Chapter 757: Refining Jade to Become King, Ten Years of Hard Study Finally Landing Ashore (Wishing everyone)

Chapter 757: Tempered Jade Becomes King—Ten Years of Hard Study, Finally Reaching Shore (Wishing Everyone Success in Their Exams)

From the very moment consciousness dawned within him, Yu Xinghan had always carried a gnawing sense of urgency deep in his heart.

He studied diligently, read voraciously—but no matter how hard he tried, that inexplicable pressure never eased.

Only after stepping onto the path of Immortal Dao did he finally understand its source.

He yearned to scale the pinnacle of Immortal Dao.

Within the confines of his mortal life… he wished only to climb ever upward—higher, still higher—until perhaps one day he might ascend the legendary thirty-sixth tier of Kunxu and witness with his own eyes the view from the summit of Immortal Dao.

Yet if the peak of Immortal Dao were a towering mountain, then his journey had begun not at its base, but deep beneath an endless sea. He felt that if he paused even for an instant, he would sink—plummeting helplessly into the abyssal darkness below.

Even entering the finest high school, gaining admission to the most elite university—even maintaining relentless discipline, exhausting every ounce of his potential, and accepting aid from countless benefactors—that suffocating urgency never diminished.

Until today. Until this very moment…

As the gates of Wanfa Sect loomed before him, Yu Xinghan felt, for the first time, that he saw land.

Land! To crawl ashore! To stand upon the same starting line as those sect disciples!

Only then could he glimpse the grander vistas of Immortal Dao!

Even if it flashed past like thunder—fleeting as a single heartbeat—he would climb! Climb!

“Ashore! Ashore! ASHORE!!”

Bolts of lightning erupted from Yu Xinghan’s sea of consciousness, pure martial intent crackling around him like celestial thunder, scouring away every last trace of distraction—purifying body, mind, and soul.

With a sharp *crack*, the consciousness of his Examination Sect avatar shattered completely. The pure memories left behind by that avatar were swiftly subdued by Yu Xinghan himself.

In that instant, his sea of consciousness became like flawless immortal jade—every speck of impurity burned away from core to surface.

Now, this jade could be called king.

*Boom!*

As his martial intent coalesced, Yu Xinghan not only perfected the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture—he had fully mastered its inner cultivation method.

Then, before the eyes of countless onlookers, he opened his mouth and exhaled—a cascade of electric light flickered, thunderous resonance filled the air—and Yu Xinghan began articulating his insights into the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture to the examiners…

“I experimented with multiple methods of circulating the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt Scripture, comparing their effects and observing how each influenced the spine…”

He laid out the entire testing process, even revealing internal physiological data, until he conclusively identified the root cause of the periodic spiritual circuit short-circuit phenomenon.

Across heavens and earth—from the first to the tenth layers—countless spectators held their breath. Whether they understood or not, all listened in silence, awaiting the final verdict of the examiners.

Countless messages echoed through the Spirit Realm, converging into a single plea:

“Pass! Please, just pass!”

Watching this scene unfold, Starfire True Lord couldn’t help but whisper inwardly, “Break through!”

241 points!

When the final score appeared, cheers erupted from the lower realms.

At the entrance of the Dao Palace, Wu Xiang True Lord—who had been waiting alongside other reincarnated cultivators—clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white, his lips twitching involuntarily upward.

“Yes! Now I can take the sect exams next year too!”

For a moment, he nearly leapt into the air with joy.

But hearing curses from his fellow reincarnated cultivators nearby, he quickly suppressed his smile, his expression hardening once more.

“Wu Xiang! You useless fool! Look what you’ve done!”

“If you hadn’t lost to Zhang Yu, things wouldn’t have turned out like this!”

“Great. Now the mortal realm will have sect exams every year.”

Facing their reproaches, Wu Xiang True Lord remained silent, though inwardly he scoffed, *“Hmph. Didn’t you see how formidable Zhang Yu was? Any of you would’ve lost just as badly—if not worse.”*

Glancing again at Yu Xinghan’s final score, Wu Xiang True Lord felt another wave of relief: *“Passed well. Very well indeed.”*

Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan emerged from the Dao Palace after completing his interview.

Along the way out, he learned through the Spirit Realm the results of others’ interviews.

Spotting Yu Xinghan exiting the palace, Starfire True Lord and Zhang Yu hurried forward together.

