Chapter 13: Prototype Anomalous God Eater

Inside the Vermilion Bird Palace in Star Capital and the Logistics Departments of the Fiery Fire Pavilions across the six major main cities, there are corresponding warehouses used to store relatively rare and precious items.

Walking on the path toward the Logistics Department, Chu Wan smiled brightly as she explained their destination to Zhou Yan.

"Regular warehouses are used to store expensive but not rare items, such as standard Divine Mecha.

"The Oddity Vault is used to contain various oddities. The Oddity Vault of the Fiery Fire Pavilion is generally only permitted to house low-danger level oddities of grades four to six.

"And then there is the Secret Vault. The items kept in this special warehouse are usually extremely rare, even one-of-a-kind."

As she spoke, Chu Wan looked at Zhou Yan. "The Divine Mecha belonging to Xiao Xuan and myself are high-grade Divine Mecha with multiple special circuits, which are relatively rare. As for Pavilion Master Cong and Elder Zhang, their Divine Mecha are unique, top-grade masterpieces found nowhere else in the world."

While speaking, Chu Wan glanced at Cong Shiyun, but Cong Shiyun only offered a gentle smile and did not say much.

Unfazed, Chu Wan curiously asked Cong Shiyun, "Pavilion Master Cong, does the Secret Vault of our Wing City Fiery Fire Pavilion still hold any high-grade Divine Mecha?"

Cong Shiyun smiled and nodded. "Wing City is, after all, one of the most powerful main cities under Star Capital; how could we lack good things? As for the high-grade Divine Mecha you mentioned, we have three stored in our Secret Vault. It's just that for these past few years, we haven't been able to find suitable masters for them, and they've probably gathered dust by now."

Zhang Daosheng remarked calmly from the side, "Just in time, Zhou Yan can pick one out today. For an extraordinary mentalist like you, using a high-grade Divine Mecha shouldn't pose too much of a mental burden. Once you grow proficient, you'll even be able to activate the 'Super-Thought Circuit' exclusive to high-grade Divine Mecha and enter a powerful 'Third Gear' mode."

Zhou Yan listened attentively and then nodded.

Just as he had deduced, beyond the second gear mode—where the entire body is covered in glowing circuits—there existed an even more powerful "Third Gear Super-Thought" mode.

If a second-gear Divine Mecha could grant a martial artist of Luo Xuan's caliber a physique and reflex level comparable to "400," what kind of assistance would this third gear provide?

Surely, it would be no weaker than the current strongest form of his hyper-fusion talent, "Ghost-God Corpse Annihilation," right?

Zhou Yan expressed great anticipation for this.

Luo Xuan said with some distress, "The Divine Mecha my father left me was upgraded by the Palace to a high-grade Divine Mecha matching Commander Chu Wan's level after he was killed in action. But right now, even when I use the second-gear mode, I can't sustain it for long, and the combat power I display is no different from a standard intermediate mass-production Divine Mecha. I wonder when I'll ever reach the level required to ignite the third gear."

Chu Wan smilingly patted her shoulder. "Inatively speaking, once your mental level reaches the True Realm, you'll be able to steadily use the second-gear mode. With Xiao Xuan's exceptional talent, you might even briefly ignite the third gear, and your explosive power could easily crush lower-tier mecha martial artists."

Saying this, she secretly leaned close to Luo Xuan's ear and teased in a lowered voice, "Xiao Xuan, you've got a good eye! You managed to pick up an extraordinary mentalist like Zhou Yan. Once he adapts to the style of Divine Mecha combat and learns to wield his own mental power, his combat strength might soon surpass yours."

Luo Xuan said helplessly, "Sister Chu Wan, I didn't hook up with him just because he's an extraordinary mentalist—"

She almost bit her tongue and hastily glared at Chu Wan, causing the latter to chuckle softly.

Soon, the group arrived before the partition doors shared by the "Oddity Vault" and the "Secret Vault" of the Logistics Department deep underground.

Zhou Yan looked at the tall yet unpretentious door before him, wondering what kind of treasures lay inside.

Cong Shiyun walked straight up and performed a series of operations on the instrument console beside the door, prompting a synthesized electronic voice to respond.

[Authorization Confirmed]

The next second, with a low hum, Zhou Yan watched as the towering mechanical doors slowly parted before everyone.

The passageway behind was revealed.

"Let's go," Zhang Daosheng said softly, taking the lead alongside Cong Shiyun and Chu Wan. Zhou Yan, Luo Xuan, and Li Guanqi quickly followed behind as the juniors.

As the six of them passed through the passageway, vents along the walls continuously sprayed a colorless and odorless gas upon them, and immediately afterward, Zhou Yan distinctly felt strange fluctuations repeatedly sweeping across his body.

"This is a necessary sterilization measure and a means to confirm that you are human," Chu Wan laughed as she looked back. "The special fluctuations can rapidly detect your true form. If you are a normal human, there's no problem. But if you are a rift creature like a Skin-Peeler, the entire passageway will lock down immediately, and powerful 'Anti-Rift Creature' protocols will be fully initiated."

The group continued forward and quickly passed through the corridor.

