Chapter 345: Second Heart Method, Exam Begins

Chapter 345: The Second Core Method, the Exams Begin

Late August.

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged in his dorm room, feeling the current state of his cultivation.

Since arriving at the Ten Thousand Dharmas University City on the second tier last June, he had spent three months laying a foundation, followed by a relentless drive forward after school started last September, until this very moment... when he had finally reaped a bountiful harvest on the immortal path.

His Dao Heart had reached Level 15 (55.1%), his core heart-method ran flawlessly in the realm of Spirit-Flesh Unity, flowing as smoothly and naturally as breathing at every moment, and he had even unlocked a second core method.

His mana, sustained by ceaseless day-and-night respiration, had surged all the way to 752.8 units.

Though the growth rate of his mana quality had begun to slow after its continuous rise, it still reached a level of 173%.

While his primary focus during the second semester had been on his breathing techniques, through various spell services, dietary essence replenishment, potent medicinal concoctions, the constant gravitational tempering of the Nine Realms Mountain-Suppressing Belt, and his own endless overtime work at the construction site... his physical strength had now reached Level 15.88.

As his cultivation rose steadily across all fronts, Zhang Yu’s astral qi conduction rate had also reached 53%, with its maximum transmission distance breaking past 50 meters.

Feeling the surging power within his body at this moment, a satisfied smile could not help but curl the corners of Zhang Yu’s lips.

He then checked his bank balance.

Despite his continuous monthly expenditures on spirit stones, medicinal pills, spiritual realm data packages, spell services, and spiritual realm services, Zhang Yu had, after all, struck unexpected fortunes in succession.

Furthermore, he had managed to freeload his way through the journey of Spirit-Flesh Unity, combined with his steadily improving work efficiency and the occasional sale of his mana... his account balance had finally increased rather than decreased, reaching 46 spirit coins.

Looking at the 46 spirit coins in his account, Zhang Yu felt an immense sense of fulfillment.

"This feeling of having my immortal potential so solidly grounded... is truly wonderful."

At the same time, the image of a white bull roared within his mind, on the verge of undergoing a subtle, fresh transformation.

This transformation stemmed from the second core method Zhang Yu had obtained from the spiritual realm... a black cultivation art.

This technique was named the Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind. When Zhang Yu first reviewed its contents, he realized that this core method was perfectly matched with the Wounded Bull Sacrificial Mind Formula.

Back when Zhang Yu had comprehended the complete version of the Wounded Bull Sacrificial Mind Formula, he understood that this method demanded fighting until the absolute final moment; even if heavily wounded with severed limbs, one must sacrifice one's body to fight on, refusing to surrender through a hundred deaths.

To achieve this, the Wounded Bull Sacrificial Mind Formula activated the body's vitality, granting the practitioner a powerful self-healing ability, allowing them to seek life within death during successive sacrificial battles, preparing for the next desperate clash.

Otherwise, after a few battles, the body would be destroyed, leaving no strength to fight again.

Yet, even with the blessing of the Wounded Bull Sacrificial Mind Formula, it did not mean one was entirely safe; in successive life-risking battles, there was always the possibility of dying from severe wounds.

The existence of the Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind was meant precisely to compensate for this.

Within the heart-method contents Zhang Yu had obtained, this technique pointed directly toward an 80th-level Dao Heart, meaning... this cultivation art could be practiced from Level 1 of the Qi Refining stage, to Level 20 of the Foundation Establishment stage, to Level 30 of the Golden Core stage... and could ultimately be pushed all the way to Level 80.

This was also the first time Zhang Yu had obtained a complete set of technique contents extending into future realms.

In the past, when he purchased cultivation arts, he could usually only buy versions up to the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages.

As for the description of the final realm of this heart-method, it claimed that every shred of flesh and blood would contain one's intent. If combined with the 80th-level Wounded Bull Sacrificial Mind Formula, one could achieve rebirth from a single drop of blood, becoming immortal and indestructible, and could even use every drop of blood, every single hair... to manifest external incarnations, truly splitting into thousands of forms.

The philosophy represented by this Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind was to resist until the very end! It was a resolve never to stop fighting until every shred of flesh and every piece of bone was thoroughly ground into nothingness.

Once Zhang Yu began practicing this technique, he felt that with each level the Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind gained, the operational speed of his thoughts quickened by a fraction, until this very moment brought about a qualitative change...

"Nine deaths without surrender, sacrificing the body without regret, only then does the primordial spirit return to the home of flesh."

The mnemonics of the heart-method once again flowed through Zhang Yu’s mind, and at this exact moment, his Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind was finally pushed to Level 10.

Zhang Yu felt his thoughts and intent split into two at this instant.

The white bull roaring in his mind bellowed toward the heavens, and then its head likewise split into two, transforming into a dual-headed white bull.

Accompanied by the hissing roar of the dual-headed white bull, Zhang Yu felt that he could now multitask, running two separate lines of thought concurrently.

This was the Level 10 effect of the Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind, allowing Zhang Yu to operate two intentions simultaneously.

Moving forward, as long as he continued to raise the level of the Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind, not only would his thought speed grow faster and faster, but the number of parallel intents he could maintain would also multiply.

Every 10 levels would further increase the number of parallel thoughts, gradually allowing him to split his mind ten ways, a hundred ways... until every shred of flesh and blood could be assigned a thread of intent. Working in tandem with the Wounded Bull Sacrificial Mind Formula, he would reach that ultimate realm of rebirth from a drop of blood, absolute immortality, and manifesting thousands of external incarnations.

