Chapter 260: Inauguration of the Professional Skills Competition

Since Ji Ming gave the council a phased task of farming, the players' development focus during this period naturally lies in non‑combat logistics.

Thus, as a game designer, Ji Ming referenced outstanding real‑world cases, studied the underlying logic of events, and strived for flat, differentiated, platformed, and refined player development, aiming to deepen Internet thinking in Yangyue World, and gathered a massive R&D team to research this for a long time.

After painstakingly rejecting the construction ideas and design proposals of members such as Angel, Tree Spirit, Silver Dragon, Snow Leopard, and White Wolf, he finally decided—

Hey! The previous arena framework was already well built; it can be directly transplanted into the current environment.

The Production Team members, after a night of hard work, asked: "You? Are you still solo?"

However, the earlier Martial Tournament was intended to accelerate players' development in the combat domain, and indeed produced many innovative tactical theories and ideas.

Now, a logistics competition certainly can't be about killing and slashing, so…

"Underground City Professional Skills Competition?"

While guild councilors were still busily researching the next development plan, another wave of mainline quests was released.

But since the aim is to encourage players to unleash their farming instincts and select the most powerful firepower farming king, the competition naturally includes more than just two events.

If the previous version thrilled combat players, this version's release drives farming players crazy.

In fact, the two‑day schedule of the skills competition lists six major categories—forge, machinery, planting, alchemy, construction, and handicraft—with countless sub‑categories.

Moreover, what's even more absurd is that the last Martial Tournament only handed out honorary rewards, which the vast majority of players couldn't obtain anyway, so they simply pretended they didn't exist.

…Damn, they're just useless little accessories, right? I, who can only wear self‑made gear, don't envy Sha Ge's crown or the spearman's purple robe at all!

But this time it's different; the officials showed a considerable bias—they actually started stuffing useful equipment into the rewards!

Such a strange preferential treatment threw players into heated discussion, with the public screen constantly refreshing with messages.

【This is ridiculous, the Great Holy Seat wants to find players with innate ash bodies or screw‑root owners, and every little contest has substantive rewards?】

【Probably the officials want to balance the gap between farming and combat streams, after all those guilds' recruitment notices never got taken down】

【Llama, that's too much! Brothers, let's rush the officials! I demand the top‑thousand rewards from the last Martial Tournament be reissued!】

【Hehe, when I graduated high school I helped on my sixth uncle's construction site, so I instantly signed up for brick‑laying; maybe I can get straight into the top three without even competing!】

【Llama, that's too much! Then I also sign up for brick‑laying; when I was a kid I built castles with my cousin using urine and mud!】

【Whoa, I thought you were a female player?】

【Brother, brother, add me as a friend, it's urgent】

What the heck, it's a leftover from a trap squad!!!

Nevertheless, that line still holds: when the closed beta of Code Name·Yangyue caused an internet explosion, no one saw the Great Holy Seat's downfall vindicated; how could such minor noise possibly shake its reputation?

—If it really doesn't work, just report it; after all the Great Holy Seat can't run away in Li Tang, and if you don't want to play, don't; there are plenty of players wanting to work in Yangyue World.

So although players complain harshly, they've already signed up behind the scenes for competitions they feel confident about.

Some even join just for participation, ready to run alongside all day, grinding familiar faces.

Unfortunately, the continuous external wars of the dungeon caused a sharp rise in combat players, while farming‑oriented players dwindled.

It may seem that military tech surged like my "seeking power" spiked, but aside from the skillful brother who brings knowledge into the game, there is a severe lack of skilled workers.

If the competition continues like this, some players might capture many project championships, achieving a Grand Slam.

A magic‑infused battle axe that can condense blade‑light after channeling mana, with an internal linkage mechanism that can deploy a zither‑shaped shield…

The massive amount of equipment from the many contests is too tempting; why are they all handed to just a handful of people?

One after another looks strong and powerful; whether star players or ordinary ones, everyone has their favorite, yet there isn't even an affordable purchase path.

Thus some start repeatedly studying the quest description and competition rules, like litigants trying to extract advantageous information.

As it turns out, you really do find loopholes to exploit.

【I'm thinking this thing only mentions how registrants should act, without explicitly requiring registrants to be players】

【You mean… NPCs!】

The realizing players immediately flipped through the competition rules again and exploded.

"Whoa, seriously!"

You have your circle of friends, they have their network; players mobilize their channels to contact various Tribes requesting personnel.

"Then I'll immediately contact Chief Ge La Fu, those little bull‑horses of the Iron Block Tribe… the little dwarves must secure it today."

"Damn, I heard Chun Ai Lao Niu's doorstep already has a queue to see him; does anyone have his wife's contact? Maybe a bedside whisper works?"

"I've already cornered Zi Jiangjun; if he doesn't accept the Lizard Guard's group hire today, I'll crush him like a little trap!"

Thus, like clubs in the real world, they successfully hired a large group of external allies to join the Professional Skills Competition.

These NPCs will fight under their names, and the spoils must be handed to the employer, who also earns more commission based on their value.

Consequently, the previously stagnating competition roster surged again, with hordes of dwarves flooding into construction and machinery, while Tauren joined the forging ranks.

Moreover, with a "come‑what‑you‑bring" attitude, many professionals from other races also joined, filling many competition categories.

The original official outsourcing thus got re‑outsourced by players, turning the player competition into a game of players versus NPCs.

Upon discovering this, Ji Ming originally wanted to patch the loophole, but then thought, why should he fill it himself?

If it can encourage players to tap each race's innate advantages and make full use of all talents, that's a good thing.

So NPC participation shifted from a rule loophole to a rule component, and the still‑watching players also brought their own external allies into the mix.

