Level-One Blacksmith!

East Sea Blacksmith Association.

There were hardly any people at the Forging Association at this hour.

Su Yu walked in and approached the front desk, while Riolu wandered along beside his feet.

"Hello! How can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely.

"Yeah! I'm here for a blacksmith rank assessment!" Su Yu said directly.

"Alright! A Level-One Blacksmith assessment?"

"Yeah!" Su Yu nodded, then added, "And for him too!"

He pointed at Riolu beside him.

"So cute!" The receptionist became excited when she noticed Riolu at Su Yu's feet.

There were not many Pokémon being sold by the Team Rocket now, with only one or two sold almost every day.

The reason was still the shortage of Pokémon.

But that had also driven the price of Pokémon Soul Spirits to astronomical heights.

Especially for those who had money but lacked Inner Focus.

They were practically crazed over Pokémon Soul Spirits.

As a result, Pokémon Soul Spirits were still very rare.

"Wait!" The receptionist came back to her senses, her voice full of disbelief. "He can forge?"

"Riolu! Riolu!"

Hearing her words, Riolu protested indignantly, "Don't look down on me, alright? I'm really strong!"

He even patted his chest.

"He can," Su Yu said.

"But..." The receptionist hesitated.

"What? Is that not allowed?" Su Yu asked.

"Uh, it's not that it isn't allowed! This is just my first time seeing a Spirit Soul take a blacksmith assessment!" the receptionist said, looking at Riolu.

"So, can we register?" Su Yu asked.

"There's no rule saying it's forbidden, so it should be fine!" As she spoke, the receptionist began registering them.

The registration was completed quickly. The receptionist said:

"Take these. The assessment is on the third floor, Forging Room 301. A blacksmith will be waiting for you there!"

"Thanks!" Su Yu took the two forms and headed to the third floor by elevator.

Su Yu and Riolu arrived at Room 301. The moment they pushed open the door, they saw a middle-aged man standing inside.

Bulging muscles had already become the symbol of every blacksmith.

This middle-aged man was no exception, though he was tall and slender.

His proportions looked just right.

"Hello! I'm Mang Tian, the blacksmith in charge of your assessment!" Mang Tian said calmly.

"Mang Tian! Tang Wulin's forging teacher!" Su Yu was slightly surprised inwardly.

However, he quickly regained his composure.

"Huh, weren't there supposed to be two people? Where's the other one?" Mang Tian looked behind Su Yu but found no second person.

"Oh, he'll be here in a moment!" Su Yu kept him guessing.

"Fine!" Mang Tian said indifferently.

Waiting was no big deal.

However, when he noticed Riolu at Su Yu's feet, he was slightly surprised.

"A Pokémon Soul Spirit!"

He quickly returned to normal, thinking to himself:

What rich young master came here to learn forging?

Mang Tian looked at Su Yu's clothing and became certain. He was definitely the son of some wealthy family.

So handsome!

Those clothes were far too stylish. They had to be worth a fortune.

Wait, if he gives me a stack of money, should I let him pass?

Mang Tian had heard before that the sons of wealthy families who wanted to become blacksmiths would directly give the responsible blacksmith several million.

Bribing the blacksmith!

He felt like he had run into that today.

For several million, should I...!

"I'm starting!" Su Yu walked straight to the rack and selected a piece of metal ore.

Then he went to the forging table, placed the ore in the furnace, and began heating it.

No, that's not how this is supposed to go! Mang Tian thought regretfully.

Looks like this kid has actually studied forging!

Watching Su Yu's movements, Mang Tian saw that he did not look like an amateur. He had probably handled a forging hammer before.

As Su Yu waited for the ore to heat, steel-type energy flowed out from his body as he sensed the changes in the ore inside the furnace.

This time, Su Yu had still chosen Sinking Silver.

It was also one of the ores he understood best.

The Sinking Silver finished heating.

Su Yu directly used tongs to clamp the Sinking Silver and place it on the forging table.

He could have pressed the button nearby to raise the ore out of the furnace.

However, Su Yu still chose to use the tongs himself.

He took a forging hammer out of his storage space.

The forging hammer was grayish silver overall, with blue patterns running across its surface.

Riolu and Su Yu had forged this hammer together, and naturally, it was made from Thousand Refinement metal.

As everyone knew, Thousand Refinement forging hammers came with special effects.

For example, Tang Wulin's stacking-hammer effect allowed one strike to produce the effect of multiple strikes.

Su Yu's forging hammer also had a special effect, and it was very powerful.

The moment he picked up the forging hammer, his aura changed.

After forging for so long, he had developed a forging state unique to himself.

"Not bad talent!" Mang Tian said in slight surprise.

Su Yu raised his arm and swung the hammer.

The hammer fell, sending sparks flying everywhere.

The special effect erupted!

Su Yu could feel blue ripples emerging from the forging hammer, completely enveloping the metal being forged.

That was right, it was Aura.

Every hammer strike released Aura, probing the metal's condition.

This made it easier for the blacksmith to make the right judgment.

Su Yu continued forging, swinging his hammer again and again.

At that moment, the forging room door was not closed, and the sound of forging carried into the corridor outside.

Two figures slowly approached from that direction.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to Forging Room 301.

The figure walking in front slowed slightly. When he saw the face of the person forging inside, he was a little surprised.

"President!" Mang Tian hurriedly called out when he saw the newcomer.

"Mm!" Mu Chen nodded, his gaze fixed on Su Yu.

Mu Xi behind him also saw Su Yu—or rather, she saw Riolu.

She was holding a small bear in her arms.

The little bear was brown.

Pokémon: Teddiursa!

Only then did Mu Xi notice that the person forging was actually Su Yu.

"Is he a blacksmith too?"

The three of them then watched Su Yu forge.

Seeing this, Mu Chen nodded slightly. "Not bad. At his age, he can already complete Hundredfold Forging. He's a good prospect!"

Mang Tian also nodded in agreement with Mu Chen's opinion, though he thought to himself:

Still, he's not as good as my apprentice!

Without realizing it, he began comparing Su Yu with his apprentice, Tang Wulin.

They should be about the same age, around eight or nine. My Tang Wulin is a Level-Three Blacksmith, while this kid can barely count as a Level-One Blacksmith!

Tang Wulin wins completely!

A surge of pride rose within Mang Tian.

Soon, Su Yu completed the Hundredfold Forging and looked at the Hundredfold Forged Sinking Silver before him.

"Not bad! You're now a Level-One Blacksmith!" Mang Tian applauded.

"Thank you!" Su Yu said politely. If he wanted to become a Level-Two Blacksmith now, he could barely manage it as well.

The assessments for Level-One Blacksmiths and Level-Two Blacksmiths only involved crafting Hundredfold Forged components.

At this moment, Su Yu also noticed Mu Chen and Mu Xi outside the door.

"When is the next person coming?" Mang Tian asked.

"He's already here!" Su Yu paid no attention to Mu Xi and Mu Chen as he handed the forging hammer to Riolu.