Chapter 425: Civil Engineering Customs, Relentless Assault
As the second round of the Military Certificate Examination officially began, blueprints materialized before Zhang Yu, streaming into his Bionic Eye.
Along with the blueprints came the detailed rules and procedures for this round.
In essence, Zhang Yu had fifteen minutes to prepare before enemies would swarm from all directions. His task was to protect the formation core before him from destruction.
The assault would last for one hour. During this time, he could rely on his own strength to fight, but he could also use the provided blueprints and nearby construction materials to build defensive structures.
He could expand the Formation beneath his feet to enhance its effectiveness and range, or construct defensive fortifications like the Wildfire Platform, Soul Condensing Tower, or Demon Locking Tower.
Zhang Yu glanced at the blueprints provided for the examination. Instead of immediately starting construction, he first surveyed his surroundings.
A metallic cylinder, half a meter thick and over a meter tall, stood before him. Its surface was covered in intricate spiritual energy circuits, resembling countless glowing wires that plunged into the earth.
This was the formation core Zhang Yu had been tasked with protecting. As he gazed at it, a line of text appeared in his Bionic Eye: “formation core Integrity: 100%.” He scanned the surrounding plains, thinking, “With nothing but flat land, building a defense line will depend entirely on individual creativity and imagination!”
“Until we know exactly what this ‘enemy’ is, we need to create the most adaptable defense system possible, one that can handle a variety of threats.”
Meanwhile, the countdown floating in the air beside him had reached 14 minutes and 52 seconds.
Flying boat.
The three judges and other guests watched the candidates’ performances, discussing the critical aspects of this round of the examination.
True Monarch Cloud Haven shifted his focus, and the camera zoomed in on Su Yanyang’s situation.
Amidst thunderous rumbles and plumes of dust and sand erupting into the sky, Su Yanyang had already taken the formation core and plunged deep into the earth.
The live broadcast cameras were all connected to the five candidates’ Bionic Eyes!
Even though Su Yanyang had already burrowed deep underground, the judges and guests watching the examination could still see his progress.
As Su Yanyang began expanding the Formation, constructing the tomb, and drawing spiritual veins, True Monarch Cloud Haven understood his plan.
“He’s building an underground tomb to strengthen the Formation, create defensive fortifications, and establish himself at the central node,” True Monarch Cloud Haven observed.
True Monarch Celestial Elephant beside him commented, “It’s a conventional approach, similar to many underground tombs combined with commercial structures above ground. Though old-fashioned, it’s highly effective!”
“But he hasn’t prepared any living sacrifices to create living pillars, has he?”
Hearing True Monarch Celestial Elephant’s remark, Fifth-Rank Righteous God Gengchen Yi chuckled, “True Monarch Celestial Elephant, qualified living pillars aren’t cheap. I suspect Su Yanyang intends to use himself for the blood sacrifice!”
True Monarch Celestial Elephant shook his head. “Your human race’s construction material regulations are far too strict. How can the civil engineering industry thrive if the price of living pillars remains so high?”
“Even if you refuse to relax your own regulations, you could at least lower tariffs and import living pillars from our Celestial Monster University!”
Geng Chenyi chuckled softly. “The Civil Engineering Realm at Myriad Laws University has always emphasized self-sacrifice and relentless pursuit of progress! As the saying goes, ‘One person bears the blood sacrifice, while three generations benefit from the ashes’ — that’s the spirit of civil engineering here!”
True Monarch Celestial Elephant shook his head, clearly unimpressed by this sentiment. Meanwhile, True Monarch Cloud Haven turned his gaze toward Xiao Yunji on the other side.
Amidst the sweeping Gang Qi that had already cleared away vast swathes of rubble and vegetation, Xiao Yunji was now constructing concentric circular roads, using the formation core as her central point.
True Monarch Celestial Elephant asked curiously, “Is she building roads? On the examination grounds? What’s her plan?”
True Monarch Cloud Haven, flipping through Xiao Yunji’s file, had already surmised her intentions. With a faint smile, he replied, “She’s creating a Primordial Magnetic Channel. She’s not bound by convention, refusing to limit herself to the defensive structures provided in the blueprints. Instead, she’s adopting tactics best suited to her strengths!”
Meanwhile, Ping Han’s actions were drawing increasing attention from the other observers.
With his Level 20 Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal, Level 20 Great Wilderness Mountain-Shifting Force, and Level 20 Earth Manipulation Divine Transformation activated simultaneously, Ping Han had pushed his mastery of the Minor Threefold Combination to its absolute limit!
But that wasn’t all. As Ping Han’s Bionic enhancements grew stronger, the range of his Minor Threefold Combination expanded dramatically. The earth undulated, and towering structures rose from the ground within a radius of hundreds of meters.
Immediately afterward, magical artifacts soared into the sky, already activated by the Soul Cultivators to begin construction.
One guest exclaimed in surprise, “Is that Golden Core Blood? Is he using it to draw spiritual energy circuits?”
Another guest reviewed the profiles of Ping Han’s Soul Cultivators and marveled, “They’re all elite Soul Cultivators with profound Yin Qi. What a lavish Foundation Establishment cultivator!”
Director Gao, also examining the Soul Cultivators’ data, understood that many well-prepared Soul Cultivators would invest in death services before their physical bodies could no longer be sustained, as their flesh began to decay.
