The Formula for Victory

Outwardly, however, he remained calm. He had originally planned to use his nosebleed, only to find that the blood on his face had already dried. Fortunately, he had suffered quite a few minor scrapes during the chase, so he pressed one of the wounds against the square outline.

"New blood detected. Recording genetic sequence, please wait... Genetic sequence recorded. Changing designated wearer. Execute edict armament?"

This time, Si Ming needed no prompting. "Execute immediately."

"Received. Command confirmed."

The sword case parted slightly on both sides, creating an opening. Pieces of equipment immediately shot out and fitted themselves onto Si Ming like armor.

His head, shoulders, arms, chest, waist, knees, calves and feet, along with other vital areas and places prone to injury, were all protected. In the blink of an eye, Si Ming was wearing a simplified suit of armor. It was a dull gray and unremarkable, save for the two pairs of short wings on its back.

Si Ming was utterly stunned. Was this Bronze Cloth or a powered exoskeleton? Was he going to use the Pegasus Meteor Fist next?

The suit of dark armor had been tailored to Yan Jinghong, whose build differed from Si Ming's. Fortunately, it was not full-body armor and covered only certain vital areas, so the difference in their builds posed no obstacle.

"This is the simplified, portable, mobile Heaven-Soaring Armor No. 2, developed by the Mohist Academy of Science. Its stability has been improved, a True Qi storage function has been added, and the Yin-Yang Spiral Piercing Kill Cannon has been replaced with the Yin-Yang Cross Crushing Cannon. But none of that has much to do with you. What you need most right now is this weapon."

Yan Jinghong took a longsword from the sword case and handed it to Si Ming. "This is the High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword, recently developed by the Mohist Academy of Science. It can destroy the structure of matter at the molecular level and was designed specifically to deal with body-tempering experts. Of course, it's also exceptionally effective against heavily armored yao beasts."

So this was the legendary mechanism art of the Mohist School?

Who were they kidding? This was clearly black tech!

A little excited, Si Ming asked, "How do I activate it?"

"Simple. Just start moving."

Yan Jinghong reached out and gave him a hard shove. Si Ming instinctively ran forward a few steps, and the wings on his back suddenly blasted out streams of multicolored particles. The powerful thrust instantly turned him into a streak of neon, trailing a long, colorful tail as he shot into the air like a rocket.

"Aaah-how do I control this thing?"

Using his cultivation to transmit his voice, Yan Jinghong said, "The control techniques come from the same source as the Hundred Birds Frolics. Try to recall what it feels like when you usually practice, and you'll soon be able to operate it."

Si Ming hurriedly did as instructed. After a flurry of frantic adjustments, he really could control his movements at will. He could fly or run as he pleased, changing direction freely up, down, left, right, forward or backward. He was also far faster than before. It was like trading a little electric scooter for a Ferrari sports car.

He did not know that he had mastered it so quickly because he had trained the Hundred Birds Frolics to a level no one before him had ever reached. Any other martial artist who had practiced the Hundred Birds Frolics would have needed at least a week of training to master it. Yan Jinghong had noticed precisely this, which was why he was willing to lend him the dark armor.

"Even so, getting the hang of it this quickly is beyond my expectations. He really is exceptionally gifted at lightness skills, the ideal candidate for the Heaven-Soaring Armor."

Yan Jinghong sighed with feeling. He could never have guessed that Si Ming's mastery of the Hundred Birds Frolics had actually surpassed its original limits.

Si Ming circled through the air a few times in the dark armor, satisfying humanity's age-old dream of flight before remembering the business at hand. He climbed higher, located the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad, then accelerated into a dive.

Powerful currents roared past his ears. The sensation of transcending reality, of turning the impossible into the possible, set Si Ming's previously calmed spirits soaring once more. His body pumped out adrenaline, and he could not help opening his mouth and shouting:

"The Mohist School's science and technology are number one under heaven!"

Chapter 14: The Formula for Victory

After spending a minute getting used to the controls, Si Ming discovered that operating the Mohist School's dark armor consumed True Qi. Fortunately, the consumption was so great that even if he could cultivate internal arts like an ordinary person, he could never have supplied it at his current age. Yan Jinghong had therefore replenished the armor's True Qi beforehand.

Even so, this was only a simplified, portable suit of dark armor and could not store much True Qi. The High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword also needed True Qi to operate. Judging by the rate of consumption, Si Ming estimated that he could use it for ten minutes at most at high speed. He wasted no more time, adjusted his posture and charged at the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad.

