Disciple Cheng Duoyi Pays His Respects to His Martial Uncle

Yun Xiao envied how carefree Xie Xie was, but he just couldn't be like that.

Still, Cheng Duoyi's words had given him confidence.

His strengths were his brains and his analytical skills.

Maybe he wasn't the best, but he would make himself useful and contribute to the team!

"Brother Cheng, thank you! I won't betray you!"

Xie Xie hurriedly chimed in, "Brother Cheng, neither will I."

Tang Wuling and Gu Yue looked at Cheng Duoyi. They didn't say anything, but their expressions said it all.

"Good, good, good."

"The five of us will show off our skills at the Class Promotion Tournament."

"However, I won't step in unless it's a special circumstance."

"The four of you will be facing five opponents. Are you confident?"

Xie Xie couldn't help saying, "Huh? How are we supposed to fight them, then?"

Tang Wuling declared confidently, "I'll take on two of them by myself!"

Gu Yue refused to be outdone. "I'll take on all three of the girls by myself!"

Xie Xie pouted. "I never said I couldn't do it! I want to see everyone's reaction when they witness Brother Cheng's strength. Wouldn't that be exciting?"

Yun Xiao nudged Xie Xie with his elbow. Xie Xie looked puzzled.

Yun Xiao said, "Since Brother Cheng trusts us so much, we definitely won't tell anyone about his Spirit Ring."

Seeing that, Xie Xie hurriedly nodded. "Right, right, right! We'll keep our lips sealed. We won't tell anyone!"

Soon, the five of them arrived at the Blacksmith Association in Eastsea City, chatting and laughing along the way.

The Blacksmith Association occupied a tall building.

A huge plaque hung above the entrance. The eight characters for Eastsea City Blacksmith Association were written across it in imposing strokes.

The five entered, and Yun Xiaoling, who had been waiting there for a while, immediately spotted Tang Wuling.

"Tang Wuling, you're finally here!"

Yun Xiaoling had come here specifically to wait for Tang Wuling.

Others might not know how impressive it was to be a Level Two blacksmith at the age of nine, but she knew it all too well!

Tang Wuling replied, "Hello, Big Sister Xiaoling."

Only then did Yun Xiaoling notice Cheng Duoyi and the others. She hadn't expected Tang Wuling to bring her friends along, and asked in confusion, "Tang Wuling, are they here to take the blacksmith assessment?"

Tang Wuling hurriedly explained, "No, they're here to keep me company."

"I see." Yun Xiaoling's expression grew complicated.

On one side were the Blacksmith Association's rules.

On the other was Tang Wuling, a blacksmithing genius.

She couldn't afford to offend either side!

"Big Sister Xiaoling, I'm Cheng Duoyi. This is Gu Yue, and these two are Xie Xie and Yun Xiao. If the four of us sign up for the assessment, could we go in with Ling'er?" Cheng Duoyi asked with a smile.

Yun Xiaoling looked at the cute, white-haired boy. She hadn't expected him to be so clever. She immediately nodded. "Of course. Come on, I'll register you."

Xie Xie leaned in and whispered, "Brother Cheng, I don't know how to forge!"

Hearing that, Yun Xiao immediately said, "Brother Cheng never said we had to take the assessment. We're just registering so Big Sister Xiaoling won't be put in a difficult position. Whether we take the assessment afterward is up to us, but Big Sister Xiaoling can bring us in with Tang Wuling."

Realization dawned on Xie Xie. He looked at Cheng Duoyi with even greater admiration. "As expected of Brother Cheng. You're definitely smarter than me. If it were up to me, I might've said we'd wait a little and then leave, so we wouldn't cause trouble for the association."

Yun Xiao nodded. He'd understood what Cheng Duoyi meant, but only after Cheng Duoyi had explained it. He hadn't thought of it right away, either. He knew Cheng Duoyi far better than Xie Xie did. Cheng Duoyi was more reliable than some adults!

Gu Yue looked at Cheng Duoyi, her heart brimming with happiness.

That's my man!

After Cheng Duoyi and the others registered, Yun Xiaoling said, "All right, the five of you, please follow me."

Yun Xiaoling led Cheng Duoyi, Tang Wuling, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao toward the elevator.

Once inside, Yun Xiaoling pressed the button for the fifteenth floor.

She quietly observed the five and noticed that Cheng Duoyi seemed to be their leader.

But the white-haired boy looked so frail!

How strange... Yun Xiaoling thought.

Then Yun Xiaoling turned to Tang Wuling, her voice brimming with excitement. "Congratulations, Tang Wuling! You're now a Level Two blacksmith. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll be the youngest blacksmith in history. Aren't you happy?"

