Double Promotion to Level 3 Blacksmith

Cheng Duoyi said, "That is because Tang Wuling reached the level of a Level 3 Blacksmith long ago. She didn't want people to know, so she never participated in the Level 3 Blacksmith examination."

Mu Chen was shocked once again: "That Tang Wuling, the nine-year-old girl? She has also reached the level of a Level 3 Blacksmith?"

He no longer knew what words to use to describe his state of mind.

A nine-year-old Level 3 Blacksmith was already heaven-defying enough, and now another one had popped up!

Where did these two children come from?

Could it be that geniuses were no longer worth anything these days?

Cheng Duoyi nodded: "Yes, Tang Wuling is very gifted in forging. She has already met the standards of a Level 3 Blacksmith."

Mu Chen sat blankly in his chair. It took him a long time to come to his senses, and he let out a long sigh: "The waves of the Yangtze River push the ones before them; each generation is stronger than the last! It seems we old fellows are truly old and can no longer keep up with the times."

He looked at Cheng Duoyi, his eyes filled with gratification: "With young geniuses like you, the future of blacksmithing has infinite possibilities!"

Cheng Duoyi smiled, took several exquisite wooden boxes from his storage Soul Tool, and placed them on the desk: "Uncle-Master, since this is our first meeting, I didn't prepare anything grand. These are some Hundred-Refined metals I forged in my spare time. Although they aren't precious items, the quality is quite good. Please accept them as a small token of my sincerity."

Mu Chen opened the wooden boxes to see several types of Hundred-Refined metals neatly arranged inside, and the other boxes were the same.

There was Deep Silver, Tungsten Steel, and Adamantine. Each piece emitted a faint luster, and the quality far exceeded ordinary Hundred-Refined metals.

In particular, one piece of Hundred-Refined Star Meteorite Iron had its spiritual light restrained and faint patterns beginning to emerge, showing subtle signs of Thousand-Refining. It was clearly a top-tier piece among Hundred-Refined metals!

At the same time, Mu Chen discovered that these rare metals were somewhat different from the Hundred-Refined metals he had seen before, though he couldn't quite put his finger on how.

"How can a junior nephew give gifts to his uncle-master? Take them back at once." Mu Chen hurriedly closed all the wooden boxes and pushed them back.

Cheng Duoyi pushed the boxes back again, his tone gentle but firm: "Uncle-Master, please accept them. These metals don't mean much to me; I have plenty more where I came from. Besides, I heard that Sister Mu Xi is currently attempting to reach Thousand-Refining. These are specially treated metals. Whoever uses them to practice, as long as they drip a few drops of their own blood onto them, the success rate will be much higher. Perhaps with these metals, Sister can break through to become a Level 3 Blacksmith."

Hearing this, Mu Chen hesitated; he had never heard of such specially treated rare metals.

However, looking at Cheng Duoyi's sincere eyes, he finally nodded, choosing to believe him: "Very well, then I will thank you on behalf of Xi'er. Once she breaks through to Level 3 in the future, I will personally bring her to thank you."

"You are too polite, Uncle-Master." Cheng Duoyi smiled: "Besides, we are family; there is no need to be so formal."

The two chatted for a while longer about forging, and Mu Chen was amazed by Cheng Duoyi's talent, growing more fond of him the more they spoke.

"Alright, let's head out. We shouldn't keep your friends waiting."

Mu Chen stood up, picked up the wooden boxes, and walked out of the office with Cheng Duoyi.

As soon as they stepped out, Tang Wuling and the others saw Cheng Duoyi emerge.

Mu Chen looked at Tang Wuling, a kind smile appearing on his face: "You must be Tang Wuling, right? You truly are a clever and sharp little girl. I never expected that at such a young age, you would want to participate in the Level 3 Blacksmith examination. Truly remarkable!"

Just then, a crisp female voice came from the side.

"Dad, who wants to participate in the Level 3 Blacksmith examination?"

The person who arrived was Mu Xi. Since she saw Mu Chen take Cheng Duoyi away, she naturally hadn't stayed there. Now that she had returned, she was confused about who was attempting the Level 3 exam.

"It is this young girl," Mu Chen said, looking at Tang Wuling.

The expression on Mu Xi's face, which had been dismissive just a moment ago, instantly froze. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Tang Wuling in disbelief.

"If I remember correctly, she just turned nine this year, right? A nine-year-old participating in the Level 3 Blacksmith examination? That's impossible!" She shook her head and said loudly: "Dad, you must be lying to me! She just passed the Level 2 Blacksmith examination; how could she possibly be taking the Level 3 exam?"

Mu Xi had always thought of herself as one of the youngest forging geniuses in Eastsea City, a leader among her peers.

But now, a child four years younger than her had suddenly appeared, already a Level 2 Blacksmith—the same level as her—and now she was being told that this person, four years her junior, was preparing to take the Level 3 Blacksmith exam. How could she accept this?

