Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

Chapter 94: Geniuses, wait for me!

Mu Xi stood by and watched coldly.

Of course she was not convinced.

This guy, who's even younger than me, has only been in Donghai City for a short time, yet he's already attracted the attention of my father and Master Cen Yue time and time again. Now, he's come so late at night, and he immediately wants to take the Level 3 Blacksmith exam.

Level 3.

That requires a thousand forgings.

Even though she was still unconvinced, Mu Xi had to admit that Tang Wulin's composure at this moment was indeed more stable than her own.

If it were her, and she were to undergo a Level 3 assessment at this time, it would be impossible for her to adjust her breathing and mind to this level in just twenty minutes.

Forging a thousand times and forging a hundred times are completely different concepts.

Refining is a process of purification, removing impurities, and making the metal better.

And a thousand forgings is the process of infusing the soul.

If you can't truly understand metal, and can't truly resonate with your own will, then no matter how strong you are or how many times you forge it, it's nothing more than brute force.

The evaluator looked at Tang Wulin and said in a deep voice, "The Level 3 Blacksmith assessment has only one item: Thousand Forgings. You can choose any metal to complete a thousand forgings. The degree of completion of the thousand forgings, as well as the forging difficulty of the metal you choose, will determine the final evaluation."

"Yes."

Tang Wulin responded respectfully, then turned and went to the metal shelf next to him.

Assessment.

It must pass.

His gaze swept across the metal frame once before settling on a piece of dark silver.

Then, he took the piece of sunken silver down with him.

Among rare metals, he was most familiar with sunken silver.

The sunken silver was also the first metal he had ever refined a thousand times.

In terms of forging difficulty, it is by no means easy. In fact, in the eyes of many blacksmiths, the toughness, density and internal structure of smelted silver make it more difficult to truly forge through than most rare metals of the same grade.

But for Tang Wulin, it was precisely because he had truly entered that state of focus and truly felt the breath and pulse of the silver that it was the choice he was most confident in.

When they saw him place the slag on the forging table, both Mu Chen and Cen Yue's eyes flickered slightly.

Mu Xi clenched her fists even tighter.

Sunken silver?

He actually chose the sunken silver?

This isn't confidence; it's downright arrogance.

Even a level four blacksmith wouldn't dare say they'd succeed every time they forged silver. And this was only a level three assessment.

The reviewer couldn't help but remind him, "Tang Wulin, are you sure you want to choose this? Although you've refined smelted silver a hundred times before, a thousand times of refining is completely different from a hundred times of refining. It's not simply about increasing the number of forgings; it's a process of imbuing the metal with spirituality. You'd better think it through."

"I'm sure."

Tang Wulin's voice was calm.

His gaze remained fixed on the piece of silver in front of him from beginning to end.

Skillfully fix, sink, heat, and burn.

Flames lit up the forging table, and the smelt gradually turned a dark red luster as the temperature rose.

Tang Wulin stood in front of the forging table, and his breathing gradually adjusted accordingly.

Everything outside began to fade away.

Mu Chen, Cen Yue, the reviewer, Mu Xi, and the approaching typhoon outside the window all seemed to be isolated in another world.

At this moment, all he could see was that piece of sunken silver.

He seemed to hear its slightly heavy breathing as it was awakened by the flames.

It was as if it sensed that deep-seated longing within it.

Longing to be thoroughly forged.

A desire to become purer.

I aspire to become a better version of myself.

Just like him.

Steel is forged through countless trials.

The soul is forged through a thousand refinements.

Tang Wulin slowly raised his hands.

The next instant, two dark and heavy lights shone in his palms.

Sinking Star Hammer.

It is neither an ordinary forging hammer nor an external object.

It is his martial spirit.

The two heavy star hammers solidified in his hands, their shafts deep and their luster restrained, like two stars pressed into his palm. The weight was not ostentatious, yet it caused the eyes of the several master blacksmiths present to change simultaneously.

Mu Chen's gaze suddenly froze.

Cen Yue also subconsciously took half a step forward.

They could certainly tell that this was not a tool commonly used by blacksmiths.

This is a martial spirit.

But that's precisely why it's so shocking.

Forging with a martial soul is not without precedent. However, achieving truly precise, stable, and continuous forging is far more difficult than using a forging hammer. This is because the martial soul is connected to the soul master's mind, and even the slightest fluctuation will be directly reflected in the forging process.

In other words, every time Tang Wulin strikes with his hammer, it's not just about controlling his strength, but also about synchronizing his soul power, spirit, martial soul, and metal.

Mu Xi was also stunned.

She finally understood why Tang Wulin dared to take the Level 3 exam.

What he relied on was not an ordinary tool.

It is his martial spirit itself.

