Chapter 168: Enhanced Mechanical Hidden Weapons

Tang San said, "Before we set out this time, I heard while working at Kali Academy that some of their students are also venturing into the Kali Mountains for trials. It's likely that we'll encounter them. Sister Zicheng, when you're scouting later, take the opportunity to observe and see if there's any movement from them nearby. If so, pinpoint their location and maintain a distance from them."

"Uh-huh, got it. Are they strong?" Cheng Zicheng asked with interest.

Tang San nodded, with a serious look on his face. "Very strong."

The Golden Lion Dog was at the eighth order, which they definitely couldn't handle at their current level. The mayor was right behind them, but he would not reveal his presence unless strictly necessary.

From the conversation between the Golden Lion Dog and Mei Gongzi, Tang San concluded that they didn't have a teacher accompanying them. After all, the Golden Lion Dog had a golden bloodline, and if Tang San’s guess was correct, Mei Gongzi possessed a Demon Emperor’s bloodline, a supreme bloodline. Such a combination would surely allow them to protect themselves even against ninth-order demonic beasts.

Wu Bingji frowned slightly. "Why didn't you mention this before we left?"

Tang San replied, "I was afraid the teachers would worry too much, and it would affect our experience outside. With sister Ziheng scouting and maintaining our distance from them, there shouldn't be a big problem. Besides, our strength isn't what it used to be! And speaking of that, I have some things for you."

While speaking, Tang San took out a couple of items from his storage bag.

Seeing the jet-black items emitting specks of golden light, everyone couldn't help but be surprised.

The objects in front of them shimmered with a cold light. They were definitely weapons, yet they were unlike anything they had ever seen.

"What are these..." Wu Bingji asked in surprise, looking at Tang San.

Tang San explained, "I came up with these weapons alongside Teacher Zhang Haoxuan. Originally, I made them for Du Bai because, well, he's not much of a fighter. But then, I figured it wouldn’t do to just gear up one person, so I ended up making something for everyone. These hidden weapons are like the moves I showed you, senior brother, but they’re mechanical, so anyone can handle them and they pack a serious punch. I tailored each one to match your unique traits. Sister Cheng, these two are yours."

As he spoke, Tang San handed Cheng Zicheng a crossbow-like hidden weapon with an elastic shoulder strap and a cylindrical item.

Due to time constraints, Tang San could craft only a limited number of hidden weapons, and some particularly powerful ones couldn't be made overnight. They required time, and he didn't have enough for himself, let alone enough to distribute them to everyone.

Seeing the novel items, everyone, being young, was naturally very interested. "What are these?"

Cheng Zicheng took the two hidden weapons, feeling their significant weight. They shimmered coldly and felt mysteriously substantial to the touch.

Tang San smiled, "This is the Backpack Crossbow.[1] You wear it on your back. See these three crossbow bolts here? When you want to fire, bow your head, and they'll shoot from behind. It's potent when fired mid-flight, but the downside is it can only be fired once before reloading. These hidden weapons are made of black gold, which is very precious. So, you must be sure to recover the bolts after firing. There are only two bolts for each of you, and if you lose them...well, they’re lost.

"The other is a Sleeve Dart. It’s a lighter version of the same thing, and you can wear it on your wrist. Similarly, bend your wrist downward and the sleeve dart will shoot out. Depending on how you set the mechanism, you can shoot all three at once or just one at a time."

While explaining the use of the hidden weapons to Cheng Zicheng, Tang San felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if he were back in his youth in a previous life, when hidden weapons played a crucial role in his initial rise.

"Before using these two hidden weapons, I suggest you charge them first. Charging means infusing your bloodline power into the arrays on them. This will accumulate energy, so their power will be much greater when you fire them. Different bloodline powers should amplify the hidden weapons differently; I've already experimented with this."

Indeed, the biggest difference between the hidden weapons Tang San crafted this time and those he had made in his previous life lay in the arrays.

These were the evolved versions of hidden weapons, keeping up with the times!

On the Douluo Planet, thousands of years after he ascended to godhood, spirit-guided devices had emerged—soul tools. The Tang Sect, founded by him, had taken the manufacturing of these devices to its peak. Powerful soul tools were essentially advanced hidden weapons used with complex core arrays. Of course, there were even stronger ones capable of catastrophic power.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

However, the issue was that Tang San, already a god, hadn't learned to craft these soul tools. He only had the concept; how could he know how to craft them when he was already a God King and no longer in tight contact with the Douluo Planet?

Thus, he only knew the theory of soul tools and hadn’t had the chance to experiment with them. The hidden weapons he crafted now were his first experiments on integrating arrays with hidden weapons based on that theory.

More importantly, this world's energy system differed from that of the old Soul Land. Therefore, the arrays he designed also had to align with this world's bloodline energy system.

The enhanced mechanical hidden weapons thus developed were naturally much more powerful than those in his previous life. The most magical aspect was that different bloodline powers could produce different effects.

"What do you mean by different bloodline powers having different effects?" Wu Bingji asked curiously.

Tang San explained, "Simply put, if sister Cheng uses it and infuses her bloodline power, the arrows shot will have characteristics of the Golden Roc Transformation, like exceptional speed and the sharp attributes of the Golden Roc feathers, making their penetrative power even stronger. If you use it, infusing your Ice Nymph bloodline energy, then your arrows will have ice properties."

"Is that possible? Has the mayor's research on arrays reached such a level?" Cheng Zicheng examined the two hidden weapons in her hands, looking at the small core arrays engraved on them glow with a faint halo, her face filled with disbelief.

Arrays were actually taught at Redemption Academy, but only at the most basic level. The teachers didn't understand them all that deeply themselves, so how could they teach more to their pupils? Seeing such a miraculous application was simply shocking.

Tang San picked up two relatively larger objects and handed them to Du Bai, "These are for you, brother Du Bai. Due to the time constraints, I only made this pair of Godly Zhuge Crossbows for you. I'll also make some other things for you to arm you to the teeth."

Du Bai excitedly took the two Godly Zhuge Crossbows. They were rather heavy, but he had been undergoing a certain teacher’s physical training drills, so even at his age and size, using them was no problem.

"How do you use this Godly Zhuge Crossbow?" he asked curiously.

Tang San replied, "After focusing your bloodline power, just pull the trigger here, and it's ready to use. In terms of sheer power, it's the strongest among these hidden weapons. Each Godly Zhuge Crossbow can fire thirty-six small bolts. I'm also eager to see the effect of the crossbow when you use the energy of your Celestial Fox bloodline. You might not even need to aim. The luck control of the Celestial Fox Vision will guide them to hit your target. Well...no, on second thought, maybe it’s for the best to aim a bit before shooting. I'll show you how to use it later."

He then handed one Sleeve Dart each to Wu Bingji and Gu Li, and with this, the whole team was armed.

1. The original name here is 紧背低头弩, which literally means “tense-back head-lowering crossbow.” ☜