Chapter 46: Wolf Pattern Armor (Part 1)
In their letters, both Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan mentioned the same thing: they had recently moved to the Heavenly Sword Peak under the management of Sword Sovereign Guanghan and were living together with the inner disciples who practiced sword cultivation.
They needed to familiarize themselves with the environment, deal with various matters, and learn new sword techniques, so they hadn't attended classes in the Dharma Hall.
Now that everything was settled, they had arranged to meet at the Dharma Hall the next day.
After reading the letters, Jiang Yuebai carefully put them into her storage pouch.
In the small courtyard, Tao Fengnian placed a complete set of leather armor in front of Jiang Yuebai.
"It took a while, but I finally managed to finish this set of Wolf Pattern Armor for your birthday. Go try it on inside," he said.
Jiang Yuebai nodded and happily went back into her room to change.
A moment later, Jiang Yuebai emerged from her room wearing a black leather armor. It included arm guards, leg guards, and leather boots. On the chest, there was even an emblem of a dark-patterned wolf head, giving her a heroic appearance.
The leather armor was light and fit perfectly, just like her casual gray robes. It could change its size to match whatever she wore over it.
Jiang Yuebai took a few steps, feeling light as a swallow with a gentle breeze accompanying her. She then took out her long spear and demonstrated a set of movements, resembling a valiant young general.
"Grandfather, I love this set of Wolf Pattern Armor. You've done an amazing job," she exclaimed.
Tao Fengnian smiled and said, "I am getting old, if i wasn’t i would have managed to forge a Grade Eight Spiritual Armor. This one i refined is at the upper stage of Grade Nine. This armor is made from Ironback Wolf hide and Qingyan Monkey hide, both known for their strong defense. Even without infusing it with spiritual energy, it's hard for a Grade Nine magical weapon to harm you while wearing this."
"If you infuse it with spiritual energy to activate its defensive array, it can withstand Grade Eight magical weapon attacks for a while. The arm guards have an Earthshield Array, which can generate small shields, and the leg guards and boots have a Windburst Array to enhance agility."
Jiang Yuebai smiled, her eyes bright. "Grandfather, you're not old at all. You've crafted this Grade Eight Spiritual Armor, and it's far better than many Grade Nine magical weapons. But grandfather, I know you're a Spirit Farmer. Why did you choose to learn weapon forging instead of alchemy?"
Tao Fengnian explained, "Just because someone cultivates spirit herbs doesn't mean they have the talent for alchemy. My father was originally a blacksmith, and even though he didn't want me to work the forge and instead encouraged me to study, the family heritage made me enter the world of cultivation and learn weapon forging. You should familiarize yourself with the symbols and arrays on the Wolf Pattern Armor. I'll prepare our meal."
Jiang Yuebai nodded and activated the symbols and arrays on the armor one by one. When she summoned a shield the size of a washbasin on her forearm with a thought, it reminded her of Qingyan Monkey's innate ability.
Activating her Spirit Step, she felt the wind embrace her as she gracefully leaped onto the roof. She enjoyed herself in the bright moonlight.
"Come down for dinner, little rascal," Tao Fengnian called.
In a good mood, he took out a jug of spirit wine he had brewed himself. Jiang Yuebai was given a small cup as well.
When the clear spirit wine entered her stomach, it was like a fierce fire burning down her throat. She felt her dantian roaring to life, and the small amount of spiritual energy she had consumed earlier was quickly replenished.
"Grandfather, can this spirit wine quickly replenish spiritual energy?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Tao Fengnian nodded. "Yes, many cultivators carry a gourd of spirit wine with them when they go out for training or battles. It has great use during combat."
After enjoying their meal, Jiang Yuebai's cheeks were rosy, and her head felt slightly dizzy. She swayed, and a green light shot out from her forehead, forming a lantern-like object that swayed left and right as if intoxicated.
"What is this... a Ghost Lantern?" Tao Fengnian asked, puzzled.
