Chapter 33: Mechanical Demon Spirit!

Chapter 33: Mechanical Demon Spirit!

"Primordial Essence Quanta?"

"It must refer to the 'Unnamed Radiant Point.' Finally, it has a name."

"But the Conqueror's Innate Secret Art describes Primordial Essence Quanta as... transforming body and soul?"

Jiang Zhe paused at this revelation in the Innate Secret Art, then quickly regained his composure.

"This definitely isn't about Life Blueprint's usage of Light Points for body transformation. This isn't about elevating Genetic Tier."

"The Primordial Universe's core will restrict the Nine Calamities Secret Manual so strictly—there's no way it would reward such a heaven-defying technique for self-improvement... It was stingy enough giving me a Doppelgänger. Do you really think it would teach me to enhance my Genetic Tier through cultivation? Not a chance!"

"Transformation?"

This unique term relating to body and soul immediately made Jiang Zhe think of Luo Feng's growth path.

—Cultivating Yunmo Starmentalist required soul transformation first.

—Practicing the True Self Celestial Realm involved transforming the Goldhorned Beast's physical form through endless treasures.

—The Supreme Sound Arts' ninety percent foundational content focused on soul transformation.

"But without a cultivation method, could I skip the steps entirely and achieve the final result directly through Primordial Essence Quanta?"

Jiang Zhe rubbed his chin. The idea wasn't hard to accept.

"After all, if the Primordial Universe's core will could create something as outrageous as the 'I Am the Universe' technique, crafting a body/soul amplification Innate Secret Art would be trivial."

"One question remains—can the Light Points now named Primordial Essence Quanta through the Conqueror's Innate Secret Art still be utilized by Life Blueprint?"

He shook his head. "Enough guessing. I'll test it later."

"Priority first—consume this Dragon Blood to maximize my Mentalist cultivation and ensure my safety on Earth."

"I just hope Dragon Blood still works on me at 3x Genetic Tier."

"Before leaving home, my punch force tested at 68,472 kg!"

"68 tonnes!"

"Between twenty days of nonstop hunting and barely any formal cultivation—relying mostly on my body's instinctive absorption of cosmic energy—I still gained nearly 15 tonnes. My cultivation speed definitely matches my bloodline tier."

"My theoretical limit, or life tier, was 34 tonnes—matching the Sixth Stage Disciple/High Warrior General initial realm."

"After achieving 3x Genetic Tier, my punch force should surge to a hundred tonnes. My physical strength would rival the upper High Warrior God Rank."

Dragon Blood costs 800 billion at half price—affordable even for a War God Rank with some financial strain.

The price itself reveals something: Dragon Blood's effectiveness has limits, even at the Warrior General tier, let alone War God Rank.

With that thought, Jiang Zhe opened his portable metal case, examining the five Dragon Blood vials inside.

Logically speaking,

Three vials would suffice, four would be excessive, five wasteful.

Jiang Zhe didn't hesitate. Did he really need to worry about minor waste? The priority was ensuring his body absorbed every drop!

Removing his SS-Rank Combat Suit, then expelling his Black God Suit.

He used Mental Energy to uncork all five vials, spreading the viscous golden liquid evenly across his body.

Heat spread through his body—effect activated.

The warmth intensified. Dragon Blood on his skin visibly seeped into his body, filling every corner with warm currents.

Burning!

Numbness!

Pain!

His cross-legged form trembled violently. Muscles convulsed, heartbeat accelerated, blood flow surged.

The pounding heartbeats sounded like war drums!

Jiang Zhe felt transported back to his birthday—the Primordial Core's solid sphere rapidly releasing Mental Energy.

Combined with Dragon Blood, this dual force stimulated his physical enhancement!

Why hadn't this happened before?

During his previous Genetic Tier doublings—twice and thrice the strength—his Mental Energy had surged two and threefold simultaneously, leaving no excess to channel.

Think of the body as a wooden barrel, Mental Energy as water.

Previously, the barrel was full.

Now, Dragon Blood raised the barrel's walls, increasing capacity to hold more water.

Moreover, Jiang Zhe noticed during internal observation—the solid Mental Energy sphere had expanded alongside his Genetic Tier.

A blessing, but also a curse.

The Site 9 Ruins' Mentalist breakthrough technique mentioned that some prodigies with excessive Brain Domain Width faced greater difficulty advancing to Stellar-Level as apprentices.

Deep within the Primordial Core's space, liquid and mist filled the chamber.

