Chapter 23: The Bcksmith Association

  "Gengxin City is known for having the most bcksmith shops in the world. Only in this city are bcksmiths given the respect they deserve.

  It's said that there are over a thousand bcksmith shops within Gengxin City, and tens of thousands of bcksmiths. Many bcksmiths from other cities come here specifically to take the bcksmith exams. If they pass the advanced bcksmith exams, they can stay in this city. Simply put, this pce is a paradise for bcksmiths."

  As the saying goes, money can make the devil turn millstones. Xiao Yu and his group, upon entering Gengxin City, spent some money to hire a local guide.

  As a local guide, his greatest skill was to read people. Xiao Yu and his companions' attire and demeanor clearly indicated their extraordinary status.

  Most importantly, this guide was also a Soul Master, and his martial soul had mental attributes. When he locked eyes with Huihuo, who had been silent behind Xiao Yu and the others, his martial soul conveyed a sense of overwhelming fear, as if facing an unparalleled ferocious beast. He instantly understood that these people were not to be trifled with.

  Therefore, he was extremely enthusiastic towards Xiao Yu and his group, incessantly introducing Gengxin City to them:

  "Although bcksmiths are not valued by the two great empires, the military's weapons and equipment, farm tools, buildings, and furniture all require the involvement of bcksmiths. The more advanced the bcksmith, the more valuable their creations.

  Bcksmiths are generally divided into seven levels. From lowest to highest, they are: junior bcksmith, intermediate bcksmith, senior bcksmith, bcksmith master, bcksmith grandmaster, bcksmith sage, and divine bcksmith.

  Currently, Gengxin City has only one divine bcksmith, and that is the president of the Bcksmith Association, Master Lou Gao.

  However, he is aloof and rarely forges for others. If you have any needs, I can recommend some excellent bcksmith shops under the names of Masters Si Long and Si Yu, who are direct disciples of Lou Gao and bcksmith sages. Their forged items are of top quality and will surely satisfy you."

  "Thank you!"

  Xiao Yu smiled slightly but shook his head and said, "Our purpose for this trip is to visit Master Lou Gao. Please lead the way."

  "Of course."

  Seeing that Xiao Yu, who clearly led the group, had spoken, the guide did not say more and led the group towards the city center of Gengxin City.

  Gengxin City itself was not very rge. It did not take long for them to reach the central area of the city.

  "Honored guests, this is the headquarters of the Bcksmith Association."

  Following the guide's pointed direction, Xiao Yu and the others saw an extremely tall and robust building.

  This was a simple and rugged spherical castle structure. The entire castle had no luxurious decorations, with three rge doors wide open, bustling with people coming and going.

  Xiao Yu and his group followed the crowd and stepped into the hall. Seeing this, the guide began to introduce again:

  "The headquarters is divided into five floors. The first floor is the trading area, where bcksmiths bring their proud creations or some metals for trading. There are also merchants specifically selling various metals. The left side of the hall is for bcksmiths consigning various finished products, while the right side is the metal trading area. The association takes a five percent commission from these transactions. Therefore, most bcksmiths consigning items here have at least a bcksmith master status.

  At the headquarters, although prices may be higher than outside, the quality is guaranteed. All items are appraised and evaluated by the association before being priced. If you need to purchase finished products or rare metals, you can be assured here. The Bcksmith Association would never damage its reputation.

  While the outside market may offer cheaper prices, quality is not guaranteed. Whether you can find good items depends entirely on your luck."

  Xiao Yu nodded, understanding that shopping has always been the same, whether in this life or the previous one: ensuring quality comes with a price, and chasing cheap deals can easily lead to pitfalls.

  The guide continued, "The second floor is the advanced trading area. Rare metals are usually traded on the second floor. The third floor is for bcksmith registration and exams, specifically for bcksmith level assessments. The fourth floor is the VIP area, which also serves as the auction area. Some especially valuable and rare forged items are periodically auctioned there. The fifth floor is the Bcksmith Association's office area, where Master Lou Gao's forging room is located."

  Xiao Yu gnced around the hall. After several months of studying soul tools, he had gained a general understanding of rare metals. With just a quick look, he identified six types of mid-to-high-quality rare metals.

  However, Xiao Yu did not rush to the trading area to make purchases. He had a strategy in mind: if he could successfully recruit Lou Gao and the Bcksmith Association, he might be able to get a discounted price directly from the association. Although he carried a substantial amount of money on this trip, the sect was still depleting its resources without a stable source of income. Therefore, saving wherever possible was prudent. As for making the Bcksmith Association cover the costs, he wasn't that shameless.

  Having made up his mind, Xiao Yu didn't hesitate any longer and headed straight for the stairs to go upstairs.

  In the original story, Tang San and Tai Tan were checked by guards almost on every floor. However, Xiao Yu did not encounter such a situation. He specuted that after the soul-hunting operation, the Spirit Hall intensified its efforts to annex the Bcksmith Association. The bishop, Miles, was an ignorant and tyrannical scoundrel, probably unable to come up with a good pn and resorted to causing trouble to pressure the Bcksmith Association. Thus, the association had increased its security.

  Xiao Yu reached the fourth floor before finally being stopped by the Bcksmith Association's guards. After all, the fifth floor was the association's office area, where all master-level bcksmiths had their private forges. It would be unreasonable if there were no guards here.

  "Hello, we are here to visit Master Lou Gao. We would like to request his help in forging a divine weapon. Here is the blueprint."

  Xiao Yu smiled politely and took out a blueprint from his storage soul tool. It was a copy of a seventh-level soul tool design. In the original story, Tang San had used the blueprint of the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle to persuade Lou Gao to join the Tang Sect. Xiao Yu pnned to use a simir approach. For a genius like Lou Gao, obsessed with forging, only something like this could move him.

  "What's this rubbish? Go away! Don't sully Master Lou Gao's eyes with this trash."

  Unexpectedly, the guard took the blueprint, gave it a cursory gnce, and then tossed it aside like garbage. He then stepped forward to push Xiao Yu and his group back downstairs.

  Seeing this, Xiao Yu's face immediately darkened. Looking at the impatient guard before him, he wondered if encountering such dismissive individuals was a protagonist's standard ordeal.

  (End of this chapter)