(Bonus) Mu Xi's Personal Guidance

Mu Chen dismissed the others and brought Su Chen and Mu Xi to the top floor of the Blacksmith's Association.

Along the way, Mu Chen took the opportunity to learn about Su Chen's basic situation.

The most important point was Su Chen's talent.

Su Chen didn't hide anything regarding this; after all, it wasn't exactly a major secret.

"To be able to resonate with metal, and have the metal actively cooperate with your forging—your talent is absolutely unprecedented in history."

Mu Chen sighed with emotion.

He had been in the blacksmithing world for many years and had seen many unique geniuses, but Su Chen was the first one to be this outrageous.

"How could such a talent even exist in this world? It's just so unfair..." Mu Xi pouted, her face full of resentment.

"Little Xi, you can't say it like that. This is his talent and his fortune. Just like how you, being my daughter, have enjoyed top-tier resources since birth—that is also a form of unfairness to those soul masters born as commoners."

Mu Chen said with a chuckle.

Hearing this, Mu Xi immediately fell silent.

"Alright, Little Xi, Little Chen will be your junior brother from now on. You should be the one to teach him the basic forging techniques."

Mu Chen directly assigned Su Chen to Mu Xi.

His thinking was simple: Su Chen was his disciple now.

But it would be best if Su Chen became his son-in-law, and in the future, they could have a bunch of chubby kids—that would make them a real family.

That was why he wanted Mu Xi to take Su Chen under her wing, to cultivate their relationship in advance.

The bond between a senior sister and junior brother was the easiest to foster.

As for the age gap, it was a big deal for children, but once they grew up a bit, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Soul masters had long lifespans, and couples with age gaps of several decades were everywhere; Su Chen and Mu Xi were only two years apart, so that was even less of an issue.

"Ah, but I'm only a Level 1 Blacksmith..."

Mu Xi was stunned upon hearing this.

Su Chen was a Level 3 Blacksmith, while she was only a Level 1. How was she supposed to teach him?

"Senior Sister Mu Xi, the one who possesses the knowledge is the teacher. I only have the talent, but in other aspects, I am far inferior to you. I'll have to trouble you, Senior Sister~"

Su Chen spoke first, flashing a humble smile.

He did indeed need to learn some forging techniques; even a little bit of study would increase his efficiency by at least tenfold.

"Little Chen is right. Little Xi, teach your junior brother well. If Little Chen becomes a Divine Craftsman in the future, you will have played a part in it."

Mu Chen laughed heartily.

"Ah... is that so..."

Mu Xi felt a bit embarrassed hearing this.

But when she thought about how Su Chen could truly become a Divine Craftsman in the future, and that she, as the Divine Craftsman's senior sister, would naturally have a lot of face...

Besides, Su Chen's attitude was so good, he wasn't arrogant at all, he was quite handsome, and he possessed the potential of a Divine Craftsman...

Having such a junior brother, it seemed like she was the one getting the better end of the deal.

At the same time, Su Chen noticed that Mu Xi's favorability toward him had finally reached 10 points.

"By the way, Little Chen, your first piece of thousand-refined sinking silver needs to undergo a blood ritual, and you can take it with you immediately after."

At this moment, Mu Chen took out the piece of thousand-refined sinking silver that Su Chen had just forged.

"Ah, what blood ritual?"

Su Chen feigned ignorance.

"It's a rule in the blacksmithing world. A blacksmith's first thousand-refined finished product must undergo a blood ritual. It's best to forge it into a forging hammer; it will be of great help to your future forging."

Mu Chen explained simply.

"I see. Then thank you, Teacher~"

Su Chen did not refuse.

With Mu Chen's help, Su Chen performed the blood ritual.

The moment the ritual was successful, Su Chen could clearly feel a much tighter connection between himself and the sinking silver.

"Alright, take this sinking silver. It would be best to forge it into your own exclusive forging hammer."

