Chapter 427: Civil Engineering Customs, Continuous Offensive

Chapter 427: Civil Engineering Customs and Endless Offensives

As the second round of the military certification exam officially commenced, a series of blueprints materialized before Zhang Yu, projecting directly into his ocular implants.

Beyond these, the specific procedures and rules for this round were also laid bare.

If Zhang Yu were to summarize it, it was this: in fifteen minutes, enemies would descend from all directions.

His sole objective was to protect the array core before him from destruction.

The onslaught would persist for one hour, during which he could fight with his own strength or utilize the provided blueprints and nearby construction materials to erect defensive fortifications.

He could expand the array beneath his feet to enhance its reach and potency, or construct defensive structures like Prairie-Fire Platforms, Soul-Condensing Towers, or Demon-Locking Pavilions.

Zhang Yu glanced at the blueprints but did not rush to build; instead, he surveyed his surroundings.

A metallic cylinder, half a meter thick and over a meter tall, stood anchored to the ground.

Its surface was etched with intricate spiritual circuitry, glowing like faint, pulsing wires that burrowed deep into the earth.

This was the array core he had to protect. As he focused on it, a line of text appeared in his vision: Array Core Integrity 100%.

He scanned the horizon, thinking, "It is all open plains. How one builds a defense depends entirely on personal ingenuity and imagination."

"Without knowing what these 'enemies' truly are, I must forge a system adaptable enough to handle any contingency..."

Meanwhile, the countdown floating in the air ticked down to 14 minutes and 52 seconds.

...

On the flying ship.

The three judges and other guests watched the candidates' performances, debating the crux of this round.

With a flick of his mind, True Monarch Qiyun shifted the view to Su Yanyang.

Amidst a series of tremors and plumes of rising dust, Su Yanyang had already descended into the earth along with his array core.

Since the live feed was linked to the candidates' ocular implants, the judges could still see his status despite him being buried deep underground.

Watching Su Yanyang expand his array, construct a tomb, and tap into spiritual veins, True Monarch Qiyun understood his intent.

"He aims to build an underground mausoleum to reinforce the array and serve as his fortress, while he sits at the center?"

True Monarch Tianxiang commented, "A conventional approach. Much like building tombs underground with commercial structures above—old-fashioned, but effective."

"Though, he hasn't prepared any living sacrifices for the foundation piles?"

Hearing this, the fifth-rank deity Geng Chenyi chuckled, "True Monarch Tianxiang, qualified living sacrifices aren't cheap. I suspect Su Yanyang intends to use his own blood for the ritual."

Tianxiang shook his head. "Your human management of construction materials is far too rigid. If the price of foundation piles doesn't drop, how can the civil engineering industry thrive?"

"Even if you won't loosen regulations, you could at least lower tariffs to import piles from our Heavenly Demon University."

Geng Chenyi smiled faintly. "The civil engineering circles of Wanfa University have always valued self-sacrifice and striving for the lead. The custom here is: one man bears the blood sacrifice, and the ashes serve three generations."

Tianxiang shook his head, clearly unimpressed by such a philosophy.

Meanwhile, True Monarch Qiyun turned his attention to Xiao Yuji.

Rolling gale force energy swept across the field, clearing away piles of rubble and brush.

Xiao Yuji then began constructing concentric rings around the array core.

Tianxiang wondered, "Is she building roads? In an exam? What is she planning?"

Qiyun checked her file and guessed her intent, smiling slightly. "She is building a meta-magnetic channel. She isn't constrained by the blueprints but is adopting the tactic best suited to her."

At the same time, Ping Han’s operations drew the attention of more guests.

The 20th-level Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal, the 20th-level Great Wilderness Mountain-Moving Force, and the 20th-level Earth-Controlling Divine Transformation—three 20th-level techniques activated simultaneously, pushing his "Small Triad" to its limit.

But that was not all; as his Dharma implants amplified his power, the control range of his Small Triad expanded exponentially.

As the earth heaved, towers rose from the ground within a radius of hundreds of meters.

Then, magical artifacts soared into the sky, beginning construction under the guidance of his soul-cultivators.

A guest exclaimed, "Is that Golden Core blood? He’s using Golden Core blood to trace spiritual circuits?"

Another guest checked the data on Ping Han’s soul-cultivators and sighed, "All of them are elite soul-cultivators heavy with yin energy. What a lavish Foundation Establishment candidate."

Director Gao was also reviewing the data. He knew that many well-prepared soul-cultivators paid for "death services" before their bodies failed.

The more one spent, the more luxurious the death and the more advanced the ritual, the more powerful the resulting soul-cultivator—they were essentially winning at the starting line of the afterlife.

