The location of the first round of preliminaries was the largest arena in the outer city. A total of more than 6,000 people signed up for the competition this time, which was far more than the previous few sessions. It could be described as an unprecedented event.
Due to the large number of people, the first round of preliminaries could only be carried out in batches. Each registered contestant was given a number. A huge crystal screen appeared on the arena's stand, showing the range of the group numbers. Chen Rui was No. 5200, which was in the last group.
The content of the first round of preliminaries was very simple. It was to randomly draw three questions and complete the content according to the requirements of the questions within the specified time. The drawn content was related to the expertise filled in for the registration. For example, metal expertise was related to the metal-related questions.
There was a large element of luck in this kind of competition. Some people happened to draw the questions that they weren't good at or were very difficult. Some people drew very time-consuming questions and couldn't complete the three questions before the time limit was up. However, in general, people with real strength could still pass smoothly.
The competition began, and the numbers for elimination and advancement began to appear on the crystal screen. These questions were generally not easy, so much so that many veteran participants felt that the difficulty of this year's questions was much greater than the previous one, which was ten years ago. Many unlucky losers cried bitterly, but they only attracted contempt and ridicule. Almost no one sympathized with them. This was a competition where the winner took all.
Chen Rui filled in the metal expertise and drew three questions. The first was to complete the incomplete part of an earth enchantment magic circle, the second was a question and answer about smelting metal, and the third was to repair a broken longsword.
Except for the second question, the first one was more difficult and the third one was more time-consuming. However, for Chen Rui, there was no pressure at all. He completed all the questions easily and the judge next to him announced his advancement.
Dior, who had been perturbed on the stand, saw the prompt of Chen Rui's advancement, and he finally felt relieved. This mechanic from the Dark Moon finally has some real talent, but this is just the beginning. The difficulty will only increase. This guy who just obtained the mechanic title can pass the next round of test?
Kia also looked surprised. As far as she knew, Princess Royal didn't have a particularly excellent mechanic. Where did this Arthur find him? She had a faint premonition that Arthur's strong self-confidence was not an act.
The first round of preliminaries took a total of six days to complete. Nearly 70% of the participants were eliminated in this round, and there were nearly 2000 people left.
In the past few days, Chen Rui had obtained a lot of materials through Deo. Some of them were kept for his own use, while the rest were converted into spiritual energy.
The second round of preliminaries began. Starting from this round, even the candidates recommended by Grandmaster had to participate.
The location of the second round of preliminaries was the ancient magic tower of the Mechanic Association's building. The ancient magic tower was one of the most mysterious places in the Dark Shadow's Empire's Mechanic Association. It was said that the magic tower was built very early, and its age could no longer be determined. There were precious magic inscriptions left by masters and grand masters from tens of thousands of years or even longer ago. There were also various magic arrays that were unpredictable. Even the current mechanic masters of the association found it difficult to see through the mystery.
Usually, the ancient magic tower was not open to the public. Only the masters of the Mechanic Association had limited access to it. This time, it was opened to the public, and it immediately attracted the interest of all the participants.
The content of the competition was very novel. The participants entered the magic tower with a special magic slate and magic stone. Within two hours, they had to use the slate to copy a complete magic array. After completing it, they could use the magic stone to teleport out. In addition to the functions of teleportation and timing, the magic stone could also reflect the latest points in real time.
Those who didn't come out within the specified time would be automatically teleported out. Those who didn't complete the magic array would be directly eliminated.
Not only that, only the last 200 contestants could enter the semi-final stage in this round. The more difficult the magic array was, the less time it took, and the higher the score. 90% of the 2000 people would be eliminated. Only 200 out of the 2000 people would be left. The cruelty of the competition could be imagined.
The 2000 people were divided into 20 groups. Coincidentally, Chen Rui and his old "friend", Savice, were both in the last group.
Savice accidentally saw Chen Rui. His gaze suddenly froze and his eyes were filled with hatred. Since he was young and had potential, he had been in the limelight ever since he became famous. The humiliation he suffered last time was simply unprecedented!
He would never forget how he limped out of the lounge at that time. In the following days, how the pain tortured him. Although the scars on his body were healed, the huge shame and trauma in his heart could never be washed away!
If it weren't for the mechanic contest that was related to his future, Savice really wanted to use all means to take revenge on the Custer Family and Arthur, who deserved to be cut into pieces.
He didn't expect to meet this hated enemy in the mechanic contest. This guy actually passed the first round of the preliminary!
"Isn't this Savice?" Chen Rui also saw his old "friend" with hatred in his eyes. He took the initiative to greet him with a familiar face, "The magic item you studied last time was really powerful. What makes me admire you even more is that you're willing to take such a big risk to try it yourself. You're indeed the top genius of the capital!"
When the mechanics in the same group heard that, they all showed an admiring expression. Genius plus diligence, no wonder he could be famous in the capital. To Savice, this compliment was another kind of unceremonious mockery. It was as uncomfortable as being pricked by needles. However, in front of so many people, he couldn't reveal that kind of humiliation, so he had to swallow it. The hatred in his heart was at its peak.
