https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-426-Tower-Defense-Please-Vote-for-Me-/13687059/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-428-Each-Displays-Their-Skill-Breaking-Through-in-Battle-Please-Vote-for-the-Month-/13687061/
Chapter 427: Earth and Wood Customs, Unrelenting Onslaught
As the second phase of the Military License Exam officially began, a succession of blueprints floated before Zhang Yu’s eyes, transmitted directly into his Eye Armor. Alongside them came the round’s procedures and specific rules.
If Zhang Yu were to summarize the situation, it would be this: in fifteen minutes, enemies would descend from all directions. His task was simple—protect the Array Eye before him from destruction.
The assault would last one full hour. During that time, he could rely on his own strength to fight, but he could also use the provided blueprints and nearby Building Materials to construct defensive fortifications. He could expand the Array beneath his feet, enhancing its effect and range. Or he could build defensive structures such as the Liaoyuan Platform, Ningpo Tower, or Suo Yao Tower.
Zhang Yu glanced at the exam-provided blueprints, but instead of rushing to begin construction, he first took a moment to survey his surroundings.
A cylindrical pillar, half a meter thick and over a meter tall, stood upright on the ground before him. Forged from metal, its surface pulsed with intricate Spirit Energy Circuits—glowing like faint wires, snaking deep into the earth.
This was the Array Eye he must protect. As he stared at it, a message appeared within his Eye Armor:
Array Eye Integrity: 100%
Then Zhang Yu looked around. His expression tightened slightly. The entire area is flat plains. Building a defense here depends entirely on individual creativity and imagination.
Without knowing what the enemy truly is, I should build the most adaptable defense possible—something capable of handling any scenario.
At that moment, the countdown floating in the air ticked down to 14:52.
…
Flying Barge.
The three judges and other guests watched the candidates’ performances, discussing the key points of this round.
Xi Yun Zhenjun focused his attention on Su Yanyang’s performance. A thunderous rumble echoed as clouds of Mud and Sand erupted into the sky. Su Yanyang had already plunged the Array Eye deep underground.
Yet, the live broadcast remained linked to the Eye Armor of each of the five candidates. Even beneath the surface, the judges and guests could still monitor Su Yanyang’s status.
Watching him expand the Array, construct a subterranean mausoleum, and guide the Spirit Vein, Xi Yun Zhenjun understood his intent.
“He’s building an Underground Mausoleum to strengthen the Array and create a fortress,” Xi Yun Zhenjun mused. “And he plans to hold the central command himself.”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun nodded approvingly. “A conventional approach—just like the common practice of constructing underground tombs with commercial buildings above. Simple, but effective.”
He paused, then added, “Though I wonder… why didn’t he prepare a Living Stake?”
Hearing this, Geng Chen Yi, the fifth-rank Zheng Shen, chuckled. “Tian Xiang Zhenjun, a qualified Living Stake isn’t cheap. I suspect Su Yanyang intends to use his own blood as sacrifice.”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun shook his head. “It’s your human society’s Building Materials regulations that are too strict. As long as Living Stakes remain expensive, how can the Civil Engineering industry grow?”
He added with a smirk, “Even if you won’t relax your own policies, you could at least lower tariffs and import Living Stakes from Tianyao University.”
Geng Chen Yi smiled faintly. “At Wanfa University, the tradition in Civil Engineering has always been self-sacrifice in construction, courage in advancement. The saying goes: one man’s Blood Sacrifice, three generations of bone ash. That’s the true Earth and Wood Customs.”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun merely shook his head, clearly unimpressed.
Meanwhile, Xi Yun Zhenjun turned his gaze to Xiao Yunji.
A wave of Gang Qi swept across the field, clearing away rubble and vegetation in its path. Then, Xiao Yunji began constructing a series of concentric roads centered around the Array Eye.
Tian Xiang Zhenjun frowned. “Building roads? In the Examination Hall? What is she planning?”
Xi Yun Zhenjun flipped through Xiao Yunji’s file and already guessed her strategy. A small smile played on his lips. “She’s constructing a Yuan Ci Channel. Original and unorthodox—she’s not limiting herself to the defensive structures on the blueprint. She’s using the tactic best suited to her strengths.”
At the same time, Ping Han’s actions drew even more attention from the guests.
Three 20th-Level Techniques—Xuanhuang Zhenyue Seal, Da Huan Yishan Jin, and Yutu Shengbian—were activated simultaneously, pushing Ping Han’s Xiao Sanhe to its absolute limit. But that wasn’t all.
As layers of Spirit Armor enveloped his body, the control range of his Xiao Sanhe expanded further still.
The ground trembled. Hundreds of meters around him erupted with towering structures. Then, Spirit Artifacts burst from the earth, launching into the air under the command of Soul Cultivators.
One guest exclaimed in surprise, “Is that Jin Dan Blood? Is he using Jin Dan Blood to draw Spirit Energy Circuits?”
