Chapter 176: Three Driven by Interest
Xiao Yan needed no explanation. Yun Zhi suspected that he was an alchemist, given how he always had all sorts of medicinal pills on him. What was even stranger was that he seemed to be cultivating a Yellow Rank technique, which had an incredibly slow cultivation speed.
As for Jiang Lin, Yun Zhi also believed he was cultivating a Yellow Rank technique, but there were too many oddities about him that made her question her own judgment.
One could typically assess a person's cultivation technique by the efficiency of their Dou Qi refinement. Both Xiao Yan and Jiang Lin had extremely inefficient refinement speeds—Jiang Lin in particular was shockingly poor. Yun Zhi even thought he might be using a low-level Yellow Rank technique.
But Jiang Lin's Dou Qi volume was astonishing, far beyond what a normal Dou Practitioner could have. The Dou Qi he inhaled into his body wasn't exhaled again, and yet, his Dou Qi growth rate remained extremely slow, which didn't match his level of absorption at all.
'Is this what a body-tempering technique is?' Yun Zhi watched in a daze as Jiang Lin successfully activated the Forging Flame Art, turning into a small, never-extinguishing sun, sitting alone at the cave entrance, blocking out all the cold winds. She was deeply surprised. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her. After watching for a bit, she wrapped herself tighter in her gray robe and curled up beside the campfire, falling into a deep sleep with the beast pelt.
".Good thing I'm not a Dou Huang, or else I'd really have to show that Purple Crystal Winged Lion King what seal immunity means." In his cultivation state, Jiang Lin examined his internal condition. With the activation of the Forging Flame Art, his body had become like a furnace. Paired with the Soul Refining Art, his bloodline, meridians, flesh, and soul were all being repeatedly tempered in the flames.
Originally, all his meridians were entangled with strands of purple thread, but under the raging flames, they were gradually being burned away.
If it had been the Purple Crystal Seal cast by the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King himself, Jiang Lin might have needed several months to recover, given the opponent's superior energy and sealing strength. But the seal on Jiang Lin had been self-triggered with Dou Practitioner-level Dou Qi, so it was much weaker. After just one night, Jiang Lin found that the purple crystal sealing force in his body had been completely burned away by the Forging Flame Art.
Jiang Lin found the seal immunity effect somewhat terrifying. Still, the thought of someone destroying his painstakingly crafted spiritual weapon with a mere sealing technique felt even more horrifying.
The next morning, Jiang Lin opened his eyes and found Xiao Yan grilling fish. Yun Zhi was also present, so after washing up outside, he walked over to them.
"Are you alright now?" Yun Zhi asked with concern, handing Jiang Lin a grilled fish as he approached.
She was a Dou Huang. Breaking a seal was just a matter of time for her. But Jiang Lin wasn't—he was just a Dou Practitioner. Facing a sealing technique could be very troublesome for someone like him.
Splash~
Jiang Lin didn't respond directly. Instead, he opened his palm, and with a whoosh, a beautiful crimson-golden Dou Qi flame flared up, instantly rendering both Xiao Yan and Yun Zhi silent.
"It was triggered accidentally, and the seal itself wasn't strong, so it was undone quickly." Jiang Lin explained softly, not wanting to undermine Yun Zhi's confidence.
"But this thing is pretty fun." He added, pulling out the Purple Crystal Broken Horn. "Using this as a core, I could try forging a simple sealing Dou Weapon."
Of course, for Jiang Lin, the real value of the Purple Crystal Broken Horn was the opportunity to learn the energy model of the Purple Crystal Sealing Technique.
Deconstructing the energy model of a sealing technique from a sixth-rank magical beast's horn might have been impossible for most Dou Huangs or even Dou Zongs, but for Jiang Lin, it was as easy as breathing. His spiritual perception was extremely advanced and naturally attuned. Even Yao Chen had no words to say about Jiang Lin's origins.
Yao Chen even suspected… He'd heard tales of the Spirit Tribe making a huge blunder once, accidentally refining their own divine-blooded holy son to death. So he wondered if Jiang Lin had been hidden away by someone. Regardless, Yao Chen wasn't about to take risks—Jiang Lin was someone untouchable.
Just like the Hun Clan members usually carried soul tablets, Spirit Tribe members didn't use those. Instead, they used spatial coordinates. When high-quality Spirit Tribe bloodlines were extinguished, a super formation within the Spirit Realm would sense it and allow a Dou Sheng to launch a full-scale spatial map-clearing assault.
Thus, typically, no one outside would dare have malicious thoughts toward a Spirit Tribe member. And Spirit Tribe members rarely ventured out, either.
"Are you a blacksmith?" Yun Zhi looked curiously at Jiang Lin, then glanced at Xiao Yan.
A blacksmith and an alchemist—this combination could sustain themselves entirely within the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
"Something like that. I'm just a blacksmith driven by interest," Jiang Lin said, holding the Purple Crystal Broken Horn in one hand while accepting the grilled fish with the other.
"That Purple Crystal Winged Lion King got lucky. If he gave me more time, I might have sealed him back using this horn, to avenge you, Miss Yun Zhi."
"Hehe~" Yun Zhi chuckled softly. That image was indeed amusing. "What about you, Yan Xiao? Are you an alchemist?"
With Jiang Lin by his side, Xiao Yan wasn't worried. While sprinkling seasoning on his fish, he laughed and said, "Since Brother Lin put it that way, I guess I'm just a beginner alchemist driven by interest."
Had it just been Xiao Yan, he definitely wouldn't have admitted to being an alchemist. But with Jiang Lin around, his courage had grown.
"Alright, alright, you're a blacksmith and an alchemist driven by interest, and I'm a Dou Huang driven by interest," Yun Zhi replied with a warm smile. After their time together, she had let down much of her guard toward Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan.
"Coo coo coo coo!" Just then, the urgent cooing of the Storm Hawk echoed from outside.
"What's going on? Trouble?" Xiao Yan immediately grew alert, and Yun Zhi also stopped talking.
Only Jiang Lin shook his head helplessly and smiled. "Hawky says it's just a hawk driven by interest."
"Hahahaha!" Xiao Yan burst out laughing. He found Jiang Lin's Storm Hawk far too human-like.
Yun Zhi's eyes briefly flashed with surprise. She felt like she'd heard that phrase somewhere before but couldn't quite recall where.
Still, she couldn't help but smile, and the cave was filled with laughter of different tones and moods.
"I know some alchemists and blacksmiths. If you two are interested, I can introduce you to them," Yun Zhi offered seriously after a moment of laughter.
(END CHAPTER)
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