Forty millenniums of cul.., p.220
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 220
"Professor, that's a very strange way of encouragement."
Yuan Manqiu smiled, too. She handed over a jade slip to Li Yao.
"The military came by this morning, stating that they can arrange a super Exo who has been wearing crystal suits for more than thirty years for the final test of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit. But we declined it right then.
"All the participants of the Project Mystic Skeleton agreed unanimously that you will always be the priority Exo for the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.
"We believe in you no matter what.
"This jade slip contains detailed documents regarding the final test. There is still some time before we land. You'd better take a look at it carefully. The test will be different from what we imagined.
"This time, the military is getting serious!"
Li Yao took over the jade slip and took a deep breath when he noticed that his nose had been clogged.
This was going to be the final test!
Passing the test, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit would be able to secure the big order of the military and become the standard crystal suit for thousands of soldiers of the federal army. Maybe it would even become the most manufactured crystal suit model!
One day, thousands of soldiers and Cultivators would congregate into an impregnable steel torrent which would rage through the wormholes into the Blood Demon Sector and crush everything inside into pieces.
For the day to come sooner, not just one crystal warship, even if he were to be faced with the entire Fifth Fleet, he would still break out of the siege and tread over them all like a deadly vulture.
…
Inside the cabin, Li Yao connected the jade slip to the mini crystal processor, which immediately projected a vivid 3D warship model.
'Evening Glow' was a medium crystal warship model refined 80 years ago by the federal army.
It was 214 meters long and 36 meters wide. The main gun of the warship model, 'Heaven Splitters', after charging for half an hour, could fire spiritual energy as furious as a full-strength attack of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.
The sub-cannons below the body of the warship model that were used to attack the targets on the ground had been upgraded to 12 Taiyi Lightning Railguns five years ago.
Li Yao was no stranger to such heavy magical equipment.
Two years ago, on the train north to Wild Waves City, it was with a Taiyi Lightning Railgun that Li Yao managed to cope with the beast tide.
One Taiyi Lightning Railgun had attracted enough thunderstorms to annihilate half of the Ghost Jellyfish beast tide.
But right now, Li Yao was going to be faced with twelve of them.
Chapter 322: Railguns and Warships, Invincible Partners! |
Other than that, a hundred 'Earthshaking Ordnance Penetrators' were installed on the Evening Glow warship.
They were special explosive magical equipment that had a large drill in the front which allowed them to dig down the ground for dozens of meters before booming. They were extremely useful when used against demons who were good at stealth below the earth.
This was only counting the magical equipment embedded in the warship.
The scariest part of the Evening Glow warship was that it could accommodate ten squads and up to eighty armed shuttles inside its large body.
According to the files, the armed shuttles that the Evening Glow warship had on board right now was known as 'Vicious Bee'.
Compared with the Mystic Bird Armed Shuttle and the Crimson Flame Armed Shuttle, the Vicious Bee Armed Shuttle was neither distinguished for its speed nor for its firepower.
However, there was a spacious cabin inside the Vicious Bee Armed Shuttle which could carry five small beast puppets. Once they were released, a three-dimensional hunting network that both involved air forces and ground troops could be established immediately.
One Evening Glow warship equaled to a pair of 'Heaven Splitters', 12 Taiyi Lightning Railguns, 100 Earthshaking Ordnance Penetrators, 80 Vicious Bees, and 400 beast puppets.
They were what Li Yao was going to face.
The so-called final test was actually a sham battle.
The place of the sham battle was set to the mountains near the station of the Fifth Fleet.
Mystic Skeleton, Tiger King, Sword Torrent, and Mournful Mist would sneak into the mountains at midnight and hide themselves the way they wanted.
An hour later, a fully armed Evening Glow warship would set off, search, and try to capture them.
Of course, it might destroy them on the spot too.
They would need to try to flee into the wilderness with the best of what they and their crystal suits could do.
Four MP crystal suit models were naturally no match for an Evening Glow.
So, their task was just to run away.
The crystal suit that lasted till the end would most likely become the standard crystal suit of the military.
Their performance in the sham battle would influence the attitude of the military, too.
If their performance was so outstanding that, say, one of the four crystal suits survived 24 hours without being captured or destroyed by the crystal warship, the military might actually be convinced and change their attitude. Maybe dozens of crystal suit legions would be established and every Cultivator in the federal army would be equipped with a crystal suit.
If their performance was terrible and they were all caught within several hours, the military definitely wouldn't put all the eggs into this basket. They might purchase a few hundred crystal suits as a signal of friendliness, but that would be all the military was going to do. Most of the military budget would still go to the refinement of crystal warships.
"The Evening Glow warship has been refined for the purpose of suppressing the strong demon beasts on and below the ground.
"Taiyi Lightning Railguns, Earthshaking Ordnance Penetrators, Vicious Bee Armed Shuttles, and beast puppets all boast superb air-to-ground attack capabilities.
"Not to mention the bombardment of 'Heaven Splitters', which can be as powerful as a strike from a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, every half an hour.
