Lin Fan Colluded with an Evil Soul Master?

Uncle Mo stared at the piece of Thousand Refinement Grade One metal in Lin Fan's hand for a long while before finally recovering. Then he shook his head and laughed.

"Good kid, your talent really is... enough to leave even an old blacksmith like me speechless."

"I'd originally planned to teach you for a few months and help you build a solid foundation. But now, it seems the little I know probably isn't enough to teach you anything."

"Of course, if you ever need forging done in the future, you can come by anytime. Ask me directly if there's anything you don't understand, though I doubt there's much you'd need to ask me."

Lin Fan merely smiled at that and did not pursue the subject.

He practiced for a while longer in Uncle Mo's forging workshop, further solidifying the feel he had found earlier. Only then did he set down the hammer and prepare to leave.

Seeing that he was leaving, Uncle Mo pointed at the pile of metal materials stacked nearby and said,

"Take these with you. They're just sitting here with me anyway. Take them if you can use them."

Lin Fan glanced at the pile of metal and shook his head with a smile.

"You keep them, Uncle Mo. I have enough of that stuff."

Uncle Mo did not stand on ceremony. Smiling, he nodded and watched the three of them leave the forging workshop. After all, material of such high quality could fetch a good price and be exchanged for quite a lot of metal.

Lin Fan was a Soul Engineer and did not lack money, but it was different for a blacksmith like him. As for accepting Lin Fan's support? Uncle Mo was a man who cared about his pride.

After the three had gotten into the Soul Tool Car and driven some distance away, Leng Yaozhu finally could not help but sigh.

"Lin Fan, your talent is way too absurd..."

This was the first time Leng Yaozhu had seen someone achieve Thousand Refinement Grade One on their very first attempt. In her era, that had been the standard of a fourth-rank blacksmith.

Lin Fan said nothing in response. He merely smiled faintly and continued driving.

Lin Fan had seen many geniuses, but they had all called him a genius.

At that moment, Ling Luochen also spoke up, smiling as she comforted her.

"Yaozhu, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Lin Fan is on a completely different level from us. Just think of him as a monster. You'll feel much better that way."

Leng Yaozhu deeply agreed with that and nodded. She then looked at Lin Fan again and asked,

"By the way, Lin Fan, what are you planning to do next?"

Hearing that, Lin Fan slowly replied,

"Next, I need to acquire a batch of rare metals."

"The materials I currently have aren't enough. Some key components can only be made with higher-quality metals."

Leng Yaozhu asked in confusion,

"Doesn't Uncle Mo have plenty of metal? That should be enough, shouldn't it?"

Lin Fan shook his head.

"Although the metal at Uncle Mo's is of decent quality, it's still far from sufficient. And even though Uncle Mo is a blacksmith, some metals aren't so easy to obtain."

"At the very least, the kind of rare metal I need right now can only be acquired from the Sun Moon Empire."

Ling Luochen nodded in agreement.

"That's true. The Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool development is far ahead of ours. Neither the Original Three Douluo Kingdoms nor Shrek Academy places much importance on Soul Tools, so their reserves of rare metals naturally cannot compare to the Sun Moon Empire's. The Sun Moon Empire monopolizes more than seventy percent of the rare metals."

Leng Yaozhu inhaled sharply. This was quite different from the Sun Moon Federation of their era. Rare metals in the Sun Moon Federation had been far more expensive than those on the Dou Ling Continent and the Star Luo Continent.

After thinking for a moment, she asked again,

"But... it probably won't be easy to obtain rare metals from the Sun Moon Empire, right?"

Ling Luochen nodded as well. Clearly, she was very curious about the answer to that question.

Although she had known Lin Fan for quite some time, most of their actual contact had been when she went out on missions. In truth, Ling Luochen did not know much about Lin Fan's identity as a Soul Engineer.

She only knew that Lin Fan was highly gifted as a Soul Engineer. As for where his Soul Tool blueprints came from or where he obtained those rare materials, she knew nothing at all.

Lin Fan did not hide much in response. Smiling, he said,

"Someone I know happens to be nearby. I'll introduce you to him."

"He's also a Titled Douluo."

Leng Yaozhu and Ling Luochen were both stunned upon hearing that.

Neither of them had expected Lin Fan to have a Titled Douluo-level helper. That was rather unexpected.

Lin Fan did not explain further. He simply took out a Communication Soul Tool and sent a message.

Only moments later, a black figure suddenly appeared before the three of them.

He was a thin, dark-skinned old man, his entire body wrapped in a loose black robe.

When the newcomer appeared before them, Lin Fan smiled and said,

"This is Senior Zhang Peng."

Leng Yaozhu and Ling Luochen hurriedly gave slight bows and greeted him.

Zhang Peng nodded faintly in acknowledgment. Then his gaze fell upon Lin Fan, and he asked directly,

"Pavilion Master, are we selling Soul Tools again this time?"

Lin Fan nodded, then took out a prepared sheet of paper and a Storage Soul Tool, handing both to Zhang Peng.

"This time, it isn't just about selling Soul Tools. We're also purchasing some rare metals."

"I've written everything we need on the paper. Take it to the Sun Moon Empire. If you find any of them, make sure to buy them."

Zhang Peng accepted the paper and Storage Soul Tool, lowered his head to scan their contents, then nodded and put them away.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he seemed to remember something and asked,

"By the way, Pavilion Master... how is the herb cultivation going?"

Lin Fan smiled and assured him,

"No problem. It has already entered its final stage."

Zhang Peng nodded at that answer, and his entire body visibly relaxed.

After Zhang Peng left, Leng Yaozhu and Ling Luochen almost simultaneously turned to look at Lin Fan.

"Lin Fan... you can cultivate herbs too?"

Lin Fan did not hide it. He nodded directly, then explained,

"Senior Zhang Peng's Martial Soul is somewhat special and has a flaw. If he wants to continue advancing, he needs to devour blood or souls."

"So I've been helping him search for an alternative method, and these herbs are the method I found."

After Lin Fan said this, Long Yeyue, ten thousand years in the future, slammed her hand onto the table and sprang to her feet.

"So that's it!"

"No wonder this Lin Fan left no records in Shrek Academy's history!"

"He actually dared to collude with an Evil Soul Master!"