86 UPDATED Chapter 60: Holy Clear University Targets Me, Other Universities Want a Piece Too? Bring It On!

"General Qi, even at this juncture, do you still believe that the Mechanic profession is of A-level?"

Seeing Qi Tai still wearing a face of misunderstanding,

Master Qingyun sighed,

Instead of answering directly, he asked an unrelated question,

"General Qi, in your eyes, should an SSS-level professional be the strongest professional?"

Qi Tai nodded without thinking,

"I have never heard of a profession surpassing SSS-level."

Master Qingyun, however, shook his head, "If SSS-level professionals are the strongest, then why do they also face death?"

Qi Tai still didn't understand the point being made,

Master Qingyun shook his head,

"A great achievement, if lacking, is not flawed, ah.

"There's nothing truly perfect in this world, nor is there a perfect profession. At best, there are different advantages at different stages. However, in my eyes, the truly flawed things should be the most precious in this world..."

Master Qingyun turned his head and glanced at the massive military villa standing quietly outside the Yellow Sand City,

"After all, the more obvious the flaw, the closer to perfection it becomes once it's remedied."

"I have heard more than once from others about the huge flaws of Mechanics. So huge that even an A-level profession recognized by the Heavenly Dao is inferior to a common D-level lifestyle profession."

"General Qi, now look at our young friend Zheng Mu. Can you see any flaws of a Mechanic on him?"

Qi Tai was stunned, he turned his head to look at Zheng Mu, who was sitting quietly on the rooftop, lost in thought.

Upon careful consideration, it seemed exactly as Master Qingyun had said,

After Zheng Mu resolved the major issue of mechanical creation blueprints not being recognized by the Heavenly Dao, it seemed that there really wasn't a single weakness to be found in the Mechanic profession.

Hp and mp are bound to mechanical creations, as long as the mechanical creations don't perish, Zheng Mu, the Mechanic, won't die.

Unlike summoners who must maintain a certain distance from their summons, else the summons will disappear.

First Release Zheng Mu, on the other hand,

The T-800 ran out more than ten kilometers without showing any signs of functional limitation.

And many other aspects Qi Tai couldn't even think of.

After this brief contemplation, it seemed that after Zheng Mu remedied the flaws of the Mechanic profession, the potential embodied in him truly wasn't something an S-level or even SSS-level profession could compare to.

After all, apart from having stronger skill effects and terrifying attack power,

It seemed the growth ceiling of these professions was the limit of their skill tree.

But what about Zheng Mu?

The so-called ceiling for a Mechanic seemed entirely determined by the terrifying mechanical creations he could craft.

And thinking carefully about what terrifying mechanical creations Zheng Mu could craft in the future?

Qi Tai couldn't figure it out, but just based on the fact that Zheng Mu, who had only awakened two months ago, had created such a terrifying mechanical creation rated by the Heavenly Dao as a Red Hero-level entity,

The mechanical creations he will create in the future will undoubtedly be even more terrifying.

The thought sent shivers down Qi Tai's spine.

To some extent, besides the Southwest Military Officer University, the other nine top-tier universities in Dragon Nation have definitely provoked this existence with terrifying potential.

Thinking that Zheng Mu, angered today, dared to request the lifting of the killing restriction,

This matter will certainly not be easily overlooked in the future.

"Ah, so what if you lost the first place? Holy Clear University has held the first place in assessments for so many years, losing once won't matter."

Qi Tai shook his head, already feeling a bit sorry for the future of Holy Clear University.

On the top floor of the base, looking at the clearly upset Zheng Mu, Honghou silently stood by his side.

"This world is like this, whether it's the current world of professionals or the world I lived in before, both are cruel. Those without sufficient strength and no chips in hand can only become pawns in others' hands."

Zheng Mu didn't speak.

Seeing Zheng Mu like this, Honghou hesitated for a moment, then gently stepped forward, her hands embracing his body.

This body couldn't feel anything too real, yet Honghou inexplicably felt nervous.

After all, she wasn't a real intelligent life, originally she should be considered human, then after death became a ghost, and then was bound by the Mechanical Nest to become the current Honghou.

But her psychology and thoughts were still those of a real human.

Zheng Mu felt the soft body, the physical touch felt somewhat false, yet the touch of two hearts was the most real.

