hotmtlnovel Chapter 96 The Alchemy Workshop Project
Chapter 96 The Alchemy Workshop Project
The city gate of Wuhun City is ten zhang high, and the two black iron gates are engraved with the symbol of Wuhun Hall - a giant sword and a shield crossed.
The guards at the gate initially had a businesslike expression, but when they saw Hu Liena step out of that strange tin carriage, they immediately became extremely respectful.
"Elder Hu!"
The guards saluted in unison, but their eyes couldn't help but drift towards the SUV. What was that? A vehicle that could run without horses?
Hu Liena nodded slightly and led Li Fulan and Xiao Wu into the city.
The off-road vehicle had long been stored in the storage ring to avoid causing too much of a commotion.
After passing through several bustling streets and turning into a quiet alley, the three arrived at a quaint little courtyard. A wooden plaque hung above the gate, bearing the three characters "Jingxinju" (Quiet Mind Abode), written in sharp, sword-like strokes.
"This is my private residence in the city." Hu Liena pushed open the courtyard gate, glanced back at Li Fulan, her eyes sparkling. "Since you're here, why don't you come in and sit down?"
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was decorated very elegantly. An old locust tree spread its green shade, and a set of stone tables and benches were placed under the tree. Several clumps of green bamboo grew in the corner of the wall, rustling in the wind.
As soon as Xiao Wu entered the courtyard, she ran wild, chasing a butterfly all over the yard.
Li Fulan sat down on the stone bench and took out a long, narrow wooden box from his storage ring.
The wooden box was entirely black, with intricate patterns carved on its surface, and emitted a faint sandalwood scent.
"Here's what I promised you." He pushed the wooden box in front of Hu Liena. "Want to give it a try?"
Hu Liena's eyes lit up slightly.
She reached out and opened the wooden box, inside which lay two longswords.
One black and one white, like the two poles of yin and yang.
The white sword is pure white, with pale blue light flowing across its blade, as if it were alive. A lustrous white gemstone is inlaid at the end of the hilt, emitting a soft glow.
The black sword, on the other hand, was pitch black, with patterns on its blade displaying an eerie dark red hue, like congealed blood. The black gem at the end of the hilt faintly emitted a ghostly light, giving off an indescribable sense of oppression.
"Benevolence and righteousness," Li Fulan said softly. "White represents benevolence, and black represents righteousness."
Hu Liena took a deep breath and reached out to grasp the hilt of the white sword.
The sword felt cool to the touch, yet it evoked an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Her soul power naturally flowed into the sword, and the blue light patterns instantly lit up, shimmering with iridescent light.
"So light," she whispered in surprise.
The sword was at least half the weight of an ordinary longsword, but it held her with remarkable stability, as if it had been made specifically for her.
"Let's test its power." Li Fulan snapped his fingers, took out a metal shield about half a person's height from his storage ring, and casually stuck it in the center of the courtyard.
The shield had a faint blue glow, making it clear that it was no ordinary item.
"This is a soul tool shield that I got from the Heaven Dou Empire," he explained. "It's a defensive type, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a level 40 soul master."
Hu Liena raised an eyebrow and gripped the white sword in her hand.
She didn't use any soul skills; she simply swung her sword.
That sword strike was unremarkable, lacking dazzling light effects or imposing momentum; it was just an ordinary sword strike.
But the next second—
"laugh--"
The shield split in two.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been sliced by the sharpest blade. The layer of pale blue protective light shield didn't even have time to react before it was sliced through.
The two halves of the shield fell to the left and right respectively, crashing to the ground with two dull thuds.
Hu Liena's eyes widened.
She looked down at the white sword in her hand, then looked up at the two halves of the shield, and for a moment she could hardly believe it.
"This..." Her voice trembled slightly, "A level 40 defense soul tool shield, just like that, it was cut open?"
"This is the power of 'Ren' (benevolence)." Li Fulan stood up from the stone bench and walked to her side. "Painless cutting. Whether it's flesh or steel, it can cut through it as easily as slicing tofu. And the person cut by it won't feel any pain in the first few seconds."
"By the time they realize it, it's often already..." He made a throat-slitting gesture.
Hu Liena gasped.
this is too scary.
The most deadly weapons on the battlefield are often not those with immense power, but rather these silent, deadly instruments. Painless cutting means that the enemy will not react at the moment of being struck; by the time they realize they are injured, the battle is long over.
"What about the black sword?" She put down the white sword and picked up the jet-black longsword.
The moment she touched the sword, a strange chill emanated from the hilt, spreading along her arm and throughout her body. It was a feeling of emptiness, as if something was trying to draw something from her.
"The power of righteousness is 'energy plunder'," Li Fulan's voice rang in her ears. "When it strikes an enemy, their soul power will be forcibly extracted and converted into the user's power."
