Xingyi

Wu Ming gathered his thoughts.

He set down the metal case and looked toward the last large crate. He knew it contained the final piece of equipment for today: a full-metal suit of armor.

But just as he was about to walk over and open it, Zhu Huazhi stopped him with a smile.

"Don't rush, my friend. I haven't finished introducing the functions of this Flying Sword set yet."

"There's more?" Wu Ming froze slightly and looked down at the metal case.

"Of course." Zhu Huazhi shook his head. "If it were merely an ordinary item, why would it be worth my personal attention?"

"There's actually another mechanism hidden inside this case. You were too busy testing the Flying Sword earlier, so you probably didn't notice it at all."

He pointed it out. "Turn the Sword Case over. Yes, put the frosted side facing up, then stand on it."

The moment he heard that, Wu Ming immediately understood what Zhu Huazhi meant.

He stepped onto it as instructed. The next second, the Sword Case seemed to trigger some mechanism. The spots where his feet stood suddenly sank inward, firmly embedding the soles of his shoes.

Immediately afterward, two metal loops silently sprang out from the edges of the indentations, passed over the tops of his feet, and locked into place, firmly securing both feet to the Sword Case.

"So it really is a flying tool. No wonder the Sword Case was designed with such a streamlined shape."

Wu Ming silently praised it. With a thought, he activated his Spiritual Force and lifted the Sword Case into the air. It carried him slowly upward, hovering about a meter above the ground as he flew back and forth through the living room.

With both feet firmly secured, his body remained steady. If he had not been worried about drawing too much attention, he would have wanted to fly straight out of the villa and have some fun in the sky.

"Damn, flying on a sword!"

Ruan Zaixing stared with wide eyes from the side. Flying had always been humanity's dream, and now he was watching a living person stand on a metal board and drift around in midair. His heart itched with envy.

Unfortunately, Wu Ming could fly because of Spiritual Force, not because of the Sword Case itself. Ruan Zaixing could only stare helplessly from the side.

"A-Ming looks so cool!" Ruan Qingzhu's eyes shone even brighter. Unlike her father's simple envy, her gaze held far more longing.

Because Wu Ming had said that she possessed the potential to become a Spirit Reader as well.

As long as she cultivated diligently, one day she too would be able to stand on a Flying Sword, cross the azure heavens, and indulge in the fantasy of being an immortal heroine.

When the Sword Case came to a stop, Wu Ming still wanted more. The living room was simply too small. Flying with Spiritual Force belonged in the open skies.

When I get the chance, I can find an uninhabited area and fly to my heart's content.

With that thought in mind, Wu Ming slowly descended. Then, under Zhu Huazhi's guidance, he sent his Spiritual Force into the Sword Case and lightly touched the mechanism.

With a click, the metal loops over his feet quickly retracted into the indentations. The sunken footholds rose again, and the Sword Case returned to its original shape, leaving no trace of any mechanism behind.

"Are you satisfied with this Flying Sword set, my friend?" Zhu Huazhi stroked his chin, his tone faintly smug.

"I'm satisfied. More than satisfied." Wu Ming spoke sincerely. "Master, your craftsmanship truly lives up to its reputation."

"Since that's the case, you should give it a name as well. The battle saber already has one, so you can't favor one over the other," Zhu Huazhi suggested.

"Of course." Wu Ming looked down at the Sword Case. After thinking briefly, he said, "Each Flying Sword is sharp at both ends and shaped like a willow leaf. Let's call it Willow Inquiry."

"Willow Inquiry?" Zhu Huazhi pondered the meaning of those words, then nodded. "It's quite an elegant name. Then we'll go with your choice and call it Willow Inquiry."

Wu Ming smiled. The next second, the words Alloy Flying Sword in his Equipment Bar changed to [Flying Sword · Willow Inquiry].

After finishing that, he turned his gaze toward the final wooden crate in the center of the living room.

Tungsten Steel Battle Armor!

"This armor was made entirely according to your requirements, so I won't introduce it in too much detail." Zhu Huazhi seemed somewhat uninterested in this piece of equipment.

After all, the armor's construction was simple and devoid of any aesthetic design. In his eyes, it could not even be called a work of art.

Aside from its exceptional material and the enormous amount of material used, it was not fundamentally different from the assembly-line products in his workshop.

But Wu Ming did not care about any of that. He walked forward with anticipation, lifted the crate lid, and finally saw the armor in its entirety.

Inside the crate stood a humanoid iron frame. The entire suit of Tungsten Steel Armor was assembled perfectly on it, like a two-meter-tall metal giant.