Xie Xie and Yun Xiao both thought, Tang Wuling isn't a Level Two blacksmith. She's a Level Three blacksmith!

Tang Wuling glanced at Cheng Duoyi before turning to Yun Xiaoling. "Mm-hmm, I'm happy. I'll work twice as hard to become a powerful blacksmith."

"Now that's the spirit." After saying that, Yun Xiaoling looked at Cheng Duoyi.

She'd noticed that Tang Wuling always looked at Cheng Duoyi before speaking, which surprised her.

Could Cheng Duoyi be a blacksmithing genius too?

Or was he Tang Wuling's older brother?

But that didn't seem likely!

Still, she didn't ask.

The elevator had already reached the fifteenth floor.

"Ding."

Six people stepped out of the elevator.

"Tang Wuling, please come with me."

"You four... can wait on the sofa for a little while."

Yun Xiaoling pointed to the sofa nearby.

This was the most she could do for them.

If not for Tang Wuling's abilities, she wouldn't have dared bring Cheng Duoyi and the others here. After all, this was the office area for the president and vice-president!

Tang Wuling and the others looked at Cheng Duoyi.

That made Yun Xiaoling even more surprised. She didn't understand why they all listened to the white-haired boy so readily.

Cheng Duoyi smiled. "Big Sister Xiaoling, my master is an old acquaintance of President Mu Chen. Besides accompanying Ling'er, I was hoping to pay him a visit while we're here."

As he spoke, a forging hammer appeared in Cheng Duoyi's hand. "Could you please show this hammer to President Mu Chen? I think he'll agree to meet the five of us."

Yun Xiaoling was surprised. "You know the president of our Blacksmith Association?"

Then she looked at the forging hammer in Cheng Duoyi's hand. It was pure white, with flowing, blue, cloud-like patterns across its head.

Yun Xiaoling worked for the Blacksmith Association, but she was also a Level One blacksmith.

If she hadn't lacked talent for forging, she would have become an outstanding blacksmith herself. She'd studied forging hammers, too.

Cheng Duoyi nodded. "President Mu Chen will understand who I am as soon as he sees this hammer. I don't think he'll refuse my visit."

Yun Xiaoling nodded and took the hammer from Cheng Duoyi, looking slightly surprised.

It was so heavy—at least two hundred pounds!

"Is this the forging hammer you usually use?" Yun Xiaoling asked, surprised.

Cheng Duoyi shook his head. "This belongs to my master. I can't use it in my current condition. My master is an old acquaintance of President Mu Chen's, and he'll recognize the owner of the hammer."

Yun Xiaoling understood. She didn't ask anything else, and carried the hammer toward the president's office.

"Brother Cheng, you know the president here?" Xie Xie asked.

Gu Yue, Tang Wuling, and Yun Xiao were just as surprised, and looked at Cheng Duoyi.

Cheng Duoyi smiled. "My master and the president here are old acquaintances, so I think he'll agree to let us accompany Ling'er."

Gu Yue and the others nodded.

Meanwhile...

"Knock, knock, knock." Yun Xiaoling knocked on the president's office door.

Inside were Mu Chen, Cen Yue, and Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi.

As Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi had been exposed to forging from a young age, and she was determined to become a powerful blacksmith.

But the news that a nine-year-old had become a Level Two blacksmith was a devastating blow to her. Her confidence in her own blacksmithing had taken a hit.

Cen Yue opened the door and asked, "Has Tang Wuling arrived?"

"Yes, President Cen Yue," Yun Xiaoling replied respectfully. "But there's another boy with Tang Wuling. He said his master knows President Mu Chen and is an old acquaintance of his. He also asked me to show President Mu Chen this forging hammer."

Mu Chen, standing beside Cen Yue, saw the hammer and his pupils contracted.

Mu Xi, standing beside Mu Chen, asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Mu Chen's expression turned complicated. He said nothing more than, "Take me to see him."

The five of them hadn't waited long before Mu Chen and the others appeared.

Mu Chen's eyes swept over the five, and he frowned slightly.

He knew Tang Wuling, but not the other four.

The reason he frowned was that none of the four looked like they'd ever studied forging. Their palms were clean and fair. And why did the white-haired boy look so sickly?

He seemed fine on the outside, but frail to the bone.

Mu Xi was also observing the five. Seeing how young they all were—and that they were wearing Eastsea Academy uniforms—was hard for her to accept.

But that unpleasant feeling soon faded. When her gaze landed on Cheng Duoyi, a hint of confusion flashed through her eyes. This boy was rather handsome...

Holding the forging hammer, Mu Chen looked at Cheng Duoyi and the others and asked, "Whose hammer is this?"

