Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Come on, there will be no problem for you to pass the qualifying round. After all, Gao Shiyu gave you the Torch. Then I'll wait for you to pick it up this afternoon. See you later. I'll go find the clockwork. It's quite nice, and I always carry it with me."

Chapter 338 Qualifying Round

On August 13, the weather was fine and the Nanzhili regional qualifying round of the Shaoping Fourth Middle School Formula Championship began.

This is the final round of the qualifiers and the only main event, which is different from other places.

The Nanzhili format is that the first four matches are just warm-ups, with the final match set to decide the outcome. Although the Longjiang team won first place in the first four matches, their points weren't enough to qualify directly. Only the winner of today's match would qualify for the finals.

"So, this last one is the most important."

Qi Yuan was beside him, fanning himself. "The previous matches were just formalities. Today's is the most important."

"Yes, yes, it all depends on you, big brother." Han Xingzhi was fanning Wen Yuan beside him, but the wind from the fan could still blow over from time to time.

Shangluo always felt a little awkward. The weather wasn't very hot, and with two people hanging around him, he picked up a steamed dumpling and was fanned by them to cool it down.

"However, I still want to ask, why do we have to wait until now to decide the winner? Don't we have a points system here?"

"Actually, there were some at the beginning," Qi Yuan replied. "It's just that the competition here is so fierce. Every team has a hidden trick up their sleeve. But after the finals, the intensity of the competition rises to a whole new level. So everyone wants to save their tricks for the very end. Over time, the competition format has been adjusted to this way, so that everyone can warm up. If every game counted for points, we would have to give our all in every game, and by the end of the whole process, we would have lost all our savings."

"Ultimately, it's because of limited strength." Han Xingzhi shook his head. "Most of the time, a county can't demonstrate outstanding performance in every aspect with its own strength, so it can only save up for one ultimate move. This is a last resort, not a good tactic. If we had a choice, we would of course choose a car that can do everything. But as far as a county's strength is concerned, being good at everything is equivalent to being poor at everything."

"But," Shangluo recalled the intelligence he had seen yesterday, sent from Wudang. "Based on the current situation, the performance of the A-class fleet has reached an incredible level. Even with their ultimate power, it would be difficult to catch up with the normal performance of those A-class vehicles. For example, after the Xuantan Tiger's gas turbine starts up, even if the Rocket Team really unleashes its solid rockets, I'm afraid they won't be able to keep up with their speed."

Qi Yuan sighed, "That's certainly not possible. How could a county possibly fight against the entire Northern Zhili?"

"So, how did we get this together?" Shangluo asked her. "They excluded me first. Wudang thought we had a pretty good foundation, and they didn't even take me into account when they gave us this assessment. So, aren't we just the strength of one county?"

"That's what happened," Qi Yuan replied. "We completely changed our approach: we put all our resources into piling up materials, without considering the driver's adaptability. This car's performance seems outstanding because, besides you, only a powerful thunder cultivator like Wen Yuan can drive it. Therefore, the data they collected from the beginning was not comprehensive. When calculating the strength of the [Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppet], they couldn't exclude Qi cultivators. This was part of the design from the beginning."

"I wonder if they've already considered this," Shangluo said, stroking his chin. "Perhaps they've defined 'Class A cars' as seed cars that 'have the potential to become third-generation Formula One cars.' In other words, they're considering whether this car can fully unleash the power of a Qigong practitioner. As for what a true third-generation Formula One car is, that depends on the outcome of the finals."

Qi Yuan was stunned for a moment, a little frightened. "This is truly, truly dangerous. We were so close to straying from this route. Now that I think about it, if we hadn't taken this risky path, we would have had almost no chance of winning. Even if we made it to the finals, we would have been left with nothing but sighs of despair when we saw the other teams."

"We didn't really have much of a chance of winning in the first place," Han Xingzhi watched her from the side. "If Shangluo hadn't just happened to join the team and offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal, we'd probably have had to give up the competition."

"It sounds like I'm giving it as a gift." Wen Yuan was eating breakfast on the other side. "Obviously, I'm the driver, and Shangluo is the backup."

"My eldest brother is the technical director, but he just doesn't want to drive."

"Well, but you're really generous to be able to get so much Torch." Although he wanted to say something, the jar of Torch in the corner suppressed all his words. Because the chances of victory had already been established.