Yu Xinghan first threw his arms around Zhang Yu, voice trembling with emotion: “I passed! I’ve been accepted into the sect!”

“My brother!” Zhang Yu replied, equally moved. “Now we’ll enter Wanfa Sect together.”

Yu Xinghan grinned. “Zhang Yu, let’s keep climbing—together. Let’s see for ourselves what the peak of Immortal Dao truly looks like!”

After releasing Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan turned toward Starfire True Lord, excitement still blazing in his eyes. “Master!”

Starfire True Lord chuckled softly and ruffled Yu Xinghan’s hair. “Your martial intent—I felt it. Brilliantly executed.”

Within that intent, Starfire True Lord sensed unyielding defiance, burning ambition, and a willpower ready to soar skyward within the sect.

And seeing Yu Xinghan now, he believed beyond doubt that his disciple had already overcome the lingering influence of the Examination Sect memories.

It was as if a cultivator of ironclad resolve, after years immersed in exam preparation, could still wield that knowledge fluently—yet keep his original heart untainted by dust.

Indeed, Yu Xinghan’s achievement far surpassed anything Starfire True Lord had imagined.

*“Ten years ago,”* he mused inwardly, *“I was banished from the sect—plunged to rock bottom. Everyone assumed my fate was sealed. Yet who could have foreseen…”*

*“That from the depths, I’d claw my way back through the exams myself.”*

Gazing at Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan, and Bai Zhenzhen nearby, Starfire True Lord thought: *“Today, not only have I returned to the sect—but I’ve also brought up three extraordinary prodigies from the first layer.”*

*“You three will surely leave those old fogeys utterly stunned.”*

Elsewhere, Bai Zhenzhen watched Yu Xinghan emerge from the Dao Palace. Though her body was still under the control of her Examination Sect avatar, she mused inwardly: *“So Yu Xinghan passed too? Then he’s finally worthy of speaking with me.”*

With that thought, she unblocked him in the Spirit Realm—whom she’d just blacklisted moments before.

As for Le Mulan standing nearby? A mere passerby—irrelevant.

Le Mulan bit her lip hard, watching Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu, and Starfire True Lord chatting together. *“They’ve all become ‘Sect Lords’… Am I the only one who failed?”*

She recalled the outsourcing offer the examiner had extended her.

*“But… Zhang Yu and the others can probably bring people up with them, right?”*

Kuang Tianqing, sensing Zhang Yu’s fleeting glance toward him, gave a subtle nod in return. *“This kid… is reminding me about the payment for the Dead Man’s Memories, isn’t he?”*

Just then, a figure of a Zheng Shen appeared before the crowd, addressing all who had passed the interview about the next steps.

First, celebratory fireworks—rendered as animated emoticons—lit up the sky. The Zheng Shen announced, “Congratulations to all of you on passing this interview.”

“Following routine checks and verifications, your names will be publicly displayed for one month.”

“During this period, please wrap up any pending responsibilities.”

“One month from now, we will come to escort you to the eleventh layer of Kunxu.”

Having delivered these instructions, the Zheng Shen turned specifically to Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan, Bai Zhenzhen, Kuang Tianqing, and Starfire True Lord.

“For the next month, the five of you will participate in interviews and promotional events to publicize the upcoming sect examinations…”

Moreover, as the Zheng Shen explained, preparatory academies for the sect exams would soon be established.

In particular, the Spirit Realm classroom once used by Starfire True Lord and Zhang Yu’s group would be commercialized and opened to outside students.

Smiling, the Zheng Shen added, “We’ll advertise that this classroom was originally where Starfire True Lord tutored you—all under the name ‘Starfire Classroom.’ I’ll confirm this arrangement with the five of you now.”

At that exact moment, Zhang Yu noticed notifications continuously flashing in his visual periphery, revealing that messages were relentlessly pouring in across the communication tools and platforms of every spiritual realm.

Particularly on his social media platform, alongside an explosive surge in his follower count, the dense throng of messages had long since grown impossible to keep up with.

"Accepted!"

"Paying respects to Perfected Lord, the True Monarch of Examination Success!"

"Bless me to successfully pass the sect exam next year!"

And after a casual sweep through the spiritual realm's information, Zhang Yu finally understood what the orthodox deity had meant by the displayed list.

On every major platform within the spiritual realm, the tentative admission list for this sect examination was placed in the most conspicuous position.

