Seeing Lou Gao suddenly perform such a grand bow and address him as master, Yun Ming hurriedly stepped aside.
He could not accept this; he could not. Even if Yun Ming's Spiritual Forging had provided Lou Gao with many insights and even pointed him toward a new path, this future technique was, at the end of the day, developed based on the achievements of predecessors. Yun Ming would not take all the credit for this accomplishment upon himself.
Soul Power surged in Yun Ming's hand, forming a large golden hand that helped Lou Gao up as he spoke.
"President Lou, please rise. You are shaming this junior by doing this."
Lou Gao could not resist the power of Yun Ming's Soul Power hand and was forced to stand, yet his desire to apprentice remained undiminished. He said solemnly, "Teacher pointed out the path forward for Lou Gao today. This grace of imparting knowledge is as heavy as a mountain; Teacher is naturally worthy of this!"
Yun Ming said helplessly, "Please do not use the title of 'Teacher.' You only saw me forge once; whatever you managed to comprehend is entirely due to your own ability. At most, I only played a guiding role; there is no need to attribute all the credit to me."
Yun Ming truly felt this way, but Lou Gao did not think so. He persisted, "But without Teacher's guidance, Lou Gao would likely have remained stagnant for the rest of his life. Furthermore, you have pioneered the future of blacksmiths. To all blacksmiths in the world, this is a great kindness. Such a great merit is something you deserve without question."
As he spoke, Lou Gao bowed to Yun Ming once more. Beyond what he had said, Lou Gao was also well aware of how Yun Ming had waited for him in silence earlier. Therefore, he now held the highest respect for Yun Ming and was genuinely willing to apprentice himself to this youth, who was of his own grandson's generation.
Seeing that Lou Gao still addressed him as 'Teacher' and maintained such a reverent attitude, Yun Ming felt a headache coming on. He had only acted on a whim; how did it evolve into this current situation! However, no matter how flowery Lou Gao's words were, Yun Ming would not become his teacher. He had no time now, and as for the future, he would decide then. Yun Ming simply said, "I did not pioneer the future; this is merely a technique I learned elsewhere. Therefore, I am not worthy of the kindness President Lou speaks of."
"Furthermore, I have never actively taught you anything. I am even less qualified to be called a teacher."
Seeing that Yun Ming was determined to refuse him as an old student, Lou Gao wanted to say more, but Yun Ming said decisively, "Enough, let this matter end here. Do not mention it again."
Hearing the seriousness and firmness in Yun Ming's tone, Lou Gao had no choice but to comply for the time being.
"Yes, Young Master."
Seeing that Lou Gao had backed down, Yun Ming nodded and continued, "According to the wager, the part I was to forge is complete. Does President Lou still wish to show off your skills?"
Upon hearing this, Lou Gao said respectfully, "With Young Master's pearl of wisdom preceding me, Lou will not make a fool of himself. You have won this wager."
"This piece of Ether White Gold shall be handed over to Young Master."
As he spoke, he held the metal up with both hands and presented it to Yun Ming. Lou Gao had temporarily set aside the title, but he would not let go of it in his heart or his actions.
Regarding Lou Gao's attitude, Yun Ming said nothing more. As for this level of respect, he could still accept it.
Looking at the Ether White Gold being handed to him, Yun Ming reached out to take it. He gently stroked the profound patterns on its surface, a beautiful arc forming at the corner of his mouth. He had not missed out on this item after all.
Although Lou Gao still felt a bit of longing as he watched the metal in Yun Ming's hands, he held no resentment in his heart. He had lost the bet, and he had lost to someone he admired. Perhaps giving this item away would allow it to better fulfill its purpose.
After taking a few looks, Yun Ming stored the item in his Phoenix Cry Ring and looked at Lou Gao.
"Very well, President Lou. Now that the matter of the 'Ether White Gold' is resolved, we should discuss today's main business."
Yun Ming took out his Procurement List again and informed Lou Gao of his purchase volume and his intention for long-term orders.
Lou Gao took the list and, upon seeing the various metals listed, finally understood why this order had been handed to him. It had to be said that this was the largest order their Blacksmiths' Association had received this year. Not to mention the long-term cooperation, just this single sweep by Yun Ming—if they were to sell their entire inventory—would be a massive deal worth over a million Gold Soul Coins. After a moment of thought, Lou Gao responded, "Young Master, this order is quite large, but the Association will take it."
"However, we still need to coordinate to determine how much we can deliver in the end."
It was impossible not to want to earn so much money, but the volume Yun Ming required was too large. Their association could not truly empty their inventory; they had to reserve metal for their own use, so they would need to consult with other higher-ups in the association before deciding on the final delivery amount.
With the deal reached, Yun Ming naturally had no objections and said casually, "Please do as you see fit, President Lou."
Lou Gao pulled up a chair for Yun Ming and poured him a cup of tea.
"Young Master, I will go handle this now. It may take some time, so you will need to wait a while."
"If you are bored, you can go to the Second Floor Trading Area to look around. There are many rare items there; you might find something of interest."
Yun Ming nodded and said, "Very well, I understand."
Lou Gao left the forging room to find others to tally their metal stocks and determine the quantity available for sale. Meanwhile, Yun Ming took paper from his Spatial Soul Tool and began recording the information he knew about Ether White Gold, as well as some information on Spiritual Forging that could be put into writing. Spiritual Forging was a bit mysterious, and there was not much Yun Ming could leave on paper, but he treated it as a bonus.
After a quarter of an hour, Yun Ming finished writing. Seeing that Lou Gao had not yet returned, he walked out of the Number One Forging Room, thinking of visiting the second floor as Lou Gao had suggested.
Passing the staircase, the two brothers guarding the door, Si Long and Si Yu, saw Yun Ming come out and said politely, "Young Master, are you looking to visit the second floor? I will go find someone to guide you right away."
As he spoke, Si Long was about to leave to find someone. Earlier, when Lou Gao went downstairs, he had instructed them to treat Yun Ming well and maintain a respectful attitude. Although the two brothers did not know why, they followed their master's orders, which led to the current scene.
Yun Ming waved his hand to stop them and said gently, "No need, I will just wander around on my own."
Seeing Yun Ming refuse, Si Yu said, "In that case, Young Master, please feel free to do as you wish."
"If there is anything you do not understand, feel free to ask the staff stationed on each floor of the Association."
Yun Ming looked at the two of them and smiled.
"Understood, thank you both for the reminder."
After bidding them farewell, Yun Ming arrived at the high-end trading area on the second floor and began his treasure-hunting journey, and he truly managed to pick up quite a few valuable finds.
In his past life as the Sea God Pavilion Master, there was nothing in the way of rare treasures and exotic items under heaven that he hadn't seen. If you asked him about ordinary objects, he might not be clear on them, but when it came to treasures, he knew them like the back of his hand. Coupled with the assistance of his formidable Spiritual Power, the good items on the second floor were practically swept clean by him this time. Things like Crystal Plate Hair Gold, Cold Heart Iron Essence, Deep Sea Sunken Silver Silver Mother, and so on, were all tucked into his pockets for just a few Gold Soul Coins.
He spent half an hour making a round, and seeing that there were no more items on the second floor that caught his eye, he returned to the Fifth Floor.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader