Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 39: Mechanical Tong Ren

In the sunlight, Tong Ren executed a sword flourish and stood proudly! The invention of the steam engine marked humanity’s entry into the Steam Age, while the emergence of various electrical appliances heralded the arrival of the Electrical Age. Although Earth was currently in the post-civilization era, straddling the transition from the Late Stone Age to the Bronze Age, the existence of Yuan Qi had given rise to an entirely new discipline: mechanical engineering—the crystallization of wisdom and industry, and the most advanced technology of this era. In this field, the Mohist and Gongshu schools each held half the market, engaging in nearly a thousand years of competition and conflict, during which countless masterpieces were created. “Which school do you belong to?” Mo Wu Heng, whom Xia Ye knew, came from the Mohist School. “I am but a humble apprentice of the Gongshu School!” As Xia Qingyuan spoke these words, his expression grew solemn; he pressed his palms together, bowed deeply in reverence—it was clear he held the Gongshu School’s founding ancestor, Gongshu Ban, in the highest regard. Though he humbly referred to himself as an apprentice, Xia Qingyuan’s mastery of mechanical arts was extraordinary; otherwise, he would not have been recruited by Xia Jie and recommended to become a “Son of the Ancestors.” “When it comes to exploring the ruins of ancient sites, no one is better suited than us mechanical engineers. To be honest, I was the first to discover this place—I just hadn’t gotten around to excavating it yet!” Xia Qingyuan smiled. As mechanical engineers, they had a solid grasp of architectural design and civil engineering. Combined with the search capabilities of their mechanical beasts, exploring ruins was twice as effective with half the effort. “Mechanical Engineers may not be the strongest in combat, but their intellect is absolutely top-notch.” Xia Ye agreed. Important structures in the Fengjing Ruins—such as the Heroes’ Altar and the Ruler’s Tower—were like aging courtesans past their prime; they’d been combed through countless times by adventurers. If Xia Ye could think of searching the mansions of ordinary wealthy families in the Elite District, Xia Qingyuan naturally could as well. “You flatter me!” Xia Qingyuan was modest, but the proud look on his face clearly showed he agreed with the statement—after all, the mechanical Tong Ren standing beside him was the best proof of that. During those rainy days, while his squirrel automaton was searching the area, it discovered it in an Underground Palace. The dozens of skeletal remains scattered inside were ample proof of Tong Ren’s power. Fortunately, as a highly talented automaton engineer, after more than a dozen probing attacks—and the loss of the three automatons he’d brought with him—he finally figured out how to control this Tong Ren automaton. “You said its name is Tong Ren? So is there a ‘Notna’—oh, I mean Asuna?” Xia Ye pursed his lips. Although this guy was made of bronze, he was quite handsome—it seemed the creator was quite the beauty enthusiast. “What’s Asuna?” Xia Qingyuan looked puzzled, then chuckled: “You know what? I became an automaton apprentice at six, and the three automaton beasts I spent seven years building were all destroyed while trying to capture this Tong Ren. Otherwise, when I ran into Cao Ang’s squad outside the Tower of Glory that day, I could’ve wiped them all out by myself!” “Are you saying you’re a wimp now?” Song Guo asked. “Quite the opposite. I’m saying Tong Ren is too powerful—you’re no match for him at all.” Xia Qingyuan gazed toward the horizon: “Once I figure out its secrets, I’ll be able to build an army of mechanical Tong Ren. Then, I’ll easily sweep through all the tribes and establish my great empire!” “That’s so awesome!” Song Guo blinked her big eyes, looking at Xia Qingyuan with admiration, but suddenly raised the crossbow in her hand and fired a shot right at him. Bang! The bowstring trembled slightly. Xia Qingyuan didn’t even bother to dodge, because with a single flick of his wrist, the mechanical Tong Ren hurled the slightly rusty bronze longsword in his hand, knocking the arrow straight out of the air. “No way!” Song Guo was astonished. “Kill him!” Xia Qingyuan snapped his fingers. Ji Guan