Second Profession

"That's my younger sister." Meng Li saw Gu Yue's gaze fall on the photograph.

"Your sister is so cute!" Is it really okay to praise myself like that? Gu Yue's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Why are you blushing?" Meng Li paused in surprise.

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

Gu Yue was welcomed into Meng Li's dorm room. The entire room was clean and orderly, without a single messy spot. It hardly looked like something a nine-year-old could have kept so tidy.

Under the evening lights, Gu Yue spotted a letter. It was clean, slightly yellowed, showing that it had been there for some time.

Meng Li ate as he spoke about all the things he had seen and experienced before.

Gu Yue listened attentively, occasionally adding a word or two. The night breeze lifted strands of her dark hair, and the beautiful girl was utterly captivating.

Meng Li and the other five Class Zero students arrived at the classroom. Along the way, he could not help complaining that the words "first grade" ought to be changed. It was rather embarrassing for someone like him, who had received a higher education.

The classroom was no different in size from the other classes. The difference was that there were only six sets of desks and chairs in the entire room, making it seem spacious and empty.

Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi sat together, Meng Li and Gu Yue sat together, and Tang Wulin and Xie Xie sat together, as though they had formed three separate factions.

Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi had frostbite. It was quite severe, and they looked much puffier than usual.

Wu Changkong entered with a cold expression. His gaze swept over the six of them, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Your future curriculum will undergo some changes.

"As geniuses, you will receive stricter training and education.

"Considering that Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi are injured, cultivation will be postponed for a while. Today, I'll tell you about mechas!"

Mechas?

The six of them looked at one another.

Meng Li touched the Murasa he carried with him, his mind filling with visions of slicing mechas apart with a single stroke.

"Teacher Wu, aren't mechas only taught in the higher grades?" Zhang Yangzi could not help asking.

Wu Changkong said, "I'm only letting you gain a detailed understanding of them. I won't be teaching you anything in depth, and there won't be many lessons..."

During class, Wu Changkong explained some basic knowledge about mechas.

The general idea was that modern mechas had developed from those of ten thousand years ago. For the first several thousand years, they had been widely used in warfare. Later, much like electricity in Meng Li's previous life, Soul Tool Technology came to be applied to every aspect of daily life.

People ten thousand years ago used Soul Tool Technology to enhance their strength, creating the early forms of mechas. As technology advanced, increasingly sophisticated mechas were forged, their appearances becoming more and more attractive. Eventually, even ordinary people could pilot them.

What had never changed was that purple-grade mechas and above were all made by hand. Machines simply could not complete such difficult work.

Mechas were classified much like soul rings: red, black, purple, yellow, and white.

There were large, medium, and small types. Large and medium mechas were too conspicuous. The ones they would pilot in the future were small mechas, designed specifically to enhance their strength and fit their martial souls.

These so-called small mechas were known as—

Battle Armor!

They were as small as armor. Battle Armor had a different classification system: the longer the name, the more powerful it was.

Meng Li thought of a character from a game.

Kai!

That burly man who proclaimed, "Blade of light, please protect this city once more."

Kai would put the Angel's Armor on himself, and then... his intelligence would drop below zero in the game, making tower-diving an everyday occurrence.

As for Battle Armor, Meng Li still preferred wearing a T-shirt and carrying Murasa.

Battle Armor was incredibly powerful. One-Word Battle Armor could raise one's strength by two rings, two-word Battle Armor by three rings, three-word Battle Armor by four rings, and four-word Battle Armor was even stronger, directly reaching Limit Douluo.

What Wu Changkong taught today was mainly meant to prepare Meng Li and the others mentally. They needed to choose one of Mecha Designer, Mecha Manufacturer, or Mecha Repairman as their second profession.

Tang Wulin already had forging as his second profession, so he did not need to choose.

If he had to choose one from those professions, Meng Li would pick Mecha Designer without the slightest hesitation. The literal meanings alone made it clear that the other two were not good options.

Manufacturing was exhausting work that consumed both effort and physical strength, while repairs meant maintaining and servicing Battle Armor...

