Ray shook his head. "My teacher told to co alone and look for soone nad Grandmaster Kaelan."
The mont the na Kaelan left his mouth, both young ladies stiffened.
The sweet-looking young lady imdiately straightened and said, "Please wait a mont. I'll check whether Grandmaster Kaelan is available. Have you contacted him before using a soul communicator?"
Ray shook his head again. How could he possibly own a soul communicator? Even owning one was expensive, not to ntion the communication fees.
Back in his hotown, there had only been a single fixed soul communicator. He was even planning to find a coin-operated one later to call his parents and tell them he was safe.
The sweet young lady pressed a number on the communicator. "Grandmaster, there's a child here looking for you. Yes… That's right. Big eyes, wearing plain clothes."
After ending the call, she turned to Ray with a smile. "Little brother, Grandmaster has ti right now. Co with ."
She led him toward the side of the vast hall. Luna stuck out her tongue as she watched them leave and muttered to herself, "I really couldn't tell… that little guy actually knows Grandmaster."
When the tal doors of the soul elevator slid open, Ray nearly jumped in shock.
This was the first ti he had ever seen sothing like it.
"Co on," the sweet young lady said gently, without teasing him at all.
Ray hurried over.
"My na is Nova," she said warmly. "Grandmaster's office is on the fifteenth floor. I'll take you to see him, and then he'll bring you to the blacksmith ranking test."
"Thank you, big sister," Ray replied politely.
Nova looked him over as they rode the elevator. Though his clothes were plain, he was undeniably good-looking, especially his large, clear eyes. On top of that, his manners were impeccable, leaving an excellent impression.
Ding.
The elevator stopped at the fifteenth floor.
The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of smooth white tal. Clean, orderly, and quiet. That was Ray's first impression.
There were doors lining both sides of the hallway.
Nova brought him to one marked with a naplate reading Kaelan and pressed the button.
"Grandmaster, it's Nova. I've brought the child."
"Mm."
A deep voice answered from inside, and the door opened.
The office was around thirty square ters in size. A massive wooden desk occupied nearly a quarter of the room.
Behind it stood a man in his forties. He wasn't especially tall, but his build was solid and powerful, his shoulders broad beneath a black jacket.
At that mont, he was studying a design blueprint on his desk.
"Grandmaster," Nova said softly.
"Mm."
Kaelan raised his head.
His gaze imdiately fell on Ray, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "You're Gilbert's disciple?"
"Yes." Ray bowed slightly. "Hello, Grandmaster. My teacher told to greet you on his behalf."
Kaelan frowned faintly. "Gilbert… that fellow always talked about reaching the peak, yet he actually accepted such a young disciple." He straightened up. "Co on. I'll take you to the blacksmith ranking test."
Blacksmiths lived in a world of tal, largely indifferent to worldly matters. Whether Gilbert's choice was right or wrong would be proven by the test itself.
Nova smiled. "Then I'll head back down."
"Mm." Kaelan nodded.
She gave Ray one last encouraging smile before leaving.
Kaelan led Ray back into the soul elevator. This ti, they descended to the third floor.
As the elevator moved, Kaelan glanced sideways at him. "Little fellow, Gilbert didn't tell what rank blacksmith you are?"
Ray shook his head. "Teacher didn't say. He just told to co take the test and accept so tasks afterward."
Accept tasks?
Nova, who was still beside them, couldn't help but feel surprised. Being able to accept tasks ant at least rank two. Rank one blacksmiths weren't qualified to take tasks on their own.
Kaelan asked again, "Do you understand the blacksmith ranking system?"
Ray nodded. "Teacher explained it to . Blacksmiths are divided into nine ranks. Ranks one and two are Master Blacksmiths. Three and four are Grandmasters. Five and six are Master Craftsn. Seven and eight are Saint Craftsn. Rank nine are Divine Craftsn."
"Mm." Kaelan nodded approvingly.
Just then, the elevator reached the third floor.
"Goodbye, big sister," Ray said politely as he followed Kaelan out.
Unlike the quiet fifteenth floor, the third floor was filled with noise. The clear clang of hamrs striking tal echoed through the hall, instantly familiar to Ray.
Kaelan walked him to the front desk. "Open a testing room and call a surveyor."
"Grandmaster Cen," the staff mber said curiously, looking at Ray. "Is this your disciple? He's so young. Is he even twelve?"
Kaelan took a set of forms and handed them to Ray. "Fill these out. Your basic information."
"Yes."
Ray carefully filled out the form.
Kaelan read over his shoulder as he wrote. "Ray. Born in Ironspire City. Nine years old. West Ocean Academy, interdiate division. First grade…" He paused. "You're only nine?"
Both he and the staff mber stared in shock.
A nine-year-old coming to take the blacksmith ranking test?
That hadn't happened in many, many years.
Historically, the youngest testee had been eight years and six months old, a once-in-a-generation genius now working on the thirtieth floor of the Blacksmith's Association.
And now, another child stood before them.
If this boy passed the test, what would that an?
Kaelan's interest deepened. After all, Ray had said Gilbert allowed him to accept tasks directly. That ant at least rank two.
A record-breaking achievent.
"Grandmaster," the staff mber said, "Testing Room Three is ready." Kaelan narrowed his eyes as he picked up Ray's form. "Follow ."
He needed to personally see what level Gilbert's disciple had reached.
The so-called testing room was, in truth, nothing more than a forging room. That was only natural. A blacksmith's assessnt could only be carried out amid fire, tal, and hamring.
The mont Ray stepped inside, the tension in his chest quietly eased. The layout was almost identical to Gilbert's workshop. Since arriving in West Ocean City, this was the first place that felt familiar to him.
The surveyor was a middle-aged woman who clearly knew Kaelan well. She smiled faintly and said, "Grandmaster, you personally escorted soone here? I just heard this child is only nine years old. If he were a little younger, he could've challenged the President's record."
"We'll talk after the test," Kaelan replied calmly.
The surveyor nodded and turned her attention to Ray. "There are fifteen kinds of tal here. Choose one to purify. Your score will be determined by the tal you select and the degree of purification. If you score above sixty, you'll qualify as a Rank One blacksmith."
"Yes," Ray replied, nodding.
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