"Are you ready?" Ande Ulriel asked.

Hilveld held the crystal in her hand, felt it for a moment, then nodded. She wasn't an Alchemist, but having grown up in such an environment, she was no stranger to the Magic Guided Furnace.

"Old Copper Nose," Ande Ulriel said, "Our Little Princess is almost ready, how's your side?"

"Coming," Sonan replied gruffly, a bit displeased. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Hehe, I'm not in a hurry." Ande Ulriel chuckled lightly.

The Dwarf caught the undertone of his words and snorted heavily.

Then the two of them started bickering back and forth again.

Vikki was following her companion through the hall. The two of them came to the platform in the center of the hall. The boy was about to climb up, but Vikki grabbed him from behind. "Wait." She called out. The boy paused and turned to look at her.

"Zheng Yongzai, you cannot lose." Vikki stared at him, speaking earnestly.

The boy was taken aback, adjusted his glasses, "But the coach said..."

"A coach is a coach, a competition is a competition, you have to have your own ideas."

The former thought for a moment, then nodded seriously, "You're right, Vikki, I'll listen to you."

Vikki finally smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

The boy's face flushed red, and he turned to cross the railing, reaching the stage. Sonan Steelbrow only glanced at this unremarkable boy, complaining with characteristic Dwarven impatience, "So slow to arrive."

"Sorry."

"Instead of saying that, better get ready." The Dwarf handed over a crystal to him, "Take this crystal, let me know when you're ready."

Zheng Yongzai accepted the crystal, held it in his hand, took a gentle breath, then nodded to Sonan, "Mr. Sonan, I'm ready."

"So quick?" The Dwarf glanced at him unexpectedly.

On the other end of the crystal, Hilveld and Ande Ulriel also received the news that they were ready on this side, and after mutual confirmation, the competition officially began.

The single-player speed race in the Star Sphere differs significantly from team competitions. Single-player speed racing does not require filling the entire sphere, usually selecting one starting point out of five at the bottom of the Star Sphere, with the first to reach the top endpoint winning.

The competition rules are simple and clear, not complicated, after all, anomalies like Fang Hong are rare, and most people can't advance on five paths simultaneously.

However, as there is only one endpoint, the competitors inevitably interfere with each other during the contest, and the rules even allow the destruction of the opponent's planned bridge structure points. This makes the confrontation process less demanding on the craftsman's basics, but more of a pure calculative power competition.

Hilveld's starting point was at point A5, which was a relatively good starting point. However, once she started, Ande Ulriel and Fang Hong on the side noticed that her speed was not fast compared to her opponent's.

Hilveld held the crystal, initially somewhat awkward, until connecting to the fifth structural point when her actions gradually stabilized, her precise calculative power began to play a role. But at the same time, Fang Hong glanced at the other side, and the opponent had already surpassed the ninth structural point, reaching one-fifth of the total course.

In the hall—

Zheng Yongzai was equally tense inside, his hand holding the crystal sweaty.

As a substitute in the team, he didn't have many chances to play. It was only because another main player hadn't arrived today, and the coach didn't intend to let Vikki play first that he thought of someone almost invisible like him.

The coach had told him to find a way to lose to that Native, but Vikki's words served as a wake-up call.

Although he was a substitute, he was also a Chosen, here to compete.

The boy calmed himself down, though he admitted he was not as talented as some main players in the team, but the silent Old Craftsman at the Tarun Craftsmen's Guild also thought highly of him. The Old Craftsman was taciturn, and whenever Zheng Yongzai encountered any setbacks, he would just pat his shoulder with his hand.

From the rigorous trainee selection to today, though with many stumbles and setbacks, he finally made it to this place.

He recalled that in the training camp, the Mentor repeatedly pointed out his biggest flaw—being tense, and that when he got on the field, he could only bring out two or three tenths of his strength. For a professional Chosen, if unable to overcome this point, it would be a fatal flaw.

However, Zheng Yongzai understood in his heart that at least until today, he had never overcome this point.

But today, he was apparently in great condition.

He connected very quickly, even Vikki, watching from below, felt a bit surprised. The Old Dwarf was also startled for a moment, couldn't help but take another look at the Star Sphere, then at the boy, nodding his head.

But when he connected to the seventeenth node, the opponent was reaching the eleventh node.

Watching this, Ande Ulriel couldn't help but curse under his breath. He thought, damn Old Copper Nose really shows no mercy, knowing full well it's the Albert Family's girl, yet he found such a formidable opponent. In his view, the opponent's level was among the very best of the Southern Alliance's young people, no more, no less.

Does this old guy really want to win so much?

He couldn't help but get a little angry.

But it was at this moment that Fang Hong furrowed his brow slightly.

He saw that Hilveld, after the eleventh node, chose a very unusual route, connecting horizontally to the twelfth node—in speed races, generally, the best connection points are vertically upwards, followed by various oblique upward paths. These nodes are also the key points for competitors to fight over during the race.

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