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If you can draw anything you need, then what's the point of the academy confiscating your forging hammer and ID?
Tang Wulin was left with a face full of question marks.
His own forging hammer had also been confiscated, and now he felt unfairly targeted.
This system must have been designed specifically to target him.
It must be!
In the distance, Xu Yuan had already raised his forging hammer and brought it down with force.
This wasn't his original forging hammer. Although he had tried to replicate its properties as closely as possible using his Manifestation soul skill, it still lacked some of the natural effects of his real pair of hammers.
But it was enough.
After all, this was only Thousand Refinements Grade-One.
The difficulty in forging Blue Pregnancy Copper lay in the excessive impurities within it, which were extremely challenging to remove. A single misstep could damage the metal's internal structure.
(T/N: If anyone just skipped chapters and came here directly, I really don't know how to translate this lol. If you have a suggestion for a name that doesn't sound as weird and clunky, let me know in the comments)
At times like this, the unique properties of his infused forging hammers proved incredibly useful.
With three strikes, Xu Yuan completed the Hundred Refinements.
Another three strikes, and the Blue Pregnancy Copper began to shine brightly as impurities were extracted.
Three more strikes, and a six-foot glow erupted from the Blue Pregnancy Copper.
Nine strikes later—Thousand Refinements Grade-One!
Xu Yuan put away his forging hammer and handed the Thousand Refinements Grade-One Blue Pregnancy Copper to the stunned senior.
"Thank you for your support, Senior."
The senior held the high-quality Thousand Refinements Grade-One Blue Pregnancy Copper but couldn't shake the feeling that he had somehow come out on the losing end.
Nine strikes, and just like that, my 500,000 Federal Credits and two other pieces of Blue Pregnancy Copper are gone?
The senior's expression was dazed, but deep down, he knew he had gotten the better deal.
This quality of Thousand Refinements Grade-One Blue Pregnancy Copper would never be this cheap under normal circumstances. In fact, even finding a forger of Xu Yuan's caliber would usually be impossible.
Tang Wulin came running up eagerly.
"Class Monitor, um…" He rubbed his hands together and looked at Xu Yuan with a tone of negotiation.
"Can I borrow your forging equipment?"
Seeing Xu Yuan make money through forging, he naturally wanted to do the same.
But unlike Xu Yuan, he couldn't conjure forging equipment out of thin air using his soul skills.
"According to the academy's rules, teaming up isn't allowed—you have to rely on yourself. I can lend you the forging equipment, but the rental fee will be 30-40% higher than the normal rate."
Xu Yuan spoke confidently, nodding and shaking his head as if he were an expert.
As class monitor, he couldn't be seen breaking the rules.
Tang Wulin's lips twitched.
"Don't worry, Class Monitor. The money will definitely be there."
Xu Yuan nodded.
He picked up the forging table and moved it to the side of the Outer Court entrance.
Among the students watching Xu Yuan operate weren't just Tang Wulin and his group; other clueless students were also observing and learning.
"For those whose secondary profession is forging, renting the forging equipment costs 10,000 Federal Credits per hour."
Xu Yuan clearly stated the price.
Among the onlookers, those whose secondary profession was forging lit up with excitement.
Yang Nianxia also came running over enthusiastically.
"I'll sign up! I'll sign up!"
A piece of Thousand Refinements metal could sell for tens of thousands of Federal Credits, so overall, this was profitable and guaranteed pure profit for him.
But Xu Yuan wasn't done yet. He drew again, manifesting a manufacturing station and a repair station, placing them beside the forging equipment for rent.
It was a small gesture of help.
"You can pay me in Federal Credits when you're done. The forging table, manufacturing station, and repair station can last for ten hours. If you have other options, feel free to try them first—if nothing works, come back here."
Over the past six months, while a few individual students had remained at Level Two in their secondary professions, most had reached Level Three. Of course, among the forgers, quite a few were still at Level Two—this was unavoidable. Thousand Refinements were notoriously difficult, and forging had always been the secondary profession that required the most gradual accumulation. Slow progress in the early stages was normal.
Level Three forgers could still find a market for Thousand Refinements, but Level Two forgers struggled. The same went for mech manufacturing and mech repair—Level Three practitioners could barely scrape together a few requests from seniors.
But this was already the limit of what Xu Yuan could do.
He had provided some convenience.
If someone lagged behind in soul power cultivation or failed to meet the assessment criteria, it was understandable. But if their secondary profession level was also low, that would truly be disastrous.
Xu Yuan didn't wait around to collect rent.
The rent could be paid when they returned.
Collecting rent was also a way to avoid being caught cheating by Teacher Wu and the others.
He was the first to earn enough for travel expenses, the first to leave, and the first to arrive at the soul-guided train station, boarding the earliest train available.
His first stop was Tiandou City.
Shrek City, inside and out, had been thoroughly infiltrated by the academy. There was no effective help to be found here in the next few days.
So he planned to visit Tiandou City and ask Zhen Hua for assistance.
With Zhen Hua's connections, Xu Yuan could quickly complete the challenge task in the first city.
As for the subsequent cities, the academy would certainly not allow Xu Yuan to use Zhen Hua's authority to seek further help from other cities' forging associations. But even so, he could use this opportunity to prepare for the remaining tasks.
Lost in thought, Xu Yuan's gaze shifted.
Using his spiritual force, he detected six passengers suddenly producing soul-guided rifles and other thermal weapons, preparing to act.
Xu Yuan unleashed a mental shockwave, causing the six thugs to immediately feel dizzy, their weapons slipping from their hands. Xu Yuan's spiritual force swept over the surrounding passengers, subtly guiding them to notice the weapons in the thugs' possession.
"Guns! These people have guns!"
The train erupted into chaos. The train attendants rushed to the scene, and soon, a Great Soul Master from the same carriage bravely stepped forward, subduing the six thugs.
Under the supervision of professional security personnel, the thugs' weapons were confiscated, and they were placed under strict guard.
Moments later, the train conductor, Mo Lan, arrived at Carriage Five.
"Respected passengers, I am the train conductor, Mo Lan. An unfortunate incident occurred earlier, where six armed individuals boarded the train with malicious intent. This is our oversight, and we will thoroughly investigate all departments to determine the cause of this event. The threat to your lives is our failure, and we will compensate all passengers in this carriage upon arrival at the next station. Additionally, I would like to thank this brave passenger who saved everyone in Carriage Five."
Mo Lan sincerely apologized, promising to investigate how the six armed individuals had managed to bring weapons onto the train. She also assured the passengers of compensation and expressed her regrets.
The heroic Great Soul Master scratched his head modestly.
"To be honest, they must have been suffering from motion sickness—they were already dizzy and unsteady, accidentally revealing their weapons. That's why I dared to step in," he said humbly.
He was one of the first to notice the six thugs. Given the urgency of the situation and the fact that the thugs' weapons had slipped from their hands, he impulsively subdued all six of them.
Even now, he was still puzzled. How could these six people suffer from such severe motion sickness that they couldn't even hide their weapons properly?
Xu Yuan kept his contributions hidden and unnamed.
He didn't want to be delayed by trivial matters. His primary focus was still on completing the final exam.
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