Chapter 188 - Thousand Refined Blue Coppertite

Mu Chen nodded. “The rarer the metal is, the easier it is for a blacksmith to Spirit Refine it. You have to buy your own metal when the time comes because if you fail to Spirit Refine it, the metal would become worthless. It wouldn’t be suitable to be handed in for tasks since the value would be too low. Considering your talent, the association will gift you some metal at that time, but you’ll still need to buy a lot of it yourself. Every blacksmith suffers when it’s time for them to attempt Spirit Refinement.”

Cen Yue laughed mischievously. “It’s not just suffering. It took me five years to pay off my debt, and Mang Tian still hasn’t finished paying his yet. Why else do you think he accepts so many tasks?”

Tang Wulin swallowed his saliva.

Teacher Mang Tian still hasn’t repaid his debt? Just how much does he still have?

Mu Chen shook his head. “Alright, let’s not talk about such things just yet. I called you here today for two things. The first was to confirm your status as a fourth rank blacksmith. You need to Thousand Refine two metals in a row and submit it. If one of them is a second-rank product, we can end your test there and officially make you a fourth rank blacksmith.”

“Yes! Thank you, teacher.” In the end, Tang Wulin was still a child. Although the potential cost of Spirit Refinement made him anxious, he could easily distract his mind from a matter that was so far in the future.

He remembered that Spirit Refinement wasn’t just a forging technique—it required one to have at least three soul rings to succeed. Considering this, Tang Wulin had plenty of time until he gained his third ring.

Mu Chen said, “You’ve earned fourth rank status much faster than I expected, so I want you to broaden your horizons now. In the near future, the five great eastern coastal cities will be holding the Skysea Alliance Tournament, a grand tournament that is held once every three years. There are competitions for everyone—Mecha Masters, Battle Armor Masters, Soul Masters, blacksmiths, mecha craftsmen, mecha designers, mechanics, and so on. The events are divided according to age. There is a division for those aged fifteen and under, a division for youths aged fifteen to twenty, and a division for adults aged twenty to thirty. Anything beyond that is too old. I plan to have you and Mu Xi represent Eastsea Blacksmith’s Association in the blacksmith competition for those aged fifteen and below.”

The Skysea Alliance Tournament?

The name of the tournament itself piqued Tang Wulin’s interest. “Teacher, will I be competing with young blacksmiths from other cities at this tournament?”

Mu Chen nodded. “That’s correct. You only have one objective: to come back as the champion. I’m convinced that there aren’t any blacksmiths in the fifteen and under division that will be more remarkable than you. Don’t you want to earn money? This is a good opportunity to do that. The champion’s prize is three million federal coins. In addition, the association will award you with ten chunks of rare metals if you win. That should save you plenty of money when you attempt Spirit Refinement.”

The chunks of rare metal that Mu Chen mentioned had dimensions of approximately a third of a meter on each side.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Tang Wulin was already eager for the tournament.

Teacher Mu Chen said it would be easy for me to win the championship and win a lot of money! At the very least, it’ll be enough to pay Teacher Wu back.

Mu Chen nodded. “The Skysea Alliance Tournament is hosted by the five great eastern coastal cities. As a result, it is also called the Grand Banquet of the Sea and the Sky. I’m absolutely certain that you will shine brilliantly and bring glory to our Eastsea Blacksmith’s Association.”

“Yes, teacher.”

Mu Xi pouted. “Dad, I could do that even if we didn’t have him.”

Mu Chen shot her a glance. “You think you can win? Even if you’re a genius, all your competitors will also be geniuses! With Wulin here, victory is certain. You only need to work hard and prepare to attempt the Thousand Refinements. This time, the minimum requirement to participate is middle-grade Hundred Refined. They will assess you more carefully after you meet this requirement.”

The Grand Banquet of the Sky and the Sea... the Skysea Alliance Tournament.

Tang Wulin carved these words into his heart.

“Let’s conduct your test then, Wulin. Mu Xi, you come along too. You can watch and learn from Wulin.”

“Mn.” Strangely enough, Mu Xi didn’t put up as much of a fight this time. She simply gave her father a cute nod.