After a long silence, Zheng Mu finally uttered a sentence that he would adhere to in the future,

"From now on, I will never let what happened today, being manipulated like a puppet, happen to me again. Never."

...

On the other side, after leaving Zheng Mu, General Qin quickly arrived at Dragon Nation's Divine Capital through the teleportation array of Yellow Sand City.

All ten top-tier universities of Dragon Nation had campuses here.

After entering the campus of Southwest Military Officer University, General Qin hurried to his office and picked up a special phone,

"Hello, old principal, I have a matter here that urgently needs your help....

As the narrative of his current predicament unfolded over the phone, a prolonged silence ensued from the other end. Finally, a voice resonated, "Ah, Xiao Zhi, remember back in the day when you single-handedly challenged a whole foreign university on their turf just because a professional from Japan harassed your classmate? We old folks nearly ended up in a brawl with them over that... haha."

General Qin fell silent upon hearing this, as the voice continued, "I don't know if you remember, but this old bone of mine recalls it vividly. It was one of the reasons I admired you so much back then. Alas, that was a different time."

The words from the elder carried no scolding or reproach, yet General Qin, Qin Zhi, felt a sudden surge of anxiety. "Teacher, I..." he began, but was cut off by the elder, "Think about it. You chose the challenging path of Southwest Military Academy, and we old folks, even at the cost of our lives, fought tooth and nail against those Japanese bullies for you and your comrades."

"Now, isn't this young lad you speak of choosing the hard path of Southwest Military Academy just like you did back then? Standing defiantly in front of a multitude, his fiery resolve burning bright... If we hadn't helped you back then, would you have regretted your steadfastness?"

"Xiao Zhi, you are the elite bred by Southwest Military Academy, a pillar of Dragon Nation, and a soldier. With us old folks around, the sky of Southwest Military Academy will not change."

The call ended, and the usually stoic General Qin was now with tears streaming down his face.

The next day, when Zheng Mu relayed the restrictions he faced to Cai Shengkun and Leng Bingyue upon their return, Cai Shengkun slammed the table in fury, "What the hell! This is blatant bullying! The mechanical creatures you crafted are recognized by the Heavenly Dao, even the experience points from slaying monsters are fully credited to you. The Heavenly Dao acknowledges the mechanical creatures as part of you, what right does Holy Clear University have to target you?"

"This is nothing but sore losing!" he continued, his rage unabated. Unlike Cai Shengkun's fury, Leng Bingyue, though also frowning, looked at Zheng Mu with concern, "What's your plan?"

Zheng Mu took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and gazing at them both, he said, "I've applied to Southwest Military Academy to lift the killing restrictions for this examination."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Cai Shengkun and Leng Bingyue changed slightly, clearly startled by Zheng Mu's audacity. "What are you planning to do?" they inquired.

What was he planning? Zheng Mu hadn't thought it through. Perhaps he'd have to take down all the examinees from other universities except Southwest Military Academy, or maybe just knocking them down wouldn't suffice. Or perhaps, he didn't even know to what extent he needed to go to satisfy his desires.

"Bingyue, Chicken Kun, I'm not happy. As long as these bastards can cheer me up, I'll let them go..." he said, his voice trailing off.

Cai Shengkun, without a moment's hesitation, thumped his chest and said, "Boss, I have only one thing to say. We grew up together, and although we weren't born on the same day, I, Cai Shengkun, have the guts to die with you on the same day."

"It's just Holy Clear University, right? Those arrogant pricks have been at odds with us since the days in Yun Tong City. I've had a bone to pick with them for a long time."

"Holy Clear University targets us, and other universities want to join the fray? Let's fight them!"

Listening to Cai Shengkun's impassioned words, Zheng Mu couldn't help but laugh. His gloomy face lightened up a bit as he playfully punched Cai Shengkun in the chest, "How come I never realized you, Chicken Kun, could be so tough?"

Cai Shengkun scratched his head awkwardly, then grinned cheekily, "Isn't it because I have a badass boss like you? Hell, after I enrolled in Southwest Military Academy following you, my family was all about how great Holy Clear University is. I told them, I'm with you, boss, and I'll show those short-sighted fools how we'll grind their precious Holy Clear University to dust!"

Leng Bingyue, watching these two seemingly reckless guys ready to face the storm head-on, couldn't help but smile as she saw Zheng Mu's face light up with a smile. Nobody noticed her subtle smile.

