103: Chapter 103: All of you, go tighten the screws!
The turmoil of the opening ceremony ended in a way no one expected.
The next day, the atmosphere at Kunlun Academy underwent a world-shaking change.
No one mentioned the difference between the "Genius Class" and the "Ordinary Class" anymore.
Throughout the academy, as far as the eye could see, was a sea of blue. Three thousand students, wearing identical work uniforms and carrying identical textbooks, walked into identical classrooms.
The former barriers and antagonism seemed to vanish overnight.
In its place was an unprecedented, almost fanatical passion for learning.
Especially the former members of the "Genius Class"; they studied more seriously than anyone.
"Introduction to Psionic Material Mechanics," "Formation Structure and Stability Analysis," "Spiritual Energy Safety Regulations for Construction Sites"...
These "brick-moving" courses they once looked down upon had now become precious manuals containing the supreme Great Dao in their eyes.
They finally understood that Instructor Jiang Ning's miraculous operations were built upon this most basic and tedious knowledge.
To learn how to "fly," one must first learn how to "walk."
Lin Yuan became the academy's "King of Involution."
He slept only three hours a day; the rest of his time was spent attending lectures in the classroom, pouring over textbooks in the library, or practicing frantically in the simulation training grounds.
He always sat in the front row during class, his notes were more detailed than anyone's, and he asked the most numerous and tricky questions.
Initially, many students from the Ordinary Class were somewhat afraid of him; after all, his previous arrogance had been quite intimidating.
But they soon discovered that Lin Yuan had changed.
He no longer looked down on anyone.
When he encountered problems he didn't understand, he would very humbly ask the classmates around him, even if their spiritual root talent was only the most common "low-grade."
In group practical classes, he would take the initiative to use his powerful spiritual power to handle the most tiring and dangerous tasks, assisting his teammates.
He would also use his spare time to organize the knowledge he understood into easy-to-understand notes, sharing them with students who struggled with their studies.
Under his influence, the learning atmosphere of the entire academy reached an unprecedented height.
Healthy competition, mutual assistance, and common progress.
This was exactly the scene Jiang Ning most wanted to see.
A week later, the academy released its first official team practical task.
The task was to return to the Xishan No. 3 Abandoned Industrial Zone and conduct a comprehensive upgrade and renovation of the "semi-finished" defensive formation they had built during their last assessment.
This time, there were no separate groups; instead, all three thousand people worked together as a single entity.
Jiang Ning personally formulated the detailed construction plan and personnel division of labor.
The three thousand students were divided into over a hundred groups with different functions: Exploration Group, Design Group, Material Processing Group, Formation Base Laying Group, Energy Debugging Group...
Everyone found their place in this massive engineering project.
And Lin Yuan, by virtue of his extraordinary talent and frantic study during this period, was exceptionally appointed by Jiang Ning as the Technical Director of the First Construction Brigade, responsible for the construction of the most core part: the formation eye.
When he received the appointment letter labeled "Technical Director" and the thick stack of construction blueprints from Jiang Ning, his hands trembled slightly.
He knew that Jiang Ning was giving him a real opportunity.
"Thank you, Instructor! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" He bowed deeply to Jiang Ning.
"Don't thank me," Jiang Ning's tone remained flat. "Technical Director means the greatest responsibility. If even the slightest error occurs in the area you're responsible for, causing the entire project to fail, I will be the first to hold you accountable."
"Yes!" Lin Yuan straightened his back, his eyes incomparably firm.
The project began.
The scene this time was far more spectacular than during the last assessment.
Three thousand people on the massive construction site were like an army with tacit cooperation.
The roar of heavy engineering machinery intertwined with the hum of students channeling spiritual power, forming a majestic "Infrastructure Construction Symphony."
Lin Yuan and the technical group he led performed exceptionally well.
They no longer pursued any flashy "artistic sense," but strictly followed the blueprints provided by Jiang Ning, handling every detail with the most rigorous and scientific attitude.
Using exquisite spiritual power control, they assisted large equipment in placing special alloy formation bases weighing hundreds of tons into designated positions with millimeter precision.
Using their newly acquired knowledge, they optimized the layout of the spiritual power transmission lines, making the energy transmission loss three percent lower than the design standard.
The entire construction process was efficient, orderly, and full of a sense of power.
In the distance, inside the temporary command center.
Director Zhao Lixin and Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo watched the bustling scene through footage sent back by drones, filled with emotion.
"Now this is more like it!" Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo slapped his thigh, his face flushed with excitement. "Look! Look at this spirit! These are the Engineering Corps of our Xia Country! Disciplined, skilled, and able to fight tough battles!"
"Indeed," Director Zhao Lixin nodded with a smile. "Who would have thought that just a week ago, they were a loose pile of sand, almost on the verge of internal strife. Engineer Jiang's ability to lead a team is truly miraculous."
Jiang Ning stood beside them, watching the three thousand blue figures on the screen, like industrious worker ants, building a grand steel fortress bit by bit from the ruins.
Her face still showed no expression.
But in her heart, for the first time, there was a feeling akin to "satisfaction."
This was the team she wanted.
This was her ideal "Engineering Corps."
It wasn't about relying on one or two so-called genius heroes, but on countless well-trained, disciplined, and technologically advanced ordinary builders, and the collective strength they gathered.
This was the most reliable and powerful force.
Seven days later.
A giant composite defensive fortress, with a range ten times larger, a structure a hundred times more complex, and a defense a thousand times stronger than the previous blue light shield, rose from the ground on the ruins of the Xishan Industrial Zone.
The moment Jiang Ning announced, "Kunlun Academy National Defense Project No. 01, completed."
When the massive energy shield unfurled like a canopy, enveloping the entire Yanshan Mountain Range in a soft blue light.
The three thousand students stood before the miracle they had built with their own hands, looking at the indestructible "sky" above them; many shed tears of excitement.
They were no longer pampered children of noble families, no longer confused and helpless ordinary students.
From this moment on, they had a common name worth defending with their lives.
—The first generation of the Xia Country Psionic Construction Corps.