"There's a saying: To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. We cannot constantly rely on external aid or pray for fortune to descend upon us. When facing dragons, phoenixes, and qilins, the human race has no innate advantage. However, with the strength of Great Yi, no major upheaval will arise in the short term. Still, we must do everything possible to empower our citizens and strengthen our military forces."
Yi Tianxing continued speaking, his tone resolute.
This was the true key to it all. Only when one's strength reaches a certain level can one truly control their destiny. Who in the world would then dare belittle the Great Yi Dynasty? Who would still see them as ants to be crushed? Only with overwhelming power could they dictate their fate.
"Your Majesty, regarding the matter of forging battle armor exclusive to our Great Yi Dynasty, we've made a breakthrough."
Master Lu stepped forward and bowed, a trace of joy on his face.
"Oh? Speak."Yi Tianxing's expression lit up with joy as well.
From the beginning, the crafting of battle armor had been a matter of utmost importance. According to their vision, the battle armor of Great Yi would fuse elements of rune armor, the mysterious flying armor of the Qimen School, and the power of phantom beasts. Only such a fusion could produce a truly powerful battle armor.
"After continuous research by myself and the master artisans in the Skywork Pavilion—and with Protector Ye temporarily lending us the Qimen flying armor for reference—we have succeeded in merging the characteristics of rune armor and Qimen flying armor into a single form. It's a unique type of armor—or rather, merely its prototype. A piece of Primordial Battle Armor."
Master Lu elaborated.
"Your Majesty, please have a look. This is the prototype we have forged."
Gongshu Lin also stepped forward and presented an item. Upon closer inspection, it was a cyan-colored bamboo slip. However, everyone could clearly see that this bamboo slip was crystalline and translucent, like it had been carved from jade. It was covered in countless mysterious runes and Dao patterns, interwoven in a chaotic yet harmonious manner, exuding a profound Daoist rhythm that drew one in like an exquisite piece of art.
"Let one of the generals come forward to try out this set of armor."
Master Lu smiled and looked toward the generals of the War Pavilion.
"I will!!"
Yang Yanding stepped forward with a bold voice, taking center position in the grand hall.
Years of battle had tempered Yang Yanding into a seasoned warrior. His natural talent in body cultivation had allowed him to reach the Third Transformation of Body Refining, and with his mastery of the Heavenly General Battle Codex, he was already considered one of the stronger figures in Great Yi's military.
"Good!"Yi Tianxing nodded approvingly.
Gongshu Lin handed the armor prototype to Yang Yanding without delay.
Yang Yanding infused his true essence into the bamboo slip, and immediately, a divine radiance blossomed from it. In a flash, the bamboo slip dissolved into countless dense runes, many of which were familiar to the onlookers—most being the most basic foundational runes.
The runes flowed like liquid across Yang Yanding's body, rapidly spreading and enveloping him. In mere moments, a cyan-colored suit of armor formed.
The armor had no decorative embellishments, just layers of interwoven cyan patterns. Curiously, it didn't appear to contain any active enchantments or restrictions. Rather, these restrictions existed, but they were dormant, as if suspended in a state of chaotic stillness. They could be activated, but at the moment, the armor possessed no unique properties. Even the protective true essence it generated was only enhanced by about thirty percent, with no elemental amplification.
It was essentially a blank armor.
"There are no active runes or enchantments. Well, not exactly… I can sense many runes within it, but they're all inactive and chaotic, uncoordinated. The boost to my protective true essence is minimal—only about thirty percent. To be honest, this feels even less effective than the standard-issue armor we used before."
Yang Yanding frowned, looking suspiciously at Master Lu and Gongshu Lin. He had come with great expectations—after all, the Skywork Pavilion was famous throughout the dynasty. Many of its rare treasures had taken the world by storm.
To think that in such a grand court assembly, they would present a blank set of armor? It was almost unbelievable. He even wondered if he had somehow failed to activate its true potential. Yet after repeated inspections, the result remained unchanged.
