Chapter 16: Meteor Bracer

The efficiency of the Minzhi clan revealed an astonishing aspect once the clan leader gave the command. When the mission concerned the future hope of the entire clan, even this old yet intricate war chariot ignited with unparalleled enthusiasm. However, to Bai Chenxiang, this fervor seemed somewhat misplaced.

“Xiangxiang, come and try this!” Elder Bai Shan exclaimed excitedly, holding a shimmering silver-white soft armor as if it were a priceless treasure. “I searched through my personal storeroom to find this inner armor made from cloud spider silk. It’s as thin as cicada wings, and most importantly, it’s almost weightless—definitely won’t slow you down!”

On the other side, the short and stout Elder Bai Shi presented a pair of delicate boots like a precious gift. “And these! The Wind-Treading Boots!”

“Made from the feathers and sinews of the three-thousand-year-old Wind-Chasing Bird, the soles contain a miniature wind-gathering formation. They make you as light as a swallow, letting you glide three feet farther with each step than an ordinary person!”

Bai Chenxiang’s small face was filled with helplessness as the elders piled a collection of divine equipment—items that would spark fierce competition among Soul Kings and even Soul Lords outside their clan—in front of her. Their burning affection could nearly melt her, but these things clashed with the path she was about to take.

She glanced at her grandfather, Bai He, who leisurely sipped tea and watched the scene unfold with no intention of helping. A sigh escaped her lips. It seemed she would have to attend this lesson herself.

“Grandpa Bai Shan, all these things are excellent,” her clear voice quieted the noisy room, “but right now, I have no use for them.”

“No use?” Elder Bai Shan was stunned, then anxious. “How could you have no use? The Sunset Forest is perilous. The more prepared you are, the safer you’ll be!”

“Our Minzhi clan isn’t wealthy, but we have some savings. Don’t hesitate—just put them on!”

“I’m not hesitating because I care about the cost.” Bai Chenxiang shook her head and approached the pile of treasures. She picked up the Wind-Treading Boots, weighing them lightly before placing them back.

“Grandpa Bai Shan, if I wear these and become accustomed to their lightness and the speed boost they provide…” She looked up, her eyes clear as they swept over the elders. “Then, one day, if I lose them, will my own legs still run?”

“The strength gained from external objects is ultimately a tower built on sand.”

“The wind won’t favor you just because of what shoes you wear.”

“It only recognizes a ‘bowstring’ that is strong enough.”

Her words doused the elders’ enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water, cooling it by more than half. They exchanged glances, once again silenced by this girl’s seemingly twisted logic—or rather, a profound truth they had yet to fully comprehend.

Finally, Bai He set down his teacup slowly, speaking with a hint of disdain for his brothers’ lack of insight:

“You heard that, right? All of you are well into your forties, yet none of you can see through this like a six-year-old child.”

“Pack up your useless junk and stop cluttering the place.”

The elders blushed and awkwardly began to gather their things.

“Wait,” Bai Chenxiang called out, stopping them, “don’t put everything away yet. Some of it may still come in handy.”

She began rummaging through the pile of what they called junk, ignoring all the finished equipment and focusing entirely on the raw materials.

“Cloud spider silk, excellent.” She picked up a spool of thread. “Its toughness is superb. I’ll use it as lining for my weighted gear to prevent the Starfall Iron from chafing my skin.”

The elders were speechless.

Using priceless cloud spider silk as lining for underwear? The extravagance was unheard of.

“Skin from the thousand-year-old Wind-Chasing Leopard is also good.” She held up a piece of beast hide. “It’s tough enough to make a new backpack and water pouch that can withstand the strain and impact of extreme sports.”

The elders twitched at the corners of their mouths.

Making a backpack out of that? Such a waste!

Finally, her gaze settled on a collection of scrap metals—the leftover fragments from crafting weapons or hidden tools by the Minzhi clan.

“What are these?” she asked, picking up a dark-hued, extremely heavy metal chunk.

Elder Bai Shan glanced and answered casually, “Oh, that’s Xuan Gold Iron, a very dense metal. We usually use it to add weight to hidden weapons, enhancing their armor-piercing capability.”

“But it’s too heavy and affects the feel, so it’s rarely used.”

“Dense, armor-piercing.” Bai Chenxiang’s eyes brightened little by little.

She tossed the Xuan Gold Iron piece in her hand, feeling its heavy weight. A bold idea began to form in her mind.

“Grandpa,” she turned to Bai He, “I don’t need weapons, but my fists need teeth.”

Bai He raised his brow, immediately understanding his granddaughter’s meaning.

“You mean…”

“Yes.” Bai Chenxiang nodded, her gaze burning brightly. “My Wind Instant Body technique pursues sudden bursts and rapid advances. Combined with my physical strength, the most direct and effective attack is collision and strike.”

“But my fists aren’t hard enough. Against thick-skinned soul beasts, it’s hard to kill with a single blow.”

She spread her small hands and demonstrated before them.

“So, I want to modify my Starfall Iron bracers.”

From the scraps, she selected the heaviest and hardest Xuan Gold Iron fragments.

“I want to smelt these into several short ramming horns that can be stored inside my bracers.”

“When not in use, they won’t interfere with my weighted training. When needed, I can activate them with soul power to instantly spring them out and attach them to my knuckles.”

“Like fitting my fists with indestructible fangs!”

The room fell into a deathly silence.

If Bai Chenxiang’s earlier ideas about bowstring body training and using wind and thunder as the bowstring had only been theoretical, shaking and overturning the elders’ understanding,

then this design of fangs on her fists was a brutal, naked translation of her wild theory into a deadly reality.

In their minds, an image involuntarily formed:

Bai Chenxiang appearing before her enemy at a speed invisible to the naked eye,

her small fists, clad in heavy bracers, just before striking, suddenly springing out several spikes gleaming with metallic cold light!

This was no cutting or piercing—it was the purest, most savage penetration, enhanced by extreme speed and terrifying weight!

Several old men shuddered simultaneously.

This girl—was she destined to become a wind spirit, or a humanoid beast cloaked in elven guise?

“Haha… Excellent! What a set of fangs on fists!” Bai He laughed heartily again. He walked to his granddaughter, picked up a piece of Xuan Gold Iron, eyes full of admiration.

“This idea is ten thousand times better than all those flashy hidden weapons I designed back in the day!”

He turned to the stunned Bai Shan and the others, commanding:

“What are you standing there for? Bring out the clan’s best blacksmiths—no, bring out all the old gear I used back then!”

“Today, I will personally forge the heaviest and sharpest gauntlets in the world for my granddaughter!”

Bai Shan’s lips trembled as he looked at the pair of grandfather and granddaughter—one daring to dream, the other daring to act—and felt his heart could hardly bear it.

Leaning weakly against a nearby pillar, he asked quietly:

“Big brother, what will this weapon be called?”

Bai Chenxiang tilted her head, thought for a moment, then revealed an innocent, radiant smile.

“Starfall Iron bracers, Xuan Gold Iron fangs.”

“Let’s call it… Meteor.”

When a meteor streaks across the sky, it brings either dazzling light or a crater of destruction.

And she wanted them both.