Within a crystalline barrier that resembled a palace beneath the sea, the Silver Dragon King's cool, melodious voice echoed faintly.
Though she didn't understand how Qi Lin had done it, she could clearly sense the aura of the Asura God emanating from him.
That aura—she could never forget it.
---
Outside the Lake of Life
Seeing Qi Lin emerge completely unscathed under Di Tian's escort, Xiao Wu immediately rushed forward, overjoyed. She anxiously circled him, inspecting him from head to toe.
After several rounds of this, Qi Lin finally raised his hands in mock surrender, his expression helpless.
"Xiao Wu, stop already. I'm fine. I just went down to have a little chat."
But Xiao Wu ignored him. Her eyes were red, and her voice trembled slightly.
"Brother Qi Lin… from now on, I'll stop slacking off in my cultivation!"
Qi Lin's eyes widened in disbelief as he reached out to touch her forehead.
"You are not sick, are you?"
Xiao Wu flushed, her expression both shy and annoyed.
"I'm serious, Brother Qi Lin!"
Qi Lin raised a brow and leaned in, inspecting her like a strange specimen.
"Are you really Xiao Wu? The Xiao Wu I know would never say something like that."
"Ughhh! You're the worst!"
"You have no idea how long it took me to say that seriously!"
Watching the two bicker playfully, the Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape couldn't help but feel a little sour.
The Azure Bull Python dove back into the Lake of Life, sulking, while the Titan Giant Ape stormed off to find other soul beasts to vent his frustrations on.
Xiao Wu was being stolen away by a human. Unacceptable!
---
In the days that followed, Qi Lin and Xiao Wu built a small wooden house near the Lake of Life and began living together.
As the heart of the Star Dou Forest, the area's natural beauty was unmatched. Especially at night, when the moonlight bathed the lake in silvery silk—it was like stepping into a dream.
With time, Qi Lin gradually won over both the Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape. He seemed to possess a peculiar charm that naturally endeared him to beings aligned with neutrality or goodwill.
And of course, it didn't hurt that he was a master at roasting meat—a delicacy neither of the two brothers had ever tasted properly.
The Titan Giant Ape, in particular, was smitten. Straightforward in personality, his favor grew fast. Soon, Qi Lin was riding on his shoulders, sprinting through the forest like a child on a thrill ride.
One word to describe it: exhilarating!
Qi Lin also became a frequent guest at the crystalline palace within the Lake of Life, often escorted personally by Di Tian. During these visits, he managed to acquire quite a few of the Silver Dragon King's scales.
Each one shimmered with a silver radiance. Qi Lin immediately thought of forging them into a suit of armor.
It would look amazing—he was sure of it.
So he didn't hesitate. Two weeks after arriving at the Lake of Life, Qi Lin activated his third soul skill and tossed all the dragon scales into the Six Ding Divine Flame.
He didn't care about the armor's performance.
As long as it looked cool, that was enough.
But things didn't go smoothly.
Ten days passed, and the armor still wasn't finished.
His soul power was too low, and the Six Ding Divine Flame wasn't strong enough. The Silver Dragon King's scales were incredibly tough—Qi Lin was nearly drained dry several times.
Thankfully, the Silver Dragon King occasionally intervened to assist.
Three more days passed.
Finally, a brand-new suit of armor emerged from the forge.
It gleamed with a silver luster, each scale finely etched and metallic in appearance despite being forged from dragon scale. The armor was covered in dragon-scale motifs, and every detail was clear and refined.
The pauldrons were shaped like dragon heads, their eyes bright and fierce.
The armor's contours flowed smoothly, elegant yet imposing—full of dominating presence.
In a word: stunning.
(Inspired by Nezha's armor in "Nezha vs Ao Guang")
Most impressive of all, the armor had developed a degree of sentience after being forged with the Liuding Divine Flame.
As Qi Lin reached out to touch it, the armor disassembled mid-air, flew toward him, and reassembled itself around his body—perfectly adjusted to his size.
Clad in the armor, Qi Lin couldn't help but grin. He struck a few heroic poses, unable to resist admiring his handiwork.
A man's heart never grows old!
He extended both hands, admiring the intricate patterns on the armor. Pride shone in his eyes.
After satisfying himself with his appearance, Qi Lin turned toward Xiao Wu and the Titan Giant Ape, who were both staring at him with wide eyes.
"Well? What do you think? Cool, right?"
Xiao Wu's bright eyes sparkled. She practically squealed.
"Oh my god, Brother Qi Lin! You're so… so cool!"
The Titan Giant Ape thumped his chest with a mighty fist.
"Er Ming wants one too!"
Qi Lin burst into laughter, filled with satisfaction.
After basking in their admiration for a while, Qi Lin made his way to the edge of the Lake of Life.
"Di Tian! Hey, Di Tian!"
He called out twice before Di Tian finally emerged from the water, looking irritated.
"What now, brat—wait… that armor you're wearing!"
Di Tian's pupils contracted sharply.
He could sense the aura of his master—the Silver Dragon King—emanating from the armor.
This was forged from her dragon scales!
Di Tian stared at Qi Lin in disbelief.
"You… you forged that using your third soul skill?"
Qi Lin smiled smugly.
"Of course! Every detail, every groove was imagined and carved out by me!"
Di Tian was stunned.
The Silver Dragon King's scales were far tougher than his own—yet Qi Lin, merely a Soul Elder with three soul rings, had forged them into armor?
Unbelievable.
But as Di Tian looked Qi Lin over again, he had to admit—the armor radiated a powerful, majestic aura.
After a moment of silence, Di Tian did something unprecedented.
"If you have time, make one for me as well."
Qi Lin's grin widened.
Hah! Even Di Tian's fallen for it!
---
Within the Crystal Palace
The Silver Dragon King studied the armor Qi Lin wore, her eyes flickering with surprise.
"Your third soul skill is truly unique. It can even reforge my dragon scales?"
Qi Lin chuckled sheepishly.
"Well, you see… it's the Liuding Divine Flame—the same flame used by the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord to refine tools. Mine's a knock-off version, but it works just fine in this world."
The Silver Dragon King was silent for a moment, then asked curiously,
"Have you named it yet?"
Qi Lin stroked his chin, thoughtful.
"Not yet. But I've got one now. Let's call it… the Silverlight Dragon Scale Armor. What do you think?"
The Silver Dragon King gave a rare nod of approval.
"Silverlight Dragon Scale Armor. A fitting name."