Seeing Liu Feng charge towards him, Gu Ya calmly pushed the control lever.
As Gu Ya’s mecha shifted sideways, it simultaneously squatted down, embracing Liu Feng’s mecha with both hands.
"You've improved, Liu Feng, but you still need more practice!"
As Gu Ya spoke, he swiftly grabbed Liu Feng's left arm with his left hand, placed his right leg on Liu Feng's back, and knelt down forcefully, activating his thrusters for an explosive push.
Gu Ya directly tore Liu Feng's mecha's left arm, leaving only a few cables connecting it, dangling beside his body.
"Alas, you're still more skilled," Liu Feng said regretfully.
On Xu Jie and Hei Ye's side, the two had already seen through their opponents' fighting styles and movements; it was all brute charging and ramming, with hardly any technique involved.
Seizing the openings in their opponents' actions, the two quickly dealt with them.
Although Class F's strength had greatly increased, they were at too low a starting point and still ended up defeated.
In the spectator stands, especially among the Class E students, everyone stood up and cheered loudly.
"We could win against Class F before, but not this quickly!"
"With Gu Ya participating this year, beating Class F is more than enough!"
"Gu Ya is so cool!"
The students of Class F did not complain about their loss; they were all happy.
"Our class has become much stronger this year!"
"Right, Liu Feng and the others have been working very hard!"
"I heard Liu Feng learned a secret manual from a master."
The students from other classes were not as excited, especially Class A and Class B, who wore looks of disdain.
Wu Chuyang shouted through his communication bracelet, "Alright, Class E wins the first match. Next up is Class B versus Class D!"
As Wu Chuyang spoke, he inadvertently saw a student holding an instrument, aiming it at the combat arena, seemingly recording a video.
Regular students used their communication bracelets to record videos and didn't hide it, but the moment that student saw Wu Chuyang looking at him, he quickly put away the instrument.
This surprised and alerted Wu Chuyang. He took another look at this student and secretly noted his appearance.
Gu Ya and the others returned to the rest area. Liu Feng walked over, still excited from the previous match, like an athlete who had just finished warming up, showing no signs of fatigue.
"Liu Feng, you did well! Great progress!" Gu Ya said with a smile.
Liu Feng puffed out his chest proudly and said, "Heh heh, not bad. But I'm still far from you. I've decided to intensify my training starting today! I'll strive to pass the formal mecha master assessment next year!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Jie let out a disdainful "hmph" and said, "With you? Dream on."
Gu Ya quickly said, "Don't mind him, he looks down on everyone."
Xu Jie was rendered speechless by Gu Ya's retort and turned away.
Liu Feng didn't seem to care, saying, "Why bother with others? Just work hard yourself!"
Gu Ya smiled and patted his shoulder.
At the combat arena, Class B and Class D were engaged in battle.
It was less a battle and more a one-sided slaughter.
Class B initiated a three-on-one wolf pack tactic, quickly eliminating one student,
directly turning the situation into a favorable three-on-two advantage.
The two students from Class D were clearly panicking and began to desperately evade.
The three members of Class B continued their wolf pack tactic, three-on-one, cornering a student from Class D.
Liu Feng watched the situation on the field and said to Gu Ya, "Class D truly has no room to fight back."
"Mmm," Gu Ya replied, a hint of worry creeping into his mind.
If Class B used this tactic against Class E, how would they cope? A three-person defensive formation might be the best approach.
The only issue was the unstable factor that was Xu Jie.
He needed to have a talk with Xu Jie.
"Gu Ya, do you remember Ma Zhen, who mocked us that day?" Liu Feng asked.
Gu Ya said, "I remember. I wanted to beat him up a few more times, but it seems there's no chance."
"There will be opportunities later. I also want to beat him up. I get angry every time I see him grin," Liu Feng said resentfully.
Gu Ya chuckled, surprised that Liu Feng could hold a grudge.
At this moment in the arena, Class B eliminated the last Class D student, entering the semifinals with all members unharmed.
This battle was faster than expected. Elite classes were indeed elite classes; there was no denying it.
Their sharp offensive maneuvers and perfect coordination were like a pleasing performance.
