Chapter 345: The Second Heart Technique, The Exam Begins

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

Late August.

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged in his dorm, quietly sensing the state of his body.

It had been over a year since he arrived on the second floor of Kunxu at Wanfa University City. First came three months of foundational training. Then, since last September, he had steadily pushed forward. And now—he was finally reaping the rich rewards of his Immortal Path.

His Dao Heart had reached Level 15 (55.1%). His Heart Technique had smoothly advanced to the realm of Spirit-Flesh Fusion, now operating as effortlessly as breathing. He’d even unlocked a Secondary Heart Technique.

His Mana had surged through nonstop breathing cultivation, skyrocketing to 752.8 units.

Though his Mana Quality growth had begun to slow, it still reached 173%.

Despite dedicating most of his second semester to breathing techniques, Zhang Yu had boosted his physical strength through multiple Dao Techniques services, spirit-nourishing meals, a cocktail of Tiger-and-Wolf Tonics, the constant gravitational tempering from the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt, and countless overtime shifts at the simulation worksite.

Now, his body strength had reached Level 15.88.

And with his cultivation across all fronts stabilizing, his Martial Qi conduction rate had also reached 53%, and could now travel up to 50 meters.

Feeling the raging force coursing through his body, a satisfied smile crept across Zhang Yu’s face.

Then he glanced at his bank account.

Even though he had to spend every month on spirit stones, elixirs, Spiritual Realm network fees, Dao Techniques services, and Spiritual Realm services, Zhang Yu had hit several streaks of good fortune.

He’d even scored a free pass to Spirit-Flesh Fusion. With his work efficiency constantly improving—and occasionally selling some Mana—his balance hadn’t dwindled but had instead risen… to 46 spirit coins.

Just looking at those 46 spirit coins gave Zhang Yu a profound sense of security.

“This feeling of having rock-solid potential on the Immortal Path… is just sublime.”

At that moment, the white ox in his mind bellowed—some sort of transformation was on the verge of erupting.

That change stemmed from the Secondary Heart Technique he had obtained from the Spiritual Realm—a forbidden cultivation technique.

It was called Limitless Heart: Inner Incarnate Body. The moment Zhang Yu read its contents, he realized it perfectly complemented the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique.

Back when Zhang Yu had fully grasped the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, he understood its philosophy: to fight until the bitter end. Even with shattered limbs and a ravaged body, one must continue sacrificing oneself to battle again and again—never yielding, not even in death.

To achieve this, the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique activated bodily regeneration, granting formidable self-healing so the user could survive the brink of death and keep fighting.

Otherwise, repeated sacrifice would quickly lead to total physical collapse.

But even with the Oxheart’s power, repeated deathmatches carried the risk of fatal injury.

That’s where the Limitless Heart: Inner Incarnate Body came in.

From what Zhang Yu had obtained, this Heart Technique pointed toward a Dao Heart Level of 80. That is—it could be cultivated from Qi Refinement (Level 1) through Foundation Establishment (Level 20), all the way to Golden Core (Level 30)… eventually reaching Level 80.

It was Zhang Yu’s first time owning a complete technique that spanned so many realms.

Previously, any technique he bought rarely went beyond Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment.

According to the final realm description, this technique would allow every strand of flesh to carry consciousness. When combined with the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique at Level 80, it could achieve rebirth from a single drop of blood—immortality. Even individual droplets and hair strands could manifest as external incarnations—splitting into thousands of avatars.

This Limitless Heart embodied a single principle: fight to the bitter end. Until every drop of blood and every bone was utterly exhausted, the battle never stops.

Once Zhang Yu began practicing it, he noticed that each level boost sharpened his mental processing speed.

Until now—when a breakthrough arrived.

“Nine deaths, no surrender. No regrets in sacrifice. Only then shall the soul return to flesh.”

As the mantra echoed through Zhang Yu’s mind, his Limitless Heart broke into Level 10.

And with it, Zhang Yu felt his mental awareness split.

The white ox in his mind roared—and then its head split in two, transforming into a twin-headed white ox.

With its roar, Zhang Yu suddenly found he could hold two lines of consciousness at once.

This was the Level 10 effect: dual processing.

Going forward, every ten levels would let him split his awareness further—toward tenfold, hundredfold parallel consciousness.

Eventually, with every cell carrying its own thread of intent, and paired with the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, he would reach the legendary realm: rebirth from blood, undying and indestructible, with countless external avatars.

