Revenge and Revenge

Meeting Mu Chen's gaze, Li Moxun took a long look at the president of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association, a man well-known for being fiercely protective of his daughter.

He did not speak, simply nodding calmly before clutching his chest and waiting on the sidelines.

Less than ten minutes passed before a staff member walked out.

In his hand, he held the Level 4 Blacksmith badge, though it was a standard Level 4 badge rather than one representing the peak of the level.

Mu Chen took the badge and offered Li Moxun an apologetic smile.

"The certificate clearly states that you are a peak Level 4 blacksmith and verifies your status as a quasi-Level 5 blacksmith."

"However, we don't have that specific badge in stock, so you'll have to settle for this one."

As Mu Chen spoke, his face wore a look of regret.

While he admired Li Moxun, he felt a flicker of resentment knowing the young man had injured his disciple, Tang Wulin.

Especially after his daughter had attacked the boy, any chance of reconciliation between the two sides was virtually non-existent.

He saw this clearly, which was why he had already begun to suppress Li Moxun.

One had to realize that the treatment afforded to a standard Level 4 blacksmith was vastly different from that of a peak Level 4 or quasi-Level 5 blacksmith.

A quasi-Level 5 blacksmith enjoyed Level 5 benefits, including a monthly allocation of special metals and metal purchasing privileges, perks that were unavailable to a standard Level 4 blacksmith.

Subsidies for special metals like Dragon Blood Iron or Blue Pregnancy Steel were completely out of reach for a standard Level 4 blacksmith.

Thinking of this, Li Moxun looked deeply at Mu Chen, yet he stepped forward and thanked him quite respectfully.

Li Moxun accepted the Level 4 Blacksmith badge and turned to leave with a calm expression, even bidding the two of them farewell before he walked away.

Seeing Li Moxun act so spinelessly, a trace of mockery appeared on Mu Xi's face; however, had she seen the icy, emotionless expression on his face before he left, she might have changed her mind.

Three months of cultivation had resulted in over 2,300 points of mental power, meaning Li Moxun could now summon a clone with 2,000 points of mental power, granting him even greater strength and memory.

Yet, Li Moxun said nothing about this. He simply left calmly, boarded a Soul Engineer vehicle, and quickly returned to Eastsea Academy.

He had no actual injuries; Mu Xi's attack had been like a light tickle, less powerful than a gust of wind, let alone enough to hurt him.

Even so, he kept up the act, clutching his chest even after boarding the vehicle. It was only when he reached his room that he lowered his left hand, his eyes turning cold.

Elsewhere, as night fell and Mu Xi chatted with Mu Chen while waiting for Tang Wulin to recover, the door was pushed open violently, and Tang Wulin walked in.

Compared to the infirmary, the care provided by the Blacksmith Association was naturally more comprehensive, and Tang Wulin was now wrapped in bandages.

Seeing Tang Wulin swathed in gauze, Mu Xi couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

"How did you end up wrapped up like a mummy? Don't worry about such heavy injuries; Senior Sister has already taught him a lesson for you. His injuries are no lighter than yours."

Mu Xi spoke with pride on her face.

Although Li Moxun's Third Ring strength had shocked her, she was convinced that her sneak attack, combined with those terrifying fireballs, had left Li Moxun with injuries at least as severe as Tang Wulin's.

Hearing Mu Xi's words, Tang Wulin was startled. He knew exactly how strong Li Moxun was.

The four of them had attacked together, yet the opponent had suppressed them completely without even needing to use his second or third soul skills. Such a gap was unimaginable.

Mu Xi couldn't even beat Xie Xie, let alone Li Moxun.

"Senior Sister Mu Xi, you're not joking, are you? Li Moxun is very strong. Several of us couldn't even beat him together."

Tang Wulin opened his mouth to explain, and hearing his words, the pride on Mu Xi's face only intensified.

"Why would I lie to you? His strength is just average. After being hit by my fireballs, he's definitely nursing some serious wounds."

"That'll teach him to bully you! If he ever dares to bully you again, come find me, and I won't let him off! From now on, I've got your back here at Eastsea Academy."

Mu Xi spoke with a smug look.

Mu Chen tapped her on the head, but ultimately didn't say anything harsh.

After all, he doted on his only daughter to the extreme.

Listening to Mu Chen and Mu Xi, Tang Wulin rubbed his head, a strange look flickering in his eyes.

He had roughly guessed that Li Moxun likely hadn't dared to fight back. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Mu Xi and Mu Chen that it was because of the competition.

But they weren't stupid; they should have been able to figure that out on their own.

So, Tang Wulin fell silent for a second, decided not to continue the topic, and instead smiled at Mu Xi.

"Thank you, Senior Sister Mu Xi."

"Alright, why are you being so polite with me? Oh, right, my dad has something to talk to you about today."

Mu Xi said, tilting her head toward Mu Chen.

Mu Chen looked at Tang Wulin, his face full of satisfaction.

He spoke while placing a piece of Blue Pregnancy Steel directly onto the table.

"You forged this Blue Pregnancy Steel, right? The quality is quite good; it's reached the Second Grade, very close to the First Grade."

"You should know that once you reach the First Grade, you can directly become a Level 5 blacksmith, and the benefits and treatment will be excellent."

Mu Chen paused for a second. He tilted his head slightly to look at the Thousand Refinement First Grade piece forged from Dragon Blood Iron sitting there, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

But after a moment of thought, he shook his head and looked at Tang Wulin with hopeful eyes.

"As it happens, I recently secured a spot for a quasi-fifth-rank blacksmith, so I can arrange for you to receive those benefits first before you officially take the assessment."

"Come now, while we still have time, forge one more piece and see if we can help you break through to the first rank sooner, making you a true first-rank blacksmith."

Mu Chen said, smiling at Tang Wulin.

Beside them, Mu Xi rolled her eyes at her father.

"Seriously, Dad? Wulin is already so badly injured, and besides, you promised to take me out to dinner tonight. How can you break your word? Let him try again tomorrow; it's already nearly seven o'clock."

"It's all that Li Moxun's fault. If he hadn't come over for testing today, I could have gone shopping after you finished testing Wulin this afternoon."

As she spoke, Mu Xi pursed her lips, a look of annoyance on her face.

Hearing her words, Tang Wulin and Mu Chen looked at her with a sense of helplessness.

Inside a room at Eastsea Academy, Li Moxun sat still, his expression cold.

The door was locked from the inside. As his eyes opened calmly, golden flames seemed to burn within his vertical golden pupils, and his mental power began to slowly condense.

With over two thousand points of mental power drawn out, Li Moxun could clearly feel his body growing fatigued, yet his expression remained unchanged.

He did not intend to create a conscious clone this time; he planned to control it himself and carry out his revenge in person.