Refusing to Arm the Enemy: A Deal Between Hidden Weapons and Soul Rings

In the era of Douluo Dalu 1, Hundred Refinements was already a top-tier forging technique, but steel was ultimately not Rare Metal.

Even after Hundred Refinements, the sickle's strength remained limited. That was the gap inherent to the material itself.

No wonder Shi San was so heartbroken—in his eyes, using Hundred Refinements to make farm tools was simply a waste of talent.

With such skill, wouldn't it be better to forge rarer metals?

Uh... it seemed their Blacksmith Shop really did not have much Rare Metal.

After finishing the day's work, Lin Xuan stored the finished sickles at the Blacksmith Shop, changed into his everyday clothes, and left directly.

In the blink of an eye, it was vacation time again. His Soul Power had risen from Level 5 to Level 8. In another year, he would become a true Soul Master. Just thinking about it made him a little excited.

After reaching Level 8 in Soul Power, his Blue Silver Perception Domain had expanded to an eight-meter radius. Through Blue Silver Grass, he could sense every movement within eight meters all over his body.

His strength had surged to around four hundred jin as well. In terms of pure physical strength, even a Soul Grandmaster would not be able to withstand one of his punches.

On top of that, he practiced Soft Skill with Xiao Wu every day. He could now perfectly control his terrifying Brute Strength, and beating up Tang San had become increasingly effortless.

Yet Tang San, whether due to sheer stubbornness or the influence of the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, continued to challenge him tirelessly, even though he was brutally beaten every time.

It was like an addiction. After getting beaten up, he would behave himself for quite a while, but if too much time passed without challenging Lin Xuan, he would feel uncomfortable all over.

Tang San even suspected that he had contracted some strange illness, while Lin Xuan was the "miracle medicine" that could ease his anxiety.

Tang San's progress was fairly steady too, rising from Level 15 to Level 17. But he was either getting beaten up or recovering from his injuries, and he also had to compete with Lin Xuan in forging every day. Naturally, his cultivation had been Dragged Down.

Watching that rate of progress, Lin Xuan worried that Tang Hao might come knocking—two levels in a year was truly far too slow for a genius like Tang San.

What surprised him was that not only did Tang Hao fail to cause trouble, but Yu Xiaogang had not made a single move either. The two seemed to regard Tang San's progress as perfectly natural.

Though Lin Xuan was utterly baffled, he certainly would not kindly remind them—he was not an idiot.

"Lin Xuan, wait!" Just as Lin Xuan was planning to go back and practice Soft Skill with Xiao Wu, Tang San's voice came from behind him.

In this life, Tang Hao had not disappeared, and Tang San's violent nature was firmly suppressed by the "sheath" that was his father.

Even though he and Lin Xuan could barely stand the sight of each other, and he had even harbored thoughts of killing him, he had never put them into action.

After learning of the wonders of the Soul Master World, Tang San feared that his actions would bring trouble upon his "ordinary person" father. This sharp blade would not leave its sheath lightly.

Besides, he could not beat Lin Xuan anyway.

Under Xiao Wu's training, Lin Xuan's combat ability had improved by leaps and bounds. With his terrifying Brute Strength paired with a flexible body, he was like a tank with an assassin's speed.

Tang San considered himself a "squishy" and simply could not endure Lin Xuan's attacks, yet his body seemed to be "asking for it," unable to resist stepping forward to provoke him.

"Need something?" Lin Xuan turned around, looked Tang San up and down, and shook his head.

"Want to fight again? Do you even have any money left?"

Tang San only received a little over two Gold Soul Coins a month, and practically all of it went into Lin Xuan's pocket. It would already be impressive if he could produce three Silver Soul Coins now.

"I'm not here to fight." Tang San touched his nose, his tone somewhat unnatural. "I want to ask you to forge something for me."

Having to ask Lin Xuan for help made him feel deeply humiliated.

Ordinary metals could make Hidden Weapons too, but the quality of Hundred Refinements metal was undoubtedly much higher.

He had once looked down on Lin Xuan, yet now he wanted to recruit this genius Blacksmith under his command. To complete Hundred Refinements at only eight years old, Lin Xuan would definitely become a Divine Craftsman once he Grew Up. He was precisely the sort of talent Tang San needed most to rebuild the Tang Sect.

