A look of surprise flashed across Xu Jintang's eyes.
The array diagrams for Tracking Inscription are complex and difficult to understand; even with tutorials, they are hard to create.
But it turns out that this was actually Elder Mu's own original creation.
This inscription talent is truly terrifying.
Before long, the other contestants enthusiastically gathered around Mu Zhongbai, humbly seeking his advice on engraving techniques.
Xue Zhongqi greeted her, then quickly got up to seek advice from Mu Zhongbai.
Only Xu Jintang remained quietly seated in his place.
Time ticked by, and soon, thirty minutes had passed.
The staff arrived on time. "Please take your seats according to your assigned numbers. The quarterfinals are about to begin."
Xu Jintang then got up and looked for his seat according to the number assigned on the screen.
Her seat was arranged on the far left of the first row, very close to Mu Zhongbai.
You can see Mu Zhongbai as soon as you look up.
He stood beside the floating light screen, pointing to the text on it. "This inscription array diagram on the screen is the test question for this round of eliminations. Everyone can take a look."
Xu Jintang turned to look at the light screen.
The formation diagram above is very complex and looks unfamiliar.
At least she had never seen such a formation diagram before.
Before long, the other contestants were also completely dumbfounded.
Someone raised their hand and asked, " Teacher Mu, what kind of inscription is on this formation diagram? I've never seen it before."
A smile flashed across Mu Zhongbai's face. "The inscription on this array diagram is a new type of inscription I created in the last few months, and it hasn't been officially released to the outside world yet. I named it the Berserk Inscription. Its specific function is to allow the user to enter a berserk state for twenty minutes, increasing their strength by at least twenty percent. If attached to a magic weapon, it will have the same effect."
The scene suddenly fell silent.
The student who asked the question earlier then asked, "Teacher, what do you mean by saying that this formation diagram will be used as the test question for this round of elimination matches?"
Mu Zhongbai continued, "The challenge for this round is to learn on-site and successfully inscribe a Berserk Inscription. The score will be determined based on a combination of completion time and inscription quality."
The contestants were all stunned and speechless.
The challenge of learning to inscribe a completely new inscription on the spot was even more terrifying than the previous finals.
The viewers in the live stream were also a bit dumbfounded.
[Huh? Is Elder Mu going to give us such a difficult question right away? I even doubt that anyone can complete this test today.]
[Hahahaha, this is going to be interesting! If no one completes the test later, what a spectacular scene that will be!]
[Is this exam question real? Are you kidding me?]
As is well known, it can take an inscriptionist several months to learn how to create a new inscription, or as little as a week or two.
Even the most basic inscriptions take at least a week to learn.
Unless one is truly gifted, it is impossible to master it completely in just one or two days.
Learning inscription making directly on-site, and needing to learn it immediately, is simply impossible.
" Teacher Mu, you... you're not joking, are you?" another contestant asked hesitantly.
Mu Zhongbai laughed and said, "Of course not."
After that, a staff member stepped forward and announced, "The competition is now beginning. This round of assessment has a time limit of eight hours. During this time, a series of services, including food and snacks, will be provided in the examination room. The assessment time will be paused while the contestants are enjoying the food and other services."
"We wish all contestants the best of luck in their assessments. If you encounter any problems, please feel free to ask the on-site staff for assistance."
As soon as the words were spoken, the light screen behind the staff began a countdown.
The contestants stared at each other, dumbfounded, in their respective positions.
Xu Jintang remained silent for a while before his gaze fell on the inscription array diagram in front of him.
A total of eight hours, which allows for approximately ten more engraving attempts.
Without further hesitation, Xu Jintang took out the Yellow Sand Fire Cloud Brush and picked up the attribute-less raw stone on the table to begin engraving.
Comparing the array diagram on the light screen, he meticulously connected the threads of spiritual energy stroke by stroke.
Before long, she focused intently and got into the zone.
Mu Zhongbai his hands behind his back and began to inspect the scene.
He deliberately came to Xu Jintang's side, lowered his eyes slightly, and examined the rough stone in her hand.
At this moment, Xu Jintang had just completed one-tenth of the formation diagram.
The raw stone emitted a faint glow.
Mu Zhongbai stopped in his tracks and stood directly next to Xu Jintang, staring intently at her.
Upon realizing he was being watched, Xu Jintang became visibly distracted, and before he knew it, the spiritual energy thread at the tip of his pen snapped.
The raw stone, which had been emitting a faint glow, instantly dimmed.
The first engraving attempt failed.
Xu Jintang frowned, tossed aside the discarded raw stone, took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and began his second attempt.
