Section Eighty-Six: The Purpose of Kong Youlin’s Visit

Under the harsh blaze of sunlight in a secluded corner, a dull bronze war puppet leaped into the air with all the reckless bravado of youth.

The saber-toothed tiger sprang high like a great bird.

At first, the soldier was stunned, and his immediate thought was: this move is irregular, this move is unreasonable, this move...

He was a strict instructor by nature, a man obsessive about discipline in training. Yet as his gaze followed the tiger arcing through the sky, the voices in his mind seemed to fade into the distance all at once. For a brief moment he was dazed. The tiger, riding the sunlight, gave him the illusion that it was truly flying across the heavens.

The soldier stared in silence.

Then the heavy tiger began to fall. In the sky, Tang Tian stretched his body wide, arms thrown up, one leg straight, the other bent. The ground swelled rapidly in his vision, but Tang Tian felt no fear at all. His eyes blazed like fire, and a defiant smile bloomed at the corner of his mouth.

With a soft thud, like a blade sinking into tofu, the tiger’s outstretched leg drove deep into the earth like a peg, burying itself to the knee.

The tiger’s body remained utterly still.

This guy...

The soldier stood dumbly in the distance as the tiger used its other leg as a fulcrum and pulled the one sunk in the ground back out. The shock in his heart was beyond words. He had imagined all manner of outcomes, but none of them were this. He had never underestimated Tang Tian’s potential, and yet...

He watched, speechless, as the bronze tiger calmly drew itself free of the soil.

To master a short-distance sprint on the first attempt and achieve such perfection was astonishing enough. But what truly stunned the soldier was Tang Tian’s leap. Tang Tian had no idea what this leap really meant, but the soldier knew very well. It had a special name: Long-Distance Leap. The name sounded ordinary, and in truth it was an ordinary training exercise. But once the distance exceeded two hundred meters, the difficulty rose to an entirely different level. At that tier, Long-Distance Leap demanded an exceedingly refined control of power.

Tang Tian’s leap had already exceeded two hundred meters; to be exact, it was two hundred and twenty-four meters. Such a level, even back in the corps...

The soldier had never taught Tang Tian Long-Distance Leap.

This guy... was simply a freak...

Tang Tian had no idea he had done something remarkable, but since he had completed it in eight moments, he immediately grew smug. If they had been in a safe place, he would already have turned around and roared his bragging at the soldier. But here, he could only strike a triumphant pose, flexing like a strongman showing off his muscles.

The soldier’s face darkened at once.

This bastard...

It was a good thing this brat had not been under his command back then, or he would have corrupted the entire atmosphere.

The soldier snorted coldly, his expression sour, and drifted to Tang Tian’s side with lightning speed.

"Old man, heh heh, stunned by a godlike youth, weren’t you?" Tang Tian said smugly. "An old man can never understand the power of youth!"

"Old man... heh heh..." The soldier’s laugh was utterly free of concealment, and all it carried was killing intent.

Tang Tian jumped at the murderous aura and very sensibly changed the subject. "Aha, we need to speed things up. Don’t let that bastard get away."

With that, under the soldier’s murderous gaze, Tang Tian fled in a panic and rushed toward the wall.

After vaulting over it and landing, Tang Tian’s body suddenly stiffened. Right in front of him, a bronze mechanical wolf was glaring at him with fierce intensity. Compared with Tang Tian’s bronze mechanical ostrich, this construct beast was much more delicate and refined. Its size was about that of a real wolf, its bronze mechanism work exquisitely assembled, its four claws sharp as blades, and its mouth full of fangs so keen they made one’s blood run cold. The wolf’s eyes gleamed with a faint green light that made Tang Tian’s scalp prickle.

Yet to Tang Tian’s surprise, the green glow in the bronze wolf’s eyes gradually dimmed.

The bronze wolf turned and walked away.

Only then did the soldier appear beside Tang Tian like a ghost, and casually remark, "The Lin family is truly stupid. Their construct beasts can only recognize people."

Tang Tian had been on edge the entire time, and the soldier’s sudden remark made him nearly jump straight up.

Shh.

The soldier lifted a finger to his lips, serene and unhurried, and forcibly stuffed Tang Tian’s roar back down his throat.

Then he left behind a dashing back view.

This old man... had definitely done it on purpose!

Tang Tian ground his teeth in fury, but this was clearly not the place to lose his temper. He strode forward in a fit of anger.

All around them, all sorts of machine beasts prowled back and forth. Whenever the saber-toothed tiger drew near, the construct beasts would reveal wary expressions, their eyes flaring with green light, but very soon that glow would fade again.

Tang Tian actually made it all the way through without obstruction.

Suddenly, voices came from ahead. Tang Tian’s spirits jolted, and he crept closer in silence.

"Every time I come to your esteemed residence, I’m left wide-eyed with wonder," Kong Youren said, his gaze drifting occasionally over the bronze mechanisms around him.

"Brother Kong flatters me," said Lin Jiang, the head of the Lin family. He was about forty, lean of face, but his eyes shone sharply, and he wore a dark green robe. Smiling, he said, "Compared with you, I am nothing at all. Your Swan Armor is famed far and wide. Even those of us who live in the Soul District have heard of it more than once."

Kong Youren laughed heartily. "My level is truly shameful." His tone shifted as he said, with feigned casualness, "It’s actually my younger sister who has already broken through to the eighth tier. As her elder brother, I am deeply ashamed."

