Yin-Yang Armor

"Then this junior wishes Martial Uncle Huayang success in advance. Though I cultivate the Wood Puppet Scripture, we hail from the same sect after all. Seeing the Yin-Yang lineage, once the pillar of our sect, decline day by day pains my heart as well," Senior Brother Lu said with a sigh. "If only everyone had such broadmindedness as you, Senior Brother..." The Daoist boy sighed softly. While they spoke, the incarnation finished answering the routine inquiries, and his name was recorded in the jade register. There was no need for him to take part in what followed. "This jade plaque represents your identity..." Senior Brother Lu tossed the jade plaque to the incarnation, then produced a jade slip and beckoned to the Daoist boy. "Junior Brother Yang, take a look for yourself. These are all the places currently short of hands. Having been in the sect for so many years, surely you know which duties are light?" The Daoist boy stepped forward and swept his spiritual sense across the jade slip, a contemplative expression appearing on his face. Meanwhile, the incarnation marveled silently. Back then, his true body had joined three sects in succession, yet when had he ever received such treatment? For a disciple with four spiritual roots to have senior sect members take such care of him was an immense stroke of fortune. After a moment, the Daoist boy opened his eyes and frowned slightly. "Senior Brother Lu, tasks like guarding White Rainbow Pagoda are all filled?" Senior Brother Lu shook his head gently. "Junior Brother, stop daydreaming about vacancies in those places! Among the duties in this jade slip, raising spirit beasts and watching over Qingyan Lake are already exceedingly leisurely. Had you not asked, Junior Brother Yang, I wouldn't have offered them so readily." The Daoist boy pondered for a moment, then turned his head to ask the incarnation, "Do you have any special skills?" The incarnation paused, his thoughts turning swiftly before he answered, "Disciple once studied artifact crafting." The few tasks they had just discussed all seemed quite idle, with little chance to interact with outsiders. That conflicted with the incarnation's objective; he needed contact with more people to gather information. Magic tools and medicinal pills were necessities for every cultivator. "Oh?" The Daoist boy shifted his gaze to the spirit sword strapped to the incarnation's back. "No wonder you, a mere rogue cultivator without a family heritage, possess a precious sword comparable to a top-grade magic tool. It seems your artifact crafting skill must be decent. In that case, go to Senior Brother Jin Yan's place. I have some friendship with Senior Brother Jin Yan; he can look after you." "You have made up your mind, Junior Brother?" Senior Brother Lu took back the jade slip, glanced at the incarnation, and admonished, "A mere disciple with four spiritual roots, yet you have caused Junior Brother Yang to take such pains on your behalf. Why haven't you expressed your gratitude yet?" "Disciple extends his deepest thanks to Martial Uncle Yang and Martial Uncle Lu." The incarnation tactfully bowed in respect. The two Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged a smile. The Daoist boy nodded slowly, bade him rise, and said calmly, "I only do this because I see you have good talent in the Yin-Yang Dao and might make a name for yourself. First, I will teach you the art of condensing the Yin-Yang Armor, then take you to see Senior Brother Jin Yan. Work hard in your cultivation from now on, and do not disgrace our Yin-Yang lineage." "Disciple obeys." The incarnation stood up and followed closely behind the Daoist boy into a side chamber. The Daoist boy first tossed him a jade slip. "In here is the art of condensing the Yin-Yang Armor. Read through it yourself first; you may ask me if there is anything you do not understand. In the future, I will have no time to instruct you in person!" Surprised, the incarnation hurriedly caught the jade slip. Seeing the Daoist boy close his eyes to meditate, he kept silent, pressed the jade slip against his forehead, and began browsing its contents, discovering within an incantation titled Yin-Yang Armor. The incantation was not long, and the incarnation soon finished reading through it. *No wonder he produced it so readily—it's only a part of the secret art...* The incarnation criticized inwardly, but promptly reined in his stray thoughts and examined it closely. For he noticed that while this incantation appeared quite shallow on the surface, allowing Qi Refinement stage disciples to pick it up quickly, the true intent contained within was something even someone of his breadth of experience had to ponder carefully. The incantation's content was simple enough: it guided a disciple to condense yin-yang qi into a suit of armor. Unlike a magic tool, the armor could be summoned onto one's body in an instant with a mere thought. It possessed a certain defensive power, which was of immense utility in combat. The jade slip covered everything from the basics to the armor's initial formation, then came to an abrupt halt. The rest would likely only be given to him once he successfully condensed the Yin-Yang Armor. *The origins of this secret art are anything but simple!* The incarnation marveled secretly. *The core inheritances of the Landou Sect truly hold depth. This incantation for condensing the Yin-Yang Armor is likely drawn from the Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art. Its application of the dual energies of yin and yang is exquisite. One wonders what magnificent heights the complete cultivation method itself reaches.* In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the incarnation had committed the incantation to memory, feeling confident he could begin practicing it. His talent was a facade, but relying on years of insight, taking an alternate path to condense a suit of Yin-Yang Armor was well within his abilities. However, having his true body switch to cultivating this technique was likely out of the question. These orthodox Daoist techniques each demanded exceptionally high aptitudes, and the incarnation knew his true body lacked that kind of natural talent. Even if he could not cultivate it, obtaining it to study and draw inspiration from would still be worthwhile. Furthermore, the Yin-Yang Armor's functions piqued the incarnation's curiosity, making him want to condense it as soon as possible to test it out. The armor seemed to serve not merely for defense, but likely held other subtle uses as well. Despite these thoughts, the incarnation exercised patience. Only after a full two hours had passed did he let out a long breath and lower the jade slip from his forehead. The Daoist boy opened his eyes, looked at the incarnation, and asked, "Do you have any questions?" The incarnation shook his head, then nodded. "Disciple's mind is a tangled mess. It feels as though I have gained something, yet everything seems shrouded in confusion." "That is only natural. How could you comprehend a technique of the Yin-Yang Dao so quickly when just starting out? However, with your aptitude in this path, you should soon be able to form the embryonic shape of the Yin-Yang Armor. I will first explain this art to you. You will only get this chance once, so whether you understand or not, memorize everything and contemplate it slowly later..." The Daoist boy's face grew slightly somber as he gave this reminder, before softening his tone. The incarnation listened intently, not underestimating this cultivator whose cultivation was far lower than his true body's. This person cultivated the authentic Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art, and his understanding was bound to surpass the incarnation's in certain aspects. Perhaps to keep the incarnation from bothering him again in the future, the Daoist boy explained not only what was in the jade slip, but expanded upon it a little. Sure enough, the incarnation heard several points he hadn't thought of, which proved remarkably subtle and ingenious. Yet toward the end, a touch of suspicion crept into the incarnation's heart. Though the final part of the Daoist boy's explanation consisted of only a few sentences, the incarnation noticed they differed significantly from what preceded them. The latter portion was also quite profound, captivating even someone like him who had never practiced the art. Yet compared to the earlier section, it paled by comparison. *Is this kid's cultivation simply not up to par, or...* The incarnation gave a sudden start. *Could this technique also be an incomplete text patched up by later generations?* The immortal cultivation world was never short of complete cultivation methods; Shaohua Mountain alone preserved several methods leading all the way to the Nascent Soul Grand Dao, yet both their divine abilities and true intents were quite mediocre. Those of extraordinary origins, such as the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter and the Heavenly Demon Form Refining, were both incomplete arts. This Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art seemed somewhat similar.