Chapter 222: The Power of the Divine Spiritual Root

Just as Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao activated their respective Divine Spiritual Root combat suits.

Huang Zichou continued, “During these three exams today, there are no restrictions on any drugs.”

“After all, the body’s tolerance for drugs, and whether one’s potential and foundation are damaged by their use… these are all within the scope of today’s examination.”

With that, the ground all around them trembled slightly as rows of medicine cabinets rose up, presenting various types of drugs before Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao.

Huang Zichou went on, “You may take and use any of the drugs here as you please.”

“Of course, if you’ve brought any of your own, you are free to use them as well.”

At this point, Huang Zichou thought to himself, It’s a good thing only two people are left in this round. Including the money I’ve collected this time, I should be able to turn a profit today instead of taking a loss.

Zhang Yu, however, was already staring at the rows of medicine cabinets with gleaming eyes.

Although his magic power and physical strength had already reached their limits, his Dao heart could still be enhanced with the help of drugs.

He thought back on the past three months of scrimping and saving, pouring all his money into cultivation techniques, and how long it had been since he had used alchemical enhancers to his heart’s content, to the point of feeling full. As he recalled this, Zhang Yu’s gaze upon the medicine cabinets grew ever more ravenous.

Meanwhile, Huang Zichou continued to introduce the Divine Spiritual Roots they were wearing.

“The Divine Spiritual Root you are using today is called the Black Armor Spiritual Root; it is a mass-produced model designed for military combat.”

“Replenishing magic power and stamina is merely the most basic function of the Black Armor Spiritual Root.”

“Next, the Black Armor Spiritual Root will officially enter test mode.”

“During the test mode, the greater the physical performance you exhibit, the more the Black Armor Spiritual Root will increase its power output.”

“While the combat suit’s additional functions have been removed, the Black Armor Spiritual Root has been preserved in its entirety. As its power output continuously increases, the Black Armor Spiritual Root will reveal more functions, demonstrating them one by one. You may notice some minor phenomena during this process; there is no need for either of you to be alarmed…”

Listening to Huang Zichou’s explanation, Zhang Yu thought, This sounds… an awful lot like a product demonstration for this Black Armor Spiritual Root.

But just as Zhang Yu was listening intently to Huang Zichou’s explanation, he suddenly heard a tremendous bang as a shockwave erupted from Ye Lingxiao beside him.

Zhang Yu casually swatted aside the incoming shockwave and turned his head toward Ye Lingxiao.

He saw that Ye Lingxiao was currently being buffeted by a fierce gale, the air around his body distorting into a strange phenomenon, and the power output number on his sleeve had already climbed to 10%.

Huang Zichou smiled slightly and looked at Ye Lingxiao. “You learn quickly. The test mode for the Black Armor Spiritual Root requires you to constantly increase the operational output of your physical body.”

“The more force you exert, the more you circulate your techniques, the more power you unleash, the more you will stimulate the Black Armor Spiritual Root’s power to increase.”

The reason Ye Lingxiao was able to grasp this so quickly was that, as a scion of the Ye Clan, he was not entirely ignorant about Divine Spiritual Roots.

Although as a high school student he did not have the authority to use a Divine Spiritual Root, he knew many people who belonged to government departments and did have that authority.

He had seen others use Divine Spiritual Roots since he was young, so he already had a clear idea of what to do during the test mode.

Just now, he had appeared to be standing perfectly still, but in reality, his qi and blood had been surging, and every single muscle in his body had been exerting force, which naturally caused the Divine Spiritual Root’s power output to rise.

Huang Zichou continued, “When the Black Armor Spiritual Root’s power reaches 10%, it can activate a spiritual energy field, allowing you to transmit physical force through spiritual energy to strike a target at a distance.”

With that, Huang Zichou gestured toward Ye Lingxiao with his chin and said, “You may demonstrate.”

Ye Lingxiao obediently threw a palm strike.

It was a palm strike without any magic power circulation, launched flatly, yet it was as if he had fired an air cannon.

As the force of the palm was rapidly transmitted through the spiritual energy, it formed a shockwave that only slowly dissipated several tens of meters away.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yu thought, This is looking more and more like a damn commercial.

Huang Zichou continued, “You two may proceed. Remember, in test mode, only by mobilizing the full power of your bodies and operating your physical forms to their limits can you cause the Divine Spiritual Root to increase its operational efficiency.”

On the other side, after Ye Lingxiao released the restraint on his muscles, his body abruptly swelled, and he instantly grew into a small giant. His qi and blood surged even more violently, erupting in waves of heat.

And with this action, the Divine Spiritual Root’s power output rose accordingly; the number on his sleeve shot up to 18.12% in one go…

In contrast, Zhang Yu made no such move. Instead, he unhurriedly walked over to the medicine cabinets and began to select drugs that could enhance his Dao heart.

Within the righteous gods’ communication network, Huang Zichou recalled the disparity between Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao in the previous round and said, “Has this kid given up? Is he just planning to freeload some alchemical enhancers?”

Another righteous god said, “Judging from their performance in the last round, the one-year gap in their cultivation time is indeed large. It would be normal for him to lack confidence. Besides, he still has another chance next year.”

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, the user with the laughing-crying emoji avatar said, “Mom, has Ye Lingxiao’s opponent given up?”