Her self-confidence collapsed completely at that moment. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned and ran away.

"I apologize, Junior Nephew, for letting you see such a scene. Regarding Tang Wuling's examination, you can communicate with Association President Cen Yue; he will take Tang Wuling there."

After saying this, Mu Chen hurriedly chased after her.

He ran to the corner of the corridor, caught up to Mu Xi, and grabbed her arm: "Xi'er, don't run! Dad has something to say to you."

"I don't want to listen! I don't want to listen!" Mu Xi struggled to break free, crying as she said: "They are all liars! I am the most talented blacksmith! I don't believe they are better than me!"

Mu Chen felt a pang of heartache as he looked at his daughter's sorrowful appearance.

This was partly his fault for protecting Mu Xi too well, which had made her personality somewhat arrogant and spoiled.

Remembering what Cheng Duoyi had said, Mu Chen handed one of the wooden boxes to Mu Xi and said gently: "Xi'er, these metals were given to you by Cheng Duoyi. The quality is extremely high. He said they are conducive to helping you break through to Level 3. When you forge later, drip some of your own blood and try using these metals. You might just be able to forge Thousand-Refined metal."

Mu Xi took the wooden box and opened it to take a look. The Hundred-Refined metals inside were indeed of exceptionally high quality, far better than what she usually used.

As she looked at these metals, the grievance and unwillingness in her heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a trace of curiosity and defiance.

"How is this possible?" Mu Xi pouted and muttered to herself: "I just barely broke through to Level 2; how could I reach Level 3? He must be lying! Besides, we don't even know each other; why would he give them to me?"

Although Mu Xi didn't believe it, she still held a glimmer of expectation in her heart.

She didn't think Mu Chen would lie to her, so she figured there must be a possibility.

At the thought that she might truly be able to reach Level 3, the grievance in Mu Xi's heart vanished entirely.

Mu Chen watched his daughter's reaction and breathed a sigh of relief, praying that what Cheng Duoyi said was true, otherwise, she would be hard to console: "Tang Wuling is also taking the exam, so you might as well give it a try while you're at it."

"I know."

Mu Xi nodded, clutched the wooden box, and turned to run toward her own forging room.

She couldn't wait to try these high-quality rare metals to see if she could forge Thousand-Refined metal.

Mu Chen looked at his daughter's retreating back, let out a long sigh, and eventually followed after her.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Blacksmith Association.

Cen Yue's eyes held a complex expression, his tone filled with astonishment: "Tang Wuling, you should know the assessment standards for a Level 3 Blacksmith, right?"

He had been wondering just moments ago why Tang Wuling insisted on waiting for Cheng Duoyi to return before accepting her blacksmith badge; it turned out she had been waiting for this moment!

If Tang Wuling truly succeeded, she would undoubtedly go down in history!

Even the current strongest Level 9 Divine Craftsman had not reached the level of a Level 3 Blacksmith by the age of nine, so one could only imagine what heights Tang Wuling would reach in the future!

Upon entering the forging room, the aura Tang Wuling exuded underwent a change.

She looked toward Cen Yue, her expression filled with confidence.

"I know."

"The assessment standard for a Level 3 Blacksmith requires the completion of a Thousand-Forging on any type of rare metal."

Cen Yue nodded: "Since you understand, I won't say more. Adjust your state and begin when you are ready."

"Alright!" After saying this, Tang Wuling turned to look at Cheng Duoyi.

Cheng Duoyi smiled: "Forge with your usual mindset; don't let your mental state falter."

Tang Wuling nodded: "Mm!"

When Tang Wuling looked at Gu Yue, Gu Yue proudly lifted her chin: "Don't embarrass Little Yi, or I won't let you off!"

Tang Wuling had initially thought Gu Yue would ostracize her and keep her from getting close to Cheng Duoyi, but after getting to know her, it wasn't hard to see that Gu Yue didn't target her maliciously; she was simply someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

"Sister Yue'er, I won't embarrass Brother Yi'er!"

Having said that, Tang Wuling took a deep breath and walked to the forging table.

Under the gaze of everyone present, Tang Wuling skillfully operated the forging table.

She placed the sinking silver inside, heating it until it glowed.

Two forging hammers appeared in her hands.

"These two forging hammers are different from the ones Tang Wuling used before!" Yun Xiao instantly observed the change in the hammers: "Could it be that these two are Tang Wuling's true trump card?"

Although Xie Xie hadn't noticed any difference in the hammers compared to when Tang Wuling fought Gu Yue, he could sense her aura, which felt oppressive even to him at this moment.

"Is this the pressure brought by a genius blacksmith? Truly formidable!"

The two forging hammers in Tang Wuling's hands were Blood-Sacrificed Thousand-Forged Sinking Silver Hammers. Just like the Blood-Sacrificed Spirit-Forged Cloud Gold Hammer that Zhen Hua had gifted to Cheng Duoyi, they were created when a blacksmith first achieved major breakthroughs like Thousand-Forging or Spirit-Forging by dripping their own blood onto the hammers, allowing them to resonate with the blacksmith's soul.

