Chapter 158: The Renowned Tempered Master of the Future

Chapter 158: The Renowned Tempered Master of the Future

It was the day of the Flame Emblem event.

The Flame Emblem Club building was bustling with activity, and even members without event entry qualifications would come to the club, hoping to join the crowd and enter the Tempering Castle.

Due to the increasing number of Flame Emblem Club members, every event required queuing, sometimes for a month or two without success.

"Why is it never my turn? I've been in line for more than a month, and every time they say I have to wait..."

A middle-aged Tempered Master was very upset and shouting at the front desk of the Flame Emblem Club, "I also paid the membership fee, a million in membership fees. Do you think it's just blown in by the wind?"

The front desk attendant at the Flame Emblem Club was used to such situations and responded with a smile, "Mr. Yuan, our club requires a pre-deposit of one million for membership, but this is not the membership fee. This million can be used for consumption within the club."

"Additionally, if you are dissatisfied with the club's services, I can help you with the withdrawal process, and the pre-deposited amount will be fully refunded."

"Does Mr. Yuan need to process the withdrawal? I can assist you with that."

"No...no need, I don't want to withdraw," said the middle-aged Tempered Master, who was referred to as Mr. Yuan, immediately backing down and waving his hands.

"What else can I help you with?" the front desk attendant asked with a smile.

"How much longer do I have to wait for my turn?" was all the Yuan-surname Tempered Master could ask, his face drooping.

"I don't know either. I don't have the authority to check the queuing system," the front desk attendant replied with a smile.

"But I really need to get into the Tempering Castle. I can't just wait here idly. Can you please talk to your boss about it..."

Mr. Yuan's tone became increasingly soft, "Please, I'm a Tempered Master. If I can get into the Tempering Castle, I'm willing to agree to any conditions."

"I'm also out of options. I need to make some money, please help me."

The front desk attendant maintained her smile, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yuan, but I can't help you either."

In fact, the competition to join the Flame Emblem Club was intense. Various corporations wanted to send their people into the Tempering Castle, and they had even raised the entry standards to the tens of millions range.

However, Lu Heng felt that ordinary mutants should be given a chance, otherwise, only the people selected by the major corporations would be able to enter the Tempering Castle in the future.

Therefore, the Flame Emblem Club maintained the standard of a one million pre-deposit for membership.

However, after joining, members still had to queue to enter the Tempering Castle.

Outside, the entry tickets obtained through queuing had already been inflated by the major corporations to tens of millions.

Nevertheless, the club would directly cancel the entry qualifications and expel members if they found anyone buying or selling entry tickets.

Even so, there were still corporations operating in secret.

Just as Mr. Yuan was talking to the front desk attendant, Lu Heng walked into the Flame Emblem Club lobby and happened to overhear the conversation between Mr. Yuan and the attendant. As he passed by, he turned to take a second glance.

When he saw this Tempered Master, Lu Heng felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before, so he paused in his steps.

The manager of the Flame Emblem Club lobby immediately approached Lu Heng upon seeing him, "Mr. Lu, Manager Lin mentioned that you would be coming, and the venue is all prepared. Please allow me to show you the way."

Mr. Yuan heard the club manager's respectful tone and immediately realized that the young man who had arrived must be an important figure.

He quickly took a few steps forward and introduced himself, "Hello, Mr. Lu. I am Yuan Hecheng, a Tempered Master. My talent is High Temperature Balance, and I hope to enter the Tempering Castle for an examination. I've been waiting in line for a long time."

The club manager, seeing someone bothering the boss, quickly waved for the security guard to come over.

If Yuan Hecheng suddenly acted out, it would be considered a failure on the manager's part, and he might lose his job.

Lu Heng paused upon hearing the name "Yuan Hecheng."

Because this name was very famous in the future, known throughout the coastal region and even nationwide as a renowned Tempered Master.

In fact, just from hearing him introduce his talent, High Temperature Balance, one could understand its significance.

This talent allowed the Tempered Forge's temperature to be maintained within a stable range, greatly improving the success rate of the tempering process.

With this talent, one was destined to achieve greatness in the profession of a Tempered Master.

The security guard quickly approached, ready to escort Yuan Hecheng away.

Lu Heng raised his hand to stop the guard's action and said, "Let him come in with me."

Yuan Hecheng, who had been prepared to resist the guards, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in the darkness as the situation took an unexpected turn.

They entered a conference room.

After sitting down, Lu Heng took the initiative to ask, "Are you a Tempered Master?"

Yuan Hecheng quickly nodded and replied, "Yes, I am a Tempered Master."

The current Yuan Hecheng was not as renowned as he would become in the future.

In the future, wherever he appeared, he would be surrounded by admirers.

After all, a Tempered Master was a rare resource during the Abyssal Descent Era.

The current Yuan Hecheng, with his disheveled appearance, was a far cry from the image of the Tempered Master he would become, so Lu Heng only felt a sense of familiarity at first glance and did not recognize him.

