Chapter 231: The Outcome Is Decided

While Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao silently prepared for their final exam…

Most of the audience had already shifted their attention away from the Body Path examination grounds.

After all, these spectators—tuned in remotely through the Spiritual Realm Network—were simultaneously watching all four finals of the Foundation Establishment exam taking place today on the First Floor of Kunxu.

Many university representatives, driven by their own institutional interests, had specific enrollment priorities and paid little attention to the Body Path, instead focusing mainly on the other Paths.

So during the temporary break on Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao’s side, even those originally watching the Body Path had drifted toward other matches.

“Dao Heart and Mana Paths just don’t have that visual thrill.”

Laughing-Crying Emoji took a glance at the Dao Heart and Mana Paths before finally settling on the Martial Path.

“Out of the four Paths—Dao Heart, Mana, Body, and Martial—the ones that seem most interesting are probably the Body and Martial Paths.”

“But more people watch the Body Path, since it covers a broader range of majors.”

“As for the Martial Path, it’s always real combat. So it mostly draws attention from fields like security, weaponry, warfare, and military-related majors. Maybe also some from combat-focused disciplines like Artifact Crafting, Law Husk studies, and pharmacology…”

Just as Laughing-Crying Emoji was thinking this, a glance at the Martial Path left him slightly stunned. The match was already over.

“That fast?”

Staring at the woman collapsed on the stage, her entire body seemingly disintegrated, Laughing-Crying Emoji curiously hit the replay button.

The scene before him rewound rapidly and soon resumed from the very start of the match.

…

This was one of the arenas being proctored by Huang Zichou.

First came the emergence of the arena, followed by explanations of the exam contents and rules, and finally, the contestants' preparations.

Once everything was set, Bai Zhenzhen and Yun Jing ascended the stage from opposite sides.

The final exam for the Martial Path would be decided by a best-of-three format—three matches in total.

After each match, both candidates would receive unlimited health insurance coverage.

Furthermore, the Righteous Gods would intervene before death occurred to save them.

In other words, each bout allowed them to go all out—no hesitation, no holding back. They could unleash their full combat potential without fear.

Various Battle-Grade Spirit Roots and weapons had also been laid out for free selection.

But neither Yun Jing nor Bai Zhenzhen opted for any of the spirit roots.

Bai Zhenzhen did, however, select a Magnetic-Oscillating Sword. Once infused with mana, the blade vibrated at high frequencies, unleashing immense destructive power.

Feeling the cold grip of the hilt, Bai Zhenzhen murmured to herself, “Something like this—an enterprise-grade artifact—I’d never have gotten my hands on under normal circumstances.”

“And unlimited post-match medical coverage…” A grin curled her lips. “Never in my life have I fought a battle this comfortably.”

As the countdown over the stage neared zero…

Bai Zhenzhen suddenly raised her sword and shouted, “University reps in the audience, watch closely.”

She pointed her blade at Yun Jing. “In a single strike, I will defeat my opponent.”

“Think carefully about the offers you’re going to make me.”

On the other side of the arena, Yun Jing remained calm. Inwardly, he thought, “Same trick she used when fighting Dai Xingzhi. Trying to provoke me again?” ŕΆΝ∅βËṤ

“This woman really loves taunting.”

He didn’t reply. Instead, as the countdown hit zero, he answered with action.

Both Dantians—chest and abdomen—activated simultaneously. Mana erupted like molten lava. As Yun Jing thrust his palm forward, a blazing wall of fire surged forth like a waterfall, sweeping across the entire arena toward Bai Zhenzhen.

Three months ago, this exact wide-range technique had forced Bai Zhenzhen out of the ring, costing her that match.

But now, with three months of experience, what once seemed unbeatable was full of holes in her eyes.

During that time, Bai Zhenzhen had participated in countless gang skirmishes. She had witnessed how the lowest-level cultivators in Songyang City fought—for money, for murder, for business, for survival. They came up with the most bizarre and ingenious ways to battle.

Through this relentless combat, her Zhen Spirit Root had adapted. The once-formidable Golden Tutoring Gang elites now seemed weaker. Their techniques—riddled with flaws.

At first, she thought the Golden Tutoring Gang’s top Qi Refinement cultivators had all been eliminated.

But later, she realized—it wasn’t that they had grown weaker. She had grown stronger. Her perception of ambient spiritual energy had sharpened, allowing her to detect minute vulnerabilities in opponents' moves.

Even now, that seemingly impenetrable wall of fire revealed several weak points to her trained eye.

With a flick of her sword, Bai Zhenzhen sliced through the flames and strode forward.

“I’m coming,” she said with a soft smile before shooting toward Yun Jing like a bolt of lightning.

Yun Jing narrowed his eyes. “The Infinite Sword Meditation?”

Bai Zhenzhen was fast, but not beyond his perception.

His Law Husk Eyes instantly analyzed her move, predicted potential follow-ups, and identified flaws in each.

“I may not be a freak like Ye Lingxiao, learning a dozen Techniques during high school…”

“But the Techniques I’ve purchased are no less than his!”

He had bought the copyrights to a vast array of Techniques, uploading them to his Law Husk Eyes. In combat, this allowed him to instantly identify enemy moves and weaknesses.

It had cost him an unimaginable sum.

Even as a son of a legacy clan, his family’s budget wasn’t unlimited. To gain more funds, he had to earn them himself.

