After some careful consideration, Tang Wulin was already at a stage where he was beginning to fine-tune his mecha blueprint. Ling Wuyue had assisted him greatly during this process.

As one of the best mecha pilots in the entire legion, Ling Wuyue's status sat above that of even Jiang Wuyue.

He and Ling Wuyue were both going to be participating in the first elimination round today, and according to the rules, participants from the same competition region wouldn't be pitted against one another during the first three elimination rounds.

Tang Wulin moved his mecha around a little and swung his spear through the air before turning toward his opponent.

Coincidentally, his number in the Soul Master battles was 33, and his number for the mecha battles was 66, so both of these numbers were very easy to remember.

His opponent was also a melee combat mecha pilot, but their weapon was very strange; as opposed to an offensive weapon, it appeared to be a very thick and heavy shield.

Shield-wielding melee combat mechas weren't very common, unless they were used to hold back enemies on the front line during a large-scale battle.

However, this was a one-on-one mecha battle; wasn't his opponent putting himself at a severe disadvantage by using a shield as a weapon? This meant that they were giving up on most of their offensive ability. However, Tang Wulin didn't underestimate his opponent just because they were using a shield. There were no slouches or weaklings in the finals, and the fact that his opponent was sticking with a shield meant that they had great confidence in it.

Ling Wuyue had once taught Tang Wulin that during mecha battles, mechas that used orthodox weapons weren't worthy of fear or concern. Instead, it was the mechas that were using unorthodox weapons that he had to pay extra attention to, and in particular, there was the greatest variation in weaponry available to melee combat mechas.

As such, rather than growing complacent at the sight of his opponent's shield, Tang Wulin became even more cautious instead. He still couldn't completely control his body yet, so in comparison he was actually more adept at controlling mechas at this point. After all, he only had to inject his soul power into the mecha and control it with his hands.

"Begin!"

Following the announcement from the electronic voice, Tang Wulin's first mecha battle of the finals officially commenced.

His opponent immediately rushed toward him without any hesitation. Instead of wielding the shield in front of himself, he allowed it to hang beside him as he strode rapidly toward Tang Wulin's mecha. His mecha's footsteps were very stable and consistent.

Tang Wulin also sprang into action. A mecha had to build up some momentum in order to unleash more power, so he also spurred his mecha into action, getting it to charge toward his opponent.

The distance between the two of them was quickly being closed down, and when there was only around 50 meters left separating them, the opposing mecha, which had the number "161" hovering above its head, unleashed the first attack.

It swung its right arm through the air, and the circular shield was hurled through the air, hurtling directly toward Tang Wulin while rotating rapidly. It clearly required a considerable level of skill to send the shield flying on a perfectly straight trajectory while rotating at such an incredible speed, and it confirmed Tang Wulin's suspicion that this shield was not meant for defensive purposes.

For some reason, Tang Wulin had a feeling that this person's battle style was very likely going to be rather similar to that of Ling Wuyue.

He was no longer the amateur mecha pilot that he once was, who only knew how to charge blindly ahead. The spear in his mecha's hand quickly sprang upward, and its tip struck the very center of the shield from down below with unerring accuracy.

Ling Wuyue had once told him that the cores of all rotating weapons lay at the central axial point of their rotation. If he could throw off the balance of the weapon at that point, then the weapon's momentum and trajectory would both be greatly hampered, thereby making it impossible for his opponent to control it.

Tang Wulin's spiritual power had improved significantly, and his control over timing had also been enhanced as a result.

Right as the tip of his spear was about to clash with the shield, the latter suddenly shuddered slightly before flying over Tang Wulin's mecha like a flat stone being skipped over water. At this point, both mechas were also very close to one another.

After hurling his shield through the air, Tang Wulin's opponent no longer had a weapon, and he immediately took advantage of this by thrusting his spear directly toward his opponent's chest. In that instant, the speed of his spear increased dramatically, and it screeched through the air while releasing a burst of devastating spear intent.

