penetrating property.
It was among the densest rare metals, and forging it was extremely difficult. Generally, only forging masters of level five or higher would choose this material.
Mu Chen smiled. "There's no mistake. I told them to put this piece of Star Meteor Iron in. I want to see where this child's limits are so I can guide him in the future."
At Mu Chen's words, the assessor grew curious too. "He's only seven. If he completes the assessment, he'll definitely break President Mu's record."
While they talked, Tang Heng had already begun.
The Star Meteor Iron was one chi square and weighed at least eight hundred jin, yet in his hands it seemed as light as a feather.
The assessor suddenly remembered something and blurted out, "President Mu, didn't you forget that the forging furnace in the beginner assessment room isn't hot enough? In this furnace, it'll take at least thirty minutes to heat Star Meteor Iron to a forgeable state."
Mu Chen froze for a moment, then slowly put on an awkward yet polite smile.
Mu Xi, standing nearby, was speechless. She felt let down by her father.
"Tang Heng, choose another piece—"
Before she could finish, a ball of orange-red flame suddenly sprang from Tang Heng's palm and completely engulfed the Star Meteor Iron.
Basic elemental control. He didn't even need to switch to the Silver Dragon King Martial Soul.
He hadn't neglected his cultivation over the past year. Taking advantage of the time difference between the two worlds, he had already mastered the basic properties of both Dragon King Martial Souls.
With the Dragon God's Power vortex in his dantian, Tang Heng could now use the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings' abilities at the same time.
Switching Martial Souls merely changed which abilities he emphasized.
Enveloped by the fireball, the Star Meteor Iron rapidly heated up, soon reaching a temperature suitable for forging.
"This kid's been hiding his true abilities! He has Twin Martial Souls!"
Mu Chen exclaimed, his delight almost overflowing.
Of everyone present, Mu Chen had the highest cultivation. He quickly recognized the source of the flames.
The Golden Dragon Martial Soul couldn't control fire. A moment's thought was all it took to realize Tang Heng must have a second Martial Soul—and one whose quality was no lower than the Golden Dragon's.
What a delightful surprise!
Mu Chen grew more and more impressed with Tang Heng. His desire to take him as a disciple began to stir.
Inside the forging room, Tang Heng officially began.
He took the Thousand-Refinement Sinking Silver hammer he'd casually picked up at Mang Tian's place from his inventory. After taking a deep breath, he raised the silver hammer overhead and brought it down.
"Clang!"
The glowing-red Star Meteor Iron rang out with a clear, lingering vibration beneath the hammer. The entire piece of metal shrank by more than a third.
More importantly, three feet of spiritual light bloomed from the Star Meteor Iron.
Mu Xi's beautiful eyes widened. They were filled with disbelief.
"Spiritual light released outward—Thousand-Refinement First Grade! H-how is that possible? He's only seven!"
Tang Wulin looked completely confident. It seemed he'd won the bet again.
Hearing Mu Xi and the others exclaim, Tang Wulin—who had long since learned to stay calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him—couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
So what if he's seven? My brother's a man who has mastered an entire world!
"He really did it in a single hammer strike. But how?"
Mu Chen was just as incredulous. Although Mang Tian's report had mentioned this, he'd assumed it was an exaggeration.
Even a master craftsman couldn't possibly manage that!
Only a Saint Craftsman might pull it off—and this was Star Meteor Iron!
Among many metals, Star Meteor Iron was one of the more difficult materials to forge.
The assessment no longer mattered. Thousand-Refinement First Grade was proof enough.
But Tang Heng still hadn't stopped. He took out an item and several other materials Mu Chen had never seen before.
Tang Heng continued hammering the Star Meteor Iron, along with the purple-red Trapezohedron.
The pleasing sound of the hammering echoed throughout the forging room. Everyone present was captivated, as if a brand-new life were being nurtured.
Mu Chen was the first to react. He could no longer contain his expression and cried out, "Spirit-Forging Creation! Hahaha! This kid's actually performing Spirit Forging?"
"Genius" no longer came close to describing Tang Heng. He was practically like the protagonist of that recently popular novel, Great Love Immortal Venerable—someone who had grasped the laws of life at such a young age!
How could he do it?
Only Tang Heng could explain. Only someone who had visited the Minecraft Plane could understand.
The Minecraft Plane belonged to him. Every day and night, he comprehended that plane. In the game, the birth and death of all things were nothing more than a string of code, a program.
But once it became reality, it turned into a kind of law.
What he was doing was examining and observing the development of the Minecraft Plane from the perspective of the Douluo Plane.
By absorbing and integrating his insights, he could grasp the truth behind the origin of all things—the Power of Creation.
One step to heaven! A living being forged through Ten-Thousand Refinements.
Every light strike preserved the spirit of the Thousand-Refinement Star Meteor Iron. Soul Power flowed into it, guiding it to develop a life of its own.
He fused it with the sheath of Silver Paper Bamboo Light, uniting all the materials into one.
As silver light shot skyward, an overwhelming life force burst forth.
A brand-new blade appeared on the forging table.
[Spirit Sheath] Silver Paper Bamboo Light made its grand entrance!
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