The practical examination hall was located in the academy's central building, a three-story structure built from dimensional-reinforced concrete that could withstand most combat techniques students might accidentally unleash during testing.
Lin Yue arrived twenty minutes early, having slept poorly despite his exhaustion.
The corridor outside the examination hall was already crowded with third-year crafting specialization students, most standing in small groups discussing their preparation strategies.
Lin Yue found an empty section of wall and leaned against it, conserving energy.
He'd eaten a substantial breakfast and taken two iron supplement pills, but the persistent weakness from blood loss hadn't significantly improved.
His hands felt steady enough, which was what mattered for crafting work, though his overall energy level remained concerningly low.
"Heard they're making us craft something in real-time this year," a female student nearby said to her companion. "Not just identifying materials or designing theoretical blueprints."
"Makes sense," her friend replied. "Final year next year, so they need to see if we can actually produce functional items under pressure. I heard the pass rate might be below sixty percent this time."
Lin Yue listened without comment.
Real-time crafting under examination conditions was significantly more difficult than working in a private workshop.
The pressure, time constraints, and observation by instructors could disrupt the delicate dimensional resonance required for successful item creation.
For someone with his weakened Resonance, the difficulty increased exponentially.
The examination hall doors opened at exactly eight o'clock, and an instructor Lin Yue recognized as Vice Dean Wu stepped out.
Wu Hao was a tall man in his fifties with graying hair and a permanent expression of stern evaluation.
He taught advanced crafting theory to fourth-years and was known for his exacting standards.
"Third-year crafting specialization students, enter in numerical order by student ID," Wu Hao announced. "You will be assigned to individual workstations. All personal materials and equipment must be stored in the provided lockers. You will work exclusively with materials and tools provided by the examination."
The students began filing in according to their ID numbers.
Lin Yue's number placed him in the middle of the group, giving him a few minutes to observe the examination setup as he waited his turn.
Through the open doors, he could see rows of workstations, each containing a basic crafting toolkit and several pieces of dimensional material covered by cloth.
When his turn came, Lin Yue entered the hall and located his assigned station, number forty-three out of eighty total.
The hall was large enough that students at neighboring stations were spaced several meters apart, preventing easy observation or copying.
Instructors stood at intervals around the perimeter, their role to monitor for cheating and provide assistance if any equipment malfunctioned.
Lin Yue stored his bag in the locker beneath his workstation and examined the provided tools.
Standard dimensional hammer, three different grades of dimensional flux, a precision knife, measuring calipers, and a small portable resonance forge that could heat materials to the required temperature for bonding.
All basic equipment, nothing unusual.
The dimensional materials sat in the center of the workstation, still covered.
Lin Yue resisted the urge to peek early, instead taking the time to center himself and regulate his breathing.
The improved dimensional perception from yesterday's crafting session would help, but he still needed to focus carefully to compensate for his weakened Resonance.
Once all students had taken their positions, Vice Dean Wu moved to the front of the hall and activated a dimensional projection that displayed text visible to everyone simultaneously.
"Your examination consists of three parts," Wu Hao said, his voice carrying clearly through the hall without need for amplification. "First, material identification and quality assessment. Second, blueprint design for a functional item using provided materials. Third, actual crafting of the designed item within a two-hour time limit."
A ripple of tension passed through the students.
Two hours was tight for producing a functional dimensional item, especially without prior knowledge of what materials would be provided.
"You may uncover your materials now," Wu Hao continued. "You have fifteen minutes for identification and assessment, thirty minutes for blueprint design, and two hours for crafting. Begin."
Lin Yue pulled the cloth away from his materials and immediately assessed what he had to work with.
Three pieces of copper-grade dimensional ore, varying in size from roughly fist-sized to palm-sized. Two lengths of steel-grade dimensional wire, each about thirty centimeters long. One small vial of what appeared to be dimensional binding agent, likely derived from some creature's secretions. And one piece of what he identified after a moment's examination as iron-grade dimensional leather, probably from a dimensional creature's hide.
The quality of the materials was mixed.
The dimensional ore was standard grade, suitable for basic crafting but with no exceptional properties.
The wire was good quality, with minimal dimensional instability in its structure.
The binding agent seemed adequate.
But the leather concerned him, it had several thin spots and what might be minor dimensional tears, imperfections that would make it difficult to work with.
Lin Yue spent the remaining identification time examining each material more closely using his enhanced dimensional perception.
The improvement from yesterday's crafting session proved immediately valuable. He could sense subtle variations in dimensional frequency within the materials that he wouldn't have detected before, allowing him to identify which pieces would work best together and which would cause resonance conflicts if combined improperly.
When the fifteen minutes ended, he had a clear understanding of his materials' strengths and limitations.
The next challenge was designing something that would actually work given what he had available.
The most obvious choice was some form of dimensional storage container, which was a standard craftable item at this skill level.
However, Lin Yue suspected many students would choose that option, and the instructors would likely evaluate more strictly based on how common the design was.
He needed something that would demonstrate competence while standing out from the crowd.
After considering several options, he decided on a hybrid item, a dimensional-reinforced glove that incorporated storage space in the palm. It was more complex than a simple storage pouch but still achievable with his materials.
