Chapter 116: Brewing

Inside the livestream, Gangshan was explaining the rules and format of the Sky Pillar challenge to the audience.

“For the Sky Pillar round, here’s how it works… In the first round, each contestant reports their target weight. Then they take turns stepping onto the platform to lift the Sky Pillar.”

“There will be three rounds in total. Each contestant’s final score will be based on their best result out of the three.”

“One key point to remember: when reporting their target weight for a round, contestants won’t know what weights the others have chosen.”

“In other words, before stepping onto the platform, they only know the weight they themselves have to lift. They won’t know if others chose heavier or lighter targets until everyone takes their turn.”

Beside him, Gangshan asked, “So, the key here is judging your own maximum strength accurately.”

He added thoughtfully, “If you underestimate your own strength, your score suffers. But if you overestimate and can’t lift it, that’s a failed attempt. You waste one of your three chances and might even get hurt.”

Le Jingchen nodded in agreement. “Exactly. My guess is, most contestants will report a lighter weight for the first round—something manageable to help warm up and get a feel for the pillar.”

“The second round is where they’ll go for something close to their limit, a solid baseline result.”

“And in the third round, they’ll go all in and push for their max.”

…

In the Songyang High School rest area.

Wang Hai, He Dayou, and the others were watching the event live while also following Gangshan’s stream.

As for why they were watching Gangshan’s stream—that was Wang Hai’s suggestion.

He had put it like this: “If you’re gonna watch a Body-Refining streamer, go with Gangshan. He’s got serious experience, doesn’t peddle pills or sell Techniques—a rare honest guy.”

After watching for a while, they had to admit Gangshan and Le Jingchen offered a clear, detailed breakdown of the event. So they kept watching.

Qian Shen nodded and said, “I see… this challenge isn’t just a competition against others. It’s really a test of yourself.”

He Dayou asked, “Teacher Wang, how much weight do you think Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen can lift?”

Wang Hai replied calmly, “At least six or seven thousand kilograms shouldn’t be a problem. Beyond that… hard to say.”

He glanced over at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who were lining up to report their target weights, then looked up at the towering Sky Pillar above.

He thought to himself, “This last event isn’t just about strength—it’s about knowing exactly where your limits lie.”

“Top-tier Body-Refining isn’t just raw power and speed. You’ve got to understand your own body in detail—every tendon, every muscle.”

“With only three attempts, do you play it safe with something close to your limit? Or gamble everything on a weight that pushes past it?”

“What will they choose?”

The others inhaled sharply at the mention of 6,000 or 7,000 kilograms. The numbers alone left them awestruck.

Zhao Tianxing stayed quiet. As the weakest among them, he felt like if he gasped or acted surprised, he’d just come across like a clown.

“Sigh. When you’re weak and broke, even your words and gestures seem laughable to the strong.”

“And weakness and poverty—they only stand out more in comparison.”

He looked at Qian Shen and He Dayou and mused silently, “Even someone as rich as Qian Shen or as strong as He Dayou… here on this battlefield, next to these contestants, they still look poor and weak.”

“No matter how proud they used to be, or how flashy they acted back at school, compared to the people on that stage now, they look ridiculous—like clowns.”

That was the conclusion Zhao Tianxing had drawn after much introspection—a theory he called the “Weak, Poor, Clown Law.”

“A strong or rich person who steps in front of someone even stronger or richer… instantly becomes the poor guy, the weak one, the clown.”

He sighed inwardly, “What can you do? This is a world where scores reign supreme, the Immortal Path holds the highest honor, and money can move the gods.”

…

Once all contestants finished reporting their first-round weights, the competition officially began.

Contestants would go up one by one, from lowest to highest reported weight.

The first to take the stage was a student from Purple Cloud High.

His skin was tinged with purple as he stepped forward. The number 2,000 kilograms lit up on the Sky Pillar.

As the pillar slowly descended, he raised both palms and slammed them upward with a sharp shout.

With a thunderous boom, the descending Sky Pillar came to a sudden halt.

Five seconds passed. The 2,000-kilogram number faded, and the pillar slowly retracted.

The student exhaled softly and stepped down.

One by one, other contestants stepped up to lift the weights they had declared.

The numbers displayed on the Sky Pillar steadily climbed—from 2,000 to 2,500 to 3,000 kilograms…

When Chu Qiuhe took the stage, the target weight had already risen to 3,500 kilograms.

With a loud shout, he halted the pillar with ease, then held it briefly to feel the pressure.

He silently calculated, “With my current strength, I could probably manage 6,500 kilograms… Should I go higher? Try pushing my limits?”

…

Meanwhile, in the livestream, Gangshan and Le Jingchen watched the contestants take their turns.

Gangshan chuckled, “Yup, everyone’s treating the first round as a warm-up—to get a feel for how to apply force to the Sky Pillar.”

Le Jingchen said, “How much weight your body can lift depends on your max physical strength, your condition that day—it all matters.”

