Chi Yu didn’t expect Yun Xingze to fight back and provoke him. After freezing for a few seconds, he left with a dark face, throwing out a cold “We’ll see.” Su Zinan was also scared and quickly followed Chi Yu.
“Xingze, go back and get some rest,” Lu Ranxu said. “You worked hard today.”
Zhuo Feiyue also nodded to Yun Xingze. “You did really well. Keep it up.”
Yun Xingze had almost run out of strength by now. He took a deep breath, boarded the school aircraft, and decided to go back for a good meal.
The day after the competition, Yun Xingze naturally became the hottest topic at Starsea Military Academy.
On one section of the school forum, half the posts were about Luo Wenchuan:
“Did Luo Wenchuan really show his full strength this year?”
“Will Luo Wenchuan break records again next year?”
“Can Luo Wenchuan lead the school team to the semi-finals?”
The other half of the posts were about Yun Xingze:
“Is the first-place freshman really an Omega?”
“Did that Omega cheat?”
“I seriously don’t believe an Omega could get better results than me.”
People couldn’t stop debating about Yun Xingze’s real strength.
“I watched the video. Yun Xingze is definitely a tactical genius but we don’t know if he made the strategy himself. Without teammates, he probably wouldn’t have passed the preliminaries. His stamina and mental strength are weak.”
“But he did well near the finish line. When he slashed those three mechas at the knees, his speed, power, and accuracy were on par with Class A pilots.”
“True. His knowledge of mecha structure isn’t normal. We all know hitting the knees makes a mecha lose balance, but not many can take down an enemy with one strike. He must really know mechas well.”
“His sprint at the end was impressive too. That speed was close to Luo Wenchuan’s, right?”
“Let’s not exaggerate. Yun Xingze isn’t that strong.”
“Exactly. I heard he failed the fitness test when he enrolled. How could he compare to Luo Wenchuan?”
Most of the posters were students who analyzed competitions seriously. Every year after the prelims, they did detailed breakdowns. Among all four-year levels, aside from Luo Wenchuan, Yun Xingze became a valuable subject for analysis.
Even after long discussions, no one could agree on Yun Xingze’s real strength. But they did agree on one thing his strategy would likely change the way future preliminaries were played.
Zhuo Feiyue also saw the posts. He loved to browse the forums quietly and read all the gossip. Seeing that the “Mecha Section” only talked about Luo Wenchuan and Yun Xingze made him feel incredibly proud.
After that pride passed, Zhuo Feiyue’s face became serious.
In a previous practical class, Yun Xingze had started a B-class mecha with C-level mental strength. Zhuo Feiyue had assumed it was a fluke maybe the mecha had malfunctioned. But after watching Yun Xingze’s performance in the preliminaries, he started to have other thoughts…
Could it be that Yun Xingze could operate above his level?
The thought shocked Zhuo Feiyue.
Across the whole Interstellar Empire, very few people could control a mecha above their level. If any existed, they were top-level experts hidden in the military. Even counting the neighboring Interstellar Alliance, there were less than ten.
How could Yun Xingze, a C-level Omega, be that kind of genius?
Zhuo Feiyue knew it was unlikely, but he couldn’t shake the thought. So he went to find Yun Xingze in the Omega boys’ dormitory.
After the preliminaries, Yun Xingze had collapsed on his bed from exhaustion. For the first time in a long while, he slept in naturally no need to work, no fear of being expelled.
He didn’t expect Zhuo Feiyue to show up early in the morning, bringing breakfast for both him and Lu Ranxu.
Yun Xingze quickly thanked him. As they ate, Zhuo Feiyue got straight to the point he wanted to speak to Yun Xingze alone.
Yun Xingze thought the teacher had come to praise him for the competition. But when Zhuo Feiyue led him to a mental strength refinement room, he was surprised.
“Teacher, are we here to train mental strength?” he asked.
“Not today,” Zhuo Feiyue replied, his eyes full of thoughts. “This is the best refinement room in school usually only for the school team. The team for this year hasn’t been selected yet. Technically, I shouldn’t bring you here, but…”
He paused. He wanted to ask: Can you really control a higher-level mecha? But as a teacher, it felt too irresponsible to say it outright.
So instead, he said, “Let’s test your mental strength first.”
