Chapter 100: Soul Forging and Mystic Gear!
Standing before the towering entrance of the Blacksmith Guild, Jiang Lin looked up at the grand and imposing complex, then lowered his gaze to the quiet hall within. From deep inside, he could faintly hear the rhythmic clanging of metal on metal.
"Master Jiang Lin, we'll leave you here." At the guild doors, Mu Yun and the others bid their farewell. There was nothing more they could help with from here—better to let Jiang Lin experience it himself.
"We won't be leaving the capital anytime soon. If you ever need to reach us, just leave a message at the Mercenary Guild. We'll respond right away," Mu Yun added before turning to leave with his team.
Jiang Lin watched them go, then turned back to the empty interior of the Blacksmith Guild. With a soft sigh, he adjusted his simple black martial robe and stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, he could clearly hear the occasional ding ding dong dong echoing through the vast, ornate hall, amplifying in the silence.
"Hey, kid. Looking for someone? If so, give a name. If you're here to forge something, you need to register first." A chubby middle-aged man behind the reception desk finally looked up from his book after Jiang Lin had been standing there a while.
"Hello." Jiang Lin walked forward. The front desk was about one and a half meters tall. Fortunately, he had grown early—his upper body was tall enough to show. If it had been Xiao Yan, probably only his head would've peeked over.
Curious, Jiang Lin craned his neck to see what book the man was reading. Noticing this, the man instantly stuffed the book into a drawer and frowned. "Not something kids should be looking at."
Jiang Lin: "..."
Got it. Say no more.
"I'm here to register as a blacksmith," Jiang Lin said, glancing at the man's badge: Four stars—Fourth-Tier Blacksmith, Yuan Bao.
"Blacksmith?" Yuan Bao's disinterested expression changed at once. He stood up abruptly—his 1.9-meter frame and the chair beneath him making him look like a bear looming over the counter. He studied Jiang Lin with curiosity.
"You look pretty young. Hm, but that physique… yeah, you've got the build for it." Yuan Bao wasn't suspicious—Jiang Lin's solid, muscular frame screamed blacksmith.
Jiang Lin was not yet fifteen, but already pushing 1.8 meters and still growing—likely to reach two meters. He wasn't lanky either, but full of defined muscle. Pure strength.
"Little guy, your master didn't come with you?" Yuan Bao asked. Normally, blacksmiths had mentors. Self-taught ones? Usually got lured away by alchemists.
"My master… my master died saving me. I carry on his legacy now." Jiang Lin recited the tragic tale of "Big Brother Pei Su" without a single blink.
Yuan Bao's face twitched. "Stop. Just stop. You're Jiang Lin, right?"
He quickly cut Jiang Lin off before he went into full tragic hero mode.
"I'm Yuan Bao. You can call me Big Bro Yuan… wait, actually, don't. Just call me Yuan Bao." He had wanted to sound approachable, but the phrase "Big Brother" made him think of Pei Su and gave him chills.
"Okay, Big Bro Yuan Bao," Jiang Lin replied obediently.
Yuan Bao: "..."
"Let's skip the story. Let's get to the point. You can forge Tier-Three Dou Devices?" Yuan Bao stared at him with bulging eyes, leaning in so close his big round face nearly pressed into Jiang Lin's forehead.
Yuan Bao had issued the investigation order about Pei Su himself. Jiang Lin's tale didn't match Pei Su's profile at all—he didn't believe a word of it. But what shocked him more was that this "wild boy" might actually be a full-fledged Tier-Three blacksmith.
Sure, there were records of people forging Tier-Three gear with only basic skills. Theoretically, a Tier-One blacksmith could do it, but in practice, it was nearly impossible. Yuan Bao had once heard of a Dou Huang who tried learning smithing on a whim and breezed through to Tier-Three in a year—only to get stuck at the Xuan tier.
Xuan-tier forging was vastly different. If Huang-tier techniques were like basic arithmetic, Xuan-tier was calculus. That's where "Soul Forging" began—infusing spirit power into the process. Yuan Bao could hammer out dozens of low-tier Dou Devices in a day, but if he made a proper mystic-grade weapon using ancient techniques, he'd be bedridden for months.
In most cases, the Guild accepted orders with minimal soul forging. As long as it worked, it was good enough. Full-on Soul Forged mystic weapons were reserved for the elite.
If Jiang Lin had really reached Tier-Three at this age, Yuan Bao had no doubt: with proper training, this kid could reach the Xuan tier in no time.
"Well… not exactly," Jiang Lin replied. "I can forge them, but not all types. Just barely."
"What do you mean barely?!" Yuan Bao roared, slamming his forehead into Jiang Lin's. The boy suddenly felt like he was being face-bashed by a pig-headed brute.
"Show me your Tier-Three device. Let Big Bro Yuan Bao see how 'barely' we're talking."
Yuan Bao no longer cared about superstition. If this kid was legit, he'd hug his thigh and never let go.
Click!
Jiang Lin stepped back, raised his left hand, and summoned a sleek, heavy black bow inscribed with elegant patterns—a seamless blend of magic and technology.
Yuan Bao's eyes bulged like brass gongs. "You call this BARELY?! That design alone screams peak confidence!"
"Let me see! Let me see!" he shouted, leaping over the front desk like a bear. But the desk was too tall—he stumbled and fell flat on the floor.
"Dammit! Who designed this counter so tall?!"
"..." Jiang Lin watched the 1.9-meter-tall man sprawled before him and began seriously doubting the credibility of this Blacksmith Guild.
(END CHAPTER)
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