In a forging room at the Blacksmithing Association, Mu Xi struck a piece of rare metal several times with her hammer, then finally couldn't take it anymore and looked behind her.
"What exactly are you two doing?"
Behind her, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena were intently watching her... the hammer in her hand.
These two had been here for a long time. They said they wanted to observe her forging, and she hadn't thought much of it — she agreed.
But after actually trying it, Mu Xi regretted it.
With Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena standing behind her, she always felt a chill down her back, though she didn't know why.
It was like having two monsters standing behind her.
Hearing Mu Xi's question, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then decided to use Spiritual Sharing on her instead of answering directly.
Gu Yuena needed to observe forging techniques up close to improve further. A forging master too strong wouldn't be suitable. The Grade Two blacksmith before them was just right — after all, she was a disciple of a Saint Craftsman. Her various foundational skills were above average and very standard, making her a very suitable subject for learning.
What Gu Yuena lacked was foundation. With enough foundation, she could then move on to Thousand-Forging. After all, she used elemental forging and had extremely high comprehension — she was different from others.
Receiving the Spiritual Sharing, Mu Xi found the entire world becoming broader and clearer. Her eyes instantly widened.
Report — there's a cheat!
She didn't ask any more questions. She quickly turned her gaze to the metal, picked up her forging hammer, and continued hammering.
She felt that with the auxiliary aid of Huo Yuhao's spirit ability, she could notice many details she had previously missed while forging and correcting some mistakes.
Meanwhile, watching the tool girl begin forging again, Gu Yuena continued to study her movements.
When watching a flawed blacksmith correct their mistakes step by step, it was easiest to gain insights.
By the time Mu Xi finished a satisfying forging session, Gu Yuena had already withdrawn her gaze thoughtfully.
She had an idea. She understood where her problems lay. She just needed to go back and verify.
Thud, thud, thud!
Just as Mu Xi put down her forging hammer, a knock on the door sounded.
She glanced at Huo Yuhao and the others, then looked toward the door. "Come in."
A young man wearing a Grade Three blacksmith badge walked in, appearing to be sixteen or seventeen.
Mu Xi knew this person very well.
Zheng Tianlin — a disciple of the Eastsea Blacksmithing Association's vice president. He had once received guidance from her father, Mu Chen, so he could also be considered her senior apprentice brother.
Zheng Tianlin's gaze toward Mu Xi was very gentle. His usual arrogance toward others seemed to vanish at this moment. "Mu Xi, do you have time recently? I've taken on several forging commissions from the Mecha Designer Association, and I'm a bit overwhelmed."
"..." Mu Xi glanced in the direction of Huo Yuhao and the others and shook her head. "I don't have time. I need to forge metal for them."
Huo Yuhao, I'm sorry. I spoke too loudly before. You came at a good time today!
Hearing this, Zheng Tianlin frowned and looked at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena. His gaze focused directly on the former, with a hint of scrutiny.
He fawned over Mu Xi not only because he liked her, but also because Mu Xi's father was a Grade Eight Saint Craftsman.
That was one of only four such existences in the Blacksmithing Association!
His teacher was a Grade Seven Saint Craftsman. If he could also receive guidance from President Mu Chen, he would have a better chance of Impact Saint Craftsman in the future.
So he was somewhat wary of any boy who appeared near Mu Xi.
But seeing that Huo Yuhao had a girl with him, and that his relationship with Mu Xi didn't seem close, Zheng Tianlin relaxed considerably.
Putting away his scrutinizing gaze, Zheng Tianlin said calmly:
"You two are from the Mecha Designer Association, right? Having people standing by while a blacksmith is forging can affect their work..."
Mu Xi was interrupted: "Senior Apprentice Brother, Huo Yuhao is a Grade Three Mecha Manufacturer, a disciple of the former Mecha Designer Association president, Elder Li. He's also my partner."
"..." Zheng Tianlin was stunned.
Ah? The person before him was the disciple of the person funding them?