Lu Heng was curious and asked, "Has any corporation invested in you?"

"

Yuan Hecheng nodded and then quickly shook his head, "Someone approached me, but I didn't agree."

"Why didn't you agree?" Lu Heng asked further.

"Their conditions were too harsh. If I signed the contract, they would invest in me and arrange for me to enter the Tempering Castle. Only after passing the Tempering Castle's examination could I receive good treatment. If I failed, I'd only get the basic salary." Yuan Hecheng was honest, explaining the situation.

As the Tempering Castle is currently the only place on Bluesphere with a Tempered Forge, and with the emergence of the Flame Emblem Club, it became the sole channel to enter the Tempering Castle.

After the Haruka Corporation withdrew from Daxia, other corporations also realized that investing in Tempered Masters was unlikely to yield returns.

Under these circumstances, the major corporations didn't completely abandon the Tempered Master profession but continued to invest, with increasingly stringent contracts.

Because these corporations, to cultivate a Tempered Master, must pass the Tempering Castle's examination.

However, sending Tempered Masters to the Tempering Castle required a substantial investment.

What further infuriated the major corporations was that, up to this point, not a single Tempered Master had passed the Tempering Castle's examination.

Not a single one.

In other words, the investments made by these corporations in Tempered Masters had all been in vain.

As for the option of tempering in the Abyssal World, it was not a cost-effective approach.

Because Hengyu had already raised the forge success rate to 75%.

This guaranteed success rate was excessive, directly causing the corporations to incur losses in the tempering industry.

These corporations couldn't recover their investments in the Tempered Masters, yet they couldn't abandon the tempering market.

What could they do? They could only continue investing and sign increasingly stringent contracts with the Tempered Masters.

Currently, a peculiar situation had emerged. The number of Tempered Masters had increased, but there was only one Tempered Forge on Bluesphere.

This meant the Tempered Forge was scarce, while Tempered Masters were no longer as rare.

Therefore, the contracts signed by the major corporations with Tempered Masters were often for ten years, and some even required fifteen years.

Moreover, the contract terms were also harsh.

After signing the contract, the corporation would fund the Tempered Master's entry into the Tempering Castle for the examination.

If the Tempered Master passed, their treatment would skyrocket, but if they failed, they'd only receive a meager basic salary.

As for taking on tempering orders, that was out of the question.

...

Lu Heng noticed his agitated expression, indicating he was under significant pressure, and asked, "Since no corporation is investing in you, why are you in such a hurry to enter the Tempering Castle? You'll eventually get your turn if you wait."

Yuan Hecheng quickly stood up and said anxiously, "I must enter the Tempering Castle as soon as possible."

There was obviously something going on.

Lu Heng took a sip from his teacup and asked, "Why the rush?"

Yuan Hecheng's expression showed hesitation, as if he wanted to speak but stopped several times. Finally, he exhaled and said, "I urgently need money."

"How much do you need?" Lu Heng inquired further, wanting to understand the situation of this renowned Tempered Master from the future.

Especially his background.

This was crucial.

If he had already signed a contract with another corporation and was a Tempered Master sent by them, Lu Heng wouldn't need to offer assistance.

Yuan Hecheng extended a finger and said, "At least ten million."

Ten million was merely a drop in the ocean for a renowned Tempered Master.

For those large corporations, it was also a small amount, but for ordinary people, they might never have seen so much money in their entire lives.

Lu Heng continued, "Is there no corporation willing to invest ten million in you?"

Yuan Hecheng sighed and said helplessly, "There are corporations willing to invest, but the money isn't given directly to me. The contract stipulates that the funds can only be used for tempering, and a dedicated agent will manage the finances. I won't receive a single penny."

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Have you discussed an advance on your compensation with them?"

Yuan Hecheng nodded and replied, "I've discussed it with Prosperous Corporation. If they agree to advance me ten million, I'm willing to sign a fifteen-year bondage contract. But they didn't agree, thinking it would be difficult to recover the costs.

"I also understand the current situation. Only by passing the Tempering Castle's examination can I have value. Otherwise, even as a Tempered Master, no one would dare to advance such a large sum.

"So, I had to come here on my own, hoping for some luck."

After hearing his response, Lu Heng understood his purpose for coming to the club.

His approach was correct.

As long as he could enter the Tempering Castle and pass Gulu's examination, his value would increase a thousandfold when he left.

At that time, it wouldn't be him seeking out those corporations; instead, they would come to him with blank checkbooks, waiting for him to fill in the amount.

However, up to this point, no Tempered Master had passed Gulu's examination.

This was also why Prosperous Corporation was unwilling to advance him ten million in compensation.

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry for ten million?"

This amount wasn't significant for an accomplished Tempered Master.

He only needed to develop slowly, and in the future, he could earn far more.

Yuan Hecheng took a deep breath and, after a long silence, answered, "Because... my daughter was conscripted, and she's only ten years old..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end