"What are you looking at?" Tan Bingbing pinched Endymion Lin. "Don't look at her!"
"Is she Liu Qinglin, the one you're competing against?" Endymion withdrew his gaze and quietly asked.
"Hmph, who else?" Tan Bingbing's tone carried a hint of jealousy. Although she was very popular at Notting Academy, compared to Liu Qinglin, she still lagged behind a bit. Simply put, nearly all the boys in the academy liked Liu Qinglin, but only about half liked Tan Bingbing.
At this moment, Liu Qinglin had spotted Tan Bingbing. When she saw Endymion standing next to Tan Bingbing, a trace of surprise flashed across her face. After a brief hesitation, she walked over.
"Liu Qinglin, what are you doing here?" Tan Bingbing asked unhappily, "Bringing such a big crowd just to show off in front of me?"
"Excuse me, are you Endymion Lin?" Liu Qinglin ignored Tan Bingbing and instead gave Endymion a charming smile.
"Uh, yes, I'm Endymion Lin." Endymion was taken aback. Liu Qinglin greeting him personally surprised him greatly.
It wasn't just him; Tan Bingbing and Liu Qinglin's entourage were also surprised. Despite Liu Qinglin's approachable demeanor, she rarely took the initiative to greet others, especially strangers.
"I'm Liu Qinglin. Nice to meet you." Liu Qinglin then did something that shocked everyone even more: she extended her fair, delicate hand toward Endymion.
"The pleasure is mine." Endymion gently shook her soft hand, then quickly let go. He already sensed the killing intent around him—not only from Liu Qinglin's admirers but also from Tan Bingbing standing beside him.
"Let's go!" Tan Bingbing tugged Endymion away, clearly showing her displeasure.
Endymion gave Liu Qinglin an apologetic smile and hurried after Tan Bingbing.
"What a waste of beauty! Tan Bingbing actually ended up with Endymion Lin." A boy near Liu Qinglin muttered to himself.
Liu Qinglin smiled faintly but said nothing. She only watched Endymion's retreating back, the corners of her mouth curling into a somewhat playful smile.
After leaving the arena, Endymion found an excuse to part ways with Tan Bingbing. Though she seemed a bit reluctant, she didn't insist he return with her. After all, their relationship hadn't reached that level yet.
Naturally, Endymion went back to the Purple Bamboo Forest to resume his routine magic training. To become an outstanding mage, hard work was essential. Fortunately, Endymion was already very familiar with magical spells and theory; what he needed most was to meditate constantly to strengthen his mana.
The annual final exam finally arrived, a special assessment set up for mech students. The results would determine whether students could advance to the next grade.
This was essentially the mech warrior qualification exam. The chief examiners were not academy teachers but full-time officials from the Mech Association. The exam followed a strict procedure.
It was divided into two parts. The first was a skills test, where students piloted their mechs to complete prescribed combat maneuvers, which the examiners scored based on execution.
The second part was a real combat test. Each examinee was assigned an opponent to fight in a simulated battle. The examiners would assign a score based on performance and outcome.
The final grade was the combined score from both parts, which decided if the student passed.
For first-year mech students, the exam was not difficult; passing the level 1 mech warrior standard was enough to advance to year two.
Because of this, since the founding of Notting Academy's Mech Department, only one student failed to pass the exam in their first year—Endymion Lin. Even more unbelievably, he failed three years in a row.
This year was his fourth year. If he still failed, he would be expelled from Notting Academy. This created a dilemma for the academy leadership.
On one hand, they hoped Endymion would pass. If he were expelled after four consecutive failures, it would be a very embarrassing record for the academy.
On the other hand, they also hoped he would just fail and be expelled. If he stayed, who knew how many more shameful records he might create?
Endymion was unaware of this internal conflict. He continued with his routine, practicing magic at night, qi cultivation in the mornings, and going to the training center in the afternoons. Every time, he first checked if Gentle Rose was available; if so, he chose her as his opponent. Strangely, Gentle Rose never refused, and after two days, her record had gained another 100 wins.
Now, Endymion could persist for more than ten minutes in each match, once even lasting fifteen minutes. He was no longer purely defensive and sometimes launched attacks. His mech piloting skills were steadily improving.
Thus, when Endymion faced the final exam again, he was full of confidence.
The exam took place at the arena, with many students watching. Among the examinees were celebrities like André, Tan Bingbing, Liu Qinglin, and Murong Yan'er, all attracting attention. But this time, the most eye-catching figure was only one: Endymion Lin.
He was already a well-known figure at Notting Academy. His recent close association with the dream girl Tan Bingbing, his ambiguous relationship with the "Lonesome Prince" André, and his recent victory over Meng He—the first heir of the powerful Meng family—had catapulted his popularity.
Most importantly, a bored person had started a betting pool on Endymion's exam result. Almost everyone at the academy placed bets. The odds for Endymion failing were 2 to 1; the odds for passing were 3 to 1. If he hadn't just beaten Meng He in hand-to-hand combat, the odds for passing would have been at least 10 to 1.
Too bad Endymion didn't know about this bet; otherwise, he could have bet on himself to make some money.
When the first part of the exam ended, those betting against Endymion already began regretting it, because they saw he really could pilot a mech, smoothly completing the three prescribed maneuvers. The examiners from the Mech Association even gave him a perfect score!
Although the three maneuvers were simple, the most basic mech combat skills, and every student expected to complete them smoothly, very few thought they could get full marks.
"Endymion Lin, you have ten minutes to rest. You can also choose to proceed immediately to the real combat test. Do you need a break?" The examiner's voice reached Endymion's ears. The man was in his forties, looked very ordinary—one of those easily overlooked in a crowd.
"No need, I'll start the real combat test right away!" Endymion's mood was a little excited. Though it was just the level 1 mech warrior exam, passing it meant he would become a true mech warrior. Becoming a mech knight was no longer just an empty dream.