novelraw Chapter 51 : Preparation Period
Chapter 51 : Preparation Period
Seventh Star Ring, competition space station.
From the outer edge of the Seventh Star Ring to District Eleven was where the Star Alliance's energy fields were concentrated, especially high-level energy fields.
The competition space station orbited around the Star Ring, rotating between a cluster of stars.
As Chen Sui disembarked from the transition ship, she smelled the scent of energy liquid mixed with cold wind in the air and immediately sneezed.
Behind her, Xie Chunshi handed over his long school uniform coat, which he had draped over his arm.
"The temperature difference between day and night in the Dawn Star Cluster is large. Stay warm."
He reminded her.
Chen Sui quickly put on the coat and blew on her hands.
"The energy field selection for the elimination matches won't be announced until just before the competition. On the first day of the preparation period, complete the information verification first, then go to the competition office to collect the competition materials."
Xie Chunshi briefly introduced the pre-competition situation.
Chen Sui nodded in understanding.
The Star League elimination match venues were selected energy fields, subsequently modified by large teams of analysts, incorporating Competition Committee designs to fully simulate actual combat environments while reducing energy body interference and ensuring the elimination of some teams.
She had learned about this in advance. The fact that this competition space station was located in the Dawn Star Cluster indicated that the energy fields were within this cluster.
The Dawn Star Cluster consisted of six planets containing approximately 3,720 energy fields.
"Other academies have arrived too."
While thinking, she heard Gu Qinxue's voice beside her.
Following that came the rumbling sound of ships docking. The noisy sounds in her ears lasted for several seconds before being quickly silenced by the jet sounds.
Chen Sui turned her head and saw the emblem on the transition ship: an ancient black hall standing at the top of an indigo island in the sea below. The surrounding buildings gathered around the central island like stars surrounding the moon. At the highest point of the central island, the hall doors faced outward, with streaks of light painted in heavy ink spilling out.
"Ink Hills? Third Academy team," Chen Sui watched as the cabin door opened. Leading the way was a young man with an upright posture. His appearance was unremarkable except for his eyes, which were mirror-like. As the door opened, he quickly scanned the surroundings, his gaze lingering significantly on several distant teams, even sweeping over Zhu Jing Fu.
Cautious.
That was Chen Sui's first impression of Third Academy leader Zhang Yingjie.
The young man turned his head and extended his hand toward the cabin door. A woman with thick braided hair slapped his hand and then lightly jumped down from above. She took a deep breath, noticed Chen Sui's scrutiny, and looked over with gentle eyes, nodding gently.
Chen Sui lowered her gaze, nodding politely in response, then turned to follow Xie Chunshi's pace. Gu Qinxue tilted her head to ask: "Who did you see?"
"Xin Ming and Zhang Yingjie."
Third Academy's strong attacker, Xin Ming.
She looked like a delicate white flower, extremely gentle, but her spiritual body was the mysterious and eerie Ghost Flower with extremely strong destructive power—an SSS-level energy body prototype from [Clear Sky Spell].
Gu Qinxue turned her body sideways, her white hair concealing her movement as she glanced back very subtly.
"Oh, I see. The Third Academy analyst looks even weaker than you, like one punch would make him spit blood."
Chen Sui's physique showed no sign of improvement. Although muscle building had been effective, improving her endurance and stamina, overall the changes weren't obvious. Gu Qinxue was clearly making a joke about the StarNet forum.
Supposedly, someone had boasted that they could kill Chen Sui with one punch given her small frame.
Gu Qinxue had found this amusing for a long time.
Hearing her teasing, Chen Sui squeezed the hand Gu Qinxue had linked with hers and curiously glanced back.
In her hasty glimpse, she only saw an extremely pale face with vividly colored eyebrows, eyes, and lips, creating a strong contrast.
The young man was thin, his face gaunt to the point of deformation. His black hair was braided into a side braid like Xin Ming's, making his gender somewhat ambiguous, but his strong brows and obvious bone structure clearly indicated a masculine style.
"He looks like he's been seriously ill?"
Chen Sui was curious, as this was the first person she had seen in the interstellar world who so significantly deviated from interstellar health standards.
Although she herself had always been in that category.
Only when she and Gu Qinxue reached the Zhu Jing Fu rest area did Gu Qinxue answer her question.
"Ink Hills' analyst, Jiang Zhongyu, was rescued by the Foreign Aid Alliance during an energy field descent when he was still an infant. His body was severely invaded by the energy field, damaging his organ functions. Later, if not for awakening an energy body and receiving a mechanical heart implant, he would hardly have survived until now."
