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

"We were originally stuck on the issue of the core power source."

"Ordinary magic cores simply cannot withstand the infusion of that kind of law."

Gu Zhi pointed to the heart in Lin Yuan's hand: "Perfect timing! You've come at just the right time!"

"This [Undead Lord's Core] is the perfect piece of my equipment set!"

Speaking of it.

Koji suddenly calmed down.

He looked at Lin Yuan, a sly glint in his sharp eyes: "Kid, how about we make a deal?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan frowned slightly.

He instinctively pulled the heart closer to his chest, looking at the strange old man with a wary expression.

"trade?"

"Master Gu, please tell us first."

"As long as you don't try to take my heart, everything else is negotiable. Your so-called research looks like it's likely to fail."

"What are you saying?!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhi instantly flew into a rage.

He puffed out his beard and glared, pounding the ground with his large iron hammer.

"Kid! Do you even know the true value of the title 'Master Craftsman'?!"

"I am one of the only three master craftsmen in China, a national treasure who enjoys the highest government allowance!"

"Moreover, what I'm best at handling are these kinds of underworld materials that carry the aura of death!"

"How dare you question my professionalism?!"

Lin Yuan remained unmoved and calmly retorted:

"Since you're so amazing, Master Gu, you could have the academy or the country collect these materials for you."

"The Abyss Battlefield is so vast, countless monsters die every day. While this kind of Necromancer's Heart is rare, it shouldn't be something you're craving this much, right?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhi's momentum instantly deflated.

He tossed the hammer aside, sighed, and looked utterly helpless and weary: "Sigh, did you think I didn't issue a bounty?"

"You can log in to your wristband and check. In the top task bar of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, all the bounties I posted are for purchasing high-quality necromancer cores."

Koji pointed to a pile of foul-smelling discarded materials in the corner and said, "But what kind of junk did they bring over?"

"Either the quality is too low, with too many impurities; or the mining methods are too crude, with a serious aura of death leaking out—they're simply substandard products!"

"Top-grade Necromancer's Hearts that I find worthy of my attention are extremely rare!"

At this point, Gu Zhi's eyes burned with fervor again, his gaze fixed intently on the heart in Lin Yuan's hand:

"But yours is different!"

"It's fresh out of the oven! Vibrant! It even retains the indomitable will of the Undead Lord from his lifetime!"

"If it's just like you said before, to make a simple core nesting for ordinary equipment, then any master blacksmith can do it."

"Using this heart for such a low-level enchantment is a complete waste!!"

Koji took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely serious:

"The core of the equipment I'm researching isn't just 'immortality' and 'self-repair'."

"More importantly, it has growth potential!"

"It should be able to grow stronger as the user becomes stronger, breaking through the limitations of different levels!"

"This groundbreaking concept places extremely stringent requirements on the core materials!"

"Kid, you need to understand."

"Level-less growth-type equipment is already a rare and highly sought-after artifact. In our China, the number of people who possess such equipment is extremely small!"

"And I, this old man, have even greater ambitions!"

"I want to create a complete set of immortal armor! Including the main weapon, armor, and even accessories!"

"Do you know how much effort and top-quality materials this research required?"

Lin Yuan:

After listening to this long speech, Lin Yuan fell silent.

Although he didn't understand forging, he knew what "growth-type equipment" meant.

That's a true divine artifact in the making!

But he still hesitated: "Master Gu, I understand the principles."

"But you can't gamble with my things."

"You said it yourself, this research is very difficult. What if you ruin it for me? Who am I supposed to complain to?"

Koji:

Koji took a deep breath and said seriously:

"Don't worry, it won't be scrapped. To be honest, I recently made a breakthrough."

"It's unrealistic for me to create a complete set of non-level-restricted gear right now; I don't have enough materials."

"But if I just focus my energy on making just one of the components, I'm 90% confident!"

"Kid, let's make a deal."

"You provide this material to me for my experiments free of charge."

"If I succeed, I'll give you that level-less equipment I create, free of charge!"

"And, didn't you just say that you most wanted a pair of leg armor with a 'self-healing' function?"

"How about we make leg nails?!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's mind raced with calculations.

This deal doesn't seem like a bad one.

If Gu Zhi succeeds, he will get a legendary equipment with no level restrictions and automatic evolution for free!

This kind of thing is not sold on the market at all; it's priceless!

Even if we fail

Well, it really hurts to fail.

However, it would be a waste to use such top-quality materials only for nesting the current leg armor.

At this moment, Gu Zhi did not disturb Lin Yuan's thoughts, but waited quietly, his palms sweating profusely.

After a while.

Lin Yuan raised his head, his gaze hardening:

"Can."

"but!"

Lin Yuan changed the subject: "I have one more condition."

"Speak! As long as it's something related to forging, this old man is capable of anything!"

Lin Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and directly took out the Myriad Devouring Ant Emperor Set and placed it on the table.

"Since I'm going to help you with the experiment, you're responsible for this equipment I'm wearing."

"You need to repair this equipment for me first, and find a way to improve its durability."

"Ideally, it should be extremely durable."

Koji's previously smug expression froze instantly when he looked at the pile of "junk" in front of him.

He stepped forward, picked up a piece of the completely deformed breastplate, and frowned: "A pseudo-gold-grade set? And it even has equipment effects?"

Gu Zhi became increasingly alarmed as he looked at it.

This equipment was originally of excellent quality; it was absolutely the best of the best.

But now, it's as if it's been ground in a meat grinder a hundred times, and its internal magical circuits are almost completely broken.

Gu Zhi looked up at Lin Yuan with a suspicious expression: "How many dungeons did you run to get your equipment this badly damaged?"

Lin Yuan honestly replied, "Just once, just one dungeon run, and this is how it turned out."

"impossible!!"

Gu Zhi jumped up immediately: "Don't try to fool me! I still have some sense!"