Mu Xi: You're also a first-year in the High-Rank Department? What a coincidence, so am I!

"Only 98.5%? As expected, my control over the heat was still a bit lacking for my first attempt at five-metal Fusion Forging. I need to practice more!"

Lu Chuan looked at the "98.5%" displayed on the screen and let out a helpless sigh.

His tone actually carried a hint of dissatisfaction with himself!

Listening to Lu Chuan's lament, the corners of Cen Yue's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

If it weren't for the attitude Lu Chuan had just shown toward forging, he would have truly thought Lu Chuan was humble-bragging.

"Only 98.5%? You call this 'only'? Do you know what the record for four-metal Fusion Forging by the Godsmith Zhen Hua is? It's 97.2%! You hit 98.5% on your first five-metal Fusion Forging, and you still think it's low?!"

Cen Yue was so exasperated that he couldn't help but lecture Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan blinked, looking innocent. "Is that so? Is this considered high? But it didn't reach 100%, so can it really be called high?"

As a transmigrator, in his mind, any metal that didn't reach four nines—that is, 99.99%—was a scam! Small workshops often used that trick to pass off inferior goods as quality ones.

"Of course it's high! You little freak, stop asking!"

Mu Chen no longer had the energy to argue with Lu Chuan. Talking to a monster like him was just asking for trouble!

Forcing down the urge to give Lu Chuan a beating, he turned and took a more precise testing instrument out of the cabinet: a Metal Property Analyzer!

This instrument was a full size larger than a standard Fusion Degree Tester, and its casing was engraved with dense soul guidance arrays. It was Mu Chen's personal treasure, which he usually kept tucked away like a prized possession. If not for the massive commotion Lu Chuan had caused this time, he wouldn't have been willing to use it.

He carefully placed the alloy into the testing chamber and pressed the start button. The instrument immediately emitted a low hum, and its probes began to move, releasing a soft light to conduct a comprehensive scan of the alloy.

The light looked somewhat like the spectrometers Lu Chuan was familiar with.

A moment later, lines of data began to pop up on the instrument's screen:

[Metal Name]: Unknown [Composition]: Spirit Forging Flame Copper, Spirit Forging Frost Meteorite Iron, Spirit Forging Thunderclap Gold, Spirit Forging Shadow Steel, Spirit Forging Life Crystal [Fusion Degree]: 98.5% (Top Grade) [Soul Power Affinity]: S-Rank (Excellent) [Attribute Coexistence State]: Fire, Ice, Thunder, Shadow (Devouring), Life—Five-attribute stable closed-loop cycle [Self-Healing Coefficient]: 10.3 (Ordinary Spirit Forging metal is 0, Soul Forging metal is approximately 5~8) [Adaptive Environmental Response]: Confirmed (Can automatically adjust the ratio of dominant attributes based on external temperature/energy environment)

[Other Properties]: Energy absorption and conversion efficiency 64%, --Shadow Steel properties activated by Thunderclap Gold, absorbed energy can be converted.

[Spirituality Level]: High-tier Spirit Forging (possesses potential for advanced Soul Forging).

If one were to describe the data above in a single sentence, it could only be—

The data has gone off the charts!

Mu Chen's hands were trembling.

He had been a blacksmith for decades, having seen countless high-quality materials, but never had the data of any piece of metal

left him feeling so shocked!

He had long had a premonition

that the properties of this alloy would far exceed previous Spirit Forged metals.

After all, it was a Five-Alloy Metal Spirit Forging;

not to mention the self-healing coefficient and adaptive environmental response, it was absolutely insane!

Unsurprisingly, if this metal were used to craft a mecha or Battle Armor, it could significantly reduce equipment maintenance costs and extend continuous combat time.

But as for the other properties, what on earth was this energy absorption and conversion?

It was simply unheard of!

Did it mean that

if used to forge a mecha or Battle Armor, it could absorb external energy such as enemy soul-guided cannon fire or elemental attacks during battle?

Mu Chen didn't understand, but he was deeply shaken:

"This thing... if it were Soul Forged into Battle Armor, I'm afraid one could wear it from a one-word set straight to a four-word set without ever needing to change it."

Cen Yue leaned in to look at the data and turned to stone on the spot.

Elder Zhao the blacksmith swallowed hard, feeling only that

the air in the evaluation room was too stifling, and he needed to go out and be alone!