The twenty-millimeter-thick Tungsten Alloy plates gleamed with a cold, dark luster. Viewed from the front, it exuded an oppressive stillness like an immovable mountain, enough to make one shudder.

"No wonder this crate is taller than the first two put together." Wu Ming looked up at the steel body in sudden realization.

Zhu Huazhi had deliberately displayed it this way to bring out that oppressive presence.

If all the components had been dismantled and stacked away, the crate would have been at least half as tall. But then it would have had no imposing presence at all, which did not suit the artistic sensibilities of a cold-weapons master like him.

Naturally, Wu Ming would not be intimidated by that aura. He smiled faintly and pressed his hand against the cold surface of the breastplate.

The next second, the Equipment Bar stirred again.

[Equipment detected: Tungsten Steel Battle Armor]

[Talent 1: Indestructible Golden Body, skin and bone strength +150%]

[Talent 2: Warlord's Bearing, Genetic Energy talent +150%]

[Talent 3: Martial Arts Master, fist technique talent +150%]

[Equip?]

Seeing the armor's attributes, Wu Ming could not help but smile.

These talent boosts were completely on the same level as the Dragon Sparrow battle saber. No, their effects were even better.

After all, Dragon Sparrow only provided a 100% boost to movement technique talent, which could not compare to the Tungsten Steel Armor's boost to fist techniques.

That was the benefit of piling on materials. Winning through sheer quantity had forcefully pushed this armor's quality beyond that of the Dragon Sparrow Battle Blade, second only to the Flying Swords.

He had been about to replace the Dragon Sparrow battle saber and form a Spirit-Material Dual Cultivation set, but then he wondered whether combining the armor and battle saber could create a new set effect.

With that thought, Wu Ming chose to replace the effect of Flying Sword · Willow Inquiry and checked again.

[Two-piece set effect: Close-Combat Grandmaster, Genetic Energy talent +150%, close-combat technique +150%]

"This talent... is incredibly strong!" Wu Ming marveled inwardly. "Genetic Energy talent is one thing, but it even boosts close-combat technique talent?"

"This so-called close-combat technique wouldn't include saber techniques, fist techniques, and movement techniques all together, would it? That's absurdly powerful!"

After all, his next step was to learn Internal Martial Arts, both to train the way his body exerted force and to deduce a Guidance Technique. With the Close-Combat Grandmaster set's support, he would undoubtedly achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Right, let's check the talent boost ratio for Spirit-Material Dual Cultivation too."

He switched the battle saber back to the flying swords, and the familiar Spirit-Material Dual Cultivation set appeared again. However, its values were now completely different from before.

[Two-piece set effect: Spirit-Material Dual Cultivation, Genetic Energy talent +150%, Spiritual Force talent +150%]

"The values really have increased too." Wu Ming's thoughts raced. "In that case, if I want to cultivate both Spiritual Force and Genetic Energy, Spirit-Material Dual Cultivation is still the best option."

"If I'm studying Internal Martial Arts and various close-combat techniques, then Close-Combat Grandmaster is optimal."

"And if I want to study both strength and Spiritual Force amplitude, then Weapon Master is the best choice!"

The three sets each corresponded to one of three major directions, allowing him to switch to the most suitable boosts for different cultivation environments.

In any case, there was no time limit on switching sets. As long as the equipment was nearby and easy to touch, that was enough.

"Thank you, Master. I'm very satisfied with all three pieces of equipment."

After closing the Tungsten Steel Armor's crate again, Wu Ming turned and thanked Zhu Huazhi. "And thank you for personally delivering them."

"Haha, it was no trouble. With items this valuable, I wouldn't dare casually find someone else to deliver them."

Zhu Huazhi smiled and waved his hand. After pausing, he added, "But when I saw you swing your saber earlier, it seemed like there wasn't much structure to your movements. I wonder whether you..."

He hesitated, seemingly considering whether saying it so bluntly would be too hurtful.

"Master, are you asking whether I've learned saber techniques before?"

Wu Ming did not mind at all. He smiled and shook his head. "Master's judgment is correct. I've indeed never practiced saber techniques. I merely have brute strength."

"To be honest, Master, I'm preparing to seek out various Internal Martial Arts schools next. First, I want to gain control over this body and perfectly bring out its strength. Second, I want to learn practical weapon techniques and improve my ability to fight enemies."

"I see."

Zhu Huazhi's eyes lit up, and the hesitation vanished from his face. "Then what a coincidence. I happen to know a Xingyi master. He is the head of Kyoto's Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, the third-generation inheritor of Jia-style Xingyi, and one of the top experts in this circle."

"Would you be interested? Xingyi Quan's core Five Elements Fist can itself be transformed into spear techniques and saber techniques. It would let you achieve both of your goals at once."