CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 65: ARTIFACT REFINING FREAK XIAO XIUYI, GREAT XIA’S SUPREME BATTLE ARMOR

Lin Xuankong pondered for a moment as the auction began, presided over by a rather beautiful Female Martial Cultivator.

Not knowing how much the Forehead Scales would fetch, Lin Xuankong naturally didn’t dare to spend money carelessly, so he quietly watched the others spend extravagantly.

"Four thousand two hundred taels!"

"Four thousand five hundred taels!"

"Five thousand five hundred taels!"

Even though the Dragon-Defying Boots were not a full set of Battle Armor, they still fetched a price of over six thousand taels of gold in the end.

The Demon Slaying Conference was imminent. Those wealthy martial artists from various sects were spending lavishly on Exorcism Equipment, which made Lin Xuankong almost hallucinate. Were those six thousand taels they were bidding for actually six thousand pancakes?

You rich bastards, wait until I return from Demon-Suppressing Valley after slaying some demons! I’ll make you bleed properly!

「More than half an hour later」

Lin Xuankong, wearing a mask, unexpectedly walked out of the private room via a secret passage.

Three hundred Forehead Scales... He had thought that with those wealthy bidders, they would surely drive the price sky-high—at least two thousand five hundred taels of gold, right? But in the end, he got them for only two thousand taels. He actually had nine hundred taels of gold left!

After a moment’s thought, he understood the reason.

The truly wealthy martial artists were directly bidding for Exorcism Equipment. The remaining bidders who wanted the Forehead Scales also needed the extremely rare Demon People’s Essence, which only appeared once every few years. How could so many people possess it?!

However, during the bidding for the Forehead Scales, one person kept raising the price. Lin Xuankong strongly suspected that this person must be the seller of the Forehead Scales!

No matter what, getting the Forehead Scales so easily still made him very happy!

Carrying the box containing the Forehead Scales, he quietly left Dragon Capturing Town.

If it were in the past, when he was only at the Second-Layer Cultivation, he certainly wouldn’t have chosen to travel at night. However, now that he was at the Mid-grade Third Layer, with the Exorcism Hand at his waist, Thunder Techniques in his repertoire, and the Demon Pearl in his pouch, he was actually hoping to encounter a valuable Demon or two. He was no longer as worried.

After traveling for about Half a Cup of Tea Time, he bounded up a few times and reached the top of a nearby mountain, some tens of meters high. Then, his brows furrowed slightly, because on the other side of the hill, three men in black emerged from the bushes. Their movements were extremely swift, each possessing Explosive Power on par with Zhao Dalong, at least Mid-grade Third Layer. Anyone daring to rob people at night in the Outer City must have at least this level of Cultivation!

One of the men in black suddenly sneered coldly, "You run fast, friend. What’s in that box? I’ll give you a choice: leave the box and go, or after you die, I’ll open it myself!"

The other two scattered to the sides, surrounding Lin Xuankong.

A cold glint appeared in Lin Xuankong’s eyes behind his mask. These three probably aren’t specifically targeting the Forehead Scales; they’re likely just randomly robbing anyone leaving the ongoing auction in Dragon Capturing Town with expensive items!

Then I’ll use the three of you to test my Mid-grade Third Layer Explosive Power!

Lin Xuankong put down the box, and the Qi Blood within his body instantly surged. At that very moment, from the foot of the hill a hundred meters away, a muffled sound suddenly erupted, and the whole hill trembled slightly.

Then, a figure shot up from the foot of the hill like an arrow. After two leaps, accompanied by a gust of wind, she landed a few meters in front of Lin Xuankong. This Female Martial Cultivator, her back to him, looked at the bandit who had just spoken.

She was quite tall, her hair casually tied with a green cloth. She wore a black robe, carried a black Longsword on her back, and even her small boots were black. "He’s mine! You three, get lost!"

The three bandits had been surrounding Lin Xuankong, ready to kill and rob. Suddenly seeing this woman’s great strength, they retreated without hesitation, jumping down the hill. Her dominance scared away three Mid-grade Third Layer adversaries on the spot.

A hint of caution appeared in Lin Xuankong’s eyes as well. Covering a hundred meters in two leaps—this kind of terrifying Explosive Power is beyond my own capability.

This woman must be at least at the Perfection level of the Third Layer... She is an extremely formidable, extremely fierce opponent!

