Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Hearing the voice appear in their minds, the three people immediately stopped in their tracks, looking at each other in disbelief. They glanced around in unison and, upon realizing that the voice was not coming from their surroundings, their expressions were filled with shock and incredulity.

"Spiritual voice transmission?"

The manager of the auction house was someone who had seen the world. Both Lou Gao and the Soul Sage Enforcer of the auction house had encountered Titled Douluos before. It didn't take long for the three of them to recognize the technique at play, leaving them with their mouths agape in astonishment.

Spiritual voice transmission was an advanced technique that only seasoned Soul Douluos and Titled Douluos were qualified to use. Between the middle-level and top-level rooms, there was even a thick layer of high-level barriers.

Moreover, the architecture of the Heaven Dou Imperial Auction House incorporated materials that blocked spiritual detection. Even high-level soul masters found it difficult to extend their spiritual power too far.

How on earth was this even possible?

The manager of the auction house glanced at the Soul Sagenext to him. The elderly Soul Sage immediately feigned ignorance, stroking his beard as he lowered his head to study the tiles beneath his feet.

"These tiles... such fine tiles indeed."

He wasn't about to get involved. He was an aging Soul Sage, nearing the end of his life. Getting mixed up in something like this was the last thing he wanted. Back in his youth, he had accidentally involved himself in something he shouldn't have, which derailed his once-promising path to becoming a Soul Douluo, leaving him stuck as a Soul Sage for the rest of his life.

Whether it was Dugu Bo in the room, some other expert, or something else entirely, he wanted no part of it. All he wished for now was to live out his remaining years in peace.

If not for the fact that the manager had a good relationship with him—often eating and drinking together and even arranging a cushy job at the auction house for his unruly grandson—the Soul Sage would have walked away long ago.

The manager, feeling conflicted but not daring to act oblivious, cupped his hands toward Lou Gao, signaling for him to follow.

What about Lou Gao's personal opinion?

Among the three of them present, not even Lou Gao himself cared about his opinion at this moment.

From the middle level to the high level, and then dismissing the guards at the top level, the manager reached out and knocked respectfully on the door of Room Six.

"Sir, Lou Gao has arrived."

"Thank you."

As soon as the words fell, the tightly shut door opened from the inside. A young man with a warm smile was sitting on the sofa, looking at the three of them. Aside from some maidservants who seemed more like decorations, there was no one else in the room.

Lou Gao cautiously stepped inside. Chen Ming stood up with a smile, making a welcoming gesture.

Although Lou Gao was a high-level Soul Sage, he still appeared cautious in front of Chen Ming. His eyes occasionally darted around the corners of the room, as if searching for where Dugu Bo might be hiding.

"You may leave," Chen Ming said to the silent maidservants after seating Lou Gao beside him. The lead maid bowed deeply, then led the others out without hesitation, closing the door firmly behind them.

Looking at Lou Gao seated before him, Chen Ming showed a kind smile. He picked up a wine pot and personally poured Lou Gao a cup of wine.

"Senior Lou Gao, I've long admired your name. My name is Chen Ming, and I'm better known as the grandson-in-law of the Poison Douluo. Meeting you today at the auction house is truly my good fortune."

"You're too kind," Lou Gao replied awkwardly, accepting the wine cup with some restraint. Although the young man before him was just a youth, Lou Gao couldn't help but feel an oppressive presence, a sensation he would only experience when facing a Soul Douluo or even a Titled Douluo.

Lou Gao knew that this wasn't just his imagination; it was his innate talent warning him.

From birth, Lou Gao had been more intuitive than others. This wasn't just reflected in his superior aptitude for learning and development but also in his ability to sense rare opportunities and danger. Ever since awakening his martial soul, Lou Gao could vaguely perceive the goodwill or malice others held toward him.

It was this extraordinary intuition that allowed Lou Gao, a commoner, to rise to his current status as a Soul Sage, the president of the Douluo Continent's Blacksmith Association, and one of the three god craftsmen of the era. While it was impossible to deny the hard work he had put in, his unique intuition also played an irreplaceable role.

Sensing Lou Gao's emotions, Chen Ming was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Lou Gao to possess such an exceptional intuitive talent.

Intuition, or inspiration, was something more commonly found among famous artists and specialists, such as mathematicians or archaeologists. Highly intuitive individuals often displayed extraordinary sensitivity and creativity.

From a Lovecraftian perspective, such people were more likely to perceive the hidden side of the world, potentially leading them to madness and drawing the attention of incomprehensible entities.

However, in the Douluo Continent, where soul master cultivation was largely based on bloodline strength, intuition wasn't considered particularly important. Even Dugu Bo lacked such abstract talent for inspiration.

In simple terms, the people of the Douluo Continent weren't particularly suited for or interested in concepts like intuition or inspiration.

But for Chen Ming's purposes, Lou Gao's intuitive talent was an unexpected bonus, potentially allowing him to play a role far beyond expectations.

After confirming that the room was free of surveillance, Chen Ming got straight to the point, explaining his purpose.

"Master Lou, I'm deeply interested in blacksmithing. I've read that blacksmithing is not as simple as people imagine. A skilled blacksmith can awaken the spirit within metals during forging, allowing the material's innate qualities to reach their full potential. With this process, it's possible to forge weapons and armor uniquely suited for soul masters.

"It's even said that when the spirit of a metal is pushed to its limit, it can transform into a state similar to a soul bone, capable of being absorbed by a soul master and growing alongside them, eventually becoming a true divine artifact."

"I wonder if you or the Blacksmith Association have conducted any research in this area?"

What Chen Ming described wasn't part of the current blacksmithing system but rather the future development of blacksmithing on the Douluo Continent, which wouldn't emerge for another 20,000 years.

The stages of forging: Hundred Refinements, Thousand Refinements, Spirit Refinement, Soul Refinement, Fusion Refinement, and Divine Refinement.

This was a complete path, from basic metal purification to imbuing metal with life, forming the foundation of the powerhouses' battle armor and mechas in Douluo Dalu 3 and 4.

With this system, soul masters with ultimate attributes could fight opponents 20 levels above their rank. At the Soul Sage level, they could rival Titled Douluos.

The enhancement provided by battle armor was comparable to, if not greater than, the strength boost from ultimate attributes. Even the simplest one-word battle armor could increase a soul master's combat power by at least two ranks.

For example, a five-ring soul master with a one-word battle armor would possess strength equivalent to a seven-ring soul sage. Two-word battle armor corresponded to an eight-ring soul douluo, three-word to a nine-ring titled douluo, and four-word to an ultimate douluo.