https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-88-Second-Tier-Job-Change-Bonebird/12939285/
Chapter 89: New Ability and Tempering Competition
Chapter 89: New Ability and Tempering Competition
After attaining a rank, the Essence within a Mutant's body transforms from a free state to a fused state.
Consequently, once a Mutant attains a rank, they can no longer absorb Essence, unless they acquire a second-order Essence.
Divine Essence is somewhat special; even after attaining a rank, one can continue to absorb it to enhance their rank abilities.
Lu Heng held the Divine Essence, releasing a thunderous power, and fused it into energy, absorbing it into his body.
[Absorbing Divine Essence, Essence Ability enhanced.]
Lu Heng examined the effects of Shadow Traverse after the enhancement from Divine Essence.
In addition to its original 300% speed boost and shadow vision, Shadow Traverse gained a new effect.
Within the 15-second duration of the skill, one could re-enter the shadows after exiting the Shadow Traverse state.
Seeing this new effect, Lu Heng was very satisfied with the enhancement.
This new effect transformed a single-use skill into a two-stage one, allowing a second entry into the shadows after exiting the Shadow Traverse state.
Thus, the operability of this ability had significantly improved.
...
The next evening, 8 PM.
Under Arch No. 9 of Century Bridge.
Lin Zeyu stood with two large boxes, waiting beneath the arch.
Lu Heng and Su Muyu arrived and led him into the Tempering Fortress.
After setting down the boxes, Lin Zeyu spoke, "Last time you asked me to collect Tempering materials, I can only provide you with five portions of Tempering Essence.
"The market for Tempering materials has skyrocketed recently, with prices surging by more than double."
The surge in Tempering material prices was inevitable, and the more organizations and powers involved in acquiring them, the faster the increase.
Lin Zeyu continued, "I also have something else to tell you. Another Tempering Master has emerged in the country, leading to more powers joining the acquisition of Tempering materials. Now, even with money, it's hard to obtain them."
"Another Tempering Master?" Lu Heng was a bit curious.
As time slowly progressed, it was only a matter of time before other Tempering Masters appeared.
The Tempering Master profession indeed had a threshold, but it wasn't so high that other Mutants couldn't reach it.
Therefore, as time went on, it was certain that other Tempering Masters would emerge.
The question was, where did the Tempering Forge come from?
The Tempering Forge wasn't a product of Bluestar but of the Abyssal World.
Due to differences in fundamental laws, a Tempering Forge couldn't be created on Bluestar.
Lin Zeyu's next words answered this doubt, "According to our sources, a Mutant acquired the Tempering Master sub-profession in the Abyssal Battlefield."
"What's his name?" Lu Heng inquired about the Tempering Master's name.
"He's called He Shangyong," Lin Zeyu replied.
Lu Heng faintly recalled the name upon hearing it, but he wasn't a particularly famous Tempering Master in the later generations.
Hearing the name also made him wonder where he went for tempering.
This He Shangyong must have completed a world quest in the Abyssal Battlefield, earning the teleportation qualification for that world.
And in that Abyssal World, there was a Tempering Forge.
He could consume Divine Energy to teleport into that world and temper weapons.
Lin Zeyu continued, "You don't know how much the Tempering material prices have skyrocketed, all because of this He Shangyong and the forces backing him.
"This He Shangyong has already partnered with the Springtop Group, which is now promoting him as the only Tempering Master in the country and has received extensive media coverage.
"The Springtop Group has turned He Shangyong into a Tempering Master celebrity, making him a billionaire overnight.
"As a result, Tempering material prices have soared, and even without considering the prices, the amount we can acquire is limited during this period."
After saying this, Lin Zeyu chuckled and said, "Why don't we challenge the Springtop Group to a duel? That guy's Tempering ability is nothing compared to yours. He's just riding on hype."
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you want to use me as your pawn?"
Lin Zeyu quickly waved his hands, "No, of course not. I truly can't stand how Springtop Group and He Shangyong are hyping themselves up. I want to put them in their place."
In truth, if his goal in this life was to become a Tempering Master, then establishing a Tempering Master image would be a viable option.
However, once entangled in the capital market, many decisions would no longer be under his control.
Moreover, Lu Heng had no desire to stand in the spotlight and compete for popularity with others.
Once the Tempering Master profession got caught in the hype vortex, the actual Tempering ability would become less important.
It would then be a matter of who could hype themselves better, and it would be difficult to prove who was stronger or weaker in Tempering abilities.
In the end, the one who could hype themselves the most would become the most famous.
Lu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Let them hype themselves if that's what they want. If you want to put them in their place, there are other ways to do it."
"What ways?"
After spending some time together, Lin Zeyu had become familiar with Lu Heng's personality and guessed that Lu Heng must have thought of a plan, otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up.
"I assume that He Shangyong enters the Abyss World for Tempering, and each time he does, he consumes Divine Energy. So, to temper weapons, he constantly needs to consume Divine Energy, which indirectly increases his Tempering costs. Moreover, I don't think his Tempering success rate is that high."
As Lu Heng spoke, a smile appeared on his lips.
The reason for this judgment was simple; in the future, this person wasn't a famous Tempering Master, indicating that his innate Tempering talent was lacking.
It would be easy to outcompete a Tempering Master who had to enter the Abyss World for Tempering and didn't have a high success rate.
Lu Heng paused before continuing, "So, you can just create a Tempering brand and offer a minimum success rate guarantee. If the success rate falls below the guaranteed rate, provide Tempering for free until it succeeds."
Upon hearing this idea, Lin Zeyu blinked and said, "If the success rate falls below the guaranteed rate, the Tempering materials will be covered by me, right?"
Lu Heng shrugged and said, "What else? You should have an idea of my success rate, and you can inquire about He Shangyong's success rate. If you think this plan will work, go ahead. If not, then forget it."
Lin Zeyu laughed and explained in a playful tone, "No, I'm definitely confident in Master Lu's success rate. I'm just worried that one day you might not want to cooperate with me. What if I sign those Tempering guarantee agreements and then you back out? My life would be in your hands."
Lu Heng tilted his head and asked, "Is your life in my hands for the first time?"
"Umm..."
Lin Zeyu's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that this was indeed the case.
His life had been saved by Lu Heng from the Abyss Battlefield.
He clapped his hands and said, "Alright, I'll do it. What should our minimum guaranteed success rate be?"
Lu Heng considered for a moment and said, "According to my current Tempering success rate statistics, it's 85%. I have confidence in further improving this rate, but I can't offer such a high guarantee. This is an extreme value. You can inquire about your competitor's success rate and then decide for yourself."
"Understood, I'll make sure it's handled perfectly," Lin Zeyu replied, his confidence boosted by this success rate.
(End of Chapter)
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