Chapter 82: A New Objective!

When Bing finally found Tang Tian again, he was taken aback by Tang Tian’s nimble movements—one could hardly tell this was his first time playing. Bing maintained a calm demeanor, clearing his throat lightly. “Alright, young man, stop!”

Tang Tian halted instantly.

“Wow, wow, wow! Uncle Bing, you had such amazing stuff and kept it hidden? That’s so unfair! This is incredible! I’m sure I could defeat a fifth-grade expert now!” Tang Tian’s voice buzzed with excitement from inside the Saber-Toothed Tiger.

“Fifth-grade, and you call that an expert?” Bing sneered.

Reluctantly, Tang Tian opened the Saber-Toothed Tiger and stepped out, his eyes full of longing as he looked at Bing. “Uncle Bing, could you give me this Saber-Toothed Tiger?”

“No problem,” Bing said with a generous wave. “Everything in here is yours.”

“All mine…” Tang Tian looked as if struck by lightning, staring around in a daze. It was like a little rabbit suddenly discovering that the sky was raining carrots.

“Alright, don’t lose your composure over a bunch of outdated antiques,” Bing said, raising his heavy brows in a comical, exaggerated fashion.

“Outdated? Nonsense! The Saber-Toothed Tiger is better than any of those bronze treasures!” Tang Tian clearly disagreed, protesting loudly.

“Then how did we lose back then?” Bing spread his hands. “I was there for that defeat—I know it better than you.”

Tang Tian hesitated, but remained unconvinced. “Such a powerful mechanical armor could easily surpass many bronze-grade treasures!”

Bing sighed. “It is outdated, believe me. You think it’s amazing because you haven’t seen much yet. Take the Saber-Toothed Tiger, for example—you think it’s powerful, but let me tell you: in a real battle, a fifth-grade star stone can power it for only half an hour.”

“Half an hour?” Tang Tian was stunned.

“Do you know what half an hour means in a war? One charge!” Bing raised a finger. “Then you’ll have to climb out of your bronze can. You can’t even replace the star stone—it requires a twelve-hour cooldown before it can be used again. It’s not as good as your Peacock Blue. You haven’t yet tapped into the potential of that treasure armor you possess. But what’s most frightening isn’t any of these limitations.”

“What is it?” Tang Tian asked instinctively.

“Dependency. Many people rely too much on it and are unwilling to improve themselves,” Bing said solemnly, a rare seriousness in his voice. “Tang Tian, remember this: no matter how powerful a treasure or armor is, nothing is as useful as your own strength. Your fists, your true power, your martial skills, your body—they are what you can truly rely on, even without treasures or weapons, you can still fight fiercely! Don’t lose yourself in external power, no matter how strong it is! Improving your own strength is always the most fundamental method.”

Tang Tian looked at Bing with a strange expression. “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

Bing paused, choosing to ignore it and continued, “Of course, fully utilizing your weapon’s power is an essential quality for any competent warrior. When I say the Saber-Toothed Tiger isn’t as good as Peacock Blue, I mean it. Because Peacock Blue has a martial soul, while the Saber-Toothed Tiger does not. An intelligent weapon is far superior to a merely powerful one. But as for treasures, I don’t know much yet—an old relic like me needs time to understand these things. What I can tell you is not to walk the path we did, the proven wrong path, no matter how powerful it might seem now.”

“Hey, uncle,” Tang Tian interrupted Bing’s lengthy monologue.

“Hmm?”

“You said all this is mine?” Tang Tian gestured with his fingers.

“That’s right. Why?”

Tang Tian’s face instantly lit up, and he dashed toward the mechanical armors, touching everything here and there. Yaya, though not quite understanding, jumped around after him.

“Wow, wow, wow, everything’s mine! Haha! This is awesome!”

“Bronze army! Charge, charge, charge!”

“A legendary youth with legendary mechanical armor!”

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

“Alright, go and take over this base now,” Bing said helplessly.

“Okay, okay!” Tang Tian’s eyes gleamed as he ran over. To take over a Southern Cross Corps base—wow, he’d laugh himself awake even in his dreams!

Bing, resigned, led Tang Tian to the badge station. “Hmm, place your palm here.”

Tang Tian complied, pressing his palm down.

The cross-shaped mark in his palm suddenly glowed. A beam of light shot from Tang Tian’s hand into the badge.

Boom, boom, boom!

The ground trembled, and a circle of light enveloped Tang Tian.

As expected…

Bing remained unfazed, though a curiosity stirred in his heart. Who were Tang Tian’s parents, really? What connection did they have to the Southern Cross Corps?