While waiting for news from General Qin, Zheng Mu didn't waste any time. He sent out his patrol hawk, initially used for locating monsters, to scout further afield. Within just two days, he had identified most of the examinees from Southwest Military Academy. After delivering a pre-prepared order under the guise of Southwest Military Academy to them, directing them to regroup at a designated rendezvous point, Zheng Mu began preparing earnestly for the upcoming grand operation.

On the third day of Zheng Mu's wait for news, while he was scrutinizing the distribution map of the examinees across the Bone-Swallowing Desert, he suddenly felt a surge of enhancement coursing through his body. Opening his status panel, a few lines of information prominently displayed:

[You have slain the Golden Python (lv21), earning 216 experience points] [You have leveled up to lv20] [New skills available for learning]

Zheng Mu's eyes sparkled. Level 20. Even without deliberately targeting higher-level monsters with his mechanical creations, the experience points had maxed out in just three days. He opened the skill tree and unlocked three skills directly. Among them, two were under the [Mechanical Cell] branch:

[Mechanical Cell Modification lv1: Absorb a specific mechanical creature and based on its type, randomly enhance one attribute of the user. Calculation power occupancy: 20 (Calculation power enhancement reduces by 50%) Cooldown time: 1 month] [Note: Each type of mechanical creature can only be absorbed once by this skill]

[Life Source Cell Modification lv1: Absorb a specific mechanical creature and based on its type, randomly enhance one attribute of the user. Calculation power occupancy: 20 (Calculation power enhancement reduces by 50%) Cooldown time: 1 month] [Note: Each type of mechanical creature can only be absorbed once by this skill]

Zheng Mu: "..." Isn't this a bit of a crude design by the heavens when it comes to the Mechanic profession? Two different skills, yet the descriptions are exactly the same. And the worst part, Zheng Mu had no way to contact any customer service. After a moment of hesitation, he chose to learn them directly. Why not experiment with them? Especially since all the sub-skills under the [Mechanical Cell] branch were meant for self-enhancement.

He summoned two T-800s and cast [Mechanical Cell Modification] on one of them. The next moment, to Zheng Mu's astonishment, the T-800 in front of him melted into liquid and enveloped him before he could react. Accompanied by a strange sensation of foreign invasion, Zheng Mu felt disgracefully... fuller.

[Mechanical Cell Modification successful. Absorbed object: Bionic humanoid combat robot T-800] [Congratulations: Strength attribute +50, Agility attribute +50]

Holy crap! So that's how this skill works. Feeling his combat power nearly doubling, Zheng Mu eagerly cast [Life Source Cell Modification] on the other T-800. After a similar process, this time, he felt much lighter, his brain seemed more agile, and his vision sharper.

[Life Source Cell Modification successful. Absorbed object: Bionic humanoid combat robot T-800] [Congratulations: Constitution attribute +50, Mental Power attribute +20]

Without delay, Zheng Mu opened his personal panel:

[Name: Zheng Mu] [Profession: A-level Mechanic] [Level: lv20 (0/250k)] [HP: 5500/5500] [MP: 4000/4000] [Calculation Power: 290/440] [Strength: 94] [Agility: 93] [Mental Power: 66] [Constitution: 95] [Skills: Combat Analysis lv3, Weapon Mastery max, Midas Touch lv3, Firepower Reset lv3, Armament Modification lv3, Calculation Power Enhancement lv3, Mechanical Cell lv3, Nano Magnetic Field Scan lv3, Module Engraving lv1, Ghost Step lv3, Biological Scan lv1, Nano Mechanical Wave lv1, Mechanical Cell Modification lv1, Life Source Cell Modification lv1] [Mechanical Creations: TransformersBase, TransformersOptimus Prime, Licker (40), Bionic Humanoid Combat Robot T-800 (38), 3D District Boss Maid (2), Patrol Hawk (500)]

Seeing three of his four-dimensional attributes surpassing 90 points, Zheng Mu's face lit up with excitement, his mouth curving into a dangerous grin, revealing his grim white teeth.

"Now those so-called prodigies are in for some real trouble..."

Lastly, Zheng Mu's gaze landed on the last activated skill:

[Core Tactics lv1: Share some Mechanic skills with all allied mechanical creatures within a specific range. Current coverage range: 1km. Calculation power occupancy: 10 (Calculation power enhancement reduces by 50%) Cooldown time: None].