Lin Jiang was visibly moved. "If I am not mistaken, Miss Kong Yiyu is only twenty-eight this year, and she has already entered the eighth tier. Such talent and aptitude are truly astonishing! Congratulations, Brother Kong!"

Kong Youren said with mock self-mockery, "Brother Lin needn’t tease me. I, the brother, am not as good as my sister; it really leaves me with no face at all."

Though his words sounded self-deprecating, a trace of pride still showed through. His younger sister Kong Yiyu’s breakthrough to the eighth tier meant the Kong family’s strength would soar, and naturally he would benefit as well. How could he fail to hear the warmth in Lin Jiang’s tone?

"What a thing to say," Lin Jiang replied. "You’re the very picture of getting the better end of things and still pretending to be innocent. I’ve been daydreaming night and day for a sister like that!"

Kong Youren laughed again.

Just then, a young man burst in, shouting, "Father! Father!"

Lin Jiang frowned almost imperceptibly and said in a deep voice, "What is the meaning of this uproar?"

If Tang Tian had been there, he would have immediately recognized this young man as Lin Wei, one of the boys he had bullied before. Hearing Lin Jiang’s rebuke, and seeing that there were guests present, Lin Wei hurriedly apologized. "Please forgive me, Uncle. I was rude."

Seeing Lin Wei’s courteous manner, Lin Jiang’s expression eased somewhat.

At that, Kong Youren chuckled warmly. "So this is your esteemed son? As expected, a tiger father breeds no dog son. He has some of Brother Lin’s bearing from the old days."

Lin Jiang’s face relaxed at once. "Why are you still standing there? Hurry and greet your Uncle Kong!"

Lin Wei immediately stepped forward and bowed.

Kong Youren helped him up and said with a gentle smile, "Since you are in such a rush, you must have something urgent. Go on and discuss it; no need to mind me."

Lin Jiang waved a hand. "Brother Kong, you’re being too polite. Speak. Your Uncle Kong is one of us."

Hearing this, Lin Wei answered honestly, "The fellow who rode the bronze mechanical ostrich last time has appeared again. But it looks like he’s gotten mixed up with Saylei!"

"Saylei?" Lin Jiang frowned.

Kong Youren, however, looked somewhat surprised. "You mean the bronze mechanical ostrich of the Southern Cross Corps?"

Lin Jiang came to himself and nodded. "Exactly. My son was greatly captivated by it that day and wanted to buy it. Unexpectedly, that fellow’s temper was extremely violent, and he used his power to bully people. Yet his strength was indeed quite formidable, and he even extorted them for a sum. Our Lin family naturally doesn’t care for such a petty grudge, but Brother Kong knows very well that for the Lin family, the bronze mechanical ostrich is of great significance. If we could see it with our own eyes, the Lin family’s mechanism arts would surely rise another level. If he were willing to part with it, my Lin family would be happy to pay any price for it!"

"I never expected that an antique from the Southern Cross Corps would still survive in the world," Kong Youren exclaimed. Then he consoled him, "I support Brother Lin in this matter. Such a divine object in their hands is nothing but a waste. If it were in Brother Lin’s hands, it would surely be able to contribute to the revival of mechanism arts!"

Lin Jiang sighed. "Brother Kong truly understands me."

"Others may not know Brother Lin’s attainments, but how could I not?" Kong Youren said. "The Weak Point Arena was crafted by Brother Lin’s own hand, and even within the Martial Assembly, our colleagues praise it endlessly."

Lin Jiang modestly replied, "Brother Kong flatters me. It was my first time making something of this sort as well. Has the Weak Point Arena encountered any problems?"

"Ah, that is precisely why I have come this time," Kong Youren said.

"Could it be that there is some issue with the Weak Point Arena?" Lin Jiang asked, startled.

"Brother Lin may not know this, but the Weak Point Arena no longer exists," Kong Youren said with a soft sigh. Under the astonished gazes of Lin Jiang and Lin Wei, he slowly explained, "Not long ago, I went to Martial Peace Star to select a batch of new recruits. One of them challenged the Weak Point Arena and actually triggered an explosion. The Gray Cat Eye and all the cards were destroyed."

"Impossible!" Lin Jiang blurted out, shocked.

Kong Youren then described the events of that day once more.

After listening, Lin Jiang was silent for a moment before saying, "Brother Kong’s guess is probably close to the truth. Aside from bloodline power, I can’t think of any other force that could cause the Gray Cat Eye to explode directly. However, your association specializes in treasures, while bloodline power is of no use to you."

"Indeed. So he went to the outer camp of Great Tomb," Kong Youren said lightly, then smiled. "Such formidable bloodline power must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Black Soul!"

Hearing mention of the outer camp of Great Tomb, Lin Jiang felt a chill in his heart. This Kong Youren was truly ruthless. Yet he said, "Brother Kong is so kind, to even leave him a way out."

"Ah, you know my flaw. Sometimes I can be a bit too motherly," Kong Youren said, feigning self-deprecation. "But this time I’ve come because I want to ask Brother Lin to make me another Weak Point Arena."

Lin Jiang’s expression turned troubled.

Kong Youren had already guessed that the previous Weak Point Arena had cost Lin Jiang a great deal of time, but since he had come prepared, he naturally had his own reliance. Smiling, he said, "I know Brother Lin is busy with business. I’ve heard that the Lin family’s construct beasts have already been sold as far away as distant constellations. This time, I’ve brought something good with me."

Kong Youren’s face was full of confidence.

Today there will be another chapter.