RNP Chapter 248 Could it be lust at first sight?
Chapter 248 Could it be lust at first sight?
Chapter 248 Could it be lust at first sight?
Huo Yuhao, who had already gone to the second floor, naturally did not notice the little incident that happened after he left.
The atmosphere on the second floor was noticeably busier than on the first floor, with most of the people coming and going being blacksmiths preparing to accept missions.
After queuing for a short while at the counter in the mission area, I successfully rented a private forging room from the automated soul guide screen next to me, and at the same time received my monthly bonus of rare metals.
Just then, a clear soul-guiding bell suddenly rang out from the second floor, interrupting the slightly noisy surroundings.
A sweet female voice rang out clearly from the soul-guided broadcast system that spanned the entire building.
"Attention, esteemed blacksmiths! In ten minutes, our Vice President Chang Gongyan will be holding a lecture on forging knowledge, from Thousand Forging to Beginner Spirit Forging, in the Public Media Hall on the second floor."
The lecture will last approximately one hour. Interested blacksmiths are requested to maintain order and enter the public media hall in turn.
The soul-guided broadcast was repeated three times before it stopped.
The staff, who had been somewhat idle since most of their tasks were automated and they only needed to handle some unexpected problems, looked up excitedly after hearing the broadcast.
Without a second thought, he pulled a "Leaving" sign from under the counter and slammed it on the table with a swift and efficient motion.
Meanwhile, all the other blacksmiths in the second-floor hall, whether they were preparing to accept tasks in front of their screens or selecting rare metals in the materials area, all turned around and walked quickly in the same direction.
The staff member who was about to leave with the crowd saw that the white-haired boy in front of him seemed unmoved.
Seeing the brand-new Level 2 Blacksmith badge pinned to Huo Yuhao's chest, he kindly offered a reminder:
"Young man, this must be your first time visiting the Blacksmith Guild of Xingluo City, right? Don't miss this incredible opportunity."
Vice President Chang Gong is one of the few Level 8 Saint Craftsmen in the entire Star Luo Continent, a true pillar of the blacksmithing world. To be able to attend even one of his public lectures is an incredibly lucky thing.
The staff member's tone was filled with excitement and respect. He lowered his voice and added:
"I guess it's because the vice president's precious apprentice just passed the Level 4 assessment today, and he was in a great mood, so he decided to hold this lecture on the spur of the moment."
So don't just stand there like an idiot, hurry up and come over, you might still be able to grab a good spot.
After giving this reminder, the staff member didn't say anything more. He turned around hurriedly and jogged to catch up with the group ahead, afraid that if he was late, there wouldn't even be a place to stand.
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then followed.
When they arrived at the public media hall, the large hall, which could accommodate hundreds of people, was already quite full.
They spoke to each other in hushed tones, but it didn't sound noisy.
On the platform at the very front of the hall, a huge forging table had been set up, and various rare metals were neatly displayed on the metal racks next to it.
Perhaps because the lecture was announced at the last minute, it has not yet spread widely.
Even though Huo Yuhao arrived a little late, he still managed to find an empty seat in the crowd that wasn't too far from the stage.
In the backstage dressing room of the main stage, through a one-way glass window, Chang Gongyan's gaze swept across the audience below.
When he saw the white-haired figure quietly taking his seat, Chang Gongyan smiled and stroked his slightly graying beard. His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to what had happened in the office a few minutes earlier.
A few minutes earlier, on the top floor of the Forging Masters Association, in the vice president's office.
After seeing off the group of colleagues who came to offer their congratulations and politely declining their invitation to go out for dinner together after get off work, Chang Gongyan sat behind his large desk, his smile still unstoppable.
He looked at Lin Yuhan, who was sitting quietly on the sofa beside him, sipping her tea, and smiled:
"Yuhan, your teacher knows your true strength. Let alone a level four blacksmith, even a level five blacksmith rating is nothing to you."
