The hovercar carried ten students to the outskirts of Wuhe City, northeast of the city.
This was the largest formal mecha pilot training academy in the city: Dong Yonggu Zhi Lan Academy.
It was named Dong Yonggu Zhi Lan because Wuhe City was located in the southeast of Xianxia Nation and belonged to the Yonggu Zhi Lan War Zone.
The Wuhe City Mecha Guard was one of the main forces of the Yonggu Zhi Lan War Zone.
The best reserve mecha pilot graduates from all over the city’s more than 200 districts were sent here to study.
The hovercar slowly landed at the academy’s landing plaza.
This plaza was as large as a formal airport, surrounded by colossal hangars for training mechas.
As Gu Ya and his group alighted, they were stunned by the grand and spacious airport plaza. At Gu Ya’s height, even standing on tiptoe, he couldn’t see its boundaries.
It was enrollment season, and hovercars were constantly arriving and departing, extremely busy.
The ten students entered the waiting hall, where staff directed them to the lounge to wait.
They arrived at the lounge, which was exceptionally spacious, capable of accommodating over 200 people. The white lighting was ample, the environment clean and tidy, and there was even a dedicated complimentary beverage counter stocked with drinks Gu Ya usually couldn't afford.
There were already many newly enrolled students in the lounge.
Gu Ya and his companions were guided to their designated seats.
Everyone was chattering and playing, making quite a bit of noise.
After about half an hour of waiting, most of the students had arrived. Gu Ya looked around and estimated there were about 150 to 160 people.
After a further wait, four individuals wearing gray and blue uniforms entered. Judging by the name tags on their chests, they were likely teachers.
Gu Ya noticed that the proctor who had spoken with him and Ye Ying during the assessment was among them.
They stood before the students and activated their communication bracelets.
One of the teachers announced, “I am the homeroom teacher for Class A. Those whose names I call, follow me.”
The teacher called out names one by one, and Gu Ya’s name was the last.
Liu Feng, upon hearing this, nudged Gu Ya excitedly and said, “Class A is all for outstanding students like you!”
Gu Ya, however, couldn’t muster much happiness. He glanced at Ye Ying beside him, feeling a pang of reluctance.
Ye Ying lowered her head and softly said to Gu Ya, “We’re in the same school; we’ll see each other often.”
Since their long conversation yesterday, Gu Ya had clearly noticed a change in Ye Ying’s attitude towards him today.
Gu Ya nodded and stood up to follow.
Liu Feng watched them, secretly pleased. As expected of Gu Ya, he could even win over the difficult Ye Ying.
The second teacher began calling names.
Finally, all students were assigned to their respective classes and led to them by their homeroom teachers.
Class A, where Gu Ya was placed, had only 16 students: 13 boys and 3 girls.
All the students in this class had a sensory perception time of over 15 minutes and scored very highly in professional and practical courses.
In such a class filled with prodigies, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
The classmates sat quietly in their seats, looking straight ahead, appearing calm on the surface, but internally, a competitive spirit had already ignited.
Gu Ya was accustomed to being in Class E before. The academic atmosphere in Class E was very relaxed; students often played around, and few genuinely studied, resulting in a lively class atmosphere.
Now, being asked to sit still and quietly made Gu Ya feel quite uncomfortable.
Students from other classes passed by the classroom window, many turning to look at this group of “geniuses,” whispering amongst themselves.
From his seat by the window, Gu Ya saw Ye Ying following the Class B homeroom teacher. Ye Ying’s sensory perception score was 14 minutes and 51 seconds, just a few seconds shy of qualifying for Class A.
A few more students passed by, and Gu Ya saw Shao Yang and Wang Yu walking past the window; their scores were both just over 13 minutes.
Liu Feng was the last in Class B. As he passed the window, he made a funny face at Gu Ya, who winked back.
Based on the order in which Class B passed by, their seating arrangement should be according to their rankings.
It was undeniable that Ye Ying ranked first and Liu Feng last.
Gu Ya thought that if ranked by performance, his sensory perception was 20 minutes, he scored full marks in mecha operation, and his theoretical exam was just five points short of full marks.
His results were already astonishing, so how incredibly formidable were the fifteen students ahead of him? It was simply unimaginable!
Further on, Gu Ya saw several other familiar classmates in Class C and Class D.
These two classes had the most students, likely those whose sensory perception met the basic requirements.
Gu Ya felt a secret dissatisfaction; the hierarchy in this world was too strict.
