Time slipped away, the years flying like a shuttle through a loom.
In the blink of an eye, four years quietly passed.
The two children, once only six years old, had now grown into a ten-year-old boy and girl.
Xiao Chen stood tall and straight, his features handsome and refined. He had shed his childhood immaturity and gained a measure of composure and restraint, his presence tranquil and profound.
Na'er had grown ever more lively and exquisite, her long silver hair flowing softly, her eyes clear as crystal, her skin fair and translucent. Only her clingy nature had not changed in the slightest throughout those four years.
The Spirit Transferring Pagoda's daily classes remained regimented and tedious. Theory, Soul Power refinement, mecha maintenance, Soul Spirit studies—the lessons, day after day, left ordinary students struggling to breathe, especially Na'er.
Afternoon sunlight pierced the clouds and spilled into the Spirit Transferring Pagoda's corridors as the clear dismissal bell slowly echoed.
The dull, tedious mecha maintenance theory class had just ended, and the students all breathed sighs of relief before leaving in twos and threes.
Na'er alone packed her books with astonishing speed. Almost the instant the bell stopped ringing, she stuffed all her textbooks into her storage device and eagerly turned and dashed out of the classroom.
Over four years, she had long since become completely immune to those densely packed diagrams and obscure mechanical formulas. Had she not enrolled alongside Xiao Chen and dutifully followed Leng Yaoyu's arrangements to apply herself to her studies, she would never have had the patience to sit in class.
To her, the sole meaning of all those tedious lessons was that, once they ended, she could rush straight to the forging room and see her Xiao Chen.
Her little legs carried her lightly and swiftly through the corridors. The girl's movements were nimble and light, her silver hair fluttering in the breeze, her eyes brimming with eager smiles. Her heart and eyes held only one destination-the forging room.
At that moment, the furnace in the forging room burned warmly, filling the room with gentle heat.
Over four years, this forging room had long since become the place where Xiao Chen spent the most time.
Firelight flickered inside, illuminating the boy's lean, upright figure. The warm scent of metal filled the air, and each piece of rare metal in his hands always revealed its finest possible texture.
On the workbench before Xiao Chen quietly rested a piece of Blue Pregnancy Copper, its entire surface glowing with a pale blue halo.
Blue Pregnancy Copper had a fine texture and excellent toughness, making it a high-quality material for forging low-grade mecha components. To purify it through Thousand Refinement, an ordinary blacksmith needed to hammer it over a thousand times, spending several hours and exhausting considerable mental and physical strength. The slightest carelessness could damage the metal and bring all that effort to nothing.
But that conventional process had never applied to Xiao Chen.
Holding his forging hammer, he exerted steady force through his arm, his movements flowing like clouds and water, without any unnecessary flourishes. His calm gaze remained fixed on the Blue Pregnancy Copper before him, his mind wholly focused.
Thud!
A steady, heavy hammer blow fell, its force precise to the finest degree, carrying just the right vibration of Soul Power.
A deep metallic boom resounded through the forging room. A visible pale blue glow instantly swept across the entire piece of Blue Pregnancy Copper, and the impurities hidden inside were shaken loose and completely removed in an instant.
The metal, originally somewhat rough in texture, instantly became clear and pure, lustrous and translucent, its patterns perfectly ordered, its texture refined to the utmost.
With that single hammer blow, Thousand Refinement was complete!
Standing nearby to observe, Zhou Ming had already fallen into his habitual stupor. His eyes held no ripples of surprise, only utter numbness.
Four whole years.
Throughout those four years, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving as Xiao Chen's forging instructor, holding nothing back as he taught him a lifetime's knowledge of forging theory, metal identification, heat control, and hammering techniques, passing on every bit of his decades of experience.
Yet by now, he had to admit that, beyond answering Xiao Chen's questions, organizing his theoretical knowledge, and explaining the framework of the forging system, he could offer this heaven-defying disciple no help whatsoever in practical forging.
Where under heaven could one find a forging genius like this?
Others achieved Thousand Refinement through a thousand hammer blows and a hundred temperings, laboring day and night, making minute adjustments at every step, exhausting their patience and skill before they could succeed.
When Xiao Chen forged, one hammer blow settled everything: one blow for Thousand Refinement, one blow for purification.
There was no need for repeated hammering, no need to control the heat, no need to spend time or effort. Whatever the metal, once it fell into his hands, a single precise blow could perfectly accomplish the purification and forging that took others thousands upon thousands of blows, completely overturning the common sense and rules of the entire forging profession.
