197: Chapter 197 The Shape-Changing Spirit Shield

Time passed quickly. Inside the cultivation cave, there was no cycle of sun or moon.

Ye Tian sat cross-legged, the aura around his body deep and steady.

In these two-plus months, he hadn't wasted any time, instead pouring his energy primarily into two things.

The first was cultivating the newly acquired Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword Art, and the second was studying the black tortoise spirit armor shield he had spent a large amount of contribution points to exchange for.

The Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword Art was Profound Rank Advanced. Its essence lay in "Splitting Light into Shadows," and it was extremely difficult to Cultivate.

However, Ye Tian possessed the Five Elements Sword Body, giving him a natural affinity for the Dao of the sword.

The rotation of the Five Elements aligned with the Dao of splitting and merging sword light and the transformation between illusion and reality, allowing him to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Heart merges with the sword, intent moves with the light, splitting into thousands, gathering and dispersing as one..."

In his Sea of Consciousness, points of Sword Qi light constantly evolved.

Ye Tian held his fingers like a sword, tracing through the void.

Initially, there was only one five-colored sword glow at his fingertip, but as his mind focused and the Five Elements True Essence flowed through specific pathways, the sword glow suddenly split into three!

These three sword lights were of different colors: bright white like gold, cold like water, and vibrant like wood. Though slightly illusory, they had already begun to take shape.

"Split!"

Ye Tian gave a low shout in his mind. Under the control of his Divine Sense, the three sword lights trembled again, each splitting off an even fainter phantom.

In an instant, six sword shadows flickered and interlaced. Though they collapsed after only a short time, the sharp and ever-changing Sword Intent already filled the cave.

"Phew..."

Ye Tian opened his eyes, a hint of fatigue flashing through them.

"The Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword Art has finally reached the Realm of Minor Achievement."

He estimated that if he used it with the liuguang sword, its power would far exceed a single finger technique.

However, because all his time was spent on cultivating Martial Skills,

his cultivation Realm remained at the True Martial Third Layer Peak.

But he wasn't impatient, knowing that sometimes focusing on polishing techniques was more important than blindly raising one's Realm.

Aside from cultivating the sword art, Ye Tian placed more of his curiosity on the black tortoise spirit armor shield.

He bit his fingertip and forced out a drop of heart's blood, letting it fall onto the shield.

"Sizzle..."

The moment the blood touched the shield's surface, it was instantly absorbed, bringing up a wisp of white smoke!

The next moment, the shield hummed, its dark gold luster flaring up as the tortoise shell patterns flowed incessantly!

A sense of Bloodline connection welled up in Ye Tian's heart.

This was the sign of a successful soul-binding!

"What a strange sensation..."

Ye Tian stroked the shield, clearly sensing a faint trace of the Black Tortoise Bloodline aura within it.

To test its defense, he directly summoned the liuguang sword, applied seventy percent of his strength, and struck the shield's surface with a sword slash!

Clang!

The liuguang sword was violently bounced back. Ye Tian felt a recoil force travel up, making his right arm go slightly numb!

Yet on the shield's surface, not even a single white scratch was left behind!

"What a hard shield!" Ye Tian clicked his tongue.

Immediately, he tapped his fingers in succession, striking different spots on the shield with the fierce force of the Starfall Finger and the subtle internal force of the Heart-Piercing Finger!

Bang! Sizzle!

The finger forces landed on the shield, only causing tiny ripples before completely dissipating. The shield remained as smooth as new, completely unscathed!

"This defense... is probably enough to withstand the full-force attacks of ordinary True Martial Realm fourth or fifth layer Martial Artists!

Even for those in the True Martial Realm Late Stage, it would be difficult to break easily without special armor-piercing methods!"

Ye Tian was shocked and full of praise. "The Artifact Refining skills of Master Xuan Gui's lineage are truly supernatural!"

Amidst his joy, he frowned slightly: "The defense is strong, but holding a shield is ultimately somewhat inconvenient. It affects the agility of my movement and the use of Martial Skills with both hands. If only it could be worn on the body like an inner armor..."

Just as his thoughts shifted, the shield in his hand seemed to sense his thinking. It suddenly burst with light, and its shape began to twist!

In the blink of an eye, the shield actually transformed into a thin, form-fitting dark gold inner armor, automatically covering his vital chest and abdominal areas without being cumbersome at all!

"This...!"

Ye Tian was stunned, then ecstatic!

"It can actually change its form according to my will?"

He suppressed his excitement and focused his intent again: "Become an arm shield!"

With a thought, the inner armor instantly flowed, covering his left forearm and forming a small, exquisite arm shield!

"Helmet!"

The dark gold light flickered, and a helmet protecting the top of his forehead and the back of his head quietly appeared!

"Full-body light armor!"

A moment later, a set of dark gold light armor covering his main joints and vitals—yet not hindering movement—was worn on his body!

"Hahaha! Good! Excellent!"

Ye Tian couldn't help but laugh out loud!

This black tortoise spirit armor shield not only had incredible defense, it even possessed the intelligence to change at will!

This far exceeded his expectations; it was simply an unexpected pleasant surprise!

This meant that in battle, he could concentrate his defense on one point or cover his whole body at any time according to his needs, greatly increasing his tactical flexibility!

"I've found a treasure! A true treasure!"

Ye Tian stroked the spirit armor, which had transformed back into inner armor, with great affection. In his heart, he felt more confident about the upcoming Secret Realm trip.

Just then, the Restriction outside the cave fluctuated, and a Sect communication talisman arrived.

