Chapter 394 - 362: Great Accomplishment Level Rock Armor Skill
Chapter 394: Chapter 362: Great Accomplishment Level Rock Armor Skill
Songyu Peak, the mountain marketplace.
"Welcome, Immortal Master. What can I get for you?"
Zhao Lin walked into a shop selling medicinal pills, and a mortal clerk enthusiastically came forward to greet him.
"Two bottles of Jade Marrow Liquid."
Zhao Lin said crisply, handing the other party a "merit voucher."
Precious medicinal pills required Merit to purchase, but it was too troublesome to go to the Merit Hall to make an exchange every time. Thus, a type of voucher stamped with the seal of the Merit Hall came into being.
Cultivators could exchange fifty or a hundred Merit points at once, and the Merit Hall would issue a voucher for the corresponding amount. The individual could then use this voucher to purchase pills, saving them the trouble of running back and forth.
"Right away. That will be six Merit and six Spirit Stones in total."
The clerk respectfully took the merit voucher, crossed off six Merit, and then stamped it with the shop’s seal.
"Please wrap it up."
"Of course. Please wait a moment, Immortal Master."
The clerk turned and retrieved a small, exquisite brocade box, placing the two bottles of Jade Marrow Liquid inside.
Zhao Lin paid another sixty Yuan Spirit Coins and left the shop carrying the brocade box.
Before long, he arrived at the back of Wendao Peak.
The back mountain was where the disciples of the Spirit Dao Institute resided. Ordinary disciples lived on the slopes near the foot of the mountain, while deacons, managing disciples, and teaching disciples lived on the mountainside.
Zhao Lin walked up to a residence encircled by green trees and glanced at the stone plaque by the gate. He muttered to himself, "Yellow Five. Brother Yan should be living here."
He stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Brother Yan, are you there?"
CREAK...
The residence gate opened, and a handsome boy in his teens walked out.
"And you are?"
The boy sized Zhao Lin up and asked.
"I am a disciple of the Spirit Dao Institute. I’m here to see Brother Yan Yuan."
Seeing that the other was a mortal, Zhao Lin guessed he might be Yan Yuan’s family member and spoke politely.
"Oh, wait a moment."
The boy turned and ran off. Soon, a shout came from the courtyard: "Brother, someone from the Spirit Dao Institute is here to see you."
Before long, the sound of footsteps echoed, and Yan Yuan walked out quickly. Seeing Zhao Lin, he asked in surprise, "Junior Brother Zhao, what brings you here?"
Zhao Lin offered the brocade box with a smile. "I heard that Brother Yan’s Rock Armor Skill has reached Major Achievement, so I’ve come to offer my congratulations."
The effect of Jade Marrow Liquid was equivalent to that of baijiu from his previous life; it was an icebreaker to bring the two closer.
Yan Yuan hadn’t expected Zhao Lin to bring him a gift. He was stunned for a moment. "What’s in the box?"
Zhao Lin smiled. "Just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Brother."
"Junior Brother Zhao, you’re too kind. Just coming to visit is enough. Why bring a gift?"
Yan Yuan opened the box. Upon seeing the Jade Marrow Liquid inside, he fell silent for a moment. "Junior Brother Zhao, I appreciate the thought, but you’re still a disciple of the Spirit Dao Institute. It’s not easy to accumulate Merit."
"This Jade Marrow Liquid... I can’t accept it."
Merit was a personal secret. In the commandery, only Steward Hu and Elder Wu of the Merit Hall knew the amount of Merit Zhao Lin had.
Zhao Lin pushed the brocade box back. "Rest assured, Brother. I went out on a sect mission half a year ago and earned a lot of Merit. I still have plenty on hand."
"Besides, I’ve already taken a Jade Marrow Pill this year, so the Jade Marrow Liquid is useless to me."
His expression then turned serious. "The only reason my Rock Armor Skill could reach Minor Achievement was thanks to your guidance, Brother. I should have come to thank you sooner. When I heard your Rock Armor Skill had broken through to Major Achievement, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate."
"Ah, well, in that case, I won’t be polite!"
