Chapter 430: The Outcome Determined
“To secure the Military Certificate, I must establish absolute dominance.”
“I’ll win this exam with overwhelming superiority, leaving no chance for anyone else.”
This was Ping Han’s resolve.
He had no idea how others were performing.
But if someone else managed to protect their formation core to 100% integrity by the end, he wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.
To further solidify his advantage, he decided… he wouldn’t just protect his formation core to 100% integrity.
Before the exam ended, he would unleash his full power… and completely annihilate the Yellow Turban Army before him.
But achieving this before the time ran out wouldn’t be easy!
He needed not only to unleash his full power but also to unleash a decisive destructive force!
Amidst thunderous booms, the earth cracked open, and massive trenches suddenly appeared, as if an invisible giant blade were slicing through the ground, carving out a colossal rectangular slab!
While battling, Ping Han hadn’t focused on building extensive defensive structures. Instead, he had been secretly excavating underground!
He had carved out a massive chunk of earth, slicing it like a piece of cake!
At that moment, amidst a sky filled with billowing smoke and dust, the severed earth began to rise slowly, as if Ping Han were lifting a slice of cake.
Ping Han’s mind raced through the memories of his journey, his struggles along the Immortal Dao.
“Working for others won’t make you rich, nor will it help you break through to the Golden Core. In the end, you’ll just exhaust your lifespan, becoming someone else’s stepping stone to immortality!”
“To reach the Golden Core, you need to strike it rich!” And the only way for someone like him to strike it rich was through cryptocurrency trading.
“For cultivators of our era, for us poor wretches, every other path to immortal fortune has been blocked one by one!”
“It wasn’t me who chose crypto — it was the times that chose crypto!”
“Crypto chose me. It’s the only way I have even a sliver of a chance to surpass the wealthy. This is one of the few immortal fortunes the new era has left for the poor!”
“Poverty breeds ghosts, wealth breeds immortals. A few years of crypto trading to see results is far better than struggling for a century only to fade into a wisp of a soul!”
With this realization, Ping Han burst into laughter and declared loudly, “The Immortal Dao has no path — crypto is the way! Even if seeking crypto leads to death, my resolve remains unshaken. Today… I’ll gamble one more time!”
“Move that mountain for me!”
In an instant, as a series of assets and contracts were mortgaged, Ping Han squeezed out the last of his potential, pushing the efficiency of his many magical artifacts and Bionics to their absolute limits!
Then, with a thunderous roar, he sent the artifacts plunging into the earth, unleashing their power and echoing his fury.
“Uproot the Mountain!”
A deafening boom shook the world. The horizon, which had been slowly rising under the influence of the Minor Threefold Combination, now trembled violently and surged upward like a mountain erupting from the ground. The rapidly expanding shadow instantly engulfed the Yellow Turban Army!
“Uproot the Mountain!”
Ping Han’s veins bulged as he roared, his Magic Power surging through his body and draining at an unimaginable rate!
The Spirit Coins in his bank account plummeted toward zero with each passing moment!
He raised his hands skyward, as if supporting the heavens, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at the Yellow Turban Army.
With a violent downward thrust, he seemed determined to shatter every obstacle on his path to the Immortal Dao, to climb step by step to its pinnacle!
Boom!
In a world-shaking explosion, the earth itself crashed down like a collapsing sky, threatening to crush everything beneath it into dust!
The ground trembled violently, visible shockwaves rippling outward as if the earth itself were colliding with itself!
The smoke and dust from the earth-shattering strike instantly blotted out the entire arena, obscuring everyone’s vision.
Even the esteemed judges and guests aboard the flying boat were visibly moved by this astonishing display.
“A strike where he risked everything!” True Monarch Cloud Haven exclaimed. “It’s been ages since the Civil Engineering Department’s Military Certificate exam has seen such a spectacular performance!”
“Ping Han truly deserves this Military Certificate,” another judge remarked.
Nearby, Director Gao watched the scene, his heart trembling.
In that single strike, he sensed Ping Han’s unwavering resolve, his indomitable fighting spirit, and the weight of his choice.
“Ping Han isn’t unaware of the risks of gambling on cryptocurrency!” Director Gao thought. “He knows them all too well, yet he’s willing to stake everything again and again!”
“He seeks neither longevity nor a slow, steady path… only to burn everything to ashes, either becoming a ghost or an immortal, so long as he achieves a glorious end!”
“Ping Han, you…”
Director Gao sighed deeply. He didn’t believe Ping Han’s chosen immortal path was the right one, but witnessing such unwavering determination, he knew his words would fall on deaf ears.
“I hope you can go even further after obtaining this Military Certificate!”
But just then, True Monarch Celestial Elephant suddenly declared, “It’s not over yet!”
His trunk curled, and his tusks abruptly lengthened. With a gleam of excitement in his eyes, he exclaimed, “Zhang Yu has made his move too! How intriguing! Utterly fascinating!”
“Is there still more to this exam?”
True Monarch Celestial Elephant wasn’t the only one who noticed. One by one, the numerous judges and guests present turned their attention to the other side of the examination hall, focusing on Zhang Yu’s location.
