Gengxin City (Part 2)

"President Lou, come in."

Mo Lin had returned to his room and sat in a chair. Hearing footsteps approaching, he called out.

Lou Gao pushed the door open and entered.

"What you said earlier really was meant to force me to come find you. Now that no one else is around, tell me how this Black Dipper Armor was forged. Name your price!"

"Name my price?" Mo Lin took a sip of the tea on the table. "President Lou, you're the one who came looking for me."

When it came to forging, Lou Gao was a typical hothead. What he hated dealing with most were slow-tempered people, and in his eyes, Mo Lin was exactly that kind of person.

Lou Gao walked over to another chair and plopped down heavily. In a low voice, he muttered, "He's so young, yet harder to deal with than some old geezers. He's far too mature for his age. But if he wants me to name a price..."

Lou Gao fell into deep thought. In his view, even if he put all his possessions on the line, it would not be enough to exchange for the forging technique of the Black Dipper Armor.

"From Mo Lin's clothes and bearing, it's clear that he definitely doesn't want material things. Myers's ugly mug changing his attitude toward me so drastically was probably at Mo Lin's instruction. That means this ten-year-old child holds a rather high position in Spirit Hall. Could it be that he wants..."

Mo Lin took another sip of tea, then interrupted Lou Gao's thoughts.

"President Lou, if you can't think of anything right away, have some tea and take your time."

Having his train of thought interrupted, Lou Gao was quite displeased. But he was the one asking for a favor, so he could not show it. He downed the tea before him in one gulp, hoping to calm himself.

Watching Lou Gao drink all the tea, Mo Lin asked, "How does the tea taste?"

"Not bad, it's just—!!!!"

Smash! The cup in his hand fell to the floor.

Lou Gao's limbs suddenly went limp. He slumped in his chair, staring at Mo Lin with utter disbelief.

Mo Lin slowly set down his cup, rose to his feet, and walked before Lou Gao. Blue energy gathered in his hand. "This is my first time using this ability on someone else. Please forgive me."

An hour later, Mo Lin and Lou Gao walked out of Spirit Hall's main hall together.

"President Lou, it's been a pleasure working with you. I'll see you off here," Mo Lin said.

"You're too polite. Until we meet again."

Lou Gao replied with a smile, then returned to the Blacksmith Association headquarters.

Myers, who had followed them out, stood at the entrance and could hardly believe what he was seeing. What kind of deal could make Lou Gao, a man who had never thought much of Spirit Hall, act so politely?

As Mo Lin passed by Myers, he asked, "What, do you really want to know what happened?"

Myers hurriedly denied it. "No, of course not!"

With everything he needed to do finished, there was not much to enjoy in Gengxin City besides its abundance of metals. Mo Lin prepared to pack up and return to Holy Soul Village for a while.

After confirming in the Aken Mountains that he had obtained the Double Full Hands, Mo Lin had already planned how to permanently solve his metal resource problem.

Lou Gao, president of the Blacksmith Association, was a seven-ring Soul Saint. Aside from the occasional high-level Soul Master who might pass through, Lou Gao was unquestionably the strongest person in Gengxin City. For the current Mo Lin, it was impossible to force Lou Gao into submission through strength unless he called for help from the Papal Palace.

Therefore, Mo Lin could only resort to underhanded methods.

Mo Lin's poison qi had mainly been refined from Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Poison. Its toxicity could be called unmatched under heaven. Forget ingesting it—even contact with the skin could prove fatal.

However, Mo Lin did not want Lou Gao dead. Deliberately getting close to someone upon first meeting them would also make people wonder whether he had some strange fetish. Therefore, Mo Lin chose to dissolve the poison qi into the tea, letting Lou Gao drink the diluted poison qi himself and lose the ability to resist.

To make Lou Gao lower his guard, relying on his age alone was certainly not enough. Mo Lin first acted like a refined and spotless gentleman, behaving maturely and speaking appropriately, making Lou Gao believe that the Black Dipper Armor had truly been forged by him, a child.

Afterward, he displayed the attitude of, "I can trade the forging method for the Black Dipper Armor with you for something I need, but I'm not in a hurry for it, and you aren't the only one who has it," making Lou Gao think that if he did not make the exchange, someone else would get a huge bargain with the technique.

Finally, drinking tea twice in the room formed a psychological suggestion. Then, with one final explicit prompt, he made Lou Gao drink the poisoned tea himself and lose the ability to resist. Using the Double Full Hands, he altered Lou Gao's cognition and memories. From then on, Lou Gao would send people to deliver large quantities of materials and fuel to Mo Lin every month, solving Mo Lin's shortage of supplies. Moreover, everyone at the Blacksmith Association headquarters would become Mo Lin's people. With Lou Gao's influence among blacksmiths, in the future, aside from the Strength Clan, all blacksmiths would forge weapons for Spirit Hall.

During the rest of the vacation, Mo Lin spent almost all his time in Holy Soul Village. Living a pastoral life for a period each year was an excellent way for someone as stressed as Mo Lin to adjust his mindset and relieve pressure. Furthermore, with the Qi Body Origin Flow, Mo Lin did not have to worry about "wasting time cultivating soul power" at all. He had no concerns whatsoever.

Once the vacation ended, Mo Lin returned to Spirit Hall, ready to launch a new plan called "Industrial Magnate." So, shamelessly, he went to find Bibi Dong, hoping she could approve a plot of land for him in Spirit City.

"Master, does Spirit City still have any vacant land?"

Bibi Dong looked at Mo Lin and lightly tapped the desk with a finger. "Mo Lin, last time you asked me for rare metals and alloys, you said it was because of your second soul skill. I'm very pleased that you obtained your third soul ring during this vacation, but don't tell me you're asking me for land now because of your third soul skill."

"Master, just consider it a surprise your disciple is preparing for you. This surprise definitely won't disappoint you," Mo Lin said.

Bibi Dong thought for a moment, then revealed a faintly mischievous smile. "I know becoming a Soul Grandmaster at the age of ten is already an astonishing feat. But if you do not focus your energy mainly on cultivation in the future, instead wasting it on all sorts of other things, it is not impossible for other geniuses to surpass you. Therefore..."

At once, immense pressure descended upon Mo Lin. He was directly forced flat onto the ground, unable even to breathe.

"From now on, you must undergo my test every month. If, under my soul power pressure, you can remain standing longer than you did the previous month, then you can do whatever you want. Otherwise, you will obediently listen to my arrangem—wait, where did this external soul bone of yours come from?"

Under Bibi Dong's soul power suppression, Mo Lin not only passively summoned his martial soul, but even his Soul Shadow Dragon Wings were forced out. Lying prone on the ground, Mo Lin said somewhat awkwardly, "Sorry, I forgot."