In a forging room of the Forging Master Association, Mu Xi hammered the rare metal several times before finally running out of patience and looking behind her.
"What on earth are you two trying to do?"
Behind her, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena were staring intently at her... or rather, at the hammer in her hands.
The two of them had been here for quite a while. They had claimed they wanted to observe her forging, and without overthinking it, she had agreed.
Yet once she actually got to work, Mu Xi regretted it.
With Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena standing behind her, she couldn't shake a chilling sensation running down her spine, though she had no idea why.
It felt as if two monsters were looming over her back.
Hearing Mu Xi's question, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, and rather than answering directly, he applied Spiritual Sharing to her.
Gu Yuena currently needed to observe forging techniques up close to make further progress. A master who was too strong wouldn't be suitable; this young rank-2 Forging Master before them was just right. After all, she was the disciple of a Saint Craftsman, with fundamentals well above average and executed with textbook precision—making her an ideal model to study.
What Gu Yuena lacked was the fundamentals. As long as she had a solid enough foundation, she could figure out Thousand Refined on her own later. After all, she forged using elements and possessed extraordinary comprehension, setting her apart from ordinary people.
Receiving Spiritual Sharing, Mu Xi found that the whole world suddenly broadened and turned razor-sharp, and her eyes instantly went wide.
*Someone report this—he's cheating!*
Without asking any more questions, Mu Xi hastily turned her attention back to the metal, raised her forging hammer, and resumed hammering.
She felt that with the assistance of Huo Yuhao's Soul Skill, she could perceive many details she had never noticed before during forging and correct several of her mistakes.
Meanwhile, watching Miss Tool-Worker get back into action, Gu Yuena continued to study her movements.
Watching an imperfect forging master correct their mistakes step by step was when insights came most easily.
By the time Mu Xi completed a thoroughly invigorating forging session, Gu Yuena had already pulled her gaze back in contemplation.
She had found her train of thought and understood where her own shortcomings lay; all that remained was to return and test it out.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
Just as Mu Xi set down her forging hammer, a knock came at the door.
She glanced at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, then looked toward the door. "Come in."
A young man wearing a rank-3 Forging Master badge walked in, looking around sixteen or seventeen years old.
Mu Xi was very familiar with him.
Zheng Tianlin, a disciple of the East Sea Forging Association's vice president. He had previously received guidance from her father, Mu Chen, so he could be considered her senior brother.
Zheng Tianlin looked at Mu Xi with a warm gaze, his usual arrogance toward others seemingly vanishing into thin air. "Little Sister Mu Xi, do you have any free time lately? I took on several forging commissions from the Mecha Master Association and have my hands a bit full."
"..." Mu Xi glanced in the direction of Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, then shook her head. "I don't have time. I need to help them forge metal."
*Huo Yuhao, I'm sorry for raising my voice at you earlier—you two came at just the right time today!*
Hearing this, Zheng Tianlin frowned and turned to Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, his gaze focusing directly on Huo Yuhao with a faint hint of scrutiny.
He curried favor with Mu Xi not only because he liked her, but also because her father was an eight-star Saint Craftsman—
One of only four such figures in the entire Forging Association!
His own teacher was a rank-7 Saint Craftsman. If he could receive further guidance from President Mu Chen, he would have a much better shot at striving for Saint Craftsman in the future.
Thus, he was wary of any young man who appeared by Mu Xi's side.
However, seeing that Huo Yuhao was accompanied by another girl and that Huo Yuhao and Mu Xi didn't appear particularly close, Zheng Tianlin felt considerably relieved.
Withdrawing his scrutinizing look, Zheng Tianlin said placidly, "You two are from the Mecha Master Association, right? Lingering at the side while a forging master is at work will only interfere with—"
Mu Xi cut him off coolly. "Senior Brother, Huo Yuhao is a rank-3 Mecha Crafter, the disciple of Elder Li, the former president of the Mecha Master Association, and my collaborator."
"..." Zheng Tianlin froze.
*Huh? This kid before him is the disciple of a financial backer?*
In the cooperation between the Forging Association and the Mecha Master Association, the latter were the ones footing the bill. As Li Yucheng's disciple, Huo Yuhao naturally counted as a financial patron.
