Just as the assessment was about to begin, an unexpected interruption occurred.
“Wait!” someone shouted.
The sudden exclamation caused everyone to turn and look toward the entrance of the Forging Masters Guild, where two figures were slowly approaching.
The person in front, Charles did not recognize, but the one behind him was somewhat familiar; it was Jay, the receptionist he had encountered at the front desk yesterday.
Could it be that Jay, feeling humiliated after being embarrassed in front of everyone, had brought someone along to disrupt his senior blacksmith certification assessment?
The identity of the person in front was quickly revealed by the gathered blacksmiths.
“Who is that guy?”
“Isn’t he an inspector sent down from the headquarters of the Abyssal Depths Forging Masters Guild?”
“It seems so; I remember he was quite arrogant when he first arrived, showing no respect for President Xavier.”
“What can you expect? He’s from above, after all.”
Xavier watched the two approaching figures with a neutral expression and asked, “Dylan, what exactly do you want?”
“Mr. Xavier, your words make it sound as if I’m here to cause trouble,” replied Dylan, the inspector, a mocking smile on his face. He continued in a leisurely tone, “I just heard that someone is violating the rules of the Forging Masters Guild.”
“Violating the rules? This is merely a standard assessment for the senior blacksmith certification,” Xavier frowned.
Since Dylan arrived, he had been looking for trouble, frequently criticizing matters related to Genosha Caliviathe and the Forging Masters Guild. Usually, he indulged in revelry elsewhere; why was he here today?
It had to be that Jay held a grudge and specifically sought Dylan out to interfere with Charles’s assessment!
With this thought, Xavier’s previously calm demeanor turned slightly disdainful as he said, “May I ask, Inspector, what specific irregularities you believe exist in this assessment?”
Dylan casually replied, “As far as I know, Charles has yet to complete his intermediate blacksmith certification assessment. How can he jump straight to the senior certification?”
Xavier felt momentarily at a loss for words; he hadn’t expected Dylan to use this as leverage against him. According to the rules of the Forging Masters Guild, assessments were indeed supposed to be taken step by step. However, no guild would strictly enforce this, not even the headquarters of the Forging Masters Guild in the Abyssal Depths.
Especially in the case of a blacksmithing prodigy like Charles, once it was determined what level he was at, they would typically arrange for an assessment that matched his skills.
This was also meant to save everyone time. However, no matter how one looked at it, advancing to a higher-level assessment was certainly not permitted.
Seeing the contemplative expression on Xavier’s face, Dylan felt a surge of satisfaction. The Abyssal Depths was the most remote and desolate region within the Ethereal Grove. Other inspectors stationed in the more developed domains received various high-grade beast cores and high-quality miracle drugs as gifts. But here he was, stuck in this backwater, and Xavier had not offered him any gifts!
As Dylan reveled in Xavier’s expression, he said, “What’s the matter, Mr. Xavier? Perhaps I made a mistake—has Mr. Charles already taken his intermediate blacksmith certification assessment?”
“Well…” Xavier was at a loss for words.
Dylan’s smile grew broader. “In my opinion, this assessment should be canceled, the registration fees non-refundable, and Charles should receive a penalty barring him from participating in any blacksmith certification assessments for a month.”
As soon as he said this, a loud uproar erupted within the Forging Masters Guild.
“Wait!” Xavier suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up.
“What is it, Mr. Xavier? Are you still planning to proceed, showing no regard for the rules of the guild?” Dylan said maliciously.
“Dylan, it’s not like that. I just remembered that there is another rule within the Forging Masters Guild.”
“Another rule? Does it allow this assessment to continue?” Dylan was momentarily taken aback, his mind racing to recall what other rules might exist in the Forging Masters Guild that could change the current situation.
“Yes, there is a provision that allows a blacksmith who has mastered a special technique to take assessments at a higher level!” Xavier replied.
“Special forging technique?” Upon hearing Xavier say this, Dylan seemed to have a fleeting realization, but he quickly brushed it aside. The rarity of such special forging techniques was far more precious than a mystical beast egg!
“It seems there is such a rule. Are you implying that Charles has mastered a special forging technique?” A sense of foreboding crept into Dylan’s mind.
Xavier nodded and produced the previously upgraded quality of the mystic iron, handing it to Dylan for a closer examination.
Dylan scrutinized it for a long time but couldn’t discern anything unusual.
Seeing his struggle, a fleeting look of disdain crossed Xavier’s face as he explained, “Charles possesses a special forging technique known as the ‘Eighty-One Hammer Technique.'”
“Mr. Xavier, you do realize the consequences of deceiving an inspector, right?” Dylan felt embarrassed at that moment. He couldn’t just admit in front of all the blacksmiths that he couldn’t identify any traces of a special forging technique on this mystic iron.
