Chapter 756: The Last Poor Ghost to Ram Open the Heavenly Gate! (Bonus chapter 10)

Chapter 756: The Last Pauper to Smash Open Heaven’s Gate! (+1000 Bonus Words)

As Zhang Yu spoke, the hidden intricacies concealed within the *Nine Heavens Divine Elephant Art* gradually emerged before everyone’s eyes.

This martial art unmistakably bore the hallmarks of a yaoyi (demon-blooded) cultivation technique.

Zhang Yu thought inwardly, “It’s as if the original universal martial art was specially refined and innovated along yaoyi lines—rendered far more suitable for yaoyi practitioners, allowing them to unleash its full mystical potential.”

“But it’s hidden so skillfully… Had I not possessed firsthand experience breeding spirit beasts and transforming into a yaoyi myself, I might never have noticed it.”

“Yet strangely, the official description of the *Nine Heavens Divine Elephant Art* makes no mention of this at all.”

Was it deliberately marketed to human cultivators? Was the sect afraid that labeling it as yaoyi-specific would hurt sales? Or was there some other reason entirely?

Zhang Yu didn’t know the truth behind the scenes. He simply laid bare the answer he’d uncovered through wholehearted deduction, completing his final interview question.

And with his explanation, the air inside and outside the examination hall seemed to freeze solid in that very instant.

Yun Zhiguang stared fixedly toward the examiners, awaiting their ultimate judgment.

Countless viewers across Kunxu’s first through tenth layers held their breath, watching the live broadcast without daring to exhale, waiting anxiously for the final scores.

Under the confident gazes of both Zhang Yu and Wu Xiang True Lord, their scores appeared simultaneously.

Zhang Yu: 98.

Wu Xiang True Lord: 59.

The moment the audience saw this, their minds raced with frantic calculations—and instantly arrived at the cumulative totals.

“Zhang Yu: 325. Wu Xiang: 294…” Yun Zhiguang sighed inwardly upon seeing the result. “So this brat really did smash his way into the sect after all.”

Yun Zhiguang understood clearly: since only one candidate would be accepted from this interview, such a decisive score gap had utterly extinguished any chance Wu Xiang True Lord had of overtaking Zhang Yu and securing admission.

Ying Mingchi watched the scene with exhilaration. “He succeeded! He leveraged his deep understanding of yaoyi heritage to gain entry into the sect—this is a victory for yaoyikind, a triumph of the demon blood flowing in Zhang Yu’s veins!”

Meanwhile, thunderous cheers erupted throughout Songyang City on the first layer.

Wang Hai led the applause, his heart pounding as he envisioned erecting a statue series on campus depicting Zhang Yu’s legendary nine-step mastery—and how best to use this event to inspire students to strive harder academically.

Lei Jun, Zhang Yu’s former martial arts instructor and now Songyang City’s most renowned golden-tier martial arts mentor, also watched the broadcast. A wistful smile spread across his face. “I always said… martial cultivation holds immense value! But I never imagined Zhang Yu would use it to pry open the gates of Wanfa Sect himself.”

At that moment, viewers flooded into Zhang Yu’s accounts across every platform via the Spirit Realm, leaving messages in his wake.

For a long time to come, Zhang Yu’s online profiles would become virtual landmarks within the Spirit Realm—pilgrimage sites where generations of aspiring university and sect applicants would leave their hopes and dreams.

Inside the interview hall, as the session concluded, the information-sealing barriers around both Zhang Yu and Wu Xiang True Lord were lifted one after another.

When Wu Xiang True Lord first saw Zhang Yu’s score, he froze—then his eyes flickered violently with shock, fury, terror… a storm of emotions churned within him, culminating in a bone-deep despair that engulfed his entire being.

“How… how is this possible?”

“How could Zhang Yu possibly score so much higher than me?”

Wu Xiang True Lord couldn’t fathom it—couldn’t believe it. How had Zhang Yu managed to outperform him by such a vast margin on those last four questions?

“Rigged! Cheating!”

Those were the first thoughts that leapt into his mind.

But gazing at the four examiners radiating divine brilliance before him, he dared not voice those accusations aloud.