They then saw two branching paths to the left and right, with wall signs indicating that the Secret Vault lay to the left.

They turned left, walked straight for a short distance, and once again arrived before a door similar to the outer entrance.

Cong Shiyun looked at Zhang Daosheng. "Elder Zhang, even as the pavilion master, I need to submit an application and obtain approval from the Vermilion Bird Palace headquarters to open the Secret Vault. But since you're here, things will be much easier. Please help authorize it."

Zhang Daosheng nodded and walked with Cong Shiyun to the verification device beside the door, quickly completing the unlock sequence.

As the heavy door slowly opened, Cong Shiyun called out to Zhou Yan, "Zhou Yan, come in with me and Elder Zhang. Chu Wan, take these two and wait here for a moment."

"Understood." Zhou Yan stepped forward immediately and entered the door with the two elders.

Behind them, Chu Wan glanced at the closed door, then turned her gaze to Luo Xuan and Li Guanqi. "Well, seeing the rise of a heaven-chosen favorite with your own eyes, do you feel a little sour inside?"

Luo Xuan gave her a speechless glare, too lazy to bother with her wayward senior sister's teasing.

Li Guanqi smiled and shook his head, his state of mind growing increasingly serene.

*An extraordinary mentalist is undoubtedly an absolute darling of the heavens favored by fate, but with the talent I possess, I have no need to belittle myself.*

*Master once told me that there are roughly thirty 'Emperor'-grade powerhouses in the world who have reached the pinnacle of the Mad Realm—the level matching our pavilion masters. Our Tianyuan Hegemony Empire alone has five of them, and among these five, only the Blue Dragon Palace Master is an extraordinary mentalist. The other four, including the supreme and invincible 'Yinglong Emperor,' are not extraordinary mentalists...*

*Extraordinary mentalists merely start with a higher mental baseline and improve faster; their talents in other aspects are not necessarily all strong. As long as I keep my feet on the ground, practice diligently, and cultivate earnestly, the achievements I ultimately attain will not be inferior to Zhou Yan's!*

Inside the Secret Vault, Zhou Yan followed the two elders forward.

He observed this vast space with wide eyes, spotting all sorts of items that looked immensely valuable at a glance.

However, unlike Chu Wan, Cong Shiyun and Zhang Daosheng were not inclined to lecture or popularize knowledge.

Thus, Zhou Yan could basically only look without understanding what these precious items actually were.

With the steady, brisk strides of the three, Cong Shiyun soon led the way to a prominent location.

"We've arrived. This is where the Divine Mecha Martial Equipment is stored," Cong Shiyun pointed ahead and smiled. "Zhou Yan, go ahead and see which one you like. Although it's only a high-grade Divine Mecha, it will be enough for you to use for a very long time."

Following the direction of his finger, he saw several tall containment units ahead.

"These are containment pods, essential facilities for housing precious items. Go and press the display button on the control panel, and it will retract the partition so you can view them through the glass. The performance characteristics are also written in the information column. Generally speaking, the comprehensive performance of each high-grade Divine Mecha is quite similar, differing only in form and directional inclination," Cong Shiyun added.

Zhang Daosheng smiled gently from the side, "If your future performance is astonishing enough, you might even get the opportunity during the True Realm stage for the Palace Master to apply to the Yinglong Palace on your part for a customized, one-of-a-kind top-grade Divine Mecha. For now, you don't need to think too much about that."

Zhou Yan nodded obediently. "I haven't harbored any extravagant hopes. Well then, should I go pick one?"

The two elders smiled and gestured for him to proceed.

Zhou Yan walked up to the containment pods.

Using the panels, he opened the external partitions of the pods one by one, revealing several mechanical Divine Mecha in the form of battle armor, sealed inside futuristic units and submerged in blue-green liquid.

The corresponding descriptions of the Divine Mecha were printed on the information column in the lower right corner.

[Crimson Flame: Assault-type Divine Mecha. After activating the Super-Thought Circuit, it can additionally generate and manipulate flames. Intensity and form are determined by the user's mental strength.]

[Gale: High-speed-type Divine Mecha. After activating the Super-Thought Circuit, it can additionally generate and manipulate air currents. Intensity and form are determined by the user's mental strength.]

[Torrent: Containment-type Divine Mecha. After activating the Super-Thought Circuit, it can additionally generate and manipulate water currents. Intensity and form are determined by the user's mental strength.]

As he read, Zhou Yan widened his eyes in disbelief. He turned back in astonishment to look at the two elders. "So, after activating the Super-Thought Circuit, you gain the ability to manipulate other elements through the Divine Mecha? Isn't that essentially having superpowers?"

Cong Shiyun smiled and nodded. "Zhou Yan, martial artists who reach the True Realm can use their mental will to influence themselves and strengthen their bodies, unleashing explosive physical damage. But ultimately, that is merely physical strength. However, if one continues to cultivate mental strength and reach a higher realm, they can rely on Divine Mecha to wield incredible, transcendent powers."

"Like this—"

Amidst his words, a flash of flowing light crossed the air, and a lavish-looking vambrace abruptly materialized on Cong Shiyun's left arm.