He couldn't help but look at them with an expression that said, "Are you sure this is it?"
"General Yang's observation is not wrong. This is indeed an ordinary armor—for now. We've named it the Primordial Battle Armor precisely because the runes inside have not yet fused to form enchantments. They remain in an independent, dormant state. This armor is built from the foundational rune structures of both rune armor and Qimen flying armor."
Master Lu explained with a smile."The reason it has no special features yet is because it's incomplete. It lacks the most critical component."
"What is that?"Yi Tianxing asked, the entire court now visibly intrigued.
The Skywork Pavilion's work was never ordinary—this "blank armor" must hold some deeper potential.
"Phantom Beasts."
Gongshu Lin spoke in a deep voice."This Primordial Armor must be merged with a phantom beast to complete its transformation. Once a phantom beast is integrated, the dormant runes will naturally begin to evolve and synchronize with the beast's traits, forming new rune enchantments. The armor will then gain various abilities—flight, elemental powers, mobility enhancements—depending on the nature of the beast."
"For example, if you merge it with a Lightning Eagle, the armor may grow wings, gain flight, and allow the user to manipulate thunder and use wing-based divine techniques. Most importantly, this type of armor is capable of growth. As it's refined and cultivated, its battle soul—the integrated beast spirit—can evolve, allowing the armor to strengthen as its wearer grows."
Master Lu added.
"What?! That's actually possible?"
Gasps echoed through the grand hall.
The idea that a suit of armor could be customized and evolve based on the phantom beast it was merged with—and that the beast would become the armor's spirit or artifact soul—was astounding. An armor with an artifact soul was on a whole other level, often equivalent to a spiritual treasure.
Moreover, these would be perfectly matched to their users, making them highly effective in battle. With enough refinement, such battle armor would provide immense support to its wearer.
"Let's go. To the Phantom Beast Hall. I want to see for myself how this Primordial Armor undergoes transformation."
Yi Tianxing's eyes lit up, a trace of excitement rising within him. If this succeeded, it would lead to a monumental shift across the Great Yi Dynasty, granting it a distinct and exclusive line of battle armor.
Without hesitation, he stood and led the group to the Phantom Beast Hall.
This hall had already been incorporated into Xuanhuang City as a treasure structure—located within the Cloud Realm. Though known to the court, it had not yet been opened to the public.
As they entered the Phantom Beast Hall, they were greeted by countless vivid murals of phantom beasts, exuding a wild and primal aura. Though it was called a hall, it was actually a self-contained dimensional world, a small-scale heaven and earth.
It contained mountains, rivers, forests, oceans, and grasslands—all teeming with phantom beasts.
These phantom beasts were essentially souls of slain ferocious beasts, refined and transformed by the hall's mysterious power into semi-real entities. Within the hall, they behaved like real beasts—capable of living, fighting, and even showing hostility toward intruders.
To acquire a phantom beast, one had to hunt and slay it inside the hall. Upon killing it, the beast would leave behind a Phantom Beast Essence, a fist-sized glowing orb containing a miniature form of the slain beast.
This essence was the key—it could be fused into the Primordial Armor, serving as its artifact soul.
However, if the essence was not claimed, the phantom beast would be resurrected shortly after, returning to life as if nothing happened.
Outside of this hall, phantom beast essence could not exist. It had to be fused on-site, or left behind. This was a powerful restriction, ensuring only worthy candidates could obtain a beast.
"General Yang, go hunt a phantom beast."
Yi Tianxing turned to Yang Yanding and commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Without delay, Yang Yanding targeted a cyan Windfang Demon Wolf. With a mighty leap, he appeared before it, dodging its storm of wind blades, and unleashed a crushing punch. The wolf let out a wail and collapsed instantly.
A glowing Phantom Beast Essence appeared before him—cyan in color, with a miniature Windfang Demon Wolf curled inside.