Not to mention being a rank-3 Crafter at his age—his future was boundless.
Zheng Tianlin's expression stiffened for an instant before he scrambled to smooth things over. "I am Zheng Tianlin, a rank-3 Forging Master from the Forging Association. Perhaps we might collaborate when the opportunity arises. My apologies for intruding on you all. Farewell."
Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile and watched him step out of the room.
Seeing this scene, Mu Xi felt a sense of déjà vu, seeing a reflection of herself.
After all, she had gone through something similar before... Now that someone else shared her experience, she felt an inexplicable trace of secret delight.
With that thought, Mu Xi looked back at Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena. "Are you done? Do you need me to do another round?"
"That's enough. Thank you."
As Huo Yuhao spoke, he took the rare metal Mu Xi handed over, bid her farewell alongside Gu Yuena, and took their leave.
Walking along the road back, Huo Yuhao looked at the pensive Gu Yuena and asked through Spiritual Sharing, "Speaking of which, there are quite a few Saint Craftsmen among them, right?"
The Forging Association had only four rank-8 Saint Craftsmen, but other factions naturally harbored Saint Craftsmen of their own.
Gu Yuena adeptly received the spiritual ripples, knowing Huo Yuhao was referring to Di Tian and the others, and nodded. "Of course. To complete Battle Armor truly attuned to oneself, one must master a secondary profession. For most Soul Beasts, forging is comparatively better. Both Di Tian and Bear Lord are Saint Craftsmen."
Forging did require brains, but compared to the various Mecha Master professions, it demanded slightly less intellectual nuance.
Even so, it was still remarkably difficult for Soul Beasts. Even though Bear Lord possessed pseudo-Ultimate Metal, it had still taken him a thousand years under Di Tian's stern urging just to slowly get the hang of it. In fact, if not for the undeniable allure of Four-Word Battle Armor significantly boosting his combat strength, Bear Lord would never have persevered.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's expression turned somewhat peculiar. Imagining the scene of Di Tian and Bear Lord picking up forging hammers made him feel an odd urge to chuckle.
*That picture... isn't bad at all.*
"They don't have any clues regarding Heaven Refined yet, do they?"
"No." Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, Gu Yuena also thought of those scenes. A faint smile surfaced first, but then her face grew serious. "You know the timing of when Heaven Refined emerged. I suspect that Divine Craftsman Zhenhua being able to accomplish that step might be connected to the God Realm or the Plane Master."
Hearing that, Huo Yuhao didn't dispute it, nor did he outright agree.
The timing of Divine Craftsman Zhenhua attaining Heaven Refined occurred after Tang Wulin was sent to the Douluo Plane, having succeeded just a few years ago. Prior to that, Heaven Refined did not exist, making the timing rather delicate.
Before that, creating Four-Word Battle Armor required several Saint Craftsmen collaborating together, supported by the Battle Armor Master's full assistance, consuming untold amounts of painstaking effort just to barely complete it.
Even so, that sort of Battle Armor could only be called pseudo-Four-Word, requiring constant nurturing from a powerhouse before it could fully transform.
"If that's the case, then I won't need to worry much about your subsequent Spirit Refined and Soul Refined stages," Huo Yuhao said with a faint smile. "If you ever get stuck at the Heaven Refined step, I'll find a way for you."
He already possessed what it took to move Divine Craftsman Zhenhua.
Hearing his words, Gu Yuena turned to look at Huo Yuhao's profile and softly murmured in reply, "Mm."
Staying by his side, she always felt a sense of peace.
Was it because he was a Godking?
It seemed there was more to it than just that...
Lost in thought, Gu Yuena looked at their surroundings.
Some Soul Masters walking along the street had summoned their Soul Spirits, strolling together with laughter and banter.
Several petite Soul Spirits were even frolicking and playing with their masters.
A few children who saw the Soul Spirits looked on with envious eyes, clamoring that they wanted one too and even wishing to hold Soul Spirit battles.
Watching these scenes unfold, a soft smile gradually blossomed across Gu Yuena's face.
Perhaps... she knew the reason after all.
Chapter 60