After the last Dao Cultivator warriors vanished, the judges' loudspeaker echoed across the arena:
"The first critical point has been successfully secured. The illusion will now shift to the second objective."
Along with the announcement, the simulated landscape began to change. Space seemed to tear apart. Concrete dissolved, replaced by a vast stretch of open land. At its center appeared a small research station. Dense vegetation sprouted and spread outward in every direction: first tender shoots, then branches rising high, as if a film were being rewound and replayed in fast motion. Within seconds, a tropical forest enveloped the entire battlefield.
Duong Minh glanced around, feeling something strange. Though he knew it was only a simulation, through the sensors of his robot he could still "smell" damp soil, "hear" the rustle of leaves. The simulation technology had advanced to a level nearly indistinguishable from reality.
"In a forest…" he thought. "Visibility is obstructed. Radar will be distorted. Our long-range firepower advantage will be significantly reduced."
"The second critical objective," the judges' voice continued, "is to defend the research station for five minutes against an incoming assault by Dao Cultivators. If the research station is destroyed, all candidates will lose points. If it is successfully defended, points will be awarded based on contribution and losses during the defense. Note: the station possesses limited self-defense capability but cannot withstand a direct strike from a Dao Cultivator."
The moment the announcement ended, warning signals flared across every candidate's radar.
"Twenty Dao Cultivator warriors approaching from the west," Amira murmured.
"Form a defensive perimeter with robots. Activate anti-air systems. Lower all drones to minimize damage," Duong Minh shouted. At some point, his voice had become command for the entire team. All candidates moved simultaneously in response.
The humanoid robots lined up around the research station, raising brilliant metallic shields toward the sky and activating external energy barriers.
Anti-air artillery units elevated their barrels skyward. Micro-missile systems switched into active fire mode.
"Wait until the enemy enters firing range," Duong Minh ordered. Everyone held their breath.
Then suddenly, all the black dots representing Dao Cultivators on the radar… vanished.
"Low-altitude assault incoming!" Duong Minh shouted.
A roar erupted from the forest.
"EARTHQUAKE!"
The ground trembled violently. Mounds of earth rose and collapsed, transforming once-flat terrain into jagged stone fields. Frontline defensive tanks were hurled into the air and crushed upon impact. The robot formation staggered. The defenders immediately fell into disadvantage.
Jonas screamed as he felt the shock. Not only were his machines destroyed, but his consciousness received feedback from the impact. It felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach, leaving him breathless.
"The sensory feedback is too real!" Amira groaned as her robot was thrown aside. "They're simulating pain too!"
Indeed. To increase realism, the system did not merely synchronize control; it transmitted feedback sensations as well. When a robot was damaged, the operator "felt" it. Not enough to cause physical harm, but enough to force clenched teeth, enough to make combat a genuine trial.
"FIRESTORM!"
Before the defenders could recover, another shout echoed. Spirals of flame erupted from all sides, surging toward the research station.
"Stabilize formation! Raise shield arrays!" Duong Minh shouted. All candidates urgently commanded their robots to erect barriers against the blaze. Within the inferno, anti-air systems, drones, and tanks exploded one after another.
"High-level Dao Cultivators…" Duong Minh whispered, his voice trembling faintly.
Inside his mind, Lyra confirmed. "Yes. Elemental control at this magnitude… at least Mid-Level Dao Cultivators, possibly High-Level."
"But…" Duong Minh frowned. "With Earth's previously sparse spiritual energy, reaching that level should have been nearly impossible. Unless…"
"Unless the Mandala has expanded enough to provide abundant spiritual energy," Lyra finished. "Which means the world is changing faster than we anticipated. In the future, individuals like this will not be rare."
The thought sent a chill down Duong Minh's spine. If Dao Cultivators evolved this rapidly… How must Intellect Cultivator advance to keep pace?
"All units switch to low-altitude radar sweep. Engage precision fire at any target beyond the defense perimeter," Duong Minh commanded. Through his robot's vision, his gaze remained calm as it scanned the forest edge, where shadowy figures moved and occasionally launched long-range strikes against the defenders.
The battle returned to stalemate. The robots had been forced back closer to the research station, yet the Dao Cultivator warriors had not broken through.
"WOODEN GIANTS!"
Another shout rang from the forest. Spiritual force gathered and coiled around surrounding trees. Countless trunks seemed to awaken, tearing their roots from the earth and lumbering toward the defensive robots.
A scream pierced the air as Elena's robot, fully synchronized under her control, was lifted by a monstrous tree and hurled aside.
"Half the formation draw swords and charge. The other half hold position and provide precision cover!" Duong Minh rushed forward, glancing at Rafael's robot beside him. It was one and a half times the size of standard units, shieldless but wielding a massive axe. Rafael's machine surged forward alongside Duong Minh's and began hacking into the wooden beasts. Together they tore through the forest of monstrous trees. Fundamentally, these creatures lacked true offensive power. They could not match iron machines.
Rafael's axe cleaved downward, severing branches thick as human arms. Sap—or rather, condensed spiritual force—splattered like blood.
"Ha! Now this is fighting!" Rafael roared, eyes blazing.
Compared to remote control, this felt like fighting with one's own body.
Duong Minh's robot was more agile, darting forward, blade flashing sideways to sever roots wrapping around its legs. Every motion calculated, no energy wasted.
"You fight like a dancer," Rafael laughed. "I fight like a butcher!"
