Smash All Pots and Pans To Go to School

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She was once one of Earth’s top engineers—sharp, cool-headed, a woman of schematics and precision. But fate has its own twisted sense of humor. When Wei San woke up in a tr*sh heap on a remote, forgotten planet somewhere in the galactic backwaters, she realized she’d crossed time and space… only to land in the body of a dropout with nothing but a malnourished body and a nose for salvaged junk.

Thrown from Earth’s engineering labs into the dirt of a nameless alien star, Wei San doesn’t crumble. She rises.

Because the tuition was cheap and she was broke, Wei San ended up signing up for the wrong program. She didn’t become a mech builder.

She became a mech soldier.

The kind that gets thrown into live-fire drills and survives off sheer bloodlust and pain tolerance. The kind of profession where “close combat” means face-to-fist and “training” means voluntary trauma.

Though she stumbled into the blood-soaked path of a mech soldier instead of building the machines herself, she refuses to be limited by labels. She trains, she adapts, and she learns to kill with as much finesse as she once designed engines.

Through perseverance, wit, and a hefty dose of don’t-f*ck-with-me energy, she blazes a dual path—as both soldier and engineer—toward a future carved with her own two hands.

One-line summary:

Poverty made me powerful.

Core theme:

How to grind your way to top-tier single-soldier with nothing but pain, precision, and petty spite.

[This novel is fast-paced, smartly written, and absolutely unafraid of biting humor. The worldbuilding is fresh, the characters fiercely vivid, and the protagonist?

She’s pure steel wrapped in sarcasm and stubborn ambition. A must-read for anyone who likes their heroines relentless, clever, and just a little bit deadly.]

Associated Names
One entry per line
Pawn My Life Just to Get an Education
SAPPS
Za guo mai tie qu shang xue
Đập nồi bán sắt đi học
我要上学
砸锅卖铁去上学
Related Series
Quitting My Studies, ‘coz I Want to Date! (Same Franchise)
Recommendations
Crossing to the Future, it’s Not Easy to Be a Man (9)
She Comes from the Highest Interstellar Prison (4)
The Villainous Classmate is My Lucky Star (3)
Bursting After He Transmigrated into the Cannon Fodder Omega (2)
Living leisurely in Tang Dynasty (2)
The Strongest Brain in the Interstellar (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Peak...in multiple ways
  2. Friendships Brotherhoods
  3. Futuristic Settings
  4. Ungatekeeping the Girl Bosses
  5. Female Leader

Latest Release

Date Group Release
07/24/25 Boba Tea Translations c557
07/22/25 Boba Tea Translations c556
07/22/25 CeritanyaNyai c195
07/22/25 CeritanyaNyai c194
07/22/25 CeritanyaNyai c193
07/22/25 CeritanyaNyai c192
07/22/25 CeritanyaNyai c191
07/19/25 Boba Tea Translations c555
07/17/25 Boba Tea Translations c554
07/17/25 CeritanyaNyai c190
07/17/25 CeritanyaNyai c189
07/17/25 CeritanyaNyai c188
07/17/25 CeritanyaNyai c187
07/17/25 CeritanyaNyai c186
07/15/25 Boba Tea Translations c553
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84 Reviews sorted by


milocube911 rated it
January 28, 2024
Status: c135
I usually found transmigration genres with female MC are revolving around nobility (and sometimes apocalypse), so when I discover this novel which has REAL, VIVIDLY EXPLAINED futuristic and interstellar world, I felt like I've found an oasis in the middle of a desert filled with sands of mainstream tropes 🫠

If you're looking for romance, this novel is not for you. I've seen no scene of romances even until the 100th chapter. Though, it seems like there will be some at the end of the story (based on others' review). EVEN... more>> SO! The WHOLESOME comedy here was more than enough to cover up the lack of romance that it COULD even 'cure' your depression 😭

Oh how I LOVE the MC too! She's really hard-working, shameless, cunning, but she's still genuinely care for her friends. Now that it being mentioned, I also like the friendship between MC and other characters even though the majority of them are male lol. All of them are basically just chilling and joking around with each other, but can be serious when it's truly demanded 👏🏻

I've always been CACKLING so much when reading this novel and I decided to put in on my #1 rank of favorite novels. Will there be changes when I completed reading it? Well, I can't deny. But I'd say there are chances about 0, 01% only✌🏻 <<less
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Xiayou
Xiayou rated it
January 14, 2024
Status: c318
MC is by far one of the most memorable protagonists in recent memory and embodies the meaning of shameless. The side characters are all memorable and are hilarious when paired with MC.