Staggering like a drunkard, Wu Xiang True Lord stumbled out—barely aware of how he even left the Dao Palace.

Even as he walked away, he connected to the Spirit Realm and frantically replayed the recorded footage of Zhang Yu’s interview.

As each of Zhang Yu’s answers unfolded before his eyes, Wu Xiang True Lord’s resentment and rage slowly gave way to astonishment, dread, and finally, utter dejection.

“So… the gap really is this wide?”

Watching Zhang Yu’s retreating back, Wu Xiang True Lord thought of his two lifetimes of cultivation—even encountering a question perfectly suited to his strengths—and yet still being left far behind. A crushing sense of helplessness settled over him, the kind no amount of effort could overcome.

Especially that final moment—when Zhang Yu completed the Nine Steps in one breath and propelled the *Nine Heavens Divine Elephant Art* straight to Level 20—that image burned itself into Wu Xiang True Lord’s mind, destined to haunt him forever.

“Why… why did I have to face such a formidable opponent?”

Jealousy gnawed at his heart like a ravenous beast, making him wish desperately that he could be Zhang Yu instead.

But no matter how Wu Xiang True Lord raged inwardly, at that moment, no one cared about the fate of this defeated man.

Yun Zhiguang’s full attention had already shifted to several other interviews unfolding simultaneously.

“Though Wu Xiang True Lord failed to eliminate Zhang Yu as I’d hoped, it’s merely allowed one lowborn to enter the sect.”

“As long as the other lowborn candidates are eliminated in their respective sessions—and we keep the total number of admitted lowborns below five—we can still prevent sect admissions from becoming normalized…”

Unlike Zhang Yu’s fiercely contested interview, however, the positions Bai Zhenzhen and others had applied for featured no reincarnated competitors during the interview stage. Thus, any candidate scoring above the passing threshold would be accepted.

Yun Zhiguang mused inwardly, “Four questions… the total passing score is 240.”

“Anyone scoring 240 or higher passes the interview.”

Though this sounded far simpler, Yun Zhiguang believed the other candidates were vastly inferior to Zhang Yu in ability.

“As long as the difficulty is high enough, I can surely keep them all below the passing line.”

In that moment, in Yun Zhiguang’s mind, the sect’s power seemed to manifest as a colossal hand—poised to swat down each of the remaining five candidates one by one, pinning them firmly beneath the threshold.

Among the multiple interview feeds she monitored simultaneously, the one that now drew her keenest focus was Bai Zhenzhen’s.

…

When Yun Zhiguang turned her gaze to Bai Zhenzhen’s interview hall, the candidate was already facing her final question.

A majestic force descended from the heavens—a sword of pure cosmic will—slashing directly toward Bai Zhenzhen’s position.

Before the blade even arrived, its terrifying sword intent swept across the arena, carving countless bloody gashes into Bai Zhenzhen’s body, instantly turning her into a figure drenched in blood.

Watching this, Yun Zhiguang’s heart stirred. “Patrol Platform missions demand exceptional combat prowess… Could this final question truly be… an inter-layer strike launched by an examiner for Bai Zhenzhen to withstand?”

Yet in the face of this apocalyptic slash, Bai Zhenzhen remained calm. She stepped forward deliberately, meeting the celestial swordlight with a strike of her own.

As her Extreme Emotion Sword Qi shattered under the onslaught, Bai Zhenzhen’s sect-application avatar roared inwardly: “I!”

“LOVE TIANJIAN SECT!”

With that cry, torrents of Extreme Emotion Sword Qi surged skyward—but still retreated step by step before the overwhelming swordlight.

Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen’s true self cried out in her heart: “I want to ascend to the sect with Zhang Yu! Climb all the way to the eleventh layer together!”

Even pushed to its absolute limit, her Extreme Emotion Sword Qi proved no match for the descending blade.

Yet empowered by her dual divine spiritual roots, every slash she unleashed inflicted increasingly potent damage upon the heavenly swordlight.

Moreover, when Bai Zhenzhen deliberately raised her arms to block the strike, her Feather Spiritual Root absorbed fragments of that destructive energy—converting them into healing power to mend her wounds.

