Chapter 268: The Refiner's Branch: Formation Master!
"Well, then thank you, Brother Ha Mo," Jiang Lin finally accepted Ha Mo's kindness and chose to head towards Salt City with him for the banquet. Ha Mo, with his five-star Dou Ling cultivation, was quite strong and not someone to be underestimated. Though Jiang Lin might not need Ha Mo's strength, it was always good to have a companion on the journey.
What surprised Jiang Lin, though, was that Ha Mo was a master with a spear. He wielded a fifth-tier Xuan Weapon, a spear called "Sharp Armor Piercing Heart Spear," which could even pierce through a Dou Wang's defense with a single thrust. This spear was crafted by Ha Mo and the vice president, Han Yu, and it marked Ha Mo's potential to break into the realm of a fifth-tier Refiner.
"But are we just going like this?" In the Refiner's Hall, Jiang Lin watched as Ha Mo quickly packed his things upstairs before leading Jiang Lin out of the hall.
"It's fine. They'll send someone else to replace me," Ha Mo said, locking the door behind him. He then turned back to Jiang Lin, closing the door with a nonchalant gesture as though it was a simple task.
"We always lock the door when we leave. The lock was crafted by the vice president, and only someone with Dou Ling power can break it. It's a one-time lock, no key. If someone tries to break in, they'll make a lot of noise and alert everyone." Ha Mo turned to Jiang Lin with a sly grin.
Jiang Lin suddenly thought of something and asked, "But it's just Dou Ling, right? I remember that our rooms could withstand the attacks of a Dou Wang for quite a while."
"Hahaha!" Ha Mo chuckled and pointed to the door as he responded, "The building itself is like a combined Dou Qi Weapon. This door can withstand Dou Huang level attacks. You probably heard from Fatty Yuan that he once locked the vice president outside, and the vice president couldn't open it. He had to spend the night outside. At night, we activate the internal formations, and the vice president couldn't fly around freely. If he did, the formations would attack him, and he'd make a fool of himself."
Jiang Lin looked up in surprise at the Refiner's Hall. He had felt the formations at work inside, and they had a similar principle to the Dou Qi Weapons, but he hadn't realized that they were this versatile.
"Brother Ha Mo, I don't think I've heard anything about President Hu Lei being good with formations?" Jiang Lin asked, intrigued. Hu Lei had never taught him about formations. Of course, it was also possible that Hu Lei had already given him several years' worth of lessons, and Jiang Lin had simply learned too quickly.
Ha Mo shook his head, "The president knows a little about formations. They're actually quite simple. Every Refiner knows a bit about them, just like every Alchemist knows some basic medical skills. Formations and Dou Qi Weapons are based on the same principle, but one focuses on gathering, and the other on area. When the president comes back, he might teach you some beginner formations. However, mastering formations as a Refiner's specialty is quite difficult."
"A powerful Refiner might not be a powerful Formation Master, but a powerful Formation Master is definitely a powerful Refiner."
"President Hu Lei is better at alchemy," Ha Mo said, his expression turning slightly complex.
"I heard from the vice president that when President Hu Lei was in Zhongzhou, he was a certified Fourth Tier Alchemist. Alchemist certifications there are strict, and a Fourth Tier Alchemist is quite impressive. In our small place, a Fourth Tier Alchemist is like a Fifth Tier one."
"And considering that President Hu Lei is now many years past his Fourth Tier certification, he might have reached the Fifth Tier by now," Ha Mo said with a strange expression. His words were a bit odd, because the president of the Gamma Alchemist Guild, Fa Ma, was only a Fifth Tier Alchemist. But here, the president of a Refiner's Guild was also a Fifth Tier Alchemist? Who was the actual guild leader here?
"Hahaha, that's because President Hu Lei never took the Fifth Tier Alchemist exam. In the Gamma Empire, only the Gamma Alchemist Guild can certify a Fifth Tier Alchemist, and if he went there, it might have been a little embarrassing," Ha Mo said, laughing as they walked towards the exit. "But who knows, when the president goes to Zhongzhou this time, he might just casually take the Fifth Tier Alchemist exam."
Jiang Lin couldn't help but flinch at the thought of Hu Lei showing off his Fifth Tier Alchemist credentials in front of Fa Ma. It was abstract, very abstract!
"I think the probability is quite high." From Jiang Lin's understanding of Hu Lei, he felt that Hu Lei had been planning this for a long time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left the Gamma Refiner's Guild for so long. He must have piled up a bunch of things to handle and was going to take care of everything in Zhongzhou in one go.
"Hahaha, I've heard that high-level Refiners all have their own interests. Once they've reached the peak of Xuan Weapons, they often develop side businesses. I heard that a legendary president from a thousand years ago wanted to capture a special fire but was robbed, eventually dying from the frustration."
Jiang Lin inwardly twitched. "So, you guys have different versions of this story? It seems like you're all improvising with the process, while the beginning and ending stay the same, right?"
"You're bullying those who can't talk, huh?" Jiang Lin thought to himself.
"And our previous president," Ha Mo continued, "was said to be a Formation Master. He had a close relationship with the former Sect Leader of Yun Lan Sect. The formation protecting Yun Lan Sect and the formation here in the Refiner's Guild were both his work."
Suddenly, Jiang Lin thought of something. Many people had said that only Fire and Wood Dou Qi could be used for Alchemy, but had they considered how special fires were used in Alchemy? Wasn't there Wood energy in all special fires, except for the Spirit Fire? After a special fire was tamed, did the Alchemist's Fire-Wood Dou Qi get assimilated into special fire Dou Qi? And then, what other attributes did it have? After Xiao Yi Xian tamed the Blue Lotus Heart Fire, his Dou Qi color changed, and it never went back.
(END CHAPTER)
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