Chapter 64 – Training Part 4

Roughly four months after his Master had answered his three questions, Qiang Ming reached the next threshold in his journey—the crafting of his Battle Armor.

Tian Jue Dui had been observing him carefully. Not just in his progress with cultivation, hammer wielding, or his professions—but in how Qiang Ming handled the pressure of expectation and perfection. One day, without preamble, the man simply said:

"You're ready. It's time."

And that was it.

No grand ceremony. No dramatic pause. Just another command dropped like a hammer.

Qiang Ming didn't particularly like the concept of Battle Armor. Something about relying on an external tool, about the methodical process and the sheer artifice of it all rubbed his instincts wrong.

But he was no fool.

He understood now what his Master meant when he said: "The ones you look down on today will trample you tomorrow if they wear Battle Armor and you don't."

So Qiang Ming learned.

And Qiang Ming built.

He began with the blacksmithing.

Thanks to his training, he had already been capable of Spirit Refining for several months. However, he made the practical choice to instead use First-Grade Thousand Refined alloys—Spirit Refining would've taken too long, and there were still three entire professions worth of steps left after forging.

Speed mattered. Efficiency mattered more.

After considerable thought, Qiang Ming selected two alloys for the base material of his armor:

Crimson Bronze, a rare metal known for enhancing physical attributes and bloodline resonance.

Dreamy Platinum, a fantastical alloy that amplified mental clarity and sharpened spiritual acuity.

The two merged into something greater—a stable, reactive metal with dual affinities. He called it Cosmos Sifra, a name that, to him, represented balance between body and mind. Between hammer and crown.

Forging the full quantity needed took nearly six weeks—days and nights spent at the anvil, sweat pouring from his skin, arms aching with effort, the forge pulsing with each strike of his hammer.

Once the metal was complete, came the design phase.

If forging had tested his body, design tested his intellect and imagination.

With his Twin Spirits and the unique structure of the Lich's Hands, Qiang Ming's Battle Armor couldn't just be functional—it had to be customized to his very soul.

Each part—shoulders, arms, chest, legs, helm—had to account for potential expansions in Soul Rings, the changing needs of both Martial Souls, and the interface with his External Bone. Nothing could be left to chance.

Each piece took a week to a week and a half to perfect. No part was rushed. If a curve was misaligned or a rune misplaced, Qiang Ming scrapped it entirely and began again. He wasn't just making armor.

He was sculpting a legacy.

It took 3 months to finish all the designs.

Next came the manufacturing.

It was, surprisingly, the fastest part—but also the most brutal.

The sheer volume of Soul Power and mental strain required to inscribe, refine, and finalize each piece was tremendous. Even with his enhanced physique and mental endurance, Qiang Ming often needed days to recover after completing a single component.

He sometimes vomited blood. Sometimes passed out.

But he never stopped.

Piece by piece, the armor came together.

After two grueling months, it was finished.

Tian Jue Dui, upon sensing the completion, brought his disciple back into the heart of the Pride's lair.

Tonight was different.

The lions were assembled in full. All twenty of them—elders, adults, cubs—had gathered in silent anticipation, led by Jin Yi, the solemn Hundred Thousand Year old daughter of Jin Shi. Even the smallest cubs, usually full of noise and energy, sat in stillness.

"Come on now," Tian Jue Dui said, tone gruff but eyes warm. "No dilly-dallying. You've worked on it long enough. Bond with it already."

Despite the brash words, Qiang Ming could feel the undercurrent of pride in his Master's voice.

Qiang Ming approached the stone table he had carved himself—where all the gleaming pieces of his armor lay resting in perfect order. He did not reach for them.

Instead, he exhaled.

He let his Soul Power fluctuate, his presence expanding to fill the lair. And then, in the silence, he spoke a single word in his mind:

'Come.'

The armor answered.

In an instant, every component melted into liquid light, flowing toward him like streams of molten gold and violet. The alloy passed through his pores, traveling under his skin, wrapping around his bones, anchoring into his spirit.

And then, he raised his head. His eyes, golden and violet, shone in the firelight.

He said, aloud:

"Abyss."

The world responded.

The armor emerged from within him like something born from legend.

It was purple and gold, each color swirling into the other, neither dominant nor recessive—balanced, just like his souls.

It took the form of ornamental plate armor, fitted like a second skin, heavy yet fluid. The joints moved like silk, yet the plating looked impenetrable. A wide arc circlet formed on his forehead instead of a full helm, allowing his dual-colored hair to flow freely.

His eyes, violet and gold, shone with a clarity rarely seen in the world of men or beast.

He was beautiful.

He was terrifying.

He was Qiang Ming.

"Good job, disciple," Tian Jue Dui said, his voice unusually soft. "You've made me proud. Use the next month as you like. The Academy has summoned me back, and you are to join an expedition to Star Luo. Before that, we'll stop at the Pagoda. Your Abyss Soul Hammer's been stagnant for too long."

With that, the man turned and vanished, back to his mountain.

Qiang Ming nodded quietly, letting the armor dissipate back into his body, where it coiled around his skeleton, ever-present.

'Good job, kid. Your armor has potential—to reach four words even. Coming from your Master of all people, that praise means something.'

Jin Shi's voice echoed in his head, calm and approving.

Qiang Ming smiled slightly, then responded mentally.

'Thank you, Jin Shi. I worked hard on it. But I know this is just the beginning. Two-word armor will be another beast entirely… let alone three or four.'

'Indeed. Still, watching your growth over these two years, I truly believe—if you put your mind to it—you can accomplish nearly anything.'

Qiang Ming raised an eyebrow.

'Nearly?'

Jin Shi chuckled.

'Finding a girl will be difficult for you.'

Qiang Ming scowled.

'Shut up, old man.'

The jest hung warmly in the silence.

And so, with new armor, new pride, and an old lion whispering in his mind, Qiang Ming stood at the edge of the next chapter of his life.

He was ready.