Lack of talent? I'll buy a year's worth of cultivation for one dollar!

"Huo Wusheng, this..."

Nie Changkong couldn't help but speak.

"Su Yuan's identity is still kept secret. Wouldn't directly issuing him a national-level battle armor arouse suspicion among those high-ranking traitors?"

Huo Zhenshan snorted coldly.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Su Yuan slayed the Demon Saint and saved the capital; these are undeniable achievements!"

"I, Huo Zhenshan, personally vouch for this; who dares to utter a single word against me?!"

He looked at Su Yu with an extremely serious expression.

"Young friend Su Yuan, battle armor is an indispensable life-saving trump card for high-level martial artists."

"A set of national-level armor can not only perfectly defend against a full-force attack from a Martial Emperor, but it can also directly double your own combat power!"

Double the combat power?

Su Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

That sounds really good.

If his current nine million Dark Gold Divine Blood were doubled, the destructive power he unleashed would absolutely crush an ordinary Martial Saint.

but.

Huo Zhenshan's next words completely stunned Su Yu.

"but."

Huo Zhenshan changed the subject, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

"You need to understand that armor is ultimately just a transitional piece of equipment."

"In this world, the ultimate weapon that can truly determine the outcome of a war of national annihilation is not armor."

"It's—mechs!"

Mechs?!

A hint of surprise flashed in Su Yu's eyes.

Since he transmigrated to this world, all he has heard about is martial arts, qi and blood, and armor.

This is the first time I've heard the word "mecha" from the mouth of a national martial arts master.

"That's right, mechs."

Huo Zhenshan stood up, put his hands behind his back, and spoke with an undisguised fervor and awe.

"Armor is just a protective outer shell that fits the human body."

"And mechs are true war behemoths!"

"The armor can double a warrior's combat power."

Huo Zhenshan extended a finger, staring intently at Su Yu.

"And a top-tier mech."

"What can amplify a martial artist's combat power is tenfold!!!"

ten times!!!

Su Yu's heart skipped a beat.

Nine million Dark Gold Divine Blood, amplified tenfold, that's the destructive power of ninety million Dark Gold Divine Blood!

If you add your own perfected martial arts skills and Soul-Forging Spear Intent.

That scene is simply unimaginable!

"but."

Nie Changkong shook his head with a wry smile and took over the conversation.

"Su Yuan, mechas are still too far beyond your reach right now."

"Because it's too expensive."

Nie Changkong sighed.

"The cost of building the mechs can no longer be measured in monetary terms."

"The materials needed to build a mech are all peerless treasures from the deepest abyss or meteorite iron from the highest heavens."

"Even more deadly is the forging technique!"

"Ordinary blacksmiths simply cannot fuse those violent energy materials together."

"Only the most outstanding craftsmen in the Great Xia Kingdom are qualified to touch the blueprints for mecha."

Huo Zhenshan nodded in agreement.

"Indeed."

"Even this set of national-level armor that I'm compensating you with was something I forcibly allocated from the military treasury using my special privileges."

"As for the mecha, even I cannot promise it to you directly."

"But I can apply to the Supreme Command for you. With your contributions this time, you will definitely have a chance to get your own mech in the future."

Huo Zhenshan looked at Su Yu and added a sentence in a serious tone.

"Moreover, there is a generally accepted common sense in the martial arts world."

"Whether it's battle armor or mecha, only those forged by a martial artist's own hands are the ones that best match the trajectory of their own qi and blood circulation."

"It is said that a god-level mech that is perfectly in tune with one's own soul is..."

"It can even unleash a hundred times the fighting power of a martial artist!"

hundred times!

Su Yu's breathing involuntarily became heavier.

"In that case..."

Su Yu looked at Huo Zhenshan and asked a very practical question.

"Then why don't people learn forging themselves?"

Huo Zhenshan and Nie Changkong exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly.

"It's not that easy!"

Huo Zhenshan shook his head.

"The blacksmith is a profession that requires a great deal of talent and time to accumulate experience."

"It takes a huge amount of time to learn materials science, energy circuitry, and array inscription."

"An ordinary martial artist, even if he spends his whole life, may not be able to master the art of forging."

"Moreover, martial arts cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind."

"If you waste a lot of time on blacksmithing, it will inevitably delay your progress in martial arts."

"Putting the cart before the horse is a cardinal sin in martial arts!"

Huo Zhenshan patted Su Yu on the shoulder, his tone unusually serious.

"Young friend Su Yuan, your martial arts talent is unparalleled throughout history."

"Your task now is to focus on cultivation and strive to break through to the true Martial Saint realm as soon as possible."

"As for forging, that's a waste of time, you absolutely must not touch it!"

"That's almost impossible to do both."

"Whatever equipment you need, the military will do everything in its power to provide it!"

The meeting room fell silent.

Huo Zhenshan and Nie Changkong both looked at Su Yu.

In their view, this generous reward, coupled with the prospect of future mecha adventures, is enough to make any martial artist feel grateful and excited.

however.

Su Yu fell into a long silence.

He lowered his head and looked at the table.

Thoughts raced through his deep, clear eyes.

Wasting time?

Is it impossible to balance both?

That applies to ordinary people!

For me, as long as I have money, as long as I can deposit it into the system.

Let alone forging techniques, even the laws of the Creator, I can use billions of years of cultivation to forcefully smash them to the Great Perfection!

What I lack most has never been time.

It's money!

With enough money, you can build an invincible mech with a hundredfold increase in combat power!

Since the national-level battle armor is so expensive.

Since the materials used in mechs cannot be measured in monetary terms.

That means that if these things were converted into cash, it would be an unimaginable astronomical figure!

Su Yu slowly raised his head.

He looked at Huo Zhenshan and Nie Changkong, whose faces were full of anticipation, waiting for him to make his statement.

His expression was extremely serious.

There was absolutely no joking about it.

"Huo Wusheng, Principal Nie."

Su Yu's voice was calm.

"I'm a rather materialistic person."

"I like money."

He pointed to the set of national-level battle armor that had not yet been issued, and the elusive mecha quota.

"These random rewards, and that armor thing."

"Could you...?"

"Convert it all into cash and deposit it directly into my account?"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

The air in the top-secret conference room froze completely in that instant.

Huo Zhenshan's hand, which was holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

Nie Changkong's carefully constructed composure crumbled instantly, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The two looked at Su Yu as if he were an alien.

My head was buzzing.

Discount...discounted to money?!

Are you fucking crazy?!

A national-level battle armor—can you buy that with money?! It's a symbol of status, position, and a life-saving trump card!

You, a peerless killing god capable of slaying a demon saint, are giving up top-tier divine equipment that could suppress an entire nation.

You're telling us you like money?!

What do you need so much money for?!

Are you going to use this to buy some pork ribs?!

Huo Zhenshan's lips twitched uncontrollably.

He had seen countless geniuses throughout his life, some seeking cultivation techniques, some seeking divine weapons, and some seeking high-ranking official positions and generous salaries.

But this is the kind of bizarre person who demands to cash in on national strategic assets without even asking.

This is the first time he's ever seen this before!