Chapter 326: The Deadbeat

Xilian is quite thorough in his work; all participating teams received gifts, and they arrived in private spacecraft and returned in private spacecraft as well.

Ma Long was busy taking photos and organizing his social media posts, Zuo Xiaotang was sending messages, and the girls were chatting—they felt this trip was truly worth it. Wuzang was meditating with his eyes closed; sparring with experts is the fastest way to improve, but it takes time and determination to translate these results into substantial combat power.

Team Leader Li was also chatting, and seeing the motherly smile on his face, everyone knew what he was doing. A Youyou was already in training camp for the upcoming battle, and she seemed very serious.

"A Youyou, good luck!"

Ding-dong.

"Senior, good luck!"

Love is just that dull.

The group was very happy to return to Earth. Although the Moon is nice, it always felt too refined; Tianjing felt more real, and the ground beneath their feet felt more solid. Listening to the cicadas on the trees by the campus road, the whole person felt very relaxed. The students coming and going had different expressions, unlike the fast-paced life on the Moon; here, it was full of vitality.

Team Leader Li Hao went to the principal's office to report to Long Danni.

"Have you put on a little weight?" Long Danni looked at Li Hao and said in surprise, "It seems the food at Hailong is very good and life is quite comfortable."

"Reporting to the principal, I trained very hard, I just ate a bit more," Li Hao said. Honestly, the food at Hailong was really better than average; those evil capitalists.

"I don't care how you train. Having seen the level of the other federations, how is it? Do you have confidence?" Long Danni said. Judging from this year's situation, if Tianjing Martial Arts Academy could enter the S Tournament, they would have completed their basic mission, but Long Danni is a principal with ideals.

"Principal, what do you mean by confidence?" Li Hao asked blankly.

"I heard you defeated Fan Liweite during training?" Long Danni's eyes shone, and a flame was burning fiercely in her heart.

"Reporting, I was lucky to win a little in the pilot battle, but it's not certain in a mecha battle," Li Hao answered meticulously.

Long Danni smiled, "Relax, I'm just showing some concern. Being able to win a pilot battle is also quite remarkable. Do you have the confidence to make it into the top 16?"

"Reporting, I think if my luck is good, I can!" Li Hao said. With Principal Long being so supportive, this little request could still be met.

"Hmm, very good. As a warrior, especially a team leader, you must have confidence. Then our new goal for Tianjing Martial Arts Academy is to secure a spot in the top eight and fight for the top four!" Long Danni slammed the table and said.

Li Hao was startled, "Cough, cough, Principal, didn't we mean the top 16?"

When did his Chinese proficiency drop?

Long Danni waved her hand, "You are too conservative. You even defeated the defending champion; I should be satisfied that I didn't set a goal for you to win the championship. What is the difference between a person without dreams and a salted fish!"

It's actually quite comfortable to be a salted fish, Li Hao muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Reporting, we will work hard!"

Long Danni nodded with satisfaction, "How did you get that batch of K23 weapons?"

"Borrowed them from Hailong Academy," Li Hao grinned.

"How long did you borrow them for?" Long Danni's eyes also lit up.

"The temporary agreement is for half a month. Of course, with training, no one can say for sure," Li Hao blinked.

Long Danni nodded with satisfaction, "Very good. You borrowed them based on your own ability, so you must use them well and use them to the fullest!"

In this regard, Long Danni and Li Wu are the same type of person.

The S Tournament schedule was officially released. The 64 teams from the Four Great Federations were divided into eight groups to conduct a round of qualifying matches. The EMP has already been updated to the S11 version.

All major teams began their final improvements in personal strength and team tactics. Tianjing Martial Arts Academy was the same, and they also hired a tactical analyst, but this tactical analyst did not come to Tianjing and instead participated remotely—it was Kevin.

Li Hao's life was still as simple as ever. Although Wang Laoban of Cui Can Pizza hoped Li Hao would prepare for the battle with all his might and wanted to give him a long vacation, Li Hao strongly requested to continue working hard, which made the boss feel very uneasy. But after all, he was a five-star employee who had just risked huge dedication to obtain a first-hand secret recipe from a future competitor. I heard the other side even wanted to pay a high price to retain him. Sigh, what can he do? He could only let Li Hao continue working. He figured that as Li Hao succeeded in his studies, the other side would look down on his little assets.

After returning, Wuzang began hell-mode training. He didn't need to be urged, and his goal wasn't even the S Tournament. For someone obsessed with martial arts, once a new horizon is opened, they will devote themselves to it wholeheartedly. For Wuzang, this is cultivation and also enjoyment.

Cheng Konghai was preparing with all his might. His goal was also simple and crude: to have a showdown with Hailong and kill Klein. Although they didn't fight during this exchange tournament, Cheng Konghai knew he had fallen behind; otherwise, his second brother wouldn't have stopped him. This also alerted Cheng Konghai. The Shadow Scout was a loser from back then, and returning this time, he must be unprecedentedly serious. His previous thoughts were clearly wrong; he couldn't take bullying the weak for granted.

