Chapter 747: Final Sprint Before the Exam
Ever since he began preparing for the Sect Examination, Kuang Tianqing had felt mounting pressure. This feeling intensified as time passed and his score improvements slowed to a crawl, causing a sense of anxiety to gradually grow within him.
“Three months… it’s really not enough time.”
Kuang Tianqing understood that if he relied solely on conventional study and training methods, he likely stood no chance of entering a sect.
But unconventional methods…
The thought of the support offered by the Righteous God sent a wave of torment through him. While the methods the Righteous God provided would drastically increase his chances of passing the Sect Examination, their side effects were something Kuang Tianqing found unacceptable.
“If I enter a sect using those methods, will I still be myself? Even if I get in, how much potential will I have left?”
Kuang Tianqing sighed inwardly. If the older generation of Divine Monarchs Unrestrained from Heavenly Demon University were still around, they might have been able to seal his memories. Though that approach carried significant risks, it was far better than his current options.
The new principals — sect disciples sent down from above — would never do such a thing for him.
Moreover, Kuang Tianqing knew that if he had memories implanted and became a different person, that new self would likely have no desire to seal those memories, creating yet another layer of trouble.
“But I… I really want to rejoin a sect.”
“As long as I can enter a sect, as long as I can reach the higher peaks of the Immortal Dao, what does a small sacrifice matter?”
Kuang Tianqing repeatedly suppressed the impulse in his heart, but each time he felt it growing more intense, more difficult to suppress.
He understood that this was the “Aspiration for the Immortal Dao” implanted in him during his reincarnation — an instinct that forever drove him to strive upward, to climb higher.
“It’s irresistible.”
“Cultivators are like moths, and the Immortal Dao is the warmest, brightest flame.”
“Even knowing that death lies ahead, driven by the endless yearning for the peaks of the Immortal Dao, we will ultimately plunge forward without hesitation.”
Kuang Tianqing gave a bitter smile. He knew that sooner or later, he would succumb and use any means necessary to take the Sect Examination and enter a sect.
And when that happened, he would no longer be himself.
But then, the “son” from above contacted him. When Kuang Tianqing heard that someone had cultivated the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture, his eyes instantly lit up.
“Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture… With the help of this cultivation art, perhaps I can rejoin a sect without paying such a heavy price.”
And when he heard Zhang Yu’s name, a flash of understanding crossed his eyes. “Just as I originally estimated.”
“The key to my success in the Sect Examination lies with Zhang Yu.”
“I was reincarnated from the Heavenly Demon Sect above.”
Kuang Tianqing looked at Zhang Yu and immediately revealed his trump card. “In my previous life, I ran into some trouble in the Heavenly Demon Sect and had to reincarnate down here to complete some tasks for the Reincarnation Group.”
Seeing Kuang Tianqing drop such a bombshell right from the start, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.
Kuang Tianqing continued, “I’m telling you this to show that my visit today, and everything I’m about to say, comes with absolutely no ill intent.”
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yu asked, “What’s your objective? And how can you prove that what you just said is true?”
Kuang Tianqing replied, “You recently… used the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture, didn’t you?”
Zhang Yu froze for a moment, then sighed inwardly. “Damn this Kunxu. The surveillance is ridiculously strict. Even communicating with Reincarnation through the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture is monitored so closely? Can they really identify the user every single time?”
Kuang Tianqing added, “But don’t worry. We can cover for you, ensuring no one discovers that you used the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture to communicate with Reincarnation.”
“If you’re willing to cooperate with us, we can even grant you greater Reincarnation permissions in the future, allowing you to… access the memories of certain deceased individuals.”
“To prove our sincerity, after I leave, you can try circulating your cultivation art to confirm this.”
After Kuang Tianqing departed, Zhang Yu once again attempted to circulate the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture. The usual emptiness he felt after communicating with Reincarnation was gone. Instead, images of one deceased person after another appeared in his mind.
