Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 280 The Censorship Competition Begins

The Heavenly Works Bureau, a side hall.

"I didn't expect you to have reached the late Foundation Establishment stage so quickly, congratulations!"

In the main seat, Qin Zhizheng took a sip of spiritual tea and congratulated Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling's cultivation progress really surprised him.

I was still a little worried that he might have taken some shortcuts for the competition.

If the foundation is so weak, then the gains will outweigh the losses.

He could sense that Zhou Ling's aura was not disordered at all, but rather even more powerful, which put him at ease.

With Zhou Ling's talent, as long as he works steadily and diligently, his future achievements will surely be remarkable.

There's no need to rush or take unconventional approaches.

"I unexpectedly obtained several high-grade spiritual herbs this time, which is how I managed to break through!"

Zhou Ling replied modestly.

Generally speaking, even with ten Black Flame Fruits, it would be impossible to progress so quickly.

After all, Zhou Ling still relied on the two talents: [Spiritual Medicine Stress Response] and [The More Setbacks, the Stronger He Becomes].

Even with ample Black Flame Fruit, it would be difficult for ordinary cultivators to achieve this effect.

Qin Zhizheng nodded, his face full of amazement. Zhou Ling's potential was far greater than he had expected.

Lu Yunxi, who was standing to the side, was equally shocked.

You should know that when she went to Lingxia Immortal City, Zhou Ling was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

However, in just a few years, he has already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

She had just entered the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Such talent is truly astonishing.

My future at the Tiangong Division will really depend on Zhou Ling.

How confident are you about your chances in this competition?

Qin Zhizheng asked again.

Li Feng and He Shenke are both difficult to deal with.

In terms of technique, Zhou Ling had no advantage over the two.

In terms of cultivation level, it's far too low.

"Rest assured, Master, I will do my utmost! As for the odds of winning, I can't say for sure!"

Zhou Ling said with a relaxed expression.

He was also aware that his two competitors were one in the late stage of the Golden Core realm and the other in the peak stage of the Golden Core realm, and both had been working in the Heavenly Crafts Bureau for many years.

Although they are still only third-rank technicians, their ability to compete for the position of Chief Technician clearly indicates that they already possess the strength of a fourth-rank technician.

The key to his opportunity was that he was the top performer in the Heavenly Craftsmanship Department's Heavenly Guard assessment.

If the two of them were to forge a fourth-grade magic weapon, he might not have had the chance.

"There's no need to feel too much pressure!"

"The higher-ups at the Heavenly Crafts Bureau have set the tone: as long as your performance is no less than the other two, the position of Chief Craftsman will be yours!"

Qin Zhi smiled and said something good that Zhou Ling hadn't expected.

"Zhizheng, are you saying that I can win as long as I can forge a third-grade high-quality magic weapon?"

Zhou Ling looked puzzled.

If the Heavenly Crafts Bureau intended for him to succeed as the Chief Executive, then why bother with this competition?
If you don't truly win, others won't be convinced!

Zhou Ling frowned. After all, within the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, one needed genuine talent and ability to gain the trust of others.

"Well, the main reason is your status as the leader of the Heavenly Guard. Originally, the higher-ups wanted you to hone your skills for a while longer."

"After all, you're not very old, and you're probably not mature enough in terms of personality and other aspects."

"But it was only after my insistence that the higher-ups decided to hold the competition."

"Furthermore, if you win this time, there will be another reward from above!"

Qin Zhizheng explained to Zhou Ling.

"award?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling's face lit up with joy. He figured that as a high-ranking member of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, the reward must be quite substantial.

“I know that your family still leases the spiritual vein of Xuan Yuan Dao Academy.”

"So this time, I've applied for a fourth-tier Spirit Gathering Array Bead as a reward for you."

"With this Spirit Gathering Pearl and the Spirit Gathering Array set up, the Zhou family's spiritual veins will have a chance to be upgraded to the fourth tier!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ling blinked.

She felt increasingly grateful to Qin Zhizheng, and even thought about the matter of the Spirit Gathering Pearl for herself.

You should know that fourth-tier Spirit Gathering Pearls are practically impossible to find on the market.

Even if he still holds the identity of a Heavenly Guard, it is still not enough to exchange for it.

This shows how precious this fourth-tier Spirit Gathering Pearl is.

"If you win this time, in addition to this Spirit Gathering Pearl, you will also receive a reward of two thousand points."

"If not, you will only get one thousand points."

Qin Zhizheng smiled and said.

"There's a reward even if you lose?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling looked surprised and inwardly marveled.

Originally, the three were vying for the position of Chief Justice, and this reward was won by Qin, the Chief Justice.

The fact that there's a reward for losing is quite unexpected.

"With my current level of spiritual awareness, coupled with the [Sixth Transformation] talent, refining a third-grade high-quality or even top-quality treasure should not be a problem."

