Battle Armor vs. Mecha; Zhenhua Calls

"Becoming a mecha pilot..."

"Come to think of it, I suppose I count as a mecha pilot too."

Lu Li chuckled. The next moment, he silently focused his attention on his storage ring, Nian Wo. Inside were mechas of various sizes.

The first one on the far left stood two meters tall. Small and bulky, it looked like a petite girl who weighed a hundred kilos. It was equipped with two guns and was more suited to piloting than fighting. It was a White-Grade Mecha!

The second was about the same size, but had a more complete set of weapons and a more advanced-looking metal exterior. It was a Yellow-Grade Mecha!

The third was a Purple-Grade Mecha, slightly larger than the first two. It was equipped with Soul Cannon shells and was easier to control.

And the fourth one, which was also among the mechas...

Aside from the red mecha that represented God-Grade mechas, Lu Li owned one mecha of each of the four grades. Each one was covered in gold and red patterns that complemented each other.

Of course, he hadn't made these mechas himself. In the past twelve years, his cultivation speed had nearly exceeded the limits of human potential, so naturally he hadn't managed to reach Level Eight in every profession.

As for where these mechas came from, they had, of course, come from that woman: his beloved teacher, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu, a figure of extraordinary standing in the Spirit Pagoda.

That was why the mechas carried two different auras.

The reason he'd asked such a busy woman to make four mechas was simple. When he was very young, he'd said that mechas were a man's romance...

If she hadn't already been a Red-Grade Mecha Master, she might even have made him a red mecha before he became a Super Douluo.

His teacher truly treated him like her own son. He would always remember her kindness and repay it many times over in the future.

However...

As time went on, he increasingly felt that something about his teacher was a little off.

Lu Li chuckled and stopped thinking about it.

"Teacher Wu, Teacher Lu."

"Are you two mecha pilots?"

Tang Wulin asked curiously. Mecha pilots were so powerful, so surely the two men in front of him were mecha pilots too?

"I'm not a conventional mecha pilot."

"But I don't know about Teacher Lu."

Wu Changkong shook his head. As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Li beside him. He didn't know if Lu Li was one, but true geniuses never had time to mess around with mechas. It probably wasn't likely.

"I do count as a standard mecha pilot. I have a Black-Grade Mecha, but I don't use it often."

Lu Li nodded with a smile and answered calmly.

"A Black-Grade Mecha pilot, second only to Red-Grade."

"Teacher Lu is still too impressive."

Xie Xie sighed to himself. Even though his family, the Xie Family, specialized in mechas, his father was only a Level Seven Mecha Master.

Teacher Lu was truly terrifying!

"Teacher Lu, is there some kind of rule about using mechas? Teacher Wu isn't a mecha pilot, and you don't use yours often."

"Or are mecha pilots not quite as simple as we imagine?"

Tang Wulin had noticed the key point. Though he still looked surprised, he couldn't help asking.

"There's no special rule. Mechas really are powerful. Except for White-Grade Mechas, which are practically useless, and Yellow-Grade Mechas, which are used to assist cities, Purple-Grade Mechas can already reach the strength of Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors."

"Black-Grade Mechas are even stronger. They can fight at the level of Soul Emperors to Soul Douluos, making them suitable for high-ranking Soul Masters. I imagine all of you hope to become mecha pilots, but in reality..."

"I don't recommend that you become conventional mecha pilots."

Lu Li's gaze swept over the group, and he smiled faintly.

"Huh? What do you mean, Teacher Lu...?"

The group was confused. Black-Grade Mechas were powerful, with strength ranging from Soul Emperor to Soul Douluo. Wasn't that enough?

"Mechas are powerful, and their minimum potential is extremely high. With special training, even an ordinary person with low Soul Power can unleash astonishing combat strength."

"But they don't just have a high floor; they also have a low ceiling for the strong. And there's one more thing: raising a mecha pilot is incredibly expensive..."

Lu Li spoke slowly. Mechas were good, but making one cost far too much.

Take his own Black-Grade Mecha. Even though his teacher had given it to him for free, it had cost at least tens of millions of Federal Coins to make. It might even have approached a hundred million.

Ordinary Soul Masters could never afford that, and if a mecha was damaged or destroyed, repairing or replacing it would mean another enormous expense.

"Does that mean..."

"Becoming a mecha pilot isn't a good career plan?"

The group's eyes dimmed. They'd thought mecha pilots were so impressive, but now the idea seemed laughable.

Tang Wulin had the strongest reaction of all.

His family wasn't well-off, so he'd become money-conscious at a young age. Once he learned that being a mecha pilot required so much money, he immediately abandoned the idea.

"It's not that being a mecha pilot is a bad goal. Teacher Lu hopes you won't focus solely on the conventional mecha pilot profession. There's a stronger branch of Soul Guidance mechas—"

"Battle Armor Masters."

Wu Changkong spoke up at once.

"Battle Armor!"

Everyone blinked, curiosity showing on their faces. Wu Changkong then took the initiative to explain:

"Battle Armor is a type of mecha, but it's more convenient, more powerful, and more practical. Becoming a Battle Armor Master is also the goal of every powerful Soul Master."

