What Must Be Faced Must Be Faced!

Stepping out of the girls' dormitory, Lu Chuan carried his luggage toward the advanced division.

In truth, Mang Tian had given him a storage ring, but its space was insufficient.

It was stuffed with rare metals for forging, a few changes of clothes, and spirit fruits and medicinal pills prepared for Tang Wuyue.

The remaining gaps were so tight that squeezing in even one spare dagger would have been a struggle.

He had long been considering when to acquire a soul storage device with a larger capacity, or perhaps just make one himself.

However, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Because he was admitted via recommendation, Lu Chuan's dormitory was a teacher-grade single suite.

On top of that, he received free meals at the top-tier cafeteria and access to an exclusive training ground.

The room was indeed spacious.

It came fully equipped with a living room, bedroom, and private bathroom.

Outside the window, it faced the artificial lake in the center of the academy, offering a very pleasant view.

Whenever he felt unsettled, looking at the scenery would improve his mood significantly.

Lu Chuan set down his luggage, tidied up briefly, changed into a clean black martial arts outfit, and prepared to head to the East Sea City Blacksmith Association Branch.

When he came to East Sea City, Mang Tian had helped him contact an old friend and frenemy—Cen Yue.

A sixth-rank Master Blacksmith!

On the way, Lu Chuan dialed Xiao Lingtong, and the call was answered after two rings.

"Hello, who is this?"

A rough, middle-aged male voice came from the other end, with the clanging of hammers in the background; he was clearly in the middle of work.

Answering the phone while forging was something Lu Chuan had honestly never seen before.

However, having already offended one association president, he didn't dare speak carelessly now and said politely:

"Master Cen, hello. I am Lu Chuan. Teacher Mang Tian should have mentioned me to you."

"Oh, little Chuan! I know, I know."

"Old Mang has nagged me about you several times, saying you're a natural for the forging trade. So, have you arrived in East Sea City?" Cen Yue asked.

Lu Chuan nodded and said, "Yes, I've arrived. I just finished reporting in today. I'm free now, and I'd like to complete my blacksmith rank assessment as soon as possible. I'm not sure if it's convenient for you?"

"Convenient, convenient, of course it's convenient!" Cen Yue laughed heartily. "Come over now and give my name at the front desk. Don't worry, the president isn't here!"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan was instantly delighted: "The president isn't here?"

"Not here, not here. He went on a business trip and won't be back for several days! I know about your situation, kid! Don't worry, come on over, it's fine!"

Cen Yue chuckled, his tone laced with a thick sense of amusement.

Hearing this, Lu Chuan's face turned red instantly.

That drunken confession from last time was one of the few embarrassing moments of his life!

However, with Mu Chen absent, he let out a long sigh of relief. "That would be no trouble at all, I'll be there right away."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chuan hurried toward the Blacksmith Association in a rush.

For him, forging was an incredibly addictive pursuit.

It not only improved his cultivation and raised his potential ceiling, but it also made money.

Most importantly, when metal was perfectly refined and imbued with spirit, the sense of accomplishment was incomparable to anything else.

Therefore, if he went a single day without forging, his hands would itch with restlessness.

However, Lu Chuan did not know that the moment he ended the call, Cen Yue had arrived at the president's office.

At this moment, Mu Chen was sitting in the president's chair at the highest level of the East Sea Blacksmith Branch, holding a teacup in his hand, slowly blowing the foam off the surface of the water, waiting quietly for his arrival.

Both of these old foxes were quite devious.

The East Sea Blacksmith Association was located in the bustling city center of East Sea City, housed in a thirty-story gray building with a massive forging hammer emblem embedded on the outer wall. It was very easy to recognize and could be considered the golden signboard of the Blacksmith Association.

The lobby on the first floor was spacious and bright, with the floor paved in smooth bluestone, and the works of past masters displayed on both sides.

Knives, swords, armor, and mecha components—every piece exuded a faint, lingering spirituality.

Walking into the lobby, Lu Chuan saw two pretty young ladies standing at the front desk.

"Hello, miss. My name is Lu Chuan. I'm here to see Master Cen Yue. I've already made contact in advance; could you please notify him for me?"

When the receptionist heard the name Cen Yue, her eyes clearly lit up, and her attitude became even more enthusiastic.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Lu. I will contact him for you right away."

With that, she picked up the desk phone and dialed Cen Yue's extension. After speaking briefly and confirming Lu Chuan's identity, she smiled brightly at him.

"Master Cen invites you to go directly to the thirtieth floor. He is waiting for you in the president's office."

"The president's office?" Lu Chuan was stunned upon hearing this. "Didn't they say the president wasn't here?"

"Uh..."

The smile on the young lady's face clearly stiffened. She remembered that the president was indeed in, but as a service staff member, she knew...

Pointing out a mistake in a guest's words in public was a major taboo.

Therefore, she had no choice but to make up an excuse, "Perhaps... Master Cen is temporarily using the Chairman's office to receive a distinguished guest. Anyway, you'll know once you go up, won't you?"

The young lady smiled faintly.

Hearing this, Lu Chuan didn't think much of it; he nodded and walked toward the elevator.

The elevator doors closed, and the numbers ticked up one by one.

The thirtieth floor arrived quickly.

The elevator doors opened.

At the end of the corridor, the heavy mahogany door bore a plaque that read "Chairman's Office," and it was left slightly ajar.

Lu Chuan walked up to it.

Just as he was about to knock, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from inside—

"Old Cen, do you think that kid will fall for it?"

It was Mu Chen's voice!

Lu Chuan's heart skipped a beat, and his hand, poised to knock, froze in mid-air.

In an instant, his mind went blank!

He desperately wanted to believe this wasn't a setup, but immediately after, Cen Yue's boisterous laughter erupted from behind the door:

"Hahaha, that kid is sharp; he even knew to call first to test the waters, but he was no match for my acting!"

"You didn't hear his tone on the phone earlier—when he heard you weren't here, he almost laughed out loud!"

"Chairman, that kid is truly terrified of you! Hahaha!"

"Hmph. How could he not be?"

Mu Chen let out a cold snort, his tone unreadable, "That kid has a lot of nerve. He had the audacity to tell me he wanted to date my daughter right to my face while he was drinking! If he hadn't been drunk at the time, I would have torn him apart! Now that he's sober today, I want to see if he still dares to say it again when he sees this Chairman!"

Standing outside the door and hearing these words, cold sweat instantly broke out on Lu Chuan's forehead.

Run? The elevator had just gone down.

Jump out the window? This was the thirtieth floor.

Bite the bullet and go in? He would surely end up battered and bruised!

Just as he was frantically calculating whether he should make a strategic retreat and come back another day, the office door was suddenly yanked open from the inside.

Cen Yue's stubbly face poked out. Seeing Lu Chuan, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth:

"Yo, Little Chuan is here? What are you doing standing at the door? Come on in and sit!"

As he spoke, he winked toward the inside of the office.

Lu Chuan felt a surge of anger!

Looking at this situation, Those two old geezers had known he was outside the whole time; that entire conversation had been staged specifically for his benefit.

Since the two of them dared to treat him like a clown, he wouldn't blame himself for tearing the Blacksmith Association Branch apart.

"Master Cen, I'm here for the Level 5 Blacksmith assessment. Can we begin?"

Lu Chuan looked at Cen Yue with a beaming smile, the cold glint in his eyes making both Mu Chen and Cen Yue's hearts skip a beat.

What is this brat planning to do?