Chapter 18

"Alright! Today's exam is over," Luo Tianxiong, after administering the whipping, walked back and forth a few steps, gently flicking the whip in his hand, and said to the students:

"Many of you did not pass. This time, I will temporarily refrain from punishing you, but the cost will be a deduction in your final evaluation scores! If you want to change this, work hard in the next assessment! I believe some of you already know the information: the true elite seed selection program has now entered the evaluation phase! Who will make it onto the school's key cultivation list depends on your performance over the next few months!"

"The top ten outstanding students this time, except for Xiao Pingyue and Wang Yu, whose scores were canceled due to violations, the remaining eight will receive their rewards upon returning. I hope you continue to work hard and don't slack off! Dismissed!"

"Boss, are you okay?" Liu Caihui came over, trembling as he helped Xiao Pingyue up from the ground.

This rich kid's attempt to cheat had backfired, and he had lost face so badly that he would likely not be able to hold his head high in school for a long time!

"That damn dog, bastard!" Xiao Dashaoye glared at the departing Qin Huang and his group, gritting his teeth.

Wang Yu, standing nearby, said coldly, "It's not a big deal! There will be many more such assessments in the future. I don't believe that guy can keep being so arrogant! When the time comes... hmpf!"

Xiao Pingyue's expression improved slightly as he said, "You're right! But he's made a big splash this time. I feel restless if I don't find a way to teach him a lesson!"

"About that? It's not impossible to consider," Wang Yu thought for a moment and said:

"That guy has no background. It's fine within the school! If we can find a way to lure him out of the school gates and have some people from the streets corner him, the rest will be easy!"

Xiao Pingyue nodded, "Alright, I'll handle this! That guy wants to compete for an elite seed spot? He can dream on!"

...

Back in the dormitory, the school had already sent the rewards.

Two white metal boxes, each about half a meter square, had no elaborate decorations, only a simple silver eagle-lion emblem representing the military. Inside, they were neatly arranged with sixty light green metal bottles.

This military-grade special organic nutrient solution, while not much, was equivalent to a week's worth of Qin Huang's food, a small consolation.

"Just filling my stomach isn't enough; other cultivation resources need to keep up! To further improve, I need to find a way to earn money!" The young man frowned, deep in thought.

He knew that this "lack of food and clothing" situation would only change once he became a true elite mobile warrior candidate. But that was clearly not something he could count on in the near future!

Moreover, without sufficient resources, his strength could not be significantly improved. With so many outstanding students in this batch, standing out was like a dream.

Of course, there were ways to make money. For example, helping the unreliable Teacher Sha Zhenghai process mecha parts, the weekly pay would be enough to buy organic nutrient solution, basically solving the problem of food and clothing.

In fact, he could do much better. The vast knowledge about advanced mecha design and manufacturing that the AI brain had imparted to him came from the essence of the Star Abyss Alliance, representing the pinnacle of mecha technology in the most powerful empire in human history! He could use it immediately, as long as his source energy index and energy manipulation skills met the standards!

With his current strength, if he worked in stages, completing a Bronze Two-Star mecha part on his own would not be difficult. This would undoubtedly increase his earnings significantly.

However, the direct consequence of doing so would be attracting attention and suspicion from those around him. After all, mecha part design and processing are high-end technical jobs with very high entry barriers, not something just anyone can handle.

He, a powerless student without special training, could complete high-level mecha parts after just a few days of assisting a half-baked creator! That would be like telling others that he was suspicious.

Therefore, the most prudent approach was to gradually reveal his true abilities over time, giving those around him a chance to adapt psychologically, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Unfortunately, he lacked the initial capital. Otherwise, he could secretly purchase materials, components, and basic processing equipment, process and manufacture mecha parts on his own, and sell them anonymously through online platforms. This would allow him to quickly accumulate wealth without drawing too much attention.

There was another method: participating in online virtual mecha combat tournaments. If he could maintain a high win rate, he could also earn substantial prizes.

However, this would require many rounds of competition, not only taking a long time but also incurring significant costs for using the school's virtual combat hall equipment. Without sufficient confidence in always winning, he might end up losing a lot of money!

In any case, there was still some time before the final assessment, so he could afford to wait.

...

In the laboratory.

On a large workbench, a fifty-centimeter-long, conical arrow-shaped alloy part was slowly rotating in a blue floating constraint magnetic field. Countless shimmering silver threads enveloped it, and the smooth, polished surface of the arrowhead was adorned with layer upon layer of intricate and elegant source energy matrix patterns.

Qin Huang, dressed in a pure white sealed work suit, sat upright with his eyes closed, wearing an elegant mental power enhancement headband. Around him were various high-precision equipment used by creators, such as multi-faceted prisms, high-molecular polymer scanners, multi-functional miniature smart optical brains, nano-etching machines, and rhodium magnetic decomposition oscillating knives, all floating in the field for easy access.

On several large three-dimensional projection screens, a massive amount of green data was flashing and scrolling at a high frequency. Sha Zhenghai was similarly "fully equipped," standing beside him as his assistant.

After a short while, a soft, crisp "beep" sounded from the workbench, and the layers of light gradually dissipated. The hum of various instruments gradually subsided and returned to their positions. Qin Huang let out a light sigh, opened his eyes, and the youthful, pale face showed signs of fatigue.

"Finally, it's done..."

This was one of the core integrated components of the mecha's energy module. Compared to ordinary Bronze One-Star mecha standard parts, its performance was superior, reducing the energy consumption of the Bronze mecha by 2.7%.

This was already a significant optimization. On the battlefield, even a 0.5% difference could sometimes determine the outcome of a battle.

Sha Zhenghai discarded his creator equipment, turned off the floating constraint magnetic field, and picked up the part, examining it with delight.

"Good job, kid, you really have it!" He praised sincerely:

"I didn't expect that in just a few days, you could independently complete the processing and optimization of an important mecha part! Even a real creator apprentice would find that quite challenging!"