Two hours slipped quietly by amid the tension. With a soft ding from the timing Soul Tool, the doors to both design rooms opened simultaneously.
Gu Yue and Bai Hanying stopped working at almost the same instant. Their expressions differed, but both showed a trace of relief at having finished their work. Each uploaded her design to the central screen and awaited the final judgment.
Every gaze focused on the center of the dais, where the competition's highest adjudicator sat—Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er.
Cai Yue'er slowly stood, holding two printed designs. She first examined Gu Yue's, her brows knitting slightly as though pondering something. Then she picked up Bai Hanying's, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
After a brief silence, Cai Yue'er set the drawings down and swept her gaze across the audience before finally settling on the two contestants.
"This round is a draw."
A wave of whispers immediately rose from the audience. A draw? That was an exceedingly rare result in Shrek Academy's interclass competitions.
Cai Yue'er paid no heed to their surprise and went straight to the reasons behind her decision. She looked at Bai Hanying, her tone carrying a measure of sternness mixed with a hint of appreciation. "Bai Hanying, your design is extremely complex. Your application of various advanced theories is nothing short of flawless. It's clear that you have an exceptionally deep understanding of mecha design theory."
Then her tone shifted. "However, your design pursues theoretical perfection too far and neglects the feasibility of actual manufacturing. The overall structure needs refinement, particularly the joint connections, which have obvious stress-related flaws. If you can further refine this design, reaching the standard of a Level Five Mecha Designer will be only a matter of time."
Bai Hanying's expression changed slightly, but she still