Chapter 26: High-Grade Xuan-Class Battle Equipment Blueprint (Incomplete) Inheritance!
"It's nothing serious, just a bit of inflammation. Some medicine will do."
Inside the Wan Yao Zhai carriage filled with all sorts of herbs rarely seen in Qingshan Town, Mr. Yao took out a few leaves and some root strands from the onboard medicine chest. Using his palm covered in Dou Qi, he ground them into powder by hand, then mixed in a bit of clean water and applied it to Jiang Lin's flushed forehead.
"I thought you put it in your pocket. Didn't expect you to fall asleep so fast—the rust got on your forehead and caused inflammation." On the carriage leaving the city, Mr. Yao looked at Jiang Lin, whose head was somewhat feverish, and sighed inwardly. This kid is usually pretty clever, but from time to time, he just acts silly.
And once he starts acting silly, it's like he's playing his true role—there's not even a hint of pretense in his foolishness.
Thinking it over, Mr. Yao grabbed a few more herbs for Jiang Lin, ground them into powder, mixed them into a simple medicinal soup, and had Jiang Lin, who was showing signs of fever and inflammation, drink it.
After drinking Mr. Yao's medicine, Jiang Lin felt a coolness in his head, and his overall condition improved. Seeing this, Mr. Yao stepped out of the carriage and drove it out of the city himself.
Inside the carriage, Jiang Lin rubbed his somewhat feverish forehead and thought to himself, 'Mr. Yao is also a master of playing dumb. As an alchemist, how could he not know my physical condition? A simple inflammation, even tetanus, wouldn't normally cause such obvious symptoms.'
Jiang Lin sniffed with his nose and found a few washed sweet ginseng roots in a medicine box inside the carriage. He quietly took one out and bit into it like a dessert. That sweet taste made him feel like his head wasn't as hot anymore.
'High-Grade Xuan-Class Battle Equipment Blueprint (Incomplete) · Demon Core Crystallization Armor!' Jiang Lin felt the sudden surge of new memories in his mind and tried to suppress his inner excitement.
For the first time, he had come into contact with this world's "orthodox" forging knowledge!
The culprit behind Jiang Lin's declining physical condition and the inflammation caused by a mere infection was the inherited knowledge hidden in that piece of rusty iron: High-Grade Xuan-Class Battle Equipment Blueprint (Incomplete) · Demon Core Crystallization Armor!
Generally speaking, some powerful Dou Qi users could imprint their Dou Techniques into certain items using soul power for their descendants to study. At the same time, to perceive these inherited Dou Techniques, one must possess extraordinary soul perception. The reason Jiang Lin perceived the iron piece with inheritance as colorless and formless was due to his soul power.
However, usually, inherited knowledge is primarily Dou Techniques. Battle Equipment blueprints like this are extremely rare.
And the use of iron pieces to imprint forging blueprints was a habit common among early-era blacksmiths. Nowadays, most blacksmiths prefer to record their blueprints on paper, like how alchemists use pill formulas. This is more straightforward and doesn't require the use of soul power.
The knowledge within battle equipment blueprints far exceeds that of Dou Techniques. Receiving such knowledge consumes vast amounts of soul power, and if one's strength is insufficient, it can lead to soul weakness and affect the body's condition.
Moreover, to unlock the inherited knowledge within the blueprint iron piece, one needs not only powerful soul strength but also a Dou Qi attribute of Fire mixed with Metal. Only when both conditions are met can a blacksmith read the knowledge contained in the blueprint.
Jiang Lin clearly met the requirements—strong soul and Fire-Metal Dou Qi—but due to his low cultivation level and inability to actively use his soul power, he didn't trigger it intentionally. Instead, when a flash of inspiration struck and he placed the iron piece on his forehead, his soul power instinctively sensed the battle equipment iron piece. Once mutual recognition occurred, and the conditions aligned, the connection automatically formed. Before Jiang Lin could even think about refusing, he had absorbed all the inherited knowledge from the iron piece in one go!
"The knowledge system of the Demon Core Crystallization Armor is almost completely incomplete. Who knows how many years old this antique is… But for me, this is no different from receiving help in a desperate time!"
To other blacksmiths, the Demon Core Crystallization Armor is essentially useless. Too much information is missing from this blueprint, and even a Xuan-Class blacksmith wouldn't be able to forge the armor from what's available.
However, for Jiang Lin—who was just getting in touch with this world's blacksmithing knowledge—this was a gift of enormous significance. Though the armor couldn't be made, the blueprint contained various intriguing concepts and insights. Its greatest value for Jiang Lin was showing that some paths were viable; he just needed to pursue them with conviction.
Among them, the most significant gain from this incomplete blueprint was its scattered mentions of how to utilize demon core energy. The knowledge of demon core application here was far more advanced than Jiang Lin's current understanding. It even introduced the concept of "purifying demon core Dou Qi."
"I can't use the Demon Core Crystallization Armor… Though this blueprint is incomplete, it reveals the core forging philosophy behind it, which has tremendously inspired my future research on Xuan-Class battle equipment." Inside the carriage, Jiang Lin munched on some of the sweet-flavored herbs Mr. Yao bought for Wan Yao Zhai while thinking deeply.
A full version of the Demon Core Crystallization Armor is incredibly powerful—suitable even for Dou Huang-level experts. The core concept of the armor is to use demon cores for continuous energy replenishment during combat, achieving a state of endless Dou Qi.
This idea aligns perfectly with the comprehensive knowledge system of alchemists, since many pills require demon cores in their refining, and many pills also aid in combat recovery.
For most people—like the majority of alchemists—if they don't have a pill formula, they simply can't produce quality pills. Traditional blacksmiths are the same: without high-level blueprints, they can only forge basic "blank" iron lumps like the Heavy Xuan Ruler. They'd be unable to forge powerful weapons like the Ziyun Sword or the Flameburst Cleave Armor Sword, which, while lower level, have unique effects.
A complete blueprint for the Demon Core Crystallization Armor would be valuable enough to attract even the superpowers of Central Plains. But such an incomplete blueprint, with most of its information missing, is seen as mere scrap paper by many.
However, Jiang Lin had a major difference from most people in this world—his way of thinking.
To Jiang Lin, the most precious thing about the Demon Core Crystallization Armor blueprint wasn't the blueprint itself, but its design philosophy!
He couldn't forge the armor, but its forging philosophy could be applied to other areas of battle equipment!
Jiang Lin's ability to forge without a blueprint came from his skill in identifying the core essence of each piece of battle equipment.
Just like that phrase—
Whether you are strong or not has nothing to do with me.
But your existence… means everything to me.
Wutan City is truly a place where hidden dragons lie!
(END CHAPTER)
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