Eastsea Blacksmith Association 2

With the entire forging process finished, Tang Wulin put away his two Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers and followed Cen Yue and the middle-aged female evaluator out of Forging Room Three.

The shock on Cen Yue's and the evaluator's faces lingered for a long time. Their gazes kept drifting toward Tang Wulin, disbelief filling their hearts as they silently wondered, Completing Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver at nine... what has happened to this world? Are the younger generation's talents really this formidable now?

Outside the forging room, Mu Chen stood quietly in the corridor, dressed in a fitted gray outfit. The Eight-Star Saint Craftsman medal on his chest was particularly striking. He had heard every beat of the continuous hammering inside, with its resonating metallic overtones, and could no longer conceal the amazement in his eyes.

Seeing the three emerge, Mu Chen took two steps forward. His gaze settled on Tang Wulin's slight figure, still drenched in sweat, and his voice held a trace of deep emotion.

As Cen Yue and the middle-aged evaluator left the forging room, they immediately spotted Mu Chen standing in the corridor. Their expressions turned solemn, and they hurriedly bowed in greeting. "President!"

Hearing the word "President," Tang Wulin paused slightly and instinctively looked up.

The middle-aged man before him wore a simple, old-fashioned gray robe and possessed a presence as steady as a mountain. He appeared to be around forty, and an exquisite blacksmith's badge gleamed on his chest—an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman badge!

Tang Wulin understood at once.

The only Eight-Star Saint Craftsman in the entire Eastsea City Blacksmith Association was its president, Mu Chen!

He hastily offered a respectful bow, observing every courtesy.

Mu Chen's gaze remained fixed on Tang Wulin, studying his distinctive short azure hair and his clear, luminous eyes, which resembled sapphires. His own eyes brimmed with emotion and anticipation.

"At nine, you can already complete Thousand Refinement on Heavy Silver and reach the standard of a Level Three Blacksmith." Mu Chen sighed softly in admiration, then asked earnestly, "Child, do you have a teacher?"

Tang Wulin answered formally, "I have a teacher who taught me his craft. His name is Mang Tian. Strictly speaking, he never held a formal apprenticeship ceremony, but I will always remember his kindness in teaching and guiding me."

"Mang Tian..."

Mu Chen murmured the name. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he abruptly slapped his forehead in realization.

He finally remembered that Mang Tian had called him several months earlier. In an exceptionally solemn tone, Mang Tian had said that he had discovered a once-in-a-century forging genius whose future held limitless promise.

So this was the child he had meant!

"You're Tang Wulin?"

A sharp light flashed in Mu Chen's eyes. He stepped forward and gently took Tang Wulin's small hand, his voice warm with enthusiasm.

The sudden intimacy left Tang Wulin completely bewildered. He nodded blankly. "Yes, I'm Tang Wulin."

Beside them, Cen Yue and the evaluator stared in utter astonishment.

A moment later, Mu Chen smiled and spoke, his words stunning everyone present. "So that's it. You're my little disciple."

"Huh?"

Tang Wulin froze completely, his eyes filled with confusion. He instinctively protested, "President, I... I haven't taken you as my teacher!"

Mu Chen's expression was gentle, his smile full of meaning. "You haven't yet. That doesn't mean you won't in the future."

With that, he took out his Soul Communication Device and dialed Mang Tian's number on the spot.

The call connected, and Mang Tian's familiar, gentle voice immediately came through the receiver.

Before anyone else could speak, Mang Tian's voice rang out clearly for everyone to hear. "Wulin, the man standing before you is the second teacher I found for you: Grandmaster Mu Chen, the Eight-Star Saint Craftsman of Eastsea City."

With relief and hope in his voice, Mang Tian continued slowly, "Wulin, I know my talent is limited and my attainment insufficient. I can teach you basic Thousand Refinement and give you a solid foundation, but your forging talent is rare in this world. You have the potential to reach greater heights. Staying by my side would only hinder your growth and your future."

Anxiety gripped Tang Wulin's heart, and he hurriedly spoke. "Teacher, that isn't true!"

On the other end, Mang Tian laughed heartily, his tone utterly certain. "Silly child, say no more. President Mu Chen is an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman. Only with his personal guidance can your path in forging take you higher and farther. Finding this teacher for you is your good fortune, and the best arrangement I can make for you."

For a moment, the corridor fell utterly silent.

Cen Yue and the evaluator looked on in shock. As they gazed at this nine-year-old boy, who already had two renowned forging teachers and would inherit a Saint Craftsman's teachings, their hearts filled with boundless wonder.

Cen Yue and the middle-aged evaluator were both perceptive people. They immediately recognized that this was a private conversation between the president and Tang Wulin and had no wish to intrude on this rare opportunity for master and disciple. They hastily bowed in farewell and quietly departed, leaving the long corridor silent.

Only Mu Chen and Tang Wulin remained in the spacious corridor, along with Mang Tian's steady, resonant voice, each word ringing with conviction as it echoed from the Soul Communication Device.

"Wulin, you must remember this."

