Mu Xi's Fury, Level 4 Forging Assessment

Sure enough, looking at Tang Wulin, who appeared exhausted and even pale, Mu Chen ignored Li Moxun entirely and walked straight over.

He placed his palm on Tang Wulin's body, sensing the injuries, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"What on earth did you do, kid? How did you get hurt this badly? You nearly broke two of your ribs."

Mu Chen's tone carried a hint of curiosity.

The injuries on Tang Wulin's body were not actually that severe; after all, Li Moxun had not intended to kill him.

However, even without lethal intent, the disparity in strength between the two was far too vast, leaving Tang Wulin with multiple hairline fractures.

Combined with the exhaustion of his energy, his complexion was deathly pale.

Hearing Mu Chen's words, Tang Wulin looked toward Li Moxun. Following his gaze, Mu Chen also turned his head to look at the youth standing there.

Only now did Mu Chen notice the boy on the sidelines; he appeared taller than Tang Wulin.

His long white hair was tied into a high ponytail, flowing down to complement his white robes, giving him the truly ethereal air of an immortal.

The youth was exceptionally handsome, or rather, filled with a heroic spirit, yet as Mu Chen looked him over, he couldn't quite tell if Li Moxun was a boy or a girl.

Seeing Mu Chen's puzzled expression, Mu Xi also walked over, her eyes fixed on Li Moxun with equal surprise.

One had to admit that Li Moxun's appearance was stunning, especially his cold, aloof aura.

Even in this world of people who looked like they were sculpted to perfection, he was a rare and unique sight.

However, feeling the gaze of the three upon him, Li Moxun remained calm.

"May I begin? I came here to take the Thousand Refinement First Grade examination, not to let you all waste my time."

Li Moxun looked at them, his tone unchanging.

Mu Chen said nothing, instead reaching out to take the documents from Cen Yue's hand. Seeing the description of Li Moxun's age and name, a flash of surprise crossed his face.

"You're also from Eastsea Academy. It seems Tang Wulin's injuries are your handiwork."

Mu Chen remarked, scrutinizing Li Moxun, though he had no intention of teaching the boy a lesson.

Given the significant age gap, disciplining Li Moxun now would be bullying someone younger, which would only invite criticism.

As the dignified president of the Blacksmith Association, he would not do such a thing, yet he looked at Li Moxun with a critical eye.

However, upon hearing that Tang Wulin's injuries were caused by Li Moxun, Mu Xi exploded, her eyes fixed firmly on the youth.

"Why would you hurt Tang Wulin for no reason? He shouldn't have any grudges against you; after all, little Wulin is quite honest."

As she spoke, Mu Xi stepped forward, blocking Li Moxun's path.

Gazing at Mu Xi and catching the scent wafting from her, Li Moxun frowned.

The youth's cold, red eyes stared at Mu Xi, his gaze devoid of waves, showing only clear annoyance and disdain.

"Competition involves winning and losing. If this senior sister wishes, you and I can have a match, and I'll give you a chance to avenge Tang Wulin."

"But for now, please do not waste my time. I did not hurt Tang Wulin in public, so I do not accept your interrogative tone."

Li Moxun took a step back, the girl's fragrance making him feel impatient.

Watching Li Moxun retreat, Mu Xi glared at him.

"Fine, I won't bother you. I'll let you finish the Thousand Refinement First Grade test first, but when you're done, meet me at the sparring stage downstairs. I want to see just how strong you really are."

Mu Xi snorted coldly.

Hearing Mu Xi's words, Tang Wulin's expression shifted.

He knew exactly how strong Li Moxun was.

Although they were all generally at the Second Ring level—he himself was only at the First Ring—they were well aware of how powerful a true Third Ring expert could be.

Xie Xie could likely hold his own against Mu Xi, perhaps even winning through a sneak attack, let alone Li Moxun.

Just as Tang Wulin tried to speak, he felt a tightness in his chest, lost his footing, and stumbled to the ground.

Seeing this, Cen Yue hurried over, placing a hand on Tang Wulin to assess the injuries within his body.

He frowned, cast a look of disgust at Li Moxun, and then looked at Mu Chen.

"President, I'll take Wulin down to get treated first. As for the rest, we can discuss it with Wulin later."

As he spoke, Cen Yue scooped Tang Wulin up with one arm and carried him toward the stairs.

Watching Cen Yue leave, Tang Wulin weakly reached out a hand; he wanted to stop Mu Xi, but it was clearly too late.

Seeing Tang Wulin's state, Mu Xi's expression turned even uglier, but Mu Chen said nothing, instead gesturing toward a forging room to the side.

"No. 7 Forging Room. You may begin. As for the metal, use the Dragon Blood Iron."

Mu Chen spoke calmly. Hearing this, Li Moxun glanced at him.

Dragon Blood Iron was among the more difficult metals to work with. Standard Thousand Refinement First Grade exams usually used standard Dark Iron; by choosing Dragon Blood Iron, the man was clearly trying to make things difficult for him.

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 cabinet and placed it down, his eyes fixed calmly upon the metal.

The next second, his red eyes shifted into golden vertical pupils. His Golden Pupils burned with heat, and his mental power began to focus with absolute intensity.

He had already succeeded in Thousand Refinement First Grade forging several times, so he possessed a hundred-percent recall of the memory for it; this was precisely the most terrifying aspect of Li Moxun.

As long as he could successfully complete the forging of a metal, he would possess a near hundred-percent level of forging proficiency the next time he attempted it.

Watching from the outside, the youth walked in and stood there, beginning to forge immediately without any hesitation or preparation.

Mu Chen frowned and followed him inside, while Mu Xi stood by his side.

Although she felt somewhat irritated and wanted to give Li Moxun a harsh lesson, Mu Xi dared not interfere with an examination of this nature, or rather, she could not afford not to participate.

Seeing the two of them standing there watching him, Li Moxun calmly closed his eyes.

The next second, the forging hammer in his hand rose, and as the sound of metal striking metal rang out, it was followed by a second strike, a third strike, and one strike after another.

Li Moxun's forging technique was nothing spectacular; it was simply a standard method, yet it could be described with one word: steady—steady to the extreme.

The force of every single hammer blow was controlled to a hundred percent, without a single shred of deviation or variation; it was like a copy, flawless in every way.

At the beginning, Mu Chen watched his forging with a cold expression, but as each of Li Moxun's blows landed with perfect, hundred-percent force, his demeanor shifted.

Feeling the metal being forged steadily step by step, Mu Chen's expression transformed from calm to surprise, and finally, to sheer shock.