Chapter 80: Mecha

After returning to the Lin family estate, Song Yue accepted Ling Xiaohan’s friend request.

He stared at the username for quite some time—"Charming Little Goblin." He never would have guessed! The only image that came to his mind was of her, slightly tipsy, slapping Lin Han on the shoulder and declaring heartily, "From now on, we're good buddies."

By then, Lin Huan had finally finished her work and approached Song Yue, a hint of apology in her tone. “I’m sorry, things were a bit hectic today. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the finest culinary city in Tianyue!”

Lin Han laughed boisterously. “We’ve already been there today! Guess who I ran into?”

Lin Huan frowned slightly, catching the scent of alcohol from her brother. “Have you been drinking?”

Lin Han replied carelessly, “A man out and about, what’s a little drinking?”

“Oh, really?” Lin Huan arched an elegant brow and glared at him with her captivating eyes. “What did you just say?”

“I said…” Lin Han was a bit slow to respond, but years of habit came to his rescue at the crucial moment. He put on a face of righteous sincerity. “I said men might drink outside, but when they get home, they still have to listen to their sisters!”

Dear God, Brother Yue, I beg you, please take my sister away soon! Lin Han shouted silently in his heart.

In front of Song Yue, Lin Huan refrained from scolding her brother too harshly. She shifted the topic. “So, who did you meet that got you all worked up?”

“Heh, Tong Yue! The child star who debuted young and outshone a bunch of virtual idols. She’s a well-known little diva!” Lin Han was excited. “And there was another girl, stunningly beautiful, like a fairy!”

Lin Huan looked at her brother and sighed softly. “Lin Han, the way you are, even if you carry the title of the Lin family’s legitimate young master, those truly outstanding girls will never look twice at you. Wake up.”

Lin Han bristled. “Why not? What’s wrong with me? Brother Yue, tell me, what’s wrong with me?”

Lin Huan looked at her obviously tipsy brother with a touch of helplessness. “Go sober up first. After you’ve slept it off, I’ll tell you what’s wrong.”

Lin Han was still indignant, but a glance at his sister and Song Yue told him he was in the way. With a sheepish grin, he said, “Guess I’m a third wheel, huh? I’ll go, I’ll go…”

With that, he slipped back into his car, switched on autopilot, and soon disappeared.

Lin Huan looked at Song Yue with a helpless smile. “He’s grown up in such privileged circumstances, never suffered any hardship. Sorry you had to see this.”

Song Yue shook his head. “I think Lin Han is a good kid—he has a pure heart, he’s sincere and unpretentious, and he lacks that arrogance so common among the children of great families. You’re too hard on him.”

Lin Huan laughed. “Hearing you say that, he does seem pretty good. But for someone of his background, those are nice qualities, sure, but they’re still too ordinary.”

The two of them strolled along the garden path as Lin Huan sighed softly. “The Lin family atmosphere isn’t bad, but competition among the same generation is still fierce. Unless you’re truly outstanding, it’s almost impossible to stand out.”

“In life, especially here in Tianyue where ordinary people can live for centuries, you can choose the life you want. Sometimes what you see as ambition isn’t what others desire,” Song Yue replied.

“That’s true, but who doesn’t wish their own family could be a little more accomplished?” Lin Huan sighed. Perhaps because she was home, she seemed more reflective, a little different from before.

Quickly, though, she shrugged off the mood. Smiling at Song Yue, she said, “Forgive me, it’s just that I look at you, then at my brother, and I can’t help but worry about him.”

As they walked, Lin Huan brought up the Ou family.

“From what we’ve learned, they won’t target you in public, but once you’re inside the underground palace, it’s almost certain they’ll make a move. Our family already knows and someone will be protecting you in secret.”

Song Yue nodded. “I’m not worried about what happens inside the palace—as long as they don’t cause trouble outside, it’s fine.”

Lin Huan smiled. “Outside the palace, leave it to the Lin family. Inside… I have faith in you.”

With that, Lin Huan took her leave, promising to show Song Yue around tomorrow. The entry into the palace was set for the day after.

After returning to his room, Song Yue’s virtual device pinged with a new message—from “Charming Little Goblin.”

“Big talker, dare for a rematch? I’m way stronger now!”