Tang Wulin ignored the reactions of those around him.

He simply and quietly sensed the aura of the silvery substance before him.

When the temperature finally reached the optimal moment for forging, he gently raised his right hand and placed the heavy hammer on the control button of the forging table.

The dark red, scorched silver block slowly rose.

There was no prelude.

Tang Wulin's left-hand hammer had already landed.

"when--"

A clear and deep roar instantly resounded throughout the entire forging room.

Sparks flew from the surface of the immersion silver.

That hammer blow was extremely steady and precise.

There was no unnecessary tremor, nor the slightest deviation.

A slight light shone in Mu Chen's eyes.

A true blacksmith never sees the spectacle of the hammer falling, but rather the point of impact, the force, the rebound, the metal's feedback, and the blacksmith's judgment of all of this.

Tang Wulin's hammer blow alone is enough to explain a lot.

The next instant, the right-hand hammer fell.

"when--"

Another roar.

Immediately afterwards, Tang Wulin alternated between his two hammers, the Sinking Star Hammer falling continuously from his hands.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang—"

The sound of hammers quickly became continuous.

At first, the intervals between each hammer blow were clearly discernible. But as Tang Wulin fully entered the zone, the hammer blows became increasingly rapid and frequent, yet without a trace of disorder.

His arm swings were not exaggerated, and there was no overly flamboyant sense of ferocity.

However, the forging table emitted a low hum after each hammer blow.

The sunken silver is shrinking little by little.

Impurities are squeezed out.

The internal structure is constantly being compacted, reorganized, and integrated.

The piece of silver seemed to be forced to shed its outer shell and reveal its deeper essence through repeated hammer blows.

Tang Wulin's gaze remained focused.

There was no panic, no urgency, and none of the suppressed sadness and anxiety that had been present when they first arrived.

Only sunken silver.

Only a hammer.

Only each falling drop.

He could hear Shen Yin responding to him.

Every hammer blow is a form of communication.

Every resounding boom is an answer.

Neither Mu Chen nor Cen Yue spoke.

Their eyes, however, grew brighter and brighter.

At first, Mu Xi bit her lip, thinking that he was just strong and lucky. But as she watched, the resentment in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by undisguised shock.

She is also a blacksmith.

She is also the daughter of a master craftsman.

Of course she can understand it.

Tang Wulin wasn't just smashing things with brute force.

With each strike of his hammer, it was as if he knew in advance how the sunken silver would change in the next moment. He seemed to be able to hear from the feedback where to press down, where to loosen up, where to be heavy, and where to be slow.

That's not brute force.

That's understanding.

Even intimacy.

Ironically, he had previously tried to corner him, attempting to force him to compete with him in forging techniques.

The scene before us says it all.

Whether it's understanding metal or mastering power, there's a very clear distance between him and me.

The silver luster on the smelted silver gradually diminished.

Instead, there are layers of deep cloud patterns.

The cloud-like patterns didn't just float on the surface; they seemed to slowly seep out from inside the metal, becoming clearer with each hammer blow.

Tang Wulin's heart was calm.

It was as still as a pool of water.

When he was wholeheartedly forging, he was most like his true self. All sadness, pressure, fear, and anxiety were temporarily suppressed. With each strike of the hammer, he was not only forging the metal before him, but also seemingly forging his own heart again and again.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—"

Each blow was faster than the last.

Each blow was heavier than the last.

But every hammer blow was perfectly timed.

No pause is needed.

No readjustment is needed.

The sinking star hammers seemed to be a part of his body, and an extension of his will. The two hammers transformed into two dark streams of light, continuously falling around the piece of sunken silver, compressing, condensing, and refining it.

More than three months have passed since I first completed the Thousand Refinements.

In the past three months, he did not rush to challenge again, but instead cultivated, fought, studied, and continuously gained control of his martial spirit and body.

And at this moment, the accumulation of the past three months has been completely released in this forging process.

The final strike is delivered with the right hand.

"boom--"

A violent roar erupted.

The silver trembled suddenly, and the dark red flames faded almost simultaneously.

Instead, there are dark cloud patterns that seem to burst forth from within.

The volume of that piece of sunken silver has shrunk by a full third.

Tang Wulin's forehead and body were covered in sweat.

He slowly withdrew his hands, the light of the Sinking Star Hammer faded, and it disappeared back into his palms.

The sound of hammers still echoed in the forging room.

Apart from that, there was complete silence.

too fast.

From start to finish, it took no more than half an hour.

But that's sunken silver!

He actually managed to forge such a dense piece of silver in such a short time.

The reviewer didn't even approach immediately.

Based on her experience, she could judge the outcome simply by looking at the ubiquitous dark cloud patterns.

Full marks.

