Tuli Shan looked at everyone and said, “You have 15 minutes to prepare. Think carefully about what you need to do next.”

Zhang Yu examined the blueprint that appeared in his eye-skull. With his synchronized dual-mind thoughts, he quickly constructed the finished product from the blueprint in his mind. “Is this… a bunker?” Zhang Yu thought to himself.

“The bunker’s structure itself can be used to withstand various attacks,” he mused. “This is probably also a hint, signifying that the 10 waves of attacks after construction are likely related to warfare.” Thinking this, Zhang Yu sighed, “War elements again? It seems many in the Civil Engineering department truly believe the university war will escalate, preparing for it even in exams.”

He studied the bunker’s entire structure, pondering its key elements and his own advantages. “Given my construction efficiency, completing this bunker within three hours won’t be an issue. The key is to make the bunker strong enough to withstand more attacks and maintain higher integrity after the assaults. How can I maximize my advantages?”

While Zhang Yu was deep in thought, Li Xiao looked at the blueprint in his eye-skull, his eyes glinting with a sudden realization. He already had the answer.

“Materials are key,” Li Xiao thought. “I need to use the highest quality materials possible to build this bunker. The better the materials, the stronger the bunker will be. Even with the same construction efficiency, better materials will yield double the results. So, materials are the most crucial aspect.”

As this thought occurred to him, Li Xiao began mentally selecting and prioritizing materials according to the blueprint’s design. “Since materials are most important, the outcome of this exam will largely be decided during the first half-hour of material selection. The competition will be fierce then. I need to get ahead of everyone and secure the best materials.” With this in mind, Li Xiao filtered his choices again and listed the three most important materials.

The 15 minutes passed in a flash. The moment Tuli Shan announced the start of the exam, Li Xiao shot forward like an arrow. Even though his heart felt like it was bursting, his magic surged through his meridians, and his legs cleaved the air beneath him like great axes, accelerating to their absolute limit—he could only watch as two figures, like comets, tore through the atmosphere, accompanied by sonic booms, surpassing him and plunging into the building materials area.

It was Ji Yuanxu, leading the charge, with Zhang Yu close behind. After the two rushed into the materials area, Gongshu Jin’s figure flickered, leaving a long trail of disturbed air as he pursued them, becoming the third to enter the zone.

Watching others get ahead, Li Xiao felt a twinge of nervousness but no panic, as he had anticipated this. Mentally, he crossed out the top three most important building materials and immediately started searching for the fourth and fifth most important ones. “Materials ranked higher will undoubtedly face fierce competition. It’ll be hard for me to snatch them,” he thought. “Instead, I should focus on the next tier…”

However, after some searching, a hint of surprise appeared in Li Xiao’s eyes. “What’s going on?” he wondered. “Why are there only Secret Steel numbers 5 to 10? Where are the Secret Steels above number 10? And why are the other materials also… so low-grade? Is this exam meant for us to complete the bunker using these low-grade, even inferior, materials?!”

While Li Xiao was still reeling in surprise, Ying Xin’s Gangkai surged, already scooping up a large batch of inferior steel. She was not at all surprised by the low quality of the building materials. “They said this was a practical test,” she mused. “Then how to cut costs, how to skimp on materials—for example, building high-quality structures from inferior materials—can certainly be part of the assessment.” Ying Xin’s Gangkai swirled around her like a dragon, lifting tens of tons of building materials as she rushed towards her designated location.

At the same time, a series of sonic booms erupted in her ears. Ying Xin looked up and saw Ji Yuanxu leading the way, with Zhang Yu close behind. Their Gangkai enveloped them like a swirling storm, carrying a vast amount of building materials as they flew forward. Watching this, Ying Xin inwardly sighed at the gap between herself and the two, but quickly adjusted her mindset. “My opponents aren’t them,” she affirmed. “My goal is fourth place in the class.”

Meanwhile, watching the students move building materials back and forth, Tuli Shan remarked, “The path of cultivation involves small internal movements, while civil engineering involves large external movements. One internal, one external; one hidden, one manifest; they influence each other. This truly holds the great profoundness of the path of cultivation.”

Half an hour passed in a blink. As Tuli Shan announced the end of the material transportation time, Ying Xin looked at the vast amount of materials on her construction site with a satisfied smile. In fact, the materials she had transported in that half-hour far exceeded what was required by the blueprint. But everyone soon understood why she had done so.

As Tuli Shan declared the start of construction, Ying Xin let out a low cry. High-temperature Gangkai emanated an intense heat that warped the air, enveloping the large quantity of steel before her. With the high temperature surrounding the steel, Ying Xin struck out with another palm. Amidst crackling sounds, bolts of lightning Gangkai struck the hot steel, re-refining and reshaping it.

“If there are no high-quality materials, then re-forge them yourself,” she thought. “On a construction site, especially one in a battlefield, where would you find so many guaranteed, high-quality materials? It’s all about making do with what’s available.”

