Chapter 386: Two Realms Split, Heaven-Cruising Flying Sword

Chapter 386: The Divided Realm and the Sky-Patrolling Sword

Che Yufei had rarely participated in competitions, so he could not fathom Su Yanyang’s strategy. He asked in confusion, "What is going on?"

"Are they not going to attack us?"

"Shouldn't the offensive side be racing against the clock to strike?"

Shi Huaiyu exhaled slowly and explained, "A direct assault is a tactic reserved for when there is a massive disparity between two sides. In the top-ten matches, that rarely happens."

"Since this is a civil engineering competition, the primary focus is on construction capabilities; combat is merely the environment of the contest."

"Otherwise, there wouldn't be a rule forbidding the killing of opponents."

"Su Yanyang is too cautious. He won't give us a chance for a head-on fight; he intends to crush us using the very skills they excel at."

"Their first priority now should be laying down the armored layers..."

Just as Shi Huaiyu spoke, everyone felt the ground beneath their feet tremble violently.

Simultaneously, the landscape in the distance began to heave, as layers of black barriers rose up like walls, spreading rapidly across their field of vision.

Shi Huaiyu murmured, "Enhanced by the Earth Fiend Deity, they are using the Small Triad formation combined with 'Pointing Earth to Steel' and 'Twisting Soil to Gold.' First, they shift the sediment, then shape and reinforce it, and finally refine the metallic elements to increase structural integrity. Next, they will likely set up the arrays..."

The next moment, everyone sensed a shift in the ambient spiritual energy, and their expressions darkened.

Deep underground, a series of tremors rippled outward, growing more frequent and distant, as if the entire arena had been transformed into a colossal construction site.

Shi Huaiyu continued, "The armored layers are meant to protect the arrays. Once the arrays are set, they will begin to devour the spiritual veins, churn the foundation, and alter the terrain..."

"Once the spiritual veins are consumed, we will struggle to recover our mana."

"Once they control the terrain, they will warp the geological structure into something unsuitable for building, causing our bunkers to deform and collapse..."

Che Yufei sighed helplessly, "The opponent's abilities are too overwhelming. I fear we have no chance."

Faced with such a grand display of power, everyone present felt their resolve wavering.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu frowned; he knew he could not let his teammates' morale continue to plummet.

He shifted his gaze and spoke up: "Everyone, do you realize how many professors are watching us right now?"

"The vast majority of the department faculty, including the three directors, are all observing our performance."

"If you surrender now, right in front of all these teachers... do you think you will ever be able to hold your heads high in the Civil Engineering Department again?"

Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, Che Yufei and the others, who had been ready to quit, were visibly shaken.

Zhang Yu continued, "And have you considered how rare an opportunity this is to showcase yourselves?"

"How difficult has it been in the past to find a chance to demonstrate your skills to so many professors?"

"Regardless of whether we win or lose, at least give it your all and show your best selves."

Listening to Zhang Yu, Che Yufei had to admit there was logic in his words.

Especially when he recalled how his status had changed since entering the top ten—if he surrendered now, he would surely leave a poor impression on the department leadership.

Conversely, if he demonstrated his true capabilities in this match, even in defeat, it would be more valuable than a stack of resumes.

Moreover, Zhang Yu’s status as a registered disciple of Director Gao lent his words a degree of credibility that Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang could not ignore.

"Hahahaha!" Che Yufei laughed loudly. "Zhang Yu, you are right. This is a golden opportunity to show our mettle; how can we retreat so easily?"

With a tiger-like roar, his muscles trembled violently. Amidst a cloud of white vapor, he seemed to age by a year or two, and the wrinkles on his face deepened imperceptibly.

Che Yufei grinned, "Let’s give it one more push."

Even as he aged, his aura surged repeatedly. Leaving a blur in his wake, he reached the construction materials in an instant.

As his body flickered back and forth, the bunker’s foundation began to change at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhang Yu watched, mouth agape, and couldn't help but say, "There's really no need to push yourself that hard..."

Shi Yunxiang remarked from the side, "Don't worry, it's just a little lifespan; Old Che knows his limits."

"Besides, you're right. We've finally made it in front of the leadership; we can't leave empty-handed. If we don't burn a little lifespan, how can we demonstrate our civil engineering spirit?"

Shi Yunxiang let out a fierce shout, triggered a burst-type cultivation technique, and activated his hand-based artifacts, carving out a deep pit with a few strikes.

The skills they displayed now went beyond mere foundation laying or cement mixing; they were also adept at array deployment, as if they had done it a thousand times before.

This was because they were accustomed to setting up arrays during their usual construction jobs just to earn an extra installation fee, making them intimately familiar with all the basic arrays taught by the department.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu summoned a team of Formless Warriors behind him, while Xiao Qingxuan’s dragon-shaped aura roared around him. The others followed suit, going all out to assist and accelerate the bunker’s construction.

Watching the team work at full capacity, Shi Huaiyu clutched his waist and addressed the artifact sealed within his Ghost Kidney: "Help me calculate how much time we have left."

The soul cultivator inside the kidney replied: I am here to suppress the Ghost Kidney, not to handle other business.

