Tang Wulin exhaled as he did some stretches, then exited his dormitory room to head to the cafeteria.

When he arrived at the cafeteria, he immediately caught sight of Jiang Wuyue. There were many people crowded around him, and all of them seemed to be engaged in a lively conversation.

Tang Wulin strode over before patting Jiang Wuyue on the back.

Jiang Wuyue turned around, and immediately smiled at the sight of him. "Are you here for a meal, brother?"

All of the other melee combat battalion soldiers around him also smiled at Tang Wulin, and there was a hint of respect within all of their smiles.

Tang Wulin may have only been a second lieutenant, but the devastating partnership he'd formed with Jiang Wuyue during the recent abyssal tide and his Violent Golden Dragon Domain remained fresh in everyone's minds, especially to the soldiers of the first melee combat battalion.

Power was always revered in the military, and the more powerful one was, the more respect they'd receive, especially in a place like the Blood God Legion. Tang Wulin's efforts on that day had reduced the number of casualties suffered by the first battalion by at least two-thirds, so how could he not be respected by these soldiers?

"What are you guys talking about? It sounds really interesting," Tang Wulin asked with a smile.

Jiang Wuyue replied, "We're talking about a match in the Star Battle Net. The third battalion commander just lost in a mecha battle, and his opponent was someone from our battalion as well. We're all wondering when such a powerful mecha pilot appeared in our western competition region. In our legion, the third battalion commander definitely ranks among the best melee combat mecha pilots when it comes to technique. However, his opponent was just as technically proficient as him, and he also possessed a superior martial soul. As a result, the third battalion commander was eliminated in just the second round, and he's so hung up mad about it that he's not even in the mood to eat."

Tang Wulin's heart stirred upon hearing this, and his lips twitched slightly, but he made the smart decision not to say anything. Instead, he merely smiled, and invited, "Let's go have some food, and you can tell me about it then."

After purchasing their food from the windows, Tang Wulin and Jiang Wuyue sat down together.

Jiang Wuyue turned to him with an intense gaze, and asked, "It was you, wasn't it?"

A wry smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face. "If that third battalion commander you're referring to is a long-saber-wielder, then it was indeed me."

Jiang Wuyue stared at Tang Wulin in a flabbergasted manner. "It really WAS you? How is that possible? Are you an expert mecha pilot as well? Are you even human anymore at this point?"

Tang Wulin cleared his throat in an awkward manner. "I simply got lucky during the match. You have to keep this a secret for me!"

Jiang Wuyue coughed, and mused, "Oh boy, I haven't had any food from the first window for a while."

Tang Wulin's expression stiffened upon hearing this. "You..."

Jiang Wuyue chuckled, "How does it feel to be on the receiving end? I'm not asking for much; I only want one portion. I'm a growing boy, so I need my nutrition!"

"Growing boy? You're already 30!" Despite what he was saying, Tang Wulin still went and bought Jiang Wuyue a portion of food from the first window. At the same time, he vowed to himself that he was never telling the truth again.

"How did you do it?" Jiang Wuyue asked as he ate.

Tang Wulin replied, "It was spear intent. I transmitted my spear intent into his mecha. He managed to block my attack, but didn't have sufficient mental fortitude and spiritual power, so he was affected by my spear intent. On top of that, I also had other defensive measures prepared at the time. If you had been my opponent instead, it would've been quite difficult to affect you with my current spear intent."

Jiang Wuyue nodded upon hearing this, but a wry smile appeared on his face. "I'm really not that good of a mecha pilot. You've seen me when I release my martial soul; I get so big that I'm about the same size of a normal mecha, so there are no mechas that are suitable for me."

Tang Wulin couldn't help but burst into laughter. This was indeed a problem for his Tyrant Dragon martial soul. However, his body was about as powerful as a mecha anyway.

Cultivate, compete, repeat... This became a simple daily routine for Tang Wulin. He spent every single day of the next half a month competing and cultivating.

