The Donghai Blacksmith Association was not too far from Donghai Academy.
The next day, after lunch, Tang Wulin led Huo Yuhao there.
The two arrived in front of an imposing grey building. A massive Blacksmith hammer emblem was embedded in the most prominent spot on the outer wall, showcasing the identity of the place.
Stepping into the first-floor hall, the interior space was extremely spacious, with a high ceiling and marble floors as polished as mirrors; the environment was solemn and minimalist.
At this moment, the hall appeared quite empty and quiet, with only a few scattered staff members walking in the distance.
"Little Wulin? Why are you here!"
A voice full of vigor and surprise came from the corridor on the side of the hall.
Hearing the sound, the two turned their heads to see a middle-aged man in his early forties with an exceptionally burly and robust build, walking towards them with large strides.
"Grandmaster Cen Yue!" Tang Wulin clearly recognized him and said with a smile, "I'm here to see my teacher."
Cen Yue smiled and said, "He's in his office upstairs. You two can just head up."
As one of the few high-ranking members in the association who knew that Tang Wulin was President Mu Chen's Personal Disciple, Cen Yue greatly admired this exceptionally talented, diligent, and down-to-earth youth.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tang Wulin led Huo Yuhao into the Soul Tool Elevator, heading straight up to the thirty-third floor.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Tang Wulin familiarly knocked on the heavy wooden door of the president's office.
"Come in."
A gentle and magnetic male voice came from inside the room.
Tang Wulin pushed the door open and entered, leading Huo Yuhao in a right turn past the entryway partition, and the scene before them suddenly opened up.
A massive floor-to-ceiling window occupied an entire wall, allowing the bright afternoon sunlight to pour in without reservation.
In front of the window was a large, heavy, dark wooden desk with simple lines and a steady texture.
At this moment, behind the desk sat a middle-aged man wearing a plain-colored shirt.
He had handsome features and a high bridge of the nose; although he was middle-aged, one could still see the elegance of his youth.
Hearing the movement, he looked up, and when his gaze fell upon Tang Wulin, a gentle smile immediately spread across his face, and he put down the pen in his hand.
"Wulin, what brings you here today?"
Mu Chen's voice carried the unique kindness and warmth of an elder; he truly admired Tang Wulin as a disciple, even treating him like his own son.
Since Tang Wulin's parents had left, the people he was closest to were his teachers.
Wu Changkong was one, Mang Tian was another, and the last was Mu Chen before him.
"Teacher."
Tang Wulin called out respectfully and then, without beating around the bush, stepped aside to pull Huo Yuhao forward, introducing him: "This is my classmate, Huo Yuhao."
"He is also a Blacksmith and wants to apply to join our Donghai Blacksmith Association to qualify for next month's Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Mu Chen turned his gaze to Huo Yuhao, calmly sizing up the youth standing beside his beloved disciple.
The youth had a tall and straight posture, and his eyes were clear and calm. Facing him, the president of the association, he showed none of the usual restraint or shrinking back of ordinary boys; his demeanor was quite extraordinary.
However, Mu Chen did not immediately relent because of Tang Wulin's introduction.
His expression turned serious, and his gaze fell back onto Tang Wulin as he said earnestly, "Wulin, you know the rules of the association."
"To officially join, one must pass the corresponding Rank assessment to prove their Blacksmith qualification; this is a mandatory rule."
"Even if it's someone you brought... there are no exceptions."
The rules and requirements Mu Chen mentioned were actually quite simple.
As long as one was a true Blacksmith, even if only Rank 1, they were eligible to apply for membership in the association.
Tang Wulin hadn't specifically asked Huo Yuhao about his exact Blacksmith Rank before, but he subconsciously believed that with Huo Yuhao's amazing talent as a Spirit Master and in spirit tools, becoming a true Blacksmith at the age of ten shouldn't be a problem.
Now, seeing his teacher emphasize the rules, Tang Wulin nodded with a serious expression and replied, "Don't worry, Teacher, I understand the association's rules."
He then turned sideways to look at Huo Yuhao and said, "Yuhao, now it's time for you to show your strength."
Huo Yuhao still wore that gentle smile; he didn't say a word, only slowly raising his right hand.
A faint glimmer of Spirit Power flashed above his palm.
A heavy, circular metal badge appeared out of thin air in his palm!
