Ezio heaved the breath he was holding and looked at the sword. It had a red luster around it when fed with Qi, indicating its rank, Baron-Grade. He smiled as he placed the sword down and looked around. He didn't want to be the first one to finish, so he would wait for a little while.
Looking around, he saw some others who had finished before him. It was normal though, as he took his time in crafting. From the beginning, he didn't want to shine out too much in case the Vice-President would notice him. After all, if the Vice-President learned who his master was, he might make things difficult for him.
"You missed it," Blacky said while he was looking around. From his voice, Ezio could tell something amazing had happened.
"Missed what?" Ezio asked in bewilderment. Although he was focused, if something so great happened, he would probably feel it.
"Blonde over there melted the two metals in thirty minutes." Blacky said with amazement in his voice, "His fire is ominous though, so be careful if you find yourself against him."
"Hmm?" Ezio looked at the blonde, who was hammering an armor gracefully. His posture, smile, and motions were all too perfect. The armor, on the other hand, looked amazing. Crafting armors was much harder than crafting weapons. Not only did it have more surface area, but the details were also bothersome. Elbows, shoulders, kneecap… These areas were too tedious to work on. But Blonde did it. He was now working on small details, and the armor looked amazing.
Ezio looked at the Orange Head and as he expected, she finished crafting as well. The spear she crafted was lying on her lap. One had to admit it, the spear looked amazing. The wood and metal were a perfect match, and the Orange hue around the spear supported it.
"Viscount Grade!"
"It is not her best," Blacky said in his mind. Ezio knew it too. Although it was Viscount Grade, the hue around the spear was almost yellow. It was almost Earl Grade.
"Okay, times up," Rona said as she looked at the kids. "Those who had failed to craft in time, please leave. Those who failed to craft Baron-Grade, please leave. If you waste our time, the consequences will be dire."
Soon, crestfallen teens started to leave one by one. There were some who looked reluctant, but in the end, decided to leave. After all, if they angered the Association, they could be barred for life.
Ezio looked around and saw 20 others who were seated. Out of 100, 20 passing wasn't shabby at all. Although not all of them were as young as he was, they weren't that old either. After all, smithing wasn't all about cultivation level, so even people in Qi Solidification Realm could fail to forge a decent craft to pass the exam. It was true the further one advanced. Most of the old timers would be stuck at their level because of their techniques or other elements holding them down.
"20 of you, please raise your crafts and let us see." Ding He also stepped forward and called. Then they started to circle around the area.
"Baron Grade dagger, crafted from Pristine Iron. Simple yet effective. Congratulations." Rona said.
"Baron Grade sword, crafted from Night Stone. A deadly weapon can be hardly noticed at night. You pass." Ding He nodded in appreciation.
"What do we have here? Viscount Grade spear! Crafted by Ghostsilver and Spiritwood. Excellent!" Rona called out. "Would you like to be my disciple? I am a Rank III Master."
"Sorry, ma'am. I already have a Master." The Orange Head said with a smile.
"Too bad." Rona shook her head and gave the orange head a token. "You pass."
One by one they inspected the crafts and gave tokens to those who had passed.
"Baron Grade sword, crafted from Primesteel. Nice job. You pass." Ding He said and handed the token over. Ezio took it and thanked. He was about to leave but decided to stay and see the blonde. It was his turn soon.
"Excellent! Amazing!" Rona cried out.
"Hmm. Really unbelievable." Dong Dong nodded sagely as he looked at the armor, "Earl Grade armor, crafted from Mighty Gold and Mighty Silver. Beautiful. The details, workmanship, everything is perfect."
"What is your name, young man?"
"Alein Hervi, sir." The blonde answered.
"Would you like to be my disciple?" Dong Dong asked with a gusto.
"It would be my honor, master." Alein kneeled in front of the man according to his master's culture. Ezio snorted and left the venue. Since he got what he wanted, he had no intention to stick around.
"You don't like all that stuff either, huh?" A voice halted his steps. He turned to look at the smiling beauty. She was the orange head.
"I find it excessive and pointless," Ezio said with a grimace. "Respect is not based on ceremonial actions, it should come from your heart."
"Exactly!" The girl exclaimed. "I am Iris Enea."
"Ezio."
"No last name?" Iris asked with one brow up.
"Nope, no last name," Ezio said with a smile. "Your spear was beautiful. It could easily reach Earl-Grade."
"It could, but I didn't want it to," Iris said with a mischievous smile. "No need to draw too much attention."
"Wise," Ezio smirked. "Are you from the capital? I haven't heard of any big master that can be your esteemed teacher."
"No, my master and I are just passing by. Since it was the exam date, we decided to stop by." Iris said.
"Oh," Ezio said with a sad expression. "I am not gonna see you again, then."
"Not necessarily." Iris smiled. "World is smaller than you think, Ezio. Nice to meet you."
With it, she skipped away with spring under her feet.