When using the Blood-Sacrificed Thousand-Forged Sinking Silver Hammers, Tang Wuling's success rate would increase slightly, and since she had chosen sinking silver for this assessment, the probability of a successful Thousand-Forging would increase even further.

As the temperature of the sinking silver reached her expectations, Tang Wuling's left-hand hammer whistled through the air and struck the metal heavily.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three strikes that sounded almost like a single note echoed through the forging room.

"It's actually a Stacked Hammer technique!" Cen Yue exclaimed: "And the hammers in this child's hands are likely Thousand-Forged Sinking Silver Hammers. A nine-year-old Level 3 Blacksmith—it seems it's really going to happen!"

Tang Wuling's movements were fluid and natural, each strike delivered with great force. Watching her made Xie Xie shiver; if those blows landed on him, wouldn't he be covered in bruises?

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Strike after strike landed on the sinking silver. Tang Wuling was so familiar with the internal structure of the metal that even if she were to close her eyes, she could easily complete a Hundred-Forging.

With each of her strikes, the sinking silver was continuously purified.

It is said that a hundred forgings create steel, while a thousand forgings instill a soul. When a rare metal reaches the level of a Thousand-Forging, it gains a spirit, effectively bestowing life upon the metal.

This was why Thousand-Forged metals were so rare, and why Level 3 Blacksmiths were so scarce.

However, this was nothing to the current Tang Wuling. As she continued to strike, the impurities within the sinking silver were rapidly purged.

After an hour and a half, the sinking silver before Tang Wuling had shrunk by two-fifths, and faint dark silver patterns began to emerge.

"Chairman Cen, I have finished. Please take a look."

Cen Yue watched Tang Wuling's fluid forging process, finding it hard to imagine that such composure and ability could belong to a nine-year-old.

Cen Yue said happily: "No need to inspect it. I now announce that you have passed the Level 3 Blacksmith assessment; you are now a Level 3 Blacksmith."

"Thank you, Chairman Cen." A brilliant smile bloomed on Tang Wuling's face.

"Since you are now a Level 3 Blacksmith, your badge needs to be crafted. You can come by tomorrow to pick it up," Cen Yue said. "However, you can keep this Level 2 Blacksmith badge for now; consider it the foundation of your journey."

"Thank you." Tang Wuling excitedly accepted it.

She then looked at the piece of Thousand-Forged sinking silver: "Chairman Cen, may I take this piece of Thousand-Forged sinking silver with me?"

Cen Yue couldn't help but laugh: "Of course you may."

Tang Wuling didn't stand on ceremony at all; she quickly put it away and then walked over to Cheng Duoyi.

Cheng Duoyi smiled: "Congratulations, Tang Wuling! From this moment on, you are a Level 3 Blacksmith!"

"Thank you, Brother Yi'er!" Tang Wuling said: "I will work hard; I want to become a Divine Craftsman in the future!"

Hearing this goal, Cen Yue smiled with gratification. It wasn't entirely impossible—he was truly looking forward to it!

"Alright, we shall take you to the office to rest for a moment while I go find Chairman Mu Chen to share this joyous news with him."

"Very well."

Cheng Duoyi and the other four followed Cen Yue back to the fifteenth floor.

Along the way, with Cen Yue present, Xie Xie and Yun Xiao merely congratulated Tang Wuling on her promotion to a Level 3 Blacksmith without saying anything else.

As for Gu Yue, she offered her sincere congratulations to Tang Wuling, which Tang Wuling gladly accepted, leading to a brief moment of stability in their relationship.

Mu Xi's forging room.

Before Mu Xi lay a piece of hundred-refined metal, already nearing the level of thousand-refined. After half an hour of diligent forging, Mu Xi's expression brightened as dark purple patterns appeared on the rare metal before her.

Upon confirming it was indeed thousand-refined metal, Mu Xi jumped up in excitement, crying out, "Dad! Dad! I did it! I actually forged thousand-refined metal! Dad, am I amazing?"

Mu Chen had been watching the entire process, marveling inwardly, I never expected my grand-nephew to be telling the truth; it really is possible to forge thousand-refined metal through the method of dripping blood.

Mu Chen looked at Mu Xi, "You must properly thank my grand-nephew in the future. Do not harbor any resentment toward his friend, Tang Wuling. Everyone has different talents; if you lose your way because of this, you will never go far in the future."

Mu Xi nodded, "I know, I'm going to thank him right now!"

Watching the impulsive Mu Xi, Mu Chen shook his head helplessly, thinking of Cheng Duoyi's age and appearance, My grand-nephew is truly handsome, and Xi'er has inherited her mother's looks... It seems it is time to properly reconnect with my Kind Senior Brother.

Mu Chen pulled out his soul communicator and dialed the contact saved as Kind Senior Brother.

"Hello."

"It is I, Senior Brother..."