Elimination

"Phew, the gravity difficulty suddenly increased, it's still a bit hard to adapt to."

After finishing a set of shuttle runs, Cai Xiaodong let out a long sigh, sweat already beading on his forehead.

Twenty minutes had passed since the gravity training began, and some people were already unable to withstand the gravity and were being carried away by robots.

Li Yi didn't say anything and continued with his shuttle run training.

If he was late and didn't participate, he would receive a severe warning from Chen Qiong Zhi.

Chen Qiong Zhi's temper today seemed even more volatile than usual; she frequently yelled at those whose movements slowed down.

"Cai Xiaodong, you're already 2 seconds slower than your last shuttle run!"

"Run, run!"

"Only by pushing your physical body to its limit can you more easily absorb high-energy nutrients and divine radiation!"

"Every moment of slack you show today is the blood and tears of the future battlefield!"

Chen Qiong Zhi had completely abandoned her elegant demeanor, roaring repeatedly.

"Liang Shaocong, what are you doing with that sluggish attitude? If you don't want to train, get out!"

After five rounds of gravity training like this, the morning's hellish session finally ended.

Each round's interval allowed for brief enjoyment in the nutrient pods, but after the rest, even higher gravity multiples awaited.

Although the increase in each round wasn't much, it was higher than before.

Moreover, yesterday morning they could only train for three rounds.

Today, due to the increased multiples and shortened time, they actually managed two more training sessions.

When the morning's activities concluded, even Li Yi couldn't help but lean against the wall as he walked.

During the assembly, most people looked drained and exhausted.

Chen Qiong Zhi stood before the formation and slowly began to speak:

"The gravity difficulty was increased today, and some people performed quite well, managing to endure until the end of each round."

"Unfortunately, there are still some who dropped out early in every round, and increasingly so."

"What, do you think you're senior enough, or that you come from a high-ranking Righteous Clan family, so you won't be eliminated?"

"Or perhaps, your physical potential is insufficient, and you're not suited for this training?"

The crowd fell silent.

"Liang Shaocong, Mo Yaoxi, the two of you don't need to come anymore today."

Upon hearing this, everyone was somewhat surprised.

This was because both of them were from high-ranking Righteous Clan families!

Although Li Yi didn't know Mo Yaoxi, he could roughly tell from his appearance and accent that this person came from a moon colony.

Liang Shaocong's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Instructor, although I didn't last until the end of each round, I gave it my all and didn't deliberately slack off. Why must I be eliminated?"

On the other side, Mo Yaoxi expressed his dissatisfaction, "I also need a reasonable explanation! Why are you eliminating me when there were clearly others who dropped out earlier and you didn't eliminate them?"

Chen Qiong Zhi gently shook her head and said, "Because neither of you ever exerted your full effort, that's all."

"I believe you can both judge the basis for the AI's gravity multiple allocation. The more you challenge your limits, the higher the gravity multiples the AI will assign, thus creating a positive feedback loop of exhaustion within this short training period."

"Only in this way can you achieve sufficient progress."

"Others, of course, also held back to some extent during the process, but overall they were pushing their limits. Only the two of you showed slow progress in your multiples."

"I made it clear from the beginning: if you can't keep up, you're out."

"Do you have any other objections? If not, then get out of here promptly!"

With her final sentence, Chen Qiong Zhi suddenly exuded an unprecedentedly imposing aura.

Liang Shaocong had nothing to say and retreated dejectedly.

Mo Yaoxi, with a displeased expression, strode away.

Mess hall.

"Why do you think the instructor was so much fiercer today than yesterday? From what I know, the instructor has never been this irritable in her previous years of teaching."

Cai Xiaodong held his meal tray, looking genuinely frightened.

This was because he had also been holding back his strength intermittently during the training.

Fortunately, someone else had taken the fall today; otherwise, he suspected he might have been eliminated too, his Level 1 clearance directly reduced to none.

Li Yi shook his head and said:

"I guess it might be related to some policies within the ship, or new developments outside. Unfortunately, I just took some time to check the internal network, but I didn't find any special news."

