Chapter 61: Purple Cloud Wings and the Flying Dou Artifact!
Yan Hu clearly wasn't going to just stand there and let Jiang Lin—soaring overhead on his eagle—continue to humiliate him. Without hesitation, he chose to give up, not even bothering to test whether Jiang Lin's Black Feather Bow could pierce his defenses. He simply led the Fierce Tiger Mercenary Group out of town.
Though nothing was said, it was obvious to everyone—Yan Hu had chosen to concede to the shameless Jiang Lin.
"Hey hey hey, I just got everything ready… why did the target walk away?" Jiang Lin muttered in frustration as he watched Yan Hu and his mercenaries leave without giving him a chance to test the armor-piercing power of his tier-three Black Feather Arrows against a Dou Grandmaster's Dou Qi Armor. Everything had been set up… and now the target was gone.
"Sigh, Captain Yan Hu, I'll come visit you in Black Rock City within two years!" Jiang Lin called out dramatically.
Yan Hu didn't even look back—just raised a hand to wave in acknowledgment.
Jiang Lin then glanced down at the hopeful gazes of the crowd below and felt a headache coming on. He gave Blue Eagle a pat, and amidst many disappointed sighs, flew out of Qingshan Town and back toward the Magical Beast Mountains.
At the entrance to the Myriad Medicines Pavilion, Master Yao's face darkened as he watched Jiang Lin fly away alone. Obviously, that brat had just dumped all the trouble onto him.
"Close the doors, close the doors! Master Yao's not feeling well today and won't be receiving guests!" Thankfully, Uncle Fu, the sharp-eyed housekeeper, quickly came out, pulled Master Yao back inside, and shut the doors.
"Hey! Master Yao, don't be like that! Help us get in touch with Master Jiang!"
"Yeah! We'll pay whatever he wants! We just want to know if he has another bow like that!"
"Come on, open up! Master Jiang is getting older, right? I have a lovely daughter waiting for him…"
With the doors now shut, those who reacted too slowly could only sigh in regret. Still, no one dared act out—after all, based on what Jiang Lin had just demonstrated with his Black Feather Bow and shameless coordination with the blue eagle, no one in Qingshan Town could threaten him now.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lin and Blue Eagle returned to Forging Valley. Qingshan Town had too many fanatics—he wasn't planning on going back anytime soon.
"Come on, Eagle-bro, let's train Purple Cloud Wings. And I'll practice Roaring Lion's Cry a bit. It's a high Xuan-tier technique—who knows when it might come in handy."
Inside Forging Valley, Jiang Lin took the Purple Cloud Wings manual from the Whitebone Ring and tossed Blue Eagle a few tier-one wind-type magic cores. "You go play. Level up to late-stage tier one quickly so I can teach you Purple Cloud Wings."
With the eagle happily flying off like it had just been given candy, Jiang Lin sat down cross-legged, holding the scroll in his hands, and focused all his mental power into it.
As his spiritual force gathered, the scroll began to emit faint purple energy ripples. Jiang Lin was using his powerful soul to wear down the sealed remnant soul of the Blackflame Purple Cloud Eagle inside the scroll. If it had been a complete soul, he wouldn't dare. But a long-sealed fragment? That he could handle.
Jiang Lin's extraordinary soul sense, a form of spiritual power he called "spirit force," allowed him to reverse-erode soul fragments with precision. It was a talent he was born with. Normally, he wouldn't use it recklessly—except this time. What? The Blackflame Purple Cloud Eagle wasn't human? Then never mind.
He continuously consumed the remnant's consciousness using his spirit force. It took three full days before the sealed soul was weak enough for Blue Eagle to handle safely.
When Jiang Lin finally called for Blue Eagle to begin the Dou Technique inheritance, he discovered that it had already entered a deep sleep inside the crafting shed.
"Advancing to late-stage tier one, huh? Good. I'll work on Roaring Lion's Cry myself, then." Jiang Lin didn't disturb it and instead found another spot, picked up a random stick, and began training.
Roaring Lion's Cry was a general-use Dou Technique. It didn't rely on any specific Dou Qi type, making it compatible with nearly all users.
Clearly, the three scrolls left behind in the skeleton's boxes had been carefully selected to benefit future users.
"A spear's stance is like the wind—when the wind stirs, the lion roars!"
Soon, the whistling sound of Jiang Lin's practice echoed through the valley.
A month later, he dropped the stick with a sigh and picked up the Black Feather Bow again. He drew an arrow, aimed at a tree, calmed his breath, gathered his Dou Qi, then released.
Whoosh!
ROAR!
It was as if a beast's roar echoed in the wind. A spear-shaped Dou Qi projectile shot from the bow, pierced the tree—and exploded.
"As expected, high Xuan-tier Dou Techniques really do improve energy efficiency and attack ceiling… Compared to that, low Xuan-tier techniques like Qing Feather Archery are simple. Actually… they're too simple. I think I could even optimize Qing Feather Archery myself. Once you understand the energy model, everything becomes easier."
Jiang Lin reflected on his progress, packed up, and finally turned to Blue Eagle—who had woken up long ago, but had been ignored while Jiang Lin was deep in training.
Blue Eagle had successfully advanced to late-stage tier one. Its body looked leaner, its movements quicker.
"Alright, time to try learning Purple Cloud Wings." Jiang Lin placed the scroll on Blue Eagle's back.
He wanted Blue Eagle to learn Purple Cloud Wings because it wasn't a standard Dou Technique. Within the scroll was a seal. If the user could withstand the soul fragment of the Blackflame Purple Cloud Eagle, they could directly inherit the energy model of Purple Cloud Wings through the technique's markings.
The scroll's design was so idiot-proof that Jiang Lin didn't feel right using it on himself. It was better suited for someone simple—like Eagle-bro.
"Let's go, Eagle-bro! Activate your Dou Qi and accept the technique!"
SKREEEE!
Blue Eagle screeched and channeled its Dou Qi. Pale blue energy enveloped its body and the scroll.
Then—
The Purple Cloud Wings scroll erupted in illusory black-purple flames, instantly igniting Blue Eagle's Dou Qi!
(END CHAPTER)
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