Chapter 34: One Thousand vs Four Thousand? The Advantage Is Mine!
Damn it!
I risked life and limb just to obtain two talent secret arts…
One is a dime-a-dozen kind of thing;
The other is basically old junk with a fresh coat of paint.
Jiang Zhe was mentally cursing nonstop.
He had expected that someone bold enough to call themselves a "special lifeform" had to have some real power behind it.
Sure enough, Oriana promptly transmitted the detailed information of her three innate secret arts to him.
Jiang Zhe checked them one by one.
---
First: [Proxy]!
— As a fully subservient mechanical-type special lifeform, Oriana is restricted by the Origin Will of the Primal Universe and cannot comprehend universal law on her own.
— However, she can perfectly inherit and utilize all of her master's insights, including but not limited to breakthroughs in cultivation realms, comprehension of universal laws, body amplitude techniques, and combat secret arts.
— If her master faces mortal danger, his soul can merge with Oriana's body and be reborn through her, transforming her from a subservient mechanical lifeform into a true special lifeform of the universe.
— Once master and servant fuse, the [Proxy] ability disappears, and the law comprehension restrictions are lifted.
These four lines of description hit Jiang Zhe like a barrage of cannon fire. He stood in stunned silence for several moments.
"Horrifying!"
"The Primal Universe can actually birth such a purely sacrificial type of talent?"
"Once recognizing a master, it's equivalent to carrying a revive token around. As long as my soul remains intact, I can be 'reborn' by possessing her and start my cultivation path anew in a new form!"
Wait—possess?
Jiang Zhe froze.
Mechanical or metal lifeforms aren't supposed to have souls, right? So they can't be harmed through soul attacks… Then this isn't exactly possession, is it?
He didn't overthink it, chalking it up to the special nature of the [Proxy] secret art.
"A perfect backup plan!"
"After the possession, all comprehension of laws and combat techniques would transfer seamlessly. No adaptation needed at all."
Then Jiang Zhe suddenly shook his head.
"No—that's the worst possible use of this secret art. Possession completely ignores what [Proxy] truly represents."
"Proxy—walking the path of Heaven, bearing the will of gods!"
"Oriana can use my 'Dao' to gain tremendous power, slay enemies, and proclaim my will and prestige!"
"Others might see her race talent and instantly think to use it for possession. Like with the Duko Clan—any race with a hundred-times gene base as a realm lord would have even Universe Venerables drooling, trying to capture and gift it to their prodigy descendants."
"But I'm different. I have a clear path forward. Unlike Luo Feng, I wasn't born with weak talent and don't need to rely on the Golden-Horned Beast to rise quickly."
"Possessing Oriana would be a huge downgrade for me!"
"But keeping her around as a subservient lifeform—when I grow stronger, Oriana can mirror my methods using [Proxy]. She'd practically be a second version of me!"
"Two of me, helping each other climb to the top step by step… If I really become a Hunyuan Lord one day, then we'd have two Hunyuan Lords with the same set of powers!"
"Imagine that—two blade-dao-focused Hunyuan Lords like Luo Feng. That'd be a nightmare for the natural-born Hunyuan faction."
Jiang Zhe laughed and shook his head. "Still, this all depends on the upper limits of [Proxy]."
"If it's influenced by the 'Ancient Tree' inside me, then the ceiling should be incredible."
"If the talent is purely constructed by the Origin Will of the Primal Universe, then who knows how far it can reach."
"But at minimum, it should be on the level of Universe Master—or even the strongest in the universe."
"A top-tier among subservient lifeforms!"
"Even the Star-Eating Grass became nearly obsolete once Luo Feng broke through to the Immortal level."
"But Oriana can keep up with me all the way. At the very least, she should reach Universe Master or Universe Pinnacle level."
Jiang Zhe took several deep breaths, calming his excited nerves.
And this was just the first secret art—who knows what surprises the others hold?
---
Next: [Mechanical Pioneer]!
— A sage of mechanical creation, able to fully analyze the technological principles within any target and perfectly replicate them. Can even extrapolate and evolve that knowledge into more advanced tech.
Jiang Zhe scratched his head and chuckled, "Should I send you to the Virtual Universe Company's tech department to develop new tech for the human race?"
