Chapter 85

When the soldier found Tang Tian again, he was somewhat surprised by Tang Tian's smooth and skilled movements. This guy didn't look like he was playing for the first time at all.

He remained calm, cleared his throat, and said, "Alright, young man, stop for a moment!"

Tang Tian immediately stopped.

"Wow, wow, wow! Uncle Soldier, you have such a good thing, and you kept it hidden! That's not very nice! It's amazing! I'm sure I can take down a Fifth Rank expert now!" Tang Tian's excited voice came from inside the Saber-toothed Tiger.

"Is a Fifth Rank even called an expert?" The soldier sneered.

Tang Tian reluctantly opened the Saber-toothed Tiger and stepped out, looking at the soldier with longing. "Uncle Soldier, can you give me this Saber-toothed Tiger?"

"No problem." The soldier waved his hand generously. "Everything in here is yours."

"Everything is mine..." Tang Tian was struck dumb, staring around in a daze, like a little white rabbit suddenly discovering that it was raining carrots from the sky.

"Alright, don't be so unambitious. These outdated antiques have made you lose your composure." The soldier frowned, his thick eyebrows moving up and down in a comical way.

"Outdated? Nonsense! The Saber-toothed Tiger is more powerful than those Bronze Secret Treasures!" Tang Tian clearly disagreed with the soldier's statement and argued loudly.

"Then how did we lose back then?" The soldier spread his hands. "I experienced that defeat firsthand, and I know better than you."

Tang Tian was taken aback but still didn't believe it. "Such a powerful mechanical armor can definitely surpass many Bronze Rank Secret Treasures!"

The soldier sighed. "It is indeed outdated. Believe me. You think it's powerful now just because you haven't seen enough. For example, the Saber-toothed Tiger seems very powerful to you, but let me tell you, once in real combat, a Fifth Rank Starstone can only support it for half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Tang Tian was stunned.

"Do you know what half an hour can do in a war? One charge!" The soldier raised a finger. "Then you have to crawl out of the Bronze can. You can't even replace the Starstone because it needs twelve hours to cool down before it can be used again. It's not as good as the Peacock Blue on your body, which you haven't fully explored its potential. But the most terrifying thing is not these."

"What is it?" Tang Tian asked subconsciously.

"It's dependency. Many people rely too much on it and are unwilling to improve themselves." The soldier said solemnly, which was rare. "Tang Tian, you must remember, no matter how powerful a Secret Treasure or armor is, your own strength is the most useful. Your fists, your True Energy, your martial techniques, your body—these are what you can trust the most. Even without Secret Treasures or weapons, you can still fight tenaciously! Don't get lost in external forces, no matter how powerful they are! At any time, improving your own strength is the most fundamental method."

Tang Tian looked at the soldier strangely. "Isn't it always like that?"

The soldier's expression froze, as if he hadn't seen it, and continued, "Of course, fully utilizing the power of weapons is a quality a qualified warrior must have. I said the Saber-toothed Tiger is not as good as the Peacock Blue, and I'm not exaggerating. Because the Peacock Blue has a martial soul, while the Saber-toothed Tiger doesn't. A smart weapon is far better than a powerful one. However, my understanding of Secret Treasures is still limited. It takes time for an old antique like me to understand these people. But what I can tell you is not to follow our old path, which has already been proven wrong, even if it looks powerful now."

"Hey, Uncle." Tang Tian interrupted the soldier's endless talk.

"Hmm?"

"You said all of this is mine?" Tang Tian gestured with his fingers.

"That's right. What's the matter?" The soldier was puzzled.

Tang Tian immediately beamed and rushed over to the mechanical armor, touching this and that. Ya Ya, though not quite understanding, followed along, jumping up and down.

"Wow, wow, wow, all mine! Ha ha! So cool!"

"Bronze Army! Charge, charge, charge!"

"God-like youth, god-like mechanical armor!"

Tang Tian's excited cheers echoed from the pile of mechanical armors.

"Alright, go and take over the base." The soldier said helplessly.

"Okay, okay!" Tang Tian immediately ran over with shining eyes. Taking over a base of the Southern Cross Corps, wow, it's so cool that he could laugh in his sleep!

The soldier, with a helpless look, led Tang Tian to the emblem. "Um, place your palm on it."

Tang Tian said, "Oh," and placed his palm on it.

The cross mark on his palm suddenly lit up, and a beam of light from Tang Tian's palm entered the emblem.

Boom, boom, boom!

The ground trembled, and a circle of light appeared around Tang Tian, enveloping him.

Sure enough...

The soldier remained calm, but he suddenly felt curious about who Tang Tian's parents were and what their relationship with the Southern Cross Corps was.