Tong Ren immediately lunged forward to retrieve the sword. “Song Guo, step back!” Xia Ye tossed Tai’a to the little girl and drew Sijige. He had no choice—though Tai’a was famous, in a life-or-death battle, he had to rely on a weapon he was familiar with. “Your Undead Hero is dead. Even if you can summon him again, it’ll take some time, won’t it? The sword energy of Tai’a has been depleted, so I doubt you can activate it for now. And you’ve just fought a fierce battle with Cao Ang!” Xia Qingyuan stood with his right hand clasped behind his back, a look of condescension on his face. The mechanical Tong Ren retrieved his longsword and turned to charge at Xia Ye. “Xia Ye, what else do you have to… uh, fight me with?” Before Xia Qingyuan could finish his sentence, he saw Xia Ye clench a bronze dagger between his teeth, pull a scroll from behind his waist, and unfurl it with a swish. He casually wiped the blade, smearing the flowing blood onto the scroll, and in an instant, a brilliant light erupted. At the dawn of chaos, all things return to the primordial source! As heaven and earth first parted, the Spirit Fire flared forth! Boom! A dark red ball of light, about the size of a coconut, shot out from the scroll and slammed into Tong Ren, then exploded with a bang, followed by a blinding flash. When the light faded, Xia Qingyuan saw a headless warrior, wielding a massive two-handed sword, blocking Tong Ren’s charge. “What the hell?” Xia Qingyuan was utterly stunned. The headless warrior stood three meters tall, clad in heavy armor, and radiated a thick, dark-red glow—as if shrouded in an unyielding mist of blood. Though it had no head, the moment its body turned toward him, he felt as though he were being stared at by a pair of invisible eyes. A wave of intense killing intent washed over him, and Xia Qingyuan instinctively shuddered. Bang! The mechanical Tong Ren and the Headless Battle Spirit were locked in a fierce battle. “How am I supposed to fight you?” Xia Ye smirked: “With a Spirit-Summoned Battle Servant, of course!” The Great Wasteland Scripture of Ten Thousand Spirits seemed endless, stretching on without end, and most of the patterns were gray. However, the observant Xia Ye noticed that the column containing the Headless Battle Spirit was emitting a faint red glow. In fact, back when Lu Lingxi had asked what Xia Ye would do if she tried to steal it, Xia Ye’s hand had already been resting on the glowing pattern of the Headless Battle Spirit! A master needs a sacrifice to summon a spirit beast from the *Great Wasteland Scripture of Ten Thousand Spirits*, but summoning a spirit beast that the master has already killed once requires no sacrifice—because that signifies successful subjugation! Xia Ye took a few powerful strides and charged forward. Bone-Shattering Impact! Xia Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed as he leaped backward off the pile of rocks, but before he could even land, he saw Xia Ye lift his sword upward with both hands. Rising Dragon Slash! Whoosh! A crescent-shaped sword energy half a meter long shot out. “So fast!” Xia Qingyuan instinctively raised his sword to block in front of him. Boom! The sword energy struck, and the powerful impact surged through his arms, causing Xia Qingyuan to stumble backward. Before he could stop his retreat, Xia Ye pounced. Si Jige thrust out a flurry of sword shadows, each strike aimed squarely at vital points. Clink! Gritting his teeth, Xia Qingyuan blocked with all his might. Before he knew it, Xia Ye had forced him to move at his absolute fastest—yet it still wasn’t enough. Sizzle! The short sword whistled through the air, severing strands of hair and slicing through his skin. Blood spattered, and the pain seeped in bit by bit, piling up in his mind. “Ah!” Xia Qingyuan roared and swung with all his might, aiming to fend off the bronze dagger and launch a counterattack. Xia Ye crouched low. The instant Si Jige’s sword made contact, he stepped to the left and forward, simultaneously redirecting the force of the short sword’s strike. Instead of bracing against it head-on, he followed the blade’s path and slashed toward Xia Qingyuan’s arm. Xia Qingyuan was startled and hurriedly stepped back, cutting off his follow-up attacks. Xia Ye seized the opportunity to charge forward and launch a killing strike! After the grueling