"It's probably something the higher-ranking Righteous Clan members have done, and the news hasn't been released yet."

Cai Xiaodong mused, "After all, within the starship, the higher-ranking Righteous Clan members have the most privileges."

Li Yi asked in surprise, "Aren't you also part of the Righteous Clan?"

"Nonsense, I'm just an ordinary lower-ranking member of the Righteous Clan, and one that's on the decline, unable to cultivate any more mech pilots. If my family's business wasn't doing well, where would I get the funds to become a mech pilot?" Cai Xiaodong said speechlessly.

As they spoke, the two parted ways.

Li Yi went to queue for food at the high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat window.

Cai Xiaodong went to pack pre-made meals.

It was quite strange. When Li Yi arrived at the high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat queue, he discovered that all dozens of people in the line were evolutionaries.

Someone noticed Li Yi standing behind him and felt his aura was off. He immediately turned his head and said:

"Hey, newcomer, do you understand the rules? This is the window for high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat. If you're not an evolutionary, you don't have the right to queue here, understand?"

"Even with Level 2 clearance, I can't?"

Li Yi asked in surprise.

"Level 2 clearance is fine, but you can only queue behind all the evolutionaries, understand?"

As he was speaking, the person realized something and quickly turned to look. He then discovered it was Li Yi, and his expression changed slightly.

"So it's Li Yi, the one who defeated Zhang Qingjian without being an evolutionary. Since it's you, you can go ahead of me."

The person quickly changed to a friendly expression and gestured for Li Yi to move forward in the line.

"Is that appropriate?"

"Of course. You're currently 42nd in line, and I'm 45th. If your position is higher than mine, you can stand in front of me. That's the rule."

"Alright, then I won't be polite."

Li Yi calmly stepped forward a few paces.

The queue was very efficient, and Li Yi soon received his free portion and purchased two more.

The high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat was like cubes of tofu, crystal clear and fragrant, looking very appetizing.

With one bite, it melted instantly, flowing down his esophagus.

In an instant, that feeling of fullness permeated his entire body, feeling even more comfortable than spending ten minutes in a nutrient pod.

"Holy crap, this is awesome! I feel like I have more energy for this afternoon's training now!"

After swallowing, Cai Xiaodong's face instantly lit up with happiness.

Li Yi had to admit, this stuff was indeed good.

Just eating one piece made him feel all the fatigue from his morning training disappear instantly.

"No wonder those evolutionaries were all fighting for it."

Li Yi sighed, "Looking at it this way, this Level 2 clearance is indeed worth it. With this, the training effectiveness should be able to reach another level."

As he spoke, he ate the second piece.

After this piece went down, the effect wasn't as outstanding as the first piece, but it still made Li Yi feel significantly stronger in spirit and energy.

Cai Xiaodong lamented, "Level 2 clearance is really great. When will I be able to get Level 2 clearance?"

"You'll have to ask the instructor about that."

"Right, the information you asked me to check yesterday has already been sent to your communicator. Remember to check it."

"Okay, thanks for the trouble."

"Isn't tomorrow the deadline Zhang Xuqiang gave you? What are your plans?"

"Heh heh, that's a secret for now."

After finishing lunch and resting briefly, the afternoon training resumed.

As usual, the afternoon session involved learning mech techniques in the virtual reality simulator first, followed by actual combat training.

Li Yi skillfully entered the virtual reality simulator.

"Training assistant Xiao Chi welcomes you. Would you like to continue challenging the hidden mission, or would you prefer to postpone it temporarily?"

Li Yi chose to postpone.

The Quake-Word Technique and its derivative, Layered Vibration, that he learned yesterday had helped him a lot.

According to the subsequent challenge rhythm, he should be able to learn more advanced techniques.

However, he had already used his challenge opportunities for the fourth stage twice, with two remaining.

Only one day had passed, and he didn't feel confident enough to clear this stage yet.

Therefore, he planned to learn some other mech techniques first, and then challenge the fourth stage in the last half hour.

"Okay, you have chosen to postpone. Now, according to the original teaching plan, we will impart a new basic mech technique to you."

"Pierce-Word Technique."