Behind each of these figures, light and shadow swirled. Zhang Yu felt that with a simple choice, he could extract and review their entire life’s memories.
Among them were many cultivators he knew had died in the University War.
But when Zhang Yu actually tried to access their memories, he felt an invisible resistance blocking him, preventing any further action.
“As expected,” he thought. “They’re just dangling this bait in front of me to lure me in.”
Still, Zhang Yu had to admit he was deeply intrigued.
“The Reincarnation System can not only preserve the memories of the dead but also retrieve them? Doesn’t that mean the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor, who controls Reincarnation, essentially holds all the information and secrets of Kunxu, past and present?”
Zhang Yu’s heart suddenly jolted. “Does that mean… he’ll also know my secrets?”
In that instant, Zhang Yu was struck by the chilling sensation of being completely exposed.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Zhang Yu thought, “So it seems… the Reincarnation Group… the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor… they must possess the greatest information advantage in the entire Realm.”
“But even a being like that can’t act with absolute authority.”
“There are nine other Immortal Emperors standing at the pinnacle of Kunxu alongside him.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu felt he understood Fu Xiantian and Dao Qiankun’s perspective even better — the helplessness of facing an unbeatable opponent.
The next day, Kuang Tianqing appeared before Zhang Yu again and said coolly, “True Monarch Blazing Light, I trust you’ve completed your verification?”
Recalling Fu Xiantian’s words that the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor could be temporarily trusted, Zhang Yu asked, “What kind of cooperation do you want?”
Kuang Tianqing smiled faintly, visibly relieved.
He said, “Next, I’ll need you to use the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture to help me pass the Sect Examination.”
Zhang Yu frowned and said, “Are you sure this is your group’s goal for cooperation? Not just your personal objective?”
Kuang Tianqing smiled calmly and said, “Cooperation requires building mutual trust step by step. This Sect Examination is an excellent opportunity.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. “I can help you, but what’s in it for me?”
Kuang Tianqing raised one finger. “If I successfully pass this Sect Examination, we can offer you a slot.”
“The memories of one deceased person.”
“You get to choose the specific individual.”
Zhang Yu’s heart stirred at this. He suddenly asked curiously, “If I acquire the memories of a deceased person and implant them into a living body, would that count as helping them reincarnate?”
Kuang Tianqing smiled faintly. “Reincarnation isn’t that simple. What you’re describing is merely copying and pasting memories.”
“When the body dies, the soul remains. When the soul dies, the spirit remains.”
“Only that tiny spark of True Spirit, stripped of both physical body and soul, represents a person’s true existence. Only when this True Spirit enters the cycle of Reincarnation and is reborn into the next life can it be considered true reincarnation.”
“Zhang Yu thought to himself, ‘This True Spirit is probably like a unique ID number, while memories are just data.’”
So, after reaching an agreement with Kuang Tianqing, Zhang Yu contacted Deng Bingding that very night and expressed his willingness to undergo the memory infusion.
As the memories of year after year of Sect Examinations flooded into Zhang Yu’s mind, an intense wave of pain washed over him.
These Sect Examination memories contained nothing but studying and taking exams, stripped of almost all other content.
This made the experience of receiving the memories all the more tedious and agonizing for Zhang Yu.
As the memories poured in, it was as if Zhang Yu had truly lived through it all — as if he had been a native of Kunxu’s 11th Layer, participating in the Sect Examination year after year, spending his days in an endless cycle of studying and testing.
A full thirty years passed in this manner before it finally ended.
A long time later, when Zhang Yu came to his senses, a lingering fear still flickered in his heart.
“Agony… Pure agony.”
“But it was worth it!”
Zhang Yu exclaimed excitedly, “I should have done this long ago! This is the only way to pass the Sect Examination.”
“Thirty years of Sect Examination memories are still too few.”
“Maybe I should multiply it by ten.”
