Chapter 72: The Contest Between Soul Engineers!
Soon, more and more students arrived at the Tenth Examination Zone. Su Luoheng spotted a few familiar faces among them and greeted them. They were all classmates from Class One, Year Two.
Not long after he entered the examination zone, a teacher who looked to be around forty arrived. His appearance was thoroughly ordinary, the sort of person who would disappear into a crowd. But his presence commanded respect, and the Level 7 Soul Engineer badge from Mingde Hall on his chest made him seem even more imposing.
"..."
He surveyed the students and counted them.
His stern face softened slightly, and his indifferent eyes narrowed. In a low, steady voice, he said, "Good. All twenty students assigned to the Tenth Examination Zone are here. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Qin Cong, and I'll be overseeing your examination."
"You have five hours for this competition. Within the allotted time, you must use the materials provided at your worktables to make Soul Guidance Arrays. There are no restrictions on their type, quantity, or level. You may use your own carving knives during the examination, but you must not bring any Soul Tools. Anyone who does will be disqualified."
"The final rankings will be determined by level first, then quantity, then quality."
"Is that clear?"
"Yes."
The students all nodded to show they understood.
Qin Cong gave a slight nod, then opened the roster in his hands and assigned everyone a seat.
"Wu Yong, Worktable One. Shuancheng, Worktable Two. Chen Yangyu, Worktable Three. Jin Xigong, Worktable Four... Su Luoheng, Worktable Eight... Wu Tu, Worktable Twenty."
There were twenty students and twenty worktables, one for each.
Su Luoheng went over to Worktable Eight.
The materials on the table weren't as plentiful as those in his teacher's laboratory, but there was more than enough for a Level 2 Soul Master. One glance was all it took for him to settle on six or seven suitable Core Arrays to engrave.
"..."
Before long, everyone had taken their seats, and Qin Cong announced the start of the examination.
Every student threw themselves into making Soul Tools.
They picked up their carving knives and put their engraving skills to work. The room instantly came alive, filled with the clatter of knives against metal. This was a contest between Soul Engineers, and every student taking the test focused all their attention on the Core Arrays.
The air was filled with the peculiar fluctuations of Soul Guide Circuits.
Standing on the raised platform, Qin Cong watched the busy students below with sharp, calm eyes.
Time flew.
In the entire Tenth Examination Zone, only the faint, fine sounds of carving knives cutting into objects could be heard, along with the frustrated sighs of students whose engravings had failed.
Su Luoheng was especially focused this time. After all, his goal was to take first place in the examination!
The silver carving knife fluttered in his hand like a butterfly, nimble and graceful. He trimmed each selected piece of metal to the right size, then precisely cut, carved, and engraved it. Before long, complex, mysterious inscriptions appeared across the metal's surface.
These inscriptions were based on the designs in his mind, but he adjusted them to suit the properties of the materials he was actually using.
That was the greatest thing he had gained from studying with his teacher during this period.
As he engraved, he constantly adjusted his work to match the characteristics of each piece of metal.
He worked quickly, his slender fingers deftly guiding the carving knife as it swept across the metal. The moment he picked it up, he immersed himself completely in engraving. His expression remained solemn throughout, his eyes fixed on the Soul Tool inscriptions before him. Everything happening around him had nothing to do with him.
After three months of study, Level 2 Soul Tools posed no difficulty for him.
In less than half an hour, he finished engraving his first Core Array.
As for the other students taking the same test, the fastest among them had only completed half a Soul Guide Circuit.
"..."
His nimble knife work and practiced technique naturally caught the examination teacher's attention.
"This boy is something else..."
Qin Cong murmured under his breath, giving him a little more attention.
After a short rest, Su Luoheng began engraving his second Core Array.
Complex, precise Soul Tool patterns took shape swiftly beneath his hand. As the Core Array's inscriptions neared perfection, a faint glow appeared on the metal block. It seemed almost alive, flickering in the air and giving off a hazy, peculiar energy fluctuation.
When his final stroke was complete, all the activated runes lit up and gathered into a beam of light.
His second Core Array was finished.
"Whew..."
Su Luoheng let out a long breath, then quickly plunged back into his work.
Next came the third Core Array, then the fourth...
Time trickled by. Before he knew it, five hours had passed.
Maintaining his concentration for so long and engraving Core Arrays at such a high intensity had left even Su Luoheng somewhat exhausted. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
But the carving knife in his hand never stopped moving quickly and steadily.
He engraved every Soul Tool pattern in each Core Array meticulously.
