The events unfolded on Zhong Yun’s third day at the base. Initially, the training ground was empty save for him, until several base members arrived, piloting practice mechs identical to his own. However, their piloting skills far surpassed his.

Zhong Yun hadn't noticed their arrival until Bai Yuwan warned him to be careful not to collide with other machines.

With a quick glance, Zhong Yun refocused entirely on the control panel before him—a level of concentration honed through countless hours in the "Combat Simulation."

Seeing how swiftly he regained his focus, undisturbed by external factors, Bai Yuwan nodded internally. To become an ace mech pilot, talent alone was insufficient; relentless effort was mandatory. Zhong Yun's focus greatly impressed him, further solidifying his conviction that Zhong Yun was destined for great achievements.

This kind of familiarization practice was inherently monotonous, cycling through the same dozen or so maneuvers using hundreds of commands repeatedly.

Yet, even within the tedium, Zhong Yun found a spark of enjoyment, beginning to combine these basic movements into novel actions. For instance, lifting a leg, then sharply bending the knee and snapping the calf forward resulted in a straight kick. Adding a preliminary turn transformed it into a spinning heel kick…

Zhong Yun could even deduce commands he hadn't yet learned, as the command structures followed discernible patterns; for example, all commands controlling the left leg began with the same prefix keys. Based on his estimation, the system likely followed a "body part + action" model. Every time he successfully tested a new deduced command, Zhong Yun experienced a burst of profound joy, naturally making him eager to continue.

Watching from behind, Bai Yuwan offered a knowing smile and made no move to interfere. He himself had gone through such periods of exploration. Rigid adherence to convention in mech operation leads only to swift death in battle—a lesson purchased with countless drops of blood.

Every exceptional mech master possessed a fierce spirit of exploration and innovation. A true combat mech, beyond the control interface, encompasses numerous other functions: weapon systems, flight systems, mechanical operating systems, and even non-humanoid mechs... the sheer combination of these elements offered limitless possibilities.

Just as there is no end to human martial arts techniques, there is no end to mech control.

In battle, the role of a mech unit is akin to that of special forces, not standard infantry. Direct confrontation between armies is the domain of starships. Mech units are the sharp spearhead, tasked with infiltrating and destroying the enemy's internal structures or engaging in planetary combat.

While cooperation among mech units is vital, it is more pronounced in small combat teams.

Consequently, a mech pilot is like a master martial artist; they cannot be mass-produced like common soldiers.

Bai Yuwan had once been a novice himself. He taught Zhong Yun now exactly as his own master had taught him: imparting only the foundational knowledge, leaving the rest for him to discover through personal exploration.

After two hours of practice, Bai Yuwan suggested a break.

Descending from their mechs, the two sat on a patch of grass. Zhong Yun immediately began seeking Bai Yuwan's guidance on various mech-related matters.

Just then, the five practice mechs also halted. Five young men, all in their early twenties, leaped down from them. “Brother Bai,” they greeted Bai Yuwan, settling near where he and Zhong Yun were sitting.

“You must be the guest who arrived with the Young Miss,” said one of the young men, who had a round face, addressing Zhong Yun.

“That’s right. My name is Zhong Yun. I look forward to your guidance,” Zhong Yun replied, though he noticed a flicker of hostility in the young man’s eyes, he paid it no mind.

“My surname is Zeng. Everyone calls me Xiao San,” the round-faced youth introduced himself.

“I’m Wang Xiao Er,” said the shy young man sitting beside Zeng Xiao San.

“Chu Tian Ge,” stated the youth next to him, who sported a silver nose ring.

“Call me Twenty-One,” followed a young man with a retro bowl cut, his hair plastered tightly to his scalp, the fringe forming a pronounced curve.

“Chang Ran,” said the last one, an otherwise unremarkable youth whose name was as odd as his tone, which was perpetually mournful, sounding like a deeply wronged woman.

A real troupe of characters, Zhong Yun thought, nearly laughing aloud were it not for the need to maintain propriety.

“Your physical arts are at Level Seven, right? Care for a spar?” Chu Tian Ge suddenly proposed. The others immediately shot him reproachful looks. “Why bring it up so fast? We should get acquainted first, then we can really go at it,” Twenty-One grumbled.

“Sure,” Zhong Yun agreed readily. He hadn't actually fought anyone in reality before and was keen to gauge his actual skill level.

Bai Yuwan grew anxious. Everyone could see the close relationship between Zhong Yun and the Young Miss. If Zhong Yun sustained any injury during the spar, how would he explain it to her?

With this thought, Bai Yuwan couldn't help but scold, “What are you all doing here instead of training properly?”

“Brother Bai, we felt our foundations were a bit shaky, so we took the practice mechs out to solidify them,” Twenty-One chuckled.

Seeing Chu Tian Ge already pulling Zhong Yun into the center of the area, ready to clash, Bai Yuwan moved to stop them, only to be blocked by Wang Xiao Er flashing into position.

“Move aside,” Bai Yuwan snapped, flustered.

“A friendly spar outside of scheduled training doesn't violate base regulations. What, are you looking to spar with me?” Zeng Xiao San picked his nose and gave Bai Yuwan a look laced with malice.

“You… you…” Bai Yuwan trembled with suppressed anger, completely unable to deal with him. If he were in a mech, three Zeng Xiao Sans wouldn't be a match for him. But in close combat, his skill was vastly inferior; he would only end up beaten by Zeng Xiao San.

