At this moment, Xiao Wu and the others returned.
"Senior Chu, we're back. I brought three hundred pounds of Cloud Titanium."
"As for the Plate Crystal Gold, the Suotuo City Seven Treasures branch temporarily doesn't have any stock, but I've asked Wang Fugui to look into it."
With that, Ning Rongrong took out all the Cloud Titanium ingots from her storage soul tool and placed them in a corner of the forge room.
"Three hundred pounds of Cloud Titanium?"
Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow.
As for the Plate Crystal Gold, it was quite rare, so it was normal that the Seven Treasures Commerce Guild in Suotuo City didn't have any stock.
"Oh well, this stuff isn't worth much. Although Zhuqing and I can't wear heavy armor right now, we definitely will be able to in the future."
Ning Rongrong waved dismissively.
In Ning Rongrong's view, the more material used in the armor, the higher its defense would be. Since her family had plenty of this material, they could make do with light armor for now and switch to heavy armor once their Body Tempering (Refining) Techniques were sufficiently cultivated.
"Alright! By the way, let me take your measurements to ensure the armor fits properly."
Chu Chengzhou said earnestly.
Taking measurements was indeed necessary!
Even when buying clothes, one would try them on to check the fit, let alone armor which becomes unwearable if the dimensions are slightly off?
"Brother, don't get handsy while taking measurements~"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes and warned Chu Chengzhou.
Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing: "..."
"Hmph, am I really that kind of person?"
Snorting, Chu Chengzhou expressed dissatisfaction.
Though he appeared indignant on the surface, he was actually feeling very guilty inside.
Fortunately, he had been very proper when measuring Xiao Wu's body earlier, refraining from any ambiguous actions; otherwise, this little rabbit's vigilance would surely be much higher than it is now.
"Rongrong, come with me!"
After saying this to Ning Rongrong, Chu Chengzhou walked towards his room.
"Scoundrel Chu, how exactly are you going to measure?"
Inside the room, looking at Chu Chengzhou holding a tape measure, Ning Rongrong asked.
When a third person was present, she called him Senior Chu, but when only the two of them were there, her term of address for Chu Chengzhou became Scoundrel Chu.
"Rongrong, I warn you, don't slander my reputation."
Chu Chengzhou was somewhat dissatisfied. How could such an excellent young man like him be considered a scoundrel?
"Have the courage to act but not to admit it", Ning Rongrong muttered softly, pouting.
"Alright, no more nonsense. Straighten up, I'm going to start measuring."
Saying this, Chu Chengzhou, full of righteousness, picked up the tape measure to measure Ning Rongrong's waist circumference.
"Wait, I can do it myself!"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou's hands about to circle around her waist, the maiden's modesty compelled Ning Rongrong to speak up.
"No, your measurement won't be standard. This must be done by me!"
Chu Chengzhou firmly rejected her suggestion.
"Just don't make any extra moves, or I'll tell Xiao Wu you took advantage of me."
Blushing, Ning Rongrong issued a warning.
"Rest assured, I am the most honest person!"
That's what he said, but what he thought inwardly remained unknown.
Uh, perhaps a certain little devil girl had already anticipated this?
Initially, Chu Chengzhou's hands were very proper, but when taking measurements, physical contact was inevitable.
Sure enough, after finishing the waist measurement and starting to measure the bust and hips, Chu Chengzhou's hands began to unconsciously become improper.
Closing her eyes, feeling the big hands roaming over her chest and back, Ning Rongrong's cheeks visibly turned red.
Indeed, typical of Scoundrel Chu! Who measures someone's bust and hips simultaneously?
Ning Rongrong wanted to loudly accuse Chu Chengzhou of taking liberties, but for some reason, those big hands seemed to have a magical allure, making her intoxicated, just as she had initially been forcefully kissed but ended up being the proactive one.
"Alright, I'm done!"
After a long while, Chu Chengzhou's voice pulled Ning Rongrong, lost in reverie, back to reality.
It wasn't that Chu Chengzhou didn't want to continue pursuing the little devil girl, but prolonged time would draw attention from the other two outside, especially Xiao Wu.
Opening her misty eyes, Ning Rongrong looked at Chu Chengzhou with flushed cheeks.
