Chapter 356: Shadow of the Dragon, Limit Training

"Tch, what a waste of time. The research on the magic-guide chips is just a hair's breadth from completion; I should have stayed to lend Avia and Sieg a hand. Some materials are a real headache to process without the power of a war machine."

"But since the Truth Oversight Committee has already begun their final theoretical synthesis, I won't disturb them. I'll just finish the training as planned."

Walking through the streets of the Sky Mechanical City, Wang Yu pondered silently. It was a tactical error to waste time with those moronic Night Tribes today; their schedule was tight, and there was far too much to attend to.

The Dragon-Worshipping Cult was becoming increasingly active across the continent. Information fed back through the "eyes" of the Nightfall Church's followers indicated more frequent sightings, while the vortex clouds and other anomalies marking "His" power were appearing with greater regularity.

Naturally, the dragons, once thought to have vanished entirely from the continent, were reappearing before the eyes of the intelligent races. The emergence of the Dragon-Worshipping Cult was, in all likelihood, tied to the return of these ancient beasts.

Arielian had appeared alongside these dragons on multiple occasions; clearly, she was up to something, and the Cult’s actions remained focused, as always, on hunting her and the other dragons. Their goals were inevitably at odds.

What this meant, Wang Yu and his companions weren't entirely sure. After a brief discussion with the girl and Sieg, they concluded that the Cult's influence on the continent was surging, likely because "His" power was gradually strengthening and radiating into wider regions.

As for these dragons reappearing in the world, aside from

those clearly controlled by the Cult, they were likely planning an all-out assault on "Him" before His power became invincible.

Unfortunately, contacting Arielian was incredibly difficult, and she had intentionally severed ties with Sieg and Noel, clearly not wanting to drag them into a conflict of such high-level power.

"If only I could get these dragons to join the prayer communication network; it would make communication so much easier. But these dragons have an even stronger aversion to the word 'faith' than I did when I first arrived in this world."

"After all, it was their king who, upon becoming their 'god,' pushed the dragon race to their current state, and it was under his influence that the Dragon-Worshipping Cult was born."

"Getting them to believe in the Lady of Night, even in the slightest, is extremely difficult, unless there's a way to extend the range of the prayer communication network to non-believers."

Musing over the Cult and the dragons, Wang Yu shook his head slightly. The idea of expanding the network seemed like a dead end for now. It was more realistic to consider how to cross the Endless Sea later and reach the Dragon Realm beyond the continent.

Wang Yu had to get involved in this. The messes caused by those devils, Saint-Wentin, and the disciples occupying the Central Council had all ended up splashing onto him like collateral damage. If he pretended not to see it this time, he’d likely be left with another pile of feathers to clean up.

If Wang Yu had any virtues, they weren't many, but he was quite good at learning from his mistakes. He wouldn't let himself be caught like a soft persimmon again, as he had back in Alastair.

As for the gap in strength, it might have been an unbridgeable chasm before, with their combined efforts amounting to nothing, but now the results of their super-magic research were beginning to translate into real power. Avia, Sieg, and even Noel would see a leap in their capabilities soon; there was still a chance.

As for Wang Yu, well, wasn't he training right now?

He pulled a piece of refined ore from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth. Teeth ground against hard metal, but it was the metal that shattered. After a strenuous effort to swallow the ore, Wang Yu stepped into the Tower of Myriad Machines.

His special identity was recognized, and doors closed to other residents of the Sky Mechanical City swung open for him. Inside, a spacious training ground awaited. In the center stood a humanoid figure like a statue—the very Machine God that had nearly finished Wang Yu off with a single punch.

But now, the Machine God was no longer his enemy; it served as his sparring partner, helping Wang Yu undergo "transcendent" training.

"You're earlier than scheduled."

The Machine God stirred from its static state as Wang Yu entered, Astartes' voice emanating from its frame.

"The Machine God is always on standby here anyway, so it doesn't make much difference whether I'm early or late."

Wang Yu replied as he stripped off his coat. Blood surged from the blood pool, hardening into crimson armor that spread across his entire body, covering every inch of skin. The color of the blood-armor had changed; the once matte material now possessed a metallic luster.

"Wrong. When I'm not training you, I can project my

consciousness to any corner of the Sky Mechanical City for management, but when I'm training you, I must focus entirely on controlling the Machine God."

Astartes moved the Machine God with human-like fluidity, performing warm-up exercises. Preheating the energy core? He wasn't sure if it helped.

"Ho, I think the Sky Mechanical City doesn't really need your management, but this body—it suits your tastes, doesn't it?"

Wang Yu responded with a hint of mockery, adjusting his posture and state of mind for combat.

"So you noticed. No matter, once training starts, you won't have the luxury of being distracted by..."