Mang Tian spoke with utmost seriousness, slowly explaining an age-old rule shared by forging and the soul master world. "Whether one pursues cultivation as a soul master or trains in forging, there has always been an iron law—a practitioner normally takes only one teacher in their lifetime. Turning to another teacher or taking multiple masters has always been considered a grave disrespect to one's lineage, a great taboo in the profession."

Tang Wulin listened quietly, faintly stirred, unsure why his teacher had suddenly brought up these rules.

The voice from the receiver continued, carrying the conviction and hope of the past three years. "But I never formally accepted you as my disciple."

"Three years ago, when I first glimpsed your intent in forging and the true heart behind it, I already knew that your talent and your future were far beyond anything I could contain. My horizons and my skills are ultimately limited. They simply cannot support your future."

"Ordinary craftsmen remain trapped by the shackles of their lineages, refusing to venture beyond familiar ground, but you are different. Your stage was never a single forging bench, but the entire sea of stars. For these three years, I merely taught you the foundations of forging and the basic techniques of Thousand Refinement. I never formally established us as master and disciple or bound you to a lineage."

"That is precisely why I can recommend you to President Mu Chen today without any reservations."

Mang Tian's tone grew gentler, yet brimmed with a sincere desire to help him fulfill his potential. "I don't want to hold back your talent or confine you to one teacher's knowledge. You need not be bound by the rule of inheriting from a single master. Becoming President Mu Chen's disciple today is your good fortune, and the road I have paved for you. From now on, you need only devote yourself to your training and remain true to your talent and your heart."

After hearing Mang Tian's heartfelt words over the call, Tang Wulin was deeply moved. His nose stung, and his voice was unwavering. "Teacher, whether you formally accepted me as your disciple or not, you will always be the teacher who first guided me, the teacher I respect most."

The other end of the call fell silent for a moment, while Mu Chen burst into hearty laughter beside him, full of admiration. "Mang Tian, oh, Mang Tian! You truly have taught the finest disciple in the world! Both his character and his talent are exceptional!"

After the two exchanged a few more brief remarks, the call came to an end.

Looking at the boy before him, whose heart was pure and whose talent was peerless, Mu Chen grew ever fonder of him. He immediately led Tang Wulin deeper into the association and pushed open the door to a small, elegant, tidy room.

This was the most comfortable private lounge in the Eastsea Blacksmith Association, normally reserved for the president to rest and stay in. Ordinary people never had the chance to set so much as a foot inside, yet Mu Chen brought Tang Wulin straight here specifically so he could rest and recover.

Before long, a graceful figure pushed open the door and entered.

It was Mu Xi, who had just finished her forging assessment.

Mu Xi was around thirteen or fourteen, tall and slender, standing a full head above the nine-year-old Tang Wulin. Her gaze settled lightly on the boy before her, whose childish features had yet to fade, and a thousand emotions rose in her heart.

She was a full four or five years older than Tang Wulin and had trained under her father, the Eight-Star Saint Craftsman Mu Chen, since childhood. Every day, she received instruction in the finest forging techniques and absorbed vast stores of advanced knowledge. Yet after years of effort, she had only just reached the threshold of a Level Two Blacksmith and firmly established herself at that level.

But this boy before her was only nine. His first teacher, Mang Tian, was not even a Saint Craftsman, and his resources, horizons, and lineage were all far inferior to hers. Yet through sheer, peerless talent, he had leaped across the ranks and directly earned the qualifications of a Level Three Blacksmith!

Such a disparity left even the normally composed Mu Xi with an indescribable sense of shock and admiration.

Tang Wulin quietly studied the girl before him as well, understanding dawning in his heart.

This had to be President Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi. He vaguely knew that she also attended Eastsea Academy and was his senior at school.

Mu Chen looked at the two children before him, one tall and one short, one older and one younger. His expression was gentle as he instructed Mu Xi, "Mu Xi, look after Little Wulin at the academy from now on. Like you, he's a student at Eastsea Academy. He's still young, so keep an eye on him."

At his words, Mu Xi raised her eyes and quietly looked at Tang Wulin. Her clear gaze held curiosity, scrutiny, and a trace of heartfelt admiration.

The atmosphere in the room was solemn yet warm.

Standing straight, Tang Wulin earnestly performed a complete, precise nine-bow ceremony before Mu Chen to acknowledge and honor him as his teacher. His movements were solemn and reverent, his courtesies impeccable, his sincerity wholehearted.

From that moment onward, Eight-Star Saint Craftsman Mu Chen formally accepted this nine-year-old boy as his final disciple.

Mu Xi watched the entire ceremony from the side. At first, she could not help feeling a subtle sense of disappointment.

She was four or five years older than Tang Wulin. Since childhood, she had been steeped in the finest forging resources and personally taught by a Saint Craftsman, yet she was still only a Level Two Blacksmith. This new junior disciple, who had only just enrolled in school, was merely nine, but had broken through his limitations by his own strength and firmly secured his place as a Level Three Blacksmith, effortlessly surpassing her years of hard work.

That slight unease passed in an instant, and Mu Xi soon made peace with it.