Tang Wulin's Competitive Streak-What Do You Mean, He'd Achieved Thousand Refinement Three Years Ago?

Tang Wulin thought to himself.

He was brimming with confidence.

He headed straight for the Blacksmith Association, with a clear goal: to pass the blacksmith rank assessment.

After finding Grandmaster Cen Yue, Tang Wulin got right to the point.

"Grandmaster Cen, I'd like to take the Level Two Blacksmith assessment."

Cen Yue was a little surprised to hear that.

Looking at the child before him, who was only nine years old, he couldn't help offering a word of caution.

"The Level Two assessment? Little guy, this isn't a joke. It's very difficult, and you're still too young."

Tang Wulin wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Full of confidence, he invoked his own teacher.

"No problem, Grandmaster Cen! My teacher, Mang Tian, said that as long as I don't run into Grandmaster Mu Chen's legendary disciple, no one my age can hold a candle to me when it comes to blacksmithing!"

He sounded sure of himself, but deep down, Tang Wulin was also itching to prove something.

Why?

Because Mang Tian, afraid of discouraging him, had only vaguely mentioned that Mu Chen had a disciple with extraordinary talent whose blacksmithing skills far surpassed Tang Wulin's. But just how good was this disciple? Was it a boy or a girl?

Mang Tian hadn't revealed a single detail!

How could Tang Wulin accept that?

Of course he couldn't!

So this time, along with earning his rank, he'd come to settle the score.

He wanted to see just how far he was from that legendary "genius."

Before entering the Forging Room, he couldn't help asking Cen Yue again.

"Grandmaster Cen, has Grandmaster Mu Chen's disciple also completed Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver?"

Cen Yue looked at his little, stubborn expression and chuckled to himself.

This kid was still too green.

He didn't answer directly, only waved a hand.

"Don't worry about other people yet. Once you've completed Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver yourself, then we can talk about it."

Cen Yue said no more and led Tang Wulin toward No. 3 Forging Room.

"Come on. Let's get you tested first!"

Tang Wulin, full of confidence, took a deep breath.

Then he walked into the Forging Room.

Fire up the furnace!

Fan the flames!

Heavy Silver into the furnace!

He focused completely, shutting out all distractions.

The clang of hammer blows rang out, carrying a peculiar rhythm.

Sweat streamed down his forehead, but he didn't have time to wipe it away.

Every strike was precise and powerful.

Beneath the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer, the Heavy Silver seemed to come alive, its shape constantly changing.

Impurities were forced out, bit by bit.

The metal's natural grain grew clearer and clearer, glimmering with a restrained, profound sheen.

Hundred Refinement!

Two hundred refinements!

Four hundred refinements!

Time passed, little by little.

Outside, Cen Yue listened to the steady, unbroken rhythm of the hammering, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When the final, clear clang rang out.

Tang Wulin abruptly lowered his hammer.

The Heavy Silver, originally a foot square, had now shrunk by a fifth.

A soft, jade-like silver-gray glow radiated from it.

Its surface seemed to ripple like water.

Thousand-Refined Heavy Silver!

He'd done it!

Tang Wulin panted heavily and wiped away his sweat, his face alight with undisguised excitement and pride.

He looked toward Cen Yue at the doorway.

Cen Yue hurried inside.

He picked up the Heavy Silver and examined it closely.

It was heavy in his hands, dense in texture, and completely flawless.

His eyes filled with astonishment and unmistakable admiration.

"Good! Well done, kid!"

Cen Yue clapped Tang Wulin hard on the shoulder.

"You really are that stubborn mule Mang Tian's disciple! The quality of this Thousand-Refined Heavy Silver is practically perfect!"

"To complete Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver at nine years old—you're a true blacksmithing genius!"

Just as Cen Yue was heaping praise on him.

In the hall of the Blacksmith Association.

Mu Chen happened to walk in with his daughter, Mu Xi.

As they walked, Mu Chen continued to lecture Mu Xi.

"Xi'er, why did you go to that boy's dormitory today? And why did you help him make his bed? What kind of behavior is that?"

His brow furrowed, and his tone carried a touch of helplessness.

"A girl should be reserved! A little restraint, understand?"

Mu Xi pouted, unconvinced by her father's words.