Sensing faint tremors from the earth, Zhang Yu knew they must be caused by some disturbance in another examination area.
Though he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, the persistent vibrations surging through the ground allowed him to imagine the ferocity, the terror, and the earth-shattering power of that strike.
“Did someone else have the same idea as me?”
“Maintaining the formation core’s integrity at 100% might not guarantee the Military Certificate!”
“When multiple candidates achieve perfect core integrity, the certificate’s allocation will inevitably depend on their performance in other areas!”
“The number of Yellow Turban Warriors slain will undoubtedly be a crucial factor!”
As Zhang Yu’s mind raced through these calculations, he stood atop the Formless Spirit General’s head, silently gathering his strength for his most devastating strike yet.
Within the Formless Spirit General’s Dantian, the Wildfire Platforms and Soul Condensing Towers unleashed a coordinated assault. Streams of Thunderfire and icy light bombarded Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud Gang, filling each of its twenty Void Apertures with Gang Qi.
Empowered by the Martial Dao Sacred Body, Zhang Yu not only perfectly executed the Level 20 Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force but also harnessed the incoming force to unleash a counterattack far more ferocious than the original assault.
As the Thunderfire and icy light flowed through the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force, their destructive power was amplified.
Simultaneously, the Level 20 Treasure Appraisal Manual had been secretly activated multiple times as Zhang Yu devoured the remnants of the Yellow Turban Warriors.
By now, Zhang Yu possessed an intimate understanding of the Yellow Turban Warriors’ structure, their weaknesses laid bare before his eyes.
This knowledge would further enhance the power of his impending strike.
In the next instant, Zhang Yu clasped his hands together. The Minor Threefold Combination erupted, causing the Formless Spirit General’s back to ripple violently.
A shout.
With a thunderous roar, Zhang Yu pushed not only the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal but also the Great Wilderness Mountain-Shifting Force to Level 20 and the Earth Manipulation Divine Transformation to Level 10!
At that moment, the power of the Minor Threefold Combination surged to Level 16, causing the Formless Spirit General’s body to swell dramatically.
The occupants of the flying boat were visibly moved, a single thought racing through their minds: “A breakthrough? A breakthrough in a Seven Wonders of Civil Engineering cultivation art during battle?”
Even a single level of “breakthrough” would further amplify Zhang Yu’s next attack!
Simultaneously, the Battle Demon Longevity Art, Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, and other cultivation arts activated, granting Zhang Yu’s next strike another layer of enhancement!
The next instant, a deafening rumble erupted!
Empowered by the Martial Dao Sacred Body, the Level 16 Minor Threefold Combination unleashed a swarm of identical palm strikes from the Formless Spirit General’s back!
Under the control of Fourfold Thinking, an endless barrage of palms surged forth like a tidal wave, sweeping across the battlefield and engulfing every Yellow Turban Warrior!
Each palm, propelled by the Minor Threefold Combination’s power, unleashed the devastating force of the Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm!
Each palm contained the power of the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force, unleashed with the precision of Martial Dao Micro-Control, channeling attacks transferred from the Wildfire Platform and Soul Condensing Tower!
Within the Formless Spirit General’s dantian, the Wildfire Platform and Soul Condensing Tower continued their assault, transmitting power through the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force.
Empowered by the Time-Worn Demonic Eye, the entire world seemed to slow to a crawl. Zhang Yu’s perception captured every movement of the palms and every action of the Yellow Turban Warriors.
Surging power, infused with explosive Gang Qi, slammed into the weak points of the Yellow Turban Warriors across the battlefield!
Zhang Yu silently named the technique: “Nine Heavens Cloud Void, Thousand-Handed Sacred Martial.”
Every strand of power had undergone layers of extreme refinement, and each strike was delivered with surgical precision to the target’s vulnerabilities.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled, and smoke billowed!
White mist-like Gang Qi enveloped each palm, sending them crashing down like meteors across the battlefield!
The surging power, upon contact with the Yellow Turban Warriors’ bodies, flowed through their defenses like water, relentlessly crushing their weak points!
Under the terrifying assault, the battlefield was littered with severed limbs of Yellow Turban Warriors and craters from fists and palms. The onslaught only ceased when Zhang Yu’s Magic Power was nearly exhausted.
But just as everyone thought it was over, Zhang Yu, standing atop the Formless Spirit General, took a deep breath.
In his mind, the four-headed white bull roared skyward.
Forcing his nearly depleted Dantian to reactivate, Zhang Yu switched to Qi Meridian Everflow. Strands of Magic Power were forcibly extracted from his vital energy, physical strength, and spiritual essence.
Zhang Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, grinned, and roared inwardly, “Damn it… give me one more round!”
As he switched Qi Meridian Everflow to Martial Dao Sacred Body, the next moment… the power of Nine Heavens Cloud Void and Thousand-Handed Sacred Martial erupted!
Even during the first wave of attacks, Zhang Yu had already prepared for this second assault.
Now, countless palms shrouded in mist shot skyward!
Stained with Zhang Yu’s blood, these palms descended like burning meteors, sweeping the battlefield clean once more just before the examination concluded!