Witnessing Ying Xin refining the materials, many students present were slightly surprised, then realized what was happening, and finally, dismay appeared in their eyes. Li Xiao also sighed to himself as he watched. “So, she’s re-forging the building materials on-site? Is this the practical experience passed down from the sixth generation of civil engineers? Most students probably wouldn’t have thought of this, and even if they did, there wouldn’t be enough time. This requires a high level of cultivation.”

Just as Li Xiao was marveling at Ying Xin’s rich experience and profound cultivation, the ground suddenly began to tremble violently.

“What’s happening?” Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan, who had been observing the students around him, turned to see that Gongshu Jin had, at some point, changed his arm-type Dharma Bones. Now, his arms looked like two massive battering rams, striking the ground with a resounding boom. At the same time, Yu Xinghan could also see several other sets of Dharma Bones neatly arranged behind Gongshu Jin, ready for him to switch to at any moment.

“That damned rich guy,” Yu Xinghan thought, consumed by jealousy, wishing he could strip the Dharma Bones off Gongshu Jin and wear them himself.

Watching Gongshu Jin’s actions, Yu Xinghan wondered, “Is he laying the foundation?” But he soon noticed something was off. Under the observation of his Three-Eyed Divine Vision, the spiritual energy in the air was changing.

“This is… a spiritual ley line shift?” Yu Xinghan exclaimed in surprise. “Are there spiritual ley lines in this examination hall too?”

“Of course,” Gongshu Jin thought with a cold snort, sensing the changes in the terrain beneath his feet. “The examination hall simulates a real battlefield construction environment, so naturally, there are spiritual ley lines simulated by spiritual energy pathways beneath the ground.”

“Ordinary workers look at materials, excellent workers look at structure, but true civil engineering masters look at formations. The bunker’s structure and materials… are not the most important. The formation within it is the most crucial part. As long as the formation is strong enough, even an earthen wall can withstand an army of thousands, thunder, and fire. And to enhance the power of a formation, drawing upon spiritual ley lines is, of course, the most important.”

The pair of Dharma Bones he had donned was called the “Earth-Quaking Arms.” Once infused with magic, they allowed him to unleash a Level 20 Earth-Quaking Palm. Moreover, the shock-absorbing structures within the Earth-Quaking Arms, combined with experience accumulated by countless users, enabled the Earth-Quaking Palm’s effect to far surpass that of students who had painstakingly cultivated the skill to Level 20 on their own.

“How could a skill honed by one’s own thousands of trials compare to the Dharma Bones and martial arts I bought with spirit coins?” he thought. “Spiritual ley lines! Come forth!”

Gongshu Jin’s Gangkai blazed like fire. He then injected it all into his Earth-Quaking Arms, where it passed through layers of shock structures, transforming into visibly transparent ripples that twisted the air and stirred dust, as he fiercely slammed his hands onto the ground beneath him. With a resounding boom, some students felt their legs give way and collapsed to the ground. Simultaneously, the simulated spiritual ley lines beneath the ground, amidst the violent tremors, began to shift towards Gongshu Jin’s construction site, which would significantly enhance the power of his formation.

But just then, an identical tremor sounded, diverting the spiritual ley lines to the other side. Gongshu Jin abruptly turned his head and saw that Ji Yuanxu was also performing the Earth-Quaking Palm, and he was doing so bare-handed, without the aid of Dharma Bones.

“A Level 20 Earth-Quaking Palm?” Gongshu Jin wondered in surprise. “He’s already mastered the Level 20 Earth-Quaking Palm? And its power is even greater than mine? Is it because his base stats are higher than mine?”

Gongshu Jin felt it wasn’t just that. In his observation, every palm strike from Ji Yuanxu—his strength, movements, and Gangkai—was executed with perfect precision, reaching the pinnacle of skill. It was as if the spiritual ley lines Ji Yuanxu was drawing upon were naturally meant to be in that position; everything was destined by heaven, and if Gongshu Jin were to defy this, he would be going against fate itself.

After another exchange of earth-shaking blows, Gongshu Jin felt immense reluctance but had to admit that in the competition to manipulate the spiritual ley lines, he was completely outmatched.

On the other side, Ji Yuanxu remained unfazed. After a brief struggle with Gongshu Jin, and having decisively overcome him, Ji Yuanxu performed a Daoist hand seal. The surging luck in his mind rippled slightly, and the “divine aid” sensation from his Earth-Quaking Palm vanished.

But the very next moment, this luck infused his Concrete Gangkai, making its every application feel divinely crafted. Every ounce of strength, every thread of Gangkai, was perfectly utilized. His Concrete Gangkai was only Level 10, yet at that moment, it unleashed Level 20 effects.

This was the terrifying power of Luck Dao Arts: as long as Ji Yuanxu was willing to expend luck, he could imbue any of his techniques with immense fortune, allowing them to erupt with the maximum effects attainable at his current realm. Of course, this process consumed luck. If his luck were significantly depleted, or even exhausted, not only would the technique’s power not increase, but its effectiveness would even regress during execution, leading to frequent errors.

However, at this moment, Ji Yuanxu was confident in his top position in the class, his luck soaring and fortune shining brightly. It was impossible for him to lose this battle, much less deplete his luck.