Zhou Ling is very confident in herself.

With the cultivation levels of both opponents, forging a top-grade third-tier magic weapon would not be a problem.

If I were to compete against them, my chances of winning would indeed be slim.

However, his main cultivation method was the Earth-rank Divine Soul Technique of the Lingxiao Sect, the Three Pure Creation Technique, whose Divine Soul power was extremely pure.

He himself is a Three Pure Ones Soul Body, capable of condensing three divine souls to assist in refining the inscription.

Moreover, the [Sixth Transformation] talent will greatly reduce the difficulty of crafting the inscription.

Therefore, in his view, even if the opponent is strong, he is not without a chance.

"You don't need to take winning or losing too seriously!"

"Given your qualifications, becoming a high-ranking official in the future is a certainty!"

Qin Zhizheng then said with a smile.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

In order to obtain more resources, it would be more advantageous for him to take up this position of power as early as possible.

"Li Feng and He Shen are now both able to refine third-grade top-quality treasures. If He Shen is lucky, he can even refine fourth-grade treasures."

"However, according to the instructions above, as long as you can refine a third-grade top-quality magic weapon, you will win!"

Qin Zhizheng then spoke to Zhou Ling.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling felt relieved.

If his opponent is able to forge a fourth-tier magic weapon, he has at most a 10% or 20% chance of winning.

After all, given his cultivation level, refining a third-tier top-grade item under various factors was already quite difficult.

Zhou Ling's two main reliances are the Three Pure Creation Technique and his talents such as the Six Transformations and the Detail-Oriented Approach.

However, these two are veteran third-tier weapon refiners from the Heavenly Crafts Division, and they also have trump cards up their sleeves.

“Zhizheng, if they can forge a fourth-tier treasure, while I can only forge a third-tier top-grade one, wouldn’t we lose?”

Zhou Ling asked again.

If there are no unforeseen circumstances, it will take at least ten years for someone to become a legitimate official.

Although he is young and has plenty of opportunities, the situation is completely different.

Moreover, preparing the resources for his wife's Core Formation is no easy task.

"Don't worry, as long as you can refine a third-grade top-quality magic weapon, with your status as the leader of the Heavenly Guard, you won't be able to escape the position of Chief Justice."

Hearing that Zhou Ling seemed quite confident in refining a third-grade top-quality magic weapon, Qin Zhizheng smiled and said.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling felt relieved.

Next, Qin Zhizheng explained some key points of crafting third-tier magical artifacts to Zhou Ling, focusing on the crafting method of third-tier swords.

After all, among all the treasures, the sword is the most powerful in actual combat. Successfully forging one will increase the chances of victory.

After learning about some third-tier sword inscriptions, Zhou Ling inquired with Qin Zhizheng about fourth-tier sword inscriptions. Although Qin Zhizheng was about to be transferred and had many other commitments, he still explained everything to Zhou Ling in detail.

Chen Ling did not leave the Heavenly Crafts Bureau until dusk.

······.

Three days later.

The square of Xuanyuan Taoist Academy was packed with people.

The contest between Zhou Ling and two Golden Core cultivators for the position of Director of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau also attracted a large number of cultivators to watch.

Because the competition might require the use of the Taoist temple's fire, it will still be held in the Taoist temple square.

Of course, the reason for choosing the Taoist academy was to allow many of its disciples to watch the competition and gain some insights.

After all, the three people participating in this assessment are all third-tier weapon refiners, and such opportunities are rare.

As for the judges, there are three: Dean Zhong, Qin Zhizheng, and a high-ranking official from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau of Qingyang Immortal City.

Cheng Pu is a fourth-tier top-grade weapon refiner.

The three of them were now seated on the judges' panel.

Dean Zhong and Qin Zhizheng sat on either side of Cheng Pu, indicating that Cheng Pu held a high position in the Tiangong Division.

He had a refined and approachable appearance, with a smile on his face, and was talking quietly with Dean Zhong.

On the competition stage, Zhou Ling and the other two had already taken their seats.

The three people lined up in a horizontal line.

Zhou Ling is on the left.

In the middle was a tall, handsome middle-aged man, He Shen, who was at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

When he saw Zhou Ling's gaze sweep over, he smiled and nodded slightly to Zhou Ling.

He knew in his heart that regardless of whether he won or lost this competition, Zhou Ling's future achievements would definitely surpass his own.

Zhou Ling also gave a slight bow.

On the right sat a fair-skinned, ordinary-looking middle-aged man with a slightly solemn expression, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Master will surely win!"

"Instructor Zhou will surely win!"

One by one, the Taoist disciples cheered and encouraged Zhou Ling.

Sun Dajie and Bai Ji were both sitting in the front row.

Everyone's expression was excited.

