Chapter 567: What’s the Point of Having Judges Like Us?
True Monarch String Tone understood that the Design Competition wasn’t limited to students from Myriad Laws University alone. It drew participants from over a hundred universities across the Ten Greats, Upper Colleges, and Lower Colleges.
Among these students were Spirit Transformation disciples, rising stars being groomed by their respective schools, scions of giant corporations, and newly accepted disciples of Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Ten Greats — all vying for those ten coveted Military Certificates.
Even students from Myriad Laws University’s Artifact Refinement Department as formidable as Ye Xingli, Bei Wufeng, and Yan Qianji had failed to secure first place in past competitions.
“No matter how powerful Magnetic Pole is, she can’t dominate all these schools single-handedly.”
“In fact, this heavy-handed approach will likely alienate the judges from other institutions.”
“Sigh, she could at least pretend to lower the design’s sophistication. This blatant arrogance is just too much.”
True Monarch String Tone shook his head. As a professor in Myriad Laws University’s Artifact Refinement Department, he would undoubtedly rank Zhang Yu among the top ten.
“But I can’t control how the other judges will vote.”
After reviewing Zhang Yu’s design blueprints, True Monarch String Tone turned his attention to the other students’ submissions.
First came the works of the Spirit Transformation disciples. True Monarch String Tone nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself, “As expected, great teachers produce great students. Every one of these designs deserves a spot in the top ten.”
“Especially the Ghost God Craftsman from Heavenly Demon University — their ideas are endlessly creative. They have the potential to be number one.”
Next, he reviewed the design blueprints submitted by the descendants of Giant Corporation families, marveling at their deep-rooted family traditions. Each design carried the latest trends from the upper echelons, offering a refreshing perspective.
“Oh? The Burial Star Forge from Netherworld University has a solid foundation. They’ve likely not only mastered all the artifact refinement courses at their own university but also studied materials from other schools. Their submission should easily make the top three.”
After that came the new disciples of Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Ten Great Universities.
“Fewer submissions than previous years.”
“And the quality is mediocre. Didn’t they even bother to research any references?”
Having finished reviewing this batch of student works, True Monarch String Tone turned to the final two blueprints, both submitted by students from universities outside the Ten Greats.
“Only two decent submissions from non-Ten Greats students this year?”
True Monarch String Tone sighed. “The quality from the Upper and Lower Colleges is declining year after year. In another two years, there might not be a single passable submission left.”
Shortly after completing his review of the design blueprints, True Monarch String Tone was invited to participate in the judges’ internal meeting.
True Monarch String Tone had just projected into the Spirit Realm’s conference room when a chorus of exclamations greeted him.
“Have you seen Zhang Yu’s work? It’s ingenious and profound, with a solid foundation and boundless creativity. I think we should give him first place outright.”
“Myriad Laws University has truly nurtured an extraordinary student.”
As he spoke, the speaker projected Zhang Yu’s design schematics for all present to see.
True Monarch String Tone glanced over. The speaker’s projection was a swirling, flickering cloud of blood mist — True Monarch Bloodfall of Netherworld University.
Though the words were complimentary, True Monarch String Tone detected an undercurrent of sarcasm.
Sure enough, another Nascent Soul True Monarch chimed in with a laugh, “Magnetic Pole herself personally guided him. If he doesn’t win first place, people will think we judges are blind and know nothing about artifact refinement.”
True Monarch String Tone turned to the speaker. Their projection was a lotus throne of white bone — True Monarch Eroding Marrow of White Bone University.
Hearing their coordinated remarks, True Monarch String Tone said calmly, “It’s perfectly normal for students to draw inspiration from existing designs. Which participant in this competition hasn’t received guidance from others?”
True Monarch Bloodfall of Netherworld University chuckled. “Well said. Let’s just award first place to Magnetic Pole. How could a Nascent Soul True Monarch compete and not win?”
True Monarch Eroding Marrow of White Bone University shook his head. “Nonsense! True Monarch Magnetic Pole is about to achieve Spirit Transformation. This is a Quasi-Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch competing in a university student competition — how could she possibly lose?”
True Monarch String Tone felt a surge of anger at their mocking remarks.
“Gentlemen,” he said coolly, “let’s refrain from making baseless accusations without evidence. This design blueprint is Student Zhang Yu’s original work. Just because his skill surpasses others doesn’t mean someone else wrote it for him.”
“If we set such a precedent, then anyone with exceptional skill will be accused of plagiarism, and there’s no point in holding competitions anymore.”
At that moment, True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom of Vajra University interjected, “True Monarch String Tone speaks with reason. Let’s return to the main topic and avoid these irrelevant tangents.”
Hearing True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom speak up in support, True Monarch String Tone sent him a private message: “Many thanks.”
It was True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom who had previously alerted him to review Zhang Yu’s design blueprints.
True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom replied: “No problem. Faced with such Demonic Path tactics, our Righteous Path universities must stand united.”
True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom: “Though True Monarch Magnetic Pole did act a bit impulsively this time [smirking emoji].”
True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom: “You’re not planning to force Zhang Yu into first place, are you?”