Shi Huaiyu: I purchased the 'Ghost Kidney Suppression and Portable Computing' package; the terms state it includes computing services provided by the Ghost Kidney.

Shi Huaiyu: I know you can access the Spirit Realm’s computing pool. Don't play dumb with me. The soul cultivator sighed in resignation and, a moment later, provided the result: "Based on your current progress, you will finish the bunker and the arrays in about 40 minutes."

Shi Huaiyu asked again: "And the opponents?"

The soul cultivator replied: "Based on the data gathered so far, their control over the spiritual veins will exceed 50% in about 20 minutes."

Shi Huaiyu’s eyes narrowed: "That fast?"

The soul cultivator said: "According to my calculations, their final spiritual vein share will be around 74%, while yours will be 26%."

"The terrain will be completely under their control. Once they exert their power to alter the geological structure, all your current efforts will be in vain."

Shi Huaiyu frowned slightly and immediately sent the calculated data to the group chat.

Everyone realized instantly that if they continued to compete solely on construction speed, they would never surpass their opponents.

...

Inside the Spirit Realm space.

A professor watched the match between Zhang Yu and Su Yanyang, nodding slightly: "This is what a civil engineering competition should be. Su Yanyang is steady and methodical, building grand arrays and fighting a war of attrition—he’s playing the game of overwhelming force."

Wei Huai, a professor from the Peace Faction, remarked: "That is simply the disparity in capital and assets. What is the point of Zhang Yu’s side struggling so hard? Can they compete with that much money?"

Whether it was Tu Lishan or Lang Yougong, the professors from the War Faction did not refute this.

After all, the capabilities displayed by Su Yanyang’s team were completely crushing the opposition.

Tu Lishan ignored Wei Huai’s comment and shifted the topic to Mo Shangjin, who was currently gaining the upper hand on the other side.

But just then, Wei Huai added: "They've made another mistake."

He shook his head repeatedly: "Charging out at a time like this is nothing but the courage of a fool. Rushing into someone else’s grand array? Only the Security Department would be so reckless."

Tu Lishan turned his head to look, only to see Zhang Yu, Xiao Qingxuan, and Tian Yang charging out of their construction site toward the defensive fortifications built by Su Yanyang’s team.

...

The towering, winding barriers, radiating a metallic luster, grew larger in the eyes of Zhang Yu and his two companions.

Simultaneously, Shi Huaiyu’s voice echoed in their ears through the competition group chat.

Shi Huaiyu: "With the assistance of the Earth Fiend Deity and the arrays, he can completely suppress my Small Triad. I will remain at the site to finish the construction with Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang."

"But no matter how fast we are, we cannot be faster than Su Yanyang’s team."

"The only way to gain an advantage in this match is to find a way to slow down their construction efficiency."

"Steal their materials, sabotage their work... in short, you must find a way to make trouble for them..."

Zhang Yu mused to himself, "We are clearly the defensive side in this match, yet we are forced to launch a counter-offensive. Is this the disparity in construction capability?"

As they stepped past the barrier, they discovered that the overlapping layers, resembling a series of ramparts, were stacked one behind another, obscuring the sky above. The structure was labyrinthine and winding, much like a twisted, deformed insect hive.

The moment they entered, the voice of Shi Huaiyu vanished without a trace.

Xiao Qingxuan frowned, "The connection is severed."

Tian Yang, standing nearby, shook his head, "It is the Great Array of Inter-Realm Division; it isolates the material world from the spiritual network."

Zhang Yu remarked, "Shi Huaiyu possesses a wealth of intelligence on Su Yanyang and his cohorts, and she can update us on the progress of both sides at any time. We cannot afford to lose contact with her."

At this thought, Zhang Yu looked at the green-silk flying sword coiled around his finger and asked, "If we use the Sky-Patrol flying swords of the Heavenly Sword University to connect to the spiritual network, could we breach the Great Array of Inter-Realm Division?"

"The Sky-Patrol swords?" Tian Yang’s eyes lit up, "This Great Array of Inter-Realm Division was merely set up in haste by Su Yanyang within the arena; with the sharpness of a Sky-Patrol sword, it would naturally be easy to pierce."

"However, there are three of us. If all three attempt to breach the array using this method, the consumption will likely be significant."

Zhang Yu nodded; the data costs for Sky-Patrol flying swords were far higher than standard network fees.

Xiao Qingxuan sighed helplessly, "Breaking into someone else's formation naturally incurs a cost. Those lacking sufficient spirit coins have no right to breach such arrays."

"Take me, for instance; I am currently in debt and cannot afford to use a Sky-Patrol sword."

Tian Yang looked at the green-silk sword in Zhang Yu’s hand and said, "I have a method. I shall commune with the Sky-Patrol sword and channel the spiritual sword intent into your bodies; that should be enough to crack this Great Array of Inter-Realm Division."

The green-silk sword was inserted into Tian Yang’s head like an antenna. As a look of profound agony flickered across his face, he struck his palms against the chests of Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan respectively.

"Hold steady, this is the last of my data for the year..."

"It is all yours now, so use it sparingly."