Another guest checked Ping Han’s Soul Cultivator roster and sighed. “All of them are elite Deep Yin Qi Soul Cultivators. What a bold foundation establishment.”
Director Gao, monitoring the data, knew well that many prepared Soul Cultivators chose to pay for death services when their Physical Body could no longer be sustained. The more they spent, the more lavish their death became—complex rituals, high-end arrangements. The resulting Soul Cultivators were stronger, effectively achieving peak power before death. They died at the starting line, already ahead of the race.
Ping Han had hired only such elite post-mortem Soul Cultivators—those who had died nobly, not as fools, drunkards, or victims of accidents. By investing so heavily, he’d achieved a massive leap in Construction Efficiency.
The guests could almost see it—Ping Han’s Qiongjiang Coin rising with each stroke of his hand, his palm slashing down, unleashing a thunderous force that accelerated the construction site—Acceleration! Acceleration! Again and again!
Director Gao watched, silently resolving: I must not let such a talent as Ping Han be lost.
Then he turned his attention to the student he cared about most.
On screen, Zhang Yu brought his palms together—his Xiao Sanhe already activated.
The earth shuddered. A giant formed from stone and earth slowly rose from the ground. As more mud and sand poured in, the figure grew rapidly—five meters, then ten, fifteen, twenty… towering over thirty meters tall.
Director Gao nodded slightly. Zhang Yu’s foundation isn’t as deep as the others’.
But relying on his martial talent and Xiao Sanhe, using this earth giant to embody martial arts—this is truly the best way for him to maximize his strength and adapt to any situation.
…
Time passed in an instant.
3…
2…
1…
The final countdown ended.
The Examination Hall remained eerily still. Nothing seemed to have changed.
Yet no candidate relaxed. All remained tense, scanning the horizon, waiting for the first wave of attack.
Seconds later, the ground trembled violently.
Zhang Yu stood atop the thirty-meter-tall earth giant, gazing toward the horizon. A vast tide of Huangjin Warriors surged toward him from all directions, like an unstoppable flood.
Are they puppets?
So many of them?
Zhang Yu’s mind raced. How much did this cost? Is the exam really this extravagant?
High above, Deng Bingding, observing from the Ling Realm and the material world, scanned the number of puppets surrounding each candidate.
Hmph. The price of these puppets… over twice the market rate.
And they’re outdated stock—clearly surplus goods. Are they treating the Examination Hall like a landfill?
If there’s no foul play here… who would believe it?
But Deng Bingding had no intention of digging deeper. If he uncovered something… well, that could be trouble.
Meanwhile, the candidates responded to the onslaught in their own ways.
Su Yanyang triggered massive earth collapses, burying waves of Huangjin Warriors beneath the ground.
Xiao Yunji darted through the air, using the Yuan Ci Channel to accelerate back and forth—single-handedly holding off attacks from all sides.
Ping Han, meanwhile, was the first to erect a defensive structure. On his Liaoyuan Platform, streams of lightning and fire erupted, blasting entire groups of puppets into the air.
Combined with his Spirit Artifacts, the assault was effortlessly repelled.
Zhang Yu, commanding the giant, stomped forward—each step shaking the earth, sending waves of shock through the ground, throwing dozens of Huangjin Warriors off balance.
But soon, the puppets began to change.
Upgraded Huangjin Warriors, Zhang Yu realized.
The once bare-handed puppets now brandished weapons—swords, spears, staffs—each emitting layered Gang Qi as they slashed toward the giant.
Others carried long-range Gang Qi cannons, firing precise blasts from afar.
The barrage raked the giant’s surface. Cracks appeared. Holes opened. The defense was under serious strain.
…
Xi Yun Zhenjun spoke. “The attacks will grow stronger with each wave.”
“If they don’t build defenses while repelling attacks, they’ll eventually be overwhelmed.”
Tian Xiang Zhenjun watched Su Yanyang. “He’s opened the Mausoleum Passage? He’s figured out the Huangjin Warriors only have basic intelligence—no Soul Cultivator controlling them.”
Sure enough, as Su Yanyang opened the underground passage, the puppets rushed in—only to fall into pre-set traps, destroyed in an instant.
Geng Chen Yi turned to Xiao Yunji’s screen. The girl’s form had expanded—her slender frame now a towering, multi-armed giant, over ten meters tall, with three heads and six arms.
Each arm bore a Spirit Artifact—some summoning lightning to blast apart enemies, others raising force fields to sweep away waves of attackers.
“Three Heads and Six Arms,” Geng Chen Yi observed. “She’s fighting and building at the same time.”
He nodded in approval. “Beyond the Yuan Ci Channel, she’s constructing other Arrays and devices—restoring Martial Energy, maintaining Spirit Armor, replenishing Blood. A truly innovative path. Dao Heart is commendable.”
(End of Chapter)
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