Upon Tuli Mountain’s words, a ripple of anticipation spread through the assembly of cultivators. “Henceforth,” he announced, his voice resonating like a monastery bell, “you are granted fifteen minutes of preparation. Ponder well the path you shall forge.”

Zhang Yu’s gaze fixed upon the emerging blueprint, its intricate lines forming within his mind’s eye, a tapestry woven by intent and intellect. Through the profound connection of his dual thoughts, the complete structure materialized within his consciousness.

“This… this is a fortress, indeed,” he murmured inwardly. The structure’s inherent design promised resistance against myriad assaults. This, he surmised, was also a subtle hint, suggesting that the edifice, upon enduring ten waves of attack, would find its purpose entwined with conflict.

A sigh escaped his lips. “War, again? It seems the Civil Engineering department is rife with those who foresee escalating conflict in the trials ahead, thus relentlessly preparing for it in these very examinations!”

He scrutinized the fortress’s blueprint, weighing its critical points against his own strengths. “With my efficiency in construction, completing this fortress within three hours presents no challenge!” The true test lay in elevating the fortress’s might, enabling it to withstand more attacks while retaining its structural integrity.

“What method can I employ to leverage my advantages to their utmost?”

As Zhang Yu delved into deep contemplation, Li Xiao, his eyes fixed on the same blueprint, felt a flicker of illumination. The answer, he knew, lay within.

“Materials are the key!” Li Xiao’s inner voice declared. The fortress’s strength hinged upon the quality of its components. Superior materials, even with comparable construction speed, would yield twice the result for half the effort. Thus, materials reigned supreme.

Even as this realization dawned, Li Xiao’s mind raced, already selecting materials according to the blueprint’s design, prioritizing them by importance. “Since materials are paramount, the outcome of this trial will be decided within the initial half hour of procurement!” The ensuing scramble for resources would be intense. He had to outpace everyone, seizing the most exquisite materials.

He swiftly narrowed his focus, identifying the three most crucial materials.

Fifteen minutes vanished in the blink of an eye. The instant Tuli Mountain declared the trial’s commencement, Li Xiao launched forward with a whoosh! Yet, despite his heart pounding like a war drum, his mystical energy surging through his meridians, and his legs cleaving the air beneath him like colossal axes, pushing him to his absolute limit… he could only watch, helpless, as two figures, like streaking comets, tore through the very atmosphere, leaving trails of supersonic thunder in their wake. They surged past him, plunging headfirst into the materials zone.

It was Ji Yuan Pivot, leading the charge, with Zhang Yu hot on his heels!

And just as these two figures, one after the other, plunged into the materials area, Gongshu Jin, a blur of motion, flashed forward, leaving a long wake of displaced air, and was the third to arrive!

Witnessing one figure after another snatching materials before him, Li Xiao felt a pang of nervousness, yet he remained unperturbed. He had anticipated this very scenario. Silently, he struck off the top three most crucial building materials from his mental list, shifting his focus directly to the fourth and fifth most important.

“The highest-ranked materials will undoubtedly be the most contested. It will be a struggle to secure them.” It was more prudent to target the next tier.

However, after a brief search, a flicker of surprise crossed Li Xiao’s face. “What is happening?” He found only secret steel numbered from five to ten. Where was the secret steel numbered above ten? And why were the other materials of such low quality? Could this trial demand the use of these low-end, even inferior, materials to construct the fortress?

Just as Li Xiao’s surprise deepened, he saw Ying Xin, with a surge of her gang qi, sweep up a massive hoard of inferior steel materials. The issue of building material quality held no surprise for her whatsoever.

“It is a test of practical application, after all. And minimizing costs, cutting corners – like using inferior materials to construct high-quality structures – can certainly be an evaluation criteria!”

Ying Xin’s gang qi, like a coiled dragon, enveloped dozens of tons of building materials before she surged towards her designated construction site. Simultaneously, another series of sonic booms erupted. Ying Xin looked up, witnessing Ji Yuan Pivot, leading the pack, and Zhang Yu, trailing closely behind. Their bodies enveloped in pervasive gang qi, they swept up countless building materials like a storm, shooting them through the air.

Ying Xin let out a silent sigh, acknowledging the gap between herself and these two figures, but quickly recalibrated her focus. “My opponents are not them!” Her target was to secure the fourth position in her class.

Observing the flurry of activity as numerous students rushed back and forth, transporting building materials, Tuli Mountain offered a sage observation: “Immortal Dao is the internal grand circulation, Civil Engineering the external grand movement. One internal, one external, one hidden, one visible – they are interconnected, truly embodying the profound wisdom of Immortal Dao in human affairs!”

Half an hour passed in a flash. As Tuli Mountain announced the end of the material transport period, Ying Xin gazed upon the vast quantity of materials at her worksite, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. Indeed, according to the blueprint’s requirements, the materials she had transported in this half hour significantly exceeded what was needed for construction.

But soon, everyone understood the reason behind her actions.

As Tuli Mountain declared the commencement of construction, Ying Xin uttered a low chant. Waves of high-temperature gang qi, emitting a scorching force that distorted the air, enveloped the massive pile of steel materials before her. Amidst the incandescent glow, Ying Xin struck out with another palm. A chorus of crackling sounds erupted as streams of thunder gang qi bombarded the high-temperature steel, reshaping and molding them.

“If there are no high-quality materials, then one refines them oneself!” On a worksite, especially a battlefield worksite, where would one find such an abundant supply of quality-assured materials? The key lay in utilizing what was available locally!

