"An Imperial Weapon?"
Li Yun could not hide his surprise at Elder Mu Cang’s explanation. Spiritual artifacts were normally divided into nine grades, and ninth-grade artifacts stood at the very top of that system. Only true Dao Resonance powerhouses were strong enough to properly unleash their abilities.
Even ninth-grade artifacts were not the ultimate limit, however. Above them were the legendary Imperial Weapons. As their name suggested, Imperial Weapons were treasures made for Life and Death Realm experts.
Each of them had astonishing Divine Abilities, and the gap between a Life and Death expert who owned an Imperial Weapon and one who did not was enormous. A strong enough Life and Death expert armed with one could take on several opponents of the same realm who lacked such a treasure.
Among the famous experts of the Martial Dragon Continent, the Heavenpiercing Sword Emperor and Elder Tianxin were both considered extremely powerful Life and Death experts, largely because each of them owned an Imperial Weapon.
As for supreme figures like the Verdant Sky Emperor and the Radiant Emperor, rumor had it that each of them controlled more than one. That alone showed how precious those treasures were.
Yet the Phantom Deity Armor in front of Li Yun had the potential to grow until it was comparable to an Imperial Weapon. It was no wonder that even Dao Resonance experts would covet it. For a moment, Li Yun honestly felt that Elder Qing’s reward was almost too generous.
Elder Mu Cang smiled when he saw his reaction.
"The Phantom Deity Armor’s ability to grow with its owner is already extraordinary, but that isn’t its only advantage." He pointed at the silvery-white liquid hovering in front of Li Yun. "Once it accepts you as its master, it links directly to your consciousness. You won’t have to put it on by hand. With a single thought, the armor can change its shape instantly to suit your needs. It can cover your whole body, or you can gather all of its material around one particular spot to greatly strengthen the defense there."
He smiled. "Go ahead. Let it accept you as its master and try it for yourself."
Li Yun hesitated. If it had been an ordinary treasure, he would have accepted it without much thought, but the Phantom Deity Armor was different. Its value was far greater than anything he had expected to receive.
Elder Qing understood his concern at once.
"Li Yun, if I tell you to accept it, then accept it." A faint smile appeared on the old man’s face. "A promise I’ve already made won’t be taken back. I said the Phantom Deity Armor would be yours once you completed my trials, so it’s yours. There’s no need to hesitate."
Li Yun stopped resisting and bowed respectfully.
"Then thank you, Senior."
He forced a drop of essence blood from his fingertip and let it fall onto the Phantom Deity Armor. The silvery liquid came alive at once. It flowed through the air like mercury and wrapped itself around Li Yun’s body, and before he could get a proper look at it, the liquid seemed to melt into his flesh and disappeared completely.
A strange feeling came over Li Yun. The Phantom Deity Armor no longer felt like an outside treasure. It felt like another part of his own body.
"Manifest," he commanded silently.
Silvery liquid surged out from beneath his skin, and within moments it had spread over his whole body and formed a sleek suit of silver battle armor that left only his eyes exposed. Li Yun moved his arms and legs and felt no stiffness at all, because the armor followed every movement perfectly.
"Condense."
The armor changed again at once. Most of the silver material flowed toward his right arm, and within seconds it had formed a thick silver gauntlet that covered his fist and forearm completely.
Li Yun tried several other shapes, and a smile slowly spread across his face.
"This really is an excellent treasure."
Elder Mu Cang had not exaggerated. The Phantom Deity Armor could change almost instantly according to Li Yun’s thoughts, and its flexibility alone was remarkable. Its defensive power was even more impressive.
When Li Yun combined it with the Ripple Suppression Field and his Sword Domain, attacks from someone at the perfection stage of the 6th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm would barely pose any real threat.
If he gathered the entire armor around one part of his body, that spot could even withstand a full-strength attack from an expert at the 7th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm. For a sword cultivator like Li Yun, defense had always been one of his more obvious weaknesses, and the Phantom Deity Armor greatly eased that problem.
Li Yun bowed to Elder Qing again. "Thank you, Senior."
A treasure with this kind of growth potential could not simply be bought with Source Stones, and even Source Crystals might not be enough.
Elder Qing nodded calmly. "There’s more."
Li Yun looked at him.
"Under our earlier agreement, besides the Phantom Deity Armor, you were also allowed to choose one item from my treasure list. On top of that, the points you earned in the Heavenly Talent Camp can be turned into another reward." Elder Qing waved his hand, and a jade scroll flew toward Li Yun. "So you can pick two more treasures."
Li Yun took the list, and after looking it over briefly, his eyes lit up. The items on this version were of much higher quality than the ones he had seen before. One of them caught his attention at once.
It was called Soul Tempering Jade Essence, an extremely rare treasure that could refine the soul and greatly strengthen Soul Power. Its value was even higher than treasures like Primordial Phoenix Blood or Ancient Dragon Sacred Blood.
After thinking about his current path, Li Yun quickly made his choice.
"I’ll take a drop of Ancient Dragon Sacred Blood and the Soul Tempering Jade Essence."
Both treasures suited him perfectly. The Ancient Dragon Sacred Blood could strengthen his body and push the Ninefold Origin Flesh Scripture further, while the Soul Tempering Jade Essence would increase his Soul Power and directly raise the number of swords he could control with the Myriad Sword Spirit Command Art.
Elder Qing nodded. "Very well. They’ll be delivered to you within a few days. You may go."
Li Yun bowed. "Yes, Senior."
After saying goodbye to Elder Qing and Elder Mu Cang, he went back to his stone residence.

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