The Strongest Talent Tree

Chapter 203: Chapter 200: Anjin Forging

If he wanted to make an endless amount of money, he’d need sufficient business capital. The equipment business with Qian Sanduo was decent, but the market for equipment could ultimately never compare to elixirs.

After all, elixirs were consumables, so it was almost impossible for the market to become saturated, unless a better product appeared.

Equipment, on the other hand, was different. Any Mage with a bit of strength would choose to gather their own materials and forge their own equipment. Especially after the fifth rank, very few people would buy standard equipment.

The reason the Wind Clothing Store was so popular wasn’t due to the quality of its equipment, but because of the cool designs Feng Hao provided.

In short, for Mages, standard equipment was basically everyday wear. The market and profits were limited.

The Treasure Pavilion’s proposal for a partnership came at the perfect time. Even if they hadn’t brought it up, he would have found time to discuss it with Qian Sanduo. It couldn’t be helped; he couldn’t make much money relying on the general store alone.

"Let me think about it. Next time, have the person in charge come directly," Feng Hao said after a moment of thought.

Xue Xiaoyun was taken aback. She hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. She said joyfully, "Okay, then. My dad will come in person next time."

"Your dad?" Feng Hao asked, surprised.

"That’s right." Xue Xiaoyun smiled, her lips pursed. "My dad is the shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion."

Feng Hao looked her over with interest a few times and teased, "Well, now. I never would have guessed."

"Cut the crap. It’s settled, then." Xue Xiaoyun rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "My dad will pay you a personal visit in three days. I hope you’ll have a clear decision by then."

With that said, she hurriedly left the general store.

After Xue Xiaoyun left, Yao Ying came over with a confused look on her face. "Are you really going to work with the Treasure Pavilion?"

"Why? You have a problem with it?" Feng Hao asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Treasure Pavilion is one of the Holy Hall’s businesses. Aren’t you afraid they’ll screw you over?" Yao Ying said, her expression grave.

Feng Hao smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, the Holy Hall is on our side."

If it had been any other store, he definitely would have refused. After all, no matter how good another store’s sales channels were, they wouldn’t be as secure as the Thief God Hall’s.

But the Treasure Pavilion was different. With the connection to West Moon Ridge, security was still guaranteed.

"Huh? Aren’t you from the Thief God Hall?" Yao Ying asked in astonishment, covering her mouth as she gasped. "Don’t tell me you’re a mole for the Holy Hall?"

"A mole my ass." Feng Hao rolled his eyes at her irritably. ’This woman’s imagination is really something else.’

Feng Hao couldn’t be bothered to explain. He flicked his sleeves and strode toward the blacksmith shop next door.

Yao Ying stood there, stunned. It took her a long moment to come to her senses, her delicate body trembling with anger. ’You bastard! Just you wait until you fall for me. We’ll see how I deal with you then!’

Feng Hao, of course, had no idea what Yao Ying was thinking. He had already arrived at the blacksmith shop and was once again hammering away at that lump of iron.

Elder Tang stood to one side with a light smile, occasionally offering Feng Hao pointers on his movements, his eyes full of gratification.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The crisp sounds of forging rang out endlessly. Feng Hao was drenched in sweat from exhaustion, and the Forging Hammer in his hand felt heavier and heavier.

"Don’t be impatient. Take your time," Elder Tang said with a faint grin.

Feng Hao wiped his sweat irritably and panted, "How can I not be anxious? It’s been so long, and there hasn’t been the slightest change."

Elder Tang gave a faint smile, effortlessly swinging the Forging Hammer in his hand and striking the metal he held with an unhurried rhythm. "In forging, you are forging your life. Impatience and rashness will get you nowhere."

"Take this piece of Water Cloud Steel. Every strike must be precise. Too fast a rhythm will soften its texture, while too slow a rhythm will destroy the unique patterns of the Water Cloud Steel," Elder Tang said unhurriedly.

Feng Hao listened, stunned, and looked down at his own lump of iron. It seemed he understood something.

"You mean I should control the force of my strikes?" Feng Hao asked, his eyes glinting.

Elder Tang nodded in satisfaction, then asked an unrelated question. "You follow the Dark Force path, don’t you?"

"That’s right." Feng Hao nodded in surprise, a little confused.

"That’s excellent." Elder Tang’s smile widened. "Actually, Dark Force is better suited for forging than physical strength. You could try using Dark Force."

"Dark Force?" Feng Hao suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment and eagerly began channeling his Dark Force into his hammering.

As it turned out, the effect of the Dark Force was immediately obvious. With a single strike, the previously unmoved lump of iron actually dented.

Feng Hao’s interest was piqued. He went all out, activating his [Double Dark Force] and [Dark Force Fifth Layer] talents. As he hammered down again and again, faint, imperceptible ripples spread across the lump of iron.

In just a few short minutes, the lump of iron had actually been flattened by several centimeters.

"Not bad, not bad. Dark Force Fifth Layer is even more suitable," Elder Tang said, slightly surprised.

"If I’d known Dark Force could be used for forging, why did I waste so much effort before?" Feng Hao grumbled to Elder Tang, hammering with increasing enthusiasm.

Elder Tang simply smiled without a word. He casually tossed the Water Cloud Steel in his hand aside and walked over to Feng Hao to instruct him seriously. "Control your rhythm. While Dark Force Fifth Layer is well-suited for forging, it demands an even stricter rhythm."

"Use a little less force. The High Realm of Dark Force forging is the complete separation of physical strength from Dark Force, to the point where a hammer strike makes no sound at all," Elder Tang said with a serious expression.

"You’ve got to be kidding, right? How can you smith iron without making a sound?" Feng Hao said in disbelief.

"Only physical strength causes metal to ring on impact. Pure Dark Force only has a compressing effect."

Feng Hao was half-doubting, half-believing, but he grew more and more amazed. He subconsciously reduced the force of his swing. As it turned out, the forging effect didn’t diminish in the slightest, but the sound of the hammering became much quieter.

"Holy crap, it’s really true!" Feng Hao exclaimed, his eyes full of excitement. "Elder Tang, are you a Dark Force Mage too? How do you know so much about Dark Force?"

Elder Tang said, a little wistfully, "I am not a Dark Force Mage, but my teacher was."

"No wonder." Feng Hao nodded in realization. While hammering with ease, he asked, "So, what do you think of my Dark Force training?"

Elder Tang pondered for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "To have this level of Dark Force strength at level thirty-one, your aptitude for Dark Force is excellent. Unfortunately, your use of Dark Force is still at the most rudimentary stage."

Feng Hao paused, his eyes full of curiosity. "Rudimentary stage? What do you mean?"

Elder Tang chuckled and explained, "Although Dark Force is born from physical strength, from the moment Dark Force begins to condense its qi, it has already separated from physical strength. A true Dark Force Mage only needs to touch an opponent to send their Dark Force into the opponent’s body."

’That powerful?’ A storm of shock surged through Feng Hao’s heart.

"I once encountered a desperado who followed the Dark Force path. That man’s use of Dark Force was terrifying. As long as he lightly grazed an opponent, he could inflict the full amount of his Dark Force damage."

The more Feng Hao listened, the more amazed he became. He had always thought the only difference between Dark Force and physical strength was that it ignored armor and Gang Qi.

Now it seemed that Dark Force was clearly far more profound than he had imagined. To be able to inflict full Dark Force damage just by lightly grazing an opponent—what a terrifying ability that was.

’If I can reach that level, my strength will definitely jump up a notch.’

Feng Hao felt a fervent passion ignite within him. From his perspective, a damaging energy like Dark Force seemed tailor-made for the Assassin class.

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