81: Chapter 81 Challenging the "Scrapped Training Puppet" (Part 1)

Lin Qi had just stepped down from the arena.

Before he could even enjoy the awe-filled gazes of the surrounding crowd, he was dragged by a withered hand into that familiar, dark corridor.

"Old Mo, shouldn't we be celebrating?" Lin Qi pointed at the roaring audience behind him. "I did make it into the top eight, after all. If you aren't going to give me any prize money, the least you could do is let me have a drink of water, right?"

"Water?" Old Mo didn't even look back, his feet moving swiftly. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to drink in the cold wind later."

The two of them made their way through the backstage area and returned to that old warehouse, which was filled with the smell of machine oil.

In the deepest part of the warehouse, a large area that was usually piled with clutter had been cleared out. A huge dust-proof canvas covered some massive object, its silhouette resembling a small hill.

"Stop staring. That's your new sparring partner." Old Mo walked over, grabbed a corner of the canvas, and yanked it off.

Dust flew into the air.

A three-meter-tall metal giant was exposed to the air.

Unlike the "Iron Pillar" from before, which had been cobbled together from a washing machine, this thing radiated a chilling, murderous aura from head to toe.

Its dark red armor plating was covered in scratches of varying depths, and half a broken spear was embedded in its left shoulder.

Although the massive power core in its chest was extinguished, one could vaguely imagine its ferocious appearance when it roared back in the day.

"This is a prototype 'War Weapon' from the Early Stage of Longya Academy's founding."

Old Mo patted the giant's thick thigh, producing a dull echo:

"Because its kill commands were written too rigidly, making it prone to indiscriminately attacking friend and foe alike, it was sealed away.

Back in the day, this thing was a real badass that could chase down Abyss Beasts."

Lin Qi circled the giant and smacked his lips:

"It looks intimidating enough, but it's covered in layers of rust. Can it even move?"

"Most of its power System is broken, so now it only has a bit of combat instinct left," Old Mo said, walking over to the control console, his finger hovering over a red button. "But that's more than enough to deal with you."

"Wait, I think I should do some warm-ups first..."

Click.

The button was pressed.

Bzzzt.

The sound of electricity, like the low growl of some beast, emanated from within the giant.

Its previously dim, singular eye suddenly lit up with a red glow—a light devoid of any emotion, containing only a pure desire to lock onto and destroy its target.

Screech—

The rusted joints emitted a teeth-grinding friction sound.

The giant slowly straightened its back, and the overwhelming sense of oppression instantly filled the entire warehouse.

Boom!

It took a step forward.

The concrete floor cracked instantly, and dust rained down from the warehouse ceiling.

"It's starting already?" Lin Qi leaped backward and drew the blunt heavy sword from his back. "Can't you at least count down from three, old man?"

Old Mo had already retreated behind the safety railing on the second floor, holding his thermos and speaking leisurely:

"Will an enemy count down for you when they're trying to kill you? Remember, this thing feels no pain and never tires. And while its chip is old, it has learning capabilities. The longer you drag this out, the faster you'll die."

Before he had even finished speaking, the giant moved.

Without the slightest warning.

That massive body, like a heavy truck moving at full speed, slammed directly toward him.

Its mechanical arm, carrying a whistling wind, threw a punch straight at Lin Qi's face without any fancy tricks.

Fast!

This speed completely defied the visual inertia its size suggested.

Lin Qi's pupils constricted, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.

Can't dodge it!

He gripped his sword with both hands and held it horizontally across his chest, while simultaneously stomping his feet into the ground, attempting to use friction to dissipate the impact.

Clang!

The sound of metal colliding was deafening.

Lin Qi felt as if he had been hit head-on by a train.

The webbing between his thumb and index finger instantly went numb, and he slid backward over ten meters, his soles grinding two scorched marks into the concrete floor.

"What incredible strength." Lin Qi shook his numb wrists, his eyes turning serious.

This strength was at least double that of an ordinary S-rank Strength-type Awakened.

The giant didn't give him a chance to breathe. After landing the first blow, it immediately followed up with a sweeping whip kick. The wind pressure from that pillar-like metal leg made Lin Qi's cheeks sting.

"Trying to play hard with me?"

Lin Qi gritted his teeth, his internal Qi and blood churning.

The medicinal power he had just consumed was still coursing through his bones, and now, stirred up by the external force, it sparked a violent impulse within him.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, swinging his heavy sword in a semicircle through the air and hacking fiercely at the giant's knee joint.

Hard against hard, who's afraid of whom!

Clang!

Sparks flew everywhere.

The heavy sword landed solidly on the side of the giant's knee.

However, the expected sound of breakage did not occur.

The dark red armor plating only bore a shallow white mark; instead, Lin Qi was shaken by the tremendous recoil, causing the webbing between his thumb and index finger to split open, blood running down the hilt of his sword.

Lin Qi cursed inwardly: "What kind of Material is this?"

Its hardness was a level higher than that Stone Beetle from before; it was practically a solid lump of iron.

Just at the moment when his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had yet to form, the giant's other hand slapped over from the side.

That massive palm was like an iron plate swatting a fly, sealing off all of Lin Qi's escape routes.

Bang!

A dull thud.

Lin Qi was sent flying horizontally, smashing heavily into the warehouse wall. A few bricks fell, burying half his body.

"Cough..."

Lin Qi struggled to crawl out from the pile of broken bricks and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Although he had his "Vajra Bones" to protect him, that blow still shook his internal organs, making them feel as if they had shifted.

"Where's your brain?" Old Mo's voice floated down from above, tinged with a sense of disappointment. "Trying to compete on hardness with this lump of iron?

Do you have too many bones to spare, or what?

It's a machine, and machines rely on parts for movement. No matter how hard the outer shell is, the bearings and gears inside are still weak points."

Lin Qi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up, leaning on his heavy sword.

The giant approached again, its red, singular eye flickering with a cold light.

"Movement weak points..."

Lin Qi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the restless Qi and blood within him. That combat instinct belonging to a "Martial Saint" became even clearer under the stimulation of the excruciating pain.

His gaze no longer fixed on the giant's thick armor, but instead turned to those connection points.

The gaps when its knees bent.

The stuttering when its elbows rotated.

And the hot air that the big guy puffed out from its back after every punch.

Lin Qi stuck his heavy sword into the ground and stretched his neck, which emitted a series of cracking sounds.

"Fine, since hard won't work."

His eyes, which were usually half-asleep, now became as sharp as knives.

"Then I'll just have to play dirty."