The Chivalrous Defy Laws with Martial Might, Artifact Forgers Overcome the Strong with Artifacts! Please Vote! Please Follow!

Jiang Lin had never expected that one day, his own cleverness would backfire on him.

Stuffing iron plates into the soles of his shoes while practicing Explosive Step was perfectly normal. Once one reached a profound level of mastery, Dou Qi could leave the body, and the iron plates could effectively reduce the burden on the soles of the feet.

But the problem was that Jiang Lin was only a tiny Dou Qi Stage Two nobody. He could not even release Dou Qi from his body, yet he had stuffed iron plates into his shoes? Wasn't that just making himself miserable? When fire-attributed Dou Qi burst from the soles of his feet, the iron plates blocked it directly. Not only did the energy rebound and scorch Jiang Lin's feet, but it also left his soles numb from the impact.

Fortunately, Dou Technique Manuals generally had a "foolproof design." The learning progress for Dou Techniques advanced bit by bit, and the input of Dou Qi energy also increased little by little. It would not result in Jiang Lin failing once and then being bedridden for one or two months.

Fortunately, Jiang Lin was not seriously injured. After resting for a while, he began practicing his Dou Technique in the small courtyard again.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

At the deepest part of Myriad Medicine Pavilion's rear courtyard, near the outskirts of town, dull thuds rang out from time to time. A dark figure moved rapidly across the open ground in bursts. After moving a certain distance, he would stop to rest for a while before releasing the Dou Technique again, repeating the process over and over.

It was not until late at night, when Jiang Lin dragged his battered body back to his room and was preparing to collapse onto his bed, that he discovered in surprise that there was an enormous wooden tub inside. Xiao Yi Xian stood beside it, continuously adding all kinds of herbs.

"Oh, you're back? Your talent may be nothing special, but at least you're diligent." When Xiao Yi Xian saw Jiang Lin limp through the door, covered in dust, the corners of her lips rose slightly before quickly returning to normal. She teased him in a strange, mocking tone.

"Mr. Yao was afraid that practicing Dou Techniques like this would ruin your body, so he specially found some ancient prescription from who knows where and prepared this tub of medicinal bath for you. As for how effective it is, well, different people have different opinions. But at least it will keep you from being unable to get out of bed tomorrow morning."

"Mr. Yao really spoils you too much. One day, he's going to spoil you rotten." After saying that, Xiao Yi Xian could not help glaring at Jiang Lin. She had noticed that ever since Mr. Yao had gone into the mountains alone to gather herbs half a year ago and returned with Jiang Lin, he had become increasingly biased.

Of course, the still-young Xiao Yi Xian did not understand that the fact she could sense Mr. Yao's favoritism, from a certain perspective, meant that their relationship had become closer.

"Alright, get in and soak yourself! Clean up the herb dregs yourself tomorrow morning. This lady isn't your servant. Studying medical books all day is tiring enough, and at night I still have to prepare medicinal baths for you. Honestly, who else has it this bad?" Xiao Yi Xian swung her little fist in dissatisfaction and landed a solid punch on Jiang Lin's chest. Seeing him wince in pain, her mood immediately improved considerably. Then she pushed open the door and left without looking back. Just then, the bright moonlight outside fell upon her pale silver-white hair like a gauzy robe woven from moonlight, making even her retreating figure seem somewhat hazy.

Beneath the silver moonlight, the girl walked with her hands behind her back, skipping along like an elf of the moon before gradually disappearing into the night.

Only then did Jiang Lin turn back. His face twisted slightly as he rubbed his chest. "She really didn't hold back!"

Still, looking at the medicinal water in the wooden tub, rich with the fragrance of various herbs, Jiang Lin felt that he should be more magnanimous. Unless, of course, he stopped being human in the future—then it would not be too late to take revenge.

After shutting the doors and windows, he removed his clothes, leaving only the Pale Yellow Cold Jade hanging on his chest. Revealing his beginning-to-take-shape lean and muscular body, Jiang Lin slowly lowered himself into the medicinal water.

"Hiss."

Since the medicinal water contained many anti-inflammatory ingredients, it stung his wounds to some extent. At the first contact, Jiang Lin's face twitched slightly, and he contributed to the frozen era of the Dou Qi Continent by sucking in a breath of cold air.

However, Jiang Lin endured it without making a sound. He slowly lowered himself into the tub, letting the medicinal water submerge him up to his neck. Only then did he lean his head against the edge of the tub and rest for a while before circulating the Forging Fire Art within his body. Soon, his body slowly began to heat up again. The Pale Yellow Cold Jade on his chest was the only thing through which he could feel any coldness. That was why he always wore it.

Practicing the Forging Fire Art made Jiang Lin's entire body heat up. The Pale Yellow Cold Jade was the only thing that let him feel even a trace of coolness, preventing him from growing bored from the prolonged heat during cultivation.

After spending roughly half an hour, Jiang Lin successfully completed one full circulation of the Forging Fire Art within his body before finally stopping. Exhausted in both body and mind from cultivation, he rested his head against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes to recuperate.

It feels like my Dou Qi cultivation is a little faster than normal. And this is only an ungraded medicinal bath. I wonder how powerful the cultivation-assisting effects of the medicinal baths used by the prodigies of those great families with Alchemists must be.

The medicinal water Mr. Yao and Xiao Yi Xian had prepared for him merely helped his body recover. It did not even qualify as a first-grade medicinal pill, but Jiang Lin was already very satisfied.

I've gotten a bit of a feel for Explosive Step. I should be able to reach the state described in the manual—where intent and movement become one, and the body follows the heart—within half a month.

Taking half a month to learn a Yellow-grade Dou Skill... why do I feel like I'm trash? Jiang Lin silently mocked himself with his eyes closed.

Learning a Yellow-grade Dou Skill in half a month was indeed ordinary. But judging from Jiang Lin's description, he was not simply learning it!

. . . I should strive to master Explosive Step and Flame Fist as soon as possible. I seem to have gained a somewhat different understanding of Dou Techniques, but I need more experience and more Dou Technique Manuals to compare them against.

With everything but his head submerged in the medicinal water, Jiang Lin continuously pondered matters related to Dou Techniques. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into a daze.

Meanwhile, in a room somewhere within Myriad Medicine Pavilion's Inner Academy, candlelight still burned beneath the bright moon and sparse stars.

"Oh? A Yellow-grade low-tier Water Pattern Gold Dagger can easily pierce the defenses of a mid-tier first-rank magical beast, an Earth Armor Pig? Ordinary iron weapons can do the same when infused with Dou Qi, but this is a weapon that can be used by someone who isn't even a Dou Zhe yet. It seems Dou Qi weapons really cannot be spread carelessly in Qingshan Town."

Using the faint candlelight, Mr. Yao sat neatly dressed at his desk, reading the letter in his hand as he could not help rubbing his forehead.

In that moment, Mr. Yao seemed to gain some insight into why this world lacked high-level Artifact Forgers.

You forge for a month, and yet you can match my hundred years of bitter cultivation?!

Compared to Alchemists, Artifact Forgers naturally possessed a rebellious quality—the ability to challenge those above them and slay the strong while weak.

The chivalrous defy laws with martial might; Artifact Forgers overcome the strong with artifacts!