Hearing this, Chen Sui frowned uncomfortably.
"His life story is quite tragic."
Gu Qinxue sat on a bench in the lounge. Each academy had a separately defined area, with rest rooms and meeting rooms connected, but combat rooms, holographic training, analysis rooms, maintenance rooms, and others were for public reservation.
Hearing Chen Sui make such an assessment, Gu Qinxue's eyes looked at her, suddenly somewhat resentful: "He's actually fine. After being rescued by the Foreign Alliance, he's been well taken care of. Later, at age 13, he awakened and was taken in by He Lanyi, studying with the He Lan family ever since. Strictly speaking, his life is much better than those on some border planets in the distant Star Rings."
Compared to interstellar nomads, it was even more incomparable.
Gu Qinxue glanced at Chen Sui, thinking she should spend more time feeling sorry for herself.
"The red blood vessels in your eyes are about to burst out. It's just these two days of transition without a Life Steward watching over you. When Instructor Yan sees this, she'll definitely have something to say."
She noticed Chen Sui yawning and saw the fatigue on her face.
Chen Sui shrank her neck upon hearing this: "It's not that bad. I didn't stay up late, just studied the summoned body blueprint a bit."
She planned to create a summoned body during the preparation period. Since the Analyst Association had previously raised issues with the summoned body form, Chen Sui had considered improvements.
But regrettably, she couldn't see what was wrong with the aesthetics no matter how she looked at it.
How could someone who grew up in an apocalyptic alien environment develop any sense of beauty?
However, this time, Chen Sui had specifically controlled her thinking, ensuring it wouldn't disperse excessively, even choosing a humanoid summoned body.
Xie Chunshi and Yan Mingyu, who had completed verification, followed by Puluo and Zhou Chen, gathered in the meeting room as six people. As they entered, they heard Chen Sui mention the summoned body.
Yan Mingyu curiously asked: "Is the summoned body design ready?"
Chen Sui nodded: "I'll make the suppression lock these next few days, then I can edit it."
She added that once the suppression lock was made, she would be able to attempt to control an S-level energy crystal.
Yan Mingyu nodded and began to outline the Star League Competition preparation plan.
"Currently, the Competition Committee has opened training for various positions. You can apply to the Competition Education Department. At the same time, there will be dedicated teachers to guide energy field corresponding courses. Later is the league opening ceremony, remember to attend on time."
Yan Mingyu posted a paper version of the competition schedule on the meeting room's record board, reminding them.
Space station, central square.
Flying recording devices occupied good angles around, providing an overhead view of the entire square through the StarNet live broadcast screen.
At the top of the square, on a high platform built of white jade, each step of the extending staircase projected golden text, like a series of rain screens, recording the countless participants who had emerged from the Star Alliance League since its establishment, along with their deeds.
The competition review panel was arranged at the very top, followed in order by the teaching group, medical department, competition committee management bureau, rescue team, council...
Chen Sui, wearing the Zhu Jing Fu uniform, came to the waiting area with the crowd and took her seat.
"The one in the middle is Chairman Zhao, beside him are Military Committee Chairwoman Zhao Loulan and Star Alliance Board Chairman Jian Run."
Gu Qinxue quietly introduced the people above to Chen Sui.
At the same time, as the StarNet cameras got into position, an overwhelming wave of bullet screen comments surged like a tide.
[Opening ceremony, checking in!]
[So many people. In the analyst seats, many bigwigs have come. No wonder the Analyst Association appointments have been so hard to get lately.]
[Chairman Ji Qing is attending. It seems Master Larnor's health condition is indeed not good.]
[Why are there so many people in the rescue team this time? The last time I saw such a lineup was decades ago.]
[The last time with this lineup was during Director Song's session, when family geniuses all came out in full force. Now it's happening again.]
[So why do people from the prominent families all participate at around the same age? Can't they participate separately?]
[Maybe because, well, understand that the Border Army's major holiday opportunities are limited. Only then can large numbers of artificial wombs be activated for gestation, so they're all grouped together.]
[Goodness, I see Zhu Jing Fu. Xie Chunshi! After many years!]
[The analyst next to Gu Qinxue, that's the interstellar nomad, right? Look at her confused face. Is Gu Qinxue still introducing people to her? Is she that inexperienced?]
[Surely not. Even if she doesn't recognize others, as an analyst, she should at least know Master Ji Qing, right?]
Chen Sui was looking at a middle-aged man in a green robe among the analyst team. A man and a woman sat on his left and right sides respectively.
