Chapter 361 Skill Assessment Begins!

He continued to explain the task of the second piece of metal, "The second piece, more zigzag arcs, evenly arranged fifty." Finally, he pointed to the third piece of metal, "The third piece, wind-milled pattern,"

After Ye Yulin announced the rules, the faces of the participating soul masters were as ugly as if they had swallowed bitter melon. The nine techniques themselves were not difficult, they all mastered them, but the problem was those rare metals.

Ye Yulin's eyes swept over the crowd, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He clearly remembered that before the start of the competition, he had specifically instructed the staff to select the metal that was least suitable for skill engraving.

Some of these metals were extremely hard, some were abnormally soft, and some even had strange magnetism, which greatly interfered with the conduction of soul power.

He just wanted to see what tricks these self-proclaimed genius soul masters could play under such harsh conditions.

The first thing that came into view was a piece of shiny black metal, whose surface flashed with the unique cold light of metal, exuding a daunting sense of oppression.

The hardness of this piece of metal is extremely high, and even with the sharpest chisel, it is difficult to leave the slightest mark on its surface.

The contestants picked up the piece of metal and tried to carve it with the chisel in their hands, but the result disappointed them greatly. The chisel collided with the metal, making a harsh friction sound, but it could not leave any mark on its surface.

What made them even more difficult was that according to the rules of the competition, they could not use their own chisels, but could only use the unified standard chisels provided by the organizing committee.

Although this chisel is well-made, it is made of ordinary fine steel. Compared with the special chisels they usually use, it is not as sharp or strong as a star.

"This... This is too difficult!" A thin soul master couldn't help complaining.

"Yes, this is simply an impossible task!" Another soul master also echoed.

The hardness of the piece of metal in front of them is far beyond their imagination. Even with their most handy chisel, it may not be able to leave a mark on its surface, let alone this ordinary chisel.

What's more, they need to punch thirty holes in this extremely hard metal, which is simply an impossible task!

"Thirty holes..." A soul engineer muttered to himself, his face full of despair.

He tried to scratch the metal with the carving knife in his hand, but found that the blade of the carving knife was slightly curled.

"How... how is this possible?" He widened his eyes in disbelief.

You know, although this carving knife is made of ordinary material, it is also made of fine steel, and its hardness is enough to cut ordinary metals. However, in front of this black metal, it seems so fragile.

"What kind of metal is this?" Another soul engineer couldn't help asking.

"I don't know, I have never seen such a hard metal." An experienced soul engineer shook his head, his face full of doubts.

Among them, there are many experts who have studied metals, but even they can't identify the type of this metal.

This piece of metal, like a mystery, lies there quietly, waiting for them to uncover its mystery.

The next few pieces of metal, although not as hard as the first one, also have their own difficulties. Some are extremely soft and difficult to carve fine lines; some have strange magnetism, which will interfere with the conduction of soul power, making the carving process more difficult.

The most troublesome thing for them is the last piece of metal, which is extremely soft and requires the most complex skills to carve.

This is undoubtedly a huge challenge for them.

"This... this is too much!" A soul master couldn't help complaining.

"Yes, this is simply deliberately making things difficult for us!" Another soul master also echoed.

They were full of dissatisfaction, but they could do nothing about it.

After all, the rules of the game are like this, and they can only bite the bullet to complete it.

Ye Yulin looked at the frowning faces of the crowd and was secretly proud of himself.

He wanted to use this method to test the true strength of these soul masters.

He believed that only the truly strong could stand out under such harsh conditions.

"Skill assessment, start!" Ye Yulin announced loudly.

As his voice fell, the nine participating soul masters took action and began this difficult skill assessment.

The yellow-clothed man chose the simplest and most brutal way. He held a cigar with restored soul power in his mouth, directly used soul power to enhance the power of the carving knife, and carved on the hard metal.

Compared with him, Han Yu seemed more calm and composed. He did not rush to do it, but carefully observed the metal in his hand and thought about how to deal with it.

He knew that recklessness would not work, and he had to find a suitable strategy.

"Aren't you tough? Then I'll make you tougher." Han Yu thought to himself.

Han Yu held the cold metal firmly with his left hand, and a piercing chill came from his fingertips. The extreme ice soul power was like a rushing river, flowing along the meridians of his arm and pouring into the metal.

The surface of the metal quickly frosted, and a thin layer of ice crystals spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if a layer of crystal clear ice armor was covering the metal.

The biting cold permeated the air, the temperature around suddenly dropped, and one could even see fine white mist condensing in the air.

The color of the metal also changed. The original luster gradually dimmed, replaced by a cold dark blue. The cold air was so strong that it seemed as if time was frozen at this moment.

In just a few seconds, the temperature of the metal dropped below minus 200 degrees. The extremely low temperature caused drastic changes in the internal structure of the metal. The originally dense metal structure began to show fine cracks, which were densely distributed on the surface of the metal like a spider web.

Although these cracks were small, they caused considerable damage to the strength of the metal itself, creating favorable conditions for the subsequent processing.

After completing the first step, Han Yu slowly raised his right hand, holding a delicate carving knife. The carving knife was black all over, and the blade was extremely sharp, flashing cold light in the dim light.

Drilling a hole is not a simple drilling through. It requires precise control of the force and angle to make the hole uniform in size, smooth and rounded at the edge, and without any defects, to be qualified. Han Yu stared at the carving knife in his hand, took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and adjusted his body and mind to the best state. He carefully compared the carving knife to the surface of the metal, looking for the best drilling position with sharp eyes.

The tip of the carving knife was accurately aimed at the predetermined position, and Han Yu's eyes changed accordingly. The original deep black gradually faded, replaced by a light gray, as if covered with a layer of mist.

