Novel Full Chapter 34: Scale Armor Protection
Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Scale Armor Protection
Returning to his quarters, Li Yuan slid the bolt on the door and sat down on the edge of his bed.
Taking out the two bottles of Evil Essence Pills Old Sun had given him from his sleeve, Li Yuan popped one into his mouth.
The pill dissolved the moment it reached his stomach. A scorching medicinal power erupted from his gut, carrying Spiritual Qi as it surged wildly through his meridians.
Li Yuan closed his eyes and activated the Spirit-Introducing Skill, guiding the Spiritual Qi into his Dantian.
Unlike the previous times he had taken an Evil Essence Pill, this time felt different.
The medicinal power of the Evil Essence Pill invaded his meridians, bringing Evil Qi with it. But now that his Spiritual Power was more condensed, the filtering effect was stronger, screening out most of the Evil Qi.
The remaining Evil Qi only left a faint coolness as it passed through his organs.
The medicinal power was also digested much faster.
It took less than four hours to completely digest the medicinal power of one Evil Essence Pill, quite a bit faster than before.
Li Yuan opened his eyes. With a thought, the panel materialized before him.
The Spiritual Power in his Dantian was significantly fuller than before he took the pill. The increase was more pronounced than any other time he had taken an Evil Essence Pill.
’It’s not that the pill’s medicinal power got stronger, but that my efficiency in absorbing and utilizing it has improved.’
Condensing his Spiritual Power had made it more solid, which in turn increased the amount of Evil Qi that was filtered out. His absorption of the medicinal power grew stronger as a result.
Li Yuan took a second Evil Essence Pill and continued to circulate the Spirit-Introducing Skill.
The medicinal power erupted once more, and a familiar, scorching energy surged through his meridians.
After completely digesting the medicinal power of both Evil Essence Pills, Li Yuan let out a long breath of turbid air.
’After these past few days of cultivation, he was no longer far from the threshold of the Qi Refining Fifth Level.’
Li Yuan dismissed the panel and didn’t continue cultivating. Instead, he stood up and stretched his limbs.
Although he felt no obvious discomfort after taking two Evil Essence Pills in a row, his body still needed some time to recover. His meridians, in particular, felt slightly fatigued after the high-speed circulation of Spiritual Power.
He poured a bowl of cool water and took a sip. Then, Li Yuan began to cultivate the Nourishing Essence Skill and practice the Origin Condensation Skill.
---
The next morning, Li Yuan went to the market district for his usual patrol.
The foot traffic on East Street was not noticeably less than before. Those who were going to leave had already left; the ones who remained mostly had no plans to move anytime soon.
Li Yuan was halfway down East Street when his steps suddenly faltered.
At a roadside stall, that rolled-up, complete hide was still there.
The last time he saw this complete shed skin of an Iron-Scaled Serpent, the stall owner had asked for twelve Spirit Stones, and Li Yuan couldn’t afford it.
Today, there were fewer items on the stall’s surface than last time. A few beast bones and vials of beast blood were gone, leaving only the shed skin and a few Horned Lizard Hides of average quality.
Li Yuan walked over and squatted down in front of the stall.
The stall owner was the same scrawny, middle-aged Loose Cultivator as last time. Seeing someone squat down, he perked up and leaned closer.
"Fellow Daoist, take a look at this complete Iron-Scaled Serpent shed skin. The quality is top-notch."
Li Yuan didn’t speak, merely resting his fingers on the shed skin.
Translucent text materialized before his eyes.
[Equippable Item Detected: Iron-Scaled Serpent Shed Skin (Complete)]
[Item Trait Grade: White]
[Note: Item does not belong to you. Cannot be equipped. Detailed information cannot be viewed.]
’The trait is still there.’
Li Yuan turned the shed skin over. The snakeskin wasn’t large; unfolded, it was about an arm’s length square. It was a thin layer, soft and pliable, with tightly packed, dark green scale patterns and no signs of damage.
"How much?"
The stall owner held up his fingers. After a moment’s hesitation, he formed a number.
"Nine."
’Three stones less than last time.’
Li Yuan glanced at the stall owner but said nothing.
The stall owner, likely afraid Li Yuan found the price too high, quickly explained, "There have just been too many Demon Beast materials recently, and the price of hides has been dropping. This shed skin is in great condition. In the past, it would have gone for at least twelve stones or more. Nine is already a loss for me."
Li Yuan knew he was telling the truth.