Destruction and regeneration—two opposing forces, sustained by her dual spiritual roots, were driven to their utmost extremes by the two facets of Bai Zhenzhen’s being.

Her True Spiritual Root’s adaptability, combined with the subtle set bonuses granted by her Feather Root’s Link-Fa Diagram armor, further fortified her resolve to withstand the blow.

Still, the swordlight ultimately swallowed Bai Zhenzhen whole.

But in the next instant, under the watchful eyes of countless spectators, as the blinding radiance slowly faded, Bai Zhenzhen rose unsteadily to her feet—her arms shattered, most of her body dissolved, yet undeniably alive.

Seeing Bai Zhenzhen survive the strike, Yun Zhiguang’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

And when she saw Bai Zhenzhen’s final cumulative score, her expression darkened further.

“277 points.”

Another lowborn candidate had passed the interview—and a shadow crept over Yun Zhiguang’s heart.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the interview hall was also drawing to a close.

Kuang Tianqing gazed at the examiner seated in the primary high seat, thinking secretly to himself: "My son... no, at this moment I ought to address you as father. For right now, you are the wealthier one, the stronger one, higher in rank, and you hold my future entirely within your hands. You are indubitably my father."

"My son, without either of us realizing it, you have truly grown from being a son into being a father."

"And as your son, I am proud of you."

"The inheritance of the family line, the passing of the bloodline, resides precisely within this transmission from father to son."

"So, honored father, I leave the rest to you."

Kuang Tianqing, 255 points.

At this very moment, Kuang Tianqing had no choice but to admit that the father-and-son theory of the new era did indeed possess its own merits.

Kuang Tianqing knew that his identity as a reincarnated being had always been strictly kept secret; from the beginning, very few had ever known.

"After all, this is information carefully concealed by the Reincarnation Group."

And now, a sudden suspicion welled up within Kuang Tianqing's heart: "Could it be that this Sect Examination itself was the true purpose behind my descent? Making the Sect Examination a normalized routine is the actual objective of the Reincarnation Group."

Witnessing this scene, Yun Zhiguang took a deep breath, whispering to himself in the dark of his mind: "The third one."

One lower-tier person after another passing the Sect Examination did not merely infuriate Yun Zhiguang; it incited a profound dissatisfaction among the other sect disciples watching the interviews.

It was like watching filthy stray dogs barge into one's home, continuously provoking their raw nerves.

When Yun Zhiguang's gaze swept over the results on Perfected Lord Xinghuo's side, his face became entirely shrouded in a layer of bitter frost.

Perfected Lord Xinghuo, 248 points.

Though it was a bare pass on a low score, it was a pass nonetheless.

"Four people!"

At this instant, it was not just Yun Zhiguang, but countless people from the first to the tenth tiers who stared fixedly at this number, crying out a silent shout within their hearts.

Four people! There was only one final slot remaining to reach the five people required to normalize the Sect Examination.

Wang Yin could not help but squeeze his fists tight, watching the interview of the final two lower-tier commoners left to participate, roaring internally: "Win it for me!"

Countless cultivators looked upon Le Mulan and Yu Xinghan, wishing desperately they could push the two of them forward, using tens of thousands of hands to shove them bodily over the passing line.

Yun Zhiguang thought in bitter resentment: "That Perfected Lord Xinghuo was a member of the sects before this... Dammit, this is a trap, a setup the Heavenly Court prepared long ago, riddled everywhere with their hidden machinations."

"The last person must be blocked!"

Le Mulan, 150 points.

Staring at her score, a look of intense, desperate unwillingness flashed through the eyes of Le Mulan, who was currently under the control of the Sect Examination avatar.

"Curse it!"

At this moment, she felt as though she had stepped off into an abyss, plummeting down from the high clouds.

"I... cannot become a sect master anymore?"

"I must remain in the lower tiers, living alongside the filthy, foul, impoverished ghosts of the bottom rungs."

"No... No! No!" Not long after Le Mulan's agonizing internal screams, a message materialized within the sockets of her eyes, an invitation sent to her by the examiner.

