Chapter 111 – Secondary Occupation
Battle armor! This new idea completely captured the attentions of these youngsters.
After all, armor-like mechas were considered the peak.
“As everyone knows, apart from Mecha Masters who operate the mechas, there are also mecha craftsmen who are absolutely crucial to the mechas themselves. There are three kinds of mecha craftsmen: mecha designers, mecha makers, and mecha mechanics. The main purpose of today’s lecture on mechas is to impart the knowledge necessary for you all to make an informed decision on your future secondary occupation. I suggest that all of you choose one occupation from these three as your secondary occupation as it will help you in your path to becoming stronger.”
Gu Yue asked in astonishment, “Teacher Wu, shouldn’t we concentrate all of our energy on cultivating? At most we should just learn how to operate a mecha, right? Why do we need to take on a second job?”
Wu Zhangkong said, “If you want a powerful battle armor then you must have one that is suitable for you. Thus, powerful Battle Armor Masters will definitely be extremely familiar with their battle armors. They will either design, make, or fix it themselves. Only in this way can you gradually familiarize yourself with every detail of the armor. If you don’t take on a second job, you will never be able to have the most fitting battle armor made for yourselves and never ascend to a god altar.
“With the establishment of class zero, we only have one goal for you: that is to push you towards a god altar! This is a long and arduous process that you may have to dedicate your entire lives to. What I first want to do is minimize any time you may waste through inappropriate methods and then elucidate the path you must walk.”
“As for what occupation you choose, don’t worry about it. You all still have plenty of time to think over your choices . But at the latest, you must pick one by the third grade. Even with your talents, your path will be similar to an ordinary person’s, and the sooner you begin, the better. This is the reason why within three years, you must give me an answer.”
“Naturally, the three occupations I have given you are only the ones that I think are the best. They aren’t your only choices, and there are still some occupations related to mechas that are open to you. In fact, there is even someone among you who has chosen already.”
As he spoke, his gaze landed on Tang Wulin.
A secondary occupation? Tang Wulin immediately realized that Teacher Wu was speaking about his work as a blacksmith.
“Wulin had chosen to be a blacksmith at an exceptionally young age. I believe he is most likely extremely gifted in this field. Blacksmithing is one of the jobs I also want you all to consider. That is because from a purple battle armor onward, the creation process becomes inseparable from forging. Regardless of what job you choose, you will not be lacking in cultivation resources if you can reach five stars or more.”
Tang Wulin was the calmest one among them as he had already picked a job and wouldn’t be reconsidering it either. He was already a three star Grandmaster Blacksmith. Not only was he valued by the Blacksmith’s Association but he was also already deep into his forging studies. The more he forged, the more he understood the profundity of the craft. His father had taught him when he was young that regardless of what he chose to do, he had to focus on it wholeheartedly without the slightest bit of wavering.
Tang Wulin wasn’t interesting in mecha design, making, or maintenance at all since he had already embarked on the path of a blacksmith and couldn’t bear to change his profession.
The remaining four students were silent. Clearly, choosing a secondary occupation was no simple matter. They were still young and weren’t completely sure what they liked, but fortunately, they still had two more years to think it over. That was plenty of time to come to a decision.
Wu Zhangkong dully said, “Good then. That ends today’s lesson on mechas. There are only two main points for you to remember. First, truly powerful mechas are called battle armors and all mechas of the purple grade and above are battle armors. Second, you must choose a mecha-related occupation by the third grade.”
This was extremely easy for them to remember. After all, the information they learned in this class was both simple and interesting to them.
Tang Wulin said, “Teacher Wu, when can we see an actual battle armor?” He had been listening earnestly the whole time and was now finally able to voice his thoughts.
Wu Zhangkong gave him a look and said, “I’ll let you see a battle armor after you finish the first part of your combat training. Whoever finishes first will have the opportunity to see it first. As of now, none of you have the qualifications to see.”
