Chapter 424: Military Certificate Exam Begins (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 424: The Military Certification Exam Begins (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Within the luxurious dormitory.

Zhang Yu’s hands moved with such blurred speed, like a sudden gale or a flash of lightning, that they swept across Le Mulan’s body.

Le Mulan felt a strange surge of mana injected into several of her meridians, temporarily severing the connection between her and her Dharma remains.

Beyond this, Zhang Yu would occasionally tap into her, infusing strands of Blazing Sun mana to aid her cultivation.

This was Zhang Yu’s way of practicing the Thirty-Six Paths of Meta-Magnetic Pulse-Cutting Hands while simultaneously refining mana with Le Mulan.

Setting aside the benefits Le Mulan gained, Zhang Yu himself, despite having pushed his mana capacity to the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment stage, continued to temper the resilience and quality of his mana through the collision of his Blazing Sun and Deep Cold energies, while also elevating the grade of Le Mulan’s Dao Seed.

Just then, the dormitory door opened, and Zhang Pianpian walked in.

“Senior sister.”

Zhang Yu turned to look, noting the 32nd-place ranking of the Spell Department displayed above her head, and thought to himself, “My sister’s ranking is truly rising steadily.”

Zhang Pianpian smiled slightly at Zhang Yu and said, “I need to go out and handle some business for a while. If you need anything, remember to contact me.”

At the same time, her gaze swept over Zhang Yu as he poked and prodded at Le Mulan, who was frowning, grimacing, and shifting restlessly.

She sent a message: Zhang Yu, I have been observing you and Le Mulan for a long time.

Zhang Pianpian: Do you want to engage in dual cultivation with her?

Zhang Yu: Senior sister, what nonsense are you spouting? We are practicing legitimate cultivation.

Zhang Pianpian: Is that so?

Zhang Pianpian: But both you and she have searched for many Q&As on how to perform dual cultivation.

Zhang Pianpian: Hmm, the search frequency has been increasing over the past few months.

Zhang Yu: It’s just searching, is there a problem with learning new knowledge?

Zhang Pianpian: Why is there also a question about how someone whose primary gender is male can perform dual cultivation after surgery?

Zhang Yu: Curiosity! I’m just damn curious!

Zhang Yu: Search history doesn’t mean I want to do anything!

Zhang Yu: Why don’t you go check Yu Xinghan’s records? They must be far more outrageous than anything he intends to do!

Zhang Yu: And… I’ve told you before, can you pretend you don’t see our records?!

Zhang Pianpian: Yu Xinghan? I haven’t looked closely in a long time; it’s all too strange.

Zhang Yu: Send it to me and let me see.

…

Inside the dormitory.

Zhang Yu formed a Dao seal with his hands, condensing his internal mana into a stream of true energy.

The next moment, he pointed a finger at the Earth-Shattering Bottle before him. The true energy surged forth, instantly sweeping the bottle from top to bottom.

Immediately, a wealth of data and parameters regarding the Earth-Shattering Bottle appeared before his eyes.

Observing the various parameters, Zhang Yu mused, “This Treasure Appraisal Art is truly formidable; it seems to incorporate elements of spellcraft and artifact refinement.”

“Once cast, it can communicate with the Spirit Realm to retrieve the latest artifact data, and even without a Spirit Realm network, it can synthesize and summarize information stored within the Dharma eyes.”

“It will serve perfectly to complement the Meta-Magnetic Pulse-Cutting Hands.”

Zhang Yu knew that to use his technique effectively, he needed to identify the meridian interfaces of the target’s Dharma remains to seal them accurately.

However, memorizing the interfaces of every type of Dharma remain in daily life was clearly time-consuming and inefficient.

Thus, using the Treasure Appraisal Art to scan them before executing the Pulse-Cutting Hands became the most convenient solution.

As Zhang Yu diligently practiced the Treasure Appraisal Art over and over, he could see Bai Zhenzhen practicing sword techniques in the communication window beside him.

Neither spoke, neither interacted; they simply practiced and studied in their own ways, as if they had grown accustomed to this state.

Yet, whenever Bai Zhenzhen took a break from her training to glance at Zhang Yu, a sense that he was right there beside her would fill her heart, and a smile would unconsciously grace her lips.

At that moment, Wen Wuyai’s voice came from outside the door: “Zhenzhen! It’s time! We need to head out!”

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu in the communication window and said, “Yuzi, I have to go.”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Mm.”

Just then, Le Mulan’s voice came from beside him: “Zhang Yu, open your mouth; my new medicine is coming in.”

Zhang Yu opened his mouth while saying, “Ah Zhen, see you tomorrow night then.”

Bai Zhenzhen smiled faintly. “Good luck with the military certification exam.”

Zhang Yu: “Don’t worry, it’s in the bag!”

The next moment, as the communication cut off, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen each continued with their own lives.

…

For these past few days, Su Yangyang had been constantly collecting intelligence on Ping Han.

After all, in his view, Ping Han had become the greatest obstacle to this military certification exam and the biggest threat to his own success.

“This guy, not only is he day-trading coins himself, but now he’s roped a group of people into it?”

“Heh, a paid group for trading advice?”