Starting with mechas, which were more familiar to the children, Wu Changkong spent the rest of the time explaining to Tang Wulin and the others just how much Battle Armor could transform a Soul Master.

Gradually, their anticipation gave way to awe and excitement. Especially—

Battle Armor was unbelievably powerful!

"A Soul Saint wearing Two-Word Battle Armor can actually rival an unequipped Titled Douluo?"

"A Titled Douluo wearing Three-Word Battle Armor can even rival a top high-ranking Douluo. Battle Armor is totally broken."

Zhang Yangzi sounded awestruck. The others couldn't hide their shock either.

Compared with mechas, Battle Armor offered a much more obvious boost. Even the differences implied by the number of words in its name were enough to show them just how terrifying it was.

Battle Armor was far too powerful!

"Battle Armor sounds amazing..."

"I've got to learn how to make it!"

Wei Xiaofeng's face was filled with longing. Just imagine: with the boost from Battle Armor, his speed and combat strength would both increase dramatically.

Then, with his Agility Attack System Soul Master's ability to end fights quickly, he might be able to defeat Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi in no time!

"I see you're all excited about creating Battle Armor. But obtaining Battle Armor requires partners to cooperate and work well together, and you'll need to study secondary professions too."

"For instance, Tang Wulin is a Grandmaster blacksmith."

"So you'll need to add secondary professions to your studies and strive to reach Level One or Level Two in one of them within three years."

"If you work hard enough, perhaps you'll all be able to catch up with Tang Wulin. Keep it up."

Wu Changkong showed no sign of stopping. He continued speaking.

"Yes, Teacher Wu!"

Before long, Class Zero's first lesson came to an end.

After watching Tang Wulin and the others leave, a mechanical chime rang out in his mind once more:

[Host, in your first lesson, you discovered that Battle Armor was the most powerful technological creation in this world, and you set yourself the goal of becoming a Battle Armor Master]

[Long-Term Mission: I Must Become a Battle Armor Master]

[You hold Battle Armor in the highest regard. Become the owner of at least One-Word Battle Armor within three years]

[Mission Reward: Battle Armor effects increased by 100%. The effect can stack, increasing by 10% each time]

"Of course becoming a Battle Armor Master would trigger a mission. I just didn't expect the reward to be a precious percentage-based bonus..."

Lu Li chuckled, thinking to himself.

Still, he'd have to put this mission off for a little while, because his Battle Armor wasn't even with him right now...

Just as he was thinking about that, his communicator suddenly vibrated before he could leave the classroom.

He picked it up and saw that the call was from a contact saved as Uncle Zhen.

"Hello, Uncle Zhen."

Lu Li answered softly.

"You little brat, you're in Shrek City and you didn't even come to Heaven Dou City to study blacksmithing. Why'd you head to Eastsea City without saying a word? Couldn't you stand staying in Shrek City?"

"Evil Soul Masters are so dangerous these days. Don't think they'll spare you just because you're with the Spirit Pagoda. They'll treat you even worse than they treat their own."

A helpless voice came from the other end of the phone.

The caller was none other than the current president of the Blacksmith's Association, a top Divine Craftsman capable of forging Heavenly Forged Metal: the Four-Word Battle Armor Master Zhen Hua.

He had also once been Lu Li's blacksmithing teacher.

When it came to the greatest master in the field of blacksmithing, and the person qualified to guide Lu Li, there could be no one but Zhen Hua.

"I just came out to take a walk."

"After all, I'm not some dullard who only knows how to cultivate."

Lu Li responded with a chuckle.

"Heh..."

Zhen Hua fell silent for a moment. You're not a dullard who only knows how to cultivate? Then who was it that went from Innate Full Soul Power to Titled Douluo in twelve years? Was it me, the Divine Craftsman?

Don't make your Uncle Zhen laugh.

"Fine, I won't say any more. Your stuff is ready. Should I have someone bring it to Tower Master Tianfeng, or will you come pick it up yourself?"

Zhen Hua asked with a faint smile in his voice.

"Hm?"

"I'll come back right away."

At that, Lu Li's expression changed. He smiled as he replied. He'd known Zhen Hua wouldn't call him for no reason. So his things were finally ready.

As for what those things were, they were the Three-Word Battle Armor he'd given Zhen Hua to improve: the Holy Dragon King.

No, it wasn't a Three-Word Battle Armor anymore. After being reforged by Zhen Hua, the only Divine Craftsman alive today, it had become a Four-Word Battle Armor...

The Holy Dragon God King!

Back when he was at eight rings, his forging skills had already reached the peak of Level Eight, and his Battle Armor had long been ready to advance to Four-Word. Knowing he wouldn't be able to become a Divine Craftsman for several years, he'd given it to his blacksmithing teacher.

He hadn't expected it to be ready after just over half a year. Four-Word Battle Armor...

And now that he had a Battle Armor Master mission from the system, he couldn't wait to see what level his Battle Armor would reach!