The plot progression is also really good with a sprinkle of politics in the background (as every respectable mecha story should have).

It's overall a satisfying novel to read that satisfies that niche itch for some robot action and actually funny comedy.
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MantanFujo
MantanFujo rated it
July 18, 2023
Status: Completed
I tho my logic and taste in novel is good. But a good reading, there is still people who hate it. Like who gave 1-2 star?? Now, people have diff taste, isnt it?#

I reading this story like 1yrs ago, not much chapters yet. So I running for the original.

There is not much romance towards the end, I mean you won't face the usual romance. I love the comedy very much and had a good laugh.

I love the MC and her Alpha character. If you a woman and a dominate, or... more>> something like that, you'll like this story. Idk how I jump to this story, but I believe my past self in choices of stories.

And the growth of our MC is not boring at all. Now I came back to re-read but let me prepare for my boring time first. Bcs the chapters is a lot and I have to use my imaginations in the world building soo yeah.

Eng is not my native sorry for broken grams <<less
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Hematite
Hematite rated it
July 12, 2023
Status: --
I love our shameless MC. She is absolutely delightful. The friendships are envy-worthy.

This is one of my favorite novels, though I have not finished it yet since I want to read translated and not MTL. Even though it's almost a tournament arc novel, which is not my favorite thing, and I'm also not hugely into mecha, the writing and characters are so good that my normal preferences don't matter. Unfortunately, I give too many five star reviews. I want to go back and change others to 4 star just so... more>> this one can stand up a bit higher. <<less
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AnnJulia
AnnJulia
July 2, 2023
Status: Completed
DAMOCLES FOREVER ♡♡♡

Seriously the FL and her friendship with her team, jin ke, chenghe, liao, huo xuanshan, their shenanigans made me mtl this gem in 3 days.

No unnecessary love triangles, misunderstandings or betrayals.

Pure friendship, adventures and a whole lotta hooliganism from our own FL.

Ending was a bit rushed. Would have loved to watch
Spoiler

(how the 5 got reunited and her future with ml)

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future adventures and victories..
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F.A.M.H
F.A.M.H rated it
June 12, 2023
Status: Completed
It was an okay novel, and actually you can enjuy it if you could close your eyes to so man illogic under the light of the logice of this novel! :D

Another thing, I didn't feel anything for the romance here, I even felt that it would be good without it. It has no meaning at all!

This is some of my complinings while reading the novel :D

... more>>
Spoiler

At the black factory, I have to say that I found her action of dismantling other people mecha is very impolite and too rude! She feel so heartbroken over every scratch on her own mecha, but she will dismantle other's mecha during the duell! She won't benfet anything of this, you know! She won't be able to study that no matter what while she fight others inside the ringe, so her action is very very bad!

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She reamemberd those who made her nearly lost her life when she was a child, but she just hated the blond hair man and was affiction towards the balck haird man?? How can you discribe this? How do you explian it?!

A normal person, when he see two people caused his near-to-death' exprience and even after that they left him fend for himself alone and gone without even looking at him after what they did to him, shouldn't he hate both of them? Why would he hate one and like the other whithout any any reason? It's not like one of them was nice to her or that she came to know him before or after!

Or is't just because the author want to hate the blond and like the black, without any logice? Well, it seems like that, as most of the novel! :D

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Another example, an interstellar age where they have even starships... etc. all the miilitery there don't even have a gun?! They don't have any- any hot weapons, and all the soldiers have to use cold old weapons, like sowrds, daggers, spears and so on!!! Please, author!