The main things preventing you from reaching the sixth-level blacksmith realm are that your soul power cultivation is still a little lacking, and your proficiency in forging complex alloys is not yet sufficient.
"But it's okay."
Chang Gongyan waved his hand and said, "In the coming year, your teacher will keep a close eye on high-grade lightning-attribute natural treasures at auctions."
"As long as you can successfully break through to the Soul Master level before the delegation travels to Douluo Continent, then with your near-Level Six Blacksmith level, you'll be more than capable of participating in the exchange!"
Although he said "more than enough" and sounded unusually modest, Chang Gongyan's uncontrollable smile was almost reaching his ears.
At just over fifteen years old, he already possessed forging skills approaching those of a sixth-level master craftsman.
According to the information he had, even the only master craftsman in Douluo Continent at present did not officially become a level six blacksmith until he turned eighteen.
What does this tell us?
This shows that his disciple has already shown the potential of a master craftsman!
Although he himself may never reach the level of a master craftsman in his lifetime, the thought that his disciple might become the first master craftsman in the history of the Star Luo Empire is still very inspiring.
And thus, his teacher will leave a significant mark on the forging history of the Star Luo Continent.
For Chang Gongyan, who still harbors a considerable amount of vanity deep down, this feeling of exhilaration is undoubtedly as refreshing as eating a whole slice of chilled watermelon on a hot summer day.
However, Lin Yuhan seemed a little dazed, only sipping her tea and showing little reaction to the grand vision described by her teacher.
After a long pause, she seemed to come to her senses and replied, "Teacher, you can decide these things. I have no objections."
Seeing that his beloved disciple still looked absent-minded, Chang Gongyan's smile faded slightly, and he asked in a deep voice:
"Yuhan, are you still thinking about that boy from earlier?"
As if her thoughts had been directly exposed, a rare faint blush appeared on Lin Yuhan's pretty face.
She quickly waved her hand and retorted somewhat incoherently.
"Teacher, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly be hung up on a stranger I've never even spoken to? That... that's just too strange!"
As if to prove that what she said was true, and to convince herself, Lin Yuhan quickly added another sentence.
"I just have a very strong feeling in my heart that the boy's forging skills are probably no weaker than mine."
As a true forging genius, Lin Yuhan naturally has her own pride.
She knew from a young age that among her peers across the entire Star Luo Continent, no one could surpass her in forging skills.
The only explanation for why he would have such a deep impression on a stranger is that the other party possesses a level of forging talent that is comparable to his own.
This must be a mutual attraction and resonance between geniuses of the same kind.
Could it be that I was lustful at first sight?
Lin Yuhan thought this with certainty in her heart.
Chang Gongyan's brows furrowed even deeper.
Before he could think any further, a crisp knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
He could only suppress his doubts for the time being, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice, "Please come in."
The office door was pushed open, and the gray-robed steward who had been sent out to investigate earlier entered.
At this moment, his face was filled with an expression of barely suppressed shock, and even his breathing was somewhat rapid.
"Guild Master, that young man is absolutely a forging genius!"
As he spoke, he quickly stepped forward, handed the paper file to Chang Gongyan, and continued his report with an excited tone:
"I have personally inquired with the staff member in charge of the evaluation, and the situation is indeed true. Moreover, I have reviewed the soul-guided surveillance video in the evaluation room repeatedly, and there is no trace of falsification."
Chang Gongyan took the file with some doubt and looked at it carefully.
The next instant, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in shock.
"How is this possible! How old is he? How could he complete a hundred rounds of training in ten seconds?"
Manager Li shook his head and said:
"President, it's not just that. The reason the report says it that way is because the reviewer held back a little to avoid making the data seem too exaggerated."
Having personally witnessed the video, I am absolutely certain that it was forged in one hammer blow!
A blacksmith who can forge a hundred pieces with a single hammer blow is undoubtedly a pillar of the blacksmithing world.