Mu Zhongbai didn't move either. After seeing her fail, a smile appeared on his face as he continued to stand in place and watch her try a second time.
This scene was captured by a nearby monitoring satellite and broadcast live to the studio.
[ Teacher Mu really values Qian Duoduo.]
[Of course! Qian Duoduo created Tracking Inscription in the last round.]
[According to the official competition information, Qian Duoduo is only sixteen years old this year. To be able to create such a high-difficulty inscription at this age, his talent is absolutely terrifying.]
[So, do you think she can complete this demanding test today?]
[I have a feeling it's hopeless; this test is simply impossible to complete. I estimate all the contestants will have to finish today.]
Mu Zhongbai's arrival brought a lot of popularity to the live stream, and the number of online viewers skyrocketed in just half an hour.
It even became a trending topic on Star Network.
The competition venue.
Half an hour had passed, and the contestants' expressions began to turn serious.
Xu Jintang wasn't having an easy time either.
The original stone array diagram she was working on for the second time was one-fifth complete, which was much better than the first time.
Mu Zhongbai had been observing her progress, nodded slightly.
To achieve one-fifth of the progress on the second attempt is already a remarkable achievement.
Unfortunately, Xu Jintang failed again when he tried to continue.
"Phew..." Xu Jintang put down the inscription pen and rubbed his stiff neck.
Seeing this, Mu Zhongbai finally turned and left, heading to inspect the other contestants.
Xu Jintang rested for a while, then quickly buried himself in his work and made his third attempt.
Time flies, and an hour has passed.
No one on the field successfully completed the engraving, and all the contestants sighed with gloomy faces.
After failing on his third attempt, Jiang Xiangyang shook his head in frustration and then got up to walk towards the rest area.
The rest area is stocked with snacks and drinks, and there's also a dedicated rest bar for the players.
Jiang Xiangyang picked out a dessert cake, carried the plate to the bar area, and sat down.
Before long, Xu Jintang's fourth attempt also failed.
Prolonged periods of intense mental concentration can lead to a loss of focus. Xu Jintang took a deep breath, rubbed his sore shoulders, and got up to walk towards the rest area.
She picked out a chilled fruit slice and went to the lounge area.
She picked up her fork and popped a piece of iced fruit into her mouth; the cool sensation instantly relaxed her.
" Miss Qian, what did you think of the difficulty of this exam?" Jiang Xiangyang from next door finally took the initiative to speak.
Xu Jintang glanced at him. "It's alright."
Jiang Xiangyang chuckled, "Judging from your tone, you seem to be absolutely certain about this exam question?"
"I didn't say that." Xu Jintang stuffed another bite of shaved ice into his mouth.
At this time, the other contestants also went to the rest bar to relax and unwind.
Jiang Xiangyang stopped there, looked away, and lowered his head to savor the dessert in front of him.
A little while later, Xue Zhongqi also left the field.
He took a glass of fruit drink and sat down opposite Xu Jintang.
"Ugh, this test is terrifying. On my third attempt, I only managed to complete one-tenth of it before failing. At this rate, it will take me at least a week to fully learn this inscription," Xue Zhongqi began, shaking his head in dismay.
Xu Jintang considered his progress; by the third attempt, the inscription of the array diagram seemed to be about a quarter complete.
Seeing Xue Zhongqi's worried expression, she remained silent and popped another iced fruit into her mouth.
The players at the other tables around the table also began to utter their complaints.
"This exam is impossible to complete, how are we going to rank everyone?"
"Perhaps according to the maximum progress that can be achieved in completing the formation diagram?"
"Ugh, so annoying, I still have seven more hours to endure."
Despite their pent-up frustration, the athletes had no choice but to return to the competition venue after their rest and continue to endure the ordeal.
Xu Jintang recovered and got up to return to the competition venue.
After sitting down, she held her breath, picked up the inscription pen, and began to try again.
Another tedious hour and a half passed.
The viewers in the live stream got sleepy and left one by one, leaving messages saying they would come back after the assessment was over.
[Holy crap! Look at Qian Duoduo's formation diagram progress, it's already a third complete!]
This sentence immediately snapped the drowsy audience out of their reverie.
[I only missed checking for a little while, and some people have already made it to a third of the way!]
[ Qian Duoduo is really amazing; with this talent, she might even catch up to Teacher Mu in the future.]
[She can't really master inscription in one day, can she?]
A fine layer of sweat appeared on Xu Jintang's forehead.
With his gaze fixed intently on the attribute-less raw stone in his hand, he noticed that one-third of the array diagram inside the stone had already been illuminated by threads of mental energy. If he persisted just a little longer, he would soon be able to advance to one-half.
Then, a loud "bang" rang out.