Grandmaster Blacksmith
Shabak Auction House, second floor, general goods appraisal room.
Led by Xiao Tie, Ling Yi and his group of six filed in and saw three tables and three figures inside.
An elderly man with his eyes closed, resting, and two middle-aged men, each examining an object, were both dressed in black robes; they were presumably the professionals responsible for appraising the value of items here.
Xiao Tie led Ling Yi to the middle-aged man at the table closest to the door and said to Ling Yi, "Distinguished guest, this is our auction house's third appraiser..."
"Uncle Kui ~" Xiao Tie said to the third appraiser, "Could you please appraise this distinguished guest's items and give them a price estimate?"
"Oh?" The third appraiser, known as Uncle Kui, looked up at Xiao Tie, then at Ling Yi and the others. Ling Yi smiled and nodded at him. He immediately put down the crystal plate he was holding, placed it aside, tapped his finger on the table, and said:
"Alright, then please bring out your items so I can take a look—"
"Ah Yin ~" Ling Yi turned his head to look to his side, past Qingqiu Xin, and said to Long Yin, "Take it out~"
"Alright! Brother Yi ~" Long Yin responded crisply, quickly untying the knot on his chest, taking down a package from his back, and handing it to Ling Yi.
Ling Yi took the package, placed it on the table in front of him, and without keeping him in suspense, opened it to reveal a set of 'clothes' inside.
The clothes were generally silver-gray, which looked rather dull and unremarkable against the dark green wrapping fabric.
Ling Yi picked up the folded "clothes" and laid it flat on the table. Then he extended his hand to the third appraiser in front of him and made a "please" gesture.
Seeing Ling Yi's relaxed and casual manner as he picked up the "clothes", the third appraiser's gaze, which had been intrigued by the metallic sheen of the "clothes", calmed down considerably. He sat up straight with a nonchalant expression and reached out to touch the unfolded vest-style "clothes".
However, the third appraiser, who had only just touched the vest, immediately changed his expression. "This feel—?"
To make a living by appraisal, one needs not only extensive knowledge but also a remarkably keen sense of perception.
Whether it's sight, smell, touch, or other abilities, whether singular or multifaceted, one must possess talents that surpass those of ordinary people.
Therefore, with just one touch, the third appraiser discovered that the material of this vest-style "clothing" was very unusual.
Interest reappeared in his eyes. Instead of picking up the vest to examine it further, he took a handkerchief from the side, wiped his hands carefully, and then reached for the vest again.
This time, the third appraiser grabbed the vest by the shoulders, lifted it up, and prepared to examine it closely.
Unexpectedly, his movements paused for a moment. He glanced at Ling Yi, who still had a smile on his face, and without saying a word, he applied a little force to pick up the vest and pulled it closer to himself.
Next, the third appraiser stood up, forcefully tugged at the fabric of the vest, then picked up a crystal with a raised center and thin, polished edges, and leaned over to examine the vest, which had been placed back on the table, intently.
After examining it, he put down the transparent crystal, picked up a gleaming dagger again, and began to work on the vest in his hand, stabbing and slicing at it...
As soon as the third appraiser stood up and forcefully tugged at his vest, the noise had already attracted the attention of the other two appraisers in the room.
When he picked up the dagger to operate it, another middle-aged appraiser wanted to say something, but was stopped by the old man raising his hand.
After about ten minutes, the third appraiser finally put down the vest and dagger in his hands, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said to Ling Yi, "I'm ashamed to say that all I can tell is that this is a brand new metal, an inner armor woven using a thread-drawing technique. The weaving skill is extremely delicate, and the texture and properties of this new metal are also excellent, making this inner armor quite defensive. The specific level still needs further testing..."
Hearing this, Ling Yi and the others readily agreed and followed the third appraiser to the innermost door of the appraisal room.
The elderly appraiser and the middle-aged appraiser who had been watching immediately followed, while Xiao Tie turned around and walked out of the appraisal room.
Ling Yi and the others pushed open the door and entered. What they saw was a large indoor space of about 100 square meters. The walls were completely covered with steel plates. In the corner near the door, there were some tools of various shapes piled up.
"Guest," Appraiser Number Three introduced to Ling Yi, "This is our auction house's weapons laboratory, specifically used to test the power of weapons and the defensive capabilities of armor."
As they were talking, three figures walked in from the doorway behind them.
The three figures varied in height, weight, and age, with the oldest appearing to be in their late twenties or early thirties and the youngest looking to be seventeen or eighteen. Xiao Tie stood on the right, while in the center was a tall, muscular young man with a dark face, and on the left was a thin, short-haired boy.
Next, the third appraiser put the metal inner armor on a human-shaped wooden stake, while the three people, including Xiao Tie, took turns releasing their Martial Soul and using Soul Skill to attack the wooden stake wearing the metal inner armor.
The short-haired boy was named Xu Yixiu. His Martial Soul was "White Bristle Hedgehog". A white Soul Ring circled around his feet, and he launched a round of sharp needle attacks. Under his control, most of the attacks landed on the metal inner armor, but unfortunately, they were all deflected without leaving a mark.
However, looking at the several sharp spikes that were deeply embedded in the brown wooden stake, and the one or two spikes that were stuck in the stake and had not fallen out, one could tell that even if the attack power of this Soul Skill had not reached a hundred years, it was definitely one of the best among Soul Skill under a hundred years!
The short-haired boy Xu Yixiu, returned empty-handed. Following him was Xiao Tie, who held a straight-backed sword more than four feet long in his hand. His aura changed from harmless to fierce.
With a clang, the second Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet shone brightly. In an instant, Xiao Tie crossed three meters, gripped his sword with both hands, and slashed diagonally downwards, striking the metal inner armor on the wooden stake.
Unfortunately, apart from the wooden stake tilting back thirty degrees due to the force, it still failed to leave any marks on the metal inner armor.
Just as the dark-faced youth Wu Jinyuan summoned his "Mace" Martial Soul, with one white and two yellow Soul Ring his body pulsating up and down, preparing to step forward, Jiang Yuan, who had been silently watching from the side, made a move.
He stretched out his right hand, and his Martial Soul "Iron Refining Gauntlet" appeared, with five circles of yellow, purple, and black light swirling around his feet.
"Don't waste time," Jiang Yuan said calmly and succinctly, "This inner armor is enough to withstand more than five consecutive attacks from Power Attack System Soul Master's Fourth Soul Skill!"
As he spoke, the fourth purple halo lit up from the inside out, and a crimson beam of light shot out from Jiang Yuan's hand, striking the wooden stake and metal inner armor that were seven or eight meters away from the wall.
"Clang—! Sizzle! Clang—!"
First came a clang of metal against metal, then the wooden stake base was slammed against the steel plate wall with tremendous force, and finally the metal inner armor, unable to withstand the force, crashed into the steel plate, making a crisp sound.
"..."
After Jiang Yuan unleashed his attack, he withdrew his Martial Soul and said nothing more, leaving the laboratory in silence.