"If you like, you can come see me tonight", Chu Chengzhou whispered softly into Ning Rongrong's ear.
Ning Rongrong: "..."
Glaring fiercely at Chu Chengzhou, Ning Rongrong adjusted her slightly disheveled dress and fled the room like escaping.
After finishing with the little devil girl, next was the dignified young lady Zhu Zhuqing.
However, this girl's progress in pursuit was low, and Chu Chengzhou didn't dare to be too forward; otherwise, if she slapped him, the situation would be extremely awkward.
The process was very proper, but Zhu Zhuqing still blushed.
There was no helping it. Chu Chengzhou was using a tape measure to measure his precious treasure. As a pure maiden, how could she not feel shy?
Moreover, even if everything was done properly, unavoidable touches would occur.
Fortunately, Chu Chengzhou maintained a righteous demeanor throughout, somewhat alleviating her embarrassment.
In the forge room, more than an hour later, two sets of Silver Cloud Armor were successfully completed.
Silver Cloud Armor was the name Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing gave to the spirit-refined Cloud Titanium armor.
Cloud Titanium was very light, and even after spiritual forging, its density couldn't compare to ordinary iron. The two sets of Silver Cloud Armor weighed twenty pounds each and twenty-five pounds respectively.
Needless to say, the set weighing twenty-five pounds belonged to Zhu Zhuqing.
Even though she was an Agility-type soul master, her physique compared to soul masters of the same level wasn't outstanding. However, due to her Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul, Zhu Zhuqing's physical condition was still stronger than Ning Rongrong's.
And the fist techniques part of the Body Tempering Techniques cultivation also improved physical strength, allowing her to handle twenty-five pounds of armor during battle.
Of course, the additional five pounds weight wasn't solely because Zhu Zhuqing was taller and had a larger bust. Chu Chengzhou also added a pair of claws to the hand guards of her Silver Cloud Armor.
After all, a two-ring level Netherworld Spirit Cat soul master's martial soul manifested sharp claws, but how could they compare to spirit-refined Cloud Titanium?
"By the way, Rongrong, Zhuqing, if anyone asks where you got your armor from, just say you bought it from me."
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou spoke to the two of them.
"Bought? What's the price?"
Blinking, Ning Rongrong quickly asked.
"Five million per set!"
Chu Chengzhou stretched out his right hand.
"Silver spirit coins?"
"Gold spirit coins!"
Instantly, Ning Rongrong widened her eyes. Five million gold spirit coins for a set of armor—why not just rob people?
Similarly, upon hearing Chu Chengzhou's asking price, Zhu Zhuqing, wearing the Silver Cloud Armor, couldn't help but tremble.
The Netherworld Spirit Cat family wasn't the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; this second young miss didn't have as much money as Ning Rongrong, the eldest miss. If even Ning Rongrong thought it was expensive, then Zhu Zhuqing certainly didn't need to mention it.
Fortunately, Chu Chengzhou hadn't charged her for this set of Silver Cloud Armor; otherwise, selling her wouldn't be enough.
Looking at Ning Rongrong's expression of "You treat me like a fat sheep to be fleeced?", Chu Chengzhou's face remained calm. He specifically said this to Ning Rongrong.
This little devil girl was the eldest miss of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The spirit-refined armor had decent defense and was very convenient to wear. Not only for support-type soul masters with little combat ability but also for experts, it had considerable utility.
Such good armor, Ning Rongrong would definitely think of having him forge some for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
But crafting spirit-refined armor for fish in his own pond and potential fish naturally posed no problem since chasing girls definitely required investment. But crafting for others, naturally, couldn't be free.
Is five million gold spirit coins a lot? It is indeed. But it also depends on who's buying. Miss Ning the wealthy tycoon was famously not short of money.
Ordinary several-hundred-year-old, useless soul bones cost millions of gold spirit coins. A spirit-refined armor capable of withstanding attacks from regular soul masters below level sixty should surely be worth more than those useless soul bones.
When the levels of spear and shield are similar, the price of the shield will be at least several times that of the spear.
After all, those willing to spend money on spears and shields are rich people, and they aren't lacking in fighters, but they fear death.
