Chapter 151: Five-Star Dou Shi · Jiang Lin!
Although Gu He was indeed a bit of a simp in some aspects, he was still a dignified sixth-tier alchemist. How could Fa Ma just blurt that out so directly? Didn't he care about his pride?
Having his true thoughts exposed by Fa Ma, Gu He glared at him impatiently.
He had come to the capital of the Jia Ma Empire this time because Fa Ma invited him back to discuss something.
Previously, Huo Lei had told them that if they wanted high-grade Feather Sheath Wings, they would need to offer something valuable enough to be enticing. After some thought, Fa Ma and Jia Xingtian decided to invite Gu He back to see if they could obtain some high-tier pills in exchange with the Blacksmith Association.
Actually, sixth-tier Feather Sheath Wings weren't necessary—fifth-tier ones were already sufficient for a Dou Huang. After all, Feather Sheath Wings were functional-type Dou Qi weapons, unlike combat-type ones that needed to withstand direct impact. And the material strength of fifth-tier Dou Qi weapons was already enough to allow a Dou Huang's Dou Qi to operate perfectly.
A Dou Huang being able to break a fifth-tier weapon was like a bullet damaging a gun—it wasn't that the gun couldn't handle it, but the incoming projectile was simply too destructive.
"Oh? That old man Gu He came back too?" Upon hearing about a sixth-tier pill, Huo Lei in the VIP room looked slightly surprised. In the Jia Ma Empire, only Gu He could refine sixth-tier pills. Why was Gu He called a Pill King? Because among sixth-tier pills, there were ones like the Dou Ling Pill (he wanted to rename it to Dou Wang Pill but reconsidered), which boosts a Dou Wang's cultivation, the Huang Ji Pill that enhances a Dou Huang's power, and the Po Zong Pill that increased the chance of breaking through to Dou Zong.
As the only one in the Jia Ma Empire qualified to refine such pills, Gu He's title of Pill King was well deserved.
"In that case, consider yourselves lucky. Fifth-tier Feather Sheath Wings! Take it or leave it. If you can offer a better sixth-tier pill, then I'll step back." Huo Lei chuckled. He more or less understood why Gu He had suddenly returned—he was likely eyeing the fifth-tier Feather Sheath Wings. As wings compatible with Dou Qi wings, their utility far exceeded ordinary expectations.
Why did Feather Sheath Wings require mastering the flying technique "Feather Sheath"? Because the sheath was essentially a basic Dou Qi wing—it couldn't fly due to insufficient Dou Qi and could only glide. From the start, Feather Sheath Wings were designed to be used in combination with natural Dou Qi wings.
However, the four-leaf Feather Sheath Wings already represented the limit of Dou Qi wing control. Jiang Lin's six-leaf version had begun to exceed the traditional control range. And to master the six-leaf version, Jiang Lin had to upgrade his Yellow-grade low-tier flying technique "Feather Sheath." That was why his progress with the six-leaf wings had been so slow. Over the past two to three months, he had been studying blacksmithing, training hard, researching the energy model of his Dou Qi furnace, and updating the energy circuits of his Feather Sheath technique.
Every day had been unimaginably fulfilling.
"President Huo Lei is willing to trade fifth-tier Feather Sheath Wings for an Earth-rank Dou Technique. Does the Pill King wish to participate?" asked the Mittel host, wiping sweat from his forehead. He had seen many Dou Wangs before, but this situation—featuring a sixth-tier Dou Huang blacksmith, a sixth-tier alchemist, and the Dou Huang sect master of Yunlan Sect—was a first.
"No need." Gu He was decisive. Huo Lei already said it, and if he pushed it, the deal would be off. Compared to a low Earth-rank technique, Gu He preferred the fifth-tier Feather Sheath Wings. He might not use them himself, but he could gift them. Right now, they were much more prestigious than pills.
"If there are no more bids, then the Earth-rank Dou Technique 'Flame Splitting Wave Ruler' goes to President Huo Lei." The Mittel host went through the motions on stage and then brought down the item.
Technically, the auctioneer shouldn't reveal bidder identities, but when Huo Lei and Gu He spoke up, everyone already knew who they were.
"Teacher, they must be targeting your fifth-tier Feather Sheath Wings, right?" The rest of the auction items, though impressive, were useless to Jiang Lin, so he wasn't paying much attention. He turned to look at Huo Lei.
Huo Lei chuckled and said, "No matter. We have to let a few out, give them some hope. Otherwise, we can't reap more benefits."
"Nothing else worth seeing. Let's go back." Huo Lei glanced at the item list marked in the VIP room—nothing else stood out. It was either high-level Xuan-grade techniques, Xuan-grade Dou Weapons, or fourth- and fifth-tier pills—none of which Huo Lei cared about.
Nowadays, if the Mittel family acquired any special, rare materials, they would first ask the Blacksmith Association. If the association declined, only then would they auction it.
But how could the Blacksmith Association refuse? They would take as much as they could get, so there wasn't much chance for Jiang Lin to find rare materials in the capital's auction houses.
"Sir, here's your auction item." Backstage, the Mittel family representative respectfully handed the box containing the 'Flame Splitting Wave Ruler' scroll to Huo Lei. He accepted it, placed it in his storage ring, and said, "Pick up the fifth-tier Feather Sheath Wings from the Blacksmith Association in three months."
Then Huo Lei left with Jiang Lin. Upon returning to the Blacksmith Association, he tossed the scroll from his ring to Jiang Lin. "Here, a gift for reaching Xuan-grade Blacksmith. Consider it a reward for your breakthrough," he said with a smile.
"Now that you've advanced to a tier-4 Xuan-grade Blacksmith, spend the next few months with me learning about high-grade materials."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Jiang Lin's eyes lit up with gratitude.
Thus, Jiang Lin began formally receiving Huo Lei's inheritance as a Xuan-grade Blacksmith. Time flew—and just like that, half a year had passed.
Inside the Earth Fire Blacksmithing Room, a burly man standing 1.8 meters tall sat cross-legged by the blazing ground fire. His hands rested near his lower abdomen, eyes shut, steam rising from his entire body, making him look like a blazing furnace.
Then, at one moment, the burly man suddenly opened his eyes. With a surge of Dou Qi, he spat out a small bronze pill, which instantly expanded with the wind and transformed into a giant cauldron that landed heavily in the sunken ground fire.
At that moment, the man quickly activated his Dou Qi. A nearly tangible Dou Qi veil condensed around him, and his aura surged.
Five-Star Dou Shi!
"Phew... A soul realm at the peak of the Mortal Boundary allowed me to cultivate Dou Qi at a pace no slower than a Dou Ling or even a Dou Wang, yet the Fire Forging Technique still managed to suppress me. It took nearly a year just to break through three stars."
This burly man was none other than Jiang Lin, now a Five-Star Dou Shi after a year of advanced study at the Blacksmith Association.
(END CHAPTER)
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