The heaven-piercing golden light that appeared in the south of Nagazora City shattered the usual silence and was seen by many. Of course, Li Xuan was completely unaware of this. His eyes were currently being tested by the golden holy light in front of him, and he couldn't open his damn titanium-alloy eyes at all.
Finally, the golden pillar of light that had attracted attention from both inside and outside Nagazora City slowly faded into nothingness, like a fleeting night-blooming cereus. But probably few would be able to forget it. Especially Li Xuan, the culprit.
Because he was about to go blind.
Li Xuan, with his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face, took several minutes before he could finally open them again. The golden light before him had long since vanished. On the golden Gate of Vows, a piece of clothing that emitted a faint glow lay quietly.
An article of clothing? Hmm, that's not bad either. To be honest, the clothes he was wearing had become rather tattered after a few days in this place. Li Xuan excitedly reached out with trembling hands. He stared at the clothes and gently picked them up. As for the Gate of Vows, a touch of his right hand sent it back into the ring.
Li Xuan used the bright moonlight to get a clear look at the clothes in his hands.
And then he was dumbfounded. Why do I feel like this style is something a girl would wear?!
The piece of clothing in Li Xuan's hands was a magnificent ancient robe with a red base and gold trim, complete with a golden phoenix crown as a headpiece, even inlaid with precious jewels. It was very easy to see that this was a woman's garment.
Am I, this old man, going to abandon my decade-plus of integrity to wear women's clothing? Li Xuan stared at the obviously high-class dress, extremely reluctant to part with it. After all, it had produced a phenomenon—the golden light. Even a fool would know this dress was definitely amazing.
'If it weren't for the fact that I have no other clothes to change into, wearing a dress is really not what I want.' Maybe... I should try it? While Li Xuan was thinking without a shred of integrity, his hands were not idle. His eyes practically glowing, he stripped off his tattered shirt and pants, leaving only his underwear, and hastily put on the gorgeous ancient-style dress. Little did he know, from this moment on, he and his integrity would be strangers.
'Hey, it's actually pretty comfortable to wear. It's just a bit breezy downstairs, which is a little weird,' Li Xuan thought as he adjusted his clothes. Then, with utter shamelessness, he placed the phoenix crown on his head.
And then, a strange transformation occurred.
The ancient robe, now fully worn by Li Xuan, suddenly lit up with a golden glow. The embroidered phoenix pattern on the clothes slowly transformed into a dragon pattern. The golden phoenix crown, amidst the golden light, slowly turned into what looked like a golden dragon headband, which settled on Li Xuan's head like a golden circlet. In the center of the headband was a piece of jade, within which a divine dragon seemed to soar. The dress also transformed into a windbreaker-style garment, the skirt became a pair of long pants, and the women's sandals changed into men's short boots inlaid with jade. The only thing that remained unchanged was the jade belt tied at his waist.
Just as he finished dressing, a piece of information exploded in Li Xuan's mind—a five-star piece of equipment: the Xuanyuan Festive Garb! The wearer's HP is reduced by 60%, and it regenerates 800 shield points every two seconds, with a maximum shield of 6,000.
A shield? What the hell is that? Li Xuan, having come to his senses, read the information in his mind with confusion.
However, before he could figure out what a shield was, Li Xuan happened to see a mirror and instantly threw the question to the back of his mind.
So... so handsome! Li Xuan looked at his reflection in the mirror, stunned. The long sleeves fluttered, and the red and gold robe embroidered with a golden dragon gave off an indescribable air of majesty. Coupled with his already good looks, he had instantly leveled up from a handsome guy to a male god.
'I have to go show this off,' the desire to show off immediately welled up in Li Xuan. He opened the door and went to find Yae Sakura, his robes billowing.
At that moment, Yae Sakura, sitting on the floor, heard footsteps. She looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Hey, Yae Sakura, I—" Before Li Xuan could finish, his words were drowned out by the sound of a wall being destroyed. BANG! CRASH! A Honkai Beast with hands like long spears, standing on its hind legs, had torn open the abandoned house with a single swipe. Li Xuan and Yae Sakura were instantly exposed to its sight. This was a Honkai Beast attracted by the Honkai energy fluctuations from the earlier golden light.
Without waiting for them to react, it swung its right arm down at them like Death swinging his scythe. Li Xuan had no doubt that if that attack hit his and Yae Sakura's small frames, they would be toast.
"..." Yae Sakura calmly watched the spear, as thick as a pillar, swing towards her. Her right hand gently gripped the hilt of 'Sakurafubuki'.
'What do I do? If I dodge and leave Yae Sakura, she'll die!' In that moment, Li Xuan, a novice with no knowledge of his own power, his mind raced.
'Doesn't the outfit have a shield? Can it block it? Worst case, I'll be a hero again in eighteen years.' When a person is in a crisis, their mind becomes exceptionally cluttered. All sorts of random thoughts popped into Li Xuan's head and were cast aside. His body acted before his mind could.
Li Xuan suddenly grabbed Yae Sakura's arm, ignoring the smooth touch of her skin. He gritted his teeth, his eyes red, and pulled her behind him. His not-so-large frame stood its ground, his arms spread wide like a mother hen protecting her chick, though his hands trembled slightly from fear.
BANG!
The Honkai Beast's arm seemed to be blocked by something, stopping just a meter away from Li Xuan's body, unable to descend. The impact of the collision lifted Li Xuan's clothes, his long sleeves dancing in the wind. A translucent blue energy shield, tinged with a faint golden glow, blocked the giant spear, like a tiny ant holding up an object dozens of times its own weight.
Behind him, Yae Sakura was stunned. In her eyes, the man standing in front of her seemed to overlap with the figure of that woman from her memories.
This was one of the abilities of the Xuanyuan Festive Garb—the shield! A shield to protect oneself and others.
(End of Chapter)