Chapter 82: The Cultivation of a Mecha Warrior

They had never considered this question, because all they knew was that once a person reached a strength of 450 kilograms, a speed of 40 meters per second, or a neural reaction score of 20—achieving any one of the three—they would have attained the first rank. As for how to cultivate beyond the second rank, they had never heard or learned anything about it.

“Come inside with me first.” Shangguan Mulong pushed open the door and led Nangong Yuchen and the other three inside.

The room was not large, and both its walls and furnishings appeared quite plain. It was nothing like the classrooms and hall outside, where advanced technology could be seen everywhere. Yet in the very center stood a machine resembling a workbench, which immediately aroused Nangong Yuchen and the others’ curiosity.

“Instructor, what is this?” Nangong Yuchen asked, puzzled.

Shangguan Mulong did not answer him directly. Instead, he instructed Nangong Kexin to lie down on it.

“Is it for a physical examination?” Angel asked. Although she knew many things beyond the reach of ordinary people, she, too, had never learned about human cultivation after reaching the first rank.

“You’re half right.” Shangguan Mulong stepped forward and switched on the machine. “To be precise, this is specially designed to test the physical capabilities of cultivators above the first rank.”

At those words, Nangong Yuchen, Angel, and Gao Xinyu began watching the changes on the instrument with complete concentration.

“Hiss!”

Three energy bars appeared on the machine. They were red, blue, and yellow.

As the platform carrying Nangong Kexin moved forward, she was pushed into the hemispherical testing apparatus above.

Soon, the three energy bars began to change. The blue bar in the middle changed most dramatically, rapidly rising from an initial value of zero, while the red and yellow bars increased more slowly.

“Can you see the figures clearly?” Shangguan Mulong asked.

The three of them nodded and answered in turn, “Red: eleven. Blue: seventy-nine. Yellow: eighteen.”

“Good. Gao Xinyu, go up and replace Nangong Kexin.” After recording the figures, Shangguan Mulong issued his next instruction.

Though Gao Xinyu was somewhat confused, she still stepped forward. After helping Nangong Kexin down from the platform once it had emerged from the machine, she lay down in her place.

“Instructor, what do the figures displayed by these three energy bars mean?” Although Nangong Kexin had been lying inside the apparatus, she could still hear their conversation. After coming down and seeing her test results, she could not help asking out of curiosity.

Shangguan Mulong waved a hand. “Once all of you have finished testing, I’ll explain everything to you together.”

“Oh.”

Before long, Gao Xinyu’s results appeared as well. They were roughly similar to Nangong Kexin’s: the blue bar in the middle showed seventy-six, the red bar thirteen, and the yellow bar fifteen.

Next, Shangguan Mulong instructed Angel to lie down. In less than a minute, her results appeared. They far surpassed those of the previous two girls, and two of the energy bars displayed exceptionally high values.

“Red: twenty-one. Blue: eighty-eight. Yellow: ninety-one.”

After seeing the results, Nangong Yuchen and the others immediately understood what the three differently colored energy bars represented.

“Instructor, the red represents strength, the blue represents speed, and the yellow represents neural reaction, correct?”

“Yes.” Shangguan Mulong smiled and nodded. He was extremely satisfied with Angel’s results. He then instructed, “Nangong Yuchen, you go up as well.”

Nangong Yuchen walked over and, like the three girls before him, lay down on the platform and was pushed into the testing apparatus.

“Hiss!”

Soon, all three energy bars changed at once. They shot rapidly upward from zero and finally stopped together at ninety-six.

“Red: ninety-six. Blue: ninety-six. Yellow: ninety-six.”

Nangong Kexin and Gao Xinyu were both slightly startled. Even their highest value—their blue energy bar—had not exceeded seventy, yet all three of Nangong Yuchen’s values were close to one hundred.

“That’s incredible. You’ve surpassed us by so much!”

Beside them, Shangguan Mulong smiled. “As expected of someone cultivating all three attributes simultaneously. To think all three values could reach such heights.”

After Nangong Yuchen returned and saw his results, he immediately urged, “Instructor, now you should explain how these figures are related to physical capability, shouldn’t you?”

“Very well. Then let us begin your second lesson: the cultivation of mecha warriors.” As he spoke, Shangguan Mulong walked to the side of the machine, then turned to face the four of them and began explaining.

“When we humans cultivate our physical abilities, we are called physical cultivators. Once we reach the first rank and equip ourselves with the corresponding mecha, we are then known as mecha warriors. Before breaking through to the first rank, however, the physical restraints within the flesh and blood have not yet been removed. Therefore, one can only be considered a cultivator, not a mecha warrior, and cannot equip a mecha. Do you know why?”

Nangong Yuchen and the others remained silent, staring intently at Shangguan Mulong and waiting for him to continue.

“It is because, after breaking through to the first rank, the human body gains an additional form of power. You may understand it as a kind of ‘source of strength.’ We humans call it physical energy value. Before breaking through to the first rank, however, the figures shown by your tests cannot be called physical energy values.”

Shangguan Mulong’s expression turned solemn as he continued in a deep voice, “Because this concerns your cultivation after reaching the first rank, and it is the very foundation of whether you can equip a mecha.”

“After breaking through to the first rank, a cultivator’s physical energy value in each attribute reaches one hundred. The minimum requirement for a first-rank mecha is also one hundred. Therefore, when a cultivator fails to reach that figure—as is the case with all of you—he cannot equip a mecha. Even if he forcibly holds one in his hands, it would be no different from ordinary scrap metal and could not truly be used.”

At this point, Nangong Yuchen and the others felt a sudden clarity come over them. They had gained an entirely new understanding of the human path of cultivation.

“Instructor, then what is the physical energy value of a second-rank mecha warrior?” Angel suddenly asked.

“The physical energy value of the first rank is one hundred, the second rank is two hundred, the third rank is five hundred, and the fourth rank is one thousand.” When Shangguan Mulong mentioned the fourth rank’s value of one thousand, a look of longing and wistful emotion appeared on his face.

“Then how do we cultivate our physical energy value?” Nangong Yuchen immediately asked the question that concerned him most.

“Physical energy value is just like your physical ability. For example, if your attribute is strength, then as your own strength increases, your physical energy value will naturally increase as well.” Shangguan Mulong paused briefly before continuing, “However, the four of you should be most concerned with raising your strength to 450 kilograms, your speed to 40 meters per second, or your neural reaction to 20. Until you reach that level, do not set your sights too high. The difference between a physical cultivator and a first-rank cultivator is an insurmountable chasm.”

Shangguan Mulong continued in a grave tone, “You must understand that the most important purpose of human cultivation is to make the body continuously stronger, thereby reaching the standards required by mecha of every rank. That is why we are called mecha warriors. Without mecha, we humans would be unable to survive in this world.”