NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 127: Absolutely Impossible
Setting aside the half-eaten braised pork knuckle and ignoring his previous suspicions about the great skill level of this Uncle Dugu on the other side, Long Yin's face naturally filled with pride and confidence. He raised his chin toward Dugu Bo and declared loudly, "Senior Dugu, my brother Yi is neither a young lord from a duke's family nor a young marquis from any of those marquis families~
My brother Yi is merely, and only, brother Yi!"
"Oh?"
Intrigued by Long Yin's words, or perhaps from the moment Ling Yi first reached out to him, Dugu Bo became interested in these people in front of him, especially Ling Yi, who seemed to be at the center of the group.
Every soul master could sense the indistinct aura he emitted, causing them to hesitate to approach him.
This was a habit he had developed over the years traveling the continent. Dugu Bo, who disliked unnecessary talk, understood one simple truth: as long as one's strength was formidable enough, those weaker would automatically cut down on useless chatter and get straight to the point when faced with his cold demeanor.
As for encountering someone stronger than him, Dugu Bo, his aura wasn't one of provocation, merely a casual display of a hint of his energy, without revealing his true strength level.
"Go on, tell me about this brother Yi of yours~" Dugu Bo glanced at the calmly smiling Ling Yi and asked Long Yin again, "What is his true identity?"
Long Yin lifted his glass, drained it in one gulp, his eyes gleaming slightly, and directly met Dugu Bo's pressure-inducing emerald gaze, "Brother Yi is a baron of the Shumu Principality and the lord of the 'Blue Silver Domain.'"
"Baron?" Dugu Bo looked at Ling Yi with some surprise.
It wasn't because the title was prestigious, but rather because it was surprisingly low! Moreover, unless he was mistaken, this Ling Yi's strength was just at the level of a Great Soul Master.
A baron-level Great Soul Master? This kind of amusing situation might only occur in an impoverished region like the Waterwood Principality.
Before Dugu Bo could express any other reactions, Long Yin downed another glass of wine and continued:
"Brother Yi here is the fourth blacksmith master of the Waterwood Principality and was granted the title of baron for this achievement.
Moreover, Brother Yi is the youngest blacksmith master in the history of the Douluo Continent, becoming one at the age of fourteen!
At that time, he hadn't yet become a Great Soul Master; he was just a one-ring Soul Master."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow, once again looking at Ling Yi with some surprise.
Although he was once again surprised, this time there was a hint of curiosity in Dugu Bo's eyes.
Even though Dugu Bo didn't really care about the profession of blacksmithing, he did understand one thing: becoming a blacksmith master meant making a name for oneself among blacksmiths. In any country or city, a blacksmith master would be treated with a certain level of respect.
This respect wasn't necessarily out of reverence, but it indicated that blacksmith masters held a certain value.
And having value meant being usable, unlike the ordinary populace who were as insignificant as grass.
So, this young man is a genius among blacksmiths, possessing extraordinary forging skills, and has the potential to become a master craftsman?
Just as Dugu Bo was ready to attach this label to Ling Yi, Long Yin's voice rang out again:
"Brother Yi is the vice president of the Blacksmith Association, Shuimu Principality Branch. He single-handedly led the establishment, organization, and operation of the association...
You could say that the association can do without Chairman Old Master Jin, without my father, Uncle Xin's father, or even Vice Presidents Fu Shan and Li Qiang. But it absolutely, definitely cannot do without Brother Yi!
Without Brother Yi, there would be no Blacksmith Association, Shuimu Principality Branch—!!!"
As Long Yin spoke, he slapped Qingqiu Xin's shoulder with considerable force, as if to emphasize the weight of his words.
Although Qingqiu Xin grimaced in pain, he nodded vigorously in affirmation, his face showing a look of conviction.
Glancing at Qingqiu Xin's expression, and then at the faces of Zhang Mufeng, Li Zhishu, Jiang Yuan, and others, who all looked equally convinced, Dugu Bo turned his gaze back to Ling Yi.
This time, Dugu Bo's eyes revealed a newfound respect for Ling Yi.
With a little more opportunity, it's not impossible to dream beyond the horizon of a regular soul master on the continent, towards becoming a Soul Douluo.
As for the Title Douluo? That's an existence above the roof, ranking above the kings of all great kingdoms, above 99.999... percent of the people in the Douluo Continent!
Even though Dugu Bo, at forty-one, had already achieved Level 62 as a Soul Emperor, he did not dare to claim he would ever become a Title Douluo.
The Dugu family’s "Bilin Serpent" martial spirit has never managed to produce a Titled Douluo in all its history. Souls with the same "Bilin Serpent" martial spirit across the continent have met the same fate.
Now, the young man known as Ling Yi in front of them, appearing to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, has merely reached the rank of Soul Master, which indicates average martial spirit qualifications. However, if he can take the helm in establishing and running a power faction, his management capability would be quite formidable.
Even in the mighty "Spirit Hall," which boasts the largest number of Titled Douluos and Soul Masters of every level across the Douluo Continent, managing such a huge machine's operation necessitates talented managers to assist those mighty yet management-illiterate soul masters.
An exceptional manager can elevate a third-tier power to a second-tier level.
With the right developments, if future generations prove themselves by producing a few masters, it might even climb to the ranks of a top-tier power like the "Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan"!
Pondering this, Dugu Bo looked at Ling Yi not only with seriousness but also with a hint of interest.
He considered whether to bring this young lad into the Dugu family. Once he advanced to Soul Sage, he could potentially start enhancing the Dugu family's influence.
Moreover, Ling Yi is a genius blacksmith at a level above that of a Master Blacksmith, with prospects of becoming a divine craftsman. This alone warrants an investment in recruiting him.
Of course, this is all assuming these lads aren’t exaggerating.
As Dugu Bo’s thoughts swirled from one idea to another, Long Yin grew more excited with each word he spoke.
"Aside from being a blacksmith," Long Yin downed another glass of wine, turning a rosy shade as he continued, "Brother Yi is also a healer of great renown!"
“In the Waterwood Principality, everyone from common soldiers of the five major military divisions to spirit masters eking out a living in various spirit beast forests, and even ordinary folk in every town, have received help from Yi Brother!
In the Waterwood Principality, you may not know Lord Mufeng, but there's no way you wouldn't know of Yi Brother!”
“Though Yi Brother is only a two-ring spirit master, when it comes to healing, he's superior even to those spirit lords and spirit elders—!!!”
“Impossible!” Dugu Bo couldn't help but interject, blurting out his disbelief.
While he could believe the earlier claims, analyzing their likelihood, this assertion was beyond what he was willing to accept.
To understand, starting as a spirit lord, masters can absorb millennium-level spirit rings.
Even for those with lesser talent or opportunities, their third spirit ring remains at the centennial level, but by the spirit elder's fourth ring, it would unquestionably reach the millennial tier.
The spirit skills derived from a millennium-level ring absolutely crush those from centennial rings!
At least with Dugu Bo's experience, gleaned from traversing Douluo Continent for two to three decades, it's plausible for a high-caliber centennial ring spirit master to surpass a lower-ranked spirit lord's healing capabilities. Consider a spirit master whose first two rings are top-tier centennial, who can outpace a one-white-two-yellow-ring spirit lord's skill efficacy. This is not impossible.
However, saying a spirit elder's millennium-level fourth ring's skills are inferior to a spirit master’s centennial ones is out of the question!
This line of thought made him wonder if these individuals before him were frauds, fabricating previous tales too.
One must remember, he had just sold several valuable items at the Sabac Grand Auction, with his pockets filled with gold soul coins.
(End of Chapter)
