Chapter 82: High-Level Xuan Class Technique · Dragon Flame Art!
Inside the VIP reception room of the Miteer Auction House, Gu Ni watched Jiang Lin—who was eating pastries with tears in his eyes—and couldn't help but twitch at the sight, while a trace of sympathy rose in his heart.
Jiang Lin was the most unique blacksmith he had ever seen. Gu Ni had never met a blacksmith who worked so diligently and earnestly.
Back when he lived in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital, Gu Ni—being a Tier Two alchemist—had access to some blacksmiths. The capital had just over a hundred blacksmiths, most of them based there, with a few stationed at major frontier cities near the empire's borders. This was why in secondary cities like Wutan, blacksmiths were extremely rare—not only because there were few of them to begin with, but also because Wutan wasn't a border city.
Due to his status as an alchemist, most blacksmiths Gu Ni interacted with were those in the capital. And like alchemists, they were revered by various forces, which gave them a natural air of arrogance. Most blacksmiths only lit their forge once every month or two to craft a few pieces of varying quality, then felt quite accomplished. From what Gu Ni knew, only the frontier blacksmiths had a better attitude—those who truly believed that a bit more effort today could save a soldier's life tomorrow. Still, long-term repetition made those blacksmiths hot-tempered.
To Gu Ni, without external pressure, the fewer times a blacksmith needed to forge, the higher their status.
After all, wasn't it true that spatial rings—once exclusive to Dou Wangs and Dou Huangs—had become more common over time, even accessible to some Dou Shis and Da Dou Shis?
Alchemists never feared a decline in status because pills were consumables—once taken, they were gone. You couldn't just punch someone and have the pill pop back out. But Dou Devices, if well-maintained, could be passed down through generations in a family.
Yet Jiang Lin stood out among all blacksmiths Gu Ni had seen. Despite his fiery temper—understandable and forgivable—he was deeply humane. Odd as it sounded, that was the most accurate description Gu Ni could come up with.
"You mentioned before that you were looking for a better fire-type cultivation method, right? It took some time, but the Chamber managed to obtain one from headquarters. It was originally meant to be auctioned... but you're a special case to the Miteer Family, so you get to see it directly."
Gu Ni handed a glass of orange juice to the tearful, pastry-munching Jiang Lin, then retrieved a finely bound scroll with a crimson cover from his spatial ring.
"High-Level Xuan Class Fire Technique: Dragon Flame Art."
"It's said that a certain powerhouse was inspired by the dragon race—those mighty magical beasts—and created this dual cultivation technique that trains both externally and internally. Rumor has it that at advanced levels, one can condense a flame within the body that rivals beast flames. If you weren't already on the Miteer Family's internal priority list, this technique would've been auctioned in the capital for huge profit—drawing competition from both the Alchemist and Blacksmith Guilds. But for you, the Chamber is willing to invest."
Gu Ni placed the black iron box containing the Dragon Flame Art in front of Jiang Lin, awaiting his response.
This technique, capable of forming dragon flame, was considered top-tier even among high-level Xuan techniques. Gu Ni watched Jiang Lin, who had stopped eating and drinking, with complex thoughts in his eyes.
Jiang Lin had previously asked the Miteer Chamber to help find a suitable fire-type technique. At the time, all they could source internally were low-level Xuan techniques, which left Jiang Lin hesitant.
But after Jiang Lin revealed his plans for flying Dou Devices, Gu Ni—shaken to the core—wrote a detailed report and sent it to the Miteer headquarters via a flying magical beast.
A few months later, the family mobilized resources and sent back a premium fire-type technique: the Dragon Flame Art. It was clear they had paid a hefty price to acquire this from certain factions and then transcribed it into a training scroll.
There was no doubt about it—Jiang Lin's flying Dou Device project had caught the attention of the Miteer Family, and they were ready to invest heavily in him.
As a commercial clan, Miteer's decision-makers quickly recognized the terrifying market potential of low-tier flying Dou Devices. What's more, this entire industry could be monopolized by the Miteer Family in alliance with the Jia Ma Imperial Court. The truly powerful factions weren't interested, and those who were couldn't compete!
If managed correctly, low-tier flying Dou Devices could spread to every human-inhabited corner of the continent.
In the future, when rookie Dou Practitioners ventured out, aside from essential pills, a low-tier flying device would become standard equipment for every adventurer.
In time, even a mighty Dou Saint might cradle his most cherished child in the family hall, gaze at a pair of Dou Qi-imbued wings in the sky, and wistfully tell tales of his youthful days...
"If you had given this to me earlier, Old Gu, I probably would've already started training it." Jiang Lin's eye twitched slightly as he looked at the scroll in front of him, a bit exasperated.
You didn't bring it before, and now that I've sworn myself to the Forging Fire Art, you show up with this?
The things you want never come, and the ones that come were never asked for...
Still, Jiang Lin decided to take the scroll—even if he wouldn't cultivate it, it was too good to pass up. Leaving such a valuable, special technique lying around just felt... wrong for someone as clever as he claimed to be.
Of course, Jiang Lin wasn't one to accept favors so easily. If he were to train with Dragon Flame Art, then fine—he'd owe them. But since he didn't plan to actually use it and only wanted to study it, accepting such a huge favor for research alone felt unbalanced.
"But this technique is highly valuable for research. Go ahead and auction it, Old Gu. Oh, and this is a Tier-One flying Dou Device: Dual-Blade Feather Sheath Wings. Put it up before the technique." In Gu Ni's stunned gaze, Jiang Lin took out a folded, blade-like mechanical wing from his white bone spatial ring.
Jiang Lin had originally wanted to fold the wings into an actual sword... but figured it would hurt too much if they broke. Since no one else would use it that way anyway, he just made it look like a sleek blade—a stylish mechanical design rather than a practical weapon.
"There's still time. Hype it up across the city. Promote both the flying Dou Device and Dragon Flame Art together—the livelier the better. Don't worry, I'll be the one to buy the Dragon Flame Art. It won't cost much." As Gu Ni stood frozen, Jiang Lin pushed both items toward him with a confident smile.
"You—are you saying..." Gu Ni stared at Jiang Lin in disbelief. That one sentence—"won't cost much"—shocked him to his core!
This meant... Jiang Lin had something even better. A Tier-Two flying Dou Device, perhaps? He'd created two different-tier flying Dou Devices in a short period?!
Of course, Gu Ni didn't know Jiang Lin had just used clever design tricks to split one blueprint into three... How could someone unfamiliar with Jiang Lin's "blade-crafter mindset" ever understand this refreshing approach?
To Gu Ni's stunned look, Jiang Lin only returned a gentle, ambiguous smile.
His real goal was to confirm a certain theory:
Mysterious Alchemist = Xiao Yan.
Jiang Lin knew Xiao Yan's ring held some kind of hidden fortune, but he didn't know what. But this mysterious alchemist... he suspected Xiao Yan had gotten himself a "Ring Grandpa" protagonist script. And if that was the case, such a soul remnant would have to be at least a Dou Zong-level powerhouse.
If it really was a powerful alchemist grandpa—well, Jiang Lin had plenty of questions to ask.
And whether it was true or not—he'd know tonight just by looking.
If his spiritual perception couldn't see through him—it was Xiao Yan.
If it could—then everything was already laid bare, and there was nothing left to hide.
(END CHAPTER)
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