Outside President Bell’s office, an attendant from the Association in a formal suit stopped Zhou Chen, who had just come out.

"Mr. Zhou Chen, a senior wishes to see you."

"A senior? Who?"

"Please, follow me."

The attendant didn’t answer directly, respectfully leading the way. Utterly confused, Zhou Chen followed him.

Soon, the attendant brought Zhou Chen to the door of a lounge.

"The senior is waiting for you inside." The attendant bowed with a hand over his chest.

Zhou Chen nodded, pushed the door open, and walked in.

Inside the lounge, a bare-chested, burly man stood with his hands behind his back, watching the fish in an aquarium.

He was two meters tall, his body a mass of knotted muscles. Built like a Giant, one could faintly sense an immense heat circulating within his frame. He radiated an enormous, undeniable presence, like an active supervolcano.

Zhou Chen’s mind buzzed.

’Fire God Vulcan!’

"Renie and I are just friends!" he blurted out subconsciously, wanting to clear the air lest this top-tier Master Forger try to put him in his place too.

Vulcan turned, giving him a strange look. Then, as if he understood something, he chuckled. "I’m not Bell. I won’t interfere with Renie’s personal life. Besides, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you two just have the camaraderie of warriors. Only Bell would think you’re trying to steal his precious daughter...

I came to find you because I want to see that Long Spear."

’You should have just said so! You had me worried sick...’ Zhou Chen finally relaxed. He reached out his hand, and with a surge of Essence, a magnificent and solemn Crystal Spear materialized, its tip shaped like a sharp sword.

This Long Spear was forged from the non-physical substance known as the Light of Spiritual, classifying it as an Essence Armament.

Vulcan took the Long Spear and examined it carefully, scrutinizing Renie’s Forging Skills. He nodded slightly, a hint of pleasant surprise in his eyes.

"Not bad, not bad at all... The flaws don’t obscure its virtues. It’s passable. It has the potential to become a legendary masterpiece. For a first attempt at forging an Essence Armament, she’s exceeded all expectations. That girl really does have a lot of potential. It seems she’s just been too lax in her daily training, with no pressure..."

Hearing this, Zhou Chen couldn’t help but offer a silent prayer for Renie. He was sure she would be facing even stricter training when she got back.

"All in all, this is a qualified Essence Armament, worthy of a disciple of the Fire God. I hope you don’t let it gather dust."

Vulcan handed the Long Spear back. "Have you thought of a name for it?"

Zhou Chen, ever the opportunist, immediately bowed.

"I would be honored if you would name it, Master!"

For a Master Forger of Vulcan’s caliber, the act of naming an item had an effect similar to a blessing, capable of significantly improving its quality and Attributes.

"Ha... You’re a smooth talker, quick on the uptake. Fine. It just so happens I’m in a good mood today."

Vulcan let out a hearty laugh. He gazed at the Crystal Spear, with its solemn and magnificent patterns, and gently stroked it with his rough, calloused fingers.

"Let’s call it ’Dream Light and Shadow’."

As he spoke, the shaft of the spear flashed, and ancient inscriptions automatically appeared on its surface.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP! Zhou Chen clapped enthusiastically. "A great name! Master, you are truly brilliant and wise!"

Vulcan paused, then spoke in a low voice:

"May this Weapon be indestructible. May it never miss its mark. May it be ever-victorious. And may all beautiful Dreams one day be realized."

The blessing from the world’s foremost Forging Giant settled into the Long Spear, causing the Weapon to glow with a dreamlike halo.

"Alright, now don’t go around saying I don’t look out for the younger generation." Vulcan released his hand, and an unknown Power forced the Long Spear back into its Essence form. It transformed into a streak of light and flew back into Zhou Chen’s body.

"Thank you for the name and the blessing, Master!" Zhou Chen quickly expressed his thanks, barely able to contain the ecstatic expression on his face.

After receiving a blessing from a Forging Giant, the Weapon’s quality had undergone a monumental leap. If it had the potential to become a legendary masterpiece before, it now had the potential to become a Divine Artifact. Such a simple and direct quality boost wasn’t something money could buy.

