A Parting Gift

"Senior brother, the balance between hardness and toughness in this armor is just perfect!"

"Moreover, its design is ingenious, not only providing maximum protection for the wearer's vital areas but also completely unrestricting the wearer's movement. It's also lightweight, weighing only half as much as a similarly sized piece of refined iron...!!"

"To be able to create such a perfect piece, Senior Brother, you're probably only one step away from becoming Divine Craftsman... No! Senior Brother, could you have already reached the level of Divine Craftsman?!"

Inside the forging area of the military workshop in the Cold Wind Grand Camp, Ling Yi held a piece of golden armor that looked like an undergarment and loudly praised the Lou Gao beside him.

Ling Yi never hesitated to shower his praises upon the recipient. After all, words are cheap tools; they can be created simply by opening one's mouth. Coupled with Ling Yi's own excellence, his admiring expression, and his adoring gaze, the person being praised would often quickly lose themselves in these exclamations of praise.

At this moment, Lou Gao felt a little disoriented. The pleasant words in his ears made him feel comfortable from head to toe, and he felt dizzy as if he were floating on the clouds.

Fortunately, he had received his fair share of praise in the past. It was only because Ling Yi's identity was special—he was recognized by Lou Gao as a super genius—that the effect was so obvious. But he quickly regained his composure, straightened his expression, suppressed the upturned corners of his mouth, waved his hand, and said in a feigned nonchalance:

"It's nothing. You've already learned the recipe for ' Gilded Splendor Black Gold ' before, but there are too few related materials in the Cold Wind Grand Camp, which has reduced your opportunities to master it."

Otherwise, with your talent, it won't be long before you're able to forge this alloy too..."

The most important and precious materials in this metal alloy called "Gilded Splendor Black Gold" were all taken out by Lou Gao from his own Storage Soul Tool. He had only melted down a small amount before, for Ling Yi's learning purposes.

"Otherwise~" Ling Yi shook his head modestly, frankly admitting his self-awareness, "With my current strength, even if I were to forge ' Gilded Splendor Black Gold,' I would only be wasting good materials. I simply wouldn't be able to refine it properly and maximize its performance—"

"Senior brother, such a set of armor would have a starting bid of at least 50,000 Gold Soul Coin in the auction house of ' Cold Wind City ' next door!"

If this were in the capital of a duchy, ' Wood Plant City,' or even an imperial capital like ' Heaven Dou City ' or ' Star Luo City,' it could fetch an astronomical price—!"

Hearing Ling Yi's words, Lou Gao would be lying if he said he wasn't happy, but he still wore a half-smile and said something inscrutable:

"So what? Most people who buy them will just take them home as decorations. Those rich guys are all too afraid of death to go out and fight other Soul Master Soul Fighting battle Soul Beast in the wild..."

"The Soul Master who truly need to wear it in battle are often the poor ones—"

Hey! Ah Yi, isn't that ironic?

Ling Yi remained silent upon hearing this.

Indeed, the distribution of wealth in the Douluo Continent is quite distorted. Although, just like in Ling Yi's previous life, 99% of the wealth is in the hands of 1% of people and forces, even though it is a world with extraordinary power, those strong enough to dominate a region often find themselves in dire poverty.

One reason for this is that the cultural penetration rate in the Douluo Continent is too low, and only a few people can use their brains to get rich. Most Soul Master do similar mercenary tasks to earn wages. On the other hand, top-tier and first-class forces control the vast majority of resource-based wealth in the Douluo Continent, but they simply convert resources into raw wealth.

Soul Master who do not come from powerful families often find themselves bewildered and unsure how to acquire wealth when they are penniless.

Some, with a heavy heart, resort to robbery and plunder, extracting wealth from weak commoners and small families, but in the end, they will be suppressed by the Spirit Hall, the two great empires, and the major forces in the corresponding regions.

Therefore, the Soul Master who work independently on the Douluo Continent usually earn commissions by taking on Soul Hunting missions outside the Soul Beast Forest, or by selling materials related to Soul Beast, such as fur, flesh, bones, etc., all of which are good items that sell well.

Aside from the ways to make money through the Soul Beast Forest, the only legitimate way for Soul Master to earn Gold Soul Coin on the Douluo Continent is through the Great Soul Fighting Arena in every major city. By participating in Soul Fighting Battles, they can earn prize money, place bets, and so on.

Of course, there is also a small number of Soul Master who neither want to enter the Soul Beast Forest to fight Soul Beast to the death, nor do they like to perform battles with other Soul Master on the Soul Fighting Arena. They will choose to travel around the continent, looking for some relics buried in the long river of history, and digging out some ancient artifacts to sell. If they can find one or two Soul Tool, they can send them to the auction, and the income will be considerable!

Shaking his head, setting aside information that was still too far removed from his own life, Ling Yi handed the golden inner armor to Lou Gao, saying, "No matter what, with your current skills, Senior Brother, you'll be valued and respected anywhere in the Douluo Continent... Hmm?"

As Ling Yi was speaking, Lou Gao raised his large hand, but instead of taking the inner armor, he pushed the hand that Ling Yi had offered, along with the inner armor, back to Ling Yi.

A guess flashed through his mind, and Ling Yi, without bothering with formalities, asked directly, "Senior brother, what's going on...?"

"Here you go~" Lou Gao waved his hand dismissively and said casually.

Judging from his expression, it was as easy and carefree as handing over a piece of coarse linen clothing.

"This..." Ling Yi thought to himself, "As expected," a look of surprise in his eyes as he looked at the Lou Gao with some hesitation.

"What's this? Here, take it!" Lou Gao glared at Ling Yi and said, "Since you call me senior brother, a senior brother should definitely take care of you. Originally, I should have given you a Storage Soul Tool or something as a gift, but unfortunately I didn't think of that when I went out. I'll make it up to you next time we meet!"

"This ' Gilded Splendor Black Gold Inner Armor ' can withstand attacks from the Fourth Soul Skill of Power Attack System Soul Master. Most importantly, it's lightweight and easy to wear, making it perfect for Healing System- type Soul Master like you..."

"Senior brother, are you preparing to leave?"

Just as Lou Gao was rambling on and on, Ling Yi suddenly asked a question.

"..."

Lou Gao opened his mouth, then finally nodded. "Yes, I've lingered here too long; it's time to continue my journey."

"Ah Yi, although I've been teaching you for the past seven months, I've also learned a lot of novel and imaginative ideas from you. The realm of Divine Craftsman, which was once like looking at flowers through the fog, I feel that I will be able to reach it soon..."

"Alright~" Ling Yi didn't try to persuade him to stay, but a genuine reluctance showed on his face. This was a good teacher and friend who had carefully taught him for more than half a year, and whose character was impeccable. Ling Yi had to acknowledge this kindness.

Ling Yi nodded and said, "Senior brother has indeed wasted a lot of time here with me. We are still young, and we will meet again someday."

Once I leave the Water Wood Duchy, I will definitely travel to the Star Luo Empire and visit you and Martial Uncle Tie in Gengxin City.