Chapter 419: Each Displays Their Unique Ablities
Though the students harbored resentment, they understood that an examination was an examination.
When the test officially began, each student unleashed their true abilities, working tirelessly on the construction site to achieve the best possible results.
Li Xiao tilted his head back and drained the mixed potion in his hand. He felt the Tribulation Blood Dispersal, Primordial Fissure Bloodburst Pill, and Hundred Tribulations Heart-Devouring Gu surge into his abdomen, transforming into torrents of violent medicinal power coursing through his limbs and bones.
Thump!
His heart pounded violently, so fast it felt like drums were beating inside his chest.
“Body! Hold on!”
Li Xiao knew that consuming such potent medicine in one gulp would place an immense strain on his body.
But he also knew that his options in this examination field were limited.
“Compared to the wealthy like Gongshu Jin and Ji Yuanshu, or those with family resources like Ying Xin, Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan, and Che Yufei are the ones I can truly learn from.”
“But I can’t imitate them entirely — I must adapt their methods to suit my own path.”
Over the past year, Li Xiao had seized every spare moment to browse ads, hunt for coupons, mooch resources from acquaintances, and seek guidance from academic overachievers — accumulating potential bit by bit and solidifying his foundation.
In martial dao techniques, eschewing flashy divine arts and supreme skills, instead focusing relentlessly on a single cultivation art that could both temper his physical body and be used for practical tasks. After painstaking effort, he finally pushed it to Level 20.
He was even more frugal with his Bionics. Most days, he wore either seventh- or eighth-hand Bionics or low-end brands like Extreme Tiger, only renting high-end models for critical moments.
For crucial occasions like today’s final exams, he took extra doses of Tiger Wolf Medicine to unleash the latent potential within his body.
“The path of the Immortal Dao requires accumulating every drop of effort in ordinary times, then unleashing it all at critical moments.”
In the next instant, Li Xiao’s Magic Power and vital energy surged violently, pushing the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art to Level 5.
Whoosh!
With a single exhale, Li Xiao could even detect a faint metallic tang of blood in his breath.
“This must be how Zhang Yu felt when he was pushing himself to the limit.”
Bang!
With a powerful stomp, Li Xiao shot forward, leaving a trail of afterimages as he charged toward his designated workstation, guided by the exam instructions projected by his Bionic Eye.
Tu Lishan, watching from the side, recorded in his Bionic Eye: “Li Xiao has been grounded and focused this past year, finally understanding his place. He’s just a construction worker now, but as long as he keeps sending me my cut, I’ll make sure he has a job here for life. What’s the harm?”
Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan slowly stretched and massaged his muscles, loosening his joints and tendons one by one. This thorough warm-up was meant to minimize wear and tear on his body during the upcoming task.
As he reviewed his exam assignment, he thought to himself, “Garbage transport? This Bionic isn’t exactly suited for that.”
Yu Xinghan knew that Bionics, as magical artifacts that merged with a cultivator’s body, had a critical impact on one’s strength.
Moreover, whether a worker was equipped with a Bionic tailored to their specific task had a tremendous effect on their efficiency.
After a moment’s thought, he sent out a request for assistance to his massage client groups and Zhang Yu’s backup Dual Cultivation Group, asking to borrow several compatible Bionics in exchange for massage discount coupons.
Soon, couriers began delivering Bionics, which Yu Xinghan promptly equipped one after another.
Watching Yu Xinghan calmly begin working, Tu Lishan thought to himself, “That kid Yu Xinghan has really built up his connections these past two years. His talent for leveraging platform resources to amplify personal resources — that’s true Immortal Dao potential…”
Yu Xinghan: “Teacher Tu, the two new technicians today have massive chest muscles and arms thicker than my head. Should I reserve them for you?”
Tu Lishan: “How many times have I told you? No messaging during work hours.”
Yu Xinghan: “Got it, got it. After the exam, I’ll bring the two over and have them waiting for you.”
Seeing the discount coupon Yu Xinghan had sent, Tu Lishan shook his head. “That kid Yu Xinghan… still too naive, coming from the First Layer.”
Tu Lishan then turned his gaze to Ying Xin, thinking, “She’s fully realized the potential of six generations of Civil Engineering heritage. The Ying Family seems determined to make a push for the top this generation.”
Ying Xin, relying on her profound Magic Power cultivation, was equipped with six Bionics. The Magic Power within her surged like roaring beasts, frantically devouring her reserves.
Despite the immense strain, Ying Xin could feel her power surging — exploding — skyrocketing! It was like a wild horse breaking free of its reins, constantly trying to escape her will’s control.
But in the next moment, as streams of consciousness poured into the Bionics, the raging power gradually stabilized.
Seeing the Bionic Synchronization Rate stabilize and sensing the consciousness entering her Bionics, Ying Xin exclaimed in surprise, “Grandpa! Grandma! Didn’t you say you had to work overtime? Why are you here taking the exam with me?”
Grandpa and Grandma: “Silly child, when we said overtime, we meant working overtime to help you with the exam!”
Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother: “Ying Xin! We’re here to lend you a hand too!”
Great-great-grandfather and Great-great-grandmother: “Overtime runs in the family! We’re all in this together! We’re here too!”
Bound by shared blood, the consciousness of her six family members resonated perfectly with Ying Xin’s Bionics and physical body, causing her Bionic Synchronization Rate to skyrocket, quickly reaching 150%.
