Battle Armor (Please Vote)

Battle Armor (Please Vote~)

As long as the total number of people boarding the Cloudskimming Treasure Ship remained the same, Nie Yangze did not care who got the places.

"This time's bounty, together with my past savings, comes to twenty thousand gold. I'd like to use that twenty thousand to trade with you for this place, Brother Shi," Jiang Li ventured.

Shi Lan said nothing, only shook her head. Gold and silver were of no use to her at all in her current situation.

Jiang Li wasn't disappointed. He had only been testing the waters.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Li took a brocade pouch from his robes and placed it in front of Shi Lan. "Twenty thousand gold, plus these."

Shi Lan picked up the pouch. It had some heft to it.

Inside were three crystal-clear, translucent stones, each about the size of a baby's fist.

"What are these?"

"Spirit crystals. They're hard currency traded only among martial artists above the Xiantian Realm. These three are merely low-grade spirit crystals, but each can be exchanged for at least seven or eight thousand gold." A pained look flashed across Jiang Li's eyes.

He had intended to save the three spirit crystals for his attempt to break into the Xiantian Realm. It had taken him considerable effort to acquire them.

As if afraid Shi Lan would refuse, Jiang Li hurriedly added, "Your injured friend must find it inconvenient to travel aboard alone. My wife can look after him along the way, too."

Shi Lan rubbed the spirit crystals in her hand. A thought stirred, and she nodded. "I'll take these three spirit crystals. Forget the twenty thousand gold—keep it for your family."

Jiang Li let out a long breath, stood, and bowed. "Thank you!"

Jiang Li didn't stay long and soon left.

After he was gone, Shi Lan shut the door, clasped the spirit crystals in her hand, sat cross-legged on the floor, and began circulating the Jade Forging Art.

The moment she had touched the spirit crystals, the Jade Forging Art inside her had suddenly reacted. That was why she had agreed to Jiang Li's offer.

As soon as she began circulating the Jade Forging Art, a cool current surged from the spirit crystals in her palm and flowed into her body. It felt completely different from refining medicinal ingredients or the flesh and blood of demonic beasts.

Clear, pure, and refreshing.

Nourished by the cool current, Shi Lan's physical strength began to grow at a visible rate. The effect was far stronger than that of medicinal ingredients or demonic beast flesh.

She didn't know how much time had passed. The cool current flowing from her palm dwindled until not a trace remained.

Shi Lan slowly opened her eyes. A stream of white qi poured from her mouth like a ribbon, shooting nearly three feet before gradually dissipating.

Shi Lan felt surprisingly refreshed. In the past, she always felt ravenous after practicing the Jade Forging Art, but this time she wasn't hungry at all. Her whole body felt full of strength.

She glanced down. The spirit crystal that had once been crystal-clear in her palm had turned grayish white. It was clearly spent.

Looking up at the sky, now completely dark, she realized that this round of cultivation had lasted nearly two hours.

In just those two short hours, Shi Lan's physical strength had increased by a great deal, nearly bringing her to the threshold of the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm. Her progress was astonishing.

Suddenly, the wound on Shi Lan's left arm began to itch. Unable to resist, she removed the cloth bandage. The wound had grown much shallower and was nearly healed.

Shi Lan suddenly recalled what Jiang Li had said earlier: a single spirit crystal could be exchanged for at least seven or eight thousand gold...

Her heart gave a sudden wrench. Seven or eight thousand gold—just how much money was that?

She had spent seven or eight thousand gold in two hours. Even a family with a gold mine probably couldn't keep up with that.

Looking at the two spirit crystals she had left, Shi Lan fell into thought.

"Knock... knock-knock..."

A knock at the door interrupted Shi Lan's thoughts. She got up, lit the candle, and opened the door.

Standing outside was Huangfu Yun.

Huangfu Yun held a wooden chest in his hands and asked, "May I come in?"

Shi Lan stepped aside. "Please."

Huangfu Yun entered the room and set the wooden chest on the table.

"The women in the Demon Suppression Army form their own battalion. They spend most of their time operating separately from the other divisions. There were no female soldiers among the troops who retreated with my unit, so there's no women's armor in Twin Moon City right now. Fortunately, you're tall, so ordinary men's armor should fit you."

As he spoke, Huangfu Yun opened the wooden chest. A suit of black armor lay quietly inside.

There was a conspicuous crack in the armor over the chest. It had been repaired, but the mark left by a set of teeth was still visible.

"This armor was taken from a fallen comrade. Given the current situation, we can't make any new armor, so we can only repair the old and use it again. Make do with it. The Demon Suppression Army's armor is made from refined dark iron, forged a hundred times or more. It should be able to withstand the claws and fangs of ordinary demonic beasts."

Huangfu Yun finished speaking and was about to leave when Shi Lan called out to him.

"Centurion, may I ask if the City Lord's Mansion has any healing pills?"

Huangfu Yun wasn't at all surprised by Shi Lan's question. He already knew she had brought an injured person into the City Lord's Mansion.

"Where is the person you brought?"

Shi Lan paused, then pointed toward the inner room.

Huangfu Yun walked into the inner room. When he saw Shi Feng lying on the bed, he strode over and took Shi Feng's wrist.

Shi Lan followed and stood to one side.

After examining him, a glint of surprise flashed in Huangfu Yun's eyes. "The younger generation is impressive. Shi Lan, who is he to you?"

"He is... my elder brother."

"Your brother's injuries are severe, but they're not life-threatening. Once you board the Cloudskimming Treasure Ship and reach the territory of the Shengwu Immortal Sect, he can recover with a long period of rest."

"Supplies of all kinds are extremely scarce in Twin Moon City right now, especially healing pills, so... I hope you can understand."

Shi Lan nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Centurion."

Huangfu Yun returned to the outer room. At the door, he glanced back and said, "If you need anything else, just tell me. Whatever I can do, I'll take care of it."

Shi Lan thanked him again.

After shutting the door, Shi Lan took the armor from the wooden chest. It was extremely heavy; weighing it in her hands, it must have been over two hundred pounds. An ordinary person would probably struggle even to move in it, but for Shi Lan now, it was no problem.

She put on the heavy armor and fastened the connecting plates. After moving around a little to get used to its weight, Shi Lan placed the helmet, complete with faceplate, on her head.

The icy faceplate pressed against her cheeks, bringing a bone-deep chill.

After putting on the helmet, Shi Lan caught a faint whiff of blood. It was very slight, but mixed with the armor's own metallic tang, it was impossible to ignore.

She went into the inner room and stood before the mirror. The person reflected there was no different from the black-armored soldiers she had seen earlier. The armor was the same, and it gave off the same icy impression.

Thanks to Chuheng*Mengji Wangsheng and the book friend Bubu de Weixiao for their tips. And even though I'm just a two-updates-a-day salted fish, I really do want recommendation tickets~