Chapter 224: Power of the Divine Spiritual Root (Thanks to 'nudge' for Rewarding Alliance Leader)

Chapter 224: The Output of the Divine Spiritual Root (With thanks to 'nudge' for the Alliance Leader bounty)

It was at the exact moment Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao each activated their divine spiritual root combat suits.

Huang Zichou continued smoothly, "During today’s three examinations, there shall be absolutely no restriction on any medicinal substances."

"After all, whether the physical body's tolerance for pharmaceuticals damages its potential or foundation due to medication... these matters are already within the scope of today's examination."

No sooner had he spoken than the surrounding ground shuddered softly, and along with rows of rising medicine cabinets, various types of drugs manifested directly before Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao.

Huang Zichou added, "The medicines here are at your complete disposal."

"Of course, if you have brought any remedies of your own and wish to use them, that is also perfectly acceptable."

At this point, Huang Zichou thought silently to himself, "Fortunately, by the time we reached this round, only these two remain. Counting the money collected this time, today should yield a profit rather than a loss."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu looked at those rows of medicine cabinets, his eyes already gleaming with light.

Although his mana and physical strength had currently been raised to their absolute limits, his Dao Heart could still be enhanced with the aid of medicine.

Recalling how he had skimped and saved over the past three months, throwing all his funds into cultivation techniques, and had not freely used medicine or eaten until full for a very long time, Zhang Yu's gaze toward the cabinets grew increasingly ravenous.

Simultaneously, Huang Zichou proceeded to introduce the divine spiritual roots upon their bodies: "The divine spiritual root you are utilizing today is called the Black Armor Spiritual Root, mass-produced specifically for military combat."

"Replenishing mana and physical stamina is merely the most basic function of the Black Armor Spiritual Root."

"Next, the Black Armor Spiritual Root will formally enter testing mode."

"During testing mode, as the physical performance you display grows stronger, the Black Armor Spiritual Root will continuously increase its output."

"Although the extra functions of this combat suit have been removed, the Black Armor Spiritual Root itself has been preserved entirely intact. As the power output continuously rises, the Black Armor Spiritual Root will manifest more functions, displaying them one by one. There may be slight anomalies during this process, so neither of you need feel alarmed..."

Listening to Huang Zichou’s discourse, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "This sounds... why does it feel like a product demonstration for this Black Armor Spiritual Root?"

Yet, just as Zhang Yu was listening closely to Huang Zichou's explanation, he suddenly heard a tremendous booming crash as a shockwave erupted violently from Ye Lingxiao's side.

Zhang Yu casually slapped away the incoming shockwave and turned his head toward Ye Lingxiao's direction.

He beheld Ye Lingxiao, whose entire body was now whipped by fierce currents of wind, the surrounding air distorting into a bizarre phenomenon, while the output percentage on his cuff had abruptly risen to 10%.

Huang Zichou smiled faintly, looking at Ye Lingxiao as he remarked, "A swift comprehension. The testing mode of the Black Armor Spiritual Root requires one to continuously elevate the operational output of the physical body."

"The more strength you exert, the more you circulate your skills, and the more violently you erupt, the more you can stimulate the power output of the Black Armor Spiritual Root to rise."

The only reason Ye Lingxiao could grasp this point so rapidly was that, as the descendant of the Ye Clan, he was by no means ignorant concerning divine spiritual roots.

Although as a high school student he possessed no authorization to use a divine spiritual root, many among his acquaintances belonged to government departments and held the clearance to employ them.

He had witnessed others utilizing divine spiritual roots since childhood, and he already possessed a clear understanding of what must be done within the testing mode of a divine spiritual root.

Just moments ago, he had seemingly stood motionless, but in truth, his blood and vital energy had been surging wildly, every single bundle of muscle throughout his body exerting force, which indeed triggered the rise of the divine spiritual root's power output.

