"Okay! We're here. That'll be twenty-five yuan in total, thank you!"
The taxi driver smiled at Lin Xuan and Tang Wulin as they got out of the car.
"Okay!"
After paying, Lin Xuan led Tang Wulin towards a side alley.
"Brother Xuan! Is Teacher's forging room really here?"
Tang Wulin looked around the alley. The walls were covered in moss, and the bluestone slabs on the ground were like the old lady's front teeth at the school gate, scattered here and there.
In a word, shabby!
It was even more rudimentary than the forging room in Aolai City.
"It's this way! I came here last time."
Lin Xuan said confidently. Last year, he had come to Donghai City with Mang Tian to receive a thousand-forging task.
The reason Mang Tian was so shabby in Donghai City was purely because he had incurred a huge debt when he broke through to the Spirit Forging realm.
Even now, Mang Tian is still frantically taking on missions to pay off his debts. Donghai City is one of the top economic cities in the Eastern Continent, and land prices there are incredibly high.
Mang Tian naturally tries to save money wherever possible, placing his forging workshop in this remote urban village.
Although the location is somewhat remote, the forging workshop is still quite well-equipped. Lin Xuan took out his key and opened the forging workshop door, revealing a large hall about two or three hundred meters wide.
There were three forging tables in the hall, capable of accommodating three people forging simultaneously—a renovation Mang Tian had just completed this year.
"Bang! Bang!"
At the innermost forging table, Mang Tian, shirtless, wielded a metal hammer, continuously striking the dark metal on the table.
With each strike, the dark metal on the forging table shrank slightly, and wisps of azure spiritual patterns continuously emerged from the metal block—a spiritual forging!
Lin Xuan and Lin Xuan stood to the side, carefully observing Mang Tian's movements. Because of some hidden injuries he sustained while attempting spirit forging, Mang Tian generally doesn't attempt spirit forging lightly.
This was a rare learning opportunity for the two of them.
Seemingly sensing their arrival, Mang Tian slowed his pace, demonstrating the forging details to them bit by bit.
"Boom!"
A six-foot-long azure flame rose from the forging platform, transforming into an azure phoenix that hovered over the azure metal, quite mystical!
Phoenix Azure Gold!
This was the rare metal Mang Tian used to advance his spirit forging; it was also his most proficient metal in spirit forging.
"Phew! Xiao Xuan, you're here!"
Mang Tian waved his hand, putting away the Phoenix Azure Gold on the platform, then turned to the two.
"Sit down for a while! I'm going to take a shower, then come out with me later!"
Mang Tian wiped the sweat from his brow and said to the two. As he spoke, he walked to the table beside him, picked up the teapot, and gulped down a large cup of tea.
"Let's sit down for a while!"
Lin Xuan said to Tang Wulin, then walked to the stool next to him and sat down. Looking at the forging platform in the distance, Lin Xuan's mind raced, and he brought up his system panel, looking at the forging section.
[Forging: Thousand Refinement Grade 2 (782/800)]
He was just a little short of advancing to Thousand Refinement Grade 1. Speaking of which, he had been somewhat lax in forging lately; his progress hadn't been touched in over a month.
"Ordinary metals will probably require about eight more attempts, while rare metals should only need two."
Lin Xuan estimated the number of forging practice sessions needed to reach this level of proficiency. He decided to max it out when he returned and advance to Thousand Refinement Grade 1.
Closing the system panel, Lin Xuan immediately saw Tang Wulin sitting on the stool meditating beside him, and couldn't help but think to himself, "
What a 'East Sea Scroll King'!
"Alright! Let's go!"
Mang Tian came out again, now dressed in formal attire, a far cry from his usual slovenly appearance.
The group boarded the car, and Tang Wulin couldn't help but ask Mang Tian in the front,
"Teacher, where are we going?"
He could tell from Mang Tian's expression that he took this very seriously! Mang Tian used to be the kind of ruthless guy who would go out in broad daylight wearing only his underwear.
"I'm taking you to the Forging Masters Association for an assessment. Once you get your forging master badges, you can take on your own missions. I'll also introduce you to someone."
"As for who it is, you'll find out when we get there. He's a very important person."
Mang Tian said to the two with a smile.
"Okay!"
Tang Wulin nodded, a sense of anticipation rising within him. For Mang Tian to speak so highly of someone, he must be a very important figure.
Lin Xuan, standing nearby, had a guess in his mind.
This was most likely Mu Chen, the president of the East Sea Forging Masters Association. As for Mang Tian's friend Cen Yue, who was on the same level, Mang Tian wouldn't have such an attitude.
The group arrived at the gates of the Forging Masters Association, where a gray building stood before them. The building was about thirty stories high, with a huge hammer emblem hanging at the front.
Actually, among the four secondary profession associations, the wealthiest wasn't the Blacksmith Association, but the Mech Maker Association.
Lin Xuan initially found this hard to believe, but after learning about the costs of spirit forging, he suddenly understood. Blacksmiths earned a lot, but they also spent a lot; Mang Tian was a perfect example.
Mang Tian led the two inside. As soon as they entered, a young woman in a gray business skirt approached respectfully and said,
"Master Mang Tian, the president is waiting for you. He said you should go directly to Forging Room Number One to find him."
"Okay! I understand."
Mang Tian nodded, then turned to Lin Xuan and Wu Lin.
"Xiao Xuan, Wu Lin, this way."
He led them to the thirty-sixth floor in the elevator. Outside the elevator was a long corridor. On both sides of the corridor were metal doors, each with a number plate indicating the forging room's number.
"This is the forging room inside the Blacksmith Association. It's divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower. The higher the level, the better the facilities."
"Any blacksmith within the association can apply for a corresponding forging room based on their blacksmith level."
Mang Tian explained as he led them inside.
At the end of the corridor was a luxurious forging room, its decoration and size far surpassing the other forging rooms. The number plate on the door clearly marked Forging Room Number One.
Forging Room Number One was actually the exclusive forging room of the association president, Mu Chen.
Mang Tian took out his blacksmith badge and placed it on the scanner on the door, which automatically opened to both sides.
"Xi Xi, not bad! Your current level is already good enough to take the level two blacksmith exam."
A gentle voice came from inside. As Mang Tian and the other two entered, Lin Xuan's first sight was a middle-aged man dressed in a silver-gray robe.
The middle-aged man was around forty years old. Most striking was the golden badge pinned to his chest, adorned with eight black stars.
This signified that he was an eighth-level Saint Craftsman.
He was currently attentively instructing a girl who appeared to be around ten years old.
Hearing the group enter, Mu Chen looked up and walked towards them with a smile.
"Old Mang, you've finally arrived! I thought you'd stood me up again today!"
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