The sight of Ying Xin refining materials startled many students, who then experienced a sudden realization, followed by a flicker of disappointment. Li Xiao, watching this scene, also sighed inwardly. “So, she is refining building materials on-site? This is the practical experience passed down through six generations of civil engineers!” However, most of his classmates likely wouldn’t have thought of this, and even if they had, time was against them. This approach demanded a cultivation level that not many possessed.

Just as Li Xiao was marveling at Ying Xin’s rich experience and profound cultivation, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled intensely!

“What is happening?”

At the same instant, Yu Xinghan, who had been observing the other students, turned his head. He saw that Gongshu Jin had, at some point, replaced the Dharma Artifacts on his arms. At this moment, his arms resembled two enormous battering rams, which he brought down upon the ground with a resounding “boom!” Furthermore, Yu Xinghan could see several other sets of Dharma Artifacts arranged behind Gongshu Jin, ready for him to switch to at any moment.

“Damn rich brat!” Yu Xinghan’s heart seethed with envy, wishing he could strip the other’s Dharma Bones and wear them himself! Observing Gongshu Jin’s actions, Yu Xinghan thought, “Is he laying the foundation?”

But he quickly discerned something was amiss. Under the observation of his Three God Vision, the spiritual energy in the air had shifted. “This is! The spiritual vein is changing!” Yu Xinghan exclaimed in surprise. “This trial ground also has a spiritual vein?”

“Of course it does!” Gongshu Jin, feeling the changes in the terrain beneath him, snorted inwardly. “The trial ground simulates a real battlefield worksite environment. The ground below naturally has a simulated spiritual vein for spiritual energy circulation!”

“Ordinary laborers observe materials, excellent laborers observe structure, but true masters of civil engineering observe the array!” The fortress’s structure, its materials… these were not the most crucial elements. The array was the most vital component! As long as the array was powerful enough, even a mud wall could withstand a thousand armies and thunderous fire! And to enhance the array’s power, drawing upon the spiritual vein was naturally of paramount importance!

At this moment, the Dharma Artifacts on his hands, named the Shock Ground Arms, had been activated. Infusing them with mystical energy allowed him to unleash the 20th level Shock Ground Palm! Not only that, but the Shock Ground Arms contained an impact structure, and were based on the accumulated experience of countless users, enabling the effect of the Shock Ground Palm to far surpass that of students who had painstakingly cultivated the 20th level Shock Ground Palm on their own!

“How could self-cultivated skills, honed through a thousand hammers and a hundred refinements, possibly compare to the Dharma Artifacts and martial arts I purchased with spirit coins?”

“Spiritual vein, come forth for me!”

Gongshu Jin’s entire body blazed with gang qi, like raging flames. In one breath, he channeled it into his Shock Ground Arms. After passing through layer upon layer of impact structure, it transformed into visible, transparent ripples, carrying distorted air and dust, fiercely bombarding the ground beneath him! With a thunderous boom, some students, finding the ground beneath them unstable, stumbled and fell!

Simultaneously, the simulated spiritual vein underground, intensely shaken, began to deviate towards Gongshu Jin’s worksite, which would greatly amplify his array’s power!

But just then, a series of similar shockwaves erupted, deflecting the spiritual vein to another side! Gongshu Jin’s head snapped around. He saw Ji Yuan Pivot, also unleashing the Shock Ground Palm, and doing so without the aid of Dharma Artifacts – casting this technique bare-handed!

“20th level Shock Ground Palm?” Gongshu Jin’s heart lurched with surprise. “He has already cultivated the 20th level Shock Ground Palm? And his power is greater than mine? Is it because his foundational data is higher than mine?”

Gongshu Jin felt it wasn’t just that! In his observation, Ji Yuan Pivot’s every palm strike, regardless of strength, movement, or gang qi, was executed with flawless precision, reaching a peak of wonder! It was as if Ji Yuan Pivot’s drawing of the spiritual vein was preordained to be in that very position; everything was the will of heaven. And if he, Gongshu Jin, were to go against this, it would be an act of defiance against heaven’s will! After another confrontation, Gongshu Jin, though extremely reluctant, had to admit that in the contest of drawing the spiritual vein, he was utterly at a disadvantage!

On the other side, Ji Yuan Pivot seemed unconcerned. After engaging in a brief tug-of-war with Gongshu Jin and securing complete dominance, he pinched a Daoist formula, his mind swirling with vital energy. With a slight shake, the feeling of divine assistance that had accompanied his Shock Ground Palm dissipated entirely.

But the next moment, this vital energy again coalesced with his Concrete Gang Qi, imbuing it with an almost supernatural quality. When he struck out, it was as if guided by a divine hand; every ounce of strength, every wisp of gang qi, was precisely channeled! His Concrete Gang Qi was only at the 10th level, yet at this moment, it erupted with the effect of the 20th level!

This was the terrifying power of Qi Luck Dao Technique. As long as Ji Yuan Pivot was willing to expend vital energy, he could imbue any technique with immense fortune, allowing it to reach the absolute limit achievable within his current realm! Of course, this process also consumed vital energy. If his vital energy was severely damaged, or even exhausted, not only would the technique’s power not increase, but he would also experience a regression in power and frequent errors when striking!

However, at this moment, Ji Yuan Pivot sat confidently in the first seat of his class. His vital energy surged towards the heavens, and fortune smiled upon him. It was absolutely impossible for him to lose this battle, much less exhaust his vital energy!