At its center, a violet-golden sphere—now Metamorphosed—erupted like a breached dam, spewing mist wildly outward, filling the entire space.

The mist concentration reached its peak.

Condensing, dripping down, merging into the surging Mental Energy river below.

...

Approximately two hours later, the Metamorphosis complete, Jiang Zhe opened his eyes.

He looked like he'd crawled from a coal pile—his entire body coated in filth, pitch-black skin. Rubbing his belly revealed a layer of black grime falling away, exposing bronze-toned skin beneath.

After finding an underground river to wash off, Jiang Zhe reactivated his Black God Suit, then donned his SS-Rank Combat Suit, restoring his sharp, heroic appearance.

Now assessing his current strength.

Accurate estimation proved difficult.

Unknown how much Dragon Blood had enhanced him—below 2x? Beyond 2x?

Using previous benchmarks, each 0.1x difference meant a 10-tonne punch force variation!

Unlike before, Jiang Zhe could now determine his Mentalist realm first, then deduce his Martial Artist level.

"Mentalist cultivation—Apprentice Ninth Stage!"

"...Finally meeting the standard, earning another chopping-trees opportunity."

"I've finally figured the pattern—earning a chopping-trees chance before and after major breakthroughs."

"Pre-Warrior, before cultivating Genetic Primordial Energy, I got my first opportunity at Apprentice Stage."

"Breaking through Apprentice Stage coincided with Mentalist awakening—immediately reaching Apprentice Third Stage. But technically, the second opportunity should've come at Apprentice First Stage."

"Now, breaking through to Mentalist Apprentice Ninth Stage grants my third chopping-trees opportunity."

"And if my guess is correct, the fourth opportunity will come upon breaking through Stellar-Level, specifically at Stellar-Level First Stage!"

"Beginning and end—this forms a cycle, doesn't it?"

Jiang Zhe murmured thoughtfully, lost in contemplation.

After a while, he shook his head to clear his mind and entered the Internal World of his Primordial Core.

With his growing strength, the Internal World’s landmass had expanded to seventy meters in diameter. The central Ancient Tree’s trunk had thickened to seven meters wide. Its canopy still shaded nearly 5,000 square meters of ground—and now extended slightly into the surrounding Chaos Mists with its gnarled, powerful branches.

The state of his Internal World further confirmed his earlier hypothesis.

“Seventy meters… My Martial Artist cultivation stands at Apprentice Seventh Stage, while my Mentalist realm has reached Apprentice Ninth Stage.”

Theoretically, that was his limit.

But his actual combat power far exceeded this. Multiplying by three would give the correct baseline.

Approaching the Ancient Tree, Jiang Zhe confirmed the second wound had healed into a knotted burl, its fresh flesh beneath invisible under the bark.

He turned to pick up the Woodcutter’s Axe resting on a stone table. With a swing, he carved a fresh gash near the two existing scars.

“Ah Shu! Ah Fu! Remember to give it to the Doppelgänger!”

Clang!

Golden light erupted, ejecting the axe blade from the trunk while a golden orb burst from the wound, rolling onto the ground.

The Woodcutter’s Axe suddenly surged in weight. Jiang Zhe released it, letting it fly back to the stone table.

He bent down, fingertips brushing the orb. The golden glow faded, revealing a brass sphere the size of a human head.

Not the Doppelgänger. Jiang Zhe felt a flicker of disappointment.

The sphere’s surface bore intricate Secret Patterns, interspersed with gear-shaped imprints—a distinct steampunk aesthetic.

Two copper bands encircled the orb, intersecting perpendicularly to divide it into three sections. At their intersection sat a dull blue gemstone resembling an eye.

As Jiang Zhe touched the brass sphere, a surge of information flooded his mind, startling him.

After regaining his composure, he left the Internal World with the sphere in hand.

The human elites were highly tolerant of prodigies—as long as they didn’t create anything too bizarre, the Giant Axe and Chaos wouldn’t pry too deeply into his secrets.

In Jiang Zhe’s view, this brass sphere likely wouldn’t even earn a “low-tier” evaluation from the Chaos Sovereign, let alone a decent appraisal.

After all, it was merely a Bonded Metal Lifeform.

In the pitch-black depths of an underground river cave, Jiang Zhe abruptly materialized, cradling the human-sized brass orb.

Hiss!

His Mental Energy summoned an SS-Rank Flying Dagger, slicing his wrist open to let his blood drip onto the sphere, completing the masterhood ritual.

His cells’ extreme vitality caused the wound to heal instantly. Sighing, he cut himself again.

