Chapter 316: Let the Chosen Geniuses Fight the Chosen Geniuses

Chapter 316: Let Genius Clashing with Genius

Upon the monitor screen, Gongshu Jin and Zhang Yu had already arrived one after the other at the 463rd floor of the Ten Thousand Dharmas University City.

As the two stepped into the gravity simulation chamber, they prepared to commence the trial of strength.

Identical to the speed trial moments ago, this stage similarly tested the students' physical performance following the circulation of their cultivation arts.

The premise of the examination was simple: to endure within the simulation chamber under a relentlessly compounding multiple of gravity.

Though the task was straightforward, Tu Lishan knew that this steady escalation of gravitational force served as a comprehensive audit of a student's bodily mechanics.

"Because it is passively endured, it can test the limits of every bodily function throughout the entire form."

"Gongshu Jin currently possesses three pieces of dharma remains upon his person, so he should hold a distinct advantage in this round."

...

Inside the simulation chamber.

Accompanied by a sudden disturbance of earthly gravitational force, both Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin could sense that the arrays within the simulation chamber had been activated.

In the next breath, alongside the manifestation of an ethereal mountain shadow within the air, the words '2x Gravity' already appeared before their ocular remains.

Beholding that solitary phantom mountain, Zhang Yu felt as though the peak were pressed directly against his own form, imposing a subtle weight upon his entire body.

Yet having long grown accustomed to the gravitational training of the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt, now that he had temporarily deactivated the belt for the sake of the exam, this mere twofold gravity scarcely registered in his eyes.

Every ten seconds thereafter, Zhang Yu could feel the gravity continue to double in intensity.

And so long as a student did not actively surrender or face mortal peril, the array would not cease its reinforcement of the gravitational burden.

After one hundred seconds, the gravity weighing upon Zhang Yu had already escalated to twelvefold.

Though he felt his internal organs dropping continuously and a succession of pressure rippling through his muscles and bones, Zhang Yu did not rush to circulate his cultivation art; he merely controlled his breathing, conserving his physical strength and dharmic essence as much as possible.

To his side, Gongshu Jin likewise stood in place with unruffled composure, feeling the squeeze of the twelvefold gravity against his own flesh.

Just on the path leading to the simulation chamber, he had taken the opportunity to adjust his dharma remains, swapping the stored cultivation art therein for a level 20 protective technique—the Armored Golden Body.

Another one hundred and twenty seconds elapsed, and by now, the gravity pressing upon Zhang Yu had reached twenty-fourfold.

As his dharmic essence circulated, causing a ripple through the muscles of his body, Zhang Yu had already invoked the Battle Demon Longevity-Sacrifice Formula, causing his physical intensity to temporarily surge by 0.5 tiers as he continued to counter the increasingly heavy gravity.

In any case, with the mitigation provided by his Civil and Martial Sacred Physique, coupled with the self-healing properties of bodily activation, a Battle Demon Longevity-Sacrifice Formula of this degree posed almost no burden to Zhang Yu.

Simultaneously, threads of martial astral qi erupted from within his form.

Having attained the Foundation Establishment realm, alongside the ascension of physical intensity, whether it was dharmic essence or martial astral qi, both became increasingly integrated with the physical body, capable of better reinforcing bodily performance; much like the martial astral qi Zhang Yu was currently provoking, which sustained his frame like a layer of armor.

On the other side, Gongshu Jin first circulated his own Boiling Blood Body-Burning Formula; as dharmic essence flooded his bloodstream, his entire vital energy and blood boiled, causing his bodily functions to rise drastically.

Next, he summoned the level 20 protective technique, the Armored Golden Body, from the dharma remains within his spine.

Strands of dharmic essence coursed through his entire frame, and one could see glints of dull golden traces surfacing upon Gongshu Jin's skin, rendering his entire being as though clad in a layer of golden armor, his physical intensity greatly enhanced.

Then followed a similar invocation of martial astral qi...

As for the spinal dharma remains itself, it afforded Gongshu Jin an even more formidable support.

