Converted into Money

“Martial Saint Huo, this…”

Nie Changkong could not help but speak up.

“Su Yuan’s identity is still supposed to remain confidential. If we issue him a Nation-Guardian-grade battle armor outright, won’t that arouse the suspicion of those traitors in the upper ranks?”

Huo Zhenshan gave a cold snort.

“What’s there to fear?”

“Su Yuan slew a Demon Saint and saved the capital. Those are undeniable achievements!”

“I, Huo Zhenshan, will personally vouch for him. Who would dare say a single word against it?!”

He turned to Su Yu, his gaze exceptionally serious.

“Young Su Yuan, battle armor is an indispensable trump card for high-level martial artists.”

“A set of Nation-Guardian-grade battle armor can not only perfectly withstand a full-powered strike from a Martial Emperor, but also directly double your own combat strength!”

Double his combat strength?

Su Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

It certainly sounded impressive.

With his current nine million units of Dark-Gold Divine Blood, doubling his power would give him destructive force capable of crushing an ordinary Martial Saint with ease.

However…

Huo Zhenshan’s next words left Su Yu completely stunned.

“But…”

Huo Zhenshan changed his tone, his eyes becoming unfathomably deep.

“You need to understand that battle armor is ultimately only a transitional tool.”

“In this world, the ultimate weapon that truly determines the victor of a nation-destroying war isn’t battle armor.”

“It’s—a mecha!”

A mecha?!

A flash of surprise crossed Su Yu’s eyes.

Ever since transmigrating to this world, all he had heard about was martial arts, vital energy, and battle armor.

This was the first time he had heard the word “mecha” from the mouth of a Nation-Guardian Martial Saint.

“That’s right. A mecha.”

Huo Zhenshan rose to his feet, clasping his hands behind his back. His voice carried an unmistakable fervor and awe.

“Battle armor is merely a layer of defensive plating fitted to the human body.”

“A mecha, on the other hand, is a true beast of war!”

“Battle armor can double a martial artist’s combat strength.”

Huo Zhenshan raised one finger and stared fixedly at Su Yu.

“But a top-tier mecha…”

“Can multiply a martial artist’s combat strength tenfold!!!”

Tenfold!!!

Su Yu’s heart gave a violent thump.

Nine million units of Dark-Gold Divine Blood multiplied tenfold—that meant destructive power equivalent to ninety million units of Dark-Gold Divine Blood!

And if he added his perfected martial techniques and Soul-Forging Spear Intent…

The sheer image of it was almost unimaginable!

“However…”

Nie Changkong gave a wry smile and shook his head as he picked up the conversation.

“Su Yuan, mechas are still far too distant from you at your current level.”

“Because they’re simply too expensive.”

Nie Changkong let out a sigh.

“The cost of a mecha can no longer be measured in money.”

“The materials needed to build one are all peerless treasures found in the deepest reaches of the Abyss, or celestial meteoric iron from beyond the nine heavens.”

“Even more crucial is the forging technique!”

“Ordinary blacksmiths simply cannot fuse those violent energy materials together.”

“Only the few most elite divine smiths in the Great Xia Kingdom have the qualifications to work with mecha blueprints.”

Huo Zhenshan nodded in agreement.

“That’s true.”

“Even this set of compensation—a Nation-Guardian-grade battle armor—was forcibly allocated from the military’s treasury using my special authority.”

“As for a mecha, even I cannot promise you one directly.”

“But I can apply to the Supreme Command. Given your achievements this time, you will definitely have a chance to obtain a mecha of your own in the future.”

Huo Zhenshan looked at Su Yu and added earnestly,

“Besides, there is a universally acknowledged truth in the martial arts world.”

“Whether it’s battle armor or a mecha, only one personally forged by the martial artist themselves can best match the circulation patterns of their vital energy.”

“They say that if a divine-grade mecha is perfectly attuned to its user’s soul…”

“It can even unleash a hundredfold increase in a martial artist’s combat strength!”

