Chapter 463: Chapter 412: Stabilizing Talisman (Part 2)

His tone then softened. "The Earth Dark Sect is as savage as a pack of wolves. If things become impossible, you must preserve your life. Otherwise, I won’t be able to face Elder Lu."

Zhao Lin said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, Island Master."

Chu Hongtian nodded slightly. After stroking his chin in thought for a moment, he said, "How about this? Come with me to the armory and pick something to protect yourself."

Zhao Lin naturally had no reason to refuse such a good offer. He replied, "Thank you, Elder."

Chu Hongtian nodded, then his hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Zhao Lin’s wrist.

Zhao Lin’s vision blurred, and the scenery around him changed in a flash.

When he came to his senses, he was already beneath the ground, an underground palace before his eyes.

’What kind of skill is this?’

Zhao Lin was amazed. He subconsciously glanced at the Spirit Cultivation Map and saw three words appear in the first grid: Thousand-Li Shrink.

This grid originally contained two Earth Element skills: the Tier One Skill, Rock Armor Skill, and the Tier Two Skill, Mountain-Shattering Earth-Splitting.

Thousand-Li Shrink was above these two skills, a Tier Three Skill.

Zhao Lin had heard of this skill before. "Thousand-Li Shrink" referred to contracting the earth’s veins, compressing a thousand li of land into the space of a single inch. Thus, it was also called "Shrinking the Land to an Inch."

There was no plum blossom pattern next to the skill.

Zhao Lin guessed it was either because the skill was cast too quickly for the Spirit Cultivation Map to capture it, or because his own Cultivation Realm was far too low.

He didn’t feel any regret, though. A Tier Three Skill was too far beyond his reach; it was something to consider only after reaching Foundation Establishment.

The underground palace was surrounded by a translucent gray barrier, hazy and indistinct.

Chu Hongtian walked to the front of the underground palace, extended a finger, and casually swiped it across the outer barrier. The barrier immediately split down the middle, creating an opening over ten feet wide.

Zhao Lin’s view suddenly opened up. A great hall appeared, about two hundred feet long and seventy to eighty feet wide.

The hall had an arched dome ceiling, making the space feel exceptionally vast. On either side was a row of chambers built from large stones.

"This is the armory."

Chu Hongtian led Zhao Lin into the hall and gestured toward the stone chambers on both sides.

Zhao Lin glanced around and saw that each stone chamber was a different color, and they held various cultivation items, all sorted by category.

Armor, magical treasures, arrays, magical artifacts, pills, talismans...

A quick glance revealed that most were related to combat and battle.

Passing by an ocher-colored stone chamber, he saw dozens of sets of battle armor hanging inside.

The armor was a bluish-gold color, engraved with dense runes and Array Patterns, and it exuded a chilling aura.

This was the first time Zhao Lin had seen battle armor in person, and he couldn’t help but take a longer look.

He had always wondered about something. In the world of cultivation, the power gap between high-tier and low-tier cultivators was immense, even greater than in the martial arts.

A single Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could easily defeat dozens, or even hundreds, of Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

So why establish a War Cultivator Corps?

Wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to concentrate resources on training a few more Purple Mansion Realm cultivators?

But as he learned more about the path of cultivation, he came to understand the reason lay with the battle armor.

The battle armor was covered in runes and Array Patterns, allowing cultivators to pool their Mana and concentrate it into immense power.

It was equivalent to forming a human-shaped Array. The power of their magic would be multiplied, and their combined combat strength could rival that of a high-tier cultivator.

However, battle armor was difficult to craft, and each set was priceless. They were only deployed in large-scale wars.

Chu Hongtian led Zhao Lin onward until they reached a stone chamber filled with talismans.

Hundreds of talismans hovered in the air, each imprinted with golden seal script that indicated the talisman’s name and grade.

Seeing so many talismans, Zhao Lin felt a little dazzled.

Seeing this, Chu Hongtian chuckled. "These talismans are normally reserved for wartime. However, the mission you’re undertaking is exceptionally perilous, no less dangerous than a military campaign."

"So I’ve taken the liberty. Go ahead and pick one."

Zhao Lin was both shocked and delighted. "I can... choose any of them?"

Chu Hongtian nodded. "Yes! With your cultivation, you wouldn’t be able to use a Tier Three talisman. I suggest you pick a Tier Two Talisman. An escape-type talisman would be best; it could save your life at a critical moment."

"As I said before, if things become impossible, you must preserve your life."

