Zi Ye was deeply spurred by Tang Wen, practically injected with adrenaline; her days distilled down to three things: eating, practicing, and sleeping. On weekends, she trained at Cole’s villa, and even during class hours, she wouldn't return to school, instead remaining at the research institute, practicing with more vigor than the staff themselves.

Ling Si’s class attendance system was remarkably lax.

There was no compulsion to attend lectures physically; one could tune into any course through the school’s light-net classroom from anywhere, signing in at designated optical scan points beneath the light-net. During a one-hour class, the iris needed to be scanned for at least forty minutes. This sounded difficult, but in reality, it was quite easy.

Zi Ye had Little Sprout whip up a script to handle the sign-ins. For the course content, she would only skim the crucial parts during breaks. Most of the time, she’d activate the mech hangar pathway behind the villa for piloting practice.

Piloting practice was the prerequisite for mecha combat training.

Zi Ye drilled intensely for a week. As she prepared to wrap up on Friday evening, she pulled up the training data for the week, and a frown creased her brow. The data showed improvement day by day, certainly. But for the last two days, she had been essentially treading water. Just a little more, just a tiny push further, and she’d meet the standard, yet for two solid days of exhausting effort, she couldn’t break through that minuscule gap.

“No one stands in the heavens from the start. If you settle for the status quo, you will never reach the heavens,” Tang Wen’s cold words seemed to echo in her ears again.

Zi Ye closed her eyes, resting her head against the cockpit, and let out a gentle breath. The maneuvers she had desperately practiced for a week flashed through her mind like a slideshow. Suddenly, Zi Ye sat bolt upright, her hands moving over the control interface once more.

This time, she wasn't rushed; she slowly internalized every movement, feeling the nuances before proceeding to the next.

Zi Ye carefully considered each action, when suddenly, she acutely sensed something was wrong. She looked up just in time to see a laser sword, shimmering with purple light, cleave down towards her head.

Zi Ye started in alarm, her hands moving instantly, and the Disaster-Class mech evaded like a gust of wind.

Her opponent was a Saber-Type, notorious as the 'Grinder of the Battlefield.' One of its scimitars was a purple aurora blade, the other a red laser sword. When wielded in tandem, the intense red and purple colors were more terrifying than blood.

Zi Ye had no time to think. The opponent’s ferocious attack hurled her back to memories of the pirate ambush. The key insights from her week of grueling practice sprang forth subconsciously. The Disaster-Class completely showcased its superiority. Under Zi Ye’s command, it darted through the deep, dark vacuum of space like wisps of smoke, without the slightest hindrance or drag—natural, fluid, and inherently perfect!

She weaved and dodged while closing the distance to her opponent. Seizing a chance when the opponent exposed his flank, she executed a "Graceful Swan Step," appearing before him, then swiftly and eerily circling behind him. Her three-titanium alloy swords aimed for his spine, ready for a killing blow.

In the flash of an eye, the Saber-Type sidestepped her attack. With a few agile bounds, it sprang several meters away, turned, and stood opposite Zi Ye.

Neither spoke; they immediately resumed their fierce combat.

Zi Ye had no idea who her opponent was, nor his motive, but he focused primarily on defense, refraining from using any aggressive moves against her.

Zi Ye intensely disliked the feeling of being held back. She leaped into the air, and with a swish, her three-titanium alloy swords tore a streak of light. Simultaneously, her opponent's purple and red blades flared, surging forward with overwhelming murderous intent.

The sharp, grating sound of lasers slicing through metal filled the air. Zi Ye frantically twisted her body mid-air but still couldn't evade the strike aimed at her center mass.

Tsss—

Zi Ye performed a backward leap, clearing several meters. Her opponent did not pursue, instead stopping where he stood.

The voice system chimed: “Zi Ye, practice completed satisfactorily.”

Zi Ye rolled her eyes heavenward. It turned out to beブラン conducting an inspection.

She habitually glanced at the data readout on the screen, and then froze. She had actually met the standard without realizing it! Zi Ye’s brain briefly short-circuited; she couldn't even recall how she had reached the benchmark. Hadブラン’s attack somehow unlocked a latent potential?

Zi Ye’s attitude towardsブラン immediately improved: “My deepest thanks.”

ブラン sounded quite satisfied, his voice carrying a trace of a smile. “That’s enough practice for today. Your foundational maneuvers have passed. Next week, we begin close-quarters combat. If you win your duel, I will teach you ranged shooting.”

Zi Ye boomed her reply: “Yes, thank you, Teacher.”

ブラン’s promise solidified her determination to win. Close-quarters combat was primarily for planetary engagements; long-range fighting was far more critical in space.ブラン, being a special operations mech warrior, must excel in that area. If she could learn it...

Heh, next time she ran into pirates blocking her way, she’d take them down one by one, two by two!

Close-quarters combat continued to be taught byブラン. He was stern during instruction, giving her no opportunity to slack off—nor did she want any. At this point, she was eager to absorb everything all at once.

She had already decided: first, she would master all ofブラン’s knowledge; then, after winning the duel against Mei Jing, she would challenge Tang Wen!

Tang Wen was an exceptionally low-profile individual; that was Zi Ye’s strongest impression of him since they began interacting. He usually stayed within the research institute, never setting foot outside unless absolutely necessary. Every time he needed to go out,ブラン had to approach him with the air of someone facing certain death, awaiting his difficult decision. Fortunately, people of his stature weren't easily summoned, so external outings were rare.

Furthermore, he rarely granted interviews;ブラン always fielded those requests for him. Even if someone traveled specifically to the institute hoping to meet him, they couldn't get past security without proper clearance!

Nominally, he was Zi Ye’s mentor, but in reality,ブラン acted more like her instructor. From the very first lesson,ブラン had been the one teaching. Zi Ye didn’t particularly care who taught her. For her, receiving one-on-one instruction from a special operations mech warrior was already standing on the shoulders of a giant; she couldn't ask for more. Besides, biting off more than one can chew was counterproductive. Therefore, Zi Ye was content.

Her only curiosity was how Tang Wen acquired his skills; he seemed a hundred times more gifted than the young genius Li Chunyu! Li Chunyu entered Ling Si at sixteen and became the lead mech designer for the Interstellar Federation at eighteen! Moreover, his mech piloting skills were surely not inferior toブラン’s.

Zi Ye repeated the monotonous training drills over and over. To master close-quarters combat, she even sparred with the test pilots. The test pilots were themselves jaded; they piloted different mechs daily, and everyone knew each other’s move sets intimately. Zi Ye’s presence was a rare chance for PK sessions to offer something novel. This time, she didn't embarrass herself. By Friday, she successfully met the requirements and began the two weeks of intensive virtual combat training, all in preparation for the duel! The duel between Zi Ye and Mei Jing became the talk of Ling Si University. Surprisingly, the stance of the student body was remarkably clear this time: all the male students, even those who disliked Mei Jing, staunchly supported him, because it was a matter of male dignity and face!