Soon, the Professional Skills Competition evolved into a massive event with over ten thousand participants, comparable to an otherworldly Olympic Games.

Even though the Player Arena is already a spectacle‑level scale, it can't support such a massive undertaking, so Ji Ming had to disperse many items to other parts of the Underground City.

If the Martial Tournament was a gauge of individual player strength and tactical thinking, then the Skills Conference is a census of the entire Underground World's production potential.

In the intense competition, many races previously thought to lack special talent began to shine.

Take Molepeople, for example; besides simple mining, they have unique insights and research on foundations, basements, and other underground structural designs.

They can also deftly calculate where similar structural flaws lie, how they would collapse, and provide precise, targeted maintenance.

Therefore, during the final of the "Rapid Construction" project, while others were still drawing lines on the ground, the Moleteam completed the "Machine‑Gun Firepower Point" in just half an hour.

Fei Ying mounted his still‑refining Mark Qin machine gun on it for a test, found it to be a perfect defensive position, and gave it full marks.

Batfolk are not only adept at flight; their echolocation can be used to measure whether a manufactured object's dimensions meet standards—convenient, fast, and with minimal error.

Ultrasonic waves still have diverse applications in medicine, mining, agriculture and other fields in reality, and in Yangyue World they constitute a burgeoning blue ocean of development.

Thus, in the Component Forging project, the side that has Batfolk is usually the one producing the most compliant products, effectively activating an easy mode.

The biochemical homunculus slime, already a renowned physician, decided to launch medical research on Ultrasonic Inspection immediately, insisting on training a batch of bat doctors.

As for the One-eyed Giant, who possesses both a robust body and keen magical perception, they are a natural magical forging artisan.

They can accurately carve magical runes amid relentless hammer blows, while ensuring the weapon's inherent strength and the completeness of its enchantment.

Consequently, after a brief intensive training, Baptist produced an enchanted piece of equipment on his first participation in the Weapon Forging competition.

Although it was merely a common Sharp enchantment, it made the dwarf Vielmo, who boasted himself as a forging master, turn beet red with anger, nearly pulling at his own beard.

As for the Bull-headed who excel at forging, the Sheepfolk who excel at cultivation, the Lizardfolk who excel at handicraft…

These traditional production races further displayed their strengths in this competition, repeatedly achieving outstanding results.

Especially the Gnome, who were once merely exploited, have risen in status, becoming honored guests of the various Tribes thanks to their Gnome military industry.

After all, who could refuse a fully armored, gun-and-cannon coordinated, magical modernized force?

Yet amid this lively event, the competition for one technology looked rather grim—the Potion contest.

On one hand, it only launched a competition called Healing Potion Brewing; as a major category, it was indeed underwhelming, an obvious mismatch.

On the other hand, even though the officials generously released the full formula of the potion for every contestant to study and refine in advance.

Yet in the actual contest, nine out of ten attempts failed; not to mention the product, the mere brewing was a waste-level disaster.

However, Ji Ming designed this contest not only because the "leadership" liked it, but also to discover more talent in potionology.

Mouse Kid and AdaiEr were inevitably exhausted; such a mass‑producible item should at least have a workshop set up first.

Thus, even though the results were poor, he still gave every successful participant his carefully researched upgraded Healing Potion formula, abbreviated as Healing Potion Plus.

Although professionally it still couldn't match his own Rejuvenation Elixir, the healing capability improved considerably, amounting to a wave of technical investment for them.

Later, they used the potion to treat patients, and he could indirectly reap a bit of merit.

Who would have guessed that the Misfortune Talisman would be proud; Ji Ming, hoping for luck, later added a Talisman Competition, and it truly uncovered talent capable of successful drawing.

"Hmm, what does this prick mean?"

Holding the talisman that emitted a faint glow after the final stroke, Sha Ge pinched it with his fingers and stretched it open.

Sss~ the smooth feel, the resilient surface, and the almost seamless beautiful appearance…

"Aha~ Got it!"

Sha Ge immediately kicked the table and started dancing in the exam hall; unexpectedly, the talisman creation, almost deemed "unimplemented content," succeeded after he tried it over ten times!

Standing at the front as the proctor, Mysterious Merchant Ji Ming exclaimed, "What on earth did I just see? A big green‑skinned creature shamelessly thrashing a drum!"

To prevent his eyes from being blown out by the horrific sight, he quickly confiscated the talisman from Sha Ge and kicked him out with a reward.

In fact, since the Mad King wields proficient plant magic, the Killer Goblin that borrowed his body naturally possesses the so‑called wood‑element affinity.

He was previously busy leading the Goblin tribe to fill their bellies and build houses, leaving no time for a craft workshop.

Thus, when Sha Ge received a new battle axe, he also discovered an additional task of Talisman Drawing in his duties, requiring submission of one hundred sheets by the end of internal testing.

"Ah? The capable should not be overburdened like this!"

However, although the competition draws attention, not everyone participates throughout.

The High Tower Community's "main quest" remains unchanged; they continuously transport needed supplies, tools, and personnel toward the exit.

In just two days, under the One-eyed Giant's magic and the Gnome's design, they built a fortress outpost far sturdier than that mercenary camp.

Besides the towering watchtower, solid walls, and pre‑designed cannon emplacements, they also foresightedly dug several wells, thoroughly securing the gateway leading to the surface.

But building the fortress does not mean isolation; it means moving the "forward base" once more, shifting it from the still‑cold upside‑down castle to here.

The light above was too enticing; those players who had already finished the competition were eager, and, taking advantage of the afternoon sun, they left the Underground World again to venture outward.