Blacksmith Assessment

"Hmm? Little guy, are you a blacksmith?" the sweet-voiced young woman asked with a smile.

Tang Wulin nodded vigorously. "I started learning blacksmithing when I was six. I've been at it for three years now, so I guess that makes me a blacksmith."

Seeing that Tang Wulin didn't seem to be joking, the young woman grew serious, too.

"Then why are you looking for Grandmaster Cen Yue?"

"My teacher told me to come find him. I'm here to take the blacksmith rank assessment," Tang Wulin replied.

"All right! I'll go call Grandmaster Cen Yue."

"Okay, thank you, big sister."

The young woman turned and walked over to the front desk. She picked up a Soul Guidance Communicator and dialed Cen Yue's number.

"Grandmaster Cen Yue, there's a little boy here to see you. He's nine, with black hair, and he's very handsome."

"Mm, all right!"

After putting down the Soul Guidance Communicator, the young woman went over to Tang Wulin.

"Little guy, Grandmaster Cen Yue told me to take you upstairs."

"Thank you, big sister." Tang Wulin nodded and followed her into the Soul Guidance Elevator.

"Little guy, my name is Huang Ziya. What's yours?"

"My name is Tang Wulin."

"Tang Wulin." Huang Ziya smiled. "That's a lovely name. I didn't expect you to know Grandmaster Cen Yue."

"Big sister Huang, actually, I don't know Grandmaster Cen Yue. My teacher knows him, and he's the one who told me to come find him." Tang Wulin spoke earnestly. He didn't like to lie. If he didn't know someone, then he didn't know them.

"Oh, I see!"

Soon, the Soul Guidance Elevator stopped on the fifteenth floor.

Once the elevator doors opened automatically, Tang Wulin finally got a clear look at the inside of the towering building.

The walls were made of a kind of silvery-white metal. Tang Wulin didn't recognize it, but it must have been very valuable. Doors were arranged at regular intervals along both sides of the corridor.

Huang Ziya led Tang Wulin to a large door with the name Cen Yue engraved on it.

"Ding-dong!"

Huang Ziya pressed the doorbell.

The large door soon opened automatically.

"Let's go in," Huang Ziya said softly.

"Mm."

It was an office of about thirty square meters. A huge desk stood in the middle, its surface scattered with various forging blueprints and small parts.

A man sat behind the desk, studying a blueprint.

"Grandmaster Cen Yue, I've brought the child."

Cen Yue put down the blueprint and looked up at Tang Wulin.

"Mm, you can go now." Cen Yue's voice was deep and reassuring.

"Okay." Huang Ziya nodded, then left Cen Yue's office.

"Hello, Grandmaster Cen Yue. My teacher asked me to send his regards." Tang Wulin bowed politely to Cen Yue.

Cen Yue stood up and walked over to Tang Wulin, seemingly inspecting him closely.

"I can't believe Mang Tian would take a child your age as a disciple. That's not like him." Cen Yue frowned. "Has Mang Tian tested your blacksmith rank?"

Tang Wulin shook his head. "My teacher hasn't tested me in that regard. He told me to come to you for the assessment."

"Come with me!"

Cen Yue waved for Tang Wulin to follow.

That was how blacksmiths were. You couldn't tell someone's true skill just by looking at them. If there was a question, you went to the Forging Room and put them to the test. The results would prove everything.

Not long after, Cen Yue briefly explained the situation to a staff member.

The staff member took out a form and handed it to Tang Wulin to fill in.

"Tang Wulin, nine years old!" The staff member looked stunned. "You're taking the blacksmith rank assessment at nine? It's been a long time since anyone this young came to the Blacksmith Association for one."

"Don't mind that." Cen Yue's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the form Tang Wulin was filling out.

When Tang Wulin finished, the staff member carefully put the form away and led them to the entrance of a Forging Room.

"Grandmaster Cen, we can conduct the test here!"

"Anywhere is fine." Cen Yue didn't fuss over it. He led Tang Wulin into the Forging Room.

"Cen Yue, I didn't expect you to bring someone in for a test yourself! Is this child your disciple?" The assessor was a man around thirty, and it was clear he knew Cen Yue.

Cen Yue patted the assessor on the shoulder. "He's the disciple of a friend of mine. Test him as you normally would."

"Of course."

The assessor walked up to Tang Wulin. "There are thirty kinds of metal here, each with a different degree of difficulty to refine. I'll score you based on which metal you choose and how well you refine it."

Tang Wulin nodded and began scanning the row of metals on the platform. There were several he didn't recognize, but he spotted one he knew well.

"I'll choose this one!" Tang Wulin picked up a piece of silver-colored metal and set it in front of him.

"Sinking Silver?" The assessor looked a little surprised. Sinking Silver was among the more difficult metals to refine here. People taking the blacksmith rank assessment for the first time usually avoided metals of this difficulty. It was all too easy for something to go wrong.

But the assessor didn't try to dissuade him. Since Tang Wulin had chosen it, his choice deserved respect.

"Metal-refining test: Sinking Silver."

"Tang Wulin, you have one hour to refine this piece of Sinking Silver."

Tang Wulin nodded, raised the temperature of the forging platform, then placed the Sinking Silver on it to heat.

As he watched the Sinking Silver gradually turn red on the forging platform, Tang Wulin didn't panic. Instead, he closed his eyes and began regulating his breathing.

Cen Yue watched from the side, intently. He didn't say a word. He was eager to see just how talented the disciple Mang Tian had made an exception to take really was.

But when Cen Yue saw Tang Wulin's movements, he couldn't help but praise him inwardly. To reach this level of focus at such a young age was truly impressive.

Soon, Tang Wulin opened his eyes. They were utterly clear; it seemed the only thing in them was the piece of Sinking Silver.

Two streaks of silver light flashed at Tang Wulin's wrists, and a pair of Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers appeared in his hands.

Can a nine-year-old really use Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers? Cen Yue was astonished once again.

"Ding!"

Tang Wulin first tapped the Sinking Silver lightly. Then his pupils contracted in an instant.

"Bang!"

One hammer blow landed, denting a small section of the Sinking Silver.

Then came another blow, and another. The clanging of metal rang through the Forging Room without pause. The assessor kept writing something on his paper, his face filled with astonishment. He had never seen a nine-year-old reach this level before.

Cen Yue, too, was entranced by every one of Tang Wulin's hammer blows. To a blacksmith, it was like divine music from the heavens.

Cen Yue could now say with certainty that Mang Tian had truly stumbled upon a treasure.