Chapter 15: Progress – Are They Fast-Forwarding the Plot?
And so, Yu Xia followed Qing Zheng and Luo Dian to the Second Physical Education Hall.
Qing Zheng pointed toward a specialized arena within the hall and explained to Yu Xia, “The fastest way to deplete mental power is, of course, to compete against someone else’s. During a mental power pressure contest, you’re forced to mobilize all your mental power to suppress your opponent. A significant amount is naturally burned off in the process. In short, this should be the most efficient method for a quick depletion.”
After his explanation, Qing Zheng added a warning. “However, this is strictly limited to the virtual world. In reality, your constitution isn’t strong enough to support your mental power; attempting this would easily trigger a total loss of control. Do not try this in the real world.”
Yu Xia gave him an ‘OK’ gesture. “Don’t worry, I understand the reality of my situation. But… will this really work?”
Luo Dian chimed in from the side. “It’ll work, alright. Actually, this is one of the methods we use for mental power training. There’s a theory that mental power pressure contests can promote mental power purification. Currently, it’s just a hypothesis without solid evidence, but since there aren’t any side effects, there’s no harm in trying. Just don’t overdo it, as it can place a burden on the brain.”
Qing Zheng supplemented, “Since most of your mental power is housed within the brain, it does cause some strain. But doing it once or twice shouldn’t be an issue. You should give it a go.”
Yu Xia had also grown curious about the strange devices on the arena platform, but a question remained. “Then, which of you will compete against me?”
Qing Zheng nudged Luo Dian. “You go.”
Luo Dian was clearly prepared. He hopped onto the platform and gave Yu Xia a hand up. “Be careful then, Xiao Yu. My mental power is quite high.”
Yu Xia wasn’t particularly worried about Luo Dian’s mental power. He didn’t care much about winning or losing; he was far more interested in the device that could help him burn off his mental energy.
He fiddled with the helmet in front of him, finding it quite amusing. “Wearing a helmet inside a holographic helmet… it’s pretty meta.”
Luo Dian, who had already donned his own mental power helmet, caught Yu Xia’s comment. “Eh? You’re using a holographic helmet?”
Yu Xia adjusted his gear. “Yeah. The doctor said holographic helmets consume more mental power than holographic cabins. Right now, I need to burn off as much as possible.”
“I see.”
The contest officially began. Once the “3, 2, 1” countdown on the digital screen ended, both of them released their mental power into their respective helmets. On the machine’s display, red and blue colors appeared, pushing against each other. Blue represented Luo Dian, while red was Yu Xia.
Qing Zheng turned his gaze toward the screen monitoring the clash between the tulip and Luo Dian.
Likely because it was Yu Xia’s first time using the equipment, he only released a tentative amount of mental power when the countdown ended. Consequently, only a sliver of red appeared on the screen, while blue dominated most of the space. However, he quickly felt the pressure from his opponent and ramped up his output.
For a good while afterward, the red and blue sides were locked in a stalemate, surging back and forth in a heated tug-of-war. But in the final moment, the blue side was suddenly and utterly crushed by the red.
The event happened so abruptly that both Luo Dian, the victim of the crushing, and Qing Zheng, the spectator, were momentarily stunned. Yu Xia, however, removed his helmet and spoke with great excitement.
“Wow, this machine is tough! It took me forever just to figure out how to use it.”
Qing Zheng & Luo Dian: “…”
Wow is right. To think that during that entire period of ‘stalemate,’ he was simultaneously resisting his opponent’s mental power while spending his energy figuring out how to operate the machine. No wonder that final strike was so explosive.
Qing Zheng stood below the platform and clapped his hands. “As expected of high-tier mental power. Impressive!”
Luo Dian took off his helmet and rubbed his head. “That was seriously intense. Qin-ge, I’m telling you, Tulip’s mental power felt similar to yours, but not quite as extreme. I’d guess it’s at least SS+. A simple SS wouldn’t have that kind of impact. My head is still buzzing.”
