The deal between Long Yuan and Lu Fengnian was quickly concluded.
Just two days later, the token that represented his status was handed to Long Yuan.
"Hahaha, Long Yuan, this is your token. It has a special Soul Tool built into it, so you can use it at any Spirit Pagoda. Also, as stipulated, I've given you the position of Vice Tower Master at the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda."
Long Yuan looked at Lu Fengnian, whose smile was brimming with eagerness. He said nothing and simply left.
Strictly speaking, their deal had only covered a spot in the special cultivation program. The position of Vice Tower Master at the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda was something the other man had thrown in on top.
Looks like this old geezer found out the identity details I registered with the Federation were fake. Is he trying to win me over?
But Long Yuan didn't care either way. Whatever benefits the other man offered, he'd take them. Whether he returned the favor later was up to him.
If he were human, he'd have to keep his word. After all, he'd still need to get along with people in this circle. But he wasn't human, and sooner or later, they were bound to fall out.
As everyone knew, dragons didn't keep their word.
Meanwhile, seeing that Long Yuan had accepted his goodwill, Lu Fengnian smiled happily.
After agreeing to the deal, he'd been cautious and sent someone to investigate Long Yuan. The results left him shocked.
Eighteen years old, level sixty-one!
The key was that his Martial Soul was the Golden Dragon, hailed as the ancestor of strength. A Martial Soul with such ultimate strength cultivated more slowly than a normal Soul Master's, yet Long Yuan had still broken through level sixty at the age of eighteen.
Based on his interactions with Long Yuan, Lu Fengnian could be certain that as long as nothing went wrong, he was all but destined to become a Limit Douluo.
Winning over someone with such exceptional talent was absolutely worthwhile for the East Sea Lu Family, which was in steady decline.
The East Sea Lu Family's ancestral Martial Soul was the Wind-Chasing Dragon, and they were one of the Qiangu Family's direct-line families. Their ancestor had been a Super Douluo and had used that strength to secure an Elder position in the Spirit Pagoda, earning the family a place on the Spirit Pagoda Council.
But over the years, the Lu Family had gradually fallen into decline. His father had barely managed to break through to level ninety-three, just enough to keep the family afloat.
Lu Fengnian was even less talented. He was only level eighty-eight now. Fortunately, his daughter, Lu Kening, had a bright future ahead of her, giving him something to hope for.
But now, an even greater genius had appeared.
A Limit Douluo! Every time Lu Fengnian thought of it, he found it hard to believe. He'd stumbled across such a genius so easily.
Should I try to set him up with Ke Ning? Lu Fengnian wondered wildly.
"Next, I'll just wait for Eastsea Academy to start, then meet up with Gu Yuena."
According to what he'd told Gu Yuena that night, she would continue to follow the plan they'd already made: use the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda as a stepping stone and join the Spirit Pagoda.
Since he had nothing else to do, Long Yuan went straight to the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association.
"Hello, sir. It's my pleasure to assist you."
Long Yuan glanced at the receptionist. She was quite pretty. It seemed that even the Blacksmith Association, full of burly men, understood the importance of having a beautiful face at the front desk.
"Is your president, Mu Chen, here?" As he spoke, he handed over the token Lu Fengnian had given him.
Yun Xiaoling saw the token bearing the Spirit Pagoda's insignia and didn't dare neglect him. After taking it, she placed it on a Soul Tool and scanned it. A line of text immediately appeared: Long Yuan, Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda's Eastsea Branch.
Yun Xiaoling was startled. She respectfully returned the token with both hands.
"Tower Master Long, our president is in a meeting right now. Please wait a moment."
As she spoke, Yun Xiaoling led Long Yuan to a reception room upstairs and brought him a cup of tea.
The tea's fragrance filled the room. It was clear the leaves were a rare treasure. Long Yuan took a sip, and even he, someone who knew nothing about tea, found himself wanting more.
With no one else in the reception room, Long Yuan took a look at the decor.
As expected of the Blacksmith Association—they even used metal as decoration in their reception room, and much of it was precious rare metal.
Long Yuan casually picked up a piece of Thousand Refinement Secret Silver and focused, resonating with the metal.
Before long, the reception room door opened from the outside, and a man who looked to be around forty walked in.
He was dignified and handsome. His silver-gray fitted clothes outlined his sturdy frame, and a badge hung over his left breast.
The badge had a gold background and was shaped like a hammer. Eight raised black stars adorned it, signifying that he was an eight-star Saint Craftsman blacksmith.
"Hahaha, I didn't know Tower Master Long would be visiting. What brings you here?" Mu Chen's voice was loud, but his expression remained cautious.
People who studied blacksmithing might have well-developed muscles, but that didn't mean they were fools. Before coming, he'd already looked up Long Yuan's information. He knew Long Yuan was the newly appointed Vice Tower Master of the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda and had learned his basic details, but there was nothing more.
"Heh, we're not enemies. Why stand on ceremony?" Seeing that Mu Chen had arrived, Long Yuan set down the ornament in his hand.
The two sat across from each other. Yun Xiaoling served them fresh tea, then withdrew.
Long Yuan suddenly asked, "President Mu, are all the major powers in Eastsea City like this? Do they like having talented people or the children of senior members work as receptionists?"
He wasn't asking without reason. From what he'd observed, the receptionist at the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association, Yun Xiaoling, might not be as talented as Lu Kening, but she was still better than most ordinary people.
Mu Chen sighed, looking a little awkward. As far as he knew, that did seem to be the case.
But he had thick skin and didn't show the slightest embarrassment. "Tower Master Long, you've got a good eye. It's the school holidays, and there isn't much going on at Eastsea Academy, so quite a few students have come out to take part-time jobs. Some of them are the children of people in the association, and we gave them this work. As president, I have no reason to object, especially since it doesn't harm the association's interests, right?"
Long Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed. He'd only brought it up to build rapport and break the ice, and soon changed the subject.
After chatting a little longer, Long Yuan finally said, "President Mu, I came here to take a blacksmith rank test."
"A test?" Mu Chen looked at him suspiciously.
Long Yuan took a sip of tea and smiled. "What? Just because I'm with the Spirit Pagoda, I can't become a blacksmith?"
"Of course you can!" Mu Chen stood up. "Our Blacksmith Association isn't that prejudiced. I'll arrange the test for you myself!"
Mu Chen wasn't wrong. They were only an association, not a major power like the Spirit Pagoda or Shrek Academy. The other man's identity didn't matter that much.