The badge was dark gold in color throughout, with a raised three-dimensional relief of a Blacksmith hammer in the center, symbolizing the identity of a Blacksmith.
Surrounding this core hammer mark were five purple stars arranged in a ring.
In the office, Mu Chen, whose expression had been gentle yet scrutinizing, and Tang Wulin, who was standing by ready to cheer for Huo Yuhao—both of their gazes were almost instantly locked onto the badge in Huo Yuhao's palm!
Then, the pupils of both men suddenly contracted in unison!
As Blacksmiths, they were naturally very familiar with the design and meaning of that Blacksmith badge, which symbolized identity, Rank, and glory.
At this moment, Tang Wulin's clear eyes were wide open, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and the depths of his pupils were filled with a near-vacant disbelief!
The number of stars surrounding the hammer mark on the badge indicated the Blacksmith's Rank.
One star represented Rank 1, and so on.
And on the badge in Huo Yuhao's palm, there were impressively... five stars!
This meant that Huo Yuhao was a... Level Five Blacksmith!
Although Tang Wulin's Spirit Power cultivation was only at the One-ring level, he was exceptionally talented in the path of Forging and had progressed rapidly, already being a Level Four Blacksmith.
In the words of his teachers Mu Chen and Mang Tian, he was often praised as a once-in-a-millennium Forging genius.
This recognition had also become a heavy source of pride and confidence in his heart.
In fact, in his heart, he had originally felt that since he couldn't compare to Huo Yuhao in Spirit Power and strength, surpassing the other in Forging would count as a victory.
He had even secretly imagined the surprised expression that might appear on Huo Yuhao's face when he learned that he was already a Level Four Blacksmith; that image had once made him feel secretly delighted.
However, reality dealt him a head-on blow!The one who was shocked into speechlessness first was actually himself!
This Huo Yuhao, who was the same age as him, was actually... already a Level Five Blacksmith?!
A Level Five Blacksmith meant having already mastered Spirit Forging techniques!
Following Mu Chen's teachings, Tang Wulin knew full well the complexity and difficulty of Spirit Forging.
After a moment, that feeling of disbelief slowly receded, replaced by an indescribable and complex state of mind.
Tang Wulin murmured to himself in his heart, "I didn't expect... that in Forging, I would also lose."
After a brief daze, Mu Chen's figure suddenly moved!
Huo Yuhao only felt a blur before his eyes, and the next moment, Mu Chen's tall figure had appeared silently before him.
Immediately after, he felt his palm become empty as the five-star Blacksmith badge changed hands, falling into Mu Chen's open palm.
Mu Chen did not speak; he lowered his eyelids slightly, his gaze fixed firmly on the badge in his palm.
His thumb gently brushed over the five purple stars and the central Blacksmith hammer relief, feeling its subtle patterns and the texture of the metal.
The gentleness on his face quickly faded, replaced by an increasingly heavy seriousness, even faintly revealing a hint of... sharpness?
After a moment of silence, Mu Chen suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze like lightning, staring directly into Huo Yuhao's eyes.
His voice was low as he asked, "Are you... here to challenge the hall?"
"Ah?!"
Huo Yuhao was completely stunned by this sudden interrogation.
He hadn't expected Mu Chen to say such a thing at all, much less understand the reason behind it.
He clearly just wanted to join the association to qualify for the competition, so how did he mysteriously become someone "challenging the hall"?
Tang Wulin on the side also became nervous, looking at his suddenly serious teacher and then at the bewildered Huo Yuhao, not understanding what was happening either.
At this time, Mu Chen slowly held up the badge in his hand and said in a heavy voice, "This badge... was forged by Zhen Hua personally, wasn't it?"
"Others might not be able to see his unique technique, but I... can recognize it."
Waves immediately rose in Huo Yuhao's heart.
This badge was indeed personally forged and awarded to him by Zhen Hua, representing recognition of his Forging strength.
Hearing Mu Chen say this now, Huo Yuhao's thoughts whirled.
Could it be that his teacher, Zhen Hua, and the President of the Donghai Blacksmith Association before him, Mu Chen, had some sort of grievance or grudge?
Otherwise, why would he react so violently upon seeing a badge personally forged by the other, even directly viewing his appearance as a provocation?
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.