Sensing that his body remained as stable as Mount Tai under the crush of twenty-fourfold gravity, Gongshu Jin cast a glance at the flushed countenance of Zhang Yu beside him, thinking secretly to himself: "Is he already risking his life with the Battle Demon Longevity-Sacrifice Formula at mere twenty-fourfold gravity?"

"It seems he is fast approaching his limit."

The thought drifted idly past, and Gongshu Jin continued to resist the growth of the gravity.

Meanwhile, on Zhang Yu’s side, as the gravity continued to increase fold by fold, he began to allow his flesh, internal organs, blood vessels, and nerves to be squeezed and dragged by the terrifying gravity, permitting all manner of minute injuries to manifest within his body without deploying bodily activation to heal them.

Concurrently, the Battle Demon Longevity-Sacrifice Formula also gradually escalated from a 0.5-tier physical intensity reinforcement to a 1.2-tier physical intensity reinforcement.

This caused his body to sustain more damage, yet it also rendered the effects of his Civil and Martial Sacred Physique stronger and stronger.

It was not merely the longevity-loss resistance of the Civil and Martial Sacred Physique's second tier, but the growth of all manner of resistances from the first tier, enabling him to better combat that increasingly terrifying gravity.

Ever since he had reinforced himself with the No. 20 Spiritual Dharma Secret Steel, Zhang Yu had felt the benefits of his skeletal structure being strengthened.

A higher intensity of bone would not only yield a greater capacity to withstand blows, but it also signified that his frame could bear far more formidable power.

The bones were like a succession of levers within his body; the stronger and more solid they were, the more they could support and amplify his might.

This held true for his own bursts of power, but it was equally true when enduring pressure applied to him from the outside world.

Just as at this very moment, when dozens of times the force of gravity descended, though Zhang Yu's skeletal framework grew increasingly heavy, it remained entirely undamaged, like the steel reinforcing bars within a building, supporting his frame to stand tall and unyielding.

And the flesh reinforced by the Civil and Martial Sacred Physique, the Battle Demon Longevity-Sacrifice Formula, and the martial astral qi was like layers of cement, both adhering to his skeletal framework and sustaining it.

Under the crush of dozens of times the gravity, the injuries upon Zhang Yu’s body grew heavier and heavier, yet he could feel his body's capacity to withstand pressure growing stronger and stronger, its limits stretching further and further.

Yet throughout this entire process, judging solely from Zhang Yu’s outward performance, it appeared exceedingly strenuous.

His countenance grew redder and redder, inch after inch of his skin so flushed it seemed ready to drip blood.

Traces of blood also began to surface at the corners of his eyes, evidently the result of internal hemorrhaging under the squeeze of gravity.

The capillaries throughout his body ruptured in numerous places, causing a large amount of subcutaneous bleeding of various patterns to appear upon the surface of his skin...

Watching this scene from the side, Gongshu Jin’s initial sentiment was merely a lofty, superior lament over Zhang Yu’s desperate struggle.

"He is about to fail, isn't he?"

"Will his medical funds truly be enough?"

When he beheld Zhang Yu bleeding from his seven facial orifices, he already felt the other party was being somewhat absurd. "The immortal path is not something achieved merely by throwing one's life away."

"If risking one's life were enough to win, then what did we earn so much money for?"

Sustained by the dharma remains of the Vajra Mystic Creation, reinforced by a level 20 cultivation art, aided by the effects of expensive medicines, and possessing a robust physique forged by a massive expenditure of spiritual coins... Gongshu Jin observed Zhang Yu’s desperate struggle from a commanding height, as though watching a clown.

However, when Zhang Yu, drenched in blood, endured through 30x gravity, 40x gravity, 50x gravity... the shift of emotions within his heart was like a roller coaster, turning from lamentation to ridicule, to astonishment... and finally into a thread of sheer bewilderment.

"What on earth is going on?"

"How can he still endure until now?"

"Has he gone mad?"

"Why hasn't he collapsed yet?"

Until a succession of metallic blood scents drifted from Gongshu Jin's own nose and mouth, until he felt the internal bleeding churning within his organs, and felt the creaking, groaning strains of overload within his own bones...

