Chapter 222: A Foundation Establishment Exam Full of Spectators?

Chapter 222: A Foundation Establishment Exam Full of Spectators?

On the 333rd floor of the central tower in Songyang City.

Zhou Yang’s lower body was hollow and empty, his entire form lying on a hospital bed, gazing out the window.

He watched the nearby Oasis Tower, still under construction, its height gradually surpassing the central tower, and it felt as if he were seeing the Oasis Group at its zenith, overtaking all the old aristocratic powers of Songyang.

Zhou Yang thought to himself: “After synthetic food, even synthetic meat has been marketized. In the future, the food market on the first layer of Kunxu will likely be flooded with related products.”

But Zhou Yang knew that relying solely on technology to monopolize the market was impossible.

Just as the Oasis Group had once possessed more advanced synthetic food technology, they still had to cooperate with local companies and families to enter the Songyang market.

Zhou Yang recalled that half a year ago, the Oasis Group had partnered with the three major high schools and their parent companies to develop three new body-refining techniques.

“One step further, and perhaps it will be the synthesis of human organs.”

“It’s said that in the Immortal Capital, some prestigious families are already combining bloodline technology with the human body technology mastered by the Oasis Group.”

“If that happens, in the future, not only food, but even the cultivation of descendants and body-refining practices of the great families will be inseparable from the Oasis Group.”

But Zhou Yang understood that this didn’t mean the Oasis Group would dominate the first layer of Kunxu alone; rather, local powers and companies would inevitably collaborate with the Oasis Group.

Zhou Yang thought to himself: “The current covert struggles among companies and families in Songyang are merely attempts to secure more shares and power in future collaborations.”

“Some companies and families will gradually weaken in this process and eventually vanish into the river of history.”

“But the remaining families and companies will join the Oasis Group to form a behemoth spanning the entire first layer of Kunxu, further monopolizing food, cultivation, bloodlines, and more… across the whole first layer.”

“Facing this tide of the era, for the Zhou family to survive this upheaval, or to advance and secure a better position, the best way is to enhance the power of the evil god…”

Zhou Yang could imagine that the struggles in Songyang would only intensify, and both the Zhou family and he himself would face an even more dangerous situation.

With this thought, he felt a growing sense of urgency.

Yet the Zhou family ranked low among the sixteen great families of Songyang, making it difficult to compete head-on with powerful clans like the Song or Le families.

Especially after the recent blockade of the Wanxing Group, which had dealt a blow to both the Zhou family and him.

In contrast…

“Rather than trying to compete with other families, it’s better to deal with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen after the Foundation Establishment exam—these two weak individuals—and seize the evil god behind them.”

Zhou Yang picked up his phone, glanced at the incoming message, and slowly exhaled, thinking: “Have they already set off?”

“Once the Foundation Establishment exam is over, the righteous gods won’t protect you like that anymore.”

“With the gap in our wealth and information…”

Whether he acted personally or sent someone, or used leverage from the evil god’s followers to control them, Zhou Yang believed that without the protection of the Foundation Establishment exam, things would be simple.

“The situation is unpredictable now. As soon as the exam ends, I need to deal with these two quickly.”

Thinking of the current progress, Zhou Yang grew increasingly impatient, as if he could already see Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen in his hands, at his mercy.

…

On the train heading to the Immortal Capital.

As his phone vibrated, Zhang Yu was about to check who had messaged him, but his hand slipped… and the screen jumped to a video.

He tried to close the video, but when he pressed the close button, it instead opened a shopping platform.

Seeing the “Recommended for You: Kidney Replenishing Capsules” displayed on the shopping platform, Zhang Yu frowned and clicked to close it, finally succeeding.

Zhang Yu thought to himself: “Damn it… as corporate warfare gets fiercer, the ads and big data are getting more outrageous.”

“Was that vibration a message from Yu Xinghan?”

Seeing the message “Good luck” from Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu smiled slightly, knowing that Yu Xinghan was aware he was going to take the Foundation Establishment exam and had sent this.

Meanwhile, in a classroom at White Dragon High School.

Yu Xinghan looked at the smiling emoji Zhang Yu had sent him and thought: “Zhang Yu is very strong, but after all, he’s a year behind that Immortal Capital prodigy. From the last Foundation Establishment exam, the gap between them is considerable.”

“Still, even if he doesn’t pass this exam, his chances in the next one are high.”

“By then, I’ll be in the same year as him. I need to get on good terms with this guy and avoid competing on the same track…”

As Yu Xinghan pondered this, Zhang Yu on the train thought: “From what Yu Xinghan has hinted at intentionally or unintentionally lately…”

“He doesn’t think I can snatch a Foundation Establishment certificate this time, so he wants to build a good relationship with me, and next year during the exam, he, Ah Zhen, and I can reach an understanding and secure the certificates together.”

As for whether he could definitely defeat his opponent Ye Lingxiao in this Foundation Establishment exam, Zhang Yu couldn’t claim absolute certainty.