"If that is your will, I will obey," Oriana said, bowing slightly like a polite doll.
"Haha, I'm just kidding. We'll talk about serving humanity once I become a Universe Venerable or Universe Master. For now, the weak only exist to pay tribute upwards. Just like…"
He stopped mid-sentence and swallowed the rest.
"Just like Earth in the future. It might legally belong to Luo Feng, but who really respects that?"
"Even some descendants of Universe Masters in Giant Axe Dojo want to kill Luo Feng and take Earth for themselves."
"Who knows what backdoor secret arts might exist out there to forcibly sever the bond between a master and a subservient lifeform?"
With that in mind, Jiang Zhe warned her mentally:
"Anna, you can analyze and replicate tech—but never reveal your ability to extrapolate and advance it."
"I will obey."
Jiang Zhe was very satisfied.
Compared to Babata—that half-mentor, half-friend AI—being with Oriana felt much more comfortable.
He then looked at the last secret art.
---
Third: [Master of Matter]!
— A growth-type secret art that allows the user to devour natural materials one level above their current tier to enhance themselves.
— Can analyze the particle structure of any consumed material and recreate that material—at the same tier—by expending energy.
"Alchemy? Turning stone into gold?"
That was the first thought that popped into Jiang Zhe's head.
At first, it seemed incredibly shocking. Creating matter out of thin air!
But thinking deeper, it wasn't that absurd.
The Nine Nether Master could create life using secret arts—so Oriana recreating existing materials didn't seem too overpowered in comparison.
[Master of Matter] and [Mechanical Pioneer] complemented each other, forming a foundational ability set for the road to "mechanical ascension."
For example:
— While her left hand is analyzing a spaceship's structure, her right hand could be assembling a new one from scratch by converting energy into matter.
"Can you absorb this?" Jiang Zhe handed her an SS-grade flying knife.
"I can."
Oriana accepted the knife with both hands and brought it to her chest. A gem embedded in her brass-colored core glowed red, pulling the knife into a fist-sized bronze sphere.
Jiang Zhe blinked. "Anna, you have an internal world?"
"Yes, Master. The [Master of Matter] ability requires one. It lets me store and break down large volumes of natural materials."
Very similar to the Golden-Horned Beast's [Devour] secret art… Jiang Zhe thought to himself.
Oriana added, "My internal world is located in this primary core. I've also formed three additional cores. Two are secondary and can be regenerated even if destroyed."
Jiang Zhe nodded—this made sense.
Every being in the universe has just one internal world, usually within their core/nucleus/crystal.
Even Luo Feng's clones—the human body, Mosha Clan body, and Nine Nether Sea—don't each have one.
Only the Golden-Horned Beast's original nucleus has an internal world.
Oriana naturally followed the same rules. Her main body carries the primary core, while all doll clones are just extensions of that body.
Similar to the clone techniques used by Candley, guardian of the Chaos Monument—only far more advanced.
"Master, I've completed the analysis. The flying knife is made from planetary beast tissues, A3 Gold, A6 Blue-Gold..."
Jiang Zhe raised a hand to stop her. "No need. That's enough."
He also warned, "Anna—on Earth, only show the devouring ability. Do not reveal that you can create matter."
Oriana had been about to generate a chunk of A6 Blue-Gold on the spot.
Thankfully—
Even the strongest beings in the universe can't hear their mental conversations;
They can't instantly measure the genetic level of new lifeforms, only estimate;
And they certainly can't see what secret arts they possess.
That gave Jiang Zhe and Oriana plenty of room to keep secrets—even in the face of possible future time-rewind events.
After all, Luo Feng's training in the [Nine Tribulations Tome] had been observed during a time-recall by the founder of Giant Axe.
---
"Anna, come back."
With a thought, Jiang Zhe commanded Oriana to return.
Her physical form turned translucent and disintegrated, leaving behind only a fist-sized brass core.
It flew to him and merged with his skin.
It felt like wearing a cool metal suit—very comfortable.
He could clearly feel Oriana's burning will: absolute loyalty within, icy arrogance and dominance without.
A perfect fit for a "Proxy."
---
"Master, do you want me to take over your communication device and monitor human networks?"
