Assessment

Seven days later,

Eastsea City, East Sea Blacksmith Association

Over the past seven days, Li Ziming had gradually assimilated his cultivation, the memory fragments carried in Mu Chen's blood, and the original owner's forging knowledge. Once he was certain he had reached the level of a fourth-rank forging master and could complete the Thousand Refinements assessment,

he came to Eastsea City, far removed from the original owner's social circle, after confirming that the original owner's body had been cremated and buried, leaving behind no further worries.

He decided to take the third-rank and fourth-rank forging master examinations consecutively at the East Sea Blacksmith Association, making a name for himself in one stroke so that he could gain the attention and support of the Forging Masters Association's higher-ups and grow more quickly.

Shaking his head, Li Ziming cast all those chaotic thoughts from his mind and found a snack shop where he ate his fill.

Then he headed straight for the Forging Masters Association's front desk to apply for the third-rank forging master assessment.

"Hello, Mr. Li Ziming. Are you sure you want to take the third-rank and fourth-rank forging master assessments consecutively?"

The young woman at the front desk looked at Li Ziming and asked in surprise.

It could not be helped. In her boring job, it was rare to see someone as young as Li Ziming scheduling consecutive promotion examinations all the way up to fourth-rank forging master.

"Yes. I gained some insights recently, so I'm fairly confident."

"Is that so? Then I wish you success! The assessment room is Forging Room 403 on the fourth floor. An examiner will arrive there in half an hour."

Imitating the original owner's aloof manner, Li Ziming nodded and turned to enter the elevator.

Half an hour later,

the evaluator said, "The third-rank forging master assessment is Thousand Refinements. The metal you choose and the final result of your forging will determine your score."

After hearing the evaluator's words, Li Ziming chose tungsten steel as usual. Both he and the original owner had forged this stuff often, so he knew it inside out. As for why, the answer was simple: he had no money and could not afford other rare metals.

Seeing Li Ziming's choice, the evaluator nodded.

From that moment onward, Li Ziming truly began to take things seriously.

The moment he activated his spiritual power, every pattern within the metal became crystal clear to his eyes.

If forging metal was like courting a girl, then at this level of forging, with spiritual power nearly at the Spiritual Sea realm, he was equivalent to holding a detailed guide in his hand. He clearly understood every preference and every trait of the other party. All he had to do was follow the steps.

In this state, he could even clearly see the spirituality within the metal and the detailed process by which a forging master awakened that spirituality.

Bang! Li Ziming's first hammer came crashing down, and the hard metal collided violently with the hammerhead. The crisp, powerful sound was like the opening note of a stirring composition, reverberating and spreading through the room.

As Li Ziming focused completely, keenly adjusting the force of every hammer strike according to the subtle changes in the metal's internal patterns, the clanging of metal rose impassionedly at times and softened into low, soothing notes at others. It was like a moving melody of peaks and valleys, freely performing the wondrous changes of rhythm and cadence amid its shifting highs and lows.

At last, Li Ziming's final hammer fell with precision. The collision between hammer and metal gave off a long, crisp lingering note. The metallic strikes that had echoed through the room like a lively composition slowly faded away, bringing this unique "musical performance" to a perfect close.

Thousand Refinements complete!

The evaluator stared blankly at the young man before him. Here, he had watched the assessments of countless forging masters.

Yet throughout his career as an examiner, he had never seen a low-rank forging master like Li Ziming, whose movements flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, completed in a single unbroken motion. Every strike and every adjustment seemed utterly natural, revealing an indescribable and unique beauty amid the rigid forging process.

The evaluator carefully placed the piece of metal onto the instrument. Immediately, a spiritual glow more than a foot long appeared—Thousand Refinements Grade One!

The evaluator asked excitedly, "Child, can you tell me how old you are this year?"

Li Ziming smiled. "Fifteen."

"You passed the assessment perfectly. You must be the youngest third-rank forging master, right?" As he said this, the evaluator silently glanced at that piece of Thousand Refinements Grade One metal and changed "third-rank" to "fourth-rank" in his heart.

Li Ziming turned and went out to apply for the fourth-rank forging master assessment. The evaluator immediately rushed out to report the matter to his superior. He had discovered a genius—his performance for the year was secured!

After applying for his fourth-rank forging master assessment, Li Ziming quietly found a place to meditate and restore himself. Performing a session of Thousand Refinements with his spiritual power activated had consumed some of his stamina, even for him.

When it was time for Li Ziming to take the fourth-rank forging master assessment, he was assigned a different forging room and a different evaluator.

Looking at the various metals in the room, Li Ziming asked, "I'm ready. What is the content of the fourth-rank forging master assessment?"

This evaluator was a woman. Looking at Li Ziming, she said, "For the fourth-rank forging master assessment, you must perform Thousand Refinements on three types of metal. Of those three metals, at least one must reach Thousand Refinements Grade Two."

The evaluator looked at Li Ziming and said, "Child, don't push yourself too hard. Forging is a process that consumes a great deal of vitality and blood."

Li Ziming glanced at the evaluator in surprise. "Thank you for your concern."

Li Ziming walked over to the metal rack and chose three metals: tungsten steel, Sinking Silver, and Heavenly Dragon Iron.

Bang! As Li Ziming took out his forging hammer and began striking the metal, the rhythmic sounds once again echoed through the forging room.

The vitality and blood throughout Li Ziming's body, along with his Soul Power and spiritual power, began circulating. Three consecutive sessions of Thousand Refinements were no small drain on him.

While Li Ziming was performing Thousand Refinements in the forging room, his personal information was reported upward layer by layer until it arrived on Mu Chen's desk.

"Near-perfect-quality Thousand Refinements Grade One! Fifteen years old! He has the potential to become an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman! There may even be a sliver of a chance for him to challenge the rank of Divine Craftsman!"

Across the entire Douluo Continent, there were only a dozen or so Saint Craftsmen. Their status was higher than that of ordinary Super Douluo, and most of them were Seven-Star Saint Craftsmen. There were fewer than five Eight-Star Saint Craftsmen, making them true one-in-a-million talents.

Looking at Li Ziming's completed third-rank assessment piece, Mu Chen became interested in taking him as a disciple. He had never accepted a disciple before, and now such a genius had practically delivered himself to his doorstep. Naturally, he had to take a look. If the boy had no master and his character met Mu Chen's standards, then perhaps he could accept this child as his founding chief disciple.

When he arrived at the entrance and heard that Li Ziming was already taking the fourth-rank forging master assessment, he quietly walked outside the assessment room and silently listened to the sounds coming from within.

At the same time, he had someone investigate the child's background. As long as there were no major problems, he could continue making contact.

The rhythmic forging sounds coming from inside allowed Mu Chen to judge instantly that the person within possessed absolutely solid foundations in Thousand Refinements.

He was likely not far from Spirit Refinement either.

As Li Ziming's hammer fell again and again, Hundred Refinements purification and Thousand Refinements spiritual empowerment were both completed with effortless ease.

Thousand Refinements Grade One! Completed within twenty minutes!

Li Ziming let out a breath and casually picked up the next piece of metal.

After an hour of forging, all three pieces of metal had completed Thousand Refinements! And every one of them was Thousand Refinements Grade One!

The evaluator looked at Li Ziming with shock and excitement. "From now on, you are a fourth-rank forging master."

Looking at the incredibly young fourth-rank forging master before her, she felt as though she had witnessed the birth of the next Saint Craftsman.