“Minister, who did headquarters originally forge the Dragon Shield for?” Yu Xian asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer as he flew forward alongside Yu Lie.
“When the Dragon Shield was first forged, the plan was to present it as the supreme tribute for the nation's millennium celebration,” Yu Lie explained smoothly as they walked. “However, when that personage learned of it, he believed that as an ordinary mortal, squandering vast amounts of manpower and material resources to provide him with this level of protection was purely a waste of precious transcendent resources, so he refused it outright.
“Yet the blueprints and core materials were already prepared. After several meetings and discussions, it was decided that we would forge it anyway, and that the young talents from every department would be eligible to compete for it.
“Originally, the person most likely to receive the Dragon Shield was Xiao Yi. But you clearly need its protection far more than Xiao Yi does, and you are far more important than him as well. Therefore, it could belong to no one but you.”
Yu Xian had not expected the Dragon Shield to be held in such extraordinary esteem. Seeing his reaction, Yu Lie smiled instead. “Don't feel burdened. Hua Qiang was right: you are currently Qilin's most important talent, possessing even greater strategic value than Xiao Yi. You are worthy of the Dragon Shield!”
“Yes, I'll work hard to be worthy of it and never fail your trust, Minister!” Yu Xian nodded solemnly.
The two continued forward. After walking for roughly fifteen minutes, they finally entered a chamber requiring layer upon layer of verification.
Stepping through the final door, Yu Xian saw a massive crimson dragon coiled in the center of the chamber. Suddenly, the dragon dissolved, transforming into countless scales that swirled through the air around a crimson gemstone at their center.
At times the scales assembled into a great dragon; at other times they shifted into countless tiny dragons orbiting the gemstone, only to disperse and reassemble again in endless variations.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
An ultimate piece of equipment forged with the might of an entire nation was simply beyond what an individual could imagine.
Yu Xian was utterly mesmerized. This was no ordinary gear; it was an exquisite work of art without the slightest blemish.
“Go over and drip some of your blood onto the Dragon Shield's core. Go on,” Yu Lie said with a smile.
Swallowing hard, Yu Xian nodded and gently steered his bubble forward. Because the Dragon Shield was ownerless, it did nothing to prevent his approach. Slicing his fingertip with a silver thread, he let a drop of blood fall onto the suspended ruby.
Upon contact, the ruby swiftly absorbed the blood. The once-dim gemstone gradually radiated a crimson halo.
The next instant, the ruby suddenly shot into Yu Xian's chest. At the same time, the surrounding scales followed right behind it, revolving around him—sometimes coiling about his body like a great dragon, sometimes scattering into countless free scales circling him in unpredictable orbits.
Yu Xian felt as though he had gained an extra organ. These scales required no conscious control to autonomously defend against all attacks, yet he could also manipulate them at will.
*What if I inject Spatial Blood Energy into the core...?*
He could sense that the Godhead core was slowly absorbing his physical stamina. An idea struck him, and he mobilized the Spatial Blood Energy within his body to channel into the core in place of physical stamina.
The wildly swirling scales began to flicker.
They had actually gained the ability to traverse space, performing continuous spatial hops around him.
Yu Xian reached out, and a single reverse scale teleported to his fingertip. It was roughly the size of two thumbnails, about four centimeters long and half a centimeter thick.
To the touch, it was not hard, but rather somewhat soft. It was hard to imagine that these reverse scales possessed such formidable defensive power.
With a thought from Yu Xian, the scales stopped circling him and instead began flickering erratically around the bubble, resembling glittering points of golden light.
He turned and returned to Yu Lie's side. Looking at the flickering scales, Yu Lie asked in surprise, “Is this a spatial ability?”
“Yes. I tried channeling the energy in my body into the core, and all the reverse scales gained the ability to perform spatial hops,” Yu Xian nodded.
“Let me test it!”
Yu Lie tested it with a punch toward the bubble. Instantly, more than fifty reverse scales assembled into a shield and materialized right in front, cleanly blocking his fist.
*Good grief!*
Yu Lie's interest was piqued. His strikes grew faster and faster, yet the scales moved even faster, flawlessly intercepting every single attack.
In the end, he even opened his Heavenly Eye, unleashing countless rays of golden light at Yu Xian. Yet every ray was blocked by scales teleporting into position, leaving not a single opening.
If the original Dragon Shield had still required a fraction of a second for its scales to move—scarcely leaving room to call it a flaw—then the Dragon Shield endowed with spatial ability was a truly flawless defense in every sense of the word.
Yu Lie's attacks grew so swift that toward the end, Yu Xian could no longer track his movements at all, relying entirely on the Dragon Shield's autonomous defense. Only after Yu Lie ceased his assault did Yu Xian realize, through the feedback from the core, just how many times Yu Lie had struck.
“Good, excellent! Truly, the Dragon Shield could belong to no one else. Perhaps fate arranged this all along—you are the most suited bearer for it,” Yu Lie said with delight.
Yu Xian was utterly astonished. Yu Lie had attacked over a thousand times just now, even using the golden light of his Heavenly Eye, yet the Dragon Shield had intercepted strikes that moved at the speed of light.
It was overwhelmingly powerful!
Such defense, such reaction speed—it filled him with an immense sense of security.
On the way back to headquarters, Yu Lie spoke up. “Little Yu, now that you possess spatial abilities and the power to defend against attacks below Dragon-rank, I have a task to entrust to you.”
“Please tell me, Minister,” Yu Xian replied solemnly.
Yu Lie smiled. “I want you to conduct an inspection tour across the country, uncovering latent hazards like the Xingtian zombie king in every city as best you can. The sooner we discover them, the sooner we can deal with them.”
Before Yu Xian could respond, he chuckled and added, “There is no time limit on this mission. You can simply carry it out alongside your schooling. Solve them one by one as you find them. We'll take our time; there's no rush. By the way, Little Yu, do you plan to take the college entrance examination?”
“I've been thinking about applying to Yanjing Vocational and Technical College, but I'm not sure if I can get in.” Taken aback by how swiftly Yu Lie had switched topics, Yu Xian paused before answering with a bashful smile.
Yu Lie immediately beamed. “Good! Having that ambition is already wonderful. Remember, you must go to college. Life isn't only about strength of power; strength of the heart and mind is just as vital. And strength of the soul stems from your cultural foundation and your life experiences. Everything you go through will ultimately become nourishment for your spirit, making you even stronger.”
As he spoke of college, a look of fond nostalgia filled his eyes, as though he were reminiscing about his own lost youth.
“Yes, I'll work hard!” Yu Xian nodded in response.
When it came to academic coursework, he actually had complete confidence. Once he activated his Super Brain, studying casually would likely be enough to score over three hundred points. The real question lay in the practical combat courses.
He had never taken a combat course before, so he would need to find time to spar and coordinate with Nora later so they could improve together.
In truth, he hadn't originally planned on going to college. The idea had only surfaced after chatting with Nora, and the thought of remaining classmates with her had made the desire grow stronger and stronger.
Now, with Yu Lie's affirmation, the decision was firmly settled in his heart: he was going to test into Yanjing Vocational and Technical College!
Chapter 103