Chapter 148: Professors, Please Give Me Some Pointers!
Translator: Ash Editor: Geoffrey
The Grand Desolate War Institution had a dozen crafting furnace that had been purchased from different sects and clans in different periods, a couple of which were even self-created. Thus, whether it was the style or the spiritual energy operating principle, everything was vastly different.
However, since the founding of the Star Glory Federation, in order to meet the requirements of large-scale battles, every cultivation sect had always followed the "MECS(Magical Equipment Components Standard)" system.
With regards to basic components such as rivets, screws, gears, bearings, and so on and so forth, every sect didn't need to implement their own and everyone utilized a uniform standard.
As for the core components, their interface and specification were also identical to the greatest extent so as to ensure perfect compatibility.
The magical equipment of X sect could engrave the array glyphs of Y sect and use the crystals purified by the Z sect to run; only in such a way could the cultivation world exploit its potential during the war, thereby winning the battle of survival for the human race against the demon clan!
"Which plan should I use? Safe or radical?"
After hesitating for three seconds, Li Yao firmed his heart.
"Either don't fight or fight to the end!"
"The radical plan it is! Using the advanced magical equipment components, I will strive for ultimate performance!"
The idea was good, but when he started implementing in reality, he encountered a variety of unexpected difficulties.
Some of which was due to lack of theoretical research, some due to inexperience in modifying magical equipment, and most of which was due to a lack of rich spiritual energy, thereby making Li Yao unable to engrave profound and complex powerful array glyphs onto them.
Several times, Li Yao thought of giving up and thought of switching to a safe modifying plan.
But when he imagined the 40,000 credits waiting ahead of him, he clenched his teeth and persevered!
If he encountered a problem which he was unable to solve using grassroots theories, then he would try the elite theories and the classical ways.
If he encountered powerful array glyphs which he was unable to engrave, then he would engrave seven or eight identical, low-level array glyphs and connect them in series.
If he encountered a conflict between two units which he was unable to resolve, he would add 17-18 plug-in units with stabilizing array glyphs, and then in these stabilizing plug-in units, he would once again add four to five stabilizing plug-in units, like patches upon patches, to provide layers upon layers of reinforcement.
After three hours, when he was finished assembling the furnace, it was completely beyond recognition. It gave off the appearance of a monster which had been "transformed by a devil".
Around the main pitch-black furnace, there was a chaotic mess of hundreds of thick crystal cables connected to twelve units that were improvised using rivets, gears, stabilizing array glyphs, and other components.
For Li Yao, the original eight units were simply not powerful enough, thus he forcibly added four powerful units that he had dismantled from the wrecked furnaces.
At first glance, the crafting furnace looked as though it had just been wrecked by a Nascent Soul Stage old devil; it was completely a pile of scrap.
However, as far as Li Yao was concerned, the more he looked, the more he liked it and the more he found it perfect. He rushed to take out a turtle shell-like equipment at once.
This was a Shock Wave Oscilloscope, which could produce a unique spiritual wave specifically designed to analyze large-scale magical equipment consisting of multiple units and check whether it was properly installed.
If it was perfectly installed, the flow of spiritual energy between the various units would be very smooth, and as a result, the spiritual wave after circulating around all the units would again return back to the Shock Wave Oscilloscope whereupon a green light would light up.
Once the green light was lit, it meant that the equipment had been successfully installed and could be put to use as long as the anchoring and sealing array glyphs were engraved.
If there was some mistake, then the spiritual wave would explode and the magical equipment would scatter from the shock; however, it would not destroy the components, allowing the refiner to assemble it a second time.
"For heaven's sake, please be successful!"
Li Yao mumbled some words. His eyes were wide open as he started the Show Wave Oscilloscope.
…
Yuan Manqiu was in an exceptionally good mood.
After using hard and soft tactics for the whole night at the dean's residence, she was finally able to obtain an extra 5% of resources.
Although it did not seem to be much, don't forget that the original budget was arranged for hundreds of professors and students to use. Currently, the Refining Department was only left with one student, Li Yao, so an extra 5% resource was enough to fatten him.
Afterward, she once again sought out a few familiar professors and inquired about Li Yao's performance over this past month in a roundabout manner. The more she inquired, the more she found that he was unfathomable and had great potential that could be developed.
At the beginning, she was ready to return to the Refining Department at first light; however, she suddenly changed her mind.
