"A faint trace of spirituality, filled with sacrifice and reckless courage… but unfortunately, it's not suitable for me."
Gu La gazed at the warlord-class mecha on the display stand, his fingertips lightly brushing the cold metallic surface. The savage claw mark etched into the mecha's chest armor seemed to narrate the brutal story of a past battlefield. However, to him, this level of spirituality wasn't enough to warrant attention.
He had initially considered asking if he could buy it, but after swallowing twice, he suppressed the urge.
He was all too familiar with Shrek Academy's rules—these treasures were only available through contribution points, and federal currency here was as worthless as scrap paper.
As a newly enrolled student, the balance in his account couldn't even afford a single mecha part. If he wanted to equip all four avatars with decent gear, he'd have to slave away in the forge room and secondary profession association for years.
"Still need to find another way…" Gu La muttered under his breath, turning toward the floating holographic projector in the center. When he inserted his student card into the slot, a brilliant azure screen instantly unfolded before him, and the mecha customization interface cascaded down like a waterfall:
Mecha Levels
- Standard (White Rank): Basic training mecha, suitable for new students. Equipped with a simple soul-guided power core, maximum output of 10 tons. Price: 100,000 contribution points.
- Elite (Yellow Rank): Enhanced combat mecha. Fitted with a second-level soul-guided array, capable of equipping standard soul-guided cannons. Price: 1,000,000 contribution points.
- Warlord/General (Purple Rank): Battlefield mainstay model. Equipped with composite armor, supports modular loading of soul-guided weapons. Price: 9,000,000 contribution points.
- King (Black Rank): Super mecha, featuring partial transformation capabilities and perfect compatibility with two-word battle armor. Price: 40,000,000 contribution points.
Gu La's fingertip lingered momentarily on the "Black Rank" option, causing the screen to expand into a three-dimensional model. The sleek black armor stood like a primeval beast, its shoulder-mounted particle cannons flashing with ominous red light.
But when he glanced at the lonely "5023" in his account balance, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
"It's still more cost-effective to buy outside with federal currency," he muttered, closing the screen. He connected his communicator to the company terminal, automatically pulling up the latest financial report.
"Last month's sales curve is agonizingly stable. All major factions are clinging tightly to their potion supply chains, and only scattered soul masters are purchasing Arceus' body-forging elixirs."
"With rare metals regulated in the outside world and the Spirit Pagoda stifled by the Qiangu family..." he muttered softly.
Gu La narrowed his eyes. Advanced technology and the martial soul system brought convenience, but they also restricted many of his small tricks.
For instance, he had already accumulated enough points and divine beast tokens to evolve Celebi's martial soul, but with so many powerful individuals monitoring the continent, he hadn't found a suitable place to perform the evolution.
While pondering whether to launch a new type of potion, footsteps sounded behind him. The silver-uniformed youth he had met earlier in the exhibition hall approached, the gear-shaped badge on his chest gleaming coldly under the light—Third-Level Assistant Instructor Lin Mo from the Mecha Association.
"Brother, are you struggling with customizing a mecha?" Lin Mo smiled knowingly, as if reminiscing about his own past. "All freshmen go through this—I couldn't even understand the blueprint for a white-rank mecha when I first arrived."
Gu La snapped back to attention and nodded. "Yes, I want to learn piloting techniques first before considering customizing a mecha."
"A wise choice. Because of their large size, mechas can carry bigger energy cores and hybrid soul-guided devices, making them no less capable than battle armor!"
"And once you pass the certification test, you can drive them around the city—it's very flashy!"
Discussing mechas, the young man's expression turned fervent. He approved of Gu La's decision and noticed the white stripe on Gu La's uniform, marking him as a first-year student. A glimmer of recruitment zeal flickered in his eyes.
"The first-year assessment requires building a white-rank mecha. I recommend you frequent the Mecha Association to get familiar with operations and build the mecha that suits you best."
The assistant instructor studied Gu La's composed expression and probed cautiously, "If you're not short on contribution points, a purple-rank mecha can handle most combat scenarios with excellent cost-effectiveness. But driving a mecha requires a certain foundation in spiritual power. Have you tested your spiritual power level?"
"Spirit Sea Realm," Gu La replied calmly.
The assistant instructor paused, then revealed an astonished look. "At this level, you're already capable of piloting a black-rank mecha! It seems Brother has extraordinary talent."
Gu La smiled faintly but offered no further explanation.
"How about trying out a simulated drive directly?" the assistant suggested. "We have mecha simulation pods where you can experience operating different types of mechas. Plus, inside the simulator, there are no physical limitations—only your spiritual power matters."
"Alright."
Gu La followed the assistant through the alloy corridor to the oval-shaped training area.
Under the blue lighting, the silvery-white simulation pod exuded a cold metallic sheen. Fine soul-guided patterns flowed across its surface.
He reclined into the pod, and the neural interface automatically adhered to his temples, its icy touch making him slightly squint.
"Consciousness link activated." A mechanical female voice announced.
As the hatch closed, Gu La felt a gentle tug at the back of his head, and the scene before him abruptly shifted.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an endless desert battlefield. Scorching sand flowed beneath his feet, and heat waves distorted the distant horizon. A semi-transparent system interface unfurled in his field of vision:
[Please select a test mecha]
Four options hovered in the air, with the black mecha option locked. Gu La's gaze swept over the clunky form of the white basic training mecha, lingered briefly on the yellow assault-type mecha, and finally clicked the purple icon without hesitation.
"Buzz—"
The space vibrated as countless light particles rose from the sand, weaving together to form the outline of a three-meter-tall mecha.
When the light faded, a streamlined deep-purple war machine stood proudly. Its armor was mirror-smooth, with dark golden shock-absorbing pads embedded at the joints. The folding propulsion wings on its back shimmered iridescently under the sunlight.
[Purple Shadow-7 Activated]
Power Core: Fourth-Level Soul-Guided Reactor (Peak Output: 1200 Soul Power Units)
Weapon System: Soul-Guided Ray Cannons ×2 (Charge Time: 2.3 seconds), High-Frequency Vibrating Blade ×1 (Amplitude: 40,000 vibrations per minute)
Gu La reached out to touch the authentication panel on the mecha's chest, and the cockpit unfolded like a blooming metal flower.
He floated inside, and the mental connection system immediately synced with his spiritual network. As the control stick automatically molded to his palm, he felt a peculiar resonance—the steel frame seemed to become an extension of his body.
"Not bad specs. Even with fewer materials than the dozen or so mechas I've assembled myself, the power hasn't diminished much."
Gu La chuckled softly, his fingertips sliding across the holographic control panel. Through the mecha's sensors, he could clearly "see" the rolling trajectory of grains of sand 300 meters away. "It seems Shrek learned from the disadvantage of outdated soul-guided technology ten thousand years ago—they don't dare neglect even the unpopular mecha tech anymore."
Gu La nodded in satisfaction. This was one of the reasons he came here—to ensure that the Federation, which regularly discards blueprints, would be pleased.
Suddenly, an alarm pierced the silence.
[Combat Test Begins!]
Far-off sand dunes exploded, and over thirty ochre-colored mechas swarmed out like ants. They were armed with standard-issue soul-guided rifles, their thrusters scorching black trails into the sand.
Gu La's pupils contracted as his vision automatically marked the movement trajectories of each enemy. His astonishing dynamic vision detected the hidden purple mecha among them even before the system did.
"Just warming up," he murmured.
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