On Crost’s dark Xuan-style suit fabric, faint golden threads swirled subtly.

“Good job, young man.”

The psychic body stepped forward and stood beside Yang Zicang, closely examining the miniature illusions of various scenes he had helped modify.

“Very good. Even these discarded schemes have been executed meticulously.”

He dragged his finger, and a spiritual field resembling a forest haunted house appeared in his hand.

No one knew what this official had done, but the small scene flickered continuously, with modified images constantly emerging.

“Eighteen revisions, and in the end, it was still discarded. But each time, it was completed cleanly and decisively. What’s your name?”

“Esteemed official, my name is Yang Zicang.”

“Very well, Yang Zicang. When you later come to the new Fate Track, come to the Holy Ring Council Construction Proposal Department to find me. Talents like you deserve a spot on my work team.”

Those sitting nearby hearing this felt a pang of envy in their hearts.

Good heavens, no wonder he was the one favored by Fu Qiyong, leader of First Action Team—he directly earned the favor of this esteemed official.

Yang Zicang was faintly pleased in his heart.

“Heh heh. Don’t let the fact that I’m not even a steward make you worry about my work team’s status. The reason stewards are called stewards is that they oversee thousands upon thousands of people. My work team may be small, but every member is top-notch elite. You’ll understand when you join.”

Wang Dingshan sat with his back ramrod straight.

Croft scanned him, nodded, and then turned his gaze to Jiaoma.

“You are the group leader, coordinating the overall picture. It’s normal to handle fewer tasks firsthand. But what does this mean?”

He pointed a finger at a small phantom featuring a doll, solemnly placed in the middle of the room against the wall, with a decorative arrangement around it.

“Ah?” Jiaoma’s face turned pale. She had forgotten to conceal this scene.

Ding Jiaojie struggled to hold back her laughter.

{And you!}

Croft turned and pointed at the space in front of Ding Jiaojie:

{What are these? You keep nitpicking on trivial details without having the main framework in place. Selecting so many tiles and curtain walls—are you planning to hoard decoration materials?!}

“I’m sorry, Director, I…”

{Efficiency is wasted this way. Still, your stable mind-force field is decent enough; I’ll reluctantly give you a passing grade.}

He flicked his hand, and several glowing points of different colors floated over to a few people nearby.

[I have received a “Favorable Review Flower.”]

A small red flower attached to the left side of Yang Zicang’s black coat uniform. In an instant, it turned into a shimmering light, radiating a lustrous glow.

[I have felt the praise from Design Master Dwight Croft. Possessing this flower proves my top-tier performance in the construction of the Unnamed Magic Hall.]

Jiaoma and Wang Dingshan also received Favorable Review Flowers.

Ding Jiaojie’s, however, was a light blue one.

As for the newcomer Zorro, although his mental training was not particularly high, due to the team’s collective effort, he had been exposed to many scenes, so he, too, received a light blue flower.

Zorro felt it and grinned, showing his big teeth.

[I felt the affirmation from Master Designer Dwight Croft. Possessing this flower proves my contribution to the construction of the unnamed Demon Hero Hall.]

Croft said earnestly:

{If you ever have the chance to participate in the construction of other Demon Hero Halls in the future, this serves as your endorsement from me.}

Only then did these few people truly understand what this flower, which could be included in a model, really represented.

This was equivalent to a qualification credential, an affirmation from the great designer Croft!

Yang Zicang felt that his experience at Lost Illusion Company this time was truly worthwhile.

The strange man’s Psychic Body disappeared with a whoosh.

Various scolding sounds continued to emanate from the surroundings, but in the end, Croft would still present everyone with a flower composed of psychic power.

Ba Haitao glanced enviously at the little red flower on Yang Zicang’s chest in the distance, then looked at his own grayish-white flower.

[I felt the encouragement from Master Designer Dwight Croft. Possessing this flower proves my participation in the construction of the unnamed Demon Hero Hall.]

He quickly adjusted his mindset afterwards. After all, the commander beside him only had a little blue flower too.

All Psychic Bodies were retracted.

After everyone had noisily vented their excitement, Croft spoke leisurely:

“Now, let me see your final results.”

The long-awaited Yuwen Haowen nodded excitedly.

He quickly showcased the results of his efforts during this period using his group leader credentials and his employee card from Blackfish Dreamscape.

The phantom image of an ancient, majestic castle building materialized suspended in the air within the office.

“Esteemed Director, allow me to explain.”

Yuwen Haowen raised his hand, and the castle’s phantom image rotated at a forty-five-degree angle and zoomed in.

“This is the entrance to one city, and the other side is the entrance to another city. Every person entering will first appear in a main hall, then proceed to the next location based on the path they choose…”

Under the gaze of over three hundred pairs of eyes, Croft listened quietly to the young man’s explanation.

Outside this office, Gong Huanwu stood nervously by the closed door, waiting as the appraisal inside continued with tension.

