Chapter Sixty-Eight: Humanoid Creatures

Two days flew by quickly. Chen Bo had already finished refining all of the primal energy that the system had gifted him for free, advancing to the mid-stage of Body Tempering, with a strength of over one thousand catties. If he combined that with the Ninefold Reaper Fist, he could easily unleash a force exceeding two thousand five hundred catties.

Now, the classes for all departments at Tianyang Academy had begun, and the atmosphere was much like that of a school back on Earth, giving Chen Bo the odd sensation that he had traveled back in time.

He met up briefly with Bai Ge and the others before heading towards the Department of Forging.

The Forging Department of Tianyang Academy was located atop a relatively low mountain peak, where imposing buildings stood, their exteriors grand and awe-inspiring. Occasionally, the rhythmic clang of hammer striking iron would ring out.

However, the moment Chen Bo set foot on the summit, he was completely dumbfounded. This place was far too dilapidated!

In front of him stood a large stone stele, mottled with moss, upon which the words “Forging Department” could just barely be discerned. Approaching, he realized the place was all but deserted; the number of people here was pitiably small.

Wasn’t it said that Forging Masters were highly sought after on the Barbarian Wastelands? What in the world was going on here? Why did it feel like he’d accidentally wandered into a refugee camp in Africa?

Chen Bo wasn’t the only one left bewildered—everyone in the live-stream chat was collectively flabbergasted.

“What’s going on? Host, did you take a wrong turn? Did you accidentally end up in some ruins?”

“Damn, looking up from the foot of the mountain, the Forging Department seemed so majestic! But stepping inside, it’s like everything’s gone to hell. Did an earthquake hit this place or something? It’s kind of scary.”

“Every building here is falling apart, yet I can’t help but feel that someone actually lives inside them. How strange! Aren’t they afraid the houses will just collapse on their heads?”

“You’re being way too naive. That’s the Barbarian Wastelands, a world where people can cultivate! Do you really think a cultivator would be worried about a house collapsing? Forget a house—even if a whole mountain came down, they’d be just fine!”

“Pfft, have you watched too many kids’ shows? You think real people are like those dumb cartoon characters who never die no matter what? This is reality! If a house collapses, maybe you’re still alive, but if a mountain comes down, even Ultraman would be dumbfounded.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Waldemar from Germany. Nama Shuai, Shuai De Bu Yao Bu Yao De.”

“Upstairs, I, Ye Liangchen, have a hundred different ways to look down on your name! Do me a favor and call me ‘Papa,’ and I’ll reward you handsomely in the future!”

“I am Zhao Ri Tian! My name is Zhao Ri Tian, my younger brother is Zhao Ri Di, and I have a friend named Ri Kong Qi. That’s right, we’re the legendary Ri Tian, Ri Di, Ri Kong Qi! So, Ye Liangchen, are you scared?”

“I, Long Aotian, refuse to back down! So what if you’re Ye Liangchen or Zhao Ri Tian? In my eyes, you’re all just stepping stones!”

“Hello, Liangchen, I’m Meijing!”

Chen Bo had no idea where his classroom was, so he casually found a senior student and asked, “Excuse me, can you tell me where the freshman classroom for the Forging Department is?”

The senior was quite friendly. His large, soot-stained hand landed on Chen Bo’s shoulder with a slap as he said, “You must be the new junior! That’s great! You have no idea how short we are on students in the Forging Department. It looks like, aside from you, there are only five freshmen this year. Even the Formation Department has more students than we do.”

“What? That can’t be!” Chen Bo replied in disbelief. “Don’t joke with me, senior. I know Forging Masters are rare these days, but surely it’s not so bad that only five new students enrolled besides me! There are millions of people in Tianyang Prefecture alone, and with all the migrants, the population exceeds a hundred million!”

“With a population of over a hundred million, we only recruited six Forging Masters? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Chen Bo exclaimed, his eyes wide.

“Junior, you don’t understand. Everything about Tianyang is great, except for our Forging Department—its terrible reputation precedes it,” the senior replied with a bitter shake of his head.

“As for the specific reason, you’ll find out soon enough. Just remember to steer clear of the forging rooms if you want to stay safe. The freshman classroom for the Forging Department is down this road to the right. Just keep walking straight and you’ll see it.”

Watching the senior walk away, Chen Bo couldn’t help but feel like he’d been duped. He didn’t know exactly how “notorious” the department was, or why, but he was certain of one thing: he’d been conned by that bastard Zhao Qing.

Heeding the old adage “ignore the elders’ advice and you’ll suffer for it,” Chen Bo made sure to keep his distance from the forging rooms. His instincts screamed that nothing good would come from getting too close.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a thunderous explosion shattered the air, as if someone had set off a massive bundle of dynamite. A wave of heat surged toward him.

Startled, Chen Bo drew his sword and looked around. Not far away, a small mushroom cloud was rising skyward, and a blackened, vaguely humanoid figure plummeted from above, smashing into the ground hard enough to leave a crater.

Yet, the charred figure stood up as if nothing had happened, dusted off his hands, and walked away muttering, “Another failed forging? Which step did I get wrong this time?”

“How odd! I followed every step in the book exactly, not a single mistake, yet I’ve blown the furnace five or six times in a row now. Could the book be wrong?”

“Damn it, I knew those ancient manuals were full of holes. No wonder I end up covered in soot every time.”

Chen Bo stared dumbly as the humanoid figure walked away. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was a genuine human being.

In that moment, a lot suddenly became clear. Several doubts in his mind were instantly resolved. The reason the Forging Department at Tianyang Academy was so sparsely populated wasn’t just because of its bad reputation; a crucial factor was the staggering rate of casualties. When a furnace exploded, anyone without sufficient strength would end up as nothing more than a pile of scorched fragments.

Now he understood why the senior had cautioned him to avoid the forging rooms—one explosion could easily take out innocent bystanders. Thankfully, Chen Bo had kept his distance, or else he might have joined the ranks of those sent skyward. He’d have become the fastest student in the history of the Forging Department to die, commemorated forever as a cautionary tale—a joke, but still.

From now on, Chen Bo resolved never to approach those forging rooms again. It was simply too dangerous. At the slightest provocation, a mushroom cloud might rise. The seniors might survive thanks to their formidable abilities, but he was still a greenhorn. If he got caught in an explosion, not only his body but even his soul would be sent sky high.

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