Realizing how powerful this technique truly was, Zhang Yu finally understood why his older sister called it military-grade—if not pre-military-grade.

“Maybe when it was first created, this was a military-grade technique.”

“But over time, as newer military techniques surpassed it, it got downgraded to pre-military-grade. Just like Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force.”

Of course, Zhang Yu was still far from that mythical stage. For now, the biggest benefit of Limitless Heart wasn’t in his flesh—but in his Martial Qi manipulation.

Two Formless Golems rose from behind him. With a crackle, they clashed violently.

Under Zhang Yu’s dual-mind control, the humanoid Qi constructs traded blows like real sparring partners.

Zhang Yu quietly estimated, “With dual consciousness granted by Level 10 Limitless Heart, I can now perfectly control up to nine Formless Golems.”

“But of course… my Mana consumption per unit time also skyrockets.”

Just then, a voice called out.

“Zhang Yu, time for the exam,” said Yu Xinghan, clenching his fists, brimming with fighting spirit. “After all this grinding, it’s finally our time to shine.”

As they made their way to the exam site, they passed many students rushing toward their own assessments.

It was the end of the academic year, and many—like Zhang Pianpian and Le Mulan—had already left their dorms for testing.

When Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan reached the testing grounds, they found crowds of students already gathered, wearing expressions of nervousness, anticipation, and excitement.

The first Dao Heart Exam—had officially begun.

…

Deep in the Spiritual Realm—

The Artifact Spirit of Dao Heart instructor Feng Jiu was observing the unfolding exam scenes.

One by one, student screens flickered before her, with detailed data recorded and analyzed.

Each student had received a randomized scenario, combined with some public information, forming their exam content.

Though the questions varied, paired with intricate scoring rubrics, the tests could yield highly accurate Dao Heart evaluations.

One screen showed Li Xiao, walking like the living dead down a city street.

His exam? Death.

Due to a clerical error in the Spiritual Realm network, he had been mistakenly issued a death certificate.

Now, across all systems, he was considered legally dead.

His network connection was severed; his EyeNet now displayed only a gray, lifeless city.

His bank account was frozen—he couldn’t use a single spirit coin.

He lost access to the Magnetic Channel.

All his titles, rankings, and domains were erased. To others, he was like a ghost.

Even when injured in a collision, he couldn’t claim compensation or treatment—because legally, he didn’t exist.

Wandering the ashen city like a lost soul, Li Xiao endured mental torment.

The Artifact Spirit logged: “Emotional Autonomy: 76. Internal Stability: 72. Inner Fulfillment: 71. Lacks resistance to solitary cultivation. Overreliance on social recognition…”

After finishing Li Xiao’s evaluation, the Artifact Spirit turned her attention to another student:

Ying Xin—facing bankruptcy.

Among Kunxu citizens, bankruptcy was often viewed as the end of one’s Immortal Path. Worse than Qi deviation or demonic corruption.

But Ying Xin remained calm.

“It’s time to showcase six generations of civil engineering legacy.”

“Come forth—Father! Grandfather! Great-Grandfather! Great-Great-Grandfather! Primordial Ancestor!”

With a slap, her Excavator Palm activated at Level 20, ripping open the ground as six coffins surged up.

Above each coffin floated a price tag—starting with her father, escalating to her Primordial Ancestor—each radiating increasingly terrifying pressure.

“Six generations of glory—aid me in turning the tide!”

The Artifact Spirit noted: “High family socialization. Strong psychological resilience. Further confirmation of the theory: the richer you are, the more stable your emotional core.”

“Money remains humanity’s most accurate metric. I still don’t understand why wealth isn’t factored into university rankings.”

More student data flooded in.

Yu Xinghan was now facing a test: Rejection of an engagement.

A rich heiress—family assets worth over ten thousand spirit coins—handed him a divorce letter.

Mocked by relatives, ridiculed by classmates, humiliated by the elite heiress with veiled threats… pressure mounted.

“Yu Xinghan, if you’ve got any pride, just accept it. Maybe we can still be friends.”

“Pride?” Rage surged in Yu Xinghan’s heart. Never had he felt such injustice.

Tearing the divorce letter apart, he shouted, “No way!”

“So what if I’m the concubine?! I’m marrying in, and no one can stop me! Not unless you go bankrupt today!”

The Artifact Spirit sighed, shaking her head as she recorded, “This exam is too outdated. The question pool needs a refresh. Pride and dignity no longer deliver meaningful psychological pressure… Let’s give him a new test.”