The Shrek Five Devils stared in dumbfounded silence at Lou Gao. This had to be the simplest succession ceremony in history. Titan couldn't help but say, "Lou Gao, you can't be serious, can you?"
Lou Gao let out an indignant snort. "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub? I'm joining this Tang Sect whether you like it or not. Boy — do you dare take me?"
Tang San smiled faintly. "Of course I dare. If the Elder is willing to join the Tang Sect, then from now on, you'll hold the same status as Elder Titan — an Elder of the Tang Sect."
Lou Gao said, "Then can I learn the manufacturing method for the Zhuge Divine Crossbow? Don't worry, I won't let it spread."
Tang San shook his head, a smile still on his face. "The Zhuge Divine Crossbow is merely one of the Tang Sect's simplest Hidden Weapons. How could it be worthy of the Divine Artificer's reputation? Only our most top-tier Hidden Weapons, crafted by your hands, would be fitting for someone of your stature!"
The moment Lou Gao heard this, his face broke into a broad grin. "Really? What top-tier Hidden Weapons? Even better than the Zhuge Divine Crossbow?"
Tang San replied solemnly, "Absolutely. Moreover, each of these top-tier Hidden Weapons is powerful enough to threaten the life of a Titled Douluo. Once they're successfully crafted, you'll have blazed a trail across the entire blacksmithing world. Your name will be inscribed on every one of these peerless weapons."
Lou Gao had originally decided to join the Tang Sect partly out of spite. Though he was obsessed with forging, he was far shrewder than his simple exterior suggested. While in the Tang Sect, I won't leak anything. But once I've learned everything, can't I just leave? That was the clever calculation Lou Gao had made. However, at this moment, he was completely captivated by Tang San's words. He had no idea that when he'd announced his decision to join the Tang Sect, the flicker in his eyes had been captured with crystal clarity by Tang San's Purple Extreme Demon Eye. Though Tang San didn't know his exact thoughts, he could guess well enough that Lou Gao's decision to join the Tang Sect wasn't entirely sincere.
Tang San drew a blueprint from his Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night and placed it in Lou Gao's hands, then casually swept the Zhuge Divine Crossbow off the table and into his own Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night.
"Elder, take a look at this blueprint first. I trust you absolutely won't let it leave your hands. This blueprint is only a portion of a peerless Hidden Weapon. Take your time studying it. We did come here to purchase a batch of metals, and as our former association president — as well as our Elder — shouldn't you give us a bit of a discount?"
Lou Gao's gaze was now entirely fixed on the blueprint. "Fine, fine. Silong, leave it to you. Anything bought within the association — waive the transaction fees. If we're buying from association members, tell those fellows to give a twenty percent discount."
"Yes, Teacher." With Lou Gao's status in Gengxin City, who wouldn't try to curry favor? A twenty percent discount was nothing.
Tang San bid Lou Gao farewell. "Elder, we'll be heading out now. When we return to the Tang Sect, we'll summon you to depart together."
Lou Gao waved his hand. "Go on, go. Oh, right — there's an auction tomorrow night. Should be plenty of good items. Titan, you're familiar with auctions. Just head over yourselves when the time comes."
As he spoke, Lou Gao had already walked over to the Soul Guide lamp to examine the blueprint closely. In his eyes, nothing existed beyond that single sheet. With his Divine Artificer-level experience, a single glance was enough to captivate him. Just as Tang San had said, the weapon depicted on this blueprint was far, far more sophisticated than the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
After leaving Lou Gao's forge, Oscar couldn't resist sidling up to Tang San and asking in a low voice, "What was that blueprint you gave Lou Gao? Aren't you worried he might actually leak it? He is the president of the Blacksmith Association, after all."
Tang San smiled faintly. "It's fine. Even if he leaks it, there's nothing to fear. That was only one-third of the Rainstorm Pear Needles blueprint. It's practically meaningless on its own."
Indeed, as a single-target Hidden Weapon, the Zhuge Divine Crossbow paled in comparison to the Rainstorm Pear Needles. But in practical terms, the manufacturing process for the Zhuge Crossbow was far more important. Was the Rainstorm Pear Needle easy to craft? If it were, it wouldn't have been lost for so many years in the Tang Sect of his previous life. Never mind the difficulty of the craftsmanship — the deep-sea silver mother ore alone was a monumental challenge. Even if Lou Gao could find deep-sea silver mother ore, how much could he obtain? And how many Rainstorm Pear Needles could he actually make? Even if he succeeded, a handful of Rainstorm Pear Needles wouldn't significantly impact the Soul Land. But mass-produced Zhuge Divine Crossbows could.