The once broken Ghost Lantern had now fully restored itself. The wick was shining with a silvery light, and two balls of phosphorescence circled around it, making false attacking motions toward Tao Fengnian.
Jiang Yuebai explained, "I call it 'Little Green.' It's a Ghost Lantern but not an ordinary one. I'm not sure what it does yet..."
Jiang Yuebai had told Tao Fengnian about her experiences in Yin Wind Gorge.
Tao Fengnian attempted to investigate with his spiritual consciousness, but Little Green emitted a burst of silver light and consumed his spiritual consciousness. It caused an intense burning sensation in his mind, and his spiritual consciousness was entirely incinerated.
He pondered for a moment and then took out a small white bottle from his storage pouch, which contained several cloudy lights.
"These are residual souls I collected from the Qingyan Monkey's corpse while crafting the armor," Tao Fengnian said.
He uncorked the bottle, and the grayish lights floated out. Little Green eagerly devoured them, causing its wick to shine more brightly, and the two phosphorescent balls glowed with increased intensity.
"Ah?"
Jiang Yuebai furrowed her brows, and her consciousness delved into her sea of knowledge. She had been inscribing the Heavenly Array Stone these past few days, and the wheat seedlings beneath it had grown from three leaves to five leaves, while the snowflakes had remained at three.
Now, with Little Green absorbing the residual souls, a wisp of yellow energy suddenly emerged beneath the wheat seedlings, enveloping the roots like soil.
"Grandfather, my spiritual consciousness is growing. What's happening?" she asked.
Tao Fengnian understood and allowed Little Green to devour the remaining residual souls.
"You, my little girl, are truly blessed. This variation of the Ghost Lantern's phosphorescent fire can burn a cultivator's spiritual consciousness and nourish yours. It's a method from the ghost path, which can't be labeled as either righteous or evil. Many righteous path cultivators also nourish their spiritual consciousness by devouring the souls of beasts. Spiritual consciousness holds a special place in cultivation. It influences breakthroughs, spells, battles, alchemy, and array formations. However, aside from the ghost and demon paths, there are very few methods for cultivating spiritual consciousness in the human path."
They needed to familiarize themselves with the environment, deal with various matters, and learn new sword techniques, so they hadn't attended classes in the Dharma Hall.
Now that everything was settled, they had arranged to meet at the Dharma Hall the next day.
After reading the letters, Jiang Yuebai carefully put them into her storage pouch.
In the small courtyard, Tao Fengnian placed a complete set of leather armor in front of Jiang Yuebai.
"It took a while, but I finally managed to finish this set of Wolf Pattern Armor for your birthday. Go try it on inside," he said.
Jiang Yuebai nodded and happily went back into her room to change.
A moment later, Jiang Yuebai emerged from her room wearing a black leather armor. It included arm guards, leg guards, and leather boots. On the chest, there was even an emblem of a dark-patterned wolf head, giving her a heroic appearance.
The leather armor was light and fit perfectly, just like her casual gray robes. It could change its size to match whatever she wore over it.
Jiang Yuebai took a few steps, feeling light as a swallow with a gentle breeze accompanying her. She then took out her long spear and demonstrated a set of movements, resembling a valiant young general.
"Grandfather, I love this set of Wolf Pattern Armor. You've done an amazing job," she exclaimed.
Tao Fengnian smiled and said, "I am getting old, if i wasn’t i would have managed to forge a Grade Eight Spiritual Armor. This one i refined is at the upper stage of Grade Nine. This armor is made from Ironback Wolf hide and Qingyan Monkey hide, both known for their strong defense. Even without infusing it with spiritual energy, it's hard for a Grade Nine magical weapon to harm you while wearing this."
"If you infuse it with spiritual energy to activate its defensive array, it can withstand Grade Eight magical weapon attacks for a while. The arm guards have an Earthshield Array, which can generate small shields, and the leg guards and boots have a Windburst Array to enhance agility."