Moreover, Chu Chengzhou's high pricing wasn't without reason.
Lord Ning Fengzhi wasn't short of money. If the price was too low, and he treated money like dirt, leading to too many orders, even Grandmaster Chu with exceptional craftsmanship wouldn't be able to keep up!
Gold spirit coins in the Douluo Continent weren't like spirit stones in the cultivation world, unable to directly enhance strength and considered truly external possessions. His cheat codes didn't follow the pay-to-win route; as long as gold spirit coins were sufficient, having too many wouldn't be useful.
Besides the two sets of spirit-refined Silver Cloud Armor, Chu Chengzhou also used quite a bit of spirit-refined Cloud Titanium to create a foot-long, half-centimeter thick Cloud Titanium plate, along with a hundred three-foot-long arrows, eight millimeters in diameter, each equipped with a spirit-refined Plate Crystal Gold arrowhead, collectively named Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows.
Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows, with spirit-refined Plate Crystal Gold as the arrowheads and spirit-refined Cloud Titanium as the shafts, were designed to deal with powerful defensive or high-level soul masters far above his own.
Energy arrows formed purely from soul power had no actual weight, so issues like wind direction, wind speed, and arrow self-weight didn't need consideration after shooting. Physical arrows, however, were different.
These factors affected the accuracy of the arrows, and if the arrow itself was too heavy, it would significantly reduce the effective range.
Thus, lightweight yet sturdy Cloud Titanium undoubtedly became Chu Chengzhou's first choice for the material of the arrow shafts.
'It's a bit troublesome to recover them.'
After storing the hundred crafted Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows within his body, Chu Chengzhou thought to himself.
Even after blood sacrifice, spirit-refined metal wasn't like magical artifacts from fantasy worlds; arrows shot out wouldn't automatically return.
Moreover, given the high value of raw materials and the need for him to spiritually forge them, he wasn't extravagant enough to use them as disposable items.
Fortunately, the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows were made from blood-sacrificed metal, creating a bloodline connection with him. Even if they flew ten miles away, he could vaguely sense their direction. Though recovery was troublesome, they wouldn't be completely lost.
As for that piece of spirit-refined Cloud Titanium plate, it was naturally prepared by Chu Chengzhou to test the power of the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows.
On the edge of a small forest outside the academy, Xiao Wu leaned the Cloud Titanium plate against a large rock.
At a distance of a hundred meters, Chu Chengzhou flipped his left hand, a flash of red light appeared, and the Yang Chasing Sun Bow suddenly materialized.
Holding the bow in his left hand and generating soul power in his right, a fire-attribute arrow condensed. Chu Chengzhou shot an arrow toward the distant Cloud Titanium plate.
Whoosh—
A slight sound of air breaking rang out, a streak of fiery light flashed, and the soul-powered arrow precisely hit the Cloud Titanium plate.
Boom!
Red light flared, and the Cloud Titanium plate was violently knocked flying.
As expected, Chu Chengzhou clearly saw Xiao Wu retrieve and reposition the Cloud Titanium plate against the large rock. Its surface remained smooth and shiny, showing no signs of damage.
Subsequently, Chu Chengzhou's right hand glowed with soul power, and one of the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows stored inside his body materialized.
The previous arrow was merely an appetizer; the real focus was on the next one.
Drawing the bow, loading the arrow, aiming, accompanied by the infusion of fire attribute soul power, the front of the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrow immediately emitted a crimson glow over an inch long.
Whoosh, a slight sound of air breaking rang out, and a streak of fiery red light flashed past.
Clang—!
Red light flared, a piercing clang echoed, and Chu Chengzhou saw that the three-foot-long Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrow left only less than a foot of its rear end embedded in the Cloud Titanium plate.
The front section, over two feet long, had pierced through the Cloud Titanium plate and embedded itself in the large rock behind.
"Not bad!"
Seeing this, Chu Chengzhou nodded in satisfaction.
Had it not been for the large rock blocking the remaining force of the arrow, this Cloud Titanium plate would have been directly penetrated.
And a half-centimeter thick spirit-refined Cloud Titanium plate had much stronger defense than the Azure Cloud Patterned Armor and Silver Cloud Armor. The fact that the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrow could penetrate this Cloud Titanium plate showed the tremendous power of the arrow.