At the same time, a strange green light lit up from his right hand, flickering like a ghost fire, adding a touch of mystery to this cold scene.

This green light is the embodiment of the undead magic - the light of corrosion.

Because he was in the humanoid soul guide, Han Yu only needed to open the metal shell of his hands and expose his arms to operate, so outsiders could not see the changes in his eyes and the green light emitted from his hands.

One by one, the green light spots, like fireflies, were evenly placed on the hard metal by Han Yu.

These light spots flickered with strange light, as if they had some mysterious power that could corrode the structure of the metal. After completing this step, Han Yu took back the soul power of the extreme ice, and the ice crystals on the metal surface melted quickly, and bursts of white mist rose.

At the same time, wisps of green smoke began to emerge from the surface of the metal, making a slight sizzling sound, which was a sign that the light of corrosion was taking effect.

The light of corrosion in the undead magic is extremely corrosive and has a very strong destructive power on any object. With Han Yu's current mental power level, this magic can be cast instantly. But this magic also has its limitations, that is, it cannot lock the target and the attack range is also very small.

However, it is surprisingly effective when used in metal processing.

The rare metal that was originally frozen by the extreme ice, after the effect of the light of corrosion, the metal structure was further damaged and became more fragile.

At this time, Han Yu urged the soul power again, and the carving knife in his hand danced like a dragon, easily penetrating the metal and completing the task of drilling.

His control over the light of corrosion was so subtle that it would not overflow. He first drilled a tiny hole, and then continued to expand the aperture through the light of corrosion, saving more soul power than others.

Although Han Yu's mental power had not yet fully recovered, he still performed well in the subsequent skill assessment with his solid skills, and his completion speed was no less than that of others.

What's more, his mental power recovered very quickly. At this time, the feeling of weakness had disappeared, and his condition was getting better and better.

The eyes of the seven judges swept over the nine participating soul masters. They had different postures and skillful techniques. The clanging sound of metal collisions came one after another, like playing a strange movement.

The judges nodded slightly, with approval in their eyes. Although these soul masters had different purposes for participating in the competition, their solid basic skills were unquestionable.

Han Yu's hands were like butterflies flying through flowers, flying between metal parts, completing each step accurately and quickly.

Although his speed was not the fastest, he maintained a stable and efficient rhythm and always ranked in the top three.

Ye Yulin secretly speculated in her heart that Han Yu had consumed a lot of soul power before, and it was not easy for him to maintain such a speed now.

She didn't know that Han Yu's humanoid soul guide was continuously providing him with soul power support, saving precious energy for him.

The yellow-clothed man's movements were rough and powerful. He seemed to be waving the tools in his hands tirelessly, and the metal was kneaded and shaped in his hands like a toy.

His soul power fluctuated violently, and he was obviously releasing his power without reservation.

A quarter of an hour passed quickly, and the yellow-clothed man took the lead in completing the skill assessment and became the first contestant to complete all steps.

Han Yu saw the yellow-clothed man complete it from the corner of his eye, and his movements suddenly accelerated. His fingertips were like flying elves, jumping between metal parts. After a series of dazzling operations, he was the second to complete the skill assessment.

Following closely behind was the girl in yellow clothes from the Ordinary League. She moved lightly and agilely, like a skilled dancer, and completed all steps gracefully.

The fourth person to finish was Huang Zheng. He was steady and meticulous, striving for perfection in every move.

The other contestants were still nervously undergoing the skill test, their clothes soaked with sweat, but they still dared not slack off.

As time passed, the sand in the hourglass became less and less, and the atmosphere became more and more tense.

Below the stage, An Litong, president of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, and Shangguan Weier, leader of the Pingfan League, both looked a little solemn. An Litong's three contestants were obviously behind in progress, and their faces looked a little anxious.

Shangguan Weier's face was not good either. Although one of her contestants entered the top four, the overall performance was not as good as that of the Xishui League.

"Time is up!" The loud voice of the chief judge Ye resounded throughout the venue. As the last grain of sand fell from the hourglass, the skill assessment officially ended.

Among the nine contestants, five completed the assessment and four failed. The seven judges walked up to the four unfinished contestants and carefully checked their works. In the end, the representative of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce with the lowest degree of completion was eliminated.

The two soul mentors of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce who finally qualified were ranked last and third from the bottom.

The one at the bottom of the ranking was about to face the yellow-clothed man who won the first place in the skill assessment. His figure was as majestic as a mountain, and he was imposing, like a steel god of war, standing in the center of the arena.

The soul guide of the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, who ranked third from the bottom, would compete with the girl in yellow skirt from the Ordinary League.

The girl was light and graceful, with a flowing skirt, like a dancing butterfly, leaving a graceful shadow on the arena.

At this time, in the rest area under the stage, Nangong Wan of the Xishui League showed an imperceptible smile on his face. He nodded gently, as if he was very satisfied with the situation in front of him.

Han Yu, the big man in yellow, and Huang Zheng all ranked among the top four in the skill assessment, which was undoubtedly a huge surprise for him, especially the big man in yellow won the first place, which was beyond his expectation.

Only then did he realize that this big man who had been wearing a mask and was taciturn was so profound in soul power cultivation.

A strong aura emanated from him faintly, which made people dare not underestimate him. He is indeed a skilled seventh-level soul guide!

Nangong Wan's eyes swept over the three people, secretly calculating the next game strategy in his heart.

Han Yu, the yellow-clothed man and Huang Zheng all entered the top four, which means that they will definitely not meet in the first round of the elimination match.

If the three of them can successfully advance in their respective confrontations, then Xishui League's hope of winning the final championship will be greatly increased. (End of this chapter)