Chapter 234: Finally Obtaining the Foundation Establishment Certificate (Two-in-One Chapter)

Chapter 234: Finally Attaining the Foundation Establishment Certificate (Two-in-One Chapter)

As waves of terrifying acidic mist surged toward him, the intense corrosion immediately caused a wisp of green smoke to rise from Zhang Yu’s skin, and the sharp pain forced him to furrow his brow despite himself.

Zhang Yu could sense that if he allowed the acidic mist to continue corroding him unchecked, his flesh and skin would be severely damaged, even endangering his life.

So he immediately stirred every muscle in his body to vibrate. With each inch of his skin exerting force and trembling, a gale seemed to burst forth from his entire being, blowing away the oncoming acidic mist in unison.

But because of this effort to counter the acidic mist, Zhang Yu unavoidably had to divert some of his strength.

At the same time, on the other side, Ye Lingxiao also failed to use the moment of Zhang Yu’s reduced strength to pull on the Binding Dragon Rope, for he too was vibrating his body, sending out gusts of wind to resist the acidic mist.

Yet Zhang Yu could feel that, thanks to the self-healing ability granted by the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus, the damage from the earlier high temperature, high pressure, gravity, and now the acidic mist was gradually recovering.

Moreover… he still had two trump cards he had yet to use.

With a sudden roar from Zhang Yu, the character “Chan” on his chest abruptly dispersed, and his body’s potential erupted wildly under the stimulation of the toxin.

The veins on Zhang Yu’s forehead bulged, but in his heart, he was still howling: “It’s not over yet.”

Next came the overload of the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus!

Roar!

The muscles in Zhang Yu’s arms swelled another circle, and his entire height rose from 2.8 meters to 3.3 meters.

Whether it was the toxin eruption of the Boundless Autumn Eternal Meditation or the overload of the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus, both were methods to force the body’s potential, making it unleash power beyond its normal load.

And when Zhang Yu used both methods together, he felt as if the flesh and blood throughout his body were burning.

Endless power was squeezed out from every shred of flesh, and terrifying force transmitted through his muscles, even pressing his bones until they creaked.

But as a result, Zhang Yu’s physical body was bearing an unprecedented burden at this moment.

Muscles were strained, bones began to show tiny cracks, internal organs were compressed and deformed, and blood vessels suffered minor ruptures…

Even with the self-healing ability from the Martial Dao Sacred Fetus, he could not stop the continuous self-damage occurring all over his body.

But to Zhang Yu, none of that mattered now.

Because long before coming here, Zhang Yu had known one thing.

“Coming here means fighting for your life.”

“If you’re not willing to fight, why even bother taking the Foundation Establishment Certificate?”

At this moment, scenes from the past year—test after test, exam after exam, competition after competition—seemed to flash through Zhang Yu’s mind.

And through these repeated experiences, Zhang Yu had deeply understood one point.

In this tightly controlled world of Kunxu, to climb upward, to stand out, to master stronger immortal techniques, one had to follow the promotion path laid down by the Ten Great Sects, defeating opponents in one exam after another.

And in this process, almost every opponent would exhaust every means to squeeze themselves, squeeze their families, and squeeze each other, pushing their results to the limit.

The present Young Master of the Immortal Capital was no exception.

He would never let go of any possibility of victory, and would fight with everything he had to overcome Zhang Yu.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Yu could only burn all his own strength to obtain that precious Foundation Establishment Certificate.

“I already promised Azhen, promised my sister, that we would study at the Ten Greats together.”

“I will enter the Ten Greats, enter the sect!”

“I will climb upward along Kunxu! Break free from the shackles of the ceremony! Gain freedom!”

At this moment, the various techniques he had painstakingly cultivated over the past year surged in Zhang Yu’s mind, and the paths of muscles and power throughout his body appeared before his eyes.

Technique, strength, potential… everything that could be unleashed was thrown out by Zhang Yu in one go.

Violent power, absolute determination—all channeled through the operation methods of various techniques, through muscles as tough as steel cables, and finally through the Binding Dragon Rope… transmitted fiercely toward Ye Lingxiao.

Bang!

Turning around, he stomped heavily on the high platform, producing an explosive sound. Zhang Yu had already begun to drag the Binding Dragon Rope wildly toward himself, step by step moving away from the edge of the platform.

