This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 705 - 367 Development Potential--Level 60!_2

"Do you think it’s at the level of a Divine Craftsman?" the Mechanical Soul Divine Craftsman secretly asked. The Creator Divine Craftsman’s mechanical pupils twitched. "Not sure, but there are already two technological methods that even we can’t decipher."

"This mechanical fusion technology, if it can be applied on a large scale and reach ten units or more, should meet the X-level standard."

"And this non-space containment technology, it could potentially bypass spatial locks, and it has many significant applications."

"Also, that regional time-reversal-like repair method from earlier—how did this guy even emerge out of thin air?"

The Mechanical Soul Divine Craftsman remarked, "Actually, I’m more interested in those two mechanical bodies. They’re rather peculiar. In many aspects, they’re not at the S-level standard, yet their combat power surpasses it."

The two fell into rare silence, highlighting the mysteriousness of the Azure Dragon.

"If this farce is over, we can proceed," the Dominion Holy Image finally spoke after watching silently.

This small episode did not delay the normal process.

Jaint arrived hastily and took Diaz away; Abel and others descended, glancing towards Li Ming frequently, realizing he had significant potential as an ally.

"Ladies first..." Abel elegantly stepped aside, intending for Aistelle to proceed first, uncertain of what lay ahead.

"Weaklings first," Aistelle replied expressionlessly, causing Abel’s face to stiffen slightly.

In terms of strength, it was hard to say who was superior, but in terms of development level, he was undeniably lagging by one level.

"I guess I’m the weakest," Li Ming shrugged and walked ahead without hesitation. Since someone already took the lead, Abel said nothing more and followed closely behind.

Approaching the elephant trunk’s opening, Li Ming touched the metallic wall.

[Dominion Holy Image—Special Type (Severely Damaged): A mechanical lifeform endowed with humanity, eroded by the powerful Dimension Life Chrono for thousands of years, barely sustaining its existence.

Control Conditions: Two billion metal energy

Control Ability—Holy Image Transformation: Can magnify any Controlled Object up to one hundred times, with no change in durability.

Control Ability—??? (Revealed after repair)]

Severely damaged? Li Ming’s eyes widened in astonishment; it was completely unnoticeable on the surface.

What shocked him more was how this Dominion Holy Image was connected to Chrono in any way.

He muttered to himself, stepping forward as though entering a space channel, his vision filled with colorful distortions.

Costate and others watched the group entering, feeling a slight ripple of unease. It was unclear who would ultimately gain recognition.

Although the Dominion Holy Image was under their control, they could not determine its rightful owner.

As they pondered, Costate’s intelligent terminal vibrated. He glanced down, and a message floated up—"Holy Revolution Army has a top-tier operative arriving, intending to create chaos and assassinate Abel and the other three."

!!

A flash of crimson flickered in Costate’s eyes before disappearing. Despite his shock and fury, his face remained unreadable as he pocketed his terminal.

At the same time, near the Dominion Holy Image, five massive projections appeared, showing the five individuals undergoing assessment.

Fair, just, and transparent.

...

Li Ming’s vision gradually cleared, and when he came to, he found himself in a silver-white room.

The room was filled with various precise instruments, and beside him was a white miniature elephant, roughly the size of a soccer ball.

On the adjacent wall, there were four screens showing the other participants. Li Ming briefly glanced at them, noticing their environments were similar to his own.

"Li Ming..." The white miniature elephant spoke, "Extend your hand."

Li Ming’s eyes flickered slightly, knowing this was for testing his development potential.

Blood was drawn from his fingertip, which the white elephant inhaled through its trunk.

The previously languid creature suddenly transformed, flying up to Li Ming with its tiny green-bean-sized mechanical pupils magnified and spinning at high speed. Li Ming faintly felt the entire room trembling.

The voice of the Dominion Holy Image carried shock: "You... you... are truly naturally born?"

"Of course," Li Ming nodded, somewhat helplessly.

...

"Level Fifty-five..." Diwusi glanced at Costate. "The Empire has hidden well."