Astartes didn't refute him, speaking casually until he stopped abruptly. The figure blurred and vanished, rushing toward Wang Yu at extreme speed.

"I see it..."

A fleeting thought. The Machine God gave Wang Yu only that split second of contemplation before a fist arrived at his chest. The sharp air pressure arrived late, blowing against the hands Wang Yu had raised a beat too slow, despite sensing the trajectory.

"Bang!"

The fist struck Wang Yu’s chest, the blood-armor shattering like brittle paper. The Machine God’s attack tore through the armor and slammed into his chest, flesh ripping as the impact traveled to his bones. The force surged through his entire body, sending him flying.

"Clang!"

His high-speed body slammed into the boundary wall of the training ground with a loud thud. Wang Yu slumped to the floor, face down.

"Your defense has improved again compared to last time. I used fifty percent of the force from that previous punch,

and you managed to get back up after taking it head-on?"

Astartes’ voice held undisguised surprise. The speed at which Wang Yu’s defense was improving was excessive.

"Cough, cough. I've been eating a lot of metal. Not only have my bones hardened, but my blood has too. Now, it's the muscle tissue that's lagging behind—insufficient defense, insufficient output. All I can do now is undergo constant, effective destruction and slow improvement through recovery."

Wang Yu climbed up from the floor. The gaping hole in his chest armor repaired itself, and the torn flesh quickly knitted back together. His sternum wasn't shattered or broken, just cracked. A few dozen seconds were enough for him to repair the bone damage.

During the recovery period after being pulverized last time, Wang Yu had consumed a vast array of ores. His body absorbed components from these minerals, filling his bones and making their already high density abnormally exaggerated.

Seemingly to prevent his metal-reinforced bones from being damaged beyond his own ability to repair, his blood had also begun absorbing metal. The blood pool, rich in microscopic metallic components, could mend these reinforced bones, which in turn elevated the strength of the blood-armor to a new level.

Taking half the power of the Machine God’s punch head-on without losing combat capability, and with his reinforced bones remaining largely intact—the extent of his defensive growth was staggering. To be able to take this hit meant that even a Legend wouldn't be able to easily beat Wang Yu to death.

"Again!"

He shook his hands and assumed a defensive stance once more. Astartes, controlling the Machine God, showed no mercy, charging at a speed Wang Yu couldn't react to, unleashing a sweeping kick.

"Side, I can block!..."

"Bang! Puk-crack!"

Fully focused, Wang Yu captured the trajectory, instinctively predicting the move based on the Machine God's pre-charge shift. The blood-armor on his right arm thickened instantly as he bent his arm to block the right side—the direction of the attack.

Leg met arm. The thickened armor shattered instantly. After shedding a significant portion of the impact, the force of the kick penetrated his arm and struck his torso. Unsurprisingly, Wang Yu was sent flying again, rolling and sliding at high speed before slamming back-first into the wall.

"That looks painful. Your arm..."

Astartes pointed to a corner of the training ground where Wang Yu’s severed hand lay. That kick had sheared his right forearm from his body.

Although he had conducted this training several times, as the intensity rose, even he, a "Machine Soul," felt a chill down his back.

"It's fine. At least I have you to spar with now. If I ever run into this for real, I won't be given a chance to adapt. My bones are hard enough, but the joints are still a weakness. If hit, they're likely to dislocate. My muscles are too weak to provide the necessary stabilization."

Wang Yu climbed up, responding as he twisted his dislocated lumbar vertebrae back into place. Blood surged out, pulling the forearm—which had fallen off due to the torn muscles—back to its original position. He used his other hand to help reset the joint, while the flesh slowly regenerated on that foundation.

His bones and blood were incredibly strong, but his muscles were lagging behind—lacking both toughness and raw power.

To put it simply: a tractor made of Adamantium is undeniably hard, but the diesel engine inside can't possibly match the strength of the chassis.

In an extreme case, if hit by massive force, his bones might hold, but his skeleton could potentially tear through his own flesh and fly out. Wang Yu hadn't found any effective way to boost muscle strength, so he could only use the most primitive method: gaining tangible improvement through repeated destruction and repair.

"Warm-up over. This time, please reduce the Machine God's power slightly and beat me until I can't make any counter-attacks."

After about a minute, Wang Yu shook his usable arm and spoke to the waiting Machine God.

"Fine."

Astartes sighed internally and responded simply. He really didn't enjoy watching the miserable state Wang Yu ended up in when beaten to the point of total helplessness; it was just... gruesome.

With a stomp, Wang Yu, clad in blood-armor, took the initiative and charged at the Machine God. Every time he approached his limit, he gained another chance to step toward greater strength!