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Following Xu Yuan's suggestion, their group rented three soul-guided cars.
Wu Siduo and her team of five took one car, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Wu Zhangkong shared another, while Xu Yuan, Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, and Fang Yuan occupied the third.
In Xu Yuan's car, Xu Lizhi's large frame meant he had to sit in the front passenger seat. Xu Yuan drove, while Ye Xinglan and Fang Yuan sat in the back.
"Brother Yuan, you're supposed to challenge opponents five ranks higher than yourself. Does that mean you'll be challenging Soul Kings?" Xu Lizhi asked.
With nothing else to do in the car, it was natural to pass the time with conversation.
He had been surprised earlier but hadn't voiced his thoughts, thinking it unnecessary. Now, with nothing better to do, he finally asked.
Challenging ten cities to fight Soul Kings—forget about the difficulty of the fights; just finding them would be a massive challenge.
Back in Tiandou City, if not for Zhen Hua's help, it would have been nearly impossible for Xu Yuan to find a Soul King, let alone convince them to fight him.
In smaller cities, there might only be one or two Soul Kings, and their status and responsibilities would make it unlikely they'd have time for such trivial matters.
Therefore, Xu Yuan would need to visit medium-sized or larger cities, where it would be easier to find Soul Kings willing to spare some time for a battle.
That wasn't all.
Xu Yuan's soul power had already broken through to level forty-nine.
Before the exchange match with the third-years, Xu Yuan had already reached level forty-six. In just three months since then, he had consecutively broken through three levels.
The vast amount of life force he absorbed at the time immediately pushed him up two levels to forty-eight. Afterward, he refined two quasi-immortal herbs. Although he used the Devouring Heaven and Earth Great Technique to maximize their special effects rather than focusing on increasing his soul power, he still managed to gain another level.
Now, he had been stuck at level forty-nine for a while.
However, Xu Yuan could feel that this sudden leap of three levels to forty-nine had left no lingering issues. Moreover, he was confident that he would quickly overcome the bottleneck at level fifty.
Reaching level forty-nine meant that for this assessment, he would need to challenge Soul Kings at level fifty-four or higher.
Level fifty-four Soul Kings immediately cut the pool of potential opponents in half.
"It's not a big problem as long as we find the right direction. We'll always find suitable opponents. The academy won't allow us to continue using the Forging Association's connections anymore, so for our next city, let's head to the Mech Pilot Association."
The academy had banned further exploitation of the Forging Association because of Zhen Hua's overwhelming influence. His assistance could practically span the entire continent, rendering the assessment meaningless if Xu Yuan relied solely on him.
The Mech Pilot Association, however, was a different approach. It didn't depend on a specific powerful individual. Even after Wu Zhangkong witnessed it once, it wouldn't be easy to outright ban them from doing this again.
"To the Mech Pilot Association?"
"That's right. Though the rules prohibit me from using my mech to prove anything or as identification, we can simply offer money."
"Offer money?"
"Mech pilots are among the wealthiest groups, yet also among the poorest. Their mechs often represent the majority of their life's work. If they see an opportunity to earn money, they'll definitely take it. If we exchange money for rare metals—especially Thousand Refinements Grade-One rare metals—they'll be even happier."
When Xu Yuan was at the Forging Association headquarters in Tiandou City, he took the opportunity to forge some Thousand Refinements Grade-One metals.
Though he couldn't easily achieve Spirit Refinement yet, Thousand Refinements—and even Thousand Refinements Grade-One—posed no challenge for him. While Ye Xinglan and the other four were completing their assessments under Zhen Hua's arrangements, Xu Yuan forged more than ten pieces of Thousand Refinements Grade-One metal.
Tang Wulin, following Xu Yuan's lead, also forged over ten pieces of Thousand Refinements Grade-One metal.
These twenty-plus pieces of Thousand Refinements Grade-One metal would be more than enough.
"Class Monitor, why do you want to become a mech pilot?" Fang Yuan asked.
As he drove, Xu Yuan smiled and replied, "Because mech pilots have a higher ceiling."
Higher ceiling?
Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, and Fang Yuan all wore expressions of confusion.
Even Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi, who had spent more time with Xu Yuan, were puzzled.
This was the first time they'd heard someone choose to become a mech pilot because of its higher potential.
"Don't get me wrong. Purely from a theoretical standpoint, mechs use the same production techniques, materials, core formations, and design standards as battle armor. This means that mechs should far surpass battle armor at the same level."
"As for whether these conditions can be met, I believe I'm capable of fulfilling them."
Xu Yuan calmly dispelled the doubts in their minds.
Right!
Their class monitor was cultivating four secondary professions simultaneously, and his talent in each was extraordinary. He truly could meet all these conditions.
What about Heaven Refinement metals?
Did Xu Yuan have the potential to reach that level in forging?
Yes.
Even without understanding forging and knowing the value of master craftsmen on the continent, they had to admit that both Xu Yuan and Tang Wulin had the qualifications to achieve it.
"Your perspectives are still limited to the present. If you think about the future, you can't confine yourself to standard frameworks."
Xu Yuan's words were reshaping their way of thinking.
"Becoming a soul master, then a battle armor master—what comes next? Living a retirement-like life like those who've already become battle armor masters?"
"Cultivation is endless. Even if your talent limits you from advancing further, don't you still want to see more of the world?"
"Is seeing more of the world limited to just Douluo Star? Can you truly be satisfied with that?"
"In a law-abiding society, everything is too orderly, which ironically removes much of the fun and motivation from cultivation."
"Compared to cultivating peacefully on Douluo Star, I prefer adventure—for example, exploring the universe."
"Do you know what the universe is like? Are there cultivators on other planets? Are the countless stars in the universe purely barren wastelands?"
The three fell silent, carefully pondering Xu Yuan's words.
Fang Yuan was the first to respond.
"So, Class Monitor, are you saying you want to use mechs to explore the universe?"
"Exactly. The development of mechs is highly versatile. As long as breakthroughs are made in soul-guided formations, creating small spacecraft to help soul masters survive and explore in space isn't impossible."
Fang Yuan thought deeply.
However, this brief conversation wasn't enough to make him suddenly passionate about mechs. It did, however, improve his understanding of them.
With the topic concluded, silence returned to the car.
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West Gate City
This was a medium-sized city located west of Tiandou City.
The three cars parked outside the Mech Pilot Association in West Gate City.
The fourteen students disembarked and entered the association's hall.
Unlike the quiet Mech Pilot Association within Shrek Academy, the external branches were bustling with activity.
In the eyes of ordinary people and common soul masters, mech pilots represented the upper echelon.
Battle armor masters, on the other hand, were almost mythologized—existing in legends, making them seem unattainable.
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