And with Zhang Yu’s outburst, Ye Lingxiao felt an irresistible, monstrous force coming from the other end of the Binding Dragon Rope, pulling him step by step toward the edge of the platform.

In an instant, Ye Lingxiao, who had just dragged Zhang Yu to the edge of the platform, was now himself pulled to within just two or three steps of the edge.

And beyond that edge, in Ye Lingxiao’s eyes, it now seemed like a cliff.

Once he fell, it would be like plummeting from the clouds—not only would he lose the Foundation Establishment Certificate, but he would also lose a vast amount of wealth, and the best opportunity to climb upward.

In a daze, Ye Lingxiao seemed to hear a voice sounding in his heart.

“Little brother, let us brothers fight him together!”

“Elder brother?” Ye Lingxiao murmured in his heart. “So you have been with me all along, together with your heart?”

“Do not let our sacrifice be in vain.”

“Do not let the countless generations of the Ye family, the thousands upon thousands of our kin, sacrifice in vain.”

“Little brother, borrow our strength, and lead the Ye family upward—out of this mire of the First Layer, up to the higher layers of Kunxu…”

Unconsciously, Ye Lingxiao had already bitten open the second split soul pill in his mouth.

As the temperature in his brain soared rapidly, he felt a dizziness in his head, yet miraculously maintained three streams of thought, like three versions of himself, operating his physical body and activating three times the number of techniques as in his normal state.

Blood flow, internal organs, bones, fascia… every inch of flesh and blood in his body was mobilized 100%, pushing Ye Lingxiao’s bodily power to an unprecedented peak.

And this caused the wildly dragging Binding Dragon Rope to suddenly slow down.

But… it was still not enough!

With a crisp snap, Zhang Yu’s finger bones cracked under his own terrifying force.

Correspondingly, Ye Lingxiao was one step closer to the cliff.

“Still not enough?”

“We… still cannot defeat him?”

“Then let’s keep fighting.”

“Representatives of the universities, don’t you like watching the geniuses down below fight for their lives?”

“Then watch your fill today.”

The next moment, Zhang Yu felt that after one increase, the force from the other end of the Binding Dragon Rope had increased again, threatening to pull him over.

“He still has such a trump card?”

“No, that sound is…”

Zhang Yu suddenly turned his head to look at Ye Lingxiao, and saw on the other high platform wisps of green smoke rising, accompanied by a sizzling sound, as large patches of acidic mist continuously corroded Ye Lingxiao’s flesh.

“This guy… gave up using part of his strength to resist the acidic mist, and is going all out to fight me?”

At the same time, the high-risk environment changed again. Waves of poisonous mist swept in, enveloping both Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao.

Zhang Yu vibrated his muscles, sending out gusts of wind to blow away the poisonous mist.

But Ye Lingxiao at this moment still had no intention of wasting any strength to blow away the mist.

His eyes were fixed on Zhang Yu, fixed on the Binding Dragon Rope. At this moment, it seemed only one thought remained in his mind: he wanted to win! He would fight with all his might to obtain the Foundation Establishment Certificate!

Watching Ye Lingxiao’s reckless, desperate struggle, Zhang Yu suddenly understood the true purpose of this examination.

Those orthodox gods, they calculated this all along, knowing that if we fought to the very end, victory and defeat would have to be decided under the threat of life and death, didn't they?

Do those high and mighty figures in the spectator seats really love to watch us risk our lives so much?

Zhang Yu looked at Ye Lingxiao, whose entire body was gradually becoming drenched in fresh blood, turning blue and purple, and thought to himself, "Although I still do not know your name."

"But through the power transmitted from this Dragon-Binding Cord, I have already felt your will, and experienced your determination."

"But I, too, will absolutely never admit defeat."

"Besides, if it comes to risking one's life... I am definitely even better at it than you!"

Zhang Yu likewise stopped his movements to resist the toxic mist, gathering his entire mind and his entire strength onto the Dragon-Binding Cord.

Boom!

Accompanying the violent interlocking of the two men's power upon the Dragon-Binding Cord, a fierce tremor rippled from the length of the chain.

At the same time, the highly hazardous environment began to change once more.

High temperatures, high pressure, strong acids, toxins...

But at this moment, no matter what kind of threat or what kind of injury it was, it could no longer distract Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao in the slightest.