That was precisely why Tang San had handed the most difficult Hidden Weapons to Lou Gao. And he was confident that with the allure of the Rainstorm Pear Needles, Lou Gao wouldn't have the presence of mind to think through the implications. After all, the man's obsession with forging was truly extreme. Besides, what Tang San had given him was only one-third of the blueprint. Lou Gao was admittedly cunning, but if put to good use, he could become a powerful asset for the Tang Sect. Tang San had been worrying about how to manufacture the Peacock Plume, the Rainstorm Pear Needles, and the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. Though he had experience, he also needed to cultivate. He couldn't devote all his time to forging. And while Titan had sufficient skill, one person simply wasn't enough — especially when he also needed to oversee the big picture. With the addition of a Blacksmith Association president and Divine Artificer, the situation was entirely different. Tang San was already mentally sketching out how to make use of this portly fellow who wanted to steal the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapon secrets.
Silong didn't know what had prompted his teacher's sudden abdication, but as Lou Gao's chief disciple, he was extremely capable in handling affairs and maintained a composed exterior without revealing too much.
"Vice President Titan, it's getting late. Allow me to treat everyone to lunch first, and then we can select the metals?"
Titan chuckled. "Now that's more like it. That old fossil Lou Gao doesn't care about anything except forging. You've been handling most of the association's affairs over the years, haven't you? And Lou Gao still has you stuck with that guard duty even after all that."
Silong smiled. "We do it willingly. If everything weren't handled by the book, our Blacksmith Association's VIP auction house wouldn't be what it is today. Frankly speaking, the association's main source of income comes from the auction house."
Titan nodded. "I understand. Blacksmiths just aren't respected enough. Tell you what — here's a list. Have your people handle the procurement. I trust you."
As he spoke, Titan drew a prepared purchasing list from his Soul Guide and handed it to Silong. Indeed, as the newly appointed Blacksmith Association president, if he couldn't be trusted, no one here could.
Silong took the list, glanced at it, and his eyes went wide. He drew in a sharp breath. "Vice President Titan, I'm not reading this wrong, am I?" The very first line on the list read: Iron Essence, ten tons.
"I've never heard of anyone purchasing iron essence by the ton. No wonder you came all the way to Gengxin City for your supplies. I doubt any other place on the entire continent has that much iron essence besides us."
Titan chuckled. "Just don't forget the discount."
Silong wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "To be honest, Vice President Titan, you should know the market rates. If we gave a straight twenty percent discount across the board like my teacher suggested, the shops under the association would go bankrupt. How about this — I'll give you ten percent off. That's already our cost price."
Titan looked to Tang San, who smiled faintly. "Tell you what — we can't let you go to all this trouble for nothing, so forget the discount. I've heard from Elder Titan that metal prices in Gengxin City are the lowest around — only one Gold Soul Coin per kilogram of iron essence. We'll buy at the listed price. But we'll need you to gather all the various metals we need as quickly as possible."
Tang San was no profiteer. Compared to the immediate savings, he valued a long-term partnership far more.
Silong quietly let out a sigh of relief. "That wouldn't feel right at all. Five percent off, then. For a major client like yourselves, there should always be some accommodation. Rest assured — these metals are valuable but they're standard stock. We can have everything ready within three days. The only question is, how do you plan to transport them?"
Tang San said, "We'll use Soul Guides. If our own Soul Guides don't have enough capacity, we'll purchase two high-capacity units here in Gengxin City. That should suffice. Payment on delivery."
The metals being purchased this time were primarily iron essence, along with pure silver, tungsten steel, mystic iron, black gold, cold iron, and mithril. Tang San had calculated carefully — this batch would be enough to supply the Tang Sect for a year or two. If everything went smoothly, they could craft a substantial set of Hidden Weapons. That would not only fulfill the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's requirements and equip the Tang Sect itself, but also leave a surplus to stockpile. As for who they'd sell to, that would depend on the circumstances. Either way, it was a guaranteed profit.
Silong quietly calculated the total value of the metals, and even with his new presidential status, his heart rate quickened. This was a staggering sum! The transaction fees alone would be a considerable fortune. On top of that, his procurement would naturally prioritize shops belonging to the association.
