Chapter 224: Victory and Defeat
The test of this first round was meant to use the Black Armor Spiritual Root’s test mode to determine which of the two, Zhang Yu or Ye Lingxiao, had a stronger and more promising physique.
The winner was originally supposed to be decided by the final power output achieved by the Black Armor Spiritual Root, but unexpectedly, both Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao managed to raise the Divine Spiritual Root’s power to 100% during the test mode.
The internal communication network of the five righteous god examiners instantly lit up with activity.
One of the minor gods said, “We thought the Heavenly Spiritual Root’s upper limit was too low to distinguish between them, so we brought in a Divine Spiritual Root. Who would have thought that these two could push even the Black Armor Spiritual Root’s power to 100%.”
Another minor god asked, “With both of their Black Armor Spiritual Roots at 100% power, how should we decide the winner and loser of this round?”
“We can’t just go and request an Immortal Spiritual Root, can we? That’s something only personnel from the Ten Great Sects can use. I doubt the higher-ups would approve its use in a Foundation Establishment exam…”
While several of the minor gods were feeling indecisive, one of them remarked with emotion, “Based on Ye Lingxiao’s performance in the last round, I thought that even with further improvement, he would at most raise the Divine Spiritual Root’s power to eighty or ninety percent.”
“I never imagined that after just three months, he could advance even further, developing his physical body to such a state.”
Huang Zichou nodded slightly in agreement and analyzed, “For a Qi Refinement stage body to be developed to Ye Lingxiao’s level, logically speaking… any further progress, even the slightest step, should be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.”
Just then, the chief examiner, Deng Bingding, said coolly, “If it were only a matter of developing muscles, fascia, bones, and internal organs, it’s true that the closer one gets to the Qi Refinement limit, the harder it is to improve.”
“However, this Ye Lingxiao kid… what he has improved this time is his brain.”
Huang Zichou was stunned. “His brain?”
He recalled Ye Lingxiao’s incoherent speech from earlier and thought, That’s an improved brain?
Deng Bingding looked in Ye Lingxiao’s direction and continued in the internal network, “Ye Lingxiao possesses a Perfect Bloodline, so he learns cultivation techniques exceptionally quickly.”
“But no matter how many techniques one learns, there is a limit to the number that can be used at any given time.”
“However, the number of techniques he just used simultaneously far exceeded his previous record, roughly doubling it.”
“This indicates that his brainpower and thought processes have been further developed, which is why the number of simultaneously activated techniques has increased.”
“And it is precisely because the vast majority of his brainpower was dedicated to activating cultivation techniques that his performance in other areas declined, such as his ability to organize his words…”
Upon hearing this, the other righteous gods’ gazes shifted. The physical body… naturally included the brain.
But individuals who could develop their brain and enhance their thought processes during the Qi Refinement stage were exceedingly rare on Kunxu’s first layer, and they had not expected to see it in Ye Lingxiao.
A minor god commented, “Although both reached 100% power, the fact that Ye Lingxiao was able to enhance his brainpower and thought processes at the Qi Refinement stage shows that his physical development is clearly more impressive. He has a more promising future in Foundation Establishment.”
Another minor god concurred, “I believe he should be declared the winner of this round.”
Huang Zichou, however, held a different opinion. “Did you not see that Ye Lingxiao only achieved this with the help of alchemical enhancers?”
“And as for Zhang Yu’s consecutive bursts of power just now, can you not see the sheer quality in that?”
Recalling the process of Zhang Yu growing from 2.8 meters to 3.3 meters, Huang Zichou remarked with feeling, “What he just executed was clearly the Whale Tendon Nine Transformations technique.”
“Given his physique and physical strength, his first increase in size should have been his limit.”
“But he later broke through that limit. What does that imply?”
“Look at the several other cultivation techniques he executed; it was the same for all of them.”
“Evidently, the same cultivation techniques have a higher ceiling in his hands.”
As righteous gods who had lived for a long time, the examiners present had either heard of or personally witnessed similar situations.
In the hands of certain individuals, some cultivation techniques could simply break conventions, exhibiting greater power and stronger effects than when used by others.
And Zhang Yu clearly possessed this extremely rare physical talent.
Huang Zichou continued, “Furthermore, from his first registration for the exam to this final round, you have all seen how much he has improved.”
“With such talent and potential, I believe that if he successfully achieves Foundation Establishment, his future will be far greater than Ye Lingxiao’s.”
Someone immediately retorted, “It’s merely innate physical talent. Are the students upstairs who can achieve Foundation Establishment lacking in talent? On the contrary, it is Ye Lingxiao’s wisdom in discovering a method to enhance his own brainpower on the first layer that holds more potential.”
Another righteous god added, “Zhang Yu can still take the exam next year. But this is Ye Lingxiao’s last year.”
While the righteous gods debated the outcome of this round, the many university representatives in the spectator stands were also watching Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao, offering their own commentary.
A teacher from a technical college said, “Write both of these students’ names down. As soon as the Foundation Establishment exam is over, find a way to contact them. If we can recruit either one of them, our college will have another Foundation Establishment graduate!”
His colleague, however, was not hopeful. “How could students like them possibly enroll in a technical college?”
