Chapter 41 – Blacksmith Ranking Test
With narrowed eyes, Cen Yue picked up Tang Wulin’s form. “Follow me.” He had to see for himself what level Mang Tian’s disciple had attained.
The so-called testing room was actually just a forging room. Naturally, a blacksmithing test needed to be conducted in a room such as this.
As soon as he entered the forging room, Tang Wulin’s nervousness eased a bit. The forging room was about the same as Mang Tian’s. This was the first time since he arrived he found himself within a familiar environment.
The surveyor was a middle aged woman who evidently knew Cen Yue. “Grandmaster Cen Yue, you’ve personally brought someone to take the test! I just heard that this child is only nine years old. If he was just a bit younger, he would be able to attack the President’s record.”
Cen Yue said, “We can talk after the test.”
The surveyor nodded and looked towards Tang Wulin. “There are 15 kinds of metal here. Pick one of them to purify. I will grade you based on the metal you choose and the degree of purification. If your score surpasses 60, then you’ll earn the title of a rank 1 blacksmith.”
“Yes.” Tang Wulin nodded, then looked towards the metals arranged on the stand.
Fifteen different metals. Each and every one of them was one third of a meter squared.
The metals had all sorts of colors and qualities. Although the blacksmith test seemed simple as one only needed to purify a metal, it actually examined more than one’s purification abilities.
The surveyor didn’t tell him what these metals were, indicating that he needed to identify and understand each of the metals himself while picking the one best suited to his abilities.
The metal’s qualities and purification results were tied together, meaning the purification score would be affected by the chosen metal.
Tang Wulin swept his gaze over them and instantly recognized what he had to work with. After some pondering, he picked a metal from the middle of the shelf.
The chunk of metal twinkled with a faint silver light. When they saw him pick this metal, Cen Yue and the surveyor both revealed a trace of shock in their expressions. They never expected Tang Wulin to choose such a thick and heavy metal.
“I choose this chunk of Heavy Silver.” Tang Wulin picked up the Heavy Silver and then placed it on the forging table without making the slightest sound.
Mang Tian’s demands of him had been very high. He forbade him from allowing the sound of metal colliding with metal to sound out unless he was forging.
This chunk of Heavy Silver with dimensions of one third meters squared, actually weighed over 300 kilograms. It was extraordinarily heavy, however, Cen Yue saw Tang Wulin pick it up with no effort at all.
“Little guy, your strength truly isn’t small!” The surveyor exclaimed in astonishment. She was slowly thinking that the nine year old boy in front of her could actually pass the blacksmith’s test.
Tang Wulin said, “Masters, may I begin now?”
The surveyor said, “You may begin. You have one hour to finish. Purify it as much as you can. The degree of its purification will determine your score.”
“Yes!” Tang Wulin didn’t have any needless thoughts, and began to work skillfully.
He immediately set to work by starting up the forging table, and increased its temperature. After this he put the Heavy Silver inside and began calcining it. The time required to calcine the metal was also counted in the timed he had to purify it. The blacksmith’s test didn’t have any tricks to it. The Association had strict requirements for all of their blacksmiths, as their work directly reflected upon their reputation.
Tang Wulin took in deep breaths and stretched while he adjusted the soul power within his body.
The reason he chose Heavy Silver wasn’t because he wanted to show off to his peers, rather it was the last metal he had forged with. After his initial forging of it, he had gained a thorough understanding of its characteristics. Furthermore, the chunk he picked was also very similar to the one he had forged with originally. It was like seeing someone else hunting, and being excited by one’s memories of the thrill of the hunt, and so before he knew it, he had chosen it.
However, he still remembered Mang Tian’s words. He mustn’t use his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers unless he was alone. At the very least, he couldn’t reveal his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers until he was fifteen years old.
Tang Wulin gradually adjusted his breathing as he watched the metal’s temperature on the forging table and sharpened his gaze.
Cen Yue stood to the side motionlessly as he watched Tang Wulin.
When he saw Tang Wulin’s gaze sharpen, he couldn’t help but secretly exclaim in his heart, ‘Oh, Mang Tian, Mang Tian. You’ve truly picked up a gem.’
Cen Yue was the greatest advocate of single-minded devotion to forging within the blacksmith community. He wasn’t particularly talented, it was just that he liked the profession. He had gotten to where he was now by proceeding one firm step at a time, whilst relying solely on his love and devotion to forging. In the end, he gained the acknowledgement of the blacksmithing world.
Tang Wulin was just a nine year old child! A nine year old child was actually able to achieve such a state of concentration. This meant that he truly understood the meaning of forging. When faced with such a child, Cen Yue’s expression immediately brightened.
Tang Wulin’s left hand quickly pressed the button, bringing it out of the forging table at just the right temperature.
Hastily, the surveyor began writing this down.
As the surveyor of the blacksmith’s ranking test, she was extremely experienced in her role. From Tang Wulin’s details, she could determine that this wasn’t the child’s first time forging Heavy Silver. How could a blacksmith who hadn’t even registered yet truly forge Heavy Silver?
Tang Wulin began!
His two arms shook a bit as a pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers appeared in his hands. He dexterously lifted up his left arm and tapped the Heavy Silver twice, issuing a ‘ding ding’ sound.
Cen Yue’s gaze switched to Tang Wulin’s ears. He clearly saw Tang Wulin’s ears tremble slightly.
‘He’s listening! He’s listening to the feedback of the metal. What an excellent lad!’
Right at that moment, Tang Wulin’s right arm hammered down with lightning speed. The whole forging room was filled with a whistling sound and in the next instant, the tungsten hammer heavily landed on the chunk of Heavy Silver.
Peng! The tungsten hammers sang a note as the Heavy Silver depressed inwards a bit.
Tang Wulin’s pair of large, pretty eyes began shining at that moment as the hammer in his left hand quickly followed. Peng! Another boom resounded in the room.
The two booms echoed within the room while Cen Yue’s eyes widened a bit. ‘Those are… Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers!?’