Demon Beast activity in the Yuanheng Mountain Range had become frequent, and the harvests of both monster-hunting squads and guard patrols were increasing. A massive influx of Demon Beast materials had flooded the market district, and with supply exceeding demand, prices were naturally driven down.
"Eight," Li Yuan said, trying to bargain.
The stall owner’s mouth opened and closed. He gritted his teeth.
"Done. Eight stones. Consider it a way of making a friend."
Li Yuan took out eight Spirit Stones from his sleeve and stacked them neatly on the stall’s cloth.
The stall owner collected the Spirit Stones and handed over the shed skin, which he had wrapped in a clean, rough cloth.
"Take care, Fellow Daoist."
Li Yuan took the shed skin, tucked it into his sleeve, and stood up to leave.
After leaving the stall, Li Yuan continued walking along East Street.
As he passed Old Sun’s stall, he saw the old man squatting behind it, fiddling with a small alchemy furnace from which a wisp of green smoke was rising.
Seeing Li Yuan approach, the old man looked up, his bright eyes gleaming.
"How are the Evil Essence Pills?"
Li Yuan stopped in front of the stall. "They work well."
Old Sun grinned, not putting down the furnace in his hands.
"Are you sure you won’t consider testing pills for me? I’ve built up a decent nest egg from my years of Alchemy, you know."
Li Yuan immediately refused, then changed the subject.
"I’ll keep an eye out for these herbs you’ve listed when I’m on patrol. But I’m taking it easy in the market district for a few days. I won’t be heading back to the outer areas until tomorrow."
Old Sun nodded and tapped his fingers on the rim of the furnace.
"No rush. It’d be great if you can find them, but it’s no problem if you can’t."
Old Sun leaned in closer.
"Oh, right. When you’re patrolling the outer areas and come across Demon Beasts, pay attention to the area around their lairs. Some herbs like to grow where Demon Beasts are active. The Spiritual Qi concentration is higher there, and their medicinal effects are much better than those grown elsewhere."
"Got it."
Li Yuan chatted with Old Sun for a bit longer before turning to leave.
Returning to his quarters, Li Yuan slid the bolt on the door and sat on the edge of his bed.
He took the Iron-Scaled Serpent shed skin from his sleeve and unfolded it across his lap.
The snakeskin was cool to the touch, thinner than it looked, but incredibly tough. He squeezed it hard with his fingers, and the surface dented before immediately springing back to its original shape.
The moment his fingers touched it, translucent text materialized, complete this time.
[Equippable Item Detected: Iron-Scaled Serpent Shed Skin (Complete)]
[Trait Preview: Scale Armor (White) — Increases skin’s defensive capabilities, allowing it to resist some poisons and negative effects.]
[Permanence Condition Preview: Suffer a cumulative number of external attacks while wearing this shed skin (0/50).]
[Current equipment slots are full (2/2). Replace currently equipped item?]
’Scale Armor.’
’Increases skin defense, and it even resists poisons and negative effects.’
’It’s a defensive trait, but different from organ enhancement—that protects the internal organs, while Scale Armor protects the skin. One prevents internal injuries, the other blocks external ones.’
’The permanence condition is interesting, though. Suffer fifty external attacks while wearing it.’
’Not by cultivating, not by consuming, but by getting hit.’
’The condition is "external attacks." Hitting myself won’t count. I just wonder if hiring someone to hit me would work.’
Li Yuan held up the shed skin, sizing it up.
It wasn’t large; unfolded, it would cover the area of his chest and abdomen. A thin layer like this wouldn’t be too cumbersome when worn against the body.
The shed skin itself was soft and pliable, so it could be folded and tucked inside his clothes, completely unnoticeable from the outside.
’My equipment slots are full, so I can’t equip it now, but I can use it in an emergency.’
’In a critical moment, I can unequip something else and quickly equip the shed skin for defense.’
’Compared to the cost of waiting twenty-four hours to re-equip after unequipping something, safety is more important.’
Li Yuan folded the shed skin, laid it flat against his undershirt over his chest and abdomen, and secured it with his belt.
The shed skin felt cool against his skin for a moment, but then his body heat transferred to it, and the coolness faded. He could barely feel its presence.
He moved his arms and waist a few times—bending over, twisting his torso, lifting his leg—and the shed skin remained snug against the inner layer of his clothing, neither slipping nor impeding his movements.
Li Yuan looked down at his chest. From the outside of his patrol uniform, nothing looked out of the ordinary.
After straightening his clothes, Li Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed and began to circulate the Spirit-Introducing Skill.