Hu Liena's pupils suddenly contracted.
Energy plundering? Does this mean that this sword can not only injure people, but also continuously replenish the user's energy during combat?
She tentatively channeled her soul power into the sword, and the dark red patterns on the black sword immediately began to move as if alive, emitting a low hum.
"Of course, the extracted soul power cannot be completely absorbed; about 30% will be lost," Li Fulan added. "But in a protracted battle, this is still a huge advantage."
Hu Liena remained silent.
She sheathed her twin swords and placed them back in the wooden box. Then she looked up, her gaze complex as she looked at Li Fulan.
"These two swords..." her voice was a little hoarse, "are probably comparable to the Spirit Hall's several heirloom treasures."
"That's a bit of an overstatement," Li Fulan chuckled. "I can't make anything at the level of a supreme treasure; at best, it's a top-tier soul tool."
Is it at most a top-tier soul tool?
Hu Liena was speechless for a moment. Did this guy genuinely not know how incredible his creation was, or was he just pretending to be stupid?
She picked up the wooden box again and gently stroked the lid.
These two swords were practically tailor-made for her. Her martial spirit is the Nine-Tailed Fox, specializing in charm and support, but her close-combat ability has always been a weakness. However, with these two divine-level longswords, her combat power will at least increase by one level.
"Do you like it?" Li Fulan leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against her ear.
Hu Liena's ears turned slightly red, but she quickly regained her composure and a charming smile appeared on her lips.
"I like it," she readily admitted. "I like it very much."
"That's good." Li Fulan took a step back, giving her enough space.
Just then, a disgruntled voice came from the side.
"Master is biased!"
Xiao Wu had run back at some point and was standing to the side with her hands on her hips, her eyes wide open, looking at Li Fulan with a accusing expression.
"You made such a powerful sword for Sister Fox, why didn't you make one for me?" she said angrily. "I'm your apprentice too!"
"You're not using a sword?" Li Fulan said, both amused and exasperated. "With your small frame, can you even lift this thing?"
"Then you can make me something else!" Xiao Wu persisted, lunging forward to hug his arm and shaking it. "I want what everyone else has! Master, you're unfair! So unfair!"
Hu Liena watched this scene from the side, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.
This little girl is quite interesting.
"Okay, okay, I'll make it for you, I'll make it for you." Li Fulan was so dizzy from being shaken that she quickly surrendered. "When Master gets back, he'll design a soul tool for you that's perfect for you. I guarantee it'll be even more powerful than these two swords."
"Really?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up immediately.
"real."
"It's a promise! No backing out!" Xiao Wu held up her little finger. "Pinky promise!"
Li Fulan reluctantly made a pinky promise with her, and Xiao Wu finally let go of his arm with satisfaction and ran off to chase butterflies again.
"You're quite good at coaxing kids," Hu Liena said as she walked up to him, her tone slightly teasing.
"There's nothing I can do, this little devil is hard to please." Li Fulan shrugged.
Hu Liena chuckled softly, then stopped smiling and looked at him seriously.
"I'll accept these two swords." Her voice became serious. "But I don't like owing favors. Tell me, what do you want in return?"
Li Fulan pondered for a moment.
"Actually, I do have a request." His eyes turned serious. "I want to establish a workshop in Wuhun City."
"A workshop?"
"Yes, the Alchemy Workshop," Li Fulan explained. "It specializes in the research and manufacture of soul tools."
Hu Liena nodded thoughtfully.
"With your skills, setting up a workshop is indeed not a problem," she said thoughtfully. "But Spirit City is different from other places. This is the core area of the Spirit Hall, and any force entering here needs to go through strict approval."
"I know," Li Fulan smiled, "that's why I came to find you."
Hu Liena raised an eyebrow.
"You've got a good plan," she said with a hint of amusement. "First, you gave me such an expensive gift so I couldn't refuse, and then you made your demands. You're even better at this than those old foxes."
"You saw right through me." Li Fulan wasn't embarrassed at all; instead, she readily admitted it. "But then again, this deal isn't bad for the Spirit Hall, is it? A workshop that can manufacture top-tier soul tools is far better than those shops that only know how to collect protection money, isn't it?"
Hu Liena did not answer immediately.
She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tapping the wooden box.
From a profit perspective, this is indeed a worthwhile deal. Li Fulan's alchemy skills are phenomenal, and if his workshop can be established in Wuhun City, it will definitely be beneficial to the strength of the Wuhun Hall.
Besides... this man himself is captivating enough. Keeping him in Wuhun City might not be a bad thing... as an investment.
"I can help you," she finally said, looking directly into Li Fulan's eyes, "but you'll have to talk to your teacher about the specifics."
"make a deal!"