Chapter 167: The Final Round, Martial Arts Exam

On the other side of the arena—

As milky white sweat continued to pour out from Yu Xinghan’s body and evaporated into steam from the heat waves surging within him, a white residue kept forming across his skin.

During the process, Yu Xinghan gradually began to feel unwell.

He knew that this kind of incomplete digestion couldn’t be sustained for long.

If he kept forcing it, the burden on his digestive system would only increase, eventually causing real damage.

But when he saw that he still couldn't pull ahead of Zhang Yu, he clenched his teeth and continued devouring and digesting like mad, determined to hold onto his rank.

“Damn this body, hold it together!”

He smacked his own stomach hard, fueled by a stubborn refusal to lose.

“I’m a Gold Core Disciple, personally chosen by Xinghuo Zhenren—how could I lose to Zhang Yu…”

Though he normally smiled and joked with many of the other students, the truth was that his Gold Core Disciple status had always given him a touch of pride. Deep down, he knew he wasn’t like the rest.

Especially when facing Zhang Yu—a once-disqualified candidate he’d personally cut from consideration—it was impossible not to feel a sense of superiority.

He had just been good at hiding it. Especially when Zhang Yu paid him.

But now, as he gave everything he had in this exam and still couldn’t shake Zhang Yu off, that sense of superiority twisted into a gnawing frustration.

“How can I lose to him?”

“I was trained by a Gold Core Cultivator. I even spent a ton of money learning techniques from Zhang Yu…”

“How could I… lose to him?!”

Just as Yu Xinghan resolved to go all-in against Zhang Yu, a wave of sharp discomfort from his internal organs jolted him back to reality.

Feeling the disturbance within, a memory of Xinghuo Zhenren’s voice rose unbidden in his mind.

“Xinghan, cultivating the Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique with me, forging an Unyielding Fighting Spirit and endless will to battle—that’s a good thing.”

“But in this world, there’s always someone stronger. Who dares claim they’ll never lose? Who can remain undefeated forever?”

“When you meet someone stronger, something greater… that boundless will to fight may hurt you, causing defeat after defeat.”

With a sigh, Xinghuo Zhenren had said, aged and weary, “You must learn when to let go.”

“Defeat is nothing to fear.”

“As long as you have money, there will always be more chances.”

“I leave you these words today in hopes that one day, you’ll remember them.”

As Xinghuo Zhenren’s words flashed through Yu Xinghan’s mind, his battle-frenzied thoughts abruptly cooled. He quickly accepted a hard truth.

“Zhang Yu… really has surpassed me.”

“Judging by this exam alone, at least in terms of physical technique, he’s now far above me. I can’t match him at all.”

It was painful, and he hated to admit it, but truth was truth. Yu Xinghan knew he had to accept it.

“If I keep pushing, once my digestive system collapses from overload, my eating speed will tank—and then I might not even keep my top-twenty rank.”

Letting out a deep breath, Yu Xinghan knew it was time to back off.

In the next moment, the milky white sweat stopped flowing from his body, and he returned to a normal eating pace.

Moments later, on the projection screen, Zhang Yu’s pillar—number 55—surpassed Yu Xinghan’s, climbing to 15th place.

Seeing this, Yu Xinghan exhaled deeply once more, reminding himself that it was okay.

“It’s fine to lose. As long as I have money, I can catch up.”

Watching Yu Xinghan bow out, Huang Zichou remarked approvingly, “Didn’t expect that Gold Core Disciple to let go at the right moment—he preserved his rank.”

Another junior deity commented, “It’s easy to fight your way forward.”

“But knowing when to slow down, when to understand your own limits even at the height of glory, when to know which debts not to incur, which contracts not to sign—that’s the hard part.”

Deng Bingding observed quietly, “Looks like that brat Xinghuo really reflected after his fall to the First Floor—and even trained his disciple well.”

“Too bad—he became a better person, but what’s the point if the money’s gone?”

As the match neared its end, Huang Zichou said, “Lord Deng, this round of the Gluttony Contest has progressed smoothly. The students have all displayed their skills—seems like Immortal Dao education on Kunxu’s First Floor is thriving.”

Another junior deity, busy recording footage to submit, added with admiration, “I remember when the Foundation Establishment exam used to just test physical toughness.”

“Then came strength, speed, all kinds of technique refinements…”

“And now look at them.”

