Chapter 136: Chapter 136: How Old Are You This Year?

Charles swung the hammer without pausing, each strike visibly eliminating impurities. The Forging Masters Guild fell silent, the only sound the rhythmic "clang" of metal on metal, as everyone focused intently on the mystic iron.

Fourth strike, fifth strike, sixth strike...

Even after all the impurities had been removed, Charles continued hammering. Jay's face twisted in agony, as if he'd just lost a family member. Anyone with functioning eyes could see that Charles had completed the purification in under ten minutes!

"Ten minutes to remove all the impurities! Master, what kind of hammering technique is this?" Byron asked.

Bryce closely observed Charles's every move, analyzing intently, but he couldn't answer. He simply couldn't recognize the technique!

Seeing Bryce's silence, Byron began to understand. Yet he was still puzzled: if Charles had already completed the purification, why was he still hammering.

"Master, hasn't he already removed all the impurities? Why is he still—" Byron's question was cut off when Bryce raised a hand, as if worried that Byron's voice might distract Charles. He lowered his voice and replied, "The basic impurities have been removed, but the higher-level ones remain. He's upgrading the quality of the mystic iron!"

Upgrading the quality!

Byron was momentarily stunned. The process of enhancing a low-quality material into a higher quality through forging was known as quality upgrading. Typically, only master blacksmiths could achieve this, and even as a senior blacksmith, he hadn't begun to study this aspect yet.

An eighteen-year-old kid could perform a quality upgrade?

The sound of the hammer ringing continued, and with about five minutes left in the assessment, Charles finally stopped forging.

"Alright, this Tone Reproduction mystic iron has been upgraded to white quality. That should count as passing the assessment, right?" Charles thought he could have upgraded it further, but that would have taken more time. Upgrading it by one quality was sufficient.

Bryce, with a complex expression, approached the forge and carefully picked up the still-warm mystic iron. After inspecting it and confirming it was indeed of white quality, he announced, "Charles, you have perfectly passed the Junior Blacksmith certification assessment within half an hour."

With a loud bang, the gathered blacksmiths erupted into a frenzy.

"A genius, an absolute genius! How did he do that?"

"The assessment only required removing impurities, but he upgraded the quality instead—unbelievable!"

"Wait, what did Jay say he would do if he lost?"

"Hahaha, Jay has to call him 'Dad'! An eighteen-year-old becoming Jay's father!"

As the crowd's attention turned to him, Jay clenched his fists, trembling all over. He tried to sneak away, but Vice President Bryce caught him firmly. "You can't leave; losing means losing. If you run now, it'll be a huge embarrassment for the Forging Masters Guild."

"Brother-in-law!" Jay turned to Byron, desperately pleading for a few supportive words to avoid humiliation in front of everyone.

To his dismay, Byron didn't help him. Instead, he advised, "Just close your eyes and shout it out; it's not a big deal."

Feeling defeated, Jay stopped resisting and stiffly walked up to Charles. All around him, blacksmiths were watching with amusement, many pulling out their phones to record the moment.

Jay opened his mouth, a muffled sound escaping, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? That's not what I need," Charles replied, refusing to let him off so easily. There's no such thing as a free pass in this world; apologies are among the most useless gestures.

Jay gritted his teeth, his gaze towards Charles filled with resentment. If he had known from the beginning just how skilled Charles was, he would have treated him with the utmost respect! But purification was just one part of forging. There were still steps like material fusion, temperature control, forging, shaping, and quenching.

He couldn't believe that Charles was exceptional in every single process! Sёarch* The nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"I admit defeat. But if you can forge a white-quality piece of equipment, not only will I call you 'Dad,' but I'll also kneel before you!" Jay decided to gamble again.

At that moment, the crowd suddenly parted, revealing a towering figure. The man stood nearly two meters tall, his muscular frame resembling a beast, with the only incongruous detail being the two wisps of white mustache at the corners of his mouth.

"The President?" Jay's legs went weak, trembling uncontrollably.

This was Xavier, the president of the Forging Masters Guild and a master blacksmith!

"What's going on here? Is this the assessment for the Junior Blacksmith certification?" Xavier asked, eyeing the mystic iron on the alchemy lab with a pleased expression. "Not bad. To purify the white-quality mystic iron to this level, young man, your technique is quite impressive."

