Through the communication device, Duan Shang's voice rang out again, deep and powerful.
"Very good, everyone is in position."
"Next, the first thing I want you to do is—maintain your body's balance." His voice paused, as if giving everyone time to digest the information. "Remember, you are not acting with your own bodies right now, but with the mecha; every subtle movement will be amplified by the mecha. What you need to do is to become one with this mecha."
Become one with it?
Ling Luochen sat in the cockpit, listening to Duan Shang's words, silently noting them down.
It sounded simple enough.
She tried moving her fingers—
Boom!
The massive mecha lurched violently, and she—no, the entire mecha—toppled forward!
Ling Luochen felt the world spinning, and everything before her eyes was shaking violently.
Bang!!! A massive crashing sound rang out outside the cockpit; the mecha had fallen to the ground.
Ling Luochen sat stunned in her seat, her mind completely blank.
'It's over, it's over, it's over...'Countless thoughts flashed through her mind. 'This mecha clearly cost a fortune. If I broke it, I wouldn't be able to pay for it even if I sold myself!'
Ling Luochen took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down. She tried moving her limbs and found that the mecha seemed to still be functional. It should... it shouldn't be broken, right?
"Student Ling Luochen." Duan Shang's voice rang out through the communication device, his tone calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Do not be nervous. It is normal to fall during your first operation. Now, try to adjust your center of gravity as I just instructed, and make the mecha stand up."
Upon hearing this, Ling Luochen felt a little more at ease.
She took a deep breath and, following Duan Shang's previous explanation, slowly adjusted her body's center of gravity.
The mecha swayed, struggled to lift its upper body, and then—
Bang!
It fell again.
Ling Luochen: "..."
She gritted her teeth and tried again. This time, the mecha finally stood up, wobbling. Although it stood crookedly, as if it might fall over again at any moment, at least... it was standing.
Ling Luochen let out a long breath, a layer of sweat already seeping onto her forehead.
She looked around through the display screen and discovered that she wasn't the only one stumbling. Many students' mechas were wobbling; some were spinning in place, some were waddling like penguins, and others, just like her, had already fallen several times.
Only two mechas were performing exceptionally steadily. One mecha had a steady gait, with every step firm and powerful; although it wasn't fast, the sense of stability clearly showed it had grasped the essentials of balance. The other mecha was more agile, stopping and starting, even capable of small turns; its movements were so fluid that it didn't seem like a novice's.
Ling Luochen's gaze fell on those two mechas, a flash of surprise in her eyes.
Who were they?
"Huo Yuhao, Tang Wulin." Duan Shang's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of praise. "Well done. Keep it up."
Ling Luochen was shocked.
Huo Yuhao? Tang Wulin?
These two must be considered the standouts in this class.
Just as Ling Luochen was thinking this, "Next, I will provide individual guidance to everyone. Everyone, stay in place and do not move around." Duan Shang's voice came through the communication device, calling out each person's name in turn, pointing out their problems, and telling them how to adjust.
"Wang Dong'er, your center of gravity is tilted to the right; adjust it three degrees to the left."
"Xie Xie, you are too impatient; slow down your movements and feel the mecha's feedback."
"Xu Xiaoyan, do not stare at your feet; look forward and use your peripheral vision to sense your surroundings."
Ling Luochen listened quietly, a complex emotion welling up in her heart.
Individual guidance...
This academy would actually provide such detailed guidance to every single student?
At her original Shrek Academy, in large classes like this, teachers would demonstrate a few times at most and then let the students practice on their own.
How much one could comprehend depended entirely on individual talent; if someone really couldn't keep up, the teachers would only focus on the talented ones, while as for the others... it was all up to them to figure it out.
Of course, her original academy didn't have things like mechas either. But even so, this attitude of "treating every student equally" still caused a strange feeling to arise in Ling Luochen's heart.
"Ling Luochen." Duan Shang's voice suddenly rang out.
Ling Luochen quickly snapped back to her senses.
"Your problem is that you are too nervous; your limbs are tensed, which actually prevents the mecha from accurately sensing your intentions."
