After the coming-of-age ceremony, Zhou Changqing said his farewells to Xiao Yan and returned to the Mittel Auction House with Ya Fei.
In the reception hall, under Ya Fei's faintly glowing eyes, Zhou Changqing took out a pile of items from his Storage Ring. Most of them were weapons, with a small portion being inner armor.
"Lady Ya Fei, these are the Treasure Weapons. Handle them the same as before."
After separating the ordinary iron-cleaving weapons, Zhou Changqing picked out a long, thin soft sword and a set of women's inner armor from the remaining items and handed them to Ya Fei.
"Here, this is my new invention, a Monster Core Armament. Why don't you try it, Lady Ya Fei?"
"A Monster Core Armament?" Ya Fei was taken aback, looking at the items she had just received with a hint of uncertainty.
Seeing her doubt, Zhou Changqing didn't explain, but gave a mysterious smile. "You'll know once you try it, Lady Ya Fei."
Hearing this, Ya Fei nodded without saying more and turned to leave the room. Although she had many questions, her trust in Zhou Changqing made her hold them back.
A short while later, Ya Fei re-entered. She didn't look much different from before, except that she was now holding a soft sword.
"Little brother Changqing, how do I use these two items?" Ya Fei asked curiously, feeling the soft inner armor fitting snugly beneath her dress and the light weight of the sword in her hand.
Zhou Changqing didn't keep her in suspense and immediately instructed her on how to use them. "Lady Ya Fei, try the inner armor first. Just mobilize the Dou Qi in your body and inject it into the armor. The same goes for the soft sword."
Following his instructions, Ya Fei mobilized her two-star Dou Zhe level Dou Qi and began to channel it through her skin into the inner armor. As the Dou Qi flowed in, unseen on the inner lining of the armor, two Monster Cores that had been polished into thin wafers began to emit a faint golden glow!
Then, two streams of golden energy flowed out from the Monster Cores, circulating along the complex patterns etched into the armor's inner lining!
"What... What is this?"
In an instant, a golden protective film, like a Dou Qi Armor, materialized along the curves of Ya Fei's body, clinging tightly to her dress and enveloping her completely! Seeing the change in herself, Ya Fei's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.
It wasn't her fault for reacting this way; the film was just too similar to a Dou Shi's Dou Qi Armor!
Seeing Ya Fei's astonished face, a rare sight compared to her usual seductive expression, Zhou Changqing felt a sense of satisfaction. He immediately explained with a smile, "Lady Ya Fei, my Monster Core Armaments are different from those simple weapons and armor with inlaid Monster Cores. Ordinary Monster Core weapons and armor can only amplify Dou Qi slightly, increasing one's combat power by ten to twenty percent, thirty percent at most. But the Monster Core Armaments I've developed use the inlaid Monster Cores as an energy source, achieving many incredible functions through Runic Inscriptions."
"Take the inner armor you're wearing, for example. It's inlaid with two high-grade, second-tier, gold-attribute Monster Cores. By using Dou Qi as a trigger, you can activate the energy within the Monster Cores to form a defensive film just like a Dou Qi Armor. The defensive power of this film is comparable to the Dou Qi Armor of a seven-star Dou Shi!"
"Furthermore, the inner armor itself has considerable defensive properties. With both combined, unless the attacker is wielding a Treasure Weapon or another high-tier weapon, it would be nearly impossible for anyone below the Da Dou Shi level to break through. Most importantly, when the Monster Cores' energy is depleted, you just need to replace them with new ones to continue using it."
"However, it's not without its flaws," Zhou Changqing added, suddenly shaking his head with a sigh. "This defensive film only provides defense; it doesn't grant any bonus to strength or speed. Also, the inner armor cannot withstand the energy intensity of a third-tier Monster Core, or it will be destroyed."
"Runic Inscriptions" was the name Zhou Changqing had given to the sigils and restrictive formations carved into his Monster Core Armaments.
"What?!" After hearing Zhou Changqing's explanation, Ya Fei was utterly stunned—an unparalleled level of shock!
Was this still a Monster Core Armament?! The inner armor's function completely subverted Ya Fei's understanding of all previous Monster Core weapons and armor! When Zhou Changqing had first called it a Monster Core Armament, she had been a little disappointed. After all, a Monster Core Armament was just a Monster Core Armament. Even one made by Zhou Changqing, in her experience, would at best increase combat power by a few extra percentage points. It was nowhere near as stunning as the iron-cleaving Treasure Weapons.
But now, with Zhou Changqing's explanation, that small bit of disappointment had vanished, replaced by sheer disbelief!
