Chapter 569: Design Completed, Simulation Test
The test venue was located at an Upper College, roughly equidistant from all Ten Great Universities.
Zhang Yu was led into a sealed room to await the start of the test.
During this time, he saw neither the Judges nor any other participants.
Only when the test officially began, with the test content and rules appearing in his Bionic Eye, did Zhang Yu feel his connection to the Spirit Realm abruptly sever.
“Is internet access restricted during the test?”
Zhang Yu reviewed the rules and confirmed that access to the Spirit Realm’s public network was indeed prohibited.
However, the competition organizers provided a local Spirit Realm network for accessing reference materials prepared by the organizers.
After scanning the rules, Zhang Yu focused on the specific test requirements.
Summarizing the task in his mind, he thought, “Hmm, I need to design a magical artifact capable of searching for, collecting, retrieving, and transporting items across complex terrain constantly bombarded by Thunderfire…”
“Once the design is complete, the magical artifact will undergo a simulation test in the Spirit Realm.”
“The more items collected and transported within the allotted time, the higher the score.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted slightly as he turned his attention to the Spirit Realm Simulation’s description of the testing grounds.
The simulated environment spanned approximately 10 square kilometers within the Spirit Realm, encompassing diverse terrains such as sandy deserts, dense forests, and serene lakes.
Contestants’ magical artifacts would need to navigate this complex landscape, search for specified items, and transport them to designated locations.
Zhang Yu examined the list of items to be retrieved and transported. In addition to various colored spheres, cubes, cylinders, and cones scattered throughout the testing grounds, there were also specified herbs, minerals, plants, and even liquids and gases at designated locations.
As he reviewed these detailed requirements, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This magical artifact must be resistant to Thunderfire.”
“It must be capable of high-speed movement in complex environments.”
“It must be able to identify objects of different colors, shapes, and appearances against varied backgrounds.”
“And it must be able to pick up and transport items of various shapes, including liquids and gases…”
The more Zhang Yu studied the requirements, the more serious his expression became. “Finally, and most crucially, the cost must be kept below 30 Spirit Coins.”
After mentally summarizing these requirements, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, “This test is essentially assessing the testers’ fundamental skills in magical artifact refinement.”
“Mobility, detection, load-bearing capacity, transportation, durability, cost… any deficiency in these areas will result in a poor score.”
“Even for me, this will be quite challenging.”
Instead of immediately starting the artifact design, Zhang Yu first formulated a work plan in his mind.
He understood that relying solely on his current basic skills might not guarantee a top-ten finish.
“Fortunately, I possess exceptional talent and the assistance of the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology and the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart, which are perfectly suited for this task.”
As he pondered, Zhang Yu flipped through the reference materials provided by the organizers. He discovered that in addition to information on various artifact refinement techniques, there were also blueprints of different magical artifacts for reference.
“Judging by the reference materials provided, the organizers encourage participants to learn during the competition. They don’t expect us to rely solely on our existing knowledge.”
Zhang Yu’s plan gradually took shape: “First, I’ll filter the blueprints to identify those that meet the test requirements. Then, I’ll use the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart to fuse these blueprints, creating a design with the highest potential for success in the test.”
“Then I’ll use the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology to optimize and refine the design, correcting any flaws.”
With this thought, Zhang Yu nodded slightly. “The most crucial step now is selecting the right blueprints.”
Zhang Yu understood that the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart had a limited number of uses within a given period.
After all, each activation of his innate talent consumed the inspiration within his mind.
Based on his own experiments, he could use it no more than a dozen times within a certain timeframe. The more he used it, the more his thoughts would become rigid, making it increasingly difficult to operate the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart. He would need several weeks of rest to fully recover.
“Since completing the design for the Wind God Bionic Power Boots, I haven’t used the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart at all.”
“Using it ten times now shouldn’t be a problem.”
Zhang Yu knew that since the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart had usage limits, the selection of blueprints for fusion required careful consideration.
“Similar types of blueprints are more likely to yield good results.”
“But if they’re too similar, what’s the point of fusing them?”
Zhang Yu understood that he needed to find the right balance.
Six hours passed in the blink of an eye. At the last moment, Zhang Yu finally completed his design blueprint.
He rubbed his throbbing, dizzy head, but a satisfied smile gradually spread across his lips.
In a conference room within the Spirit Realm, True Monarch String Tone’s figure materialized, followed by the Spirit Realm Projections of the other judges.
True Monarch Sinful Lotus of Heavenly Demon University spoke calmly, “Ladies and gentlemen, the design blueprints from all fifteen contestants have been completed and recorded.”
“Next, the Righteous Gods will conduct Spirit Realm Simulations, testing each of the fifteen magical artifacts in the Spirit Realm environment.”
