Within the "War Sandbox" simulation space, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.
Guang Chengzi, Zhao Gongming, and the others all stopped arguing. As they looked at the lifelike diamond-shaped warship ahead, they could clearly feel a soul-deep shudder emanating from its cold metallic hull.
Though they knew it was only a simulation, that world-destroying sense of pressure felt utterly real.
"Simulation begins."
Chen Ran's voice fell.
Within the sandbox space, a virtual defensive node was swiftly constructed according to Guang Chengzi's Chan Sect proposal, centered on the Nine Revolutions Profound Art. Around the node appeared the phantoms of hundreds of standard Chan Sect magical treasures, forming an exquisite defensive array. Golden light shimmered, treasure aura soared to the heavens, and it exuded the grandeur of orthodox mystical teachings.
"First round: saturated energy attack test."
At Chen Ran's command, countless points of light lit up across the distant diamond-shaped warship's hull. The next moment, thousands of tiny energy beams carrying terrifying penetrating power came crashing down like a rainstorm.
"Activate the array!" Guang Chengzi ordered proudly.
The Chan Sect defensive array activated at once. A massive Eight Trigrams diagram blocked the front, golden light flowing across it as it attempted to deflect every attack.
However, those energy beams seemed utterly unreasonable. They were neither diverted nor weakened, instead smashing directly into the Eight Trigrams diagram with sheer brute force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every impact made the golden array shudder violently. The runes upon the Eight Trigrams diagram dimmed at a visible rate.
It lasted less than ten breaths.
With a crisp crack.
The seemingly indestructible Eight Trigrams diagram filled with cracks before shattering with a tremendous explosion!
Thousands of energy beams drove straight through, instantly tearing apart every phantom treasure behind it along with the core node.
[Chan Sect proposal: duration sustained during the first saturated attack: 9.7 seconds.] [Assessment result: complete failure.]
The cold synthesized mechanical voice echoed through the space like a resounding slap across the faces of Guang Chengzi and every Chan Sect disciple.
Their faces turned deathly pale in an instant.
How was that possible?
The defensive grand array they had taken such pride in, capable of trapping a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, had actually... failed to last even ten seconds?
"Now, the Jie Sect proposal."
Chen Ran's voice held no emotional fluctuation.
The sandbox reset.
This time, a Jie Sect node proposal centered on the Myriad Immortals Array Diagram, put forth by Zhao Gongming and the others, was constructed.
Compared to the Chan Sect's refinement, the Jie Sect array appeared far more massive and complex. Countless array flags fluttered, Killing Aura soared into the heavens, and the faint sound of ten thousand immortals chanting could be heard. In terms of sheer presence, it was far grander.
"Begin the same attack."
Thousands of energy beams came hurtling in once more.
"Power of the myriad immortals, heed my command! Turn!" Zhao Gongming shouted.
The enormous Myriad Immortals Array Diagram began rotating slowly like a gigantic millstone. Every energy beam that entered the array was drawn by the overwhelming force of the formation, veering off course, colliding with one another, and being consumed.
"Hmph, do you see that? This is the true great path of formations!" Bixiao shot Guang Chengzi a smug glance.
The Jie Sect proposal truly was far more effective than the Chan Sect's.
They successfully withstood the first wave of attacks.
However, Chen Ran's voice rang out again.
"Second round: mass-strike test."
Dozens of launch ports opened along the diamond-shaped warship's sides. One spindle-shaped solid warhead after another, gleaming with cold metallic light, was fired.
These warheads had no energy fluctuations and no traces of laws.
Yet the moment they appeared, the surrounding space warped under their terrifying mass.
"This is..." Zhao Gongming's pupils contracted.
Before he could react, those warheads had already slammed into the Myriad Immortals Formation at sublight speeds.
There was no violent explosion.
Those warheads simply charged through everything with the sheer, unreasonable force of their mass.
The Myriad Immortals Formation's prized ability to redirect and consume energy became utterly meaningless before purely physical impacts.
Array flags were smashed to pieces one after another.
Formation nodes were directly destroyed one after another.
The enormous Myriad Immortals Formation collapsed in an instant like the surface of water struck by stones.
[Jie Sect proposal: duration sustained during the second mass strike: 3.1 seconds.] [Assessment result: complete failure.]
The same verdict drained the color from Zhao Gongming's face and those of every Jie Sect disciple.
The Myriad Immortals Formation they had taken such pride in had actually been defeated faster and more thoroughly than the Chan Sect array.
The entire simulation space fell into dead silence.
For the first time, the Chan Sect and Jie Sect disciples put aside their prejudices and pride. Only one emotion remained on their faces—lingering fear.
If this had not been a simulation...
If they had been the ones facing that strike beyond the chaos...
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Do you understand now?"
Chen Ran's voice broke the silence.
He slowly walked before them, his gaze sweeping across every face like a blade.
"Your pride, your Dao arts, and the divine abilities you take such pride in are utterly fragile before a true interstellar civilization war."
"The Chan Sect proposal was refined enough, but its power was too concentrated. Before a saturated attack, it was like an exquisite piece of porcelain—shattered at a touch."
"The Jie Sect proposal possessed overwhelming momentum, but its structure was loose. Before physical strikes, it was like a pile of loose sand—scattered with a single charge."
"You all made the same mistake."
Chen Ran said each word distinctly. "You used your ingrained way of thinking to speculate about an enemy you know absolutely nothing about."
"You were still thinking about how to use your own 'Dao' to defeat them. Yet you never considered that they would not discuss 'Dao' with you at all!"
"What they speak of is energy, mass, efficiency, and cold calculation!"
His words were deafening.
Guang Chengzi and Zhao Gongming both lowered their heads in shame. They finally realized just how laughable and childish their previous argument had been.
"Sir... then what should we do?" Yunxiao's voice trembled slightly. She was the first to cast aside her status and seek Chen Ran's guidance.
Chen Ran looked at the humility and reverence that had finally appeared in their eyes and knew that his goal had been achieved.
"Very simple."
He turned around and activated the simulation sandbox once more.
This time, a new node model appeared before everyone.
It possessed both the refined structure of the Chan Sect formations and the overwhelming energy of the Jie Sect formations. More importantly, its outer layer was covered by an energy shield constructed with human Rune Technology, shimmering with a dim blue radiance.
"Fusion," Chen Ran said. "Learn from each other's strengths and make immortal arts and technology fully merge."
"This is our only way forward."
Just as Chen Ran was preparing to explain his fusion proposal in detail.
Bzzzz—
A piercing highest-level alarm suddenly rang throughout the entire research center!
A red glow illuminated every face.
Youchao Shi appeared anxiously at the laboratory entrance, his voice trembling.
"Sir! Something's wrong!"
"The central monitoring system of the Hall of Civilization has sent an alert!"
"At... at the edge of the chaos beyond the Primordial World crystal wall system, the remote observation post we established has just detected an... an abnormal spatial fluctuation!"
"Its energy signature has a thirty percent similarity to the Gestalt in our records!"
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