Lin Xuan (Xuanyuanzi)'s remarkable public lecture had been like a boulder dropped into a still lake, sending ripples spreading across Jin'ao Island. Discussions about "Wave-Particle Duality," the "Observer Effect," and how they related to cultivation had become a hot topic among the disciples. Though not without controversy, the debate had genuinely inspired many to take a fresh look at their cultivation. Lin Xuan's identity as a "researcher" had also gradually shifted: to many disciples, he was no longer just a mysterious adviser to the higher-ups, but a "mentor" who could answer their questions and offer new perspectives.
One day, Lin Xuan was consulting ancient texts in the "Miscellaneous Arts" section on the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion in Biyou Palace, hoping to find more evidence linking modern theories with the realities of the primordial world. The area Sovereign of the Heavens had directed him to held no profound Daoist Magic, but instead a wealth of technical texts on topics like alchemy temperatures, proportions of artifact-forging materials, the distribution of energy nodes in formations, and even grafting spirit plants and taming Spirit Beasts. It was just what Lin Xuan needed.
Just as he was absorbed in a jade slip titled A Study of the Relationship Between Earth Vein Spiritual Energy Tides and Formation Stability, a hesitant voice sounded behind him:
"Xu... Xuanyuanzi, Researcher, might I trouble you for a moment?"
Lin Xuan turned around. Not far away stood a petite female Daoist in a black robe, her gentle face touched by a hint of shyness. Her aura was calm and weighty; she had already reached the Refining Spirit to Void stage. Yet her brows were furrowed with a persistent worry. Lin Xuan recognized her as one of Sovereign of the Heavens' direct disciples, renowned in the Interception Sect for her defensive abilities: Turtle Spirit Holy Mother.
"So it's Senior Sister Turtle Spirit." Lin Xuan hurriedly put down the jade slip and cupped his hands in greeting. Though he was a researcher, she was a direct disciple of a Sage with profound cultivation. He couldn't neglect proper etiquette.
Turtle Spirit Holy Mother quickly returned the greeting, sounding a little embarrassed. "You're too kind, Researcher. I'm sorry to trouble you, but... I've run into a difficult problem in my cultivation recently. I've thought it over again and again without finding an answer. I heard you have unique insights, so I came to ask your advice." Her voice was soft and delicate, a striking contrast with her formidable defensive abilities.
Lin Xuan's heart stirred. She was the first core disciple of the Interception Sect to seek him out for guidance. That was significant. He smiled warmly. "Please, Senior Sister. If I can be of any help, I'll tell you everything I know."
Turtle Spirit Holy Mother breathed a sigh of relief and gathered her thoughts. "The technique I cultivate is the Mysterious Turtle Spirit Armor Technique, personally taught to me by Master. It focuses on tempering the body and condensing a spiritual armor from one's essence, granting peerless defense. But... recently, I've had the vague feeling that the technique has reached a bottleneck." She furrowed her brow slightly. "Though the armor's defense is powerful, it lacks flexibility and consumes a great deal of magic power. It can withstand a continuous barrage of attacks, but against peerlessly sharp techniques that break through a surface at a single point, or when I need to move quickly to respond, it becomes clumsy, forcing me to neglect one thing to attend to another. I've tried thickening the armor or increasing my magic power output, but neither helped much. If anything, they made it even more cumbersome. Do you have any suggestions, Researcher?"
Lin Xuan listened carefully, analyzing the problem. Turtle Spirit Holy Mother's issue was a classic one: pursuing absolute defense had left her short on agility, efficiency, and the ability to defend against specific threats. It was like a tank from his previous life. No matter how thick its armor, poor mobility made it vulnerable to nimble anti-tank weapons.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "Could you demonstrate how you form the armor, Senior Sister? You don't need to use your full strength. A simple outline will do."
Turtle Spirit Holy Mother nodded and focused. An earthy yellow radiance rose around her, and the faint image of a dense, heavy turtle shell covered in mysterious patterns appeared over her body. It emanated a steady, mountain-like aura.
Lin Xuan activated the Insight Technique and carefully observed the armor's energy flow and structural layout. Just as he'd expected, the energy was distributed extremely evenly, and the structure prioritized overall toughness, with little variation or emphasis on any particular area.
