Chapter 69: Flying Dou Artifact Collaboration Proposal!
"Master Guni, may I ask if your auction house has any Dou Technique scrolls that provide continuous Dou Qi output?"
It was noon the following day, and under the bright sunlight, Jiang Lin—who had hastily sketched the rough design for his flying Dou Artifact—arrived at the Miteer Auction House. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he sought out Master Guni in hopes of acquiring a Dou Technique scroll he could actually use.
"Oh?" Guni, a second-tier alchemist of Wutan City, looked with curiosity at the radiant and energetic youth in front of him. With a warm smile, he said, "Master Young Lin, have you received some great fortune recently? You seem to be glowing. Perhaps a major breakthrough in blacksmithing?"
Though Master Guni appeared composed, his inner thoughts were anything but calm.
"Young Lin, Young Lin…" At first, Guni had wondered why this blacksmith included the word "young" in his title. But after the wildfire in Qingshan Town and the information that followed—particularly the rumors that Jiang Lin and Young Lin the blacksmith were the same person—Guni had quietly confirmed it for himself.
Later, when the Fierce Beast Mercenary Group clashed playfully with Jiang Lin and displayed his wide variety of innovative Dou Artifacts, there was no longer any doubt. Especially now that Jiang Lin had become a Dou Master and fully embraced the identity of Young Lin.
Though Guni was a second-tier alchemist, he held great respect for Jiang Lin. After all, looking down on blacksmiths was something only seventh-tier alchemists could afford. For someone like Guni, who was already nearing his ceiling, it made no sense to underestimate a younger blacksmith with greater potential.
For context: the top alchemist in Jia Ma Empire, Pill King Gu He, was only a sixth-tier alchemist—and even he couldn't look down on blacksmiths. In fact, in the imperial capital, the president of the Alchemist Guild, Fa Ma, was just a fifth-tier alchemist, while the president of the Blacksmith Guild, Hu Lei, was a rare sixth-tier blacksmith!
Due to the scarcity of high-ranking blacksmiths, those who reached tier six generally had two options: remain in the guild to protect younger blacksmiths from alchemists, or travel to the Central Plains to join the Heavenly Craft Pavilion—a place where geniuses of every trade (except blacksmithing, ironically) gathered to advance their craft.
"There's been some progress indeed," Jiang Lin said mysteriously between bites of snacks served in the Miteer VIP lounge. "If you're curious, Master Guni, you might see something impressive within the year."
Guni smiled, his cloudy eyes flashing with sharp light. "Could it be related to flying Dou Artifacts?"
Jiang Lin rolled his eyes. "Master Guni, come on. Say it all out loud, why don't you? Where's the sense of surprise?"
"Hohoho…" Guni chuckled softly, though inside he was reeling. Just last night, the Mercenary Guild had delivered 500 gold coins to the Miteer Auction House. Normally, Guni wouldn't have cared—but upon learning it came from Young Lin the blacksmith, he'd investigated. That very night, he discovered Jiang Lin had posted a three-star mission—offering as payment a Yellow-tier low-rank flying Dou Technique.
To be honest, Guni had seen many rare and exotic auction items in his lifetime. But the phrase "Yellow-tier low-rank flying Dou Technique" was… absurd. Each word was familiar, yet together, they sounded utterly foreign.
The weakest flying technique Guni had ever encountered was low Xuan-tier—most hovered around mid or high Xuan.
So Jiang Lin's Yellow-tier flying technique was virtually unheard of. It was no surprise that the elite Dou Grandmasters of the Blood Beast Mercenary Group had accepted the mission out of sheer curiosity. That phrase alone was enough to draw them in.
Of course, this wasn't because Jiang Lin's blacksmithing surpassed all others. Rather, to extract a usable energy model from "all things are weapons" and turn it into a human-compatible Dou Technique required a certain level of soul power. Typically, only tier five or six blacksmiths could achieve this.
But most blacksmiths at that level were already Dou Kings or Dou Emperors. They could fly on their own.
So any blacksmith who could develop a low-rank flying technique didn't need it themselves—and therefore aimed higher.
Only Jiang Lin, this audacious little outlier with immense blacksmithing talent but low cultivation, would do such a thing. He doted on his eagle-bro constantly, but deep down, he was terrified of getting betrayed mid-air. Hence, his obsession with developing flying techniques—lest Eagle-bro dump him and cause his death before he ever reached Dou Emperor status.
"Still, Master Guni, don't get too excited. That flying technique just prevents falling to death. Real flight will need help from the Miteer Auction House." Jiang Lin smiled, while inwardly noting Guni's changing heart rate—after all, the heart played a vital role in Dou Qi flow and reactions. It could hint at grief, determination, or in this case… inspiration.
"What? Really?!" Guni's expression lit up. Jiang Lin's words made it very clear: he was planning to collaborate with the Miteer Auction House on flying Dou Artifacts.
Flying Dou Artifacts! And by the look of things, these would be designed for use by cultivators below Dou King!
This was a wide-open, unexplored blue ocean of opportunity!
Seeing Guni so moved, Jiang Lin just smiled calmly.
Tier-one and two materials were everywhere, but ever since stepping into the tier-three blacksmith domain, Jiang Lin had found that sourcing those materials solo was too difficult. Since he was nearly done exploring the Magical Beast Mountains anyway, it made sense to deepen his relationship with the Miteer Auction House—so he could start moving toward the imperial capital.
"Rest assured, Master Young Lin! Whatever you need—just inform the Miteer Auction House!" Guni said seriously. If he could help secure Jiang Lin's project, it would elevate his position within the Miteer Family and bring his descendants more cultivation resources in return.
(END CHAPTER)
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