The more they spent, the more extravagant their deaths would be, and the more sophisticated the rituals arranged. The resulting Soul Cultivators would be stronger, effectively gaining a head start in the afterlife.
Ping Han had hired only such elite post-mortem cultivators.
As for Soul Trash — those who died of old age, illness, accidents, or other mundane causes — he had discarded them all.
The continuous heavy investment in resources brought about a meteoric rise in construction efficiency.
It seemed as if everyone could see Ping Han’s chest, where the Jade Nectar Coins were rapidly accumulating. With a sweeping gesture, he unleashed earth-shattering power, accelerating the construction site beneath his feet to unprecedented speeds.
Watching this spectacle, Director Gao secretly resolved: “I must ensure that such an outstanding talent like Ping Han doesn’t fall by the wayside!”
He then turned his attention to another student he was concerned about.
On the screen, Zhang Yu pressed his palms together, activating his Minor Threefold Combination power.
Amidst the earth’s tremors, an earth giant slowly rose from the ground.
As more and more earth and stone converged, the giant’s size rapidly increased, absorbing vast quantities of mud and sand. It grew from five meters tall to ten, then fifteen, and finally twenty meters!
Director Gao nodded slightly, thinking, “Zhang Yu’s foundation is still not as solid as the other candidates. But by relying on his innate Martial Dao talent and the Minor Threefold Combination to manifest his Martial Dao through this earth giant, he’s found the perfect way to maximize his strengths and adapt to any situation.”
3!
2!
1!
In the blink of an eye, the preparation time had passed.
The moment the final countdown ended, the examination hall fell into an eerie calm, as if nothing had happened.
Yet none of the candidates lowered their guard. Instead, they tensely scanned their surroundings, bracing for the impending assault. Ten seconds later, a violent tremor shook the ground.
Zhang Yu stood atop the thirty-meter-tall earth giant, gazing toward the horizon. He saw vast waves of Yellow Turban Warriors surging toward him from all directions, like a rising tide.
“Are these puppets?”
“So many puppets?”
Zhang Yu marveled inwardly, “How much did this cost? Is this examination really this extravagant?”
In the sky above, Deng Bingding surveyed the examination hall, her consciousness drifting between the Spirit Realm and the material world as she continuously monitored the number of puppets surrounding each of the five candidates.
Hmph, the price we paid for these puppets was several times higher than market value! Deng Bingding thought bitterly. And they’re all outdated surplus stock. Are they using the examination hall as a dumping ground? If anyone believes there’s no shady business here, they’re a fool!
Still, Deng Bingding had no intention of investigating the matter. What if she actually uncovered something?
Meanwhile, facing the overwhelming assault of Yellow Turban Warriors, the candidates each devised their own countermeasures.
Su Yanyang triggered massive earth collapses, burying the onrushing Yellow Turban Warriors alive!
Xiao Yunji darted through the Primordial Magnetic Channel, using its acceleration to weave back and forth, single-handedly holding off the Yellow Turban Warriors attacking from all directions!
Ping Han was the first among the five candidates to construct defensive fortifications. From his Wildfire Platform, torrents of Thunderfire erupted, blasting entire waves of Yellow Turban Warriors into the air! Combined with his own magical artifacts, he effortlessly repelled the assault.
Zhang Yu controlled a towering earth giant over thirty meters tall. With each earth-shaking step, he sent swaths of Yellow Turban Warriors tumbling to the ground.
Just as the candidates began to relax after easily repelling the initial assault, the attacking puppets underwent a transformation!
“Upgraded Yellow Turban Warriors!” Zhang Yu’s eyes sharpened as he observed the previously unarmed warriors now wielding an array of weapons.
Close-combat weapons like swords, spears, and staves crackled with layers of Gang Qi, slashing at the earth giant. Meanwhile, Gang Qi cannons, aimed by the warriors, bombarded the giant from afar. Under the relentless barrage, gaping holes tore through the giant’s earthen hide.
True Monarch Cloud Haven said, “Each wave of the assault this hour will be stronger than the last!”
“If you don’t seize the time to build and develop while simultaneously fending off the assault, it will be impossible to hold out until the end!”
True Monarch Celestial Elephant watched Su Yanyang’s actions and chuckled. “He’s deliberately opening the entrance to the Underground Tomb? He must have realized the Yellow Turban Warriors only possess rudimentary intelligence and aren’t being controlled by a Soul Cultivator!”
As Su Yanyang opened the tomb passage, a swarm of Yellow Turban Warriors surged in, only to be swiftly devoured by the traps that had been prepared in advance.
Geng Chenyi observed Xiao Yunji on the other side. On the screen, Xiao Yunji’s form swelled dramatically, transforming from a young girl into a towering, three-headed, six-armed giant over ten meters tall!
Each of the giant’s arms manifested a magical artifact, unleashing bolts of lightning to obliterate Yellow Turban Warriors or conjuring force fields to sweep away enemies.
“In this three-headed, six-armed state, she’s simultaneously battling and constructing!” Geng Chenyi noted.
Geng Chenyi nodded approvingly at Xiao Yunji’s creations. “Beyond the Primordial Magnetic Channel, she’s also crafting other Formations and constructs to replenish Magic Power, maintain her Bionic, and restore her vital energy. This truly is an unconventional approach — her Dao Heart is commendable!”