Chapter 35: Clash of Palm Force and the Dao Heart Exam

The Lesser Starfall Palm wasn't a martial technique in the traditional sense—it had no set forms or moves. Rather, it was a method of channeling mana into pure, bone-chilling palm force.

At this moment, He Dayou unleashed the full power of the Lesser Starfall Palm, confident it would severely injure Zhang Yu, freezing his internal organs.

And he was certain that, given Zhang Yu's financial state, there was no way he'd afford a hospital visit. He’d have no choice but to tough it out.

“Poor bastard. With any luck, you won’t be back in school for a week.”

Boom!

Their palms collided with a thunderous crash, and their mana clashed as well, like an explosion erupting inside their bodies.

Though powerful, He Dayou’s Lesser Starfall Palm was freshly learned and lacked polish.

Zhang Yu, on the other hand, was using nothing more than the basic freeform martial arts, but he had honed it to Level 3. It now packed a surprising amount of force.

As their palm forces collided, mana surged and crackled. He Dayou soon realized his advantage wasn’t as decisive as he’d imagined. The cold force of the Lesser Starfall Palm could only push Zhang Yu’s power back inch by inch, gradually invading his body.

What shocked him even more was that Zhang Yu was like a roly-poly toy. Every time He Dayou’s mana edged forward, Zhang Yu would force it right back. Despite being at a disadvantage, he refused to lose ground.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s internal mana circulation was still running strong, endlessly restoring his energy, allowing him to withstand He Dayou’s palm force again and again.

Off to the side, the assistant instructor was startled by what he saw. “They’re mana dueling?”

Seeing their intense expressions, the assistant panicked. If anything happened to them, his year-end performance bonus would vanish—especially since one of them was the school board director’s son.

He quickly stepped in. “You two—if either of you can’t hold on, concede immediately. And if your opponent concedes, withdraw your mana at once.”

“Don’t risk your future over a monthly exam!”

Neither of them responded. He Dayou glared at Zhang Yu and poured even more mana into his attacks, sending wave after wave of the Lesser Starfall Palm toward him.

Zhang Yu remained calm and composed, switching to the Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique. While it restored his mana, he also held firm against He Dayou’s onslaught.

In just a short while, both their foreheads were drenched in sweat. Steam rose off their bodies like twin furnaces.

But Zhang Yu’s face was glowing red with vitality—he seemed to be getting more relaxed by the second.

In contrast, He Dayou had turned pale and was clearly nearing his limit.

Unable to suppress his frustration, he stared at Zhang Yu in shock and rage.

The assistant instructor checked the time. Their mana duel had lasted over a minute. Judging by He Dayou’s condition, he felt the need to warn them again.

“Students, if you can’t hold out, concede immediately.”

“This is just a monthly exam.”

He Dayou opened his mouth several times but struggled to speak. Looking at Zhang Yu, who was clearly growing more at ease, he finally squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth:

“I…”

“I concede.”

Both of them slowly withdrew their mana, and He Dayou collapsed onto the ground.

His face was pale as paper, and his dantian was nearly drained of mana.

He looked up at Zhang Yu, eyes full of reluctance. “How much mana do you have left?”

Zhang Yu, seeing how miserable he looked, replied humbly, “Oh, maybe ten or twenty percent.”

He Dayou snorted. From the look of him, he clearly had far more than that.

He slowly stood up, giving Zhang Yu a long, meaningful look. “You’re good.”

“We’ll spar again next time.”

With that, He Dayou turned and left.

As he walked away, replaying the fight in his mind, he had no choice but to admit something to himself:

“Zhang Yu… is strong.”

“But… what a shame. A poor guy like him is fated to be our lapdog.”

“Hope you can survive until next time, Zhang Yu. I want to beat you fair and square—not leave behind regrets.”

On the other end, Zhang Yu watched He Dayou stagger away and thought to himself:

“Spar again next time?”

“Buddy, you better give up on that. This is the closest you’ll ever get to matching me. This fight is the highlight of your life. Next time, you’ll be saying, ‘Sorry, Zhang Yu, I wasn’t even worthy of going all out.’”

Zhang Yu walked out of the exam room and spotted Bai Zhenzhen leaning against the wall.

“Yo, Ah-Zhen. That was fast.”

“Yeah, only took a few moves.” Bai Zhenzhen glanced at him, curious. “Who’d you draw?”

Zhang Yu: “He Dayou.”

“Damn!” Bai Zhenzhen stomped. “That jerk showed off in the Dao Technique exam, and now you got stomped by him? This must be the best day of his life!”

“But don’t worry. Next combat class, I’ll challenge him and humiliate him for you.”

