Chapter 357: 'Stable' Breakthrough, Arcanoweaver

"Bang!"

Once again sent flying by a punch from the Machine God, Wang Yu rose to his feet, his blood-armor etched with fine, uniform cracks. Within his body, blood and battle-qi surged and boiled, rapidly repairing the damage inflicted upon his flesh by the restrained power of the machine.

His torso stabilized, he lunged downward, palms striking the floor as he pressed his entire frame into a low-profile stance. A heartbeat later, the Machine God’s sweeping kick whistled over him, tearing through the air with a piercing, shrill scream.

"Whoosh!"

The iron fist hammered the earth, the violence of the blow carving a deep crater into the reinforced training floor. The follow-up strike, aimed at the dodging Wang Yu, was evaded as he utilized the Chariot Force to grip the ground, accelerating into a spinning roll.

"Slap, thud!"

With a burst of force from his waist and a short-distance sprint, he slammed into the ground, flipped upright, and regained his footing—only to be met by the Machine God’s relentless, shadow-like assault.

"I can take this..."

Repeated battles had forged his instincts; the moment the Chariot Force sensed the Machine God’s opening move, his body reacted. He crossed his forearms, channeling the momentum from his shoulders through his elbows. It was a desperate defense, but he successfully braced against the iron fist.

"Clang! Crack!"

The crisp sound of metal striking metal rang out. The iron fist collided with the reinforced blood-armor on Wang Yu’s arms. The immense force shattered the plating, but because Wang Yu’s intent was not to absorb the blow head-on, but to deflect it with technique, he managed to withstand the strike.

The shockwave traveled through the point of contact, surging into his body and slowing his movements for a split second. Yet, the Machine God did not pause; it thrust forward with brute force, shattering Wang Yu’s guard before launching another punch directly at his chest.

"Move!"

He roared internally, driving his shock-numbed body to its limits. Battle-qi roared through his veins—this was his greatest weakness: the limitations of his muscle density. His strength and speed were insufficient, and the impact left him momentarily paralyzed.

"Creak..."

Like the winding of an ethereal spring, he felt an invisible shackle within his body snap. The muscles, sluggish from the impact, suddenly began to function normally under the scouring of his battle-qi. His entire body aligned, forced into motion.

"Bang!"

The Machine God’s fist struck Wang Yu, who had crossed his arms over his chest in an awkward posture. Under the colossal force, joints dislocated and flesh tore, sending him skidding across the floor until he slammed into the training room wall for the umpteenth time.

The Machine God did not pursue. By rights, since they had agreed to a formal sparring session, the Astartes would have beaten Wang Yu until his muscles were pulp, incapable of further resistance.

The scene was gruesome: gore smeared across the floor, and Wang Yu, his armor shattered and flesh mangled, looked no different from a corpse. He was far from dead, of course, but the Astartes had little desire to witness such a sight.

"You succeeded."

The Astartes said to Wang Yu, who was slowly crawling to his feet.

"Yeah, succeeded. Just a little, but the improvement is clear by comparison. It’s effective."

Feeling the power returning to his reconstructed muscles, Wang Yu wore a satisfied smile beneath his blood-armor. He retracted the blood, walked to a crate filled with his supplies, and began chugging a handful of vials.

That momentary sensation of breaking free was proof of his increased muscle density. A punch he previously couldn't reach was now, thanks to his breakthrough, successfully intercepted, however awkward the posture.

"Then that shall be all for today. 'Sedimentation,' as you call it? An interesting description, quite vivid."

The Astartes nodded slightly, ceasing its assault. The purpose of beating Wang Yu into a mosaic was to force his body to reshape itself during combat. Since he had achieved a breakthrough, further pummeling was meaningless.

After all, the Astartes did not harbor any strange masochistic tendencies from this training, which was essentially a one-sided beating disguised as a sparring session.

"Yeah, this time... it’s over. Things are finally... bearing fruit over there. Thanks for the practice. Your control over this body... is clearly much more adept now, too."

Wang Yu answered with slurred speech, still chugging the nutrient-dense concoctions. He needed the energy to repair his flesh and replenish his blood pool. He waved at the Astartes, grabbed the shirt he had discarded, and turned to leave the training ground. He needed to check on the results from Avia and Zig.

"This guy... the way he climbs, step by step, is truly staggering."

The Astartes, controlling the Machine God, watched Wang Yu’s retreating back, feeling a sense of awe. As Wang Yu said, he was gradually adapting to this shell, which had reached the pinnacle of pure physical power, wielding it with increasing precision.