He could also see that among this group, Tang San was the true leader, and he hurriedly agreed to everything. A client of this magnitude would command the Blacksmith Association's attention regardless of Titan's connections. This single transaction would involve an astonishing two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. For the blacksmithing trade — hardly a booming industry — that was an astronomical figure, equivalent to the entire association's annual operating revenue.
Leaving the Blacksmith Association, Silong led the group with a smile toward a restaurant not far away. Even if the outside world didn't yet know he was about to become the association's president, as a Grandmaster-level blacksmith, he was one of the most honored guests in Gengxin City.
The moment they stepped into the restaurant, the owner — who had been standing behind the counter — rushed out to greet them, bowing respectfully to the side. "Grandmaster Silong, welcome. Please, come in."
Silong dropped his pleasant demeanor with outsiders and said coolly, "The usual private room."
The owner's expression immediately turned awkward. "I... I'm sorry, Grandmaster Silong. Might I offer you a different private room? That one has already been reserved for today."
Silong's brow furrowed. "Lao Bao, I'm hosting important guests today. You're going to let me lose face like this?"
Beads of sweat had already formed on the owner's forehead. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare — it's just that, just that..."
Silong said coldly, "Just what?"
The owner lowered his voice. "The person who booked that room is someone I really can't afford to offend. Grandmaster Silong, please understand. It's people from the Martial Soul Main Hall."
Gengxin City was one of the major cities within the Xing Luo Empire, so the Spirit Hall located here was naturally a Martial Soul Main Hall. Spirit Hall wielded tremendous influence across the entire continent, maintaining a presence in virtually every city regardless of size.
The moment he heard it was the Martial Soul Main Hall, Silong's expression soured. But he held his tongue, glancing at Titan and the others beside him and seeing no sign of displeasure, before turning back to the owner. "Fine, Lao Bao, I won't make this difficult for you. Find us another room."
The owner looked as though he'd been granted a pardon, nodding repeatedly with an apologetic smile. "Grandmaster Silong, esteemed guests, please come right in. This is entirely my fault — the meal is on me today." The owner clearly knew how to handle people, and with such a humble attitude, even Silong found it hard to stay angry.
But though Silong and Tang San's group had no desire to cause trouble, that didn't mean others felt the same way.
Just as the group was about to follow the owner upstairs, a nasal, contemptuous voice drifted over from behind. "Well, well — and who might this be? Why, it's Grandmaster Silong! Shall we make room for you?"
They turned to see seven or eight men dressed in Spirit Hall Deacon uniforms approaching. At their head walked a man who appeared roughly the same age as Silong, his hair already streaked with white. He had a hawk-like nose, small eyes, a wide mouth, and skin as wrinkled as dried orange peel — ugly beyond measure. Yet his eyes gleamed with undisguised disdain. The men trailing behind him each looked as though they considered the sky beneath them, their arrogance practically radiating outward. No introduction was needed — Tang San already knew these people had come from the Spirit Hall's Gengxin City Main Hall.
Silong's face darkened. "Archbishop Miles, what exactly do you mean by that?"
The elder leading the Spirit Hall group — Miles — let a cold smirk play across his lips and sauntered forward. "Oh, I don't mean anything by it. We've known each other for so many years — I'm merely showing my respect. You are a Grandmaster-level blacksmith, after all. Do you know what a Grandmaster-level blacksmith is?" This last question was directed at the Spirit Hall deacons behind him.
Those fellows cooperated with practiced ease. "Still a blacksmith," someone immediately answered.
Miles laughed aloud. "That's right — still a blacksmith. It's a pity that with cultivation at the seventy-something level, you're nothing more than a useless Tool Soul Master. Silong, I'm not opposed to giving you the room. All you need to do is convince President Lou Gao to merge your Blacksmith Association into our Spirit Hall. Think of how wonderful our future development could be!"
Silong's face had turned a livid shade of iron-grey with fury. It was true — he was a Soul Saint-level Soul Master. But as a Tool Soul Master, just like little Oscar had once been, he possessed no combat ability whatsoever.
"Miles, don't forget — this is Gengxin City," Silong said through gritted teeth.
Miles let out a cold laugh. "So what? Never mind you — even Gengxin City's mayor has to show me a measure of courtesy. Get out of my way. A good dog doesn't block the path." As he spoke, he flicked his hand casually, and a sudden burst of force sent Silong stumbling to the side.