Zhang Yu gave her a deadpan look. “I won.”

Seeing her stunned expression, he couldn’t resist throwing a punch at her.

Bai Zhenzhen blocked with a palm strike.

Their fists and palms clashed rapidly, arms blurring into afterimages, each collision ringing out like a muffled drum.

Bang!

After trading several moves, they broke apart.

Bai Zhenzhen: “You’re Level 3 in freeform martial arts now?”

Zhang Yu: “You’re Level 3 in freeform martial arts now?”

Bai Zhenzhen stared at him, shocked. “Weren’t you just Level 1 before? What the hell? Did you secretly level up and wait for a fight like today to flex on He Dayou? You’ve been reading too many power fantasy novels.”

Zhang Yu looked equally suspicious. “Ah-Zhen, you just gave yourself away. Didn’t you say you were only Level 2 before? Lying just to look good—shameless.”

Blushing, Bai Zhenzhen protested, “It’s not about looking good!”

“Freeform martial arts doesn’t even count toward our grades.”

“It’s actually better to keep some cards hidden. Catching your opponent off guard scores higher during real combat.”

“Didn’t the teacher say information warfare is part of the fight?”

Zhang Yu immediately thought of He Dayou again.

That cold palm technique had almost taken him by surprise.

Now, hearing Bai Zhenzhen’s reasoning, he found himself nodding in agreement.

“Yeah… gotta keep some tricks in reserve. No sense in showing all your cards.”

Later, after Zhou Tianyi finished his own test, the three of them grabbed dinner in the cafeteria. Then they each headed home or to cram school.

Tomorrow’s exams would test Dao Heart, mana, and physical strength.

After getting home, Zhang Yu went straight to the abandoned building again.

The 24-hour cooldown for switching Feathered Tome specializations wasn’t over yet.

Since he was still specialized in freeform martial arts, he figured he might as well keep training and raise the level even more.

“Heh. So what if Ah-Zhen saw through my Level 3? If I grind it up to Level 5 or 6 today, that’ll be a whole new trump card.”

Thinking about how stunned Bai Zhenzhen would be next time, Zhang Yu felt his punches getting heavier already.

He trained seriously, switching between punching and passive breathing whenever he got tired. Before he knew it, the night had passed.

The next morning, as sunlight streamed through the hollow windows of the ruined building and bathed him in its glow, Zhang Yu—sitting cross-legged—slowly opened his eyes.

After a full night of hard work, his freeform martial arts had reached Level 5 (3/50), and his understanding of the basic technique had deepened immensely.

His mana had also risen from 11.7 to 11.8.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “With the passive effect of the Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique, even if I only practice breathing during breaks, my daily mana gain’s not bad at all.”

Feeling the steady growth of mana within him, Zhang Yu’s mood instantly brightened.

He was now even more eager for the cooldown on specialization switching to end—so he could finally level the Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique to 10 and see what it would unlock.

…

He squeezed onto a packed bus to school.

Songyang was still cloaked in low pressure.

Many students looked visibly gloomy, clearly still reeling from yesterday’s poor exam luck.

After breakfast, Zhang Yu headed to the first exam of the day: the Dao Heart exam.

White walls and neatly arranged beds made the place look more like a hospital ward than a test site.

But instead of oxygen tanks behind the beds, there were devices resembling masks.

Zhang Yu had just sat down when he heard the countdown in his mind again.

He rolled his eyes and began meditative breathing.

As he practiced, students trickled in until the beds were all occupied.

Then came the chime of a bell, and everyone tensed—the test was about to begin.

A gentle melody played over the speakers.

When the music ended, a woman’s voice followed.

“This is the Songyang City Unified Monthly Dao Heart Examination for all high school students. The test will last 60 minutes.”

Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised.

He had past memories of taking this exact test.

Unlike yesterday’s general knowledge, martial arts, and Dao Technique exams, the Dao Heart exam was conducted city-wide each month.

That had everything to do with how special the Dao Heart—and the exam—was.

The broadcast continued.

“Please ensure the Spiritual Realm Mask is properly worn on your face for the duration of the exam.”

“This is the equipment check and fitting phase.”

Everyone picked up the mask from their beds and began inspecting it.

Zhang Yu did the same—checking the wiring, plugging it in, turning on the power, ensuring nothing was broken…

After confirming everything was in order, he placed the mask over his face.

It morphed to fit him snugly, as if his face had grown a second skin.

But with his eyes covered, all he could see was darkness.

Moments later, the woman’s voice returned.

“Equipment check and fitting complete.”

“The Dao Heart exam now begins.”

Darkness trembled before Zhang Yu’s eyes, then scattered into countless glowing motes.

The next instant, he found himself in another world.