It’s worth using the Soul-Extinction Celestial Thunder Divine Technique!

"So, you’re the one who bought my Forehead Scales, right?"

The woman turned around and looked at Lin Xuankong. She appeared to be around thirty years old, with a rather delicate and pure appearance and clear eyes. While not stunningly beautiful like a Young Lady, she exuded a transcendent aura.

"Your Forehead Scales! Are you the seller of the Forehead Scales?" Lin Xuankong’s hand subtly touched the Demon Pearl.

The woman nodded. "Yes, I was the one bidding against you as well!"

"Don’t worry, I didn’t come to rob you of the Forehead Scales. I’m just interested in your Demon People’s Essence and want to cooperate with you."

The woman in black spoke calmly, seemingly not intending to make a move. Lin Xuankong raised his eyebrows slightly. "You’re certain I have the Demon People’s Essence on me?"

The woman stared intently at Lin Xuankong. "Only you kept bidding against me. If you didn’t have the Essence, why would you be so eager to get the Forehead Scales? Also, there’s no need to secretly circulate your Qi Blood. I came to offer cooperation, to help you refine the Battle Armor!"

Lin Xuankong frowned. "You specifically came here to help me refine Battle Armor?"

「A moment later」

Lin Xuankong looked at the woman before him with a complex expression.

The woman’s name was Xiao Xiuyi. According to her, her father was once a famous Artifact Refiner for the officials but unfortunately lost his life after offending a noble in Kyoto. Xiao Xiuyi had inherited her family’s Artifact Refining Technique but, due to past events, no longer wished to serve the officials. So, she came to Dragon Capturing Town to secretly refine Battle Armor and delve deeper into her family’s Artifact Refining Technique.

Xiao Xiuyi’s eyes carried a trace of hatred. "The Great Xia officials have monopolized the Armor Refining Technique, forcing every Artifact Refiner to serve them and provide powerful Battle Armor for their martial artists! Yet I insist on refining my own and refusing to serve those so-called Royal Nobles!"

"To obtain Demon People’s Essence for refining Battle Armor, I killed countless Demon People after arriving in Great Marsh Prefecture. Five years ago, I obtained two, but in the recent five years, I haven’t gotten a single one. The Great Marsh Auction also had none."

"Recently, I’ve had some insights into the Artifact Refining Technique and plan to experiment with a new Armor Refining Technique, but I lack the Essence! So, I deliberately collected some Forehead Scales to sell at the Dragon Capturing Town auction, hoping to find a Martial Cultivator with Demon People’s Essence to cooperate with. In previous auctions, the Martial Cultivators who bought my Forehead Scales were just hoarding supplies... But today, I finally encountered someone with Demon People’s Essence!"

At this point, she looked at Lin Xuankong with a trace of expectation in her eyes.

Lin Xuankong began to ponder silently. This Xiao Xiuyi seems quite obsessed with Artifact Refining; she’s truly a peculiar woman. She appears to be very angry at the Great Xia officials, which isn’t an issue for me since I also look down on the officials of Great Marsh Prefecture for condoning the actions of the Black Tiger Gang... However, I’m not sure if she really can refine Battle Armor!

Xiao Xiuyi seemed to see through his concerns. "My unique new Armor Refining Technique has a twenty percent chance of refining the world’s first Exorcism Armor to exceed eight hundred Forehead Scales. This would break the limitation on integrating Forehead Scales into Exorcism Armor and maximize the effectiveness of the Demon People’s Essence in your possession!"

A twenty percent chance is too low! Lin Xuankong frowned.

Xiao Xiuyi continued, "In the past, a full set of Exorcism Armor could integrate up to eight hundred Forehead Scales. With Profound Iron, it would weigh over a thousand catties. If my experiment succeeds, the number of Forehead Scales could increase to a thousand, and the amount of Profound Iron could be multiplied several times. This would make your Exorcism Armor likely reach five thousand catties, possessing power far surpassing other armors and becoming a unique Battle Armor in the world!"

Five thousand catties!? That’s half a Ruyi Golden Cudgel! If a five-thousand-catty rod is swung... its power would far exceed that of other one-thousand-catty Battle Armors!

If it could truly succeed, it wouldn’t only be a unique Battle Armor in the world but also the strongest Battle Armor in Great Xia...

Lin Xuankong’s eyes showed clear amazement. But he quickly frowned and asked, "What if it fails?"