With guidance from this master, it was said the overarching framework and most of the design had been completed, but whether it would ultimately pass the council’s review remained uncertain.

But it should be possible, thought Gong Huanwu in the corridor.

After all, this master had already become a collaborator of this Demon Palace.

Any time sequence offset in the arena city would, through the agreement, be partially converted into Virtual Zero Sequence and allocated into Croft’s Bloodline Resonance Statue.

That was the final settled agreement.

The two executive directors had roughly calculated that not too much Virtual Zero Sequence would be lost, and the amount the director ultimately received would not exceed six hundred thousand.

Click-clack.

A figure walked over.

Gong Huanwu turned to look at the figure approaching from the other end of the corridor, and after a moment of surprise, he said with a hint of respect, “Manager Gu, you’re here.”

This thin-faced man with clear, spirited eyes nodded.

“I heard you were working on the Demon Hero Hall, so I came back to take a look. So, can we secure the qualification for future production for Starlight Illusion?”

Gong Huanwu shook his head with a bitter smile.

“Being able to get through this hurdle is already a huge relief. As for future production qualifications, well, that depends on whether any city’s Chief Attendant dares to challenge the trials of the highest hall in the future.”

Officer Gong looked toward this grand gate and continued with a soft sigh from deep within:

“At that time, if some of these people still remain here, we could try a direct production.”

The steward Gu, who kept a small braid, also looked up at the ancient gate.

“The Demon Hero Hall, yes—with the majesty of the Demon King, it tempers the ambition of heroes. Wanting to permanently obtain the right to produce it isn’t something we can achieve just by thinking about it casually.”

He paused for a few moments, then turned and walked back the way he had come.

Gong Huanwu, joining his legs together, gave a slight bow toward the distant figure walking away.

The man, now walking far down the spacious corridor, raised his hand and gestured with a turn of his finger to indicate that there was no need for such formalities.

Gong Huanwu straightened up, shaking his head with a light laugh. Just now, he had been wondering what if he could design the Demon Hero Hall himself this time… But how could that be possible?

Suddenly, his ears perked up. The intense sounds of scolding echoed faintly from the hall.

“Huh?”

Gong Huanwu couldn’t help but move closer to the door.

……

“With less than a month and a half left, and this is all you’ve come up with after such a long time!”

Croft lifted his head, his nose nearly touching Yuwen Haowen’s chin as he shrilled:

“An arena city like this—even if it passes Parliament’s review—is utterly unworthy of bearing my name, Croft! At that time, don’t expect the flower certifications on you to come out, because they’ll never find an arena city plan signed by me!”

“M-Master…” Yuwen Haowen stepped back, nervously eyeing the stern, blue-faced man before him.

The office staff hadn’t expected that even their work, done as required, still failed to meet this official’s signing standards.

Some glanced at the flowers on their chests, as if rejoicing might have been premature.

Qiong An, wearing a small white flower, took a deep breath. Suddenly, she raised her hand and stood up from her seat.

“What are you doing now?” the middle-aged man beside her hissed in alarm, tugging at the hem of her clothes. “Sit down quickly!”

“Honorable Officer, don’t we just need to design a decent confrontation scene? It’s already at least seventy to eighty percent of the level of the Demon Palace we referenced—why can’t it meet your standards!”

“Good!” Croft turned around, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked at her appreciatively.

Qiong An, who had been bracing for a scolding, was startled.

Everyone in the office looked over, their gazes shifting back and forth between the two figures.

“Don’t worry, I’m not an unreasonable person. On the contrary, I admire your courage to tackle the tough issues head-on. Apart from you, none of them dared to ask me questions; they didn’t dare to challenge authority.”

Wang Dingshan stared at Qiong An’s handsome figure in the other group, restraining the urge to pull out the Scratch Card (Special Evil).

“She should be pretty lucky today. Later I’ll help anchor her luck. Then the three of us can play Dou dizhu tonight, and I’ll team up with her.”

Yang Zicang said in a low voice, “Shut up.”

On the aisle between the wooden workstations, the green-skinned director paced over to stand opposite Qiong An.

“Do you want to know where the crux lies? Alright, I’ll tell you. In the design of this Demon Hero Palace, there is only an assessment of the exam takers’ strength, with no—or, it could be said, very little—content that helps them improve their abilities.”

Everyone looked at him thoughtfully.

Yuwen Haowen followed behind him, a look of shock and sudden realization crossing his face.

Qiong An nervously watched the strange man come to stand across from her.

This figure of unfathomable power was actually responding to her question seriously—and, through her inquiry, granting everyone a higher-level understanding and design aspiration.

“The exam is not the goal! What we need to do is not just assess; we must also provide those who participate with the opportunity to grow, even the chance for rapid growth!”

“S-sir!”

Yuwen Haowen rushed over, his face streaming with tears.

At long last, he understood why everyone else had flowers, while he did not.

He wished he could kneel down on the spot and kowtow to this green-skinned strange man, thanking him for the enlightenment.