Mu Chen handed the ritual-bound sinking silver to Su Chen with a solemn expression.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Su Chen gave a bright smile.

"Alright, you two go on."

Mu Chen waved his hand, clearly handing Su Chen over to Mu Xi to give them more opportunities to interact.

"Let's go, Junior Brother. I'll take you to the forging room~"

Mu Xi looked at Su Chen. Although she was still somewhat unconvinced, her attitude toward him had improved significantly.

"Alright, thank you for the trouble, Senior Sister~"

Su Chen appeared very humble and was extremely polite.

"Hmph, you're actually quite polite~"

Mu Xi hummed softly, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

At the same time, her favorability toward Su Chen increased once again.

"Let's go, follow me to the forging room."

Mu Xi led Su Chen to the forging room.

The room was large, but it was packed to the brim with various forging tables, furnaces, material racks, and scattered tools. It looked a bit cluttered, but that didn't affect anything.

"Your talent is absolutely the strongest in the world, but you have zero foundation. I will teach you the simplest hammer forging first."

As Mu Xi spoke, she took a deep breath, her eyes becoming focused.

She gripped the hammer with her right hand and used tongs in her left to hold the iron ingot steady, placing it on the forging table to heat.

A moment later, the iron ingot turned glowing red, emitting scorching waves of heat.

"Watch closely."

As her voice fell, the forging hammer in her hand descended with a whistling sound.

"Clang!"

A crisp metallic clashing sound echoed through the room.

The hammerhead struck the edge of the iron ingot with precision, sending a few tiny sparks flying.

"Clang... clang... clang..."

The sounds were continuous and rhythmic, like a simple piece of metallic percussion music.

"Did you see that? The force must be uniform, and your breathing must coordinate with your movements—one strike, one breath." She explained as she demonstrated, her voice ringing out in the intervals between hammer strikes.

Su Chen watched intently, then imitated Mu Xi, picking up a raw iron ingot of the same size and beginning to forge.

"Bang--!"

A loud noise shook the entire forging table, making it seem as if it had wobbled.

The hammerhead sank deep into the iron ingot, and sparks flew everywhere.

Clearly, he had used too much force.

The reason Su Chen had chosen sinking silver before was because it was durable.

But now that he had chosen black iron, one careless moment of excessive force meant it was ruined.

"Have you... really never learned forging before?" Mu Xi couldn't help but ask again, her tone filled with disbelief.

"I really haven't. During the previous assessment, I just relied on brute strength and intuition to smash things blindly." He pointed at the deformed iron ingot. "This... seems like I broke it?"

Mu Xi covered her forehead, feeling a sense of powerlessness.

She finally completely believed her father's words—this guy was a total forging novice.

His so-called "thousand-fold forging" was a miracle piled up entirely by terrifying strength and heaven-defying talent.

"It's not 'seems like,' it's definitely broken!"

Mu Xi glared at Su Chen, annoyed.

She put down the scrap iron and replaced it with a new one for Su Chen.

"The angle is wrong, don't tense your wrist so tightly..."

"Hold the iron ingot firmly!"

"Clang... bang... clang..."

"Lighter, you jerk!"

"..."

"Oh my god, that's not how you hit it!!"

Seeing that Su Chen wasn't getting it, Mu Xi grew anxious.

She tossed the tongs in her hand aside and took a few steps to stand behind Su Chen.

Before Su Chen could react, he felt a warm, soft body press against him from behind.

The unique, fragrant scent of a young girl instantly enveloped him.

Mu Xi's hands covered his own as he gripped the hammer handle; her palms were warm and soft, tightly wrapping around the back of his hands and fingers.

"Don't move, I'll demonstrate for you one more time!!"

Mu Xi's voice rang out right by Su Chen's ear, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe.

"Why are you spacing out? Focus your attention!"

Mu Xi was clearly completely immersed in the teaching and didn't notice Su Chen's reaction at all. She leaned forward slightly, guiding his arms and beginning to lead his exertion of force.