MTLNOVEL Chapter 35: Will the hard work pay off?
Tianmeng roared, "What is negative ascension? He doesn't understand the power of our Ice Silkworm Clan!"
Little Ice Silkworm chimed in, "That's right, that's right! Even if our clan is at the bottom of the extreme north, Emperor Tianmeng emerged from our clan!"
Tianmeng's gaze snapped toward the Little Ice Silkworm.
Are you praising the Ice Silkworm Clan, or are you undermining us?
Why does it sound so subtle...
Ice Empress glanced at the two ice silkworms, who were clearly unconvinced, and let out a slight snort.
Two living treasures. The man can't even hear you, what's the use of being impotently furious in the sea of spirits?
Besides, he's telling the truth.
The Ice Silkworm clan is like this: though they are soul beasts with both ice and spiritual attributes, the soul skills they provide in terms of ice attributes are far from impressive.
Perhaps it's because they've been at the bottom of the food chain in the extreme north for so long that their ice attribute offensive abilities have essentially degraded.
Their skills are now entirely focused on spiritual attributes.
Have you ever seen a soul skill that can only conjure some cold wind and ice shards?
This is the norm for the Ice Silkworm Clan's ice attribute soul skills.
Any ordinary ice soul attribute master would know such a skill, right?
Pure negative ascension.
That's why hardly anyone would choose this kind of soul beast for its ice attribute.
Well... unless you're shy, or you're making smoothies for a living.
Oh, and it's not a bad option if you want to be a humanoid air conditioner.
Additionally, there are relatively few spiritual attribute soul masters, and the soul skills provided by the Ice Silkworm are notorious for their simulation abilities, leading to polarized reviews.
Spiritual attribute soul masters praise them highly, while other soul masters mostly give this kind of soul beast a bad review!
After learning it was the Ice Silkworm Clan, Li Yucheng temporarily abandoned the idea of buying soul and focused on preparing to craft soul tools with the help of spirit detection sharing.
However, before starting, he glanced at Huo Yuhao again.
The other party hadn't revealed his soul ring earlier, meaning he hadn't relied on soul skills to achieve that level...
Truly, the new generation surpasses the old.
Li Yucheng sighed inwardly and took out the blue copper and carving knife from his storage ring.
Huo Yuhao seized this opportunity to observe Li Yucheng's methods closely.
Watching others work is also a form of learning.
Immersed in his own world, Li Yucheng didn't notice how much time had passed until a knock on the door interrupted his movements.
"President, President Mu Chen is here to visit."
Li Yucheng snapped back to reality, glanced at the half-finished product in front of him, and turned to Huo Yuhao with a helpless smile.
"Xia Haoxuan, that guy is right. I really don't have much time to..."
At this point, thinking about the possible purpose of Mu Chen's visit, Li Yucheng's eyes lit up.
Wait, he's already achieved both of his goals!
The peerless genius has been found...
Although he belongs to the Spirit Pagoda, it only counts as half, but this half is worth ten. It's acceptable.
And Mu Chen's visit is likely about cooperation.
Over the past three years, Mu Chen has hinted at collaboration several times, both openly and subtly.
His visit now probably means an internal agreement has been reached, and he's ready to move forward.
Now that the goals are accomplished, wouldn't it be better for him to retire?
He hadn't thought about how to make things difficult for Xia Haoxuan before, but now that he has the opportunity, he can pass on the position of chairman and the accumulated workload to him... It's time to nurture the younger generation!
With this in mind, Li Yucheng wanted to take Huo Yuhao to meet Mu Chen, but Huo Yuhao politely declined.
Over the past three years, Huo Yuhao had visited the Blacksmith Association many times to purchase rare metals, often at unusual hours, and had crossed paths with Mu Chen a few times, even exchanging a few words.
It was during those interactions that he understood Mu Chen's stance.
It's fine to maintain a cordial relationship, but getting too close is not advisable.
After all, Mu Chen is the junior disciple of the divine craftsman Zhenhua, and many forces are eagerly awaiting Zhenhua's heavenly forged metals.
If Mu Chen shows favoritism toward a particular force, especially a major one like the Spirit Pagoda, it would send the wrong signal to other factions.
Unless Huo Yuhao possessed extraordinary forging talent, he wouldn't be able to win Mu Chen over.
Given this, Huo Yuhao naturally chose not to push the matter.
If it really came down to it, he could always train a divine craftsman himself.
At this thought, Huo Yuhao suddenly remembered something.
If nothing unexpected happened, after Tang Wulin registered at Eastsea Academy yesterday, he should have gone to the Blacksmith Association to take the second-level exam... So, could Mu Chen's visit today be related to this?