battles against the Headless Battle Spirit and Cao Ang, Xia Ye had gained a wealth of experience and was brimming with confidence. “If I can’t even beat a single Mechanism Master, I might as well hang myself from a tree!” Xia Ye’s gaze was cold and stern, his aura unyielding. “Damn it!” Xia Qingyuan gritted his teeth and held his ground. He truly hadn’t expected Xia Ye to be this strong; he’d originally thought that even without the help of Tong Ren, he could still take Xia Ye down—it seemed he’d been a bit naive. “Oye, Big Brother’s unbeatable!” Song Guo cheered him on. “You’re no match for me. Bring out all your mechanical beasts!” Xia Ye urged, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. The most terrifying thing about a mechanical engineer isn’t the person themselves, but those bizarre and unimaginable mechanical beasts. “Those are my trump cards—I’m saving them for a counterattack. Why would I use them now?” Xia Qingyuan snorted derisively, though deep down he was already filled with regret. He’d planned every move meticulously, but never expected Xia Ye to be able to summon a spirit-bound battle servant. “You don’t have any left, do you?” Xia Ye sneered, testing his opponent: “You must have used them all up when you captured Tong Ren, right?” “Take a guess.” Xia Qingyuan laughed derisively, showing no sign of unease, though he felt deeply frustrated inside. Despite his young age, Xia Qingyuan had already demonstrated extraordinary talent as a mechanical engineer. He knew the weaknesses of this profession all too well, which is why he had painstakingly crafted three mechanical beasts—one specializing in offense, one in defense, and one balanced for both—and if they were still intact, he would have crushed Xia Ye long ago. “Haha!” Xia Ye roared with laughter and launched a relentless, all-out assault. “Damn it! Xia Qingyuan cursed as he struggled to hold his ground. He’d devoted all his time to mechanical arts, so his actual combat prowess was mediocre—merely at the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm, on par with Xia Ye. While that might suffice against an ordinary person, it was no match for Xia Ye. Moreover, this guy was as cunning as ever. “Just how calculating is this guy? Even when facing Cao Ang—a life-or-death situation—he didn’t even bring out the Headless Battle Spirit!” Xia Qingyuan muttered to himself. His disadvantage this time wasn’t due to his own incompetence, but rather because his opponent was too cunning. Putting himself in the other’s shoes, if he were facing a powerful enemy, he would certainly have played all his trump cards. Given the intensity of the battle just now, if Xia Ye had made even the slightest misstep, he would have died for sure. After all, a rising star like Cao Ang would never have given him time to summon his spirit servant twice. Zzz! A bronze dagger sliced through the leather armor, leaving a gash on his arm from which bright red blood immediately began to drip. “Hey, where’s your trump card? If you don’t play it now, you won’t get another chance!” Xia Ye teased. “Tong Ren！” Xia Qingyuan shouted, no longer daring to keep up the act—Xia Ye was far too clever to be fooled. The mechanical Tong Ren immediately abandoned the Headless Battle Spirit to come to his master’s aid, but the Headless Battle Spirit wasn’t about to let that happen. It swung its massive sword—as thick as a door—sweeping across a range of several meters and cutting off his escape route. Blood Wind Tornado! Xia Ye maneuvered, forcing Xia Qingyuan to move as well, constantly pulling away from Tong Ren—ensuring that the Headless Battle Spirit always stood between them. Even if he wanted to charge forward to close the distance, he wouldn’t have a chance. “Terrifying!” A chill rose from the soles of his feet, coursed through his body, and shot straight to his forehead. Xia Qingyuan’s expression grew increasingly grim, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Not only were his combat skills formidable, but Xia Ye’s ability to adapt on the fly was terrifying as well. How could he possibly defeat an opponent like this? “I really was overconfident!” Xia Qingyuan forced a smile despite the pain coursing through his body: “You’re quite skilled. If you call it quits now, I can recommend you to Xia Jie and have you join the Sons of the Ancestors!”