The forging room fell silent again.
Mu Chen grew serious and stared at Tang Wulin for two seconds.
"Do you know what these three things are used for?"
Tang Wulin nodded. "I do. They're useful."
Mu Chen didn't press him. In the Soul Master profession, everyone had a few secrets, especially when it came to cultivation resources. Asking too many questions was taboo.
"I can help you find them, but you should know they won't come cheap."
"About how much will they cost?"
"Seven million federal coins."
Mu Chen's tone was even as he named the figure, but his gaze rested on Tang Wulin's face, waiting to see how the boy would react.
Seven million was already a huge sum.
Normally, an eight-year-old would be stunned to hear that number.
Tang Wulin did freeze for a moment, but his reaction was completely different from what Mu Chen had expected.
"Your savings probably aren't enough, are they? But I can lend you the money."
"Thank you, President."
Tang Wulin looked up, his tone confident.
"Only seven million..."
"Actually, I do have that much."
Mu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"I've been doing Thousand Refinement First Grade for a year now," Tang Wulin said, counting on his fingers.
"I do one Thousand Refinement First Grade every day, plus a few Hundred Refinements. I can earn about three hundred thousand federal coins a day. As for seven million, I can earn that in less than a month."
The forging room fell silent again.
Mu Chen stared at Tang Wulin for several seconds. His lips moved, but for a long while, he couldn't get a word out.
A hundred percent forging success rate, eight years old, and an income of three hundred thousand a day.
What had he been doing when he was eight?
As he recalled, he'd still been hauling coal beside his father's anvil.
"All right."
Mu Chen finally spoke, his voice a little lower than before, tinged with a hint of emotion he himself didn't notice.
"Come back tomorrow. I'll have people arrange to get those three things here tonight and have them ready for you tomorrow."
"Thank you, President," Tang Wulin replied briskly. Then he remembered something.
"Should I pay you now, then?"
"No need. Pay me tomorrow when the goods arrive."
"Okay." Tang Wulin nodded, then asked, "By the way, President, how do I get to the Soul Master Association?"
"Go out and head east for two blocks. It's the building with a white dome."
"Thank you, President!" Tang Wulin bowed and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Mu Xi darted out from behind her father, her golden ponytail swinging as she stepped in front of Tang Wulin.
She was half a head taller than Tang Wulin and looked down at him slightly, a stubborn refusal to admit defeat in her big eyes.
"You'll definitely be amazing someday," Mu Xi said, her tone far too serious for an eleven-year-old. "But I'll be amazing too. Sooner or later, I'll defeat you."
Tang Wulin looked at her for two seconds and smiled.
"I'll be waiting." He waved at her.
"But I have something to do now, so I'm off. Bye-bye."
He turned and left the forging room. Mu Xi stood in the doorway, watching his back disappear around the corner of the hallway. She huffed, folded her arms, and muttered something.
The Eastsea City Soul Master Association wasn't far from the Blacksmith Association. Tang Wulin arrived after walking for about ten minutes.
When Tang Wulin came back out, he had five thousand federal coins in hand.
Five thousand wasn't much, but who didn't like free money?
He found a clean hotel nearby and checked in.
The room wasn't large, with a bed, a table, and a chair, but it was tidy, and the bustling streets of Eastsea City could be seen through the window.
Tang Wulin put his schoolbag on the table, sat on the edge of the bed, and took out the soul communicator Mu Chen had given him.
He dialed home.
After three rings, the call was answered. Lang Yue's voice was plainly anxious. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Mom, it's me."
"Wulin!"
Lang Yue's voice shot up, and Na'er's soft voice could be faintly heard beside her, calling for her brother.
"Did you get there? How is it? Did everything go smoothly on the way? Have you eaten?"
"I got here, I got here. Everything's fine." Tang Wulin was a little dizzy from her barrage of questions.
"Mom, slow down."
Lang Yue took a deep breath and slowed her speech. "Did you pass the blacksmith assessment?"
"I did. Fourth rank."
The other end of the communicator went silent for two seconds.
Then Lang Yue's voice exploded. "Fourth rank?! Say that again? Fourth rank?!"
Tang Ziran's voice came from beside her. "What fourth rank? Fourth-rank blacksmith? Really?"
"Really. The president assessed me himself and made an exception for me. I've already pinned on the four-star badge."
Tang Wulin held the communicator a little farther away. "Oh, right, Mom, this communicator is a benefit from the association. Fourth-rank blacksmiths get one."
"I thought communicators would be expensive, but the association just gave me one."
"Let's get one for everyone at home later. It'll make it easier to keep in touch."
Lang Yue still hadn't recovered from her shock.
"Tell Na'er for me that I'll bring her something tasty."
"Big brother!" Na'er's voice squeezed through from the other end of the communicator. "When are you coming back?"
"In another two or three days. I'll bring you something tasty from here."
"Okay!" Na'er's voice was clear and bright.
After ending the call, Tang Wulin put the communicator on the table and sat cross-legged on the bed.
He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. His Soul Power slowly circulated along the route of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
One circuit, two circuits, three circuits.
Eastsea City was much livelier than Aolai City, but his consciousness soon sank inward, shutting out the noise.
Tomorrow.
Ice Crystal Fruit, Scarlet Flame Fruit, dragon blood.
Once he had all three, he could go find that strand of divine consciousness and break the Golden Dragon King's first seal.
Early the next morning, Tang Wulin checked out and returned to the Blacksmith Association.
Yun Xiaoling was already waiting in the lobby.
When she saw him enter, Yun Xiaoling came up to him with a smile. "Little brother, the president said you'd be coming today and told me to take you straight up. He's waiting for you on the top floor."
"Thank you, Sister Yun."
Tang Wulin replied sweetly.
Yun Xiaoling smiled and patted his head, then led him into the elevator.
The doors opened onto a hallway carpeted in dark gray. There was only one door at the end, with no sign on it.
Yun Xiaoling knocked on the door. "President, Tang Wulin is here."
"Come in."
Yun Xiaoling pushed the door open and gestured for Tang Wulin to enter, then stepped back into the elevator.
Tang Wulin walked in.
The room on the top floor was more than twice the size of Cen Yue's office.
An entire wall was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a view of most of Eastsea City's skyline.
Mu Chen stood by the windows with his back to him. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, a wooden box resting in his hands.
"You're here."
"President Mu."
Mu Chen didn't waste words. He handed over the wooden box. "Everything you wanted is inside."
Tang Wulin took the wooden box, opened it, and looked inside. A thick layer of soft padding lined the box, with three things resting on it.
On the left was an ice-blue fruit, shaped like an enlarged cherry. A thin layer of white frost covered its surface, and its chill could be felt from a long way off.
On the right was a scarlet fruit of the same size, with faint patterns of flame flowing across its surface. Up close, a wave of warmth could be felt against the face.
Between the two fruits stood a thumb-sized jade bottle. Its sides were translucent, and the dark-gold liquid inside could be seen gently swaying.
A hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit, a hundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit, and fresh blood from a hundred-year dragon-type Soul Beast.