"Le Mulan, although you did not pass the Sect Examination, you possess the latent potential to enter the sects; you merely lack certain opportunities. We are willing to offer you an outsourced position on the eleventh tier, along with resources related to the Sect Examination, to cultivate you properly."

Seeing this message, Le Mulan's heart stirred: "Is it because my longevity extension ability was displayed during the re-examination, and the sects have already learned of it?"

Yet with Le Mulan's elimination, a chorus of heavy sighs seemed to echo through the hearts of the countless lower-tier spectators.

At this moment, the gap to the five people needed to normalize the Sect Examination... still remained one person short.

At this moment, among the lower-tier candidates participating in the interviews, only a single soul remained.

Yu Xinghan of Wanfa University.

The gazes of countless individuals from the first to the tenth tiers turned toward the interview hall where he sat.

Every onlooker understood that an interview which would determine whether the future Sect Examination would become normalized, decide the destiny of countless cultivators from the first to the tenth tiers, alter the paradigm of those lower levels, and even impact the very future of the sects, was about to find its answer right here.

Yu Xinghan's performance would carry the weight of countless futures.

At this present instant, nearly every cultivator from the first to the tenth tiers hoped that Yu Xinghan would pass his interview.

Even Perfected Lord Wuxiang felt the same.

Originally, after being eliminated by Zhang Yu, Perfected Lord Wuxiang had fallen into utter despair.

After all, in his eyes, normalizing the lower-tier Sect Examination was completely impossible, and having lost this time... he would no longer have another opportunity for the examination in the future.

But with the successive passing of the lower-tier candidates, when the count reached four, Perfected Lord Wuxiang could not help but feel his spirits rally.

"Whoever you are... Yu Xinghan! Win it for me!"

If the Sect Examination could be normalized, it meant he would still have a chance to take the exam in the lower tiers in the future.

But could Yu Xinghan truly pass?

Who was Yu Xinghan? Many people had never even heard the name before today.

He was entirely unlike Zhang Yu, who had broken the heavens with wealth, mended the skies with billions, issued the Yu Debt, held the grand title of Ten-Billion Talisman Sovereign, and was now famous throughout the world.

Nor was he like Kuang Tianqing or Bai Zhenzhen, who had stolen all the glory in the university leagues; Yu Xinghan's reputation had never been loud, and it could even be said he was completely anonymous.

Yet at this very moment, as countless eyes converged, all kinds of dossiers regarding Yu Xinghan were unearthed one by one.

Born in the first tier, a civil engineering student, working part-time as a massage technician... Seeing these details caused the hearts of many to turn half-cold.

Wang Yin sighed: "Yu Xinghan, a fellow who has practically never won a single championship in any competition. Even among the students of the ten top schools, he is third-rate material."

And looking at Yu Xinghan's current score sent an extra chill through his heart.

"170 points across three questions, meaning the average score of the first three questions is less than 57 points."

"For the final question, he needs at least 70 points to push his total score to the passing line..."

Wang Yin's heart gradually sank to the very bottom, feeling that the possibility of normalising the Sect Examination was now exceedingly slim.

"Yu Xinghan?" Tianshenggong recalled rapidly within his mind: "This guy is about the same age as us, did he ever participate in the Ten Grand Leagues?"

Unable to find any trace after scouring the records, Tianshenggong could not help but shake his head, a trace of disappointment flickering in his eyes: "He will be eliminated, just like that Le Mulan just now, won't he?"

Tulishan looked at Yu Xinghan in the interview, and could not help but frown slightly as well.

Toward this student, he had never held much high regard ever since the freshman year.

After all, a first-tier origin, an impoverished background, and lacking the earth-shattering talent of Zhang Yu meant that such a student could never have a day of rising to prominence at Wanfa University.

"If not for Zhang Yu looking after him, he probably would not even have achieved his current results." This was the judgment Tulishan had once held regarding Yu Xinghan.

Seeing that the battle which would now decide the fate of countless cultivators had been placed entirely into Yu Xinghan's hands, a look of helplessness could not help but flash through Tulishan's eyes.

