Future Mirror

Extraordinary Level 11!

Everyone around him erupted in an uproar, staring wide-eyed at Lu Yuan... Extraordinary Level was indeed a largely useless metric in this day and age, but Level 11 was still rather outrageous. Even those exceptionally gifted members of the Cyclops race were only Level 9 or 10.

"Could this Mythical Industrialization really work?!"

"That drop of blood... can it be studied further?"

"Obviously not. Blood involves personal privacy; letting you appraise it was already generous enough."

"Could he have cheated?"

"Not very likely. He might deceive people for a while, but not forever."

Well, Lu Yuan had indeed cheated a little, but rather than making himself stronger, he had made himself weaker.

Yet to the many onlookers, Level 11 was an extremely eye-catching figure!

If Mythical Industrialization could truly be achieved, it was clearly a better choice than Universal Interconnection, because it had no side effects at all!

Compared to ordinary lifeforms, Acquired Mythicals underwent an all-around evolution—intelligence, inspiration, physical strength, stamina. They were essentially well-rounded in every aspect, with no weaknesses!

The only minor flaw was that their reproductive ability might decline.

But so what? If one wanted to develop idealistic endeavors, population size was not the key. Tens of millions of elite citizens were far more useful than hundreds of millions or even billions of ordinary citizens! Materialist Philosophy, on the other hand, required a large population to develop.

After thinking it over, Yan Ri no longer tried to argue back. He suddenly smiled. "If Lord Lu Yuan truly achieves something epoch-making, would it still be too late for the Neutrino Industrial Union to change course now?"

Lu Yuan smiled. "The two directions do not conflict. You follow your materialist path, and I'll follow my idealist one. There may be some competition, but we can also complement each other."

"Let a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend—that is how the Ninth Era will become stronger."

"I hope we can both achieve good results in the competition ahead."

"Fine. The Neutrino Industrial Union's foundations will be fully displayed in this competition."

The internet first fell silent for a moment, then erupted once more. All kinds of news articles and posts began flooding the feeds like snowflakes!

This clash of ideas had truly broadened everyone's horizons. The two sides had openly and covertly competed, yet still maintained the proper degree of decorum.

The leaders on the Buzhou Alliance side also breathed a great sigh of relief. Their reputation had ultimately been preserved, if only temporarily—the final verdict would still depend on their finished works.

Someone also made a post on an internal forum.

"I remember that Artisan Lu Yuan once spoke of 'Mythical Industrialization,' and was mocked all over for it at the time. Could it be that he has truly accomplished something great this time?!"

"Give me a break. He's just boasting."

"I think I get it now. This so-called clash of ideas is just about seeing who can boast more extravagantly. Field Industrialization is more grounded, so it simply can't outboast those two."

This netizen was quite clear-headed. He believed that both Universal Interconnection and Mythical Industrialization were nothing but empty boasts!

In fact, most people shared this view.

It was still hard to say exactly how capable Universal Interconnection was, but no one truly had faith in Mythical Industrialization—not even the people within the Buzhou Alliance.

That was because every civilization possessed some Acquired Mythical corpses and had studied them personally. They understood deeply just how difficult this was—the things were like black-box systems, and no one could make sense of how they operated.

"Taking an objective approach, if the difficulty of creating one piece of Mythical Equipment is one, then the difficulty of mass-producing Acquired Mythicals is above three hundred."

"In other words, only a civilization capable of easily creating three hundred pieces of Mythical Equipment might be able to overcome this challenge. But does such a civilization truly exist? I have my doubts." A famous Artisan Master made a post.

He came from the Second Generation Civilization, the Chi Civilization.

Soon, someone asked, "Master, does that mean that, in principle, creating Acquired Mythicals is possible? Why? Shouldn't myth be unique?"

The master replied, "Myth is indeed unique, but every person is different."

"There are no two identical leaves in the world, and intelligent life is no different. Therefore, if everyone became an Acquired Mythical, there would be no fundamental contradiction in the underlying rules."

"If one-tenth of a civilization's population were Acquired Mythicals, then becoming a Level Six Civilization would pose no difficulty at all in terms of intelligence."

"But if one truly wanted to achieve it in reality, one might have to blood-sacrifice nearly half of Pangu Continent."

"So you don't think highly of it?"

"I'm merely seeking truth from facts." This master clearly had a strong desire to survive, so he added one final sentence: "And I look forward to a miracle."

But the online trolls of the Buzhou Alliance still tore into him mercilessly.

The two sides were facing off, yet someone on their own side was still trying to be an impartial observer. If they did not attack him, whom would they attack?!

The facts proved that whether it was the Human Alliance or the Buzhou Alliance, on the internet, stance outweighed truth.

Lu Yuan suddenly became the most popular artisan!

What truly happened also left the artisans of other civilizations dumbfounded.

