69novels Chapter 38: A Busy Day
Chapter 38: A Busy Day
But as an adult, Wu Changkong managed to control his emotions well, and even had the peace of mind to think to himself:
I should have let Yu Chen take the test in front of Gu Yue. That way, my students' scores would all be higher than the last, and that would have felt even better.
Unlike Wu Changkong's excited mood, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were petrified on the spot. Yu Chen and Gu Yue both had spiritual power at the Spiritual Connection Realm, while their own spiritual power was not even a fraction of theirs. How could they not doubt their existence?
Next was the strength test. In this area, although Tang Wulin was not as good as Yu Chen, he still had his own highlights. So after a series of tests, only Xie Xie seemed mediocre, which made Xie Xie exclaim that Yu Chen and the other two were not human.
Soon, the weekend arrived, and Yu Chen and the others finally had time to rest. However, Yu Chen and Tang Wulin had an appointment with Mu Chen, so they couldn't enjoy this hard-won rest time.
Early Sunday morning, Yu Chen and Tang Wulin had already left Donghai Academy and headed to the Forging Masters Association to receive instruction from Mu Chen.
Throughout the week of training, Wu Changkong continued to exert soul pressure on Yu Chen, and Yu Chen's soul power quickly broke through to level 19, while Tang Wulin's soul power also improved and broke through to level 12.
They traveled in silence, and soon arrived at the East Sea City Blacksmith Association.
Upon arriving at the front desk, Yu Chen and Mu Chen easily met Mu Chen after stating their names and purpose.
"Master" x2
Upon seeing Mu Chen and Yu Chen, they respectfully bowed.
"Yu Chen, Wu Lin, I didn't expect you to arrive so early. Your soul power has become even stronger, so you must have made a lot of progress this week."
Stopping what he was doing, Mu Chen used his mental power to observe the changes in the two of them, and said with a smile.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they quickly got down to business, with Mu Chen leading the two to his own forging room.
"Enough with the pleasantries, let's get down to business and teach you the real stuff."
Upon arriving at the blacksmith Mu Chen's place, the smile vanished, and his tone turned serious.
"Forging is not just about brute force; every stroke must be done with heart. You have to use your soul to understand the nature of the metal and use your mind to bring it 'alive'—what you have to do is create new life for inanimate objects."
"What strange similarities exist between 'living' metal, which comes 'alive', and the 'living spirit' of dragon alchemy?"
Listening to Mu Chen's explanation, Tang Wulin held his breath and listened intently, his eyes growing brighter. Yu Chen listened thoughtfully.
"Watch closely, this is the method of Thousand Refinements."
As soon as he finished speaking, a forging hammer appeared in Mu Chen's hand—its body shimmered with light, and it carried an imposing aura the moment it appeared. He casually opened the forging furnace, his arm slightly lowered, and the demonstration of the thousand-fold forging began.
……
With the final hammer blow, the metal block forged by Mu Chen immediately emitted a dazzling light, which rose a full 1.5 meters before stopping.
"This is a Thousand Refinements Grade One, also known as Semi-Spirit Refinement, and it will be your next target."
"Master, are there different grades among the thousand-fold forging? What is half-spirit forging?" Tang Wulin asked, somewhat puzzled, after hearing Mu Chen's words.
"The classification of thousand-refined metals is divided into five grades, with the lowest being grade five and the highest being grade one. When he broke through to the third level of blacksmith, the metals he forged were mainly grade three and grade four of thousand-refined metals."
"To advance to the fourth level of blacksmithing, there are two requirements: one is to forge ten kinds of metals of grade two after a thousand forgings, and the other is to forge one kind of metal of grade one after a thousand forgings, which is also called semi-spirit forging."
Mu Chen first answered Tang Wulin's questions, and then explained in detail the requirements for advancing to the fourth level of blacksmith to Yu Chen.
"Wu Lin, during this time, I have inquired a lot about the two of you from Mang Tian. I know that you are currently limited by your soul power, and the Thousand Refinements are a bit difficult for you. Therefore, you should focus on improving your soul power for now. However, there is a soul guidance array in my forging room. With its assistance, it should make things much easier for you."
Forging is an extremely soul-power-consuming process, especially for low-level blacksmiths. Sometimes, the reason why blacksmiths are unable to advance to higher levels may be due to their lack of soul power. Mang Tian, Yu Chen's former teacher, is a good example.
"Yes, Master, I will try my best!" Hearing that he would not have to try the Thousand Refinements multiple times because of his lack of soul power for the time being made Tang Wulin, who loved forging, very happy.
"Then, Yu Chen, go all out on a Thousand Refinements and let me see how far you can go."
Mu Chen first activated the soul guidance array on the forging platform where Tang Wulin was located, then went to another forging platform and activated the soundproof soul guidance device, signaling Yu Chen to begin forging.
……
After some time, looking at the finished product of Yu Chen's thousand forging, Mu Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"A thousand-fold forging, second grade! A thousand-fold forging, second grade! You've already managed to forge a thousand-fold forging, second grade! It seems I underestimated you."
Looking at Yu Chen, Mu Chen's eyes revealed an expression of disbelief.
"I never imagined you'd already reached this level! It seems that as long as your soul power keeps up, it won't be long before you're qualified to challenge true spirit forging. I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Keep up the good work. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a message using the soul communication device. Then, once you've mastered the Thousand Refinements First Grade technique, let me know, and I'll teach you the skills of spirit forging."
Patting Yu Chen on the shoulder, Mu Chen tried to calm himself down and encouraged him.
"Understood, Master, I will not let you down!"
Yu Chen nodded vigorously and answered earnestly.
……
Evening arrived quickly, and Yu Chen walked alone on his way back to Donghai Academy, while Tang Wulin was pestered by Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi, to go and compete in forging.
The reason she didn't seek out Yu Chen was because of Mu Chen's presence. She knew that Yu Chen was already a level three blacksmith, just one step away from becoming a level four blacksmith. With such a large gap, she naturally wouldn't want to be humiliated.
Nothing happened on the way back to Donghai Academy. As he passed through the grove where he usually trained, he saw Wu Changkong, dressed in white, looking up at the moon as if he was thinking of something.
Yu Chen originally intended to leave without causing any more trouble, but Wu Changkong was, after all, a Soul Emperor. When Yu Chen arrived, Wu Changkong, with his keen senses, noticed that someone was nearby.
"Who!" Wu Changkong's voice was like the wind that swept through the cracks of a window in the early morning of early winter, making everyone who heard it shiver.
"Teacher." Yu Chen stepped out and greeted Wu Changkong calmly, without any embarrassment at being discovered.
Upon seeing that the visitor was Yu Chen, his favorite student, Wu Changkong's originally cold and hard attitude softened considerably. After nodding to Yu Chen, Wu Changkong prepared to leave.