Texture Theory for Artifact Forgers! Please Read On! Please Vote!

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight streamed through the window, Jiang Lin opened his eyes in the cold medicinal bath, feeling utterly refreshed.

There was no work for Jiang Lin at Myriad Medicine Pavilion, so he decisively chose to continue cultivating and diligently practice Dou Techniques.

Thus, under the envious gazes of Xiao Yi Xian and the other Myriad Medicine Pavilion staff, Jiang Lin spent his days rigorously practicing Dou Techniques until he was covered in injuries, then soaked in the medicinal bath Mr. Yao had specially prepared at night to restore his strength.

Jiang Lin had asked Xiao Yi Xian about the value of those medicinal baths. Her answer was that although the medicinal bath he used every night was not a pill of any grade, the herbs alone were worth a thousand Gold Coins. Due to its business model, Myriad Medicine Pavilion's average daily income might not even reach a thousand Gold Coins. In other words, ever since Jiang Lin began cultivating, Myriad Medicine Pavilion had been operating at a continual loss.

Early the very next morning after Jiang Lin asked Xiao Yi Xian about the medicinal bath's value, Mr. Yao came looking for him and explained, "Lin'er, don't overthink it. Cultivate with peace of mind. Just treat this as an indispensable early investment. Once you become stronger, you'll be able to forge stronger weapons too, won't you?"

Clearly, Mr. Yao was worried that Jiang Lin would feel burdened, so he had come specifically to ease his concerns.

Deeply moved, Jiang Lin stopped thinking about it and cultivated with peace of mind. This continued until a month later.

A month later, outside the forging room in Myriad Medicine Pavilion's inner courtyard, a muffled boom rang out. A black shadow shot forward in an instant, appearing before a training post the next moment. A trace of red light suddenly ignited around his arm, and then his fist slammed heavily into the post with a bang. The powerful blow snapped the bowl-thick wooden post cleanly in half!

Mr. Yao and Xiao Yi Xian, who were watching from the side, both showed a hint of surprise in their eyes.

The Dou Technique Jiang Lin had used to break the post looked like Flame Fist, yet it carried a trace of Explosive Step within it.

"Though his Dou Qi cultivation isn't high, that brute strength of his is certainly rare." Although she was surprised by Jiang Lin's comprehension of Dou Techniques, Xiao Yi Xian still commented with a stern expression. Clearly, she could tell that Jiang Lin had broken the post largely through his physical strength rather than Dou Qi.

A month had passed, and Jiang Lin's Dou Qi had not increased much. However, bolstered by the medicinal baths and the Forging Fire Art, his physical strength had become even greater. At only ten years old, Jiang Lin now possessed strength no weaker than that of an adult. Of course, the price was that the medicinal baths had become less and less effective on him, gradually serving only to speed up his recovery.

"Earlier, Lin'er said it took him half a month to learn a Dou Technique. I kept thinking that, given his aptitude, that shouldn't be the case. Who would've thought that the 'learning' Lin'er spoke of meant this kind of complete mastery?" After unleashing those two Dou Techniques, all of Jiang Lin's Dou Qi was exhausted, and he plopped down onto the ground. Seeing this, Mr. Yao could not help shaking his head with a laugh.

An ordinary person could learn a Yellow-grade Dou Skill in just a few days. Mr. Yao had never believed Jiang Lin could be that dull-witted. Sure enough, the truth was just as he had expected. Jiang Lin was not dull; it was simply that his idea of "learning" was entirely different from that of ordinary people.

After all, could a top student's "I kind of understand" possibly mean the same thing as a poor student's "I kind of understand"?

After resting for a while and recovering some of his strength, Jiang Lin ran over to Mr. Yao and Xiao Yi Xian with a grin. "Well, Mr. Yao? Isn't it great?"

Seeing Jiang Lin's praise-seeking expression, Xiao Yi Xian could not help rolling her eyes. Mr. Yao, however, smiled gently. "It truly is excellent. On the Dou Qi Continent, even over in Chuyun, among all the people I've met, you belong among those with the highest aptitude."

"By the way, I had people gradually gather the Fire Gold Ore, Azure Gold Ore, Flowing Cloud Stone, and a first-tier mid-grade Fire Swallowing Sparrow Magic Core you wanted. They're in the wooden box on the cart by that wall. If you need any materials in the future, just tell me. I'll find a way to get them for you." Mr. Yao pointed at a wooden box on a wooden cart in a distant corner. Jiang Lin's eyes immediately lit up. He hurried over, pulled the cart back, and opened the box in front of them.

Other than the first-tier mid-grade fire-element Magic Core, which had been placed separately in a small wooden box, all the other materials were roughly processed ores.

Without bothering to hide anything, Jiang Lin moved the materials into the courtyard and inspected their quality. A delighted look flashed across his face. "Mr. Yao, you're too good to me! These are all premium ores! This pile of raw materials alone is worth over ten thousand Gold Coins!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian could not help pursing her lips.

Mr. Yao merely laughed. "I'll help you collect some Magic Cores. If you truly feel bad about bankrupting my Myriad Medicine Pavilion, then forge a few more Dou Artifacts and sell them in Wutan City so I can recoup some of my losses."

"Hahaha, of course, of course!" Jiang Lin immediately nodded.

Mr. Yao continued, "When you have time, you can also forge some fine weapons here in Qingshan Town. Myriad Medicine Pavilion has been constantly buying ores and materials without ever selling anything. Sooner or later, that will make some people suspicious."

"Mr. Yao, I understand." Jiang Lin nodded. Last month, he had been focused on cultivation. He had originally planned to forge some items, but Mr. Yao had talked him out of it and told him to cultivate with peace of mind.

Now, however, with more insights and experience, Jiang Lin could continue researching his Dou Qi Weapons.

Excited, Jiang Lin immediately began the tedious and dull work of metallurgy right in front of Mr. Yao and Xiao Yi Xian. Mr. Yao watched for a while before leaving with Xiao Yi Xian, who was nearly dozing off. Jiang Lin needed to purify minerals, separate impurities, and hammer them repeatedly. This was the most time-consuming part. Even though Mr. Yao was very curious, after watching for a while, he chose to return to the pavilion to drink tea.

Alchemists were still more elegant, Mr. Yao muttered inwardly.

Jiang Lin, currently sweating profusely as he hammered metal:

"The books say that the process of alchemy involves an Alchemist controlling flames to refine the essences of various medicinal herbs before fusing them together. During this process, the Alchemist needs powerful spiritual perception. Otherwise, a single mistake can result in improper heat control or an incorrect fusion ratio, ultimately causing the refinement to fail."

Beside the brightly blazing furnace, Jiang Lin, his bare upper body the color of wheat, pulled out a glowing red piece of metal. After carefully inspecting it, he sprinkled on some metal granules and placed it back into the furnace.

"Actually, the process of weapon refining follows much the same principle. The greatest difference between an Artifact Forger and a blacksmith is that an Artifact Forger can sense the 'resistance' between different metals, allowing him to create complex patterns like electronic components on the same piece of material."

"But... why create such complex patterns?"

"...And do these patterns have some inevitable connection to the way Dou Techniques circulate through the human body?"