The first teacher said, “What’s wrong with a technical college? You can transfer to a bachelor’s program from here! It won’t affect their chances of getting into a good university!”
The colleague thought to himself, Once they enter our college, their academic record will be tainted, won’t it? It would surely affect their future studies and job prospects.
The first teacher continued, “Especially this Zhang Yu. Have you seen his file? He’s from a poor background. He should be easier to win over than that Ye Lingxiao.”
“Our college is indeed a step below other universities, but we can offer him better terms. A scholarship of 10 spirit coins a year while he’s enrolled, and he can choose any major he wants.”
“We’ll gamble our entire recruitment budget to get him. Recruiting him alone is more worthwhile than recruiting a hundred underachievers, isn’t it?”
Meanwhile, in another section, the Husky Head from Myriad Laws University said, “Not bad, not bad. If you don’t want them, our Civil Engineering Department intends to take them. With such promising physiques, it would be a shame not to have them manage the earth’s ley lines.”
Cat Head said coolly, “Although they are not yet qualified to enter the Finance Department, they are indeed qualified to enter our university.”
Although Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao had displayed extraordinary aptitude, in Cat Head’s view, Ye Lingxiao was still a bit poor, and that Zhang Yu was a super pauper. And poverty… was indicative of insufficient Immortal Dao potential and foundation.
He thought to himself, How can a poor person be worthy of entering the Finance Department of Myriad Laws University?
Cat Head continued, “However, I see that other universities are also quite interested in them. What terms are you planning to offer?”
Husky Head replied, “A scholarship of 1.25 spirit coins a year. That should be enough for them to not have to lend out their magic power to earn spirit coins for a while after enrolling, allowing them to focus on their studies.”
Cat Head nodded slightly. “1.25 spirit coins is indeed sufficient for daily life at the university.”
At the other end of the spectator stands.
The laughing-crying emoji avatar looked at the examination field and said, “Mom, this Zhang Yu has quite some aptitude. After this is over, I want to recruit him as well, to have him and Ye Lingxiao assist me.”
The smiling emoji avatar frowned slightly upon hearing this and advised in the tone of someone with experience, “Son, I was young once too. I also once appreciated and promoted some people from poor backgrounds.”
“This Zhang Yu, you can recruit and use him, but you must remember one thing: these people from the lower levels are ultimately different from us. If you treat them too much like equals, you will only end up harming them.”
“Spoiling a dog is akin to killing a dog. If you truly want to make good use of a poor person like this, you must grind him down properly. You cannot be too good to him from the start…”
The laughing-crying emoji avatar was dismissive of this. He had his own set of principles for managing people, which was to throw money at them. He didn’t believe there was any good subordinate in the world that couldn’t be secured by throwing money; if you couldn’t, it just meant you hadn’t thrown enough.
While the representatives in the spectator stands were each evaluating the two on the field, in the internal network, the four minor gods were at a stalemate. Finally, they all looked toward the chief examiner, Deng Bingding.
Deng Bingding said coolly, “For now, let’s count it as a draw.”
“After all, neither of these boys has used their full strength yet.”
Hearing what Deng Bingding said, the four minor gods were all slightly taken aback, looking at Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao with expressions of surprise.
Huang Zichou thought to himself, This still isn’t their full strength?
The thoughts of the five righteous gods were exchanged at high speed within the internal network. Although a great deal of information was communicated, to the outside world, it all happened in an instant.
Soon, Huang Zichou announced the result of the first round: it was a draw, and their scores were temporarily tied.
The final decision as to who would receive the Foundation Establishment qualification certificate would have to be calculated based on the total score, including the scores from the second and third rounds.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao, standing in the center of the examination field, exchanged a glance, both able to feel the ever-intensifying fighting spirit emanating from the other.
Zhang Yu licked his lips as his bulging muscles slowly began to contract, returning him to his regular size.
His incredibly high body temperature also gradually cooled down, and under the effect of the Grand Art of Kan-Ice and Li-Fire Forging, he progressively entered a low-temperature state to alleviate the inflammation and swelling in his body, aiding in his recovery.
At the very last moment, I still had one move, the poison burst from the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, that I didn’t use. That wasn’t my true full-power state.
I wonder how much strength my opponent is still holding back?
A moment later, after feeling that the damage incurred from his explosive outburst had mostly healed, Zhang Yu focused his consciousness on the Technique-Chaining Diagram of the Feather Book. He began to replace the cultivation techniques on it with basic high school cultivation techniques and switched the effect of the Martial Dao Holy Embryo to the High School Sacred Body.
This process of swapping out cultivation techniques and switching the holy embryo took Zhang Yu about two to three seconds.
After the switch, all the enhancements from the Martial Dao Holy Embryo were replaced by the digestive and drug absorption and metabolism abilities of the High School Sacred Body, which were at the peak of the Qi Refinement stage.
This brought a wave of relief to Zhang Yu, who had just ingested a large quantity of drugs.
Feeling the medicinal toxins gathering toward the ‘Zen’ character on his chest, Zhang Yu felt a sense of satisfaction.
The reason he had consumed so many drugs just now was not simply to freeload; it was to increase his chances of winning this Foundation Establishment exam.