Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Xu Jintang observed Mu Zhongbai.

His face was aged and wrinkled, yet his eyes were remarkably bright, radiating boundless wisdom.

Mu Zhongbai spoke slowly, "The Inscriber Competition's quarterfinal elimination round will commence in half an hour. Everyone may use this time to prepare."

His words instantly heightened the tension in the venue.

Xue Zhongqi took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together, and leaned in to whisper, "Since Elder Mu is setting the challenge this time, the difficulty is bound to be high."

Xu Jintang withdrew her gaze. "You know a lot about him?"

"Of course," Xue Zhongqi replied proudly. "He is the idol I admire most. That extremely complex Tracking Inscription formation diagram was created by him."

A flicker of surprise crossed Xu Jintang's eyes.

The Tracking Inscription's formation diagram was intricate and challenging to comprehend; even with tutorials, crafting it was arduous.

Yet, it was entirely Elder Mu's original creation.

His talent for inscription was truly formidable.

Before long, the surrounding contestants eagerly converged around Mu Zhongbai, humbly seeking advice on inscription-related techniques.

Xue Zhongqi bid her farewell and promptly rose to consult Mu Zhongbai.

Only Xu Jintang remained quietly seated.

Time flowed, and soon, thirty minutes elapsed.

The staff entered punctually. "Contestants, please take your assigned seats. The quarterfinal elimination round assessment is about to begin."

Xu Jintang finally stood, locating her seat according to the number displayed on the light screen.

Her seat was positioned at the far left of the first row, very close to Mu Zhongbai.

She could see him with a mere glance upward.

He stood beside the floating light screen, gesturing towards the text displayed. "The inscription formation diagram on the screen is the challenge for this elimination round. Everyone may take a moment to examine it."

Xu Jintang turned to the screen.

The formation diagram was complex and unfamiliar.

At least, she had never encountered such a diagram before.

Soon, other contestants also appeared bewildered.

Someone raised a hand and asked, "Teacher Mu, what specific inscription is this formation diagram for? I've never seen it."

A faint smile touched Mu Zhongbai's face. "This formation diagram's inscription is a new type I created just a few months ago. It has not yet been officially released to the public. I've named it the 'Frenzy Inscription.' Its specific function is to allow the user to enter a frenzied state for twenty minutes, increasing their strength by at least twenty percent. If applied to an artifact weapon, it yields the same effect."

The venue suddenly fell silent.

The same student inquired again, "Then, Teacher, what do you mean by saying this formation diagram will be the question for this elimination round?"

Mu Zhongbai continued, "The task for this round is to learn on the spot and successfully inscribe a Frenzy Inscription. Scores will be comprehensively evaluated based on completion time and the inscription's quality."

The contestants collectively froze, rendered speechless.

Learning to inscribe a completely unfamiliar inscription on the spot—this challenge was even more daunting than last season's finals.

The live stream audience was equally stunned.

[Huh? Is Elder Mu really setting such a difficult challenge? I even doubt anyone will be able to complete it today.]

[Hahahahaha, this is going to be entertaining. If no one actually completes the assessment later, how spectacular would that scene be?]

[Is this question for real? Is this a joke?]

As is widely known, for an Inscriber to learn how to craft a new inscription, it could take months, or at least a week or two.

Even the most basic inscription required at least a week to master.

Only those with truly exceptional talent could achieve mastery within a day or two.

Learning to produce an inscription on the spot and immediately mastering it was simply an unachievable feat.

"Teacher Mu, you... you're not joking, are you?" another contestant hesitantly asked.

Mu Zhongbai smiled. "Of course not."

After he spoke, a staff member stepped forward and announced, "The competition begins now. This round's assessment has a time limit of eight hours. During this period, the examination venue will provide food, snacks, and a range of other services. The assessment timer will pause while contestants enjoy meals and other services."

"Here, we wish all contestants success in their assessment. If you have any questions, you can seek help from the on-site staff at any time."

As these words concluded, the light screen behind the staff began a countdown.

The contestants stared wide-eyed, frozen in their seats.

Xu Jintang also fell silent for a moment before turning her gaze to the formation diagram displayed ahead.

With a total of eight hours, she could likely attempt the inscription over ten times.

Without further hesitation, Xu Jintang retrieved her Yellow Sand Fire Cloud Brush, picked up a neutral raw stone from the table, and began inscribing.

Matching the formation diagram on the light screen, she connected the psychic threads stroke by stroke.

Soon, she focused intently and entered a state of deep concentration.

Mu Zhongbai stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the venue.

He deliberately walked over to Xu Jintang's side, slightly lowering his gaze to examine the raw stone in her hand.

At that moment, Xu Jintang had just completed one-tenth of the formation diagram.

A faint glow emanated from the raw stone.

Mu Zhongbai stopped and stood directly beside Xu Jintang, watching intently.