Be it the scorching of the body and the burning of the internal organs under high temperatures.

Or the rupture of cavities and bodily damage from the high atmospheric pressure.

Or the bloody mess upon their skin, and the severe burns both inside and outside their bodies.

Or perhaps the body's toxic reaction, with the toxins continuously spreading as their movements grew increasingly intense...

At this moment, all of this was no longer important in the eyes of the two men.

They had wagered their lives, betting every ounce of strength they could offer.

At this moment, only the other person remained in the eyes of the two, with only a single thought left.

Win!

Exert your strongest fucking strength, your strongest will, and drag the opponent over ruthlessly!

With a crisp crack, Ye Lingxiao's right leg bone finally snapped completely amidst the repeated injuries, causing his whole body to sink halfway to his knees on the ground.

On the other side, Zhang Yu, relying on his powerful self-healing ability, although similarly looking like a bloody mess, still maintained a complete structure.

This fracture of Ye Lingxiao's was like breaking the balance of the scale, making it so Ye Lingxiao could no longer stop the movement of the Dragon-Binding Cord.

"Am I going to lose?"

Watching himself being dragged step by step toward the edge of that abyss-like cliff, a flash of despair suddenly crossed Ye Lingxiao's heart. "Is this where it ends?"

The heavy trust of his family, the entrustments of his brothers and sisters before their deaths, the endless exams, grades, awards, and the first places time after time...

All of this had once made Ye Lingxiao feel more and more like layers of shackles, strands of spider silk, binding him tightly, shackling his life, making him feel increasingly tired, increasingly exhausted.

But later he gradually understood that even without these things, he would still want to climb the immortal path; the family gave him a heavy burden, but they also gave him opportunities and assistance far exceeding ordinary people.

"I want the future children of the Ye family to never have to make such sacrifices again, to never have to pay the price of thousands upon thousands of lives just to reach the starting line that some people above are already standing on when they are born."

"I want the Ye family to move to the second layer, to possess a residency permit for the second layer, to become a family of the second layer."

Ye Lingxiao understood incomparably well in his heart that whether it was the heavy trust of the family or the entrustments of his brothers and sisters, all of this had never been his shackle.

They were just like his heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs, accompanying him at every moment, silently pushing him from behind, sending him to the position he held today.

Until this very moment, Ye Lingxiao felt as if he had been given another push by them.

At the same time, amidst the roaring sounds, on the platform on the other side, Zhang Yu, having inhaled a massive amount of toxic mist, had now triggered a secondary eruption of the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen.

The previous eruption had originated from the accumulated toxins after he consumed a large amount of medicine.

And this eruption occurred because, after inhaling a large amount of toxic mist under the highly hazardous environment, he found that the word "Zen" on his chest had gathered quite a bit of toxins again.

Although Ye Lingxiao had already fallen to his knees, as long as the final moment of victory had not arrived, Zhang Yu had no intention of relaxing in the slightest.

Because whether looking at it from his own life experience or from the combat experience passed down to him by Bai Zhenzhen, the more a battle reached such a critical juncture, the more one had to be careful of the opponent's counterattack at the final moment.

At this moment, the secondary eruption of the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen caused mists of blood to burst forth all over Zhang Yu's body, every cell of his body seeming to groan, to wail, to let out a dying roar.

But under these conditions that grew more dangerous and left fewer paths of retreat, along with the operation of the Remnant Bull Sacrificial Determination, Zhang Yu felt a sense of excitement instead, to the point that even the pain on his body seemed to be suppressed quite a bit, and his Dao heart gained some benefit.

Only to hear Zhang Yu roar furiously, saying, "I am taking the Foundation Establishment Certificate for sure!"

And on the other side, Ye Lingxiao crushed the last Distracted Spirit Pill in his mouth.

The warning from the laboratory head echoed in his mind: "Within a single day, you absolutely must not consume more than three."

"Otherwise the brain won't be able to bear it, not even your perfect bloodline will do."

And counting the Distracted Spirit Pill consumed during the first trial of the Divine Spiritual Root examination, this was already the fourth Distracted Spirit Pill Ye Lingxiao had taken within a single day.

Feeling the medicinal power surging within his body, rushing wildly toward his brain, Ye Lingxiao suddenly found his thoughts clearing up for a moment, as if something had awakened from within his mind.

"I can do it..."

"I can bear four of them."

