"That fast?!" Zheng Hai froze for a moment. He then glanced at Guan San, his expression seeming to say, ’President Guan, isn’t this guy a bit too arrogant?’

’He finished reading the manufacturing schematics in just five minutes?’

’Is he sure he’s not just messing with us?’

It wasn’t just Zheng Hai. The other Manufacturing Masters in the area, including Zhuo Bing standing opposite Gao Neng, were also momentarily stunned.

Guan San, however, was already getting used to it. He said nothing more, merely giving a slight nod. Regardless of the situation, Gao Neng was Fang Tangtang’s classmate.

"Gao Neng, are you sure you want to start now?" Zheng Hai prompted again.

"I’m sure."

"Very well. Begin!" Zheng Hai finally gave the order.

As soon as the order was given, Zhuo Bing sprang into action.

He was also an Energy Warrior. While his energy extraction wasn’t particularly fast, his proficiency was extremely high.

His movements were exceptionally fluid.

He knew precisely which type of ore to extract first and in what quantity. His control was impeccable. In just a short while, two pieces of ore had turned a dull, grayish-white.

Gao Neng, on the other hand...

...was a bit more brutish.

He simply pressed his hand on several ores, and energy burst forth like a torrential spring.

"Such incredible talent!"

"So this is a genius from the Eastern Capital Military Academy?!"

"In terms of pure extraction speed and volume, Gao Neng has the absolute advantage."

"Talent alone is useless. A strong talent is only good for combat. Being a Manufacturing Master isn’t just about talent; it’s about precision and proficiency!"

The surrounding Manufacturing Masters broke into a heated discussion.

Gao Neng paid them no mind. He extracted all the energy needed for the Electric Saber in one go, moving at top speed. Then, he began using his Spiritual Power to shape it.

He had actually considered being a bit more low-key. After all, his second attribute was a 100% success rate, which was more than a little abnormal.

In the end, however, he dismissed the idea.

The reason was...

He needed to be irreplaceable!

In any company, there are two types of people: those who are replaceable, and those who are irreplaceable.

Take, for instance, a general office clerk or a receptionist. These roles are on a relatively low technical level, and it’s easy to find suitable candidates in the job market.

As such, the salary for these positions generally won’t be very high.

Moreover, they must strictly adhere to company rules; otherwise, they risk being fired.

But irreplaceable people are a different story.

For example, marketing staff who control key client accounts, or technical personnel who have mastered core technologies. These people enjoy much higher salaries and a greater degree of freedom.

To put it bluntly, the company cannot function without them!

What Gao Neng needed to do now was make Fang Yuan recognize his ability. That being the case, he had to showcase what made him unique.

’You want someone to genuinely invest in you, yet you also want to play it low-key...’

’How is that possible?’

It’s like going to negotiate for funding. The other party already approves of your abilities and business model, but then you turn around and say, "Luck. Heh, our success is basically all down to luck."

’Isn’t that just foolish?’

No one invests in people who succeed on pure luck!

On the battlefield, you need to be discreet.

But when it comes to technical skill, being discreet will only make people look down on you. They’ll think your value isn’t high enough and that you can be replaced at any time.

Gao Neng also considered the risk of exposing something.

’But what could he possibly expose?’

’Who would suspect he’s carrying some ridiculous system? Who would ever guess he has a 100% success rate attribute? If he were relying on an external object, like a treasure, he might lay low.’

’But he’s relying on an attribute from his system...’

’What’s there to be afraid of?’

To put it bluntly, Gao Neng had backing now. If someone really wanted to drag him off to be dissected for research, they’d have to get past the Eastern Capital Military Academy and Shen Ning’Er first.

’This time, I’ll go all out and be as flashy as I want! Let’s see... who’s better than me!’ With his mind made up, Gao Neng’s hands moved even faster.

Energy materialization.

It allowed him to perfectly manifest the images in his mind.

Therefore, unlike Zhuo Bing, he didn’t need to use many manufacturing tools. He simply materialized all the components for the Electric Saber in one go.

CLINK! CLANK!

With a series of metallic clatters, at least twenty small parts of varying sizes piled up on the manufacturing table.

The sight left the surrounding Manufacturing Masters utterly stunned.

"Energy materialization!"

"Oh my god, he really knows how to use energy materialization?!"

"Using energy materialization to create parts... that’s not something an ordinary person can do."

The Manufacturing Masters were envious. If they could also perform this technique, their own manufacturing speed would be so much faster.

But they had chosen the path of a Manufacturing Master precisely because their innate talent wasn’t good enough. Under such circumstances, hoping to learn energy materialization was truly wishful thinking.

Zheng Hai’s brows furrowed as well.

In terms of talent alone, Gao Neng was absurdly gifted. But whether the parts he created could actually be assembled—that was the real question.

’Can they even be assembled?’ Zheng Hai wondered.

Fang Tangtang and Guan San were also staring intently at Gao Neng. They both understood the subtleties of the manufacturing process. Just because you could make the parts quickly didn’t guarantee success.

