Douluo: AFK to Become a God

Chu Chengzhou continued, "For metals above the Hundred Refinements level, the blacksmith's own strength is already a factor. If you're not a soul master, you can't possibly achieve Thousand Refinements.

To go far in forging, the first prerequisite is decent cultivation talent."

If you're not a soul master, you wouldn't even be able to lift the heavy forging hammers. Even a reincarnated divine blacksmith would lack the strength to achieve Thousand Refinements.As for Spirit Refining or Soul Refining later on, just being a soul master isn't enough — you need strong enough soul power to sustain the process.

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi raised his eyebrows but let it slide for now. "Rongrong said in her letter that your forging skills broke through again?"

"Mhm. I reached the Soul Refining level," Chu Chengzhou nodded.

"But you haven't even been forging regularly. How'd your skills improve out of nowhere?" Ning Fengzhi asked, puzzled.

Even blacksmiths under the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan with secret techniques couldn't master this, and yet Chu Chengzhou, who rarely forged, quietly created secret methods two tiers higher?

They were all human — how could the gap be this big?

"Just talent~"Chu Chengzhou waved his hand casually, face calm and breath steady.

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, he turned to Gu Rong and got to the point:"Grandpa Bone, please inject some soul power into these two metals and see how they feel."

He took out two small pieces of metal from his storage soul tool — one was Soul-Forged Bluegold, the other Soul-Forged Nether Iron.

Nether Iron is a rare dark-attribute metal that amplifies dark soul power. Gu Rong's Bone Dragon martial soul is primarily dark-attribute; spatial power is just a secondary feature.

If Nether Iron provided greater amplification than Bluegold, then Bluegold wouldn't be the best material for Gu Rong's soul armor.

Gu Rong accepted the metals and channeled a bit of soul power into each.

"…Hmm?"

A surprised look appeared on his face.

"Uncle Gu, is there something unusual about the soul-forged metals?" Ning Fengzhi asked curiously.

"Tsk, this kid's stuff is really something. This one boosts my soul power by 15%, and the other one boosts it by 20%," Gu Rong said, pointing first to the Soul-Forged Bluegold, then the Soul-Forged Nether Iron.

20%?!Chu Chengzhou raised his brows. He hadn't expected the Nether Iron to amplify a Title Douluo's dark attribute soul power by a full 20% — more than even Bluegold Copper, another single-metal amplifier.

"Grandpa, let me explain — this one is Soul-Forged Bluegold, which boosts soul power.This black one is Soul-Forged Nether Iron, which also boosts soul power, but only for dark attributes.I'd like to forge you a suit of soul armor, and you can choose which material to use."

If Gu Rong's martial soul had been purely dark-type, the choice would've been obvious.But because it also had spatial attributes, and Bluegold amplified all soul power types (albeit slightly less), the decision was better left to him.

Without hesitation, Gu Rong chose the Nether Iron.

Compared to a 15% boost across dual attributes, a 20% boost to dark soul power suited him better.His Bone Dragon soul is focused on offense and defense, all based on dark power — the spatial part is only for movement.

And on this continent, no one could really counter his spatial abilities. That 15% difference wouldn't matter.But the extra 5% dark boost from Nether Iron might just let him endure stronger attacks.

—

Two hours later.

Ning Fengzhi's Soul-Forged Bluegold armor and Gu Rong's Soul-Forged Nether Iron armor were complete.

Ning Fengzhi's armor was standard fare, but Gu Rong's was something else — not just a simple armor.Inspired by his own Big Cat's Azure-Gold Claw Armor, Chu Chengzhou added detachable Soul-Forged Fa-Jin metal claws to the arm sections.

Metals at the Spirit Refining tier or above can fuse with a soul master's martial soul.Fa-Jin metal in particular has powerful soul-breaking properties, which scale with the quality of soul power infused into it.

At Gu Rong's current level (95), aside from demi-god Qian Daoliu, there were few soul shields on the continent that wouldn't be shredded by his claw attacks.