Only four people were present in the forging room: Tang Wulin, Mu Chen, Mu Xi, and Cen Yue. Mu Chen personally selected two metals for Tang Wulin to forge, one of which was Blue Coppertite.

Mu Chen’s astonishment regarding Tang Wulin’s accomplishment could be attributed to two things. One was the sheer difficulty of Thousand Refining Blue Coppertite to the second-grade. It was even harder than forging a first-grade product using an ordinary metal. The second was the speed of Tang Wulin’s development—it was so fast that the only thing holding him back was his soul power. Tang Wulin currently only had a single ring, but Mu Chen was sure that he would reach Spirit Refinement within three years if he had three rings.

Soul power, however, was extremely hard to increase! There was nothing he could do unless he spoil things by getting ahead of himself. The more that Tang Wulin’s talent revealed itself, the more Mu Chen hesitated to give him any heavenly treasures that would boost his cultivation. Mu Chen didn’t want Tang Wulin’s foundation to be unstable; it would damage his future prospects.

What was strength? What Tang Wulin currently displayed was strength. Tang Wulin’s talent for forging was something that even a first-rate genius like Mu Chen could only spend his whole life looking up to.

The forging began.

Three crisp tones echoed through the air when Tang Wulin lightly tapped the Blue Coppertite. The Stacked Hammers effect was occurring in full force.

Tang Wulin’s ear twitched slightly and a violet shimmer appeared in his eyes.

Without a doubt, Blue Coppertite was extremely difficult to forge. When he had previously forged Blue Coppertite, there were countless times during the process where he was forced to use Purple Demon Eyes to prevent failing.

The pattern that ran along the surface of the Blue Coppertite transformed, rippling with each strike of Tang Wulin’s hammer.

This was the reason why Blue Coppertite was so hard to forge. Its internal structure constantly changed under the pressure the Thousand Refinements. A single incorrect strike could turn it into a lump of trash.

There was no hesitation in Tang Wulin’s movements. The moment one arm rose, the other fell, resolutely pounding the metal unceasingly.

Cen Yue’s eyebrows leaped upward. So quickly? Doesn’t he need to examine it?

Even if he were the one forging the Blue Coppertite, a sixth rank blacksmith like him would need at least three minutes to inspect the metal before he could begin hammering. And yet, Tang Wulin never even paused!

The intensity of Tang Wulin’s strikes continued to grow. His hammers hurtled through the air as if their several hundred kilograms of weight was the same as a straw of rice. One after another the hammers descended upon the metal like a storm. With the Stacked Hammers effect, a bizarre rhythm similar to that of rain falling upon a forest of banana trees began to resonate throughout the room. It was as if a multitude of blacksmiths were all working in harmony.

Mu Xi’s attitude toward Tang Wulin had changed significantly because of Tang Wulin’s strength.

When one person competed with another and there was a gap in strength, jealousy would appear. However, once that gap grew large enough, that jealousy would quickly disappear.

Mu Xi had yet to become a third rank blacksmith because she was still struggling with the Thousand Refinements, yet Tang Wulin was already a fourth rank blacksmith! Such a gap couldn’t be closed in only a few days.

When she saw Tang Wulin’s second-grade Blue Coppertite, the way she viewed him completely changed. She no longer saw him as just a rival and could see his other strengths now. When she saw him today, the first thing she that came to mind wasn’t “It’s this annoying guy again.” She actually thought, “Actually, this guy is kind of handsome.”

Such a subtle psychological change went unnoticed by Mu Xi. Even if she did realize this change, she would never admit it.

Mu Chen’s eyes were electric as he stared at that chunk of Blue Coppertite. He discovered that although Tang Wulin’s strikes were swift, they also hit the exact center of the Blue Coppertite’s ripples. Tang Wulin took advantage of the Stacked Hammers effect to withhold the strength of his strike such that the force would be just enough. He had complete control over this chunk of Blue Coppertite.

A moment later, Mu Chen noticed the purple glow of Tang Wulin’s eyes.

That looks like…

...

If it really is that, it would explain a lot.