On the display pedestal's optical computer, he keyed in the command. The left wall of the random skyscraper slid open, releasing a long mech gangway, which at first glance resembled the mech exit of a space station. Bran boarded the cockpit, initiated the sequence, and slid out along the walkway.

Zi Ye observed his piloting and docking—both were highly skilled, his maneuvers clean and swift—and her eyes instantly brightened. Perhaps this instructor wasn't as bad as she had imagined. At the very least, in terms of piloting, he possessed skill beyond that of ordinary people.

Alpha.Hilai watched him depart, then suddenly turned to Zi Ye, asking, "Student Zi Ye, have you ever considered transferring to the Mech Design Department?"

Zi Ye paused in surprise for a moment, but the Dean was the first to laugh, "Alpha, are you trying to poach a student while the instructor is away?"

Alpha.Hilai also chuckled, "It’s a rare opportunity, isn't it? Student Zi Ye, what do you say? Want to give it some thought? You will certainly learn much more in the Design Department than in the Mech Repair Department!"

Zi Ye replied firmly, "I am not considering the Design Department for now."

Alpha.Hilai was quite confused, "You don't think the Design Department is good?"

Zi Ye shook her head, "It’s not that it isn't good, but it feels like the Design Department focuses too much on aesthetics and outward presentation. I have absolutely no artistic sense; I feel I would be completely unsuited for it."

Alpha.Hilai was about to say more when the Dean, also keen on recruiting her, couldn't help but interject, "Student Zi Ye, your mech modification is quite excellent. Are you interested in the Armor Fabrication Department?"

Zi Ye felt utterly mortified, her face flushing; what on earth was going on? No one wanted her before, and now everyone wanted her—it was truly bizarre. Of course, she maintained the appearance of a well-behaved, model student: "Thank you for your kind intentions, Professors, but I genuinely wish to study in the Mech Repair Department."

The two interviewers sighed in defeat; their attempts at persuasion had failed.

Bran was gone for quite a while before returning swiftly along the gangway to the mech display platform. After docking his mech, he stepped out of the cockpit and commented approvingly, "The optical brain system has been upgraded too; that’s rare. However, Student Zi Ye, looking at just one mech doesn't reveal much. I have a mech here that is fifty percent damaged. Are you willing to try your hand at it?"

As soon as he spoke, the other two interviewers remained silent. Speaking now would be pointless; they would merely be paving the way for him. It seemed clear that Bran was determined to secure Zi Ye as his student.

Zi Ye didn't understand the subtle currents or undercurrents. Regardless, it was the instructor's request, so she certainly had to comply, and she agreed without hesitation.

The three interviewers led Zi Ye into the practical testing room. The room resembled a maintenance bay, filled with several mechs—some completely disassembled, others half-wrecked. On the other side were work platforms equipped with the latest technology.

Zi Ye’s hands itched with desire; she couldn't wait to dive in and get to work. University was truly different; the equipment here was superb! Compared to this, her workbench on Silver Rune Star was nothing but junk!

Bran gave a brief overview of the mechs, "Take any mech you like; the robots here are yours to command. If you need more materials, just ask the robots. You have three hours; we will return to check on your progress then."

Zi Ye nodded.

The three interviewers didn't disturb her and quietly exited.

One wall of the practical testing room was made of transparent new-generation glass. On the other side of the glass was a viewing room, fully furnished with tables and chairs for observation. At this moment, Zi Ye didn't care if anyone was watching. She circled the damaged mechs and chose an assault-type model from the Firgenal Group, one with which she was relatively familiar.

The defining feature of the assault-type was its massive firepower. To maintain this maximum output, Firgenal had sacrificed its range; the optimal effective range was only 3000m, with a deviation threshold at 5000m, making it suitable only for close combat.

Zi Ye inspected the assault-type. The damage was primarily due to improper use by the pilot: three cracks in the ballistic system, and the energy plates were aged due to massive and sudden power surges. Its armor and structure were inherently fragile, and without dedicated maintenance, there were vulnerabilities everywhere.

None of the issues were particularly severe. Zi Ye mentally scorned the owner for not taking better care of their machine while proceeding with the repairs. She finished the job in under two hours. Just as she was about to pack up, she noticed the mech's external Aurora Blade seemed slightly askew. Thinking she still had time, she climbed into the cockpit for a quick test, and indeed, it felt off.

She hopped down, instructing a robot to hold the Aurora Blade while she physically bent it back into its proper alignment. Once it felt correct and aligned with her accustomed feel, she let go.

She hadn't noticed that nearly ten people were now observing from the viewing room. Besides the three interviewers, Aix and Chun Niu had slipped in quietly, along with several candidates who had just finished their own tests and were stunned by Zi Ye’s professionalism.

Without the aid of nano-repair robots, Zi Ye had completed the assault-type repair in just one hour and forty minutes. So far, the best score among the practical testing students was two hours and fifteen minutes, with an 83% completion rate.

Zi Ye had already broken this year's record on time!

Alpha.Hilai and the Dean emerged from the viewing room, looking pleased, and smiling broadly as they approached Zi Ye. Aix, Bent, and Chun Niu followed behind them. If they had been astonished by watching her work, now they were filled only with profound admiration. It was extraordinary for a fifteen-year-old girl to achieve this level!

