Chapter 602 - 390: Living Divine King

Chapter 602: Chapter 390: Living Divine King

He was born with a weak Physique. Not only did he lack the strength to even swat a fly, but he also suffered from frequent dizzy spells and occasional fainting. Thus, to avoid the embarrassment of face-planting out of nowhere, he would preemptively plop down onto the ground whenever a dizzy spell hit.

"If you’re not cultivating Inner Strength, what’s the point of sitting cross-legged like that? Honestly, Ancient Martial Cultivators are trash, regardless of whether they have Inner Strength or not. We are in the Stellar Era now; genetic modification is the only true path."

Xia Mengchu shook her head, a trace of disappointment showing on her face. "Forget it. I’ll just consider myself unlucky this time. I don’t expect you to be of any help in this assessment mission. As long as you remain Undying, that’s enough. You have good luck; you can just coast to an easy win."

"All right." Lu Lian nodded. It seemed this Xia Mengchu was quite proud.

This year’s assessment mission for the Tu Yang Star Mecha Academy consisted of two phases. The first phase required students to pair up and trek on foot to the Ruined Keep in the Ancient Battle Wasteland, a journey of approximately four hundred kilometers.

Along the way, there would be eight public supply stations and one hundred and twenty-three hidden supply caches. The stations contained provisions placed by the academy in advance—including food, medicine, weapons, and camping tents—available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The greatest danger of trekking through this wasteland was encountering Star Beasts. Although these Star Beasts were raised by the academy and were mostly weak, an absolute weakling like Lu Lian had no chance of defeating one. Xia Mengchu, however, definitely could.

As the top student of the Mecha department, she had long since consumed Gene Enhancement Fluid. Her physical capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary people. With her strength ranking eighth on the Nova Rankings, dealing with minor Star Beasts would undoubtedly be as easy as flipping her hand.

Upon arriving at the Ruined Keep, the academy would grade the students based on their arrival time and the number of Star Beasts they killed. The two members in a group would receive the exact same score. Obviously, the earlier they reached the keep and the more Star Beasts they killed, the higher their final score would be.

However, if they sustained injuries, their score would inevitably hit rock bottom.

"Get up. Don’t waste time here. We need to hurry to the first supply cache and try to secure some good weapons. My goal for this assessment mission is first place," Xia Mengchu said. As she spoke, she adjusted the GPS tracker on her watch, presumably identifying their bearings.

"All right..."

Lu Lian forced himself up, but before he could stand fully erect, Xia Mengchu’s eyes suddenly lit up. Staring fixedly behind him, she ordered, "Don’t move!"

"What’s wrong?" Lu Lian asked, somewhat confused.

A faint smile appeared on Xia Mengchu’s face. "Good luck. I didn’t expect to encounter a Star Beast this early, and a Rustwolf to boot!"

Rustwolf! Lu Lian’s scalp went numb. He knew about Rustwolves. These Star Beasts had copper skin and iron bones. They were ferocious and bloodthirsty, with fangs and claws capable of leaving gouges in steel plating. Because their fur was so ugly, resembling a rusty lump of iron, they were named Rustwolves. Among the Star Beasts raised by the academy, the Rustwolf was considered one of the more ruthless varieties.

Lu Lian carefully turned his head to look. Sure enough, roughly thirty meters away stood a black Rustwolf the size of a calf. Its eyes glowed a terrifying, sickly green as it stared straight at them.

"It really is a Rustwolf!" Lu Lian slowly took a few steps closer to Xia Mengchu. Suddenly, a trace of doubt arose in his heart. "Wait, aren’t a Rustwolf’s eyes supposed to be red? Why does this one have green eyes?" he wondered.

"You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll handle it!" Xia Mengchu stepped forward without a shred of fear. "The combat power of you Ancient Martial Cultivators is pitifully low. A Rustwolf isn’t something you can handle. However, in the eyes of us in the Mecha department, a Rustwolf is nothing more than a little kitten. It will only take me one minute to kill it!"

"Don’t be careless," Lu Lian warned.

Students in the Mecha department were all wealthy children who had used Gene Enhancement Fluid, giving them physical abilities far beyond ordinary people. Conversely, students in the ancient martial arts department mostly came from impoverished families; unable to afford Gene Enhancement Fluid, they could only rely on ancient martial arts to strengthen their bodies.

Xia Mengchu was the top student of this year’s Mecha department, while Lu Lian was the dead-last underachiever of the ancient martial arts department. Letting her take action while he hid behind her—Lu Lian saw absolutely nothing wrong with this arrangement.