"Relax, let your body become one with the mecha instead of fighting it."
"Try again."
Ling Luochen took a deep breath and, following Duan Shang's guidance, tried hard to relax her body.
She tried lifting her right leg—
The mecha swayed, its right leg lifted slightly, and then...
Bang!
It fell again.
Ling Luochen: "..."
She gritted her teeth, got back up, and continued.
After falling three times, she finally mastered the rhythm of lifting her leg. Although she was still walking crookedly, at least she could walk. Ling Luochen controlled the mecha, moving forward one step at a time. Every step was cautious, fearing another fall. However, when she looked at the surrounding students, she felt terrible.
Wang Dong'er was already controlling her mecha to jog; although she ran a bit clumsily, the fluidity clearly showed she had mastered the basic operations.
Huo Yuhao's mecha was practicing simple turns, its movements fluid and natural, not at all like a novice.
Tang Wulin was even more exaggerated; he had already mastered simple jumps—though it was only a few centimeters off the ground, it was indeed a jump!
And herself... still lifting her leg.
Ling Luochen fell into deep self-doubt. At her original Shrek Academy, she was an Inner Court disciple, one of the Shrek Seven Devils of this generation, a genius looked up to by countless people!
How did she feel like a fool after coming here?
What Ling Luochen didn't know was that these students had not only learned how to use Spirit Power during this time but had also gained deeper control over their own bodies through various training sessions.
Although they were far from reaching a level of "meticulous detail," after Duan Shang's guidance, they had enough to perform some simple mecha operations.
And she was only on her first day of contact with these things.
Fortunately, Duan Shang did not give up on her, the only student lagging behind.
"Ling Luochen, try again."
"Lower your center of gravity and feel the mecha's balance point."
"Yes, that's it."
"Very good, keep it up."
Under Duan Shang's repeated guidance, Ling Luochen finally mastered the basic walking technique.
Although she couldn't jog like the others, let alone jump, at least she could walk steadily.
When she controlled the mecha to complete a lap and stopped steadily in place, an indescribable sense of achievement welled up in her heart.
"Thank you, Teacher Duan." She said softly.
"Alright." Teacher Shen Yi's voice suddenly rang out with a hint of a smile. "Congratulations, everyone, you have completed the basic mecha operation tutorial. As a reward, everyone can receive a Purple-rank Mecha."
Purple-rank Mecha?
Ling Luochen was slightly taken aback; if classified according to the colors of Spirit Rings, it should be considered the thousand-year level.
They had just learned to walk, and they were already giving away Purple-rank Mechas?
This academy... was too generous, right?
Teacher Shen Yi took out a stack of cards and distributed them to each student in turn. "This is the voucher for claiming the mecha; with this card, you can go to the mecha room to claim your own Purple-rank Mecha."
Ling Luochen watched Teacher Shen Yi walk up to her and hand her a card, and she was completely stunned.
"I... I can have one too?" Her voice carried disbelief.
Teacher Shen Yi looked at her, the corners of her lips slightly raised. "Of course you can. Now, you are also a member of Shrek Academy."
Ling Luochen took the card and looked down at the words "Purple-rank Mecha Claim Voucher," an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart. She remembered that she had come to this academy as an undercover agent, but she had been caught red-handed and had to atone for ten years.
However, after passing that test, it seemed this academy didn't treat her as an outsider. They arranged a dormitory for her, gave her a Storage Soul Tool, gave her medicinal pills, gave her a bracelet, gave her a mecha, gave her... sincerity.
Ling Luochen gripped the card, her fingertips trembling slightly, her heart full of complexity.
Her heart was wavering; she was not an ungrateful person, and having received so many favors, how could she not waver?
...
Meanwhile, in the Dean's Office.
[Ding!]
[Detected that key figure Ling Luochen's recognition of Shrek Academy is a Monster Academy has increased!]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the reward: Special Teacher—Level 94 Titled Douluo Zhou Youhan (Ice Spirit Douluo, a counterpart of Zhou Hanyou)!]
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.