Chapter 8: Armed
Chapter 8: Armed
Yan Zhao’s voice was like thunder in Li Yi’s ears, making him freeze for a moment.
“Dao Transformation Armament is different from ordinary equipment. It uses a person as its vessel, connected by blood and linked with the soul,” Zhangsun Shenji explained bit by bit. “With ordinary equipment, even using a Sword Saint’s ‘Heart and Sword as One’ or an Archmage’s ‘Conscious Connection,’ mental control is still needed, which is slow by a few beats. But with Dao Transformation Armament, it’s truly like using your own arm, with perfect Spiritual Resonance. You must understand, for powerful individuals, the difference of one breath can mean life or death!”
“Oh…”
Li Yi’s eyes sharpened slightly as he continued to listen.
He was clear that Dao Transformation Armament being held in such high regard definitely wasn’t just for this one benefit.
“Also, Dao Transformation Armament has the property of growth. It rises alongside the host’s physical strengthening and soul transformation, like water rising with the tide. Magical artifacts, even Heaven’s Retribution-level artifacts, unless they are among the rare few with a Magical Soul, do not have this growth property.”
“Growth property?”
A thought stirred in Li Yi’s mind. He wondered if his own Heavenly Prophecy Ring had a growth property.
Did absorbing Magic Crystals count as feeding it?
“Finally, and actually, the most important point. Most Dao Transformation Armaments are custom-made!”
“Custom-made?” Li Yi frowned slightly, showing confusion.
“Do you know of the ‘Lionheart’ Li Clan?”
“Of course!” Li Yi answered without hesitation.
The Li Clan, as one of the top four surnames among the Hundred Family Names, had many branches. Just among the noble families, there was the “Cold Crow” Li Clan from Li Guang’s line, the “Lionheart” Li Clan from Li Yuan’s line, and others, all colossal entities not inferior to the Zhangsun Clan.
“The Lionheart Bloodline is famous for its fierce bravery and valor, possessing Bloodline Abilities like ‘Fight to the Death,’ ‘Blood Bath,’ and ‘Valor.’ They could be called kings of war! And in history, there was once a set of Dao Transformation Armament crafted specifically for its clansmen, called the ‘Heart of Extreme Cold.'”
“Heart of Extreme Cold?” Li Yi slowly uttered these four words, actually feeling a sense of icy, killing frost, as if about to burst forth.
“The ‘Heart of Extreme Cold’ was covered with three abilities: ‘Steel Rampart,’ ‘Frozen Mind,’ and ‘Blood Sacrifice.’ Combined with the Lionheart Bloodline, it was a perfect match. Together, they were practically a meat grinder on the battlefield, shocking heaven and earth!”
Hearing this, Yan Zhao’s eyes shone with admiration. He waved his fist, filled with heroic spirit. “That man was not a Heaven-Mandated Powerhouse, yet he earned a title that only peerless powerhouses like Xiang Yu and Lü Bu had obtained—’Army Breaker’! It’s a pity I’m a Mage, otherwise…”
“However, Dao Transformation Armament also has very obvious flaws…” Zhangsun Shenji shook his head gently. “The biggest flaw is that once the wielder dies, the Dao Transformation Armament will also decay into dust. It’s for this reason that set of ‘Heart of Extreme Cold’ never reappeared in the historical records.”
Speaking here, Zhangsun Shenji sighed with emotion.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t Armament Masters be in high demand?” After this explanation, the questions in Li Yi’s mind actually grew heavier. “Then how could a cushy job like an assistant fall to Outer Academy disciples?”
“You think it’s just an assistant?” Yan Zhao laughed heartily. “Assistant is just a pretense. In reality, it’s being a personal disciple!”
“Although Master Wu Yi is still vigorous in spirit, he is after all ninety years old,” Zhangsun Shenji explained. “The legacy of the Armament Master urgently needs someone to take over. According to information, Master Wu Yi has more than twenty assistants, but so far, only three have shown talent and been accepted as personal disciples. Moreover, even with talent, realizing it is not easy.”
“This is our chance.” Yan Zhao gave both their shoulders a heavy pat, making their shoulders ache.
“Armament Master?” A faint thrill stirred in Li Yi’s heart.
…
At noon, a crowd of people stood gathered, all Outer Manor Disciples.
Everyone held their heads high, eager and ready, their fists clenching and unclenching from time to time, their eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.
They all knew that this day might become a turning point in their destinies.
At the very front stood a woman, graceful and alluring in figure, especially her upper body, with curves that could be described as majestic hills and peaks.