Absurd, yet so real that there was no way to refute it.
Zhou Ming shook his head helplessly with a wry smile. His initial awe and shock had long since turned into familiarity, and he had even become utterly numb from watching.
He repeatedly inspected the Blue Pregnancy Copper before him. Its grain, purity, toughness, and texture all met the requirements. It was unmistakably a standard Thousand Refined metal, without the slightest flaw, its quality far surpassing the finished work of blacksmiths Xiao Chen's age.
He drew a deep breath, suppressed the emotions in his heart, and slowly took an exquisite metal badge from his storage device.
The badge was silver-white throughout, engraved with fine forging patterns, their arrangement orderly and imposing. It was the exclusive badge of a fourth-rank blacksmith.
Four years of arduous practice, four years of witnessing it all-Xiao Chen's forging skill had long since completely surpassed the limits of a third-rank blacksmith and firmly reached the standard of a fourth-rank blacksmith. It even far exceeded the level of ordinary fourth-rank blacksmiths, more than qualifying him for official fourth-rank certification.
Holding the badge in both hands, Zhou Ming solemnly offered it to Xiao Chen. His voice was filled with gratification and relief, along with a trace of wistfulness he could hardly conceal. "Xiao Chen, this fourth-rank blacksmith badge is yours."
After a pause, he looked at the boy before him, who had long since become the blue surpassing its indigo source and far exceeded him, and spoke sincerely:
"It's been four years. All I can still teach you is theoretical knowledge. In practical forging, breakthroughs to higher realms, and the road ahead, I have nothing more to teach you."
"You are utterly different from every other blacksmith in the world. Your path of forging has no tracks to follow. For the rest of the journey, you can only feel your own way forward."
His words were wholly frank, without the slightest resentment, only a heart full of gratitude and pride.
Personally teaching such a forging prodigy, unmatched throughout the ages, was the greatest honor of his life.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen slowly set down his forging hammer, straightened his posture, and bowed deeply to Zhou Ming, his manner respectful and sincere.
He had always understood clearly that, although Zhou Ming could not guide him in practical work, he had never held anything back.
Over those four years, no matter how many questions about theory, uncertainties about the system, or gaps in his knowledge he had, Zhou Ming always answered and explained patiently. He had built a complete, solid framework of forging knowledge for Xiao Chen and helped him avoid countless detours. That debt of instruction deserved his respect and thanks.
"Thank you for four years of teaching, Teacher." Xiao Chen's voice was steady, his manner earnest.
Smiling, Zhou Ming raised a hand as though to help him straighten, his eyes filled with gentle expectations. "Go. Your stage lies higher up."
Xiao Chen accepted the fourth-rank blacksmith badge and tucked it safely close to his body, then turned and slowly walked out of the forging room where he had spent four whole years.
The moment he stepped through the forging room's doors, a light, nimble figure came rushing toward him.
"Big brother!"
A clear, sweet voice suddenly rang out, overflowing with joy and carrying the same affection and dependence it had held throughout those four years.
Na'er hurried up to Xiao Chen, threw her arms open without reservation, and clung tightly to his arm. She affectionately pressed her little face against his sleeve, her eyes curved into crescents and her smile radiant.
Over four years, the little girl had grown taller and become ever more graceful and lively, but her clingy nature had not changed at all. Her heart and eyes were still filled with Xiao Chen alone.
Xiao Chen gave a helpless chuckle and raised a hand to gently ruffle her soft silver hair, his voice carrying a measure of warm resignation:
"Na'er, you're already ten, a big girl now. There's no need for petting and hugging every day, or to be so clingy."
At his words, Na'er tilted her head up slightly and playfully stuck her little pink tongue out at him, her eyes lively with mischief. She wheedled, "No. With big brother, Na'er will always be a little child."
That lively, sweetly innocent look made it impossible to feel the slightest urge to scold her.
Looking into her sparkling eyes, Xiao Chen, who had long since learned her temperament, shook his head with a helpless chuckle:
"You came rushing over, hurrying here as if you were skipping class. Surely you didn't come just to see me. Is there something you want to tell me?"
After four years of spending their days together, he knew Na'er like the palm of his hand.
Whenever this little girl wore such an excited, mischievous expression, she was bound to be hiding something or wanting a favor from him.
With her thoughts seen through at a glance, Na'er made no attempt to hide them. She immediately lifted her little face, her eyes flashing with pride and excitement, and said with a grin:
"Hehe! Big brother really does know me best! You guessed it! I really do have good news to tell you!"
Before you continue