145: Chapter 145 Mech Training, Combat Power Soars

The morning breeze blew across the training ground, carrying the scent of something burnt. Five mechas remained where they were, the green patterns on their armor glowing faintly, as if they had just awakened.

Many people were gathered outside, standing by the edge of the track. Some stood on tiptoe to watch, while others whispered to each other. Their eyes still held the excited glimmer from the previous night, but there was more hesitation than anything else.

No one stepped forward.

Chen Wuwang stood by the edge of the high platform, his right arm wrapped in a new bandage with a small spot of dark brown blood on it.

He did not look at the crowd, but instead stared at the palm print on the chest of the No. 1 mecha—it was the one Chen Xiaodao had slapped onto it, and it had not yet been wiped off.

"Yesterday, it accepted Xiao Dao," he said. His voice was not loud, but the entire field went quiet. "It wasn't because he is particularly powerful, nor was it because his cultivation level is high."

He paused, raised his left hand, and a faint blue light flickered in his eyes as he swept his gaze across everyone.

"It is because he was the first to step forward."

After saying this, he turned around and pointed to five areas on the other side. White circles were drawn on the ground, and in front of each circle was a wooden sign with a name written on it.

"Starting today, training will be divided into three shifts daily," he said. "Everyone at the Qi Refining third level and above must participate. Whoever gets on a mecha first will receive a personalized key."

The crowd stirred.

A young technician looked up and asked: "Family Head, the keys... is it one for everyone?"

"Not everyone," Chen Wuwang said. "A mecha only accepts one person."

When these words were spoken, the young man's eyes lit up, but the old master frowned.

An old man leaning on a cane whispered: "A hunk of iron can pick its master? I've never seen such a thing in thirty years of work."

Someone nearby said: "But Xiao Dao is a Sword Cultivator Genius, can we ordinary people really do it?"

Just as the words were spoken, a black shadow jumped out and landed lightly.

It was Chen Xiaodao. He was wearing light armor, and his left arm was a metallic prosthetic, reflecting a cold light. He walked up to a mecha and slapped the cockpit door with his hand.

"Beep—" With a sound, the door opened.

He turned back to look at the crowd, his voice loud: "The first time I got in a mecha, I almost burnt out the energy ring! Do you know why it didn't explode?" He tapped his head, "Because I dared to try again! What are you afraid of? Afraid it won't accept you? Then make it accept you!"

After saying this, he walked over and pulled a thin, weak-looking boy over: "A Qi, you come."

The boy's face turned pale: "I... I haven't learned how to operate one."

"No need to learn." Chen Xiaodao pushed him into the simulator pod and crouched down, grabbing his hands, "Close your eyes and feel the vibration of the leg axis—yes, that's the feeling! Did the hydraulic rod move? Your left leg is half a beat faster than your right; adjust it back!"

The boy's fingers trembled, but he slowly steadied them.

Inside the simulator, the virtual mecha took its first step, stumbling and crashing into the barrier.

Some people around them laughed.

Chen Xiaodao immediately stood up and roared: "What are you laughing at? Did you not fall the first time you learned to walk?"

The laughter stopped immediately.

He pointed inside the pod: "Remember, a mecha is not a tool; it is an extra set of bones! If you fear it, it will suppress you; if you dare to move, it will follow!"

The boy gritted his teeth and started again.

This time, the mecha slowly stood straight, took a step, and turned. Although it was slow, it was steady.

Everyone stopped talking.

Chen Wuwang raised his hand and gestured.

The logistics team immediately pushed over five carts and opened the boxes—inside were training suits, neural patches, and respirators.

"First shift, board the mechas now!" Chen Xiaodao shouted, "A Qi is first! Everyone else, line up according to the list!"

The boy took a deep breath and followed him toward the No. 1 mecha.

The cockpit door opened, and he climbed in, his movements clumsy.

The door closed, the green patterns flashed, and the core lit up, but it didn't fully activate.

"Heartbeat not synchronized," the System prompted.

"Try again," Chen Xiaodao said. "Relax, just like when you went mountain climbing as a child; don't overthink it."

The boy closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually steadied.