After all, he didn’t know what progress Ye Lingxiao had made in the past three months.

But he believed that if he gave it his all, his chances of success were far from small. With this thought, Zhang Yu subconsciously glanced at his Feather Book.

The Chain Diagram could hold up to ten techniques. After swapping out eight of them, his original High School Saint Body had been replaced by the Martial Saint Embryo.

Since only ten techniques could be hung at once, and sets like High School Saint Body or Martial Saint Embryo required six techniques to activate, only one of them could be active at a time.

Primary - Martial Saint Embryo (6/6): Embryo initially formed; greatly enhanced resistance to blows and external wound self-healing.

Advanced - Martial Saint Embryo (8/8): Embryo slightly matured; greatly enhanced physical load capacity and internal wound self-healing; body gains overload ability.

The second level of Martial Saint Embryo gave Zhang Yu a massive boost in physical load capacity and internal wound self-healing.

Zhang Yu thought: “The surge in load capacity allows me to push my physical strength beyond limits without worrying about muscle or bone damage or collapse, raising my burst ceiling and endurance.”

“Combined with this overload ability… the burst becomes even more terrifying.”

“The boost in internal wound self-healing, along with the previous external wound self-healing boost, adds another layer of insurance to my medical coverage.”

“Wait, I don’t even have money for medical insurance now.”

The reason Zhang Yu couldn’t afford medical insurance was not only that he spent all his money on techniques, but also because his insurance premiums had skyrocketed.

As his cultivation and body-refining strength increased, the cost of treating his injuries also rose, leading insurance companies to raise his premiums after evaluation, making it even harder for him to afford coverage.

Zhang Yu had once heard from Fuji that some Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core experts above, unable to afford insurance, acted timidly in daily life, afraid to speak loudly to anyone.

After all, if a conflict broke out, they couldn’t afford to pay for either the other party’s or their own medical expenses.

Such immortal cultivators were mockingly called “glass cannon experts” up there, meaning they’d go bankrupt at the slightest touch, their foundations too fragile.

Zhang Yu thought: “But now with the Martial Saint Embryo’s boost, even without insurance, I’m not afraid of most injuries.”

“If I had to name my biggest weakness now…”

Zhang Yu looked at the data on his Feather Book.

Dao Heart: Level 8 (89.5%)

Though it had improved by leaps and bounds compared to before, it still lagged behind Zhang Yu’s mana and physical strength, which had reached the Qi Refining limit.

But there was no helping it. In recent times, the millions he earned from tutoring had mostly gone into purchasing techniques, just enough to assemble the eight techniques for Martial Saint Embryo.

The only extra ways to raise his Dao Heart were through the Resentment Spirit Root and the school’s Spirit Realm slots, bringing it to the current Level 8 (89.5%), which was already a limit.

But Zhang Yu knew he didn’t need to dwell on this. He had done all the preparation he could; the only thing left was to give his all in the exam hall.

Speaking of Dao Heart levels, Bai Zhenzhen beside him had already raised hers to Level 10, becoming an existence with Dao Heart, mana, and physical strength all at the Qi Refining limit.

Zhang Yu thought: “After all, Ah Zhen doesn’t have to buy as many techniques as I do to complete the Chain Diagram set effects, so she can invest more money into her Dao Heart.”

But Zhang Yu knew that although Bai Zhenzhen hadn’t learned as many techniques as he had—only two new ones in the past three months—the deduction ability of her True Spirit Root had granted her techniques even more powerful Level 10 effects.

Like the Ten Thousand Swords Never-Ending Art learned in that Foundation Establishment exam, after deduction, at level 10 it could accelerate with lightning mana, each sword faster than the last, breaking the sound barrier on the twelfth sword, unleashing a supersonic sword strike.

The two new techniques he had learned, after deduction, were especially suited for arena combat, preparations made by Bai Zhenzhen to compete for the Foundation Establishment qualification.

Watching the floating city gradually emerge in his vision, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Finally, we’re almost there.”

“The final round of the Foundation Establishment exam.”

Thinking of the past year’s struggles, each hard-fought effort, about to yield its final result, Zhang Yu felt his blood and qi surge faster, a mix of unprecedented excitement and tension.

……

After getting off at the station in Immortal Capital City.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen dared not go to any restaurants or drink shops.

Nor could they sit in the massage chairs that would emit a piercing alarm if not paid for.

They could only find an empty spot in the station to rest for a while, waiting for the Foundation Establishment exam to begin.

Still the familiar restroom, the familiar website—when Zhang Yu clicked to participate, he felt his body plummet, and when he came to his senses again, he was standing in a vast plaza.

What surprised him greatly was that around the plaza, besides the five Orthodox God examiners, there were rows upon rows of spectator stands, and the figures in those stands were now looking at him.

“Spectators?!”

Zhang Yu stared in shock at the surrounding stands, thinking, “The final round of the Foundation Establishment exam… has spectators? And so many?!”

“What is going on?”

(The chapter ends)