His gaze lingered on Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao.

"Greetings, President Mu Chen. I'm Cheng Duoyi. My master gave me this forging hammer." Cheng Duoyi stepped forward.

Mu Chen was surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected the owner to be such a young child. Could he even use this forging hammer?

Mu Chen turned to Cen Yue. "Cen Yue, explain the benefits of joining our Blacksmith Association to Tang Wuling, and award her a Level Two blacksmith badge while you're at it. Cheng Duoyi and I need to speak privately."

"All right, President," Cen Yue replied.

Cheng Duoyi smiled at Tang Wuling and the others. "Follow President Cen Yue's instructions. I'll be out soon."

"All right." Tang Wuling nodded obediently.

A trace of worry flashed in Gu Yue's eyes as she watched Cheng Duoyi. She could sense no hostility from Mu Chen, but she still couldn't help worrying about Cheng Duoyi's health.

Xie Xie and Yun Xiao nodded as well.

Mu Chen led Cheng Duoyi into his office.

"Your disciple, Cheng Duoyi, pays his respects to his martial uncle," Cheng Duoyi said respectfully.

"Have a seat." Mu Chen nodded and pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "I didn't expect my senior brother to take such a young disciple. How has your master been lately?"

"Master's in good health," Cheng Duoyi said softly. "He spends every day forging and hardly ever goes out. He often talks about you, too. He says your talent is no worse than his, but you haven't devoted all your attention to forging."

Mu Chen laughed when he heard that. "I'm doing just fine as I am, staying here in Eastsea City and keeping my family company."

He paused, his gaze settling on Cheng Duoyi as his expression turned serious. "Tell me about yourself. You're Cheng Duoyi, and how old are you? When did you become your master's disciple? What level is your forging at now?"

"I'm nine years old. I became Master's disciple when I was six and a half." As he spoke, Cheng Duoyi took out a badge with an orange background, a yellow border, and three yellow stars on it, and placed it on the desk. "I passed Master's test, and he personally made this blacksmith badge for me. He also gave me the Cloud Gold Hammer back then."

"What?"

Mu Chen shot to his feet, his eyes wide.

He stared at the Level Three blacksmith badge on the desk, disbelief written all over his face.

"Nine years old? A Level Three blacksmith?"

His voice trembled. He picked up the badge and examined it again and again. It was genuine, bearing the Blacksmith Association's exclusive insignia. There was no way it could be fake.

And he could sense Zhen Hua's aura on it.

But how was this possible?

A nine-year-old Level Three blacksmith!

It was utterly unbelievable!

After all, Level Three blacksmiths were grandmasters who could master Thousand Refinement and forge Thousand-Refined Metal. Even a blacksmithing genius with exceptional talent would have to be around twenty before reaching that level.

His daughter Mu Xi had been hailed as a once-in-a-century blacksmithing genius in Eastsea City. She was thirteen this year, and had only just reached Level Two. She still had a long way to go before becoming Level Three.

Yet the nine-year-old boy standing before him was already a Level Three blacksmith!

Mu Chen felt as though his entire worldview had been rocked.

He looked at Cheng Duoyi, shock and envy filling his eyes. "Your master is so lucky! To have taken in a genius disciple like you! If I had a disciple like you, I could die without regrets!"

Cheng Duoyi smiled. "You flatter me, Martial Uncle. My spiritual power is just a little higher than most people's, which gives me a slight advantage in forging. I'm still nowhere near as good as Master."

"High spiritual power is no slight advantage." Mu Chen shook his head with a sigh. "Forging relies most heavily on spiritual power. The stronger your spiritual power, the more control you have over the metal, and the higher the quality of the metal you forge. For someone so young to have such powerful spiritual strength, your future is boundless! Maybe one day you'll surpass your master and become the next divine craftsman!"

He paused, then asked curiously, "By the way, you didn't come all the way to the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association just to visit your martial uncle, did you? Tell me what you need. If it's something I can do, I'll help you."

Cheng Duoyi smiled. "I came specifically to pay you a visit, Martial Uncle."

"You little rascal. Tell me the truth. What are you here for?" Mu Chen said with a laugh.

Cheng Duoyi replied, "Martial Uncle, you have a discerning eye. Besides paying you a visit, I'm also accompanying Tang Wuling to take the Level Three blacksmith assessment."

"What? The Level Three blacksmith assessment!" Mu Chen was stunned for a moment, then frowned. "Wait, didn't Tang Wuling just pass the Level Two blacksmith assessment and become the youngest Level Two blacksmith in history? Why is she taking the Level Three assessment so soon?"