Chapter 157: Taking the First Round of the Foundation Establishment Examination
Under Fu Ji’s guidance, Zhang Yu placed a half-burnt candle in the middle of a stool, with a phone behind it flanked by two switched-on flashlights. He then took an electrical wire and wrapped it in a circle around the bench.
After setting up the ritual, Zhang Yu asked with some disbelief, “Are you sure this ritual is reliable?”
Fu Ji snorted coldly. “Across the entire first layer of Kunxu, no one understands rituals better than I do. What problem could there possibly be?”
“If there is a problem, it can only be a quality issue with the ritual materials you’ve prepared.”
“Alright, now do as I say. Activate the ritual!”
Following Fu Ji’s command, Zhang Yu paced along the circle formed by the wire, listening to the mysterious incantation she recited.
The next moment, as the half-stick of incense on the altar turned to ash, an incredibly fine strand of divine power materialized above the ritual.
Fu Ji shouted in a low voice, “Insect, insect, draw forth the shadow! Divine power of heaven and earth, heed my command with utmost urgency!”
That faint strand of divine power suddenly pulsed with a sinister aura, which Fu Ji had temporarily brought under her control.
Listening to Fu Ji’s voice, Zhang Yu sensed a feeling of exhaustion from her.
It was clear that this exceedingly weak evil god was in a very poor state, just as she had said, so much so that even completing this simple ritual left her trembling.
In the next instant, that thread of divine power drilled into Zhang Yu’s shadow.
A roar echoed from within the shadow.
Immediately after, a small black insect struggled to crawl out.
After a long stalemate between the divine power Fu Ji controlled and the black insect, she gave a soft cry, managing to shout, “Hmph, disperse for me!”
The next moment, after another struggle, the small black insect gradually exploded.
Countless black runes burst forth from the insect’s body, appearing before Zhang Yu like plumes of thick smoke.
Zhang Yu asked, “What is this?”
“This is a Shadow Gu,” Fu Ji said wearily. “The so-called Shadow Gu is essentially a tool condensed from the power of an evil god.”
Fu Ji took a deep breath, and the sky full of runes surged into her body, absorbed completely.
Fu Ji continued her explanation, “The person who initiated the ritual wants to gather and transmit intelligence through the Shadow Gu.”
“Naturally, they would have to leave instructions inside the Shadow Gu’s body.”
“These instructions not only include how to gather intelligence but also, of course, how to transmit it.”
“With a little careful analysis, I can find out who is investigating you.”
After a good while, Fu Ji smiled faintly. “The analysis is more or less done. I already know how the other party transmits information.”
“The next time you cross into the Spirit Realm, I’ll be able to disguise myself as the Shadow Gu to send them some false intelligence and, while I’m at it, figure out who they are.”
Another thing that pleased Fu Ji was that after absorbing the evil god’s power contained within the Shadow Gu, she had finally recovered a tiny bit of her strength.
This way, when I go with Zhang Yu to the exam next time, my own safety will be greatly enhanced, Fu Ji thought to herself.
Zhang Yu said, “Among you evil gods, are there any unspoken rules? For example, what do you do after discovering one another? Is it an immediate fight to the death? Or can you sit down and talk?”
“We evil gods are very reasonable. We distinguish between right and wrong.”
“Usually, if we meet a weak one, we just eat them in one bite.”
“If we meet a strong one, we turn and flee.”
“If we meet one of equal strength, we find their address and order them some takeout as a warning.”
Zhang Yu’s lips twitched as he said, “How reasonable indeed.”
Zhang Yu continued, “Then next time we enter the Spirit Realm, don’t alert them right away. Send some false intelligence over while you figure out their strength, location, manpower…”
“Do you even need to tell me that? Once you’re a bit stronger and the time is right, we’ll devour this colleague of mine alive.”
…
In the basement.
Song Xu slowly took off his spiritual interface mask, thinking to himself, The Shadow Gu has been successfully planted.
Next is to wait for Zhang Yu and the others to log into the Spirit Realm again.
When that time comes, I’ll know what secrets you’re hiding.
If I can grasp the secret you carry, capture the evil god behind you, and stimulate my potential once more…
A hint of anticipation appeared in Song Xu’s eyes. “Then my chances of getting into the Ten Greats will be over ninety percent.”
…
Early August.
In the following days, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen threw themselves back into a frenzy of cultivation, making final preparations for the first round of exams in mid-August.
On this day, the two of them went to a live broadcast studio to promote the Immortal Resonance Group’s new body tempering surgery alongside Yu Xinghan as spokespeople.
With a slap, the live-streaming host had already grabbed two pieces of muscle and thrown them in front of the camera.
“Two pectoral muscles!”
Then, several more large pieces of muscle were tossed out.
“And eight abdominal muscles!”
“And then the psoas, platysma, trapezius, latissimus dorsi…”
As the muscles piled up into a small mountain, the host shouted, “For this entire set of synthetic demonic muscle modifications, how much will it cost in our studio today?”
“Take it all for just 299,000!”
“This is all the latest technology from the Immortal Resonance Group. No hospitalization needed, I repeat, no hospitalization needed.”