At this moment, Ye Lingxiao felt as if there were four of himself dividing the labor and cooperating within his body, just like a working group, where everyone could share a different bodily operation, competing with each other, performing evaluations...

At the same time, under Zhang Yu's wild exertion of force, the Dragon-Binding Cord seemed to turn into a true giant dragon, twisting violently in Ye Lingxiao's hands.

Ye Lingxiao thought in his mind of how to suppress this "giant dragon" and how to resist Zhang Yu's wild power, but in the next moment, his arm similarly fractured directly in the confrontation of strength.

At this moment, although Ye Lingxiao had made some progress in his brain and spirit, his physical body had long been on the verge of collapse, leaving no room at all to exert himself.

At the same time, the side effects of the fourth Distracted Spirit Pill began to manifest; Ye Lingxiao only felt a burst of sharp pain coming from his brain, as if it were going to tear his head apart and then drive an iron rod inside.

In the next moment, Ye Lingxiao could no longer contend against Zhang Yu.

Dragged by that wild force, Ye Lingxiao felt his sublimated spirit at this moment was like a dream filled with color, ultimately no match for cold reality and gravity, as he was dragged ruthlessly toward the abyss.

Boom!

The Dragon-Binding Cord, infused with Zhang Yu's incomparably wild power, was flung straight into the sky with a loud bang.

Ye Lingxiao, who was gripping the Dragon-Binding Cord tightly, was likewise flung into the sky.

His gaze slowly swept downward, and he could seemingly still see that robust figure standing amidst a patch of blood mist atop the high platform.

Large swathes of white hot steam billowed outward along with the opponent's exertion of strength, matching the blood mist that continuously burst from Zhang Yu's body, making him look like a god of war burning with blood and fire.

Ye Lingxiao sighed in his heart, "This guy... how can he possess such a formidable physical body?"

Zhang Yu gripped the Dragon-Binding Cord with both hands, flinging Ye Lingxiao along with the cord away.

Swoosh!

Accompanied by this strenuous fling from Zhang Yu, Ye Lingxiao, together with the Dragon-Binding Cord, shot toward the spectator seats like a long comet.

Looking at this scene, a hint of surprise appeared on the faces of the numerous spectators all at once, none of them having expected that at the end of this round, Zhang Yu would actually obtain such an overwhelming advantage, even flinging Ye Lingxiao away.

Watching Ye Lingxiao about to fly in front of them in the blink of an eye, the people in the spectator seats showed varied expressions for a time, each with different thoughts.

At the same time, accompanied by ripples of divine power swaying back and forth in mid-air, Ye Lingxiao, who had been a mere hair's breadth away from crashing into the spectator seats, slowly came to a stop in mid-air.

Zhang Yu looked at Huang Zichou, who had appeared before him, and asked seriously, "Did I win?"

"Is the Foundation Establishment Certificate... mine?"

Huang Zichou waved his hand and cast a series of talismans, first using the divine power of the Ministry of Health to stabilize Zhang Yu's injuries, then slowly announced: "The winner of the third round is Zhang Yu!"

"The overall winner of the third round of the Foundation Establishment Exam is Zhang Yu!"

"I declare that the final winner of the sports track in this year's Foundation Establishment Exam—Zhang Yu—will be granted the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate by the Heavenly Court, possessing the right to establish a foundation!"

After hearing Huang Zichou's words, Zhang Yu felt as if all the strength in his body had been drained away, and he collapsed limply into a pool of blood.

"Finally..."

Day after day, night after night of relentless struggle, one perilous fight after another, having paid nearly everything he could, plus the millions in debt at the bank, and finally staking his very life, Zhang Yu had at last set one foot across the threshold of the Top Ten.

Looking back on the path he had traveled, Zhang Yu felt only how hard it had been—climbing upward in Kunxu... truly, so hard.

Thinking this, he suddenly let out a long roar, as if to expel all the pent-up frustration and resentment in his heart.

Seeing Zhang Yu roaring at the sky, Huang Zichou paid it no mind; he had seen all kinds of reactions after receiving the Foundation Establishment Certificate—heart attacks, strokes, even people going mad on the spot from qi deviation. Zhang Yu's behavior was relatively normal.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Lingxiao had fallen into a coma, succumbing to the side effects of the medicine and his own injuries.