Duong Minh did not reply, only smiled faintly. Two contrasting styles, yet perfectly complementary.
Behind the wooden beasts, shadowy figures streaked forward, swords in hand, charging toward the research station. They passed Duong Minh's robot without obstruction. He glanced back and smiled.
As the shadows approached the defensive ring, Yue Lin shouted, "Electric pulse! All units!"
Every robot discharged fine metallic nets from their shields, casting them outward in overlapping layers. Each net conducted high-voltage electrical pulses.
Crackling bursts filled the air. More than half of the charging shadows were caught mid-stride, electrocuted and dispersed. The remainder abruptly retreated. Though Dao Cultivators, they had not transcended human flesh. They could not withstand sustained high-voltage assault.
Duong Minh pivoted his robot and charged one retreating shadow, delivering a powerful slash that hurled it to the ground. Suddenly, a barrage of sword-light shot upward from below, forcing him to raise his shield.
"Dao Cultivators hold a massive advantage in close combat compared to Intellect Cultivator," Duong Minh thought. "Even with near-perfect synchronization, a robot body cannot equal human flexibility. Even with radar and automated defense systems, it cannot match agile cultivators."
Reality proved it. The advancing robot formation soon fell behind, forced to battle both wooden giants and nimble Dao Cultivators simultaneously. Fortunately, the earlier electric net trap had eliminated nearly half the Dao warriors, allowing the defense to hold.
Precision fire from the inner defensive ring proved effective. The moment a shadow paused, it was targeted. Meanwhile, wooden giants were steadily destroyed by long-range firepower.
"HEAVENLY THUNDER ANNIHILATION!"
As if to end the stalemate, the Dao Cultivator shadows gathered together, channeling spiritual force into their ultimate technique—the most energy-consuming of all.
Dark clouds surged overhead. Thunder rolled violently.
"This is bad!" Elena shouted. "If lightning strikes, we can't withstand it!"
Duong Minh looked upward grimly. If lightning descended, the research station would be destroyed. They would fail.
He glanced toward the Dao Cultivators forming their formation. Around them shimmered a violet barrier thick with spiritual energy. He checked the timer. Thirty seconds remained. The judges had clearly designed this as the final trial of the segment.
"If we concentrate fire on their barrier, the station will likely be destroyed by lightning before it collapses," he thought. That left only one choice.
"All missile systems fire into the clouds. Remaining drones form lightning-interception grids. All robots onto the station roof, shields raised!" Duong Minh commanded swiftly.
Yue Lin trusted him instantly and executed without hesitation. The others hesitated for a second before issuing commands to their units.
Missiles streaked upward and exploded within the black clouds, dispersing portions of them. Yet lightning continued to gather.
"Drone formation!" Duong Minh shouted.
All remaining drones assembled at low altitude, forming two overlapping grid layers, spaced so a lightning bolt would strike one without cascading to many others.
Robots leapt onto the station roof, shields raised, energy barriers glowing.
Thunder crashed.
The first bolt tore through the drone grid, destroying four or five units instantly before striking Duong Minh's shield. Electricity erupted across the energy barrier, arcing through the control circuits. His consciousness went numb as the current surged along his control link.
"Hold your mind!" Lyra shouted, severing the spreading electrical interference.
Duong Minh gritted his teeth. "Hold formation! We endure this together!"
The drone grid shifted, patching gaps in desperate hope of weakening the next strike. Yue Lin and Rafael maneuvered their robots to shield Duong Minh's position. All eyes were fixed on the sky.
Two lightning bolts struck simultaneously, ripping through the drone layers like cloth.
Rafael's robot lost an arm instantly. He screamed in the control room. Yue Lin's machine was blasted off the roof, charred black.
Other candidates rushed to fill the gaps. Faces pale but resolute, they stared upward.
"If this continues, we'll have no forces left for the final objective," Duong Minh thought. The difficulty had surpassed expectation.
"Lyra, cut the control link the moment I enter the cloud. Block the electrical feedback. I will try to exhaust its energy from within," he transmitted.
Without waiting, he propelled his robot straight upward into the heart of the black cloud.
"What is he doing?!" Elena screamed.
Yue Lin watched the light-point representing Duong Minh's robot soar skyward. In that instant, she understood.
"No…" she whispered.
Rafael clenched his fist. "He's charging into the eye of the storm!"
Jonas, Amira, Sima… all could only watch helplessly as Duong Minh's robot vanished into the cloud.
Then lightning struck.
Not downward, but converging toward a single point. All energy in the storm poured into Duong Minh's machine.
Explosions thundered. Metal fragments scattered. Limbs shattered. High-voltage arcs tore through its frame.
Lyra severed the link instantly, blocking most of the current—but not before a surge penetrated.
Electricity flooded Duong Minh's consciousness. His awareness blurred. Sounds and images flickered, faded, returned, vanished again.
"Stay awake, Duong Minh!" Lyra's voice pulled him back.
His control feed had been cut. His units ceased functioning. Drones fell from the sky.
"We've won!" Yue Lin shouted from beside him. She turned, seeing his face drained of color.
"Thank you. But don't ever do that again. We survive together," she said sincerely.
Duong Minh smiled for the first time since the competition began.
He re-synchronized with the Digital Ocean.
His smile stiffened.
His mechanical formation had been reduced to a single remaining drone, miraculously intact after crashing into the forest.
And the final critical objective still lay ahead.