Chapter 14: The Xuanming Armor and Xuanming Shift
Inside the Qibao Glazed Sect's main hall, both Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi were utterly astonished.
"Bone Uncle, are you saying that this Yang Xiong truly absorbed a five-hundred-and-forty-year-old spirit ring as his first one? And that the spirit beast wasn't a Black Tortoise, but the legendary Xuanming Turtle?"
Bone Douluo nodded. "Even I nearly mistook it. That was without a doubt a Xuanming Turtle, and its age surpassed five hundred and forty years—somewhere between five hundred and forty and five hundred and fifty."
"Although Yang Xiong experienced considerable pain during the absorption process, he succeeded. His spirit power has reached the thirteenth rank. From what I see, using century-grade Whale Glue to extend the lifespan of a hundred-year spirit ring poses no problem. But with the higher-grade thousand-year and even ten-thousand-year Whale Glue, it's hard to say—I can't even estimate the extent to which a ring could be enhanced."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement. "This truly is an astonishing surprise. If Whale Glue can extend a spirit ring's age during absorption, it would not only enhance physical fitness but also greatly increase spirit energy intake. For a Spirit Master's cultivation, this is an incredible boon. Whale Glue is indeed a priceless treasure."
"What surprised me most," Sword Douluo added, "is that Yang Xiong identified the creature as a Xuanming Turtle just from a picture and a few descriptions. That boy clearly has some knowledge of spirit beasts. Even Elder Lin Gong was nearly fooled."
Lin Gong had been personally chosen by Ning Fengzhi as Ning Rongrong's homeroom teacher. Though his spirit power rank was not high, in terms of teaching and martial spirit knowledge he was among the best in the entire sect. He had even been Ning Fengzhi's own teacher back in school.
Bone Douluo, however, seemed a little resentful. "If that boy had discovered Whale Glue's secret earlier, Rongrong's first spirit ring could have been extended as well. Who knows, she might have had a chance to break through the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's limit."
Ning Fengzhi could only shake his head speechlessly. Yang Xiong was about Rongrong's age, yet he reached rank ten over a year and a half later than her. The gap between them was far too wide—how could they even be compared?
After Yang Xiong returned home, his spirit power went completely out of control. His spine and even his ribs throbbed with excruciating pain, as though every bone in his body was about to shatter.
He had felt something wrong immediately after absorbing the ring, as if something new was about to grow out of him. But surrounded by so many people, he had no choice but to summon his Martial Spirit to suppress the abnormalities in his bones.
Once home, with his nerves finally relaxing, the transformation ran wild. His bones seemed to grow uncontrollably, soon filling half the room.
When the frenzy subsided, Yang Xiong found himself encased as though within a massive turtle shell. His spine and ribs had fused into a whole, forming what looked like an enormous carapace.
This shell was unlike any he had ever seen. It wrapped around his entire body—not only sprouting a huge turtle shell on his back, but also covering his chest and abdomen like armor. The only flaw was that the back shell made him look rather ridiculous.
Ordinary turtle-type spirit beasts had powerful back shells, but their chests and abdomens were also heavily protected, though less visibly.
Yang Xiong's external spirit bone, however, was entirely different. It didn't just grow from his spine; it transformed all his ribs into protective armor, shielding his entire torso.
He tapped on his back and chest, feeling the incredible defensive power. Both front and back were covered, and even his internal bones felt tougher. The armor even had two distinct states. In its normal form, only his chest and back were shielded, with a smaller carapace covering the back muscles.
But in its full form, the armor became colossal, enclosing his entire body inside the turtle shell—even his head and limbs.
Yang Xiong named this armor the Xuanming Armor. And this was only the beginning—it was just a five-hundred-year-old external bone now. With future growth, it could continue evolving, perhaps one day forming a full-body suit of armor.
If the Xuanming Armor ever reached the hundred-thousand-year level, it might become indestructible.
The armor also granted him a powerful spirit ability: Fortress of Iron. With it, Yang Xiong could summon the Xuanming Armor to block enemy attacks—whether physical or energy-based. However, if his opponent's cultivation surpassed his by two realms or more, the armor's defense would weaken.
Yang Xiong couldn't help complaining. In the Douluo Continent, although external spirit bones were rare, they were usually top-tier.
Take Tang San's Eight Spider Lances, Huo Gua's Darkgold Terrorclaws, or even Bibi Dong's Six-Winged Light of Destruction—each was stunning and powerful. Yet his ended up as… a turtle shell? The disparity was depressing. If he had known, he might not have chosen the Xuanming Turtle at all.
But on reflection, Yang Xiong realized it wasn't bad. His Martial Spirit was weak in the early stages and often forced him into close combat, which risked serious bodily injury. The Xuanming Armor, despite its awkward appearance, gave him unmatched defense. Even without summoning it, it strengthened his ribs, shielding his vulnerable chest and abdomen. It truly was the most suitable external bone for his Martial Spirit.
What's more, the armor had incredible shock-absorbing properties. No matter how violent the impact, his internal organs would be safe, adding an invisible layer of protection.
And the armor wasn't even what thrilled him most—the real surprise was his first spirit ability.
When he had gambled on absorbing the ring, he never expected success. But it had worked—and the ability he gained was the Xuanming Turtle's most terrifying: spatial manipulation.
The ability was called Xuanming Shift. Within a hundred meters, it could instantly swap his position with an enemy's. Once locked on, if the opponent was unprepared, escape was nearly impossible. The stronger the enemy, the greater the soul power cost.
Yang Xiong foresaw limitless potential in this ability. For instance, if he swapped places with the air in front of him, it would effectively be teleportation—perhaps even superior to it. This would perfectly compensate for his weaker combat power in the early stages.
Experimenting with his soul power, Yang Xiong found the Xuanming Armor wasn't merely sprouting from his spine, but was instead an extension of all the bones in his torso and back.
In its early stages, it was the Xuanming Armor. In time, it would evolve into the Black Tortoise Armor. Yang Xiong had thought long and hard, but he was certain now—armor-type external spirit bones were the perfect match for his Martial Spirit.