Blacksmith Test

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

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

Seeing that Tang Wulin didn't seem to be joking, the young woman's expression turned serious.

"Then what do you need Master Cen Yue for?"

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

"Alright then! Let me go make a call to Master Cen Yue."

"Okay, thank you, big sister."

The young woman turned and walked toward the front desk, picking up a soul-guided communicator to dial Cen Yue's number.

"Master Cen Yue, there's a little boy here to see you. He's nine years old, has black hair, and is very handsome."

"Mhm, alright!"

After hanging up the communicator, the young woman walked back to Tang Wulin's side.

"Little brother, Master Cen Yue told me to bring you up."

"Thank you, big sister." Tang Wulin nodded and followed her into the soul-guided elevator.

"Little brother, my name is Huang Ziya. What's your name?"

"My name is Tang Wulin."

"Tang Wulin," Huang Ziya said with a smile. "That's a lovely name. I didn't expect you to know Master Cen Yue."

"Sister Huang, I don't actually know Master Cen Yue. It was my teacher who knows him, and he was the one who sent me here," Tang Wulin said very earnestly. He didn't like to lie; if he didn't know someone, he didn't know them.

"Oh, I see! So that's how it is."

Soon, the elevator stopped at the fifteenth floor.

As the doors slid open automatically, Tang Wulin finally got a clear look at the interior of this towering building.

The walls were crafted from a silvery-white metal that Tang Wulin didn't recognize, though he assumed it must be quite valuable. Doors were arranged in an orderly fashion along both sides of the corridor.

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

Ding-dong!

Huang Ziya pressed the doorbell.

A moment later, the door opened automatically.

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

"Okay."

It was an office about thirty square meters in size. In the center sat a massive desk, its surface cluttered with various forging blueprints and small components.

A man sat behind the desk, studying a blueprint.

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

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

"Mhm, you can head back down now," Cen Yue said. His voice was deep and carried a sense of security.

"Understood." Huang Ziya nodded and left the office.

"Hello, Master Cen Yue. My teacher asked me to convey his regards to you," Tang Wulin said, bowing politely.

Cen Yue stood up and walked over to Tang Wulin, appearing to observe him closely.

"Mang Tian actually took a child your age as a disciple? That doesn't sound like his style," Cen Yue said, frowning. "Has Mang Tian tested your blacksmith rank yet?"

Tang Wulin shook his head. "Teacher hasn't tested me on that. He told me to come find you for the test."

"Follow me!"

Cen Yue waved his hand, signaling for Tang Wulin to follow.

This was the nature of blacksmiths; you couldn't judge their true ability by their appearance. If there were any questions, you simply went to the Forging Room to test them. The test would prove everything.

A short while later, Cen Yue briefly explained the situation to a staff member.

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

"Tang Wulin, nine years old!" The staff member looked shocked. "Coming to test for a blacksmith rank at nine? We haven't seen that in the Blacksmith Association for a long time."

"Don't worry about that," Cen Yue said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced at the form Tang Wulin had filled out.

Once Tang Wulin finished, the staff member carefully collected the form and led them to the entrance of a Forging Room.

"Master Cen, let's conduct the test here!"

"That works!" Cen Yue didn't mind and led Tang Wulin inside.

"Cen Yue, I didn't expect you to bring someone for testing yourself! Is this child your disciple?" The examiner was a man in his thirties who clearly knew Cen Yue.

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

"That goes without saying."

The evaluator walked up to Tang Wulin and said, "There are thirty types of metal here, each with a different level of purification difficulty. I will grade you based on the metal you choose and the degree of purification you achieve."

Tang Wulin nodded and began scanning the row of metals on the table. There were several he didn't recognize, but he spotted one he was very familiar with.

"I choose this one!" Tang Wulin picked up a piece of silvery metal and placed it in front of him.

"Sinking Silver?" The evaluator was slightly surprised. Among these metals, Sinking Silver was considered one of the more difficult ones to purify. Usually, those taking the blacksmith assessment for the first time wouldn't choose such a high difficulty, as it was very easy for accidents to happen.

However, the evaluator did not offer any dissuasion; since it was Tang Wulin's choice, it should be respected.

"Purify the metal: Sinking Silver."

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

Tang Wulin nodded, heated the forging table, and then placed the Sinking Silver inside to be tempered.

Watching the Sinking Silver gradually turn red on the forging table, Tang Wulin did not panic. Instead, he closed his eyes and began to adjust his breathing.

Cen Yue watched from the side, observing very intently. He did not speak, as he was eager to see exactly what kind of talent and strength the disciple Mang Tian had made an exception to take on truly possessed.

However, when Cen Yue saw Tang Wulin's actions, he couldn't help but offer a silent word of praise; to reach this level of focus at such a young age was truly impressive.

Soon, Tang Wulin opened his eyes. At this moment, there were no impurities in his gaze; it seemed as if only that piece of Sinking Silver remained in his vision.

Two silver flashes flickered at Tang Wulin's wrists, and then two Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers appeared in his hands.

Can he use Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers at nine years old? Cen Yue was shocked once again.

"Clang!"

Tang Wulin first tapped the Sinking Silver lightly, then his pupils instantly constricted.

"Bang!"

With one strike, a small portion of the Sinking Silver dented inward.

Then came hammer blow after hammer blow. The sound of metal clashing echoed incessantly throughout the Forging Room. The evaluator kept writing on his paper, his face filled with astonishment; this was the first time he had ever seen a nine-year-old reach this level.

Cen Yue was also mesmerized by Tang Wulin's rhythmic strikes. To a blacksmith, this was like divine music from the heavens.

Cen Yue could now be certain that that fellow Mang Tian had truly found a treasure.