He moved it a couple of times with no stiffness. He shook his head; it was indeed a marvelous object. He didn't have much hope when he used a discernment spell; such a miraculous object probably couldn't be identified by his current seventh-level discernment.
But to his surprise, when he cast the discernment spell on the arm guard, a "ding" sound resounded, and the attributes of the arm guard appeared in the floating light text:
Lightning · Matrix Shift Shield.
Activation method: automatic defense.
Defense mode: rotational matrix defense: all-round probabilistic defense system; linear matrix defense: defense that ignores attacks targeting a single attack.
Level: none.
No level! Ge Zheng was greatly surprised. This was no joke; such excellent attributes with no level made it seem like even an apprentice could produce it. Ge Zheng didn't believe it; he knew very well the level required to craft such an item. Even if it were not made by him, it would probably take a certified twelfth-level alchemist to successfully craft it, not to mention the precious materials needed to create the item.
He was eager to test the defense of the item. With a thought, a glow flashed on his right wrist, and overlapping shield images appeared in the air, densely arranged. Ge Zheng released his flying sword, not daring to use full force, and controlled it at thirty percent strength before shooting it out. "Ding," the flying sword was actually bounced back!
This greatly boosted Ge Zheng's confidence. He steadily increased the strength of the flying sword, from thirty percent all the way to one hundred and twenty percent. The defense of the Lightning · Matrix Shift Shield, currently in linear matrix mode, had many overlapping shields, suppressing each other. Even if the sword could break through the front layers of shields, it would undoubtedly be stopped by the rear ones. As the flying sword exhausted its power, the damaged shields in front immediately reverted to their original state.
Although the quality of the flying sword was only average, its attack power was still formidable in the Star Refining World. It seemed like the rectangular matrix shield had no trouble dealing with it. Ge Zheng was overjoyed; with such a piece of equipment, his life would be safeguarded in the future.
A couple of weeks later, they entered the bustling area of the Dandela Empire and joined a caravan. After paying a protection fee of two gold coins, they slowly headed south with the rest of the group.
On the way, Ge Zheng bought two horses for transportation. The desert elf had never ridden a horse before and seemed as excited as a monkey, completely forgetting Ge Zheng's order for silence.
However, the desert elf got along well with the people around him. He was eloquent and humble, and he got along well with the members of the caravan. On the other hand, Ge Zheng, who was silent along the way, rode coolly on his horse, dressed in an alchemist's robe. As the horse galloped, the robe fluttered, adding a touch of swashbuckling to his demeanor. The dark metal arm guard on his right arm added some masculinity to his already elegant demeanor, attracting the gaze of several girls in the caravan.
At that time, the harsh northern winter had just passed, and the weather was not as hot as in the Wasteland Plain. The caravan proceeded leisurely, and as the warm spring breeze blew, the thin clothing felt a bit chilly in the morning but scorching by noon.
After lunch, the soldiers escorting the caravan took off their armor and leaned against the horse carriage. Some of the orc fighters, naturally averse to heat, had already stripped to bare-chested. However, their black hair didn't lend them any appealing masculinity. Ge Zheng, an alchemist, seemed out of place in the group, dressed in his alchemy robe and mounted on a horse. Alchemists were supposed to have a weak physical constitution, like mages, and should have been inside the carriage.
Moreover, in the morning it was cold, and at noon it was hot. All the other alchemists and mages in the lineup would wrap themselves in cotton robes in the morning and wear single shirts at noon, but Ge Zheng wore the same robe all day, and its thickness was indiscernible as it hung on his body.
Ge Zheng had already reached the stage of internal view. Although he hadn't reached the stage of being impervious to the hot and cold, the day and night temperature changes no longer affected him. The "douqi" cultivated by the warriors in the Star Refining world was different from the ancient Chinese qigong, emphasizing the explosive power but neglecting health preservation. To illustrate, the douqi was like blasting powder used to break through, while qigong was like a digging machine. Even though blasting powder had tremendous immediate power, the digging machine would undoubtedly be more effective in the long run.
Moreover, Chinese martial arts had a long and rich history, with different streams and styles. The robust internal strength was not nonexistent, but within the Ge family, they focused on cultivating qi and health, unwilling to practice that kind of martial skill.
