My Beautiful Duchess Wife

The thought of a Demon Emperor-level expert immediately sparked a brilliant idea in Lin Peng's mind. Even Demon Emperor-level experts have their strengths and weaknesses, right? This kid must be in the capital doing something else. Why not just cause trouble? Surely that won't attract the attention of a Demon Emperor-level expert!

Thinking of this, he started chuckling eerily again... Little Dragon seemed to sense Lin Peng's thoughts as well, and also started chuckling...

Chapter Thirteen: Backdoor Access

The next day, Eileen's arrival immediately threw the hotel into a flurry of activity. First, the manager and a large group of staff stood guard outside; second, the lobby was completely deserted. All the travelers and businessmen were ushered back to their rooms.

The large contingent of imperial guards stood in two rows like javelins, a sight so grand that even the shopkeeper was somewhat surprised. At the very least, someone from the royal family had arrived.

But who exactly lives in my shop, that someone from the royal family would personally come to greet me? Could it be an elite figure from another country?

His face was somewhat aged, and he looked puzzled.

After Eileen got off the carriage, she didn't even bother with the shopkeeper and went straight to Lin Peng. However, she was somewhat surprised to see Xiao Long lying on the bed.

She knew Xiaolong's strength very well; for him to be this weak, and seemingly injured, how powerful must he be?

"It's poison!" Lin Peng sighed, somewhat helplessly. Beside him, Roland nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing. Little Dragon, however, seemed oblivious, continuing to eat his fruit as if it were none of his concern.

"Poison? What kind of poison would that be?" Eileen was a little stunned. The black dragon's magic resistance and poison resistance were well-known throughout the entire demon realm.

Let alone poison, even a master would find it difficult to poison a black dragon.

If it's a fairy dragon, then it's possible. After all, fairy dragons have the worst physiques among dragons. Furthermore, they seem to have strong resistance to magic, but not much resistance to poison.

Lin Peng took a deep breath and said, "Remember that kid in Darkmoon City who bullied Angelina? Perhaps he's the one who sent them. That Demon Emperor-level expert, although killed by Xiaolong, those black mists must have contained powerful poison. Otherwise, he would never have dared to do that! If Xiaolong hadn't been so robust, he would have been poisoned right then and there!"

Eileen nodded. Speaking of which, if the black dragon hadn't had such strong resistance to poison, it's possible that it would have succumbed to the poison halfway through the battle.

Fortunately, the poison was only triggered by killing that person directly. Otherwise, he would have been hunted down by that Demon Emperor-level being.

"Now?" Eileen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Come with me! Let's go to the inner city first and get your license. Put the matter of Little Dragon aside for now. Anyway, I haven't even told Father about this, so you can rest assured!"

A participation certificate is essential for all participants. Otherwise, they won't even be eligible to enter.

Of course, one must reach the level of a master. Otherwise, one can forget about obtaining such a qualification. Lin Peng is currently quite confident in this regard.

After telling Eileen to keep a low profile and not wanting others to see him, he pulled up his cloak and followed Eileen into the very luxurious carriage.

Actually, Lin Peng simply didn't want that kid from the Shadow Empire to see him. That way, at least he'd be in the shadows, making it easier to deal with the guy!

Moreover, even with that fiery chariot, Lin Peng had Eileen arrange for people to hide the carriage as well.

This hotel was actually quite close to the inner city. So, it didn't take long before they arrived at the Dark Sage Guild in the inner city. At this time, there were still quite a few people in the guild.

Many of them shocked Lin Peng.

It was like a bustling market, noisy and chaotic everywhere.

On one side, small groups of people stood whispering and chatting, occasionally letting out smug sounds. Meanwhile, on the other side, the crowd was even larger.

It seemed as if it was waiting for something.

"These past few days have been peak season for the Weapon Refiners' Association, with a lot of participants. However, there's still a selection process. That's why this situation has arisen!" Seeing Lin Peng's somewhat pale face, Eileen quickly explained. After all, Lin Peng is now a true key player.

Without him, it's really hard to say whether our side can take down the Dark Sword.

While Lin Peng's weapon-refining skills are still somewhat lacking compared to top-tier grandmasters, they're not far off. Having such a player compete seems like a sure thing.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Dark Sword will be in the hands of Shia, the older sister, this year.

Therefore, Eileen was quite nervous about this. After all, Lin Peng was used to being free, and seemed to have little interest in anything.

However, he is a rather sentimental person. It was precisely because of Lin Peng's sentimentality that he was able to stay in Darkmoon City. Moreover, he seems to have some feelings for Sister Shia.