Nevertheless, his heart still harbored a thread of hope, identical to the final thread of hope held by the countless cultivators across the first to the tenth tiers at this very moment.

"What if the final question is relatively simple? What if on the final question... Yu Xinghan performs beyond his usual self?"

At the same time, the final question confronting Yu Xinghan slowly materialized.

The target institution Yu Xinghan had registered for was called the Martial Arts Exhibition Pavilion, and as an organization perpetually responsible for martial arts research and development, this final interview question remained tightly bound to the martial path.

"A cultivator implanted with a spinal dharma-skeleton experiences a periodic short-circuiting of spiritual mechanism during the process of circulating the cultivation technique Nine Heavens Thunder Chapter. Please design a troubleshooting procedure to determine whether the problem stems from which of the following: 1 Inherent defect of the cultivation technique 2 Compatibility conflict of the cultivation technique 3 Individual physiological variance."

Within Yu Xinghan’s body at this very moment, his true self and his Kaozong avatar stood side by side, both gazing upon the interview questions.

As the final question appeared before them, Yu Xinghan’s true self couldn’t help but think: “I wonder how many people are watching my interview right now.”

“Maybe… I won’t pass after all. I hope the others succeed.”

As the contents of the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture—and its temporary copyright—were transmitted into his mind, Yu Xinghan’s heart sank even further.

“So it’s a martial art that includes both fist techniques and internal cultivation methods?”

Yun Zhiguang, who was also staring at this question, felt a flicker of excitement and silently praised: “Internal cultivation methods… compared to other martial arts, demand far more from their practitioners. After all, such methods rigorously filter candidates based on their thoughts, beliefs, and life experiences.”

“And this Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture is an extreme example…”

A cold smile curled in Yun Zhiguang’s heart: “It’s a True Transmission-level sect technique on the verge of being downgraded and discarded.”

“The so-called Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture preaches acting as Heaven’s executioner—mimicking celestial thunder to punish cultivators across the world with overwhelming majesty, drawing upon thunder’s lofty, untouchable authority.”

“This boxing style has nine moves in total. It demands not only striking fists but also channeling Heaven’s resplendent might to crush all cultivators beneath one’s invincible fist intent. How could someone from the lower strata ever conceive of such a thing?”

“Especially… Yu Xinghan’s origins are far too humble, far too base.”

“Poor, weak, and without backing—if he understands the sect better, if he grasps just how powerful the upper-echelon cultivators truly are, then the more impossible it becomes for him to embody the mindset required by the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture.”

Yun Zhiguang understood clearly: this was precisely the conflict between the sect’s indoctrinated ideals implanted into his mind and his own impoverished background.

The stronger his Kaozong memories grew—the more he comprehended the sect—the more likely he was to pass earlier tests, yet simultaneously the less capable he became of forging that resplendent, invincible fist intent or cultivating such an internal method.

“This question is an unwinnable trap for those born low.”

Yun Zhiguang already saw an impassable barrier erected before Yu Xinghan—a chasm only the elite heavenly geniuses could cross, while for the likes of him, it was an insurmountable wall sealing off any hope of entering the sect.

Meanwhile, the more the Kaozong avatar tried to study the technique, the deeper his despair grew.

He attempted to execute the fist forms, tried to gather fist intent—but felt utterly powerless.

Through the vision of the third eye within his mind, he saw chains—countless chains—binding his body tightly, preventing him from practicing martial arts or forging fist intent.

These chains were named birth, background, poverty, suffering…

At that moment, memories long buried beneath layers of Kaozong recollections surfaced in the avatar’s mind.

Memories of signing a soul-binding contract with Master Xinghuo just to get ahead…

Memories from high school of endlessly clicking ads to save money, frugal tricks and penny-pinching strategies etched deep into his impoverished heart…

Memories of selling seeds out of desperation to earn cultivation resources…

Memories from university days of learning massage techniques through grueling part-time work…

Scene after scene—memories he thought he’d nearly forgotten—now surged from the depths of his soul, transforming into chains that coiled around his body, halting every step forward.

The Kaozong avatar roared in fury, struggling to break free—but found himself utterly incapable.