If one were to open it, they would see the names and avatars of Zhang Yu and his four companions set at the very top of the list, where a mere thought directed at an avatar would redirect to their social media platform.

"At this very moment..." Zhang Yu thought to himself, "I fear everyone who can connect to the spiritual realm can see this list, and can see us through this list."

"Is this the orthodox deity's way of promoting the sect examination?"

Zhang Yu could already imagine that the number of applicants for next year's sect examination would likely be unbelievably vast, and the intensity of the competition would surpass all imagination.

...

In the first layer of Kunxu, though there was no connection to the spiritual realm, countless inhabitants of the first layer still watched this specially authorized live broadcast of the interview through the developed network, learning the news of Zhang Yu and the others entering the sect.

And beneath the first-layer network accounts that Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and the others had long since stopped using, a vast number of students and cultivators were likewise leaving messages.

In Songyang City, on the top floor of the Red Tower Group's office building, Director Black Dragon looked at the sect civil servant admission list and said with emotion, "To think that these two would actually manage to enter the sect in the end."

"Fortunately, I possessed discerning eyes back then and made the correct investment."

Looking toward the frozen seed plasma aside, within it lay the very traces left behind by Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan at Red Tower in those years.

Director Black Dragon knew that for many years to come, this would remain the most precious asset of the Red Tower Group.

Particularly the Zhuyi plasma within it, which was the rarest of the rare, the highest of the high grade, and absolutely number one in the first layer.

Although they had never managed to research any results from this seed plasma, Director Black Dragon understood that this could never be because Perfected Lord Zhuyi's seed was flawed, but only because their research technology was inadequate.

Though their research technology was inadequate, he believed the mere title of Perfected Lord Zhuyi would already allow the Red Tower Group to earn a fortune.

"Tell the marketing department to immediately prepare the external launch of the new generation plasma beast protein milk! Do not directly ride on the coattails of those two, but give consumers a feeling—a feeling that the beast milk is infused with plasma, and taking it will prolong life, improve learning, and advance cultivation!"

"Furthermore, we can place emphasis on advertising that we hold the seed plasma of Perfected Lord Zhuyi and Perfected Person Yu Xinghan! This is an exclusive immortal dao technical advantage that no one in the first layer currently possesses."

Meanwhile within Songyang High School, Wang Hai looked at the list and could not help but feel moved: "I have actually nurtured two sect disciples!"

To celebrate this grand occasion, he decided to organize the school for three days of overnight studying, with all teachers providing remedial classes for three days.

And for some reason, Zhang Yu's previously reported deeds flashed through his mind.

Money breaking the firmament, a ten-billion-dollar heaven-mending, triple wages...

Wang Hai gritted his teeth and said, "I will pay the overtime fees for the remedial teachers!"

Just after speaking, Wang Hai began to feel regret in his heart.

But listening to the cheers of the teachers and students below the stage, Wang Hai could only sigh helplessly: "At this age, why did I suddenly become so impulsive."

After thinking it over, Wang Hai called Lei Jun again: "Old Lei, I plan to transform our Songyang High School into a high school featuring martial arts and body refinement, specifically cultivating specialized students in martial arts and body refinement, focusing on the martial arts and body refinement tracks of the foundation establishment examination."

Lei Jun's gaze flickered as he looked at the avatars of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen on the list, saying with emotion, "It should have been this way long ago." "I told you long ago, martial arts... is the only hope for us first-layer people to climb up. Martial arts has great utility!"

On the other side within the reserve.

In an office filled with most excellent employee awards, the lesser panda An'an operated a phone, looking at the names on the sect civil servant admission list before turning its gaze to the room beside, seemingly remembering the way Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and the others used to cultivate here.

"How wonderful."

Touching the white fur that had grown on its ears over the past few months, it thought secretly, "In that case, Wen and Wu will also have a chance to take the sect exam in the future, right?"

...

The second layer of Kunxu.

Mo Shangjin silently stared at the list, looking at the avatars of Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan upon it, feeling only a surge of hot blood rushing through his heart.

"Artifact refining or civil engineering... none of it matters."

"Taking the sect exam is the kingly way! I must also begin preparing for the sect exam."

Thinking of this, Mo Shangjin had already sent a message to Zhang Yu: Sorry to disturb you, Perfected Lord [palms pressed together] Please sell me a copy of your sect exam review materials

On another side of the construction site, Gongshu Jin looked at the list and could not help but laugh heartily: "Of the five people, two come from civil engineering! Who says my civil engineering has no geniuses? I see civil engineering is the ace major for the sect exam!"

