Ironclad: How can hand-crafted knight belts not be considered genius?

The River of Oblivion is perpetually shrouded in a hazy, gray light. Ran looked at Jiang Ning, who was wearing a pig's head mask, and nodded slightly.

"Great job, Xiao Ning'er! You got it right away, saving me a lot of trouble."

"Ran" refers to a masked woman.

Although it didn't sound like a real name, Jiang Ning didn't press the matter further.

After all, everyone in the universe has multiple identities, like Huang Quan or Liu Ying. A name is just a code name, and there's no need to dig too deep.

That concludes today's theory lesson.

The two stood up together, Jiang Ning's eyes shining brightly.

A genius is a genius indeed; the knowledge and logical thinking he teaches cannot be grasped simply by reading books.

Although it was rather profound, Jiang Ning, blessed with divine talent, didn't feel tired at all throughout the entire lesson; on the contrary, his mind became clearer and clearer.

At this rate, replicating and perfecting the "Zea" satellite won't take more than a few years.

But a few years is still too long.

The Star Train has already departed, and the main storyline is just around the corner.

Huanlong, Dominix, and Iron Curtain and Laigushi who would casually use the entire universe as a cannonball... Just thinking about these opponents made Jiang Ning feel ridiculously insignificant.

He's still far from it; he needs to become stronger much faster.

He grabbed Ran's sleeve, his eyes burning with an urgent thirst for knowledge.

"Teacher, I'm feeling great, can I learn a little more? Let's increase the workload!"

Ran paused for a moment, looking at the boy's eagerness to become stronger, and the corners of her mouth under the mask quietly curved up.

"They are quite ambitious."

I know you're anxious and want to quickly build up your own strength to protect yourself.

Jiang Ning scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed, after his secret was exposed.

"Being ambitious is a good thing, but being too eager for quick success will only backfire."

"Don't rush. I have a new idea about the problem you mentioned before."

Ran gave him a look, and Jiang Ning immediately understood. With a slight flick of his wrist, the Boundless Hand Box flashed with a faint light, and the Build Driver landed in his palm.

Jiang Ning has already told Ran about "Zea", so there's no need to keep the Creator Driver a secret any longer.

He revealed everything without holding back, including the driver's structure, transformation rules, and the logic behind increasing the danger level.

Trying to figure it out on your own in isolation is too slow. Having this genius who has seen the stars and all things guide you is the fastest way to break the deadlock.

Even someone as knowledgeable as Ran had never heard of "nebula gas," an otherworldly energy.

She reached out and took the cold driver, then looked up at Jiang Ning.

"You said before that the upper limit of this driver is tied to its own danger level, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded and waited quietly for her to continue.

"Since we can't find the nebula gas, we can just take a different approach—as your own strength increases, the danger level will naturally rise as well."

Jiang Ning's face fell instantly, filled with disappointment.

"My dear teacher, do you think I haven't thought about this path?"

Ordinary training yielded minimal results, and as the danger level increased, the difficulty multiplied exponentially, simply not keeping pace with the speed I needed.

So that's why~

A mischievous smile lurked in Ran's eyes, and her tone was mysterious.

"Today I'll take you down an unconventional path."

Before Jiang Ning could ask any further questions, she quickly moved closer to Huang Quan, stood on tiptoe, and whispered something in her ear.

Huang Quan immediately frowned, his eyes filled with hesitation as he looked at Ran.

"Are you... sure you're not just teasing him?"

"Oh dear, Mei, look at you, taking things too seriously again."

It's just a matter of tempering his character.

Ran waved her hand dismissively, her tone relaxed, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

"This kid is progressing too fast and getting too cocky. If he doesn't get a good beating, he'll stumble sooner or later."

Don't worry, the mask I gave him can block most of the void's erosion, so nothing will go wrong.

Besides, we still have you, the Void Envoy, to back us up. As the old saying goes, great things require enduring hardship first.

Seeing that Huang Quan was still hesitant, Ran Ya whispered, deciding to add the most crucial spark.

"...one peach at a time (ˉ▽￣～) (whispering)"

Huang Quan's expression hardened, and he readily agreed.

"Okay (serious face)."

Jiang Ning stood there, watching the two discuss things privately, feeling utterly puzzled.

The next second, Huang Quan walked straight up to him, grabbed him by the back of his collar with one hand, and lifted him up like a kitten.

Jiang Ning's mind went blank. Before he could react, he was thrown violently into the surging waters of the River of Oblivion below.

With a "plop," the icy cold water instantly enveloped my entire body.

As the aura of the living entered the River of Oblivion, the Blood Sin Spirits lurking at the bottom of the river instantly went berserk. Countless dark shadows swarmed in along the current, their shrieks piercing and chilling.

"Hey bro, don't go!"

Wait for me! Wait until I catch up with you, I'll give you my life!

Hearing the shrill voice coming from behind him, Jiang Ning felt a chill run down his spine.

"Who wants your life?! Get lost!"

Jiang Ning swam towards the shore with all his might, several times faster than usual.

After finally climbing back up the slippery cliff, he was soaking wet and shivering from the cold. He rushed to the top of the cliff, panting heavily.

"Old woman! It must have been your bad idea!"

Is this the shortcut you were talking about?

You know you almost fed me with blood from the sinful spirits?!

At the top of the cliff, Ran and Huang Quan each held a pink peach in their hands.

Ran watched with great amusement, while Huang Quan remained expressionless, head down, munching on a peach, avoiding Jiang Ning's scrutiny as if he had done something wrong.

The next moment, the two exchanged a glance, and in unison, kicked Jiang Ning, who was losing his balance, back into the river.

"grass--!!!!"

The boy's angry curses and the roars of the Blood Sin Spirit mingled together, drifting far away in the deathly silent River of Oblivion.

…………

Day after day, thick stacks of calculation papers were always piled up on the stone table by the cliff.

Even with a mask to counteract the erosion of nothingness, Jiang Ning is ultimately just an ordinary person who hasn't yet embarked on his destiny.

The surrounding emptiness constantly disturbed his thoughts, and often when he was halfway through a calculation, the logic he had derived earlier would become unclear.

He could only endure his mental turmoil, rely on willpower to stabilize his mind, and painstakingly work through the complex formulas.

With the final stroke completed, Jiang Ning collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, his clothes soaked with sweat.

Since unlocking [Godly Talent], he has never been this tired.

Ran picked up the manuscript and flipped through it line by line, nodding slightly after a while.

"Alright, Xiao Ning'er, you've mastered everything I know."

Congratulations on successfully completing your apprenticeship!

Sprinkling flowers! (/^▽^)/～」

Jiang Ning didn't even have the strength to lift his head; only one thought remained in his mind—he had finally endured this hellish special training.

He looked up at the solitary, dark red sun in the sky, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away.

Huang Quan quietly squatted down beside him and handed him a peach.

"Congratulations."

The word "simple" evokes a sense of coolness and gentleness.

Jiang Ning took it, wiped it casually a couple of times, and took a big bite. The sweet juice washed away the dryness and fatigue in her throat.

After resting for a while, he slowly stood up, his body aching.

Huang Quan gazed at him quietly, her eyes no longer showing the indifference of their first meeting, but rather a deeper sense of genuine recognition.

She witnessed all of Jiang Ning's perseverance and suffering during this period.

Having withstood Ran's almost obsessive teaching and undergone a complete transformation, this young man is destined for greatness.

"Pack up, we should leave."

Huang Quan reminded him softly.

"Can we leave now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning's eyes lit up again.

"But my spaceship crashed when it was pulled in by the gravity of the cosmic rift... How am I supposed to get back to the space station?"