Chapter 71 — A New Card

"Huh? How did it catch fire?" Tang Yi's face was the picture of innocence.

Sailei stared blankly for a moment, then forced a smile. "It's not your doing. It seems there are still flaws in this design after all."

Tang Tang tilted his head in thought. "I think, well, even though star-mystic treasures have martial souls and they're smart, they still can't compare to a human being. So if that's the case, why don't you design it as equipment that assists in battle? That way, it'd definitely be amazing! It can help humans fight, and it's smart. If I had a weapon like that, able to use five martial techniques, then I'd have ten techniques, and no one could beat me!"

Sailei felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her head, leaving her standing there dumbstruck.

Why hadn't she thought of it herself?

Of course! No matter how clever a martial soul is, it can never compare to a human being. Pitting them against martial artists was a fundamentally wrong approach. But if this system were used to help martial artists fight, it would be absolutely formidable.

To gain new martial techniques without having to learn them—Sailei instantly grasped the value in that.

In an instant, countless inspirations surged through her mind. She had so many brilliant ideas, and suddenly she had a feeling that her invention might change the world! The absurd notion had barely surfaced in her head before it set her heart racing.

She stood there blankly as countless ideas stormed and crashed against one another in her mind like a tempest.

Tang Tang could tell this was no time to disturb Sailei, so he tactfully left her alone and instead chattered excitedly with Bing, waving his arms about. "Uncle Bing, I feel like I just made progress again!"

Bing didn't respond, only fixed his eyes on Tang Tang. "How did you come up with that idea just now?"

"That idea just now?" Tang Yi looked puzzled. "Oh, I just came up with it off the top of my head. Isn't that how it should be? Doesn't Uncle Bing think the same way?"

Bing said nothing, merely staring at Tang Tang. He had far more combat experience than Tang Duo, and he had felt no surprise at all watching Tang Tang battle the Sailei testing device. In the old Southern Cross Legion there had been similar things—that was the peak age of ancient machinery. Machines and martial souls alike had been important means of training new recruits. Bing was more familiar with this than anyone. At first, new recruits always made a sorry mess of such simulated combat training, but as their experience grew, a qualified recruit could always defeat sparring partners stronger than themselves.

Humans were always the cleverest of all.

The Sailei testing device might look more refined, but Bing wasn't overly impressed. The sparring machines of his era had been cruder, but far more destructive—by comparison, the Sailei testing device was like a delicate toy.

Bing remained calm. Even when Tang Tang claimed victory, he wasn't much surprised. In his eyes, Tang Tang possessed every quality an outstanding soldier should have. He never cut corners in his training—not only did he never cut corners, he had an obsession with training that surpassed ordinary men. And in battle he never lost his nerve. He was a classic combat genius, a true battle maniac.

It was hard for him to imagine that such a person had been overlooked for years on end.

Bing simply didn't believe the Sailei testing device could defeat Tang Tang.

The result was as he expected—Tang Tang won. But Tang Duo's remark genuinely startled Bing. With his vast combat experience, he immediately recognized the astonishing value contained in that sentence.

This Duo... always manages to surprise people...

Bing's heart was in turmoil, far from the calm he displayed. In his eyes, Tang Tang had always been a brainless youth, a single-celled creature, a Duo who didn't have enough fingers to count past a hundred—and now he had suddenly uttered something so earth-shattering that Bing was left gaping.

Could it be that I've been underestimating this Duo all along... Actually, he does have some brains...

Bing began to doubt himself.

Seeing that Uncle Bing seemed stunned by his earlier words, Tang Tang immediately grew smug. "Aha, the mind of a godlike youth is as vast as the ocean."

All water, is it...

Bing muttered silently to himself, then decided to set the matter aside. Clearly, Tang Tang had merely stumbled onto it by chance. A rookie like him—what would he know about combat?

"Haha! Truly worthy of the godlike youth—you've solved a huge problem for me!" Sailei's voice came from behind. Her captivating eyes were now radiant with spirit and confidence, and she gave Tang Tang a brilliant smile. "I've decided to give you two cards for free!"

Tang Tang grew even more smug, but his attention was immediately drawn to the soul-general cards. "They've got to be amazing ones!"

"Haha!" Sailei laughed heartily. "Oh, oh, oh—only the most amazing ones would be worthy of the godlike youth!"

A dazzling silver soul-general card appeared in her hand. "You said at first that you needed a Fourth-Rank heart-method soul-general card, one worthy of pairing with the Crane Qi Technique. All I have on hand is this Four-Heaven Dragon—it's the true transmission heart method of the Draco Constellation. Draco was once illustrious too, but it declined quickly, somewhat like the Crane Constellation. I can see you've mastered the Crane Body, the essence of the Crane Qi Technique. The Crane Body's transforming force will serve you well all the way up to Fifth Rank. By the time you reach Sixth Rank, unless you've learned a higher-tier heart method from the Crane school, the Crane Body force will be of negligible use. Four-Heaven Dragon is only Fourth Rank, but Draco's heart methods are unique—from One-Heaven Dragon to Seven-Heaven Dragon, the true qualitative transformation only occurs when you cultivate it to Eighth Rank, and it's called the Eightfold Celestial Dragon, incredibly powerful. Apart from the Eightfold Celestial Dragon, the most formidable aspect of this heart method is the Celestial Dragon Force."

Tang Tang listened with the utmost attention, murmuring under his breath, "Celestial Dragon Force..."

"Exactly. Crane force is sharp and keen; dragon force is violent and explosive. If you can comprehend the Celestial Dragon Force, the power of your every movement will surely double. Your current fighting style is already quite aggressive—add the Celestial Dragon Force, and it'll be even mightier. What's more, the transformation between crane force and dragon force will give you even more variation. The Celestial Dragon Force is hard to master, but you managed to master the Crane Body—godlike youth, I have high hopes for you!"

Sailei winked flirtatiously at Tang Tang.

Not the least bit humble, Tang Tang took the soul-general card, brimming with confidence. "I'll definitely master the Celestial Dragon Force!"

Sailei made no secret of her admiration. With a flick of her fingers, another card appeared. "You truly are a born close-combat expert. But I've noticed you have a weakness—your legwork. Your leg techniques are far inferior to your hand techniques. This card, Chain Double Kick, is perfect for close-in fighting. It's quite obscure—it borrows force to generate force, its attacks come in endless succession, and its energy is tremendous. When you unleash it, it's like firecrackers—very interesting. If you comprehend the Celestial Dragon Force and integrate it into your leg techniques, it'll be even more powerful!"

"Sounds like fun!" Tang Tang's eyes lit up. Both cards were exactly to his liking.

Tang Tang suddenly tilted his head to glance at the Sailei testing device, now reduced to ashes, then turned back to Sailei. "Sailei, are you going to start building a new testing device?"