A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Testing the Shield

Early the next morning, Lü Zhong prepared to set up his stall.

He’d had quite a scare last night. If he hadn’t bought those Warning Fireworks, which attracted the Law Enforcement Team and scared Mo the Third and his men away, he likely would have had to face a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator head-on.

’I consider my strength to be on the high end for a Loose Cultivator,’ Lü Zhong thought, ’but that’s no reason to think I can challenge someone from a higher stage.’

If that had really happened, he figured he would most likely be defeated within a few rounds.

He hurried to the stall area. It was bustling with people, and the entrances and exits were all guarded by cultivators from the Law Enforcement Team. No matter how bold Mo the Third was, he couldn’t possibly make a move in a place like this.

After a moment’s thought, he still cast Malice Detection.

’Nothing. At least, not out in the open.’

Lü Zhong calmed himself, feeling a bit more at ease. He found a suitable spot, took out his stall-keeping equipment piece by piece, and began selling his Talismans.

He made one sale after another, and before he knew it, it was noon.

Even though it was late autumn, the sun was still scorching.

Lü Zhong did a quick calculation and found he was only twelve Spirit Stones short of the final payment for the Ink Crystal Shield.

Glancing at the now-sparse crowd in the stall area, he decided not to wait any longer.

...

A short while later, Lü Zhong emerged from a purchasing house.

The purchasing house initially offered to buy his Evil Exorcism Talismans for ninety talismanic coins each. That price was only offered because they were best-selling Talismans that were guaranteed to sell.

After some haggling, he saw he couldn’t raise the price much and had to give up.

In the end, he exchanged thirteen Evil Exorcism Talismans for twelve Spirit Stones.

He then rushed to the Huangyi Artifact Refining Workshop. After paying the final amount stipulated in the contract, he finally had the Profound Turtle Ink Crystal Shield in his hands.

The shield was a solid, jet black color with a distinct bulge in the center. It closely resembled a Turtle Shell in shape, though it was much flatter. Its surface was adorned with diamond-shaped, concentric patterns. When inactive, it was no bigger than his palm.

The back was covered in fine, intricate patterns.

These were Array Patterns; the two Divine Techniques of the Ink Crystal Shield were powered by them.

He tried channeling Spiritual Power into it, and the Ink Crystal Shield instantly expanded.

Lü Zhong gripped the handle and found it was the perfect size to protect his vitals.

”What do you think, sir? Look at this fine craftsmanship, these flawless Array Patterns. Our Huangyi Workshop’s Artifact Refining skills are quite good, wouldn’t you say?” the Receptionist said, standing to the side. She then offered, ”If you’d like to test its defensive capabilities, you can do so in our training grounds.”

’They have a place for that?’ The idea of testing it immediately appealed to Lü Zhong. He cupped his hands and said, ”Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

”It’s no trouble at all. Please, follow me.”

With the Receptionist leading the way, Lü Zhong soon arrived at the training grounds.

She explained that most Artifact Refining Workshops had training grounds like this one. They were set up with numerous Arrays that could simulate a cultivator’s attacks, allowing customers to test the power of their Magical Artifacts.

At that moment, someone was testing a Magic Sword.

The person testing the sword was someone Lü Zhong recognized: the white-haired elder from the other day.

Seeing them approach, the elder stopped what he was doing and returned the Magical Artifact to his Storage Bag.

The Receptionist walked quickly over to the elder, dipped into a slight bow, and said, ”Master Liu, this customer wishes to test a Magical Artifact. I was wondering if you have a moment?”

”Is it that Ink Crystal Shield? Very well.” The elder, Master Liu, nodded.

He then turned to Lü Zhong and said calmly, ”I’ll attack, you’ll defend. If you feel you can’t take it, just say the word. Don’t worry about damaging the shield; it’s much sturdier than you think.”

”Thank you,” Lü Zhong said gratefully.

He knew the man was a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. With help from someone this powerful, he could properly test the Profound Turtle Ink Crystal Shield’s absolute limits. That way, he would have a clear idea of its capabilities in future combat.

