Elimination

"Phew, the gravity difficulty suddenly went up. It's still a little hard to adjust."

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

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

Li Yi said nothing and continued with his shuttle-run training.

If he failed to participate before time ran out, Chen Qiong Zhi would give him a severe warning.

Chen Qiong Zhi seemed even more vicious today than when she was on her period, loudly berating anyone whose movements slowed down.

"Cai Xiaodong, you were already two seconds slower than in the last set of shuttle runs!"

"Run! Keep running!"

"Only by squeezing your body dry to its limits can you absorb high-energy nutrients more easily, and absorb Divinity Radiation more easily!"

"Every moment you slack off today will become blood and tears on the battlefield tomorrow!"

Chen Qiong Zhi had completely lost her graceful beauty, roaring without pause.

"Liang Shaocong, what are you doing, moving around so sluggishly? If you don't want to train, then get out!"

After five rounds of gravity training, the hellish morning finally came to an end.

During every interval, they could briefly enjoy the nutrition pods, but once the break ended, even higher gravity multipliers awaited them.

Although the increase each round was not large, every round was higher than the last.

Yesterday, they had only been able to train for three rounds in the entire morning.

Today, because the multiplier had been raised and the duration shortened, they had instead completed two additional rounds.

When the morning session finally ended, even Li Yi could not help supporting himself against the wall as he walked.

When they assembled, most of them wore drained, exhausted expressions.

Standing before the formation, Chen Qiong Zhi slowly said:

"After today's gravity difficulty adjustment, some of you performed quite well and endured every round to the end."

"Unfortunately, some of you left early in every round, and you left earlier and earlier each time."

"What, do you think that because you're veterans, or because you were born into upper Power Clans, you won't be eliminated?"

"Or is it that your physical potential is insufficient, making you beyond improvement?"

The crowd was silent.

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

As soon as she said that, everyone was somewhat shocked.

After all, both of them came from upper Power Clans!

Although Li Yi did not know Mo Yaoxi, he could roughly tell from his appearance and accent that he came from Jupiter Moon.

Liang Shaocong's gaze narrowed as he said in a deep voice:

"Instructor, although I didn't persist until the end in every round, I did my utmost every time and never deliberately slacked off. Why am I being eliminated too?"

On the other side, Mo Yaoxi said disgruntledly:

"I also need a reasonable explanation! Why are there clearly others who left even earlier, yet they weren't eliminated while I was?"

Chen Qiong Zhi lightly shook her head.

"Because neither of you ever gave it your all. That's all."

"I believe you can both determine the basis on which the AI assigns gravity multipliers. The more you challenge your limits, the higher the gravity multiplier assigned by the AI becomes, creating a positive cycle of exhaustion during this short-term training."

"Only in that way can you gain as much improvement as possible."

"Of course, the others also held back to some extent during the process, but overall, they were raising their limits."

"Only the two of you saw your multipliers rise slowly."

"I made it clear in advance: if you can't keep up, you'll be eliminated."

"Any objections? If not, get out of here, now!"

With that final sentence, Chen Qiong Zhi suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly oppressive aura.

Liang Shaocong had nothing to say and left dejectedly.

Mo Yaoxi, meanwhile, strode away with an irritated expression.

Cafeteria.

"Tell me, why was the instructor so much fiercer today than yesterday? As far as I know, she was never this volatile during her years of teaching before."

Cai Xiaodong held his tray, lingering fear written across his face.

Because he had also held back from time to time during training.

Luckily, there had been people to take the fall today. Otherwise, he suspected he might have been kicked out as well, his Level 1 access revoked outright.

Li Yi shook his head.

"My guess is that it may have something to do with certain policies aboard the ship, or some new developments outside. Unfortunately, I took a moment to check the intranet just now, but I didn't find any unusual news."

"Maybe the upper Power Clans did something, and the news just hasn't been announced yet."

Cai Xiaodong mused, "After all, the upper Power Clans have the most privileges aboard the starship."

Li Yi asked in surprise, "Aren't you a Power Clan member too?"

"Bullshit. I'm just an ordinary lower Power Clan member, and one that's about to decline at that. The kind that can no longer produce mech pilots. If my family business weren't doing fairly well, where would we get the funds to support me becoming a mech pilot?"

Cai Xiaodong said helplessly.

As they spoke, the two went their separate ways.

Li Yi went to line up at the high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat counter.

Cai Xiaodong went to pack some pre-made meals.

It was rather strange. When Li Yi arrived at the high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat line, he discovered that the several dozen people in it were all Evolvers.

Someone noticed Li Yi standing behind him and sensed that something was off. He immediately turned his head and said:

"Hey, newbie, do you know the rules? This is the high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat counter. If you aren't an Evolver, you aren't qualified to line up here. Understand?"

"Not even if I have Level 2 access?"

Li Yi asked in surprise.

"Level 2 access is allowed, but you can only line up behind all the Evolvers. Understand?"

As he spoke, the man realized something. He hurriedly turned around and took a look, only to discover that it was Li Yi. His expression changed slightly.

"So you're Li Yi, the non-Evolver who defeated Zhang Qingjian. Since it's you, you can stand in front of me."

The man quickly put on a friendly expression and gestured for Li Yi to move ahead.

"Is that appropriate?"

"Of course. You're ranked forty-second now, while I'm forty-fifth. Since your ranking is higher than mine, you can stand ahead of me. Those are the rules."

"Fine, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Li Yi calmly stepped forward several places.

The line moved quickly. Li Yi soon received his free allotment and bought two portions.

The high-energy Xeno-Beast Meat looked like blocks of tofu, crystal-clear and fragrant, making it especially appetizing.

One bite and it melted immediately, sliding smoothly down his throat.

In an instant, a full, invigorating sensation spread through his whole body. It was actually more refreshing than spending more than ten minutes in a nutrition pod.

"Holy shit, this feels amazing! I feel like I've got energy for this afternoon's training again!"

After swallowing his portion, Cai Xiaodong's face instantly filled with happiness.

Li Yi had to admit that this stuff really was excellent.

Just one piece was enough to make all the fatigue from the morning's training vanish in an instant.

"No wonder those Evolvers are all fighting to get it."

Li Yi sighed. "It seems this Level 2 access really is worth it. With this stuff, the intensive training should be even more effective."

As he spoke, he ate the second piece.

This piece was not as outstanding as the first, but it still made Li Yi feel considerably more energized.

Cai Xiaodong sighed. "Level 2 access is so nice. When will I ever get Level 2 access too?"

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

"Oh, right. I've already sent the information you asked me to look up yesterday to your communicator. Remember to check it."

"Alright, thanks."

"Isn't tomorrow the final deadline Zhang Xuqiang gave you? What are you planning to do?"

"Hehe, that's confidential for now."

After finishing lunch and resting briefly, the afternoon training began once more.

Same routine as always. In the afternoon, they first learned mech techniques in virtual reality, then began actual mech training.

Li Yi smoothly entered virtual reality.

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

Li Yi chose to postpone it.

The Quake-Word Technique and its derivative technique, Layered Quake, which he had learned yesterday, had helped him quite a bit.

Judging from the pace of the later challenges, he should be able to learn even more profound techniques.

However, he had already used two of his four attempts at the fourth stage, leaving only two.

Only one day had passed, and he was not confident that he could clear this stage yet.

So, he planned to learn some other mech techniques first, then challenge the fourth stage again during the final half hour.

"Understood. You have chosen to postpone it. I will now teach you a new basic mech technique according to the original teaching plan."

"Pierce-Word Technique."