Chapter 32: In Love

Wu Xun was truly moved and appreciative; to be neither arrogant nor impetuous, and to have such mastery over one's killing intent and fighting spirit—how could that be achieved without thirty or forty years of brilliant tempering?

Yet, he saw it in a child of his own grandson's generation.

It was truly inconceivable.

"Senior, you are too kind. At school, Wuzang takes great care of me." Li Hao was not being humble; this was simply Wuzang's personality. He looked taciturn and seemingly cold, but he was actually a classic case of being cold on the outside and warm on the inside.

Wu Xun nodded. "I'm getting old. If I exercise, I have to rest for half a day. You kids go and play."

Wuzang finally breathed a sigh of relief, terrified that his grandfather would pull some other stunt. Having a classmate over for the first time and ending up like this was too dangerous, but the facts proved that Hao Ge was truly strong.

Leaving the dojo, all three were panting heavily, especially A Youyou. "That was amazing! I thought auras and such were just illusions. Was that what you call 'striking across the mountain to hit the ox'?"

Li Hao smiled and pointed to his head. "It's not that exaggerated. Genetic Adjustment doesn't just make the human body stronger and more adaptable to various environments; it also enhances the brain. Generally speaking, brain usage has increased, which for a Warrior can form a Mental Power Suppression that creates a qualitative change."

A Youyou stuck out her tongue. "I don't understand, but it sounds very impressive."

Wuzang nodded. "The brain accounts for about 2% of human body weight but consumes 25% of the body's energy. After Genetic Adjustment, this power can be further elevated. Martial Dao Refining Heart is about excavating this power."

"But is this useful when operating a Mecha?" A Youyou asked curiously.

Li Hao and Wuzang looked at each other and smiled. "It is useful. The master leads you through the door, but the cultivation depends on the individual."

"Aiyouyou, I still don't know where you're an exchange student from?" Li Hao teased intentionally.

"It's A Youyou! I was born on the Moon, but my ancestors were Earthlings too. My lineage is very pure! Earth is beautiful, unlike the Moon, which is bare or feels too artificial. Looking at Earth from the Moon, the colors are more vibrant, just like looking at heaven."

Due to the perspective, looking at Earth from the Moon reveals a massive, beautiful blue sphere. Most native-born NUP citizens are actually full of envy for Earth, which makes them work even harder, all to surpass the Earth that possesses more favorable conditions.

If it were just Li Hao and Wuzang, they would likely have gone off to play games out of boredom, but with A Youyou present, Wuzang still had to fulfill his duties as a host. He introduced the history of the Wu Family, and of course, his older brother—the pride of the USE, currently a commander of a certain USE military region, and also Wuzang's idol.

After dinner, he had the driver take Li Hao and A Youyou away. Wuzang returned to the dojo, where Wu Xun was still sitting there.

"What do you think of today's sparring?" Wu Xun opened his eyes and said calmly.

"Li Hao is very strong, and Grandfather is even more formidable." Wuzang looked at his grandfather, hoping he wouldn't torment his classmate anymore.

Wu Xun didn't speak, just looked at Wuzang sternly, making Wuzang feel a bit confused.

"You are right to focus on cultivation, but you are too rigid. Today, I lost," Wu Xun said calmly. "This classmate of yours is no ordinary person."

Wuzang was a bit stunned. No matter how you looked at it, today was a draw, and given Wu Xun's experience and strength, he certainly hadn't used his full power.

Wu Xun pointed to the floor; the dojo floor had cracked. "This is what I stepped on, but he did not."

With that one sentence, Wuzang understood. Since neither had used their full power, it was clear that Li Hao was much more at ease.

"Grandfather, Li Hao was once selected for the Tianqi Youth Class."

Wu Xun nodded. "I know about that. He was wronged. This kid has killing intent, but no malice. He knows when to advance and when to retreat, and he has a sense of righteousness in his heart. Now I can rest easy."

Hearing this, Wuzang revealed a faint smile. Upon learning of Li Hao's situation, Wu Xun had clearly thought of other things; after all, with someone around his grandson, he had to see for himself—not just the strength, but the character.

"That girl is not simple either," Wu Xun suddenly said.

Wuzang was taken aback.

"Unfazed by favor or humiliation, knowing when to advance and retreat, without losing her liveliness and innocence—very excellent," Wu Xun smiled slightly. In truth, he had also noticed that she was wearing a disguise, but as an old man, he couldn't meddle. "When will you bring one back too?"

Wuzang's face turned beet red instantly. "Grandfather, this... I haven't met the right one yet..."

"Haha, you kid, falling in love is also a form of cultivation. If you want to reach the Great Completion, the seven emotions and six desires are indispensable..."

Poor Wuzang began to endure Wu Xun's nagging. Back in the day, when he was the number one handsome man in Tianjing, his popularity was comparable to... Wuzang's face crumpled into a ball; he felt it was more painful than fighting for three days and three nights...

Zhuang Zhou was not idle, especially after he received an incredible piece of gossip.

Someone in Tianjing had actually been a member of the Solar System Apocalypse Youth Class.

This news circulated for a few days but soon died down. Clearly, it was just another case of "wasted talent," and it wasn't fresh news. If they really had ability, would they still be obscure? It was rumored they had gotten into trouble, which made it even more certain, so no one paid much attention.

In fact, let alone ordinary students, even Zhou Naiyi and the others didn't pay much attention. Ye Tong knew a little, but she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes, and besides, that was five years ago. Time could change many things, but Zhou Naiyi and Ye Tong still believed Li Hao had a very good foundation in fighting and would surely achieve something in Mecha, provided he was given some time.

