Douluo Continent: I got the Sharingan at the start!

Chapter 355 Time's up! Stop everything!

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, and Han Yu swayed violently, nearly falling over.

He instinctively reached out his right hand and grabbed the solid edge of the table, his knuckles turning white from the force, before he managed to steady himself.

Cold sweat slid down his forehead, soaking the stray hairs at his temples.

Taking a deep breath, Han Yu tried to calm her disordered breathing, her chest heaving violently.

He felt a wave of intense fatigue, as if his body had been completely drained. But he knew that now was not the time to rest.

He gritted his teeth, his left hand trembling as he picked up two core magic arrays that shimmered with complex patterns, and turned his gaze to the humanoid soul tool that was already basically complete beside him.

"Nine—" Ye Yulin's voice was like a death knell, striking Han Yu's tense nerves.

Han Yu forced himself to stay alert and precisely embedded the two core magic arrays in his hands into the grooves on the chest of the soul tool.

"Eight—" The countdown echoed mercilessly throughout the competition venue.

Han Yu's fingers danced nimbly across the soul tool, like a skilled musician playing complex notes.

"seven--"

Although Ye Yulin secretly hoped that Han Yu would win, he had to maintain a fair and impartial stance. The outcome of this match would directly affect the balance of power among the three major underground forces.

"six--"

Han Yu's movements were as swift as lightning, each step precise and flawless, as if honed through countless trials. He proved with his actions just how rational and efficient his humanoid soul tool design was.

"five--"

In the short time it took to read out those few numbers, Han Yu had already installed all nine core magic arrays.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. He picked up the remaining nine core magic arrays and continued his final sprint.

"Four--"

Time ticked by, and Han Yu's hand speed increased, as if she had turned into a series of afterimages.

"Time's up! Stop it all!" Ye Yulin's voice finally rang out, with a slightly drawn-out tone.

"Crack!" Almost at the same moment Ye Yulin finished speaking, Han Yu embedded the last core magic array into the chest cavity of the soul tool, making a crisp sound.

After the match ended, Han Yu leaned weakly on the soul tool making table, panting heavily.

His body trembled slightly, his face was pale, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

The prolonged high-intensity mental exertion left him feeling extremely exhausted, and even his prized mental energy showed signs of depletion.

For Han Yu, the three-hour match was an ordeal that left her physically and mentally exhausted.

In order to obtain the core magic array, he had to allocate a portion of his spiritual power, condense it into a spiritual body, and infiltrate the heavily guarded underground warehouse.

This is inherently a highly risky and costly undertaking.

Upon returning to the competition venue, he immediately entered a state of perfect harmony between mind and body, devoting himself entirely to the creation of the soul tool.

While achieving a state of unity between mind and body can greatly improve production efficiency, it also consumes a great deal of mental energy.

From the start to the end of the competition, Han Yu's mental state remained highly tense, never relaxing for a moment.

Such a huge drain on mental energy was almost unbearable, even for someone with mental strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.

He felt that his mental energy was like an oil lamp about to run out, and could be extinguished at any moment.

Even with such a powerful, intangible spiritual force, he was now teetering on the brink of collapse, as if he might crumble at any moment.

A warm current rose from his dantian and slowly flowed to his limbs and bones. Han Yu felt his spiritual world become clear, as if he had climbed a high peak and was looking down at the vast world.

He firmly grasped this sense of sublimation, knowing that after this, his spiritual power would surely reach a new level.

During the most intense moment of creating the soul tool, he clearly felt his soul power surging within him, as if he had broken through an invisible barrier and seemed to have leveled up.

With poor blood circulation in his lower limbs and obstructed soul power flow, cultivation became extremely difficult, and he relied almost entirely on absorbing the elemental power of the ultimate ice to improve his cultivation.

In this situation, being able to advance one level through one's own cultivation is undoubtedly a huge surprise.

The improvement in his cultivation level also greatly benefited his absorption of the ultimate ice elemental energy, creating a virtuous cycle.

However, he still felt weak at this moment, as if his body had been hollowed out.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his soul power began to circulate within him, his sea of ​​consciousness fluctuated, and a rich wave of spiritual energy rippled outwards, clearing his mind and gradually easing his fatigue. He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the abundant power within him, and a smile appeared on his lips.

It's finally finished.

Ye Yulin, who was in the stands, also breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes were fixed on Han Yu. Although this humanoid soul tool had no weapons or equipment and seemed a bit rudimentary, it had at least been completed within the allotted time and would have no problem moving on to the next stage.

Judging from Han Yu's previous performance, passing the upcoming skills test shouldn't be a problem. As for whether he can enter the top eight, that depends on his own abilities.

Since he dared to create such a soul tool, he must have a plan in mind, and perhaps he has some unexpected strategy.

Ye Yulin stood up, looked around the room, and announced loudly: "Alright, everyone, once you have finished making your soul tools, the production time is over."

"From now on, in the upcoming matches, you may only use the soul tool you created. You may not use any other soul tool for assistance," Ye Yulin said in a deep voice.

The noisy arena gradually quieted down, and various voices mingled together, including praise for Han Yu's final work and sighs of regret for him almost going over time.

Han Yu took a deep breath, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, ignoring the discussions around her.

He closed his eyes tightly, focusing all his attention on restoring his mental strength. Waves of fatigue washed over him, but he had to recover as quickly as possible to prepare for the upcoming match.

Ye Yulin looked around, his gaze sweeping over each contestant before finally settling on Han Yu. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Before the official competition begins, we need to test the soul tools you have made to ensure that all entries are qualified finished products."

Any unfinished or defective soul tool will be considered unqualified, and its creator will be immediately eliminated.

As soon as Ye Yulin finished speaking, the six referees beside him all showed strange expressions, and their lips twitched in unison.

