Saint Craftsman

After Wu Zhangkong left, Tang Wulin dialed the number for the fixed Soul Guidance Communicator at home.

"Beep... beep-beep..."

But the communicator rang for a long time without anyone answering. Tang Wulin, feeling a little puzzled, called again, but still no one picked up.

"Maybe Mom and Dad aren't home, so nobody can answer."

That was what Tang Wulin thought. His family only had this one fixed Soul Guidance Communicator, and his parents didn't have portable ones like he did.

"Forget it! I'll call Grandmaster Cen Yue first."

"Beep..."

The call was soon answered, and Cen Yue's voice came from the other end.

"Wulin, I was just about to call you, too. I didn't expect you to beat me to it."

"Grandmaster Cen Yue, I wanted to ask how the pill recipes I gave you sold. I also have a few questions about medicinal herbs."

"What a coincidence. I was about to talk to you about those recipes, too."

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up. "Did they all sell?"

"Of course. And there was an unexpected surprise, too. It's hard to explain over the phone, so come straight to the Blacksmith Association. I'm there now!"

Tang Wulin felt a flicker of joy and immediately replied, "All right, Grandmaster Cen Yue. I'll come over now."

"Sure. I'll wait for you!"

With that, Cen Yue ended the call.

But as soon as Tang Wulin sat up, a wave of soreness coursed through his body. There was nothing for it; he could only meditate first to adjust his condition.

"My Soul Power has reached level 14!"

Tang Wulin felt a little pleased. It seemed Yao Lao had been right: a little more tempering would do him good.

He also felt that the meridians throughout his body had become much clearer, and his Soul Power flowed more quickly.

"Was it because of the Heaven-Reaching Creation Pill Teacher Wu gave me? That pill must be incredibly precious!"

It was about half a quarter of an hour before Tang Wulin slowly opened his eyes.

He had also been thinking about a problem: what should he do with the Black-Grade Mecha he now had?

He couldn't use it at his current cultivation level. Besides, part of it was damaged, and repairing it would surely cost an astronomical sum.

In the end, Tang Wulin decided to sell it. Of course, he had no way to do that himself.

But then an idea suddenly struck him.

"I don't have a way to sell it, but I can ask Grandmaster Cen Yue to help!"

A little over ten minutes later.

Tang Wulin took a taxi to the building of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association.

The Blacksmith Association was as quiet as ever. The few people coming and going were in a hurry, leaving as soon as they had submitted their forging commissions.

"Little Wulin! Over here!"

In the lobby, a sweet-looking young woman smiled brightly and waved at Tang Wulin.

"Hello, Sister Huang."

Tang Wulin greeted her politely. He recognized her as the young woman who had taken him to Grandmaster Cen Yue's office when he first came to the Blacksmith Association.

"I'm here to see Grandmaster Cen Yue. I spoke with him on the phone a little while ago."

"I know. Grandmaster Cen Yue asked me to wait here for you. I'll take you upstairs!" Huang Ziya said.

"No need to trouble yourself, Sister Huang. I remember where Grandmaster Cen Yue's office is. I can go up on my own." Tang Wulin smiled and politely declined her help.

"Grandmaster Cen Yue isn't in his office right now!"

Tang Wulin looked surprised and scratched his head. "Then where is he?"

"All right, I'll take you there."

With that, Huang Ziya took Tang Wulin by the hand and led him toward the Soul Guidance Elevator.

Huang Ziya pressed the button for the 30th floor.

"Thirty? That must be the highest floor in the building!"

Though he was a little puzzled, Tang Wulin didn't say anything.

"Ding!"

They reached the 30th floor in no time.

"Let's go!"

Huang Ziya smiled and led Tang Wulin out of the elevator.

The 30th floor wasn't very large, and Tang Wulin saw only one door.

"Is Grandmaster Cen Yue inside?"

"Mm-hmm!" Huang Ziya nodded. For some reason, Tang Wulin felt she seemed a little excited.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Huang Ziya gently knocked on the door a few times.

Cen Yue's voice soon came from inside. "Come in!"

Tang Wulin quickly pushed open the door and walked in.

But he had barely set one foot inside when Huang Ziya rushed past him.

"Ah! President Mu, I'm your fan!"

The room was spacious, and two people were seated inside. One of them was Cen Yue.

The other was a sturdy, middle-aged man with a dignified bearing, dressed in gray and white.

The most striking thing about him was the badge pinned to his left breast. Tang Wulin recognized it because he had one himself.

The difference was that Tang Wulin's badge had only two stars, while the middle-aged man's had eight.

What did eight stars represent?

An eighth-level blacksmith!

A Saint Craftsman.

Once it dawned on him, Tang Wulin was stunned. The person standing before him was actually a Saint Craftsman.

"Huang Ziya, go outside! The president still has things to do!" Cen Yue stepped in front of her and stopped her.

"Grandmaster Cen Yue, please! I won't take up the president's time. I just want his autograph."

Huang Ziya was so anxious she was almost in tears. A major reason she had started working at the Blacksmith Association was that she was a fan of Mu Chen, president of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association.

But Huang Ziya had been working here for several months, and this was the first time the president had come to the association. When Cen Yue told her the president wanted to meet Tang Wulin, she'd been so excited it had taken her a long time to calm down.

"Old Cen, let her come over," Mu Chen said from behind his desk.

Only then did Cen Yue let Huang Ziya stand in front of Mu Chen.

"Young lady, what level of blacksmith are you?" Mu Chen asked with a smile.

"President, I'm a level-two blacksmith now," Huang Ziya replied excitedly.

"Mm! You look about fifteen or sixteen. Reaching level two at your age is already quite good. Keep it up."

"Thank you, President!" Huang Ziya bowed deeply, then pulled a camera out of her pocket. "President Mu, could I take a picture with you? And get your autograph, too?"

Mu Chen nodded lightly. "Of course."

Huang Ziya walked over beside Mu Chen and flashed a V sign. She pressed the shutter, and a photo slid out from the bottom of the camera.

Mu Chen solemnly took out the fountain pen he always carried and signed his name on the photo.

"Thank you, President!"

"All right, go on out. I still have things to discuss with that boy."

"Okay!"

Huang Ziya bounced happily over to Tang Wulin and took his hand. "I have you to thank, Little Wulin! I wouldn't have gotten to meet the president without you!"

Then Huang Ziya gave Tang Wulin a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. She even remembered to close the door behind her, leaving only a faint lipstick mark on Tang Wulin's cheek.

Tang Wulin's cheeks immediately turned red.

At that moment, Mu Chen had somehow come over and crouched in front of Tang Wulin. With a gentle smile, he said, "You're Tang Wulin?"

"Mm! I am! Are you the president of the Blacksmith Association?" Tang Wulin looked at the badge on Mu Chen's chest and added, "You're an eighth-level blacksmith, too. That's amazing."