When the light faded, Tang Tian was uncertain. "Is that it?"

"What did you think it would be?" The soldier rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's go. We need to return. I've found the Soul Core and Jade Soul Steel. Fortunately, there's still some stock in the warehouse."

"Going back already?" Tang Tian's eyes widened, unwilling. "Can I take a Saber-toothed Tiger with me?"

"Does your Water Bottle Weapon Cabinet fit it?" The soldier glanced at Tang Tian.

"It doesn't fit..." Tang Tian was even more unwilling. "I can wear it and walk!"

"Then get cut and robbed?" The soldier sneered. "This isn't a Bronze Mechanical Ostrich. If you dare to wear it out, someone will definitely kill you and take the mechanical armor. Don't count on me; I'm just a coach, and my fighting skills are mediocre."

Tang Tian was unhappy, but he knew the soldier was right. The Bronze Mechanical Ostrich had already attracted a bunch of rich kids, and if it were the Saber-toothed Tiger, he probably wouldn't even make it down the street.

Tang Tian felt extremely frustrated, as if: Wow, a big pie fell from the sky, wow, it smells good, wow, it feels great, wow, I can't eat it...

The soldier, as if performing a magic trick, produced a box from somewhere and pushed it to Tang Tian.

"What's this?" Tang Tian asked, pouting.

"Oh, I cleared the traps and collected these from the corpses. Many people have intruded over the years." The soldier said casually. "A few of the guys who followed us also died, unfortunately, they didn't have much good stuff on them. There's a lot of stuff, so you need to sort it out yourself. Put it in your Water Bottle Weapon Cabinet."

It was an unexpected surprise, Tang Tian consoled himself, but he didn't open it.

His mind was still on the Saber-toothed Tiger. He really liked mechanical armors.

"Let's go." The soldier floated forward.

Tang Tian followed behind.

"Hey, Uncle, did you finally give yourself a face...?"

"..."

When the two returned to the Saireka store, the once chaotic card shop was now neatly organized.

The black, white, and gray pandas were working diligently like obedient children. They wore work clothes and dust caps, busy with their tasks, not even looking up at Tang Tian.

This scene felt strange to Tang Tian. He couldn't help but ask, "Saireka, what did you do to them?"

The three pandas, who were working hard, all shuddered at his words.

Saireka didn't look up at Tang Tian. "Did you bring the Soul Core and Jade Soul Steel?"

"Here they are." The soldier said, handing the Soul Core and Jade Soul Steel to Saireka.

Saireka took them, inspected them for a moment, and said, "Not bad! Now we have everything. I've already completed the rough draft. Alright, you can leave now. Don't disturb me. Come back in five days."

With that, she lowered her head and focused on her work.

Tang Tian was somewhat surprised, not expecting this guy to be so different when working.

When they returned to the new recruit camp, Tang Tian immediately began intense training.

Now, with just five days, Tang Tian could start a round of intense training. The soldier noticed that Tang Tian was even more determined than before, training as if his life depended on it. He started practicing leg techniques, starting from the most basic ones since he had no prior foundation. He had no intention of taking shortcuts, repeatedly practicing the most basic martial techniques without tiring.

Tang Tian had a burning desire in his heart. Besides finding Qian Hui and that bastard, Tang Tian now had a closer goal.

He must become stronger!

Only by becoming stronger could he wear that big guy and strut around fearlessly.

Tang Tian couldn't explain why, but he felt that such a large mechanical armor made his blood boil, suited his taste, and excited him.

He heard what the soldier said, but he didn't fully agree. He had his own thoughts.

However, the most important thing before that was to become stronger.

Ten days of intense training passed in a flash. With a goal, Tang Tian was even more energetic. Whenever he got tired, thinking about the alluring feeling of wearing that big guy, a flame seemed to burn inside him.

Sometimes, he even had the illusion that he was born for those mechanical armors!

But at least the soldier was right about one thing: he was too weak now! Not only could he not fully utilize the Saber-toothed Tiger, but he couldn't even protect it. Losing his own weapon was something Tang Tian absolutely couldn't bear.

The soldier was somewhat surprised by Tang Tian's intensity but didn't say anything. He easily guessed Tang Tian's thoughts. In fact, Tang Tian, being so straightforward, would show everything on his face. Deception and strategy were too advanced for him.

But the soldier also knew how stubborn Tang Tian was. A guy who could quietly practice basic martial techniques for five years under heavy pressure, once he set a goal, would be impossible to stop, even by five oxen.

However, the soldier wasn't worried. Tang Tian's combat intelligence was extremely high, and he would quickly realize if something wasn't working in battle.

Facts would prove everything.