387 Escorts for the Entire Journey

Nevertheless, Wu Mo felt that this conference would be very exciting.

“Wanqing, you need to be more humble. No one from the White River province has ever placed in the top five.

“You’ll already bring honor to the White River province if you enter the top 10. You think it’s that easy to be in first place?”

Academician Xu immediately shook his head and said helplessly.

His daughter was extremely talented in forging, and she had always been willing to put in effort to learn.

However, she had a bad habit of being arrogant, and she always felt that she was unrivaled among the younger generation of blacksmiths in White River.

Ever since she secured a place in the exchange conference, she had claimed more than once that she would win.

However, the blacksmiths of the younger generation who had been invited by the federation were all outstanding.

It was basically impossible to surpass everyone when there was such fierce competition.

Xu Wuyue was satisfied with being in the top 10. However, his daughter had never experienced any setbacks from a young age. He was worried that she would have a mental breakdown under such great pressure. Her results might be mediocre as a result, and she would be eliminated early.

Wu Mo, on the other hand, was a little more mature and skilled. Therefore, if any of the chosen blacksmiths from White River could enter the top 10, he felt that it would most likely be Wu Mo.

“Sigh, how would you know if you never tried? Father, I haven’t even gone there yet and you’ve already poured cold water on me. Don’t you have any faith in me?”

Xu Wanqing was a little displeased about being reprimanded by her father in public, and she immediately spoke in a coquettish tone.

“Ahem, let’s put this behind us. Let’s focus on the main point. Tell Wu Mo what we should pay attention to during the exchange conference.

Old Wen tapped his walking stick on the ground and put the conversation back on track.

Hearing this, Xu Wanqing was like a deflated ball, and she returned to her seat in silence.

Xu Wuyue could not help but smile when he saw how embarrassed his daughter was. However, he eventually stopped smiling due to his daughter’s slightly reproachful gaze.

“The Military Department and even the federal government place great importance on this conference. Hence, cultivators will send off each participating blacksmith.

“This time, the cultivators who are responsible for escorting the five blacksmiths to the Red Heart province are Bald Eagle, Lone Wolf, Zhangsun Qian, Guan Hu, and Wen Yuan. The five of them have peak six-star strength, so you don’t have to worry about safety.”

Old Wen’s beard twitched slightly as he explained the arrangements for this trip.

Wu Mo’s eyes lit up when he heard the familiar names.

He did not expect Bald Eagle and Lone Wolf to be on the escort list. What a coincidence.

Wu Mo raised his head to ask the three of them about the process at the conference.

Before he could speak, Xu Wanqing, who was sitting nearby, impatiently asked, “Old Wen, I don’t know any of these people, and I’m not interested even if you tell me about them. Why don’t you tell me about the process and what I need to pay attention to?”

“Haha, you’re quite impatient, girl.”

Professor Tan could not help but laugh when he saw Xu Wanqing’s eagerness.

She did not mind being laughed at by the professor. She snorted softly and turned her beautiful eyes to Old Wen again.

Old Wen’s tone was neither hurried nor slow as he continued.

“The exchange conference started 45 years ago, but it has been held 43 times. Although the judging standards and procedures of each exchange conference are different, they all have the same goal. Its main purpose is to test the true standard of the younger generation of blacksmiths.

“The blacksmiths can then improve their weak points based on their performance. That way, the invited blacksmiths can improve their skills as soon as possible.

Old Wen stroked his beard and looked out of the window.

“The Annual Exchange Conference is divided into three segments. The first segment is a test of forging knowledge. The second segment is a comprehensive assessment of one’s attitude, reaction, and adaptability. The final segment involves an upgrade. The federal government will carry out a one-week upgrade plan for each blacksmith based on their specific situation.

“The past years have shown that every blacksmith who participated in the exchange conference experienced significant improvement after leaving. Most of them were able to break through their initial rank, and some of them were even able to become respectable individuals.”

Old Wen chuckled and turned to look at Wu Mo and Xu Wanqing.

“Of course, only the first two segments will affect the final evaluation. Once all three segments are completed, the federation’s judges will give out a ranking reward according to each blacksmith’s performance.

“The better you perform in the first two segments, the higher your score will be. The corresponding rewards will also be more generous. As long as you enter the top 10, the final reward will not disappoint the both of you.

Old Wen seemed a little tired when he finished. He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes to rest.

Soon, the office fell into silence.

Wu Mo and Xu Wanqing exchanged looks for a moment and had a general understanding of the exchange conference.

‘It looks like I have to enter the top 10 if I want to surpass the peak of five stars.’

Wu Mo secretly made up his mind. At the same time, he clenched his fists that were hidden under his sleeves.

He had been stuck at the peak of five stars for nearly half a year. This conference was the best opportunity. If he missed it, he would find it difficult to advance again.

From his point of view, although the judges determined the standard of each blacksmith based on their performance in the first two segments, the third learning segment was equally important to Wu Mo.

This was because he knew that the third learning segment would give him a one-to-one session with a seven-star master blacksmith.

Therefore, in those seven days, he had to ask the master blacksmith as many questions as possible to gain more knowledge.

This would be of great help in his endeavor to reach the next rank.

“If you’re not occupied with anything else, you can go ahead and start preparing. The three other blacksmiths are arriving this afternoon, and you’ll move out together tomorrow morning,” Professor Tan said.

Wu Mo and Xu Wanqing did not have any other questions.

“Alright, I’ll take my leave then.”

Wu Mo stood up, cupped his hands, and left the office first.

Xu Wanqing looked up at her father and Old Wen, who was resting his eyes. She realized that they had other things to discuss. She immediately stood up, bowed to the three of them, and quickly left the office.

When she stepped out of the office, she saw Wu Mo’s figure disappear around the corner of the corridor. Xu Wanqing subconsciously quickened her pace.

She successfully walked in before the elevator doors closed.

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