The advisor who'd brought Bai Sha to the arena took a seat at the judges' panel.
From his vantage point, the distance was too great to see Bai Sha's actions clearly, but his gaze remained fixed on her direction.
"Not bad, this batch of students has solid mental fortitude. We threw them a tough challenge, but most are handling it with calm focus. Impressive," a mech engineer wearing optical mechanical glasses said, striking up a conversation with a grin.
"You've got some nerve saying that. Forty minutes for design? Who tests students like that?" the advisor muttered under his breath, though his expression remained composed. "For the upcoming military exercise, we need to prioritize students with strong repair skills. What's the point of rushing their design speed? If they churn out a bunch of useless junk, you really think they won't embarrass us?"
The bespectacled engineer raised an eyebrow. "It's a competition. The winner shines by outclassing the rest."
Even if the designs fall short, everyone's in the same boat—no shame in that.
The advisor: "…"
Fair point, but today's audience wasn't just the advisors from the four major academies. Several master mech engineers from the Imperial Mech Design Institute were also present, and they'd be judging the students' design concepts and modification skills.
He just hoped the students wouldn't get chewed out too badly.
With a sigh, the advisor shifted his attention to the holographic screens floating above.
All the candidates in the arena had received the modification test's theme—
"Racing Shooter Mech"!
"Racing Shooter" was a common subtype of offensive mechs, excelling in speed and firepower. Its primary weapons were, unsurprisingly, firearms and artillery.
A standard mech type.
Every military academy student in the room had designed an entry-level Racing Shooter mech and understood its mechanics.
Some even speculated that the forty-minute design limit was why the instructors chose such a straightforward theme. Even without groundbreaking ideas, students could rely on past experience to produce decent designs.
A resonant bell signaled the start of the modification test!
A countdown screen popped up beside each worktable, its blue digits silently ticking.
The students bowed their heads, diving into their mech blueprints.
The holographic screens above the arena merged into a massive spherical display, slowly rotating and occasionally zooming in on students' work.
The arena fell into a prolonged silence.
Suddenly, a student activated a welding device. Donning protective goggles, he spread out a array of mechanical parts. His hands moved with fluid precision—assembling components, feeding them into the worktable for welding. A flash of cold blue flame, a quick quality check, and he was onto the next part.
The process was seamless, his speed astonishing!
Some students, startled by the noise, looked up and were instantly captivated by the display, forgetting they were in the middle of a test.
"…That's Ying Chen from Dongluo Academy," someone on the judges' panel remarked quietly. "Recently earned his senior mech engineer certification. He's among the top in this group."
"Passing senior certification at his age makes him a genius. But what's he doing? He hasn't submitted a blueprint and he's already modifying parts?"
"Does he have it all figured out?"
"No, quite the opposite," a master engineer said, narrowing his eyes. "He's attempting something risky."
This master could tell what Ying Chen was up to.
He was—modifying the mech engine provided on-site!
If successful, the new engine would massively boost his mech's speed. That's why he hadn't bothered with a blueprint. If the engine modification failed, any blueprint would be useless, forcing him to start over.
Many advisors switched their holographic feeds to Ying Chen's channel, watching his every move.
"Interesting… but this modification is dangerous. Even if the mech is completed, a careless pilot could cause an accident," someone said, shaking their head.
"It's not a custom mech—the pilot should adapt to the mech's traits. Expecting a pilot to operate flawlessly isn't a major flaw," another engineer countered, admiring Ying Chen's bold, unconventional approach.
"—Master Tai Shirong, what do you think?"
The woman at the head of the judges' panel wore a white dress under the Imperial Mech Design Institute's uniform, exuding elegance and poise. She raised an eyebrow, a faint smile spreading from her luminous eyes.
"Master Tai Shirong?" someone called again, leaning over to see her screen, only to freeze.
The candidate at the worktable was calmly drafting a blueprint, her electronic stylus gliding across the screen without hesitation. Her other hand tapped in midair, gradually forming a complete holographic model—
The test only required a flat blueprint, essentially a concept draft. With a forty-minute limit, expecting students to produce a flawless, detailed design was unrealistic.