The "Crying Laughing Emoji" in the audience said, "Mother, it seems this Ye family isn't all that impressive either—their strongest heir lost."

Watching Ye Lingxiao, who was being casually suspended in midair by divine power and had already fallen unconscious, the "Smiling Emoji" in the audience furrowed his brows, feeling that Ye Lingxiao at that moment was like a dead dog by the roadside—no matter how he looked at it, it was displeasing.

The "Smiling Emoji" said flatly, "If you don't want to use this person, then don't. But the Ye family is very useful on the first level; you can't give them up."

The "Crying Laughing Emoji" said, "Actually, this Ye Lingxiao is already quite formidable—stronger than most high school students on the second and third levels, right? He just had bad luck, running into an even stronger opponent."

"I'll still use him."

"But compared to him..." Here, he looked at Zhang Yu with keen interest, "I'm more interested in this Zhang Yu."

The "Smiling Emoji" frowned and said, "You want to sign him as a formal employee?"

The "Crying Laughing Emoji" said, "Why not? As long as he satisfies me—him, Bai Zhenzhen, or even this Ye Lingxiao—I can make any of them formal employees."

The "Smiling Emoji" shook his head and sighed, "A dog shouldn't be fed too well. Ah... you'll understand sooner or later."

The "Crying Laughing Emoji" was unconvinced and had already decided to contact the Oasis Company on the first level, sending a representative directly to Songyang City to throw money at the problem.

At the same time, many representatives from various universities in the audience also fixed their gazes on Zhang Yu.

After all, although Ye Lingxiao was outstanding, he now seemed overshadowed by Zhang Yu's brilliance. Especially considering Zhang Yu was a year younger, this made many university admissions representatives eager to recruit him into their schools.

The Cat Head from Wanfa University watched this scene and said to the Husky Head beside him, "It seems the price you were planning to offer isn't enough."

The Husky Head frowned and said, "It's fine if we Top Ten poach from each other."

He glanced in a certain direction in the audience and snorted coldly, "I can understand why the 36th Upper Colonel and the 72nd Lower Colonel would have ideas."

"But damn it, do vocational colleges think they can recruit talent like this?"

"Are they worthy?"

"If Zhang Yu goes to a vocational college, what difference is that from going to prison? He'll never be able to take the postgraduate exam or achieve the Golden Core for the rest of his life."

The Cat Head reminded him, "If you want to snatch him, you'd better act fast. Otherwise, if this Zhang Yu is too poor and hasn't seen much of the world, with shallow vision, he might be tricked by some vocational college pretending to be a university."

"Once the Foundation Establishment Certificate is issued here, the examinee's information should no longer be confidential. You'd better hurry."

The Husky Head's heart sank at these words; the other party was right—such things had indeed happened before.

He thought to himself, "I really should quickly find someone to contact this Zhang Yu through a representative from a first-level company."

But before leaving, he seemed to think of something and confirmed, "Are you sure your Finance Department isn't recruiting any of these students?"

The Cat Head said flatly, "Their aptitudes are indeed good—for security or civil engineering, they'd be fine. But to enter the gates of Finance? After they can stand firm up there, after several generations of struggle, perhaps their descendants might have a sliver of a chance."

At the other end of the audience, a teacher from a vocational college was already on the phone with his principal, speaking decisively: "Principal, if we get this student and pour all our resources into making him a Golden Core, who will dare say a vocational college can't produce a Golden Core? Our school's rating is sure to rise!"

As the audience thinned out, one by one logging off,

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's injuries had been completely healed.

Now, gathered with all the other examinees, they were about to receive the Foundation Establishment Certificates.

Seeing Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu hurried over and asked, "Zhen, did you make it?"

Bai Zhenzhen laughed heartily and nodded, "I made it, Yu. What about you?"

"I made it too!" Zhang Yu laughed and hugged Bai Zhenzhen. "Zhen! We can go to university together!"

Hearing this, Bai Zhenzhen felt a great weight lift from her heart; she had truly worried that Zhang Yu hadn't passed. Now she hugged him tightly, unable to stop laughing. "Have you decided which of the Top Ten to choose? Should we start planning for postgraduate and doctoral exams?"

Yun Jing, watching the two of them spinning around in an embrace, his already gloomy face turned even darker.

It's the end of the month, so I'm asking for monthly tickets again.

(End of chapter)