Huang Zichou continued, "When the output of the Black Armor Spiritual Root reaches 10%, it can activate the Spiritual Mechanism Field, transmitting physical strength through the spiritual mechanism to strike targets from a distance."

With that, Huang Zichou nodded toward Ye Lingxiao and said, "You may demonstrate."

Ye Lingxiao obediently struck out with a single palm.

A palm strike executed without the circulation of any mana was thrust out flatly in such a manner, yet it seemed to fire an air cannon.

As the force of the palm rapidly transmitted through the spiritual mechanism, it directly formed a shockwave that did not slowly dissipate until it reached dozens of meters away.

Beholding this scene, Zhang Yu muttered inwardly, "This is looking more and more like a damn commercial."

Huang Zichou went on, "Continue, both of you. Remember, under testing mode, only by mobilizing the strength of your physical body to the utmost and circulating your flesh to its limits can you cause the divine spiritual root to elevate its operational efficiency."

On the other side, once Ye Lingxiao released the constriction over his muscles, his stature suddenly swelled, instantly lofting him into a minor giant, while the blood and vital energy throughout his body churned violently in tandem, erupting in waves of scorching heat.

And following this operation of his, the power output of that divine spiritual root expectedly surged along with it, the number on his cuff leaping all the way to 18.12% in a single breath...

In contrast, Zhang Yu made no movement on his end; instead, he unhurriedly walked to the front of the medicine cabinets and began selecting pharmaceuticals capable of elevating the Dao Heart.

Within the communication network of the Righteous Gods, Huang Zichou recalled the disparity between Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao from the previous round and remarked, "Has this brat given up? Does he merely intend to freeload some medicine?"

Another Righteous God chimed in, "Judging from their performances in the previous round of testing, the gap of one year in their cultivation time is indeed a solid reality. It is perfectly normal if he harbors no confidence; at any rate, there is still another opportunity next year."

Simultaneously, a spectator with a 'laughing-crying face' avatar in the grandstands remarked, "Mother, has Ye Lingxiao's opponent given up?"

The 'smiling face' avatar replied casually, "Ye Lingxiao is, after all, the strongest high school student of the First Tier. It is only natural for his opponent to surrender."

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the grandstands, a spectator sporting a cat avatar stared at Zhang Yu and snorted coldly, "Retreating without a fight, unwilling to risk even a single chance of failure? Even if his talent is exceptional, our Wanfa University has no need for such a person."

Beside the cat-head, another representative from Wanfa University, who happened to sport a husky avatar, laughed and said, "You folk in the Finance Department are all pampered darlings of heaven, rejecting people at a whim, but our Civil Engineering Department still welcomes this kind of student very much."

"Furthermore, haven't you read the profile? The two are separated by a whole school year. I quite favor this Zhang Yu; when he returns for his second attempt next year, he should be able to pass his Foundation Establishment Certificate. In the future, moving mountains, filling seas, constructing celestial palaces, or even modifying and repairing Kunxu, he might very well become a fine hand at it."

The cat-head curled its lip, shifting its gaze toward Ye Lingxiao as it murmured, "This one's talent is indeed quite remarkable. A pity his Immortal Path potential is still a bit lacking; to enter my Finance Department, he ultimately falls just a fraction short."

The husky-head advised from the side, "Your requirements are too high. This is already the descendant of the wealthiest family in the First Tier; if you still disdain him for lacking Immortal Path potential, who else in the First Tier could possibly possess enough?"

The cat-head stated proudly, "The Finance Department is one of the strongest departments in our university. How can admissions not be meticulously selected?"

"Besides, our department hasn't accepted a student from the First Tier in over fifty years. If the school leadership hadn't requested me to take a look, do you think I would bother watching a Foundation Establishment examination in this tier?"

The husky-head smiled and said nothing. He also knew that the Finance Department placed the absolute highest value on Immortal Path potential, and the fellows who entered were each more arrogant than the last. Aside from a few other departments standing at the very peak of Wanfa University, other departments were likely viewed by them as security guards, laborers, and waiters.

