It was said that this mecha competition was spearheaded by Master Xu Yuan, and the entire event would be broadcast live through holographic projection. Contestants could choose a nickname and even customize a virtual avatar different from their real appearance.
Of course, for those who only joined the contest to show off, hiding their identity would make all their efforts pointless. Naturally, they wouldn't choose such a low-key approach.
Xie Xingyan, however, naturally opted to conceal her true identity. What she valued was the grand prize for the top three, not fleeting vanity or glory.
Thus, she chose the nickname "Breaking Through the Siege"—something that both reflected her determination and ensured she wouldn't appear weak or easily bullied.
On the Capital Star, inside a mechanical research institute, Master Xu Yuan was busy studying a new model of mecha in his hands.
His assistant kept glancing nervously at him, but because of the master's eccentric temper, he could only wait quietly for the right moment.
Two hours later, when the assistant finally saw Master Xu preparing to take a break, he nearly burst into tears of relief and hurried forward, afraid that if he missed this chance, he'd have to wait several more hours.
"Master, our institute's comms on StarNet are nearly exploding with calls, and many nobles are contacting us, all wanting to catch a glimpse of your newest S-class mecha."
"Mhm. Reject them all one by one. Tell them this mecha will not be exhibited—it can only be appreciated by its rightful owner."
Hearing such a blunt rejection, the assistant could only slump and leave, already worrying about how to phrase things politely when turning people down.
Watching him leave, Xu Yuan secretly thought: he needed to change his lab's permissions. Otherwise, if someone barged in during one of his secret projects, that would be disastrous.
After all, his S-class mecha was not something to casually display. He was searching for a suitable disciple for his old friend.
Just then, he received a private chat request. Seeing the name—the first entry on his contact list—he immediately accepted.
"Xu Yuan, you must hold firm to what we discussed earlier. Whether or not I can find a disciple that suits me depends on you!"
"Come on, Nalis, you're already a Marshal of the Interstellar Army. Which genius wouldn't you be able to pick at will?"
"Ugh, the ones pushed toward me are always tangled up with complicated backgrounds. I just want to choose one disciple who truly suits me."
"No wonder your standards focus so much on spiritual power and combat instincts. But that way, you might end up picking a crippled genius."
"That's fine. Even if their physique is lacking, I can temper them on the frontlines. That's no problem at all."
As her voice came through, mixed with the sounds of tearing battles and grinding clashes, Xu Yuan felt a pang of bitterness.
This was the heroic woman he had admired since childhood. But now they were both so busy, and he dared not reveal his true feelings. He feared that if he spoke his heart, he might even lose the friendship they still had.
"I know you're busy. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the holographic tournament."
Nalis ended the call with a faint smile. She knew Xu Yuan would definitely help her.
They had always been like this since childhood—as long as the other asked, if it was within their power, they would never refuse.
Looking at the overflowing pile of recommendation letters in her junk folder, Nalis's eyes turned cold with disgust. Her hands, controlling the mecha to slaughter Zergs, grew sharper and deadlier.
Hmph. Trying to send in pawns to seize her hard-earned legion? Not a chance.
Meanwhile, Xie Xingyan was closely watching the progress of the tournament registration. On the second morning, she finally received confirmation of her successful sign-up.
The organizers immediately released a statement on StarNet:
"Due to the overwhelming number of applicants, review times will be extended. From now on, the minimum requirement for registration is a spiritual value of A-rank."
Reading this, Xie Xingyan understood. With several billion minors across the interstellar worlds, if there were no restrictions, the tournament would be flooded.
There was still a week until the official matches began. During that time, Xie Xingyan spent her days on StarNet, spending star coins to conduct simulation training.
Back at school, she could have used the training rooms for free, but now that she had graduated, that option was gone.
The good news was that she discovered when piloting the holographic mecha, the slight blockage she used to feel had disappeared. Instead, everything felt incredibly smooth, often giving her a refreshing, unrestrained sensation. At times, she even brushed the mysterious realm of unity between human and machine.
This new discovery, she felt, was likely thanks to that prior accident. Ever since Bi'er had helped dispel that strange black mist, her strength had risen to another level.
Soon, the day of the tournament arrived, and everyone on StarNet saw the freshly released rules.
The first round would be elimination matches, selecting the top ten from each star system.
The second round would be randomized matches, narrowing down the final fifteen for the grand finals.
As for the final competition format, the organizers kept it secret, only promising that a mysterious guest would announce it on the spot—raising expectations sky-high.
Xie Xingyan cut through the competition with ease and quickly advanced to the finals. The final fifteen participants were set, with four hailing from the Capital Star.
Since all the earlier matches had been one-on-one, Xie Xingyan was intensely curious: what format would the finals adopt?