Three Years

Mu Chen spoke earnestly, his voice carrying confidence that brooked no doubt.

But as Li Qingyue listened, he merely offered a polite smile. His expression was gentle, though hardly eager.

It was not that he failed to value the forging knowledge Mu Chen had passed on to him. Forging simply occupied a very small part of his life.

To Li Qingyue, even everything Mu Chen had learned about forging took up only a tiny corner of his overall plans.

Naturally, he did not share Mu Chen's feelings.

He studied forging, and even alchemy, only to grow faster and build up more strength in the early stages.

Beyond that, Li Qingyue was not particularly interested.

Mu Chen might have believed that Li Qingyue's almost heaven-defying talent could one day usher in an entirely new era.

But as far as Li Qingyue was concerned, completing Heaven Refinement, becoming a Divine Craftsman, and successfully making Four-Word Battle Armor would be enough.

He neither wanted to think about what came after that nor felt any need to.

Mu Chen saw Li Qingyue nod and thought nothing of his muted response. He simply took the boy for shy.

Then, besides the ring, he took two forging books from a drawer and handed them to Li Qingyue.

"You should be in the Primary Class now, right? From now on, come to the Blacksmith Association every evening from Wednesday through Sunday. I'll teach you forging techniques."

"These two books contain my notes on Hundred Refinement. Read them carefully and learn what you can. They'll definitely be a great help to you."

As Mu Chen spoke, he solemnly placed the two notebooks in Li Qingyue's hands.

Li Qingyue accepted them without ceremony and gently opened one.

The notes were filled with Hundred Refinement techniques, recorded in rich detail.

They covered special forging methods for various fine iron and other metals, as well as ways to proportion and manage metal materials. Even the smallest details were set down clearly.

As Li Qingyue studied the notebook, his brows lifted slightly.

To be honest, it would be enormously helpful to a beginner like him.

Not only could it save him a great deal of time, it could also spare him much trial and error.

That was the difference between having a teacher and learning without one.

Once they had agreed on a teaching schedule, Mu Chen chatted briefly with Leng Xiaoyue.

He confirmed where Li Qingyue was living and what his usual schedule looked like.

Then Leng Xiaoyue led Li Qingyue and Na'er away.

After they returned home, Leng Xiaoyue said little about Li Qingyue's talent for forging.

In truth, she knew little about the field and could not judge just how astonishing the talent he had shown really was.

As she saw it, someone who had awakened a Phoenix Martial Soul far beyond anything ordinary was bound to be gifted.

So she paid the matter little attention.

Once Li Qingyue began studying forging under Mu Chen, however, his days were packed from morning to night.

He attended classes at the academy during the day. In the evenings, he either practiced alchemy or went to the Blacksmith Association to study forging with Mu Chen.

Now and then, he also went to Xie Xie's home for dinner.

The day after he left, he received power from Xie's Mother, his first Believer.

That power was faint and thin.

But as it steadily accumulated, it benefited him to some degree.

On the second day after her old illness returned, Xie's Mother also sent someone with ten million Federation Credits.

Li Qingyue refused the money.

If such a large, unexplained sum entered either his account or Leng Xiaoyue's, it would be easy for someone to notice.

Naturally, he would not accept it.

Amid those relatively peaceful days, three years passed almost in the blink of an eye.

Gentle sunlight fell across the earth, bathing everything around it in peace and quiet.

The ground, however, looked rather mottled.

Today was the last day of classes at the Elementary Academy, when the students would formally graduate. Most of them were laughing and playing on the field.

Though they were nearly nine years old, most felt little about finishing their classes.

After all, a large share of the Elementary Academy's graduates would go straight on to an academy in Eastsea City.

There were exceptions, of course, but not many.

As they posed for a group photo, Li Qingyue and Na'er stood side by side, holding hands.

Xie Xie stood beside them too, baring his teeth in a broad grin.

Over the past three years, Xie Xie had stayed close to Li Qingyue, acting every bit like a loyal little follower.

To be honest, Li Qingyue felt somewhat helpless about it.

When someone always put on airs, it was hard not to find them irritating.

But when someone consistently humbled himself and even went out of his way to please you, turning him away became troublesome instead.

After a quick photo, the three of them headed toward the school gate.

Noticing that Li Qingyue and Na'er were still holding hands, Xie Xie's eyes darted toward Li Qingyue. He asked tentatively:

"Qingyue, Na'er, do you want to come to my place for lunch?"

"We're making lots of good food today. There'll be braised chicken and braised chicken wings. If there's anything else you want, just tell me and I'll have our cook make it."

As he spoke, Xie Xie looked at Li Qingyue hopefully.

Li Qingyue merely smiled and shook his head.

He had nothing else planned for today, but he still had to visit the Blacksmith Association that afternoon.

There were two months left before the new term began, and he intended to devote most of that time to forging at the association.

By now, he could complete Thousand Refinement with ease and skill.

Reaching the Thousand Refinement Realm in just three years was astonishing enough.

Mu Chen had therefore set higher goals for his training and had even begun giving him dedicated one-on-one instruction.

That afternoon, Mu Chen had asked him to come for a lesson focused on Thousand Refinement techniques. Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi, would attend as well.

At her current stage, Mu Xi was still some way from taking that step.

But with a talent like Li Qingyue there, Mu Chen hoped he could help his daughter along and at least make her familiar with Thousand Refinement.

He also hoped Li Qingyue might offer a different perspective, helping Mu Xi gain a deeper understanding of Thousand Refinement and the specific methods for forging and practicing it.

Li Qingyue had no reason to refuse.

After parting from Xie Xie, Li Qingyue and Na'er walked home alone, hand in hand.

Leng Xiaoyue had not come today. In fact, she had not appeared for several days. Something seemed to be keeping her busy, and she had not even returned to cook for them.

Li Qingyue was not uneasy about it.

His Soul Power Level had already reached the Second Ring.

After reaching the Second Ring, both his Reignbow Arbiter Martial Soul and his Primordial Phoenix Martial Soul had grown tremendously, bringing a marked increase in his strength.

That was one reason he had become more confident.

The most important reason, though, was the ring Mu Chen had given him.

At a press of the ring, a Soul Douluo equipped with Three-Word Battle Armor would come to his aid. Li Qingyue had little to worry about.