This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 159 - 102: Clouds Gather - Why Must You Force Me?

Chapter 159: Chapter 102: Clouds Gather - Why Must You Force Me?

"Besides, teachers are not the kind to be trifled with," Luo Chuan said, and he actually laughed.

Li Ming felt a sudden chill and asked, "Wasn’t the teacher able to solve the virus problem of the Heluo Star System half a month ago? Why hasn’t he returned yet?"

"I don’t know what the teacher is up to; he never explains things to us," Luo Chuan shook his head.

Seeing Luo Chuan’s confidence in Old Wu, although somewhat blind, Li Ming also breathed a sigh of relief.

The two rarely had the opportunity to meet and had time, so they went to the canteen and chatted while eating in a quiet small room with a table full of hot and cold dishes.

"It is very likely that Sela Civilization is stirring things up from behind. Their delegation is poised to strike, and this time they won’t leave easily without getting a big slice," Luo Chuan said, with a cup of plain water beside him; he didn’t like to drink flavored liquids.

"To shut up Princess Asmara, they are trying so hard for a mere internal squabble of civilizations," he sneered.

Midway through the meal, Li Ming took out his smart terminal and casually swiped through it. The situation in the Heluo Star System was escalating, but there was still no conclusive outcome.

Another matter still occupied a significant weight—the exchange conference between Sela Royal Academy and Blue Star’s Capital University of Science and Technology.

The referendum split within Heluo Civilization is a major internal affair, and this matter also represents, to a certain extent, the face of Blue Star Civilization.

Though the competition hadn’t started yet, there were already plenty of videos circulating online.

"...inferior subhumans... country bumpkins..."

"...also supported by the Yitelan Civilization, what a waste of resources..."

"...do Blue Star citizens know their taxes are wasted on you losers..."

Most of the mockery came from students of the Royal Academy, accompanied by violent conflicts, where the University of Science and Technology side usually suffered more.

After fermenting for so long, the despondent viewpoint became mainstream, believing that the University of Science and Technology was useless and that its students couldn’t compare to the others.

It even escalated to racial inferiority.

And the only viewpoint that was considered an advantage was also related to Li Ming.

"...You speak so righteously, but in reality, aren’t you just afraid? Why send the E-level and F-level students back to their own civilization midway through?"

"Everyone knows full well that you are afraid of Li Ming! The top freshman of the new trials, he is invincible among E-level Life Forms!"

"Ha, such eloquent words, but where is your first place? I haven’t seen him; doesn’t even dare to show his face and needs others to speak for him?"

In the video, many people were involved in a certain conflict between the Royal Academy and the Capital University of Science and Technology, and Li Ming recognized the person speaking for him; he was even quite familiar with the speaker’s younger brother.

"Bian Heng..." Li Ming uttered two words; indeed, the one speaking for him was Bian Li’s older brother.

Now a third-year student, a D-level Life Form, also one of the best in his batch, about to graduate.

He spoke fervently, his face flushed with passion.

Was he speaking for himself? Not necessarily.

He had discussed this issue with Roth and others. It wasn’t a good move for him to come forward and argue because he couldn’t produce strong evidence, and it would just lead to endless quibbling without meaningful outcome.

His silence wasn’t a big deal; the focus was never on him, but on those D-level Life Forms.

However, Bian Heng’s seemingly impassioned words pushed Li Ming into the limelight precisely because he was the only advantage and strength.

As a result, many people saw him as the last straw.

"They want to force me to make an appearance," Li Ming thought, surely another one of Sain’s schemes.

Now on Blue Star’s news, Wu Yanqing and Li Ming, mentor and protégé, each occupied half the spotlight, seemingly vying for attention.

Luo Chuan glanced over, "Bian Family’s current head is Bian Jiyun’s younger brother; they’ve retracted a lot. Bian Heng, however, seems to be compelled by someone to press you to come out."

"Defeating Youke isn’t a problem for you, and going out to clean up the aftermath is an option as well. With the teacher in unfavorable public opinion, stepping in to turn the situation around would be a good choice for you."

"I understand," Li Ming nodded, "Whether it’s the Heluo Star System referendum or the Sela Royal Academy, any failure would be a heavy blow to Blue Star."

"They are still in the stage of building momentum; I’m not in a hurry. If they discover anything, they might change their plans."

"Quiet as a rabbit, fierce as a tiger, good," Luo Chuan nodded and then sighed, "If both sides win, Blue Star’s vitality won’t recover for twenty years. Even if you defeat Youke, it’s just salvaging a fraction of the loss."

"Other terms are still losses. The younger generation is the backbone; if it gets broken..."

Luo Chuan shook his head. After all, he was born to Blue Star Civilization, and even though he sneered at the higher-ups, he still felt a sense of belonging to this civilization.

Li Ming remained silent, browsing through the smart terminal, quickly finding what he wanted.

"The friendly exchange conference sets first, second, and third places, with rewards of five million, three million, and two million Star Coins respectively—a total of ten million Star Coins."

"The first place will also receive an additional prize—the Sela Royal Knight Armor as a memento."

The picture showed a finely crafted light golden armor decorated with green patterns, looking less like advanced combat armor and more like ancient armor.

"You’re looking at the rewards?" Luo Chuan said with a glance and a chuckle, "That’s the standard armor for Royal Knights, done in a retro style. At least a C-level Life Form can serve as a Sela Knight, and their armor is quite nice."

"Indeed, it’s good stuff," Li Ming nodded in agreement, believing the quality should be C-level.