A few seconds later—

"Beep. Matching complete."

Blue light suddenly surged throughout the entire body.

The crowd gasped in low voices.

Then, the second and third mechas also started up one after another.

Some succeeded, and some failed. Those who failed were pulled down and could not retry; they had to practice in the simulator pod for two hours first.

The training rhythm picked up.

The morning passed, and the five mechas took turns taking off to perform basic maneuvers: hovering, turning, dashing, and blocking.

Most people lost control before flying even ten zhang, and only managed to avoid crashing by performing emergency landings.

One mecha dove headfirst into the sand, and when the pilot crawled out, their helmet was still smoking.

Chen Xiaodao scolded them one by one, but also taught them one by one.

"You're too impatient! A mecha is not a sword; you cannot rush the rhythm!"

"Your shoulders are too tense! Relax! It's not a burden; it's a part of your body!"

"Don't close your eyes! Only a blind man doesn't look at the road!"

He scolded them harshly, but every word hit the mark.

In the afternoon, the shifts changed, and the second batch went up. Some began to find their rhythm and could perform three consecutive dashes followed by a roundhouse kick.

One mecha even did a flip in the air and landed very steadily.

The onlookers were no longer just watching for fun.

The old masters took out notebooks to record data: energy consumption, reaction speed, and joint pressure.

A few young technicians spontaneously formed a maintenance team, using instruments to inspect the mechas. Whenever they found a crack, they applied a repair patch, and as the green patterns lit up, the cracks slowly sealed.

"It really repairs itself..." an old master muttered.

When it was almost dark, an incident occurred.

Three mechas training at high altitude suddenly had their blue lights extinguish, lost power, and began to fall.

"Energy fluctuation!" the communications team shouted. "The main power ring voltage is unstable!"

The ground became chaotic.

Chen Wuwang stood on the high platform, not moving.

"Communications team, switch to the backup line!" he ordered, his voice steady. "Maintenance team, check the interfaces! Pilots—stay where you are! You are on a battlefield now, not practicing balance!"

The order was passed down, and the situation was quickly brought under control.

Chen Xiaodao led people to rush toward the falling mechas, climbed onto their shoulders, used Sword Intent to guide the spiritual energy, and manually restarted the cores.

In five minutes, the three mechas recovered their blue light and landed slowly.

No one complained.

Instead, some people volunteered for extra training.

At night, the training ground was brightly lit. Two mechas flew side by side, sharing a set of commands, practicing flanking maneuvers.

Another one sprinted on the ground with sandbags tied to its back, simulating a rescue of a wounded soldier.

Chen Wuwang never left.

He stood on the high platform, watching the five mechas fly in the night sky like five moving stars.

Three days later.

In the morning, before the fog had cleared, all five mechas started up simultaneously. Their blue lights lit up, the green patterns flowed, and they rose into the sky in perfect unison.

They formed up at an altitude of three hundred zhang, completing formation flying, triangular dashes, cross-covering, and coordinated attack drills.

For the final strike, the five mechas charged their shoulder cannons, the red light locking onto a piece of ruined stone tablet.

"BOOM——!!!"

The stone tablet vanished instantly, not leaving even a speck of dust behind.

The mechas landed and lined up in a row. Their armor was clean, with only a few small scratches slowly healing.

By the edge of the training ground, the clansmen gathered in circle after circle.

No one spoke.

After a long while, a boy suddenly shouted: "I want to train too! I want a key!"

"Me too!"

"Tomorrow I will Breakthrough to the third level of Qi Refining!"

"We can fly too! We can fight too!"

Chen Xiaodao crouched beside the No. 1 mecha, tightening a screw with a wrench, covered in sweat.

Someone offered him water, but he waved it away and looked up at the high platform.

Chen Wuwang was still there, his back straight, watching every mecha and every clansman.

He raised his hand and pointed to the end of the track.

"Next phase: tactical coordination," he said. "Whoever can't keep up, go back down and practice."

As the words fell, the five mechas simultaneously activated their thrusters, blue flames erupted, and the sand on the ground began to dance.

In the distance, on the road at the entrance to the training ground, footsteps could be heard.