"That's natural!"
Hearing Ye Feng's tone, which was laced with obvious doubt and provocation, Guo Zhenchen immediately became anxious. "To pass the assessment of an Armor Master, besides awakening arcane energy, one must also have some understanding of arcane runes!"
"The patterns on this testing stone are not just random doodles, they are genuine arcane runes!"
"Arcane runes have their own peculiarities. When drawing arcane runes with arcane energy, strong mental power is required. This means that to become an Armor Master, one must also have some understanding of Soul Masters..."
"Those are extremely rare Soul Masters... Hmph, you wouldn't understand, you crude slave..."
"Multiple, almost harsh conditions are layered together, which is why Armor Masters are extremely rare, and why they hold such extraordinary status within Mech City!"
After speaking, Guo Zhenchen appeared smug, as if immensely proud of his vast knowledge.
He turned his gaze to Ye Feng, hoping to see shock, admiration, and shame on Ye Feng's face, perhaps even a hint of worship and delight.
However, Ye Feng remained expressionless, which vexed him, giving him the frustrating feeling of throwing a punch with all his might only to hit cotton...
Little Jiu, on the other hand, didn't even look at him, instead focusing intently on the palace entrance through her binoculars...
"Oh~"
Just as Guo Zhenchen was about to explode with anger, Ye Feng let out a soft "Oh" and then walked towards the testing stone.
Although he secretly thought that Guo Zhenchen knew quite a bit, he showed no outward sign of it.
"Little brother, this rune is quite complex. Perhaps you should wait a bit longer?"
As Ye Feng approached the testing stone, a middle-aged man, who had entered around the same time and was also observing the stone, smiled and said. He appeared to be around forty years old.
"No need~"
Ye Feng smiled faintly, shook his head gently, and then placed his hand on the testing stone.
The next second, white arcane energy appeared on his hand, and he began to trace the peculiar patterns on the stone.
It was at this moment that Ye Feng finally understood why Sun Zhizhi had used the term "engrave" earlier. The material of the testing stone was very special. As he traced the patterns with his arcane energy, the energy was drawn to it, clinging firmly to the surface. When the arcane energy moved, it truly felt like he was physically engraving something onto it...
The patterns on the testing stone were not unfamiliar to Ye Feng. He had seen them before in the "Seed Record" and had studied them for quite some time.
Thus, under Ye Feng's control, his arcane energy flowed smoothly, completing the patterns on the testing stone.
"Beep~ Perfect rendering!"
The moment Ye Feng finished the patterns on the testing stone, a mechanical voice suddenly emanated from it.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Ye Feng was somewhat surprised, not by the mechanical voice itself, as he had heard similar sounds when observing the testing stones earlier.
Each time someone successfully engraved a pattern, the stone would emit a "Pass" sound, followed by staff who would confirm it and issue a token to the successful individual...
But this time, after he finished engraving, the stone emitted the sound "Perfect rendering." What was happening...
Many people around the testing stone also looked surprised. For some of them, this was not their first attempt, yet they had never heard the testing stone emit such a sound before...
"Did you just engrave this pattern?"
At this point, a middle-aged man wearing a sun hat and holding a can of cola strode up to Ye Feng, looking at him with a questioning gaze.
"Mhm!~"
Ye Feng nodded, a hint of confusion in his heart. "Did I not pass?"
The middle-aged man with the cola can stared at the slowly dissipating pattern on the testing stone, his face full of astonishment. He then looked at the middle-aged man next to Ye Feng, who was about forty years old, with a confused expression.
"Ahem~ Sir, why are you looking at me?"
"This pattern was indeed engraved by this young man just now. I'm waiting for a simpler pattern."
The middle-aged man coughed lightly and smiled.
"Here!"
The middle-aged man with the cola can was slightly taken aback. A flash of light appeared in his hand, and he handed Ye Feng a token.
"Great~!"
Ye Feng quickly took it. He was somewhat puzzled by the middle-aged man of about forty.
Although the middle-aged man with the sun hat and cola can appeared to be in charge of this testing station, Ye Feng had noticed a subtle hint of respect in his gaze towards the forty-year-old man, which, though very discreet, Ye Feng had caught.
Despite his curiosity, Ye Feng couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. After all, he had been standing in the scorching sun for a long time, and even with her sun hat and two bottles of water, Little Jiu's face was flushed red with heat...
Then, to Guo Zhenchen's dumbfounded gaze, Ye Feng and Little Jiu disappeared into the crowd.
Lost in the throng, Ye Feng was unaware that a pair of sharp eyes were watching him from afar through a telescope, and the carving knife in that person's hand was continuously scratching across a piece of paper.
The paper, carbonized by the high temperature generated by the friction between it and the carving knife's tip, gave off a faint wisp of gray smoke, revealing streaks of black marks that gradually formed a portrait...
If Ye Feng were present, he would surely be astonished, for the portrait on the paper was none other than himself, and it was incredibly lifelike...
...
After leaving the Inner City Plaza, Ye Feng and Little Jiu did not continue sightseeing but returned directly to Mech Star.
Night fell.
Little Jiu had already fallen asleep. Ye Feng was modifying the seeds he had obtained from the Tyrannosaurus Rex base. After all, he was going to the City Lord's Mansion tomorrow, and these devastating weapons, comparable to small nuclear bombs, were his significant reliance for survival in Mech City.
At the same time,
At the City Lord's Mansion,
"A Qing, what is it that you need me for so late at night?"
An elder with white hair and eyebrows, but brimming with energy, asked a bespectacled man with graying temples standing before him.
"City Lord, please take a look at this testing rod!"
Shen Qing handed the testing rod he had been examining to the elder with white hair and eyebrows.
"This... is the testing rod broken?"
The City Lord took it, examined it, and frowned slightly.
"Yes and no!"
Shen Qing shook his head gently. "This testing rod is not truly broken, but it can no longer be used for testing, because the arcane nguyên thạch powder sealed within its patterns has detonated and been consumed!"
"What? Detonated!"
"A Qing, are you sure?"
Upon hearing Shen Qing's words, the City Lord's expression changed drastically. "You should know what it means when the arcane nguyên thạch powder inside a testing rod detonates!"
"Mhm!"
Shen Qing nodded solemnly. "Someone was able to control arcane energy to perfectly follow the path set by the testing rod, causing the arcane nguyên thạch powder sealed within to resonate and detonate!"
"This is why this testing rod has become inoperable!"
"To be honest, when Shen Bai found me this afternoon and told me about this, I found it hard to believe myself. The person's control over arcane energy has reached such a precise level!"
He concluded with a sigh.
"Do you know who that person is?"
The City Lord pondered for a moment and asked a crucial question.
Shen Qing's hand flashed, and a portrait instantly appeared. He handed the portrait to the City Lord. "According to Shen Bai, this person's name is Ye Feng. His background is unclear, but he is known to be an outsider explorer. He's quite wealthy and currently resides at..."