They exchanged glances, seemingly puzzled by Ye Yulin's sudden decision.

This new testing step is clearly intended to give Han Yu some rest time, and the bias is too obvious.

Most of the other participants had already finished their works and used the fifteen-minute break to recover their energy, and now they all looked radiant.

Han Yu, however, was pale and exhausted from finishing her work at the last minute, a stark contrast to the other contestants.

According to the competition rules, the quality of the soul tools will be tested in subsequent matches. If any problems exist, they will naturally be exposed during the competition and affect the final results. Therefore, conducting an additional testing process before the start of the competition is unnecessary.

Everyone present knew Ye Yulin's intention in doing this; she simply wanted to give Han Yu more time to recover her mental strength.

Below the stage, the leaders of the three major underground forces exchanged bewildered glances, puzzled by Ye Yulin's actions. While the request seemed reasonable, it also appeared somewhat abrupt.

However, they were well aware of Ye Yulin's dual identity as a Starry Sky Douluo and a Level 9 Soul Master, and dared not easily offend this high-ranking and powerful figure.

They could only watch helplessly as Ye Yulin solemnly led the referee team to inspect the soul tools of each participant one by one.

The inspection process was extremely meticulous, even requiring each participant to inject soul power into their soul tool to ensure it could function properly.

Ye Yulin led the referee team around and around before finally walking up to Han Yu.

His steps were slow and steady, as if each step had been meticulously calculated. His gaze swept over the other contestants before finally settling on Han Yu.

He deliberately slowed his pace, walked to Han Yu's side, and asked in a gentle tone with a hint of barely perceptible concern, "Han Yu, is your soul tool finished?"

Han Yu was meticulous. From the moment Ye Yulin deliberately delayed the countdown, he had a vague feeling that the chief referee seemed to be helping him in secret.

At first, he suspected that Ye Yulin might have accepted bribes from the Xishui Alliance, after all, behind-the-scenes manipulation is not uncommon in such competitions.

But with the sudden appearance of these highly targeted inspection items, he realized that things were not so simple and there seemed to be more to the story.

If Xi Shui Meng had bribed the chief referee, he shouldn't have been so obvious about it. After all, such blatant favoritism would easily arouse suspicion from other contestants and spectators.

Could it be… that this Starry Sky Douluo has taken a liking to my talent? This thought flashed through Han Yu's mind. He subconsciously glanced at the humanoid soul tool beside him and immediately confirmed his guess.

"Hello, Chief Referee, I have finished making it."

Han Yu replied respectfully, her tone tinged with humility, "My soul tool is manufactured normally and can be used."

Although he didn't think he could have any interaction with this high and mighty Starry Sky Douluo, he naturally had to be respectful when the other party showed him goodwill; it was basic courtesy.

In Ye Yulin's eyes, Han Yu was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye; this must be the legendary love at first sight. Seeing his humble and respectful demeanor, she was even more satisfied.

He nodded repeatedly, his approval evident in his words: "Good, good! Young man, not bad."

He paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, you just put some component-like devices inside your humanoid soul tool, right? And you even assembled it as the main component."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of inquiry in his voice, and asked, "Do you believe these components can replace the core magic array? Has your humanoid soul tool reached the point where it can directly engage in combat?"

Logically speaking, this is a competition, not the time to ask about details, but this Starry Sky Douluo seems to be bewitched, completely attracted by Han Yu's soul tool, and can't help but want to know more.

Han Yu said, "I believe that the parts can replace the core magic array to some extent."

After all, the core magic array has higher requirements for rare metals, and the cost of obtaining them and the difficulty of refining them are far greater than those for ordinary metals. On the other hand, the sources of materials for the parts are more extensive and easier to mass-produce.

In addition, the production process of the core magic array is extremely complicated, requiring experienced soul masters to spend a lot of time and energy, and the slightest carelessness will lead to failure.

In contrast, the manufacturing process for parts is more standardized and modular, allowing even inexperienced craftsmen to complete them in a short time.

More importantly, the core magic array itself has unstable factors, which are easily affected by the external environment and may fail or even cause danger.

The structure of the components is relatively simple and stable, resulting in higher reliability. Therefore, I believe that some simple devices can achieve the same function by replacing the core array with these components. Not only are they easier to manufacture and cheaper, but they are also more reliable and durable.

Of course, to achieve performance comparable to the core magic array, the precision of the components is crucial, which requires repeated experimentation and improvement.

"Hmm, your idea does make some sense. Now, demonstrate your humanoid soul tool so we can see its effectiveness firsthand."

"Yes, ma'am." Han Yu nodded respectfully and began his demonstration.

Ye Yulin asked with concern, "Do you need our help?" As he spoke, he pointed to the various soul tools placed beside him, indicating that he could provide assistance at any time.

Han Yu smiled and shook his head, indicating that he could complete the task independently. He skillfully raised his hand and lightly pressed a few times on the surface of the humanoid soul tool to activate the activation device.

Suddenly, a slight mechanical whirring sound was heard, and the metal plate on the chest of the soul tool began to slowly crack open to both sides, like flower petals blooming, revealing the intricate internal structure.

At the same time, the outer shell of the legs unfolds, revealing the entire internal space to everyone.

Upon closer inspection of this humanoid soul tool, Ye Yulin couldn't help but admire its ingenious design and construction.

The craftsmanship of this soul tool is extremely high. Every part is polished to a perfect smoothness, and the connection between the various components is seamless.

The internal layout is reasonable and compact. The various parts and components are combined together, and the surface is very flat without any protrusions or depressions, ensuring the user's comfort inside.

Ye Yulin noticed that the interior space was much larger than he had imagined, enough to accommodate an adult to move around freely, and the positions of each support point had been carefully designed to minimize the physical burden on the user.

(End of this chapter)