Chapter 503 - Earning Points

Now that Ye Xinglan had her fourth ring, Tang Wulin could focus on producing the metals needed for their one-word battle armor pieces. According to his plan, she would create his armor first before moving on to the others.

For now however, Ye Xinglan would be working on crafting her own gauntlet. Because once finished, her success rate would increase and stabilize. So in the meanwhile, Tang Wulin’s priority was to get his fourth ring. As long as he had a full set of one-word battle armor, making it into the inner court would be a breeze. Especially considering the armor would be made of spirit alloys.

Tang Wulin aimed to have four rings by the time he turned sixteen. And by the time he turned eighteen, a one-word battle armor master. He wanted to be in the running for the inner court once entering the third grade.

An hour of cultivation later, Tang Wulin breathed out slowly, pleased by the results. Tranquil and isolated, the cultivation space was perfectly suited for meditation. Not to mention the thick natural energies swirling in the air.

He finally yielded. Through gritted teeth, Tang Wulin tapped his student ID to the emblem, buying enough time to last him until the next morning. The rest of the night was spent cultivating in the room. He only left briefly for dinner. In one fell swoop, he had spent over a thousand points!

Still, it was necessary. With the arrival of a new semester, Tang Wulin diligently studied in the mornings, using every available sliver of time in the afternoon to cultivate. And he wasn’t the only one so studious..

The match between Tang Wulin’s team and the rankers had roused the first grade, sparking their work ethic and determination. None of them wanted to be left behind.

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“Elder Feng, I want to sell some metals to our association for contribution points. Can you help me appraise what I have?” Tang Wulin asked.

Feng Wuyu, also wanting his disciple to reach rank 40 as soon as possible, had reduced Tang Wulin’s blacksmith training to weekly sessions. Of course, he still kept an eye on Tang Wulin’s progress.

After absorbing Zhen Hua’s teachings, Tang Wulin saw his two-metal alloy forging success rate increase significantly. He even managed to forge a three-metal alloy occasionally. Always exceeding expectations, he had Feng Wuyu flustered throughout.

“You want to sell some alloys? How many you got?” Feng Wuyu’s eyes shone.

Alloys were in high demand with the Blacksmith’s Association as well! The alloys Tang Wulin forged were only thousand refined, but they could still be reforged twice. They were perfect for two-word battle armor masters.

Tang Wulin brought a hand to his chin, eyes hazy as he stood lost in contemplation. A moment later, he spoke. “I’ve got about ten pieces each of jade silver, star silver, and gold crystal. Their harmony rates are all between sixty-five and eighty percent.”

“Thirty pieces? That much?” Feng Wuyu’s jaw nearly dropped, the way he looked at Tang Wulin changing to something strange. Even a sixth-rank blacksmith would have difficulties producing so many spirit alloys in such a short period. Of course, there was a huge difference: Tang Wulin’s alloys were thousand refined instead of spirit refined.

“Bring them out for me to see. The Association will buy it all.” Feng Wuyu rarely forged spirit alloys himself. While Shrek Academy had few high-rank blacksmiths, those in its possession were also powerful soul masters. They rarely forged for the sake of money. But students from both inner and outer courts, and even teachers, wanted to buy spirit alloys. Needless to say, the massive demand was left largely unfulfilled.

Tang Wulin retrieved all of the metals from his storage ring.

Feng Wuyu’s gaze sharpened at the sight. The metals pulsated with life, shining splendidly. I really do have a great disciple! I can teach him for now, but he’ll surely surpass me soon! He’ll reach the peak of blacksmithing! This kid’s gonna become a Divine Blacksmith!

“They really are all between sixty-five and eighty percent harmony. Well, the price will be set according to their harmony rate and alloy type. I’ll also give you a bonus ten percent from my own pocket since you’re selling in bulk.”

But Feng Wuyu was not aware that Tang Wulin still had another fifty pieces sitting in his storage ring. And those were only the ones he was willing to sell. There were still the pieces he set aside for his friends’ battle armors.

In the ten days Tang Wulin had spent training under Zhen Hua, he hadn’t had to consider the cost of raw materials and had gained quite a bit.

Of the remaining alloys in his storage ring, Tang Wulin planned to hand in twenty to the Tang Sect. He had gained much from the Tang Sect’s secret arts and contribution points, so it was only appropriate to repay them.

In the future, he planned on returning to Heaven Dou City to sell the remaining thirty metals, since the prices were even more to his favor there. He still needed to save Federal credits to buy spirit items.

“Altogether, I’ll pay you 1,635,300 points. I’ll transfer them to you directly.”

I’m rich! Tang Wulin rejoiced. High-level blacksmithing really is lucrative! I can use the cultivation space so many times with that many points. And I can grab anything I need on campus too! I won’t have to worry about points for a while.

“Elder Feng, does Shrek offer driving lessons? I’m thinking about getting a license.” Tang Wulin asked.

After all he’d been through, riding in a train was far from a pleasant and calm experience. Driving seemed like a better alternative. In fact, anything that didn’t involve him being blown up by a terrorist seemed like a better alternative. Fortunately, the distance between Shrek and Heaven Dou City wasn’t too far. He could even make a round trip in a single day by leaving early in the morning. But it would be taxing. His weekly day off was perfect for making such trips.

“There are. I’ll refer you to someone. What do you need a car for though?”

Tang Wulin coughed, averting his eyes slightly. “Uncle-master told me to visit him from time to time.”

Feng Wuyu snorted at the mention of Zhen Hua, but didn’t say more. In the end, Zhen Hua was still a Divine Blacksmith.

“Alright. Get your license then. And once you’ve got some money, you can move on to piloting a mecha. I know a guy who can help you register with the Federation and get a flight-capable mecha permit.”

“A mecha?” Tang Wulin asked, doubtful. He wanted to become a battle armor master, not a mecha pilot!

“You idiot, there’s no reason you can’t have both a mecha and battle armor,” Feng Wuyu said as he smacked Tang Wulin on the head.

Tang Wulin’s thoughts ran wild. That’s right! Mechas and battle armor don’t conflict at all! I can keep my battle armor inside of me until I need it and pilot a mecha whenever else. Mechas are a good defense too.

The image of Liu An’s black-grade mecha was still vividly emblazoned in his mind. It was fast as a bullet, yet remained steady throughout its flight. As they flew through the skies, they peered down upon the flitting landscape with disdain. Gods among ants.

He hadn’t considered the possibility of becoming both a mecha pilot and battle armor master. His thinking had been too inflexible, but Feng Wuyu was correcting that now.

“On the battlefield, a mecha is your first line of defense. Although powerful mechas can’t compare with battle armor, they still have their own advantages. Mechas are the most efficient way to utilize the pilot’s soul power no matter the environment. The strongest of battle armor masters recognize this, so they’re also mecha pilots themselves. You kids should be taking a mecha piloting class this year. Don’t sleep on it.”

“Yes. Thank you for your reminder, Teacher,” Tang Wulin said, slightly lowering his head. If not for Feng Wuyu’s words, he wouldn’t have bothered to pay attention in the piloting class. He had enough on his plate as it was.

Feng Wuyu had him sold. With both battle armor and a mecha, he’d be a fortress.

Looks like I need to build myself a mecha now too.