The smiling emoji avatar replied nonchalantly, “Ye Lingxiao is the strongest high school student on the first layer, after all. It’s normal for his opponent to give up.”

At the other end of the stands, a spectator with a cat avatar looked at Zhang Yu and snorted coldly. “Retreating without a fight, not even willing to risk failure? Then no matter how good his talent is, we at Myriad Laws University have no need for such a person.”

The other Myriad Laws University representative beside Cat Head, who had a husky avatar, simply laughed. “You folks in the Finance Department are all chosen ones, you can afford to be picky. But our Civil Engineering Department is quite welcoming to students like this.”

“Besides, haven’t you read the files? There’s a whole grade level between them. I’m actually quite optimistic about this Zhang Yu. When he comes back for the exam next year, he should be able to get his Foundation Establishment certificate. In the future, he could become a great asset for moving mountains and filling seas, constructing celestial palaces, or even renovating and repairing Kunxu.”

Cat Head pursed his lips and looked toward Ye Lingxiao. “This one’s talent is truly impressive, but his Immortal Dao potential is still a bit lacking. In the end, he’s still not quite good enough to enter my Finance Department.”

The Husky Head avatar tried to reason with him. “Your standards are too high. This is already the scion of the wealthiest family on the first layer. If you find even his Immortal Dao potential to be insufficient, then who on the first layer has enough?”

Cat Head stated proudly, “The Finance Department is one of the strongest departments in our university. How can we not be selective in our admissions?”

“Besides, our department hasn’t accepted a student from the first layer in over fifty years. If the school leadership hadn’t asked me to come and take a look, do you think I would be watching the first layer’s Foundation Establishment exam?”

Husky Head just smiled and said nothing. He knew that the Finance Department valued Immortal Dao potential above all else, and its students were an arrogant lot. In their eyes, all other departments, aside from a few others that were also at the pinnacle of Myriad Laws University, were probably just security guards, laborers, and service staff.

After all, even within the same university, the gap between departments could be as vast as a mountain. The bathrooms in the Finance Department were probably more fragrant than the dormitories in their Civil Engineering Department.

Just then, Cat Head suddenly said, “Old Dog, want to make a bet? I’ll bet on this Ye Lingxiao to win.”

Husky Head knew the fellow from Finance was having a gambling fit again. He shook his head in annoyance. “I don’t bet money.”

Meanwhile, as more and more people on site focused their attention on Ye Lingxiao.

Zhang Yu, standing before the medicine cabinet, was looking at the potion in his hand with a pleasant surprise.

“Hahahaha, these righteous gods didn’t cut corners. These are all high-quality alchemical enhancers I’m usually reluctant to buy.”

Although there were no top-tier items like the Dao-Dissolving Sustained-Release Capsules, Magic Power Meridian Injections, or Phoenix-Mimic Functional Factors from last time, these were all the next best things, making Zhang Yu increasingly excited.

Seeing that a casual grab yielded a Dao heart potion worth tens of thousands, Zhang Yu immediately downed it in one go. He felt the medicinal power get absorbed through his organs and quickly transform into streams of cool air that rushed straight to the crown of his head.

A moment later, he felt as if his brain had been wound up like a clockwork machine. His thoughts became clearer, the circulation of his heart art grew more rapid, and the image of the crippled ox he visualized in his mind became increasingly distinct.

Just then, a bright light flashed from the examination field.

Zhang Yu turned his head to see Ye Lingxiao enveloped in a spiritual glow, like a spherical protective shield covering him from head to toe.

And the number on Ye Lingxiao’s sleeve indicating the Divine Spiritual Root’s power output had already risen to 30.05%.

Huang Zichou explained from the side, “When the Black Armor Spiritual Root’s power output reaches 30% or more, it can activate a layer of the Black Armor Magic Barrier, forming a protective shield with magic power that can ignore almost any threat below military grade.”

At the same time, strange patterns began to appear on Ye Lingxiao’s rippling muscles, transforming into the likeness of dragon scales. This was the level 10 expert-grade cultivation technique—the Great Heavenly Dragon Force.

Following that, his fascia continuously expanded, and his skin began to turn a dark, bluish-black as he activated the level 10 expert-grade protective cultivation technique—the Elephant Demon Sinew Transformation.

As Ye Lingxiao activated one physical technique after another, the Divine Spiritual Root’s power continued to rise rapidly, soon breaking the 40% mark.

He looked at Zhang Yu, who was still taking alchemical enhancers in the distance, and thought, Isn’t he going to start? Has he really given up?

The thought that his opponent had given up so easily brought a sudden wave of disappointment to Ye Lingxiao, the kind of feeling one gets after preparing meticulously for three months, only for the opponent to lie down before the fight even began.

Just then, Zhang Yu felt a subtle pain in his head, understanding that he had reached his limit with the Dao heart potions.

Level 8 (89.5%) → Level 8 (89.6%)

“Oh? Did my Dao heart just grow a little more?”

Wiping his mouth, Zhang Yu patted his stomach.

Seventy percent full is about right. That’s enough alchemical enhancers for today.

He set down the potion bottle and walked step by step back to the center of the examination field. With every step Zhang Yu took, a tremor ran through his muscles.

This was a simple warm-up for Zhang Yu, achieved by moving all his muscles, bones, and organs.

And during this warm-up process, the power output of the Black Armor Spiritual Root gradually began to rise.