The Mystery of the Armor

After gathering up all the spirit stones, Ye Xiu's burning gaze fell upon the pristine white pill bottle.

Ascension Pill!

Elder Han of the outer sect was a Nascent Soul Realm elder. The pills he could produce were naturally anything but ordinary.

At third grade, it was the highest-grade pill Ye Xiu had encountered since beginning his cultivation.

If a pill of this level were put on the market, its starting price would be one hundred thousand spirit stones—and even then, it would be something with a price but no market.

After all, for a pill capable of cleansing one's meridians and marrow and improving one's aptitude, any ordinary cultivator who obtained one would certainly consume it themselves. Who would be willing to sell it?

It was only because Elder Han, aside from his responsibilities as an outer sect administrator, also had ties to the Alchemy Hall that he could casually produce such a pill. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for him to take it out.

After putting away the pill, Ye Xiu had no intention of using it right away.

His cultivation was currently stuck at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. If he consumed this pill now, he would not be able to digest its medicinal power at all. It might have come easily, but wasting it was not in his nature.

I'll wait until after I break through.

Ye Xiu made his decision.

As for breaking through, now that he had gathered enough spirit stones, Ye Xiu was not worried about being unable to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The reason he had not gone directly to the Alchemy Hall to buy medicine was purely because he had just used Yan Lou's identity to acquire so many spirit stones. If he immediately went to make a purchase afterward, it would be hard to guarantee that someone observant would not notice something amiss.

Besides, he had returned to Apocalypse World for more than simply keeping his wealth hidden.

This profit had already proven the viability of the arms trade in the cultivation world.

Striking while the iron was hot was what Ye Xiu should be doing now.

Leaving the basement, Ye Xiu headed straight for the Wildfire Gang.

The Wildfire Gang was bustling with activity.

During his previous expedition, Ye Xiu had exchanged part of his merits for official support, and the results were naturally obvious.

In just over twenty days, the entire Wildfire Gang headquarters had visibly taken on a brand-new look.

All kinds of new basic infrastructure had been put in place, allowing the Wildfire Gang's strength to grow by leaps and bounds.

It was true that they had been capable of manufacturing weapons before, but surviving in this apocalypse was not something that could be solved through force alone.

Food and drinking water to sustain life, purifiers to isolate and cleanse the outside air, protective suits to prevent radiation-induced mutations...

These were all guarantees for long-term survival in the apocalypse.

Likewise, these items were also strictly controlled by the official organizations.

Thus, when Ye Xiu returned to the headquarters, the gazes everyone directed at him carried a measure of respect.

If the Wildfire Gang had still harbored some complaints when Ye Xiu seized the leader's position through force before—

Then after this new leader brought them a stable supply of resources, everyone in the gang, even Xie Lan's former diehard loyalists, had no choice but to pledge loyalty to him.

"Boss, you're back?"

Upon receiving news of Ye Xiu's arrival, Xie Lan hurriedly set aside her work and came to greet him.

Ye Xiu nodded in response. After signaling for everyone to continue with their work, the two entered the laboratory.

"Has there been any progress with the armor?"

The moment he entered the laboratory, Ye Xiu spotted the crimson armor resting on the test bench at its center.

When Ye Xiu mentioned the matter, excitement visibly appeared on Xie Lan's face.

"Boss, where did you get this new material? Its strength isn't particularly high, but it's incredibly light, and its toughness is an enormous breakthrough!"

"Not only that, in our tests, this thing even actively absorbs nearby toxins!"

"It's just like, just like..."

"Like a living organism?"

Ye Xiu supplied the words for the excited Xie Lan.

"Yes, it's like it's alive!"

Xie Lan nodded firmly.

Ye Xiu was not surprised.

The demonic beasts of the cultivation world possessed extremely powerful vitality, and this quality remained evident even after certain parts were separated from their bodies.

The Soul-Eating Scorpion was a demonic beast laden with deadly poison, yet it could normally keep that poison perfectly contained without leaking even a trace. This was entirely thanks to the shell covering its body.

As far as Ye Xiu knew, artifact refiners in the cultivation world did their utmost to erase the lingering souls within such materials in order to make perfect use of their properties.

In Apocalypse World, however, the approach was clearly different. They followed a path of bringing out and magnifying the materials' original characteristics.

Ye Xiu held great expectations for this.

He also wanted to see whether this different path could produce something new.

"So, can this armor be used now?"

Ye Xiu asked.

"Basically, there's no problem with it. But for some reason, everyone who has worn it ends up suffering mild poisoning afterward."

Confusion appeared on Xie Lan's face.

She had personally made this armor. Logically, there should not have been any problems, yet it now came with such a side effect.

Ye Xiu frowned.

Poisoning after wearing it? What was going on?

He reached out and grabbed the armor from the test bench. Xie Lan did not stop him. After all, it had been specially made for Ye Xiu, and now that its intended owner was here, it was the perfect chance for him to experience it himself.

Once the armor was on, Ye Xiu found that it fit him perfectly.

He tried slashing hard at it with the Soul-Extinguishing Dagger. Aside from leaving behind a white mark, the armor remained completely undamaged.

Ye Xiu could not help being somewhat surprised.

Even if he had not activated the Soul-Burning Art, the spiritual power of his ninth level Qi Condensation cultivation was no sham.

If even an attack like that could not break through its defense, then there were probably few people in the outer sect who could pierce his defenses.

Ye Xiu nodded at Xie Lan, and she immediately understood, activating the device.

Under Ye Xiu's gaze, thick green poisonous mist quickly spread around him.

Just as the poisonous mist was about to touch Ye Xiu's body, a halo of light suddenly lit up across the armor.

Then, the entire suit of armor seemed to come alive.

The scales upon it opened and closed like breathing. With every inhale and exhale, the surrounding poisonous mist was sucked clean in an instant!

"Boss, if the test is over, you should take off the armor as soon as possible."

Seeing Ye Xiu examining the armor on his body with satisfaction, Xie Lan hurriedly reminded him.

After all, quite a few people had been poisoned because of it during the previous tests.

"No need."

Ye Xiu waved his hand.

"This thing releases its poison very covertly. Sometimes, it really can't be detected at all!"

Seeing that Ye Xiu did not seem to believe her, Xie Lan immediately grew anxious.

She had reached this conclusion only after conducting a great many tests. When the armor poisoned its wearer, there was almost no warning at all. Many people had not even realized there was a problem until they had already been poisoned into collapse.

Ye Xiu's confidence now had undoubtedly clouded his judgment!

"There's no need to be so nervous. When have I ever done anything without being certain?"

Seeing Xie Lan's anxious expression, Ye Xiu merely smiled.

People in Apocalypse World could not detect this so-called poisoning of the wearer, but to him, it was no secret.

Circulating the spiritual power within his body, Ye Xiu made the armor on his body "come alive" once more before Xie Lan's stunned eyes.

This time, however, poisonous clouds spread out of it from thin air.

In a single instant, they completely engulfed the entire laboratory!