A hundredfold!

Su Yu’s breathing grew heavier despite himself.

“If that’s the case…”

Su Yu looked at Huo Zhenshan and asked a very practical question.

“Then why doesn’t everyone learn forging themselves?”

Huo Zhenshan and Nie Changkong exchanged glances and smiled helplessly.

“How could it be that easy?”

Huo Zhenshan shook his head.

“Forging is a profession that places extraordinary demands on both talent and accumulated experience.”

“It requires vast amounts of time to study materials science, energy circuit theory, and array inscription.”

“Even an ordinary martial artist could spend their entire life studying forging and still fail to master it.”

“Besides, martial arts cultivation is like rowing against the current: if you do not advance, you regress.”

“If you waste a great deal of time hammering metal, you will inevitably hinder your progress in martial arts.”

“Putting the cart before the horse is one of the greatest taboos in martial arts!”

Huo Zhenshan patted Su Yu on the shoulder, his tone especially solemn.

“Young Su Yuan, your talent in martial arts is unprecedented.”

“Your task now is to focus on cultivation and strive to break through to the true Martial Saint realm as soon as possible.”

“As for forging—something that would only waste your time—you absolutely must not dabble in it!”

“It is practically impossible to excel at both.”

“If you need any equipment, the military will do everything in its power to provide it for you!”

The meeting room fell silent.

Huo Zhenshan and Nie Changkong both looked at Su Yu.

In their eyes, such generous rewards, together with the promise of a mecha in the future, were more than enough to make any martial artist feel overwhelmed with gratitude and burn with excitement.

However…

Su Yu sank into a long silence.

He lowered his head and stared at the tabletop.

His deep, transparent eyes darted rapidly as his thoughts raced.

Waste time?

Impossible to excel at both?

That was only true for ordinary people!

As far as he was concerned, as long as he had money—as long as he could charge it into the system—

Forget forging. Even the laws of the Creator could be forcibly pushed to perfection with billions upon billions of years of cultivation.

Time had never been what he lacked most.

Money was!

As long as he had enough money, he could personally forge an invincible mecha capable of multiplying his combat strength a hundredfold!

Since Nation-Guardian-grade battle armor was so expensive…

Since the materials for mechas could not even be measured in monetary terms…

That meant that if these things were converted into cash, they would amount to an astronomical figure beyond imagination!

Su Yu slowly raised his head.

He looked at Huo Zhenshan and Nie Changkong, who were waiting expectantly for his response.

His expression was exceptionally serious.

There was not the slightest hint of a joke in it.

“Martial Saint Huo, Principal Nie…”

Su Yu’s voice was calm.

“I’m a rather vulgar person.”

“I like money.”

He pointed at the Nation-Guardian-grade battle armor that had yet to be issued, as well as the vague promise of a mecha.

“These various rewards, including that battle armor…”

“Could you…”

“Convert all of them into cash and transfer it directly to my account?”

Silence.

A deathly silence.

In that top-secret meeting room, the air froze completely in an instant.

Huo Zhenshan’s hand, holding his teacup, stopped in midair.

The composure Nie Changkong had just assumed collapsed at once, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

The two of them stared at Su Yu as though he were an alien.

Their minds buzzed loudly.

C—convert it into cash?!

Are you fucking insane?!

A Nation-Guardian-grade battle armor—was that something money could buy?!

It represented identity, status, and a life-saving trump card!

You’re a Peerless God of Slaughter capable of slaughtering a Demon Saint, yet you turn down supreme divine gear powerful enough to suppress an entire nation.

And you expect us to believe that you just like money?!

What do you need so much money for?!

To buy yourself some spare ribs?!

The corner of Huo Zhenshan’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

In all his years, he had seen countless geniuses—some asked for cultivation techniques, some for divine weapons, and others for high office and great wealth.

But someone as utterly bizarre as this, who opened his mouth and demanded to cash in a national treasure…

This was damn well the first time he’d ever seen one!