197: Dragons Exist in the World

As his voice fell,

under everyone's gaze, Qin Jin stepped forward and approached the new mecha.

He raised his hand and placed it on this crystallization of extraordinary technology, whispering, "From now on, I shall call you Yuan Long."

As his voice sounded, a faint dragon's roar seemed to emanate from Yuan Long. Qin Jin smiled slightly, holding the dragon token. With a flash of light, the new mecha was stored within.

Qin Jin looked back.

"Everyone, let's go."

"Let's celebrate our success. You've all worked hard for so long."

Everything went smoothly, culminating in success.

Cheers erupted in the open area, and the team's logistics personnel were already prepared. A celebration banquet officially began.

For every mecha designer, to design and manufacture a civilization-level treasure mecha was their ultimate dream.

And to have a strong individual pilot the mecha they designed, allowing it to showcase its might in the Star Sea, was equally a joyous occasion.

During this time, Qin Jin had become thoroughly familiar with them. As they raised their glasses in celebration, a designer's voice spoke up.

"Qin Jin."

"Now that Yuan Long is complete, and your knowledge of mechas is constantly accumulating, if you wish to advance further and gain a more comprehensive understanding of mechas, you could participate in some mecha exchange summits."

The speaker was a middle-aged man, a designer who had joined the team after receiving an invitation from Lü Xuan. His gaze was earnest as he said, "Take the military as an example: countless mecha projects are undertaken every year. Although you haven't joined the Federal Military, Yuan Long originated from our military-led team, and given the military's regard for you, you are qualified to participate."

"Since you are studying in Martial Abyss, you are also qualified to attend other levels of exchange meetings within the Federation."

"Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once. This is a direction for improvement."

Upon hearing this, Qin Jin nodded gently: "I will increase my understanding in this area."

Within the Federation, mechas are an extremely important component, but truly extraordinary mechas are not affordable items. Therefore, only after one's own strength reaches a certain level can one access more.

On the other end, Lü Xuan's voice sounded.

"According to the military's wishes, our team has been initially formed and will certainly not disband after completing this mission. Next, we will return to the military to collectively complete missions assigned by the military, participate in other mecha design projects, gain experience, and solidify our teamwork."

"Until your next major breakthrough in the Martial Way, when you will need a more advanced mecha."

"Qin Jin."

"When we get a big project, it's all up to you."

"Keep up the good work."

Qin Jin smiled and nodded.

Within the Federation, a Martial Artist who truly reaches a high realm is never alone. A mecha team is just one aspect; besides that, there will be other teams handling other miscellaneous tasks.

This is a true civilizational heavy weapon, deserving of all care.

As Qin Jin conversed with the team members, Yan Yue quietly stood by, silently watching the scene unfold.

The banquet concluded amidst laughter and joy.

Qin Jin and Yan Yue left the Mecha Research Institute together and returned home.

Along the way,

seeing the silent Yan Yue, Qin Jin softly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about you."

Yan Yue blurted out.

As the words fell, she realized the ambiguity, but showed no embarrassment. With a graceful demeanor, she stopped and looked at Qin Jin: "Qin Jin, your speed of advancement is truly astonishing."

"In just one year, you've entered the Grandmaster Realm."

Her voice carried a hint of fluctuation: "I've learned a lot about the Martial Way in the academy, and this speed is simply unheard of."

"For the military to assemble an independent mecha manufacturing team for you shows how much the Federation values you. If this continues, I'm afraid my previous promise won't be fulfilled."

"There are so many professionals in the Federation. You can form the most professional team in the future; you won't need my help anymore."

Hearing this, Qin Jin's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Are you scared?"

"Scared of what?" Yan Yue asked subconsciously.

"Scared of being left behind by me."

Qin Jin spoke frankly, looking at her with a more serious tone: "Yan Yue, it's still early, and we are still very young. The road is long; just keep studying hard."