Gao Neng didn’t look at his surroundings. He picked up the manufacturing schematics in front of him again, checking them against the parts he had just created to see if anything was missing.

This action made Fang Tangtang, who had just begun to regain her confidence in him, scowl once more.

’I thought he said he finished reading it?’

’Why is he looking at it again?’

Guan San was also at a loss for words. ’As expected, he’s still not familiar enough with the process,’ he thought.

Gao Neng studied the schematics for two or three minutes before putting them down again. The Electric Saber wasn’t overly complex to build, but it wasn’t simple either. Normally, the parts would still require some polishing after being created.

After confirming nothing was missing, he thought for a moment and decided to symbolically pick up a tool and do a bit of polishing. ’Can’t make it look *too* easy, right?’

He spent ten minutes polishing.

By this time, Zhuo Bing had finished manufacturing more than half of his parts.

Gao Neng decided not to wait any longer.

He began the assembly.

He controlled the parts directly with his Spiritual Power. Uneven joints? Not a chance. With his perfect manufacturing process and his control over energy manipulation, on the manufacturing table, small parts could be seen dancing in the air. In just the blink of an eye, a short-bladed Electric Saber dagger was fully assembled.

"Done." Gao Neng finished and presented the Electric Saber to Zheng Hai.

"D-Done? D-Don’t you need to check it?" Zheng Hai’s expression flickered. He was clearly stunned, but he didn’t immediately take the Electric Saber.

Instead, he shot a furtive glance at Zhuo Bing.

He was still making parts!

"Oh? Should I check it again, then?" Gao Neng knew, of course, that it needed to be checked. But with his 100% success rate, he didn’t really need to test it.

Still, he had to put on a show.

Gao Neng infused energy into the Electric Saber. Instantly, arcs of electricity crackled across its surface.

He swung the blade down.

The test stone on the manufacturing table split in two, the cut perfectly smooth.

...

Silence.

Then, a thunderous uproar of astonished cries.

"It actually worked?!"

"Success on the first try?! How is that possible... This is his first time ever making an Electric Saber! He’d never even seen the schematics for it before!"

"Is this what talent looks like? Is the gap between us and a genius really that huge?"

The surrounding Manufacturing Masters were all dumbfounded.

Zhuo Bing was already considered a genius among them, but in front of Gao Neng, he seemed as helpless as a child.

One side was already finished.

The other was still making parts...

"I-I-I... My speed is... is pretty fast..." Zhuo Bing was starting to panic. He remembered what Director Zheng had told him when he called him over.

It was supposed to be an exchange, a teaching moment.

The only condition was: failure was not an option!

And now?

He had failed!

What’s more, he had lost to Gao Neng on his very first attempt at making an Electric Saber. He couldn’t believe it. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t accept it as reality.

"This Gao Neng... it can’t be his first time making an Electric Saber!"

"Exactly! He only looked at the schematics for five minutes. How could he possibly have memorized all the parts and then succeeded on his first try?!"

"I’ve got it! He’s doing it on purpose... pretending it’s his first time! In reality, making Electric Sabers must be his specialty!"

The surrounding Manufacturing Masters began to speculate again.

Guan San’s brow twitched as well. A similar thought had occurred to him: perhaps this wasn’t Gao Neng’s first time making an Electric Saber.

But he couldn’t voice such thoughts.

Fang Tangtang, however, knew better.

Gao Neng had only learned energy materialization a little over half a month ago. Since then, he had spent almost all his time training with her. Where would he have found the time to practice making Electric Sabers?

Unless he had learned it back in the Forgotten Land.

But that was even more impossible.

The educational standards in the Forgotten Land were notoriously poor. How could anyone there have taught Gao Neng how to make an Electric Saber? The possibility was practically zero.

"Gao Neng, I knew you were the best!" Fang Tangtang cheered at the perfect moment. Gao Neng had won, and she had finally regained some face.

Hearing Fang Tangtang’s words, Zheng Hai’s expression was grim and uncertain.

In the end, however, he gritted his teeth.

"Mr. Gao, your skills are exquisite. We underestimated you. We wholeheartedly concede defeat in the Electric Saber contest. However, the upcoming Anti-Magnetic Battle Armor is considerably more complex. It has a great many parts and will likely take a significant amount of time. Would you care to get something to eat first and resume the competition this afternoon, Mr. Gao?"

"No need. I’m fast enough. If Director Zheng isn’t hungry, we can start right away." Gao Neng shook his head. Having succeeded on his first try, he was feeling on top of the world.

He had little interest in such foreplay.

He had come to the Celestial King Group this time to build an Electromagnetic Cannon. An Anti-Magnetic Battle Armor was a trivial matter he could handle in minutes.

Since he was going to be flashy, he had to adopt a flashy attitude. He wouldn’t just beat Zhuo Bing and Zheng Hai; he would crush them so completely they’d be left speechless.