Minor in Wood and Armor

In the days that followed, Jiang Feng wished he could split every minute in half to make the most of his time. Less than a month remained before the provincial exams, and he could not afford to neglect his martial training for even a single day. At the same time, the foundational practice in artifact forging was equally indispensable.

He had already trained with extraordinary diligence before the county exams, but now even that seemed like moderation compared to his current rigor—his relentless effort left everyone at Yuanshan Martial School in awe.

His dedication inspired those around him. Teng Zhi, too proud to fall behind, threw himself into training with renewed determination, and even Ping Luan Shan, usually the picture of lightheartedness, grew more serious and focused.

Each day, Hua Su continued to assign them all sorts of strange and unorthodox training methods. But perhaps because he had advanced in rank, Jiang Feng began to discern certain patterns. Without making it obvious, Hua Su was actually imparting to them a martial technique for controlling Ming Power—a method not for direct combat, but to strengthen their internal energy. Unlike the Clarity Formula, which worked from the inside out, this method emphasized training Ming Power externally to increase both its strength and their own control and sensitivity.

Once Jiang Feng realized this, he began to experiment on his own. The two methods seemed to complement each other—could they be combined? As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the Celestial Cube within him seemed to stir in response. By now, it had accumulated abundant data from all his training sessions, enough to reverse-engineer this new technique. Over the course of three days, it synthesized a brand-new martial art by integrating the data from both methods for Jiang Feng.

As always, the process completely depleted his inner reserves of Ming Power. Perhaps because his mind had lately been occupied with forging artifacts, a new idea occurred to him even as exhaustion overtook him—could artifacts be used to aid in this process?

Jiang Feng sat quietly in Hua Su’s storeroom, eyes closed in contemplation. The teachings of Fang Liuxian echoed in his mind: “The structure of Ming Power circulation is the foundation of all artifacts. Creating specific circulation structures out of Ming-conductive materials is the primary task of an artifact forger. Why are certain parts of some spirit beasts so tough, so sharp, or able to manifest wondrous abilities? The secret lies in the complete Ming Power structures they possess.”

For example, the Red-Horned Bull he’d once slain had a miniature Ming Power structure in each horn—allowing it to generate fire not simply because of its core, but because of the structure within the horns themselves. Such basic circulation structures, called “foundational structures,” could be combined in various ways to yield increasingly complex and potent effects. Thus, carefully processing materials to preserve as much of the original structure as possible was the first thing an artifact forger had to master.

Next came designing new structures and selecting the right materials for the job. The martial art devised by the Celestial Cube was simple and direct; the moment Jiang Feng studied it, a new idea came to him. Building on this inspiration, he quickly sketched out a framework. The Celestial Cube began absorbing Ming Power to run calculations and fill in the details. Though he could have done the calculations himself, it would have taken much longer without the Cube’s help.

The hours slipped by. This was his allotted time for artifact practice; he would not be disturbed. As the design grew ever more precise and complete, Jiang Feng unrolled a scroll before him. A faint image began to appear on the blank paper, gradually sharpening until it formed a vivid, almost tangible diagram. It seemed so real it might leap off the page at any moment.

It was a suit of armor crafted from wood, with golden lines of light occasionally flickering across its surface. On closer inspection, these lines proved to be intricate patterns—the visible form of Ming Power structures, perceptible only to those with keen sensitivity.

Jiang Feng memorized every detail of the armor, then began searching through Hua Su’s storeroom for materials. Hua Su, being a martial artist rather than a forger, had gathered these supplies by instinct rather than expertise—not all of them would be suitable. Jiang Feng not only selected what was needed but also reprocessed the materials, refining them until they matched the schematic exactly, each with its own faint, glowing structure.

The complexity of a suit of artifact armor far surpassed his expectations. For the next several days, he spent every spare moment in Hua Su’s storeroom. Only then did he fully appreciate just how valuable this trove of materials was—just as Fang Liuxian had said, the foundation was everything for an artifact forger, and these resources allowed him to hone his skills bit by bit.

Five days later, when Jiang Feng appeared in the school’s arena, he immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Ping Luan Shan was the first to call out, “Old Jiang, what happened to you? Why do you look like a wooden puppet?”

