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"Large-scale procurement?" Chen Feiyang was taken aback.
"How much does Junior mean by 'large-scale'?"
Xu Yuan frowned.
He glanced at Wu Zhangkong.
"Teacher Wu, this is outside the scope of the assessment. I'd like to use my mech."
Wu Zhangkong remained expressionless.
Hadn't you just summoned your mech casually at the observatory yesterday?
The mech resides within you. As long as it doesn't interfere with the assessment, I can't control how you use it.
Xu Yuan glowed again, transforming into a luminous giant, and released his mech.
"I'm using it to manufacture and upgrade my mech. Based on its size, I'll need about ten times the amount of these three rare metals."
Ten times?
In other words, the forging process would result in losses of up to ninety percent?
Wu Zhangkong furrowed his brow.
Such a high loss rate?
From what he knew, Xu Yuan's forging skills were exceptional—he shouldn't have such a high loss rate, right?
Or perhaps the alloy used in this mech was extraordinary?
Even spirit alloys varied in quality. Wu Zhangkong was familiar with concepts like fusion rates and divine alloys, and now he carefully examined Xu Yuan's mech.
"The quality is impeccable."
Previously, he had thought it was just an illusion—perhaps Xu Yuan's mech only seemed perfect because it far outclassed other yellow-grade mechs of the same level.
But upon closer inspection, he realized that wasn't the case. The mech was genuinely flawless.
Each piece of spirit alloy in Xu Yuan's mech undoubtedly had an exceptionally high fusion rate!
"Ten times the amount?"
Chen Feiyang stared at Xu Yuan's mech, both envious and shocked, but also troubled.
This mech must weigh at least three or four tons, right?
"I'll discuss this with Zhang and Sun. We might be able to gather thirty tons each of the three rare metals for you, but that would likely deplete our share for quite some time," Chen Feiyang said hesitantly.
Thirty tons? For the next decade, they wouldn't be able to request these three rare metals from the local blacksmiths' association.
Xu Yuan smiled.
"Senior Chen, as long as there's a way, that's all that matters."
What he feared most was the absence of any leads.
He could obtain some of these materials through his uncle at the headquarters of the Blacksmiths' Association, but even though the association operated as a unified entity, it was more of a coalition. While Sanbao City traded with other branches, annual quotas were limited. The headquarters itself had significant demand for these rare metals, so Xu Yuan needed to personally visit the source to procure such a large quantity.
"Senior, would these work?"
Xu Yuan handed Chen Feiyang a list.
At first glance, the short list didn't seem noteworthy, but upon closer inspection, Chen Feiyang's eyes nearly bulged out.
"You have all of these?"
Chen Feiyang looked at the list, then back at Xu Yuan, incredulous.
Everything on the list was divine alloy.
Ninety-five percent fusion jade silver, ninety-six percent fusion jade silver, and various types of jade silver with fusion rates above ninety percent.
All jade silver.
Chen Feiyang turned his gaze back to Xu Yuan's mech, scrutinizing it closely. His pupils contracted sharply.
Only now, upon careful observation, did he confirm that the visible parts of Xu Yuan's mech were crafted from jade silver, with extremely high fusion rates.
He stepped forward, touching and feeling the mech, and confirmed that the visible parts were made of jade silver with a fusion rate of at least ninety percent!
If even the external parts were made of jade silver with over ninety percent fusion, what about the internal core components?
What grade of jade silver was used for the cores of each part of the mech?
They must be even higher quality than the outer shell.
And what about the central core of the entire mech?
Could it be even more advanced?
Chen Feiyang took a deep breath and looked at Xu Yuan.
"Did you forge all of this yourself?"
He had initially wanted to say "provided by your family," but recalling Li Zhilong's mention of Xu Yuan's exceptional forging skills, he changed his wording.
Xu Yuan nodded.
"Unfortunately, the academy confiscated my storage-type soul-guided device before we left. These items aren't with me at the moment."
Xu Yuan turned to Wu Zhangkong and asked suddenly,
"Teacher Wu, are our things with you, or are they still stored at the academy?"
Wu Zhangkong paused, contemplating Xu Yuan's intentions and weighing their relevance to the assessment. Then he nodded and admitted, "The items belonging to you and the others are with me."
He retrieved Xu Yuan's storage ring.
"This is yours."
Xu Yuan's eyes lit up as he immediately took possession of his storage ring.
"Senior Chen, since my belongings are with Teacher Wu, we can complete the transaction here—cash for goods." Xu Yuan grinned.
Chen Feiyang swallowed hard.
Cash for goods?
Was Xu Yuan implying that the contents of this storage ring included everything listed on his inventory?
Even Wu Zhangkong couldn't help but gulp nervously.
He hadn't seen the items on Xu Yuan's list, but standing nearby, he could hear clearly. The deal involved thirty tons each of the three rare metals from Sanbao City. He was familiar with these metals—they were even fused into his own battle armor—so he understood their value.
To afford such rare metals, even accounting for favors owed, how many treasures must this ring contain?
For a moment, Wu Zhangkong debated whether he should confiscate Xu Yuan's storage ring again.
He was genuinely afraid of accidentally losing it.
This was the first time Wu Zhangkong had directly grasped the extent of Xu Yuan's wealth.
Logically speaking, the more soul masters cultivated, the poorer they should become.
Under the current cultivation system of Douluo Continent, in pursuit of power, the more resources a soul master possessed, the more capital they needed to invest in their training—whether in Spirit Ascension Platforms, battle armor, or even Xu Yuan's mech. All required vast amounts of resources.
Additionally, improving one's secondary profession required extensive practice, which inevitably involved failure rates. Especially when attempting to break through to higher levels, the costs were incalculable.
Yet, despite all this, Xu Yuan still had money?
Without considering family support, Wu Zhangkong instinctively assumed Xu Yuan was the poorest in the entire academy.
Especially after realizing the immense value of the spirit alloys in Xu Yuan's mech, he believed this even more strongly.
However, the reality was that Xu Yuan still had the means to purchase thirty tons each of Sanbao City's three precious rare metals.
Were blacksmiths really this wealthy?
An image of an incredibly stingy Tang Wulin flashed through Wu Zhangkong's mind.
Both were blacksmiths—why was the disparity so vast?
"Junior, let me discuss this with the other two." Chen Feiyang took a deep breath and spoke gravely.
He never expected that Xu Yuan truly possessed so much high-fusion-rate jade silver.
This essentially confirmed that Xu Yuan could forge such high-quality jade silver himself—and with a high success rate!
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