Starting from the second academic year of the first grade, first-year students could opt for the Mecha Driving course.
Jing Shaoyu, Gu Yue, and Na'er all signed up for this course.
Today was the Mecha Practical Class. Jing Shaoyu, along with Gu Yue and Na'er, arrived together at the Mecha Training Grounds of Shrek Outer Academy, located in the southwest corner of the academy. The training grounds were vast and expansive.
At the moment, dozens of white basic training Mecha were parked on the training field. Apart from them, there was only a tall middle-aged teacher and a dozen or so first-year students. The students stood in a row, listening to the teacher's instructions.
The middle-aged teacher was named Duan Shang, a Black-level Mecha Master.
"Today, we will continue with the basic control exercises for Mecha," Duan Shang said in a deep voice. "Now, board your training Mecha and activate the communication devices."
"Yes!"
Everyone turned and ran towards their respective training Mecha.
The white basic Mecha was a standard training Mecha used across the Federation, standing twelve meters tall. It carried no weapons or equipment and, apart from training, couldn't even be used for industrial construction—it was quite rudimentary.
Jing Shaoyu skillfully entered his assigned Training Mecha One, activated the communication device, and connected to the public signal frequency. "Training Mecha One, ready."
Driving this white-level training Mecha posed no difficulty for Jing Shaoyu. After all, he was a young man who owned a Purple-level Mecha. Although his God of Machine Zero had yet to showcase its brilliance since its creation, this didn't hinder its design philosophy from completely overshadowing the training Mecha.
In short, Jing Shaoyu fully possessed the foundational skills required for Mecha control.
Soon, the other students were also ready.
"Good, let's begin," Duan Shang said. "As mentioned in the previous class, the first key point in Mecha control is mastering balance. Only by first mastering the Mecha's sense of balance and allowing the Mecha to resonate with your own sense of balance can you truly..."
The Mecha driving class quickly came to an end. Among the dozen or so students, only a few had grasped the essentials of Mecha driving, while the rest were still wobbling around, much to Duan Shang's frustration.
"Jing Shaoyu, stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed," Duan Shang said.
The others left the training grounds, leaving only Jing Shaoyu standing before Duan Shang.
"Teacher, what is it?" Jing Shaoyu asked.
"I noticed your Mecha driving is quite proficient. Have you had systematic training before?" Duan Shang inquired with a smile.
"Yes," Jing Shaoyu nodded.
"Excellent," Duan Shang's eyes lit up. "Next week, there's a Mecha Exchange Tournament at the Mecha Association. Would you be interested in participating? If you achieve a good ranking, the association will custom-make a Purple-level Mecha for you, free of charge!"
"A Purple-level Mecha," Jing Shaoyu chuckled softly and shook his head. "Teacher, if it were a Black-level Mecha, I might be tempted. But a Purple-level Mecha? No, thank you."
"You brat," Duan Shang laughed and scolded jokingly. "You're already looking down on a Purple-level Mecha? Isn't that a bit too arrogant? And a Black-level Mecha? Does your current strength even support driving a Black-level Mecha?"
"It will very soon," Jing Shaoyu replied with a confident smile.
"Go on, I know you have great cultivation talent, no need to show off in front of me," Duan Shang waved his hand dismissively and said, "Since you don't want to go, I'll give the spot to the second-year students."
Jing Shaoyu's eyes lit up, "Wait, a Purple-level Mecha isn't bad either. It's better to take it than leave it."
"Are you sure you want to go?" Duan Shang confirmed.
"Absolutely," Jing Shaoyu affirmed.
"Alright then, I'll register you," Duan Shang smiled with satisfaction and nodded, "You can go now."
Jing Shaoyu walked out of the training ground and left the Mecha training area with Gu Yue and Na'er, who were waiting outside.
Soon, the Mecha exchange competition that Duan Shang mentioned began. It was a Mecha exchange event jointly organized by the Shrek Academy Mecha Association and the Shrek City Mecha Association. Participants included Mecha Masters and enthusiasts from both Shrek Academy and Shrek City.
The event was held in a large exhibition hall in Shrek City. Jing Shaoyu, accompanied by the curious Xu Xiaoyan and Wu Siduo, arrived at the exhibition hall.
Why only these two? Because Gu Yue had been taken away by Leng Yaozhu, Na'er by Yun Ming, Ye Xinglan wasn't interested, and Mo Hentian was busy helping Yuanen forge metal, leaving only Xu Xiaoyan and Wu Siduo available.
"Wow! So many Mecha!" Wu Siduo exclaimed, her mouth agape in amazement.