But this one? Not only was the overall framework pristine, every line and component fit was meticulously precise. Her blueprint needed no revisions—it could be fed directly into modeling software without a single error, meaning it was 100% viable for production.
And the design itself?
Her concept aligned perfectly with Ying Chen's—focusing on the engine, paired with an impeccable full-body energy circulation system.
From the design philosophy to the component assembly and fine details, it was flawless.
"…A work of art. Textbook perfection!" the engineer beside Tai Shirong exclaimed, then fell into thought. "But this circulation system's design… why does it feel familiar?"
He looked up at Tai Shirong, startled. "Master Tai Shirong, this…"
It hit him. Tai Shirong, a master mech engineer, was renowned for her expertise in lightweight mechs, particularly racing engines.
"It's a bit like my style, isn't it?" Tai Shirong said, arms crossed, sighing. "I showed it to her once, and she grasped the essence."
Her tone was mock-grumbling, but her face betrayed a delighted smile, as if the student crafting this perfect blueprint were her own.
The engineer beside her grew suspicious. "Are you her teacher?"
"As if I'd dare steal someone from Master Jiang Gui," Tai Shirong said with a meaningful smile. "But today's matchup is quite the coincidence…"
She'd proposed the theme for this modification test, being an expert in the field and one of the test's lead examiners.
She hadn't expected Bai Sha to join the competition on a whim.
But now, half a year later, Bai Sha's designs had shed the last traces of inexperience.
Tai Shirong glanced down at the screen, catching Bai Sha's profile as she worked. The cold arena lighting didn't fully dim the softness in her features. Her Ronin heritage gave her a refined, striking appearance, but her focused, serene demeanor while drafting made her looks secondary—only the profound mastery of creation in her hands captivated, stunning onlookers with a quiet awe.
Tai Shirong had felt the same years ago, seeing Jiang Gui's designs.
This master-student duo was monstrous.
As Tai Shirong mused, the engineers around her erupted in excitement:
"It worked!"
"Can't believe Ying Chen actually pulled off the new engine…"
"How much time's left? Enough to draft a full blueprint?"
"Look at his hand speed—he's got plenty of time. His blueprint might even qualify for the Mech Association's rating, maybe displayed as an official work."
"Haha, watching him modify that mech is getting me hyped!"
Ding.
A notification flashed on the judges' holo-brains: a student had submitted a mech blueprint.
Tai Shirong thought: Here comes the real thrill.
"Eight minutes, forty-two seconds left. Plenty of time. No one's revising?" an advisor remarked, surprised.
Submitting early earned bonus points, as noted in the scoring rules, but they hadn't expected anyone to finish ahead of schedule.
In their minds, early submitters were either slackers or giving up.
Until they opened the blueprint—
The judges' panel fell into stunned silence.
"Whose design is this?"
An advisor from Tianquan Academy checked the submitter's name and burst into three hearty laughs. "Hahaha, I knew it—folks, looks like the top score for the design phase is already decided!"
"A student can reach this level?" someone said skeptically, pulling up the recording for review.
"She's a Ronin and Jiang Gui's disciple. What's so strange about her skill?" the Tianquan advisor said, rolling his eyes. "If she wasn't certain of victory, why would she ditch a guaranteed pilot slot to come here?"
"Jiang Gui… that Jiang Gui? When did he take a disciple—"
Tai Shirong watched the renewed clamor among her fellow engineers and shook her head lightly.
Others envied Bai Sha for having a mentor like Jiang Gui, but Tai Shirong envied Jiang Gui for having a student like Bai Sha.
Bai Sha was a mech engineer herself. Her mech, Thunderflow, hadn't been sent to the Imperial Mech Design Institute for repairs since its creation—likely because Bai Sha handled it all herself. Tai Shirong hadn't even had a chance to cozy up to her.
Perhaps that was the innate charisma of a Ronin—always making people wonder what heights she'd reach.
All eyes gravitated toward her, like moths to a flame.