Feeling the collective will of her family flowing through her body, Ying Xin smiled. “Family! I understand your intentions, I feel your support… Let’s go!”
With a burst of energy, Ying Xin shot forward. Her arms vibrated, and from the Hand Bionic, torrents of Spiral Gang Qi erupted like roaring tornadoes, sweeping across the prepared Coagulated Earth and channeling streams of gray dragon-shaped energy into the molds.
Meanwhile, Gongshu Jin stepped forward, unleashing waves of Profound Yellow Qi that enveloped the steel materials scattered across the ground, reducing their weight again and again.
Since the Civil Engineering Competition last year, Gongshu Jin had obtained the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal, one of the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering.
Upon acquiring this long-sought-after cultivation art, Gongshu Jin had devoted himself entirely to mastering it, now advancing it to the 17th level.
As the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal activated, it blanketed the entire construction site beneath his feet, lifting building materials into the air as if gravity had lost its grip.
The reduced weight of the materials dramatically increased Gongshu Jin’s efficiency. With a mere flick of Gang Qi, he could manipulate massive bundles of steel bars with ease.
Watching his salary steadily rise, firmly holding second place in the class rankings, a faint smile curved Gongshu Jin’s lips.
But the next moment, his gaze sharpened as he saw Ji Yuanshu rapidly closing the gap.
On another construction site in the distance, Ji Yuanshu’s mind was ablaze with seven credit cards arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, Qi Luck surging back and forth with overwhelming intensity.
“With this Seven Stars Life-Borrowing Qi Luck, even if I can’t surpass Zhang Yu, I can certainly sweep aside the rest of the class.”
Meanwhile, Gongshu Jin had already switched to a new Dantian Bionic.
Gongshu Jin typically avoided second-hand Bionics. Having been used extensively by their previous owners, they were often severely worn, riddled with unpredictable flaws, and frankly, using them was rather embarrassing.
Yet this time, he had acquired a second-hand Dantian Bionic that cost even more than a brand-new one.
The reason? This Bionic had belonged to Mo Shangjin.
Meticulously maintained and constantly refined by Mo Shangjin, this Dantian Bionic was not only in perfect working order but also exceptionally compatible with the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal. It could amplify the cultivation art’s power by over twenty percent.
Moreover, it still housed the Soul Cultivator Mo Shangjin had been using.
Sensing the Soul Cultivator’s practiced movements within the Bionic and the seamless synergy between the Bionic and the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal, Gongshu Jin smiled. “Senior Mo’s Bionic and Soul Cultivator, honed over years of cultivation, truly live up to their reputation.”
Soul Cultivator: “I’m new this year.”
Gongshu Jin was slightly taken aback. “Senior Mo’s Soul Cultivators have all been used for several years, haven’t they?”
Soul Cultivator: “No, he just kept buying new ones.”
Soul Cultivator: “But don’t worry, the handover from my predecessor was handled very well.”
Gongshu Jin quickly realized the Soul Cultivator was right. With the Dantian Bionic’s assistance, his Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal performed steadily, his work efficiency steadily increased, and he firmly maintained his second-place position in the class.
Watching this unfold, Tu Lishan nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “That Gongshu Jin kid really has luck on his side. Ji Yuanshu’s Qi Luck is just borrowed.”
“The difference in skill is clear, the outcome already decided.”
Just then, Director Gao sent him a message: “How’s Zhang Yu doing on the exam?”
Tu Lishan didn’t reply directly. Instead, he recorded Zhang Yu’s performance in the Examination Field and sent the footage to Director Gao.
The video showed Zhang Yu stomping his foot, unleashing a wave of Profound Yellow Qi that swept across the entire field.
Fueled by the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, the Gang Qi erupting from his body took on a golden hue, surging skyward like golden flames with terrifying force, allowing him to complete the Coagulated Earth pouring process at astonishing speed.
In Zhang Yu’s palm, the Earthly Fiend Bottle spewed forth swirling vortexes, continuously absorbing materials from the surroundings to rapidly process the Coagulated Earth.
Simultaneously, the Golden Jade Wall behind Zhang Yu’s head radiated a dazzling light. Under the influence of Blazing Sun Magic Power and Profound Cold Magic Power, it began regulating the construction site’s temperature and humidity, accelerating the concrete’s hardening process.
Periodically, a beam of light would shoot forth from the Golden Jade Wall, rapidly cooling or heating materials for processing.
Beyond its basic radiance, the Golden Jade Wall could also focus light into thunderous bolts, unleashing attacks akin to light cannons.
However, when powered by fundamental Magic Power, these light cannons triggered spiritual energy, causing explosions.
When empowered by Blazing Sun Magic Power, the light cannons emitted scorching heat rays.
When empowered by Profound Cold Magic Power, the light cannons unleashed freezing ice rays.
Zhang Yu’s formidable strength and array of powerful magical artifacts firmly secured his position as the top student in the class, leaving every observer in awe.
“Zhang Yu is so rich! And so strong!”
“He wasn’t this wealthy before. This proves the Civil Engineering Department has a bright future!”
“No wonder he’s in the top 100 of the department rankings. His earning efficiency is at least three times mine.”
No one considered Zhang Yu’s victory unfair simply because he used magical artifacts, just as no one would consider a Bionic’s victory unfair.
After all, Spirit Coins were widely regarded as a measure of one’s strength — wealth equated to power.