Yet, keeping the output constant, the Astartes had witnessed Wang Yu go from having no power to resist, to being able to trade blows. Such learning and progress were enough to make one suspicious of his true identity.

"Though, training in such a hellish manner, I almost feel his progress is a bit slow."

Shaking the Machine God’s head, the Astartes vacated the shell, returning to the Sky Mechanical City. With that kind of training, it would be strange if he didn't improve.

...

Wang Yu flexed his right hand with his left, staring at it. He silently sensed the subtle changes and the minute differences hidden beneath his skin, choosing not to dwell on them.

Clearly, his muscle density had improved through the cycle of destruction and rebirth, gradually catching up to the magnitude of his blood and bones. There were other subtle changes he hadn't yet grasped, seemingly related to the Chariot Force.

It was normal for the Chariot Force to strengthen as his body did, but this time there were changes beyond mere intensity. He couldn't pinpoint them yet, but he would sense them during training soon enough. No rush.

Instead of returning to his quarters, he headed to the rebuilt Truth Supervisory Council. The facilities had been fully upgraded, though the membership remained unchanged. According to Icarus, he trusted the original team; recruiting new people would only cause trouble due to a lack of familiarity.

The Truth Supervisory Council, having gained a seat on the Central Council of the Sky Mechanical City, held no real administrative power. Wang Yu suspected the disciples were only able to exert such influence because of their unique status.

Perhaps the Astartes had intervened in the scope of what the Central Council status allowed. But, to be fair, the benefits were immense—such as direct access to alchemy materials from the city at one-fifth the market price.

With this, the researchers of the Truth Supervisory Council became extravagant. Gone were the days of penny-pinching; now, they stuffed the labs with materials, using whatever they pleased. Even selling half-finished products at a fraction of the cost turned a profit.

Under these favorable conditions, results sprouted like mushrooms. The most important recent research, Super-Magic, had been fully realized. Collaborating with Zig, Avia had manufactured what they had long envisioned: the Magic-Conductive Chip.

Under the conditions of Super-Magic, the girl had successfully integrated complex magic circuits in a three-dimensional state onto a tiny mana carrier. The result was, effectively, a chip.

Traditional array theory had knowledge of miniaturization, but it could never reach the level of integration of a Magic-Conductive Chip. This was built on the premise that Super-Magic would not cause any form of mana interference.

With the realization of the Magic-Conductive Chip, the girl could now pull off some truly insane feats.

Walking into the lab prepared for her, Wang Yu found Avia processing a small piece of mana material, surrounded by piles of unfinished components.

Wang Yu approached, using the Chariot Force to process the materials he knew how to handle, while Avia guided him through the rest. By the time he finished the tedious parts, the component in Avia’s hand was complete.

"Look, this is one of the cornerstone mana circuits for Tier 2 magic, and the final piece of the puzzle for this book. Just connect it, and... like this, it’s a success."

Avia smiled, showing him the fingernail-sized metal sliver. It looked unremarkable, but Wang Yu could sense the dense mana circuits with his Chariot Force. It was only a Tier 2 cornerstone, so the complexity wasn't overwhelming, but without the aid of Super-Magic, such integration would have been impossible.

Handing her the book he had seen upon entering, Wang Yu felt a surge of anticipation. The book looked exactly like the Weaver’s Book that had been destroyed during the desperate battle at the Alastair Royal City.

The girl flipped the pages to the second one, where the construction was entirely different from the old book, and inlaid the chip representing the final cornerstone circuit.

The second page became complete. As mana flooded it, the cornerstone circuits lit up simultaneously. The intricate patterns revealed to Wang Yu a beauty beyond words.

"Because of Super-Magic, the Magic-Conductive Chip you and I envisioned was realized. It took some time to plan, but I’ve finished this brand-new Weaver’s Book."

"The previous book could only simply use magic; it didn't really live up to the name 'Weaver.' But now, this book can truly 'weave' magic. I think the name 'Arcane Weaver' is quite fitting."

The girl showed him the second page, filled with Tier 2 circuits. As she spoke, her mental energy danced over the chips like fingers. Mana flowed from the power source, passing through the circuits she designated.

A blazing fireball appeared in her hand, burning fiercely.

"As long as you wish, you can combine all existing Tier 2 spells using these cornerstone circuits. If you want, you can even try to arrange spells that have never been discovered before."

Avia’s eyes sparkled. She dissipated the fireball and demonstrated further. She was clearly excited, tapping one of the chips eighteen times in rapid succession—a brand-new spell no one had ever attempted!

"Boom!"