But Tang San knew that he currently had no leverage to win Lin Xuan over, so he could only first try asking him to forge a few Hidden Weapons.

"You want me to forge something? Hundred Refinements?" Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, instantly seeing through Tang San's intentions.

Using Hundred Refinements metal to create Hidden Weapons was practically arming the enemy. How could he possibly agree? Besides, he did not believe Tang San could afford the price.

"I don't have money right now, but I can owe you first," Tang San said matter-of-factly.

"I'm already Level 17. I'm certain I can break through to Level 20 in another year. By then, I'll receive ten Gold Soul Coins every month. I can definitely repay the debt before graduation."

"Come back when you've scraped together the money." Lin Xuan rolled his eyes.

He had never had a policy of writing IOUs. Everyone else paid first and received their goods afterward, so why should he make an exception for Tang San?

Besides, he did not need Tang San's little bit of money at all. He could casually forge a piece of Hundred Refinements steel and sell it for nearly a hundred Gold Soul Coins. If it were Rare Metal, the price could multiply several times over.

Although he temporarily lacked practical experience forging Rare Metal, Tang Wulin did not.

In the memories he had inherited, Tang Wulin had already begun working with Rare Metal at this point, and Lin Xuan had long mastered the relevant techniques.

If not for the immense threat of Tang Hao, he would have left Nuoding City long ago—there were neither resources nor materials here, severely limiting his development.

Tang San frowned slightly. He did not think his terms were excessive; he merely wanted to buy on credit for the time being. Yet Lin Xuan had rejected him outright.

Left with no choice, he could only change his approach, and a new idea instantly arose in his mind.

"Lin Xuan, we're classmates, and we came from the same village. Do you really have to be so stingy?"

Tang San's expression was grave, as though Lin Xuan had taken some enormous advantage of him.

"It's not like I'm refusing to pay. You won't even give me this much face? You're Level 8 now too, so next year you should be going on a Soul Ring Hunt, right?

"If you help me forge something, I can ask Teacher to help you obtain a Soul Ring.

"If you're willing to forge for me for free, I can even ask Teacher to personally select the most suitable Soul Ring for you!"

He believed these terms were incredibly tempting. In his eyes, Yu Xiaogang's judgment was renowned throughout the Soul Master World. To have his Teacher personally select a Soul Ring was an immense stroke of fortune for any Soul Master. Lin Xuan, with his merely average Soul Power talent, had no reason to reject such a benefit, did he?

But after hearing him out, Lin Xuan merely looked at him with a faint smile. "Do you think I need that?

"And not everyone worships your Teacher. At least I don't."

With Level 8 Soul Power, four hundred jin of strength, the Soft Skill Xiao Wu had taught him, and Blue Silver Perception, he was confident he could contend with even Hundred-Year Soul Beasts head-on, let alone ordinary Soul Beasts.

Besides, he had long made plans for his own Soul Ring. He had no need for Yu Xiaogang to meddle.

The confidence on Tang San's face instantly froze. He had not expected Lin Xuan to give him so little face. A surge of anger rose in his heart, but remembering that he could not defeat Lin Xuan, he could only force it back down. He truly could not understand why Lin Xuan, who clearly had ordinary Soul Power talent, could always act so arrogantly.

"Lin Xuan, don't fail to appreciate kindness!" Tang San gritted out. "Not just anyone can receive Master's guidance. If you miss this chance, you won't have another one in the future!"

"Save the opportunity for someone who needs it." Lin Xuan waved a hand, too lazy to keep tangling with him. "If you want me to forge something, gather the money first. Otherwise, forget it."

"That's my Teacher—Master, someone whose reputation echoes across the continent. You're not tempted by his guidance at all?

"Forget anything else, just look at me. If you gained control abilities like mine, combined with your speed and strength, who could possibly be your opponent?"

Tang San spoke urgently.

Though it would increase Lin Xuan's strength, it was nothing compared to how important Hundred Refinements Hidden Weapons were to him.

If he obtained Hundred Refinements Hidden Weapons, the first person he would use them against would be Lin Xuan.