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heartlessbambi
heartlessbambi rated it
May 11, 2023
Status: raw207
This book is an absolute masterpiece! The plot was amazing! The female lead is so strong. I fell in love with her. Not only her, all the characters have their own unique role here. And the whole story is written in a comedic undertone which makes it more interesting to read. You will certainly laugh throughout the book. And if you're wondering why I did not complete it, it was because I MTLed more than half and sacrificed my brain cells but then realized MTL version simply spoils all the... more>> hilarious parts. So I'm going to follow the translation. And here, translated chapters do not go according to the original chapters. I think they translate one third of a chapter and name it as a complete new chapter. Because of that it took me a while to find where I stopped when I started reading MTL. Anyway, that's not hardwork. The ones who translate do a very good job and I'm very thankful for them for translating. <<less
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Fathom
Fathom rated it
March 17, 2023
Status: Completed
A modern engineering student transmigrates into an orphan living in a Futuristic Interstellar dump site. From scavenging and rummaging through the garbage daily, she tries to to feed her malnourished body with waste and various handyman jobs. Working to eventually get herself enrolled in a school.

From the get-go the FL is OP in understanding engineering is a bit on the ridiculous side since she came from only the modern era education, and yet after reading books she can fix all sort of mecha and futuristic appliances. It's best if you... more>> can suspend disbelief at her building top super SSS Mecha in a couple of days from scratch all by herself. Other than the details about her engineering or her jack-of-trades learning about anything, the rest of the story is quite intriguing.

Coming from a literally "tr*sh" background, the FL enrolls in school in the cheapest category, "soldiers". Not knowing that it is near to impossible to change her specialty to mech engineering later on. Later on, because she's still poor, she chooses the worst Academy because it's the only one that offers student loans.

I do like that the fact she grew up a garbage dump is prevalent in the story, because of it's causes and effects. It made her have the scavenger, jack-of-all trades, and stingy mentality. As a result, she affects all her friends, school, and teachers on her low-level quality of anything goes as long as it gives results.

The majority of the story is about the Academy competition, and the later part is more about the Insect Fog storyline. Most of the characters have defining features, and I like that it didn't turn out like a harem where everyone fell in love with the FL. There is only one love interest from beginning to end.

In fact, there is very little romance in the story. To be honest, if the Novel summary didn't say the FL is a girl, I wouldn't be able to tell if the main character is a boy or a girl. No defining feature of her is detailed in the story except that she has shoulder length. It could have been a Shounen Ai/Yaoi novel, and I wouldn't have been surprised. Other than describing her as malnourished, and that her voice changed during one growth spurt period, it's hard to say it's a girl as the main character. Not once does the author describe her in any feminine way. Everyone completely treats her as genderless.

There is a happy ending, but not quite in the way that most romance stories end. Everything gets resolved, and the FL and ML date. However, the FL's physical issue isn't resolved, and even though the main couple are dating, they end up in different military districts and barely meet up.

Overall, it's a good story about an orphan working herself up to be the only current mecha engineer/soldier person in the current system. As for the details on the roles of light mecha soliders, medium mecha soldiers, heavy mecha soldiers, mecha engineers and commanders. It's pretty marginal in what is explained and their roles. <<less
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melomarl
melomarl rated it
March 7, 2023
Status: Completed
I stopped editing my videos and writing my novel for a good 2 days for this book. And I MTL-ed the latter chapters.

Was it worth it?

Yes.

I always read books to learn more on how to write. I think I learned a lot from this book and its entertainment factor.

The romance doesn't slap you in the face and is very subtle. Every arc eases you onto the next one smoothly. And the antagonists are well hidden.

Good job to the author and to the translators.
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reia.krr
reia.krr rated it
December 31, 2022
Status: Completed
Really good story! I love the characters so much and there's no typical reverse harem usually seen in these type of stories.

The FL is a genius, but she actually tries to learn more and works hard to grow. FL isn't a typical weak character that needs one of her reverse harem members to save her. She is equal or even stronger than the ML.

I love the side characters and their interactions. FL corrupts all the people who spend time with her until they became shameless and cheapskates like her. There's... more>> no typical fish pond and while she is the 'leader' of the boys, she's more like a mafia boss with her goons.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I totally recommend this. <<less
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kiryn
kiryn rated it
October 4, 2022
Status: Completed
Rating 5stars for the friendship between FL and her friends. Pure comedy gold. I love their antics and shamelessness
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peelpeyl
peelpeyl rated it
August 11, 2022
Status: --
Doesn't deserve the hype it gets. The premise is very good, but unfortunately the dialogue is soulless and kind of falls flat. Nothing particularly interesting like the synopsis ever happens either. I've read stories of main characters who are 5 years old who have more personality than this novel's main character. Her past life is rarely brought up and feels like an excuse for her skills rather than a portion of her character that can be leveraged to make the story better.

