The "kaka" sound of mechs executing actions had been echoing through this uninhabited mountainous region.
The training time was exceptionally tight.
Soon, a month passed.
Gu Ya had completed training on 132 basic movements.
Now, with disheveled hair and a foul-smelling, aching body, he didn't rest at all.
During this period, he had modified his training plan schedule based on his own situation.
Thanks to the ability to use [Mind Active] to quickly enter deep sleep, Gu Ya divided his sleep time into two segments, night and noon, each lasting 2.5 hours.
This allowed him to train during the day while his brain maintained vigorous energy and his body received ample rest.
Coupled with the military's secret special medicine, Gu Ya consistently maintained his optimal training state.
As training progressed, Gu Ya's proficiency gradually improved, and the actual operation time for each movement decreased.
From an initial 30 to 40 seconds per execution, it now only took 21 seconds.
Furthermore, with the formation of muscle memory, the fastest execution time for a completed movement could be compressed to 16 seconds.
Of course, this was still far from enough!
Gu Ya was currently only training individual movements. To master mech operation more proficiently, he needed to practice combining all movements.
That would require more training volume and time.
"I must speed up!" Gu Ya stated firmly. "Compress all individual movement training to two and a half months, and reserve time for mixed multi-movement training."
Gradually, with the full concentration of his mind, Gu Ya even began to experience hallucinations.
On the display screen before him, the empty mountain hollow was replaced by blurry, dark, towering figures.
Initially, Gu Ya was very alert, but those blurry, tall dark figures remained motionless, as if staring at him.
After a few more days, those massive dark figures became slightly clearer, though details remained unobservable.
They were like colossal monsters standing in a torrential downpour, blurry, majestic, and fearsome, standing there silently, their gazes fixed on Gu Ya.
After another half a month,
Gu Ya could now clearly see the colossal beings standing before him – they were mechs!
They were all motionless, standing in their positions, silently watching Gu Ya, which was very eerie.
But Gu Ya could not be distracted by them. As long as they did not come to bother him, he let them be.
Time quickly reached the end of the second month.
Gu Ya's face had become gaunt with a pointed chin, his face covered in stubble, and his long, greasy hair had matted.
His body was filthy. The clothes he wore when he arrived had been worn into strips by his repeated movements.
Beneath the tattered clothes, his body was lean and wiry, not an ounce of fat visible, only hard muscle.
His hands had become skeletal, his palms covered in thick calluses. The calluses, once broken, would grow new ones, layering upon each other.
Whenever the external patches on his fingers broke, he would reapply another layer. The cockpit floor was littered with his used, broken patches.
During rest periods, he would take out food from behind him, chewing and drinking water voraciously, but his mind was still engaged in simulated operations.
Even sleep was taken curled up in the pilot's seat.
As long as there were no urgent needs, he did not leave the cockpit for a moment.
He now looked like a wild man,
but his eyes remained clear, pure, and firm.
During this time, Dou Mei sent people to deliver a cargo hold of food and fresh water, but they left after dropping it off from a distance.
Gu Ya had warned Dou Mei to keep her people away when they came, lest he mistake them for enemies.
The giant mech-like figures in Gu Ya's sight had also become a bit clearer, allowing him to vaguely see the combined seams of their armor and battle-worn cracks.
At this point, Gu Ya had even forgotten why he was training.
His mind held only one thought: complete the training, refine his skills!
Time finally arrived on the thirteenth day of the second month.
As Gu Ya diligently completed the last set of basic mech movements, he trembled as his hands released the control sticks.
Outside the mech was an endless night,
but his heart was incredibly bright.
"Finished..."
Just as Gu Ya muttered this sentence,
suddenly, the eerie, deep-shadowed, towering mech silhouettes before his eyes lit up with multi-colored lights, dreamlike and exquisite.
The lights were peculiar; though intensely bright, they did not illuminate the darkness.
Those dreamlike, radiant mechs suddenly moved, stepping forward towards Moon Oriole!
Beam swords, emitting a cold glow, sprang from their hands.
Suddenly, they unleashed the flames from their back thrusters, charging forward with sharp, decisive, swift, and precise movements!
"They're coming for me!"
Gu Ya's resolve hardened, and without delay, he quickly maneuvered his mech.
At this moment, he felt different from before. The mech movements in his mind required no thought on how to operate; his hands moved swiftly.
Moon Oriole dodged the opponents' blades with standard and rapid movements, retreating step by step, escaping their attack range, 138 reading net.
Gu Ya quickly manipulated the holographic panel, his fingers frequently flicking the control sticks.
Moon Oriole's back thrusters suddenly erupted with an incredibly fierce deep blue flame, roaring as it charged towards the dazzling mechs.
Every movement was deeply ingrained in Gu Ya's mind.
Operating them required no mental effort, much like the effect of activating the [Mind Following Hand] skill; it was skillful and even masterful.
Although he didn't know who was piloting those mechs emitting brilliant, dreamlike lights,
Gu Ya knew in his heart that he had to defeat them!
If that was the case, then he accepted the challenge!
Gu Ya had been sparring daily with these phantom mechs in this mountain hollow.
