The referee had long since announced Tan Bingbing as the winner, and Andre had already exited his mech, preparing to congratulate her. Yet, no one saw Tan Bingbing come out. The mech's exterior revealed nothing, and no one knew what was happening inside—only that their Ice and Snow Goddess was locked in a kiss with a man.
Eventually, Tan Bingbing was the first to regain composure. Suddenly, she pushed Endymion away with force, her chest heaving rapidly, her mood clearly unsettled.
"Get out!" Her warmth vanished instantly, replaced by an icy chill.
"Sorry, but if I leave like this..." Endymion hesitated, suddenly recalling Fang Yang. His presence felt like a betrayal.
"Just go!" Tan Bingbing's eyes were complex but resolute, leaving no room for refusal.
With a helpless smile, Endymion opened the cockpit and stepped outside.
"Wait, why is it a guy?" The crowd erupted in confusion.
"Where's my goddess?" someone cursed. "Who's this idiot?"
"I know him! That's Endymion!" someone shouted. Endymion was a known figure, though no one had noticed clearly until now.
Andre's eyes showed surprise as well. He never expected the one exiting the mech to be anything but Tan Bingbing.
Then Tan Bingbing emerged. The crowd exploded. She had been inside the mech with Endymion? What was their relationship?
Speculation ran rampant, but no one believed Tan Bingbing had won thanks to Endymion's help. Endymion was still the publically recognized failure.
Endymion hurried away. He wanted Tan Bingbing to drive off first and find a private place to slip out, but she was clearly angry, forcing him to be exposed before tens of thousands of eyes.
That night, Endymion returned to the Purple Bamboo Grove to practice magic. Meanwhile, rumors of his closeness with Tan Bingbing spread like wildfire.
His "glorious deeds" were exaggerated. Many of Tan Bingbing's admirers, convinced that a nobody like Endymion could never win the goddess's heart, were reassured. They could not understand why Endymion was in her mech but were sure they were not a couple.
More than certainty, it was self-comfort. Deep down, many doubted but wouldn't say it aloud. Many resolved to teach Endymion a lesson and keep him away from Tan Bingbing.
Endymion was unaware. He repeated his routine: cultivating Dou Qi by day, magic by night. Growing nervous, the final exam approached, yet his body was still unfit for mech combat.
With only three days left before finals, Endymion hit his first cultivation bottleneck. His level-one Dou Qi was unfinished, and progress seemed to stall.
Though well versed in Dou Qi, he had never practiced it seriously before and was uncertain how to break through.
"More haste, less speed. Maybe I'm just too impatient," Endymion thought, deciding to pause his Dou Qi cultivation and take a walk.
The scorching sun beat down; it was his first noon outing in nearly a month.
He headed straight to the Fatty's Antique Shop.
The owner was once called Fatty, but now he was Old Fatty. The shop had been open for over thirty years; despite his age, the name remained unchanged.
Though called an antique shop, it was more accurately an antique mech shop—selling various ancient mechs dating back a millennium, evolving in style but not always inferior in performance to modern models. Endymion knew this well.
He had long wanted a mech suited to him. Modern mechs demanded too much physically, so he began eyeing older models.
"Fatty, got any new stuff lately?" Endymion asked upon entering.
The shop was empty; Fatty was dozing until Endymion's voice roused him.
"Ah, Aling, long time no see," Fatty smiled. They were familiar with each other.
"Been busy. How's business?" Endymion asked casually.
"Same as always. Rare to see customers." Fatty shook his head. "Hey, Aling, I actually got something strange recently. Come see!"
"Strange? Isn't it a mech?" Endymion was puzzled.
"Not sure how to say it... it should be a mech but also not quite. You'll see." Fatty's face was puzzled too.
"Let's go!" Endymion was eager.
In the warehouse, Endymion's heart jolted at the sight of the strange item.
Though battered and broken, it was still recognizable as a mech. What shocked him was a magical energy fluctuation coming from it.
He quickly located the source: a huge magic crystal stone.
After careful observation, Endymion understood why Fatty felt it was not an ordinary mech—it lacked a conventional power system.
Yet, Endymion knew it had one—the magic crystal stone was the power core. Unfortunately, the stone's energy was nearly exhausted; even if intact, the mech could hardly start with such faint magic.
Magic crystals were rare and valuable in the Auro Continent, containing vast magical energy. Mages used them to accelerate their magic absorption.
The battered frame was covered in dense, intricate symbols. To ordinary eyes, they looked like decorations, but Endymion recognized them as magic arrays.
He admired the creator—a great mage and alchemist, no doubt.
Even he could not decipher the complex arrays quickly.
Had mages once existed in this place? Or was magic always a part of this space?
"Fatty, is this for sale?" Endymion looked at Fatty, wanting to study it thoroughly. With his magic cultivation, he might repair or even create his own magic mech someday.
"What kind of mech is this?" Fatty asked curiously.
"I'm not sure yet, but I want to research it first." Endymion didn't want to reveal the magic aspect yet.
"If you're interested, take it. I didn't pay much for it anyway—it's a gift," Fatty generously said.
"Thanks, Fatty." Endymion was grateful but worried where to keep it.
His dorm was small, and to fully research it, including alchemy experiments, he'd need a more secluded place.