P.S meant to give 3.5 rating
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Eueu
Eueu rated it
July 2, 2022
Status: c218
Currently reading mtl (wc I promise to never do again) but it's just that good.

MC is smart, hardworking, thick skinned, carefree, and overall a bad influence to her teammates (affectionate)

Very little romance. In fact, early on, I kept suspecting every guy she becomes friends with as the ML but it becomes clearer later on who it is.

... more>> Love their friendship and how, bec of the MC's influence, their grp of friends is becoming more and more shameless and stingy.

MC is also pretty low key so when her various identities get slowly revealed, it's so satisfying to read the ppl's reactions. <<less
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kyrez
kyrez rated it
June 7, 2022
Status: Completed
A really good story. Romance is subtle and only at the end of the story do we get candies~

Even though the romance and love is not much, it's actually quite deep..

... more>>
Spoiler

FL is awesome.. ML is steady and smart.. and the feel is like reading a story about a cross-dressing female living in a campus amongst males.. but not really.. no anxiety of being discovered cos the world here has no bias of gender.. only power...

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The plot starts interconnects from the beginning of the story.. and the plot itself is very long.. the friendship is amazing.. it lasts for life~

Spoiler

It's a story of fighting the evil of their world.. and uncovering earth-shattering secrets.. though they are limited by their schooling age, they are the hope of the future, with lots and super skills and powers.. so ultimately, yes, good triumphs the evil.. and HE~

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I like the style of writing.. so I enjoyed reading it very much^^

also, translation is awesome! 👍🏻🍿 <<less
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Rara_ramona
Rara_ramona
June 4, 2022
Status: c329
I read this on MTL which mark complete at 329. I tried to find the rest and so far is no luck.

I really like the novel, I always like strong and smart FL like wei. She defy all odd and come out as one of the most brilliant soldier.

I like their friendship. It's friendship goal. The romance is almost non exist but the friendship and comedy make up for it.

Do you know any similar novel like this one? Doesn't have to be mecha but I just want to read a... more>> story where the FL is like Wei.

Oh and btw, thank you Boba Tea Translations for translating this beautiful gem. :)) <<less
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ate_gurl
ate_gurl rated it
March 29, 2022
Status: Completed
Hands down. Probably one of the good mecha stories in Novel Updates. MC's antics and her friends is sooooo fun to read. It is also good to point out the lack of misogyny in this novel which btw reeks so much in other "good" mecha novels.

My only complaint is the disappointing ending. It does not feel rushed. IT IS RUSHED. 😠😠😠 Highly recommended to read~
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Sherlocked
Sherlocked rated it
May 8, 2025
Status: Completed
The novel starts off a little slow, but once it settles into the academy arc, it becomes incredibly addictive. The first few rounds of the interstellar competition are especially fun — sharp, fast-paced, and easy to get lost in. Super entertaining, especially the antics of the FL and her team. While the ending drags a bit and the pacing isn't always tight, the journey is more than worth it. What really sets this novel apart is its cast and relationships. The FL, Wei San, is absolutely overpowered, but it's her... more>> shameless, money-grubbing antics that steal the show. Teachers, students — everyone wants to beat her up at some point, and honestly, it's half the fun. Despite being the only girl on the main team, her gender is never treated as a weakness or a focal point. There's refreshing equality here: if you have the skills, you earn respect, full stop. And while there's a romance subplot in the background, the heart of the story is in the friendships — full of banter, trust, and real warmth. It's a chaotic, clever, and unexpectedly wholesome ride. Definitely super bingeable. <<less
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tenshineko
tenshineko rated it
August 14, 2024
Status: Completed
This was a hilarious novel - I MTL'd to the end, so I'm sure the translation is a lot clearer. The FL is shameless and marches to her own drum - the other teams are constantly taken off guard when she acts against all common sense. She also ends up corrupting her whole team, so they are ALL a bunch of shameless rascals 😂 imagine being in a battle and ... more>>
Spoiler

your opponent starts dismantling your mecha and stealing parts.