Jiang Feng’s head, shoulders, chest, arms, and thighs were all encased in wooden “armor.” The design was odd: while it protected vital areas, key joints were left exposed, making its defensive value clearly questionable. Moreover, it restricted movement at certain points, surely hindering rather than aiding agility. If this was armor, it was a spectacular failure!

Rarely did Ping Luan Shan get to see Jiang Feng make a fool of himself. Giggling, he reached out to touch the armor. The moment his hand brushed Jiang Feng’s arm, Jiang Feng reflexively brushed him aside. Instantly, Ping Luan Shan flew backward as if struck by a heavy blow, crashing into a tree by the arena with a loud thud and sliding to the ground a moment later.

Everyone stared in shock, glancing from Ping Luan Shan to Jiang Feng. It was obvious Jiang Feng hadn’t used any real force—just a casual movement, yet the result was astonishing.

Hua Su’s brows drew together. “Is that an artifact?”

Jiang Feng, embarrassed, hurried over to help Ping Luan Shan up. With a single lift, Ping Luan Shan nearly dangled off the ground like a chick and scrambled away, face pale. “Don’t touch me!”

Hua Su pulled Ping Luan Shan aside and gripped Jiang Feng’s arm. Jiang Feng’s instinct was to shake him off, but Hua Su easily held him in place. Running his fingers over the armor, Hua Su murmured, “A clear Ming Power reaction… it is indeed an artifact.” He stared at Jiang Feng in amazement. “How long have you been studying this? You’ve already made an artifact?”

Jiang Feng gave a sheepish grin. “Just a burst of inspiration—no idea if it actually works…”

Hua Su stepped back to watch Jiang Feng squat and perform some awkward movements. “So, this armor increases your strength? There’s no rule against using artifacts in the exams, but…”

Jiang Feng said, “Don’t worry, Master Hua. I understand—true strength comes from within. This artifact isn’t meant to help in battle.”

Hua Su narrowed his eyes, studying Jiang Feng’s increasingly bizarre postures. Paired with the wooden armor, the sight was both comical and intriguing.

Ping Luan Shan couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Old Jiang, what on earth is this thing—”

But Hua Su’s eyes suddenly lit up and he cut him off. “This armor is for training!”

He stepped closer as Jiang Feng raised his right arm in a beckoning gesture. Hua Su let his fingers slide along the outside of Jiang Feng’s arm. “Your Ming Power is flowing along this path—one and a half times stronger than usual!”

Jiang Feng pressed down with his arm, striking toward Hua Su—so swiftly the master had to parry with a flick of his own fingers. Both recoiled from the contact, and Hua Su’s expression changed.

“Not just strength,” he said, “but your reflexes, too. This thing is constantly stimulating your body, making your Ming Power stronger and more sensitive!”

Jiang Feng nodded. “Exactly. I used to practice a technique called the Clarity Formula. This training armor is a fusion of that method and the martial art you taught us. Used together, it should double the speed of my progress!”

Hua Su drew a sharp breath. “The Clarity Formula… that’s a powerful internal technique. You came up with this yourself?”

Jiang Feng nodded.

For a long moment, Hua Su was silent, then shook his head with a wry smile. “You… you little rascal…”

He had studied artifact forging for barely ten days and already created a functional training artifact—one that ingeniously blended two distinct martial arts. If this wasn’t genius, what was?

Jiang Feng named the armor “Supplementary Training Wooden Armor,” a name so plain Ping Luan Shan made fun of him for days. After laughing, he admitted enviously, “Old Jiang, make me a set too, will you? If my training speed doubled, I’d crush the exam without a worry!”

Jiang Feng agreed readily. “Of course. This is just a prototype. If it works, I’ll make one for everyone—just give me a few days. This set was tailored to my own physique, so I’d need to gather your data and recalculate a new design.”

Ping Luan Shan hesitated at this. In the end, he shook his head. “Forget it, then. Less than a month till the exam, and you still need to train—don’t waste your time on us.”

Jiang Feng smiled. “Don’t worry—even without this, I’d be practicing every day anyway. This just lets me do both at once!”

The students of Yuanshan Martial School exchanged glances, then said in unison, “Whatever you need, we’ll get it for you!”

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