Blacksmith Assessment

After the lively performance came an even livelier party, with plenty to eat and drink.

Su Chen wasn't interested. After saying goodbye to a few friends, he went straight home. He would start forging tomorrow.

"Brother, you're back~"

As soon as Su Chen got home, Na'er came running out and threw herself at him, clinging to him like a koala. She even planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

After awakening the Void Chrono Dragon, Su Chen's physical abilities had soared. In just one month, he had grown quite a bit taller and sturdier, standing more than a head taller than Na'er.

Na'er, meanwhile, was still a tiny little thing, soft and sweet and adorable. She was very comfortable to hold.

"Mm. How was your day at home? Nobody bullied you, did they~"

Su Chen rubbed Na'er's little head and asked with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, Mom's been really good to me~"

Na'er blinked her lovely purple eyes and answered with a grin.

Evidently, after Su Chen's mother, Yu Yao, had taught her, Na'er had gotten quite used to calling her "Mom."

"That's good. If you get bored, I can find someone to arrange lessons for you, or send you to a regular school."

Su Chen continued.

"I don't want to!"

Na'er shook her head at once, puffing out her cheeks. "I just want to stay home every day and wait for you to come back, Brother!"

"You're not a puppy. Why wait for me every day?" Su Chen pinched Na'er's soft cheek and gently toyed with it, looking a little exasperated.

"Um... if I could, Na'er would be willing to be your... Wuwu..."

Before Na'er could finish, Su Chen cut her off.

"Alright, alright. It's late. Let's get something to eat."

Su Chen set Na'er down and took her by the hand as they headed for the dining hall.

Na'er was still growing, and she was a Little Glutton who ate at least six meals a day.

Ever since obtaining his Second Martial Soul, Su Chen's appetite had grown enormously too, and he ate quite a lot.

"Mm~"

Na'er nodded and licked her lips, clearly getting hungry.

After a hearty meal.

Su Chen returned to his room and was just about to rest when he saw Na'er standing at the doorway, fresh from washing up, gazing at him with eager eyes.

Her white silk nightgown hung loose, its simple round neckline revealing her slender collarbones and a small stretch of fair neck.

The hem fell just past her knees, showing off a pair of short, fair legs.

Her soft, rounded feet rested on the cold floor. Perhaps out of anticipation, her toes curled unconsciously.

She hugged a plush silver dragon pillow nearly half her size, resting her chin on it. It made her delicate little face look even smaller.

"Brother, you promised to sleep with me three nights a week. Today should count as the first~"

Na'er tilted her head and gave him a sweet smile.

"Alright, alright~ Come here~"

Su Chen smiled and beckoned to Na'er.

"Yay~"

Na'er cheered, then hurried over and bumped her head straight into Su Chen's chest.

Smelling that familiar scent on Su Chen, Na'er licked the corner of her mouth and felt especially safe.

The next day.

Su Chen got up early. After having breakfast with Na'er, he headed to the Blacksmith Association to take the assessment.

Although Su Chen had dropped out of school, he wasn't illiterate. He had learned the basics of forging.

He just hadn't had the strength or the talent, and only knew a little.

Now he had strength—and a cheat.

So forging should come naturally.

He could at least earn the title of Level 1 Blacksmith; with luck, he might even reach Level 2 or Level 3.

The Blacksmith Association was easy to recognize: a gray building about thirty stories tall, with a huge hammer emblem on it. With that emblem, there was no need for a sign.

Su Chen stood in front of the gray building that housed the Blacksmith Association.

It was thirty stories tall, with a huge hammer emblem on it, making it very easy to spot.

After entering the lobby, Su Chen found a staff member—a pretty young blonde woman.

"Hello, I'd like to apply for a blacksmith rank assessment."

Su Chen got straight to the point.

"W-what?"

The blonde woman wondered if she'd heard wrong. "Y-you want to take the assessment? Little boy, how old are you? Where's your teacher?"

Her voice wasn't very quiet, and she immediately drew the attention of several people nearby.

"My teacher didn't come. Can't I take it by myself?"

Su Chen tilted his head, putting on an utterly innocent, harmless expression.

He couldn't say he had no teacher. It was impossible to learn forging without one.

Besides, blacksmiths deeply respected their teachers. If Su Chen said he had none, people would look down on him.

"Uh... o-of course you can!"

The stiffness in the blonde woman's face quickly faded, replaced by a smile.

Everyone who came to take an assessment was a blacksmith, and would likely become a member of the Blacksmith Association someday. They also had to pay an assessment fee, so naturally she wouldn't turn him away.

Someone so young had come to take the assessment; he had to be a genius, and his teacher was surely no ordinary person.

She quickly pulled a form from her drawer and handed it to Su Chen across the counter.

Su Chen filled it out casually, then paid the fee.

"W-what! Seven years old!"

The blonde woman saw the form and cried out in shock.

At her words, the people around them nearly dropped their jaws.

"Seven! Oh my god!"

"He's only seven and he's already taking the blacksmith assessment? That's got to be a record..."

"I remember the youngest candidate was eight..."

"Little boy, who exactly is your teacher?"

"Could you already be at Level 1 Blacksmith standard?!"

Everyone crowded around, brimming with curiosity.

If he had come to take the assessment, he must have been reasonably confident.

To be confident enough to take the Level 1 Blacksmith assessment at seven—that was monstrous!

Everyone was stunned. The news soon spread, even reaching Mu Chen, the association president.

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you take me to the assessment area?"

Su Chen asked again.

"Oh, oh! Of course! Please follow me!"

The blonde woman hurriedly led Su Chen to the assessment area in the back.

"Master Li, this is Su Chen. He's applying for the Level 1 Blacksmith assessment," the blonde woman said respectfully into the room.

The Forging Room was spacious, with a huge forging table in the center connected to a heating device.

Various tool racks and material racks stood nearby.

The examiner was a sturdy old man in his fifties.

"Him? Taking the assessment?"

The burly old man was taken aback when he saw Su Chen.

"Mm-hmm."

The blonde woman nodded, perfectly serious.

"Alright. Come with me."

The old man led Su Chen to a table and pointed at the fifteen kinds of metal laid out on it. "Choose one to forge. I'll score you based on the results. You have one hour."

Though curious, he still strictly followed the examiner's rules. He didn't ask any unnecessary questions and did things by the book.

Whether the boy had any real skill would be clear from the results.