Combat training? Combat training between Soul Masters?
Without giving a chance for them to ask another question, Wu Zhangkong continued, “From now on, your curriculum will place an emphasis on combat practice. Right here. Tang Wulin, move the desks to the side and clear a space in the center.”
Right here? But isn’t the power of Soul Masters destructive?
A sense of doubt arose within the hearts of the five students, but even so, they followed Wu Zhangkong’s instructions.
“Tang Wulin, come over here.” Wu Zhangkong nodded toward Tang Wulin.
“Yes.” Tang Wulin quickly walked over.
“How do you feel about your battle yesterday?” Wu Zhangkong coldly asked.
Tang Wulin considered it for a moment before speaking. “I was too shortsighted. We’re all students after all, so we shouldn’t harm each other. We should have been careful to not overdo it.”
Wu Zhangkong waved his hand in dismissal. “I’m not asking you about those things. I’m asking about how you felt during the battle. How did you feel your team’s battle went?”
Tang Wulin said, “I’m a bit confused about what happened as it was the first time we saw the strength of our opponents. Our response to their attacks was too disordered and lacking in coordination. As for the other team, they had better coordination but didn’t seem to reach a level of tacit understanding yet either.”
Wu Zhangkong icily corrected, “Disordered? How was that disordered? It was simply a total mess.”
The five of them were stunned by these words. They were geniuses of the first grade and the academy had established a special class for them specifically. Apart from Tang Wulin, they were all extremely confident in their own abilities. Where had the word ‘disordered’ even come from?
Wu Zhangkong gazed into Tang Wulin’s large eyes. “To be honest, I am very disappointed. I trained you three for three months, and you had excellent coordination skills. Yet, when the battle actually started, you gave up your advantages. Xie Xie’s broken arms are simply a result of this.”
Xie Xie’s expression stiffened. He never expected Teacher Wu would assess him in this way.
Wu Zhangkong turned to look at Xie Xie. “Did you actually believe that you were powerful now that you’ve broken through to become a Soul Grandmaster? And that you could now just blindly charge at your opponents with your strength? Do you even remember the concept of a team?”
He turned back to Tang Wulin right after. “And you. I let you be the team captain because of your calm temperament, yet you actually failed to stop him or coordinate with the team. That was your responsibility. Your use of power was also a mess. You didn’t truly use your martial soul at all and just charged through with brute force. What were you thinking!?”
Faced with Wu Zhangkong’s criticism, Tang Wulin was completely speechless. How could he explain to Wu Zhangkong about his sudden increase in strength and how his Bluesilver Grass mutated due to the Golden Dragon King’s soul, leading to the current situation where he wasn’t even completely sure of his current abilities?
Wu Zhangkong finally turned to Gu Yue. “I told you to act as the team’s glue yet with your battle tendencies, you created even more issues in coordinating with the team.”
Tendencies? Tang Wulin couldn’t understand what Wu Zhangkong meant with this word at all. On the other hand, Xie Xie displayed a queer expression.
Now that he thought about it, it really was as Wu Zhangkong said. From beginning to end, Gu Yue had been at Tang Wulin’s side. When she exploded, it had also been due to Tang Wulin receiving an injury. But with regard to Xie Xie, she didn’t seem to care at all even though she should have been supporting him with her long ranged attacking abilities.
Wu Zhangkong’s few words of criticism were enough to burst a blood vessel.
Then, Wu Zhangkong’s gaze swept over to Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi. “The problem with your team is obvious too. Wei Xiaofeng has the same fault as Xie Xie. In fact, his weakness is even more severe. Zhang Yangzi, you didn’t immediately engage in battle at the beginning due to your arrogance, but arrogance will only send you to your death. Among the three of you, Wang Jinxi did relatively well. Although he was suppressed by Tang Wulin, he had been cautious and focused on fulfilling his role from beginning to end.”
Teacher Wu was actually praising Wang Jinxi?