However, his opponent suddenly stopped on the spot, slamming his feet while the upper body of his mecha tilted slightly sideways. His mecha's two arms then completed an expert evasive maneuver before one hand reached out to slap the side of the spearhead, while the other made a grab for the shaft of the spear. At the same time, Tang Wulin was suddenly struck by a sense of peril approaching him from behind!

What exemplary skills!

Tang Wulin instantly deduced his opponent's battle tactics; while he was trying to grab onto Tang Wulin's spear with his mecha's bare hands, the shield that had just flown over Tang Wulin's head had swerved around like a boomerang to attack him from behind.

If his spear were to be locked in his opponent's grasp, he'd either have to take the full brunt of the attack from behind or abandon his weapon to take evasive measures.

Regardless of which of the aforementioned options he chose, his opponent would immediately seize the upper hand.

However, Tang Wulin certainly wasn't going to give his opponent such an opportunity.

After deducing his opponent's battle techniques, he instantly reacted. The spear that he had just thrust forward was withdrawn like lightning, and its unstoppable momentum instantly disappeared, leaving only a trail of spear intent and spear projection in its wake.

Without even turning to look behind him, Tang Wulin thrust backward with the shaft of his spear, striking the shield behind him with unerring accuracy amid a resounding boom. Drawing upon the impact erupting from the shield, Tang Wulin activated his mecha's propeller and instantly accelerated drastically, crashing into the opposing mecha in virtually the blink of an eye.

At this point, his opponent's mecha had just grabbed onto empty air.

"Boom!"

A loud boom rang out, and both mechas hurtled back in retreat at the same time.

Another shield had appeared in Number 161's hand. This was also a round shield, but compared to the shield equipped to the generic mecha, this one was entirely dark golden in color with faint turtle-shell patterns running over its surface. The immense rebound force erupting from the shield clearly forced Tang Wulin back a little further than he was able to force back his opponent.

As expected, his martial soul was also a shield.

In the face of Tang Wuin's unavoidable attack, Number 161 was forced to release his own martial soul.

As dark golden light flashed from the shield in Number 161's hand, the shield that had just been sent flying by Tang Wulin's spear flew back into his other hand, creating a dual-shield combo.

As expected of the caliber of the participants in the finals!

Only the span of a few breaths had passed since the commencement of the match, but a series of clashes of tactics and courage had already ensued. Tang Wulin had gained a slight upper hand, but it wasn't enough to be decisive.

Number 161's aura had clearly become denser and heavier. It was quite clear that he was already beginning to take his opponent seriously, and Tang Wulin's heart was also filled with anticipation and excitement. Only with an opponent of this caliber could he continue to improve his mecha battle techniques.

Over time, his style of battle had progressed toward an untamed free-flowing style where he relied heavily on strength and brutality. However, that didn't mean that he didn't respect technique. On the contrary, he could only make the best use of his extreme strength in battle when he had exemplary control and technique to accompany that strength.

In terms of techniques, that was something that he'd have to hone through mecha battles, and the more powerful his opponent was, the more battle intent would be evoked within him. He could sense that in terms of technique alone, this Number 161 was slightly inferior to Ling Wuyue, but his powers were definitely not inferior compared to Ling Wuyue.

He raised his spear and placed both hands on the shaft this time before controlling his mecha to rush toward his opponent again. A spear projection erupted from the front tip of the spear, and it was flickering between around a foot in length to over 10 feet long, making his opponent unable to gauge and predict it.

Dark golden light also began to appear on his twin shields, and on this occasion, he didn't move. He positioned the generic mecha shield in front of himself, then raised his martial soul shield in a horizontal manner, clearly intending to use it as a weapon.

The spear was thrust forward, and his spear intent and spear projection instantly combined as one. In that instant, it was as if Tang Wulin's mecha had completely fused as one with its spear, making it one massive spear that instantly pierced through the air, hurtling directly toward his opponent's chest. The spear projection was shimmering with scorching white light, and the unstoppable aura emanating from it drew reactions even from the spectators.

Was this a kamikaze attack?