Especially when placed beside the vast troves of sect intelligence, these memories burned with unbearable shame and humiliation.

“I was born a beggar. My parents were beggars. My master, my senior sister, my friends… all of them are wretched paupers from the lowest rungs!”

“What right does someone who crawled out of a mud pit like me have to cultivate such an internal method?”

“If I can’t even pass the Kaozong trials, what right do I have to compare myself to sect disciples? How dare I practice such martial arts or forge an invincible fist intent?”

The Kaozong avatar let out a heart-wrenching wail: “I’m unworthy! With all this dragging me down—I’m simply unworthy!”

Yu Xinghan’s physical body abruptly froze, seemingly surrendering along with the avatar’s anguished cry—abandoning the fist strikes, abandoning cultivation of the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture.

But soon, his body trembled faintly again, as if caught in paralysis—yet another will struggled to seize control, yearning to throw another punch.

It was Yu Xinghan’s true self: “They are not my shackles…”

“Perhaps I’m inferior to the elites, perhaps I pale beside those heavenly prodigies—but they have always been my support.”

“Even if feeble, even if insignificant—they’ve been my allies on the path of immortality.”

Xinghuo, Li Xuelian… the school, teachers, and students from the First Layer… Yu Xinghan once believed these were his weaknesses.

But later experiences—Zhang Yu’s actions, Qian Po Cangqiong’s unity, the grandeur of the Hundred-Billion Heaven-Mending Project—all those moments of collective strength had changed his perspective.

Boom!

Under the self-illumination of the third eye, the chains that had bound Yu Xinghan’s body transformed instantly into countless hands pressing against him—pushing him forward with unwavering force.

His physical body stirred once more, and the fist techniques of the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture unfolded move by move.

The Kaozong avatar bellowed: “What’s the point? You don’t understand the sect’s terror! We can never surpass sect disciples—we’re worlds apart from them!”

“It’s you who doesn’t understand!” Within the sea of consciousness, Yu Xinghan seized the avatar’s thought firmly. His third eye gleamed clearer than ever, and his comprehension of fist intent grew sharper by the second.

“The Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture draws from the essence of thunder—but is thunder merely about lofty arrogance and untouchable pride? That’s far too shallow!”

“When thunder descends, all lightning, electricity, fire, and heat vanish in a single strike—dissipating completely into heaven and earth.”

“This is a path of utter resolve, a path of mutual annihilation!”

“Just like us wretched paupers crawling up from the very bottom, daring to seek entry into a sect and scale the peak of immortality—it’s a path where nine out of ten perish!”

At that instant, Yu Xinghan’s body erupted with a thunderous roar. His fist momentum flowed ever more smoothly, propelled by his indomitable will.

“As long as I can enter the sect, as long as I can reach the pinnacle of immortality—even if I blaze like thunder for just one fleeting moment before vanishing entirely… it’s worth it.”

With every punch he threw, Yu Xinghan poured forth his thoughts, his desires, his shame, his resentment, his humiliation, his hope—and his burning ambition to ascend to the summit of the immortal path.

In that moment, he fused his entire being into a single strike, declaring his existence to the world like a bolt of thunder splitting the skies from Layer 1 to Layer 10.

Outside the Dao Palace, True Lord Xinghuo watched the scene unfold and murmured inwardly: “Disciple, I’ve felt your thoughts, your ambition… Charge forward. Shatter this gate.”

Li Xuelian gazed at Yu Xinghan within the interview screen: “Junior brother, I’ve seen your heart.”

Zhang Yu silently observed Yu Xinghan’s fist techniques and thought to himself: “Yu Xinghan, proclaim your ambition to scale the peak of immortality to Kunxu itself.”

Inside the interview hall, under the self-illumination of the Three-Eyed Divine Perception, every move and nuance of the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture became crystal clear in Yu Xinghan’s mind. He continuously refined his understanding, digested its principles, and even perceived the subtlest workings of its internal method with perfect clarity.

Boom!

In the next instant, his fist intent coalesced fully. Thunderbolts exploded around his body, and blinding arcs of lightning illuminated the screens of countless onlookers.

Requesting Moon Tickets

(End of Chapter)