Until he collapsed upon the ground, ending his examination, and the reinforced gravity vanished from his form.

Until Gongshu Jin raised his head, gazing up at the blood-soaked Zhang Yu, who stood like a crimson titan bridging heaven and earth, continuing to combat that terrifying 55x gravity...

The incredulity and incomprehension within Gongshu Jin’s heart had reached their absolute limits at this moment.

Clutching his spiritual coins, bearing boundless confidence and absolute strength, he had come to participate in today’s exam with the objective of surpassing Ji Yuanxu.

Yet upon this final examination ground, so inexplicably... so absurdly, he had been left far behind by a pauper from the first floor.

60x gravity!

Within his heart, Gongshu Jin cried out in terror: "How is this possible?!"

...

"Incredible."

Tu Lishan watched the recording of the final examination repeatedly, still feeling a sense of disbelief: "The final score... 64x gravity."

"Zhang Yu actually managed to persist to this extent?"

"This isn't something that can be achieved through sheer willpower alone. It shows that the limits of his physical capabilities far surpass those of Gongshu Jin."

"To achieve such a level of physical refinement in such a short time—was it due to the three months of wilderness training?"

Tuli Shan sighed with admiration. "It seems just as he said—his constitution is truly extraordinary, possessing remarkable resilience. That's how he managed to recover from the ravages of the drugs time and again, forcing his latent potential to emerge."

Director Gao nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "This Zhang Yu is a genius—a genius who fights with his life on the line. He's worth nurturing."

"However, as the saying goes, teaching should be tailored to the individual. His training approach will differ from Gongshu Jin's."

"Gongshu Jin has ample financial resources and high potential in the immortal path. Training him is fee-based—the more he's cultivated, the greater the profit. Once he matures, he'll be able to stand on his own."

"As for Zhang Yu, although investment is required, it mainly relies on his own relentless effort. The input is low, his growth is rapid, and the returns are high."

On the other side, Tuli Shan nodded slightly upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "Zhang Yu's only flaw is his shorter lifespan, which means fewer working years in the future."

Director Gao, however, had already burst into hearty laughter. "Indeed, in times of great change, dragons and snakes always rise from the earth."

"One genius who fights with his life, another who spends his way to success—both are exceptional talents of our Civil Engineering Department."

"Let genius compete with genius, let them inspire one another. Through mutual rivalry, they are sure to shine brilliantly in the future."

With that, Director Gao waved his hand grandly and said, "Tell the backend to hurry up and calculate the results. I want to see what the latest rankings look like."

"Oh, and go ask... never mind, just ask Zhang Yu to sell some of his bodily samples."

Director Gao intended to consult a professor from the Reproduction Department of Tianyao University to see if Zhang Yu's condition held the possibility for mass reproduction.

...

Outside the examination hall.

Zhang Yu checked his results through the Fa Hai system and found that the scores hadn't been released yet.

As for the rankings, it wasn't even time for the daily update at midnight.

"Sigh, I'll just have to keep holding onto this 28th place ranking for now."

After casually wiping the bloodstains from his body, just as Zhang Yu was about to leave, he suddenly heard Gongshu Jin's voice calling from behind.

"Zhang Yu..." Gongshu Jin looked at him and said, "In just three months, you've actually surpassed me?"

"What exactly have you been doing these past three months?"

"Did you win the lottery?"

"Or strike it rich gambling?"

Seeing the bloodshot eyes of Gongshu Jin, Zhang Yu thought for a moment and replied, "Eating until I'm full every day, taking life-shortening drugs daily, and working overtime for no more than 24 hours a day."

"Persist like that for three months, and this is the result."

As Zhang Yu finished speaking and turned to leave, Gongshu Jin shouted, "I haven't finished talking to you! Where are you going?"

Zhang Yu waved his hand dismissively. "The exam is over. I'm planning to head to the construction site for some overtime work, earn a bit of bonus money, and treat myself."

"Besides, what else would someone from the Civil Engineering Department do if not work overtime at a construction site?"

(End of Chapter)