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Donghai City, Blacksmith Association.
After leaving home, Xie Xie dragged his little sidekick Xu Xiaoyan straight to the reception desk.
"Sister Lanlan, we're here to see Uncle Mu."
"Sure thing. President Mu Chen is in his office; head on over," the receptionist, Shui Lanlan, replied with a familiar smile. She didn't even check for an appointment—she just ticked a box on her attendance sheet.
Over the past three years, Xie Xie had visited Mu Chen every fortnight. His schedule was so consistent that the staff used his arrivals to time their clock-ins. The idea of a six-year-old needing an appointment with a Saint Craftsman had long since been replaced by the reality of a ten-year-old prodigy coming to "work."
"Wow, Brother Xie Xie, the Blacksmith Association is huge—and even the receptionist knows you!" Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed in delight as they stepped into the private elevator. To her, Mu Chen was a legendary figure, a Rank 8 Saint Craftsman. Seeing Xie Xie navigate the headquarters like his own backyard was thrilling.
"If you come twice a month for three years, they'll remember you too," Xie Xie answered with a wry smile.
"He-he, I was always at home playing with Sister Na'er before. This is my first time inside the actual workshop..." Xu Xiaoyan looked a bit sheepish. She had known he was talented, but she had never witnessed the "boring" side of his life.
"Well, let me warn you: forging is repetitive and dull. You probably won't last an hour," Xie Xie said playfully.
"No way! Little Yan will wait nicely for Brother Xie Xie." She shook her head with stubborn determination.
The elevator reached the top floor, and they entered the office where Mu Chen and Mu Xi were waiting.
"Xiao Xie, you're here—" Mu Chen started to greet him, but his gaze shifted to the blue-haired girl. "Hm? Who's the little lady today?"
"Uncle Mu, Sister Mu Xi, this is my childhood friend Xiao Yan, Uncle Xu's daughter," Xie Xie introduced her.
"Hello, Uncle Mu. Hello, Sister Mu Xi," Xu Xiaoyan greeted them sweetly. "I came to watch Brother Xie Xie forge."
"So you're the Xu family's little pearl—Xiao Xie's childhood sweetheart," Mu Chen chuckled.
Xu Xiaoyan's face instantly flushed crimson. She couldn't find her voice, merely ducking behind Xie Xie and giving a shy, rapid nod.
"Hahaha, what an adorable girl. Xiao Xie, today we're going to push past Spirit Forging and attempt more complex Fusion Forging—sound good?" Mu Chen's eyes lit up with professional excitement.
"No problem. Xiao Yan, sit with Sister Mu Xi for a while. I'm off to work." Xie Xie followed Mu Chen straight into the intense heat of the forge room.
Mu Xi watched them leave in silence before leading Xu Xiaoyan to a viewing bench. Her eyes were fixed on the workshop.
"Sister Mu Xi, what were they talking about? Are they doing amazing things?" Xu Xiaoyan asked curiously.
"Mm! Very amazing," Mu Xi said, almost gritting her teeth. "Amazing" was an understatement. Spirit Forging and Fusion Forging were things many adult blacksmiths never mastered in their entire lives.
"I started forging when I was six," Mu Xi murmured, her face falling. "I've been at it for nine years, and I'm still struggling with top-level Thousand Forging. But he... he only comes twice a month, and he's already surpassing me. Your Brother Xie Xie is simply inhuman."
Xu Xiaoyan sat enthralled, listening to the rhythmic, thunderous clang of the hammer. She suddenly felt an impulse. "Brother Xie Xie! Can I give it a try?"
Xie Xie paused, looking at her sparkling eyes. "It's heavy, Xiao Yan. But sure, try one strike." He pulled a small, Hundred-Refined practice hammer from his tool—the lightest he had, though it still weighed nearly fifty pounds.
"I'll swing really hard!" She braced her soul power, gripping the handle with both hands. She brought the hammer down on a tungsten ingot with a soft thud. It wasn't fierce like Xie Xie's strikes, but she persisted, hitting it eight times before handing the hammer back with a happy sigh.
"Go, Big Brother Xie Xie—I'm heading back to my seat!"
"Well done, Xiao Yan. Leave the rest to me," Xie Xie said tenderly.
As she sat back down, a brilliant flash of light erupted from the ingot.
"Sister Mu Xi, why is it glowing?"
"That's Thousand Forging Spirit-Rise," Mu Xi explained, her voice full of awe. "But to trigger it after only a dozen strikes... he used your soft strikes as a final harmonic resonance. He's a monster."
"Spirit-Rise... Big Brother and I did it together!" Xu Xiaoyan's eyes curved into crescents. Heh-heh... we're both amazing!
Five hours later, the session ended. Xu Xiaoyan had long since grown bored of watching and had spent the last three hours cross-legged in meditation.
"Big Brother Xie Xie works so hard," she murmured as they walked home in the late afternoon.
"Why do you say that?" Xie Xie asked.
"Swinging that hammer is so boring! Your hammer moved so fast it looked like smoke, and you did it for hours. When will you ever 'finish' learning?"
Xie Xie fell thoughtful. At nine years old, he was already a Rank 5 Blacksmith—a level usually reserved for masters in their thirties. Still a long way to go to reach Divine Rank, he thought, his lips curving.
Elsewhere in Donghai City, a man in black robes led a girl with striking black hair into a quiet alley. Her face was a mask of cold indifference.
Gu Yue—the human avatar of the Silver Dragon King.
"So this is Donghai City," she whispered. "Di Tian, withdraw."
"Yes, my Lord." The Beast God vanished into the shadows.
Gu Yue gazed toward the silhouette of Donghai Academy. The memory of Na'er—her other half—flashed through her mind. "Na'er, in this wager of ours... I will win. Love, family, friendship—they are all human illusions. I will prove it to you."
She had arrived to reclaim what was hers, unaware that a certain "Time-Space" glitch was already waiting to rewrite her destiny.
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