I gain permanent defense when attacked; even gods and demons can't hurt me.

however.

When his gaze fell on the three people and he saw their condition.

Ouyang Lingyun suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He looked as if he had seen something incredible, his mouth agape in an "O" shape.

"This...this..."

His finger trembled as he pointed at the bright red ranks above Ouyang Xue and Xia Chen's heads.

[LV15]!

[LV15]!

"Level 15?!"

Ouyang Lingyun felt like his brain wasn't working properly.

"Weren't you only level 9 and 8 when you left?"

This speed of upgrades is even more outrageous than Chen Qingxuan's back then!

Ouyang Lingyun suddenly turned to look at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan remained calm and even waved to him.

"Uncle Ouyang, the monster spawn rate in this secret realm is much higher, and the experience gained is significantly more than outside, as are the loot."

"It's getting late, I'm going back now."

As Lin Yuan prepared to say goodbye, Xia Chen quickly said, "Yuanzi, let's go together."

"Farewell, Lord Ouyang."

After the two left, Ouyang Lingyun inquired about what had happened in the secret realm with his daughter.

After a while.

Ouyang Lingyun fell into deep thought.

"The awe-inspiring power of the monarch..."

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes gleaming.

"For a regular shield warrior, this is a high-level taunt; if used improperly, it can even be life-threatening."

"But for a freak like Lin Yuan who relies on damage reflection, this is a divine skill! It can even be said to be the foundation of his survival!"

Ouyang Lingyun knew very well.

Lin Yuan leveled up so quickly entirely thanks to this skill that pulls monsters.

Without this set of equipment, Lin Yuan's leveling efficiency would be reduced by at least half!

"Old Zhou."

Ouyang Lingyun turned his head and looked at the old man playing with a teapot.

"What do you think, should we enhance this kid's [Ten Thousand Devouring Set]?"

"strengthen?"

Old Zhou blew on his beard, glared, and cursed irritably:

"Have you gone mad from being the city lord?"

"How much mithril and adamantite does it cost to enhance one piece of equipment? That's for gold-tier gear!"

"Use that to upgrade a set of bronze equipment? That's wasteful!"

"I've never seen anyone in my life upgrade bronze equipment; it's a complete waste!"

Ouyang Lingyun shrank back, somewhat embarrassed.

"Then... upgrade?"

Old Zhou snorted and stroked the stubble on his chin.

"Upgrading is a must."

"Before this kid takes the college entrance exam, I'll have him leave his equipment with me. I'll stay up for two nights and help him level up to Silver."

"The durability and attributes will double, which should be enough for him to use for a while."

At this point, Old Zhou paused, a fervent glint suddenly flashing in his eyes.

"However, Lingyun..."

"Your idea just now reminded me of something."

"Since the core of this equipment set is the [King's Awe] effect, why should we insist on sticking with this low-level equipment set?"

Ouyang Lingyun was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Old Zhou lowered his voice, his tone revealing a hint of madness.

"Perhaps I could try [special effects stripping]!"

"Take the [King's Awe] skill attribute and extract it completely from the Thousand Devouring Set, condensing it into a [Skill Core]!"

"Then, socket it into higher-level, higher-quality equipment!"

"For example, gold sets, or even unique gold sets!"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Lingyun gasped.

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Special effects stripped down!

This is a very advanced forging technique!

"Old Zhou, will this work?"

"It's difficult."

Old Zhou shook his head, his tone becoming serious.

"This technique has an extremely low success rate; even for me, it's less than 20%."

"Furthermore, the recipient equipment must have a special [inlay socket], and it must be at least a top-grade gold-level item."

"but……"

A hint of anticipation flashed in Old Zhou's eyes.

"Once this kid gets into the War Academy, there will be better facilities and stronger mentors."

"There should be blacksmiths of level three or above there. With their strength, the success rate of forging will be much higher, but it will probably cost a lot of points to ask them to help."

Ouyang Lingyun nodded, feeling even more optimistic about Lin Yuan's future.

The reason why the War Academy and the Imperial Capital Academy are called holy lands is because they possess the nation's top talents and resources!

More than half of the top ten experts mentioned earlier came from these two academies.

……

the other side.

After leaving the city lord's mansion, Lin Yuan and Xia Chen walked on their way home.

"Chenzi, I remember your family owns a trading company, right?"

Lin Yuan asked casually.

"yes!"

Xia Chen patted his chest, looking proud.

"The largest Xia Clan Chamber of Commerce in Tianhai City belongs to my family, as does the largest auction house."

This is why Wang Hao, that rich second-generation, although usually arrogant, would still give Xia Chen a wide berth.

The Xia family is a true business tycoon, controlling the economic lifeline of Tianhai City.

"That makes things easier."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"I have a batch of materials here that I'd like you to help me process."

"It's easier to sell to your company than to other chambers of commerce."

Of course, Lin Yuan did not take out Zhao Biao's iconic equipment.

Although he wasn't afraid of the Greedy Wolf Guild, he figured it was better to avoid trouble.

Although he wasn't afraid of the Greedy Wolf Guild, he figured it was better to avoid trouble.

That kind of filth can be disposed of on the black market later.

"no problem!"

Xia Chen chuckled and put his arm around Lin Yuan's shoulder.

"Leave this to me!"

"Brother Yuan, give me the materials, and I'll have my dad calculate the price for you at the highest possible purchase price!"

"If he knew that you were the one who provided this batch of materials, and that you even gave me a Goblin King set, he'd probably be laughing his head off."

The Goblin King's Plate Armor and Leggings are top-tier silver equipment, extremely rare and highly sought after.

"Oh, right."

Lin Yuan suddenly remembered something.

"The Goblin King's set is powerful, but unfortunately there are no other goblin dungeons around here, so it's hard to collect the remaining pieces."

Especially jewelry.

Unlike Lin Yuan's Ten Thousand Devourer Set, the Goblin King Set requires accessories to achieve its effect!

The drop rate for accessories is already low, and some special materials used to craft accessories will have a long cooldown period once they have been obtained.

Xia Chen waved his hand dismissively.

"It's alright! Money makes the world go round."

"I'll have my dad use his connections to put up a reward in chambers of commerce throughout the province."

"If you're willing to spend the money, there's no equipment you can't buy!"

"However..." Xia Chen scratched his head, "the prices will probably be ridiculously high, especially the jewelry, which is already rare."

Lin Yuan smiled and flipped his hand over.

A crystal core radiating a dazzling silver light appeared in his hand.

[Goblin King Crystal Core (Silver)]

[Uses: Core material for making silver-grade jewelry (rings/necklaces).]

……

P.S.: Please continue reading!