Examination

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The rhythmic clanging echoed through the spacious smithy, as dense as a sudden downpour on banana leaves, or pearls cascading onto a jade plate.

The crimson metal deformed continuously under the strikes of Mu Xi's forging hammer. With each blow, impurities within the metal were purged, and its core grew increasingly dense, faintly revealing a profound red glow.

Na'er watched from the side, scratching her head in impatience, and couldn't help but lower her voice to ask, "Redhead, what kind of metal is Mu Xi forging?"

"Red Star Iron," Yuanen Yehui replied softly. "A rare fire-attribute metal. It is significantly more difficult to forge than standard hundred-refined metals. Mu Xi is attempting to reach the thousand-refined stage, but she still lacks a bit of finesse."

With her keen eye, she could already tell that this attempt by Mu Xi was on the verge of failure.

However, this did not mean Mu Xi's talent as a Blacksmith was mediocre. Thousand-refining was a natural chasm standing before every Blacksmith. Anyone capable of becoming a Level 3 Blacksmith before the age of twenty was a peerless genius with the potential to become an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman.

Mu Xi was only fourteen this year, and girls were inherently at a disadvantage in forging. For her to be a peak Level 2 Blacksmith at this age and attempting thousand-refining, her talent was undeniably high.

"Three more strikes!" Mu Chen said in a deep voice. "Focus your spirit, and finish it in one go!"

Mu Xi took a deep breath, the muscles in her arms tightening, and soul power flowed continuously into the forging hammer.

"Ding!"

The first strike landed, and a ripple of red energy radiated across the surface of the metal.

"Ding!"

The second heavy strike landed, and a crisp resonance emanated from within the metal.

"Ding!"

The third strike fell—

"Crack!"

A harsh, crisp sound suddenly shattered the rhythm. A crack instantly appeared on the surface of the metal, and the spiritual light that had been gathering dissipated in an instant.

Thousand-refining, failed.

Mu Xi stared blankly at the ruined Red Star Iron on the forging table, a trace of undisguisable frustration flashing through her eyes.

"Failed again..." She set down the forging hammer, bit her lower lip, and whispered, "Dad, am I too stupid?"

"Nonsense," Mu Chen shook his head. "Thousand-refining is a hurdle in itself. Countless Blacksmiths get stuck at this step for years without making any progress. You are only fourteen and already a Level 2 Blacksmith; there is no need to doubt your talent."

"But Yuanen Yehui is four years younger than me and became a Level 3 Blacksmith months ago, and then there's that glutton... he's already started attempting to forge first-grade thousand-refined metal." Mu Xi lowered her head, her voice filled with defeat.

Thousand-refined grades are divided into five levels, with the fifth being the lowest and the first being the highest.

First-grade thousand-refined metal is also known as semi-spirit-refined. Any Blacksmith capable of consistently producing first-grade thousand-refined metal is at the peak of Level 4, with one foot already across the threshold of Level 5 spirit-refining.

Clearly, Mu Xi had been severely discouraged by the two monsters by her side.

"Everyone's talent is different, and the path of cultivation has its own pace, but the destination is the same." Mu Chen patted his daughter's shoulder. "Yuanen Yehui and Wulin are both once-in-a-millennium forging prodigies; they cannot be measured by common standards. You don't need to belittle yourself; just stay steady and keep at it."

"I know." Mu Xi nodded gently, but the disappointment in her eyes remained.

After all, her father was an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman, and her uncle was the only Divine Craftsman in the world. With such a deep family heritage, how could she easily accept the fact that she lagged so far behind others in talent?

Of course, she only complained occasionally; her heart was already quite strong.

It was only then that Mu Xi noticed the group standing at the door. When her gaze fell upon Yuanen Yehui, her eyes lit up instantly: "Yuanen Yehui!"

"Mu Xi." Yuanen Yehui walked forward with a smile. "Long time no see."

"You finally came! I've been waiting for you for so long!" Mu Xi excitedly grabbed her hand, sweeping away her previous dejection.

"Sorry, cultivation has been too busy lately, and I haven't been able to come see you and the teacher," Yuanen Yehui said apologetically.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Mu Xi waved her hands repeatedly, then looked at the people behind her and called out tentatively, "An Lan? Na'er?"

"It's us!" the two replied in unison.

The group was of similar age and had met on the Soul Net, often teaming up to play together. Even though this was their first time meeting in person, there was no sense of awkwardness.

Watching his daughter chatting happily with her friends, Mu Chen revealed a gratified smile. "Alright, Xi'er, go down and rest first. I need to test Yuanen Yehui's forging level. I want to see what kind of progress she has made after eight months of self-study."

"An assessment? I want to watch too!" Mu Xi refused to leave, insisting on staying.

Mu Chen shook his head helplessly. "Fine, stay if you want to watch."

He turned his gaze toward Yuanen Yehui, the smile on his face quickly fading, replaced by a stern expression. "Yuanen Yehui, it's been eight months; let me see your progress."

"Teacher, I won't let you down."

Yuanen Yehui bowed slightly, her tone confident, and then retrieved a custom forging hammer from her spatial Soul Tool.

The hammer was entirely red, heavy and thick with an imposing aura. It was a piece she had selected the metal for herself, and Mu Chen had imbued it with spirit after crafting it. It weighed three hundred jin.

"The content of today's assessment is still thousand-refining." Mu Chen took a piece of pitch-black metal from his storage Soul Tool. Its dark luster was restrained, and its texture was dense. "Black Gold, known for its hardness; the difficulty of thousand-refining it is a grade higher than Mithril. My requirement is third-grade thousand-refined. Can you do it?"

The standard Mu Chen set was, in his view, extremely harsh.

In eight months, for an ordinary Blacksmith to improve from fifth-grade to third-grade thousand-refined was nothing short of a pipe dream.

But with Yuanen Yehui's talent, if she had been under his guidance, it would not have been impossible.

If she could achieve this breakthrough through self-study alone, then he would truly have nothing to complain about.

Yuanen Yehui took the Black Gold, the cold and heavy sensation transmitting through her fingertips. She did not make any bold claims, only saying in a deep voice, "Disciple will do her best."

She took a deep breath and cast the Black Gold into the forge.

The flames roared upward, the orange-red glow dancing in her eyes and illuminating her focused face.

Once the Black Gold had been fired until it was glowing crimson throughout, Yuanen Yehui flipped her wrist and steadied it onto the forging table.

"Clang!"

The first hammer blow fell, the crisp metallic ring echoing through the room.

A faint, imperceptible ripple spread across the surface of the Black Gold; it was a sign that its internal structure was beginning to loosen.

"Good control of force," Mu Chen commented from the side. "But it's not enough. Black Gold requires more violent impact to shatter its internal structure."

Yuanen Yehui did not say a word, nor did she pause the motion of her hammer.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

One strike! Two strikes! Three strikes...

As the forging deepened, the aura around her gradually settled, as if she had merged into the very air around her.

Her short, crimson hair whipped about as she leaned in and swung the hammer, each blow landing with precision on the exact same spot of the Black Gold.