I gain permanent defense when attacked; even gods and demons can't hurt me.

The equipment forged by the master craftsman was extraordinary, far exceeding his expectations.

The value of this equipment cannot be measured simply by military merits or points.

Upon hearing Lin Yuan's praise, Master Gu Zhi simply waved his hand dismissively.

"That's nothing. The main thing is that the dragon materials you brought back were of high quality."

"I simply used the academy's forge to fully unleash the potential within them."

Gu Zhi pointed to the last line of text displayed on the equipment panel and said to Lin Yuan.

"Take a close look. At the very end of each piece of equipment, isn't there a nested slot that says 'Not Socketed'?"

Lin Yuan nodded. He had noticed this detail as well, but hadn't had a chance to ask about it yet.

Gu Zhi stroked his stubble and began to explain to Lin Yuan in detail the function of the nested slots on each piece of equipment.

"At the platinum level, the materials are tough enough to withstand high-intensity energy compression."

"So during the forging process, I specifically created an energy array node inside each component."

"This node is the nested bar displayed on the panel."

"The nested bar has a very direct function: it can be used to embed various high-level abyss magic cores or special attribute gems."

Gu Zhi picked up the Thousand Devouring Dragon Heavy Shield and pointed to a barely noticeable groove in the center of the shield.

"You can go to the trading area or the military merit shop to exchange for gems that meet your current needs and then socket them."

"After the gem is socketed, the equipment will gain additional attribute bonuses or special passive effects from the gem."

"This bonus is an additional enhancement independent of the equipment's inherent attributes."

"For example, if you embed a high-level fire resistance gem into it."

"Then this armor will provide a significant percentage of additional fire damage reduction."

"This will be very useful when you go to specific areas of the abyss filled with fire monsters to train, as it can greatly reduce the damage you take."

"Besides resistance gems, there are also special gems that increase fixed health, increase defense, and even have lifesteal effects."

Gu Zhi looked at Lin Yuan and continued to explain the rules for nested columns in detail.

"Because your armor set is a complete eight-piece set, which means you have a total of eight nesting slots available."

"If all eight slots are filled with top-quality gems of the same type, the resulting attribute boost will be quite substantial."

"It's even possible to forcibly create an absolute immunity effect to a certain element."

"However, you must remember that gems are not permanently fixed to the equipment, and the longer they are socketed, the more energy the gems will consume, and their effects may weaken as the energy diminishes..."

"As you acquire better gems in the Abyss Battlefield, you can seek out an array master or blacksmith at any time."

"Let them use their professional tools to help you safely remove the old, low-grade gemstones."

"Then replace them with new, high-level gems, so that the attributes of your equipment can always be kept at their optimal state."

"Various strange gems often drop in the Abyss Battlefield, so keep an eye out for monster drops."

After listening to the ancient introduction, Lin Yuan gained a deeper understanding of this platinum equipment.

These eight empty nested columns leave ample room for this equipment to continue growing.

He can strategically socket the corresponding resistance or attribute gems based on the environment of the abyss battlefield area he is about to enter.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Elder Gu." Lin Yuan thanked him sincerely again.

With a wave of his hand, he put on the eight pieces of the Myriad Devouring Dragon Set on the forging table.

As he donned the equipment, a dark purple light flashed across Lin Yuan's body.

He felt his body brimming with power, and his health and armor stats were jumping wildly on the panel.

Name: Lin Yuan

[Class: Unbreakable Bulwark (Giant Shield Knight)]

[Talent: Undying]

[Level: 40 (0/92)]

[Life: 234300 (+21000)] + 70% = 434010

[Mana: 33040 (+7500)]

Strength: 4904 (+750)

Agility: 771 (+800)

Armor: 889700 (+16800) + 10% = 997150

Magic Resistance: 450009 (+7400)

Constitution: 4115 (+2100)

[Spirit: 897 (+750)]

……

With all preparations for the battle complete, Lin Yuan bid farewell to Master Gu Zhi and left the Divine Weapon Pavilion.

He took out his bracelet and checked the opening time of the military teleportation array leading to the Northwest Abyss battlefield.

With departure time fast approaching, he didn't return to his apartment but headed directly towards the university's teleportation plaza.

The real ordeal in the abyss is about to begin.

Lin Yuan successfully arrived at the core rear area of ​​the Northwest Abyss Battlefield, Zhenyuan Main City, via a military teleportation array.

As soon as he landed, Lin Yuan felt the strong smell of blood and demonic energy in the air.

The sky here is a somber, dark red, and the surrounding buildings are all made of hard black stone.

The city was filled with soldiers in armor, exuding a fierce aura, and students from all over the country who had come to train.

The city was filled with soldiers in armor, exuding a fierce aura, and students from all over the country who had come to train.

On the streets, you can see mercenaries rushing around, and guild members carrying supplies.

The atmosphere here is extremely tense and somber, a completely different world from the tranquil War Academy.

Lin Yuan didn't linger and went straight to the merit registration office to activate his Abyss Pass.

There was a long queue in the hall. Lin Yuan walked to the counter and handed his documents to the officer in charge of registration.

The officer took the ID and glanced at it. When he saw that Lin Yuan was just a freshman, he frowned slightly.

He assumed Lin Yuan was a young master sent by some powerful family to "gild his resume" on the periphery.

Because those who can come here to train on their own are usually juniors or seniors.

Even during the final training of the first year at the War Academy, there would be teachers accompanying them, but Lin Yuan was all alone.

Therefore, to avoid trouble, the officer casually assigned him a relatively safe task.

This is a logistics patrol mission on the outskirts of the main city, with monsters around level 40.

The veterans queuing around him laughed good-naturedly when they saw Lin Yuan's youthful face.

Several veterans joked loudly, advising the delicate-skinned young man to go back to school and hone his skills before coming back.

Lin Yuan had made many contributions and was quite famous in mainland China.

But this is, after all, the battlefield of the abyss, and most people pay little attention to what is happening on the mainland.

Those on the front lines were struggling between life and death every day, so naturally they didn't know who Lin Yuan was.

However, when the officer in charge of registration was recording Lin Yuan's personal information in the system, he suddenly stopped.

……