Before long, a glow appeared over the metal block once more. Another Core Array had been successfully engraved.
Looking at the five Core Arrays laid out on the table, each shining with its own colored light, Su Luoheng smiled with satisfaction.
Five hours, five Core Arrays.
That worked out to one successfully engraved Level 2 Core Array per hour.
He was fairly satisfied with that pace.
He raised his head and looked ahead.
The Soul Guide Timer hanging in the Tenth Examination Zone showed that nearly an hour remained before the examination ended.
An hour...
At the beginning, it would have been no problem.
But after engraving five Core Arrays in a row, his condition had inevitably declined. Finishing another Core Array within an hour would be difficult...
Su Luoheng sighed inwardly.
Then he flexed his fingers and glanced at the other students in his group.
Most of the students in the Tenth Examination Zone had only engraved two or three Core Arrays. The few who had reached a fourth had only just started.
The other examination zones were probably moving at about the same pace.
It was clear he had already left everyone else far behind.
He could stop here. Even if he didn't engrave another Core Array, first place in this Year Two Soul Tool examination was all but his.
But Su Luoheng had no intention of doing that.
If he wanted first place, he had to give it everything he had!
It wasn't over until the final second. Even if he couldn't finish, even if he failed!
With that thought, Su Luoheng picked up his carving knife again, lifted a piece of metal with his left hand, and swiftly began engraving a new Soul Guide Circuit!
One profound, mysterious pattern after another blossomed beneath Su Luoheng's knife.
Chapter 73: Shocking Everyone!
Time slipped away quietly.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye...
As time went on, his pace slowed. After engraving for so long, his arm began to tremble slightly.
When he reached the final few steps, his movements slowed noticeably.
"Ding-dong—"
The last second ran out.
Su Luoheng stopped his carving knife at the sound.
He looked at the Core Array, which still gave off a faint glow, and sighed regretfully.
Despite his caution, he had still made a mistake.
While engraving the final Core Array, his wrist had suddenly trembled, causing the last stroke to stray from its mark and preventing the entire array from closing. He had immediately tried to correct it and close the array before it collapsed, but the Core Array's level had still been affected. It had dropped from Level 2 to Level 1.
Even so, his results were still astonishing!
Soon, at Qin Cong's direction, the students brought their work to the testing platform.
The testing platform wasn't much different from the testing device they had used during the previous freshman examination. The only difference was that this one could detect Core Arrays up to Level 3.
It was a full level above the previous testing device.
"Wu Yong, you're first."
"Four Core Arrays in total: one Level 2 and three Level 1."
Wu Yong hurried up to the platform and took out the four Core Arrays he had made.
Once everything was ready, Qin Cong placed his palm against the hand-shaped hollow in the testing platform and injected Soul Power. Silver-white light soon shone from the platform, enveloping all four Core Arrays.
A minute later, the light slowly faded.
"One Level 2 Core Array, lower quality. Three Level 1 Core Arrays, two upper quality and one middle quality."
Qin Cong read out the result in an even voice. His face was as still as water, without a trace of expression.
"Next, Shuancheng."
"Three Core Arrays in total: two Level 2 and one Level 1."
"Two Level 2 Core Arrays, one upper quality and one middle quality. One Level 1 Core Array, middle quality."
"Next, Chen Yangyu."
The students came forward in worktable order to be tested. Their results varied, but every student had at least one Level 2 Core Array.
Since the testing order followed the worktable numbers, it was soon Su Luoheng's turn.
"Next, Su Luoheng."
When Qin Cong saw that the student he had been watching was approaching, his composed expression shifted slightly. He looked forward to seeing how Su Luoheng would do.
He had been watching earlier. The boy had made quite a few Core Arrays.
By then, Su Luoheng had reached the testing platform.
"Six Core Arrays in total: five Level 2 and one Level 1. Please test them, Teacher."
He took out his Core Arrays one by one. Everything was normal at first... until he stated the levels of all six. The Tenth Examination Zone erupted in an uproar!
The instant he finished speaking, Qin Cong's calm expression vanished, replaced by shock.
The other students were no different.
In an instant, everyone in the Tenth Examination Zone turned to look.
"..."
They stared at the boy their own age, stunned.
He had spent six hours engraving five Level 2 Core Arrays in succession, and one Level 1 Core Array on top of that... At any rate, they couldn't have done it.
"How did he do that?"
"That's unbelievable!"
"Six Core Arrays? Does he have eight arms?"
"Is he just showing off?"
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