"I heard Uncle Yan say that you've been exceptionally diligent in both the academy and at home, more so than ever before."

"I don't have a habit of breaking promises. Since I promised to help you take off, I will certainly do it."

"Keep studying, and in the future, how can you be sure that you're inferior to the 'professionals' you speak of?"

"To be timid before the battle, that is not the meaning of the Martial Way, nor is it your nature."

With a few words, Yan Yue's emotions were stirred. She glanced at Qin Jin, then turned and said, "You go back by yourself; I'm going home too."

"What for?"

"To continue studying, of course."

"Qin Jin."

"The web novel I once read told me that effort is the only thing that will never betray you."

As her voice faded, her figure moved away.

Qin Jin looked at her retreating back and shook his head with a sigh.

Just as he said, he was not a person who broke promises.

Help given in humble times was worth far more than anything else.

"Yan Yue's Martial Way talent is average, but there's more than one path in the world."

He already had a plan in his mind.

Currently, he possessed two systems and controlled the miraculous power of [wish power]. As his realm improved, he would surely master even more extraordinary methods. By then, solving some problems would be much simpler.

To take a step back,

if he was unable to achieve this step for a long time, the Yan Family could also try to enter the Mi Sect path. After all, although Venerable Observer had no intention of forming a divine Mi Sect, their relationship was already extremely close. If he made a request, Venerable Observer would naturally not refuse.

Thoughts flowed.

Qin Jin returned home.

After entering his personal base, Qin Jin's figure flickered and disappeared, heading to the Great Wilderness... inside the Sacrificial Spirit Hall.

Qin Jin's figure appeared.

After some time, the once relatively simple Sacrificial Spirit Hall, illuminated by divine light, became even more ethereal. In Qin Jin's perception, the interior of the Sacrificial Spirit Hall had even expanded significantly.

The external footprint remained unchanged, but the interior became much wider. This was undoubtedly an anomaly caused by the descending divine light.

"Still not enough."

After appearing, Qin Jin's gaze swept around, and he muttered to himself.

This Sacrificial Spirit Hall was more than capable of housing the azure lightning dark halberd, but accommodating Yuan Long presented a problem, at least in terms of height.

"Wear the azure lightning dark halberd for daily use, and pilot Yuan Long when I need to travel or fight?"

A thought flashed through his mind, and Qin Jin scrutinized the Sacrificial Spirit Hall, a slight movement in his heart.

"After the divine light descended, every place of anomaly is constantly changing."

"Like the Tribe's water source, the water there has become like sweet spring water, different from ordinary water quality, and long-term consumption even has the effect of strengthening the body."

"Then..."

"Can this anomaly caused by divine light be guided, to actively adjust it towards a certain aspect?"

As the idea arose, Qin Jin immediately began to experiment.

He pondered for a moment, and in the Spirit Ruins, the remaining two divine cauldron fragments simultaneously shot out, suspended before Qin Jin.

The ancient sealed land and the descending divine light both originated from the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron, so Qin Jin chose to take them out.

With a thought, Qin Jin's spiritual power surged into the divine cauldron fragments, and his spirit left his body to make contact with the divine light.

The feedback from his spirit was extremely gentle. This descending divine light posed no obstruction to the cultivators of the Heavenly Azure Method, something Qin Jin had already verified.

Beyond that, there was no other sensation.

Qin Jin was unsure of the method, so he could only start with the most basic means. Within his spirit, information was constantly transmitted, expressing his thoughts, wanting to guide the divine light.

As the transmission continued, there was no change in the Sacrificial Spirit Hall or the descending divine light, but in Qin Jin's Spirit Ruins, one place stirred.

That was... the heaven-reaching platform!

After causing changes in the ancient scenery of the Immortal Dynasty above the sky, the heaven-reaching platform had fallen silent. Now, a ripple flashed across its surface, and in Qin Jin's perception, the divine light also fluctuated, and the interior space of the Sacrificial Spirit Hall truly began to expand gradually.

