Leaving the girls' dormitory,
Lu Chuan carried his luggage toward the upper division.
Mang Tian had actually given him a storage ring,
but there wasn't enough room inside.
It was packed full of rare metals for forging,
several changes of clothes, as well as Spirit Fruits and pills he'd prepared for Tang Wuyue.
There wasn't even enough space left to squeeze in a spare dagger.
He'd been thinking for a while about when to get a Storage Soul Tool with a larger capacity,
or just make one himself.
But there were more pressing matters right now.
Since he'd been admitted directly,
Lu Chuan's dormitory was a private suite on the teachers' level,
and on top of that,
he got unlimited Grade A Meals and a private training ground.
The room was indeed spacious.
It had everything: a living room, a bedroom, and a private bathroom.
The window looked out over the artificial lake in the center of the academy,
and the scenery was quite lovely.
When he was feeling down, he could look at the scenery,
and it would lift his spirits considerably.
Lu Chuan set down his luggage,
tidied up a little,
changed into a clean black outfit,
and prepared to head for the East Sea Blacksmith Branch in Eastsea City.
When he'd come to Eastsea City,
Mang Tian had helped him get in touch with an old friend and partner-in-crime from back in the day—Cen Yue.
A sixth-level master blacksmith!
On the way, Lu Chuan called Xiao Lingtong,
and the call was answered after two rings.
"Hello, who's this?"
A gruff, middle-aged man's voice came from the other end,
with the clanging of hammer blows in the background,
clearly indicating he was working.
Lu Chuan had honestly never seen anyone answer a call while forging before.
Still,
having already offended one branch president,
he didn't dare speak carelessly now. He said politely:
"Hello, Master Cen. This is Lu Chuan. Teacher Mang Tian should have mentioned me to you."
"Oh, Xiao Chuan! I know, I know."
"Old Mang's brought you up several times. He says you were born to make a living at forging. So, you're in Eastsea City now?" Cen Yue asked.
Lu Chuan nodded. "Yes, I arrived and finished registering today. I'm free now, so I'd like to take the blacksmith rank assessment as soon as possible. Would that be convenient for you?"
"Convenient, of course it's convenient!" Cen Yue laughed heartily. "Come on over now. Tell the front desk my name. Don't worry, the branch president isn't here!"
At that, Lu Chuan was delighted. "The branch president isn't there?"
"No, he's away on a business trip. He won't be back for several days! I know about your situation! Come on over, there won't be any trouble!"
Cen Yue chuckled, his tone tinged with a strong air of wanting to watch the drama unfold.
Hearing that,
Lu Chuan's face instantly flushed red.
That drunken confession last time had been one of the few embarrassing moments of his life!
But with Mu Chen away,
he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Sorry for the trouble, then. I'll be right there."
After hanging up,
Lu Chuan hurried toward the Blacksmith Association.
Forging was an incredibly addictive pastime for him.
It could improve his cultivation, raise his potential ceiling, and make him money.
Most importantly,
when a metal had been perfectly refined and imbued with a spirit,
the sense of accomplishment he felt
was unmatched by anything else!
So,
if he went even one day without forging,
his hands would itch unbearably!
However,
Lu Chuan didn't know
that the moment he ended the call,
Cen Yue headed straight for the branch president's office!
At that moment, Mu Chen was seated in the president's chair on the top floor of the East Sea Blacksmith Branch,
holding a teacup
and leisurely blowing the foam from the surface,
waiting for Lu Chuan to arrive!
Those two old foxes were both up to no good!
The East Sea Blacksmith Association stood in a bustling part of downtown Eastsea City,
a thirty-story gray building
with an enormous forging hammer emblem mounted on its outer wall.
It was easy to recognize,
and could be considered the Blacksmith Association's signature landmark!
The first-floor lobby was spacious and brightly lit,
with smooth blue-gray flagstones covering the floor,
and the forging works of past masters displayed on either side.
Knives, swords, armor, mecha parts—every piece revealed a faint hint of spirituality!
When he entered the lobby,
two pretty young women were standing at the front desk.
"Hello, miss. My name is Lu Chuan. I'm here to see Master Cen Yue. We got in touch beforehand. Could you please let him know I'm here?"
The moment the receptionist heard Cen Yue's name,
her eyes visibly lit up,
and her attitude grew even more welcoming.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Lu. I'll contact him right away."
With that, she picked up the desk phone and dialed Cen Yue's extension.
After a brief conversation and confirming Lu Chuan's identity,
she smiled warmly at him.
"Master Cen asks you to go straight up to the thirtieth floor. He's waiting for you in the president's office."
"The president's office?" Lu Chuan couldn't help but pause. "Weren't you saying the branch president wasn't here?"
"Uh..."
The smile on the young woman's face stiffened.
She remembered that the branch president was there,
but as a service worker,
she knew
that publicly pointing out a distinguished guest's mistake was a major taboo.
So she had no choice but to make up an excuse.
"Maybe... Master Cen is borrowing the president's office temporarily to receive a distinguished guest.
Anyway, you'll find out when you go up, won't you?"
The young woman gave him a faint smile.
Lu Chuan didn't think much of it. He nodded and walked toward the elevator.
The elevator doors closed, and the numbers ticked upward one by one.
It didn't take long to reach the thirtieth floor.
The elevator doors opened,
revealing a heavy redwood door at the end of the corridor. A plaque on it read "President's Office,"
and the door stood ajar.
Lu Chuan walked up,
and was just about to knock,
when he suddenly heard a familiar voice inside—
"Old Cen, do you think that kid will fall for it?"
It was Mu Chen's voice!
Lu Chuan's heart gave a thump,
and his knocking hand froze in midair.
For a moment,
his mind went completely blank!
He really wanted to believe this wasn't a setup,
but then,
Cen Yue's gruff laughter suddenly rang out from behind the door as well.
"Hahaha, that kid's sharp. He even knew to call ahead and sound us out, but he can't beat old Cen's acting!"
"Didn't you hear the way he sounded on the phone just now? When he heard you weren't here, he could barely keep from laughing out loud!"
"Branch president, that kid really is scared of you! Hahaha!"
"Hmph. How could he not be?"
Mu Chen snorted,
his tone giving nothing away.
"That kid's got some nerve. He gets drunk and dares to say to my face that he wants to woo my daughter!
If he hadn't been drunk at the time, I'd have torn him apart!
Now that he's sober, I want to see if he dares say it again when he sees me, the branch president!"
Standing outside the door, Lu Chuan heard them and broke out in a cold sweat.
Run?
The elevator had just gone down.
Jump out the window?
They were on the thirtieth floor.
Go in and face it?
He'd come out with his head smashed in!
Just as he was rapidly calculating whether he should make a strategic retreat
and come back another day,
the office door suddenly swung open from the inside.
Cen Yue poked out his scruffy, bearded face.
When he saw Lu Chuan,
he grinned,
showing a row of bright white teeth.
"Oh, Xiao Chuan's here? What are you standing at the door for? Come on in and sit down!"
As he spoke, he also winked toward the office.
Lu Chuan instantly grew a little angry!
Judging by this situation,
Those two old bastards had only just found out he was outside.
They'd said all that on purpose, knowing he could hear them!
The two of them had actually treated him like a clown.
Then they couldn't blame him for tearing the Blacksmith Association Branch apart!
"Grandmaster Cen, I'm here to take the Level Five Blacksmith assessment. Can we begin?"
Lu Chuan turned to Cen Yue with a smile.
The cold glint in his eyes made Mu Chen and Cen Yue's hearts both skip a beat.
What was this kid planning?
Before you continue