“Let’s begin,” Chu Tian Ge said calmly, hands clasped behind his back, projecting an air of mastery.

Zhong Yun sprang forward, launching a straight kick toward Chu Tian Ge’s abdomen. Chu Tian Ge offered a faint cold smile, lifting his foot with lightning speed to sweep at the opening Zhong Yun had left exposed.

Zhong Yun instantly converted the kick into a block, their feet colliding hard. Both recoiled a step, Zhong Yun feeling a distinct numbness in his foot. His gaze became serious; this man’s physical strength was not inferior to his own.

Chu Tian Ge’s expression shifted from careless disdain to genuine focus. This pretty boy isn’t as useless as he looks. He rubbed the silver ring on his nose and initiated the offensive.

The two exchanged blows in a fierce, back-and-forth exchange that proved surprisingly evenly matched.

Bai Yuwan’s taut nerves eased somewhat. It turned out Zhong Yun was also a martial arts master. He was then slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Zhong Yun to fight the base's top combat expert to a draw.

Chu Tian Ge’s mech piloting ranked only in the middle-to-lower tier at the base, but his martial arts prowess was formidable. To this day, no one at the base had managed to defeat him in close combat.

The other four were also astonished. To last this long against Tian Ge proved this pretty boy was indeed something else. Despite Zhong Yun's appearance not entirely warranting the moniker "pretty boy," in the eyes of the five, that’s exactly what he was.

In the arena, figures merged and then separated sharply. Chu Tian Ge licked his lips. “Warm-up complete.” As he spoke, a swirling vortex of crimson energy formed in his palm, condensing into a ball the size of a fist.

“The pretty boy is done for,” Chang Ran muttered mournfully from the sidelines.

The other three shot him annoyed looks. Did we need you to point that out?

Worry clouded Bai Yuwan’s eyes again, and he began silently praying, Tian Ge, Tian Ge, please don't injure Zhong Yun, or we’ll all be in trouble.

Zhong Yun watched the spectacle coolly, his vigilance intensifying. Although he didn’t sense overt danger from the red orb, he remained alert.

Chu Tian Ge smirked. “Let me show you what a true master of combat is capable of.” He then slammed the red energy ball against his own chest, allowing it to dissolve entirely into his body.

Chu Tian Ge inhaled deeply; a flush of crimson spread across his face, and a sharp, divine light appeared in his eyes. His entire aura underwent a profound transformation.

Zhong Yun’s sense of alertness deepened immediately. That red energy ball was clearly strange; he couldn't fathom what changes had occurred within Chu Tian Ge’s physical form.

Chu Tian Ge moved. His speed increased by at least fifty percent, and he materialized before Zhong Yun in a blink, startling him. Zhong Yun instinctively thrust both hands forward in a posture known as ‘Sealing the Gate.’

CRASH—

Zhong Yun was struck by a tremendous force, staggering several steps backward. Chu Tian Ge, however, merely swayed slightly before regaining perfect stability, immediately lunging at Zhong Yun again.

Zhong Yun was aghast internally. Not only had his opponent’s speed surged, but his strength had also increased by several multiples. What exactly was that red energy mass?

The thought barely registered before Chu Tian Ge’s furious assault was upon him once more.

Zhong Yun struggled desperately under the relentless, storm-like barrage, resembling a small sapling battered by wind and rain.

“How many minutes do you think the pretty boy can last?” Twenty-One suddenly asked, watching the action.

“A few minutes?” Zeng Xiao San scoffed. “Not even one.”

“Let’s place bets,” Chang Ran interjected.

“I bet he doesn’t last a minute,” Zeng Xiao San stated quickly.

“Three minutes,” Chang Ran countered.

“What about you, Xiao Er?” Twenty-One asked.

“Can I opt out?” Wang Xiao Er mumbled, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

“No way,” Twenty-One insisted. “I’m the banker; if you dare not bet, hurry up.”

“Ten minutes,” Wang Xiao Er conceded helplessly.

“What about you, Yuwan?” Twenty-One asked Bai Yuwan.

Bai Yuwan was staring at the fighters, consumed by anxiety. If his own skill weren't so lacking, he would have jumped in to save Zhong Yun by now. He was in no state to answer the query.

Although Zhong Yun was desperately holding on, defeating him proved difficult for Chu Tian Ge. Despite possessing greater speed and strength, he couldn't secure a decisive victory immediately, leading to mounting frustration and increasingly desperate attacks.

Zhong Yun, however, had developed his own specialized approach for dealing with such speed-focused opponents. In the "Combat Simulation," his third adversary had been incredibly fast, requiring two full months for Zhong Yun to finally prevail. Furthermore, every opponent Zhong Yun had faced initially possessed superior strength, and he had developed his own methodology for managing such situations.

Years of accumulated combat experience had given Zhong Yun incredibly sharp instincts, allowing him to often predict the direction of an opponent's attack beforehand. Thus, even though he was slower, he could just barely parry the blows.

But defense alone could only hold the line for so long before collapse. Zhong Yun grit his teeth, and wisps of violet light began to emanate from his body; his hands turned completely purple.

“What is that…” A hush fell over the onlookers; he was unleashing his ultimate move.

P: There will be another chapter tonight. We are almost catching up to the number one spot, brothers, keep pushing!