Noticing someone watching her, Xu Jintang became slightly distracted, and accidentally, the psychic threads at the tip of her brush broke.

The faintly glowing raw stone instantly dimmed.

The first inscription attempt had failed.

Xu Jintang frowned, discarded the failed raw stone, took a deep breath to calm herself, and began her second attempt.

Mu Zhongbai hadn't moved either. A faint smile touched his lips when she failed as he continued standing there, watching her second try.

This scene was captured by the surveillance satellite nearby and broadcast live on the stream.

[Instructor Mu really has his eye on Qian Duoduo.]

[Of course! Qian Duoduo crafted a Tracking Inscription in the previous round.]

[According to competition records, Qian Duoduo is only sixteen this year. To be able to create such a difficult inscription at this age—her talent is absolutely terrifying.]

[So, do you think she can complete this brutal challenge today?]

[I doubt it. This test seems impossible. My guess is everyone bombs today.]

...

Mu Zhongbai's presence drew a significant audience to the live stream. In just half an hour, the viewer count surged.

It even sparked a trending post on the Star Network.

At the competition venue, half an hour had passed, and the contestants' expressions grew increasingly tense.

Xu Jintang was feeling the pressure too.

The raw stone she was working on for her second attempt had reached one-fifth completion—a significant improvement over her first try.

Mu Zhongbai, who had been closely observing her progress, nodded slightly.

Managing to complete one-fifth of the inscription on the second attempt demonstrated remarkable ability.

Unfortunately, as she tried to push further, Xu Jintang failed again.

"Whew..." Xu Jintang laid down her inscription pen and rubbed her stiff neck.

Seeing this, Mu Zhongbai finally turned and left to make his rounds among the other contestants.

After a short break, Xu Jintang dove right back into her third attempt.

Time slipped away, and an hour passed.

No one on the field had successfully completed the inscription; all the contestants sighed in frustration.

After failing his third attempt, Jiang Xiangyang shook his head in resignation and headed toward the rest area.

The rest area was stocked with snacks, drinks, and dedicated lounge counters for the contestants.

Jiang Xiangyang selected a slice of dessert cake, took his plate to the lounge counter, and took a seat.

Not long after, Xu Jintang's fourth attempt also failed.

Prolonged intense mental focus had left her feeling spaced out. She took a deep breath, massaged her sore shoulders, and stood up to head to the rest area.

She selected a cup of chilled fruit and brought it to the lounge counter.

Picking up a fork, she popped a piece of chilled fruit into her mouth. The cool sensation instantly relaxed her.

"Miss Qian, what do you think of the difficulty of this test?" Jiang Xiangyang, sitting nearby, finally struck up a conversation.

Xu Jintang glanced at him. "It's alright."

Jiang Xiangyang let out a light laugh. "From the tone of your voice, it sounds like you've got this in the bag?"

"I didn't say that," Xu Jintang replied, taking another bite of the chilled fruit.

By then, other contestants had also gradually made their way to the lounge counter to relax.

Jiang Xiangyang didn't press further. He looked away and focused on enjoying his dessert.

A little later, Xue Zhongqi also came over.

He grabbed a fruit drink and sat down opposite Xu Jintang.

"Ugh, this test is terrifying. During my third attempt, I only completed one-tenth before failing. At this rate, it'll take me at least a week to fully master this inscription," Xue Zhongqi lamented, shaking his head.

Xu Jintang considered her own progress. By her third attempt, she had already gotten a quarter of the way through the inscription.

Seeing Xue Zhongqi's miserable expression, she remained silent and took another piece of chilled fruit.

Contestants at other tables around them also began airing bitter complaints.

"This test is just impossible! How are they going to rank us?"

"Maybe based on the highest progress everyone achieves?"

"This is such a drag. We still have seven hours to endure."

Despite the overwhelming complaints, after resting, the contestants had no choice but to return to the competition area and keep at it.

Xu Jintang, feeling a bit recharged, stood up and returned to the competition area.

Settling into her seat, she steadied herself, picked up the Inscription Pen, and began another attempt.

Another dull hour and a half passed.

Viewers in the live stream were getting bored from waiting, and many began dipping out, leaving comments that they would return once the test was over.

[Whoa! Check out Qian Duoduo—she's already one-third of the way through!]

This exclamation immediately perked up the dozing viewers.

[?? I blinked and someone's already one-third done!]

[Qian Duoduo is legitimately amazing. With talent like this, she might even match Teacher Mu someday.]

[Could she actually master this inscription today?]

A fine layer of sweat broke out on Xu Jintang's forehead.

Her gaze remained fixed on the neutral raw stone in her hand. One-third of the inscription inside the stone was already illuminated by psychic threads. Just a little more, and she would reach the halfway point.

But then, with a "bang," an explosion sounded.

The raw stone in Xu Jintang's hand dissolved into powder.

She was stunned.

An explosion?