"Yeah, I've only seen this many Mecha once before in Donghai City," Xu Xiaoyan agreed.
Although the event was called a competition, it was essentially a Mecha exhibition. The hall was filled with various Mecha, with the lowest being Yellow-level Mecha. White-level Mecha didn't even qualify to be displayed.
Most of the Mecha on display were Purple-level, with a small portion being Black-level, all of which were owned. As for Red-level Mecha, there was only one, located in the center of the exhibition hall. The display stand bore the words "Xue Lin's Masterpiece."
"Brother Shaoyu, look, this Red-level Mecha is so beautiful. It doesn't have the domineering and rigid style of those Black-level Mecha. Instead, it's full of streamlined designs, looking both graceful and elegant!" Xu Xiaoyan pointed at the only Red-level Mecha on site and commented.
"Indeed," Jing Shaoyu nodded, his gaze lingering on the Red-level Mecha.
This Red-level Mecha was entirely orange-red with accents of bright silver, standing about twenty meters tall. Its overall appearance was well-proportioned, without the bulkiness of the nearby Black-level Mecha, making it the most lightweight Mecha on display. Its design closely resembled the human body, with clean arms and distinct fingers, and it carried no weapons.
Its aura was very peaceful, completely devoid of the terror and pressure one would expect from a killing machine. From a distance, it looked like a shy and quiet lady.
"Rainbow Moon," Wu Siduo whispered, "Is that the name of this Mecha? It fits perfectly."
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
A voice discussing gossip came from nearby, and Jing Shaoyu and the two girls couldn't help but prick up their ears to eavesdrop.
"This Red-level Mecha is said to have been personally crafted by Master Xue Lin for his lover. But before he could give it to her, she tragically passed away in an accident."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true! Did you see the name of this mecha? 'Rainbow Moon.' It's said that Master Xue Lin's lover was named Ji Yuehong!"
Jing Shaoyu and the other two exchanged glances, then silently left.
A moment later, Jing Shaoyu arrived at the venue for the exchange match and met Duan Shang.
"You finally made it! I thought you overslept!" Duan Shang immediately walked over to Jing Shaoyu and launched into a barrage of words, "Come on, the match is about to start."
"Teacher, what exactly is the content of the match?" Jing Shaoyu followed Duan Shang inside, asking as they walked.
"The match is simple," Duan Shang said without turning back, "It's a mecha battle, but only training mechas can be used."
"A mecha battle, I see." Jing Shaoyu nodded, showing a thoughtful expression.
"Don't you think a mecha battle using only training mechas is boring?" Duan Shang finally turned around, looking at Jing Shaoyu, "What can training mechas do besides hand-to-hand combat? They can't even perform the most basic firepower exchanges. It's so frustrating."
"Uh..." Jing Shaoyu didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.
Seeing that Jing Shaoyu wasn't speaking, Duan Shang also found it uninteresting and stopped talking. The two quickly arrived at the competition venue, where Jing Shaoyu selected a training mecha and stood in place, waiting for the match to begin. The model and specifications of the training mechas were all the same, so there wasn't much to worry about.
There were only eight participants in the match, all students of Shrek Academy. Except for Jing Shaoyu, who was a first-year student, the other seven participants were upperclassmen—second-year, third-year, and even a fifth-year student who looked almost thirty, with a face full of dejection.
The match began, and Jing Shaoyu's first opponent was a third-year senior. After exchanging greetings, they each entered their mechas, selected a melee weapon, and began the battle. Jing Shaoyu naturally chose the Mecha Spear, while his opponent chose the Mecha Longblade. The contest between the two ended quickly, as their skills were not on the same level.
Although the third-year senior was excellent in mecha control, his use of the longblade still needed improvement. Under Jing Shaoyu's spear techniques, he was completely defenseless and quickly defeated.
Jing Shaoyu advanced to the second round, where his opponent was a second-year student who chose a pair of short halberds.
This second-year student wielded the halberds skillfully, but his mecha piloting was mediocre. Jing Shaoyu easily defeated him with agile movements and swift spear techniques.
Jing Shaoyu entered the final round, facing the fifth-year student. Interestingly, this fifth-year student also chose a spear as his mecha weapon
The final match began. The two spear-wielding mechas circled the arena, watching each other closely, waiting for a mistake or opening. After several rounds, Jing Shaoyu made the first move, his spear striking like a dragon, directly knocking his opponent's spear out of his hands.
The match ended.
Jing Shaoyu effortlessly won a Purple-level Mecha.
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