Heaven Dou City, as one of the Federation's long-established cities, was undoubtedly one of the Federation's most important core cities.
Its status was second only to Ming Capital, the Federation's capital, and it had held a pivotal position throughout the Federation's history.
At that moment, inside Heaven Dou City, Li Moxun sat quietly in a retro-style noodle shop, eating his noodles.
Beside him, the owner watched the utterly empty restaurant, where there was no one but Li Moxun, and sighed helplessly.
"Ah, young people these days are far too restless. They all like fast food or something—those meat-filled buns. I don't even know what's so good about them, yet everyone loves eating them."
As the middle-aged man spoke, he sighed and fanned himself with a plant-fiber fan, then sat across from Li Moxun and continued sighing.
Seeing the owner's appearance, Li Moxun glanced at him, his expression remarkably calm.
"Uncle, I'm not used to people talking beside me while I eat. I was merely asking whether the Blacksmith Association here is the headquarters."
Li Moxun's voice was soft. Hearing him, the middle-aged uncle rolled his eyes.
But after pausing for a second and seeing the luxurious meal set before Li Moxun, he finally helplessly slapped his arm with the palm-leaf fan.
"Yes, it is. You know Zhen Hua, the Number One Divine Blacksmith in the world, right? He's from around here. Are you thinking of taking him as your master?"
"If you are, I'd advise you to forget it. He's the Number One Divine Blacksmith in the world. Countless children from prestigious families have tried to become his disciples over the years, and almost no one has succeeded."
The owner shook his head as he spoke. Seeing that Li Moxun gave him no face, his tone carried a trace of mockery.
Yet in response to the owner's mildly sarcastic words, Li Moxun showed no unnecessary expression from beginning to end.
He merely sat there quietly and ate his noodles.
Seeing that Li Moxun was completely ignoring him, the owner clicked his tongue, then stood and quietly returned to the kitchen.
After paying, Li Moxun calmly rose and left. He headed straight for the Blacksmith Association in Heaven Dou City.
In Heaven Dou City, the strongest force was neither the Tang Sect nor the Spirit Pagoda, nor was it the local branch of the War God Temple. It was the Blacksmith Association.
Not only did this place gather powerful blacksmiths from across the continent, but Zhen Hua, the Number One Blacksmith in the world, also stood guard here.
At the entrance to the Blacksmith Association headquarters, Li Moxun looked at the luxurious, towering building that carried an ancient charm and calmly walked inside.
The first thing that entered his sight was an area resembling a plaza. There were more than a dozen reception counters within, and a large number of people below were making inquiries or booking blacksmiths to forge items for them.
Some wanted weapons forged, some wanted Soul Tools made, and others wanted Battle Armor crafted.
There was every imaginable kind of forging request.
Besides blacksmiths, there were also Soul Engineers, as well as many places purchasing medicinal pills, spirit herbs, and other items.
After a simple sweep of the area, Li Moxun calmly walked forward.
He did not go to the apprentice counter to become a blacksmithing apprentice, nor did he take a test for blacksmithing talent.
Because he had no intention of apprenticing himself to any blacksmith.
Li Moxun went directly to the special reception entrance for blacksmiths. As he calmly knocked on the door, a window opened, and a middle-aged man looked at him with some confusion, a questioning look in his eyes.
"Young man, blacksmiths joining the headquarters Blacksmith Association must be at least Level 4. If your rank isn't high enough, please go to another branch."
The middle-aged man smiled at Li Moxun as he spoke. At a glance, Li Moxun looked no older than ten or so.
Even if someone beat him to death, he would not believe such a child was a Level 4 Blacksmith.
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Li Moxun merely looked at him calmly and gave him a once-over.
The other party was not an ordinary person, but he was merely a Soul Master of around the Second or Third Ring.
As Li Moxun's eyes turned into Golden Pupils, a powerful sensation of spiritual control swept forth. The man's gaze gradually became unfocused before quickly regaining clarity.
The man respectfully opened the door, and Li Moxun followed behind him as the two entered the headquarters of the Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association together.
As they entered, quite a few people turned their gazes toward the middle-aged man. They were puzzled to see him bringing a child inside, but no one spoke or came over to ask.
Clearly, the middle-aged man held a certain position here.
As the two continued deeper inside, Li Moxun did not follow him further. Instead, he waited at the edge of the Blacksmith Association's true inner area.
The middle-aged man entered alone and retrieved some items from within.
When the middle-aged man jogged back and handed the items to Li Moxun, Li Moxun smiled at him, then quickly turned and left.
Only after Li Moxun had departed did the middle-aged man seem to regain some awareness in a daze.
He walked back behind his counter on his own and continued sitting there, scrolling through his Spirit Guidance Communicator with a confused smile in his eyes.
Elsewhere, in the hotel, Li Moxun sat quietly.
In his hands was the information he had obtained from the middle-aged man: the basic forging methods of blacksmiths, as well as the insights of various masters.
These things had to be bought with points within the Blacksmith Association, but staff members often browsed through them, so obtaining them was not difficult.
Li Moxun had controlled the middle-aged man and acquired these materials.
As he looked through the various forging notes, a thoughtful look appeared in Li Moxun's eyes.
The most basic requirement for a blacksmith was Hundred Refinement. This level of forging was not particularly difficult for many people; with enough time and effort, they could complete basic Hundred Refinement.
But Thousand Refinement, which came after Hundred Refinement, was a major hurdle for blacksmiths. Many blacksmiths found it difficult to achieve Thousand Refinement even after exhausting their entire lives.
Spirit Forging, which came after Thousand Refinement, was impossible for anyone without talent.
As for Soul Forging, even among top geniuses, only a very small number could accomplish it.
As for Heaven Forging, only Zhen Hua had achieved it to this day.
In the eras before Zhen Hua, there had also been people capable of Heaven Forging, but there had never been more than two. Sometimes, not a single Heaven Forging master appeared for many years.
As he read the introductions regarding forging, Li Moxun's eyes flickered slightly.
He knew something about the historical timeline of this era, but he did not truly understand this world's history very well. Thus, as he looked at these materials, his eyes held a thoughtful glint.
"Compared to mecha design, mecha production, and mecha repair, blacksmithing truly is the most profitable profession. With this profession, I probably won't have to worry about cultivation resources in the future."
As Li Moxun spoke, he slowly raised his hand.
His gaze rested on the initial requirements for Hundred Refinement, and his expression gradually settled into calmness.
Since he was already an alchemist, he could obtain an immense amount of materials through alchemy.
And if he was also a blacksmith, he would have many ways to earn money.
If he joined Shrek Academy in the future, he could also use his alchemy and blacksmithing skills to obtain more points in a short period of time and exchange them for the things he needed.
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