https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-158-Zhang-Yu-Initiates-the-Ritual/13686627/
Chapter 159: Taking the First Round of the Foundation Establishment Exam (Please Vote for Me)
Under Fujie’s guidance, Zhang Yu placed a half-burned candle in the center of the bench, positioned a phone behind it, and set two flashlights on either side. Then he wrapped a length of wire around the bench, forming a complete circle.
With the ritual setup complete, Zhang Yu hesitated, skepticism in his voice:
"Are you sure this ritual actually works?"
Fujie sneered.
"In the entire Kunxu First Layer, no one knows rituals better than me. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Even if something does go wrong, it’s only because the ritual materials you prepared are substandard."
"Enough talk. Now do exactly as I say—activate the ritual!"
Following Fujie’s commands, Zhang Yu moved along the wire loop, his ears filled with the ancient, mystical incantations she chanted.
In an instant, the half-burned candle atop the altar turned to ash, and a faint, almost imperceptible thread of divine energy shimmered into existence above the ritual circle.
Fujie barked sharply:
"Beast, come forth! Summon the shadow, draw forth the image! Heavenly and earthly power, obey now, as I command!"
The delicate thread of divine energy suddenly twisted with a sinister aura—Fujie had managed to seize temporary control of it.
As Zhang Yu listened, he sensed a profound exhaustion in her voice.
Clearly, this frail, nearly spent Evil God was in terrible condition, just as she’d claimed—her ritual performance was shaky, trembling, barely holding together.
Then, in a flash, the energy surged into Zhang Yu’s shadow.
A guttural roar erupted from within.
Moments later, a small black insect wriggled out of the darkness of his shadow.
After a tense standoff between Fujie’s control and the creature’s resistance, she finally exhaled, barely able to utter:
"Hmph… disperse!"
The black insect writhed violently before slowly dissolving into nothingness.
From its remains, a cascade of dense, ink-black runes burst forth like thick smoke, spreading out before Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu frowned. "What is this?"
"This," Fujie said, breathless, "is a Shadow Pest."
She took a deep breath, and the swirling runes surged into her body, absorbed completely.
She continued, "The ritual caster uses the Shadow Pest to gather and transmit intelligence."
"Which means the pest carries instructions—how to collect data, how to send it back."
"Once analyzed, we can determine who’s been spying on you."
After a long pause, Fujie smiled faintly.
"Analysis complete. I know how they’re transmitting information."
"Next time you step into the Ling Realm, I’ll impersonate the Shadow Pest and feed them false intel. At the same time, we’ll find out exactly who they are."
Another reason for Fujie’s rare cheer: after absorbing the Evil God energy from the Shadow Pest, she’d regained a sliver of strength.
She thought to herself:
"Next time I go with Zhang Yu to take the exam, my safety will be significantly improved."
Zhang Yu asked, "Do Evil Gods have any unwritten rules among yourselves? Like, if you discover one another—do you fight to the death, or can you talk things out?"
Fujie replied, "We Evil Gods are very reasonable. We distinguish right from wrong."
"Encounter a weak one? Eat it on the spot."
"Face a stronger one? Turn and run."
"Matched in strength? Find their address, send them a takeaway order—just to warn them."
Zhang Yu smirked. "So… very reasonable."
He continued, "Next time you enter the Ling Realm, don’t alert them immediately. Send out some false intel first, while you gather intel on their strength, location, and manpower."
Fujie waved a hand dismissively.
"Need you to tell me that? When your power grows, and the timing is right—we’ll swallow this colleague whole."
...
In the basement, Song Xu slowly removed his Spiritual Interface Mask, murmuring to himself:
"The Shadow Pest has been successfully implanted."
"Now I just wait for Zhang Yu to log into the Ling Realm again."
"Then I’ll find out exactly what secrets you’re hiding."
"If I can uncover your secrets, capture the Evil God behind you, and unlock my full potential…"
A flicker of anticipation glinted in his eyes.
"Then my chances of making the Top Ten will be over ninety percent."
...
Early August.
In the following days, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen threw themselves into relentless training, preparing for the first round of the Foundation Establishment Exam scheduled for mid-August.
