Chapter 886: Yin-Yang Armor

"Then I wish Uncle-Master Huayang success. Although I, your senior brother, cultivate the 'Wood Puppet Scripture', we are from the same sect. It pains me deeply to see the Yin-Yang lineage, once a cornerstone, steadily decline."

Senior Brother Lu sighed.

"If only everyone had such magnanimity as you, Senior Brother..." The Daoist youth sighed softly.

As they spoke, the avatar completed the inquiry, and its name was registered in the jade scroll. He wouldn't need to be involved in the subsequent matters.

"This jade tablet represents your identity..." Senior Brother Lu tossed the avatar a jade tablet, then took out a jade slip and beckoned to the Daoist youth, saying, "Junior Brother Yang, take a look. These are all the places currently short-staffed. You've been in the sect for many years; surely you know which ones are easier, right?"

Before walking up, the Daoist youth scanned the jade slip with his divine sense, a contemplative expression appearing on his face.

The avatar, however, secretly mused. Back then, his main body had joined three different sects, but never received such treatment. For a four-spirit root disciple to receive such attention from a senior sect member was truly a great fortune.

A moment later, the Daoist youth opened his eyes, frowning slightly, and asked, "Senior Brother Lu, are all positions like guarding the White Rainbow Pagoda already filled?"

Senior Brother Lu gently shook his head. "Junior Brother, don't even dream of those positions opening up! The tasks listed in the jade slip, such as raising spirit beasts and managing Qingyan Lake, are already quite leisurely. If Junior Brother Yang hadn't spoken up, I wouldn't have offered them so readily."

The Daoist youth pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned to the avatar and asked, "Is there anything you are skilled at?"

The avatar was momentarily startled, then his thoughts turned, and he said, "This disciple has studied artifact refining." The tasks they had just mentioned seemed quite leisurely, with little contact with outsiders. This didn't align with the avatar's objective; he needed to interact with more people to gather information. Artifacts and elixirs were necessities for every cultivator.

"Oh?" The Daoist youth's gaze shifted to the spirit sword on the avatar's back. "No wonder you, a rogue cultivator without family inheritance, possess a treasured sword comparable to a top-grade artifact. It seems your artifact refining skills are quite good. In that case, you can go to Senior Brother Jinyan. I have some connections with him and can look out for you."

"Junior Brother, have you decided?" Senior Brother Lu retrieved the jade slip, cast a glance at the avatar, and reprimanded him, "You, a mere four-spirit root disciple, have caused Junior Brother Yang such trouble. Why aren't you quickly expressing your gratitude?"

"This disciple bows in gratitude to Uncle-Master Yang and Uncle-Master Lu." The avatar wisely bowed.

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged a smile. The Daoist youth nodded slowly, motioned for him to rise, and said faintly, "I also see that your talent in the Yin-Yang path is quite good; perhaps you can make a name for yourself. I will first transmit to you the art of Yin-Yang Armor Condensation, and then send you to meet Senior Brother Jinyan. Just cultivate diligently from now on, and don't disgrace our Yin-Yang lineage."

"This disciple obeys." The avatar stood up and followed closely behind the Daoist youth, entering a side room.

The Daoist youth first tossed him a jade slip. "Here is the art of Yin-Yang Armor Condensation. Read it yourself first, and if you have any questions, you can ask me. In the future, I won't have time to personally guide you!"

The avatar was surprised and quickly took the jade slip. Seeing the Daoist youth begin to meditate with closed eyes, the avatar silently placed the jade slip against his forehead and began to read, discovering it contained an incantation called 'Yin-Yang Armor'.

The incantation was not long, and the avatar quickly finished reading it.

"No wonder it was given out so easily; it's only a part of the secret art..." The avatar grumbled inwardly but immediately cast aside distracting thoughts and examined it carefully. He found that while the incantation appeared rudimentary on the surface, allowing Qi Condensation disciples to quickly pick it up, the true essence contained within it required careful consideration even with his extensive knowledge.

The incantation's content was simple: it instructed disciples to condense Yin-Yang energy into a suit of armor. Unlike an artifact, this armor could be instantly donned with a thought, providing a certain degree of defense and proving very useful during combat.

The jade slip contained content from initiation to the formation of the armor, then abruptly stopped. Perhaps the full text would only be given to him once he successfully condensed the Yin-Yang Armor.

"This secret art has an extraordinary origin!" The avatar was secretly astonished.

"The true inheritance of the Landou Sect truly has its ways. This incantation for condensing Yin-Yang Armor might be derived from the 'Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art'. Its application of Yin and Yang energies is exquisitely subtle. I wonder what kind of profound phenomenon the complete cultivation method embodies?"

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the avatar had memorized the incantation and felt confident he could begin practicing it. His talent was fake, but relying on years of experience, he could find an alternative path to condense a Yin-Yang Armor. However, it was likely impossible for his main body to switch to cultivating this method.

Each of these orthodox Xuanmen cultivation methods had extremely high requirements for aptitude, and the avatar knew his main body lacked such talent. Even if he couldn't cultivate it, obtaining it for study and contemplation would still be beneficial.

Furthermore, the efficacy of the Yin-Yang Armor piqued the avatar's curiosity, making him want to condense it quickly and try it out. This armor seemed to have more than just defensive uses; it likely possessed other wondrous applications.

Despite this thought, the avatar held back, waiting a full hour before letting out a long breath and removing the jade slip from his forehead.

The Daoist youth opened his eyes, looked at the avatar, and asked, "Do you have any questions?"

The avatar shook his head, then nodded. "This disciple's mind is a tangled mess; I seem to have gained something, yet also feel full of doubts."

"That's normal. How could you grasp a Yin-Yang cultivation method so quickly, being a beginner? However, given your talent in this path, you should be able to quickly condense a rudimentary Yin-Yang Armor. I will now explain this art to you. This opportunity is only once, so regardless of whether you understand it or not, memorize everything and slowly comprehend it later..." The Daoist youth's expression subtly darkened as he gave the warning, then his voice softened.

The avatar listened intently, not underestimating this cultivator whose cultivation was far below his main body's. This person cultivated the orthodox 'Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art', so there were certainly areas where his knowledge surpassed the avatar's.

Perhaps to prevent the avatar from bothering him later, the Daoist youth's explanation went beyond the content in the jade slip, expanding on it somewhat.

The avatar indeed heard some content he hadn't anticipated, and it was exceptionally profound.

But by the end, a hint of suspicion arose in the avatar's mind. Although the latter part of the Daoist youth's explanation consisted of only a few sentences, the avatar noticed that it seemed quite different from the earlier content.

The latter part was also quite recondite, captivating someone like him who hadn't cultivated it. However, compared to the earlier section, it paled in comparison.

"Is it that this kid hasn't cultivated it properly, or is it that..." The avatar's heart skipped a beat. "Could this cultivation method also be an incomplete fragment, patched up by later generations?"

The cultivation world was not short of complete cultivation methods; Mount Shaohua, for instance, treasured many methods leading up to the Nascent Soul path, but their divine abilities and true essences were all rather mediocre. Even methods with extraordinary origins, such as the 'Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter' and 'Heavenly Demon Refinement', were incomplete. This 'Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art' seemed somewhat similar.