Sure enough, when Mu Chen saw Tang Wulin's exhausted face and even his pale complexion, he didn't bother with Li Moxun and went straight over.
He placed a hand on Tang Wulin and felt the injuries on his body. His eyes filled with astonishment.
"What on earth did you do, kid? How did you get so badly hurt? You nearly broke two bones."
There was curiosity in Mu Chen's voice.
Tang Wulin's injuries weren't actually that serious. After all, Li Moxun hadn't gone all out.
But even though Li Moxun hadn't gone all out, the difference in strength between them was simply too great, so Tang Wulin had suffered several fractures.
Combined with the energy he'd expended, his face was now deathly pale.
At Mu Chen's words, Tang Wulin looked toward Li Moxun. Following his gaze, Mu Chen turned his head toward the boy standing there.
Only then did Mu Chen look at the boy beside them. He appeared a little taller than Tang Wulin.
His long white hair was tied into a high ponytail, and it streamed down behind him. With his white clothes, he really did look like an immortal whose beauty could rival snow.
The boy was especially handsome—or rather, he had a heroic air about him. But when Mu Chen looked at him, he honestly couldn't tell whether Li Moxun was male or female.
Noticing Mu Chen's puzzled look, Mu Xi came over as well. She, too, regarded Li Moxun with some surprise.
Li Moxun's appearance was undeniably striking, especially his cool, aloof pride.
Even in a world where everyone looked like a character model, he was a rare and unique sight.
But as the three of them stared at him, Li Moxun remained calm.
"May we begin? I came here to take the Thousand Refinement First Grade assessment, not to waste my time with you."
Li Moxun looked at them, his tone unchanged.
Mu Chen said nothing. He simply took the documents from Cen Yue and, after reading the details about Li Moxun's age and name, showed a flicker of surprise.
"You're from Eastsea Academy too. So you're the one who injured Wulin."
As he spoke, Mu Chen sized up Li Moxun. He wasn't planning to teach him a lesson.
After all, there was a huge age gap between them. If Mu Chen reprimanded Li Moxun now, it would be bullying someone younger than him, and people would criticize him for it.
As the dignified president of the Blacksmith Association, he couldn't do such a thing. Still, his eyes scrutinized Li Moxun with a hint of disapproval.
But when Mu Xi heard that Li Moxun had injured Tang Wulin, she exploded. The girl fixed her gaze on Li Moxun.
"Why did you hurt Tang Wulin for no reason? He shouldn't have anything against you. Wulin's a very honest person, after all."
As she spoke, Mu Xi stepped forward and stood in front of Li Moxun.
Li Moxun frowned as he looked at Mu Xi and caught the fragrance wafting from her.
His cool, crimson eyes rested on Mu Xi without a ripple. All they showed was clear irritation and distaste.
"Competitions have winners and losers. If you'd like, Senior Sister, you and I can have a match too. I'll give you the chance to avenge Tang Wulin."
"But don't waste my time now. I didn't injure Tang Wulin in front of everyone, either, so I won't accept you questioning me in that tone."
Li Moxun said this as he took a step back. The scent on the girl was beginning to bother him.
Seeing Li Moxun retreat, Mu Xi glared at him.
"Fine, I won't bother you. Take your Thousand Refinement First Grade test first. But when you're done, meet me at the competition stage downstairs. I want to see just how strong you really are."
Mu Xi spoke with a cold snort.
At her words, Tang Wulin's expression changed.
He knew exactly how strong Li Moxun was.
Though they were all generally Second Ring soul masters—and he himself had only one ring—they knew how strong a normal Third Ring soul master could be.
Xie Xie might have been able to beat Mu Xi back then. He was no weaker than her and might even have won by catching her off guard. There was no need to mention Li Moxun.
Tang Wulin had just started to speak when his chest suddenly tightened. His legs gave way, and he staggered before dropping heavily onto the floor.
Seeing this, Cen Yue hurried over and placed a hand on Tang Wulin, checking the various injuries inside his body.
He frowned and shot Li Moxun a somewhat disgusted look before turning to Mu Chen.
"President, I'll take Wulin downstairs for treatment. We can talk to him about those matters another time."
As Cen Yue spoke, he wrapped one arm around Tang Wulin and lifted him straight up, then carried him upstairs.
Watching Cen Yue leave, Tang Wulin weakly reached out. He wanted to stop Mu Xi, but it was clearly too late.
Seeing Tang Wulin's condition, Mu Xi's expression grew even darker. Mu Chen, however, said nothing. He simply pointed to the forging room nearby.
"Forging Room No. 7. You can begin. As for the metal, use Dragon Blood Iron."
Mu Chen spoke calmly. At his words, Li Moxun glanced at him.
Dragon Blood Iron was one of the more difficult metals to work with. A standard Thousand Refinement First Grade assessment normally used Dark Iron, so having him use Dragon Blood Iron was already making things difficult for him.
But Li Moxun didn't care. He opened the door and walked in, not even bothering to close it behind him.
He took a piece of Dragon Blood Iron from the display case and set it down. His eyes calmly settled on the metal.
The next moment, his red eyes turned into golden, vertical pupils. His blazing Golden Pupils flared to life, and he focused his mental power completely.
He had already succeeded at Thousand Refinement First Grade several times. His memory of the process was perfect, and that was what made Li Moxun truly frightening.
Once he could successfully forge a particular metal, he could reproduce that level of skill almost perfectly the next time he forged it.
Outside, Mu Chen watched the boy step in and take his place, then begin forging without the slightest pause or preparation.
Mu Chen frowned and followed him inside. Mu Xi stood beside him.
Though she was annoyed and wanted to teach Li Moxun a harsh lesson, Mu Xi wouldn't dare interrupt an assessment like this—or rather, she couldn't afford to miss it.
As the two of them stood watching, Li Moxun calmly closed his eyes.
The next moment, the forging hammer in his hand rose and fell. The first clang rang out against the metal, followed by a second strike, then a third, and then one blow after another.
There was nothing particularly dazzling about Li Moxun's forging technique. It was ordinary, but one word described it perfectly: steady. Steady to the extreme.
He controlled the force of every blow with absolute precision. There wasn't the slightest deviation or variation, as if each strike were a perfect copy of the last. Nothing could go wrong.
At first, Mu Chen watched him forge with a cold expression. But as Li Moxun's blows landed one after another, each with precisely the same force,
and the metal was steadily forged, Mu Chen's expression shifted from calm to astonished, and finally to utter shock.
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