"It really works!"

"Is this a unique ability of those favored by heaven and earth?"

Qin Jin's thoughts raced. As the interior space of the Sacrificial Spirit Hall expanded, he sensed other changes with his spiritual perception, detecting more information.

While the space expanded, all other changes within the Sacrificial Spirit Hall ceased, as if focusing on one task.

At the same time,

when Qin Jin changed his mind and wanted to increase the spiritual energy concentration in the Sacrificial Spirit Hall to make it a more extraordinary cultivation sanctuary, this change did not occur, seemingly indicating a certain limit.

After a series of attempts, Qin Jin maintained his initial idea, allowing the Sacrificial Spirit Hall to expand.

The external footprint remained unchanged, but the interior space expanded, and the height continuously rose. It became an empty space. If Si Huo Tribe members were to enter now and see the current Sacrificial Spirit Hall, they would undoubtedly be greatly shocked.

Therefore, the current Sacrificial Spirit Hall no longer resembled an ordinary living space for ordinary beings. A glance inside would inevitably fill one with awe.

Time passed.

The changes gradually ceased.

After the internal space expanded to a certain extent, the changes completely stopped. No matter how Qin Jin tried, there was no further change.

"This guidance has an upper limit."

A conclusion formed in his mind. After the changes completely stopped, the heaven-reaching platform in Qin Jin's Spirit Ruins also calmed down. He sensed and observed the Sacrificial Spirit Hall, and soon made a new discovery.

"The changes in this area seem to have ceased every moment."

Since the divine light descended, every single moment, the Sacrificial Spirit Hall would undergo changes. These changes, when broken down, were extremely subtle, but for Qin Jin, who was often there, he could naturally perceive them clearly.

"So..."

"Is this a kind of overdraft and quantitative guidance?"

"It seems that these places of divine light anomaly have a total value of change within a certain period. When a certain aspect of change exhausts that total value, the anomalous place will fall into dormancy, and only after it recovers will it continue to change."

Qin Jin recorded this matter in his mind, preparing to conduct multi-faceted experiments in the future.

He slowly exhaled, and with a slight movement of his mind, a figure first appeared beside him.

The azure lightning dark halberd.

During the design of the new mecha, the team had repaired and optimized the azure lightning dark halberd. Now, the azure lightning dark halberd was even better than before.

However, this optimization naturally couldn't compare to a true iterative upgrade.

A thought flashed.

Qin Jin held the dragon token, and beside him, the figure of a colossal object emerged, standing within the expanded Sacrificial Spirit Hall.

Yuan Long!

The hundred-meter-tall Yuan Long, like a giant from legends, suppressed everything around it the moment it appeared.

Qin Jin scrutinized the mecha.

From its appearance, Yuan Long's color scheme was completely different from the azure lightning dark halberd, but there was a slight similarity. After all, the mecha design team had gained their initial understanding of Qin Jin through the azure lightning dark halberd.

Yuan Long's melee weapon was also a giant halberd, which could be considered a continuation of the same lineage.

"This can also be considered my path here."

Muttering to himself, Qin Jin's spirit stirred. He was instantly enveloped in a beam of light and entered Yuan Long's cockpit.

The moment he entered, it was like a fish entering water. He instantly connected with the mecha. Qin Jin's perspective shifted to Yuan Long's, overlooking his surroundings.

"A hundred-meter-tall mecha is already so awe-inspiring."

"What kind of scene would unfold before one's eyes after establishing a connection with those true civilization-level treasure mechas?"

Thoughts flashed through his mind.

Everything was at his command. Qin Jin's mind stirred, and within the enclosed cockpit, an information screen appeared, listing various pieces of information.