"Master Wen, is this really okay? Isn't it a bit too harsh for them to ask such a question? I remember Wen Yuan also participated in the competition this time."

In the box of the viewing platform, Wen Zhong was reading the briefing sent by the organizing committee.

Except for the Longjiang team, all other teams had their members circled in red because no team had completed the integration of the Reiki equipment and alcohol within the 24-hour preparation time.

This means that the Longjiang team had already established their chances of winning before the game started, and there was no suspense in this game.

"Um"

This surprised Wen Zhong. He'd thought at least a few teams would pass, but he hadn't expected only one to make it, while the others all failed. This question was truly too difficult.

"But," he put down the briefing, "you must remember that Formula One racing is never a passing exam, but a selection exam. We set the questions not to give you certificates, but to select the team that can best represent Nanzhili. You have also looked at the information of the other teams, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"The questions we set for them are much more difficult than ours. The guys from Beizhi won't make the questions easier just because we make them easy. The reality is, we just need to give them a little injury, so they can get a feel for the difficulty of the finals. Otherwise, if they make it to the finals and are left far behind, that would be a real setback. The difficulty next year shouldn't be lowered, it needs to be increased."

"But next year, those players on the Longjiang team will graduate, and the other teams are also experiencing a talent shortage. I'm afraid no one will be able to make it."

"Then no one can pass. Some clever kids have already started preparing for next year's competition." He had just seen that the Imperial College Affiliated High School directly gave up the competition this year. He didn't know where they got the news from, but they knew they would definitely not pass this year.

"Anyway, this time we'll put some pressure on them. Boiling a frog in warm water will kill it. We have to scald them a little before they know to jump out."

Chapter 339 Qualifying Round

"Lord, we've received word that several teams are forcing their way through. They intend to use vehicles powered by ethanol, even with injuries. Should we stop them?"

"No need," Wen Zhong made his decision. "After struggling and trying, they realized it was meaningless. This is also an important lesson in life. If they can't take the prize home, they should at least take the lesson home."

"Then please sign."

After reviewing the situation of all teams, Wen Zhong signed the order to start the competition.

The stadium announcements immediately began, and the teams' vehicles began to move into position behind the starting line. Because the track's width didn't allow for dozens of vehicles to line up in a single row, they had to line up in two columns and launch at once. This was the primary purpose of the warm-up race—it would more accurately be called a "qualifying race," as it determined the qualifying positions for the main race.

The Tiandao Yingkui team, with the highest overall score, started first after the starting line. This position is also known as the "flag start," a tradition inherited from horse racing. During a race, a flag is placed next to the first-placed horse. The Longjiang team's flag now stands there, parallel to the starting line.

"Ah, they are really trying their best." In a corner of the audience, Gao Shiyu was drinking Coke.

"What's wrong?" Gao Qingyu next to him asked him.

"Almost every car has a light spot. They seem to be planning to force their way in despite being drunk. Tsk, tsk, tsk, they're quite courageous. By the way, sister, can you make it?"

"No way. If I go, I'll be the drunk one. What about you?"

"What's the difference between us? You're drunk, so of course I'm drunk too. So why are you asking such difficult questions?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. It's not going to be given to us anyway." She continued drinking her Coke. Her headphones filtered out the surrounding noise, preserving her favorite engine roar. Sometimes deep, sometimes sharp, but always the way she liked it.

"Hmm?" A noteworthy voice appeared beside her. She looked to the side and saw a familiar figure.

"Hey, Shangluo." Gao Shiyu greeted him first, moved to the side and made room for him.

"Thank you." Shangluo walked over with Coke and sat down.

"Aren't you going to compete?"

"No need. Wen Yuan can handle this situation."

"Ah," Gao Qingyu asked, "Is that the one who scared this kid?"

"Yes, that's him. He's our team's driver, and he usually goes to race. But I don't know why Gao Shiyu never sees him."

"I suggest you be careful. The person this kid can't see must be someone special."

"He is a Jinyiwei."

"Ah, that's okay then." Gao Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief. "Would you like some fried dough sticks?"

"Huh?" He was stunned for a moment by the strange old saying, which was the classic "Do you want to eat oil cakes?"

"What are you thinking about? I'm asking if you want some fried dough cakes." Gao Qingyu handed over the paper bag next to her. "My mom made them. She made a bag before she left the house. We heated them up this morning and ate them."

"Specialty." His eyes glanced at the two people's paper cups.