The 1st Gen Tai'e furnace was a magical equipment from a century ago. One could say that its structure was complex yet not complex, simple yet not simple. It could be considered as a unique test to assess Li Yao's practical ability. She wanted to see when Li Yao would be actually able to discover that the core components were inconsistent with the blueprints.
After having unexpectedly waited for a long time, she still didn't receive Li Yao's message even by noon.
"Has he still not found the mistake?"
Yuan Manqiu couldn’t sit still. Moving her fat ass, she walked towards the refining room.
While walking, she was having a conversation with Jiang Wenbo, the logistics supervisor of the Mountain Sea Sect, via the spiritual crane messenger while the latter was sending the correct blueprints of the 1st Gen Tai'e furnace.
"Big Sis, the 1st Gen Tai'e furnace is too old. The technology used by many of the assembling processes are from 100 years ago. There are several arrays which are outdated and are out of use. Let alone studying them, the youths of today would have never laid their eyes upon them, and yet you have taken these things to test your disciple, isn't this simply too much?" Jiang Wenbo complacently said.
Yuan Manqiu slightly smiled:
"For ordinary people, I suppose it is too much, but my disciple is marvelous and I have high hopes for him. How about we make a bet? I bet that he has at least completely assembled five units."
Jiang Wenbo thought otherwise:
"Big Sis, you are too confident. No matter how monstrously talented he is, he is still a freshman. Three—he has completed at most three units!"
Yuan Manqiu nodded: "Alright, the refining room is just ahead. We will know the answer soon enough. As for the bet, that is—"
"BOOM!"
A loud noise interrupted her.
Yuan Manqiu and Jiang Wenbo were flabbergasted at the same time.
The two were veteran refiners, so naturally, just from the noise, they had recognized that it was noise made by the Shock Wave Oscilloscope.
"What the hell is he doing? Has that brat actually assembled the entire furnace? Is that why he’s using the Shock Wave Oscilloscope?"
"However, it seems he failed?"
"Even if he failed, he still might be a monstrous genius! Even without the correct blueprints and assembling procedures, he had still assembled it, which was just like a blind man riding a horse. Even if he assembled it incorrectly, it doesn’t matter!"
Yuan Manqiu and Jiang Wenbo took a glance at each other before she sped up her footsteps.
The warehouse was a total mess; the furnace had completely collapsed and was rolling over at the corner of a wall, whereas thousands upon thousands of magical equipment components were scattered all over the floor, giving off the impression as though two tornadoes had passed through here.
Li Yao, who was sitting in a corner, had a lifeless look hanging over his face:
"How could it fail? It should be perfectly connected, why was the spiritual energy blocked?"
Jiang Wenbo was tremendously surprised:
"Big Sis, you have an incredible disciple. He had actually assembled the entire furnace. However, since he had used the wrong blueprints, he had naturally failed!"
Yuan Manqiu was also very excited. She knew she had picked up a treasure.
So what he failed? If it was anyone else, they would have far worse practical ability than him and might not even have the qualifications to fail, as they could not even assemble the equipment from the start!
"Li Yao, did you just assemble the furnace and then use Shock Wave Oscilloscope to check it?"
Yuan Manqiu asked in a shaky voice.
Li Yao desolately replied, "Yes, teacher. I thought I had assembled it perfectly and had analyzed every connection completely, and every detail was simply perfect, but in the end, I still failed!"
Li Yao heaved a deep sigh as he dispiritedly said, "The world of magical equipment is truly mysterious—too abstruse, too wonderful. I still have many things to learn. I should not have overestimated myself!"
"It's alright, it's completely alright!"
Yuan Manqiu was wild with joy: "The 1st Gen Tai'e furnace was created over a century ago, and there are several difficulties in its assembling processes. They are out your ability, so it is very normal for you to fail. Don't be disappointed. In my opinion, you are already very strong!"
She sat down next to Li Yao and patted her disciple's shoulder: "Come, tell me about your assembling process from start to finish. Old Jiang and I will check them a bit. Right, this is Professor Jiang Wenbo. He is a veteran refiner with rich experience."
"Good afternoon, Professor Jiang!" Mustering up his spirit, Li Yao gave a bow at the holographic screen.
"It's alright, there is no need to be overly courteous. When Big Sis told me you were a genius, I didn't believe it, but now, seeing that you can even assemble the 1st Gen Tai'e furnace, even I’m inclined to believe. Come, young man, tell me how you really assemble it!"