"Also, I can sense a vast virtual world enveloping us from above—should I take you in?"
Oriana was getting into her role as a smart AI assistant.
Jiang Zhe quickly said, "Do the first. Ignore the second!"
"As you wish."
She didn't ask why and immediately began infiltrating Earth's network.
Jiang Zhe mentally explained, "Anna, I'm a native. My consciousness in the 'Virtual Universe Network' is unregistered—unauthorized. Even if you force me in, I'll just get kicked out."
Oriana frowned slightly. "Master, I can suppress most AIs with ease. A mere virtual world shouldn't stop us."
"No, Anna, it's not just a 'virtual world.' That's the Virtual Universe—crafted by one of the strongest humans using secret techniques."
"The one managing its operations is a mechanical clan powerhouse, second only to the creator himself. We're no match for them—best not to poke the hornet's nest."
Jiang Zhe sighed, "You and I still don't understand the vastness of this universe. We must tread carefully."
Oriana fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "Master, you're right. While digging through Earth's networks, I found two 'visitors from the universe.' From their memories, I caught a glimpse of how immense the universe truly is."
Jiang Zhe's eyes narrowed. "Two of them? Where?"
"One is deep in the Amazon jungle—your people call it Ruin Site No. 9."
"The other is 926.8 km northwest of here and 10.6 km underground, inside a blood-red spaceship."
Jiang Zhe twitched. That level of detail…
So she's already found the bald crystal man from Site 9—and Babata too.
"You interacted with them?"
"Not without your permission, Master. I merely peeked into their shallow memories—they didn't notice. Their deeper memories are better guarded, and I couldn't risk tripping alarms."
"That's already amazing!" Jiang Zhe sighed with genuine admiration.
He now had a whole new understanding of Oriana's level—she could rival the mechanical clan itself… or even surpass it.
A name like [Mechanical Pioneer] wasn't just for show.
---
"Master, both come from a now-destroyed power called 'Yin Mo Star.' They're looking for a worthy spiritual force cultivator to inherit their legacy. I suggest you give it a try."
Jiang Zhe was silent for a moment before asking, "Anna, can you completely subdue them?"
"No problem—but only if we're face to face," she answered confidently.
Jiang Zhe smiled. "Great. Let's go visit the closer one and see what cosmic inheritance they're guarding."
He wasn't opposed to joining the Yin Mo Star lineage. He didn't care about karmic ties.
He just didn't want Babata.
And he didn't want that soul imprint for inheritance.
He had secrets he couldn't share with Babata.
The inheritance soul seal was the key to taking over the Golden-Horned Beast—it would be a waste to use it himself.
Channeling his spiritual force, Jiang Zhe prepared to tunnel back to the surface to reach Mist Island, using the coordinates Oriana gave him.
---
"Wait—Master, there's one more thing."
"What is it?" Jiang Zhe paused.
"Around 140 km away, 300 meters up in the air, a councilor nearly at full planetary stage is searching for you—he wants to steal your Eight-Treasure Tuolong Spear."
"Who?"
"Li Nansheng," Oriana replied. "Earth's strongest man, Hong, is following behind him to protect you."
Li Nansheng?
Jiang Zhe's memories stirred, and he grimaced.
Another round of "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
Poor guy still couldn't escape the fate from the original timeline.
---
"Master, do you want me to intervene?"
"No rush. First, help me test my spiritual force strength—you can do that, right?"
Jiang Zhe remembered that even the auxiliary AI from Site 9 could do that. Oriana should be able to as well.
"Master, your spiritual power allows a flying knife to strike with a maximum impact force of… 1,062 tons!"
"Over 1,000 tons?" Jiang Zhe beamed.
"You said that guy's physical strength is nearly 2,000 tons, and with gene energy, maybe 4,000 total?"
"Haha! One thousand against four thousand—and the advantage is mine!"
---
Honestly, I've been on edge these last few days, watching the collection count climb from 500 and beyond. It's blown me away.
For context—my previous beast taming novel had 2,500 collections when it launched, and it ended with just 1,000 average subscriptions.
But now, you've let me taste the feeling of breaking 7,000 collections during the launch phase… Thank you all!