These past few days, while riding, Ge Zheng somehow gradually rode into a "sensation." As the spirited horse galloped and leaped beneath him, Ge Zheng's body moved with the healthy horse, and perhaps due to fortune, without realizing it, he had started practicing the Ge family's internal techniques: breath control, dietary qi, and walking qi. One cycle, ninety-nine times, a complete Grand Circulation, and Ge Zheng suddenly woke up on the horse's back. He only felt the qi in his body surging and his whole body's acupoints filled with vigorous energy, and faintly heard a rumbling sound coming from within his body.
"Boom, boom, boom..." like the dry thunder of the winter sky. His mind moved, and his divine sense sank into his body, viewing the internal organs. It was not just this, as his divine sense went deeper into his internal palace, suddenly his seven orifices closed, no longer receiving or releasing, and the qi inside his body flowed continuously, creating a complete "microcosm" of his own, seemingly self-sufficient, and calmly coexisting with the outer cosmos.
Ge Zheng was suddenly startled. When had he reached the stage of guarding the acupoints!
Within Chinese martial arts existed a rare flower: Xingyi Quan. No matter if it was Eagle Form, Tiger Form, Crane Form, Snake Form, Horse Form, etc., each one could have been individually developed into a grand and profound martial art. The original practice of humans also involved imitating the forms of animals as a way of "returning to nature" in terms of form.
Ge Zheng, unintentionally, had integrated himself with the spirited horse, joyfully galloping between heaven and earth just like the horse. He had always been stagnant in the stage of internal dan in the past, and even after half a year in the dry ice cavern. This breakthrough was a result of accumulated effort, and there was no room for luck. Cultivation of the dan was inch by inch, foot by foot, without shortcuts.
He suddenly became alert, opened his eyes, and stopped the warhorse. By now, he had reached a superb state of oneness with man and horse, as the spirited horse, under his control, did not panic at all. He stood up, and then abruptly landed without a sound, without emitting a whinny.
Ahead of the horse, a slender young man strolled by. He didn't even glance at the horse, as if the ground the horse's hooves were about to trample was none of his business.
Kangming rushed over quickly, "Master, are you alright?" Ge Zheng shook his head, "I'm fine." His eyes gazed at the figure's back, and his gaze followed his footsteps down to the ground. The people of this world might not notice, but Ge Zheng, coming from a world of advanced martial arts, could discern someone's level of skill from the minutest details: the man's nonchalant appearance actually lined up every step with almost identical distances, as if measured by a ruler.
Kangming was adept at understanding people. Seeing Ge Zheng's interest in him, he quickly introduced, "His name is Long Mai, and like you, he is one of the two handsome men in this caravan. But of course, he can't compare to you. In Kangming's eyes, you will forever be as handsome as the sun god..." Ge Zheng had to interrupt the verbose desert sprite once again, "Alright, Kangming, if this was said by a beautiful lady, I would be happy to explore the art of sun god sculpture with him, but coming from you... darn!" Ge Zheng realized that he had inadvertently gained some loquaciousness and frivolity, affected by the desert sprite.
Long Mai was a skillful warrior, Ge Zheng concluded.
Such a person could very well have gone on their own. Why then did they need to mix in with the caravan? Frankly speaking, if it wasn't for Ge Zheng's recent breakthrough and his combat prowess, he probably wouldn't have been Long Mai's match. There was no need for such a powerful warrior to seek "protection" within the caravan.
After observing for two days, Long Mai also remained calm, only appearing excessively when at meal times. Ge Zheng had always had an easy-going mindset in this world. Since Long Mai didn't pose a threat to him, having a powerful companion was indeed something to be happy about, so his vigilance gradually relaxed.
"It's getting dark!" The desert sprite and a burly bearman exchanged a few words, then quickly ran back to Ge Zheng's side, "Master, it's time for dinner." The people in the caravan sat in several circles, dining together under the twilight and at the foot of the mountain. There were elves in the caravan who had exceptional musical and dancing talents. As the curtain of night descended, everyone gathered by the bonfire to sing and dance, a time when music and dance thrived, just like in the other world.
The noisy campsite also eventually fell into slumber. A peculiar black cloud suddenly obscured the bright moon, shrouding the campsite in blackness. A dark figure stealthily emerged from behind the mountain, smoothly traversed the distance, and was already at the edge of the campsite.
Ge Zheng suddenly opened his eyes, ready to step out, but his ears suddenly twitched, and from the nearby tent, there was a flow of air. It was Long Mai. How coincidental; he and Ge Zheng were staying in adjacent tents tonight.
Long Mai silently stood outside the tent, "They are all innocent. Spare them, and I will fight you!" Long Mai's voice was low but confident, akin to his lean figure. The dark figure snorted, "Then you can only hope they don't wake up. Those who see my true face have only one path to death!"