Jiang Wenbo was also excited.
"Alright!"
A frown appeared on Li Yao's glabella as he recalled and honestly started narrating, "At the beginning, everything was going without a hitch. After I had assembled the eight units in four hours..."
"What!?"
Jiang Wenbo could not help but interrupt him: "You only spent four hours to assemble the eight units? Oh! Keep on going!"
Li Yao was surprised for a moment when he noticed the complexion of the two, which was a little weird, seemingly as if he had done something extraordinary, but after sorting out his thoughts: "When I was assembling the core components, I found that the core components were inconsistent with the blueprints, so I threw the blueprints on one side and drew the blueprints according to the actual structure. Afterward, I deduced the assembling procedures..."
"What!?"
This time, it was Yuan Manqiu who shouted. "You drew the blueprints according to these components and also deduced the assembling processes? Quickly, quickly show me the blueprints you have drawn!"
Li Yao suspiciously swept a glance at the two as he muttered in his heart: 'These two are veteran refiners, so how can they be shocked at everything and interrupt me at every sentence?'
From the crystal processor, he launched the blueprints that he had drawn as well as the assembling processed that he had deduced and presented them to the two veteran refiners.
The two swept a glance and drew in a lump of cold air at the same time.
On the way, the two had already studied the blueprints of 1st Gen Tai'e furnace for a long time and had thoroughly etched the most crucial parts into their mind. At first glance, they knew that the blueprints drawn by Li Yao were completely correct, and the assembling processes were also roughly identical!
"T-this is simply..."
Jiang Wenbo was a little muddle-headed. His lips shook for a long time, but he could not speak another word.
A freshman who had just entered university, who was still a high-school student a couple months back, much to his surprise, had drawn the blueprints from scratch just by relying on some scattered components, and he had even deduced the assembling processes!
'Did this brat start learning to assemble magical equipment from the womb?'
Yuan Manqiu, even more so, was excited to the point that she was trembling. Every strand of her facial muscles was moving up and down. Raising her eyebrows, she screamed, "What's going on!? Since you have drawn the blueprints and even deduced the assembling processes, how can you fail? Quick, quick, quick, tell me what did you next, do not miss any details!"
"Next I..."
Li Yao cleared his throat: "I analyzed the blueprints a bit and discovered that the subsequently assembled furnace will have poor performance, so I thought of modifying it."
"I had a thermostat chip from a 7th Gen Redglow crafting furnace, a spirit suppressor from a 5th Gen Profound Truth crafting furnace, as well as a quite intact anti-gravity unit from a Sapphirinus crafting furnace, also..."
He reported tongue-twister-like names of over hundred kinds of components, then he brought up a couple dozen blueprints on the hologram.
"Using these components, I developed five sets of modifying plans, all of which are here. Professors, please take a look."
"In fact, if I assembled it using the most secure plan, I might have succeeded. Everything is my fault. I was too impatient, too proud. I thought light of magical equipment and chose the most radical plan."
"I think that the difficulty of the radical plan mainly lies in engraving the stabilizing array glyphs."
"I am unable to engrave powerful, high-level stabilizing array glyphs with my current strength, so in the end, I thought of a way, a secret method which I had inadvertently found in ancient records. Using this method, I superimposed several low-level stabilizing array glyphs. Professors, please take a look. The spiritual energy operating principle of the superimposed array glyphs is like this..."
"Afterward, by using two crystal bypass switches created using elite faction ideology, you can change its spiritual energy intertwining mode to simulate the effect of high-level stabilizing array glyphs."
"In accordance with this idea, the final completed blueprint is this and spiritual energy flow chart is this... professors, please take a look. Here, here and here, these are the most important parts which I had reinforced. In theory, I should not have failed!"
"I have wracked my brain but still could not understand. Professors, please give me pointers, tell me where the problem actually lies."
For a whole ten minutes, Li Yao explained. Only after he finished did he eagerly stare at the two veteran refiners.
Yuan Manqiu and Jiang Wenbo were both dumbstruck. They directly stared at the couple dozen ever-dancing blueprints and spiritual energy flow charts in the air.
Fierce-looking diagrams of all shapes and sizes repeatedly exploded in the depths of the two's brain. The two veteran refiners' brains were completely fried!