"Even with the cover of the mountainous territory, it is still an impossible mission to persist for more than 24 hours under the pursuit of an Evening Glow.
"Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit is not a crystal suit good at stealth. Faced with such a challenge, Tiger King and Mournful Mist are in a much more advantageous position!
"What do I do?"
Li Yao took a deep breath.
Invisible pressure wreathed and suffocated him like the water in the Billowing Star Sea which was ten times heavier than usual.
However, he liked the feeling.
He liked the feeling when every last bit of potential inside his cells were squeezed out and his entire life and soul were blossoming and burning.
Rubbing his hand, Li Yao picked out the detailed map of the battle zone and the exhaustive data regarding the Evening Glow warship from the jade slip.
There were a few hours to go.
He need to memorize the direction of every stream in the battle zone and the location and function of every cabin on an Evening Glow warship.
…
At 8 p.m, Ren Xingbei stood at the highest place in the control tower and stared at the horizon.
Under the deep, dark night sky, the exhaust flames from the crystal warships dispersed into colorful mystic colors which looked like giant flying swords that tore the sky apart.
Every night, Ren Xingbei would stand here quietly and enjoy the magnificent scenery.
It was both relaxing and entertaining.
Feeble as human beings may be, they could refine such a giant crystal warship in which they could cruise and conquer the cosmos.
It was an out-and-out miracle.
As the commander of the Fifth Fleet of the federal army, Lieutenant General Ren Xingbei was the toughest warship advocate and believed in nothing else other than railguns and warships. He had been asserting that crystal warships were the strongest magical equipment in the universe.
The iron beasts which were flying slowly unleashed earthshaking noises that shivered the glasses.
Even they were thousands of meters away, with three layers of glass in between, Ren Xingbei still heard the roars of the power rune arrays inside the crystal warships.
His own heart was also beating fast, like when he first met the crystal warship decades ago. His blood seemed to be boiling.
Steel torrent?
This was the real steel torrent!
Tonight, he was going to prove the point one more time.
Right then, Shangguan Ce walked into the control tower slowly.
The control tower of the base of the Fifth Fleet had been modified to serve as the commanding center of this sham battle.
Ren Xingbei squinted and noticed the newcomer.
Sparks erupted between the two grey-haired generals who had equally long experience in bloody wars, equally remarkable achievements, and equally tough personalities. Two pairs of eyes clashed. An invisible blast seemed to be blowing the entire control tower into pieces.
"Crack! Crack!"
The two of them hugged each other without saying anything.
But it was hard to tell from their gritted teeth and bulging eyes whether they were hugging or wrestling.
The cracking noises of their bones seemed to be suggesting that they were mortal enemies rather than lifelong friends.
Ten seconds later, the two of them released each other at the same time. With their face flushed and their backs itching in sweat, they stared at each other and laughed out aloud.
"Shangguan!"
"Old Bei!"
The two of them hugged again.
This time, it was a sincere, welcoming hug.
Shangguan Ce and Ren Xingbei were two influential officers of the military. They varied differently in their doctrines. One of them was a hardcore crystal suit advocate, while the other was an avid believer of railguns and warships.
But they shared astonishingly similar backgrounds. They both had been ordinary soldiers in the beginning and earned their accomplishments and positions through bloody battles and hard work.
When they were young, they had cooperated and saved each other's lives in the hell-like battlegrounds more times than anyone could count. They were the real Damon and Pythias.
Although they disagreed with each other fundamentally on the future path of the federal army, their close relationship was not affected at all.
"Shangguan, how dare you convene a meeting regarding crystal suits in the territory of the Fifth Fleet and propose such a hilarious sham battle plan?
"Ask an Evening Glow warship to hunt down four MP crystal suits?
"Did you know that the soldiers of the Fifth Fleet were all seething in anger when they heard the plan? They thought that you the crystal suit advocates were simply too outrageous!"
Ren Xingbei glared at him. "So, don't think I'll go easy on you because we've been friends for decades. Tonight, I shall show no mercy. The four crystal suits will not see the sunrise tomorrow!"
Shangguan Ce smiled.
"Old Bei, you are truly a stone in a latrine, which is both smelly and stubborn. Why do you despise crystal suits so much?"
"The super crystal suits worth billions driven by Core Formation State Cultivators or Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators are of course as formidable as crystal warships."
Ren Xingbei sniffed. "However, how many such strong Cultivators are there in the federation? And how many such super crystal suits can be produced?
"As for the four MP crystal suits that you are giving me to test today, their total worth is less than one billion. Besides, the four Exos are merely Refinement Stage Cultivators. And you think I would believe that they can run away from the bombardment of a crystal warship? Of course I don't! Ten hours should be more than enough for me to take 'em all down!"
"That's exactly why we decided to do the sham battle with the Fifth Fleet."
Shangguan Ce replied, his face unchanged, "I know that although the strategy has been settled that crystal suits will serve as the main force and crystal warships will serve as supplements, many warship advocates in the military have kept complaining…"
Ren Xingbei interrupted him, "Not complaining. Cursing and condemning is what you should call it. We were completely dumbfounded. But obedience is the top priority for soldiers. We have to grit our teeth and swallow the anger!"