The gods looked down at the students: some were steaming like kettles, some had bellies rounder than their heads, some ran to the toilet every minute, some pounded themselves until thunder cracked, some vibrated like blenders, and some vomited only to shove it right back down their throats…

Deng Bingding nodded with a smile. “Today’s students surpass the last generation—truly the Immortal Path is flourishing, and the world is blessed.”

Huang Zichou immediately added, “Thanks to the Heavenly Court’s wise guidance, and proper leadership from true gods like yourself, Lord Deng.”

Deng Bingding chuckled slightly. “Take some good shots of these young talents. Submit them upstairs so the great ones can witness the vitality of Kunxu’s First Floor…”

Huang Zichou hurried to comply—he knew the Heavenly Court’s officials and the divine bureaucracies adored these scenes of Immortal Path aspirants battling with all they had.

As the Gluttony Contest ended, the rankings were finalized.

Most students didn’t even stop to check the leaderboard—they dashed straight to the toilets.

Ye Lingxiao, however, stood firm. He glanced at his second-place rank and at Yun Jing in first, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes.

Perhaps sensing the hostility, Yun Jing gave him a smile.

“You won the last round, I took this one back.”

“The perfect bloodline of the Ye Clan… doesn’t seem so perfect after all, does it? At least in digestion, it’s no match for my Furnace-Style System.”

Ye Lingxiao didn’t reply, but the blazing intensity in his eyes said it all—he was determined to win the next round.

He thought silently, “Back then, because of the clan, the company, stock prices, ads… I couldn’t fight Yun Jing properly.”

“But here, on the Foundation Establishment field, I can finally go all-out.”

Dai Xingzhi glanced at his seventh-place spot, nodding in satisfaction. Looked like he wouldn’t be eliminated today.

Then his gaze shifted to Meng Tao, ranked 10th with a Gluttonous Spirit Root, and Zhang Yu, who had climbed to 14th.

A flicker of doubt rose in his mind.

“That outsider, number 55… Must be rich, right? Then why only 14th?”

“Is he doing it on purpose again?”

He recalled Zhang Yu’s performance and shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like it.”

“And his digestive system didn’t seem particularly special either.”

Dai Xingzhi watched Zhang Yu curiously. “Could it be… that he’s not as strong as I thought?”

He wasn’t alone—many students eyed Zhang Yu with the same skeptical glances.

Huang Zichou commented, “Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing are still running far ahead of the pack.”

“Most of the top ranks are all Xiandu students.”

“Looks like this year’s four Foundation Licenses are going to be swept by Xiandu once again.”

“But those three from Songyang…”

Looking at Zhang Yu at 14th, Yu Xinghan at 16th, and Bai Zhenzhen at 20th, Huang Zichou sighed. “Promising lot. They might actually reach for the Foundation License next year.”

But at the same time, Huang Zichou, Deng Bingding, and the other true gods all quietly wondered: just what the hell happened in Songyang, for it to suddenly produce three students with this kind of potential?

“Not that it concerns me,” Huang Zichou thought to himself. “I’m just proctoring their Foundation Exam.”

After a short rest—

The third and final round of the day officially began.

Deng Bingding declared loudly, “The Martial Arts Exam tests your mastery and understanding of martial techniques.”

“One’s martial cultivation isn’t only shown through combat—the learning process also reflects it.”

Huang Zichou muttered to himself, “Isn’t this all just budget cuts? The Heavenly Court and the Eight Divine Ministries feel bad for the students down here. That’s why all Foundation Establishment combat exams on Kunxu’s First Floor cover medical fees.”

“But the gods up top just talk a big game. When the money’s not enough, who has to cover the shortfall? Us down here!”

“If we don’t eliminate more students now and let them fight full-contact this early, we’ll be paying out of pocket for all the injuries!”

With a clap of Deng Bingding’s hands, a light screen floated up before each student.

“For this Martial Arts Exam, each of you will select one technique to comprehend and cultivate within the next two hours.”

“These techniques are ranked by difficulty—from one-star, the easiest, to ten-star, the hardest.”

“The higher the difficulty, the higher your score.”

“But if you fail to master your selected technique, your score for this round will be zero.”

“Also, your exam reward for today will be the technique you choose.”

“If you don’t make it into the top twenty overall and get eliminated… then you’ll have to pay for the technique yourself.”