SFS Chapter 20 Top-Grade Magical Artifacts
Chapter 20 Top-Grade Magical Artifacts
Zhang Lin sheathed his short sword, took off the blue scale armor from his body, and spread it out in front of him.
The dark blue armor gleamed with an eerie light under the candlelight, and fine scales were faintly visible on its surface—the skin patterns of the Azure Scale Python, each scale containing a natural defensive power.
However, the scratch in the center of the armor is still clearly visible.
Those were marks left by his wind blades. Although they didn't damage the core, they did reduce some of the defense.
"Azure Scale Armor, a mid-grade magic weapon," Zhang Lin murmured the words on the system screen.
"Can be enhanced. Consumes 500 low-grade spirit stones. Enhancement effect: Top-grade magic weapon, can withstand a full-force attack from a top-grade magic weapon, and greatly reduces elemental spell damage."
Five hundred pieces.
Without hesitation, Zhang Lin placed the spirit stones in front of him. The milky white spiritual light connected in the dim room, like a small galaxy falling onto the bed.
"Strengthen the Azure Scale Armor".
The system light screen flickered slightly.
"Consuming 500 low-grade spirit stones, the quality of the Azure Scale Armor is being upgraded - acquiring fixed traits."
Before he finished speaking, a powerful force surged out from the armor.
The spiritual light transformed from five hundred spirit stones flowed into the azure scale armor like rivers flowing into the sea. The dark azure armor trembled violently, emitting a deep hum, as if a long-dormant ancient beast had been awakened.
The scale pattern begins to change.
The originally fine scales became larger, thicker, and denser, layered upon layered, arranged like dragon scales.
Every line became clear and deep, with a faint spiritual light flowing within them, like tiny spiritual veins spreading across the surface of the armor.
The color changed from dark blue to deep blue, and then gradually revealed a faint golden luster, like a thin layer of gold plated on bronze, simple and heavy.
The form of the armor is also changing.
The blue scale armor, which originally could only protect the chest, back and ribs, extended on its own during the strengthening process.
It develops shoulder armor, arm armor, and hem armor, extending protection to the shoulders, upper arms, waist, and abdomen.
The shoulder armor faintly displays the pattern of a python's head, and the eyes are inlaid with two unknown dark green gemstones that gleam faintly in the candlelight.
The gaps between the armor plates were filled with finer scales, making the entire suit of armor seamless and virtually impossible to find any blind spots in its defense.
The whole process lasted about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
When the tremors stopped and the spiritual light subsided, a brand new suit of armor appeared before Zhang Lin.
The deep blue armor body gleamed with a faint golden light, covered with dense scales, and its spiritual light was restrained. It looked ancient and heavy, unlike the flashy and ostentatious mid-grade magic weapon, but had a weighty texture.
"Azure Scale Armor: A top-grade magic weapon with significantly improved material and doubled defense. It can withstand a full-force attack from a top-grade magic weapon and greatly reduce elemental spell damage."
"A new feature for superior magical artifacts has been added: the artifacts have an automatic repair function that can slowly restore minor damage."
"Special Feature of Top-Grade Magic Weapon: Scale Armor Reflection, which can reflect a portion of the force of an attack back to the attacker."
Top-grade magical artifact.
Zhang Lin took a deep breath and reached out to touch the surface of the armor.
It feels warm and smooth to the touch, like touching warm jade, no longer the cold and smooth feeling it had before.
The scales are slightly raised, and you can feel the fine lines when you run your fingertips over them, as if you are touching some kind of ancient rune.
He picked up the iron sword and lightly ran the tip across his armor.
The sword tip touched the armor, but a gentle force deflected it, leaving only a faint white mark on the armor, which disappeared in an instant, restoring it to its original state.
Automatic repair.
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Zhang Lin's eyes.
He put the Azure Scale Armor back on, adjusting the buckles to make it fit his body perfectly.
The armor was a few pounds heavier than before, but it did not affect his movements.
Although the material of the top-grade magic weapon is heavy, it has a unique sense of lightness, as if the armor has become one with the body, and there is no sluggishness in movement.
The python head pattern on the shoulder armor sits perfectly on the shoulder, not hindering movement, but providing extra protection when necessary.
The arm guards extend from the shoulder to the elbow, protecting the outer side of the upper arm, which is the most vulnerable spot in combat.
Zhang Lin stretched his limbs, practiced a set of punches, and only sat down again after confirming that he felt no discomfort.
Five hundred spirit stones can be exchanged for a top-grade magic weapon.
This deal is a good one.
But Zhang Lin did not bask in his joy.
While top-grade magical artifacts are excellent, they have a fatal flaw: the amount of true energy required to activate them far exceeds that of mid-grade magical artifacts.
A cultivator in the Qi Refining stage has a limited dantian capacity, and the total amount of true qi is only so much.
The only consolation is that the Azure Scale Armor is a passive-type top-grade magic weapon; it only consumes the true energy within the body when attacked.
Zhang Lin closed his eyes and focused his inner energy on his dantian.
The true qi mist in his dantian was as dense as a sea of clouds, even denser than when he broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
But how long can this cloud of mist sustain a top-grade magical artifact?
He silently made some calculations.
With his current total amount of true qi, he could only withstand a full-force attack from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
However, in a true battle of wits, life and death are often decided in just a few breaths.
Moreover, it won't just attack the body; the head and other vital organs remain fatal, which only increases the margin for error.
Zhang Lin put on the Azure Scale Armor, then covered it with the black brocade robe, and finally tied on the jade belt.
The brocade robe and jade belt are both low-grade magic artifacts. Although they are not as strong as the Azure Scale Armor in terms of defense, they can provide additional protection and will not reveal the existence of the Azure Scale Armor.
In the battles of the Xuanmen (mystical sects), the most important thing is concealment.
Conceal your strength, conceal your trump cards, conceal your murderous intent.
Find the right moment, then bare your fangs and deliver a fatal blow.
Zhang Lin stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.
The moonlight outside shone down, making the bluestone ground in the courtyard look as if it were covered with a layer of silver frost.
A few distant barks could be heard, sounding particularly clear in the quiet night.
------
The next morning, as dawn broke.
Zhang Lin opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and reserved.
He stood up, slung the iron sword over his back, and hid the short knife in his sleeve.
Every magical artifact on his body, inside and out, was meticulously arranged.
He pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.
The morning air was crisp and clear, carrying the scent of earth and vegetation.
A few early-rising sparrows were chirping and scrambling for something on the eaves.
Zhang Lin took a deep breath, stretched his muscles and bones, and then practiced a set of boxing moves in the courtyard.
It wasn't a cultivator's technique, but rather a set of mortal martial arts that the original owner had practiced from his memories. The moves were simple, but they were quite effective at stretching muscles and bones.
His enhanced physique imbued every movement with power, and the air whistled as his punches passed by.
After finishing his set of punches, Zhang Lin stopped, went to the front of the room, ordered a bowl of white porridge, two steamed buns, and a plate of pickled vegetables, and sat in a corner to eat slowly.
He ate very slowly, one bite at a time, as if he were savoring something.
But he was waiting.
Waiting for the Black Wind Society's reaction.
Liu San did not return to report last night, so Master Xiong must already know that something has happened.
The answer will be revealed by tomorrow at the latest.