"He's obviously just boasting."

"People love creating gods, and they love destroying them too. If Lu Yuan's final results are poor and he fails to live up to expectations, then his reputation will be ruined overnight."

Amid a wave of public opinion, the preliminary round officially came to an end.

Lu Yuan had a rather leisurely day. To avoid affecting his mindset, he neither looked at his phone nor used his computer, merely focusing on discussing the details of tomorrow's work with his companions.

One day later, the finals officially began!

As for the selection results, civilizations with solid foundations like Green Field City and the Underground Alliance naturally passed with ease.

The Northern Alliance had around 110 participating civilizations, and its pass rate was actually above 80%—an exceptionally impressive figure!

It caused quite a stir. Even within the Buzhou Alliance itself, the pass rate was nowhere near that high.

Civilizations with weaker capabilities were basically filtered out, including the Red Bull Alliance, Yan Snake Civilization, and Lize Civilization, all of which failed to make the finals.

Those civilizations had originally arrived full of ambition, hoping to gain something, but they had now become mere spectators. One after another, they sighed and finally gained a clear understanding of their own strength.

On the other hand, the artisans sent by the Human Mother Civilization stumbled across the passing line—after all, they had researched Field Industrialization for many years and had not disgraced all humanity.

Taduo of the Lize Civilization said with a bitter smile, "All we can do is wish our human friends an outstanding performance. You're right at the center of the storm now."

"The pass rate was very low, around only 3%. Congratulations, everyone!" Lu Yuan appeared before his friends. He was not actually that nervous. "Next, I hope everyone can compete with style, compete with skill, and even compete with ideals!"

"Mr. Lu, having ideals of one's own is truly difficult." The dwarven artisans from the Northern Alliance rubbed their rough hands together. "We can only serve as followers, broadening those uneven roads a little. That alone would already be quite good."

"No. Daring to broaden those roads is already an ideal in itself."

"Most civilizations lack subjective initiative."

Lu Yuan sighed deeply. The Field Industrialization sector had been able to flourish largely thanks to the wisdom of Northern artisans. "In the future, our Northern Alliance will certainly become a powerful alliance no weaker than the Buzhou Alliance."

"Because I intend to make the Northern Alliance the primary place where Mythical Industrialization is promoted."

"Really?" The dwarves were all moved.

"Of course. If I open up this path, the first people I'll teach will be Northern artisans." Lu Yuan laughed heartily, waved his hand, and walked into the arena.

What he had just said was not false. His reputation and influence within the Northern Alliance far exceeded that in the outside world, so carrying on and deepening certain "concepts" might be easier there.

Because the innovation was simply too low, and the impact was lacking as well...

Dong! A bell rang.

There were around three thousand teams in the finals, no small number. The venue was arranged inside the largest Grotto-heaven in a Pot within New Century Fortress. The space was vast, and the facilities were complete.

Yet this time, everyone's attention was focused on the Human Eighteen Civilizations and the Xingyao Civilization of the Neutrino Industrial Union.

The former established powerhouses, such as the Artisan Civilization and Three Moons Civilization, drew little attention instead. The world was truly unpredictable—clashes of ideals were simply too eye-catching. Even creating a new field or forging Mythical Equipment could not compare with a war between ideals.

Comrade Gui Wu from the panel of judges gave a brief speech. "Hello, friends. The finals of the Fourth Supreme Artisan Competition of the Buzhou Alliance officially begin now."

"The competition period is three months. There are no restrictions on materials or forging techniques. Other than the time limit, there are practically no restrictions at all."

"Please note that all forging in this competition will be conducted publicly, and intellectual property will be considered public by default. Any item you forge will automatically be deemed available for free imitation. This is also the original intention behind the Buzhou Alliance's founding of the Supreme Artisan Competition."

"The final results will be judged based on the following factors: reproducibility, communicability, scalability, innovation, impact, and final cost. Please consult the competition regulations for details."

"Now then, let us begin this final grand event!"

Wave after wave of cheers and applause rang out across the Kuxi Great Desert.

That was right. This competition had very few restrictions!

You could use any material, including all kinds of chips and nanomaterials. Even if you hauled over a suit of Powered Armor, casually modified it, and submitted it directly, that was not forbidden.

Of course, the obvious consequence of doing so would be finishing at the bottom.

This impact did not refer to attracting attention, nor was it decided by a public vote. It referred to the comprehensive impact upon the history of the entire Pangu Continent!

There was a strict formula for calculating it. Some subjective methods of judgment would even be used, such as divination and God's Skills like precognition, to determine whether a creation might bring revolutionary changes in the future. It involved many factors, including the tides of history.

Lu Yuan drew a deep breath and arrived at the forging room assigned to Green Field City.

It was about the size of a football field, with a floor constructed from black iron.

