Chapter 144: Yuanen Yehui – The World Must Have Gone Mad
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A full-fledged One-Word Battle Armor Master!
That was someone who could go toe-to-toe with a Soul Emperor without battle armor or mecha.
Moreover, a student from Shrek Academy's Outer Court who became a One-Word Battle Armor Master would be equivalent to one of the most powerful Soul Emperors.
This was precisely why Yuanen Yehui was skeptical about the exchange match Xu Yuan mentioned.
"What if you had a Spirit Alloy One-Word Battle Armor for your right arm—both the upper and lower arm components? How confident would you be?" Xu Yuan said calmly.
Yuanen Yehui's eyes lit up briefly before dimming again.
"The odds might increase by 10 or 20 percent, but you have to understand—there are no fifth-rank mecha designers in the second year. If Ye Xinglan were to make Spirit Alloy components for me, she wouldn't be able to continue making them for Tang Wulin."
Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively, indicating this wasn't a concern.
"We have more than one fifth-rank mecha designer."
Yuanen Yehui's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
You first-years have another fifth-rank mecha designer?!
Are you sure you're first-years and we're second-years?!
"I'm confident I can reach fifth-rank mecha designer within three days and forge Spirit Alloy battle armor components for you."
You're a fifth-rank mecha designer too?!
Yuanen Yehui's eyes widened again.
You beat me in the mecha repair exchange match, and now you're telling me you're also a mecha designer?!
And fifth-rank?!
After recovering from her shock, Yuanen Yehui realized there was still a problem.
"But… my battle armor blueprints were designed for thousand-refined, first-grade metal. If we use Spirit Alloy, it'd be a waste, so we'd probably still need Gu Yue—"
"No problem. I can also break through to fifth-rank mecha designer in a short time," Xu Yuan said casually.
He had deliberately held back from advancing to fifth-rank blacksmith for the sake of a small personal milestone—he wanted his first breakthrough in that field to be witnessed by his uncle. But the other three auxiliary professions? No need to hold back.
He had long since accumulated enough experience. Breaking through now was only natural.
Yuanen Yehui, who had just managed to return her eyes to their normal size, widened them again.
Holy hell.
The world must have gone mad.
If Xu Yuan hadn't been standing right in front of her, she would've slapped herself twice to check if she was dreaming.
"You… you're not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I lie? In our class, I hold all four auxiliary profession committee positions. Do you think my skills would be worse than the others?"
Yuanen Yehui fell silent. Now that he mentioned it, she had heard something like that before.
"The exchange match is in a month?" she asked.
Her question made it clear—she was in.
After all, who would turn down two free Spirit Alloy battle armor components and a chance to fight to her heart's content?
Exchange matches always had rewards—usually several thousand contribution points. The lower-grade side would get extra bonuses if they won. A first-year beating a second-year wasn't too unusual—the academy itself knew how much first-year tasks slowed cultivation, so the gap between first and second years wasn't massive. The extra reward for that wasn't huge.
But if they could defeat third-years—even with first and second-years teaming up—the bonus would at least double, and the base reward would be much higher.
Third-years were at the level of Soul Kings and Battle Armor Masters. The academy couldn't be stingy with rewards—no measly thousand-point prizes here.
Unlike Le Zhengyu and others, Yuanen Yehui had to earn all her contribution points herself. She even had to take on side jobs to fund her cultivation.
Of course, "free" didn't mean completely free.
Xu Yuan wasn't generous enough to just give away Spirit Alloy.
He was only offering the opportunity—the materials, design, and crafting service.
Sometimes, opportunities and connections were far more valuable than money.
After settling on a training schedule with Yuanen Yehui, Xu Yuan asked, "Where's Le Zhengyu?"
Even if he wasn't sure whether Le Zhengyu would actually fight, it was better to recruit him first.
"Over there," Yuanen Yehui said, frowning as she pointed to the neighboring house.
Le Zhengyu had moved there originally to keep an eye on her, suspecting her of being an evil soul master.
Xu Yuan nodded and left her doorway.
He hadn't taken five steps before Xie Xie rushed over to probe for information.
"Class Monitor, what did you talk to Yuanen about?"
Xu Yuan glanced at him.
"Our class is teaming up with second-years for an exchange match against third-years."
Xie Xie's face fell.
The first-year Class One team had no spot for him.
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't break into that top-tier circle.
From the moment they entered Shrek, he and Xu Xiaoyan had lagged too far behind Tang Wulin and Gu Yue. Now, without the pressure of competition, their cultivation was easier—but they also lacked opportunities for breakthroughs.
Of course, compared to other students, they still had an advantage—Tang Wulin's support meant they never had to worry about high-level metal forging.
Ignoring Xie Xie's dejection, Xu Yuan headed to Le Zhengyu's room.
He knocked. No response.
Not home?
Just as he turned to leave, the door finally opened.
"Who is it? What do you want?"
One look at Le Zhengyu told Xu Yuan exactly what he'd been doing earlier.
Primping.
Le Zhengyu's golden short hair was slicked back flawlessly with pomade, not a strand out of place. His expensive suit was impeccably pressed, without a single wrinkle.
Truly the heir of the Sacred Angel family—noble vibes perfected.
"It's about the exchange match…"
Xu Yuan repeated the explanation.
"Did you ask Yuanen Yehui yet?"
"Yeah, she agreed."
"What were her conditions?" Le Zhengyu asked curiously.
From what he'd observed, Yuanen Yehui hated trouble and avoided competitions, preferring to cultivate alone.
How had Xu Yuan convinced her?
Xu Yuan laid out the terms.
"Heh, Xu Yuan, junior, exchange matches are no big deal! I've got time, and I'd love to take on this cross-grade challenge!" Le Zhengyu thumped his chest.
"Oh, right—you're training all four auxiliary professions, with three already at fifth-rank. Only blacksmithing's still fourth-rank, right?"
Xu Yuan nodded.
"Running into any obstacles? If you need practice materials, I can invest in a batch of rare metals for you. Of course, I'd want first dibs on any Spirit Alloy you forge. Deal?"
Xu Yuan smirked and studied Le Zhengyu carefully.
"You've already invested in Wulin, haven't you? Shouldn't his Spirit Alloy be enough for you?"
Le Zhengyu chuckled awkwardly. "It's not just about the alloy. I just want to be friends."
Hah. Rich people sure know how to make friends in style.
"Fine. You're a mecha designer, right? Probably still far from fifth-rank. I'll supply you with free Spirit Alloy at 70% to 90% fusion rate."
"Deal!" Le Zhengyu agreed eagerly.
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