The arena was divided into three areas.
Two areas were designated for mechanism crafting, each belonging to the competitors.
The middle area was for mechanism combat.
In front of Ning Zhuo, a long table was set up, displaying many materials.
Ning Zhuo quickly scanned these materials and found that they were all at Qi Refining Level, rudimentary enough to feel familiar.
They included Fist Gold, Fire Essence, ancient wood with Spiritual Patterns, a large droplet of condensed Frost Flower, and Charcoal Roasted Clay. Finally, there was also a Mid Grade Spirit Stone.
"Are there any tools for crafting mechanisms?" Ning Zhuo wondered internally.
He hadn't seen any so far.
Without crafting tools, making a mechanism entirely by hand would be ten times more difficult, if not more.
However, Ning Zhuo noticed that the table was covered with Array Patterns. This immediately reminded him of the surgical tables in the medical halls.
"Perhaps this is arranged in the same way as those surgical tables. The table might contain many mechanism tools stored within."
Ning Zhuo wanted to confirm his guess but found himself unable to move. An invisible force was restraining him.
It wasn't until the announcement that the round of the temple exam had started that this invisible force suddenly disappeared, allowing Ning Zhuo to move freely.
Ning Zhuo first looked directly ahead, where his opponent was supposed to be located.
It was all a blur, indistinct.
Ning Zhuo walked forward a few steps to the table. He reached out, touched the tabletop, imbued his Mana, and indeed pulled out many mechanism tools. These included a welding torch, tiger head pliers, etc.
After confirming his guess, Ning Zhuo glanced unconsciously at the opposite side again, which remained a blur.
He decided not to worry about it and instead focused on inspecting the materials provided for the exam.
Blocks of Fist Gold, each looking exactly like a clenched fist at first glance, numbering at least thirty. The naming of Fist Gold came from this resemblance.
Ning Zhuo knew in his heart: this was a kind of hard metal ore with high strength and durability.
"I can use it to construct the skeleton of a Mechanical Puppet."
After inspecting the Fist Gold, which was of average quality commonly found in the market, Ning Zhuo continued his inspection.
Next was the Fire Essence.
This material was one of the specialties of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and Ning Zhuo was more than familiar with it, inspecting it fastest.
The ancient wood with Spiritual Patterns...
Ning Zhuo lifted a large section of the wood, placing it in front of himself to observe.
Even though it was sawed off, this large section of wood still emitted a faint vitality.
The cross-section of the wood was filled with Spiritual Patterns.
Any plant that absorbed Spiritual Energy for a long time would develop these patterns. The longer the time, the more and denser the patterns became.
Furthermore, the more Spiritual Patterns, the higher the efficiency of absorbing Spiritual Energy.
"This wood, in its lifetime, must have been a Spirit Plant."
When inspecting this material, Ning Zhuo paid close attention to the distribution and direction of its Spiritual Patterns.
"It can be used to store Spirit Stones and build pathways for the transmission of Spiritual Power. Since there's only one Spirit Stone, part of it must be preserved to make the Array Plate for a Spirit Gathering Array!"
Ning Zhuo continued his inspection.
The large droplet of condensed Frost Flower, as large as a basin.
The droplet resembled a huge, round blue steamed bun. Its surface was covered with large Frost Flowers, each as big as an adult's hand.
As Ning Zhuo's palm approached, the Frost Flowers on the surface of the droplet quickly melted.
"It can be used to make weapon components or cooling auxiliary components," Ning Zhuo thought of two main uses.
Next was the Charcoal Roasted Clay.
This clay was a black-gray color.
It underwent significant changes with temperature.
At high temperatures, it became a hard solid. At low temperatures, it became sticky and could easily be molded and shaped.
Additionally, it had quite notable Fire-attribute Resistance.
Sometimes, it could also be used as coal, providing a base material for combustion to accumulate heat for Mechanical Artifacts.
At last, it was the only Mid Grade Spirit Stone.