Neither was the best choice. Being a designer was better. He could make money and design the mecha he liked with just a few movements of his fingers.

"Teacher, I choose Mecha Designer!" Meng Li was the first to raise his hand.

Wu Changkong was somewhat surprised. They had three years to think about a decision that could change their lives, yet Meng Li had made up his mind so quickly.

"There's no rush. You have three years to consider it. Once you complete the first stage of training, I'll take you to see some mechas. The following classes will cover theoretical instruction and practical combat training."

Wu Changkong first lectured them on a great deal of theory. He praised Wang Jinxi, then criticized everyone for being too individualistic and heroic, only knowing how to fight alone without cooperating. Their practical combat experience and techniques were severely lacking.

"Meng Li and Gu Yue, you two will spar with me separately later. The others will come at me together. I won't use any soul skills, and I'll suppress my Soul Power to your level, around Rank Thirteen. Let's see whether you can defeat me..."

Everyone: "..."

Was there really a need to treat them so differently? Hadn't he said they were a collective?

With Meng Li and Gu Yue around, Wu Changkong knew the other students would never make much progress. With someone else taking the lead, they could not give it their all, and he could not easily keep his strength at a balanced level either.

"Do your best to hit me!"

Tang Wulin looked eager to try. Blue Silver Entanglement was the first to strike.

Gu Yue and Meng Li watched from the side. The battle ended quickly, and without question, Tang Wulin's group of four suffered a crushing defeat.

Next came Gu Yue and Meng Li. The two of them spent most of their time together, and their relationship had always been very good.

In group battles especially, Gu Yue practically ignored everyone else and always coordinated with Meng Li.

Gu Yue and Meng Li exchanged a glance.

Meng Li was the first to draw Murasa. A ring of wind walls formed from Soul Power rose around Wu Changkong, trapping him within.

"Elemental Tide!"

Gu Yue released wind elements, granting Meng Li's elements the power of wind. The elemental wind made Wu Changkong's clothes rustle, restricting his movements for one second.

Several enhanced fireballs shot toward Wu Changkong.

A sword resembling Murasa appeared out of thin air in Wu Changkong's hand, except this blade was covered in ice. It was his martial soul, the Sky Frost Sword.

"Second Soul Skill: Frost Mist!"

Wu Changkong slammed the Sky Frost Sword against the ground. Frigid ice mist surged up and splashed across the entire room, rapidly chilling the classroom. Countless gusts of frost surrounded Gu Yue and Meng Li, and Gu Yue's fireballs were snuffed out in an instant like matches lit in the snow.

"Sixth Soul Skill: Condense Frost!"

The classroom seemed to be struck by a hailstorm, raining down upon Meng Li and Gu Yue.

"Teacher, didn't you say you wouldn't use soul skills?" Gu Yue asked.

"That was for them!" Wu Changkong answered seriously.

"..." Gu Yue and Meng Li had no response.

"First Soul Skill: Feather Transformation!"

Snow-white wings enveloped Meng Li and Gu Yue, shielding them from the wind and cold.

But Wu Changkong's Soul Power was simply too strong. The angel wings protected them for only ten seconds before returning to the Sacred Winged Angel's original form.

As they endured the blizzard, they also had to guard against Wu Changkong's attacks.

Wu Changkong fixed his eyes on Gu Yue. The Sky Frost Sword in his hand released a "Frost Whisper Ice Wheel."

Wu Changkong's attack was extremely tricky. The ice wheel curved through the air, and the ice shield Gu Yue had gathered in front of herself was shattered in a single blow. She had no time to use the Space Elemental to evade.

The ice wheel closed in. Then, with a bang, came a sound like ice breaking apart.

Murasa forcibly cut the ice wheel in half. Gu Yue stood behind Meng Li, who was holding her left hand.

Gu Yue froze slightly, her face reddening. As he released her hand, a green glow lit up around her body.

A massive Ice Cone smashed toward Wu Changkong.

Wu Changkong did not dodge. A glint flashed through his eyes, and a biting chill radiated from his body. Like the fireballs before it, the Ice Cone was scattered by the wind and snow.