Song Yue was speechless. She’d been drinking all afternoon and already buddying up with Lin Han, yet now she was so bold? Where did this confidence come from?

“Hey, are you there?”

“Are you game or not? Give me a straight answer!”

“You’re not scared, are you? Why so wishy-washy?”

Song Yue: “…”

He was almost certain now—on the other end was none other than Ling Xiaohan, who was so ethereal when silent, but started treating boys like brothers after a few drinks.

He replied quietly: “Fifty matches weren’t enough?”

That was like lighting a powder keg. The other side exploded.

“Oh, getting cocky, are we? An old player bullying newbies in the starter zone—feel accomplished? Come on then! Let grandpa teach you a lesson!”

Song Yue replied with a single word: “Alright.”

He logged into the virtual world and immediately received a challenge request.

Not being terribly familiar with the virtual realm, Song Yue didn’t check the details and accepted right away. In the blink of an eye, he was teleported onto a battle arena.

But the moment he saw his opponent’s mech, he sensed something was wrong. The mech was still an entry-level model, but the way the opponent moved—their posture and control—made it clear this wasn’t the same novice from that morning.

On the other side, Ling Xiaohan, who had chosen to spectate while invisible from the stands, was so excited she could barely sit still.

“Hahaha! You fool, you got tricked, didn’t you? That’ll teach you to bully me and kill me fifty times! Brother Lei Ming, flatten him for me!”

Qin Qi, sitting beside her, watched with a resigned expression. “Weren’t you going to settle your own scores?”

Ling Xiaohan glanced at her, surprised. “Do I look that foolish to you?”

Qin Qi: “…”

Ling Xiaohan argued confidently, “That guy’s obviously a veteran—using a side account to bully newbies in the starter zone. I got carried away this morning, but now that I’ve calmed down, I’m not dumb enough to fight him myself. But don’t worry—give me a few days and with my talent, I’ll master this in no time.”

Then she turned to Qin Qi. “By the way, get me the best mech you can. This is way more fun than flying artifacts!”

Qin Qi nodded. “Alright, I’ll gift you one when you leave.”

Ling Xiaohan’s face lit up with delight. “Sister Qi, you’re the best!”

On the arena, Song Yue watched the opponent’s mech stride toward him, and Lei Ming’s honest, smiling face flashed through his mind.

This martial grandmaster, under thirty, was obviously an old hand in the virtual world, with plenty of experience piloting mechs.

This match would be tough for Song Yue, who came from a world centuries behind in technology and had only touched a mech for a day.

If it were a pure martial contest without mechs, Song Yue wouldn’t have minded at all.

Then the opponent’s voice came through, synthesized and electronic. “Earlier today you bullied a newbie girl. As a veteran, I could have let a few matches slide, but killing her fifty times in a row is too much. I’m going to teach you a lesson so you don’t pick on people like that again.”

Reasonable enough, Song Yue thought, but he didn’t dare relax.

This would be a tough fight.

As the system’s electronic referee announced the start, both mechs moved almost at once.

Song Yue charged forward, leapt into the air, and interlocked the massive steel arms of his mech, hammering down at the opponent’s equally airborne mech.

In the stands, Qin Qi and Ling Xiaohan were both stunned.

He really is a veteran! And definitely a real-life master as well!

Lei Ming hadn’t expected such ferocity. His reactions were a split-second slower. He leapt up, but with no better option, met Song Yue’s blow head-on.

Boom!

Like two speeding trucks colliding, the clash sent sparks flying with a deafening roar.

Though Lei Ming was forced on the defensive, he simultaneously sent a powerful kick at Song Yue’s mech.

By coincidence, as Song Yue hammered down, he also kicked out.

Bang!

Another thunderous crash.

Their entry-level mechs began to show damage from the brutal impacts.

But neither cared.

After a brief pause, they clashed again, even more fiercely.

Song Yue suffered from his lack of familiarity with mechs, but his advantages were just as obvious—his spiritual cultivation was leagues above Lei Ming’s, despite the latter’s grandmaster status.

Moreover, Song Yue’s martial arts were beyond Lei Ming’s reach. The Taiyi Body-Tempering Sutra was already the foundation of Song Yue’s cultivation. Both the Star-Splitting Hand and Thunder Fist, taught by Miao Qiang and sourced from the Kunlun Secret Realm, became more powerful at higher realms.