Lin Peng nodded slightly, then found a seemingly aloof weapon refiner and lined up behind him. While bored, he seemed to start thinking about how to mess with that kid.

After thinking for more than ten minutes, he even let out a sinister laugh. The chuckles annoyed the people in front of him. Turning around, they thought the kid had lost his mind.

However, Lin Peng was now completely absorbed in the task. So much so that he didn't even know where Eileen had gone. A series of insidious plans began to form in his mind, as if he had been struck by some kind of inspiration. He was utterly engrossed.

So much so that the old man in black standing next to Lin Peng stared at him for a long time, but Lin Peng still didn't react at all. His eyes became somewhat vacant, and he just stood there grinning foolishly.

The old man shook his head and gently nudged him: "Young man, what are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed!"

"what?"

Lin Peng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. He scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. Looking down, he realized that he was now quite a distance away from the people in the last row.

"Well, I was thinking about a magic circle just now, so I got a little lost in thought!" Lin Peng casually made up a lie and laughed.

The old man didn't seem to mind, chuckled, and then suddenly began asking Lin Peng some questions. What he didn't ask made him incredibly excited, as if he'd stumbled upon something fascinating.

"When it comes to weapons, is it better to stack them up as many times as possible, or to stack them until they are complete?" The old man thought for a moment, then asked with a faint smile.

Lin Peng smirked. This question seemed far too simple. He chuckled and replied, "Actually, the issue isn't whether weapons can be stacked, but how many times you can stack them. Ordinary stacking, no matter how many times, is futile. If you can use the Thirty-Six Stacking Technique of Flames, your weapon can basically reach the Grandmaster level. However, the Thirty-Six Stacking Technique of Flames is extremely difficult; most people really don't know it!"

The old man raised an eyebrow, then suddenly patted Lin Peng on the shoulder and burst into laughter: "Not bad, young man, go inside and take the final exam. The others have already passed!"

With that, she shoved a sign into Lin Peng's hand. Then, she turned and left. Lin Peng was speechless. Using the back door? He looked around; it seemed Eileen really wasn't there.

So, this old man wasn't someone he called, was he?

It seems everything is ready. Once I pass that hands-on exam, I should be able to become a master-level weapon refiner.

Thinking of this, without considering anything else, he walked straight into a place marked "Laboratory." This should be the place; at least, he could still read some words related to the Demon Realm.

After Lin Peng went inside, Eileen and the old man appeared in the second-floor corridor. As the old man smiled at Lin Peng entering the laboratory, Eileen smiled faintly: "Lord Greenb, this weapon refiner should be alright, right?" Her eyes flickered, already knowing Greenb's assessment.

With a broad smile, he nodded and muttered to himself, "When I was this young, I didn't have such insight and strength. Hehe, perhaps I would have been a near-grandmaster!"

Greenbeard is the president of the Weapon Refiners' Guild. He's only one step away from becoming a Grandmaster. To receive such praise from him, there's absolutely no doubt about it.

What kind of talent does this Lin Peng possess? It seems there's nothing he can't do. Eileen pouted, looking thoughtful.

Chapter Fourteen: Quasi-Grandmaster Level

It was called a laboratory, but it really looked as small as a dungeon. The entire area was probably only twenty or thirty square meters. There were two people inside who looked like they were asleep. One was probably a demon who could be corrupted. The other definitely looked like a horned demon.

The horned demon was relatively young, and upon hearing the door open, he immediately opened his eyes. After glancing at Lin Peng with some confusion, he said, "Master, someone has come to advance in their cultivation level."

"What advancement? You can just watch it casually. Do I need to teach you?" the old man said impatiently, then settled into a more comfortable position and continued sleeping.

Lin Peng's forehead immediately broke out in a series of rashes. Was this guy really an examiner? Was that old man just trying to fool me?!

This laboratory, despite being fully equipped, is far too dilapidated!

The horned demon seemed somewhat embarrassed. After a smile, he began preparing the materials. He then asked Lin Peng for a token, explaining that only by passing the preceding written tests could one truly enter the testing area.

Lin Peng nodded and handed the token the old man had given him directly to the horned demon. However, after the horned demon took the token, it was as excited as if it had seen something extraordinary.

With trembling hands, he forcefully slapped his unruly master.

The unruly master immediately flew into a rage. He slapped the horned demon's head hard: "It's just a branch leader's direct subordinate badge, what are you so surprised about? I'm a grandmaster too, and you don't treat me like this every day!"

The horned demon was taken aback for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

However, Lin Peng was somewhat surprised. That seemingly unapproachable demon was actually the president of the Refiner's Guild.