“This guy is doomed.”

Su Yangyang simply did not believe that a construction major like Ping Han could master any real trading techniques; those were things that even the top scholars of the Finance Department, those peerless geniuses who had mastered the Dao of Fortune, could barely grasp.

In his eyes, Ping Han had just hit a stroke of blind luck and made a windfall.

“The best choice right now would be to quit while he’s ahead, take those 400-plus spirit coins, and never trade again.”

If it were Su Yangyang, that is what he would choose.

But Su Yangyang also understood that not everyone possessed his decisiveness and courage. “Ping Han is trading Nectar Coins, and with leverage of 10 or 20 times at every turn.”

Su Yangyang had spent time researching the market trends of Nectar Coins over the past few years and understood that the price fluctuations were treacherous, with both gains and losses being terrifying; they often saw massive shifts in short periods, causing countless people to go bankrupt every year.

“With Ping Han’s level, he won’t last long.”

“It is highly probable that he will be liquidated before the military certification exam even begins.”

Having reached this conclusion, Su Yangyang chose to mortgage his own Dharma remains to further boost his competitiveness for the exam.

But as the exam drew closer, Su Yangyang was shocked to find that not only had Ping Han not lost money, but as the Nectar Coin price soared, he was actually earning even more.

“How is that possible?”

Watching the daily profit data Ping Han posted, Su Yangyang went from shock to anger, then to regret, and finally, only helplessness remained.

Seeing Ping Han make so much money was more painful to him than being killed.

Even when Su Yangyang had lost to Zhang Yu previously, he hadn’t felt as miserable as he did now.

Unknowingly… Ping Han had become the person Su Yangyang detested most in his heart.

…

Inside the medical chamber.

Suspended around Xiao Yunjie were rows of medicine vials, pumping vast quantities of serum into her veins to sustain the synchronization rate of her dharma-remains.

"Just a few more days."

"The military certification exam is almost here."

Xiao Yunjie hailed from the 8th tier, a descendant of an executive at a construction firm, carrying the bloodline passed down from her progenitor.

The primary purpose for which she and her siblings were cultivated was to extend the life of that very executive.

For many of the wealthy residing in the 7th through 10th tiers of Kunxu, squandering capital to raise descendants during the peak of their own cultivation was deemed an entirely unnecessary endeavor.

But when potential began to wane and further ascent became impossible, it was time to breed heirs and nurture the next generation.

Especially as their lifespans dwindled and the costs of self-maintenance soared, they required more descendants to earn wealth, to provide sustenance, and even to offer up their own flesh and blood.

Xiao Yunjie had witnessed those wealthy elites who eventually fell into the spirit realm, having drained every drop of blood from their offspring, dragging their entire lineage into oblivion.

Fortunately, the ancestor of her house had not yet reached that stage.

Yet, Xiao Yunjie remained resolute in her determination to secure the military certification.

For only by obtaining it could she continue to attract investment and climb higher, rather than being relegated to labor in the construction firm, surrendering the bulk of her income to the family, and having her own lifeblood bled dry to prolong the ancestor’s existence.

Feeling the state-of-the-art metamorphic dharma-remains throughout her body, and sensing the cultivation she had painstakingly forged, a confident smile graced her lips.

"This set of metamorphic dharma-remains is designed specifically for combat; by shifting beyond the human form, it unleashes power far exceeding what a humanoid frame could ever achieve."

"Last year's civil engineering competition was merely a warm-up."

"Now, combined with the techniques I have specifically cultivated, it achieves a synergy where one plus one far exceeds two."

"Not to mention the six dharma treasures I secured through endorsement deals."

"This time... I will certainly seize the military certification!"

Just then, Xiao Yunjie’s brow furrowed; Ping Han had sent another message.

"This guy..."

She truly wanted to block him.

Yet, she refrained; after all, as her greatest rival in the upcoming exam, she desperately needed to glean any intelligence she could.

Gazing at the profit screenshots he sent from time to time, a sense of gravity settled over her.

"He’s profiting again?"

Watching his ever-increasing savings felt like watching his combat prowess climb, and Xiao Yunjie felt an escalating threat emanating from Ping Han.

...

October.

Before she knew it, the day of the military certification exam had arrived.

In his dormitory, Zhang Yu opened his eyes, a flicker of tension rising in his heart: "It is finally beginning."

Before he left, Le Mulan extended a finger and said, "I’ve prepared a special tonic for you; take it before you go."

Yu Xinghan asked, "Shall I help you relax and warm up before you head out?"

Walking along the magnetic conduit, Zhang Yu looked at the messages appearing in his vision.

Bai Zhenzhen: Yu-zi! Good luck! I believe in you!

Zhang Pianpian: Winning is fine, but try not to be too high-profile.

Zhao Tianxing: Nervous ⊙﹏⊙

Director Gao: Do what you can; I’ll be watching from the stands.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: It is merely a civil engineering military certificate; it is no matter if you fail. Remember, the most important thing is not to damage your physical body.

Watching the stream of messages flickering in his ocular-remains, Zhang Yu felt as if hand after hand were pressed against his back, gently nudging him forward, step by step, toward the examination hall.