He channeled Spiritual Power into the small shield. It quickly transformed into a kite shield shaped like a turtle shell, emitting waves of Spiritual Light as it floated three feet in front of him.

Lü Zhong tested it and found he could move the Ink Crystal Shield to any position with just a thought. He could also send it spinning out as an attack; considering its significant weight, he suspected it would pack quite a punch.

After a few more practice runs to confirm he had no trouble controlling it, he cupped his hands toward the elder.

”I’m ready.”

”Good,” Master Liu nodded.

”This is a full-powered strike from a Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivator. Brace yourself!”

A crimson sword shadow shot out from his sleeve, striking the Ink Crystal Shield at incredible speed.

CLANG! The massive sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Lü Zhong steadily blocked the attack, though his arm felt slightly numb from the impact.

’This body is too weak,’ he thought. ’It seems I really do need to learn a Body Refining Technique.’

He was, of course, well aware of the benefits of Body Refining.

He’d had the idea before but had kept procrastinating until he eventually forgot about it.

Now, it seemed, he had to address this weakness.

On the other side, Master Liu raised his hand, and the crimson longsword flew back to him. He gave it a practiced flourish and said, ”This time, I’ll use a Sword Skill. It will be several times more powerful than the last strike. You should activate the Steel Shield Divine Technique first.”

’A Sword Skill?’

Lü Zhong was a bit startled, but he activated the Ink Crystal Shield’s ”Steel Shield” Divine Technique.

The Array Patterns on the inner face lit up one by one. Then, a layer of Black Light coated the shield’s surface, giving it a reassuringly indestructible feel.

He then braced himself for the impact and said in a focused tone, ”I’m ready!”

Just then, Master Liu leveled his sword and thrust it forward, calling out softly, ”Thousandfold Waves!”

The longsword shot from his hand, transforming into a series of phantasmal, sword-shaped lights.

’So this is a Sword Skill?’ Lü Zhong took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the shield.

Like a crashing tsunami, dozens of phantasmal lights bombarded him in rapid succession.

Wave after wave of immense force struck. The webbing of his thumb split open from the shock, and fine beads of blood began to ooze out.

Even though the Ink Crystal Shield was bolstered by the Steel Shield Divine Technique and had yet to reach its limit, his arm was already numb from the shocks. It was easy to imagine just how powerful this Sword Skill was.

”That Sword Skill is equivalent to a full-powered strike from a Qi Refining Seventh Level Cultivator.” Master Liu recalled his crimson longsword and gazed at the Ink Crystal Shield with satisfaction. Stroking his beard, he chuckled. ”Truly a Magical Artifact worthy of being forged from Ink Crystal Iron. To think it would allow you to withstand that attack directly.”

Lü Zhong’s heart filled with joy at his words.

With this Profound Turtle Ink Crystal Shield, his safety was finally assured.

As for the Water Pattern Shield, there was no need to test it.

Lü Zhong had long heard of its reputation. When supported by vast reserves of Spiritual Power, it was considered the most robust and durable shield-type spell among all Tier One Middle-grade Defense Spells.

With a continuous supply of Magical Power, the Water Pattern Shield’s recovery speed was terrifyingly fast.

To break the Water Pattern Shield, you either had to exceed its damage threshold in a single blow or wear down the Caster until their Spiritual Power was completely depleted.

And as it happened, Lü Zhong, who cultivated the Four Spirits Technique, had four times the Spiritual Power reserves of an ordinary cultivator.

After thanking Master Liu again, he left the Huangyi Artifact Refining Workshop.

「 」

After leaving, Lü Zhong didn’t forget to use his Qi Observation Skill to check his surroundings and cast another Malice Detection.

Fortunately, nothing was amiss.

Upon returning to his small courtyard in the bamboo forest, he performed his usual checks.

’They showed up again. They really are relentless!’

Through his ability to rewind the scene, Lü Zhong saw that Mo the Third and his men had appeared again, seemingly plotting something.

’This can’t go on!’

There was no sense in guarding against a thief for a thousand days.