Since second grade, under his father’s encouragement, Yun Jing had been an entrepreneur.

He still remembered what his father told him:

“There are two things I must teach you.”

“First, although immortal cultivation starts in high school, the art of making money begins the moment you’re born.”

“Second, how far you can go in the Immortal Path depends entirely on the wealth you command.”

“Combine these two truths, and you get one conclusion.”

“True immortal cultivation starts the moment you begin earning.”

“Make money, Yun Jing. The earlier you start, the more you make. The more you make, the farther you’ll go on the Immortal Path.”

Yun Jing fully believed in his father’s words. By kindergarten, he was investing in startups.

By second grade, he had founded his first company.

While classmates did homework, he worked on financial reports.

While they reviewed lessons, he hosted midnight meetings.

While they crammed practice papers, he pulled all-nighters with his employees.

Even after enrolling at Immortal Cloud High, he stayed the course.

“While others breathe, I make money.”

“While others fight, I make money.”

“While others refine their bodies, I make money.”

“Through this relentless grind—day after day, year after year—I’ve climbed this high…”

“I’ve been cultivating since I was five!”

In the past three months, Yun Jing’s cultivation was all about making more money.

With those earnings, he updated his Law Husk Eyes with even more Techniques, outsourced his meridian forging and body refinement to college grads, and bought mana from university students using a Hosting Root…

Now, both palms struck out toward the predicted flaw in Bai Zhenzhen’s technique—guided by his Law Husk Eyes.

But in the next instant, Bai Zhenzhen abruptly switched techniques, using a High School Basic Sword Technique.

Yun Jing barely had time to react. He changed his move accordingly.

Seeing this, Bai Zhenzhen smiled.

“Our battle actually began six months ago.”

It was right after the second round of the Foundation Establishment exam. That was when Bai Zhenzhen identified Yun Jing as her top rival on the Martial Path.

Since then, she had begun analyzing everything about him—his Law Husk model, his Techniques, his dual Dantians, his strange digestive and combat phenomena…

She meticulously observed every chance she got, then followed up with intensive research to fill in the blanks.

Like the Law Husk.

After extensive comparisons across shopping sites and product shapes, she finally identified it:

“A Sky Eye Corporation enterprise-grade Law Husk usable during Qi Refinement—the Heaven’s Algorithm.”

She knew the Heaven’s Algorithm’s specs and quirks inside and out.

She had scoured reviews, messaged influencers for insights, even sent tips to content creators to learn more.

And what she learned was this:

“The Heaven’s Algorithm’s biggest weakness is its rigid Artifact Spirit.”

“When I use a High School Basic Sword Technique, the move is so standard that its counters are basically set in stone. That means the Heaven’s Algorithm’s counter can be predicted.”

To Bai Zhenzhen, the moment she performed that basic sword strike, she knew how her opponent would respond. That meant she had already predicted his next move.

She didn’t dodge. She didn’t block.

She chose to take the hit—let flames consume half her body and suffer severe burns—to seize the chance to land a sword strike.

With a dull thud, Bai Zhenzhen dropped to one knee, her body reeking of charred flesh.

At the same time, with a soft slicing sound, the vibrating blade pierced Yun Jing’s shoulder.

Yun Jing sneered. “With my Protective Qi Barrier and Battle-Grade Spirit Root, this won’t even scratch…”

In the next moment, the tiny wound flared under mana’s stimulation, tearing wide open. Blood gushed like a fountain as his body began to collapse.

“What?!”

Yun Jing stared in disbelief. He couldn’t understand how his body—outsourced to hundreds of college grads, forged through endless trials—could be pierced so easily.

…

Three months later, an investigation revealed the truth.

Some university graduates had re-outsourced their assignments to associate degree holders.

And one of those had passed the task to a high school student.

That high schooler’s carelessness had left a tiny flaw in Yun Jing’s body.

And Bai Zhenzhen had spotted it—shattering his Protective Qi Barrier with that one strike.

…

On the stage, with a swish, her blade slid deeper into Yun Jing’s widening wound, nearly slicing his torso in half.

At that moment, the Righteous Gods intervened and rescued both fighters.

Bai Zhenzhen was gravely wounded, but Yun Jing had nearly died.

First round: Bai Zhenzhen wins.

After treatment, Bai Zhenzhen returned for the second round, glaring at Yun Jing with a proud expression.

“I told you I’d defeat you in one move.”

Seeing her haughty stance, Yun Jing had to admit—he was a little pissed.

More than that, he was rattled. He still didn’t understand how she had bypassed his defenses.

So in the second round, Yun Jing went all out.

With the double Dantians powering him, he turned the arena into a sea of fire, refusing to let her close the distance.

Under his relentless bombardment, Bai Zhenzhen held out for over ten minutes before being forced off the platform.

The win restored Yun Jing’s confidence. He realized that in terms of pure power, he still held the upper hand. As long as he kept calm and avoided tricks, there was no way he’d lose.

“One win each,” Yun Jing thought. “If I take this last round, the Foundation License is mine.”

But as the third round began, Bai Zhenzhen once again raised her sword to the sky and declared:

“Everyone, watch closely.”

“This match is already over.”

“I’ll defeat him again with one strike.”

“My university choices are limited to the Ten Major Sects.”

“Get ready to make your offers.”