Meanwhile, True Monarch Heavenly Wisdom thought to himself: “That Magnetic Pole… hasn’t even passed the Spirit Transformation assessment yet, and she’s already pushing her disciple into the Design Competition without even pretending to be fair? Anyone would think she’s already in the late stages of Spirit Transformation.”
True Monarch String Tone quickly clarified: “No, no.”
True Monarch String Tone: “Just making the top ten is enough.”
At that moment, True Monarch Bloodfall from Netherworld University interjected: “Enough with the digressions! We’re getting to the heart of the matter.”
He zoomed in on Zhang Yu’s projected design blueprints, highlighting several intricate details. “Isn’t this clearly Magnetic Pole’s style? How could a fourth-year university student create such a design? Does he possess the necessary knowledge and technical expertise?”
True Monarch Eroding Marrow of White Bone University chuckled from the side, “I didn’t realize Magnetic Pole had time to do contract work for students. Did you charge them a hefty fee?”
True Monarch Bloodfall joined in, laughing, “I never thought she’d stoop to the vocational college market. Is Myriad Laws University going downmarket to compete with Extreme Tiger for market share?”
True Monarch String Tone coldly retorted, “While True Monarch Magnetic Pole offered some guidance, Student Zhang Yu completed most of the work himself.”
Despite her words, String Tone herself lacked confidence in her claim.
Just as the debate reached a stalemate, a voice echoed from the head of the conference table.
“Enough. The Righteous Gods are watching. Don’t make a spectacle of yourselves.”
The assembled True Monarchs immediately fell silent, their bickering ceasing.
String Tone glanced at the speaker’s projection: an abyss of impenetrable darkness, as deep and forbidding as the underworld itself. It resembled a bottomless chasm, a void swallowing all light.
Though the darkness appeared simple, String Tone knew it concealed a complex array of Spirit Realm effects. Not only were these effects prohibitively expensive, but they also required a certain level of faith to acquire.
The owner of this projection was none other than True Monarch Sinful Lotus of Heavenly Demon University, a veteran Spirit Transformation cultivator and the university’s Vice-Principal, responsible for managing research affairs and serving as its top expert in artifact refinement.
True Monarch String Tone knew that in terms of background, assets, technical expertise, and industry reputation, True Monarch Sinful Lotus clearly led the judging panel.
True Monarch Sinful Lotus continued, “If teachers are going to win competitions for their students, we might as well compete ourselves. What would the Heavenly Court think? What would the sects think? If the Design Competition becomes a joke, they’ll just send someone from above to do the judging. What use would they have for us judges then?”
“The Design Competition rotates judges from different universities precisely to prevent any single institution from dominating.”
“String Tone, convey my words to Magnetic Pole. If she still insists on pushing this through, I’ll have nothing more to say.”
True Monarch Bloodfall chimed in, “Indeed. Magnetic Pole seems to be losing her mind. What kind of teacher helps a student pass like this? It’s undermining the Design Competition’s prestige. If the Heavenly Court cuts the number of Military Certificates, we’ll all lose face.”
No matter what the others said, True Monarch String Tone clearly couldn’t admit to the proxy design.
Forcing himself to remain composed, he insisted, “Zhang Yu’s work is definitely his own.”
True Monarch Bloodfall retorted, “String Tone, do you dare say that on camera? I’m starting the recording now.”
String Tone felt a surge of anger, but he didn’t dare. If Zhang Yu’s proxy design were exposed later, this video would become a damning piece of evidence, damaging his reputation in the industry.
He could only say, “Isn’t there a test before the award ceremony? We can assess Zhang Yu’s skills then and see if he truly designed the blueprints himself.”
“Magnetic Pole,” String Tone thought to himself, “this is as far as I can help you. Make sure your student is well-prepared.”
To the other True Monarchs present, String Tone’s words sounded like a stubborn duck refusing to admit defeat.
True Monarch Sinful Lotus said calmly, “Very well. Out of respect for Myriad Laws, Magnetic Pole’s disciple can be included in the top ten.”
“However, we’ll select fifteen finalists this time. Before the award ceremony, we’ll conduct an on-the-spot test. Those who perform poorly will be immediately disqualified to avoid embarrassing ourselves before the higher-ups.”
“Zhang Yu is one. Who’s next?”
True Monarch Bloodfall, sitting beside him, switched the projected design blueprint from Zhang Yu’s to another. “I propose the Ghost God Craftsman from Heavenly Demon University…”
As the meeting concluded, the judges finalized the list of fifteen finalists for the top ten spots, and the Righteous God reported the results to the Heavenly Court.
However, the Heavenly Court’s reaction surprised the judges.
True Monarch String Tone stared at the notification that had appeared before him, thinking to himself, “The fifteen finalists must undergo a live test, requiring them to complete a design prompt on the spot? The final rankings will be determined by combining their test scores.”
String Tone sighed inwardly, “Magnetic Pole, you can’t blame me for this.”
With that, he immediately informed True Monarch Magnetic Pole of the news.
True Monarch Bloodfall of Netherworld University snorted coldly at the notification. “They clearly don’t trust us.”
True Monarch Eroding Marrow remarked calmly, “It seems Magnetic Pole’s student has run into trouble.
“Ah, their methods were too obvious. I warned them long ago that the Design Competition couldn’t be manipulated like this.”