If only he wasn’t stuck with a basic mech—if he had one of the advanced models equipped with weapons, especially a long blade, he could even unleash the blade techniques from the Eight Wilderness Dao Canon.

In the stands, Qin Qi watched the two mechs locked in an even battle and smiled wryly. “You really lost for good reason. He’s a true master, and… I think we may have misjudged him.”

Ling Xiaohan, her eyes glued to the fight, asked, “What do you mean?”

Qin Qi said, “He’s probably a newbie, too.”

“That’s impossible!” Ling Xiaohan turned, incredulous. “You’re saying… he just started piloting mechs as well?”

Qin Qi nodded seriously. “Contact him when you can. If necessary, just show your face and make friends. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll likely enter the palace with us. He could be a valuable ally.”

“You want me to use my looks? No way!” Ling Xiaohan huffed. “Besides, who knows what kind of person he is? What if he’s a villain?”

Qin Qi considered that, then nodded. “You have a point. Better to watch for now, and avoid unnecessary conflict.”

Back on the arena, both mechs were battered and barely holding together.

At this intensity, one would expect to see such combat only in advanced matches. Entry-level mechs were for beginners; the system probably never anticipated anyone would fight like this with starter models.

The battle lasted at most three minutes, but both mechs were on the verge of collapse.

Lei Ming took the initiative to stop, switching off the synthesized voice for his real one. “I didn’t expect you to be a true master. Seems I misjudged you. You haven’t played this game for long, have you?”

A true expert could easily tell.

Song Yue replied with the synthesized voice, “No, I haven’t.”

“So I was wrong about you. Let’s add each other as friends. My name’s Lei Ming!”

Martial artists were like this—when they met a worthy opponent, unless they were enemies, they usually wanted to be friends.

Song Yue felt a little exasperated. What was the point of revealing your real name? When the truth eventually came out, would Ling Xiaohan want to kill him out of embarrassment?

“Alright…” Lei Ming seemed decent enough, so Song Yue agreed.

He was certain Ling Xiaohan and the others had been watching the match from the stands. If they met in the underground palace, they’d probably put the pieces together.

Well, he’d just deny everything!

After adding Lei Ming as a friend, Song Yue headed back to the beginner’s arena to rack up points. This time, he didn’t run into another “silly goose” like Ling Xiaohan, but the “starter village” was busier now, and he quickly earned enough points to enter the intermediate arena.

Along the way, he diligently studied information on advanced mechs. Every model in the virtual realm had a real-world counterpart. Once he learned here, he could operate them in reality.

He’d always known mechs were valuable, but as someone from Earth, he’d never looked too deeply into it, and that put him at a disadvantage.

If the data was accurate, a powerful pilot with strong spiritual force could, in a top-tier mech, annihilate even a Jiedan cultivator!

Such high-tech creations were not to be underestimated.

Perhaps the true powerhouses looked down on such things, but for Song Yue right now, if he could get his hands on the most advanced mech, it could be a game-changer.

After logging out, he decided he’d ask Lin Huan tomorrow if the Lin family could acquire the latest model.

He couldn’t find prices for the top models, but those a few levels below were already enormously expensive.

Even if the Lin family could obtain one, he couldn’t afford it.

But that was fine—he could borrow one.

The next day, when he mentioned it to Lin Huan, she agreed instantly. The Lin family owned a mech company, and if orders weren’t backed up, she’d have one rushed for him.

She didn’t mention the price, and neither did Song Yue.

If the Lin family was generous enough to give him one, he’d certainly repay them handsomely. Any scripture brought out from the underground palace would be more than worth it.

Lin Huan took Song Yue—leaving the slightly exasperated Lin Feng behind—to the culinary city again.

But since he’d already visited the most popular spot yesterday, Lin Huan took him somewhere different this time.

This place had a superb environment, in stark contrast to the previous day’s venue.

“The ingredients here are top-notch, but the atmosphere is a bit too refined. Normally, we prefer the livelier place you went to yesterday,” Lin Huan explained with a smile.

As they walked inside, they happened to cross paths with another group leaving.

The group first spotted Lin Huan and were about to greet her. Then, seeing Song Yue, several faces immediately darkened.

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