"That's not white quality; this mystic iron was originally Tone Reproduction," one of the blacksmiths explained.

Xavier's mustache twitched with interest as he stepped closer to the forge for a better look. "Indeed it is! And that hammering technique—young man, was it taught to you by the serpent people?"

Charles nodded, impressed that the president of the Forging Masters Guild was so knowledgeable he could identify the technique immediately.

At that moment, Vice President Bryce arrived and clarified the situation to Xavier.

"You lost but still refuse to acknowledge it?" Xavier stepped in front of Jay, his tone firm. "I don't want to have to force you; you'd better be proactive."

Jay didn't dare hesitate. He shouted loudly at Charles, "Dad!"

"Ah, my son, are you going to maintain that awful attitude in the future?" Charles asked, grinning. He wouldn't let those who offended him off so easily.

"No, I won't," Jay replied, dejected.

The onlooking blacksmiths raised their phones to record the scene, capturing Jay's humiliation as he shuffled behind his brother-in-law Byron, trying to hide his expression. His resentment for Charles burned fiercely. He vowed to find ways to target and retaliate against him within the Forging Masters Guild.

"You don't need to come back; the Forging Masters Guild has no use for someone like you," Xavier's calm words rang in Jay's ears.

Jay turned to look at Byron, but Xavier continued, "Bryce, your apprentice needs proper discipline. He's making the Forging Masters Guild a chaotic mess."

Bryce nodded expressionlessly and said to Byron, "You shouldn't come looking for me during this time. Go home for a month and reflect on your actions."

Under the gaze of the crowd, Jay and Byron walked out of the Forging Masters Guild, their spirits crushed, facing a life of mockery.

Charles glanced at the time. There was still a while before the afternoon class division competition, giving him enough time to continue with his certification process.

The higher the level of the blacksmith, the greater the discount on weapon purchases. If he could certify as a high-level blacksmith, he might even access weapons and equipment not available to the public. There might be something suitable for Catherine.

If he hadn't been busy lately raising his alchemist level to obtain emerald-quality mystical beast cubs, he would have taken the time to forge a suitable weapon for Catherine himself!

"Hello, can I proceed with the intermediate blacksmith certification assessment?" Charles inquired.

"Of course, no problem. Aside from the high-level certification, which requires a one-day notice, all others can be assessed on the spot," Xavier replied personally, still quite intrigued by Charles.

Just looking at the hammering technique alone can't precisely gauge a person's forging skill. It was entirely possible that while Charles excelled in technique, he might be lacking in other areas.

"Is that so? Then once I complete the intermediate blacksmith certification, can I schedule the high-level blacksmith certification for tomorrow at noon?" Charles asked directly, noting he had time available tomorrow and could avoid an extra trip.

"Tomorrow? High-level blacksmith?" Xavier raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"No problem at all. Are you in a hurry?"

Charles nodded, explaining, "I have a class division competition this afternoon, so time is tight."

"A class division competition? Which blacksmithing academy still holds those?" Xavier asked, puzzled, as he couldn't recall any such practice in his memory.

"It's not a blacksmithing academy; I'm a student at Cyber Academy," Charles clarified.

A student at Cyber Academy? Not a professional blacksmith, but a Beast Master!

This revelation left everyone in the Forging Masters Guild stunned. They instinctively assumed Charles was a student of a blacksmithing academy. After all, one's focus is limited, and mastering the foundational knowledge of forging, the properties of various materials, and their handling methods required substantial time and dedication.

To become a blacksmith, one also needs to undergo a long period of practical training. Even professional blacksmiths often don't have enough time to dedicate to it.

Now Charles mentioned that he was actually a Beast Master and a student at Cyber Academy! At minimum, he was a Level 3 Beast Master and under twenty years old. This meant that the time Charles spent on blacksmithing was only half of what a dedicated blacksmith would normally invest.

Xavier instinctively tugged at his mustache, feeling as though he was dreaming!

"Wait a minute, young man, how old are you?" Xavier suddenly asked, as if he had realized something.

"Me? I'm eighteen."

"Eighteen... You're only eighteen!"