Chapter 83 — The Martial Spirit Pact

Back at the energy rift, Jing Hao had still not returned, so Tang Tang found himself a secluded corner and began to cultivate. Yaya poked its head out of Tang Duo's pocket and looked all around, intensely curious about the energy orbs. But after only a short while, it fell in love with them.

Tang Tang sat down and began to take stock of the box Bing had given him. It was full of odds and ends, though not many valuables. There were several grade-four silver cards that would serve, and Tang Duo's grade-four martial techniques were at least complete; but what delighted Tang Tang most was a bronze-tier Aquarius martial cabinet!

Compared with the black-iron Aquarius martial cabinet he already had, the bronze one was far larger. It could easily hold five saber-toothed tigers. Tang Tang was so overcome with regret his guts turned green; tears streamed down his face. Why hadn't he noticed it back then...

The bronze mechanical ostrich looked enormous, yet it used folding mechanism art and could fold down into a smaller "ostrich." This was because the bronze mechanical ostrich had a simple structure—something evident from its very name. In the eyes of the Southern Cross Legion's mechanism masters, simple things like this could only be called machines; they did not even deserve the name "mechanism."

For mechanisms of simple structure, the Southern Cross Legion's mechanism masters had long since studied them so thoroughly that they had lost all interest. Such low-grade machines offered far too limited a boost to power.

The mechanism duo, by contrast, was far more advanced. Its internal structure was extremely complex, and its amplification of true force and enhancement of martial technique power belonged to an entirely different order.

Three days later, Jing Hao returned. The two chatted idly for a few words, then each went off to cultivate. To avoid disrupting each other's energy, they kept far apart; the cliff was vast enough for the two of them to avoid disturbing one another.

On the fifth day, Tang Tang entered Xuancheng as scheduled.

Sailei's shop.

The moment Sailei saw Tang Tang, her eyes lit up. "You finally came! If you'd stood me up, you'd be dead meat!"

Sailei's outfit today was completely different from last time: ultra-short, slightly worn jeans that set off her fair, slender legs to especially alluring effect, a simple white short-sleeved T-shirt, and her hair tied in a ponytail. She looked indescribably fresh and brisk, brimming with youthful energy.

The three pandas waited obediently at the door like smiling professional doormen.

What on earth had this woman done to these three vicious brutes...

Tang Ke muttered to himself, while aloud he asked, "Is the soul-refining vessel ready?"

"Hey, with a genius girl on the job, is that even a problem?" Sailei tilted her face up proudly and gave a little huff. "A mere soul-refining vessel? Give me the blueprints for a Southern Cross Legion mechanism duo and I could build one of those too!"

Tang Tang's heart stirred at her words, and he blurted out, "Then could you improve a mechanism duo?"

Sailei paused. She had not expected Tang Tang to ask such a question, and she mused, "I'd have to see one to know. The mechanism duo is Southern Cross Legion machinery—oh, in that era they called it mechanism art, and I like that name too. The Southern Cross Legion's mechanism duo was the pinnacle of mechanism art: an enormous, highly complex system. To be honest, judged purely as mechanism art, the present day is far behind. I've never seen a real mechanism duo, so I don't know just how far it reached."

"If I gave you a mechanism duo, could you improve it?" Tang Tang pressed on.

Sailei eyed him up and down with some puzzlement, teasing, "Oh? Don't tell me you actually have one!" But the joke struck her as ridiculous—how could a mechanism duo possibly still survive in the world today? Impossible! She shook her head to herself, but seeing how serious Tang Duo's expression was, she said, "I've never seen one, but I do know that some people have already begun attempts in that direction."

Bing, who had been entirely indifferent, now wore a listening expression.

Tang Tang was even more transfixed.

A flicker of smugness passed through Sailei's face and eyes. Her pretty face lifted slightly, growing even more bewitchingly beautiful. "The Southern Cross Legion's mechanism duo once made a glorious history. Mechanism duos have been unearthed—though they can't be restored, one can still see that the mechanism duo had reached a peak. Many mechanism masters study this field, and the prevailing view now is that the mechanism duo nearly reached the limit of material nature. That is the source of its strength—but also the reason for its failure. It has no martial spirit."

Bing shuddered, murmuring to himself, "No martial spirit..."

"Exactly!" Once professional matters were involved, Sailei's expression turned serious. "However formidable it is, it is a dead thing—that is the fundamental reason for its failure. It was replaced by secret treasures for the same reason. Secret treasures have martial spirits; they have room to grow, room to strengthen; they are cleverer; they can resonate with a martial artist. Everyone knows that for high-tier martial artists, the martial spirit matters more than true force—that is exactly the principle! The mechanism duo can amplify true force, but it has no martial spirit. A secret treasure might not be so formidable at first, but so long as you keep developing it, it will grow ever more powerful."

"Martial spirit... that's right... why didn't I think of it..." Bing said to himself, looking utterly distraught.

Tang Tang did not share Bing's tangled feelings; he was more concerned with another question. "So how do we solve it?"

"Just add a martial spirit to it!" Sailei wore an expression that said "you idiot."

"Add a martial spirit..." Tang Tang was dumbfounded.

"So stupid!" Sailei stroked her smooth, delicate chin in the manner of an expert. "There are so many more constellations on the Sky Road now than before, and secret treasures are far more widespread. Combine the two and it's perfect! The mechanism duo is a fine body, and a secret treasure is like a fine brain—combine them and it becomes formidable!"

Tang Tang smacked his fist into his palm, enlightened, thrilled beyond measure. "Exactly! That's the way! That's the way!"

Sailei snorted mockingly. "Don't put on the airs of an expert. There's an even better way! Think about it—add a soul-general card, and it's as if it even has a weapon. That's the truly perfect combination. But right now, the only one who can fuse a soul-general card with a secret treasure is a genius mechanism master like me! This is my exclusive technique!"

As she spoke, Sailei put on a look with her nose in the air.

Tang Cheng had to admit Sailei made perfect sense!

Bing had recovered from his shock and said gravely, "The idea is indeed good, but whether it can be realized is another matter entirely."

Sailei was a little surprised at Bing's seriousness. She spread her hands and said with forced lightness, "I'm just talking—I've never even seen a mechanism duo." Suddenly her eyes blazed, and she darted up to Tang Tang, bent down, and said eagerly, "O godlike youth, don't tell me you're interested in this? Wonderful! As long as you sponsor me—as long as there's sufficient funding—I'm fully confident I can build the design. How about it? I'm only interested in the mechanism itself; the results are entirely yours to use. Mm, I can even custom-build a mechanism duo just for you!"

She clasped her fists before her chest, her full bosom threatening to burst forth, a faint blush rising to her cheeks, a hint of allure in her eyes as she kept batting her lashes at Tang Tang. "Knows mechanism art, warms the bed—where else would you find a girl this good? You only need to put up two million star coins a year in funding. Mm, I'm very nice to hold..."