"Time's up!"
Two nearly simultaneous voices rang out from the two forging test rooms.
The sounds of two final hammer blows rang out together.
Tang Wulin drew back his twin hammers. Two streaks of dark light flashed and vanished into his Deep Silver rings.
His chest rose and fell slightly, his cheeks were flushed, and fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead. His breathing was a little hurried, but he still stood tall, showing not the slightest sign of exhaustion or listlessness.
Meanwhile, in test room four next door, Xu Qing also put away his hammers and stood still, his movements crisp and clean.
The silver gleam of his Thousand Refinement tungsten steel hammers faded as they settled steadily at his sides. His breathing was even, his expression calm. The prolonged, high-speed hammering had been as easy for him as ordinary exercise.
Both forging rooms fell silent at once.
The female evaluator in room three stared fixedly at the fully purified Deep Silver, her eyes filled with shock.
The male evaluator in room four gazed at the Cubic Copper Xu Qing had finished forging, his pupils contracting slightly.
Outside the windows, Cen Yue looked left and right, his gaze shifting between the two boys' eyes.
The concentration and clarity from hammering the Deep Silver still lingered in Tang Wulin's eyes. His mind remained immersed in the rhythm of forging.
Xu Qing's gaze was even steadier and more reserved, calm and unruffled, as though that hammering like a violent storm had been no more than lifting a hand.
These two children... Cen Yue was inwardly shaken. At nine years old, their temperament for forging already far surpassed that of countless adult apprentices.
A moment later, the female evaluator in room three was the first to announce her findings. "Deep Silver, purity exceeding Hundred Refinement, volume reduced by seven percent, purification effect three times that of ordinary Hundred Refinement. Assessment passed!"
On the other side, the male evaluator swallowed and announced in disbelief, "Cubic Copper, purity exceeding Hundred Refinement, volume reduced by sixteen percent, purification effect five times that of ordinary Hundred Refinement. Assessment passed!"
How could he not be shocked? Even he could not forge Cubic Copper to this level in such a short time. This was already extremely close to Thousand Refinement!
He even suspected the boy could demonstrate it for him right now.
What?!
Looking at the two astonishing sets of results, Cen Yue gave a wry smile and muttered, "That fellow Mang Tian must have done this on purpose!"
Damn! Why weren't such promising talents trained by me?
Next came the second-rank assessment.
The original novel had mentioned the requirements for a second-rank blacksmith: the ability to purify rare metals through Hundred Refinement and independently forge medium-sized components.
The female evaluator looked at Tang Wulin. "Child, next is the second-rank assessment. You'll need to forge any medium-sized component you like. Would you like to continue?"
Only now did Tang Wulin fully emerge from his forging state, a trace of exhilaration still in his eyes.
"Yes!"
The female evaluator nodded.
Tang Wulin raised his hands and summoned his Thousand Refinement tungsten steel hammers again. Rhythmic hammer blows rang out once more in forging room three.
Inside assessment room four,
after listening to the evaluator's explanation, Xu Qing also began his own forging.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hammer blows rang out again in both test rooms. One rhythm was steady, the other swift. Interwoven, they were particularly pleasant to hear.
With anticipation on his face, Cen Yue watched the two boys in their respective rooms.
He really wanted to know how far these two children could go.
However, his gaze lingered longer on Xu Qing's side. After all, judging by the skill Xu Qing had shown while forging the Cubic Copper earlier, he already had a faint suspicion.
Tang Wulin continued hammering the Deep Silver, his entire being seeming to merge with the metal. Every blow landed just right.
The Deep Silver hummed softly, following his rhythm perfectly as it slowly took shape beneath his hammers, fluid and natural, without a single mistake.
Xu Qing picked up the remaining purified Cubic Copper. His twin hammers rose and fell in an orderly pattern, their speed changing entirely at his will.
He increased and eased his force freely, the forging hammers in his hands carving away step by step like a pair of engraving knives.
Unlike Tang Wulin's orderly, steady rhythm, Xu Qing's hammer technique was more fluid and agile, alternating heavy and light blows, tightening and relaxing in measured balance.
Both remained focused throughout, their movements flowing like drifting clouds and running water. It was practically a textbook forging demonstration.
Before they knew it, half an hour had passed.
Xu Qing was the first to stop. Before him, a Cubic Copper joint component rested on the forging table, its contours smooth throughout and its luster pure. Its structure was remarkably ingenious, and its finish could be called utterly perfect, already far surpassing an ordinary forged product.
So fast?
Looking at the finished product before Xu Qing, Cen Yue was too stunned to speak.
He left the observation area and went straight into assessment room four.
Seeing him, Xu Qing gave a slight bow.
Cen Yue examined the component and took a deep breath, his eyes once again filling with complicated feelings and envy.
Mang Tian, this wasn't taking on a disciple. You clearly picked up a treasure!
"Congratulations, child. You've passed the second-rank blacksmith assessment," Cen Yue said with a smile.
Xu Qing nodded and returned his forging hammers to his bracelets.
"By the way, although this component is the fruit of your forging, our Blacksmith Association needs to retain it as the result of your assessment. Of course, we'll also give you some compensation."
Xu Qing nodded.
Afterward, Cen Yue led Xu Qing into the observation room.
Xu Qing curiously examined the one-way glass in front of him. It had clearly been specially made.
On the other side of the glass was Tang Wulin, who was forging his component.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds kept coming through.
Before long, Tang Wulin also completed his task and successfully passed the assessment.
After completing their assessments, Xu Qing and Tang Wulin left the Blacksmith Association.
Xu Qing had not expected the association to be so generous with its compensation: a full twenty thousand Federation coins.
Sure enough, no matter which world you're in, what brings in money fastest? Specialized professions, of course.
As for their blacksmith badges, they would need to return in two days to collect them. With a badge, Xu Qing would have a stable source of income and would no longer need to live off someone else. Not that living off someone else wasn't sweet.
"Mang Tian!"
After seeing the two geniuses off, Cen Yue made a soul communicator call.
It took a long while for the other end to answer. Mang Tian's languid voice came through. "What is it? I'm forging metal."
"Forging metal? You're still in the mood to forge metal?" Cen Yue's voice rose several notches. "Do you know what those two disciples of yours just did here?"
Mang Tian was silent for two seconds. "It's not like they'd tear down the test rooms. What the hell is there to worry about?"
Cen Yue: "..."
Cen Yue's face darkened. "Damn it! You bastard, do you know both of them went straight through the second-rank assessment?"
The other end of the call was quiet for quite a while.
Then Mang Tian said calmly, "Oh, got it."
"Got it?" Cen Yue nearly jumped. "All you have to say is 'got it'?"
"What else?" Mang Tian asked. "I told you ages ago they could pass."
Cen Yue: "..."
He suddenly felt a slight pain in his chest.
That old fellow Mang Tian had picked up treasures himself, yet still acted as breezy as the wind and light as the clouds. He was simply begging for a beating.
"Mang Tian, could you stop being so shameless?" Cen Yue took a deep breath. "Nine-year-old second-rank blacksmiths, and two of them at that! Do you have any idea what that means?"
Mang Tian thought for a moment and answered earnestly, "Oh, of course I do. It means I have a good eye."