—

Also worth noting — while Soul-Forged Bluegold gave Gu Rong a 15% boost, it gave Ning Fengzhi a 20% boost, even though he's only an eight-ring Soul Douluo.

The amplification depends on the user's cultivation.For instance, it boosts Chu Chengzhou's soul power by 50%, but only 40% for six-ring Xiao Wu.Meanwhile, four-ringers like Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing saw boosts of 60%.

The lower the user's level, the higher the boost — simply because Soul-Forged metal is overkill for low-level soul masters.

Of course, Ning Fengzhi is a support-type soul master.Wearing Soul-Forged Bluegold armor doesn't mean his attribute-amplifying soul skills increase by 20%.Those skills are fixed by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul.The boost simply reduces his soul power consumption when using those buffs.

However, as the clan leader — and one with little combat power — he definitely has soul bones.His soul bone skills and non-buff-related 8th soul skill can benefit from the 20% boost.

—

"This armor of yours is great. How about making a set for your Grandpa Sword too?"Ning Fengzhi said as he put away his armor.

"Of course! Just have him come find me — but quietly. I want to ask for a favor too,"Chu Chengzhou replied, hinting at his "fishing" plan.

He wanted Chenxin to come in secret — otherwise the "fish" might get scared.

Sword Douluo Chenxin is a renowned powerhouse.If the hidden Star Luo assassins caught wind that he had entered Tian Dou City, they'd run before Chu Chengzhou even stepped out.No assassin with half a brain would take the bait.

Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly.Taking the initiative to lure them out and flush the rats from hiding was a good move.

—

Meanwhile, 20 li east of Tian Dou City…

In a small village beside the highway, in a modest home, a plain-looking young man stood nervously before eight middle-aged men and women who, despite their simple clothing, had sharp eyes and strong presence.

"What the hell is your intel department doing? It's been over two months and still no chance to strike?"One burly man at the center barked.

"Forgive me, Lord Tiger! The target's been staying inside Tian Dou City the whole time — we've had no opportunity at all!"The young man trembled and hurriedly explained.

"No chance, so you don't make one? What, you gonna have us waste our lives waiting forever?"grumbled Wolf, a tall, thin man beside Tiger.

These eight were the assassin team sent by the Star Luo Empire to kill Chu Chengzhou. Tiger and Wolf were Soul Douluos with eight rings, the others were Soul Sages with seven.

To be honest, Emperor Dai Yutian wouldn't normally send this many elites for someone like Chu Chengzhou. But because the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan might be secretly guarding him, he sent a whole slaughter team "just in case."

"Lord Wolf, according to intel, the target is from a remote mountain village under Soto City in the Balak Kingdom.Our men investigated, and all his blood relatives are dead. It's very hard to lure him out."

"Also, he's very close to the Seven Treasures Clan. If we try threats, it might alert them and bring in their top fighters."

The young man was sincere.

Of course, Chu Chengzhou wasn't really from a remote village.That was fake intel arranged by Xue Qinghe and the Heaven Dou government to cover his tracks.

Given that this was a pre-telephone, on-foot era — and that misleading info had been planted — there was no way the Star Luo spies could get the truth without extreme effort.

But since background info wasn't essential to killing Chu Chengzhou, no one pushed it too hard. If they really wanted to investigate, the Star Luo Empire could've figured it out eventually.

"I don't care. I'm giving you one more month.If you still haven't found an opening… you know what happens next." Tiger threatened.

"Yes, Lord Tiger!"The young man shivered.

He knew his place — a small fry planted in Tian Dou by the intel department.And if someone like Tiger decided to kill him for failure, no one would stand up for him.

—

Two days later, morning. Same village home.

"What did you say?! The target left the city?!"

Tiger stared wide-eyed at the informant.

Humans really were pathetic creatures — only with a knife to their throat did they suddenly "find" results.After two whole months of silence, now the good news finally came.