Combat erupted in a flash. The Rustwolf moved like a striking thunderbolt, charging right up to Xia Mengchu in the blink of an eye.

Completely unafraid, Xia Mengchu accelerated forward to meet the Rustwolf head-on, suddenly executing a spinning flying kick. Her legs were long, and her movements were incredibly swift. This kick shot out violently like a switchblade, sending the calf-sized Rustwolf flying backward.

"What great form!" Lu Lian praised. Looking back at the Rustwolf, he saw it hit the ground, roll twice, and then actually lose its nerve, turning tail and fleeing.

Xia Mengchu, meanwhile, stood firmly in place, exuding the demeanor of an absolute master.

"Truly worthy of being the top student of the Mecha department. Amazing. She kicked away a Rustwolf with a single strike; I could never compare!" Lu Lian was just about to offer a few more words of praise when he heard Xia Mengchu let out a muffled groan and collapse backward.

"What’s going on?" Lu Lian was thoroughly confused.

He ran over to her and saw that her forehead was slick with sweat. Looking closer, he was shocked to discover three claw marks on her right calf that had torn right through her combat suit. The three scratches were incredibly deep, inevitably left by the Rustwolf just now. What was truly horrifying, however, was that the blood oozing from the wounds was a dark, inky green and carried a pungent, foul stench.

It was toxic!

Lu Lian’s expression instantly turned grave.

Xia Mengchu was rather resolute. Forcing down the pain, she furrowed her brow and groaned, "Damn it. That was actually a mutated Rustwolf... I was careless. Quickly, take me to the supply station..."

The moment the words left her mouth, she closed her eyes. Likely due to the poison, she slipped right into unconsciousness.

"This... this can’t be!" Lu Lian stared blankly. This was the Mecha Goddess! Was she really going to bite the dust right at the start? Was there a mistake in the script?

What happened to coasting to an easy win?

"Just my luck..." Lu Lian frowned. "What should I do now?"

He looked at his own two hands. With his frail, breeze-toppled little body, could he even carry this goddess to the supply station? Should he sling her over his shoulder, carry her on his back, or carry her in his arms?

If he ignored her and walked away, Xia Mengchu would probably die here. A dignified Mecha Goddess, dying so young?

"No, I can’t just leave her to die." Lu Lian made his decision. He tried to hoist Xia Mengchu onto his back, but his old affliction suddenly flared up again. He pitched forward in a flat-ground face-plant, landing right on top of her.

"Her chest... is quite soft."

He could faintly feel it...

"Forget it. I can’t count on you at all. You just need to—"

"Sorry, I was born with a weak Physique. This supply box weighs a full fifty kilograms; I can’t carry it."

"Then what use are you?"

"I heard the final reward for this league tournament is a [Black Axe Warrior] Mecha," Han Xiaosheng said, gazing up at the sky...

Tu Yang Star, Spaceport A37. The underground training room at the headquarters of the Silver Shark Adventure Group.

Lu Lian was methodically practicing his boxing routines. His frame was incredibly frail, essentially nothing but skin and bones. He seemed to have been training for a long time. Out of breath and drenched in sweat, he looked as though he was on the verge of collapsing, yet he still meticulously completed every single movement.

"Ancient martial arts?"

A white-haired elder walked in. Tall and clad in a silver combat suit, the old man carried an imposing aura without needing to show anger. He shook his head and said, "What is the use of Cultivation in ancient martial arts?"

His words were laced with disdain and disappointment.

Lu Lian stopped his movements and wiped the sweat from his brow. Smiling at the old man, he said, "Grandpa, Cultivating ancient martial arts can strengthen the body and keep you fit. My body is already much stronger than it used to be."

The elder’s name was Lu Zhendong, the man holding Authority over the Silver Shark Adventure Group. Hearing his grandson’s words, the disdain on Lu Zhendong’s face deepened.

"Strengthen the body? Bullshit! By Cultivating ancient martial arts, can your body withstand bullets? Can you lift objects weighing several tons?

"Let me tell you, we are now in the Stellar Era. The best way to strengthen the body is to use Gene Enhancement Fluid. But you are just a piece of trash. Your Physique is far below that of an ordinary person; you don’t even have the qualifications to use Gene Enhancement Fluid!

"Regardless of whether you continue Cultivating ancient martial arts, you will only ever be a piece of trash in this life. Don’t ever dream of becoming a master capable of piloting a Mecha!"

"Grandpa..." Lu Lian frowned, somewhat displeased, but he didn’t dare talk back to Lu Zhendong.