Seeing that Luo Dian seemed genuinely uncomfortable, Yu Xia asked with concern, “Are you alright? I didn’t really control my strength just now…”
Luo Dian waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine. Although mental power clashes in the virtual community create a sense of pressure, it’s not a big deal and won’t affect me in reality. At most, I’ve just drained a lot of mental energy today. A good night’s sleep will fix it.”
Yu Xia breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, then.”
Qing Zheng narrowed his eyes and made a suggestion once more. “Tulip, I’m serious. With your mental power, you could apply directly to Imperial Star Academy. It’s not impossible for you to get an exceptional admission. I hope you’ll consider it.”
Yu Xia finally caught on. “So, you brought me here just to test my mental power?”
Qing Zheng apologized repeatedly. “Sorry, sorry. I was just a bit curious. Besides, the machine can’t measure your specific grade anyway, since Luo Dian only has S-rank mental power. But you really should consider my advice.”
Luo Dian rolled his eyes secretly. “What do you mean ‘only’ S-rank? S-rank is already considered high-tier mental power, okay?”
Yu Xia wasn’t particularly angry. If he met a Mental Power Disorder patient, he would also be curious about just how high their power was to cause such an illness. However, he would likely keep his curiosity to himself; if the person wasn’t comfortable sharing, he wouldn’t pry. He felt Qing Zheng’s persistence in wanting to know his grade was a bit overstepping.
Still, he needed to make his stance clear. Yu Xia looked at Qing Zheng and said seriously, “Don’t do that again. Otherwise, I won’t dare hang out with you guys anymore.”
Qing Zheng immediately promised, “Don’t worry, there absolutely won’t be a next time.”
Luo Dian looked at Qing Zheng, then at the tulip, finally piecing it together. “So, Qin-ge, you had me compete with Tulip because you were curious about his level? You could have just asked; why be so indirect?”
Qing Zheng chuckled and explained, “I did ask, but he couldn’t say.”
“Couldn’t say?” Luo Dian blinked. “Which means his level is at least above SS. My estimate was pretty spot on.”
As he spoke, Luo Dian patted Yu Xia on the shoulder. “In that case, you should really think about Qin-ge’s suggestion. In your situation, it’s not out of the question for Alliance spies to try and sweet-talk you into joining them. Imperial Star Academy has a military background. While it’s not 100% foolproof, they can at least help block out a lot of those people.”
He then announced with pride, “Both Qin-ge and I are from Imperial Star Academy. When you make it to our school, we’ll come pick you up together!”
There was no need for Yu Xia to hide this part, so he spoke directly. “I’ve already applied for the Mechanical Department at Imperial Star Academy. That major seems to be special; they don’t offer exceptional admissions. Even with Mental Power Disorder, it only counts as extra points. I still have to take the exam, so I’m stuck studying. If I fail, I can be reassigned, but then it’s up to the school to decide where I go.”
Luo Dian’s eyes lit up. “The Mechanical Department? No wonder you still have to take the exam!”
Wanting to learn more about his future field, Yu Xia asked, “Is the Mechanical Department very difficult?”
Luo Dian scratched his head. “Supposedly, it’s quite tough. I’m in the Mecha Department and Qin-ge is in the Command Department, but regardless of our major, we all desperately need students from the Mechanical Department. Everyone wants their own exclusive mechanic these days. But the truth is, there are far too few mechanics who actually make the cut. They are a severely scarce talent pool, yet the standards can’t be lowered. Mechanics are vital—the gear they build goes to the battlefield, so it’s no laughing matter. Even though many people enroll in the Mechanical Department every year, most can’t get into the military or research institutes after graduation.”
“Then where do they all go?”
“There are plenty of options. For instance, various robotics companies. Mechanics are still very sought after. The field covers a wide range of subjects. Within this Empire, it’s still a golden career path. You can’t go wrong studying it,” Luo Dian said.