"It's not douzhi, it's not douzhi. What kind of stereotype is this? Does everyone in Shuntian drink douzhi in the morning? Then do they still go out in the morning?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I was obsessed."

But if you think about it, it seems a bit weird?

Gao Qingyu seemed to answer very quickly, almost as if he could read her mind.

"I can't read your mind, I'm just reading your expression. When I was deaf as a child, I could only communicate by lip reading. The information from lip reading is quite limited, because the old Shuntian people speak in a continuous manner, so in addition to the mouth shape, I have to read other things. Of course, I don't need it now."

She pointed to her headphones. She had been wearing them since yesterday. But the cover was a new one; today's was a pale green with white stripes.

"Your headphones don't need to be charged?"

"No, because it doesn't make any sound. It's used for sound insulation."

"Soundproof?"

"Well, you're Chishie-kun, so it's okay to tell you. You can find it out anyway. Actually, it's not like I can't hear anything. I was deaf when I was a kid because my ears were too sensitive to sound. Even a car passing in front of me sounded like a train whistle in my ear. So, when I was very young, I blocked off a large part of my hearing so that I wouldn't be kept awake by noise. Of course, the price I paid was that I couldn't hear anything besides the noise."

"Oh, so these earmuffs can help you selectively block out noise?"

"Yes. There are two cute little beans inside. They can help me select the sound channel according to the situation and adjust the sound to a level I can accept. And there are other functions. For example, when talking to you, they block out other sounds, so you can hear it very clearly."

"So it's so convenient? Then Gao Shiyu..."

"Don't ask me, I'm really blind and can't see a thing." He took a sip of his Coke in dissatisfaction. "But it's quite convenient for watching the race. Just look at the light. Wow! How come the car starting from the flag position is driverless! It's so advanced, which team is that? Why have I never heard of such amazing technology? Nanzhi really has hidden talents!"

"That's Wen Yuan in our team car."

".Ah." He breathed a sigh of relief, "That really is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

As they spoke, the starting gun fired. As expected, the Tiandao Shadow Puppet rushed out, followed closely by Team Rocket. No car stopped, and it seemed they had at least solved the ignition problem, so running a few laps shouldn't be a problem. But there were still fifty-five laps waiting for them.

"They're really going up." Gao Shiyu kept watching the field. "Wow, they're starting to dodge! Some of the Tianyi nobles can't hold on any longer, they're already getting carried away. Wow! They're still running! They're still running! They're quite aggressive! How come even the Tianyi nobles are so aggressive!"

Water mist appeared on the track, coming from the car at the head of the pack. It looked like an engine failure—and indeed, it was indeed a problem with the Tianyi nobleman in the engine.

Immediately after

"Oh!" Gao Shiyu sighed, "There's a car that looks a lot like ours, with a Tianyi noble controlling the rocket jet. Oh, his car is broken too, it's so scary. Oh!! He's still running! Smoke is coming out of his butt, and he's still running! It's all colorful, drunken and all kinds of colors, and he's still running. Hey, hey, hey, Shangluo, do you want to stop it? This is very dangerous!"

"That's none of my business." Shangluo shook his head. "I just talked to Lele about it. This is Lele's own wish, and he knows what to do. All I can do is give him a lifeline. Hmm? Wait, something's not right? Why are they so colorful?"

"Didn't you say it was the same yesterday?"

"There was no colorful light yesterday! Ah! It's glowing! It's Lele casting a spell..."

Chapter 340 Vulcan Core

Lele turned into colorful and began to glow!

Lele, burned out. After a short sprint, Lele, who had turned gray, had restored the vehicle to normal. At this time, the Tiandao Shadow Puppet had already been behind the main force for two full laps, and the gap continued to widen. The outcome was no longer in doubt.

"By the way, I just noticed that there's a spirit in your car?"

"You actually noticed it?" Shangluo asked him, "How did you figure that out?"

"Because the light emission is different. Other cars that use Tianyi Guiren usually have a bright spot. But Jiling isn't implanted later, so it doesn't appear as a single point of light, but rather diffuses throughout the entire car."

"Wait, now that you've mentioned that, have you ever heard of something called the Vulcan Core?"

Gao Shiyu stared at him for a moment, looking down as if in thought, but she was actually looking into his eyes.

"Why, you want to try it?"

"Sounds like this to you?"