Clink! Clink!
She gently tapped her arm. The seemingly fragile defensive film produced a faint, solid sound, demonstrating its toughness! A moment later, after processing this staggering information, Ya Fei's eyes erupted with a fiery brilliance. She stared directly at Zhou Changqing and exhaled slowly.
"Little brother Changqing... you've truly brought me an immense surprise!"
A single piece of Monster Core inner armor could grant a Dou Zhe the defensive power of a Dou Shi's Dou Qi Armor. This was an effect that the vast majority of Yellow Rank Dou Skills couldn't achieve! Even a defensive, low-level Black Rank Dou Skill, without sufficient Dou Qi support at the Dou Zhe level, couldn't produce such an effect! This meant that the value of this inner armor was second only to a low-level Black Rank Dou Skill! And for anyone below the Da Dou Shi level, this inner armor was practically on par with a low-level Black Rank Dou Skill!
As for the flaws Zhou Changqing mentioned? Were those even flaws? They were hardly worth mentioning!
By now, Ya Fei's gaze toward Zhou Changqing was practically shooting hearts. It grew more intense and possessive, as if she wanted to devour and melt him.
Hiss...
Being stared at like that by a seductive, tall, mature woman, even Zhou Changqing found it a bit much. He could only suck in a sharp breath to cool the heat rising in his lower abdomen. He was genuinely afraid this vixen would suddenly pounce and have her way with him right then and there. The look in her eyes was terrifying! It was no different from the obsessive women he had seen in certain adult comics from his past life!
"Ahem, Lady Ya Fei, please don't stare. How about you try the soft sword now?" Coughing, Zhou Changqing pointed to the soft sword in Ya Fei's hand as a reminder.
"Mmm~" Ya Fei heard him and nodded with a seductive smile. Her sweet, breathy voice was enough to melt a person's bones.
Then, under Zhou Changqing's guidance, Ya Fei tested the soft sword. Its power was equally extraordinary. Not only was it sharper than the iron-cleaving Treasure Weapons, but she could also control its rigidity by channeling Dou Qi into it, making it the perfect weapon for ambushes. The sword could even unleash a slash of sword Qi powerful enough to shatter a Dou Shi's Dou Qi Armor, providing a ranged attack!
"Lady Ya Fei, besides the Monster Core Armament I'm giving you, there are three more here. Let's auction them off along with the Treasure Weapons. Oh, and Lady Ya Fei, if the Mittel Auction House needs any Monster Core weapons forged, you can come to me. Considering our long-standing partnership, I can give Mittel a thirty percent discount."
"Hehehe~ Then on behalf of the Mittel Auction House, I thank you, little brother Changqing~"
...
A few days later, the shock Xiao Yan had brought to Wu Tan City during the Xiao clan's coming-of-age ceremony had yet to fade when another piece of news swept through the city, stunning everyone!
The reason was that the Mittel Auction House, in its most recent auction, had unveiled a terrifying new type of weapon and armor called Monster Core Armaments, in addition to the usual iron-cleaving Treasure Weapons! These armaments were different from previous weapons with inlaid Monster Cores, which could only amplify Dou Qi. These new ones possessed numerous incredible powers!
For example, one of the inner armors could grant its wearer the defensive power of a two-star Dou Shi's Dou Qi Armor, as long as they had Dou Qi to inject into it. The other two items, a Monster Core saber and sword, were not only sharper than Treasure Weapons and could easily break through a nine-star Dou Shi's defenses, but they could also, by channeling Dou Qi, unleash slashes of blade-light and sword-qi with the power of a full-strength attack from a two or three-star Dou Shi who had cultivated a high-level Yellow Rank Dou Skill!
Such terrifying armaments couldn't even be compared to mere Treasure Weapons! Because as long as you were equipped with this set of armaments, even if you were only a one-star Dou Zhe, you could fight a Dou Shi to a standstill until the Monster Cores' energy ran out! You might even have a chance to kill them in return!
The moment this news broke, Wu Tan City was thrown into an uproar!
Countless mercenaries swarmed in like wild beasts that had scented blood. The various powerful factions within Wu Tan City also rushed to participate. Even the three great clans sent high-level members to investigate the truth of the matter!
After the news was confirmed to be true, the entire city of Wu Tan erupted! The fervor was no less than that caused by Xiao Yan advancing five stages of Dou Zhi Qi in a year or the news of the young Dou Zhe who had killed a Dou Shi! In fact, it even surpassed them!
The Mittel Auction House was completely surrounded, packed to the brim with people