Surveillance robots were positioned all around, monitoring their every movement at all times.

The spacecraft doors opened, and more than a hundred human artisans disembarked. Everyone began continuously moving materials, preparing to battle hard here for three months.

Boom! The entire room trembled slightly as New Century Fortress began descending from the sky.

It continued descending until it reached ground level. With a hum, all the protective shields around the fortress activated, while the metal cover above slowly shifted aside, revealing the sun overhead and the surrounding sandstorm.

A layer resembling a transparent soap bubble enveloped the sky above—it was a membrane similar to a Different Dimension. After all, they were currently within a Grotto-heaven in a Pot. They could easily leave through this soap bubble, but entering was considerably more difficult and required going through an entrance.

The blazing sun shone upon their faces. It was not too hot, as the temperature-regulating runes within the fortress were still functioning.

"Being close to the ground will allow us to better feel our civilization and sense the existence of the World Will. Our family and friends are watching us, and countless eyes are watching as well." Lu Yuan spoke loudly. "Comrades, do you have confidence?"

"Yes!"

"Then let us recall that arduous past and look toward a future filled with hope!

"First, we must clarify our goal. Our creation shall be called the Future Mirror! Its purpose is to capture a single instant of time and, with the fortune of civilization, alter a person's fate!"

The name Future Mirror appeared on Pangu Continent for the first time.

As Lu Yuan made his declaration, the sandstorm in the sky seemed to undergo a subtle change. The long river of history seemed to appear in the mind of every participant.

It began with molding earth, with knowing oneself and perceiving nature, then grew into the extraordinary ability to create all things. Yet human strength always had its limits. Before fate, the future, and death, people had always sent forth long, lingering questions, only to dissolve once more into the heavy soil.

But this time, we challenge fate.

We will turn the future around.

Led by Li Datie, the artisans began sorting through the required materials. There were four core components in total.

The first was branches, leaves, and resin from the Poppy Tree.

The Demon Poppy Tree linked the Green Field Civilization and the Human Eighteen Civilizations, serving as a bridge between past and future.

It was the mother tree of Green Field City. It had witnessed the city's prosperity, decline, and second flourishing. It truly existed like a mother, a symbol of both the past and the future.

Moreover, the Poppy Tree possessed Dream Ability, and its wood carried minor supernatural effects, making it an excellent filler material.

Of course, this material was only Rare Level and could not be considered particularly valuable. There were many superior materials that could replace it. Yet its historical value to the Human Eighteen Civilizations was impossible to replicate.

The second item was the blood of every citizen of the Human Eighteen Civilizations!

This Blood Brick-like substance represented Green Field City's fortune and determination.

It was worthless, yet it carried immense value as well.

The third item was a material called Radiant Silverstone. It had a unique affinity with dream-related properties and also possessed light-attribute radioactivity.

A Legendary Level material.

But for the present-day Human Eighteen Civilizations, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

It was not particularly expensive.

The fourth item was called "Weaver's Remains," possessing both time and space attributes.

Since it was called the "Future Mirror," it naturally had to be infused with some time-related properties.

Weaver's Remains were rather expensive, classified as an Immortal Level material. Using them would lower the rating for "scalability."

Of course, the Buzhou Alliance had plenty of Weaver's Remains. That Space Shield Tunneling Machine, for instance, had been made using this stuff.

Thus, among Immortal Level materials, it was among the cheapest kinds—besides, once Mythical Industrialization succeeded, what did ratings even matter? They would all be meaningless!

Aside from the four main materials, there were also all kinds of auxiliary materials, ranging from Common Level to Legendary Level!

They covered nearly half the venue before the many artisans finally let out a soft breath.

The artisans present included eleven old artisans from the first generation of the Shali Clan, twenty-two from the second-generation Lu cohort, twenty-four from the third-generation Hai cohort, and twenty from the fourth-generation Bei cohort.

Then there were twenty-five from the new-generation Zhou cohort, as well as seven Ratfolk Artisans and thirteen Blue Peng Artisans.

Five generations gathered under one roof—talent abounded!

In truth, the youngest generation of artisans was fairly weak. They lacked life experience and found it difficult to forge truly fine creations.

But forging the Future Mirror required gathering the fortune of the entire civilization, and this generation was equally indispensable!

Such an unusual combination of talents naturally drew the attention of countless spectators.

"Generally speaking, you either send your strongest artisan team to compete for a high ranking, or you send an elite team to experience the atmosphere of the competition and gain life experience."

"Even if veterans are bringing along newcomers, there's no need to divide the ages so evenly, right?" The Red Bull Alliance and the Yan Snake Civilization were paying close attention to Green Field City.

The Human Eighteen Civilizations were their Golden Thigh. No matter what, they had to cling tightly to it.

Yet this scene left them utterly baffled.

"What exactly are the humans trying to create?"