“Repeat the infusion ten times… three hundred years of Sect Examination memories…”
Just then, Fu Ji’s words splashed over him like a bucket of cold water, cutting Zhang Yu off mid-sentence.
“Zhang Yu, you’re being influenced.”
Zhang Yu’s heart jolted. He calmed himself and re-examined the thoughts that had just raced through his mind. In that instant, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
“Memory infusion… My own true thoughts are mixing with the thoughts brought by the memories. The two are almost indistinguishable, nearly impossible to tell apart.”
“If I’m not careful, I’ll start taking the memory-induced thoughts for granted and be slowly… completely changed.”
Zhang Yu took a deep breath and immediately activated the Underworld Soul-Washing Scripture. He bundled and isolated the Sect Examination memories in his mind, then transferred them into one of his Monsterfolk Clones.
Watching the Monsterfolk Clone struggle and try to break free, Zhang Yu once again marveled at the profound influence of memory infusion.
Fortunately, the True Clones refined by the Myriad Transformations Self-Sovereign Art were completely under his control, so he didn’t have to worry about losing command of them.
“But just like this, it’s inconvenient to use for the Sect Examination.”
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yu recalled the Monsterfolk Clone into his body and mentally renamed it the “Sect Examination Clone.”
He then sealed away a portion of the relevant memories, temporarily handed over control of his body to the Sect Examination Clone, and silently retreated into his consciousness to observe.
Whenever he wished, he could instantly seize back control of his body from the Sect Examination Clone.
The Sect Examination Clone, however, seemed completely unaware. It believed itself to be the real Zhang Yu and began reviewing, studying, and cultivating…
Zhang Yu watched silently, thinking, “This seems to work. If I operate like this during the exam, I can use this Sect Examination Clone to take the test.”
With this in mind, Zhang Yu resolved to gradually infuse more Sect Examination memories into this clone to improve his preliminary examination score.
Of course, even with this near-cheating method, Zhang Yu didn’t stop studying for the Sect Examination himself. The various materials and intelligence about the sect were still crucial.
Even after joining the sect, he would still be the one making all the decisions, not this clone, so his studies couldn’t stop.
So, in the following days, Zhang Yu cultivated and studied simultaneously, rapidly improving his cultivation and Sect Examination abilities.
Inside the Spirit Realm Classroom.
Looking at the scores from the latest Simulation Test, Tu Lishan sighed inwardly. “This is too difficult. Trying to reach the preliminary examination’s passing level within three months through conventional methods… it’s almost impossible.”
“And the Civil Engineering Department…”
As Tu Lishan learned more about the sect, he came to understand a harsh truth.
The Myriad Laws Sect didn’t need new disciples from the Civil Engineering Department.
“Even if I pass the preliminary and re-examinations, my background in Civil Engineering will likely get me eliminated in the interview.”
“But I…”
Tu Lishan gritted his teeth, thinking, “I still want to try.”
His gaze shifted to the Righteous God in his contact list.
“Wang Yin, 78 points.”
Seeing this score, Wang Yin’s face turned ashen. He knew that at this rate, he would never make it into the sect.
When he thought of how his mother had pulled strings and spent so much for him, even degrading herself by fawning over Zhang Yu just to get him into the cram school, a wave of resentment surged through Wang Yin.
But the overwhelming desire to seize this rare opportunity to enter the sect, to climb the peak of the Immortal Dao, drove him to be willing to sacrifice everything.
So, after contacting the Righteous God in charge of the Netherworld University district, Wang Yin returned home that evening to find a package waiting for him.
He tore it open, revealing a Yin Artifact Bionic. Stored within it was a vast amount of Sect Examination memories.
Stroking the Yin Artifact, Wang Yin understood that after repeatedly using this Bionic, he would no longer be himself.
With each release of memories, his past mortal life would gradually fade away, and all his worldly attachments would be forgotten.
