Chapter 113: When Scores Fall Short, Leveling Up Comes to the Rescue

"So, theoretically, a Three-Star ability user can fly?"

Alpha Ji’s imagination ran wild, instantly conjuring up touching scenes of people riding small suns, electric fans, washing machines, and propane tanks...

Since it was possible to reduce weight by 73%, it surely had to be possible to reduce it by 100% or more. The key was the intensity of mental control, and in this regard, Ye Chao did not have the upper hand.

"Theoretically, yes, but..."

Currently, it seemed no one could actually pull it off.

Although Ye Chao’s mental intensity wasn't strong enough, others lacked his unique ability to freely combine materials and alter density, shape, and structure.

Normal people spent months engraving, manifesting, and continuously refining their items, which took even longer. To possess two or three different Tinder weapons in a lifetime was considered hitting the ceiling. The improvements he gained from constant trial and error were enough to bridge the gap in raw intensity.

If even he couldn't fly, it was even harder for others.

Furthermore, just imagine: riding a small sun or a propane tank—where would the operator stand?

Reality was not some immortal cultivation fantasy where one could stand on a sword as if glued to it with superglue.

To fly by riding something, you needed a place to stand. You would need the courage and balance to stand on a tiny foothold surrounded by a ten-thousand-foot abyss, remaining unmoving despite the howling winds.

Even with the courage of New Humans, that was hard to achieve.

At least, not at the Three-Star level; even at Four-Star, it was rare.

And even if you could fly, you had to consider what you would do if a winged monster attacked you while you were up there. Would you fight back with your mouth? With spit?

However, remote manipulation brought more than just changes in mobility.

Imagine charging at someone with a weight of thirty-some pounds, only to suddenly shift to over two hundred pounds at the moment of impact—remote control meant manipulating the gravity of a Tinder weapon; if you could reduce weight, you could naturally increase it. The instant impact force would increase six or seven-fold or more, completely violating the law of conservation of energy.

This move was called a "Slam," the most common output method at the Three-Star stage.

"It can do that too!"

As he spoke, Ye Chao pulled on metal protective sleeves over his wrists and ankles, naturally crafted from engraved materials. While explaining, he threw punches, swept his legs, and took steps with great momentum, only to end with a loud "splat" as he fell face-first onto the ground.

But he immediately bounced back to his feet and brushed off the dust.

Ye "Nothing-Just-Happened" Chao.

Although it was awkward and ugly, Alpha Ji understood.

This was using mental power to drive the protective gear on his limbs, coordinating with his body's movements to achieve enhanced output.

This was no longer just an Iron Man suit; it was more like... Magneto. Of course, Magneto didn't do melee, but if he wanted to, crafting a suit of iron armor and driving it for melee combat would look exactly like this.

Ye Chao, this guy, had always been reserved and humorless, and he had deep-seated trauma regarding physical exercise.

But looking at this brief performance, it wasn't that he didn't want to—he just lacked the talent! After all, what young man didn't have his fair share of "chuunibyou" fantasies?

[Favorability +66]

After mocking Ye Chao’s clumsy posture, Alpha Ji sighed slightly: "You have one problem right now..."

"Yeah, my control isn't strong enough."

If his control were strong enough, he wouldn't have tripped due to a lack of synchronization between his body and his mind.

"Solving that isn't difficult."

"Indeed, as long as..."

"You find a space-time bubble for me to recharge in, return me to the state where I can manifest before others, and then combine that with the motion programs I’ve been optimizing lately..."

"I just need to speed up the engraving of these electronic products. According to my calculations, if the processing efficiency of the CPU and graphics card reaches ten times the current level, I should be able to advance to Four-Star and possess sufficient control..."

The two were strangely synchronized, only to realize after finishing that they were talking about completely different things.

"Find a space-time bubble? That is indeed a method, though the risk is a bit high..." Ye Chao fell into deep thought, his mind in research mode.

Alpha Ji, however, instantly went mad: "What! You dragged me out all excited, making me watch all this, just to make me your manual laborer?!"

[Favorability -99!]

Ye Zichao, I thought you had changed, but I never expected you to be exactly the same!

Then again, the "sorry" was something you made me say, and the "returning" was something I did on my own...

I was wrong, I was wrong, I shouldn't have come in the first place...

"There’s no other way. I know you’re working hard. But at the current pace, we won't make it to the College Entrance Exam..."

Originally, Ye Chao wasn't worried about the exam. His academic scores, combined with his internship points, were enough to get him into a top-tier university.

But that wasn't the case anymore. Due to the widespread promotion of holographic helmets, students who lacked practical combat experience had seen massive improvements.

As long as their ability wasn't as mediocre as his, going from One-Star to Two-Star could jump their score from a few points to thirty or forty; going from Two-Star to Three-Star meant getting a passing grade or higher. In short, it was much easier for them than his struggle to just barely pass.

That’s right, the physical testing for the College Entrance Exam was that harsh!

Even a pre-catastrophe world champion couldn't pass it; at best, they’d score thirty or forty points.

This was also the reason why Ye Chao had been able to shine for a while based solely on his elective subjects; they really boosted his score!

In this sense, the students who preferred main subjects over electives hadn't made the wrong choice. After all, it was nearly impossible to achieve such an amazing leap in elective subjects, while main subjects... were like playing a game, just a matter of leveling up.

But with things as they were, his original score was no longer safe.

Explaining this to Alpha Ji, Ye Chao changed into a small stool, sat down, and picked up a laptop, carefully rubbing, examining, and licking it—engraving it first as a sign of respect.

So it wasn't making her do all the labor; he was joining in too. Alpha Ji’s irritable mood calmed down quite a bit: "Fine, since you’ve asked me so sincerely." She changed into a small stool, sat down, and began engraving along with Ye Chao.

Sincere? Where? Ye Chao was baffled, carefully self-reflecting, and wisely chose not to say a word.

==========

"Wrong, wrong! Even though it's the same model, look at the back, it has a 'T', the internal structure is very different."

"You’re wrong again. This material isn't plastic, it's ceramic. Feel it carefully..."

"You, forget it, forget it, just leave it to me. You're just wasting time!"

"Hey... wait, how did this become me working alone again? Ye Zichao, this won't do. We need to set some rules..."

Just as Ye Chao and Alpha Ji were cooperating happily and seamlessly in the warehouse, a burst of arguing sounds suddenly came from outside the door.

It was roughly: "What are you doing? What are you doing?" "Don't go over there, you're not allowed in!" "Why aren't we allowed in? This isn't the territory of the Third Middle School!" ...After a minute or two of pushing and shoving, the door finally opened.

Leading the charge was a greasy, fat middle-aged man with big ears, wearing glasses and holding a microphone.

Though he was fat, he was agile. In three steps, he scurried in front of Ye Chao: "Gold... Student Ye Zichao, hello, hello! I am Wu Jihan, the principal of the First Middle School." He shoved the microphone toward Ye Chao.

Outside the warehouse door, Guan Junyuan’s bald head shone brightly, and his small sun burned fiercely. However, it was clear that neither his Five-Star prestige nor his small sun had been able to stop them.

He looked blankly at the other intruders who had crowded in: "Isn't he from your Jiangcheng Radio Station?"

The radio reporters and assistants, whose appearances were unimportant, gave a bitter smile: "That *is* the principal of the First Middle School, Teacher Guan. You don't recognize him with glasses on? He snatched the glasses, the microphone, and the script..."