At this moment, Gongshu Jin made up his mind to test into the sect in the future just like Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan.

He also transformed his determination into a message, sending it to Zhang Yu, and unexpectedly received a response from Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu: If you are taking the sect exam... it is still best to change majors during the postgraduate stage

Within the research society of the third layer of Kunxu.

Bei Wufeng looked at the interview results and said with emotion, "The filthy technique of the demon descendants was seen through at a glance by Perfected Lord Zhuyi, leading to his entry into the sect. I see that the approval of cultivation technique copyrights is precisely in need of a discerning eye like Perfected Lord Zhuyi's."

Beside him, Jin Jun watched the list that shone brightly across countless platforms, seeing the names of Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan echoing throughout the entire first to tenth layers.

He suddenly spoke, "The path of immortal dao should be precisely like this."

"Senior brother, let us take the sect exam together."

"If we cannot test in for ten years, we will test for twenty years; if we cannot test in for twenty years, we will test for thirty years."

"Deeds of Soul Transformation, Nascent Soul, Golden Core... how difficult are such things? The higher-ups said they would issue them, and so they issued them."

"No matter how powerful a principal is, no matter how powerful a Soul Transformation cultivator is, so what? With one word from the sect, they leave when told to leave, and they are replaced when told to be replaced."

"No matter how powerful one is below, it is like being in water, treading water for a lifetime. Only by testing your way up do you reach the shore, which is the true way out."

Having spoken, Jin Jun had already made up his mind and directly left the laboratory.

Looking at Jin Jun's retreating figure, Bei Wufeng asked in surprise, "Junior brother, where are you going?"

Jin Jun replied, "The Perfected Lord and the others should still be returning. I am going to the fifth layer to welcome them."

"The Perfected Lord's score is so high; if he can offer a few words of guidance, it will surely be of immense help."

Hearing these words, Bei Wufeng also spoke immediately, "Let us go together."

Just then, they saw Yan Qianji bar their path, saying coldly, "It is working hours, can you just leave as you please?"

Looking at the silent duo, Yan Qianji spoke slowly, "Let us go together."

...

At the same time, the soul cultivator service group where Zhao Tianxing was located had already erupted into a scene of jubilation.

Zhao Tianxing: Entered the sect! We are entering the sect!

Hu Yuantao: To think that when I was alive I was destitute, yet after death I can actually enter the sect

Che Yufei: Will the Perfected Lord take us along? The sect must have its own soul cultivators. Will we be too weak, such that the Perfected Lord already looks down on us?

In an instant, the entire group fell silent, and numerous soul cultivators fell into a state of anxiety.

...

At the same time, within another spiritual realm space.

One by one, projections of disciples—some mysterious, others noble—from various sects appeared here, torrents of information surging back and forth among them.

Yun Zhiguang was among them as well.

Staring at the final admission list, her mind reeled, buzzing with disbelief, her scalp prickling with shock.

Five lower-tier examinees had passed—and three of them belonged to the Myriad Methods Sect!

At this thought, Yun Zhiguang felt her cultivation energy surge even faster through her meridians.

She couldn’t help but think: “This Xinghuo Academy—clearly has backing from above.”

“This Kuang Tianqing’s origins are murky; there’s definitely something off about him.”

“And Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Yu Xinghan… all from the same city on the first floor? How could such coincidence possibly exist?!”

“Rigged!”

“Five lower-tier students admitted—and all five were pre-selected! All rigged!”

In that moment, Yun Zhiguang felt the darkness closing in. The skies of Kunxu were too black, too dim—so black that even she, a disciple of a great sect, could no longer see clearly.

“This Kunxu… I can’t see it anymore.”

Just as Yun Zhiguang sighed inwardly in helpless frustration, voices echoed toward her through the Spirit Realm space.

“Yun Zhiguang, what is your Myriad Methods Sect doing?! Letting three people slip through like that?”

“You insisted last time we didn’t need to interfere—this is the result of your ‘handling’?”

“Even your Reincarnated Disciples lost to lower-tier candidates—is this really the standard of Myriad Methods?”

Faced with their accusations and mockery, Yun Zhiguang had no words. She could only sink into silence.

Soon, someone proposed a new strategy targeting Zhang Yu and the other four—but was quickly overruled.