While they talked, Qing Zheng prepared a file. He smiled and said to Yu Xia, “Here, as an apology, I’m sending you a file. As a future mechanic, you should find this useful right about now.”
Yu Xia blinked and curiously accepted the file from Qing Zheng. The filename was boldly titled: General Introduction to Mechanical Mechas. it looked like a professional textbook.
Luo Dian leaned over. “What is it? What is it?”
Yu Xia opened the file and realized it wasn’t a set of lecture notes, but rather a mecha pilot’s fundamental understanding of mecha mechanics.
He looked at Qing Zheng, who merely gave him a small smile. “This is based on the book General Introduction. It’s a collection of my own insights from years of piloting mechas. In a few years, it might be useless to you, but for now, you can look through it when you’re free—if only to pass the time!”
Luo Dian looked at his friend, frowning in confusion.
These summaries of Qin-ge’s were indeed impressive and useful. This was a habit Qin Yizheng had developed as a Marshal’s son—to summarize almost everything. However, he never shared these with others. Even Luo Dian himself often struggled to get his hands on Qin-ge’s latest notes. The file he gave to the tulip, though a bit dated, was still a proactive gift, and Luo Siqi felt something was off.
Qin Yizheng was not typically such a warm-hearted person. Even if the tulip’s Mental Power Disorder was pitiable, it shouldn’t be enough to make Qin Yizheng hand over years of his work.
And while Luo Siqi was still puzzled, he heard Qin Yizheng speak again. “Actually, this version is a bit old. A lot of things have been updated since then. I’ll take a look in a couple of days and give you a newer version.”
Hearing this, the last of Yu Xia’s lingering annoyance vanished completely. He flipped through a few pages of the file Qing Zheng had given him. “Did you write all these thoughts yourself?”
Qing Zheng nodded. “But it’s best to read these alongside that textbook—the one in the title, General Introduction to Mechanical Mechas. Otherwise, some concepts might get muddled, and I wouldn’t want my notes to lead you astray.”
Yu Xia nodded. “Don’t worry, I will. But that title is actually a book? I thought it was just the name you gave the file!”
Qing Zheng chuckled. “I’m not that talented yet. This summary is just some idle reflections on mecha piloting. But you should set those aside for now. The Mechanical Department at Imperial Star Academy is hard to get into. You should focus on the notes I gave you previously; those will be much more useful for your current stage.”
Yu Xia made an “I understand” gesture and saved the file. “Definitely. I know my priorities. Preparing for the exam is more important right now. However, I’m starting physical training tomorrow, and I’m not sure what kind of plan the doctor has come up with.”
Qing Zheng looked at Yu Xia. “Will you be online less often after that?”
Yu Xia thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Probably not. I can’t exercise all day long. I still need to review, so it’ll be a good way to balance work and rest. Besides, I definitely have to log on at night to burn off some mental power. It’s the only way to get a good night’s sleep, and that’s vital.”
Qing Zheng gave an affirmative “Mhm.” “I’ll see if I can find any more notes that might be useful for you. Before I turned eighteen, I mostly used physical notebooks. If you need them, I can mail them to you.”
Yu Xia’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “That’s exactly what I need. Thank you so much!”
Luo Siqi: “…”
Luo Siqi felt his entire being go numb.
You, Qin Yizheng, you honest-looking rogue! You’re actually planning to mail him notes? And this wasn’t even the first time you’ve sent him files?
How much of the plot have I missed? How long have these two been doing suspicious things behind my back? How did they suddenly progress to the point of mailing notebooks when I wasn’t looking?
Luo Siqi crunched the numbers in his head, his frown deepening. It was beyond belief.
The first time they met the tulip, he was with Qin Yizheng. From that accidental encounter until now, it had been—at most—three days. How was Qin-ge’s progress with the tulip this fast?
Are they fast-forwarding the plot?
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