"Yes, Lord Tiger!Our people at his estate saw him leave Tian Dou City in a carriage through the south gate!"

"Brother, should we go for it?"

Tiger's eyes lit up and he looked to Wolf.

Though stronger, he knew Wolf was smarter — and in their 20-year partnership, Wolf always made the calls.

"…Could this be a trap set by the Seven Treasures Clan?" Wolf frowned.

"This…"

As soon as those words were spoken, Tiger immediately hesitated.

Although the eight of them were strong, if they really had to go head-to-head with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, they would be completely outmatched.

"In that case, just in case this is a trap set by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, let's follow the target from a few dozen li away and wait a few more days before making a move," said Wolf after thinking for a moment.

In Wolf's view, even if the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan was setting a trap, they wouldn't wait forever. If they saw that no one was biting, the hidden powerhouses they arranged would definitely leave. They wouldn't stick to Chu Chengzhou every hour of every day.

And once that trap was gone, the best guard Chu Chengzhou could have at his side would be one or two experts at most.

There was no way Sword Douluo Chenxin would serve as his permanent bodyguard, and any long-term protector arranged by Ning Fengzhi would at most be an eight-ring Soul Douluo.

Wolf and Tiger weren't weak. While they weren't top-tier among Soul Douluos, they definitely weren't at the bottom either. If one or two Soul Douluos appeared, even if they couldn't beat them, they could definitely stall for time.

At that point, the six Soul Sages they brought along could all act at once. Against Chu Chengzhou, who only had four or five rings, even with his powerful Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear summon, the odds were clearly in their favor.

The next morning.

Over 200 li south of Tian Dou City, a carriage rolled lazily down the main road.

What's going on? Where did all the fish go?

Inside the carriage, Chu Chengzhou frowned in confusion.

Yesterday morning, Sword Douluo had quietly arrived in Tian Dou City, and after crafting him a set of soul-forged bluegold armor and a soul-forged fa-jin sword, Chu Chengzhou had set out in this carriage to begin his "fishing" plan.

But something seemed to have gone wrong.

The entire day passed with not a single "bite."Even during the night — when, as the saying goes, "on a dark and windy night, it's the perfect time for murder and arson" — no assassins showed up. Not even a shadow.

Could it be the assassins didn't know he'd left Tian Dou City?Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

If that were true, how come every time he reached a fork in the road, there'd conveniently be a passerby nearby — or a "farmer" working in the fields?

Chu Chengzhou was sure of it: if those weren't spies from the Star Luo Empire, he'd eat crap upside down on a livestream.

Another day passed. As the sky darkened outside the carriage, Chu Chengzhou sighed.

Fishing took patience — everyone knew that — but not everyone had that patience.Especially not him, when his giant bow was practically itching for action.

As they passed another fork in the road, Chu Chengzhou spotted a young man walking with a hoe on his shoulder.

His sharp eyes immediately noticed a problem: while the man's disguise was good, his hands were too smooth. No calluses from years of farm work at all.

Chu Chengzhou signaled the driver to stop.

He got out, walked over to the "farmer," and released his spiritual power — activating his illusion technique: Void Mirage Realm.

In the next instant, the man's eyes turned reverent — like a devout worshipper before his god.

Since Void Mirage Realm had leveled up to red-grade, it could now do much more than just create illusions.It could create multiple illusions at once, drag multiple people into the same illusion, and even temporarily rewrite a target's mind — depending on the relative strength of their spirit power.

Of course, it wasn't without limits. If the target had too much willpower or stronger spirit power, the mind rewrite wouldn't work.

But this guy clearly didn't.With a simple tweak, Chu Chengzhou became the center of his universe.

If he ordered this guy to die, the man would probably do it without hesitation — unless he had freakish mental resilience.

But Chu Chengzhou didn't need him to die — just to talk.

These low-level informants might not know the assassins' exact location, but they would know how to contact their handlers.And if he followed the thread from there, he'd eventually find the "fish."