Zuo Xiaotang awakened the Golden Zone, and his attitude was a bit strange; he would giggle to himself from time to time. He was also more serious than before during training. In the past, he was really being forced, mostly worried about dragging his teammates down, but this time he was truly proactive. Once he encountered some problems, he would take the initiative to ask everyone for advice, which was unthinkable before. Whenever training ended, he would slip away right on time. It seems everyone gained something from this exchange tournament.

Ma Laoshi became a little celebrity in Tianjing, frantically posting on his personal page. With big names like Arths, Fan Liweite, Romero, and Basta as backgrounds, it was hard not to attract attention. At the academy, as soon as he appeared at the Photography Club, it was packed with people. In a short time, the Photography Club actually became a large club at Tianjing Martial Arts Academy. Motivation is pressure, and pressure is also motivation. Ma Long didn't want to let his fans down, so he trained very hard... mainly to improve his healing output. As an all-around substitute, besides being prepared for emergencies, he felt that doing a good job in logistics was also very important. Tianjing's current lineup is quite good.

Big Sister... no changes could be seen, because she was always the most serious person. But since returning from the exchange tournament, everyone no longer felt they were just there to make up the numbers, but were truly going to participate in this most lively and glorious mecha feast in the entire Solar System—a strong sense of reality.

Huo Ying, Sheng Man, Tan Ziyuan, and Lu Lingxiao naturally supported him with all their might. Who knows if there will ever be another such life experience.

As for Li Wu's calmness, everyone was already used to it; it seemed he was the only one truly unaffected.

15 days passed in a flash. Anlita arrived almost exactly on time. K23 weapons are not only expensive to manufacture, but some don't even have spares, such as the Aofu Faith Battle Axe, the Tang Horizontal Blade, and the broadsword. The update of the EMP meant that pilots also needed to use K23 weapons in daily training to achieve the best results. The various academies didn't feel much at first, but as the training deepened, they all realized it.

Although Hailong is wealthy, limited by materials, it wasn't that easy to get them, and besides, Tianjing was still an opponent.

Anlita still gave Li Hao enough face, and it wasn't until the afternoon that she sent a Sky-Communication, "Li Ge, the time for borrowing the equipment is up. Please mail it over."

"Ah, Anlita, mail it? Is that okay for such valuable items?"

"No problem, there is a professional logistics company."

"Okay, I'm still out taking care of business, I'll take care of it when I get back."

Two days later.

"Li Ge, have our weapons been mailed back?" Anlita was a bit angry. She waited for a long time and they didn't arrive. Upon checking the logistics, they hadn't been mailed at all.

"Oh my, look at my brain, I accidentally forgot. I'll take care of it when I get back later!"

"Hehe, Li Ge's brain really should be checked!" Anlita retorted, "I will remind you."

Then Anlita sent Li Hao a message every hour.

Two days later.

"Li Wu, when are you returning our weapons!"

"Anlita, sigh, it's all my fault. It's not that I'm not returning them; I went to ask, but as soon as the items came back, they were registered into the warehouse. You also know these things are very valuable; how could a student like me manage them? Isn't this all managed by the school? It's fine, the school knows, you can just go directly to the principal to ask for them," Li Hao said, "Don't worry, I'm at least a person of status in our Tianqi, I won't welsh on a debt."

Anlita was so angry her teeth itched. Tianqi had already disbanded; how could a student like her go directly to Long Danni? But these pieces of equipment had to be retrieved; even if they didn't use them, they wouldn't let Tianjing Martial Arts Academy use them.

The Hailong Academic Affairs Office contacted the Tianjing Martial Arts Academy Academic Affairs Office, and the reply they received was that this was a private rental between students, and the school was only responsible for daily maintenance to ensure the equipment was clean and intact; they had no right to interfere with anything else...

Anlita was dumbfounded. She really doubted her ears. Was this really a formal reply from an old-school A-level Military Academy of the USE?

Student Li Hao also had no choice. Who told everyone that those few items were so comfortable to use? For example, Zhou Naiyi, the broadsword was much easier to use than the Titanium Blade, and it also fit the attack mode of her Yaoying Athena; other weapons couldn't produce the same effect. Seeing everyone reluctant to part with them, as the team leader, a little bit of face was not worth mentioning.

The team members of Tianjing Martial Arts Academy had already confirmed their main mechas for the competition. The final sprint was also centered on their own mechas. When choosing a mecha, one doesn't necessarily have to choose a Super Mecha. If the performance is superior, the difficulty of operation and the requirement for proficiency will also be higher. The one that fits is the best.

Li Hao: Justice factor.

Zhou Naiyi: Yaoying Athena (Light Type nupS-series)

Cheng Konghai: Leiting Guard (Heavy Type useS-series)

Wuzang: Black Night Saber (Medium Type useS-series)

Zuo Xiaotang: Shadow Hunter Apollo (Sniper Type nupS-series)

Substitute Ma Long: Gale Zero, Mingwang Acalanatha.

This Mingwang Mecha is Ma Long's final trump card; the mecha itself is handsome enough and possesses formidable firepower. Although it appears slightly awkward in the era of the Golden Zone, its inherent firepower is undeniable, making it a quite decent choice for Ma Long.