Sweeping it with his Divine Sense, the content appeared: All Inner Sect Disciples promoted within the last three years, proceed immediately to the Tianshu Peak martial arts square to participate in the Illusory Sea Secret Realm qualification test!

Only one stage: strength measurement!

The top fifteen will obtain qualification!

The Secret Realm will open in two days!

Latecomers will not be accepted!

"Two days later? So soon!"

Ye Tian's gaze narrowed.

Time was tight. The qualification test was being held today, meaning he only had two days of preparation time left!

He immediately stood up, wore the spirit armor in its inner armor form against his skin, carried the liuguang sword on his back, suppressed his aura to the True Martial Realm First Layer Peak, and stepped out of seclusion.

The Tianshu Peak martial arts square was crowded with people.

Hundreds of newly promoted Inner Sect Disciples gathered, the atmosphere tense.

The Illusory Sea Secret Realm held great opportunities; no one didn't want to fight for it.

Ye Tian's arrival immediately drew many gazes.

His life-and-death duel agreement with Gao Ling in the Secret Realm had already spread.

"Ye Tian is here! How is he still at the first layer of True Martial?"

"In a life-and-death Secret Realm battle, isn't he just sending himself to his death with that cultivation?"

"I heard he completed the Hundred Refinements Notes; perhaps he has a trump card?"

Amidst the discussions, Ye Tian saw Lei Zhen and Luo Qiushui.

Lei Zhen's aura was powerful, his injuries fully healed, and his cultivation had progressed.

Luo Qiushui was as cold as ever, her Sword Intent even purer.

The two of them nodded to Ye Tian upon seeing him.

Gao Ling arrived with Zhao Yan and the others, his cold gaze sweeping over Ye Tian, his killing intent completely undisguised.

Xiao Chen, Wang Meng, and Zhao Wuyou followed closely behind.

Su Xuan and Mu Yu also arrived together, casting concerned looks at Ye Tian.

There were also six other Disciples with solid True Martial Third Layer auras and impressive strength.

At that moment, an Elder flew over the crowd, his voice booming across the field: "Silence! The Illusory Sea Secret Realm qualification test begins now!

There is only one stage: Strength Measurement!

There are ten Strength-Testing Profound Tablets in the square. Use your full power to attack them. Those with the top fifteen overall scores will obtain qualification for the Secret Realm!

The Secret Realm opens in two days. It is jointly managed by our Sect and the Tianjue Sect. Other Sects will also participate. By then, it will be a mixed bag of people; life and death will be left to fate!

Begin!"

As his voice fell, the Disciples swarmed toward the Profound Tablets.

Lei Zhen was the first to act. His Tyrant Blade slashed down with violent lightning energy, the Profound Tablet booming as it showed a score of 970! This drew gasps of surprise.

Luo Qiushui held her fingers like a sword and silently released a beam of Sword Qi. The Profound Tablet lit up with a clear light: 950! Her control was amazing.

Gao Ling sneered and threw a punch from a distance. His surging, cold internal force made the Profound Tablet vibrate: 980! He was slightly superior, showing his deep cultivation.

When it was Ye Tian's turn, all eyes were on him.

He walked to the tablet, still maintaining his True Martial First Layer facade, and used the Starfall Finger.

He pointed a finger out. The finger wind was sharp, but in everyone's eyes, the power seemed "average."

Bang! The Profound Tablet lit up: 820.

It was an above-average result, but in an environment crowded with True Martial Third Layers, it wasn't prominent.

"Hmph, a piece of trash after all," Gao Ling sneered.

Zhao Yan and the others showed looks of mockery.

Most Disciples also believed that Ye Tian's strength was only at this level.

However, those with sharp eyes like the Elder, Su Xuan, and Mu Yu could see that the power in Ye Tian's finger was condensed and controlled with ease. He clearly hadn't used his full strength and seemed to be hiding something.

The testing continued, with scores constantly being updated.

Finally, the top fifteen were determined: they were Ye Tian, Lei Zhen, Luo Qiushui, Gao Ling, Su Xuan, Mu Yu, Xiao Chen, Wang Meng, Zhao Wuyou, and six other True Martial Third Layer Disciples.

"The qualifications are set! The fifteen of you will gather here in two days at dawn to enter the Secret Realm together!

Remember, within the Secret Realm, Opportunity and lethal danger coexist. Take care of yourselves!"

After the Elder gave his solemn warning, he turned and left.

The crowd dispersed, each with their own thoughts.

Gao Ling coldly sent a voice transmission to Ye Tian: "Cherish these last two days. The Secret Realm will be your graveyard!"

Ye Tian responded with a calm glance, saying nothing.

Lei Zhen approached and said in a heavy voice, "Junior Brother Ye, the Secret Realm is dangerous. Gao Ling will definitely play dirty, and we also need to be wary of the people from the Tianjue Sect."

Luo Qiushui said softly, "Going alone is risky. We can team up as the situation dictates." Her words were pointed.

Su Xuan walked over with a smile: "Junior Brother Ye, there might be a chance for cooperation in the Secret Realm."

Mu Yu smiled and nodded.

Ye Tian cupped his hands to everyone: "Thank you for the reminders. I will certainly be cautious within the Secret Realm."

He knew that the real test was about to begin.

In these two days, he needed to consolidate his sword art, familiarize himself with the transformations of the spirit armor, and adjust his state to its Peak.

The Illusory Sea Secret Realm was not just a place of Opportunity, but also the arena where he would settle things with Gao Ling.