Li Deyu's gaze fell upon Nordeyu, whose face was contorted in anger, and he let out another soft sigh. This was, after all, his own son; why couldn't he be as sensible as Qian Jin? Why must he insist on crossing swords with Qian Jin? The man was now the Guild Master of the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild! And judging by Mu Guixing's expression, he would very likely become the Guild Master of the Torrent Fortress in the future.

One man, simultaneously controlling the two major powers of Eternal Flow City! And these two powers were intrinsically linked… Li Deyu vaguely sensed that if Qian Jin managed to tightly bind these two factions together in the near future, he would become the second most powerful figure in all of Eternal Flow City, second only to himself. "Sigh…"

Li Deyu stole another glance at his son, Nordeyu. If only his son possessed even half of Qian Jin’s capabilities! Why didn't I have a daughter? If I had a daughter, and arranged a political marriage, all of Eternal Flow City would be under my sole command.

"Over… what happened?"

Isabella stood at the entrance, gorgeously dressed, and paused for a moment when she saw Qian Jin being thronged by the crowd. Listening to the congratulations, her beautiful eyes repeatedly sized up Qian Jin and Yun Xinghuan. This young man truly was an evening’s lucky star! Attending the academy's dance last night, and suddenly he ranked in the top forty of the Hundred Battles List; then, the very next day, attending the City Lord’s soiree, and he instantly became the Guild Master of the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild?

If this young man continues to attend a few more such gatherings… Isabella supported her chin with her hand, her gaze sweeping over the countless flattering guests, finally settling on Li Deyu. Will he directly become the City Lord?

Qian Jin engaged with the congratulators one by one. These were all influential figures from Eternal Flow City, and even from other cities. If the Luo family’s commerce was to expand further, they would still need their cooperation.

Everyone knew that when the sun rose the next morning, the name Qian Jin would spread throughout Eternal Flow City faster than the speed of sunrise, instantly becoming the most prominent figure in the city for the short term.

After several minutes of cordial greetings, the crowd around Qian Jin finally thinned from its initial density. Li Deyu stepped back onto the [Main] dais: "Everyone, the ball may now officially begin."

Qian Jin felt Gu Yue Jiaying’s gaze upon him, stepped forward, and extended an invitation to dance: "May I invite you for a dance?"

Gu Yue Jiaying smoothly placed her hand onto the one Qian Jin extended. It was hard to believe that such a quiet and reserved beauty had just violently hacked off a man's entire palm with a single strike moments ago.

Many sons of the powerful elite stood by the edge of the dance floor, eagerly eyeing the three beautiful women who should have been immediately invited into the dance by countless people.

Luo Qingqing and the other two stood quietly by the dance floor, watching Qian Jin and Gu Yue Jiaying. The other young elites also shifted their focus to the dance floor, glancing at Qian Jin and Gu Yue Jiaying for a few seconds, before collectively shaking their heads and sighing, choosing to give up on extending an invitation.

While Gu Yue Jiaying drawing her blade and assaulting someone was terrifying, she couldn't possibly dare to chop off everyone, could she? Unless she truly had no desire to live, assaulting too many people at such a ball—even the City Lord would hesitate to offend everyone for the sake of one person.

But now, things were different! Qian Jin was now the Guild Master of the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild, instantly rising to become one of the largest powers in Eternal Flow City, and it seemed his relationship with the Torrent Fortress was also quite strong.

These three women were clearly also Qian Jin’s companions. When Gu Yue Jiaying had acted violently earlier, Qian Jin hadn't voiced any opposition, which was essentially an expression of consent.

Offend Gu Yue Jiaying? Many people felt they could still afford to offend her.

Offend Qian Jin? Lei Zhen looked at Qian Jin on the dance floor with immense distress. He hadn't expected this young man to suddenly become the Guild Master of the Blacksmiths' Guild; his status and standing were entirely different now. He truly shouldn't have been so hasty in hiring an assassin to attack him; he should have struck the killing blow himself!

Lei Zhen watched Qian Jin's relaxed ease on the dance floor, filled with boundless regret. He truly shouldn't have feared acting personally to kill Qian Jin and leave any evidence behind.

Assassins! Lei Zhen thought of the assassins, and a fresh surge of anger fueled his internal flame. He had heard that the assassins hired through that channel were extremely tight-lipped, supposedly never revealing the employer even if captured. Now, it seemed that rumor was likely inaccurate.

Members of the Lei family had been assassinated continuously since last night. If one didn't attribute this to Qian Jin and the Torrent Fortress, they would truly be blind.

The Lei family could still handle the Torrent Fortress; at worst, they could engage in a contest of who could spend more money! Even if the Torrent Fortress had decent income lately, having been poor for so many years, how could they compare to the Lei family?

The Blacksmiths' Guild was different! Not only was it essential for warriors, but even ordinary citizens needed their wares: cooking pots, farming hoes, and countless other daily necessities! That was absolutely a wealthy guild, perhaps comparable only to places like the Alchemists' Guild.