The more high-tech the era, the weaker people's hands-on abilities became. Someone with such strong practical skills was rare, not just at Lings University, but across the entire interstellar community.

Bran was about to follow when his internal communicator suddenly vibrated. This was his work channel, powerful enough to bypass even the signal jamming equipment at Lings University. He glanced at it, walked to the window, connected, and spoke in a very low but respectful tone, "Please rest assured, her performance was flawless." He then closed the connection and walked toward Zi Ye.

By the time he arrived, the smart robot had already finalized the data. He leaned in to look: the repair rate was 91.5. A completion rate above 80% was considered excellent for students; Zi Ye had surpassed that by a huge margin!

Alpha.Hilai was struck with envy and jealousy. He spoke in an ingratiating tone, "Student Zi Ye, would you reconsider the Mech Design Department?"

Before Zi Ye could reply, Bran smoothly cut in, his voice gentle, "Professor Alpha, that is inappropriate." However, looking at his expression, it was clear his gentleness was a thinly veiled threat.

Alpha.Hilai offered an awkward laugh, "I was just joking with Student Zi Ye."

Seeing this exchange, the Dean felt awkward about trying to woo Zi Ye further and turned to examine the repaired sections captured by the camera. Even without looking, it was clear: her execution alone was enough to secure her status as an outstanding student at Lings University.

Only Zi Ye remained completely bewildered, wondering why Alpha.Hilai seemed slightly wary of Bran. Facing the scrutiny of the crowd, Bran merely offered a slight, knowing smile, offering no confirmation or denial. He walked up to Zi Ye and said, "Your work was completed excellently. We look forward to your further outstanding performance at Lings University."

Zi Ye beamed happily, "Does that mean I passed the interview?"

Seeing her look of disbelief, Bran wanted very much to pat her head, "Congratulations, you passed the interview."

Zi Ye immediately jumped up excitedly, "Oh yeah!"

Meanwhile, Chun Niu approached Alpha.Hilai and whispered, "Teacher, was I wrong? Zi Ye is truly amazing. Why wouldn't you accept her?"

Alpha.Hilai waved his hand helplessly, "It wasn't that I didn't want to recruit her; someone else had already claimed her long ago."

Chun Niu’s eyes widened in disbelief, "Who could possibly be competing with you for a student?" Alpha.Hilai was the most highly respected mech professor at Lings, possessing over forty years of clinical experience, and served as the chief consultant for the Solnay Group under the Interstellar Federation. He was always the one who chose first; he never yielded to others.

The professor shook his head and smiled without giving a direct answer, "You will know in time."

Chun Niu persisted, guessing, "Was it Instructor Bran?" He found this hard to believe; he had never heard Bran’s name before and couldn't find any record of such a person at Lings University. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air. How could he possibly compete with Alpha.Hilai for a student?

Alpha.Hilai merely smiled, "You'll know when the time comes."

Chun Niu hadn't gotten any answers, but he was genuinely happy that Zi Ye had passed the interview and would become a student at Lings University. He stepped forward to congratulate her.

Just then, Bran handed Zi Ye her letter of admission. Seeing the letter, Chun Niu froze. Generally, physical letters of acceptance had become history, but Lings University stubbornly maintained the tradition of making these invitations into works of art, given to students as lifelong mementos.

The piece Bran presented to Zi Ye was one such artistic admission token.

What stunned him was that Zi Ye's artistic token was different from the others.

Most students received their tokens in the shape of a square ice crystal, but Zi Ye’s was a large, transparent piece of amber, in the center of which floated a delicate, slightly curled small leaf. The Lings University crest was subtly embedded in the upper right interior. The entire piece was unified, lustrous as fine jade.

Chun Niu had never seen an admission letter like this.

Aix leaned over, his hand flashing out quickly to snatch the token. He gasped, "Your Lings University is so extravagant, making such fine invitations! We just got an email—the gap is too huge!" Before he could examine it further, Bent snatched it away. His fingertip traced the surface of the amber, revealing characters that suddenly manifested: "Tang Wen."

Chun Niu was about to grab the token back, fearing Aix or Bent might break it, but upon seeing those two characters, he froze.

Tang Wen!

Why was Tang Wen’s name on it?

Zi Ye hadn't noticed their reaction and said happily, "This proves I made the right choice in picking Lings. Don't you agree, Chun Niu?"

Chun Niu jerkily snapped back to reality, remained silent for three seconds, and managed a strained smile, "Yes, you should call him Senior Brother." Even if they weren't under the same instructor, being in the same school was close enough.

Zi Ye quickly corrected herself, "Yes, Senior Brother."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Bent happily tossed the amber upward, and Aix instantly reached out and caught it with precision, causing Zi Ye to nervously worry they might drop the precious artifact.

Only Chun Niu stood rooted to the spot, as if he had forgotten where he was.

He hadn't understood why Alpha.Hilai didn't want to take her before, but now he finally realized: it wasn't that he didn't want to; it was that he couldn't. Because her instructor was the goal that all in the mech domain looked up to, the object of their veneration, and the designer of the Platinum Tycoons—Tang Wen! RS