As a branch leader of the Dark Sage Guild, he actually looks like a wretched old man. His clothes aren't very presentable, and he doesn't have much of an imposing presence.

Lin Peng, speechless, twitched his lips and chuckled, "I'm here to advance to the Master level, so please be serious, teacher!"

Lin Peng was quite polite, at least. The somewhat slovenly old man nodded slightly, then ordered the horned demon to prepare the materials immediately.

Since it's a master-level advancement, it's necessary to personally oversee and watch.

After preparing all the materials, Lin Peng immediately chose to forge a magic longsword. Basically, for some master-level experts, adding around 10% enchantment is considered quite good.

Of course, with Lin Peng's abilities, it would be quite easy and enjoyable.

He casually began listing out the materials one by one. Then, it seemed the horned demon added real charcoal to the nearby stove.

Lin Peng glanced at it casually, chuckled, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the furnace spewed flames, which shot up with a whoosh. The blazing flames didn't injure the horned demon, though its face turned ashen!

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Young man, you have quite the talent. At least in your mastery of fire, you're almost on par with a grandmaster!"

Basically, weapon refiners are all masters of fire attribute. However, it's not their inherent fire attribute, but rather their understanding of fire. Therefore, this move allowed the slovenly grandmaster to understand Lin Peng's attribute.

Frankly speaking, among weapon refiners, very few are actually fire-attribute demons. They simply don't have the time to be a weapon refiner.

After all, fire is an extremely powerful offensive attribute. Generally speaking, apart from lightning and similar elements, there are very few things that can counter fire.

Either your water attribute is incredibly powerful, or you're no match for the fire attribute.

Because once your water is released, it evaporates immediately. This essentially means it's being suppressed.

Lin Peng smiled faintly, then began to melt the materials. Lin Peng's fire was much hotter than ordinary flames. He simply placed his hand lightly on the furnace, and instantly, the flames burst forth, raising the furnace temperature several times over in an instant.

The materials slowly melted into a pile of molten iron, visible to the naked eye. Finally, as it solidified, Lin Peng frowned. This was perhaps a habit; in the Abyss, he always forged iron with absolute seriousness.

Once the outline of a longsword was complete, Lin Peng rolled up his sleeves, and the hammer in his hand burst into countless flames. Generally speaking, this kind of hammer could also be considered a magical weapon.

In Lin Peng's hands, he performed even better. The hammer, which was only slightly warm, burst into flames as soon as he held it, striking repeatedly in a rhythmic pattern.

It seemed that with each strike, there was always an aftershock in some spot. And the sword blank, under these repeated blows, slowly took shape.

As Lin Peng struck, the slovenly grandmaster began to frown seriously. He hadn't expected Lin Peng to know the technique of layering flames.

Such striking techniques can definitely enhance one's fire power. At the same time, it also improves control over the flames. However, most fire-attribute masters are unaware of this.

After Lin Peng finished forging the longsword, he gently put the hammer down, took a deep breath, and then slid his hands together continuously. Each time, tiny flames appeared at his fingertips.

However, this small flame was actually inscribing some kind of magic circle. At this moment, the slovenly grandmaster looked at it even more carefully.

Although Lin Peng's hands seemed somewhat clumsy when inscribing magic circles, the layering technique he used earlier, even with a regular magic circle, could definitely produce a magic longsword at least at the quasi-grandmaster level.

After completing the magic longsword, Lin Peng let out a long sigh and chuckled, "Hmm, it's passable! A 15% increase in fire magic damage. Hehe, and there's also a fire magic circle. It should be able to absorb the power of the flames when wielded. This… um… teacher, is this magic longsword up to standard?"

At this moment, the slovenly grandmaster finally reacted. He smiled slightly and nodded: "Not bad, you passed. Hehe... I didn't expect you to already be a near-grandmaster level expert. Could it be that the branch president is your master!"

Even at this moment, the disheveled old man seemed somewhat surprised. After all, Lin Peng's age and strength made him the greatest genius in the past thousand years when it came to weapon refiners.

It couldn't help but make him a little jealous, after all, he didn't have such strength when he was young.

Lin Peng shook his head slightly and smiled, "Well, he's not my teacher. But I was in line just now when he suddenly came over and asked me a question. After I answered it, he gave me this badge!"

The slovenly grandmaster smiled and nodded, seemingly pleased that Lin Peng wasn't the branch leader's disciple. Of course, he had no intention of taking Lin Peng as a disciple if necessary.

Such talent, and she's already reached the level of a near-Grandmaster. She must be a disciple of a rather powerful old master!