The leader was actually Gu Yanran?
As the old saying goes, enemies are bound to meet.
Li Yi lowered his head slightly. At times like this, it was wise to keep a low profile.
“The Butian Pavilion is one of the academy’s thirteen restricted zones. Even the Manor Lord cannot enter or leave freely.”
“Therefore, before entering, I must first lay down three rules.”
“First, no loud noise or commotion.”
“Second, no wandering around without permission.”
“Third, within the Butian Pavilion, you must not touch any items.”
“Violating any of these rules, regardless of reason, will result in immediate expulsion!”
Gu Yanran’s voice was still as pleasant as an oriole’s, yet also remained cold and sharp, keeping people at a distance.
“Especially for some who like to show off for attention, please control your hands and your mouth.”
When she said this, her gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally to a certain spot in the crowd.
This woman’s mind and her… assets don’t seem proportional… Don’t they say the more vicious, the more capacious?
Li Yi knew he was exposed. Helpless, he let out a light sigh.
Yan Zhao, caught in the crossfire, looked shocked and said in a low voice, “You… you actually know Gu Yanran? You little punk, hiding it deep… Confess, when did you meet? And what terrible, heaven-defying thing did you do?”
“It was… a stormy night…” Li Yi pretended to be profound, hesitating to speak further. “Ah, the past is too painful to recall.”
Looking at the two joking around, Zhangsun Shenji’s expression was completely one of utter despair.
…
Butian Pavilion.
Viewed from outside, the entire Butian Pavilion was only about the size of an Alchemy Workshop, not even on the same scale as the Molten Ravine.
But upon entering, one discovered that inside, it was like a mustard seed containing a universe!
Passing through the cliff-top gate and emerging into an open space, an impossibly deep and shadowy canyon appeared before their eyes.
It was no longer daytime inside, but night. A crescent moon hung high, stars twinkled faintly, and the play of light and shadows was mysterious and dazzling!
“Is this… a Demiplane?” Zhangsun Shenji’s eyes widened. Then, thoughtfully, he said, “As expected of an Armament Master. Too rich…”
Following the winding cobblestone path, rooms with different functions like the Alchemy Room, Rune-Drawing Room, Tuning Room, and Demon-Sealing Room were clearly arranged, a dazzling array.
In each room, they could see youths working hard and diligently, sweating profusely.
On the workbenches, among countless intricate and mysterious patterns, magical light occasionally flowed, sparks flew, dazzling the eyes.
A handsome Mage led the way ahead, talking animatedly and being excessively attentive.
His explanations weren’t particularly in-depth or simple, but he often “accidentally” let slip that he was Wu Yi’s first disciple and the most likely to inherit his legacy.
Li Yi found it annoying and dug at his ear.
He glanced at the charmingly smiling Gu Yanran and clearly understood the calculations of this young Mage named Yan He.
A huge crystal corridor came into view.
Looking closer, in the center of the corridor was a circular black Martial Arts Platform, surrounded by Defensive Arrays with shifting faint glows.
“This is the testing chamber. Its main function is to test the effects of Dao Transformation Armament…”
Clang!
A clash of metal, like thunder from a clear sky, interrupted Yan He’s voice.
Following the sound, in the center of the area, two bare-chested men had turned into two eerie streaks of lightning, trading sword blows!
Their blades collided. Amidst the deafening metallic clangs, waves of energy rippled out. Scattered Battle Aura whipped the walls like invisible giant lashes!
The Defensive Arrays flickered incessantly. Li Yi and the others could feel violent tremors under their feet.
The ground beneath the two fighters was repeatedly torn with crisscrossing trenches, a mess.
The two men were locked in a standoff again. Immense Battle Aura surged around them, two towering pillars—one crimson-black, one azure-gold—roaring continuously, shaking the earth!
“These are… two Sword Chants?”
Gu Yanran looked astonished and couldn’t help asking.
“Correct. One is Yang Zhan, who cultivates the ‘Mystical Armor Art.’ The other is Bai Feng, who practices ‘Stars Fall Across the Heavens.’ Both were hired at great expense by Master Wu Yi,” the young Mage said with a faint smile. “Not only that, if the experiment succeeds, both of them will receive this set of Dao Transformation Armament.”
“A new set of Dao Transformation Armament? What are its attributes and effects?” Gu Yanran’s eyes lit up with professional interest, but she quickly realized she had spoken out of turn and showed an apologetic expression. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be asking about confidential matters.”