Gu Ya exerted his full strength in every battle, unleashing incredibly powerful finishing moves consecutively, fully integrating and mixing all his trained basic skills.
Gu Ya could combine different counter-moves based on the actual combat situation.
Every battle was different, and every set of moves was different!
The 384 basic mech movements, when combined, resulted in an infinite number of moves!
Yet, he still couldn't defeat the phantom mechs, only managing to fight them to a draw.
Every beam sword swing was skillfully dodged by them. Every finishing move was met with the most correct method and angle to evade Gu Ya's fatal blows. Simultaneously, they could counterattack swiftly after evading damage.
Each battle, in Gu Ya's mind, was a test of life and death, a sacred and glorious combat.
When Gu Ya prepared to rest, they would obligingly cease their attacks, waiting for Gu Ya to awaken and continue the fight.
Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, ten more days had gone by.
"Last day. Today is already two months and twenty-four days. I can't stay here any longer..." Gu Ya murmured, gazing at the phantom mechs.
He knew they could hear every word he spoke.
"Today, I will use my full strength to defeat you!"
The phantom mechs ceased their movements, raised their hands, and pointed to their heads.
Gu Ya asked softly, puzzled, "What does that mean? You want me to fight with my consciousness?"
The phantom mechs shook their heads and continued to point to their heads.
Gradually, Gu Ya understood their meaning. They were saying, "Liberate your mind from restraints, let all stray thoughts return to your brain."
"But... this way, I can't fully immerse myself in the fight!" Gu Ya retorted.
The opponents remained silent, maintaining their posture, watching Gu Ya quietly.
"Alright, if that's the case, I'll trust you this once!"
Gu Ya murmured, calmly closing his eyes.
This time, he didn't utilize [Mind Active] but entered sleep very peacefully.
In his dream, he saw all the things he had cared about.
Family, brothers, studies, strength, his concern for Youyou, his guilt over Sister Ling's constant work, and his comfort for Youran.
Most importantly, Ye Ying appeared before him once more.
"It's been over two months... are you well?" Gu Ya looked at Ye Ying and said with a smile.
Ye Ying also smiled sweetly at Gu Ya.
The next second, Gu Ya opened his eyes. All the emotional bonds returned to his body.
He felt as though he had returned to his previous psychological state, but with a difference: his strength was now far beyond what it was.
The sky returned to a pure blue. Gu Ya had slept for a full eight hours.
The phantom mechs had waited silently for Gu Ya to awaken.
This time, they no longer pointed to their heads but gradually drew closer and overlapped into a single mech.
It no longer emitted a strange, dreamlike glow but was exceptionally clear.
Gu Ya finally saw its true form – wasn't it the Moon Oriole mech!
So, they were all imaginary enemies conjured by Gu Ya.
Gu Ya smiled faintly, "Good... fighting oneself, defeating oneself, is the only way to break through current limitations!"
Gu Ya micro-maneuvered his mech. Moon Oriole assumed an offensive stance and prepared to unleash its ultimate skill.
Moon Oriole's chassis began to emit a faint transparent gas. All its joints were heated to their most active state, while irrelevant sensor parameters were shielded.
The phantom Moon Oriole opposite him also assumed the same charging offensive posture.
Gu Ya's eyes widened slightly, and he softly exclaimed, "All skills activated!"
His vision was no longer a blank white, nor did a starry sky appear. Nothing changed; the mountains remained mountains, and the sky and earth were as they were.
But time seemed to have stopped. Everything was frozen in place. Gu Ya could even see the tiny dust particles kicked up by the wind suspended in the air.
Even if he slowed his movements further, the frozen objects in space remained unchanged.
"Since that's the case..." Gu Ya sighed softly, his fingers moving rapidly.
In an instant, Moon Oriole was behind the phantom enemy.
In that single instant, Gu Ya controlled Moon Oriole to strike the phantom enemy ten consecutive times.
After the moment passed, the phantom enemy was pinned in place, motionless.
Moon Oriole slowly turned and looked at it.
It began to blur, and in its final moments, it slowly turned its head, looked at Gu Ya calmly, and disappeared completely from the earth.
"This is... could this be..." Gu Ya exclaimed in surprise, looking at his hands and then forward.
"A new ultimate skill..."
Suddenly, the Moon Oriole mech system began to alarm: "Mech functionality reduced to 60%..."
Gu Ya breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the new ultimate skill had higher requirements for mech performance, or perhaps even Yin Concealment could not keep up with his operational speed.
"For every gain, there is a loss..."
Relaxing, Gu Ya slumped onto the control console, his hands falling limply.
Nearly three months of secluded, arduous training had kept his body at the brink of collapse, his mind constantly tense, daring not to slacken even a little.
Now, having achieved his goal, Gu Ya felt his brain throbbing, and every joint in his body ached with raw soreness, so painful it was heart-wrenching. Even [Pain Insensitivity] could not block it.
"Food..." Gu Ya mumbled, his eyes half-open.
"I need to replenish my energy and restore my body to its optimal state..."
"There are still many things waiting for me to do!"