Chapter 508: Mecha Piloting

The students were just beginning to learn how to pilot, so starting with the fundamentals was crucial. Even for Tang Wulin, with his superb physical abilities, he needed two classes before he could properly balance in a mecha. 

Alright! Teacher Duan said I need imagine myself being as huge as the mecha, then I need to find my balance. Tang Wulin was also only student who didn’t fall over during their first session.

Mecha piloting was strenuous and deliberate work. Even the slightest twitch in the pilot’s muscles would be reflected in the mecha’s movements. The pilot had to maintain absolute control over every muscle to control the mecha properly. 

For example, a single muscle going taut in the arm would cause the mecha’s arm to move as well. If they were shooting a soul cannon, that would affect their shot’s trajectory. 

Piloting was a practice of controlling one’s own body. This control was the foundation required of any hopeful pilot. 

“Good. That’s enough drills now. Does anyone want to volunteer to demonstrate some more advanced movements? You kids can choose whatever you want,” Duan Shang said through the comms channel. 

Tang Wulin’s mecha did a little hop. “Teacher Duan, let me do it.”

“Okay. Come over here,” Duan Shang said as his mecha pedalled backward to the center of the field. His expectations were high for Tang Wulin, class president of the first grade. In all his years of teaching piloting, Tang Wulin was the first class president to sign up. 

Generally, all class presidents had a solid chance of making it into the inner court, so they spent all their time on either making battle armor or cultivating. Tang Wulin, on the other hand, signed up for the class and attended with genuine enthusiasm. He had a talent for piloting too. With his powerful body, he quickly progressed. Duan Shang couldn’t be more satisfied with him. 

This was their third class of the semester, yet Tang Wulin had already fully grasped how to balance and basic mecha maneuvers. If he kept this pace, he would be able to pilot a yellow-grade mecha within a year! He truly had a talent for this. 

Tang Wulin lifted a leg and and made his mecha take a step forward, ever so slowly. Then he took another, and another, onward to the center of the field.

“Excellent. Your balance is really good,” Duan Shang said. 

When Tang Wulin finally reached the center, he let out a deep breath and calmed his nerves. His senses were spread outward, his spiritual power encompassing the entire mecha. Become one with the mecha. One with the mecha. 

He raised his arm and lifted a leg, then brought them back in, slowly and steadily. Not a bit of impatience could be found in his body. 

These basic movements were no issue for him, but he couldn’t neglect practicing the fundamentals, especially as a fledgling pilot. Even so, he went through the routine quickly, already quite skilled after a few piloting sessions. 

His mecha took half a step over its left foot with its right, crossing them. It twisted its body as its left leg fell back, a concise turn. The mecha wobbled, slightly off kilter, but Tang Wulin swiftly reigned it in and continued walking around the field, making small circles and tight turns from time to time. His mecha moved far quicker than in the beginning, but it was still by no means fast. He quickly picked up momentum, the mecha’s movements becoming more and more fluid. 

Duan Shang narrowed his eyes, watching in disbelief. Tang Wulin’s maneuvers weren’t too complex, but they were concise and perfectly suited for dodging attacks by a hair’s breadth. But most importantly, his footwork was highly irregular. Without any sort of rhythm, it would be hard for enemies to hit him with attacks. This kid’s got potential! His footwork might be too direct, but he’s only a beginner. He’s genius at this! 

Tang Wulin was completely immersed in piloting. He was doing his best to display a watered-down version of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step with his mecha. However, mechas were far larger than humans and had a different joint physiology which made it impossible to perfectly replicate the technique. Despite the limitations, this practice brought him closer to acting as one with the mecha. 

My mecha’s going to be done soon. I’ll be able to practice a lot more then. 

Mechas were the culmination of modern technology while battle armors were the fusion of technology and soul masters. The two were different and had their own paths. 

Tang Wulin had loved mechas since he was a boy. Just the thought of having his own mecha got his blood boiling. 

Tang Wulin soon finished his performance and Duan Shang showered him with praise before ending class.

After leaving the mecha field, Tang Wulin returned to the dormitory to go shower before going cultivating for the night when he ran into someone unexpected. Guo Xiaoxu was waiting for him. 

“Hello,” Tang Wulin said, unsure of how else to address the man. 

Guo Xiaoxu smiled kindly. “Come with me. I have some things to talk to you about.” He led the way out.

Tang Wulin was happy to oblige. Guo Xiaoxu was one of the higher-ups of the Tang Sect, and Tang Wulin owed a lot to the sect. Without the Mysterious Heaven Method, he wouldn’t have been able to cultivate faster and make it into Shrek Academy. He also knew about Xie Xie joining the Agility Hall to learn from Liang Xiaoyu. Are they looking for me to specially train me too? The image of the profound depth of Guo Xiaoxu’s eyes flickered into his mind and excitement bubbled up. 

Guo Xiaoxu led Tang Wulin to the middle of a forest before stopping. “Hello, Wulin, I’ll be speaking on behalf of the Tang Sect today.” His kind smile set into solemness.

“Yes.” Tang Wulin’s nodded with resoluteness. 

“Do you have any interest in entering the Tang Sects inner halls and joining the Battle Hall?”

“Battle Hall?” Tang Wulin asked. He didn’t have much knowledge about the inner halls. 

Guo Xiaoxu nodded. “The Battle Hall is the very core of the Tang Sect. You could say that it’s the very reason we nurture talents for. At the same time, it is also the hall that bears the greatest responsibility, taking on the most important and dangerous missions. If you join the Battle Hall, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter some particularly tough enemies in the future. But as a member of the Battle Hall, you would have the Sect’s full backing, and we would do our best to help you grow.” 

“We’ve been keeping an eye on your growth and achievements. You have a firm foundation, are highly talented, and possess unheard of blood essence soul rings. Under Wu Zhangkong’s recommendation, we’re inviting you to join the Battle Hall. Whether you join or not is up to you.” 

Tang Wulin had heard mentions of the Battle Hall, Enforcement Hall, and Holy Hall before, but he only knew a bit about them. He knew that the Enforcement Hall dealt with upholding the sect’s rules and punishing rule breakers, and that the Holy Hall only admitted exceptionally powerful soul masters. But he didn’t have any idea what the Battle Hall did. 

“General Manager Guo, could you possibly tell more more about the Battle Hall first?”