Xiao Xiuyi raised her eyebrows. "If it fails, you will at least get an Eight Hundred Forehead Scales Armor!"

She drew the Longsword from her back and gave it a slight shake. The Longsword broke apart into countless moving Forehead Scales, transforming into a Battle Armor that covered her entire body. This armor was ink-black and streamlined, exuding a heroic spirit!

A moment later, she retracted the armor and handed the Longsword to Lin Xuankong. "You can try it!"

Lin Xuankong accepted the black Longsword with a surprised expression. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away with it?"

The woman’s face showed a touch of confidence. "I still have another set of Battle Armor. Plus, you’re at the Mid-grade of the Third Layer. You’re no match for me; you can’t run away!"

No, you are not my match!

Lin Xuankong held the Longsword, sensed it for a moment, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The Ruyi Battle Armor I want isn’t in the shape of a Longsword... But if I could gamble on getting a five-thousand-catty Ruyi Profound Gold Rod here, why not give it a try? After all, I wouldn’t lose! This Xiao Xiuyi, who seems obsessed with Artifact Refining, is quite odd!

「More than two hundred miles outside Dragon Capturing Town, on Flying Dragon Slope」

Lin Xuankong, using the Exorcism Gloves and Profound Iron Whip to protect his body, followed Xiao Xiuyi into a hidden cave, his eyes vigilant.

Seeing how cautious he was, Xiao Xiuyi was a bit speechless. She pointed to the Profound Fire Furnace, Profound Iron Hammer, Engraved Saber, and other tools in the cave used for refining Battle Armor. "I have everything ready here. I also have the missing one hundred Forehead Scales, which you can take on credit at forty taels each. As for the Artifact Refining fee, if it succeeds, two hundred portions of Qi Replenishing Soup materials will suffice!"

Lin Xuankong glanced at the various crude living supplies in the cave, then at the exquisite Artifact Refining items. "You live out here alone?"

Living alone in the wild where Demons roam, she indeed is a peculiar woman!

But considering her strength and two sets of Exorcism Armor... it doesn’t seem like such a big deal!

Xiao Xiuyi’s brows raised slightly. "There’s the Qingshui River below Flying Dragon Slope. This place has mountains and water; it’s peaceful and elegant. No one disturbs me while I study Artifact Refining Techniques. It’s much better than Dragon Capturing Town!"

"Alright, you’ve seen my refining cave. Now it’s your turn to get ready. To refine the Thousand-Scaly Armor, you must at least help me hire more than a dozen Martial Cultivators at Tier Two Perfection to assist in turns!"

More than a dozen Tier Two Perfection Martial Cultivators to help? As expected, betting on a Ruyi Golden Cudgel isn’t that simple!

"So many people?" Lin Xuankong frowned and asked.

Xiao Xiuyi said, "The new Refining Method I intend to test differs from ordinary techniques. It requires continuously drawing Qi Blood Runes on the Profound Iron and Forehead Scales for twenty-four hours nonstop, and even then, there’s only a twenty percent chance of success! During the refining process, the consumption of Qi Blood is enormous. It will likely consume the amount of Qi Blood replenished by more than a hundred portions of Qi Replenishing Soup within those twenty-four hours! Even if I continuously take Nine Revolutions Qi Replenishing Soup, it won’t be enough, as the body still needs time to absorb and convert it. Therefore, you must bring more than a dozen Tier Two Perfection Martial Cultivators to continuously infuse Qi Blood into me! Of course, if you can obtain dozens of Turtle-Poria Elixirs, that would also suffice to replenish the Qi Blood!"

Dozens of Turtle-Poria Elixirs? You’re dreaming!

However, the Qi Blood Amount from over a hundred portions of Qi Replenishing Soup is equivalent to over three thousand Transcendent Qi Blood points, which is about eight hundred Perfect Level Qi Blood points! The consumption is indeed massive... Ordinary Tier Two Perfection Martial Cultivators might only have a storage capacity of a few dozen Qi Blood points at most, nowhere near enough to support such consumption!

Perfect Qi Blood: 3,266/100,000

He glanced at his own Life Plate, and his eyes flickered. "Alright, I’ll take care of infusing you with Qi Blood. When should we start the refining?"

"As long as you’re ready with the Demon People’s Essence and bring along more than a dozen Tier Two Perfection Martial Cultivators, we can start at any time!"