"Clang, clang—"
The self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Twin Dragon Kings, took shape, their dragon wings unfurling with a beat.
Di Tian flew high into the sky.
The cockpit in the center of the giant mecha's helmet, "Universe Pioneer," opened in sync, allowing Di Tian to enter without obstruction.
"Click! Click!"
The Twin Dragon Kings settled into the two pilot seats.
Multiple mechanical tubes connected to the two Mecha Suits, dressing the Twin Dragon Kings from back to front.
As the Mecha Suits finished fitting into place, and as the thought-sharing ability of the self Martial Soul Fusion Skill activated, the entire giant mecha moved.
The Single Source Core at the mecha's center began to cycle round and round, supplying it with power.
"Let's test it on its own first."
"Can the Twin Dragon Kings' thought-sharing support the giant mecha in prolonged combat?"
"Find me an opponent."
Experiments demanded rigor.
Even though Di Tian was confident that the Twin Dragon Kings could pilot Universe Pioneer in prolonged combat, they still needed a practical test to confirm it.
"Sure." Ling Zichen, the one most interested in technology, was the first to respond.
"Tianyu."
"You go."
Beside her, Yu Muchen immediately added, "Dean Wang."
"Start with the standard combat strength of a Level 91 Titled Douluo, then increase it step by step."
"Previous pilots couldn't operate Universe Pioneer for long, so they couldn't precisely test the giant mecha's combat range."
"Understood." Wang Tianyu clenched his fists in excitement and knocked them together.
As a battle maniac, fighting a giant mecha sounded like a pretty great experience.
"Roar, roar—"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon roared.
In an instant, Wang Tianyu transformed into a Divine Dragon dozens of meters long, blue lightning arcing across his body.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
His dragon claws struck the earth as he fought Universe Pioneer head-on.
"Clang—"
The Thunder Dragon Claw collided with the mecha's giant fist, and an invisible yet tangible shock wave swept in every direction.
Using only the standard combat strength of a Level 91 Titled Douluo, Wang Tianyu was inevitably sent flying by the recoil.
"Rumble—"
His dragon body crashed into the mountainside with a deafening boom, sending clouds of dust and smoke billowing through the vast battlefield carved into the mountain.
"Roar—"
Though Wang Tianyu was a god in essence, he wasn't injured. Instead, he rallied at once and automatically adjusted his combat strength to the standard Level 92 Titled Douluo.
He attacked again.
Once more, he was knocked back with a single blow.
But as Wang Tianyu continued to raise his combat strength, the distance he was sent flying grew smaller and smaller.
Until the ninth round.
He adjusted his strength to the standard Level 99 Limit Douluo, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon he had transformed into surged to a hundred zhang in length.
Its imposing aura surged like a boundless sea, its lightning power like Heaven's punishment.
Standard combat strength wasn't based on the experimenter's own combat data. It was an average value calculated by the Federation from the battle records of countless powerhouses, which Wang Tianyu then used as a benchmark to control his strength.
Just as he was doing now.
The standard Limit Douluo combat strength Wang Tianyu displayed was roughly equivalent to the average of more than ten thousand Limit Douluos.
"Rumble—"
This time,
Wang Tianyu could finally match Universe Pioneer, piloted by Di Tian, head-on.
"Clatter—"
Di Tian took the initiative, extending the Chain Sword from Universe Pioneer's arm, while the Energy Accumulation Cannon continued charging.
"Clang! Clang! Clang..."
The taut Chain Sword blocked the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's Thunder Dragon Claw dozens of times before Di Tian finally found an opening. He fired several blasts from the Energy Accumulation Cannon at the dragon's head, forcing it back.
"Pfft—"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, driven back, spat out clouds of azure energy smoke from the cannon blasts.
It wasn't injured.
That was the advantage of having a God Level powerhouse serve as the experimenter.
Standard combat strength could be simulated from data, but the body's durability remained unchanged and wouldn't suffer damage during the test.
They only needed to see whether its protective Soul Power had been pierced to determine the giant mecha's attack power.
"Awesome!" Wang Tianyu bellowed, thrilled by the fight.
The Soul Power around him began to undergo a qualitative change.
It advanced from Soul Power energy to divine power, and his combat strength increased severalfold.
"Boom—"
True God Level combat strength.
In a single exchange, with a flash of movement, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's claw struck head-on and sent the giant mecha Universe Pioneer flying.
"Stop!"
Yu Muchen immediately called a halt.
His expression was happy, yet unhappy.
He was happy that the thought-sharing ability of Di Tian's self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Twin Dragon Kings, really could allow the giant mecha to be piloted for a long time.
He was unhappy because the theory had been wrong: the giant mecha's combat strength hadn't reached the theoretical God Level.
"Beyond the Limit, but not yet God Level."
Beside him, Ling Zichen added,
"Quasi-God."
"Quasi-God?" Yu Muchen turned to Ling Zichen, repeating the unfamiliar term in confusion.
"You're too young. You weren't around for the millennia of history from ten thousand years ago, when a realm appeared that had no precedent before it and no successor after it."
"Quasi-God."
"Beyond the Limit, but not yet God Level."
"It would probably take at least three ordinary Limit Douluos to match one Quasi-God head-on."
"The giant mecha's peak combat strength is in this realm as well."
At the same time,
Di Tian spoke, confirming it further:
"Cabinet Master Ling is right."
"The giant mecha's current ceiling is indeed Quasi-God."
"Of course."
"That doesn't mean it can't go one step further."
"What's the way?!" Yu Muchen looked at Di Tian excitedly.
But Di Tian looked toward Ling Zichen from inside the cockpit and spoke slowly:
"The Single Source Core must evolve beyond its limit. Then it can automatically absorb energy from the outside and sustain itself."
Yu Muchen also turned to Ling Zichen in sync.
He did know about that.
Ling Zichen and Yi Zichen had earned the Federation's wariness because of the countless Single Source Cores within their bodies, which could circulate positively and sustain themselves.
Once unleashed, their power exceeded that of the Federation Mothership's cannons.
Controlled by the divine senses of two True God level powerhouses, they were human-shaped cannons that could lock onto targets.
That was the root cause of the Federation's high-ranking officials' wariness. If anyone drove Ling Zichen and Yi Zichen to the brink, even hiding inside the Federation Mothership wouldn't save them. The shots would still hit with pinpoint accuracy, and death would be certain.
A hint of pride flashed in Ling Zichen's eyes.
"Here."
Ling Zichen produced a Single Positive-Cycle Source Core that had been nurtured within her body for over a thousand years. It possessed a degree of vitality and could sustain itself.
She provided the finished product, not the technology.
In fact, every Ecological Warship had a Single Positive-Cycle Source Core inside it.
"However."
"I just made a rough calculation."
"The Single Positive-Cycle Source Core I nurtured probably isn't enough to let the giant mecha break through to God Level completely."
"Let's try it first."
"I quite agree with something you just said, Di Tian: practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."
Di Tian took the Single Positive-Cycle Source Core. With the efforts of the many engineering teams at the experimental base, they successfully replaced the original Single Source Core.
He tested it in battle against Wang Tianyu again.
After just three rounds of combat,
Ling Zichen announced the result:
"Peak Quasi-God."
Yu Muchen's face twitched as he heard her. "What the hell is a Peak Quasi-God?"
"Are there also early-stage Peak Quasi-Gods, mid-stage Peak Quasi-Gods, and Peak Quasi-God great completion?"
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