“But contestants with sharp body awareness can usually judge their limits pretty accurately from this first round.”

As the two offered commentary, the numbers on the Sky Pillar continued to shift—most hovering in the 2,000 to 4,000 kilogram range.

Clearly, no one was going all out yet. They were conserving strength and gauging their capacity.

Still, even these weights left many of the students watching slack-jawed.

…

Zhang Yu stepped onto the platform, slowly positioning himself beneath the Sky Pillar.

He hadn’t felt much while waiting below, but now, standing dead center under the massive pillar and looking up…

It felt like the entire sky had collapsed on him.

Especially as the pillar descended—it was like the heavens themselves were pressing down.

Zhang Yu reached up and pressed his hands to the bottom of the pillar, feeling the immense weight settle in. He thought, “So this is what 3,600 kilograms feels like?”

Sensing the pillar’s pressure, attuning to his body’s condition, feeling every muscle and tendon tense and brace…

He was already starting to get a clear sense of how much weight he could truly lift.

As he stepped down, he gave a nod to Bai Zhenzhen, who was preparing to take her turn.

Standing under the Sky Pillar, she too felt the staggering pressure bearing down from above.

She thought, “It really is different from watching below. Lifting it yourself… is something else entirely.”

…

Back in the stream, Gangshan asked, “Jingchen, who do you think will win the Sky Pillar challenge?”

Le Jingchen replied, “Demon-Kin students have way more muscle mass than average. Even if their strength is similar, they often outperform because of that.”

“In the last two rounds, where agility and speed mattered, that extra bulk was a disadvantage. But here—it’s their edge.”

“Among the Demon-Kin, Xiong Wenwu has the most mass and the highest raw strength.”

“If he’s the symbol of brute power, then Yu Xinghan is the embodiment of strength combined with technique—drawing out maximum force from less muscle.”

“So the final showdown will likely come down to Xiong Wenwu versus Yu Xinghan.”

…

As they spoke, the second round of the Sky Pillar challenge had already begun.

Just as predicted, contestants were now going for weights close to their max to lock in a solid baseline score.

The numbers climbed rapidly as each student stepped up, every lift far heavier than in round one.

Lian Tianji had just successfully lifted 6,000 kilograms…

But Chu Qiuhe failed his attempt at 6,800.

He shouted and pushed with all his might, but under the crushing force of 6,800 kilograms, his body shook uncontrollably.

The pillar didn’t stop descending. He had no choice but to retreat from the platform, teeth clenched.

Gangshan said in the stream, “That’s what happens when you overestimate yourself.”

Le Jingchen added, “Imitation Demon muscle mass can make it harder to control your body precisely—it leads to misjudging your limits. For normal people, the best way to gain real strength is still… through medication.”

“Demon-Kin like Yu Xinghan, with their incredible muscle control, need guidance from Gold Core Cultivators. That’s not something ordinary folks can match…”

It was clear that Le Jingchen wanted to frame the final battle between Xiong Wenwu and Yu Xinghan as one of Demon-Kin and Gold Core disciples—justifying the value of drugs and Super-Metabolism Surgery for the average person.

As he transitioned into another promotion for Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals…

It was finally time for Bai Zhenzhen’s second attempt.

With a surge of strength, she lifted the 7,000-kilogram Sky Pillar.

Feeling the pulse of her old scars, she thought, “Next round, I’ll try for 8,000. That should be close to my max.”

After her, Zhang Yu stepped up again.

He lifted the 7,000-kilogram Sky Pillar with no expression, then calmly stepped down.

Le Jingchen frowned slightly. “Oh? Based on his previous performance, Zhang Yu should’ve been able to lift more. Was it Zhou Chechen’s warning that got to him?”

“Or maybe the potent drug he used in the last match hasn’t worn off yet?”

Over in the Songyang High rest area, Wang Hai saw Zhang Yu’s result and sighed.

“So he did hurt himself in the last match… Sigh. That’s not how you use drugs, kid. Why didn’t you ask me first?”

After Zhang Yu, Le Mulan lifted 7,500 kilograms, Song Hailong succeeded at 8,300, Hu Yuntao lifted 8,800, and Yu Xinghan went beyond 9,000.

But Zhang Yu paid no attention to the rest of the match. He didn’t watch the others step onto the platform. He didn’t care what they lifted.

In his mind, there was only himself.

Only his own body of flesh and blood.

He focused entirely inward, saving every bit of strength to unleash in the final round.

Because the moment he lifted the Sky Pillar for the first time, Zhang Yu already knew—clearly, precisely—where his true limit lay.

And with his level of control, he even knew how much he could lift after pushing his body past that limit.

So he didn’t bother wasting effort in the second round on some “safe score.”

He didn’t go all out early, didn’t give others a reason to target him.

He just casually lifted 7,000 kilograms—nothing flashy, barely any effort—and then quietly prepared himself.

He would save everything for the grand finale.