“Just go to a clinic, have your muscles removed, and send them to us. After we cultivate them, we’ll send them back to you. Once you put them back in, you’ll have the potential of a competition-level athlete!”
“And we have a ‘tenfold compensation for fakes’ policy. We absolutely do not use any demonic beast muscle to pass off as synthetic demonic muscle.”
“If even one piece of muscle is fake, we will compensate you with ten!”
On the way out of the studio, Zhang Yu asked Yu Xinghan curiously,
“Something seems off about this synthetic demonic muscle technology today?”
“A bit different, right? Isn’t that obvious? For less than 300,000, how could it be the original technology? It’s a degraded version of a degraded version, meant to give people who can’t afford the original a taste. It’s not like everyone can use the best stuff, right?”
Zhang Yu opened his mouth, thought of the 200,000 endorsement fee that had just arrived, then thought about his status as a spokesperson, and ultimately said nothing.
…
Inside the apartment.
Zhang Yu was wiping sweat off the floor.
This was something Zhang Yu had to do after every sparring session, at Le Mulan’s insistence that none of her sweat be leaked.
In front of Zhang Yu, Le Mulan said flatly, “Last month’s electricity bill was 80,000.”
“What on earth are you two doing in this room? Growing herbs?”
Caught off guard by the question, Zhang Yu gave a perfunctory reply, “Uh, it’s just that some of the training equipment uses a lot of power.”
“Don’t worry, it won’t cost this much for long.”
Zhang Yu felt the surging magic power within him. Aided by the spirit vein and alchemical enhancers, his magic power was incredibly rapid, already pushing towards 90 units.
It won’t be long before I won’t have to do that light–based breathing exercise every day, Zhang Yu thought.
The next moment, Zhang Yu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Noticing Zhang Yu clutching his chest, Le Mulan frowned and said, “A side effect of the alchemical enhancers?”
“From my observation, for someone without super-metabolism like you… your dosage over the last two months has indeed been a bit excessive.”
“I suggest you take a break for a while.”
“Anyway… there’s no need for you to push yourself to such an extreme.”
What Le Mulan meant, of course, was that since Zhang Yu wouldn’t be participating in competitions or trying for the Ten Greats in the future, there was no need to cultivate so intensely.
Zhang Yu nodded and said slowly, “Don’t worry, I know my own body. It’s not at its limit yet.”
He thought to himself, Compared to my body, it’s my wallet that’s reaching its limit. In a few more days… I won’t be able to afford these enhancers even if I wanted to.
…
Mid-August.
The day before the first round of the Foundation Establishment examination finally arrived.
On the train heading to the Immortal Capital.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were silently performing their breathing exercises, accumulating magic power, stamina, and mental energy.
After this half-month sprint, Zhang Yu’s strength had once again advanced by leaps and bounds. His magic power had reached a level of 87.75, and his physical strength had reached grade 8.06.
His Dao heart had also finally broken through to the 6th level, reaching Level 6 (18%).
In another half a month, it will be September, and I’ll officially be a second-year high school student.
But by then, at my current level, I should have surpassed most of the new third-year White Dragon students, right? Zhang Yu mused.
Although he had reached the goal he had set for himself, there wasn’t much joy on Zhang Yu’s face. He knew his targets were no longer the ordinary White Dragon students, but those super high school students from the Immortal Capital.
And alongside the frantic progress in his strength, Zhang Yu’s wallet had seen frantic spending, with his balance dropping all the way to 50,000.
It was clear that in order to pass the upcoming first round of the Foundation Establishment examination, he hadn’t given any thought to making or saving money.
After all, in his view, if he didn’t first seize the time to improve his strength and strive to pass the first round, saving a little money would be meaningless.
But regardless of whether I pass this exam or not, I have to find a way to make some more money when I get back.
As the train sped along, the aerial city of the Immortal Capital once again came into Zhang Yu’s and Bai Zhenzhen’s view.
Stepping off the train and looking at the dark, heavy sky above, Bai Zhenzhen said, “Yu-boy, how much money do you have left in your account?”
“50,000.”
Bai Zhenzhen nodded. “I have 40,000. Do you know what that means?”
Zhang Yu was puzzled. “What does it mean?”
Bai Zhenzhen said, “It means we’re so poor we’ll soon be unable to even repay next month’s loan.”
“Also, we’ve been hitting the alchemical enhancers too hard lately, and the side effects are starting to show.”
“Whether it’s our health or finances, the pressure and risk have reached an unprecedented level.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Under the intense pressure from the loans, the exam, his bank balance, and the side effects of the enhancers, he could feel his blood accelerating and his body growing more and more excited as the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art circulated.
Bai Zhenzhen continued, “…But it also means our Immortal Dao potential has been thoroughly unleashed.”
“We are terrifyingly strong now, a world apart from who we were two months ago.”
“We will definitely pass this first round of the exam.”
Under the immense risk, the Cold Soul Ice Heart Art circulated furiously in Bai Zhenzhen’s mind, and she too felt her muscles, nerves, and brain become increasingly active.
With that said, the two of them entered separate stalls in the men’s and women’s restrooms.
As they opened the webpage and clicked the button to enter, a large hole appeared beneath each of their feet, and they vanished together.