He would cease to be a mortal, casting everything aside to become a disciple of the Netherworld Palace.
“Mother…”
As Wang Yin held and used the Bionic, he repeatedly pictured Divine Monarch Nether Spring in his mind.
He desperately tried to remember everything about his mother, struggling to preserve a small piece of his original self against the scouring tide of the Sect Examination memories.
Hours later, Wang Yin stroked the Bionic in his hand and slowly smiled. “My treasure.”
“With you, I’ll definitely pass this Sect Examination and enter the sect.”
But the next moment, a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes. He thought of Divine Monarch Nether Spring and felt himself gradually forgetting her.
Yet the flame of ambition burning within him, the desire to climb to the peak of the Immortal Dao, relentlessly pushed him onward, making him…
“Again!”
Wang Yin seized the Bionic and began once more.
As the days passed, with each release of memories, he watched his scores steadily rise.
But he also felt his memories of his mother, his impression of her, fading with each infusion. Her image in his mind grew increasingly blurry…
While Zhang Yu was making rapid progress, Tian Shengong of Immortal Armaments University stared at his repeated Simulation Test results, feeling an ever-growing sense of powerlessness.
“Time is running out. If this continues, I’ll never get into the sect.”
“Should I use the Righteous God’s method?”
Tian Shengong was deeply unwilling to do it, yet his heart was constantly flooded with guilt, inferiority, and anger.
“Tian Shengong, why are you so useless?”
“The chance to climb to the peak of the Immortal Dao is right in front of you, and you can’t even grasp it?”
“Unwilling to make even the slightest sacrifice, unwilling to pay any price — what kind of Immortal Dao are you even cultivating?”
“Extreme Tiger means pursuing the ultimate! Have you forgotten the Extreme Tiger spirit?”
After a period of intense inner turmoil, Tian Shengong finally broke down and requested support from the Righteous God responsible for the Immortal Armaments University’s region.
That day, his physical body died. His soul plunged into the depths of the Spirit Realm, beginning to endure a thousandfold acceleration of thought — a process his mortal body could never withstand and which risked melting his very mind.
Under this extreme mental acceleration, he rapidly absorbed everything about the sect, undergoing the Immortal Armaments Bureau’s cultural and ideological indoctrination again and again.
His simulation test scores steadily climbed, rising from an initial 70 points to 100… 120… 140…
But the thousandfold thought acceleration not only carried the risk of Mind Melt, it also burned through Tian Shengong’s soul lifespan at several thousand times the normal rate.
Tian Shengong knew that “soul lifespan” was the time a soul could exist after losing its physical body — the true deadline for countless Soul Cultivators.
“If I keep burning through my lifespan like this, I might not have much left even after joining the sect.”
“But as long as I can join the sect and glimpse the peak of the Immortal Dao, what does it matter if I only have 10 years left? Or even just 5?”
Yet, the fear of death gnawed at him, constantly urging him to stop.
“No, my score still isn’t high enough.”
“I need to go higher, even higher.”
Watching his scores rise and his lifespan dwindle, Tian Shengong felt like a worker bee charging at an enemy. Even if it meant tearing its abdomen apart to die, it had to plunge its stinger into the foe’s flesh.
Yu Xinghan: 67 points
Yu Xinghan stared at his last simulation test score and sighed inwardly. “Tomorrow’s simulation probably won’t be much better.”
“At this rate, I… I won’t make it into the sect.”
“Should I use the Righteous God’s method?”
His gaze fell on the diamond-shaped crystal Yin Artifact Bionic on a nearby desk. He flinched as if shocked, violently jerking his head away.
But a voice in the depths of his mind kept tempting him, urging him to grab the Bionic…
“No.”
“Becoming a Sect Scion that way would be like grinding my personality to dust, churning it into pulp, and flushing it all out.”
“Then, like force-feeding someone shit and piss… they’d pour the Sect Scion’s consciousness into my body?”
