"Hiss!"
Lu Sheng took a sharp breath when he heard Li Mo's words.
A thousand Federation points a day, that amounts to thirty thousand points a month, which is even more than the stipend of the Elite Class.
And... if I improve my efficiency, the price will go up.
Lu Sheng now understood why those Mechanical Transformers and Cultivators never lacked resources, even with the system panel, his current efficiency was only comparable to that of two apprentices.
And those naturally gifted Transcendents were naturally much more efficient, earning more Federation points.
But... still, I have a hack!
"Just a Level 3 skill already yields this kind of efficiency. If I max out this skill, I'll definitely be as efficient as those Mechanical Transformers!"
Thinking of this, Lu Sheng became excited and immediately thanked Li Mo before leaving the maintenance workshop with enthusiasm.
In the following days, aside from attending Elite Class lessons, Lu Sheng spent all his time at Li Mo's maintenance workshop working part-time, while also working to improve his Basic Heavy Equipment Maintenance.
Very quickly, a week passed.
Lu Sheng successfully maxed out his Basic Heavy Equipment Maintenance at Level 5, achieving efficiency equivalent to a Level 1 Mechanical Transformer.
Li Mo also raised Lu Sheng's pay to two thousand Federation points a day.
In this week alone, Lu Sheng earned enough Federation points for a bottle of Level 1 Qi Blood Pill.
At night, Lu Sheng sat cross-legged on his bed. Despite a hint of exhaustion between his eyebrows, his eyes shone with excitement.
The system panel slowly appeared in front of Lu Sheng.
[Name: Lu Sheng]
[Profession: Martial Artist]
[Realm: Qi Blood Realm (38/100)]
[Longevity Posture: (57/100) Level 2]
[Five Elements Fist: (35/100) Level 1]
[Basic Heavy Machinery Maintenance: (100/100) Level 5]
"Though I've been very tired this week, the gains have been great. I've maxed out Basic Heavy Machinery Maintenance, and both the Longevity Posture and Five Elements Fist have improved, even my Qi Blood has reached 38 cards!"
"Only 2 cards short of reaching the 40-60 card stage, I'll soon enter this stage!"
"Additionally, from my part-time work, I've accumulated quite a few Federation points. In another day or two, I should be able to reach the next stage of Qi Blood Realm!"
Lu Sheng's lips curled into a smile. He then dismissed the system panel, lay down on his bed, and soon fell fast asleep.
This week... Lu Sheng had squeezed every bit of time except for sleep!
...
The next day, after a good night's rest, Lu Sheng arrived at the Elite Class feeling refreshed.
Upon arriving in the Elite Class, Lu Sheng was surprised to see Gao Feng and the other two system instructors standing at the podium.
"What's going on? Why are the instructors from the other two systems here?"
Lu Sheng glanced at his deskmate Qiu Song.
Qiu Song yawned lazily and said, "It's time for the monthly battle test, isn't it?"
"Battle test?"
Lu Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Since becoming a Transcendent, he hadn't experienced a formal battle and was quite looking forward to it.
As the class bell rang, all the Elite Class students took their seats, even Mu Bing, who was always absent, came to the classroom.
"Today, all classes are canceled for the battle test. Lu Sheng!"
On the podium, Gao Feng stood with his hands behind his back, speaking seriously.
"Present!"
Lu Sheng sat up straight.
"This is your first battle test since joining the Elite Class. Be well prepared!"
"Yes!"
Gao Feng nodded in satisfaction and then looked at the other Elite Class students.
"Does anyone have a target they want to challenge? If not, we'll assign opponents at random who are of comparable strength."
Gazing around the classroom, Gao Feng spoke.
"Teacher!"
At this moment, Lu Sheng saw Yang Meng raise his hand. The burly man's face was filled with intense battle intent.
"Huh? Yang Meng's aura seems different from before? Has he... broken through to the second tier?"
Lu Sheng curiously looked at Yang Meng.
Yang Meng then spoke slowly, "Teacher Gao, I've broken through to the second tier, and I want to challenge Mu Bing!"
Gao Feng frowned slightly, not speaking, but looking towards Mu Bing.
Mu Bing sat in her seat like an iceberg snow lotus, arms crossed, showing no emotion on her face.
Under the gaze of the three instructors, Mu Bing stretched her body, showcasing her perfect figure, and lazily said.
"Useless battle. If he wants to humiliate himself, I don't mind."
Mu Bing's words made the other two Cultivator system students in the Elite Class laugh uncontrollably.
Yang Meng's face turned red as he glared at Mu Bing.
"This time... I won't lose to you again!"
However, in response to Yang Meng's words, Mu Bing's red lips curved slightly as she uttered four words.
"Utterly foolish!"
Watching this scene, Lu Sheng shook his head helplessly. "Ah, Martial Artists below the fourth tier really have no dignity."
Under the lead of Gao Feng and the other two instructors, everyone arrived at Yucai High School's Martial Arts Training Hall. Aside from Yang Meng who wanted to challenge Mu Bing, the other students were assigned different opponents.
Though the opponents were assigned at random, they were selected to be of comparable strength.
Lu Sheng's opponent was a Transcendent from the Mechanical Modifier system. Like Lu Sheng, he had just joined the Elite Class recently, only a few days earlier than Lu Sheng. His name was Liu Huan, and his Spiritual Power was around thirty-five points.
The Martial Arts Training Hall had several areas divided. Lu Sheng went to his area and waited until he saw a young man in a black trench coat with a playful smile approach.
"Lu Sheng? I thought this battle test would be challenging. Instead, I got paired with a crude Martial Artist."
Liu Huan began by dismissing Lu Sheng's profession.
Lu Sheng frowned slightly. Though he was used to the disdain Mechanical Transformers and Cultivators had for Martial Artists, Liu Huan's condescending attitude still irked him.
Nevertheless, he said nothing, calmly looking at Liu Huan, waiting for the test to begin.
Once all the opponents were assigned, Gao Feng stood on a high platform and loudly announced.
"Begin!"