Shangguan Ce patted his old friend's shoulder.
"Hence this special bidding meeting.
"A Core Formation State Cultivator in a super crystal suit naturally boasts unparalleled combat ability. It won't be very persuasive.
"But if an ordinary Cultivator no higher than the peak of the Refinement Stage wearing a MP crystal suit whose value is less than 300 million can survive the hunting of a crystal warship for 24 hours or even longer, it will be much more convincing for inflexible conservatives such as yourself, won't it?"
"24 hours?"
Ren Xingbei grinned and extended all his fingers. "Ten hours!
"If any one of them could survive for more than ten hours, then I'll cut the crap once and for all!
"However, if all of them are taken down by my men within ten hours, don't blame me if I report the outcome of this sham battle to the higher officials! I am planning to cut down a few of your crystal suit legions and use the budget to refine a few main force warships for the Fifth Fleet!"
Shangguan Ce smiled.
"It's a deal then!
"However, Old Bei, have you decided whom your representative will be?"
Ren Xingbei grinned and said, "Ning Feng and his 'Tide Berserker'. The warship has been under maintenance for two months because of serious damages from a previous mission and just returned from the dockyard. This sham battle is going to be a chance to check that Tide Berserker has fully recovered. Is that okay?"
Shangguan Ce's pupils suddenly shrank. His smile turned deeper as he said, "Old Brother, you're not as contemptuous of crystal suits as you seem to be. Just to deal with four 'insignificant' MP crystal suits, you have sent out your toughest warrior."
Chapter 323: Magnificent Warship Connoisseur |
Shangguan Ce understood his old brother Ren Xingbei's personnel very clearly.
Ning Feng, captain of Tide Berserker, was one of the youngest commanding officers of a crystal warship in the federal army. He was only 37 years old and a Building Foundation Cultivator. But he also happened to be a 'Warship Connoisseur' with a lot of potential.
Warship Connoisseur was a special career for admin-type Cultivators who boasted magnificent soul power as well as superb computational, analytical, and collaborating capabilities.
When they entered into the cockpit of a crystal warship and extended their telepathic thoughts into the mainframe crystal processor, their will would be transmitted to every corner of the warship by the enhancement of the crystal processor. The gargantuan steel beast would be at their disposal like their own arms and legs.
There would be a huge difference between the combat ability of a crystal warship with a Warship Connoisseur and that of a crystal warship without one.
A strong Warship Connoisseur could even control hundreds of railguns and thousands of power rune arrays on a crystal warship simultaneously and do perfect dodging and attacking movements. The warship seemed to be part of their body. The most complicated movements were as easy as the blinking of eyes for them.
In the era of the Star Ocean Imperium, countless outstanding Warship Connoisseurs had emerged.
The legendary Warship Connoisseurs who had arrived at the peak of Cultivation could maneuver a star fortress that was even larger than a planet by themselves and fight the Demon Emperor with hundreds of thousands of railguns firing at the same time.
Warship Connoisseurs of the Star Glory Federation were of course far from their fabulous predecessors. But they had been playing a crucial part in the five hundred years of bloody war against the demon clan.
Take Ning Feng for example. Although he was just at the Building Foundation Stage, his strength would be as intimidating as that of a Core Formation Stage Cultivator when he entered Tide Berserker and joined with the warship.
Three months ago, the Fifth Fleet encountered a beast tide commanded by two demon kings.
Ning Feng's Tide Berserker was the first to respond and lead the charge.
Although it was seriously damaged, the beast tide was torn into two halves by its unstoppable thrust, which created a good opportunity for the siege and attack later.
In the battle later, Ning Feng blew one of the two demon kings with 'Heaven Splitters', the main gun of the warship, into pieces, which made him a distinguished figure in the military.
Picking such an ace captain to deal with four insignificant MP crystal suits… It seemed that Ren Xingbei regarded the sham battle as a summit confrontation between warship advocates and crystal suit advocates, too.
Lightnings and sparks were dancing in Shangguan Ce's eyes.
The purpose of the sham battle as a bidding procedure was to show the power of crystal suits for warship advocates.
If the candidate challenging the crystal suits was too weak, the warship advocates might not be persuaded by the outcome, and there was bound to be further quarrels in the future.
But if a skilled captain such as Ning Feng came to examine the quality of the MP crystal suits, no one would have any doubts about the test's validity.
But how far could the four MP crystal suits go?
Suddenly, Li Yao's dangerous smile popped up in Shangguan Ce's brain.
'I can guess a thing or two about the tactics and limits about the other three crystal suits.
'However, Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, Vulture Li Yao, where are your limits?'
…
At 9:05 p.m. Cultivators of Deep Sea University, Star Nebula University and Grand Desolate War Institution, as well as the Cultivators from the three major sword-training sects walked into the command center.
After they learned the details of the sham battle, especially when they knew that the crystal warship taking part in the battle would be Tide Berserker steered by Ning Feng, the faces of all the Cultivators couldn't look more awful.