Displayed on Abel’s screen were large characters—"Development Potential Level Fifty-Five."

This sparked an uproar.

"Level Fifty-Seven... You seem to have hidden even deeper," Costate said, looking at Aistelle’s screen, slightly astonished.

With technological advancements in these civilizations, the ability to enhance development potential continued to grow.

But he hadn’t expected Aistelle to exceed Abel by two levels.

The difference of two levels at this tier represented countless years of research condensed.

The relatively inconspicuous Crow snorted coldly. Among the Green Republican Alliance members, the two younger participants both had development potentials of Level Fifty-One, consistent with their public profiles.

"What’s happening with Li Ming..." Costate frowned slightly. The development potential of the other four individuals had been revealed, but Li Ming’s remained blank.

Diwusi also turned to look, yet before he could speak, a line of text gradually surfaced—"Development Potential—Level Sixty."

Costate’s eyes flashed brilliantly before quickly concealing it, internal ripples stirring.

Diwusi’s expression tightened, remaining silent for a long moment before hesitantly asking, "Is he truly naturally born?"

Crow stared fixedly at the screen and finally said, "If he were engineered, it’d be even scarier."

These powerful figures weren’t overly stunned; when they saw Li Ming classified as an A-level life form, they had already guessed his development potential would exceed Level Forty-Seven.

Yet Level Sixty was indeed shocking.

The spectators, however, were even more exhilarated, crying out wave after wave. Level Sixty development potential exceeded their wildest imaginations.

Robbin pinched his cheeks, as if dreaming, murmuring to himself: "Butler... Butler, Level Sixty. Is this guy even human?"

"Don’t concern yourself with him. I’ve detected another Inheritor. Since both are A-level life forms, the hunting program has commenced."

"Wha... what does that mean?" Robbin muttered in a daze. "What’s this hunting program? What’s this Inheritor?"

"In three days, the positions between you two will mutually become visible. Only one can survive. During this process, I cannot intervene."

"What?" The abrupt revelation left Robbin completely dumbfounded.

...

"Level Sixty..." Abel’s heart skipped a beat, sensing a worsening situation. This level of development potential patched up Li Ming’s final weakness, making him a formidable competitor.

The others felt the same tension, awaiting the next steps in the process.

In front of Li Ming, the white miniature elephant froze for a prolonged moment. Li Ming sensed that the Dominion Holy Image seemed not just astonished by his development potential but didn’t immediately choose an Inheritor either.

A virtual screen appeared before him, presenting five options: Mechanic, Advanced, Intermediate, Basic, and Unranked.

"Choose your mechanical academic level. The higher, the better, but you cannot bluff. This ties into the subsequent evaluation, and if I discover deception, your qualification will be forfeited," the white elephant warned.

Li Ming contemplated briefly and ultimately selected Advanced Mechanic. His age was evident; claiming to be a Mechanic would be overreaching.

Given the scrutiny of Pioneer members outside, he couldn’t afford to underplay it by selecting too low either.

Glancing at the others, aside from Abel, all chose Unranked, while Abel selected Basic, showing his considerable talent.

"Very well..." The virtual screen vanished. Books materialized virtually in front of the participants, with Li Ming’s collection being the largest and most advanced.

"I require you to fully study this material within the allotted time," the white miniature elephant said gravely.

Li Ming blinked in confusion, pointing to Aistelle’s screen. "Wait, why does she only have a few books?"

"Her mechanical academic level is unranked. If given overly advanced material, she wouldn’t understand. This is a test of mechanical talent, not academic level."

The higher the academic level, the harder the assessment.

Li Ming was speechless. He thought there might be preferential treatment, but this was adequate—it allowed him to present accountability in case of failure.

Outside, murmurs of discontent erupted. Some mechanics complained that the Holy Image lacked flexibility.

With Li Ming being one of their own and possessing high development potential, granting him the position outright would have been simpler. Why bother with the examination?

Just as Li Ming picked up a book and prepared to read, the white miniature elephant suddenly spoke: "Put it down and follow me."

"Huh?" Li Ming was puzzled.