Chun Niu almost felt jealous, wondering if she would have had a chance to become Tang Wen's student had he arrived at Lings University a year earlier. Tang Wen hadn't come early or late; he arrived precisely during Ziye's examination.

A sharp, bitter taste bloomed in her heart.

At the Mech Design Competition awards ceremony at the beginning of the year, Tang Wen appeared as a guest, personally handing him the Platinum Tycoon model and smiling as he urged him to keep working hard. At that moment, he had been so overcome with excitement he could barely contain himself.

Back then, Tang Wen felt like an unattainable dream to him.

A few months ago, when Tang Wen became a visiting professor at Lings, he was genuinely thrilled, thinking he would have many more opportunities to learn from him. Even if Tang Wen didn't give him an extra glance just because he was Li Chunyu, he remained full of hope.

Knowing this fact now, however, filled him with despair.

Visiting professors were not supposed to take on students, yet Tang Wen had already privately earmarked Ziye.

Why was fate so cruel to him regarding Tang Wen? Why was this happening?

From bidding farewell to the interviewer all the way to the dinner location, Chun Niu maintained a surprising silence. Splint nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, you know Tang Wen, right?"

Chun Niu nodded sullenly.

Splint envied him. "That's great. I wish I had a mech designed by Tang Wen too."

Chun Niu snapped back, "We're not that close."

Just then, Aix casually placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned at Ziye. "Mengyaya student, you’ll have to look out for us in the future, okay?"

Ziye thought he was joking and waved her hand dismissively. "I don't have that much influence. I'll still be relying on you guys."

Splint affectionately rubbed her head. "But your practical skills are truly amazing. Who did you learn from?"

Mentioning this, Ziye became somewhat dejected. "My teacher has passed away."

Splint looked disappointed. "What a shame. Otherwise, I would have begged to study under him too. Someone so talented—it's a real waste." He himself was a disciple of An Junlie and considered himself exceptionally outstanding among his generation, yet Ziye’s sudden appearance gave them the feeling of being eliminated before they could even fully deploy their strengths.

Truly, comparing people was enough to make one die of anger.

Chun Niu listened quietly to their conversation, turning his head to look at the girl’s slightly downcast expression, which inevitably brought back memories of reading her submitted assignments on the forum. He recalled how much her conceptual thinking had benefited him; it had been like opening an entirely new door...

His heart skipped a beat. How could he be jealous of Ziye?

The Huaxia Legion trained practical skills from a young age, and he considered his own abilities to be quite good. However, compared to Ziye, he was still far behind. Moreover, if Ziye hadn't come, and Tang Wen didn't accept her, he would have very likely accepted someone else. But no matter who he took, it wouldn't be him. Ziye had earned this position, and he should be happy for his friend.

What's more, since Ziye became Tang Wen’s student, and he was Ziye’s friend, he would have more opportunities to interact with his idol in the future. He really shouldn't be so petty.

He finally cleared the knot in his mind, and his expression brightened. He spoke sincerely, "Mengyaya, congratulations on becoming a member of Lings. I’m treating you to dinner."

Aix and Splint scoffed. "Did you hear anything we just said? This time, it’s on us brothers!"

Chun Niu rarely insisted, "No, I must treat you this time."

It wasn't just because she got into Lings, nor just because she made him realize that there were always greater heights beyond what he knew, and more capable people than himself. Most importantly, she made him understand that a person must have broad ambitions and absolutely never be small-minded.

"No, no!" Aix and Splint grabbed Ziye, one on each side, and started to pull her away. "We’re going to a Dongdian military restaurant."

"I won't go to Dongdian, not even if you kill me!" Ziye yanked her hands free. She had caused trouble with the number one beauty of Dongdian Military last time; she wasn't going to foolishly run into trouble again.

Chun Niu seized the opportunity and immediately pulled her toward the Lings University campus cafeteria.

When the ace pilot from Dongdian Military University, the genius youth from Lings University, and the unknown Ziye entered the Lings University campus cafeteria, it once again caused a sensation. Everyone, especially the girls, had their eyes glued to them, unable to look away.

Having survived that previous 'baptism,' Ziye could face any gaze with the calm of a mountain, eating and drinking heartily, unconcerned about what others might say.

Anyway, she had the acceptance letter; she was happy!

After a full day of playful antics with the twins and Chun Niu, Ziye returned to her quarters at the space station that evening and rushed to let Little Sprout breathe; it was thanks to it that she had luckily passed that hurdle today.

Little Sprout lay weakly on her hand, only lazily opening its eyes when it felt Ziye poke it. Ziye couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

After coming out, Little Sprout was clearly not as happy as it had been on Silver Rune Star. Most of the time, it had to be kept stifled in her bag, having lost too much freedom.

Ziye sighed, carried it out to the balcony, and poked its body. "The exam is over, we’re free again."