After watching the demonstration, Lin Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking. "Senior Sister, in my view, the problem may not be a 'lack of defense.' It may be that your defensive 'strategy' needs to change."
"Strategy?" Turtle Spirit Holy Mother looked puzzled.
"Exactly." Lin Xuan casually sketched a few simple shapes in the air with his magic power. "Your armor is currently like a uniformly reinforced 'whole shield.' It covers every side, but does so only moderately well. Perhaps we can turn it into a 'composite armor system.'"
He pointed to the shapes and explained, "First, 'layered defense.' Your armor doesn't have to be one seamless whole. You could create several layers within it. The innermost would be a 'buffer layer,' flexible and designed to absorb and disperse the force of impacts. The middle would be a 'tough layer,' combining strength and elasticity to resist tearing. The outermost would be a 'hardened layer,' extremely dense and built to repel sharp thrusts. That way, different layers would handle different kinds of attacks, improving efficiency and reducing wear."
Turtle Spirit Holy Mother's eyes widened slightly. The concept was entirely new to her.
Lin Xuan continued, "Second, 'focused defense' and 'dynamic adjustment.' You don't need to maintain the same level of defense across your entire body at all times. You could anticipate where an opponent's attack is likely to land based on their attack patterns, then concentrate most of your defensive power there while maintaining only basic protection elsewhere. You could even cultivate a method of sensing attacks, then gather your defensive power at the point of impact in the instant before a strike lands. That way, you'd achieve the best defense with the least expenditure."
He then addressed the issue of mobility. "As for the armor's clumsiness when you move, perhaps you could work on its 'form.' Does your armor have to remain fixed in shape? When you need to move quickly, it could become streamlined to reduce resistance. When you need a stable defense, it could expand into full-body protection again. This would require precise control over the energy's form, but once mastered, you'd be able to switch between offense and defense much more freely."
His explanation had lifted defense beyond simply "withstanding blows," bringing it into the realm of "structural mechanics," "energy distribution," and "dynamic response." Turtle Spirit Holy Mother stared at him, stunned, as though thunder had exploded in her mind. The bottleneck she had struggled with for years had been analyzed so thoroughly from such a completely new perspective!
"Layered... focused... dynamic..." Turtle Spirit Holy Mother murmured. The more she considered his words, the more ingenious they seemed. She had always known only to make her "shield" thicker, never imagining that its structure and use could be changed in so many ways!
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes alight with excitement and a hunger for knowledge. She bowed deeply to Lin Xuan. "One conversation with you has taught me more than a hundred years of arduous cultivation! I was so foolish. Only today have I learned that the Way of Defense contains such boundless possibilities! Please, Researcher, teach me more. How can I create these layers? And how should I cultivate dynamic adjustment?"
At that moment, she had none of the reserve one might expect from a direct disciple of a Sage. She looked entirely like a student who had found a great teacher and was eager to learn.
Seeing her sincerity, Lin Xuan felt gratified. He smiled. "You're too kind, Senior Sister. These are only theoretical ideas. The specific methods still need to be worked out and tested in conjunction with your Mysterious Turtle Spirit Armor Technique. If you don't mind, we can explore them together."
And so, in a quiet corner of the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Xuan, a transmigrator armed with scientific theories, and Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, a direct disciple of the Interception Sect with deep foundations, began an in-depth discussion of "defensive science." Lin Xuan offered ideas and frameworks, while Turtle Spirit Holy Mother tested and refined them through her profound understanding of her own technique.
Several days later, Turtle Spirit Holy Mother went into seclusion. Half a month later, when she emerged, her aura had grown even steadier and more weighty. Though she didn't demonstrate her full power, Lin Xuan could sense that her spiritual armor had gained a subtle vitality and resilience.
Turtle Spirit Holy Mother sought Lin Xuan out and thanked him again in earnest. As a token of gratitude, she gave him three Mysterious Spirit Turtle Shell Shards, naturally formed by her true body and imbued with pure essence of Gui Water. They were precious materials for forging top-tier defensive treasures.
From then on, Turtle Spirit Holy Mother became Lin Xuan's first "student" among the Interception Sect's upper ranks, as well as another strong testament to—and supporter of—his Scientific Cultivation philosophy. When word spread, more disciples of the Interception Sect who had been watching from the sidelines began to take a genuine interest in Researcher Xuanyuanzi.
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