Outsiders wouldn't take it seriously.

But when this news reached Zhuang Zhou's ears, it had a different flavor. Regardless of the situation, he had to investigate.

Zhuang Zhou was a member of the Dark Net. The Dark Net was an organization existing within the Four Great Federations, similar to hackers of the past. Various forces were intertwined, including dark, gray, religious, and other small factions, but their information network was very well-informed.

It was normal that there was no such news on the SkyNet, as it was an official channel. Zhuang Zhou found nothing, which was highly problematic. If Li Hao had been officially selected, even if he were eliminated, there should have been a reason; it shouldn't be that there was nothing at all. This indicated it had been scrubbed.

The interesting part came: the Dark Net only stated that a major accident had occurred back then, involving big shots from three parties. It was said that an agreement had been reached and the primary culprit had been punished...

So the question arose: those who got into trouble, those who were eliminated, and perhaps others—coincidentally, Li Hao fit these conditions.

In an instant, Zhuang Zhou's heart grew hot. Seemingly unrelated, but when strung together, this matter became interesting. Of course, there were also problems: Li Hao's grades were very poor. He had originally applied for the Journalism Department, was later transferred to the Mecha Department, had been a mediocre person for the entire academic year, his EMP scores were average, and it was said he was often not at school...

Zhuang Zhou looked at the data in his hands, constantly circling and drawing. Regardless, he would find a time to probe first. If it wasn't him, he would change his approach. In any case, he felt that his connection with the Puppet God was destined; this was his sixth sense!

On the other side, Li Hao sent A Youyou back to her dormitory. It was another happy day. A Youyou still had coursework to do, and Li Hao felt he should work a bit harder too.

When Li Hao went to the EMP Hall, A Youyou was explaining to her aunt that she hadn't been running around, but was at the school dormitory. Since she was an exchange student, she couldn't keep staying in a hotel, and the security at Tianjing Mecha was excellent; Tianjing was already the city with the best public order. At this time, Su Yu was in North America, far away from the emperor's reach. Seeing on the video that A Youyou was doing well in all aspects, she could only let it go, while strictly warning her not to expose her identity.

A Youyou agreed with this point. She wasn't a fool; once exposed, her life as an exchange student would be over. On the Moon, it was impossible to enjoy such a free and easy life.

Opening the drawing tablet on her SkyNet, A Youyou began to create. Ever since she came into contact with Mecha, she had wanted to write a song and create an MV at the same time. This wasn't a new idea; she'd had it for a long time. The Mecha Tournament alone wasn't enough; she wanted to combine the Four Great Federations, and it would be best if she could go see Kepler—that was also a place she yearned for.

A Youyou was sketching, recalling their sparring. She would create for a while, then rest her chin on her hand, wondering what she was thinking about. As she thought, she smiled.

In the EMP Hall, Li Hao achieved a quick five-game winning streak. There were no particularly strong opponents in this wave, and Li Hao reached 1200 points. In fact, during this period, the contestants who had been delayed by the Mecha Tournament were gradually returning to their positions.

The EMP system had hidden ratings. For example, those who had once reached over 2000 points, even if they dropped below 1000 due to being unable to compete for a long time, would quickly return to their positions with a winning streak. For someone like Li Hao, whose score was quite ordinary in his first year, he had to climb steadily. Defeating average opponents wasn't enough to increase his points significantly; he needed to further prove himself.

Li Hao was well aware of this mechanism. Since he had nothing to do today, he planned to be a bit more diligent.

At this time, Zhuang Zhou naturally couldn't be absent. His livestream room had reached a million in popularity, and he was known as the luckiest new streamer.

First, he had picked the right time, being the earliest to follow the Puppet. The EMP officials had signed a contract with the Puppet and granted Zhuang Zhou the streaming rights, along with pushes, which allowed Zhuang Zhou to take off directly. Of course, Zhuang Zhou also needed to sign a contract with EMP. There was a very delicate commercial mechanism involved: as long as Zhuang Zhou streamed the Puppet's matches, a portion of the streaming revenue went to the Puppet. Naturally, Zhuang Zhou's livestream room also received a V-verification.

A Youyou's dormitory was a single room. Originally, A Youyou had wanted to find a classmate to share with, but Long Danni had vetoed it. Compared to making A Youyou comfortable, Long Danni was more afraid of trouble.

Long Danni clearly didn't fan any idols. Perhaps the songs were okay, but they weren't enough to interest her. To someone like her who had been on the battlefield, it was just soft, decadent music. The reason she allowed Arths to come was out of human sentiment and various considerations. Whether in the military or as a principal, one had to balance relationships to secure greater benefits for the school. Of course, she didn't want to make this public; Tianjing Mecha didn't need to rely on this to become famous.

A Youyou removed her makeup and showered in one go. The SkyNet was right in front of her. Wiggling her little feet, she had been staring at it for a while. It was strange, really strange. The first time she saw Li Hao that day, she felt as if she were sick, because her body inexplicably produced a sense of closeness. That feeling was like they had known each other a long time ago, yet hadn't seen each other for a long time; there was joy and also nervousness.

A Youyou usually wouldn't get too close to people. Whether from her family, her childhood experiences, or her current profession, keeping a distance was a basic requirement. But as soon as Li Hao approached, joy would arise in her heart. It was too strange.

"... If I'm this clingy, will Senior think I'm a weirdo?" A Youyou covered her face.