Ji Qing was Master Larnor's student and the chairman of the main Analyst Association. Beside him were the two pillars of the analyst world, Zhao Rui and He Lanyi.
"That empty seat is------"
Seeing the clearly vacated seat next to Zhao Rui, Chen Sui asked curiously.
Before Gu Qinxue could answer, He Lanyi, who was already seated, accepted a metal nameplate from a ceremonial staff member, stood up, and placed it in that position.
The nameplate gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, with a name written in gilt lettering, as if dragons and phoenixes were flying.
Song Xingzhang.
"Master Song hasn't attended the league competition for a long time, not since Senior Vina passed away."
Gu Qinxue added.
StarNet viewers who saw this scene couldn't help but sigh.
[Although Master He Lanyi and Master Song argued vehemently over academics, that year's Star League Competition was truly a year of abundant analyst talent—the most glorious time for Star Alliance analysts.]
[I feel sad every time I see this scene. After Colonel Vina's death, the aggressive flow school really declined.]
[There's really no one who can take up the mantle. Even if analysts dared to charge forward, would you ask if their teammates would dare? This is no longer about one life; it's about the entire team's lives being bound together. He Lanyi said back then that the aggressive flow school would ultimately become a dead end for geniuses.]
[He really... He was so angry back then, but in his heart, he still considered Master Song a genius.]
Chen Sui's gaze swept over that name, and she also felt somewhat regretful. Vina's teachings had brought her immeasurable benefits. Through her perspective, Chen Sui learned how to apply combat abilities to energy fields—she was like a teacher Chen Sui had never met in person.
However, this emotion suddenly transformed into confusion when she saw a tall man in the rescue team wearing a loosely fitting Border Army uniform.
"Who is that?"
Chen Sui gestured toward the rescue team.
Gu Qinxue was still looking around, but Xie Chunshi, noticing her expression, had already answered: "Lu Cuining, a soldier in the District Eleven main force team, retired Border Army colonel."
"He's with the Border Army?" Chen Sui suddenly snorted with laughter, recognizing him as the scrapyard owner who sold her the mecha fragment. "He's the one who sold me the mecha fragment."
She leaned close to Xie Chunshi for the latter sentence, speaking in a low voice.
The secret of the red rust on the mecha fragment was currently known only to them. Chen Sui observed Xie Chunshi's expression. The man's eyes suddenly flickered, as if he had realized something, showing a hint of understanding.
Seeing Chen Sui's pupils waiting for an explanation, Xie Chunshi hesitated, vaguely showing embarrassment.
Chen Sui narrowed her eyes, keenly sensing gossip.
Xie Chunshi's face was slightly unnatural as he lowered his head, avoiding Chen Sui's probing gaze.
On the other side, Gu Qinxue, who had heard their conversation, joined in.
"Oh, Colonel Lu Cuining, rumored to be a suitor of Director Song Baining. Since Director Song's disappearance, he has been dedicated to entering various energy fields, searching for traces of Director Song. A few years ago, because he disregarded Border Army regulations, Director Zhao Loulan arranged for his retirement."
Suddenly receiving this juicy gossip, Chen Sui's eyes widened: "Suitor?"
She looked at Lu Cuining, who was the only one slouching loosely among the neatly seated rescue team. Listening to different speakers from above, his face displayed rich expressions.
Chen Sui could discern his likes and dislikes just from his expressions.
She turned to look at Xie Chunshi again, who sighed helplessly.
No wonder Xie Chunshi had been hesitant—it was gossip about his parents.
Chen Sui became more curious about Song Baining. She recalled that in the scrapyard, when others spoke of Lu Cuining, they all said he was the most dedicated clearance hunter, accepting hazardous energy field recruitments without exception.
The most common things he salvaged were people and mechas.
Now that she thought about it...
Was he looking for Song Baining?
After all, Song Baining's disappearance had not yet been confirmed as death.
But, the mecha...
"Isn't Black Execration with you?" At the most heated moment of the opening ceremony, when stirring speeches had raised everyone's fighting spirit to the point where eye contact seemed to spark gunpowder, Chen Sui asked Xie Chunshi in a low voice amid the surrounding voices.
"So far, the number of people who know Black Execration is in my hands doesn't exceed this number."
He showed both hands.
Chen Sui felt something was off, but thinking carefully and following the podium with her gaze, she looked toward the council seats on the other side, precisely locating a man surnamed Gu through the nameplate.
The man sat with a stern face, emanating an imposing aura even as he lowered his eyes slightly, listening to Chairman Zhao deliver the closing declaration, his emotions inscrutable.
