Mu Chen and Mu Xi!

"Before that, though."

"Let's go get something to eat first."

Tang Wulin gestured toward the cafeteria not far away and spoke.

The intermediate division cafeteria was housed in a small, three-story building beside the main teaching block, with each floor serving two of the six intermediate grades.

The first and second grades were on the first floor, the third and fourth grades on the second, and naturally, the topmost floor was prepared for the fifth and sixth grades.

Additionally, the academy's food was divided into three tiers: ordinary, standard, and premium. The ordinary tier was free, while the somewhat better standard tier and the best premium tier were considerably more expensive.

"Is the ordinary tier just buns and vegetable soup?"

"I can eat whatever I want, though I wonder how much I can actually hold."

A wave of memories washed over Tang Wulin internally, and he couldn't help thinking to himself.

He was truly quite curious about these meals, which had forged the original character's "big eater" persona in the original work.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Do you want to eat this?"

The moment they stepped inside, Xie Xie caught sight of Tang Wulin standing before the ordinary tier food counter and couldn't help asking with a trace of puzzlement.

Those things just looked like plain buns; there didn't seem to be anything tasty about them.

"I want to try them."

Tang Wulin walked up, casually picked up two buns, and spoke.

"These look like they don't cost any money. Such big buns aren't bad at all."

Xie Xie followed along beside him, picked up a bun, and remarked with a touch of appreciation.

He had to admit that the portion was genuinely quite substantial. Palm-sized buns meant that even Soul Masters with much larger appetites could easily fill up by eating a few extra.

Most importantly, this stuff was free. For ordinary students without much money, it was a great way to save some cash.

"Mhm..."

"I feel like this stuff doesn't keep you full for very long, though."

A short while later, Tang Wulin, holding a bowl of vegetable soup, wore an expression of mild realization and muttered to himself.

"I suppose that ever since acquiring the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline..."

"My appetite really is like a bottomless pit."

He couldn't help thinking such thoughts.

That wasn't really a problem, though. After all, he was a Golden Dragon King, so was it any surprise that his appetite was a bit larger?

"Am I eating a bit too much?"

Tang Wulin drained the soup he was holding in one go, pulled a tissue from his soul guidance device to wipe his mouth, looked over at Xie Xie, and said with a smile.

Elegance never goes out of style.

"..."

At that moment, however, Xie Xie was completely rattled by the cold wind, wearing a bizarre expression as he merely nodded in silence.

It wasn't that he was exaggerating—he had felt full after eating four buns, yet he had stood right there and watched Tang Wulin eat... one hundred and thirty-four buns.

One hundred and thirty-four buns. What kind of concept was that!

If that were all, it would be one thing, but stubbornly enough, after eating all of that, the guy didn't even have the slightest feeling of being full!

"They say the stronger a person is, the more they eat..."

No wonder he was able to send me flying with a single punch. So Big Brother Lin is capable of eating this much food...

A faint, hard-to-read expression surfaced on Xie Xie's face, and he couldn't help thinking silently to himself.

As expected of Big Brother Lin, truly terrifying.

"I have some business to attend to."

"I'll be heading out first, Xie Xie."

Tang Wulin slowly rose to his feet, looked at the person before him, and spoke slowly.

"Alright, Big Brother Lin."

"Take your time."

Hearing this, Xie Xie immediately nodded and replied.

"It's about time I made a trip to the Blacksmith Association."

"I wonder what kind of check-in reward I can get this time."

After leaving the cafeteria, Tang Wulin strode toward the exit of the academy, such thoughts inevitably drifting through his mind.

"Back in that tiny place of Aolai City, no blacksmith ranks had been awarded yet. This time, I can get my previous certifications sorted out all at once."

Tang Wulin chuckled softly.

The Eastsea City Blacksmith Association, located not far from Donghai Academy, was a towering grey skyscraper standing a full thirty floors high.

Its exterior was also extremely easy to recognize, featuring a giant hammer emblem near the top. With a symbol like that, there was no need for a nameplate; anyone with eyes would surely know it was a place for that particular profession.

"The Blacksmith Association of this era."

"It really is extraordinary."

Walking through the glass doors on the first floor and taking in the sight before him, Tang Wulin couldn't help letting out a sigh of admiration.

Directly ahead of him stood a ten-meter-tall glass wall, upon which was mounted a golden giant hammer relief carving at least eight meters tall, its wealth evident at a glance.

In Eastsea City, while the Blacksmith Association wasn't as wealthy as the renowned Mecha Association, it was undoubtedly an indispensable presence.

After all, the high-grade materials required to manufacture mechas could only be produced by high-level blacksmiths. Moreover, the most prestigious and capable among them, the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, was the only man on the continent capable of crafting materials for four-word battle armor.

As for Battle Armor Masters—that was a profession that had scarcely appeared a few times in the entire history of Eastsea City, and only blacksmiths could create their armor.

"Little brother, who are you looking for?"

The lobby reception area was extremely spacious. A young woman dressed in a grey professional suit looked at Tang Wulin not far away and asked.

"Big sister, I'm here to see President Mu Chen."

"At the same time, I'm here for a blacksmith professional rating."

Tang Wulin slowly walked forward and spoke.

Unlike in the original work, Mang Tian had already arranged an appointment for him with Mu Chen before coming to Eastsea City, planning for him to meet the man on this very day.

"Looking for President Mu Chen?"

Hearing such a statement, the young woman was momentarily stunned, her expression turning into one of sheer astonishment.

She had indeed heard her supervisor mention earlier that a young man would be coming to see President Mu Chen today... but surely not this young?

You call this young?

"Let me check for you..."

"President Mu Chen, a nine-year-old child... Ah, you really want to let him through?"

After pondering for a moment, she immediately picked up the phone to call Mu Chen, inquiring about the situation. Upon receiving an affirmative reply, she couldn't help feeling somewhat incredulous.

"Little kid, I'll take you to the third floor. President Mu Chen is waiting for you there."

As she spoke, she slowly took his hand and led him toward the elevators.

"Mm, alright."

Tang Wulin silently followed along and gave a soft acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Blacksmith Association, a middle-aged man of about forty had just stepped out of the elevator.

He looked dignified and dashing, wearing a set of silver-grey combat attire that outlined his robust physique. Pinned to his left chest was a badge.

No matter who looked at him, their eyes would inevitably be drawn to this badge first. Its background was gold, bearing a slightly raised hammer pattern, and the stars upon it were all black—eight in total.

Eight stars represented an eighth-level professional rank, while the gold background and hammer shape denoted the forging profession... This was an Eighth-Level Blacksmith.

An Eight-Star Saint Craftsman! Across the entire Blacksmith Association, there was only one other blacksmith at this level.

"Mu Xi."

"We're waiting for a little kid to arrive."

This person was none other than the president of the Blacksmith Association, Mu Chen. Standing beside him at that moment was a young girl.

She looked around thirteen or fourteen years old, tall in stature and exceedingly pretty. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, and her form-fitting outfit gave her a very sharp and capable appearance.

She was his daughter, Mu Xi, who was also a blacksmithing genius.

"Dad."

"You're having us wait for a little kid?"

A look of puzzlement crossed her face, and she couldn't help speaking up.

"That's right."

"This little kid is quite something. According to an old friend of mine, his talent is truly extraordinary."

Mu Chen nodded in response.

He didn't know the specific details, but a child recommended by an old friend he hadn't contacted in years definitely wouldn't be ordinary.

"Extraordinary talent?"

"Could it possibly compare to mine..."

Mu Xi puffed out her cheeks and thought to herself in silence.

She wanted to see just how capable this kid with such great talent really was!