Savice was just an ant, so Chen Rui didn't take him seriously at all. However, this kind of character could barely be used as a stepping stone to advance in the contest.
It was this group's turn to start the competition. With a gloomy face, Savice walked in front of the team and entered the ancient magic tower.
Chen Rui originally thought that the ancient magic tower was a tower with layers of stairs and the walls were engraved with magic patterns. However, as soon as he entered, he realized that it was completely different from what he imagined. There was an independent space inside with colorful strange lights floating and changing around. At first glance, it looked colorful, but in the eyes of the mechanics, these patterns faintly showed a mysterious and profound magic circle.
In addition to the light door at the exit, there was another light door in the distant space that could lead to a higher floor. The higher the floor, the more profound and difficult the magic circle was. The ancient magic tower had a total of six floors. It was said that even a master could only understand the mystery of the first four floors.
There were many kinds of arrangements and combinations of magic circles. Everyone's mentality and focus were different, so the magic circles obtained were also different. He immediately began to record in the magic slate.
The opportunity to enter the ancient magic tower was rare. Chen Rui had already turned on [Deep Analysis] and began to record and scan. In [Deep Analysis], those arrangements and combination patterns were quickly "copied". Even if he couldn't finish analyzing at the moment, he could slowly analyze them in the future.
His eyesight had reached the master level now, so he could see more things than ordinary people. Many of the magic circles on this floor were improved, but it wasn't difficult. According to the alliance's classification, it was 1-star and quasi-2-star. Chen Rui didn't stay too long and walked toward the light door leading to the upper floor.
Compared with more than a hundred people on the first floor, there were only a dozen people on the second floor. Savice was among them. When he saw Chen Rui walk to the second floor, he sneered disdainfully: Due to Master Leo, it wasn't Savice's first time coming to the ancient magic tower. The magic circle on the second floor was much more difficult than the first floor. Although there would be more points if he could record and complete it, if he couldn't complete it, then it wasn't as good as going to the first floor.
The difficulty of this floor was really high, and the amount of data was also much larger. The scanning speed of [Deep Analysis] seemed to be a lot slower.
"I don't quite understand it …" Chen Rui held the magic slate and hesitated for a moment. He deliberately said to himself, "I don't know if it's better up there …"
Savice secretly sneered. Only a master can understand it. This "Arthur" is just a rookie who just became a mechanic. He passed the first round of preliminaries by luck (at least Savice thought so). If he really goes to the third floor, let alone an hour, he can't even record a few strokes in a year.
As a competitor and enemy, Savice certainly hoped that Chen Rui would go to the third floor to "die". As he hoped, Chen Rui walked step by step toward the light door on the third floor and soon disappeared. Savice showed a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. His hands didn't stop as he recorded a more difficult magic circle. Then, he crushed the magic stone he carried and teleported out of the ancient magic tower.
The third floor wasn't just light, but there were also various flames and anomalies. Even the space had a strange distortion. In Chen Rui's eyes, those melodies and colors were strange magic symbols with various arrangements like complex formulas. Some were taught by Master Xingxing and Master Skye, and some were even unheard of. With Chen Rui's current state, he could naturally see the mystery of these "formulas". He couldn't help but be immersed in it for a while.
Outside the ancient magic tower, many people had finished recording and teleported out. There were special evaluators who began to record and verify the scores. The crystal screen in front of the alliance building marked the latest top 200 rankings.
The first place was impressively Savice. He used 10 minutes to record a quasi-three-star magic enhancement magic circle, 170 points.
The second place was Robert. He used 15 minutes to record a quasi-three-star basic enhancement magic circle, 165 points.
The third place was Southgate. He used 16 minutes to record a quasi-three-star basic enhancement magic circle, 164 points.
…
The current result of the 200th place was: he used an hour to record a two-star magic weakening magic circle, 80 points.
Chen Rui had reached the fourth floor at this time. Even Chen Rui found the things on the fourth floor difficult to understand. However, he had [Deep Analysis]. Although he didn't understand, he could "record" it first and then slowly comprehend it.
After recording, Chen Rui looked at the time on the magic stone. It had actually been more than an hour. Looking at the light door on the next floor, he hesitated for a moment and tried to walk over.
As soon as he approached the light door, the space suddenly distorted. Countless mysterious imprints flashed and a powerful repulsive force pushed him out. Every time he tried, the arrangement of those imprints was different.
Chen Rui had a feeling that even if he tried his best and cast [Scorching Dragon Possession] with the power of Megrez state, he couldn't break through the power of this light door. The light door not only contained great power, but it was also a kind of rule. If he couldn't understand the rule, even if he had the power of Demon Overlord, he might not be able to break through.
In the affairs center on the fifth floor of the building, a middle-aged man with white hair and beard frowned. He was the president of the Shadow Empire's Mechanic Association and also the empire's top mechanic, Master Anderson.
"Another curious guy is testing the door of the fifth floor. I don't know if it's a wise move to open the ancient magic tower this time."
Master Rummenigge on the side smiled and said, "Even we can't crack the seal of that door. President, don't worry. In fact, this time it's more about discovering and cultivating potential juniors. It's good to let them broaden their horizons and gain some knowledge."