Little Sprout finally cheered up, puffing up its body until it returned to its plump, round shape. It stretched out its two wings and fluttered in the air, "La la la, I’m liberated!"

Ziye took out the amber enrollment invitation and placed it in front of it. "Look, isn't it beautiful? I can't believe Lings would be so generous!"

Little Sprout darted onto the invitation with a 'whoosh,' nudging the amber with the tiny sprout on its head, its eyes darting around. "This is pure, natural amber!"

Ziye picked up the amber, turning it left and right in astonishment, muttering, "How much would that cost? If Lings gives one to every student, wouldn't they lose a fortune?"

"Price?" Little Sprout swiftly performed a search. In a moment, it found useful information and listed it all out, unfolding a light screen before Ziye. "This is the only one in existence; it's priceless. Wow, that sounds impressive."

Ziye couldn't help but freeze.

Something unique in the world was being used as an enrollment invitation? She picked up the amber, her fingertips touching the smooth surface, and suddenly noticed two characters appearing where she touched: Tang Wen.

Ziye felt a chill run down her spine. Why was Tang Wen’s name on her enrollment invitation?

Was this something Tang Wen owned from before? Or... did it mean Tang Wen was her mentor? That couldn't be right; wasn't Bran her designated mentor? Why Tang Wen? Was there a mistake?

Should she find Bran to ask? Ziye suddenly realized she didn't have Bran's contact information at all.

The turn of events was almost completely unexpected.

She knew who Tang Wen was; she had also heard from Little Sprout that he had become a visiting professor at Lings. But why would Tang Wen take her as a student?

In a single sentence: it defied logic.

Ziye stared blankly. "Little Sprout, why do you think it's Tang Wen?"

Little Sprout flapped its wings nonchalantly. "As long as you have a mentor, who cares who it is? It’s not like school has started yet." In its view, everything was the same, without distinction, except for its master.

Tang Wen hadn't yet entered its list of concerns.

Ziye considered that it made sense. Why dwell on it? She didn't have any of their contact information, and she was still completely unfamiliar with Lings. Regardless of who the mentor was, the conclusion was the same: cultivation relies on the individual.

So, she nodded. "Then shall we do homework?"

"No ambition," Little Sprout emitted a weak electrical pulse, shooting it onto Ziye’s wrist. "Come with me to the Pilot Training Base."

Ziye smiled sweetly, kissed it, and entered the base.

Little Sprout flapped its wings happily behind her, "Let’s go fight hard in the combat zone, Master!"

Ziye glanced at it. "No, I need to go to the assembly zone."

Little Sprout was disappointed. "Why?"

Ziye smiled sweetly. "I need to familiarize myself with the mech models first." After the interview, she deeply realized how superficial her knowledge was; the interviewer could stump her by mentioning any random mech.

In the mech manufacturing trade, only by understanding deeply and broadly, integrating knowledge thoroughly, could one apply it better. Setting aside the interview, a few days ago she had wanted to build an upgraded version of the Phantom Raven type but couldn't get it right because she lacked knowledge in many details. Therefore, she was determined to enter the assembly zone.

Little Sprout didn't bother her. It activated the simulated assembly system and let her tinker on her own while it wandered around the base. Ziye first chose mech models she was unfamiliar with, then reviewed the model attributes Little Sprout had collected, and then considered how to assemble them.

She would assemble one model ten or eight times, becoming familiar with its combat attributes and armor performance, before switching to another model.

She worked almost obsessively, switching models repeatedly; one simulated assembly system and one mech could keep her occupied for an entire day. Little Sprout would occasionally fly back to check on her initially, seeing if she needed any help, but later, realizing she was having fun by herself, it simply went off to play.

It went to the combat zone.

The combat zone always had too many talents. The red leaderboard changed constantly—some moving up, some falling back, and dark horses suddenly surging ahead, creating a scene that was thrilling to watch.

Little Sprout couldn't feel the shock, but it was interested in the people on the leaderboard. It started by analyzing those at the top. Before finishing the list, it suddenly noticed an anonymous contestant on the adjacent assembly leaderboard; they hadn't been visible a moment ago but had instantly shot up to third place. Little Sprout wasn't very interested in the assembly zone, but when it finished looking at the combat leaderboard, it turned back to see the anonymous individual had already surged to first place!

It wasn't just observing; the entire base was watching. Even the official staff of the Black Collar One Base began to take notice of this unusual name.

No matter where Little Sprout flew, it could hear people discussing the person at the top of the assembly leaderboard. Although the assembly zone had fewer people, those who stayed were all veterans, and climbing the ranks there was even harder than in the combat zone.

It had to be known that in the Pilot Training Base, all data was generated by the optical computer, and no one could tamper with it. Even the Black Collar would need authorization from the Four Great Families and approval from all personnel before modifying the programming.

This meant this person possessed genuine skill.

What made it even more curious was that this person displayed no name. RS