"Ordinary quality."
"Relying on a single Spirit Stone won't suffice for prolonged combat. Therefore, the Spirit Gathering Array in the Mechanical Puppet is mandatory."
"This Spirit Stone can at most serve as an Activation Stone."
In the process of checking materials, Ning Zhuo had already conceived many ideas.
Without rest, he raced against time and began the Refining formally.
The first step was to construct the framework.
Ning Zhuo processed the Charcoal Roasted Clay.
He first cooled it down so the clay could be easily shaped.
Under his skillful hands, a heap of clay was shaped into a deep vessel standing on the desk, looking like a small well that had been dug out.
Ning Zhuo picked up the Welding Torch and began to melt the Fist Gold. The Fist Gold quickly turned into a pool of golden solution under the fierce flame.
The flowing gold was stored in the little well shaped from Charcoal Roasted Clay.
Ning Zhuo then applied the Gold Gathering Technique!
This spell originated from the trial stages and allowed a Cultivator to extract metal freely according to their will.
Normally, solid Fist Gold is difficult to purify into gold, posing great difficulty, and the results come slowly. But in liquid form, it was much more effective.
"How many times should I purify it to be optimal?" Ning Zhuo faced this question.
Theoretically, as many times as possible. But in reality, he had to consider time.
Once the time limit was reached, he could no longer continue making Mechanical Artifacts. Too many purification rounds would affect the final product.
The issue of how many times to purify was actually about having overall control over the entire Refining process.
If he could accurately plan the timing of each step, that would be even better.
This problem did not stump Ning Zhuo.
He had a clear plan deep inside, and according to the plan, purifying three times in this stage was the most suitable.
Such minor details already demonstrated whether a Mechanism Cultivator was excellent.
These details being continually piled up would have an enormous impact on the final product.
Ning Zhuo quickly moved past this step and began the next.
He shaped the golden solution into the form of a framework.
It is worth mentioning that these frameworks were hollow.
After completing this step, Ning Zhuo began processing the Spiritual Pattern Ancient Wood.
Since there was only one Spirit Stone, Ning Zhuo first had to use the ancient wood to cut out an Array Plate and depict the Spirit Gathering Array.
After performing this step, Ning Zhuo cut the ancient wood along the spiritual patterns and inserted cylindrical thin wooden rods into the gold framework to serve as Bone Core.
Ning Zhuo used another spell from the trial stages. A three-inch cylindrical ancient wood rod could reach up to five inches at most. Extending it further would be overdoing it, causing the entire rod to wither and die.
After completing this step, Ning Zhuo took a brief rest for several breaths.
Skilled Mechanism Cultivators often have this healthy habit, not continuously busy, but balanced with rest.
Because next, Ning Zhuo had to handle the Fire Essence, and he needed to ensure his own condition.
He began processing the Fire Essence.
He was extremely familiar with this material.
Ning Zhuo crafted the Fire Essence into a series of firecrackers. This was also a mechanism part he was quite familiar with; his Explosive Flame Monkey Mechanism commonly incorporated these firecrackers as a regular means of attack.
When faced with the Frost Flower Droplet, Ning Zhuo fully demonstrated his proficiency in Arrays!
He set up at least three Arrays in the Frost Flower Droplet, quickly and stably. Moreover, in the Array Eye, Ning Zhuo placed several Frost Talismans he had made on the spot.
Ultimately, this large droplet could, according to Ning Zhuo's will, freely change shape.
Ning Zhuo then hung it on the framework.
Then, he shaped the Charcoal Roasted Clay again, fashioning it into a body that thoroughly covered the framework.
With the remaining time, he went back and produced a large number of firecrackers.
The final Mechanical Puppet, Ning Zhuo named it—Five Elements Pawn.
Its primary mode of attack was with mechanical firecrackers, while defense was handled by the Frost Flower Droplet, which could surge out of the body at critical moments to form armor or shields.