Yan Yuan accepted the brocade box and chuckled, "Look at me, I completely forgot my manners, leaving you standing outside. Quick, come in!"
The two entered the living room and took their seats.
"Please have some tea."
The boy who had opened the door earlier served two cups of Spirit Tea.
Zhao Lin glanced at the boy, noticing his slender build. His appearance was also quite different from Yan Yuan’s. He wondered what their relationship was.
"He’s my half-brother."
Yan Yuan noticed Zhao Lin’s glance and took the initiative to explain, "My father passed away when I was ten. My mother remarried and had another son with my stepfather."
"After cultivating in the sect for a few years, I saved up enough Merit to bring my mother, stepfather, and this younger brother to the commandery."
A thought struck Zhao Lin, and he asked, "Brother, how much Merit did it take to bring your family to the commandery?"
The Chenghua Sect allowed cultivators to bring their families into the sect, but they were usually settled in areas with unranked Spirit Veins.
If one wanted their relatives to live in a prefecture rich with Spiritual Qi, they had to exchange Merit for it.
"Not too much. One hundred Merit per person."
Yan Yuan smiled and asked in return, "Why? Are you thinking of bringing your family over too, Junior Brother?"
Zhao Lin nodded. "I have that in mind."
Yan Yuan took a sip of Spirit Tea and said with some emotion, "You know, I’ve guided quite a few disciples, but you’re the first one to come and thank me personally."
"In the future, if you have any questions about Earth Element Magic, feel free to come and find me."
Since the other party had opened the door, Zhao Lin certainly wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. He went with the flow and said, "If I may ask, Brother, how much stronger is the Major Achievement level of the Rock Armor Skill compared to the Proficient level? And in what ways?"
Yan Yuan laughed heartily. "It’s hard to explain in words. I’ll just demonstrate it for you. There isn’t enough space to practice here. Come, let’s go outside."
"Thank you, Brother. It’ll be a real eye-opener."
Zhao Lin stood up, cupped his fists, and followed him into the courtyard.
"Watch closely! Rock Armor Skill!"
Yan Yuan formed a spell with his hands, and a yellow halo appeared around his body.
The halo surged up and down, quickly transforming into a thick layer of rock armor.
The rock armor was divided into two layers, inner and outer, covered with ridges and protrusions that crisscrossed each other. At first glance, it resembled the overlapping shell of an alligator snapping turtle.
It was brownish and translucent, covered with many diagonal stripes, and possessed a texture as hard as corundum.
Yan Yuan walked a circle around Zhao Lin, the rock armor moving with him the entire time.
"So? What do you think of these changes?"
"It’s incredible!"
Zhao Lin praised sincerely. Before the Rock Armor Skill reached Major Achievement, one could only cast it while standing still. Now, it could finally be moved around freely like a Spiritual Energy Shield.
"Use your Ice Blade Skill. Try attacking my armor."
Yan Yuan took a few steps back and beckoned to Zhao Lin.
"Alright."
Zhao Lin also wanted to see the defensive capabilities of the Rock Armor Skill, so he waved his hand, released an ice blade, and sent it straight toward the armor.
BANG!
The ice blade struck the rock armor. The armor didn’t move an inch, but a crack appeared on the ice blade instead.
CRACK!
Before Zhao Lin could retract the ice blade, the double-layered rock armor suddenly clamped down, shattering it to pieces.
"How about that?"
Yan Yuan asked smugly.
"Truly amazing!"
Zhao Lin walked closer delightedly and touched the hard armor, thinking, ’Pure defense is always passive. With this double-layered overlapping armor, I can clamp down on an opponent’s magic and treasures, turning defense into offense.’
"If Brother Yan cultivates for a few more years, the Perfection level will be within reach!"
Yan Yuan was still clear-headed and quickly waved his hand. "Going from Major Achievement to Perfection is even harder than going from the beginning to Major Achievement. But I’ll take your auspicious words, Junior Brother. I hope I can achieve it in my lifetime."
"Brother Yan will definitely succeed..."
By the time Zhao Lin walked out of the residence, the first square on the Spirit Cultivation Map had already changed. The plum blossom next to the Rock Armor Skill had gone from four petals to five.