But Chen Sui keenly detected a hint of impatience from his half-opened gaze.
Noticing the scrutiny from the crowd, Councilor Gu raised his eyes, sweeping his gaze across the audience below.
Chen Sui quickly lowered her gaze, bowing her head as if nothing had happened. His gaze passed over her, pausing slightly at her side before slowly withdrawing.
When Chen Sui looked up again, she only caught a flash of disgust in his expression.
Xie Chunshi's concealment of the Black Execration matter must be due to concerns about the council.
Given how severely damaged Black Execration was, not to mention Song Baining without mecha protection.
Currently, Song Baining was only missing, not confirmed dead. Within the Border Army, the forces belonging to the Song family line could still contend with the Gu family. If news got out, the situation could worsen.
Chen Sui tried to think about it politically, but she was not naturally gifted in this area and felt uncomfortable after just a brief contemplation.
Hearing the announcement of the opening ceremony's conclusion, she immediately stood up.
"I'll go get the combat readiness materials."
Xie Chunshi separated from the others to go to the competition office for the combat readiness materials.
Chen Sui continued to prepare the suppression lock.
The Star League Competition training rooms were public areas. After the opening ceremony, many people came to train. Chen Sui's reserved room had people simultaneously entering to her left and right.
The two people on either side of her, separated by one training room each, exchanged glances. The moment they faced each other, it seemed as if invisible gunpowder was spreading.
Both looked toward Chen Sui, who only lowered her head, appearing tiny, obediently using her identity card to open the training room door.
The woman with wavy hair lifted the curve of her hair, her gaze sweeping over the girl opposite.
The other girl had a high ponytail, monolids, with obvious "sanpaku" eyes (showing white below the iris), and an expressionless, sullen face. She only nodded slightly at He Lanqi's smile, with a haughty demeanor.
Xue Yaoyao moved her gaze to Chen Sui, observing her actions.
After entering, the training room door closed. Chen Sui looked back and suddenly rubbed her arm.
She had received quite a few staring looks like this along the way.
Are they that curious?
Chen Sui couldn't help but wonder.
If they could hear her question, Xue Yaoyao and He Lanqi, who were staring at each other outside the door, would definitely nod in agreement.
Zhu Jing Fu was currently considered the most mysterious in strength among the seven direct schools. Compared to Team Leader Xie Chunshi, who had never displayed his spiritual body, the new analyst with the status of an interstellar nomad carried more secrets and was more difficult to target for tactical arrangements.
Chen Sui, who had calmly begun creating the suppression lock, had no time to ponder these issues.
Analysis instruments required complete concentration. By the time Chen Sui finished making the suppression lock and weapon adjustments, most of the preparation period had passed.
On the seventh day of the preparation period, there were still two days until the start of the Star League elimination match.
In the training room, an energy crystal floated before Chen Sui.
After completing the suppression lock, Chen Sui quickly began editing the summoned body.
She opened the energy simulation device. As energy fluctuations entered the crystal, an invisible barrier surged toward the energy crystal.
After editing the summoned body, the energy crystal would return to its crystal form and merge with the mental threshold energy, becoming the "second form" of the core crystal, able to produce a summoned body for combat like the original core crystal.
During the competition, it would alternate with the spiritual body, complementing the spiritual body's values and exchanging combat roles, facilitating the repair of the spiritual body and core crystal.
Since the evolution of energy bodies and awakening in the Star Alliance, different uses for energy crystals had gradually been developed. Summoned bodies were a backup option for when spiritual bodies were easily damaged or energy was insufficient, and were often used in Star League competitions to implement unexpected tactical preparations.
Chen Sui was already very proficient in summoned body editing. The holographic model on the Light Brain flickered, revealing the summoned body form above.
As the energy gathered, a virtual shadow appeared faintly.
A human-shaped beast-faced monster with a blue-black body, its face torn open into a huge vertical split, its mouth sewn shut with black threads. Between the black threads, red filament-like tentacles danced everywhere.
An extra head grew from its chest, with two huge eyes that rotated from the bottom to face upward. Then that head looked at Chen Sui and revealed an exaggerated smile.
Seeing this, Chen Sui closed her eyes in restraint, seemingly frowning slightly.
Then she covered its eyes with her hand, which glowed with energy.
"Actually, you're not that ugly, just a bit distinctive in appearance."
Her voice echoed in the quiet simulation field, seemingly reassuring herself.
As the summoned body became more condensed, its ugliness became more apparent before Chen Sui.