The Star Battle Net provided a platform to facilitate battles in their purest form, and he didn't have to worry about excessively harming his opponent, so this was a greatly beneficial experience for him. In particular, a whole new world had been opened up to him when it came to mecha piloting skills.

The overall power of the western competition region was definitely the most lackluster in the entire federation, but don't forget that the Blood God Legion was part of this region. Tang Wulin would often face opponents from the Blood God Legion, and they were the most powerful opponents that one could face on the entire continent during the regional competitions.

Even in the same competition region, the likelihood of being paired up increased when two people were in close proximity with one another.

After Tang Wulin defeated his eighth mecha opponent, the dialogue of the electronic voice finally changed.

"The elimination stage of the western competition region has concluded, and you have progressed to the round-robin stage. There will be a total of 64 participants in the round-robin stage. The participants will be split up into eight groups, and the top four of each group will comprise the top 32 that will progress to the finals."

This was quite a simple and efficient process; it meant that he would have to participate in seven round-robin matches, and if he notched up enough wins, then he'd progress to the finals as one of the top 32 of the western competition region.

Tang Wulin had secured eight consecutive victories in both the mecha and Soul Master battle segments, and he hadn't encountered any particularly powerful opponents during this process. The most powerful opponent that he'd encountered had only been a Soul Emperor.

During these past few days of battle and cultivation, his martial soul and bloodline had completely integrated with one another, and the crystalline core within the soul power vortex was becoming more and more pronounced. He was only one step away from materializing a soul core.

"There will be three days of rest before the round-robin stage begins."

Tang Wulin's heart was immediately filled with excitement upon hearing this. Would he be able to apply for leave during those three days?

Thus, Tang Wulin immediately paid Blood One a visit.

"You want a break?" Blood One asked as he glanced at Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin was looking at him with a hopeful expression as he said, "I've been here for so long already, and you won't give me a promotion. Now that the elimination battles have ended and I've progressed in both segments, I've completed the assigned mission with extra credit, so can I just get a couple of days off? I want to go and visit the Scorching Basin and give myself some time to relax."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Blood One said, "Alright, but don't go for too long."

"Thank you, Superior!" Tang Wulin was ecstatic. After staying here for close to two months, he would finally be able to see Gu Yuena again! Was there anything more blissful than this?

He departed from Blood One's office in an elated manner before immediately dialing Gu Yuena's number.

"Gu Yue, wait for me; I can go and visit you now! I'll set off right away, and it should take me around three hours to get to where you are." He didn't have to scale all of the snowy mountains again as he could fly using his suit of two-word battle armor.

"That's great! I'll wait for you, Father." Gu Yuena's voice was trembling slightly from excitement.

Tang Wulin immediately departed from the legion base before releasing his suit of two-word battle armor. He spread open his wings and rose up into the air, flying as quickly as he could toward the Scorching Basin's direction.

The biting chill in the frosty winds cut into his body like knives, but it was immediately nullified by Tang Wulin's immense blood essence power. With his golden wings completely spread open, he looked like a massive golden bird gliding through the air. One mountain peak after another flashed past beneath him, and he was flying at an extraordinary speed.

Being able to fly was truly the best! This was conserving him a massive amount of time. Tang Wulin flapped his wings vigorously to accelerate once again. This was one of the main benefits of having a suit of two-word battle armor, and a suit of one-word battle armor was completely incomparable.

Finally, the Scorching Basin appeared in the distance, and the surrounding air temperature was clearly elevating. Tang Wulin withdrew his wings before landing onto the ground.

He didn't plan to just fly over to the Scorching Basin as there were soldiers guarding the basin, and it would be bad if he were mistaken for an intruder.

He pulled out some normal clothes from his storage ring and changed out of his military uniform before rushing toward the basin like a madman. All he wanted was to get to Gu Yue as quickly as possible.

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