This repeated until the blue gemstone turned completely crimson.

A dim red glow flared, activating the orb.

Suddenly, the radiating red light froze. Space around him solidified.

An infinitely domineering will, suffused with overwhelming tyrannical pressure, revisited this place.

Frankly, the Primordial Universe’s core Will was equally baffled.

Why had another new race been born here today?

It followed its usual protocol—helping manifest an Innate Secret Art, recording the new race’s life-structure blueprint into its “database.”

Only after completing these steps did the Primordial Universe’s core will withdraw.

The frozen space resumed its flow.

Jiang Zhe sensed something but shook his head, dismissing the thought.

The brass sphere floated upward, hovering at chest height. With a whirring sound of machinery, it shrank to the size of a fist.

From its core, the crimson gem emitted light that wove into the silhouette of a slender, doll-like figure.

Then, the virtual became real—a delicate brass automaton woman stood before him.

“Pleased to meet you, my esteemed master. Please bestow me with a name!”

The mechanical woman performed a Western-style maid’s curtsy toward Jiang Zhe.

Even… without a skirt, she exuded elegance.

Her greeting echoed not just in the cave but within his mind.

Jiang Zhe had anticipated this outcome. Since a bonded lifeform’s life and death lay entirely in its master’s hands, he accepted the scene calmly.

“I’ll name you…” A mischievous thought struck him. “Mechanical Demon Spirit·Orianna!”

The automaton bowed again. “Thank you, master, for granting me this title and name. Orianna shall never betray your expectations!”

Nodding in satisfaction, Jiang Zhe studied the brass doll with keen interest, switching to telepathic communication.

“Anna, you’ve already adapted to this universe, haven’t you? How do you feel now? Have you developed any Innate Secret Arts?”

“Master, according to the information you provided about this universe, my race belongs to the Bonded Metal Lifeform, dependent on your existence.”

“I’m a special lifeform, my lifeform closely resembling the Mechanical Race. I can serve as your armor like the Skycurl Vine, reducing combat damage you receive, while also functioning as a sentient AI.”

“Additionally, I can fight independently. My current strength stands at Stellar-Level First Stage, possessing threefold Life Genome hierarchy.”

Jiang Zhe nearly thought he’d misheard. “Threefold Genetic Tier?!”

A stunned guess leaped into his mind. “Same as me? Can you synchronize with my Life Genome hierarchy?!”

Orianna shook her head, replying telepathically. “I’m a special lifeform. My Life Genome hierarchy evolves with my strength.”

“At Stellar-Level, it’s threefold; Stellar Class, tenfold; Cosmic Level, forty-ninefold; Domain Lord Grade, eighty-onefold; Realm Lord Rank, one hundredfold!”

Jiang Zhe inhaled sharply, urgently asking, “Is that the peak? Can you grow further?”

“Master, please observe!”

As she spoke, Orianna’s form dissolved from solid to ethereal, fragmenting into three.

Only the “core brass sphere” remained, hovering in midair.

The core split—from fist-sized to three egg-sized orbs.

Red beams from the three gems wove together, reconstructing Orianna’s form.

This time, there were three of her!

They solidified, becoming three tangible brass dolls in the real world.

Jiang Zhe understood instantly. “This… threefold Genetic Tier because you’re literally three beings!”

“Correct, master. One hundredfold is our natural growth limit. To surpass it, we must assimilate Metallic Lifeforms similar to our lifeform.”

Jiang Zhe gasped mentally. “The Mechanical Race?!”

“You mean you can enhance your Life Genome hierarchy a hundredfold by consuming members of the Mechanical Race!”

The three Oriannas merged into one, replying telepathically. “Apologies, master. I’m uncertain. I need direct contact with a Mechanical Race member to confirm.”

“Good! There’ll be opportunities.” Jiang Zhe steadied his excitement. “On Earth, there’s a Mechanical Race member—I’ll take you to see it, though it’s just a corpse.”

“Thank you, master!” Orianna curtsied again.

Jiang Zhe waved a hand. “We rely on each other. No need for such formalities.”

“As you command, honored master!”

Though she spoke thus, Orianna showed no sign of changing.

Jiang Zhe didn’t press further.

He merely mused: Game Hack’s creation is indeed top-tier!

He’d thought this Bonded Metal Lifeform ordinary, never expecting its Life Genome hierarchy to potentially rival beings like the World Tree or Worm King.

“Anna, you must have Innate Secret Arts, right?”

“Yes, master. I possess three Innate Secret Arts.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end