Yu Xinghan described it so crudely because that was exactly how he felt after watching some Sect Scions’ examination memories.
“What about the thousandfold thought acceleration?”
“That’s literally trading life for points. Even if I get in, how long would I have left to live?”
“I should wait. Didn’t Zhang Yu tell me not to act rashly?”
As Yu Xinghan wrestled with his thoughts, he realized that, without noticing, he had already picked up the Bionic.
He knew he was on the verge of giving in, of using the Bionic.
It was as if a voice from the depths of his soul was constantly calling to him: “Unleash it! Unleash all your drive to pass the Sect Examination, your domineering ambition to succeed, your desire to join the sect and ascend the Immortal Dao!”
Seeing the Bionic already attached to his body, Yu Xinghan frantically tore it off and threw it away.
“Damn it! My cultivation instincts just kicked in. I almost activated it automatically.”
As Yu Xinghan’s mind churned in torment, Zhang Yu’s voice echoed in his head. “Are you there?”
This was a communication ability granted by the Evil God’s power. With Fu Ji’s rank increase, the communication range had expanded from the original one thousand li to a staggering three thousand li.
Yu Xinghan replied, “I’m here. What is it?”
Zhang Yu: “Wait for me. I’m on my way.”
A short while later, Zhang Yu stood before Yu Xinghan and said, “My preliminary examination scores have been improving rapidly lately. You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”
Yu Xinghan nodded. “What method did you use?”
Zhang Yu trusted Yu Xinghan more than most. They had faced danger together and were both worshippers of the Evil God.
After Fu Ji enhanced Yu Xinghan’s potential, his Third Eye Mystic Power evolved. In Zhang Yu’s view, Yu Xinghan now had a real chance of passing the Sect Examination. The biggest obstacle, however, was the preliminary examination.
At that moment, Zhang Yu spoke. “I have a way to erase unwanted memories.”
Yu Xinghan’s eyes lit up. “You mean, I can infuse the sect memories before the exam, and you’ll wipe them for me afterward?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “Exactly. I’ve tested it myself. It’s mostly safe.”
“I came to find you today because there’s a mock exam tomorrow. I want to do a trial run with you beforehand.”
Yu Xinghan’s spirits soared. He laughed heartily. “In that case, let’s begin!”
He snatched the Bionic, ready to start studying.
Zhang Yu, standing nearby, interjected, “Wait, let me record this.”
Yu Xinghan looked at him, puzzled by his recording stance. “What do you mean by that?”
“It seems you haven’t realized yet,” Zhang Yu said, looking at Yu Xinghan. “The more times you infuse the Sect Examination memories, the higher your score will be. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I understand that,” Yu Xinghan replied with a proud smile. “To be honest, this plays right into my strengths. The cram school is full of Heavenly Chosen, but after observing them all, I see no one who can rival me — except you.”
Seeing the flicker of mutual respect in Yu Xinghan’s eyes, Zhang Yu nodded slightly. “Indeed. But you must also understand that the more Sect Examination memories you infuse, the longer it takes, the greater the impact on your willpower, and the higher the risk.”
“Honestly, I can’t predict how you’ll change after infusing a large amount of Sect Examination memories, or whether you’ll do something uncontrollable during the exam.”
“That’s why we need to test it beforehand and prepare countermeasures.”
Yu Xinghan nodded seriously. “I understand. I’ll begin now.”
Zhang Yu said, “Let’s start with ten infusions and see the effects.”
Yu Xinghan paused, startled by the number. “Wait… do we really need that many?”
Zhang Yu replied, “Based on my previous observations, you’ll need at least fifty infusions to achieve a good score.”
Yu Xinghan’s heart sank at the words, but seeing Zhang Yu’s confident gaze and feeling the overwhelming urge to join the sect, he intensified his use of the Bionic.
As Zhang Yu and the others diligently studied, time flowed relentlessly onward, bringing the preliminary examination ever closer.