Chapter 109 Repairing the Golden Barrier

The advanced workshop of the Rose Foundry.

For the Rose Foundry, where resources are relatively scarce, even the mentors usually have to queue up to use this place. Yet, Old Wang has been occupying it for nearly eight days straight now.

During this time, aside from going out twice in the first few days to buy supplies and trick Kela and the others with some fruit juice, he was also called away by Luo Yan for several long conversations.

To be honest, a young man in his early twenties who can master the heavy hammer technique is quite unbelievable, even after witnessing it firsthand. Lao Luo still finds it astounding.

Previously, there wasn't enough time to ask detailed questions due to urgency. Now that Wang Feng is part of his Steel Rose team and under his mentorship, Lao Luo can slowly delve into the details.

If it were any other ordinary disciple without a genuine connection, they might not withstand Lao Luo's various inquiries. However, Old Wang is clearly adept at dodging questions, knowing exactly what to say and what not to say, sometimes feigning ignorance.

In any case, he understands it, having read books from the library. Who cares if it makes sense or not? He's just that talented and impressive.

Wang Feng is a person with such a strong moral compass that he wouldn't lie or boast about himself, even to please his teacher.

Lao Luo can only marvel at this.

The higher one stands, the more scenery one sees, and the broader one's perspective becomes. Just like the Supreme Saint and the Eight Virtuous Ones, who could truly understand how they researched runes?

Their conditions were even worse than Wang Feng's; at least he had books to reference. The Supreme Saint and the others had no concept of runes before, yet they managed to create them from scratch.

So, in this world, such extraordinary geniuses do exist, and one cannot judge them by ordinary standards. Lao Luo considers himself lucky to have encountered one.

At Luo Yan's age, he knows that success comes from three parts talent, six parts luck, and one part assistance from a benefactor. That's the way of heaven.

Wang Feng is a gifted individual with great luck, and Lao Luo aims to be his benefactor, hoping for future rewards.

Now, Lao Luo often says, "Such a genius must focus solely on casting!"

As for Li Sitan's runes, can those things feed anyone? There are countless people who spend their entire lives researching without results.

Damn, it's a waste of time. Better stay far away from it, lest it harms our Wang Feng.

...

Low-grade materials are handled by Lao Luo, while high-grade casting materials can be obtained from Clara.

Although Anbolin mentioned that Old Wang could buy materials at the lowest price from Anhe Hall, given Old Wang's current relationship with Clara, he gets wholesale prices for small quantities, so there's no need to owe Anbolin any favors.

Good steel should be used on the blade. When owing someone like Anbolin, it should be a significant favor to make it worthwhile.

On the casting table lies an ordinary-looking gold necklace.

Dragon Moon's Golden Barrier.

For nearly ten days, Old Wang has been working on this piece.

Even in the game, this soul artifact known as the 'Invincible Golden Body' is among the top tier. Old Wang had one back then, which saved his life countless times during missions.

The external cracks of the 'Golden Barrier' have already been recast, and now Old Wang is repairing the internal core runes.

This is an extremely challenging repair job. On a roughly five-square-centimeter core rune board, there are eight layers of runes crammed together, making it incredibly difficult. Even Old Wang is exhausted, feeling drained from the effort. This is the downside of not having a system to complete tasks instantly.

Old Wang's hands are steady, his movements slow, and his actions are perfectly balanced and natural.

When one reaches this level of concentration, even loud noises nearby cannot distract him.

Upon completing the final touch, a faint glow flows over the core rune board, transforming its dull surface into a seamless, radiant whole.

Repairing is indeed easier than crafting anew, at least it doesn't require soul activation, which is the hardest part for Old Wang. Otherwise, in his current state, he couldn't handle such a high-level item.

Old Wang wiped his sweat, stretched, and examined the repaired Golden Barrier, feeling a surge of joy and security.

Unfortunately, the α8-grade soul crystal inside the Golden Barrier has almost depleted its energy. Old Wang can't get a new one, and even if he could, he certainly couldn't afford it. Such high-grade soul crystals are rare and hard to come by, even for someone like Clara.

Soul crystals differ greatly in price with each grade, especially above grade six, where the cost increases exponentially.

Moreover, low-grade soul crystals cannot compensate for the energy required to activate such high-level artifacts. It's not just about energy values but the energy levels themselves. Lower-grade soul crystals simply cannot power these artifacts.

It's all Xiao Bang's fault. Last time, when using it against the succubus, he wasted most of the soul crystal's energy. That idiot didn't know how to use it properly, relying entirely on the Golden Barrier's passive trigger, wasting energy unnecessarily. If he had used it correctly, at least half of the energy would have been saved.

...I miss my cheap apprentice. I wonder if Xiao Bang is hungry. He doesn't seem too bright.

Regardless, having an amulet gives Old Wang a sense of relief. However, before he could fully enjoy it, he felt a cold, murderous intent sweep over him, though it vanished quickly. Still, it did not escape his perception.