"Because one of the Xuantan Tiger Team's design plans was to use the Vulcan Core as the control center. There were also plans to use Tianyi Nobleman. There were several plans. Of course, in the end, they used me."

"Then can I ask why you didn't use it in the end?"

"Because they can't use it—even though it sounds like nonsense, in the end, they had no other choice but to let me take over. Tianyi Guiren can't be used because there are no Tianyi Guiren applying for the job. We can't just force one in, kidnapping is illegal. As for the Vulcan Core...that's the key point."

He lowered his voice and said, "Shangluo, you should know the functions of Yin Spirits such as Jiling, Vulcan Core, and Tianyi Guiren, right?"

"I know a little. As for the Tianyi Guiren, they don't seem to be able to control spiritual energy, but they can master the necessary knowledge, similar to talismans. Talismans also work by inputting spiritual energy, and Tianyi Guiren can complete more complex tasks after inputting spiritual energy."

"That's how a racing car's control system works. Speaking from the perspectives of Heaven, Earth, and Man, there needs to be a medium between human will and the car's operation. In this regard, the most suitable medium is the Machine Spirit. Born from the essence of Heaven and Earth, the Machine Spirit embraces the essence of Heaven and Earth, with Heaven as its father and Earth as its mother. Even the Jade Emperor wouldn't bother with such a gifted spirit. When Sun Wukong was born, the Jade Emperor simply said, 'Don't bother with him.' Of course, being attacked by the Monkey King later on is another matter; that's actually the Monkey King's fault for being too cheeky."

"It turns out that the guy with glasses has such a great background"

"It's the same with humans. Like the Tianyi nobles, they're simply born in a different form. Although being born within an object has its limitations, they also acquire certain talents. For example, Sun Wukong is like the Clever Stone Monkey. He can transform, understand the weather and the terrain, and even move the stars. Like humans, whether they do good or evil depends on their upbringing, and they can make their own choices. Besides, there's only one Sun Wukong, and not everyone can become as powerful as him. Well, by comparison, the Romans' plan is a bit unusual."

"You mean the Vulkan Core?"

"Yes. We brought a Vulcan core here and activated it with lightning. The result..."

"The results of it?"

"As a result, it rebelled. As the vehicle's control center, it could directly manipulate its operations. After understanding its surroundings, it chose to crash headfirst into a wall. The reason is simple: Tianyi nobles were born without purpose. They are not tools, but simply people raised in a different way. The souls bound within Vulcan's core were naturally bound within their cold shells with a tragic fate. It was natural for them to choose to crash headfirst into a wall after understanding the situation."

After saying this, he lowered his head slightly. "Shangluo, I have a personal experience of this. Not everyone is born with a perfect body. I've been blind since birth. Even now, my clairvoyance can only capture information. Although I can suddenly acquire information as easily as a clairvoyant, I still want to see the colors of this world like everyone else. I want to see beyond the information, the dots of light, and the lines. I used to be very desperate, and so did my sister."

Gao Qingyu on the side glanced at them, said nothing, and just lowered her head to eat the fried cake.

"So, we can fully understand the pitiful fate of those born in cages. My sister and I, too, are we imprisoned in our own cages. Sometimes I wonder, is everything humans see truly real? In the eyes of the gods, are we as pathetic as the caged Vulcan Core? But I won't let this make me depressed. Because we are Qi practitioners, and our spiritual energy is the power of our wishes. We don't need to rely on the void; we can realize our wishes ourselves."

"I see. But you guys do have a very good attitude."

"Because everything is moving in the right direction. Although I haven't reached the Qi training stage yet, it's just that I'm a bit weak in one subject. My training is focused on how to reintegrate into society. Now I can attend classes normally, because the teacher's chalk on the blackboard and my own pen are marked with phlogiston ink, so I can see the words clearly. We also have a Tianyi nobleman in our family who is responsible for copying the books and reproducing them in a version that I can read. Everything is getting better, and of course I'm very happy. As for my sister."

He shook his head. "She returned to her normal life a long time ago. She was simply blocking out unwanted sounds, while I wanted to see things I couldn't see. Well, my personal opinion is that while I'm not discouraging you from using it, you must exercise caution when using the Vulcan Core. The Romans will sooner or later face retribution for their careless detention of the natural spirit."

"Thank you." This was the user's opinion, and it was valuable experience. They had indeed tried various methods, but in the end they decided to let Gao Shiyu do it himself.

"So you are replacing Tianyi Guiren in there?"