Chapter 402 - Life-bestowed Titanium Gold

Tang Wulin raised his hand and the golden ball landed into his palm. It hummed softly in his hand, nuzzling his palm affectionately.

Tang Wulin’s face twitched. If every piece of spirit refined metal is like this from now on, could I bear giving them away? It feels like it's my own child!

At that moment, Feng Wuyu spoke up. “Disciple! Why don’t we discuss some things?”

Tang Wulin looked up to see a sleazy smile on his teacher’s face. “Okay! As long we don’t talk about my titanium gold, I’m fine with anything. It’s bound to me through my blood essence, so giving it to you would be a waste.”

“You stinking brat!” Feng Wuyu smacked the back of Tang Wulin’s head, but eventually revealed a helpless smile. This kid really doesn’t care about how I feel!

Tang Wulin smirked. “Teacher, I’ve already delayed the competition long enough. I need to go down and rest. I’ll visit you in the evening.”

“Mn.” Feng Wuyu nodded, still unable to hide his smile.

Tang Wulin had bestowed life onto the titanium crystal. He had succeeded in spirit refining it into titanium gold. He was no longer a fifth-rank blacksmith in name alone. Although he had focused solely on forging alloys since reaching this rank, it had imperceptibly influenced his refining ability, particularly his control and perception. Feng Wuyu had no right to be fussy with such a talented disciple.

“The match is over. Tang Wulin of the first grade is the winner,” Shen Yi declared. The result had long since been clear to everyone, but this made it official. He Xiaopeng quietly descended from the stage while Tang Wulin returned to his classmates amidst their cheers.

Tang Wulin flashed a smile at his classmates then gestured to Xu Lizhi. Upon seeing that signal, Xu Lizhi jogged over and handed Tang Wulin some pork buns he had prepared beforehand. Tang Wulin devoured them, then sat down cross-legged to meditate. Spirit refining the titanium crystal had drained him, but he would soon have to go up for the team battle. He had to take every moment he could to recover.

“The second match will be fought through mecha-designing,” Shen Yi announced. “Would the representatives please come up.”

The students of the second grade could hardly believe that they lost the first match, but they weren’t too concerned. He Xiaopeng had still put on a splendid performance. Tang Wulin was just a freak of nature. He Xiaopeng never had a chance.

Gu Yue looked at Tang Wulin for a moment, her eyes slightly narrowed, then took the stage. Gu Yue’s opponent took the stage as well. She was a tall and no less beautiful than Mu Xi. Unlike the girls of the first grade, she possessed a hint of maturity. She looked to be the same age as He Xiaopeng, about sixteen or seventeen, a young lady in the prime of her youth. In comparison, Gu Yue had average looks. Nothing about her really drew the eyes of others. The most charming thing about her was her cool temperament.

For this match, the forging tables remained on the stage. Their flat surfaces would do just as well for design drafting as they would forging.

The girl from the second grade glanced at a boy in the audience and flashed a sweet smile at him. The boy nodded in response.

That “boy” was Yuanen Yehui.

Xie Xie didn’t miss this. He gawked at the two, his mind reeling from the exchange. What’s going on? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were a couple!

Satisfied, the girl then turned to Gu Yue. “Hello, I’m Bai Hanying from the second grade. Please advise me.”

“First grade’s Gu Yue.”

Shen Yi looked between the two girls, then walked to the edge of the platform once more. “This designing match will test your reasoning and the quality of your design. You have thirty minutes to design a right gauntlet for a set of battle armor. You can use your old designs. Elder Cai will personally select the winner.”

A gauntlet? Upon hearing that, the students of the first grade cheered. Tang Wulin’s team had crafted his right gauntlet. Considering the relationship between Gu Yue and Tang Wulin, they were certain that she designed it! Since she was capable of creating a design for a piece of one-word battle armor, they believed they had this match in the bag.

Graph paper and writing instruments were immediately delivered to the stage and placed on the forging tables. The moment everything was set up, Shen Yi cried, “Begin!”

With that declaration, the pencils of the two competitors began to dance, the contents of their minds pouring out onto the paper.

It was fundamentally impossible to create a design from scratch in just thirty minutes. What this match truly tested was their design fundamentals. Gu Yue didn’t draw too quickly or too slowly. Her pencil moved steadily across the paper, never stopping for even a moment. The form of a gauntlet quickly took shape on her paper. On the other side of the stage, Bai Hanying drew much faster, constantly erasing and revising her design. In spite of that, she made quick progress.

Soon enough, the thirty allotted minutes ran out. The second they did, Bai Hanying and Gu Yue put their pencils down at practically the same time.

The two designs were delivered to Elder Cai. She handed one of them to the Holy Spirit Douluo. The two Titled Douluos took a few minutes to inspect the designs and discuss them. Once they came to a consensus, Elder Cai stood up.

Gu Yue and and Bai Hanying looked up at the platform expectantly.

“This match is a draw.” Elder Cai looked between the two girls. “Gu Yue, your design for a one-word gauntlet incorporates spirit alloys and is very comprehensive. It’s a practical and effective design. Bai Hangying, your design is much more complicated, and it implemented many advanced theories perfectly. However, the overall design is flawed. If you manage to complete it, you’ll have become a fifth-rank designer. Is your design meant for someone with twin martial souls?”

Bai Hanying nodded. “Yes, Elder Cai.”

Elder Cai continued. “In order to perfect your design, you should work together with Gu Yue. You will be able to complement each other and make up for your deficiencies, making it far easier to complete the design. Adding spirit alloys to the design would vastly improve a one-word gauntlet meant for someone with twin martial souls. You would waste a lot of time if you work independently.”

Bai Hanying turned to look at Gu Yue, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. Designing battle armor for someone with twin martial souls was already a difficult task. Adding spirit alloys to the design would push it beyond the domain of her current abilities. Feeling Bai Hanying’s gaze, Gu Yue turned to look her in the eye. She already understood what the girl’s goal was. That design was most likely for Yuanen Yehui.

It was in this way that the second match concluded. The first grade now led the competition with one win and one draw.

Gu Yue was over two years younger than her opponent, but she was able to bring the match to a draw. This was victory enough for them.

Both competitors left the stage. The students in the first grade welcomed Gu Yue back with loud cheers. They had done well in the first two matches so far, and this boosted their confidence.

However, the first grade suffered a crushing defeat in the third match.

Tang Wulin didn’t recognize the mecha maker the second grade sent out. He was a fourth-rank maker, but the first grade only had the third-rank Luo Guixing. The difference between the two clear, and defeat came swiftly.

The fourth match, on the other hand, was surprisingly even. Wu Siduo was quite the gifted mechanic, but her opponent was the class president of the second grade, Yuanen Yehui. Yuanen Yehui won by a thin margin in the end, but she knew that she was older than Wu Siduo by a year, so she couldn’t feel satisfied by the win.

With the conclusion of the fourth match, the second grade had two wins, one draw, and one loss. It seemed as though their victory were certain, but they didn’t seem happy at all. Considering the age difference, it became clear that the second grade was actually weaker than the first grade.

If they did win, it wouldn’t be a true victory.