In the cooperation between the Blacksmithing Association and the Mecha Designer Association, the latter was the one providing the money. As a disciple of Li Yucheng, Huo Yuhao could certainly be considered a source of funding.
Not to mention that at his age, being a Grade Three Manufacturer meant he had a boundless future.
Zheng Tianlin's expression stiffened for a moment, then he quickly scrambled to remedy: "I am Zheng Tianlin, a Grade Three Blacksmith from the Blacksmithing Association. Perhaps we can collaborate sometime. I'm sorry for disturbing you. Farewell."
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded, watching him exit the room.
Seeing this scene, Mu Xi had a strange sense of seeing herself.
After all, she had experienced something similar before... Now that someone else was in the same boat, she inexplicably felt a bit of secret satisfaction.
Thinking this, Mu Xi looked at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena behind her. "Is that enough? Do you need me to go again?"
"That's enough. Thank you."
Huo Yuhao said as he took the rare metal Mu Xi handed over. He and Gu Yuena said their goodbyes and left.
Walking back, Huo Yuhao looked at Gu Yuena, who was deep in thought, and used Spiritual Sharing to ask: "Speaking of which, there are quite a few Saint Craftsmen among them, aren't there?"
The Blacksmithing Association had only four Grade Eight Saint Craftsmen, but other powers naturally had their own Saint Craftsmen.
Gu Yuena skillfully received the spiritual fluctuation, knowing that Huo Yuhao was referring to Emperor Tian and the others. She nodded. "Of course. To complete a Battle Armor that suits oneself, one must master a secondary profession. For most spirit beasts, forging is actually the better option. Emperor Tian and Xiong Jun are both Saint Craftsmen."
Forging actually also requires brains, but compared to the several mecha-related professions, it requires a bit less brainpower.
Still, for spirit beasts, it was very difficult. Xiong Jun, despite having the quasi-extreme metal attribute, had taken a thousand years under Emperor Tian's urging to slowly get started. In fact, if not for the appeal of Four-Word Battle Armor — which could considerably enhance combat power — Xiong Jun wouldn't have persisted.
Huo Yuhao's expression became somewhat strange at this. Thinking of Emperor Tian and Xiong Jun picking up hammers, he inexplicably wanted to laugh.
This imagery... wasn't bad either.
"They still have no leads on Heaven Forging, right?"
"No." Gu Yuena looked at Huo Yuhao's expression, also thinking of certain scenes. She smiled briefly, then her expression became serious. "You also know when Heaven Forging appeared. I suspect that Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua's ability to achieve that step might have something to do with the Divine Realm or the Plane Lord."
Huo Yuhao did not refute this, but he also did not directly endorse it.
Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua had achieved Heaven Forging after Tang Wulin was sent to the Douluo Plane — just a few years ago. Before that, there was no Heaven Forging. The timing was somewhat subtle.
Before that, to manufacture Four-Word level Battle Armor, multiple Saint Craftsmen had to cooperate, and with the Battle Armor Master, expending unknown amounts of effort, to barely complete it.
Even so, that kind of Battle Armor could only be called quasi-Four-Word. It needed to be by a strong individual to completely transform.
"In that case, I won't need to worry too much about your Spirit Forging and Soul Forging." Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. "If you get stuck at the Heaven Forging step, I'll find a way to help you."
He already had something that could move Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua.
Hearing this, Gu Yuena turned her head to look at Huo Yuhao's profile and softly responded: "Yes."
Staying by this one's side, she always had a feeling of peace of mind.
Was it because he was a God King?
It seemed to be more than just that...
Gu Yuena thought this as she looked around.
Some spirit masters walking along the road had released their Spirit Souls, laughing and walking together.
Some small Spirit Souls would even play and roughhouse with their spirit masters.
Some children saw the Spirit Souls, their eyes filled with envy, clamoring that they wanted one too — and even wanting to have Spirit Soul battles.
Watching scene after scene, a gentle smile gradually bloomed on Gu Yuena's face.
The reason... she probably understood...
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!