After all, even within the same university, the chasm between departments was akin to being separated by a high mountain. The latrines of the Finance Department were probably more fragrant than the dormitories of their Civil Engineering Department.

Right at that moment, the cat-head suddenly spoke up, "Old Dog, care to make a wager? I bet on this Ye Lingxiao winning."

The husky-head knew this fellow from the Finance Department was having an itch to gamble again, so he shook his head testily and said, "I do not wager money."

And while more people on the scene focused their attention upon Ye Lingxiao.

Before the medicine cabinets, Zhang Yu looked at the potions he had obtained, experiencing a burst of pleasant surprise.

"Hahahahaha, these Righteous Gods didn't skimp on the materials. These are all high-quality medicines I usually cannot bear to purchase."

Although top-tier goods like the Dao-Dissolution Slow-Release Capsules, Mana Network Injections, and Imitation Phoenix Functional Elements from last time were absent, these were nonetheless various kinds of secondary high-quality items, causing Zhang Yu to grow increasingly excited.

Beholding how a casual grasp yielded a Dao Heart potion worth tens of thousands, Zhang Yu immediately poured it into his mouth in one breath, feeling the medicinal potency rapidly transform into streams of cool air that rushed straight toward the crown of his head after being absorbed through his internal organs.

A moment later, he felt his brain as though it had been wound up by layers of clockwork spring; his thoughts became increasingly lucid, the circulation of his heart-method grew increasingly rapid, and the remnant bull envisioned within his mind became clearer and clearer.

Just then, a burst of bright light emanated from the examination grounds.

Zhang Yu turned his head, only to see Ye Lingxiao’s body enveloped in a layer of spiritual light, shrouding him from head to toe like a spherical protective shield.

Meanwhile, the number displaying the divine spiritual root's output on Ye Lingxiao’s cuff had already risen to 30.05%.

Huang Zichou remarked from the side, "If the output of the Black Armor Spiritual Root can exceed 30%, it can initiate the first layer of the Black Armor Dharma Shield, forming a protective barrier with mana that can virtually ignore any threats below military grade."

Simultaneously, one could observe strange patterns continuously emerging amidst Ye Lingxiao's undulating muscles, transforming into the appearance of dragon scales—it was precisely the Level 10 Expert-grade technique, the Great Heavenly Dragon Divine Force.

Immediately following that, his fascia continuously expanded, and his skin began to turn blue and black, already activating the Level 10 Expert-grade body-protection technique, the Elephant Demon Twisting Fascia Transformation.

As Ye Lingxiao activated one technique after another within his physical body in this manner, the output of the divine spiritual root continued to grow rapidly, swiftly breaking through the 40% threshold.

He looked toward Zhang Yu, who was still consuming medicine in the distance, thinking to himself, "Still not starting? Has he truly given up?"

Thinking that his opponent had surrendered so easily, a trace of boredom suddenly welled up within Ye Lingxiao's heart—a tedious sensation of having meticulously prepared for three months, only for the opponent to lie down before he could even exert himself.

Yet right at this moment, Zhang Yu felt a slight ache emanating from his brain, understanding that he had pushed this Dao Heart potion to its absolute limit.

Level 8 (89.5%) → Level 8 (89.6%)

"Oh? Did the Dao Heart happen to increase again?"

Wiping his mouth, Zhang Yu patted his stomach, thinking to himself, "Seventy percent full is about enough. Let us stop taking medicine here for today."

He put down the medicine bottle and walked back toward the center of the examination grounds step by step, and with every stride Zhang Yu took, his entire musculature underwent a tremor.

This was Zhang Yu performing a simple warm-up by exercising his muscles, bones, and internal organs.

In the midst of this warm-up, the power of the Mystic Armor Spirit Root began to gradually increase.

(End of this chapter)