After all students from other classes had passed, the homeroom teacher stood up from his seat and said, “Alright, finally quiet.”
The teacher tapped the podium with his communication bracelet, and his name and communication bracelet number appeared on the electronic blackboard behind him.
“My name is Xie Fangbin.”
“I will be your homeroom teacher, counselor, and resident advisor for the next two years.”
Xie Fangbin’s glasses reflected the white light, his gaze was cold, and his expression was indifferent, as if he had never smiled.
“You are the most outstanding mecha pilot students from Wuhe City this year, the elites among elites, the hope of Wuhe City.”
“I know many of you are accomplished at a young age, such as Fan Mengtian and Mei Shanli.”
“But I advise you not to become complacent.”
“You are still a long way from becoming true elite mecha pilots.”
Xie Fangbin surveyed the classroom and said, “Now, everyone, please introduce yourselves. Starting from the first person in the right row.”
A boy stood up, straightened his posture, and said with a confident smile, “My name is Fan Mengtian, from the reserve mecha pilot academy in Trade District 30 of the lower city. My sensory perception score is 17 minutes and 30 seconds. I participated in the Xianxia Nation Reserve Mecha Pilot Mechanic Competition and won first place.”
17 minutes and 30 seconds. How did he rank first with such a score? Gu Ya wondered.
The girl behind Fan Mengtian stood up and said, “My name is Mei Shanli, from the reserve mecha pilot academy in Commercial District 16 of the lower city. My sensory perception score is 17 minutes and 28 seconds. I also participated in the Reserve Mecha Pilot Mechanic Competition and placed second.”
Was this Reserve Mecha Pilot Mechanic Competition something worth boasting about? Gu Ya thought he should ask Liu Feng.
Afterward, a few students had sensory perception times that did not exceed 20 minutes, and they spoke of competition experiences and honors that Gu Ya had never heard of.
Another boy stood up and said, “My name is Xuan Lang, from the upper city. My sensory perception is 16 minutes.”
Upon hearing this name, several students gasped in surprise.
Gu Ya became interested. This boy was from the upper city; no wonder he carried an air of self-importance and nobility.
The girl behind Xuan Lang stood up and said, “Jiang Tingyue, also from the upper city. My sensory perception is 15 minutes and 44 seconds.”
Just looking at her beautiful back, Gu Ya felt she must be very attractive, and she possessed an ethereal, otherworldly aura.
Neither of them mentioned any honors, but everyone knew that being from the “upper city” alone surpassed any honor any person in the class had.
Finally, it was Gu Ya’s turn, sitting in the last window seat on the left row.
Gu Ya stood up and calmly stated, “Gu Ya, from the reserve mecha pilot academy in Wastewater Treatment District 12. My sensory perception is 20 minutes…”
As soon as Gu Ya finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Gu Ya was certain that among the students of this cohort, his score was the best.
But why he was ranked last in the class, Gu Ya couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was due to his background from the slums.
The hierarchy in this world was strict and brutal; without a good background, everything was difficult.
Breaking free from one’s fate was even more challenging.
Xie Fangbin nodded at Gu Ya, thinking that Gu Ya had excellent results but an ordinary background. Coming from the slums, he didn’t appear particularly outstanding. He would need to find an opportunity to test his capabilities.
The first class quickly ended.
It was now noon, and the new students were led to the academy’s cafeteria for lunch.
As rumored, the food and lodging here were free, and the cafeteria offered a wide variety of dishes, all of excellent quality. There was stir-fried pork with chili, stewed beef with tomatoes, twice-cooked pork, large bone soup, and all sorts of other dishes.
Gu Ya strenuously restrained his appetite and took three servings of meat dishes along with a large portion of rice, feeling incredibly excited.
He had never eaten such a sumptuous lunch before.
In the dining hall, Gu Ya found Ye Ying and Liu Feng; they were waiting for him.
“How’s the new class?” Liu Feng asked excitedly.
“The atmosphere is very oppressive. How about your class?” Gu Ya retorted.
“Our class is great; the atmosphere is very harmonious,” Liu Feng said, still smiling happily. His carefree demeanor truly made Gu Ya envious.
Liu Feng then lowered his voice and said, “Hurry up. Five or six boys have already asked me about Ye Ying.”
Gu Ya nodded. Ye Ying, sitting opposite him, clearly heard Liu Feng’s words, blushed, and lowered her head to eat.
Just then, a familiar voice came from Gu Ya’s side.
“Gu Ya, hello. It’s an honor to meet you.”