If Zhou Ling could become the Chief of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, it would be of great significance to them as well.

Their identities will also be very different.

In contrast to their excited expressions, Zhou Ling, the person involved, remained calm. After exchanging greetings with He Shen, he closed his eyes to rest and waited for the competition to begin.

clang!
Fifteen minutes later, the melodious and ancient sound of bells rang out.

"The three of you, the official competition of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau is about to begin."

"The treasure weapon being forged this time is a sword. As for what kind of sword it is, you can choose for yourselves."

"All kinds of materials are provided on the competition platform."

"This competition is a single-elimination contest."

"The competition will last three hours. Whoever finishes forging their sword at the end will be the winner!"

"The judges will be Ben Zhizheng, Cheng Zhizheng, and Dean Zhong."

"Alright, let the competition begin!"

Qin Zhizheng stood on the judges' panel, his gaze sweeping over the three judges, and spoke loudly.

As his voice faded.

A light shield rose from the competition platform, enveloping Zhou Ling and the other two.

The seal on the jade platform in front of Zhou Ling was also opened.

His gaze swept over the area, and his eyes lit up.

There are quite a few ingredients inside.

There are forty or fifty pieces of Tier 3 materials alone, each with different attributes.

Some of them are even fourth-order materials.

Clearly, this competition also supports the forging of fourth-tier magical artifacts.

However, given Qin Zhizheng's earlier suggestion, Zhou Ling naturally wouldn't recklessly choose to forge a fourth-tier sword.

After all, the success rate of using fourth-tier swords is still a bit low.

The risk is too great!
"They even have third-tier Thunderclap Wood! The Heavenly Crafts Bureau is truly wealthy and powerful!"

Looking at the materials, Zhou Ling clicked his tongue in praise.

The materials contain common Five Elements attributes, as well as extremely rare attributes such as thunder, wind, and space.

Simply put, there are no regulations regarding what attributes the swords should be forged.

So once you see the materials, the real competition has already begun.

After all, the choice of materials is also extremely crucial.

Although both are of the third tier, swords forged from different materials of different attributes will have vastly different power levels.

Thunder and spatial attributes are the most difficult, followed by fire and metal attributes, and finally other attributes such as wood, water, and earth.

Moreover, this was only a competition between three people.

So in the end, to see who forged the most powerful sword, it's quite simple: a direct head-on clash is enough to determine the winner.

"This forging of the sword has undoubtedly brought me even closer to the two of them!"

While reviewing the materials through [Intermediate Observation] and [Intermediate Analysis], Zhou Ling pondered in his mind.

After all, his current sword cultivation at the third realm and second step is not low.

Even among Golden Core cultivators, many may not be able to enter the three realms of swordsmanship.

However, He Shen and the other person did enter the third realm of swordsmanship, but only at the first step of the third realm.

Therefore, Zhou Ling is not at a disadvantage when it comes to forging precious swords.

"Based on my current understanding of the Five Elements Sword Intent, I am definitely most advantageous in forging the Five Elements Sword!"

Zhou Ling continued to analyze in his mind.

Based on the current materials, the third-tier Thunderclap Sword, undoubtedly forged from Thunderclap Wood, would be the most powerful.

To surpass Thunderwood, one must choose fourth-tier materials.

It was forged into a fourth-tier treasure sword.

However, the success rate for obtaining a fourth-tier sword is too low.

Making that choice would be too risky.

Obviously, there's no need.

As for choosing Thunderwood, his own lightning-attribute sword intent has not yet reached the third realm.

Once refined, its power will certainly be unsatisfactory.

After comparing them, the Five Elements Sword is undoubtedly the most suitable.

Of course, forging a Five Elements Sword is not an easy task.

After all, the materials they need to refine are much more than others.

Fortunately, there are three hours, which should be enough.

Furthermore, fusing the Five Elements Sword Seal is also a significant challenge.

After all, the five elements are mutually destructive, and the slightest mistake will surely lead to failure.

However, with the assistance of the Five Elements Spirit Flame and the [Meticulous Observation] talent, Zhou Ling still has a significant advantage in this aspect.

After finalizing the plan for forging the Five Elements Sword, Zhou Ling began selecting materials.

Some of these materials have minor flaws, and if you are not careful when choosing them, you may make a mistake.

They look roughly the same, but the result of merging them is quite different.

This also puts a great test to the weapon refiner's eyesight.

Of course, with the help of Zhou Ling's [Intermediate Observation] talent, these things could not escape his eyes.

He quickly selected the ten materials with the five elements attributes that he needed.

After determining the Five Elements Sword Seal, the materials were selected.

The next step is to refine the materials and condense the sword embryo.

This was something Zhou Ling was already very familiar with.

As the furnace appeared, chunks of ore fell into it.

(End of this chapter)