The soul-cultivators Ping Han hired were these post-mortem elites.

As for the "trash"—those who died of old age, illness, or accidents—he had discarded them all.

Such massive investment brought a soaring increase in construction efficiency.

The audience could almost see it: as Ping Han’s expenditure of Essence Coins climbed, he waved his hand, unleashing earth-shaking power to accelerate the construction site—faster, faster, and faster still!

Seeing this, Director Gao resolved that he must not let such a brilliant talent fall. He then looked at the other student he cared about.

In the feed, Zhang Yu pressed his palms together, activating his own Small Triad.

The earth shook as a giant made of soil and stone slowly rose from the ground.

As more debris gathered, the giant’s form swelled, growing from five meters to ten, then fifteen, twenty...

Director Gao nodded slightly, thinking, "Zhang Yu’s foundation is not as deep as the others."

"But by relying on his martial arts talent and the Small Triad to manifest this earthen giant, he is truly maximizing his own strength and preparing for any eventuality."

...

In the blink of an eye, the preparation time elapsed.

3!

2!

1!

When the final countdown ended, the exam site remained eerily still, as if nothing had happened.

But none of the candidates relaxed; they watched the horizon, tense, awaiting the coming onslaught.

Ten seconds later, the ground shuddered violently.

Standing atop his thirty-meter-tall earthen giant, Zhang Yu looked toward the horizon and saw a tide of Yellow Turban Warriors surging toward him from all sides.

"Puppets?"

"So many puppets?"

Zhang Yu was stunned. "How much did this cost? Is the exam board really this extravagant?"

High above, Deng Bingding, overseeing the site, let his consciousness drift between the spiritual and material realms, checking the number of puppets around the five candidates.

Deng Bingding thought to himself, "Hmph, the price paid for this batch of puppets... it’s several times the market rate."

"And they are all obsolete, warehouse-clearing junk. Are they treating the exam site like a landfill?"

"To think there’s no corruption involved... who would believe that?"

Deng Bingding, however, would certainly never dream of investigating the trickery hidden within; what if he actually unearthed something he was better off not knowing?

Meanwhile, faced with the onslaught of the Yellow Turban warriors, the examinees each deployed their own countermeasures.

Su Yanyang triggered a massive collapse of the earth, burying the encroaching warriors one by one beneath the shifting soil.

Xiao Yunjie flickered like a phantom, accelerating through magnetic channels to weave back and forth, single-handedly holding back the tide of enemies pressing in from every direction.

Ping Han was the first among the five candidates to erect a fortified position.

From the Prairie Platform he had forged, torrents of thunder and fire erupted, blasting swaths of Yellow Turban warriors into the air.

Bolstered by his own artifacts, he repelled the offensive with effortless grace.

Zhang Yu commanded a stone giant over thirty meters tall; with every heavy stride, the earth shuddered, sending the ranks of warriors tumbling in disarray.

No sooner had the candidates easily weathered this initial wave than the puppets began to undergo a sinister transformation.

"Upgraded models," Zhang Yu noted, his eyes narrowing as the once bare-handed warriors brandished a variety of armaments.

Some wielded blades and staves, their strikes surging with layers of tempered aura as they hacked at the stone giant.

Others operated long-range aura cannons, locking onto their target and unleashing barrages from afar.

Under the relentless bombardment, gaping holes began to tear across the surface of the stone giant.

...

True Monarch Qiyun remarked, "Each hour of this assault will grow more formidable than the last."

"If they fail to prioritize construction while holding the line, they will inevitably be overwhelmed in the end."

True Monarch Tianxiang watched Su Yanyang’s maneuvers and chuckled, "Opening the tomb entrance himself? He has realized the Yellow Turban warriors possess only rudimentary intellect and lack a soul-cultivator to command them."

As Su Yanyang threw open the burial passage, a mass of warriors surged inside, only to be swallowed by traps prepared well in advance.

Geng Chenyi turned his gaze to Xiao Yunjie, watching as her form expanded, shifting from a young girl into a ten-meter-tall titan with three heads and six arms.

Each of the giant’s hands brandished an artifact, either summoning bolts of lightning to shatter the enemy or manifesting force fields to sweep them aside.

"In this three-headed, six-armed state, she is not merely fighting, but building as well."

Geng Chenyi observed her creations and nodded in approval: "Beyond the magnetic channels, she is forging arrays and constructs to replenish her mana, maintain her skeletal armor, and restore her vitality... A truly ingenious path, and a heart of commendable dedication."

(End of chapter)