If energy arrows condensed purely from soul power were ordinary bullets, then the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrow was akin to a highly effective depleted uranium armor-piercing shell.
Regrettably, he currently didn't possess a summoning creature with metallic attributes.
Otherwise, infusing the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrow with metallic attribute soul power would undoubtedly enhance its penetration and armor-piercing effects even more.
Even so, he believed it could probably take down six-ringed Soul Emperors and even ambush and kill seven-ringed Soul Sages. After all, as they say, hidden arrows hurt people.
Of course, the strong penetration and armor-piercing effects of the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows relied on the triangular arrowheads forged from spiritually enhanced Plate Crystal Gold.
Before his soul-powered arrows could match the power of the Titanium Armor-Piercing Arrows, the upper limit of his archery skills wouldn't see significant improvement.
Dealing with even stronger soul masters remained a challenging task.
While the attack power was achieved, whether he could hit the target was another matter altogether.
After all, any high-level soul master had exceptionally acute senses and lightning-fast reaction speeds. If they couldn't withstand the arrows, couldn't they dodge them?
Fortunately, Chu Chengzhou had already prepared for this. His mental illusion techniques were currently being upgraded passively.
Once mastered, any opponent with weaker mental power would be forced to take his arrows head-on.
In the evening, Chu Chengzhou was meditating in his bedroom.
Knock knock knock—
Suddenly, a knocking sound echoed.
'Hiss, did this little devil girl really come?'
Perceiving the familiar presence outside the door, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but click his tongue.
But he didn't hesitate and immediately got up to open the door.
"Rongrong, why are you here so late?"
After opening the door, Chu Chengzhou looked playfully at Ning Rongrong.
"I want to discuss something about the spirit-refined armor with you."
"Really? Come in and talk!"
Bang—
The door closed.
"Senior Chu, your spirit-refined armor is too expensive. Can you make it cheaper?"
Ning Rongrong put on a pitiful expression and weakly said.
Hmm, for bargaining, she didn't call him Scoundrel anymore.
During the day, Chu Chengzhou priced the spirit-refined armor at five million gold spirit coins per set. After careful reconsideration, Ning Rongrong realized it wasn't too expensive.
After all, a thousand-year-old defensive soul bone with defensive soul skills would cost at least several million gold spirit coins.
Moreover, unless one's soul power level was very high, the defensive capability of thousand-year defensive soul bone skills couldn't match the spirit-refined armor. Additionally, using them consumed soul power. In terms of practicality, they were inferior to spirit-refined armor.
Moreover, the defensive capabilities of both wouldn't conflict, and their effects could stack.
Wearing spirit-refined armor and activating defensive soul bone skills undoubtedly provided better safety assurance.
However, their Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had numerous support soul masters, and the demand was substantial. At five million gold spirit coins per set, even with the vast resources of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, it would be hard to bear.
Thus, Ning Rongrong thought of negotiating with Chu Chengzhou to see if she could buy a batch of high-quality yet affordable spirit-refined armor.
Most importantly, she personally witnessed Chu Chengzhou crafting her and her friend Zhu Zhuqing's Silver Cloud Armor in just over an hour.
Such a short amount of time, and you dared to earn tens of millions of gold spirit coins?
Even legendary hundred-level deities wouldn't know how to earn money like this?!
"Rongrong, let's not talk about armor for now..."
Licking his lips, Chu Chengzhou waved his hand. Amidst Ning Rongrong's astonished gaze, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his head.
At this deep night, you come to talk business with me? That would be too inappropriate!
Just like that night half a month ago, Ning Rongrong gradually shifted from initial resistance to actively responding.
And this time, Chu Chengzhou didn't remain a 'gentleman' who only talked without action; his mouth moved, and so did his mischievous hands.
However, Chu Chengzhou's strength was immense, and she, a two-ring supportive soul master, couldn't break free.
Seeing no way to resist, Ning Rongrong's body flashed with silver light, and the Silver Cloud Armor instantly materialized.
"Uh, um..."
Feeling the hardness and coldness in his hands, and realizing the strange texture, Chu Chengzhou opened his eyes and looked down, falling speechless.
