Chapter 423: Tower Defense

Of the three judges, the one in the middle was formed from mist, with two bolts of lightning flickering like eyes at the head. Director Gao knew this was True Lord Qiyun, one of Wanfa University's vice-chancellors, overseeing teaching and talent development.

For years, True Lord Qiyun has advocated for underage immortal cultivation, believing that the best path for Kunxu's youth is the grave. He constantly proposes that young people under 18 should be able to cultivate the immortal path and contribute to society. The humanoid mist before them was merely an avatar of True Lord Qiyun.

To the left was a ten-meter-tall demonkin with flag-like teeth in his mouth, a nose resembling a flood dragon, and the bloodline of an elephant demon! Director Gao recognized him as True Lord Tianxiang from Tianyao University, a seasoned expert in civil engineering with significant influence in academia. True Lord Tianxiang was also a master in the field of "living piles"; he once accelerated the birth of three thousand demon fetuses in a single day to meet a deadline. He had repeatedly protested against human-demon inequality to all sectors of society, arguing that every human should have the right to be mass-produced and bred.

Both True Lord Tianxiang and True Lord Qiyun were revered seniors whose names Director Gao had known for centuries. However, each time he met them again, he had to admit that they had changed significantly. They always kept pace with the times, constantly evolving their ideas and staying ahead of trends. They truly lived up to their reputations as vice-chancellors and technical masters.

Among the three judges, the one on the right was a Fifth-Rank True God, shimmering with divine light, named Gengchen Yi. This True God was also an old acquaintance of Director Gao, having been responsible for many affairs within Wanfa University City for years. The last major sweep against the Twin-Cultivation Heresy was led by Gengchen Yi. This time, Gengchen Yi was in charge of overseeing the True Gods assisting with order during the military certification exam.

As Gengchen Yi moved, divine power continuously rippled through the Spirit Realm, spreading across the entire examination arena. His consciousness swept back and forth, then he slowly spoke: "Is everything ready?"

In an instant, responses from various True Gods came back. Deng Bingding, who had previously overseen Zhang Yu's Foundation Establishment exam on the first level and later ascended to the second level, was among them. Deng Bingding replied via the Spirit Realm network: "The examination venue is ready, and all eight participants have arrived!" As Deng Bingding answered, he discreetly observed Zhang Yu's position, wondering, "Zhang Yu is only a junior, isn't he? Why is he taking the military certification exam?"

Gengchen Yi looked at True Lord Qiyun beside him and smiled: "Chancellor, all the candidates have arrived. Shall we begin?" Rumbles of thunder echoed within True Lord Qiyun's body, the sounds overlapping to form a deep male voice. "Then let us begin!"

The eight candidates were watching the flying boat in the sky when, the next moment, their vision flickered, and Deng Bingding's projection appeared before them. Seeing Deng Bingding appear, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Yu's eyes. Then, he heard the rules and course of the competition.

"Is it divided into two rounds?" Zhang Yu mused to himself: "Eight participants, each following different instructions, heading in eight different directions to distinct locations 10 kilometers away! The three who arrive last... will be directly eliminated."

Hearing this elimination rule announced by Deng Bingding, the students present felt a chill. As the countdown projection appeared in the air, the students made their preparations. Ping Han stood on his treasure chest. Su Yanyang activated his Dharma Skeleton, floating in mid-air. Behind Xiaoyun Ban, his Dharma Skeleton deformed, spewing out streams of protective energy, and his inner magical power circulated rapidly.

Like thunderbolts exploding, as the countdown ended, the figures of the eight candidates simultaneously vanished, shooting off like black lightning bolts in eight different directions. Watching the students disappear, Deng Bingding thought to himself: "Even on the second level, money isn't enough! The military certification exam is quite expensive. That's probably why they're eliminating three people first, to avoid budget shortfalls!" Gazing at the direction Zhang Yu had disappeared, Deng Bingding wondered, "I wonder how far Zhang Yu can make it!"

At this moment, the entire examination arena, all eight students, were under the surveillance of the True Gods. On the flying boat, scenes from the examination arena appeared before the three judges and numerous guests. True Lord Qiyun calmly stated: "Although it's only a short 10-kilometer distance, many traps have been laid along the way to impede the candidates' speed!"

True Lord Tianxiang nodded beside him: "The first round is a basic test. It's to examine the candidates' fundamental skills and their adaptability. The last three, naturally, will have no need for a military certification."

With a thought, True Lord Tianxiang saw Su Yanyang's figure appear on the screen before him. Su Yanyang's arms and legs were composed of crystalline structures, with electric light flickering within, emitting a heart-pounding aura. This was his strongest Dharma Skeleton set, the Earth Fiend God. As for why he hadn't switched to his previous speed-type Dharma Skeleton, it was because he had been entangled in lawsuits and was in poor financial shape over the past year, and that set of Dharma Skeleton had been sold before the exam.