Zhuo Feiyue wanted to confirm Yun Xingze’s actual mental level. If the mecha was B-class, and Yun Xingze was C-level, then maybe he could control above his level.
Yun Xingze nodded, thinking the teacher was just being caring before the next match. He put on the test helmet, closed his eyes, and seriously focused his mental strength to start the device.
Zhuo Feiyue held his breath and stared at the screen.
A few minutes later, the results appeared on the screen. Yun Xingze opened his eyes and was stunned.
A big letter “B” appeared.
His mental strength had reached B-level.
Yun Xingze was confused. When did it level up? Before or after the match?
Then he remembered in the final stretch of the preliminaries, while chasing Class A’s three mechas, he had suddenly felt that everything became smoother, easier like some restriction had been lifted.
Thinking back, that must have been the moment his mental strength jumped from C to B.
Breaking through C-level was a big leap in quality. More importantly, he now knew he really could operate mechas above his level.
With his mental strength now at B-level, driving an A-class mecha wasn’t far off.
Beside him, Zhuo Feiyue breathed a sigh of relief. I must’ve been crazy, he thought. Why did I ever think Yun Xingze could control above level? If he had said it out loud, Yun Xingze probably would’ve laughed at him.
“You’ve improved one level since the start of school. That’s impressive,” Zhuo Feiyue praised. “Very few students level up this quickly. Keep training and raise both your stamina and mental strength.”
He was being honest. Even if Yun Xingze couldn’t control above level, his fast progress was still impressive.
Yun Xingze took off the helmet and nodded seriously. “I will.”
Then he asked, “Teacher, was today just for the mental test?”
“There’s one more thing.” Zhuo Feiyue’s face turned serious. “Your lightsaber mecha is second-hand, right? I noticed during the match many of its parts are simplified, and its functions are limited.”
“You have sharp eyes,” Yun Xingze admitted. “It’s a second-hand C-class mecha.”
“The solo PK match is in three days,” Zhuo Feiyue said. “Now that your mental strength has increased, it’s time to upgrade that mecha. We don’t have time for big changes, but you can still add parts.”
He added, “The solo match includes all four grade levels, with pilots ranging from B to SS level. Most are B and A. If your mecha stays C-class, you’ll be at a big disadvantage.”
Yun Xingze knew that, but said awkwardly, “I had a fight with my family… I don’t have enough money to upgrade it.”
Zhuo Feiyue understood. He thought for a moment and said, “The first-place prize from the preliminaries was 50,000 star coins, right?”
Yun Xingze’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Really,” Zhuo Feiyue nodded. “If that’s not enough, you can borrow from me anytime.”
“I can’t… that would feel wrong…” Yun Xingze scratched his head, unused to owing favors especially to an older teacher like him.
“As long as you win in the mecha tournament, I’ll support you fully,” Zhuo Feiyue said seriously. “I can give you money now.”
“No, no… really, that’s too much.” Yun Xingze was overwhelmed.
Soon after, Zhuo Feiyue transferred him 50–60,000-star coins. Then the school sent him his prize money. In total, he had around 100,000 star coins.
It wasn’t enough for top-tier parts, but it was more than enough for Yun Xingze’s needs.
Looking at the money, Yun Xingze felt that if he didn’t do well in the tournament, he’d let Zhuo Feiyue down.
He looked at the teacher. “I’ll do my best. I don’t know how to repay you…”
Zhuo Feiyue smiled. “Alright, alright. I already told the other teachers you’re this year’s dark horse. Don’t let me down!”
With only three days left, Yun Xingze began upgrading his mecha. His lightsaber mecha had only one sword he wanted to add a second. The left-hand cannon was too weak needed an upgrade. The finger and knee joints were deformed had to be replaced. Internal neural threads and the turbo system also needed updates…
Adding everything up, he needed a lot of parts. If he bought everything brand new from the school’s mecha factory, 100,000 star coins wouldn’t be enough.
He looked at his long materials list, then crossed off a few items.
“Nanotech pilot suit…” he muttered, frowning.
Normally, used mechas require new pilot suits. But the previous owner had taken great care of the suit. It looked very clean.
“Forget it, I’ll just use it for now,” Yun Xingze sighed. “I’ll change it when I have money.”
Anyway, the previous owner didn’t know he bought the mecha. And the suit… still had a light mint scent and felt comfortable to wear