When the light faded, Tang Tian looked uncertain. “Is that it?”

“What did you expect?” Bing rolled his eyes. “Alright, let’s go. We’re heading back. I found the soul core and jade soul steel—luckily the warehouse still had some stock.”

“We’re leaving already?” Tang Tian’s eyes widened, clearly reluctant. “Let me take a Saber-Toothed Tiger with me.”

“Will it fit in your Water Bottle Combat Locker?” Bing glanced at him.

“It won’t fit…” Tang Tian’s frustration grew. “I could wear it out!”

“And then get robbed?” Bing sneered. “This isn’t a bronze mechanical ostrich. If you dare walk out wearing it, someone will definitely kill you and take the armor. Don’t count on me—I’m just an instructor, fighting is routine for me.”

Tang Tian was displeased, but he knew Bing was right. The bronze mechanical ostrich had already attracted a crowd of troublemakers; if it were the Saber-Toothed Tiger, he probably wouldn’t make it down the street.

He felt unusually stifled, as if the world had dropped a huge pie: it looked delicious, smelled wonderful, felt amazing—but he couldn’t eat it.

Bing, like a magician, produced a box from who knows where and pushed it to Tang Tian.

“What’s this?” Tang Tian asked, his cheeks puffed in annoyance.

“Oh, it’s what I collected from clearing traps and searching the bodies. Quite a few have tried breaking in over the years,” Bing said casually. “The ones who followed us are gone too, but sadly didn’t have anything worthwhile. There’s a lot—count it yourself. Put it in your Water Bottle Combat Locker.”

A surprise bonus, Tang Tian consoled himself, but he didn’t open it. His mind was still fixated on the Saber-Toothed Tiger; he was deeply fond of mechanical armors.

“Let’s go,” Bing floated ahead.

Tang Tian followed.

“Hey, uncle, you finally couldn’t resist painting a face for yourself…”

“……”

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When the two returned to the Selika Card Shop, the once chaotic shop was now orderly.

The three black-and-white pandas, like well-behaved children, worked diligently. Dressed in work uniforms and dust caps, they busied themselves nonstop, not even glancing at Tang Tian.

No matter how Tang Tian looked at it, this scene felt strangely odd. Unable to resist, he asked, “Selika, what did you do to them?”

The three pandas, working frantically, shuddered at his words.

Selika didn’t look up. “Did you bring the soul core and jade soul steel?”

“Here they are,” Bing replied, handing over the items.

Selika took them, checked them briefly, and nodded in satisfaction. “Good! Everything’s here. I’ve already completed the rough casting. Now, you can get lost—don’t disturb my work. Come back in five days to pick up your stuff.”

With that, she bowed her head and resumed her intense concentration.

Tang Tian was surprised; he hadn’t expected her to transform so completely when she worked.

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Back at the recruit camp, Tang Tian immediately threw himself into intense training.

Only five days remained, allowing him to begin a round of rigorous cultivation. Bing noticed Tang Tian was more driven than ever, training as if his life depended on it. He started practicing leg techniques, beginning with the most basic forms since he had no prior foundation. Tang Tian didn’t seek shortcuts—he patiently drilled the fundamental martial skills over and over.

A fire burned within Tang Tian. Besides finding Chihui and that scoundrel, he now had a more immediate goal.

He must become stronger!

Only by growing stronger could he strut about in that massive armor with pride.

Tang Tian couldn’t explain why, but the thought of being inside such a hulking suit made his blood race—it suited him, stirred his spirit, and moved him to action.

Bing’s words echoed in his ears, though he didn’t fully agree. He had his own ideas.

But first, he had to strengthen himself.

Ten days of arduous cultivation flew by. With his goal clear, Tang Tian was more energetic than ever. Whenever fatigue struck, the vision of wearing that mighty armor rekindled a blazing fire inside him.

Sometimes, he even felt as if he was born for mechanical armors!

But at least Bing was right: for now, he was too weak. Not only could he not wield the Saber-Toothed Tiger’s power, he couldn’t protect it. If he couldn’t even defend his own weapons, Tang Tian would never forgive himself.

Bing was a bit surprised by Tang Tian’s frenzy, but said nothing. He easily guessed Tang Tian’s thoughts. In truth, Tang Tian was so straightforward that everything he did was written on his face; scheming was simply out of his league.

But Bing also knew well how stubborn Tang Tian was. Someone who could silently practice basic martial skills for five years under immense pressure, once he set his sights on a goal, not even five oxen could pull him away.

Still, Bing wasn’t worried. Tang Tian had a high combat IQ; if something didn’t work in battle, he’d quickly understand.

Reality would prove everything.