Then, he snapped his fingers lightly with that vambrace.

Bang!

With a sharp explosion, before Zhou Yan's astonished gaze, Cong Shiyun's entire left-arm vambrace was engulfed in flames.

The next second, Cong Shiyun clenched his palm, and all the flames vanished instantly. He then smiled and said, "This is the wonder of the Super-Thought Circuit. Our Vermilion Bird Palace takes the Vermilion Bird of the Four Divine Beasts as its symbol, and most of our powerhouses are partial to fire, so more people use fire-attribute Divine Mecha."

Zhou Yan withdrew his astonished gaze.

True enough, he had yet to fully fathom the foundation of this world's peak human combat power.

The waters ran deep!

He still had a long way to go before becoming invincible, and he needed to remain cautious at all times!

Seeing Zhou Yan withdraw his gaze without further questioning, Cong Shiyun and Zhang Daosheng exchanged glances, wearing satisfied smiles.

Unflappable, mature, and composed—combined with such talent, he was bound to achieve great things in the future!

Cong Shiyun smiled. "The capabilities of these three Divine Mecha are all quite remarkable. Whichever one you choose, you won't regret it."

"Three?" Zhou Yan paused for a moment. He tilted his head slightly, curious. "Isn't there still one more containment unit operating?"

With that, he walked over and pressed the display button on the fourth cabinet standing in the row.

"Hey! That mecha is a prototype sent by the Yinglong Palace..." Cong Shiyun's eyebrows twitched, and he opened his mouth as if to say something.

However, the partition of the containment unit in front of Zhou Yan had already snapped open, revealing transparent glass through which the interior was clearly visible.

The scene within was revealed, leaving Zhou Yan momentarily dazed.

"This is...!"

Zhou Yan muttered instinctively, "What on earth?"

In his line of sight, a tall and handsome metallic object was submerged within the containment unit before him. Its matte-black body reflected dark-silver flowing light under the lights, while the bright-silver mane stretching from the top of its head down its neck flashed with a metallic sheen, swaying slowly in the liquid like genuine hair. Its head and face resembled a "horse," yet carried the distinct visual impression of a "dragon."

It was precisely a mechanical dragon horse!

At a single glance, it struck the heart of Zhou Yan, an avid lover of stunning aesthetics!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Yan swiftly turned his head back to look at the two elders, pointed at the mechanical warhorse inside the container, and said decisively:

"Can I have this one?"

Cong Shiyun and Zhang Daosheng exchanged bewildered looks.

Zhang Daosheng furrowed his brow and said, "I've heard of this. Isn't this an experimental work crafted by that newly risen young mecha smith in the Yinglong Palace?"

Cong Shiyun nodded. "That's right. That eccentric genius made it last year, claiming it was one of the products of his wild imagination. However, while most of his other mecha designs achieved subsequent mass production, this special mecha never spawned any similar mass-produced products. It must have been an abandoned concept of his."

Zhang Daosheng's brow furrowed even deeper. "How did you manage to get your hands on his stuff?"

Cong Shiyun shook his head helplessly. "A coincidence brought me the chance to use the pavilion's resources to help him out once. I originally wanted him to owe me a favor, but instead, he sent this thing over. Though I had no use for it, I thought its exterior looked rather unique, so I tossed it into this Secret Vault for storage... and over time, I completely forgot about it."

Zhou Yan listened as the two elders chatted for ages without getting to the point, and finally couldn't help chiming in: "So, Elder Zhang, Pavilion Master Cong, can I choose this mechanical horse?"

"You can, but..." Cong Shiyun nodded hesitatingly. "Since it's that fellow's work, even if it's experimental, its performance should rival a top-grade Divine Mecha. It's just that—"

His expression turned serious. "When that fellow sent this thing over, he warned that he had experimentally added many 'interesting' circuit combinations to this mecha. Ordinary martial artists trying to use it will encounter massive obstacles, and it might even result in combat power lower than a normal mecha."

"Even so, do you still want to bind yourself to this thing? You must understand that the better the mecha, the greater the difficulty and cost of unbinding once it forms a mental bond with the user. If you use it and find it no good later on, we won't be able to just swap it out for you casually."

Cong Shiyun tried to persuade him: "Personally, I suggest choosing one of these three more mature, high-grade Divine Mecha. They can steadily grant you powerful, immediate combat strength."

Zhang Daosheng also couldn't help advising, "Zhou Yan, when it comes to that eccentric genius's creations, only the ones approved for mass production are good. I advise you to reconsider an experimental product like this."

Yet Zhou Yan shook his head, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the steed within the container: "No need to consider. Both my rationality and my intuition tell me that choosing this one cannot be wrong."

With that, he lowered his gaze to read the brief description of the Divine Mecha.

[Prototype Special Divine Mecha: Yinglong Steed]

[This is a masterpiece I meticulously crafted through my wild imagination. If you can use it smoothly, you will marvel at its power. However, I fear very few in this world can meet the conditions to wield it, hahahahaha! ——A-Guang]

***

Who could have imagined that the protagonist's Divine Mecha would be a horse!