Inside Trial Ground No. 1 on the outskirts of Mingde Hall, twenty metal workbenches stood in a fan-shaped arrangement.
The timing Soul Tool at the front of the venue had just started when the head judge announced the rules for the Level Three Soul Engineer practical competition:
Each contestant had three double-hours to independently craft a level three long-range attack Soul Tool using only the standard materials provided on their workbench. Once the pieces were finished, the judges would test their attack power, stability during continuous operation, and Soul Power consumption. The three results would determine the final rankings.
In the contestants' waiting area, Shen Heng stood beside Huo Yuhao. His gaze passed over the crowd and settled briefly on Xuan Ziwen at the far end.
For this competition, Shen Heng had chosen a set of blueprints for a well-established level three Energy-Gathering Ray design. Since Huo Yuhao's return, Shen Heng had watched him practice it over and over almost every day.
Just before Huo Yuhao went on, Shen Heng lowered his voice.
"Once you're up there, follow the steps you practiced. Don't change a single cut on the fly. And that student of Xuan Ziwen's—you have to beat him today."
Huo Yuhao acknowledged him and walked onto the trial ground.
As he passed through the central aisle, he turned to glance at Gu Mingyuan behind Workbench No. 4. Gu Mingyuan still wore his plain-looking disguise. Head lowered, he was flicking the rare metals on the table one by one, judging their inner texture by the sound.
Elder Yi, what do you think? Gu Mingyuan asked inwardly.
Someone did probe you with spiritual power, but it's nothing to worry about. With me here, he won't discover a thing, Electrolux explained.
"Yuhao, we might have guessed wrong," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm