Brother Xuan, You're Here Too?

"Thanks, Mom. I'm heading out!"

After saying goodbye to Lin Ximeng, Yao Xuan left Hongshan Junior Academy and headed for Mang Tian's Workshop.

Aolai City was not very large to begin with, and Mang Tian's Workshop and Hongshan Junior Academy both happened to be located in the city center. After just a twenty-minute walk, Yao Xuan arrived in front of Mang Tian's Workshop.

It was a small storefront that looked rather old from the outside. A metal sign hung above it, bearing the five bold, vigorous golden characters: "Mang Tian's Workshop."

The moment he reached the entrance, Yao Xuan clearly sensed that the surrounding temperature had risen by several degrees. The air carried the distinct smell of heated metal, while a steady, rhythmic chorus of metallic clang-clang sounds rang in his ears.

"Ding-dong."

At the entrance to Mang Tian's Workshop, Yao Xuan pressed the doorbell. Before long, the door was opened by a burly man in his twenties with a powerful build and well-defined arm muscles.

"Hello, kid. I'm Brother Long. This is Mang Tian's Workshop. What can I do for you?"

Although he looked somewhat unfriendly, Brother Long's voice was not as rough as one might have expected. It was rather gentle, and he wore a faint smile.

"Brother Long, I'm Yao Xuan. I'm here to take Master Mang Tian's assessment."

Hearing Brother Long's question, Yao Xuan answered honestly.

"Oh, so you're Yao Xuan! All right, come in. Teacher is forging right now. Once he finishes his work, he'll come out to see you."

After receiving Yao Xuan's answer, Brother Long nodded and led him into the workshop.

As soon as he entered the workshop, a wave of heat washed over him. Compared with outside, the temperature inside was more than ten degrees higher. All sorts of metal components lay scattered across the floor and worktables, forged into a variety of shapes.

"Hey, Brother Xuan, why are you here too?"

Just as Yao Xuan entered the workshop, a black-haired boy seated on a stool in the corner suddenly looked up. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked at Yao Xuan and spoke.

"Oh, Wulin, it's you! You're here to learn forging too? What a coincidence."

Although he knew Tang Wulin would definitely come to Mang Tian's Workshop to learn forging, Yao Xuan still put on a surprised expression.

"Wulin, is this the Yao Xuan you told us about? The one who spoke up for you in class and guided your cultivation?"

Beside Tang Wulin sat a middle-aged couple with ordinary-looking faces. They were Tang Wulin's adoptive parents, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue. Hearing Tang Wulin greet Yao Xuan, Lang Yue leaned close to Tang Wulin's ear and quietly asked.

"Yes, Mom, it's him. I never expected him to come here to learn forging too. We really are fated!"

Hearing Lang Yue's question, Tang Wulin nodded, his eyes filled with delight. Just then, Yao Xuan walked over to his side.

"Good afternoon, Uncle and Auntie! I'm Yao Xuan, Tang Wulin's classmate."

Yao Xuan politely greeted Tang Ziran and Lang Yue before introducing himself.

"Thank you for helping Wulin. You really are such a good child!"

With a kindly expression, Lang Yue touched Yao Xuan's hand and spoke softly.

"Yes, thank you very much for helping him. On Wulin's behalf, I sincerely thank you as well!"

Tang Ziran beside her also expressed his thanks earnestly.

"Uncle, Auntie, whenever I see Wulin, I feel especially close to him. If he gets into trouble in the future and it's within my ability, I'll definitely help him. Besides, I feel like Wulin and I are quite fated too. We even ran into each other here."

Hearing Tang Ziran and Lang Yue's words, Yao Xuan scratched his head in feigned embarrassment before replying.

"Ah, then thank you so much!"

After hearing Yao Xuan's words, gratitude filled Lang Yue's eyes as she thanked him once more.

After the pleasantries ended, Yao Xuan sat beside Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin then took the opportunity to ask him another question about cultivation.

Naturally, Yao Xuan carefully answered each of Tang Wulin's questions, gaining another 1 Golden Evolution Point in the process. Seeing Yao Xuan teach Tang Wulin so earnestly, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue both wore relieved and grateful smiles.

"Oh, Sister-in-law, you're here."

About ten minutes later, the door to the forging room in the center of the workshop opened. A tall, dark-skinned middle-aged man with a fierce-looking full beard walked out, speaking in a deep, resonant voice with a faint hum to it.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Mang Tian!"

The newcomer was none other than the owner of Mang Tian's Workshop, the Level 6 Forging Master and Grandmaster, Mang Tian.

"Mm."

Hearing Tang Wulin greet him, Mang Tian merely nodded. He then said to Lang Yue, "Brother Ziran, Sister-in-law, you can head back first. Come pick him up in two hours."

"Master Mang Tian, I'm Yao Xuan. I've come to take your assessment."

At that moment, Yao Xuan also politely bowed to Mang Tian before speaking.

"Oh, Yao Xuan, is it? Fine. You and Wulin can come in together."

Looking at Yao Xuan, Mang Tian nodded expressionlessly before walking into the forging room.

"Brother Mang Tian, sorry to trouble you. Wulin, listen carefully to Master's teachings, all right? Mom is leaving now."

Lang Yue looked reluctantly at Tang Wulin and reminded him before leaving Mang Tian's Workshop with Tang Ziran. Meanwhile, led by Mang Tian, Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin passed through a corridor and entered a room.

Inside the room were several metal worktables about a meter high, nearly reaching Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin's chins. Arriving beside the tables, Mang Tian pressed several buttons. The height of two of the worktables immediately lowered to about half a meter.

"Yao Xuan, Tang Wulin, do you know what forging is?"

After finishing this, Mang Tian turned around and asked sternly. Hearing his question, both Yao Xuan and Tang Wulin shook their heads blankly.

"Mm, that's normal at your age. Ordinarily, children as young as you aren't suited for forging, and I wasn't very willing to teach you. But since you've both come, I've decided to give you a chance to try."

As he spoke, Mang Tian raised a hand and pointed. The Soul Guidance Screens beside the two worktables lit up, each displaying a large red Arabic numeral zero.