And if by some chance this guy wasn't a Star Luo spy?No big deal — temporary mind rewrites didn't cause lasting harm. He'd just toss the guy a gold coin afterward as compensation.

"I ask, you answer. Where's your handler?"

"O great one, my handler is in a village ten li east of here!"

The man dropped to his knees and responded devoutly.

"Excellent."

Chu Chengzhou nodded, pleased.

After sending his carriage and driver back home, he grabbed the young man and set out.

Using the cover of night, he followed lead after lead — dragging around various levels of Star Luo agents — until, over three hours later, he finally pinpointed the fish's true location.

Hmph… Dai Yutian really thinks highly of me, huh?

He actually sent two Soul Douluos and six Soul Sages. Did my strength get exposed somehow?

Standing atop a hill, Chu Chengzhou looked down at a peaceful village in the valley below and muttered to himself.

He hadn't yet seen the assassins face-to-face, but along the way, he had dismantled one of the Star Luo Empire's main intelligence branches in Tian Dou territory.

Of course, many agents had escaped — he had only exposed one underground line.

The intel on the assassin squad came from a seven-ring Soul Sage who led that spy branch.After having his mind rewritten via Void Mirage Realm, he revealed everything to his new "god."

The assassin squad — two Soul Douluos and six Soul Sages — was currently stationed in that quiet little village below.

"You sure you can handle this alone?"

Sword Douluo Chenxin asked beside him.

"It's just two ordinary Soul Douluos. Shouldn't be a problem," Chu Chengzhou said after weighing both sides.

He'd asked Chenxin to come along just in case the Star Luo assassins included a team capable of using the Netherworld White Tiger martial soul fusion technique.

While common among White Tiger martial soul users, it was still a powerful ability — and one worth being cautious of.

Usually, an eight-ring White Tiger soul master paired with a seven-ring Nether Cat user could reach the power level of a Title Douluo.A stronger pair — say, level 89 and 79 — could even suppress a rank-95 Title Douluo like Chrysanthemum Douluo.

Against something like that, Chu Chengzhou would absolutely want backup.

But two regular Soul Douluos? That wasn't worth using a big gun.

Even better — the two Soul Douluos down there had martial souls like Vajra Tiger and Blood Wolf. Neither could fly.

Even if he couldn't beat them, they couldn't catch him in the sky.Only the two flying-type Soul Sages in the squad could keep up — and seven-ring Soul Sages were nothing he feared.

He remembered what the Little Witch said to Flender in the original novel when she joined Shrek Academy:"It's just a measly Soul Sage."

"…Looks like I underestimated you," Sword Douluo said, giving Chu Chengzhou a long, thoughtful look.

After all, Chu Chengzhou was only a five-ring Soul King.

Even the top-tier martial souls — like the Seraphim that could use domain power at Soul King level — could at most match a six-ring Soul Emperor.

A seven-ring Soul Sage using their true body form could easily overwhelm them.

A five-ring Soul King versus two Soul Douluos and six Soul Sages?If it were anyone but Chu Chengzhou — a guy who had already killed two Soul Sages with two arrows as a four-ring — Chenxin would've thought this was a joke.

Chu Chengzhou glanced at the quiet village below and summoned his True Spirit Banner martial soul.His third soul ring lit up, and with a flash, the Fire Phoenix Xiao Hong appeared.

CRAAAW—!

A phoenix cry echoed in the night. With Chu Chengzhou mounted on her back, Xiao Hong soared into the air above the village.

He didn't go for a sneak attack.Though that might have killed a few enemies instantly, it would've put the fight inside the village — endangering the innocent.

Since Sword Douluo was here, none of these eight "fish" were getting away.No need for unnecessary casualties.

"There's movement!"

As the phoenix cry echoed in the silent night, and soul power fluctuations appeared outside the village, the assassins — who were already rotating night watch shifts due to being in enemy territory — immediately went on alert.

T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle