Hearing his daughter's words, Mu Chen nodded helplessly.
If it had been one of his other students, he would definitely have scolded them.
But since it was his own daughter saying it, he could only accept his fate.
Around 1:40 in the afternoon, someone knocked on the door.
Chen Zhou yawned and opened it, only to find Su Xin standing there.
"Good afternoon, Sister Su Xin." Chen Zhou raised a hand to greet her, then took the clothes she was holding.
This outfit was much more formal than the casual and athletic clothes he had worn before.
Chen Zhou wasn't quite used to this somewhat old-fashioned style of everyday clothing, but he quickly changed into it all the same.
He stepped outside. As expected, Na'er had changed as well.
The girl, however, clearly wasn't interested in blacksmithing.
She only looked at the clothes on her body in a daze, then pattered over and took his hand.
"Young Tower Master, Miss Na'er, please come with me. The Tower Master is waiting for you downstairs."
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Sister Su Xin." Chen Zhou smiled, then took Na'er's hand and led her into the elevator. They went down to the first floor and got into the car.
Chen Mo silently sat in the passenger seat.
Normally, given his status, he should have sat in the back with the other two.
But perhaps he thought it was a hassle, or perhaps he felt it didn't make much difference, so he took the passenger seat without a second thought.
The Spirit Pagoda and the East Sea City Blacksmith Association were some distance apart. It took them a little over half an hour to reach their destination.
As Chen Zhou gazed at the tall building before him, curiosity flickered in his eyes.
The East Sea City Blacksmith Association still couldn't compare to the Spirit Pagoda, but its scale was already getting close.
The Spirit Pagoda and the Blacksmith Association were actually rather similar.
One made money by offering access to the Spirit Ascension Platform and selling Soul Spirits, effectively monopolizing the business of all Soul Masters.
After all, no matter what kind of Soul Master someone was, they needed to earn money to buy Soul Spirits and undergo trials in the Spirit Pagoda.
The Blacksmith Association, meanwhile, mainly focused on forging weapons and things related to Soul Guidance Technology.
The higher the grade of a Soul Tool, the better the metal it required. The same went for making Battle Armor.
Unless they were a top academy like Shrek, most other academies and independent Soul Masters had to buy metal from the Blacksmith Association to forge their own Battle Armor.
In other words, one served the public at large, while the other served a portion of the elite and the government.
That was why the two organizations were deeply intertwined in Eastsea City.
It was also why Mu Chen insisted on doing them this favor: the two sides had interests bound up with each other.
As the car slowly came to a stop, the three got out and headed into the Blacksmith Association.
The moment he walked in, Chen Zhou spotted a burly, middle-aged man.
The man's collar was open, revealing the white shirt beneath, and his build was imposing.
Beside him stood a girl who looked about eight or nine years old.
Her gaze swept over Chen Zhou for an instant before settling on Na'er.
Looking at the little girl before her, who seemed made of porcelain, she wore a curious expression.
It wasn't that Chen Zhou was unattractive or plain. It was just that, standing beside Na'er, whose features were even more exquisite than a porcelain doll's, he was inevitably outshone.
Seeing Mu Chen, Chen Mo didn't dare keep him waiting. He walked up and extended his hand.
"Your Excellency Mu Chen, it's been a long time."
"Tower Master Chen, you're too kind."
"Please come upstairs with me, Tower Master Chen. Which child will be taking the forging test?" Mu Chen asked, glancing at Chen Zhou and Na'er.
He asked directly. After all, he was far more powerful than Chen Mo.
Still, since their public positions were roughly equal, he didn't put on airs.
Seeing the curiosity on Mu Chen's face, Chen Mo didn't hesitate. He simply tugged Chen Zhou over.
"This is my junior disciple, Chen Zhou. He's here today to take the blacksmith test, and I hope he can become Your Excellency Mu Chen's disciple."
Chen Mo smiled as he spoke.
Mu Chen didn't answer. He merely nodded calmly, then turned and headed for the elevator.
Mu Xi glanced at Na'er and Chen Zhou, then followed after him.
Chen Zhou was a little surprised that Mu Xi was there, but not all that surprised. After a brief pause, he followed the three of them upstairs.
Mu Chen went straight over and pushed open the door to a forging room.
It seemed to be used to determine whether someone was qualified to join the Blacksmith Association.
Most people came here to register their rank, so only a small number came to take a test like this.
At that moment, a handsome young man appeared beside Mu Chen.
He looked to be around thirty. His sharp gaze swept across the room before he turned respectfully to Mu Chen.
"Cen Yue, let me introduce you. This is Tower Master Chen Mo of the Spirit Pagoda, and this is his disciple, Chen Zhou." As Mu Chen spoke, he pointed toward Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou didn't dawdle. He bowed respectfully to Cen Yue as well.
Mu Chen's meaning was already clear. If he didn't take Chen Zhou, he would have Cen Yue accept him instead.
Cen Yue was only a Level Six Blacksmith, but under normal circumstances, that was the level one would expect from the person truly in charge of a city like Eastsea City.
It was strange, really, for someone like Mu Chen—a Level Eight Blacksmith, a rarity across the entire continent—to be stationed in a single region.
Seeing Chen Zhou bow to him, Cen Yue responded with a smile of his own. He personally stepped forward, took out an ordinary piece of Hundred-Refined Metal, and placed it down.
"Chen Zhou, the test is actually very simple. Take this metal hammer and strike this piece of metal."
"Metal has its own changes and rhythms. As long as you can keep up with them, you'll pass."
As Cen Yue spoke, he pointed to the piece of metal.
He didn't clarify whether passing meant becoming his disciple or Mu Chen's.
Neither Chen Mo nor Mu Chen said anything.
Mu Chen wasn't the sort to take just anyone as a disciple.
He mainly took people he considered talented or good-natured.
In this situation, if Chen Zhou waited a few years, showed some ability, and then came to seek apprenticeship, his chances of success would be much higher.
But Chen Zhou didn't want to wait. If he was going to learn, he wanted to learn from the very best.
He could naturally find someone in the Blacksmith Association to take as his master—or simply have Chen Mo approach Cen Yue.
A Level Six Blacksmith naturally held a somewhat lower status, and since Cen Yue wasn't the head of the East Sea Blacksmith Association, it would be easy for Chen Mo to get him to agree.
But if Chen Zhou were content to become a Level Six Blacksmith's apprentice in this situation, why would he have asked Chen Mo to call in a favor and approach Mu Chen directly?
Thinking of this, Chen Zhou's gaze remained calm.
He stepped forward, took the forging hammer from Cen Yue, and gave it a light tap. Then he looked at the metal before him.
Chen Zhou didn't examine it closely or try to sense it. He simply raised his hand and brought the hammer down in a single strike.