In contrast, Class D lacked organizational skills and the ability to adapt, being completely led by the nose by their opponents.
The excitement of team combat lies in coordination; one strong individual does not make a strong team.
Gu Ya's worry for Xu Jie grew.
"I'm going to talk to Xu Jie," Gu Ya said to Liu Feng.
Liu Feng smiled knowingly and said, "Yeah, Xu Jie has good skills, but his personality is a bit..."
Gu Ya parted ways with Liu Feng and walked over to Xu Jie. Upon seeing Gu Ya, Xu Jie's expression immediately turned sour.
"Xu Jie!" Gu Ya called out, his face stern.
Xu Jie impatiently turned his face away, ignoring Gu Ya.
"Xu Jie, I admit your strength, but team combat requires coordination. With the match approaching, I just want us to be united," Gu Ya said in a softer tone.
Xu Jie let out a light chuckle and said, "Alright, Captain Gu. You're the strongest, so you call the shots."
"It's not that I call the shots. We're a team, we're equals, everyone has the right to speak," Gu Ya argued persistently.
Xu Jie said dismissively, "Who is your equal? You're just a nobody, and you still dream of being my equal?"
"So that's where your problem lies," Gu Ya said, his face darkening.
"What? I look down on you. Even if you're first in practical combat class, I still look down on you. A nobody should stay in the sewers."
Gu Ya felt his deepest self-esteem brutally trampled by Xu Jie. The distorted theory that a nobody should stay in the sewers made Gu Ya furious and incredulous.
Gu Ya's face hardened, and he said coldly, "Then there's no room for negotiation."
Xu Jie gave his signature light "hmph" and leaned in, saying, "You'll always be a rat in the sewers! You'll never make it to the stage!"
Gu Ya clenched his fists in anger, gritting his teeth, wishing he could punch Xu Jie's jaw off.
But the entire school faculty and students were watching from afar. Causing a conflict with a teammate at this moment would not only affect the match but also result in school penalties, and crucially, it would impact the formal mecha master assessment next year.
"Fine," Gu Ya nodded and said, "If the team match affects your individual performance, don't blame me for not warning you."
Xu Jie still wanted to speak.
Gu Ya pointed directly at his nose and said in a low, angry voice, "Shut your mouth! I'm laying it all out now: if you get beaten to death then, I won't save you!"
Gu Ya was truly furious this time.
Hei Ye cautiously asked Gu Ya, "If Xu Jie doesn't cooperate, how will we fight Class B?"
Gu Ya looked at the combat arena and thought for a moment, then said, "The southwest corner is quite narrow. If they focus their attacks on you, you should take cover in that corner.
"In that corner, two of their opponents can reach you."
"You focus on defense, and leave the offense to me."
Hei Ye nodded and asked again, "What about Xu Jie?"
Gu Ya said darkly, "Let him do whatever he wants."
Gu Ya knew that unity was the only way to win, but Xu Jie's words had thoroughly hurt him.
No one could forgive such insulting language.
The third match was between the strongest Class A and Class C.
Although it wasn't a match between two elite classes, Class A's participation would attract more attention.
Gu Ya retreated into his mecha, took a deep breath, and adjusted his mindset, refusing to be affected by Xu Jie's words.
This was supposed to be a very ordinary match.
Gu Ya hadn't initially aimed to lead Class E to first place; he just wanted everyone to work hard together and have no regrets.
But Xu Jie's words had angered him. What he wanted most now was to use his strength to shut Xu Jie's arrogant mouth.
Moreover, the combat was gradually heating up, especially since Class B had already demonstrated immense strength. Class A, who would come out next, would only be stronger than Class B.
All of this stirred Gu Ya's interest in victory.
Both Xu Jie and Hei Ye's strengths did not reach elite levels.
The day Gu Ya fought Fei Ming, he had completely relied on his opponent's underestimation to win. His true strength still needed to be verified through actual combat.
Gu Ya now had to start considering how to face the elite trio single-handedly.
As Gu Ya thought about this, he let out a light chuckle.
"Facing the elite trio alone sounds thrilling!"
"Like Jude, unarmed, fighting against steel with his bare body."
"It truly makes one anticipate it!"