In the forging room of the Blacksmith Association, Mu Xi struck the rare metal with her hammer several times before finally turning around, unable to bear it any longer.
"What on earth are you trying to do?"
Behind her, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena were staring intently, not at her, but at the hammer in her hand.
The two had been there for quite some time, claiming they wanted to observe her forging. Mu Xi hadn't thought much of it and agreed.
But now, she regretted it.
With Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena standing behind her, she couldn't shake the feeling of a chilling presence at her back. It was as if two monsters were looming over her.
When Huo Yuhao heard Mu Xi's question, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to use his spirit-sharing ability on her instead of giving a direct answer.
Gu Yuena needed to closely observe forging techniques to improve further.
A blacksmith who was too advanced wouldn't be suitable. The second-level blacksmith in front of them, Mu Xi, was just right.
As a disciple of the Saint Craftsman, her foundational skills were solid and standardized, making her an ideal subject for learning.
What Gu Yuena lacked was a strong foundation. Once she had that, she could progress to more advanced techniques like Thousand refinement.
After all, she used elemental forging, and her comprehension was exceptionally high, setting her apart from others.
As Mu Xi experienced the mind-sharing, the world around her suddenly became vast and clear. Her eyes widened in astonishment.
Report, there's a cheat here!
Without further questions, Mu Xi quickly turned her attention back to the metal, picked up her forging hammer, and resumed her work.
With Huo Yuhao's soul skill enhancing her perception, she could now detect details that were previously imperceptible and correct mistakes she hadn't noticed before.
On the other side, Gu Yuena continued to study Mu Xi's movements intently.
It was easiest to gain insights by watching a blacksmith identify and correct their mistakes step by step.
By the time Mu Xi finished her forging session, feeling refreshed, Gu Yuena had already looked away, deep in thought.
She had figured out where her own problems lay and now only needed to return and verify her understanding.
——Knock knock knock!
Just as Mu Xi set down her forging hammer, there was a knock at the door.
She glanced at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena before calling out, "Come in."
A young man, around sixteen or seventeen years old, entered the room. He wore a third-level blacksmith badge on his chest.
Mu Xi recognized him immediately.
Zheng Tianlin, a disciple of the vice president of the East Sea Blacksmith Association, had once been instructed by her father, Muchen. He could be considered her senior.
Zheng Tianlin looked at Mu Xi with a gentle expression, his usual arrogance nowhere to be seen. "Sister Mu Xi, do you have any free time recently? I've taken on several forging tasks from the Mecha Association, so I'm a bit overwhelmed."
"..."
Mu Xi glanced toward Huo Yuhao and the others before shaking her head.
"I don't have time. I need to help them with their metal forging."
'Huo Yuhao, I'm sorry for speaking so loudly earlier. It's a good thing you came today!:
Hearing this, Zheng Tianlin frowned and turned his gaze to Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, his eyes lingering on the former with a hint of scrutiny.
His efforts to please Mu Xi weren't just because he liked her, her father was an eighth-level Saint Craftsman, one of only four in the Blacksmith Association.
His own teacher was a seventh-level Saint Craftsman.
If he could gain the guidance of President Muchen, his chances of becoming a Saint Craftsman in the future would increase significantly.
This made him wary of any men who appeared near Mu Xi.
However, noticing that Huo Yuhao was accompanied by a girl and that he didn't seem particularly close to Mu Xi, Zheng Tianlin felt somewhat relieved.
Putting away his scrutinizing gaze, Zheng Tianlin spoke calmly:
"You two are from the Mecha Association, right? It's not ideal to stand by a blacksmith's side while they're forging. It can be distracting..."
Mu Xi quietly interrupted, "Brother, Huo Yuhao is a level 3 mecha maker, a disciple of Mr. Li, the former president of the Mecha Association, and also my collaborator."
"..." Zheng Tianlin was stunned.
What? This person is the disciple of the gold master?
In the collaboration between the Blacksmith Association and the Mecha Association, the latter was the one footing the bill.
As Li Yucheng's disciple, Huo Yuhao was undoubtedly a financial backer.
Not to mention, at his age, being a third-level mecha maker already indicated a bright future.
Zheng Tianlin's expression stiffened for a moment before he quickly said,
"I'm Zheng Tianlin, a third-level blacksmith from the Blacksmith Association. If there's a chance, we can work together. Sorry for the interruption. Goodbye."
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded, watching as Zheng Tianlin left the room.
Seeing this scene, Mu Xi felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she were watching a replay of her own past experiences.
After all, she had been in a similar situation before... Now that someone else was going through the same thing, she couldn't help but feel a secret sense of amusement.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Mu Xi glanced at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena behind her and asked, "Is this enough? Do you need me to do it again?"
"Thank you, that should be sufficient."
Huo Yuhao took the rare metal Mu Xi handed to him, exchanged a brief farewell with Gu Yuena, and the two left the forging room.
On their way back, Huo Yuhao noticed Gu Yuena deep in thought and reached out to her through their shared mental link, "Come to think of it, there are quite a few Saint Craftsmen among them, right?"
The Blacksmith Association only had four eighth-level Saint Craftsmen, but other factions undoubtedly had their own.
Gu Yuena, adept at receiving spiritual fluctuations, understood Huo Yuhao was referring to Di Tian and the others.
She nodded and replied, "Of course. To create battle armor that suits them, they must master a secondary profession. For most soul beasts, forging is the better choice. Di Tian and Xiong Jun are both Saint Craftsmen."
Forging required intelligence, but compared to the various professions of mecha makers, it was less demanding.
However, it was still challenging for soul beasts. Xiong Jun, despite his quasi-extreme gold attribute, had spent a thousand years slowly getting started under Di Tian's guidance.
In fact, if it weren't for the allure of four-word battle armor, which could significantly enhance combat power, Xiong Jun might not have persisted.
Huo Yuhao's expression turned peculiar as he imagined Di Tian and Xiong Jun wielding forging hammers. The mental image was oddly amusing.
This kind of scene... wasn't so bad, actually.
"They have no idea about Heavenly refinement?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"No," Gu Yuena replied. She smiled faintly at first, but her expression soon turned serious.
"You also know when Heavenly refinement appeared. I suspect that the Divine Craftsman Zhenhua's ability to reach that level might be related to the God Realm or the Lord of the Planes."
Huo Yuhao didn't refute her, but he didn't fully agree either.
The Divine Craftsman Zhenhua had achieved Heavenly Forging after Tang Wulin was sent to the Douluo Plane, which was a few years ago.
Before that, Heavenly Forging didn't exist, making the timing somewhat suspicious.
Previously, creating four-word battle armor required the collaboration of multiple Saint Craftsmen and the full assistance of the battle armor master, taking an immense amount of effort to barely complete.
Even then, such battle armor could only be considered quasi-four-word and needed to be nurtured by a powerful individual to fully transform.
"In that case, I won't have to worry too much about your spiritual and soul forging," Huo Yuhao said with a slight smile.
"If you get stuck at the Heavenly Forging stage, I'll help you find a solution."
He already had what it took to impress the Divine Craftsman Zhenhua.
Hearing this, Gu Yuena turned to look at Huo Yuhao's profile and softly replied, "Yeah."
She always felt safe when she was with him.
Was it because he was the God King?
Perhaps there was more to it than that...
Gu Yuena pondered for a moment and glanced around.
Soul masters walked along the path, releasing their souls and strolling together, laughter filling the air.
Some young souls played and sparred with their soul masters.
Children watched with envy, clamoring for their own souls and even wanting to engage in soul battles.
As she observed these scenes, a gentle smile gradually spread across Gu Yuena's face.
She thought she might understand the reason now…