Ye Xinglan's sudden words made Gu You's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
A Level 5 Mecha Maker? If he casually pulled some strings, he could easily get a Level 9 one.
Among all the auxiliary professions, mecha designers have the easiest time advancing early on. The basic requirements are high spiritual power and strong comprehension—if you meet those, you can usually reach Level 3 or above within a few years.
Professional mecha manufacturing, on the other hand, is much more difficult to advance in. It requires constant hands-on practice and skill refinement. Plus, strong comprehension is still essential—if you want to build excellent mechas or battle armor, you first need to fully understand the designs. If you can't even understand the design, how can you expect to make a good product?
That said, Gu You honestly found mecha manufacturing fairly simple. When he assessed molds, he usually just judged whether they looked nice and were practical when making things on his own.
Still, he couldn't deny that excellent mecha crafters could produce battle armor that was worlds apart from the crude models he smelted out. Every profession had its own core expertise—otherwise, there'd be no point in that profession existing in the first place.
But Gu You didn't say any of that out loud.
Ye Xinglan was only thirteen—probably not even fourteen yet—just like the rest of them. And she was already a Level 5 Mecha Maker. That alone proved how exceptional her talent was. Especially considering that mecha crafting was something most girls didn't even attempt to learn. For her to choose this path showed more awareness and drive than most.
"I'll be waiting for the day you become a Level 9 Mecha Maker," Gu You said with a smile.
"Alright!" Ye Xinglan agreed confidently with her hands on her hips. But deep down, she wasn't nearly as calm as she appeared. A Level 5 Mecha Maker at their age was incredibly rare—but a Level 5 Forger at their age? That was virtually unheard of, even in the entire Shrek Academy hierarchy.
The best part about peers is growing together—but Gu You didn't get to enjoy that kind of feeling anymore. Right now, he almost wished he just had a slightly above-average martial soul—something that would let him get into Shrek Academy and truly experience the bittersweet joys of student life.
But he couldn't. The moment he awakened the Purple-Gold Dragon Emperor martial soul, his life was already set on a different course.
Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi had been sent out of the inner court to train in the outer court. The pressure on them was immense. If they couldn't prove themselves during this period, even returning to the inner court might become uncertain.
"Wait, what? The sixth-year students are allowed to use battle armor?" Xie Xie stared at Shen Yi in shock, momentarily frozen in disbelief.
Even Gu You frowned slightly—not because of the average sixth-year students, who didn't concern him—but because of the top-tier geniuses who had been sixth-years. Those were the ones to truly be wary of.
"Don't ask me why—there's no reason," Shen Yi said flatly before walking off.
No one said anything more.
Their seven-member team had already been finalized:
Gu Yue
Gu You
Tang Wulin
Xie Xie
Xu Xiaoyan
Ye Xinglan
Xu Lizhi
Three days later.
Shrek Academy, outer court, Class 1 of Year One.
"In order to better reflect your true strength, after consulting with Teacher Wu, we've received academy approval for the internal class selection tournament to be conducted as real combat duels in the sparring arena," Shen Yi announced calmly, addressing the class.
Her words left the students momentarily stunned. Wasn't the selection supposed to take place in the virtual space, to avoid injuries or even severe harm?
Real combat?!A strange tension filled the room.
Gu You sat quietly in his seat, expressionless and calm.
Luo Guixing still wore his usual smile, appearing no different than usual—but there was a flicker in his gaze as he kept exchanging silent glances with Wu Siduo beside him.
Yang Nianxia looked lazy as always, while Xu Yucheng wore a sullen expression. From the very first day of class, he and Luo Guixing had always been perfect contrasts.
Zheng Yiran, on the other hand, had a sharp, aggressive glint in her eyes. Her gaze locked onto Ye Xinglan like a predator, as if her martial soul was ready to pounce at any moment.
Most other students were clearly excited. They eagerly anticipated this upcoming clash of dragons and tigers. To them, it didn't really matter who won or lost.
The Sparring Arena was one of Shrek Academy's most frequently used facilities. Normally, students just needed to spend contribution points to use it for duels. Its biggest advantage was energy isolation—preventing internal energy from leaking outside. Plus, the arena always had at least one seven-ring or higher healing-type soul master monitoring from the sidelines, ready to heal any injuries and ensure safety.
When Class 1 arrived at the Sparring Arena, they saw a woman already standing on the stage.
She wore a long aquamarine dress, appearing serene and elegant, brimming with life energy. Her features were beautiful and refined, her long dark green hair cascading down her back.
She had a graceful figure and appeared to be in her early thirties, exuding a radiant and calm aura, with a warm smile on her face.
When they saw her, both Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Your Excellency."
"No need for all that formality—get up," the woman said with a gentle smile.
Gu You instinctively tried to hide—he had a bad feeling about this.
But how could he escape her perceptive gaze?
She merely smiled without saying anything.
Xie Xie, on the other hand, was completely stunned. Your Excellency? That title was reserved only for Titled Douluos! Which meant this woman—who looked to be only thirty—was a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse. And even Wu Zhangkong, normally proud and aloof, showed genuine respect in his eyes toward her—absolutely sincere. That spoke volumes about her prestige.
Just how many Titled Douluos did Shrek Academy have…?
"Everyone, greet Her Excellency, the Holy Spirit Douluo," Wu Zhangkong said coldly.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"All the first-year students, Gu You included, bowed together.
Yali gave a slight smile. "This sparring arena is for refining your skills, but be sure to show your full potential so you can stimulate your growth. Alright, I'll leave the rest to you."
She floated gracefully, without a trace of mortal presence, and landed on a high seat at the edge of the arena.
Wu Zhangkong turned to the students."This internal class selection is to be conducted in the spirit of openness, fairness, and impartiality. The class has been divided into seventeen groups, and we will now proceed with random drawing to determine matchups. Single-elimination format. Today we will determine the strongest group, which will represent our class in a sparring match against Class 1 of Year Six four days from now.
Vice-profession exchange will be handled by the respective class committee members. Begin the draw."
"First round, bye…"
(End of chapter)