Undoubtedly a perfect score.

Cen Yue let out a long breath and exclaimed in a low voice, "What a magnificent Star-Sinking Hammer!"

His tone was filled with shock and indescribable emotion.

But Mu Chen's gaze remained fixed on Tang Wulin.

He watched as the focus in Tang Wulin's eyes gradually faded, then suddenly asked, "Was your martial soul specifically designed for forging?"

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

He didn't know how to answer that question for a moment.

The Sinking Star Hammer is, of course, his martial spirit.

But was it made for forging?

He didn't know either.

All he knew was that he felt secure when he held it. Every time he used it to forge metal, it felt like he was closer to the metal than with any ordinary forging hammer.

"I don't know," Tang Wulin said honestly, "but when I use it to forge, I can definitely feel the metal more clearly."

The light in Mu Chen's eyes deepened.

"It's okay if you don't know."

He smiled slightly.

"From this moment on, you are a Level 3 Blacksmith."

The reviewer did not refute this.

In fact, there is no need to give any more scores.

Such a level of forging would earn him a very high rating even in the basic assessment for a level four blacksmith. The level three assessment was a foregone conclusion for him.

Tang Wulin let out a long sigh of relief and quickly bowed to Muchen.

"Thank you, Chairman."

Mu Chen shook his head.

"You're welcome. This wasn't given to you by the association; you forged it yourself."

He looked at the nine-year-old child in front of him, his voice becoming more solemn.

Everything you have comes from your hard work, talent, and perseverance. I'm so glad you're in Donghai City.

"From now on, you are a Level 3 Blacksmith, which is equivalent to a Master Blacksmith."

Mu Chen paused.

"I don't want you to be proud of this. But I still have to tell you—"

"You are the youngest Level 3 Blacksmith in the history of the mainland."

Tang Wulin was stunned.

Only then did he truly understand why Mang Tian had been unwilling to let him undergo the Level 3 assessment too early.

That's too big a title.

It could bring him so much attention that he can't afford it right now.

Mu Chen continued, "This honor belongs to you, and also to the East Sea City Blacksmith Association. If you need any help from the association, the association will assist you to the best of its ability."

Tang Wulin paused for a moment.

Then he looked up.

This time, the hesitation in his eyes had disappeared, leaving only determination.

"President, I would like to apply for a loan from the association."

Mu Chen did not show any surprise.

He had long suspected that Tang Wulin's eagerness to come for the assessment tonight must have had another purpose.

"What's the reason for the loan?"

Tang Wulin clenched his fists slightly.

"I want to become stronger."

"I need to buy a few things to improve myself. So, I need money."

Mu Chen looked at him, his voice still gentle.

"Could you tell me what you want to buy? The association does have some connections in Donghai City. Maybe we can save you a lot of money."

Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment.

Then he spoke:

"A century-old Ice Crystal Fruit, a century-old Crimson Flame Fruit."

He paused for a moment, then added the last thing.

"There are also ten drops of blood from a hundred-year-old soul beast with dragon bloodlines."

The forging room fell silent for a moment.

Mu Xi opened her eyes wide.

Cen Yue also frowned.

Mu Chen's gaze sharpened slightly, but he did not immediately ask for the reason.

Tang Wulin certainly knew how special these things were.

But he no longer had time.

From the moment he rushed out of the academy cafeteria, he already had this bold, almost adventurous plan in his mind.

With their current strength, the three of them have almost no chance of defeating the three two-ring Soul Masters in Class 1 of the first year.

However, if he can break the first seal within this week, absorb a portion of the Golden Dragon King's power, and truly master the powerful burst of energy when the golden scales appear, perhaps they will still have a chance.

more importantly--

He wants to live.

He wants to become stronger.

He didn't want to be a burden to Xie Xie and Gu Yue any longer.

I don't want to watch someone else take on the pressure for me again.

One week.

Become a Level 3 Blacksmith.

With the help of the association's authority and loans, we obtained the three things needed for the first seal.

Then, absorb the essence of the Golden Dragon King.

I will face Class 1, Grade 1 with a new self.

This is the only path he can think of right now.

Mu Chen looked at him intently.

"Spiritual fruits and soul beast blood can both have a great impact on the body. Especially the three things you mentioned, one ice, one fire, plus the power of dragon bloodline, if not handled properly, will not only be useless, but will also damage the foundation."

"Do you know?"

Tang Wulin nodded.

"I know."

He spoke softly, yet steadily.

"I'm confident."

Mu Chen remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"it is good."

"The association will find these three things for you."

"As for their value, you can offset it with tasks later."

Tang Wulin looked at Mu Chen.

At that moment, he felt as if a flame had suddenly ignited deep within his chest.

The flames burned away hesitation and fear.