“Forget it. Now that they’ve passed the interview, causing trouble would break the rules.”

“After all, they’re already half-sect members. Over the next month… the Heavenly Court will surely protect them.”

“The matter is settled. Since those above haven’t moved, it’s none of our concern anymore. Let’s talk about the Sect Recruitment market instead…”

In an instant, the entire Spirit Realm space buzzed anew. With the normalization of Sect Recruitment now inevitable, everyone seized the opportunity to stake claims in the lower tiers and maximize their gains.

Yun Zhiguang quickly composed herself, letting go of her frustration over the previous setback.

She thought to herself: “From now on, every year, the lower tiers will hold Sect Recruitment exams and admit candidates.”

She could already envision it: once the stories of Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan, and Bai Zhenzhen—rising from Floor One all the way to Floor Eleven—were publicized, the number of future applicants would explode, giving birth to a vast market and industrial chain.

And for that reason… Yun Zhiguang resolved not only to cease attacking Zhang Yu and his group, but to actively support the Heavenly Court’s publicity efforts to draw in even more candidates.

“In the future, nearly all qualified cultivators will take the Sect Recruitment exam. The entire training market for it is enormous.”

“To control the Sect Recruitment industry is to control the futures of countless lower-tier cultivators.”

“And the future selection methods for Sect Recruitment…”

Yun Zhiguang understood: as the Sect Recruitment market and system matured, this space would become a new arena for power struggles—a battleground for profit, influence, and authority.

Just then, within the Spirit Realm, she already saw advertisements for Xinghuo Classroom and Xinghuo Sect Recruitment, featuring Master Xinghuo and photos of Zhang Yu and the others.

“Hmph! The Heavenly Court may have struck first—but they’re not the only ones who can run ads!”

Turning to the other sect disciples, Yun Zhiguang declared: “Let all our sects mobilize the Reincarnated Disciples who passed the interview this time to jointly promote our Sect Recruitment tutoring academies. We’ll drown out their noise yet.”

Soon after, messages endorsing various Sect Recruitment prep institutions flooded every Reincarnated Disciple’s inbox.

But Wu Xiang True Lord received an extra message from Yun Zhiguang.

Yun Zhiguang: Don’t join the promotional campaign. And whatever you do, don’t tell anyone you attended a prep class—just say you studied on your own at home.

…

Watching the Sect Recruitment ad pop up before her eyes, Ye Xingli’s gaze flickered with hesitation.

Yet in the end, her longing for the Immortal Path and her yearning for a sect overwhelmed all doubt—and she sent a message to Zhang Yu.

Ye Xingli: Senior Brother, I want to follow you into the sect.

She knew that Zhang Yu, now officially admitted, had the right to bring someone with him.

If she could enter the sect alongside him, study there for a year, then return to take the lower-tier Sect Exam… she’d gain an incomparable advantage.

But Ye Xingli also understood: Zhang Yu now might no longer be the Zhang Yu of old.

To force open the gates of Myriad Methods Sect, he must have absorbed a flood of Sect Recruitment memories—transforming into someone else entirely.

Thus, she knew her old way of asking for help likely wouldn’t work anymore.

Ye Xingli: Senior Brother, if you’re willing to take me with you, I’ll give you everything I have.

“I don’t mind going into massive debt, becoming your unpaid assistant, or even being used as an experiment…”

Before she could finish typing those last words, Zhang Yu had already replied: “Senior Sister, please just call me junior brother.”

Looking at Ye Xingli’s avatar, Zhang Yu recalled her past kindness.

He remembered how, back when he was still a Civil Engineering student—before joining the Artificer Division—it was Ye Xingli who taught him artifice techniques, helped sell his crafted items, shielded his secret ties with Magnetic Poles, shared a lab with him, and later even rented part of her own lab bench to him.

Beyond that, her Dao Seed had greatly aided his cultivation.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu added: “Senior Sister, if you’ve made up your mind… then come with me to the sect.”

Reading this message, Ye Xingli trembled from head to toe, her body radiating heat under the surge of qi and spiritual energy coursing through her.

“Junior Brother… he’s still the same junior brother. Even after passing the Sect Recruitment, he hasn’t changed.”

Back in the livestream, countless college students watched this scene and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Ye Xingli simply smiled, saying nothing.

The livestream was good. The college students were sweet. University life was fine. Her company was fine too… but still—

“The sect is where I truly long to be.”

—

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(End of Chapter)