Xavier straightforwardly tossed the upgraded quality mystic iron to Dylan and said, “Mr. Dylan, consider this as evidence; keep it for your reference.”
Having done this, Xavier didn’t wait for Dylan to say anything further. He nodded directly at Charles and said, “Let’s begin.”
“Xavier, you!” Dylan was taken aback by Xavier’s sudden assertiveness. He felt powerless against Xavier; if Xavier had made a mistake, it would have been easier to challenge him. However, all of Xavier’s actions were in accordance with the rules of the Forging Masters Guild, and Dylan couldn’t find any grounds for complaint.
Seeing that he had not achieved his goal, Dylan chose not to leave. Instead, he remained at the scene, intent on causing further trouble!
The senior blacksmith certification assessment required the completion of a blue-quality piece of equipment within four hours. Participants could choose from weapons, shields, or arm guards, with weapons and arm guards being the most challenging options.
A good pair of arm guards could protect a Beast Master’s life in crucial moments, which is why the prices for arm guard equipment tended to be higher than those of other types.
Everyone was curious about what type of equipment Charles intended to forge.
Charles was not in a hurry. He examined the materials on the forge and found that few were suitable for him. Given the limited time, he didn’t want to waste too much of it during the senior blacksmith certification assessment.
So he decided to forge the type of equipment he was most skilled at: arm guards!
With his decision made, Charles took out the necessary materials, starting with the blue-quality mystic iron, and began the forging process.
As he started, gasps of surprise filled the air.
“No way! How is he purifying the material and removing impurities so quickly? Isn’t he worried about running out of energy and being unable to complete the assessment later?”
“Bro, are you new here today?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Nothing, just keep watching. He did the same thing yesterday!”
As the spectators continued to watch, Charles quickly finished purifying the mystic iron. Then, to the bewilderment of the onlookers, he proceeded to take out another forging material—also blue-quality copper-wood.
“What’s he planning to do? Isn’t the mystic iron enough? Does he intend to fuse the two materials to create an alloy, thus forging a better-quality piece of equipment?”
“Isn’t that going to be more difficult?”
“Sure, the difficulty increases a bit, but it can save a lot of time in the forging process.”
“Is Charles worried about not finishing within the allotted time?”
Charles paid no attention to the murmurs around him; he was fully immersed in his forging. He watched as the two materials heated up, glowing red.
The timing was just right—time to begin hammering!
The sound of “ding ding dang dang” echoed through the hall of the Alchemist Guild, like beautiful music dancing in the air. The entire forging process flowed smoothly, without a hint of interruption.
Xavier watched intently from the side. Unlike the other blacksmiths who were focused on the techniques, he was observing Charles’s state of mind. To be completely immersed in the act of forging was no simple feat, especially in front of so many other blacksmiths. Yet Charles showed no signs of nervousness; in fact, it could be said that he was enjoying the process of forging!
Talent! This was a kind of innate ability related to one’s mindset, distinct from the mastery of Beast Mastery, temperature control, and other technical skills. A strong mindset was even more crucial. Xavier had seen many talented blacksmiths who, after a few mistakes, fell into despair and could never recover.
Such a situation would not befall Charles. It was precisely because of his mindset that he could fully immerse himself in the experience of forging, unaffected by external distractions.
“This is what a true forging genius looks like!” Xavier’s eyes burned with intensity as he watched Charles, and the desire to take him as a disciple surged within him.
Shaping, polishing, quenching…
At this moment, the blacksmiths present realized that Charles had chosen to forge arm guards, which were not easy to make. As the sizzling sound of quenching came to an end, Charles completed some finishing touches, and a brand-new pair of arm guards was successfully forged.
From the start of the assessment to its conclusion, it took a total of 1 hour and 38 minutes!
[Alloy Arm Guards] [Blue Quality]: Effect ① Increases arm muscle strength by 20%. Effect ② Reduces normal attacks from Beast Masters below level 3 by 20%. After reduction, the arm guards need to be repaired.
Charles looked at the information prompt before him, a satisfied smile on his face. Although the quality of these arm guards was only blue, their attributes were still impressive. The effects were somewhat similar to those of the [Nine Netherworld Armband], albeit not as powerful.
After all, the materials used to forge the [Nine Netherworld Armband] were of golden quality, while the materials for the [Alloy Arm Guards] were only blue quality.
Xavier couldn’t wait to take the [Alloy Arm Guards] from Charles, examining them closely. Before he could announce the results, Dylan interjected, “So, what’s the verdict? It wouldn’t happen to be just a pair of white-quality arm guards, would it?”