403 Faction Inclination

Many of the participants discussed animatedly, and their eyes lit up in anticipation.

Only Wu Mo did not seem to be affected.

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you excited about it?” Xu Wanqing asked curiously. There are Divine-grade materials! You can’t buy them even if you have the money!”

Wu Mo smiled calmly. “Of course I’m excited. However, I’m happy to just try my best. Our strength will determine whether we get the materials or not.”

“Nonsense! Everyone here has been chosen from the best of the best in the various provinces. Even if there’s a difference in strength, it’s a small one. So, it’s more important to focus on your performance during the competition. If you can perform beyond your usual standards, there’s hope for you to enter the top 10.”

Just then, the host from the Blacksmith Association began to brief them on the competition’s format.

“This exchange conference is divided into two main parts. The first part is blueprint design. A piece of equipment can only be realized with a good design. A creative design also reflects the progress you’ve made. Therefore, a good blacksmith must perform well in the blueprint design segment.

“We will provide each person with three pieces of high-quality blueprint paper, and you are allowed to make two mistakes. If you make a third mistake, you will be immediately eliminated.”

Blueprint design was a very rigorous job. Good and creative ideas were ultimately achieved through blueprints.

However, the work of drawing was usually tedious, and there was a high possibility of mistakes in the process as one’s thoughts changed.

The participants were not allowed to design just any kind of equipment. Instead, they would be given questions on the spot. The participants would have to think about it and draw out their ideas. Finally, the pros and cons of their designs would be judged.

Therefore, once the design was completed, many people would already be eliminated.

Even so, the organizers would not announce the results yet.

After all, no matter how good the blueprint was, it would be a waste if it could not be forged.

One needed to know how to turn one’s thoughts into blueprints and then turn those blueprints into equipment to be considered a qualified blacksmith.

Otherwise, a good design that could not be realized would mean nothing.

So, even if they did not score well for their design blueprints at first, they still had a chance to catch up.

The organizers would not exclude those who ranked lower just because of the quality of their blueprints. They still needed to determine the final result through actual forging.

Hence, the first part was the design, and the second part was the forging.

For the sake of fairness, each segment utilized a 100-point system. In the end, the two scores would be added together, and the person with the highest score would be in first place.

The host on the stage explained the rules twice. Once he could see that the participants had memorized and understood them, he waved his hand and said, “The competition will officially begin now! This competition is certified by the Nine Provinces Notarization Office, and topics covered in today’s competition have been appraised by the Blacksmith Association. Each participant will be assigned a unique question by drawing lots.”

The blacksmiths below were excited and nervous when they heard this.

Xu Wanqing took a deep breath and turned to Wu Mo. “I thought everyone would be given the same question and topic. I didn’t expect us to be drawing lots.”

“As we all know, blacksmiths usually forge weapons and armor, with very little auxiliary equipment. So, you’d think that the scope of topics would be easy to determine. But since they’re making us draw lots, I have a feeling that the selection of topics will take us by surprise. The requirements may be very harsh or strange. You’d better be careful,” Wu Mo said with some curiosity.

Xu Wanqing rolled her eyes at him.

Wu Mo knew that women held grudges, but he never thought that she would still remember the small matter of not opening the door for her.

“I heard that the Blacksmith Association is currently divided. Some blacksmiths say that the technological system is taking up too much of the forging industry. It’s causing equipment research and development to become slower and more difficult. Besides, the cost is high. Some are hoping to focus on the transcendent system.”

Xu Wanqing quietly leaned her head closer to Wu Mo and told him what she knew.

“However, there are only a few blacksmiths who support the transcendent system, and they’re all relatively young. I’m sure you’re aware that blacksmiths only appeared not too long ago. Without a complete transcendent system and the support of a technological system, the equipment forged will be unstable, and it will be difficult to scale up.

“So, although there are voices of opposition, it still hasn’t become mainstream. However, as the situation on the battlefield has become more and more serious, the country has decided that it doesn’t matter which system is used. As long as it produces satisfactory results, it’s a good system. Therefore, blacksmiths who focus on transcendent systems have been allowed to participate in this exchange conference, and they’ve been given nearly half of the judging rights.”

“Oh?” Wu Mo’s eyes lit up. Things had taken an unexpected turn.

He had assumed that the Nine Provinces were filled with people who only walked the same path, but it was obvious that he had underestimated these blacksmiths.

“In other words, nearly half of the judges for this competition are blacksmiths who support the transcendent system?”

“Yes! Many people know about this, but I’m sure you also realize that the transcendent system is still very underdeveloped. It’s very risky to take this route. Which side do you plan on choosing?”

“Transcendent!” Wu Mo glanced at Xu Wanqing.

Xu Wanqing’s beautiful eyes instantly widened. She looked at him and asked, “You’re choosing transcendent? You’ve developed several types of equipment based on the technology system. Why have you chosen the transcendent system?”

“Because it gives me more freedom!”

“Freedom?”

“Yes! It’s precisely because the transcendent system isn’t perfect that I can create the equipment I want. And if the technological system is the dominant one, do you know how boring it is to fuse all kinds of technologies together and then fuse extraordinary effects?”

“Hmph! Of course I know! However, it’s obvious that the technological system is advantageous too. As long as the equipment’s a success, it can be mass-produced. Troops can quickly equip themselves and increase their combat strength. Can the transcendent system do that? Equipment that are forged using two different systems will never be the same even if they’re forged by the same person.”

Wu Mo did not want to argue with her, so he said, “It’s up to you. Anyway, this is my choice!”

Xu Wanqing snorted and stood up to go up to the stage and draw lots.

Wu Mo also stood up and followed suit.

Soon, everyone finished drawing lots on the stage and returned to their seats.

“What’s your topic?” Xu Wanqing asked curiously.

Wu Mo looked at her speechlessly and realized that once this girl got familiar with him, she would be clingy. He could not shake her off.

Unfortunately, Xu Wanqing did not notice Wu Mo’s annoyance. She only looked at the note in his hand.

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