Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 886: Yin-Yang Armor

"Then I shall offer my early congratulations to Senior Uncle Huayang. Though I cultivate the Wood Reclining Scripture, we are of the same sect. To see the once-pillar of our sect, the Yin-Yang Branch, decline day by day fills me with deep sorrow." Senior Brother Lu sighed with emotion.

"If only everyone shared Senior Brother’s magnanimity..." The Daoist boy gave a soft sigh.

As they spoke, the incarnation finished answering the inquiries, and his name was entered into the jade records. The rest of the procedure no longer required his participation.

"This jade token represents your identity." Senior Brother Lu tossed the incarnation a jade token, then produced a jade slip. Beckoning to the boy, he said, "Junior Brother Yang, see for yourself. Inside are the areas most in need of people. You’ve been in the sect long enough to know which tasks are easier."

The Daoist boy stepped forward, swept his spiritual consciousness across the jade slip, and his expression turned contemplative.

The incarnation, meanwhile, could not help a silent sigh. When his true body had entered sects in the past, three times in succession, he had never received such treatment. For a four-spiritual-root disciple to earn such concern from sect seniors was indeed a rare fortune.

A moment later, the boy opened his eyes, frowning slightly. "Senior Brother Lu, even the duty of guarding White Rainbow Tower is already full?"

Senior Brother Lu shook his head lightly. "Junior Brother, don’t fool yourself. How could places like that ever have openings? Among what’s recorded in the jade slip, raising spirit beasts and tending Azure Smoke Lake are already the most leisurely of duties. Were it not for your request, I would not have brought them up at all."

The boy pondered, then suddenly turned to the incarnation. "And you, do you have any particular skills?"

The incarnation was startled, but quickly adjusted his thoughts and replied, "I once studied artifact refinement."

The duties they had just mentioned sounded quiet and idle, places unlikely to see outsiders. That did not suit his purposes. He needed contact with more people if he wished to gather information. And artifacts and pills were things every cultivator required.

"Oh?" The boy’s eyes shifted to the spiritual sword on the incarnation’s back. "No wonder. For a rogue cultivator without family inheritance to possess a sword comparable to a top-grade artifact, your refinement skills must indeed be decent. In that case, you should go to Senior Brother Jin Yan. He and I are on good terms, and he can look after you somewhat."

"Junior Brother Yang, you have already decided?" Senior Brother Lu put away the jade slip, cast the incarnation a glance, and admonished, "You, a mere four-root disciple, making Junior Brother Yang expend such effort on your behalf, why aren’t you showing your gratitude?"

"Thank you, Senior Uncle Yang and Senior Uncle Lu." The incarnation offered a proper bow.

The two Foundation Building cultivators exchanged a smile. The boy nodded slowly, then gestured for him to rise. "I only took notice because your talent in the yin-yang path seems promising. Perhaps you will achieve something noteworthy. I will first impart to you the method of condensing the Yin-Yang Armor, then send you to Senior Brother Jin Yan. Work diligently from now on, and do not bring disgrace to our Yin-Yang Branch."

"Yes, Senior Uncle." The incarnation rose and followed closely behind the boy into a side chamber.

The boy tossed him a jade slip. "Here is the method for condensing the Yin-Yang Armor. Read it for yourself. Ask if you don’t understand. After this, I won’t have time to guide you personally."

The incarnation accepted the jade slip in surprise. Seeing the boy close his eyes in meditation, he kept silent, pressed the slip to his forehead, and began to read. Inside was a spell titled Yin-Yang Armor. The text was not long, and he quickly finished browsing it.

No wonder he gave it so freely. This is only part of the secret technique... Though he grumbled inwardly, he promptly set aside stray thoughts and studied carefully.

On the surface, the spell seemed simple, even crude, easy enough for Qi Refining disciples to practice. Yet hidden within was a true meaning that, even with his breadth of knowledge, required careful pondering.

The spell’s content was straightforward: cultivate yin-yang qi and condense it into armor. The armor was not an artifact, but something that appeared upon a single thought, instantly covering the body. It granted a degree of defense, quite useful in combat.

The jade slip contained only the material up to the initial forming of the armor, ending abruptly thereafter. Likely, more content would be given only after successfully condensing the Yin-Yang Armor.

"This secret art has no ordinary origin." The incarnation was silently amazed.

"The teachings of Landou Sect are indeed profound. This method of condensing the Yin-Yang Armor seems derived from the Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique. Its use of yin and yang qi is truly exquisite. I wonder what the full art looks like?"

In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, he had already memorized the spell completely and felt he could attempt it.

His talent might have been fabricated, but with years of experience, he could find a workaround. Creating a rudimentary Yin-Yang Armor was not beyond him. As for his true body, cultivating this art was impossible.

Such orthodox arts demanded high aptitude. He knew his true body lacked the qualifications. Still, even if he could not cultivate it, obtaining it for study alone was worthwhile.

Moreover, the Yin-Yang Armor’s effects stirred his curiosity. It did not seem meant for defense alone; there must be further mysteries.

Though he longed to attempt it immediately, he restrained himself. Only after a full hour did he finally exhale, remove the jade slip from his forehead, and look up.

The Daoist boy opened his eyes. "Do you have any questions?"

The incarnation shook his head, then nodded. "My mind is in a tangle. I feel as if I’ve gained something, yet all is confusion."

"That is normal. You are only beginning on the yin-yang path. How could you expect to grasp it so quickly? Still, with your talent, you should soon be able to form the Yin-Yang Armor’s embryonic form. I will now explain this technique to you. Such an opportunity comes only once. Whether you understand or not, remember everything, and contemplate later." The boy’s expression hardened briefly before softening his voice.

The incarnation listened intently, not underestimating this cultivator whose cultivation was far beneath his true body. The Daoist boy cultivated the orthodox Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique. His insight would surely surpass Qin Sang's own in some respects.

Perhaps so the incarnation would not trouble him later, the boy’s explanation went beyond the jade slip’s scope.

As expected, the incarnation heard things he had not anticipated, many of them ingenious. Yet toward the end, doubt stirred in his heart.

Though the final portion consisted of only a few words, he noticed it differed greatly from the beginning. That part was also profound, enjoyable even for someone unfamiliar with the art. But compared with the earlier part, it seemed inferior.

Has this fellow not fully mastered the art yet, or... The incarnation stiffened at the thought. Is this art a fragment, patched together by later generations?

The cultivation world did not lack complete arts. Shaohua Mountain, for instance, housed several arts leading all the way to the Spiritual Infant Realm, though none were remarkable in supernatural abilities or true meaning.

The truly extraordinary ones, like Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment or Heavenly Demon Body Refinement, or the witch race’s divine patterns, were all incomplete. This Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique seemed much the same.