The copper ore could form the structural frame, the wire would create the dimensional channel network, the leather would serve as the exterior, and the binding agent would hold everything together while maintaining dimensional coherence.
Lin Yue sketched out his blueprint on the provided paper, including dimensional resonance calculations and material allocation diagrams.
The design required careful attention to how the different materials would interact, particularly the challenge of integrating storage space into a wearable item without causing dimensional instability that would make the glove uncomfortable or dangerous to use.
He finished his blueprint with seven minutes to spare in the design phase and used the remaining time to double-check his calculations.
The math looked sound, though he'd had to make some compromises due to the leather's imperfections.
The storage space would be smaller than ideal, maybe only 0.3 cubic meters, but the item should still be functional.
When Wu Hao announced the start of the crafting phase, Lin Yue immediately began preparing his materials.
He started with the copper ore, using the dimensional hammer to carefully shape it into thin strips that would serve as the frame.
This was where his weakened Resonance became most apparent. Each hammer strike required more physical effort than it should, and maintaining the dimensional resonance needed to properly shape the ore exhausted him faster than it would a student with normal Resonance levels.
After forty minutes, he'd completed the frame structure, five curved pieces that would eventually form the finger and hand portions of the glove.
Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the hall's comfortable temperature. His arms ached from the repeated hammer strikes, and he could feel his energy reserves depleting rapidly.
He took a brief pause to drink water from the provided bottle at his station, then moved on to the next phase.
The dimensional wire needed to be woven through the frame to create channels for dimensional energy flow.
This required steadier hands and more precise control than the hammering, but at least it was less physically demanding.
Lin Yue threaded the first wire through the frame carefully, checking the dimensional resonance at each connection point.
The wire's natural frequency needed to harmonize with the ore's frequency, or the entire structure would fail when activated.
His enhanced dimensional perception made this easier than it would have been otherwise, allowing him to sense when the resonance was properly aligned without relying solely on his weakened Resonance to guide him.
An hour into the crafting phase, he had the wire network complete and was beginning work on the leather exterior.
This was where the material's imperfections became problematic. The thin spots and dimensional tears meant he couldn't simply stretch the leather over the frame as he'd originally planned.
Instead, he had to cut around the damaged areas and piece together the covering from multiple sections, using extra binding agent to seal the seams.
The modification cost him valuable time and forced changes to his original design.
The final glove would be less aesthetically pleasing than his blueprint had indicated, with visible seams running across the back of the hand and fingers.
But functionality mattered more than appearance for examination purposes. As long as the item worked correctly and demonstrated proper crafting technique, the cosmetic issues shouldn't matter significantly.
With thirty minutes remaining, Lin Yue had the basic structure complete and was beginning the final assembly.
He applied the dimensional binding agent to each connection point, using the provided brush to ensure even coverage.
The agent needed to cure for at least fifteen minutes before the item could be activated, which would leave him with very little buffer time.
As he worked, he noticed other students beginning to complete their items. Zhang Wei, three stations down, had apparently finished some kind of dimensional knife and was waiting for his item to cure.
Several other students had already raised their hands to signal completion. Lin Yue kept his attention on his own work, refusing to rush and risk making a critical mistake in these final steps.
He used the resonance forge to gently heat the binding agent, accelerating the curing process without damaging the dimensional structure.
The heat needed to be precisely controlled.
Too much would destabilize the dimensional frequencies, too little would leave the binding incomplete.
His hands trembled slightly as he manipulated the forge's controls, fatigue and stress combining to make the fine motor control difficult.
With eight minutes left in the examination period, Lin Yue completed the final assembly and stepped back to examine his work.
The glove sat on the workstation, looking crude compared to what a professional craftsman would produce but recognizably functional.
The dimensional channels glowed faintly with internal light, indicating that the energy pathways were intact.
The storage space should be accessible through focused intention when wearing the glove.
The question was whether the item would actually work when tested.
Lin Yue raised his hand to signal completion. An instructor approached his station, a younger man named Chen who taught second-year crafting basics.
Chen picked up the glove and examined it carefully, turning it over to inspect the seams and connection points.
"Dimensional-reinforced storage glove," Chen said, more statement than question. "Unusual choice. Most students went with simpler designs."
"The materials seemed suited to it," Lin Yue replied, keeping his tone neutral.
Chen nodded and produced a small device from his pocket, a dimensional resonance reader that would measure the item's stability and functionality. He held the reader near the glove and frowned at the display.
"The dimensional coherence is adequate but below optimal threshold," Chen said. "The storage space reads as approximately 0.28 cubic meters, and there are minor resonance fluctuations in the finger segments." He looked at Lin Yue. "What's your current Resonance rating?"
"Fifteen units," Lin Yue admitted.
Chen's expression shifted to something between pity and disapproval.
"That explains the weak binding in several sections. Your Resonance wasn't strong enough to properly stabilize the dimensional channels." He made notes on his evaluation tablet.
"The design is competent, and you demonstrated proper material usage given the leather's imperfections. However, the execution suffers significantly from insufficient Resonance strength."
He set the glove down and moved to the next student's station without further comment. Lin Yue sat down heavily, his legs suddenly weak.
He'd known his Resonance would be an issue, but hearing it confirmed by the examiner made the reality harder to ignore.