Long Mai did not mince his words, stating, "If it were just about my own affairs, I would never plot against you, but the Star Imperial Crown is of great significance. I can't allow it to fall into the hands of someone with unknown motives!"
The dark figure sneered, "This bit of poison, you think it can kill me? You are too naive!" He was unaffected by the poison gas, swiftly moving towards Long Mai. A cooling wind suddenly swept in from the side, a sound reached Ge Zheng's ears, and then Long Mai was nowhere to be seen.
Ge Zheng held Long Mai, and he heard the voice of the dark figure, "Another one? This kid is too weak. I was just about to leave when you came. Perfect timing!"
His words sounded magnanimous, as of a valiant warrior, but before Ge Zheng could turn around, the dark figure had already swung a fist towards his back.
"Boom!" Ge Zheng didn't even flinch. His head didn't even turn. Just in front of the dark figure's fist, a shield suddenly appeared.
Matrix Shift Shield, linear formation defense mode. A series of shields overlapped each other. The dark figure punched open one layer, then opened two, then three... No matter how many layers he could break through, there was always another layer of shield behind. The linear matrix shift shield seemed to be never-ending.
"Hmm, interesting." The shadow withdrew its fist and took a few slow steps. Suddenly, it accelerated towards the left side of Ge Zheng. Sure enough, the strange shield swiftly followed, moving towards the left. The shadow revealed a barely noticeable sly smile. Midway, it suddenly changed direction, swiftly rushing towards Ge Zheng's right side. At the same time, a dazzling silver light erupted on its fist, aiming for the back of Ge Zheng's head.
"Boom!" The shadow's determined punch was once again blocked by something, to its astonishment: it was that enigmatic shield again!
"This is impossible!" the shadow exclaimed. According to its observations, the mysterious shield should be a miraculous alchemical item that could move according to the user's mind. Its strategy had been completely correct: by feigning an attack on the left, it had indeed attracted the shield to move leftward. At this moment, by swiftly changing direction and suddenly turning to the right, it had given the enemy no time to react.
If his opponent were a level twelve warrior, and could block this move, he would accept it. However, the opponent's strength was clearly similar to that of Long Mai, definitely below his own, so his speed must have been faster than the opponent's reaction. How could this punch be blocked?
He had not considered that his judgment had been wrong from the start. The matrix shift shield didn't require Ge Zheng himself to control it; once the item was released, it would block attacks from any direction.
"Ah!" The shadow roared in anger. The dark sword cloud rose into the air once again, with dozens of black swords dancing wildly, accompanied by terrifying hissing sounds resembling that of snakes. The shadow did not hesitate, as it pounced with the sword cloud, launching a powerful double punch.
Ge Zheng calmly put down Long Mai and yelled, "Thunder · Matrix Shift Shield — Rotate the matrix, Scatter!" The overlapping shields swiftly dispersed with a sound, forming a shield array resembling a golden bell, protecting the two. Despite the shadow and the wild onslaught of the dark sword formation outside, this defense remained impenetrable. The shadow became increasingly agitated, jumping outside, with all his skills, yet unable to break this blockade.
He suddenly roared, "If you don't come out, I'll use the people from the merchant group to threaten you. Long Mai, these people are all civilians of your Dandela Empire, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Ge Zheng did not care about the Dandela Empire's civilians, but Konning was still outside. Although the desert elf was talkative, the two had been together for a long time, and there was still some emotional connection.
He had just broken through and was about to test the extent of his combat strength.
"I'll count to three, if you don't hand over the Star Emperor Crown, I'll crush a tent." He slowly raised his fist, "One, two..."
Before the shadow could count to three, with a loud "thud," it collapsed straight to the ground.
Ge Zheng was startled. Dragon Mai's teeth were oozing blood, and he sneered, "Idiot, that poison smoke is the work of the Dandela Empire's Royal Alchemist, Master Olympiodorus, haha, it looks a lot like ordinary poison frog miasma, doesn't it?"
This battle ended in a peculiar way. The Shadow Assassin's strength was extremely formidable. If Ge Zheng had really gone out, it was still uncertain who would have won. However, this powerful eleven-level warrior was ultimately dragged to his death by the formidable defense of the matrix shift shield!
In fact, this was not the most humiliating way to die. If he had not been poisoned, the final result would have been him being exhausted to death—that would have been the most pathetic way to die in the history of the star alchemy world.