Chapter 46

An hour later, Jiang Chen finally finished scrubbing his body clean and washing the quilt, though the wide river was now littered with countless fish floating belly-up on the surface.

What a waste.

Regrettable as it was, he didn't pay it much mind; if there were none in the water, there were still plenty on the mountain.

The mere thought of his spirit skill filled him with excitement. He hung the quilt on a nearby tree branch and, without even bothering to put on his clothes, began testing his spirit skill while stark naked.

Ever since he woke up, he had been aware of the information regarding his first spirit skill.

He skillfully summoned his Zombie spirit, and a completely purple spirit ring rose from beneath his feet, hovering gently around his body.

"It really is a purple spirit ring, a thousand-year spirit ring!" Jiang Chen was overjoyed.

According to Yu Xiaogang's theory, the limit for a spirit master's first spirit ring was four hundred and twenty-three years. Jiang Chen had aimed to break that limit before absorbing it, but he hadn't expected to not only break it but exceed it by two or three times!

He had endured it entirely on his own, without the aid of any external force, relying solely on his own zombie physique and the amplification of his spirit to successfully absorb a thousand-year spirit ring.

If not for the threat of the heavenly tribulation looming over him, he might not have held on long enough for the spirit ring to become a thousand-year one.

After all, the heavenly tribulation was a lethal force; how could he not fight for his life while absorbing the spirit ring?

He flashed a satisfied smile and released his first spirit skill.

A layer of pitch-black substance appeared on his skin, coating his entire body like liquid before solidifying into a formidable and imposing suit of armor.

The armor was jet-black and glossy, with thick, black, diamond-shaped spikes protruding from his elbows, knees, and shoulders, giving him an exceptionally ferocious appearance.

He tapped it; the black armor felt like bone to the touch, yet it rang out like metal.

With a thought, the faceplate could retract or cover his face, leaving only his eyes, nose, and mouth exposed.

After walking to the riverbank to admire his reflection for a few minutes, he nodded in satisfaction, his mouth stretching into a wide grin.

If he had to describe this armor in a few words, it would be: incredibly cool!

Beyond his satisfaction with its appearance, the armor's effects were an even greater surprise.

The skill was named Zombie God Armor, and its primary effect was defensive. Once the God Armor was equipped, his physical defense increased by one hundred and fifty percent, effectively 1.5 times his base.

Not only that, but the God Armor also provided boosts to other attributes, though to a lesser extent than the defense.

His strength and speed were both doubled. While this was a lower multiplier than the defense, it was still a very impressive figure.

For a typical level thirty-something Spirit Grandmaster, even an excellent thousand-year spirit ring would only provide a doubling effect.

Compared to the third spirit skills of other spirit masters, Jiang Chen's skill was top-tier in its enhancement of these three attributes.

Moreover, his base strength, speed, and defense were already monstrous, so once the God Armor was equipped, the results would be terrifying.

He estimated that once he activated this skill, few spirit masters of the same level would be able to break through his defenses even if he just stood there.

As expected, it's a defensive skill, Jiang Chen thought to himself. He had anticipated this before absorbing the God-Bestowed Spirit Ring, as it was known to form the skill most needed by the user at the time.

However, the skill did have its drawbacks: it could not be maintained indefinitely, and it consumed a significant amount of spirit power.

The skill could only be maintained for half an hour, and just by activating it, one-third of the spirit power in Jiang Chen's body had been depleted.

After half an hour, the skill would automatically deactivate, though it could be cast again, provided he had the spirit power to spare.