Chapter 111: Dan Lei Blacksmithing!
To broaden Jiang Lin's perspective, Hu Lei briefly explained some of the secrets of blacksmithing to him before his gaze returned to the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron beside him.
"The Blacksmith Guild has a library; if you're interested, you can take a look at it yourself. But for now, let me tell you about the origins of the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron."
With a wave of his hand, the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron suddenly shrank and flew into Hu Lei's palm, slowly rotating under Jiang Lin's amazed gaze.
"Did you notice the lightning markings on it? This is the result of your revered ancestor using the cauldron to resist Dan Lei. I've heard that in order to collect more Dan Lei, he even went to the Pill Tower to deceive people, saying the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron could protect pills from Dan Lei. But in reality, he wanted to use the Dan Lei from pills above grade seven to forge. The result? The cauldron absorbed quite a few Xuan Dan and Bao Dan, taking on Dan Lei in pill form, but it failed miserably, leaving behind these lightning markings and even causing rust on the cauldron's body."
Hu Lei sighed slightly, "The Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron is a testament to the slow progress of blacksmithing techniques, but the speed of that progress is too slow."
What? You ask where the pills that were put into the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron went? Well, don't ask too much about the research details.
The reason this legendary cauldron ended up in Hu Lei's hands was largely thanks to Hu Lei's own talent. He practiced Fire-Thunder Dou Qi, which was later refined into Fire-Gold Dou Qi for blacksmithing. He eventually reached Tier-6 blacksmithing and went to the Heavenly Craft Pavilion for further study, where he had a sudden realization. Was blacksmithing really such an inconvenient thing? He then decided to cleanse his Dou Qi attributes and returned to Fire-Thunder blacksmithing, shocking the blacksmiths at the Heavenly Craft Pavilion.
Since it was Fire-Thunder blacksmithing, Hu Lei received the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron as part of the experimental process. He hoped it would offer him some new insights.
Now that Hu Lei had his own cauldron, the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron was just a memento for him, so he decided to pass it on to Jiang Lin, who showed great promise.
"But remember," Hu Lei continued, "don't use the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron to resist Dan Lei again. Your revered ancestor once said that it can't handle much more; if it's pushed any further, it will crack. This cauldron is a masterpiece, capable of both alchemy and blacksmithing, but alchemy might leave a peculiar taste, although it's not an issue."
Hu Lei then pulled out a Lightning Marked Storage Ring from his robes and placed the Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron inside it. He also added a jade slip: "The Qing Xuan Qiankun Cauldron and the Qiankun Technique are both in here. Take this Lightning Marked Storage Ring. It's something I forged myself. It has a capacity of one hundred cubic units. As for the storage silver ring you have, you'll need to return it. The guild's equipment is slowly accumulated. You can keep the Lightning Marked Storage Ring, but the ten-cubic unit storage ring will be left for someone else. I won't give you another storage ring after this. One hundred cubic units is the limit for a Dou Huang. To get better, you'll need to reach Dou Zong and use higher-quality space stones for the materials."
Jiang Lin was overjoyed when he heard that Hu Lei was willing to exchange the one-hundred-cubic Lightning Marked Storage Ring for his ten-cubic silver storage ring. He eagerly took the new ring and immediately transferred all of his belongings into it.
However, while Jiang Lin was moving his items, Hu Lei suddenly waved his hand, and a badge flew into his palm. "This badge must be returned. It's a keepsake."
The badge Hu Lei took back was Pei Xuan's Tier-2 Blacksmith badge. Jiang Lin didn't say anything about it since he didn't really have anything of value. If anything was special, it was the warm jade on his chest and the unique Furnace Forging technique he had been practicing. He had nothing else he needed to keep secret from Hu Lei.
Although Hu Lei didn't verbally comment on Jiang Lin's straightforwardness, he couldn't help but smile inwardly. He really liked this clean and direct young talent.
"It's getting late. You should go rest. Yuan Bao, the one who brought you here, your senior brother, will arrange a place for you. You'll stay here at the Blacksmith Guild for a few days and get familiar with things. If you have any questions, just ask your senior brother. Also, regarding your flying pet, you can ask him. A week from now, I'll officially teach you the Spirit Refining Technique."
Having given Jiang Lin the next steps, Hu Lei finished organizing his schedule.
At this point, Jiang Lin took out a blueprint from his new storage ring. Hu Lei looked at it, and his eyes showed a hint of surprise. "A flying Dou Weapon? It's not that no one has done it, but for those below Dou Ling, it's very troublesome. It's not something the young masters or young ladies of smaller factions can afford. But your combination of flying Dou Weapons and flying Dou Techniques is quite a clever idea."
"Many in the guild should be interested in this. Tomorrow, just find Yuan Bao. He's a Dou Ling and will be interested in what you've made. You don't need to worry about anything else—Yuan Bao understands everything. There are only a few blacksmiths in the Jia Ma Empire like us, and if we want to start on a flying Dou Weapon, we must get our opinion first."
Hu Lei gave a more impartial assessment of Jiang Lin's Dual Leaf Wing Sheath blueprint.
"The Blacksmith Guild's contribution system works on exchanging blueprints. Although your Dual Leaf Wing Sheath is a Tier-1 flying Dou Weapon, it has significant potential. Let me think... I'll ask Old Han for advice in a few days on how to reward you."
Hu Lei didn't pay too much attention to Jiang Lin's Dual Leaf Wing Sheath. Although he understood it was good, as a Dou Huang, he wasn't interested in these flying toys.
"If you're interested in flying Dou Weapons, the Blacksmith Guild in the Falling Goose Empire has done extensive research on them, but those are high-level flying Dou Weapons and Techniques. What you have here seems to fill the gap for low-level flying Dou Weapons. Hahaha, it's also a great contribution to our Jia Ma Empire's Blacksmith Guild!"
Hu Lei seemed to think of something and patted Jiang Lin's shoulder, encouraging him, "If in a few years low-level flying Dou Weapons become popular in the Jia Ma Empire, then I can go to the Falling Goose Empire's Blacksmith Guild to ask for high-level flying Dou Weapon blueprints, hahaha!"
Though there were no patent protections on the Dou Qi Continent, among blacksmiths, there was a tradition of "exchanging things for things." Jiang Lin's Dual Leaf Wing Sheath, though simple, was exquisite and was a fine artifact, no longer ordinary but a top-tier Dou Weapon capable of influencing the continent.
Other regions could replicate it, but the local blacksmith guilds would have to compensate the guild in the area where the invention originated.
The Blacksmith Guild leaders from various regions were all colleagues at the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, and if they didn't give something in return, it would be considered theft, and the blacksmiths would be disliked.
Hu Lei didn't want to steal the peak achievement of the Falling Goose Empire's Heavenly Goose Nine Flying Wings; he just wanted to give them a starting version. The Jia Ma Empire would have its own high-level flying Dou Technique research line.
(END CHAPTER)
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