It was clear: the silly boy Ye couldn't live without it.

She knew her skills were trash, but she never imagined they could sink this low!

Bran’s voice continued, instructing her on the jump drive. She fumbled through the sequence, only hearing his explanation: "Most military frames don't support this kind of jump. It consumes far too much energy; after a jump, you often can't sustain powerful firepower output, so..."

So, Zi Ye found herself in a tragic situation in the void.

Frame energy critically low!

The mech alert system flashed red, constantly reminding her: "Energy below 10! Please recharge immediately!"

A single jump couldn't possibly drain the energy this fast! Zi Ye spoke to Bran over the comms, "The ground crew must have been negligent; the frame wasn't recharged in time."

Bran countered, "You should have performed a full system check the moment you boarded. If the energy was low or there were other issues, you would have known immediately. Isn't it a bit late to mention this now?"

Zi Ye knew she was in the wrong; she hadn't piloted a frame in so long she’d completely forgotten that crucial step. Bran had clearly engineered this harsh lesson to make sure she remembered this disaster.

She calmed herself and initiated a manual check; thankfully, there was an energy recapture system.

Bran chuckled. "Wait here while the energy recharges, and practice every maneuver until it becomes muscle memory. I’ve sent you the Basic Frame Piloting Manual. It contains thirty-six fundamental movements. Study them well. Send me a hyper-message if you run into trouble."

With that, he zipped past her with a whoosh and returned to the space station.

Zi Ye stared out at the blackness of space, feeling on the verge of tears.

Bran was definitely a trap!

She sat quietly in the cockpit, practicing controls while waiting for the recharge cycle.

Simple lifts and kicks didn't consume much power and were sustainable.

These movements were simple and tedious.

She tried them once, and Bran shook his head, telling her to treat it like gymnastics, starting with the simplest upward arm motion for the basic drills. Basic movements were simple and tedious.

After five repetitions, Zi Ye finally couldn't take it anymore. She used her internal computer to search for more complex moves herself.

Little Sprout, sitting beside her, immediately severed her network connection the moment she initiated a new action, declaring righteously, "Ninety-nine percent of complex moves are derived from these thirty-six fundamentals. The basics are the essence of a pilot; they must be mastered."

Zi Ye glared at it. "Who told you that?"

Little Sprout projected its screen into the air, pulling up the Basic Frame Piloting Manual. That exact statement was Bran’s annotation within the text.

Resigned, Zi Ye stopped moving. Her hands were aching from the strain. She interlaced her ten fingers and began massaging them, asking as she worked, "Sprout, I notice this frame's jumping movements aren't fluid; they feel a little stiff. How about we dismantle it and see what’s causing the issue?"

Little Sprout shot her a sidelong glance. "Hmph. Is that really what you think? Or are you just looking for an excuse to take the frame apart?" It was obvious her own movements were too rigid!

Zi Ye scratched her head sheepishly, caught out by Little Sprout once again.

But even if she wanted to dismantle it, there was nothing she could do out here in space.

Once the energy recharge was complete, Zi Ye attempted the jump drive twice more. She wanted to test how the projectile launch felt, but alas, she had no targets.

The only thing she could realistically hit was the space station right in front of her.

Little Sprout deliberately prodded her. "Didn't you want a duel? Are you aiming to be crushed by Mei Jing?" It projected a virtual screen in front of her. "The data on the right is the target you need to reach; the data on the left is your result from the last attempt."

The difference was staggering.

Zi Ye silently straightened her posture.

Time to commit!

This time, she swept aside all other thoughts—no more planning to dismantle the frame, no more worrying about how repetitive this tedious work was. Instead, she focused on finding enjoyment within the monotony of practice, deeply contemplating the underlying significance of these foundational movements and how they could be adapted.

Gradually, her movements became smoother. The frame’s every gesture and step lost its stiffness, flowing together seamlessly, crisp and decisive.

As she moved, a memory suddenly struck her. "Sprout, pull up Aeksbent’s Mech Dance for me!"

When she had first seen the Mech Dance, she had only felt stunned and impressed by its sheer spectacle.

Now, she deeply realized just how incredibly difficult dancing a mech was!

Lifting a leg or kicking were the most basic movements—easy enough to execute in isolation. But fluid sequences, like a thirty-six-degree turning thrust kick or a backward aerial flip-kick, were ten times harder than the fundamentals.

Never mind the full Mech Dance.

A continuous, unbroken five-minute routine of complex, high-difficulty maneuvers, executed flawlessly—it seemed even more impossibly graceful than a human performance. How had Aeksbent managed it?

The layman watches the show; the expert studies the technique.

Watching it again, Zi Ye felt more than just awe; she had found her objective!

She needed to become that formidable.

Zi Ye drilled from two in the afternoon until nightfall, completely oblivious to her hunger. She knew she was improving, but it was nowhere near enough. She wanted the same effortless control Aeksbent displayed.

The station lights were incredibly warm, and the distant lighthouse beams shone like stars in the night.

Finally, Zi Ye completed an entire sequence. Even though it felt like a series of muscle spasms, her heart swelled with excitement!

Suddenly, her onboard computer registered an approaching contact.

Her gaze paused. Before her, a mech launched itself into the void, wings spread wide like a great goose, its movements so magnificent they seemed celestial. Against the backdrop of the space station's night sky, it appeared as a noble figure arriving on the moonlight.

Elegant, aloof, radiating an ultimate sense of **.

Zi Ye could hardly believe her eyes.

Someone could pilot a mech to this level? It was completely indistinguishable from a living being’s essence!

If this wasn't happening right before her eyes, she never would have believed it possible.

The voice system activated, and a cool, detached voice drifted over: "It is late. Return to rest."

Zi Ye froze. Tang Wen?

Holy cow!

Tang Wen could pilot a mech to this degree?

Zi Ye stared blankly for two seconds, then surged toward him: "Teacher, teach me how to pilot this mech!"

Tang Wen remained still, radiating an aura so cold it seemed unapproachable. "Did Bran not teach you?"

Zi Ye instantly realized her wording was wrong and rushed to apologize. "I'm sorry, I just thought your piloting was incredible, and I spoke without thinking. Bran is great, truly."

Tang Wen gave a soft "Mm," before continuing, "Bran used to be a special operations mech soldier. He can teach you techniques suited for combat."

Zi Ye's mind went blank, leaving only two words echoing: "Godlike."

Tang Wen was a god, and Bran was a god, too.

Tang Wen fell silent for a long moment, then uncharacteristically added one more sentence: "How much you can learn depends on how much sweat you pour out, not on who your teacher is."

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