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Inside the VIP Room.
Not long after, a portly middle-aged man entered, looking somewhat familiar.
"Master Chu, welcome! It's an honor to have you here!"
The man hurried forward and bowed deeply, his expression full of warmth and respect.
"You're… Wang Fugui?"
Chu Chengzhou looked him over and recognized him—the former manager of the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce branch in Suotuo City.
Years had passed, and it was clear he had been promoted. As for whether he had grown rich? Just by his figure—thicker than before—he was clearly doing well.
Wang Fugui's smile widened. "I never expected Master Chu would remember me! Thanks to the Sect Leader's favor, I now serve as the manager of the Tian Dou City headquarters."
He still couldn't believe it. That unremarkable young man who had always been good with women had somehow won over their heiress.
But then again—if he were the Sect Leader, he'd have done the same.
During the Xingluo Empire's recent conspiracy, Master Chu, still a teenager, had slain numerous Titled Douluo. Such a son-in-law was hard to find—even with lanterns lit. The Sect Leader hadn't lost anything—he had gained far more!
"Oh? Congratulations."
Chu Chengzhou nodded with a smile.
"Master Chu, how may I assist you?"
Wang Fugui quickly turned to business.
"Bring me all the rare metal inventory in your guild's storage. Send it all to my residence."
After a moment's thought, Chu Chengzhou said.
He wasn't sure how much rare metal he'd need, but he remembered that in later times, the success rate of Celestial Forging was extremely low—and even the fusion formulas and Doukai designs required extensive research. The amount of rare metal needed later would be substantial.
To avoid repeated trips, he might as well take everything now.
Besides, the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce was his future father-in-law's business. With this father-in-law and son-in-law relationship, he didn't need to be polite—and he didn't have to be.
"All… the rare metal inventory?"
Wang Fugui paused, startled. Was that really necessary?
"Mm. Any problem?"
Chu Chengzhou nodded. Was he being refused?
"No problem at all!"
Wang Fugui immediately agreed.
Though the demand was large and the Sect Leader hadn't given prior instructions, Wang Fugui knew this didn't need to be reported. The Sect Leader had already "given away" his daughter—would he really refuse a few rare metals?
Of course, he would still report it afterward—otherwise, the accounts couldn't be settled.
—
One hour later. Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
In the Sect's main hall, Ning Fengzhi was calmly handling official business when a young disciple in martial attire rushed in.
"Sect Leader, a message has arrived from the Tian Dou City Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce branch!"
The disciple handed over a letter.
"Oh?"
Ning Fengzhi raised an eyebrow and opened it.
'Could this boy have broken through again in forging?'
After reading Wang Fugui's message, Ning Fengzhi thought to himself.
Regarding metal forging, Ning Fengzhi had always been frustrated.
The forging techniques Chu Chengzhou had given him were highly effective—no doubt about it. Soul-Refined metals had proven useful even for Titled Douluo.
But the process was not simple.
Chu Chengzhou had given him the Thousand-Forging technique for over two years. He had gathered many blacksmiths to try, yet only one man had succeeded—and even he barely reached the Thousand-Forging level.
And he wasn't an ordinary blacksmith—he was Elder Lei, a Soul Douluo Sect elder with a hammer martial soul.
Of course, the Sect had thousands of soul masters; not all lacked forging talent.
But forging was, at its core, just smithing—and to soul masters, smithing was a lowly trade. Few were interested.
"Go, bring Elder Jian, Elder Gu, and Fourth Elder."
After a moment's thought, Ning Fengzhi ordered the disciple.
His son-in-law's skill had clearly advanced—he needed to see it firsthand.
After all, Soul-Refined metals already enhanced Titled Douluo combat power significantly. If something beyond that =existed, its effect must be even greater.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong were his bodyguards. In the past, Ning Fengzhi took only one with him on trips, leaving the other behind.
But now, with the Sect's newfound strength, he had three additional Titled Douluo elders.
So his guard detail was now increased to two.
As for the Fourth Elder?
He was the Sect's only Thousand-Forging smith. Bringing him along might inspire his own progress.
—
Chu Residence.
The forging room of the continent's greatest forger (Chu Chengzhou: Yes, that's me!) was located in a small courtyard beside the training ground.
Inside the warehouse adjacent to the forge, Chu Chengzhou held a black cloth sack, pulling out various pre-smelted rare metal ingots one by one and stacking them neatly.
The sack was ordinary—not a high-end Storage Soul Device—but inside it had been packed with dozens of different Storage Soul Devices.
After emptying those devices, Chu Chengzhou handed the sack to a middle-aged soul master from the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce who had delivered the goods.
The man immediately handed him another sack. "Master Chu, this is the last batch."
"Mm."
Chu Chengzhou nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, the courier left the Chu residence.
All the rare metal inventory of the Tian Dou City Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce had been transferred to Chu Chengzhou's warehouse.
To be fair, although rare metals were not yet widely useful in this era, as the capital's central branch, the Tian Dou Chamber of Commerce's inventory was surprisingly rich—over one hundred and thirty different types.
Unfortunately, most of these metals were unknown to Chu Chengzhou, who had gained his Divine Craftsman status through shortcuts.
Due to lack of market demand, most of these metals were stored in small quantities. Only about a dozen types exceeded one ton, and a few had less than a hundred catties.
However, five metals—Deep Silver, Fine Gold, Blue Coppertite, Magic Silver, and Soul Iron—were abundant. Even the least of them, Soul Iron, exceeded two tons. The most, Fine Gold, surpassed ten tons.
It wasn't that the Seven Treasures Chamber of Commerce had no more rare metals—it was simply that the market was sluggish, so there was no need to stockpile large amounts.
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