A warmth spread through Zhao Lin’s heart. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Elder."

’Though Chu Hongtian was likely doing this for Lu Yuanxiu’s sake, it was still remarkable for a Purple Mansion cultivator to show such consideration for the life of a mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator.’

Chu Hongtian didn’t speak, only gestured for Zhao Lin to proceed.

Zhao Lin acknowledged him and began to quickly browse through the stone chamber.

The talismans in the chamber were mostly Tier One and Tier Two. Among them were many familiar names: Concealment Talisman, Hongyan Talisman, Water Spear Talisman, Divine Movement Talisman, Hundred Blades Talisman...

’Since I can choose freely, of course I’ll pick a high-tier one.’

Thanks to his Spirit Cultivation Map, he was quite familiar with all sorts of skills, especially Tier One and Tier Two skills.

As he walked around, he saw many interesting skills.

For example, the Thorned Counter-Armor Talisman. Besides providing the defensive capabilities of a Wood Element shield, it could also reflect an enemy’s magic back at them when attacked.

A high-grade Thorned Counter-Armor Talisman could reflect thirty percent of an attack, which was incredible in actual combat.

There was also the Wood Escape Talisman, which could instantly transport the user to a distant location with trees.

The higher the talisman’s grade, the farther the escape distance.

However, it completely drained one’s Mana after use. If the enemy found you again, you would have no ability to fight back, making it a last-resort escape method.

After looking for a while, Zhao Lin felt his eyes blurring from the choices. Every Tier Two talisman had its own unique features, and they all seemed useful.

He unknowingly wandered into a corner of the chamber and suddenly spotted a light purple talisman.

A few words were written on the talisman: Stabilizing Talisman, Tier Two Upper Grade.

Divine Sense-type skills were always rare. Unfamiliar with this particular skill, Zhao Lin couldn’t help but ask, "Elder Chu, what does the Stabilizing Talisman do?"

"Ah, the Stabilizing Talisman..."

Chu Hongtian glanced casually at the talisman and explained, "The Stabilizing Talisman can cast the Mind Stabilizing Skill. It freezes the opponent’s Divine Sense, temporarily preventing them from using magic."

Magic is driven by both Divine Sense and Spiritual Power; neither can be lacking. If the Divine Sense is restricted, magic naturally cannot be used.

Zhao Lin said in surprise, "This talisman is incredibly powerful."

’A talisman this good is hidden in a corner? Could it be that he’s reluctant to part with it?’

Chu Hongtian smiled faintly. "The Celestial Dao maintains its own balance. All things in the world exist in natural equilibrium."

"If such a skill truly existed, wouldn’t it guarantee victory in a fight? That would go against the Heavenly Dao Laws, so naturally, a skill that disrupts the balance like that cannot exist."

"Let me finish. The Stabilizing Talisman sounds powerful, but it has two major drawbacks."

"First, while the Mind Stabilizing Skill can freeze an enemy’s Divine Sense, the duration is extremely short. At the Perfected level, it can only freeze them for two breaths. At the Mastered level, only one breath, and so on..."

’This talisman is upper-grade,’ Zhao Lin thought, ’which corresponds to the Adept level. It could freeze someone for half a breath. The duration is short, but in a lightning-fast battle, it could still play a huge role.’

But then he heard Chu Hongtian continue, "The second problem is that while the Mind Stabilizing Skill freezes the opponent’s Divine Sense, the user must pay the same price."

"In other words, both sides are affected equally. The enemy can’t use magic, and neither can the caster."

Zhao Lin thought for a moment, then hit upon a key point. "I’m still unclear on one thing. Although both sides’ Divine Senses are frozen, one acts while the other is acted upon. When the skill wears off, doesn’t the one who initiated it have the advantage?"

Chu Hongtian nodded in approval. "Correct. You’re very clever. But don’t forget, cultivators can cast a Spiritual Energy Shield from the Middle Stage of Qi Refining onward."

"The Spiritual Energy Shield is the simplest defensive skill, and it’s the only one that doesn’t require Divine Sense to control."

"As long as your enemy is even slightly clever, they’ll immediately put up a Spiritual Energy Shield after being hit by the Mind Stabilizing Skill. The slight initiative you gained won’t amount to much."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, the Mind Stabilizing Skill is best used in a coordinated attack. For example, if Person A and Person B are fighting one opponent. Person A casts the Mind Stabilizing Skill, and Person B takes the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. With proper coordination and precise timing, you can defeat the enemy in a single blow."

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