Chapter 103: A Perfect Defense In Perfect Harmony
Yu Xian followed Yu Lie forward. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, "Director, who was the headquarters originally planning to give the Dragon Shield to?"
As they walked, Yu Lie explained unhurriedly, "When the Dragon Shield was planned to be forged, headquarters intended to present it to a certain person as the highest tribute during the nation's thousand-year celebration. However, when that person learned of it, he believed that spending so much manpower and resources to provide him, an ordinary person, with protection of this level would be nothing but a waste of precious resources. So he refused it outright.
"But since we had already prepared the design blueprints and core materials, after several meetings and discussions, we decided to forge it. Young talents from every department would all be qualified to compete for it. Originally, the person most likely to obtain the Dragon Shield was Little One. But right now, you clearly need its protection more than Little One does, and you are also more important. So the Dragon Shield now belongs to you."
Yu Xian never anticipated that the Dragon Shield possessed such a lofty status. Yu Lie laughed warmly. "There is no need to feel burdened. Hua Qiang is correct. Right now, you are Qilin's most important talent. You have even greater strategic value than Little One. You deserve the Dragon Shield!"
Yu Xian's expression turned serious, and he nodded. "Mm. I'll work hard to be worthy of it. I won't let down your trust!"
The two continued forward for about fifteen minutes before finally entering a room that required layer after layer of verification. When they stepped through this door, Yu Xian saw a red dragon coiled in the center of the room. The dragon suddenly scattered, transforming into countless scales that flew chaotically through the air. At the center of it all was a ruby.
The scales sometimes formed a giant dragon, sometimes transformed into countless small dragons circling the gemstone, and sometimes scattered again before recombining into endlessly ever-changing shapes.
Yu Xian was completely transfixed on the Dragon Shield. It's beautiful. Forged with the power of an entire nation, this equipment is far beyond anyone's imagination.
It was no ordinary piece of equipment. It was practically a flawless work of art, without the slightest imperfection.
Yu Lie smiled. "Go on. Drip your blood onto the Dragon Shield's core."
Gulping down his nervousness, Yu Xian nodded and gently guided his bubble ahead. The Dragon Shield was a masterless object, so it didn't stop him from approaching. He cut open his finger with a silver thread and dripped his blood onto the floating ruby.
When his blood touched the ruby, the gemstone rapidly absorbed it. The originally dull ruby gradually radiated a red glow. Then, the ruby suddenly crashed into Yu Xian's chest. At the same time, the surrounding scales followed closely behind, circling Yu Xian. At times, they transformed into a giant dragon coiling around his body. At other times, they scattered into countless loose scales, revolving around him in a chaotic pattern.
Yu Xian felt as though he had gained an extra organ. These scales did not need his control. They could autonomously defend against all attacks, but he could also manually command them.
He could sense that the core forged from the Divine Core was slowly absorbing his stamina. At that moment, an idea struck him. "What if I inject Spatial Blood Energy into the core..."
He mobilized the Spatial Blood Energy within his body, used it in place of his stamina, and injected it into the core. The scales that had been flying chaotically flickered. Incredibly, they actually gained the ability to traverse space. They continuously teleported around him.
Yu Xian stretched out his hand, and a reverse scale teleported to his fingertip. The scale was roughly the size of two thumbnails, about four centimeters long and around half a centimeter thick. It did not feel hard to the touch, but somewhat soft instead. From its hardness alone, one would not expect these reverse scales to possess such astonishing defensive power.
With a thought from Yu Xian, all the scales stopped circling him and instead flickered unpredictably around the bubble, like tiny golden specks of light.
Yu Xian turned and returned to Yu Lie's side. Looking at the flickering scales, Yu Lie was surprised. "Is that spatial ability?"
Yu Xian nodded. "Yes. I tried injecting the energy inside my body into the core, and all the reverse scales gained the ability to teleport through space."
"Let me try!" Yu Lie threw a punch at the bubble. Instantly, more than fifty reverse scales formed a shield and flashed into place in front of Yu Xian, perfectly blocking the punch.
Yu Lie's interest was piqued. Well now!
His attacks grew faster and faster, but the scales were even faster. Every single time, they perfectly blocked his strikes.
In the end, he even opened his Heavenly Eye and fired countless beams of golden light at Yu Xian. Yet the reverse scales teleported into place, blocking every beam and leaving no openings whatsoever.
Previously, the Dragon Shield required a tiny amount of time for its scales to move, meaning it could barely be said to have a flaw. Now, after gaining spatial ability, the Dragon Shield was a perfect defense in the truest sense.
Yu Lie's attacks grew faster and faster. By the end, Yu Xian could no longer see the director's movements at all, relying entirely on the Dragon Shield's autonomous defense. Only after Yu Lie stopped attacking did Yu Xian belatedly learn from the core's feedback just how many times Yu Lie had attacked him.
Yu Lie laughed. "Good. Very good. As expected, the Dragon Shield truly belongs to you. Perhaps all of this was arranged by fate. You are the person best suited for the Dragon Shield."
Yu Xian was stunned. The director had attacked over a thousand times just now, even firing golden beams from his Heavenly Eye, yet the Dragon Shield had blocked all of them, even the light-speed attacks. This is insane! That defense, that reaction speed... It makes me feel unbelievably safe!
On the way back to headquarters, Yu Lie said, "Little Fish, with your spatial abilities and your immunity to attacks below Dragon rank, I have a mission for you."
Yu Xian's expression turned serious. "Director, please go ahead."
Yu Lie smiled. "I hope you can conduct a nationwide inspection and uncover as many hidden dangers similar to the Xingtian Zombie King as possible in the various cities. The earlier we discover them, the earlier we can deal with them."
Without waiting for Yu Xian to speak, he laughed and added, "There is no time limit for this mission. You can do it outside of school hours. If you discover one, we deal with one. We will take this slowly. There is no need to rush. And by the way, Little Fish, are you planning to take the college entrance exam?"
Yu Xian had not expected the director to change the topic so quickly. He froze for a moment before replying somewhat awkwardly, "I am considering applying to Yanjing Vocational and Technical College, but I might not necessarily get in."
Yu Lie beamed with delight. "Good! It's already wonderful that you have this mindset. Remember, you absolutely must go to college. Strength isn't just about raw power. The strength of mind and soul is just as vital. And that inner strength stems from your cultural roots, your knowledge, and every trial you face. Everything you experience will ultimately become nourishment for your mind, making you truly unstoppable."
When he spoke of college, his eyes were filled with nostalgia, as if he were recalling his own vanished youth.
Yu Xian nodded. "Mm. I will work hard!"
When it came to the academic exams, he was one hundred percent confident. Once he activated his Super Brain, just a bit of light studying would easily land him a score of over three hundred. The real issue was the practical combat exam. He had never taken practical combat classes. Later, he would need to find time to train with Nora so that the two of them could coordinate and improve together.
Yu Xian had not originally planned to go to college. This idea had only slowly emerged after his conversation with Nora. The thought of continuing to be classmates with Nora made that desire grow stronger and stronger.
Now that he had received Yu Lie's encouragement, he had already made up his mind. He would apply to Yanjing Vocational and Technical College!