Jiang Yuebai smiled, her eyes bright. "Grandfather, you're not old at all. You've crafted this Grade Eight Spiritual Armor, and it's far better than many Grade Nine magical weapons. But grandfather, I know you're a Spirit Farmer. Why did you choose to learn weapon forging instead of alchemy?"
Tao Fengnian explained, "Just because someone cultivates spirit herbs doesn't mean they have the talent for alchemy. My father was originally a blacksmith, and even though he didn't want me to work the forge and instead encouraged me to study, the family heritage made me enter the world of cultivation and learn weapon forging. You should familiarize yourself with the symbols and arrays on the Wolf Pattern Armor. I'll prepare our meal."
Jiang Yuebai nodded and activated the symbols and arrays on the armor one by one. When she summoned a shield the size of a washbasin on her forearm with a thought, it reminded her of Qingyan Monkey's innate ability.
Activating her Spirit Step, she felt the wind embrace her as she gracefully leaped onto the roof. She enjoyed herself in the bright moonlight.
"Come down for dinner, little rascal," Tao Fengnian called.
In a good mood, he took out a jug of spirit wine he had brewed himself. Jiang Yuebai was given a small cup as well.
When the clear spirit wine entered her stomach, it was like a fierce fire burning down her throat. She felt her dantian roaring to life, and the small amount of spiritual energy she had consumed earlier was quickly replenished.
"Grandfather, can this spirit wine quickly replenish spiritual energy?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Tao Fengnian nodded. "Yes, many cultivators carry a gourd of spirit wine with them when they go out for training or battles. It has great use during combat."
After enjoying their meal, Jiang Yuebai's cheeks were rosy, and her head felt slightly dizzy. She swayed, and a green light shot out from her forehead, forming a lantern-like object that swayed left and right as if intoxicated.
"What is this... a Ghost Lantern?" Tao Fengnian asked, puzzled.
The once broken Ghost Lantern had now fully restored itself. The wick was shining with a silvery light, and two balls of phosphorescence circled around it, making false attacking motions toward Tao Fengnian.
Jiang Yuebai explained, "I call it 'Little Green.' It's a Ghost Lantern but not an ordinary one. I'm not sure what it does yet..."
Jiang Yuebai had told Tao Fengnian about her experiences in Yin Wind Gorge.
Tao Fengnian attempted to investigate with his spiritual consciousness, but Little Green emitted a burst of silver light and consumed his spiritual consciousness. It caused an intense burning sensation in his mind, and his spiritual consciousness was entirely incinerated.
He pondered for a moment and then took out a small white bottle from his storage pouch, which contained several cloudy lights.
"These are residual souls I collected from the Qingyan Monkey's corpse while crafting the armor," Tao Fengnian said.
He uncorked the bottle, and the grayish lights floated out. Little Green eagerly devoured them, causing its wick to shine more brightly, and the two phosphorescent balls glowed with increased intensity.
"Ah?"
Jiang Yuebai furrowed her brows, and her consciousness delved into her sea of knowledge. She had been inscribing the Heavenly Array Stone these past few days, and the wheat seedlings beneath it had grown from three leaves to five leaves, while the snowflakes had remained at three.
Now, with Little Green absorbing the residual souls, a wisp of yellow energy suddenly emerged beneath the wheat seedlings, enveloping the roots like soil.
"Grandfather, my spiritual consciousness is growing. What's happening?" she asked.
Tao Fengnian understood and allowed Little Green to devour the remaining residual souls.
"You, my little girl, are truly blessed. This variation of the Ghost Lantern's phosphorescent fire can burn a cultivator's spiritual consciousness and nourish yours. It's a method from the ghost path, which can't be labeled as either righteous or evil. Many righteous path cultivators also nourish their spiritual consciousness by devouring the souls of beasts. Spiritual consciousness holds a special place in cultivation. It influences breakthroughs, spells, battles, alchemy, and array formations. However, aside from the ghost and demon paths, there are very few methods for cultivating spiritual consciousness in the human path."
Cool!
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