As Zhang Yu gradually realized the sheer power of this cultivation art, he also understood why his sister believed this core method was at a pre-military grade level, if not military grade itself.

"Perhaps in the era when this technique was created, it was a military-grade cultivation art?"

"It's just that as time passed and military-grade arts became increasingly dominant, this technique gradually fell to the evaluation of a pre-military-grade art? Just like the Nine Heavens Cloud-Sky Energy?"

Of course, Zhang Yu was currently far too distant from that legendary realm of rebirth from a single drop of blood and thousands of incarnations. In his view, the greatest current utility of the Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind was not reflected in his physical body, but rather in his manipulation of astral qi.

Two Formless Musclemen emerged from behind him, and with a sharp crackle, they collided violently against each other.

The two humanoid figures of astral qi traded blows, fists and feet clashing. Under the control of Zhang Yu's dual intent, it truly looked as if two completely different individuals were engaged in fierce combat.

Zhang Yu inwardly estimated: "With the blessing of the Level 10 Inner Dharmakaya of the Boundless Mind and the acquisition of dual thinking... under my current full strength, I can probably manipulate nine Formless Musclemen with relative perfection."

"But correspondingly, the mana consumption per unit of time will inevitably increase as well."

Just then, Yu Xinghan's voice came from the side: "Zhang Yu, let's go, it's time for the exam." Yu Xinghan clenched his fists, his face filled with fighting spirit as he said, "After practicing bitterly for so long, it's finally time for us to make a stunning impression."

Heading all the way to the examination grounds, the two of them encountered many students rushing to their exams along the way.

Being the end of the academic year, too many students were taking exams during this period; individuals like Zhang Pianpian and Le Mulan had left the dormitory early to begin their tests.

When Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan arrived at the examination venue, they saw many students already waiting there, their faces filled with anxiety, anticipation, or excitement...

The first exam, the Dao Heart test, officially began.

...

Deep within the spiritual realm.

The artifact spirit of the Dao Heart teacher, Feng Jiu, was currently monitoring the situation inside the spiritual realm examination venue.

The screens of various students surfaced before her, and all kinds of detailed circumstances were recorded by her.

The content of this Dao Heart exam was randomly selected for each student, combined with a portion of public data.

Although the contents varied, when matched with different refined scoring rules, it could precisely evaluate the students' Dao Heart scores to the greatest extent.

On one screen, Li Xiao was walking down the street like a living corpse.

His exam topic was death.

At this moment, he suddenly discovered that a death certificate had been erroneously issued under his data within the spiritual realm network.

Consequently, he was defined as deceased across all domains.

His connection to the spiritual realm network was severed, and his ocular implants could only perceive a bleak, grey city.

His bank accounts were frozen, leaving him unable to use a single fraction of a spirit coin.

He even lost the authorization to use the meta-magnetic channels.

All of his titles, rankings, and domains vanished entirely, making him look like a mere phantom in the eyes of others.

Even after he was injured by someone bumping into him, because of his deceased status, he could not receive any compensation or medical treatment.

He wandered through this bleak, grey urban forest like a lonely ghost, his mind suffering severe torment.

The artifact spirit recorded Li Xiao’s condition: "Emotional autonomy 76 points, internal stability 72 points, internal fulfillment 71 points... lacks resistance to solitary cultivation, highly dependent on societal recognition..."

After grading Li Xiao, the artifact spirit noticed another student.

The situation facing Ying Xin... was called bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy was considered by countless Kunxu people to be the beginning of the demise of one's path, and in the eyes of many, it was an occurrence far more terrifying than suffering Qi deviation or being infected by malevolent energy.

Yet Ying Xin faced this situation with a trace of composure.

"It's time to show the heritage of my six generations of civil engineering family."

"Come forth! Father! Grandfather! Great-grandfather! Great-great-grandfather! Great-great-great-grandfather!"

With a single palm strike, Ying Xin propelled a 20-level excavation technique, tearing open a vast expanse of land as six coffins erupted from the ground.

Above each coffin, a number materialized—the price of the corpse within. From father to great-great-great-grandfather, the figures grew larger, radiating an increasingly terrifying aura.

"Six generations of accumulated might! Aid me in overturning the heavens!"

Observing Ying Xin's heightened fighting spirit, the artifact spirit recorded: "High degree of familial socialization, cultivation of exceptional psychological resilience. Once again confirming the theory that the wealthier one is, the stronger the emotional container functions."

"Money truly remains humanity's most crucial reference factor. I still cannot comprehend why property value isn't included in university ranking metrics."

Meanwhile, more student data flooded before the artifact spirit.

Yu Xinghan was currently facing a broken engagement.

A young lady from the upper echelons, whose family assets amounted to tens of thousands of spirit coins, had delivered the annulment papers to him.

Confronted with the humiliation from the wealthy, the mockery of relatives, the ridicule of classmates, and the veiled or overt threats from the young lady... layer upon layer of psychological pressure bore down upon him.

"Yu Xinghan, if you have any backbone, accept it. Then we can still be friends."

"Backbone?" Rage surged within Yu Xinghan's heart. He had never felt so wronged.

This sense of injustice, of being wronged, drove him to tear up the annulment papers and shout at her, "I won't back down!"

"At worst, she can be the primary, and I'll be the secondary! I am determined to marry into this family, and no one can stop me! Unless you go bankrupt today."

Watching this scene, the artifact spirit shook its head and recorded: "This test question is too outdated; the question bank needs updating. Matters like backbone and dignity hardly bring any psychological pressure these days... Hmm, let's give him a different question."

(End of Chapter)