Master Anderson nodded slightly and said nothing more.
After trying and recording the magic symbol several times, seeing that there wasn't much time left, Chen Rui looked at the latest ranking and had an idea in his mind. He recorded a magic circle on the second floor, crushed the magic stone, and teleported out.
In the VIP seats set outside the alliance building, seeing that the name of "Arthur" hadn't appeared within 200, Dior, who had been paying attention to the crystal screen, looked very ugly. Kia also looked a little nervous.
At that moment, a beautiful woman walked over with a man's arm, showing a gloating look, "Isn't this our eldest brother, Dior? It's already the last time now. Why haven't I seen the Arthur you support appear on the ranking list? Falamo, what's our supporter's ranking now? "
The man on the side was Dior's younger brother, Falamo. He sighed deliberately, "Robert seems to be ranked second. Although he is currently behind Savice, this kind of point ranking won't be brought into the semi-finals. The real battle is still behind."
"As far as I know, the later events are Robert's strength. He is the champion of the previous tournament." The woman was Falamo's wife, Marianne Asmodeus, and also the sister of the second general of the Shadow Empire, Warren. This woman was very strong. Falamo was completely dominated by her, and he didn't even dare to take in a concubine.
Dior was very annoyed, but he couldn't find the words to fight back.
"Look at the screen!" Kia suddenly shouted excitedly. Dior quickly looked at it, and he was suddenly refreshed.
Arthur's name finally appeared within the top 200. It took 1 hour and 25 minutes to record the magic circle as a three-star basic enhanced type. The points were 95, and he was currently ranked 192nd.
Since it was the last group, there weren't many people left in the magic tower. This ranking was basically stable, and he should be able to enter the next semi-finals.
Savice looked at Arthur's name on the screen and sneered viciously: This is good too. I can continue to step on this enemy's head in the later games. Not only in the game, but at the end of the competition, it will be the time to crush "Arthur"!
Dior at the VIP seat took a sigh of relief. It's good to be ranked 192nd. In any case, he finally escaped from death.
"Yelling, what a rude country woman!" Marianne ridiculed Kia with dissatisfaction, then said to Dior with disdain, "I forgot to tell you that Horford, who is supported by Celine, is ranked in the top 50. Although the final victory will definitely belong to Falamo, what surprised me is that the person you chose is actually worse than Celine. No wonder he can't even keep his position as the first heir."
Dior snorted coldly and ignored the two. At this time, Chen Rui came to Dior, nodded to Kia, and smiled, "It seems that my luck is good. Within the top 200, I can enter the next round steadily."
"I'll be eliminated immediately in the next round." Marianne chuckled, holding a fan and elegantly blocking her contemptuous smile.
"Dior, who is this pretentious ugly woman?" Chen Rui had heard Marianne's ridicule of Kia, so he deliberately asked.
Marianne's face changed. Dior was overjoyed when he heard it and replied, "This is my brother Falamo who wants to be the top … and his woman."
In order to retaliate for the sarcasm just now, Dior deliberately didn't mention Marianne's name. Chen Rui suddenly realized, "I heard that your brother has several women outside. I wonder which one is it?"
This time it was Falamo's face that changed. Seeing Marianne's cold gaze, Falamo's expression became quite interesting. In fact, Chen Rui was lucky. Falamo did have a mistress outside, but because Marianne was too powerful and had a strong background, he had been hiding it from this fierce wife.
Dior secretly gave Chen Rui a thumbs up, but Chen Rui was currently ranked around 190. The semi-final stage was not optimistic, so he asked worriedly, "The next round is the semi-final. The final candidate for the final stage will be decided. How confident are you?"
Chen Rui shook his head. This guy is too impatient. How can he ask such a question in front of his competitor?
"Big brother! Second brother and Sister Marianne are here too! " A young girl came over. The girl was dressed in a short skirt. She looked beautiful and youthful. Judging from the name, she should be Dior's youngest sister, Celine.
Celine's "threat" was the smallest. She usually had a good relationship with her two brothers. Dior squeezed out a smile and nodded. Marianne also relaxed her tense face.
"Is this the supporter you chose, Arthur?" Celine looked at Chen Rui curiously. "He actually entered the ranks of 200 in the end. However, I was luckier this time. I found a mechanic named Horford. Although he's not famous, he's very powerful. He got the 47th place this time. "
Dior nodded with a bitter smile. Chen Rui looked relaxed and said indifferently, "Actually, I'm just holding back my strength."
Dior sighed secretly. The ranking of this competition was there. At most, it could be considered as a fluke. No matter how I look at it, "holding back" seems to be forced.
"I hope your strength is as sharp as your mouth!" Marianne pulled Falamo and left after leaving a sentence.
"Poor Brother Falamo. You'll definitely become a punching bag when you go back." Celine smiled sweetly. She greeted Dior and turned to leave.
"The semi-final will start tomorrow. Let's go back and rest first. By the way, you have to help me get more materials. The sooner, the better. I need more inspiration. " Chen Rui's last sentence was purely using his power for personal gain. Now was the time when he was willing to be beaten. It would be a waste not to take advantage of him.
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