Why does this feel like the formula for a mecha show? A civilian protagonist who's never even touched a Gundam suddenly finds himself in a battle one day. Forced to pilot a new-model Gundam against the enemy, he quickly masters the controls and is ultimately forced to become a member of the military... By that formula, I should become a member of the Mohist Knight Guard once the battle is over.

Once again, Si Ming divided his attention and let his thoughts wander, but his state of mind was different this time. Before, he had been hunted, and he had used this method to find pleasure amid hardship and relieve the pressure. Now he was the one doing the hunting, so his thoughts were much more relaxed, free of the pressure of facing death.

The Mighty Rhinoceros Toad soon spotted Si Ming. Its blister-covered face displayed a humanlike look of surprise, as though it could not understand how its opponent had suddenly learned to fly. Whatever the case, the "kindly expression" on his face clearly meant he had not come for a friendly chat. It immediately opened its mouth and fired an air bullet.

"Too slow!"

Si Ming easily avoided it with a flying swallow turn. He was now faster than an air bullet. Before, he had needed to anticipate its attacks to dodge them, but now he did not even need to do that. He could wait until it fired before dodging and still evade with room to spare.

The High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword activated with a faint hum. Si Ming did not deliberately swing it, simply using his own momentum to deliver a follow-through slash across the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad's back. Sparks instantly flew in all directions!

The Mighty Rhinoceros Toad's hide parted beneath the High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword as though it were melting. Si Ming felt as if he were cutting through butter with a red-hot knife.

To an ordinary person, it would have looked like a silver-edged streak of rainbow light arcing over the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad. Then, with a spurt, a line of blood gushed out like a fountain!

"No, an attack like that can't possibly deal it a fatal wound. The High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword is better suited to fighting humans. To deal with a monster like this, I need a big chopping blade instead. A sword is too easy to break."

Si Ming looked back and assessed the result, unable to keep from frowning.

The sight of blood erupting like a fountain was certainly striking, like a finishing move in a fighting game. But given the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad's size, losing that much blood was no more than a scratch. In fact, the blood stopped spraying in less than two seconds, and after ten, even the wound on its back had closed. Yao beasts' bodies were naturally immensely tough, all the more so for a creature like the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad, whose hide was plainly thick and flesh hardy.

"If I had enough True Qi to keep going, I could bleed it to death. No matter how strong its body's recovery is, it can't withstand injuries piling up one after another. But I only have seven minutes of operating time left... Do I have to take a risk?"

Si Ming's expression turned grave. He rose into the air again, holding the High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword pointed ahead of him. Instead of preparing to slash, he took a thrusting stance.

The next moment, the wings on the dark armor's back blasted out streams of particles at full power, rapidly draining its True Qi reserves. Si Ming flew in an arc to accelerate, and once his speed reached the limit his body could withstand, he dived at the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad again.

The Mighty Rhinoceros Toad had exhausted its tricks and had no choice but to fire another air bullet. A land-dwelling overlord like it had few ways to deal with airborne enemies to begin with. Si Ming merely turned his body slightly, curving out of the way at high speed to dodge it with ease. He had been in front of the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad, but now he was at its side.

With a boom like two cars colliding, Si Ming drove his sword into the part of the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad that served as its neck. He tried to use his tremendous momentum to carry the blade through and cut off its entire head.

"Croak-"

Sensing mortal danger, the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad let out an angry cry. The Yao Qi within it instantly boiled and spread outward like a storm. If it landed squarely, it would be enough to smash Si Ming, moving at high speed, into a meat patty.

Just then, the Heaven-Soaring Armor automatically activated the Guardian Edict Circuit. Dazzling runes immediately flashed across the chest plate, drawing on more than half of its True Qi reserves to form a defensive Qi wall.

The two forces of primal Qi collided. Si Ming felt as though a heavy hammer had struck him head-on. Pain stabbed through his chest, and before he could react, he was blasted away. Fortunately, he pulled his sword along with the motion, and the High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Sword sliced halfway through the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad's neck, sending blood spraying like a fountain once more.

"Ugh!"

Si Ming was hurled away like a plane struck in both wings. He crashed onto the grass and carved out a long skid mark. Stars danced before his eyes, and he felt as though every bone in his body had been shaken loose. His Qi and blood churned, but the dark armor had protected him in the end. He had suffered only blunt injuries; none of his internal organs had been harmed.

Meanwhile, after running several dozen meters, the Mighty Rhinoceros Toad plunged headfirst to the ground. Most of the connection between its head and body had been severed. Tenacious as its life force was, it could not possibly heal the wound as easily as the one on its back. Blood gurgled out of the wound, quickly collecting in a pool. After lingering on its last breath for five or six minutes, it finally lost all signs of life.