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The ML is such an upright person in contrast that it really boggles the mind how they will interact asa couple. I found it particularly funny when they discovered
Spoiler

her dual fighter/engineer skills. I also like that she's actually always saving him in a super nonchalant way. The reaction to finding out she only became a fighter by mistake, and picked her school because they had student loans was hilarious. Suddenly every school opened up student loan programs 😆

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Her friends are the best, and I'm glad there's never any love triangle, though I don't recall if they ever cleared the major misunderstanding that they were all "involved" due to sharing a room
Spoiler

she happened to luck out and get a room with multiple beds and no roommates, so they pay her to sleep in the extra beds. Someone overhears this transaction and squabbling over who gets to "sleep with her" 😂

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TBH I wasn't so fond of the overall plot against the federation. Part of that is the MTL being very difficult to decipher, but I also was more interested in the interactions between characters instead of the long, involved conspiracy. She is rather OP, but I think the comedic aspect is what stood out, so I wasn't annoyed at her being so powerful.

I think that a couple of earlier reviews were misled by the number of chapters. It is seriously split in translation, so there are far more translated chapters than they think. The person who stopped at 80 was probably in the early teen chapters, nowhere near the end. <<less
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Nyurr
Nyurr rated it
July 9, 2024
Status: c1
There's nothing wrong with this novel, but it is a bit flat and boring. MC doesn't really struggle or make big plans. Also the large amount of named side characters in the tournament arc is difficult to keep track of. Especially with the commentators rattling off their names and trying to talk about the players. I put a lof of effort into trying to remember the players and commentators as they are introduced (as well as their relationships among each other that keep getting brought up). Yet so far who... more>> they are doesn't even seem to matter... could have been named passerby A.. still upset about how much I tried to connect the dots for no payoff. <<less
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trynaFindthat1story
trynaFindthat1story rated it
February 10, 2024
Status: Completed
If someone had to ask me who is my favorite main character, it would have to be Wei San. She was shameless in her own way and smart.

... more>>
Spoiler

I loved it when she made her friend group as shameless as her. Even the teachers saw her changing her friends to become shameless and thick skinned.

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There have been multiple times when I questioned whether a character was a girl or a boy because I kept forgetting who was who and what gender. I have a terrible way of remembering, but somehow I remembered all the main characters names. I had to give them nicknames though. They didn't talk about how they were a girl or boy so that made me a little confused, but it made me feel nice since it wasn't a deciding factor in how characters were going to act.

I would read this again if I knew it wouldn't ruin what I already have in my mind. If I could, I would choose to forget and read this book not knowing what would happen. To go back to the first time I read the story.

Spoiler

I don't need to shed tears again. I really thought she was going to die and stay dead.

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I loved how they interacted with each other.

Spoiler

Wei San made them pay her if they wanted to sleep in her room. It even caused rumors. Good times, good times

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Spoiler

The Fire of The Empire did happen

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Spoilers of the storyline:

Spoiler

Wei San is infected. Infected by what? This black mist that infiltrated the Federation. The older generations like the famous mecha masters and the Independence Army tried fighting against it. Wei San got infected due to that batch of nutrient drinks that was dumped out on her star. Her body then lowered her perception automatically to protect her against the black mist. So if you think she's getting stronger, then no. She was already strong, but had to become weak to protect herself.

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Black mist:

Spoiler

The black mist is something that can take control of a person. It can infiltrate a person's body, only if they agree. The black mist will take control of their host. The black mist strives to become 3S so it targets people with high perceptions.

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The way the story evolved shocked me. The story didn't stay the same, neither did the characters. I didn't get bored of it that much either. They always had something new or something funny or something to be solved.

One of my fav parts

Spoiler

When they were on that planet that became closed off. Like there was a big spore mushroom at the end. I think it was the forest. I loved it when Liao Runing kept her in control by offering star coins every time. And omg what happened to Ying Chenghe when he offered mud to his cousin was so sad (around chapter 190)

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