For Chang Gongyan, an eighth-level master craftsman, achieving this was indeed not difficult.
Even with high-quality forging hammers and forging tables, it is not impossible to achieve a thousand forgings in one go.
As for the master craftsmen of Douluo Continent, it is said that they can achieve spirit forging and even soul forging with a single hammer blow. That level of skill is truly divine.
This is also one of the important reasons why he accepted the invitation from the Star Luo official and went to Douluo Continent to find out what was going on a year later.
But this is a level that only established, top-tier blacksmiths can reach.
Even for a disciple like him who already possesses the qualities of a master craftsman, Lin Yuhan's current forging skill level would require nearly a minute to complete a hundred forgings.
But this twelve-year-old boy is able to achieve mastery through repeated tempering?
boom--
Chang Gongyan subconsciously slammed his hand on the table.
The heavy, century-old desk let out a mournful groan as a crack appeared in the center of its surface.
Realizing his momentary lapse in composure, Chang Gongyan coughed awkwardly, refocusing his gaze on the file, his tone becoming serious:
"But why is the resume of this child named Lingbing so brief?"
I think Haiyue Elementary Academy is located in a small town on the western border of the empire. As for Tianming Intermediate Academy, I don't really remember it.
"Also, a twelve-year-old four-ring Soul Master, I remember even Long Yue from Monster Academy was no more than that at this age, right?"
Most importantly, since he came to our association to evaluate blacksmiths, who is his mentor?
This series of questions, however, plunged Chang Gongyan himself into deep confusion.
Putting aside the astonishing level of the Soul Master for the moment, it could be explained that the other party had a stroke of luck in the wild and obtained some rare and precious treasure by chance.
Unlike forging, the lineage of each systematic blacksmith is generally traceable.
It's important to know that in the world of blacksmiths, the master-apprentice lineage is extremely important, and it's basically passed down from one lineage to another.
If a disciple, while having a teacher, conceals their lineage and takes another person as their master, it is the most serious act of betrayal and will be severely punished by the entire Blacksmith Association.
This suddenly appearing boy possesses Soul Master and Blacksmith talents that are completely disproportionate to his age, yet his personal information is riddled with obvious flaws.
This series of contradictory information made Chang Gongyan feel a strange and inexplicable feeling.
Manager Li, still reeling from the shock of the previous report, managed to calm himself down and, with extreme caution, suggested:
"President, there are many suspicious points in this matter. Why don't we hand this file over to the Imperial Security Department for review? After all, the other party's background is too strange."
"Perhaps it was someone deliberately sent by the Green Skull organization, and there's even a possibility that the surveillance video was forged using a high-level soul tool?"
Chang Gongyan rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache for a moment.
In this day and age, the overall strength of the Blacksmith Association is definitely not much worse than that of the Tang Sect or the Spirit Pagoda branch on the Star Luo Continent.
It is precisely because of this transcendent status that most of the personal information of their members is stored in a database independent of the empire's official database.
Simply put, the Blacksmiths' Association is not as strict as the Imperial government in its screening of applicants.
They don't even care too much about which faction you come from. As long as you have enough talent and no clear record of treason, the association is willing to open its doors to you.
This is why Huo Yuhao chose to obtain his first legitimate identity in this era through the Blacksmith Association.
Before Chang Gongyan could figure it out, Lin Yuhan, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
"Teacher, I don't believe that boy is from the Green Skull organization. I trust my intuition."
Upon hearing this, Steward Li couldn't help but remind her, "Miss Lin, you may have been engrossed in forging lately and haven't been aware of what's been happening in the Empire recently."
Not long ago, Princess Dai Yun'er was attacked by members of the Green Skull organization on the Soul Guidance Train on her way back to Xingluo City, which almost caused a major disaster.
The entire empire, especially within Star Luo City, is now undergoing a new round of rigorous purges. Under these special circumstances, we must consider this matter carefully.
(End of this chapter)