"That’s enough. You can go. I have some time today and need to see a few more contestants," Vulcan said with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you, Senior. Goodbye, Senior."

After leaving the lounge, Zhou Chen quickly rubbed his face to control his ecstatic expression. He looked at the attendant waiting outside the door. "Is there anyone else who wants to see me?"

"There is one last person you must see—the branch manager of the Helandy Alchemy Workshop. They will create a custom Advancement ritual for you based on your personal situation," the attendant said.

’An Advancement ritual is a big deal...’ Zhou Chen nodded. "Lead the way."

Another lounge.

Here, Zhou Chen met the branch manager from the Helandy Alchemy Workshop, two of her employees, and a strange-looking, enormous metal machine.

"Oh! Oh! Mr. Zhou Chen! You’re even more handsome in person than you are on TV!"

Suddenly, the young woman who was the branch manager for the Helandy Alchemy Workshop rushed forward and grabbed his hands tightly, her eyes sparkling like stars and her face flushed red. "I-I’m your fan! Even before the competition started, I had a really, really good feeling about you! I’ve been cheering for you the whole time!"

Zhou Chen was caught off guard by this sudden, passionate fan-girling. ’I have fans now?’

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he managed an awkward but polite smile. "Thank you for your support, thank you... What’s that machine for?"

The young woman let go of his hands and giggled. "That’s an analysis device. You just stand on it, press a button, and after ten or so seconds, the machine will automatically generate thirty sets of Advancement rituals that are most suitable for the person being scanned. Convenient, right?"

"Thirty sets?" Zhou Chen was a little surprised. That seemed like an excessive number.

"Mhm, each set represents a different Advancement path. Once you’ve decided on your path, you can use the machine for more detailed planning. The machine is connected to the Alchemy Association’s deep database, so you don’t need to worry about the quality of the Advancement rituals."

The young woman continued, "According to the observation report from the Association, you’ve currently condensed five Golden Soul Fragments. You’ll probably only need to condense another three to five before you can use an Advancement ritual to advance to Tier Three."

"I only need to condense another three to five to use an Advancement ritual?"

Zhou Chen was stunned. "Won’t forming a Golden Soul from less than ten fragments cause some hidden problems?"

"The Golden Soul is a sublimation of one’s own Soul. As long as you have sufficient self-awareness, even a single fragment can evolve into a Golden Soul. Without enough self-awareness, you’d struggle to form one even with twenty or thirty fragments.

Hidden dangers do exist, but it depends on the person. The report says you won’t have any. The Golden Soul Fragments you’ve condensed are exceptionally profound. According to the machine’s calculations, under normal circumstances, by the time you’ve condensed your eighth Golden Soul Fragment, there’s a 92% chance they will sublimate into a Golden Soul on their own. But without the assistance of an Advancement ritual, you’d miss out on the derivation of one or two Skills."

The young woman smiled. "Of course, if you’re not comfortable with that, there’s another option.

Take a packaged Advancement ritual with you. Carry it around, and use it when you feel you’re about to advance on your own. That way, you can ensure there are no hidden dangers while still getting the Skill derivations.

Unfortunately, however, this service isn’t included in the champion’s prize package. If you choose this option, you’ll need to pay a packaging fee of thirty million."

’Thirty million...’ The corner of Zhou Chen’s mouth twitched.

"Let’s just customize the Advancement ritual for now. What do I need to do?"

"Just... ahem... take off your shirt and stand inside," the manager said, a blush creeping onto her face.

Zhou Chen eyed her warily. "I don’t really have to take my shirt off, do I?"

"Tsk..." The manager clicked her tongue almost inaudibly, her smile never wavering. "It’s fine. You don’t actually have to."

"..."

’You just clicked your tongue, didn’t you!’

Zhou Chen didn’t know what to say. He never thought he’d see the day he’d be lusted after for his body.

’Society’s morals are truly decaying!’

Grumbling internally, he walked into the analysis machine. An accompanying staff member pressed the start button, and the machine rumbled to life.