Beneath the smooth blue-black skin, layers of red networks extended, like cracked earth that would split into deep fissures the next second, with scalding magma spurting from within.
Chen Sui was internally persuading herself to accept reality when, just as the suppression lock entered the mental threshold to prepare for the energy crystal to merge with it, a massive energy fluctuation swept through the entire simulation field.
In her mental threshold, vast amounts of energy surged outward like a tide.
The restraining circle of the suppression lock was agitated by the high-pressure energy, flashing incessantly, like a high-danger alert.
Chen Sui's mental threshold released enormous energy, which shattered the suppression lock's energy circle as it spread. The ring-shaped band made a "clang" sound as it was blasted away, falling onto the metal floor with a crisp sound.
The mental threshold energy instantly enveloped the energy crystal. A strange sense of invasion, like fire, burned along the energy factors.
The fire attribute energy surged in, mixing with the surrounding energy factors almost without hindrance.
As the two energies merged, it seemed as if an invisible force surged around. The warning light on the energy simulation device flashed.
"You've got to be kidding."
A stabbing pain transmitted through Chen Sui's mind. The crystal overlapped with the core crystal—one fire, one wood—dual-colored energy rings invisibly dispersed in the mental threshold. She had no time to attend to the burning sensation rising from her mind; her gaze only saw the simulation device flicker for several seconds before suddenly emitting a piercing alarm. This scene was too familiar, causing Chen Sui to sigh coldly.
"Again?!"
The surrounding energy field gradually collapsed as the alarm sounded in her ears.
Chen Sui skillfully released her spiritual body. Little Flower had just appeared and hadn't even had time to call out "Master" before Chen Sui hugged it tightly to her chest.
"Little Flower, wall!"
Little Flower instinctively extended countless vines, forming an enclosing net around Chen Sui, wrapping her into a ball.
Outside the energy simulation training room, alarms blared throughout the venue.
Warning red lines continuously scanned each area.
"Alert! Energy level too high! Energy level too high!"
"Please immediately shut down all devices and exit the training rooms!"
"Alert! Energy level too high! Energy level too high!"
He Lanqi had only analyzed half of her energy crystal when she heard the room alarm. Her expression sharpened as she quickly gathered her energy, shut down the simulation device according to the alarm protocol, and pushed open the door to exit.
Coincidentally, as soon as she walked out, she encountered the high-ponytail girl from next door again.
Xue Yaoyao's face still carried traces of confusion and fear, her eyelashes trembling. Seeing He Lanqi, she instinctively walked toward her as if finding support.
"What's happening? Has an energy field come here?"
She involuntarily grabbed He Lanqi's wrist.
He Lanqi looked at her gripped hand, a flash of surprise in her eyes, but still reached out to pat the back of her hand, speaking soothingly: "It's probably an energy storage issue with the simulation device, causing energy overflow."
Xue Yaoyao accepted this explanation, her mind calming down. She looked apologetically at He Lanqi, releasing her hand. That normally unfriendly sullen face showed an apologetic expression: "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I was a bit anxious just now..."
He Lanqi curled her lips, with a perfectly standard smile curve: "It's fine."
Xue Yaoyao perceived that beneath her gentle attitude, there was no intention of closeness, and knowingly distanced herself from the other party.
He Lanqi looked at the training room in between the two of them.
"Why hasn't she come out yet?" Xue Yaoyao asked in confusion, then stepped forward to look outside the door: "Should we call her?"
He Lanqi sensed something was wrong and pulled Xue Yaoyao: "Look at the red lines."
On both sides of the corridor, the scanning red lines gradually gathered outside Chen Sui's training room.
The venue-wide broadcast switched to a different alarm.
"Please, all members around training room 4002, move away from the 4002 area. Repeat..."
Xue Yaoyao looked up at Chen Sui's door number.
"We..." She instinctively looked back at He Lanqi.
The other woman pulled her back. "Do as they say, quickly go."
Xue Yaoyao turned and quickly followed He Lanqi's steps.
As the alarm continued to wail, the energy level rose higher and higher. After reaching its peak, a honeycomb-like blue barrier wall rose at both ends of the 4002 corridor.
Outside the corridor barrier, heads crowded together.
"What's going on?"
Military school analysts discussed it simultaneously.
Amid the uproar, a muffled explosion was blocked by the barrier. Energy waves swept out, and the blue barrier seemed to bounce back.
The door of room 4002 was blown open with a boom, and the surrounding rooms were damaged to varying degrees by the energy impact.
Chen Sui heard a huge explosive sound in her ears, followed by continuous rumbling.