Currently, boosted by the Earth Fiend God, Su Yanyang floated in mid-air, flying forward at high speed in a manner defying gravity. The next moment, he felt a sudden heaviness, as if an invisible mountain had pressed upon him, dragging him toward the ground. Su Yanyang's expression changed. The eyes of his Dharma Skeleton scanned in all directions. He quickly located the core of the great formation below, then changed his hand seals, stirring up large amounts of mud and sand to disrupt the formation. True Lord Tianxiang commented casually: "This Su Yanyang's reaction is quite good!"

Next, he switched to Xiaoyun Ban's perspective and saw the young woman had transformed into a ten-meter-tall giant with three heads and six arms, charging recklessly and smashing all sorts of formations and traps along the way. Watching this scene, True Lord Tianxiang laughed heartily: "This Xiaoyun Ban is truly fierce! It's commendable that she's even using a transforming Dharma Skeleton!"

Just then, True Lord Qiyun, who was beside him, said: "Tianxiang, look at Ping Han!" True Lord Tianxiang switched to Ping Han's perspective and saw him standing upright on a man-high metal box, speeding toward the target location. At the same time, several magic treasures tightly encircled him. Whether it was surging thunderfire or incoming sword qi, all were completely blocked by the treasures. From the magic treasures, fire dragons occasionally shot out, refining all formations impeding Ping Han's progress into scorched earth. From start to finish, Ping Han stood with his arms crossed, letting his array of magic treasures do the work. They blocked all attacks, allowing him to shoot towards the target location at the fastest speed among the eight.

Watching this scene, True Lord Tianxiang's elephant nose swayed. His gaze then swept over the price and trend chart of the Jiongjiang Coin on Ping Han, and he chuckled: "A kid with immortal fate who got rich quick by speculating on Jiongjiang Coins!" True Lord Qiyun, beside him, nodded: "To arrive at the military certification exam right before bankruptcy, he truly has immortal fate!"

As cultivators who had journeyed from ancient times to the modern era, they understood that the definition of "immortal fate" changed with the times. In ancient times, an immortal imparting cultivation methods leading to sudden enlightenment was immortal fate; falling off a cliff and discovering a secret treasure was immortal fate; accidentally consuming rare herbs and rapidly advancing one's cultivation was also immortal fate! Since ancient times, there has never been a shortage of instances where a single stroke of immortal fate allowed someone to surpass decades, or even centuries, of others' efforts. However, in modern times, immortals cannot illegally impart teachings, secret treasures everywhere have long been excavated, and rare herbs in the ground are no longer ownerless. But immortal fate has not disappeared; it has merely transformed into a different form. Winning the lottery is immortal fate, profiting from stocks is immortal fate, gambling can be immortal fate, and profiting from crypto trading can also be immortal fate! In short, becoming rich overnight is immortal fate! To True Lord Qiyun, Ping Han was precisely a young man who had stumbled upon immortal fate. Especially after getting rich overnight, to be able to seize the opportunity to take the military certification exam meant his immortal fate was profound indeed!

As True Lord Qiyun's gaze shifted, the estimated value of all the Dharma Skeletons and magic treasures on the people present had been calculated. Ping Han was first, Xiaoyun Ban second! True Lord Tianxiang, beside him, said: "Judging from his net worth, overall score, and cultivation, Ping Han truly has a chance to obtain the military certification! Chancellor Qiyun, it seems Wanfa is about to produce another military certificate holder!" True Lord Qiyun calmly replied: "It's merely immortal fate. Whether he can ultimately grasp it depends on him."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Director Gao was watching Zhang Yu's perspective. On the screen, Zhang Yu was clad in golden armor, with a golden thread jade bi hovering behind his head. He stomped the ground with each step, emitting bursts of booming sounds. Aided by the Taiyi Golden Liquid Elixir and protective aura, he experienced almost no pauses along the way. Even as various attacks pounded him, he always managed to steadily charge through the swirling dust. The golden thread jade bi behind his head occasionally released rays of deep cold, temporarily freezing certain formations. Director Gao could see that while Zhang Yu's speed wasn't the fastest, it was as stable as Ping Han's, with virtually no change in pace from beginning to end. He reached the target location, ranking fourth.

Director Gao then looked at Ping Han, who was the first to arrive, sighing inwardly: "Ah, if Ping Han really manages to get the military certificate this time, I'll have to have a serious talk with him! If he can cash out all his Jiongjiang Coins, temporarily give up crypto trading, and diligently cultivate the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, then he could become another prodigy for our Civil Engineering Department!"

As Director Gao pondered, the three participants who arrived last had already been eliminated. Zhang Yu also caught True Lord Tianxiang's attention. He curled his elephant nose and said: "A junior coming to take the military certification exam? Chancellor Qiyun, your school's Civil Engineering Department truly produces many talents!" True Lord Qiyun was also somewhat surprised by this and was looking through Zhang Yu's data.

Meanwhile, the second round of the military certification exam had already begun. Zhang Yu looked at the lines of text appearing before him and thought: "Establish a defensive line, protect the formation core, and withstand an hour of attacks?" Zhang Yu looked at the various blueprints provided, musing: "Prairie Platform, Soul-Condensing Tower, Demon-Locking Tower... Is this asking me to build defensive towers and play tower defense?"