"Dad! What do you know?"

She shot back.

"You didn't see the older and younger girls crowding around Yao Chuan. Their eyes were practically glowing green! They were like a swarm of bees and butterflies! If I hadn't gone early to claim a spot and shield him, they would've crushed his dormitory door!"

She paused, then hurriedly added another explanation, as if searching for a respectable excuse.

"Besides! How is that sucking up to him? I was doing it for his own good! I was keeping those distractions away so he could focus on studying and cultivating! Get it?"

Mu Chen looked at his daughter arguing her case so earnestly and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He was just about to say something more.

Then an unusually steady, strongly rhythmic series of hammer blows came from the Forging Room nearby.

"Clang... clang... clang... bang! Bang! Bang!"

That sound?

Mu Chen stopped in his tracks without meaning to.

His ears twitched slightly.

That rhythm, that penetrating force... It was definitely more than ordinary Hundred Refinement purification!

A flash of surprise and keen interest crossed his eyes.

"Hm?"

Mu Xi heard it too and asked curiously.

"Dad, that sound..."

"Let's go take a look," Mu Chen said decisively.

Father and daughter followed the sound and soon reached the doorway of No. 3 Forging Room.

They found Cen Yue holding a piece of silver-glimmering metal, lavishing praise on a little boy drenched in sweat, whose eyes shone like stars.

Cen Yue spotted Mu Chen and his daughter too.

"President Mu? Xi? What brings you here?"

Mu Chen didn't answer Cen Yue. His gaze went straight to the Heavy Silver in Cen Yue's hand.

He stepped closer and examined its color and grain.

Then he reached out and weighed it in his hand.

Feeling its considerable weight and the faint fluctuations from within the metal.

The astonishment on his face deepened.

"Thousand-Refined Heavy Silver? The quality is quite good!"

Mu Chen looked at the little boy.

"Grandmaster Cen, whose disciple is this?"

Cen Yue introduced him with a hearty smile.

"President Mu, this is that old rascal Mang Tian's disciple, Tang Wulin! Little guy, hurry up and greet President Mu Chen."

Tang Wulin finally realized that the dignified middle-aged man before him was none other than the illustrious Eight-Star Saint Craftsman and president of the Blacksmith Association's Eastsea City branch, Mu Chen!

He hurriedly bowed.

"Hello, Grandmaster Mu Chen! My name is Tang Wulin!"

Then he noticed Mu Xi beside Mu Chen and looked a little surprised.

"Senior Mu Xi?"

Mu Xi recognized him as the new student who had delivered a love letter in the dormitory that morning, and nodded to him.

Mu Chen suddenly understood.

"Oh... so you're Mang Tian's disciple. No wonder you have such a solid foundation!"

He looked at Tang Wulin, approval in his eyes.

"Not bad, very impressive. To complete Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver at nine years old—that talent is absolutely top-tier among your peers."

He paused, as usual comparing the boy to his most prized disciple.

"Well... only slightly behind where my disciple was at the time..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear: Tang Wulin was just a little behind.

Hearing this, Tang Wulin raised his brows.

Curiosity mingled with a growing sense of defiance.

He'd just completed Thousand Refinement, and his confidence was at its peak.

He desperately wanted to prove that he wasn't inferior!

So he immediately worked up the courage to ask again, with a barely perceptible hint of competitiveness.

"Grandmaster Mu Chen! Um... your disciple... when did he complete Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver?"

He stared fixedly at Mu Chen, his eyes full of anticipation and a touch of stubbornness.

Looking at the boy's eager, faintly competitive expression, Mu Chen, Cen Yue, and even Mu Xi all felt a pang of sympathy for him.

This kid still hadn't realized the gap between them.

Mu Chen sighed faintly, softening his tone as much as he could.

"Little guy, you're excellent, truly. Completing Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver at nine is an incredible achievement."

Then he shifted gears.

"But... my disciple..."

Mu Chen paused, as if searching for the right words, but in the end decided to tell the truth.

"...completed Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver three years ago."

Mu Chen said it casually.

But to Tang Wulin, those words struck like a thunderclap!

Three years ago?!

No, seriously, what do you mean, he'd achieved Thousand Refinement three years ago?

Are you telling me that's something a human being can say?