Two months passed—neither long nor short.
The furnace fire in the underground forging room on the top floor of the Blacksmith Association had barely gone out. Xiao Cheng had gone from only occasionally producing a Soul Refinement resonance in moments of sudden inspiration, to steadily reaching the Soul Refinement level after half a month. By the final month, he could consistently complete most of the Soul Refinement process with low-grade metals—only the final step, Awakening the Soul, still lacked a little finesse.
Yuan Hua called it "half Soul Refinement." It was just one final tremor away, but some people could tremble for a lifetime and still never manage it.
"Enough. Pack up and get out." Yuan Hua stood at the entrance to the forging room, watching Xiao Cheng place the final forged metal billet into his Storage Soul Tool. "Train properly. This world is ultimately ruled by the strong preying on the weak. A God Craftsman's reputation won't always protect you, but your fists will work ninety-nine percent of the time."
Xiao Cheng packed away the things Yuan Hua had given him, then took one final look around the forging room where he had spent two months. Several unused pieces of Thousand-Mechanism Copper remained on the workbench. The forge had gone cold, but its lingering warmth remained.
"Teacher." He turned around and bowed solemnly. "Thank you for everything during this time."
Yuan Hua waved him off as though shooing away flies. "Cut the empty formalities. I've broken down everything I know about Soul Refinement and spoon-fed it to you. I even stuffed my notes and insights into your hands. If you still haven't become a Saint Craftsman by next year, don't call yourself my disciple."
"Don't worry, Teacher." Xiao Cheng grinned. "I guarantee I won't disgrace you."
"Whether you disgrace