[Name]: Yuan Long

[Model]: Jin I - First Generation

[Height]: 127.45 M

[Power Core]: Extreme Dragon God (Extraordinary Engine)

[Special Ability Modules]: [True Dragon Module] [Transformative Dragon Flame/Ice Breath] [Thunder God Form] [Inverse Scale Form]

[Combat Modules]: [Shackle Release] [Dragon Roar Cannon] [Eight Desolate Dragon Prison] ... etc.

[Auxiliary Modules]: [Stealth Module] [Automatic Restoration] [Shipborne Radar] ... etc.

[Expand Details]

... Qin Jin scanned it all.

He slowly exhaled.

The true qualitative change lay here.

Bowing his head slightly, Qin Jin looked down at the azure lightning dark halberd below, beginning to cast aside distracting thoughts.

For the mecha design team, Yuan Long was complete.

But for Qin Jin, his third mecha had not yet reached its true peak.

The moment the thought flashed, Qin Jin directly sat cross-legged in the cockpit. Yuan Long followed like a shadow. This massive behemoth was incredibly agile; the crystallization of extraordinary technology ensured it had no mechanical sluggishness whatsoever.

The azure lightning dark halberd was in front, Yuan Long behind.

At this moment, with a slight movement of Qin Jin's mind, wish power surged from around the azure lightning dark halberd, rapidly returning.

That was the wish power Qin Jin had left on the azure lightning dark halberd, constantly nourishing it.

At the same time, Qin Jin activated his wish power.

Within the vast Sacrificial Spirit Hall, in just a few breaths, it transformed into a golden ocean. Layers of golden mist, the manifestation of wish power, filled the entire Sacrificial Spirit Hall, drifting around.

When he first acquired wish power, Qin Jin still experienced consumption. As he progressed further and further on his cultivation path, no longer needing to rely on wish power, it continuously accumulated, and by now, it had reached a quite astonishing scale.

After all,

Qin Jin had initially made a judgment that the quantity of wish power generated was based on two points: first, the number of people in the Tribe offering worship.

Second, the strength of individual lives!

Stronger, more extraordinary beings could provide more wish power to him, the Sacrificial Spirit.

And both of these points, the Si Huo Tribe, were constantly improving.

Golden mist drifted, encircling Yuan Long. Qin Jin's expression was solemn, his eyes slightly closed. At this moment, he entered a cultivation state. Under his control, wish power integrated into the Yuan Long mecha in an extremely special way.

Wish power entered the mecha.

Under Qin Jin's control, he clearly perceived that as Yuan Long began to absorb wish power, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to be guided as well, flocking towards Yuan Long.

Golden mist, mixed with rapidly rising concentrations of colorful spiritual energy that subtly revealed their hues, brilliantly encircled Yuan Long.

This was a scene the azure lightning dark halberd had never experienced.

All along, the azure lightning dark halberd's spiritual energy tempering had been based on chain reactions caused by Qin Jin's own advancements.

But now, Yuan Long seemed to actively receive the affinity of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, which came willingly.

Qin Jin's actions did not stop, while thoughts rapidly arose in his mind.

"The azure lightning dark halberd and Yuan Long both utilized materials from the Great Wilderness."

"The Three-Headed Strange Python's eyeballs, though not as good as Dragon Gate Peak, were not ordinary items, yet they didn't achieve this effect."

After pondering for a moment, Qin Jin suddenly realized.

"The Star Sea is a matter of compatibility, so to speak."

"Star Ring Heavy Industries' customization was certainly meticulous, but it naturally couldn't compare to the Federal Military. The Three-Headed Strange Python's eyeballs were also added as a special module, without truly forming a deep connection with the entire mecha."

"But now..."

"The entire foundation of Yuan Long is based on the extraordinary factors from Dragon Gate Peak. The extraordinary materials used are inherently top-tier, and they have undergone countless trials and matches with the extraordinary factors."

"The entire Yuan Long is a seamless whole."

"Perhaps..."

"The spiritual energy of heaven and earth flocking in is because, to them, Yuan Long truly resembles... 'a true dragon, existing in the current world?'"

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