“This evaluation will adhere strictly to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency, following the established testing protocols.”
“From start to finish, every aspect of the students’ design process, as well as all discussions and scoring by the judges, will be fully documented.”
“I urge you all to dedicate yourselves wholeheartedly to selecting exceptional talents for Kunxu.”
“Let me also state my position clearly: regardless of a student’s performance or the influence of any powerful backers, merit will be recognized, and inadequacy will be rejected. As long as I am here today, no one will be allowed to manipulate this Design Competition.”
As True Monarch Sinful Lotus spoke, True Monarch String Tone couldn’t shake the feeling that the words carried a veiled meaning, perhaps alluding to the situation involving True Monarch Magnetic Pole and Zhang Yu.
However, True Monarch String Tone currently lacked confidence in Zhang Yu’s abilities. Moreover, with countless Righteous Gods recording the proceedings from every angle, he dared not voice any objections.
True Monarch String Tone could only mutter inwardly, “Magnetic Pole, you’d better have given Zhang Yu some serious tutoring. He needs to at least make the top ten, or we’ll lose face in front of the other universities and the Heavenly Court.”
The next moment, a flash of light illuminated the conference room, signaling the official start of the simulation test.
As if teleported, the Spirit Realm conference room instantly found itself suspended above a mountainous forest.
True Monarch String Tone glanced down and saw a sandy desert stretching out beyond the forest, followed by a lake not far from the desert…
This complex terrain, spanning ten kilometers in all directions, was the simulated testing environment created within the Spirit Realm.
Simultaneously, True Monarch Sinful Lotus announced, “The first magical artifact to be tested was designed by Leng Wuyai of Heavenly Sword University.”
Design blueprints for Leng Wuyai’s creation materialized before the Judges.
True Monarch String Tone’s gaze swept over them, his thoughts racing: “A flying sword?”
In the next instant, countless materials materialized in mid-air above the testing grounds.
As if accelerated by a thousandfold, the artifact refinement process unfolded at an unimaginable speed, transforming the blueprints into a fully realized flying sword before the assembled audience.
With a soft whoosh, the flying sword pierced through layers of sonic barriers, its thunderous resonance echoing across the testing grounds.
Though Thunderfire occasionally rained down from the sky, the flying sword effortlessly evaded each strike.
True Monarch Heavenly Intellect of Vajra University commented, “The layered restrictions, coupled with the air-piercing blade and electromagnetic propulsion, allow this flying sword to maintain supersonic cruising speed for extended periods.”
In the next moment, the flying sword swooped down to the ground, initiating high-speed flight close to the surface.
True Monarch String Tone praised, “The anti-gravity design, combined with adaptive flight control, grants exceptional maneuverability. It can hug the terrain even in complex environments, allowing it to search for targets while skimming the ground.”
Suddenly, streams of sword qi erupted from the flying sword, engulfing clusters of cubic targets.
As the sword qi gathered the cubes, the flying sword abruptly decelerated and soared toward its designated destination. True Monarch Bloodfall of Netherworld University remarked dryly, “Sword qi fusion? This is technology meant for transporting people. It’s completely impractical for cargo transport.”
True Monarch Eroding Marrow of White Bone University shook his head. “Ultimately, flying swords are better suited for reconnaissance. This isn’t the way to transport goods.”
True Monarch Heavenly Intellect speculated, “He’s likely aiming for high-frequency cargo transport through speed. However, without terrain memory, each run requires fresh reconnaissance, severely limiting the transport frequency.”
True Monarch String Tone thought to himself, “While its transportation efficiency isn’t outstanding, it at least completed all the required functions. A passing grade should be fine.”
As the testing concluded, the five judges each submitted their scores. With a maximum score of 100 points per judge, the total possible score was 500.
The flying sword received a final score of 322 points.
Next up was a student’s creation from Vajra University.
A massive war chariot charged across the testing grounds, unleashing Gang Qi to shatter obstacles, collect target items, and deliver them to the designated locations.
True Monarch Sinful Lotus commented, “It uses high-strength materials to withstand Thunderfire, maximizing its capacity and payload to collect as many items as possible before transporting them to the target locations.”
“The concept is sound.”
“But its speed is too slow, and its terrain adaptability is poor.”
True Monarch Sinful Lotus shook his head. “It collected a huge pile of items, but by the time the clock ran out, it hadn’t even delivered a third of them… I’ll give it 65 points.”
After the five judges submitted their scores, the war chariot’s final score was 329 points.
After several more contestants, Burial Star Forge’s creation from Netherworld University took the stage.
As True Monarch String Tone examined the design blueprints, his heart stirred. “Monsterfolk Biomimetic Technology?”