Even those mages from the Magic Tower, while possessing various means of generating wealth, could absolutely not compare to the Blacksmiths' Guild in terms of financial power.

If Qian Jin truly took complete control of the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild! Lei Zhen suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Then the Lei family in Eternal Flow City would be in genuine danger!

No! Qian Jin absolutely must not be allowed to truly become the Guild Master of the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild! Lei Zhen cast a meaningful glance at Lei Guangming beside him. Although confronting a powerhouse like Yun Xinghuan within the blacksmithing circle would be exceedingly difficult, he had no choice but to ask Guangming to contact the other members of the Blacksmiths' Guild and give it one more try! As long as they could stop Qian Jin, they could throw out a massive sum of money! In this world, who doesn't love money? After four dances, before Qian Jin could even catch his breath, he suddenly felt a gust of delicate fragrance wash over him.

"Madam Headmaster." Qian Jin was quite surprised. He hadn't expected to run into Isabella here, nor had he expected the Headmaster to look so stunning in her deep V-neck, fiery red evening gown.

At the entire ball, only Madam Headmaster Isabella could compare to Luo Qingqing and the other three. The color red often lends a sense of bulkiness to clothing, but on her, it perfectly sculpted a figure full of captivating curves, both front and back. Relative to Lucifer Flow’s more youthful curves, her figure had grown even more voluptuous with her mature age.

If Lucifer Flow’s voluptuousness still held a touch of young apple-like shyness, then Headmaster Isabella’s figure radiated ample maturity without any hint of decline.

Her skin, smooth as milk, appeared exceptionally lustrous under the magical lighting, seemingly ready to yield water with the slightest squeeze.

Several children of the elite could only stare glumly from the side. Even those not enrolled at the Conquest Academy recognized Madam Headmaster Isabella.

It wasn't her first time attending a ball, but no one had ever successfully invited her to dance. In the past, anyone who dared invite her, if lucky, was merely rejected; if unlucky, any man who tried to use vulgar persistence to court the beauty ended up in the hospital.

The Ball Witch! After attending a few balls, Isabella earned an incredibly resounding moniker, and now no one dared attempt to invite her to dance.

The Headmaster of the Conquest Academy, and a Bloodline Warrior at that! Regardless of the power she commanded or her own strength, unless she committed treason or went mad and started slaughtering people indiscriminately, she possessed the capability to shrug off almost any consequence. Strike a few people? Who could do anything to her?

"You…" Isabella crossed her arms over her chest, causing the two large mounds beneath the V-neck to look as if they were ready to burst through their constraints at any moment. "Aren't you going to invite me for a dance? Am I not qualified, President Qian?"

Qian Jin immediately broke out in goosebumps. Although this Headmaster was not one of the major powers of Eternal Flow City, who would dare claim her influence was lesser than any major power? Being addressed as 'President' by her truly sent a chill deep into his bones.

"Headmas—"

"No, no. At a ball, you should use a different address for me. This isn't the Conquest Academy."

"Isabella…"

"Am I… not beautiful?"

Qian Jin felt he was truly about to be defeated by the Headmaster. He recalled stories told by bards in the past, tales of young warriors arriving at the academy only to be fought over by countless teachers and headmasters. Now it seemed that perhaps only Biluo enjoyed such treatment; for others… even the Academy's strongest, the Lightning Lion King Tian Lianling Guan who had forged his own Battle Soul, would likely find it hard to receive such attention from the Headmaster.

The Academy was not a place for trivial games. Unless one had no intention of seeking out potential retainers over the next few years, or learning more combat techniques, or building broad interpersonal connections within the institution.

Facing an authority figure capable of expulsion, it was best not to provoke her proactively.

"The beautiful and lovely Miss Isabella, may I invite you to dance?"

Qian Jin bowed deeply, extending his hand like a gentleman, and under the astonished gaze of the crowd, received the fair hand extended by Isabella.

"This… this Qian Jin…"

Lilizago could not believe his eyes. Even if he could reluctantly accept Qian Jin becoming the Blacksmiths' Guild Master earlier, this current scene was utterly unacceptable.

Qian Jin actually succeeded in inviting the Headmaster to dance! The Lightning Lion King Tian Lianling Guan had also invited the Headmaster to dance before, but the result was rejection. Furthermore, every time they were at the same ball, he would issue an invitation, only to be rejected every time.

Lilizago looked at Huoerte beside him, noticing that the gaze of this Burst Bear Bloodline Warrior was bloodshot with shock. Yes, for the students of the Conquest Academy, this news was far more explosive than Qian Jin becoming the Blacksmiths' Guild Master.

After all, the blacksmith trade wasn't in the same system as warriors; most warriors couldn't truly grasp the forging prowess Qian Jin commanded within the Eternal Flow Blacksmiths' Guild.

"I fear… Qian Jin is about to run into trouble…"