The Blazing Sun Axe, which possessed both decent appearance and utility in the initial stage, sold even faster than Feng Zikang had anticipated. When he circled back, he found the axe was already gone, leaving behind two thousand nine hundred and seventy spirit stones on his stall; this ten percent levy of three hundred spirit stones was automatically converted into spiritual energy to sustain the operation of the Cloud-Shrouding Mirage Market.

As for the remaining talismans and pills, Feng Zikang had no immediate intention of selling them. These items might prove useful at any time, and his finances weren't so tight that he needed to hoard spirit stones.

His visit to the Cloud-Shrouding Mirage Market served two purposes: first, to offload the Blazing Sun Axe, and second, to gauge market prices. Having achieved both goals and now possessing a sum of money, he was itching to acquire a suit of armor.

Armor was a luxury the low-tier disciples were reluctant to use; even Miao Yuchun and he, being favored by their master, hadn't managed to secure any.

However, donning a suit of armor would significantly boost one's survivability. Furthermore, Feng Zikang already had plans; there were quite a few battles ahead, and even when ambushing others, protecting oneself remained paramount.

He had no intention of buying a weapon. Currently at the second layer of Qi Induction, he could only wield Yellow-grade first-rank magical weapons and armor. Armor provided its benefit simply by being worn, but without the ability to control objects remotely (Yuwu), a magical weapon in hand was no different from a mundane one, making it a waste of money.

There were plenty of Yellow-grade first-rank armors available, but most were priced outrageously. One particular Fire Cloud Armor, simply because it was augmented with the third level of the Heavenly Fire Escape divine ability, was being sold for seven thousand spirit stones—a price comparable to a third-rank armor. He wondered what kind of fool would buy it.

Feng Zikang searched for a long time; the expensive armors left him astonished but uninterested. It was a damaged, tattered robe armor that finally caught his attention.

Armor was categorized in various ways depending on its material and style.

There were metallic armors forged from rare and exotic ores, and there were lightweight armaments constructed from silk, cotton, bamboo, and wood. Those in the military naturally favored hard plate armor because their cultivation techniques emphasized charging forward headlong, making frontal assaults more likely, where higher defense was more advantageous. The lighter armors, designed to increase speed and spiritual energy flow, offered far less utility in that regard.

But in the very earliest tiers of armor, the distinction between these two types wasn't yet so stark, nor was the difference in defense as vast as the gap between clouds and the heavens.

Feng Zikang was drawn to the damaged robe armor, named "A Single Bell," because it uniquely carried two attached divine abilities: "Instant Step Technique" and "Golden Bell Body Protection."

One was a secret art from the miscellaneous school of Puyang Dunqiu, and the other, a divine ability from the Pure Land School of Buddhism at Mount Wutai.

It must be known that armor ranks were determined not only by inherent material and function but, most critically, by the spiritual energy requirement needed to sustain them. Qi Induction first and second-layer practitioners could not wear Yellow-grade second-rank armor because, although their protection vastly increased, their demands on the wearer's own spiritual energy were higher. If one could not support the advanced armor with true Qi, it would not only be ineffective but would actively drain the wearer’s spirit energy to death.

For Yellow-grade first-rank armor, the inherent spiritual energy reserves were low; simply attaching one divine ability was already difficult. To affix two supplementary divine abilities, especially those from different disciplines, was exponentially harder. It was akin to embroidering flowers onto a cicada's wing—a supreme test of the creator's skill.

If this robe armor were intact, it would likely have fetched a higher price than that ridiculously expensive Fire Cloud Armor.

Alas, this robe armor was damaged; it offered negligible protection, and even the two attached divine abilities could barely maintain the level of the first stage.

This meant that a cultivator wearing this "A Single Bell," if they hadn't mastered these two abilities themselves, could only use Instant Step once, moving within ten Zhang; activating the Golden Bell Body Protection would last only for the duration of a finger snap.

For the average person, this was pure dead weight.

The original owner of "A Single Bell" likely recognized this, pricing it extremely low at only one thousand spirit stones, yet it remained unwanted.

Feng Zikang’s perspective, however, was different. Without hesitation, he threw down one thousand spirit stones and took this treasure.

For him, this item was incredibly practical!

Feng Zikang’s understanding of how to use armor differed from that of most reckless, low-tier military disciples. This item wasn't for becoming invulnerable and recklessly hacking and slashing; it was for saving one's life.

This insight was derived from the experience and comprehension Feng Zikang gleaned from the General Lu imprint within the Heavenly Demon Divine Consciousness. No matter how powerful the armor, it could not be without weakness. Those accustomed to relying on strong armor and behaving carelessly had mostly already perished. Although General Lu possessed the "Turning Stone at a Thousand Fathoms Armor," reputedly the foremost among the Nine Paths, which turned all attacks into diffuse nullity, in the thousands of battles he fought, even though his armor was never off, the true invocation of its divine ability was rare.

Though fierce and determined, he was always meticulous and cautious, never placing himself in a position of mortal peril (the Five Crises).

He would only activate the armor's divine ability when unavoidable, gaining an edge during combat. Had he habitually relied on his armor without regard for safety, he would likely never have reached the pinnacle as the world's foremost figure.

Feng Zikang wholeheartedly agreed. An armor’s defense only activated the moment an attack landed. The duration of a finger snap for the Golden Bell Body Protection was not short. The reaction speed afforded by the Formless Heavenly Demon was precisely one of his greatest advantages.

As for the Instant Step Technique, it was exceedingly useful. To move and retreat abruptly within ten Zhang—whether advancing or retreating—was an unexpected maneuver. Even if usable only once a day, for Feng Zikang, who pursued the goal of a decisive first strike followed by retreat if unsuccessful, this was more than enough.

He then purchased a simple Eight Trigrams Formation Chart for miscellaneous items. Although this was a mundane formation, not classified by rank, it possessed the functions of both an illusionary array and a killing array. If utilized properly, it could unleash significant power.

Finally, he randomly bought some attack and recovery talismans, spending almost all the spirit stones earned from selling the Blazing Sun Axe before returning fully laden.