Now, Tang Wulin has the soul tool from the Spirit Pagoda.
Huo Yuhao's expression turned peculiar, but he quickly set the thought aside for the time being.
He found a staff member, inquired about the situation, and made his way to a mecha design room.
He hadn't forgotten that there was another godly friend here.
He couldn't just leave her behind and return to the academy alone, could he?
This is going to be a headache...
Entering the design room, Huo Yuhao saw a professional-looking woman wearing glasses guiding Gu Yuena in design.
The dome above was illuminated by a simulated starlight, casting a cold blue hue over Gu Yuena's black hair as she leaned over the obsidian workbench.
Her pen hovered just half an inch above the surface, and she began to draw thoughtfully, absorbing the teachings being shared with her.
Cheng Yixuan noticed Huo Yuhao's arrival and gave him a nod before turning her attention back to Gu Yuena, her expression one of satisfaction.
Her husband had been surprisingly reliable this time, this girl's talent was exceptional.
With proper guidance, she could become a future ninth-level designer.
Huo Yuhao didn't approach immediately. Instead, he used his spirit detection to observe Gu Yuena's drawings.
He noticed a few flaws but chose not to point them out right away. Instead, he carefully studied her design ideas and plans.
Gu Yuena's talent in design was truly remarkable...
When Gu Yuena finished her drawing, Cheng Yixuan pointed out a few things and then left.
Huo Yuhao seized the moment to speak up.
"The mecha arm parts you designed, most of the materials used are rare metals with strong soul power conduction properties. Based on your design, the position of the energy gathering circle could be adjusted..."
Gu Yuena had naturally noticed Huo Yuhao's presence earlier, and hearing his feedback now filled her with quiet joy.
Had her efforts paid off?
She hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise from what she thought was just ordinary guidance!
Seeing Gu Yuena listen intently, even reaching for a small notebook to take notes, Huo Yuhao's eye twitched slightly. He sighed inwardly.
'I'm just returning the favor. Please don't look at me like I'm delivering the God King's sermon!'
-------
Mu Chen wasn't in a good mood.
Yesterday, a blacksmith arrived at the association to undergo the second-level blacksmith assessment.
While standing outside the room, he listened to the sounds of the master's forging.
The depth of their foundation left him in awe.
When he learned that the blacksmith was a nine-year-old child, he was even more astonished.
The Blacksmith's record for 1,000 forgings was held by a Saint Craftsman-level, achieved at eleven years, three months, and two days.
This child had already surpassed that record!
And then... he discovered that the Spirit Pagoda had already secured the child's allegiance.
At that moment, Mu Chen felt a rare surge of strong emotion.
'Why does the Spirit Pagoda always get the best of everything? Why are they always one step ahead?'
However, no matter how frustrated he felt, Mu Chen knew he had to accept it.
He couldn't badmouth the Spirit Pagoda in front of the child, could he?
He wasn't that kind of person, and the child didn't seem like the type to appreciate such negativity.
In the end, Mu Chen could only suppress his frustration, let his subordinates offer Tang Wulin a host of benefits, and consider Li Yucheng's proposal.
The Spirit Pagoda had a strong monopoly on civilian-born geniuses, but they did deliver real results, and that was undeniable.
As for non-civilian talents... there were too many options, not to mention Shrek Academy, which only recruited "monsters."
The two major forces had plenty of talent.
While they had their own foundations, their historical background couldn't compare to Shrek's, and their resources paled in comparison to the Spirit Pagoda's.
Often, it felt like they were left scrambling for scraps...
After careful consideration, Mu Chen discussed the matter with the senior management of the East Sea Blacksmith Association and decided to formally cooperate with the Mecha Master Association to jointly cultivate outstanding juniors.
Today, he had come to finalize the agreement with Li Yucheng.
The outcome was unsurprising, Li Yucheng had long been in favor of such collaboration and didn't make excessive demands, allowing the deal to be struck smoothly.
Mu Chen had thought he'd feel better after this, but as he left the association, he noticed someone he was already familiar with, Huo Yuhao.
"..."
Seeing Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena, and two staff members of the Mecha Division Association chatting in the distance, Mu Chen took a deep breath and walked away silently without greeting them.
To be honest, he didn't want to see anyone or anything related to the Spirit Pagoda right now.
He just wanted to lose himself in his work and forget the frustration in his heart.
Huo Yuhao noticed Mu Chen's departure and, sensing his low spirits, chose not to say anything.
Instead, he continued his conversation with the two staff members.
"As for Wulin, I've heard his name mentioned in class today. He's in the second class, and their teacher is a five-ring Soul King, as far as I know…"