Being of the Insect God lineage, his senses are the strongest among the limited soul lineages. This isn't a direct probe but a premonition of danger, indicating a murderous intent that won't materialize immediately.

Old Wang remained calm, calmly putting the Golden Barrier necklace around his neck, as if testing his work.

He had noticed this murderous intent several days ago.

Recently, he felt uneasy, unlike the initial covert surveillance by Lan Tian. This feeling was cold and eerie, like a ghost lurking in the dark.

Someone must have come from home. Given his recent fame, it makes sense. This is why Wang Feng urgently needed to repair the Golden Barrier.

Frankly, within the Rose Holy Sanctuary, he isn't afraid of anyone openly targeting him, as he can handle it being on Karida's turf.

But outside the sanctuary, or if someone decides to ambush him, it would be nearly impossible to defend against.

Just as Qin Xuan mentioned last time, a spy from the Pu Group or the Mi Group? Most likely, the assassin is from the so-called Wild Group.

What worries Old Wang even more is that Lan Da Ge has been busy lately, reducing his usual surveillance. For the past half-month, he hasn't monitored Old Wang at all.

Damn, when you don't need to watch me, you lurk in the shadows, but when I actually need your surveillance, you disappear.

Is it because I've been performing well recently, making Karida overly trusting? I'm still a spy sent by the Nine Gods, and you leave me unguarded. Don't I deserve some respect?

While Old Wang was holed up in the Rose Foundry repairing the Golden Barrier, two major events related to him occurred outside.

The first piece of news is the recently hotly discussed "Don't Mess with the Latecomer Series."

In the eyes of the Arbiters, the Rose Holy Sanctuary is clearly inferior. A city should have only one sanctuary, and Aurora's situation is a historical issue that needs to be resolved soon.

The development over the years has naturally instilled in the Arbiters a sense of superiority over the Rose people. The old headmaster had a higher perspective, but his indifference led to the Arbiters becoming even more arrogant. Karida herself is decent, but her influence doesn’t extend to the level of a sanctuary.

This time, when the non-combat personnel from the Arbiter Holy Sanctuary went to Rose for an exchange, the scoundrels there not only failed to show respect but also insulted their Foundry.

When this incident reached the Arbiters, it caused an uproar. While it was a minor issue for the higher-ups, for the young disciples with raging hormones, it was a big deal.

The Arbiters' Martial Dao Courtyard immediately gathered a dozen people to challenge the Rose Martial Dao Courtyard, and they even brought along a reporter from a small newspaper to cover the event. They chose not to go to the Foundry, as they needed a legitimate reason—challenging the Foundry with martial skills would not display their strength and could easily backfire.

The sudden challenge caught the Martial Dao Courtyard off guard. Fantasia was present that day, but he knew his limits and hid in the crowd. The passionate young disciples on the Rose side were not about to back down when faced with a direct challenge.

After a fierce confrontation, the Rose side ended up on the ground. The Rose Martial Dao Courtyard fell quickly, as all the excellent warriors had gone to the other side, and Luo Lan was absent, leaving no one capable of matching the Arbiters.

The Aurora City newspaper reporter excitedly recorded everything until a guy wearing slippers appeared.

Hei Wu Kai, who was late for class, was blocked outside. He had a rare urge to move around but was stopped at the door. This was fine, but when these people compared him to a sleepy stray dog, things got ugly.

Hei Wu Kai single-handedly took down all eighteen of them in three minutes and eighteen seconds, two of which were spent walking. The next scene was not pretty. Seeing no class to attend, Hei Wu Kai left. The bullied disciples of the Martial Dao Courtyard, including Fantasia, rushed forward. He even performed a spiral back throw, feeling exhilarated!

The next day’s headline praised Hei Wu Kai, calling him the new generation's Rose War God and firmly believing that even if he participated in the Hero Tournament, he would achieve remarkable results.

This evaluation was quite fair. Human sanctuaries have been developing rapidly in recent years, producing many talented young fighters. No one dares to claim they are the strongest, not even Hei Wu Kai. However, he is undoubtedly among the best. If he represents the Rose Holy Sanctuary this year, it might be the chance for Rose to turn things around. It remains to be seen whether Hei Wu Kai, a warrior of the Yecha tribe, is willing to be Rose's 'outsider' support.

The Eight Tribes, the two great sanctuaries' rivalry, and the Hero Tournament are topics of great interest. Thus, this incident not only heated up discussions within Rose but also sparked a wave of debate throughout Aurora City.

The situation and its outcome have surpassed mere disciple rivalry and now affect the reputation and prestige of both sides in Aurora City. Whether publicly or privately, the Arbiters cannot remain silent.

There are rumors that further actions are being planned, currently under preparation. Once initiated, it may no longer be a minor skirmish between disciples but a seemingly honorable contest between the two great sanctuaries.

As for the second major event, it involves Old Wang, specifically the sale of the Eagle Eye to Clara.