Chapter 109: Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron!
Jiang Lin currently possessed three Tier-3 Dou Weapons, which were the Black Feather Heavy Bow, the Profound Qi Umbrella, and the recently forged Intent-Focused Gauntlets. Due to the Crimson Dragon Cauldron's influence, the Intent-Focused Gauntlets now resembled the Crimson Dragon Gauntlets. Strictly speaking, there was also one more: the Black Xuan Heavy Sword that Pei Xuan held.
Hu Lei had intended to punish Jiang Lin with a Tier-3 Dou Weapon, but since the Black Feather Heavy Bow and the Profound Qi Umbrella were made from special materials that couldn't be remade in a short time, they couldn't be used. Only the Crimson Dragon Gauntlets could be handed over. After passing the Tier-3 Blacksmith assessment, Jiang Lin had just enough remaining materials to forge two more weapons.
Looking at the large teenager in front of him, Hu Lei suddenly smiled, "Aren't the gauntlets your apprenticeship gift?"
"Ah???" Jiang Lin stared at the silver-haired elder in front of him in shock, thinking to himself, "Did I just meet my match?"
"No jokes," Hu Lei said, noticing Jiang Lin's confused expression. "There still needs to be a punishment. It's only fair to make sure you've learned your lesson. Back when you were a Tier-1 Blacksmith, it was reasonable to punish you with a Tier-3 Dou Weapon. The Blacksmith Guild is already small, and everything needs to be taken seriously. You have the materials, so when you find the time, just forge another pair of gauntlets and hand them in. Then we can consider this matter resolved."
Hu Lei gestured for Jiang Lin to sit, as the young man was almost as tall as he was. Hu Lei sat on a small stone, feeling a bit awkward as he had to look up to see Jiang Lin.
"As for your apprenticeship gift," Hu Lei continued, "I actually don't have any treasures to give you. Weapons and armor—those should be forged by your own hands. You should also understand that from Tier-4 Dou Weapons onwards, they are considered Profound Artifacts. These aren't just simple tools that use Dou Qi energy, but objects that can wield extraordinary powers."
Under the starry sky, Hu Lei opened his right hand, and a small four-legged cauldron, the size of a fist, appeared in his palm. Seeing Jiang Lin's astonished expression, Hu Lei couldn't help but smile proudly, "Are you thinking, 'What can this tiny cauldron forge?'"
"Uh..." Jiang Lin thought to himself, as a well-mannered and polite youth under fifteen, he would never say something like that.
"Don't underestimate this little cauldron. It was a gift from my teacher when I became his disciple." Hu Lei explained to Jiang Lin.
"Ah??? Your teacher is a Tier-6 Blacksmith, already at the peak of the Blacksmithing world. And he still has a teacher?" Jiang Lin asked in surprise.
Hu Lei, upon hearing this, let out a burst of Dou Qi that opened the surrounding barriers. He looked at the small cauldron in his hand and said with a tone of nostalgia, "This is something I need to explain to you. The Blacksmiths of our guild believe that the inheritance of Tier-6 Blacksmithing techniques has been severed. That's because the higher-tier Blacksmithing techniques above the Profound grade are no longer usable. We can only use Profound-tier techniques. Whether it's forging Tier-7, Tier-8, or even Tier-9 Dou Weapons, they are essentially still Profound Artifacts. However, there is a difference in quality between the Profound Artifacts forged by a Dou Zun and those forged by a Dou Wang or Dou Huang. But I do still have a teacher."
"Also, when we forge Tier-7 and above Dou Weapons using Profound-tier techniques, we usually call them pseudo-earth artifacts. There are hardly any true Celestial Artifacts because the gap between two big stages is too vast. In the hands of a Dou Saint, a Profound Artifact doesn't even compare to a casually formed Dou Qi weapon."
Although Hu Lei was only a small Dou Huang in the Jia Ma Empire, his rank was still highly regarded. But as the only scholar in the Jia Ma Empire who had studied under another, his understanding of the world was far superior to that of the Pill Tower's Fa Ma.
"Of course, the outside world doesn't call their weapons like that, so you'll still see 'Earth-tier Dou Weapons' in some big places," Hu Lei said, his words opening Jiang Lin's mind to new perspectives on the world.
"I'm explaining all this because this small cauldron in my hand is also a pseudo-artifact," Hu Lei said. He casually tossed the small cauldron to the side, and with a thud, Jiang Lin was shocked to see that the tiny cauldron, which was the size of a fist, suddenly expanded as if caught by the wind. It quickly grew to four or five feet in width, and with another boom, it slammed into the ground, causing a tremor in the earth.
The cauldron was a deep green color, covered with lightning-like markings and rust, as if it had been eroded by the passage of countless years, emanating a heavy, ancient aura.
"This was a gift from my revered teacher, but now that I have my own Crimson Dragon Cauldron, I don't really need it anymore. So, I'm giving it to you today." Hu Lei only had two disciples. His eldest disciple was Yuan Bao, but Yuan Bao's talent didn't truly match Hu Lei's expectations. It wasn't until Jiang Lin's appearance that Hu Lei truly decided to invest some serious effort into training a disciple.
If Jiang Lin hadn't appeared, Hu Lei would have likely left the Jia Ma Empire after cultivating Yuan Bao into a Tier-5 Blacksmith, taking the Crimson Dragon Cauldron with him and returning to the Central Plains. The Blacksmith Guild's rule was that each guild would have a Tier-6 Blacksmith leading it. If that Tier-6 Blacksmith could produce two Tier-5 Blacksmiths, they could then return to the Central Plains.
The Heavenly Craft Pavilion had discovered a blacksmithing principle: two blacksmiths of the same rank would help each other improve, and when three or more of the same rank worked together, it would trigger a "point king" situation that would lead to rapid breakthroughs.
"This cauldron is called the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron. It holds the Qiankun within it, and I will also teach you an Earth-tier Space Dou Technique called Qiankun Technique," Hu Lei said.
"Ah?" Jiang Lin stared dumbfounded at the greenish cauldron that seemed to have been fished out of the river of time, then looked at Hu Lei's serious face. Jiang Lin, still finding it hard to believe, pointed to his head, "But I'm just a Two-Star Dou Fighter! I haven't even warmed up to that! Earth-tier Dou Techniques are one thing, but do you really think I can learn Space Dou Techniques?"
Did the world think his background was so tragic that it decided to give him the main character template and start pushing him forward?
Seeing the astonishment on Jiang Lin's face, Hu Lei smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Don't rush. The full name of the Qiankun Technique is the Qiankun Controlling Cauldron Technique. This Dou Technique can only be used to activate the properties of the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron. You'll need to reach the Dou Huang realm before you can fully unleash the space secrets of this technique."
Hu Lei had also been shocked when he first learned this technique, but after understanding its principles, he realized it wasn't as complicated as he initially thought. In a few years, he would also try to add the Qiankun properties to his Crimson Dragon Cauldron, upgrading it to the Crimson Dragon Qiankun Cauldron.
The Qiankun Cauldron wasn't an ordinary artifact... which is why Hu Lei could afford to gift the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron so generously.
(END CHAPTER)
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