An eight-year-old second-rank blacksmith. He had actually done it!
Mu Chen betrayed nothing on the surface, but towering waves had already surged through his heart.
He drew a deep breath and looked solemnly at Yan Qing.
"From today onward, you are an officially certified second-rank blacksmith."
"You have set a new record as the youngest at the Eastsea Blacksmith Association."
"I hope that one day, the Eastsea Blacksmith Association will take pride in you."
The instant the two emerged, Mu Xi spotted the second-rank blacksmith medal on Yan Qing's chest.
He had actually passed the assessment.
She bit her lip lightly.
"Dad, did he really pass the assessment?"
"As genuine as it gets." Mu Chen nodded firmly.
"What's more, he's a few months younger than Tang Wulin."
"The frightening thing is, as I watched him forge, I kept feeling that he was holding something back."
Soon, however, Mu Chen felt that his own speculation was far too absurd.
An eight-year-old third-rank blacksmith? How could that be possible?
After thanking Mu Chen, Yan Qing did not leave immediately.
While forging earlier, he had already decided on his next two stops.
As luck would have it, both were at the Blacksmith Association.
Yan Qing slowed his steps, pretending to tour the association as he headed toward the practice forging rooms.
Earlier, he had accidentally teleported right in front of Mu Xi, and the two had been so close together.
He had clearly seen the irritation on Mu Xi's face.
There was only one person who could anger this little princess at the Blacksmith Association.
Tang Wulin, the original male protagonist of Legend of the Dragon King.
In a forging room tucked into a corner, a thin, small figure gripped a forging hammer, drenched in sweat as he hammered a piece of metal over and over.
It was none other than Tang Wulin, who had just accepted a forging commission.
Yan Qing knocked on the door.
Hearing the sound, Tang Wulin instinctively looked up.
Before him stood a boy around his own age, also wearing a second-rank blacksmith badge on his chest.
A thought stirred in Tang Wulin's mind. His teacher had indeed been right: Eastsea City was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, with countless master blacksmiths.
"Hello, I'm a new blacksmith. Could you tell me which way the commission hall is?"
"It's on the second floor. I can take you there if you need."
Tang Wulin was as warmhearted as ever.
Yan Qing looked at him with eyes full of appreciation.
Tang Wulin had really been screwed over by his dad. As a direct descendant of a God King, he had received none of the perks and had even inherited his father's most useless Blue Silver Grass.
If he had awakened the Clear Sky Hammer at the start instead...
With the Golden Dragon King Bloodline added on top, how would that be any different from a heavy-duty truck?
After simply leaving an impression, Yan Qing headed up to the second floor.
The Blacksmith Association's second floor was the hall for accepting commissions.
This was also Yan Qing's true destination on this trip.
After familiarizing himself with the procedure, Yan Qing went straight to the counter.
A soul-guided screen popped up, with all sorts of forging commissions clearly listed on it.
Commission one: forge starrock bracers; Hundred Refinement shaping.
Time limit: seven days.
Quantity: 1
Payment: twenty thousand federal coins.
Yan Qing rubbed his nose. Forging really was faster than robbery.
After confirming the commission, Yan Qing inserted his blacksmith badge into the slot in the counter.
Beep! He successfully accepted the commission.
Then, under the astonished gaze of the staff member behind the counter, Yan Qing inserted his badge again.
What a joke. One commission only earned twenty thousand, while the heavenly treasures Tang Wulin had consumed just to unlock the Golden Dragon King's second seal had cost millions.
Cultivation really burned through too much money.
He still had a Martial Soul Loan hanging over him. If the system's missions could not keep up, he could only rely on this primitive method to pile himself all the way up to Titled Douluo.
For Yan Qing, his wallet balance was practically tied to his HP. Naturally, the more, the better.
After accepting twenty-one commissions in a row, he finally stopped because he did not have enough left for the deposits.
If blacksmiths failed at forging, they had to pay for the materials needed to forge the item again.
Thus, every blacksmith was extremely cautious when accepting commissions.
Yan Qing was now a fourth-rank blacksmith, so he had no concerns whatsoever about accepting second-rank commissions.
The Blacksmith Association had set no upper limit on the number of commissions one could accept. They probably had never imagined that someone would actually stock up on commissions like merchandise.
After setting the delivery address to the Blacksmith Association, Yan Qing set off for Eastsea Academy. He wanted to meet the legendary icy male god.
"Teacher Wu, this is my letter of recommendation."
Yan Qing took out the letter Hu Jie had written for him.
Wu Changkong's gaze fell on its seal. That was the Tang Sect's exclusive postmark. To think that the child before him was also a Tang Sect disciple.
Moreover, whoever had written the letter was at least a Tang Sect hall master.
After reading the letter, Wu Changkong's voice remained cool.
"Show me your Martial Soul. Since your elder sent you to me, he must know my temperament."
"If you cannot pass my assessment, I will send you straight back where you came from."
A long brush appeared in Yan Qing's hand, followed by two white Soul Rings rising around him.
Wu Changkong's brows slowly furrowed.
A tool Martial Soul? Two white rings?
His voice grew colder still.
"Do you realize that even with the Spirit Ascension Platform available to upgrade spirits now, a Soul Ring's initial quality determines a Soul Master's upper limit in the early stages? How could your elder let you act so recklessly!"
After speaking, perhaps realizing that his tone had been too harsh, he softened it a little.
"Attack me with your strongest ability. Let me see your combat strength."
Contrary to his expectations, Yan Qing simply withdrew his Martial Soul.
"Teacher Wu, this Martial Soul of mine has no offensive capabilities."
Wu Changkong keenly caught the oddity.
"This one? You have twin Martial Souls? Release your second Martial Soul."
"Teacher, it isn't convenient to display my Martial Soul here."
"But I can use part of a Soul Skill's ability."
Yan Qing raised his left hand and activated the Passionate Sword's first Soul Skill.
[Once]
Invisible spiritual power spread outward. Wu Changkong instinctively activated his Purple Demon Eye, though only to defend.
Yet the purple light in his eyes instantly faded, returning to the instant before he had used it.
Shock deepened in Wu Changkong's eyes, and he reacted immediately.
A spiritual domain, is this...? No, this Soul Skill is...
"Come with me." Before his words had faded, he grabbed Yan Qing and soared into the air.
Wu Changkong took Yan Qing straight to the outskirts of Eastsea City.
There was only a single tall building here.
"Eastsea Science and Technology Park"
Yan Qing was no stranger to this place either. The Tang Sect Eastsea Branch was right here.
Sure enough, a familiar electronic voice rang out.
"Long time no see, Little Changkong of Eastsea."
Wu Changkong clearly had no time for banter. As soon as the glass doors opened, he led Yan Qing straight inside.
He swiped his card to open a private chamber. Once the door had shut completely, he spoke to Yan Qing.
"All right, you can show your Martial Soul now. No third person will know about it here."
Yan Qing stopped concealing it, and two Thousand-Year Soul Rings spiraled upward.
The Passionate Sword and the Ruthless Sword fell into his hands.
Looking at the sword hilts in Yan Qing's hands, Wu Changkong murmured to himself.
"So that's how it is. So that's how it is."
"To think you're the two Excellencies'..."
Yan Qing interrupted at just the right moment, offering a perfectly proper smile.
"Teacher Wu, you can just treat me like an ordinary student."