As he pushed the door open to leave, Mu Xi was still waiting quietly outside.

Seeing Elder Zhao emerge, her eyes lit up instantly.

"Uncle Zhao, has he finished forging? Was he successful?"

Elder Zhao took a deep breath and nodded.

"It's over, and he passed.

We're just waiting to issue the Level 6 Blacksmith badge!

That kid is named Lu Chuan; he's not very old, but he's a monster. It seems he's a student in the advanced division of East Sea Academy.

Little Xi, if you're interested, you'd better work hard!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Xi's face turned red instantly. "Uncle Zhao, what are you saying? I'm just concerned about a rising star in our East Sea Blacksmith Association!"

Hearing this, Elder Zhao the blacksmith laughed, knowing the young girl was thin-skinned, so he didn't expose her, waving his hand as he walked toward the end of the corridor.

Watching Elder Zhao gradually walk away, Mu Xi pushed the door open and entered the evaluation room.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Mu Chen and Cen Yue huddled around the Metal Property Analyzer, heads together and cheeks touching as they stared at the data on the screen.

She stood frozen, as if struck by a binding spell.

Meanwhile, the Lu Chuan she had been thinking of stood to the side, drinking water.

He looked exhausted, his clothes soaked through with sweat.

He must really need this right now!

Mu Xi pulled a pink handkerchief from her pocket, walked over, and handed it to Lu Chuan.

As a fellow blacksmith, she knew very well that a blacksmith was in dire need of a towel after finishing a forging session.

It was the first time Lu Chuan had ever been given something by a stranger, and he was clearly taken aback.

He looked down at the clean, neat handkerchief, and faced with the girl's kindness, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it.

"Thank you!"

Lu Chuan wiped away his sweat, his attitude toward Mu Xi softening significantly.

Seeing this, Mu Xi beamed, "No need to thank me! Let me introduce myself, I'm Mu Xi. And I'm really sorry, I truly didn't mean to disturb you earlier!"

Lu Chuan smiled as well, saying, "I'm Lu Chuan. I've already put the earlier matter behind me."

Hearing this, Mu Xi giggled, "Is that so? That's good! I heard you're from the advanced division of East Sea Academy?"

"Yes," Lu Chuan nodded.

"What grade and class?" Mu Xi asked again.

"First grade, haven't been assigned a class yet... I just reported in, and I'm heading to the academic office to register tomorrow," Lu Chuan replied truthfully.

Mu Xi's eyes lit up instantly:

"First grade? What a coincidence, me too! I'm in Class One! Why don't you come to our class? Our homeroom teacher is quite nice, and the atmosphere in the class is great."

Mu Xi extended the invitation with great enthusiasm.

But before Lu Chuan could answer, Mu Chen began to cough from the side:

"Xi'er, it's his freedom to choose whichever class he wants; don't go meddling."

Mu Xi had been enjoying the conversation, and hearing her father interrupt, she became instantly annoyed.

"I'm providing a classmate with reference information, how is that meddling? It's clearly you who's interrupting my chat with a classmate! Do you want me to tell Mom that you were drinking again yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Chen's expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly lowered his voice:

"Xi'er! Don't talk nonsense! When did I drink? If your mother finds out, she'll skin me alive!"

Mu Xi huffed at his words:

"Then stop interrupting my chat with my classmate."

Mu Chen was instantly rendered speechless.

He opened his mouth several times, only to close it again, finally retreating to the side in frustration. With his daughter siding with an outsider, what could he even say?

Watching the father and daughter bicker, both Lu Chuan and Cen Yue couldn't help but curl their lips into smiles.

Gossip is fine, it's not shameful.

However, seeing Mu Chen's peripheral vision sweep over them, the two instantly put on an expression as if they hadn't seen or heard a thing.

Lu Chuan walked up to the forging table with a feigned air of indifference and asked Cen Yue a question he already knew the answer to, "Can I take this alloy with me?"

Cen Yue caught on immediately and nodded in cooperation, "According to the regulations, the testing materials are provided by the association, but the finished product belongs to the blacksmith. You may take it. But before you do, why don't you give it a name?"

"A name?"

Lu Chuan was slightly taken aback at these words.

He had never thought about this before.

After pondering for a moment, he finally spoke again, "Let's call it Five-Derivation Origin Gold!"