Good grief, who are you defending against? Just a kiss, and you put on the armor?
But before Chu Chengzhou could think further, Ning Rongrong pulled his head back, and soon warmth filled his lips again.
The sensation of kissing was wonderful, addictive. Though I dare not play with fire, now that I've taken precautions, there's absolutely no reason to stop~!
Bang
More than half an hour later, touching his somewhat numb lips, Chu Chengzhou looked speechlessly at the closed door Ning Rongrong had left behind.
Business discussions naturally didn't go through, and for this unsuccessful negotiation, he wasted a lot of saliva and his lips swelled.
Indeed, being in sales was truly not easy!
The next morning, on the open ground in front of the wooden building, Chu Chengzhou was guiding Zhu Zhuqing in practical combat training.
Compared to the little devil girl, the progress with Big Cat wasn't ideal, so Chu Chengzhou thought of deepening their relationship.
How to deepen the relationship?
After much contemplation, Chu Chengzhou felt that tutoring Zhu Zhuqing in practical combat training would be a very good method.
After all, only through increased interaction could there be a possibility of deepening the relationship, right?
Without opportunities for interaction, unless encountering a lovesick admirer, no matter how impressive you were, there wouldn't be any chance of improving the relationship.
At the age of budding youth, daily practice sessions and frequent interactions would naturally warm up feelings, as long as conditions weren't too poor.
Chu Chengzhou believed that over time, this friendship among classmates would eventually blossom into love fruit.
Clang clang clang—
On the open ground, accompanied by Zhu Zhuqing's attacks, the sound of metal clashing echoed continuously.
For Chu Chengzhou's proactive offer to help her with practical combat training, Zhu Zhuqing was deeply grateful and approached it with utmost seriousness.
She understood that even without using soul skills, Chu Chengzhou's strength far surpassed hers. Only by exerting her full abilities could she identify her shortcomings during the training and improve accordingly.
As for Chu Chengzhou, he didn't just defend. After all, the Silver Cloud Armor had formidable defense, and even barehanded, he wouldn't cause real harm to Zhu Zhuqing.
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou feigned a move, tricking Zhu Zhuqing, who lacked sufficient combat experience, and immediately crouched to deliver a sweeping leg.
Boom—
As expected, under the sudden blow, Zhu Zhuqing, caught off guard, lost balance in her lower limbs, her left foot lifted off the ground, and she was about to fall.
At this critical moment, Chu Chengzhou stepped forward, grabbing her wrist with his left hand and wrapping his right arm around her waist, staring ardently at her.
At this moment, time seemed to freeze.
"What are you doing?!"
At this moment, an infuriated roar came from afar.
Turning their heads, they saw Dai Mubai rushing over, his face filled with rage.
At this moment, Dai Mubai was extremely angry.
Previously, he had just returned from outside the academy and heard the sounds of fighting, prompting him to come and investigate.
But never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see Chu Chengzhou, who he didn't get along with, embracing his nominal fiancée in an ambiguous posture.
Instantly, Dai Mubai felt a vast green field on top of his head.
Damn you, Zhu Zhuqing, you're my nominal fiancée, and the marriage hasn't even been annulled yet! Are you already flirting with Chu Chengzhou?
This scene was naturally not accidental; there was no such coincidence in the world.
Previously, during the duel, he was thinking of ways to further deepen their relationship. Suddenly sensing Dai Mubai's presence gradually approaching, a plan formed in his mind, orchestrating the current scene.
Chu Chengzhou foresaw that if he and Zhu Zhuqing acted intimately, once Dai Mubai saw it, he would surely be enraged.
After all, Zhu Zhuqing was Dai Mubai's nominal fiancée. Her indifferent attitude towards him, treating him like a stranger, but being intimate with someone he didn't get along with – any normal person wouldn't tolerate it.
Anger makes one lose reason; Dai Mubai wouldn't care about the cause and effect, only believing what he saw.
If Dai Mubai said a few harsh words, Chu Chengzhou would step in to defend Zhu Zhuqing, who was wronged, and beat Dai Mubai up to vent his anger. Wouldn't her affection soar rapidly?
Shameless and despicable? When it comes to courting, it's not embarrassing!
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