That day, the two of them appeared together in a livestream as brand ambassadors, promoting Xianyun Group’s new body-enhancement surgery.
The livestream host slapped two bulging muscle blocks onto the table.
"Two pectorals!"
More chunks of muscle followed.
"Eight more abs!"
"Plus latissimus dorsi, trapezius, neck muscles, back muscles…"
As the pile of artificial muscle grew into a small mountain, the host shouted:
"All of this artificial demon muscle enhancement—how many can we sell today?"
"Twenty-nine thousand nine hundred!"
"All made with Xianyun Group’s latest technology—no hospitalization required! I said, no hospitalization!"
"Go to your local clinic, cut out your own muscle tissue, send it to us. We’ll grow new ones and send them back. Install them, and you’ll have the potential of a professional athlete!"
"We offer ten times the refund if any muscle is fake. No demon beast tissue used—just pure, lab-grown artificial muscle."
"Even one fake piece? We’ll give you ten real ones."
On their way out of the studio, Zhang Yu turned to Yu Xinghan, puzzled.
"Today’s artificial demon muscle tech… it felt off."
Yu Xinghan shrugged.
"Off? You’re telling me. At under thirty thousand, how could it be the real version? It’s a degraded version of a degraded version—just for people who can’t afford the real thing. Not everyone can afford top-tier tech, right?"
Zhang Yu opened his mouth, then closed it. He thought of the 200,000 yuan already deposited into his account, then remembered his role as a celebrity endorser. He said nothing.
...
Back in the apartment.
Zhang Yu wiped sweat from the floor—again. This was the rule after every sparring session, insisted by Le Mulan: no sweat leakage under any circumstances.
Before him, Le Mulan said coolly:
"Last month’s electricity bill came to eighty thousand yuan."
"What are you two even doing in here? Growing herbs?"
Zhang Yu blinked, caught off guard.
"Uh… some training equipment uses a lot of power."
"Relax. It won’t be this high much longer."
He felt the torrent of martial energy surging within him—enhanced by his Spirit Vein and the performance-boosting drugs. His martial energy was skyrocketing, nearing the 90-unit threshold.
Zhang Yu thought:
"Before long, I won’t need to do those daily light-breathing exercises anymore."
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his chest.
Le Mulan noticed him clutching his chest and frowned.
"Side effect from the medicine?"
"I’ve observed—you don’t have Super Metabolism, so your recent dosage has been dangerously high."
"I suggest you take a break."
"After all… you don’t need to push yourself to the absolute limit."
She was thinking: You’re not competing, you’re not aiming for the Top Ten—why torture your body like this?
Zhang Yu nodded slowly.
"Trust me. I know my own body. I’m not close to the limit yet."
But in his mind, he added:
It’s not my body that’s near its limit—my wallet is. In a few days… I won’t even be able to afford the pills.
...
Mid-August.
The day finally arrived—the eve of the first round of the Foundation Establishment Exam.
On the train to Xian Du City, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen sat in silence, silently cultivating their martial energy, stamina, and mental focus.
After two weeks of intense sprint training, Zhang Yu’s power had surged once more. His martial energy now stood at 87.75 units, Physical Strength Level reached 8.06, and his Dao Heart had finally broken through to Level 6—6th level (18%).
Zhang Yu reflected:
"Only half a month until September. That’s when I officially become a sophomore."
"But by then, my level should already surpass most first-year seniors at Bailong High."
Though he’d achieved his personal goal, Zhang Yu showed no joy. He knew his real target wasn’t ordinary Bailong students—it was the elite super-seniors from Xian Du.
Beyond the rapid growth in strength, his wallet had been drained to just 50,000 yuan.
He hadn’t even considered earning or saving money—every resource had been poured into preparing for the upcoming exam.
Because in his mind: If I don’t get stronger first, what’s the point of saving money?
"Either way, no matter the result, I’ll need to find a way to make more money once we get back."
As the train sped through the night, Xian Du’s floating sky city soon emerged into view.
Stepping off the train, staring up at the dark, endless sky, Bai Zhenzhen asked:
"Yu, how much money do you have left?"
"50,000 yuan."
Bai Zhenzhen nodded. "I’ve got 40,000. Do you know what that means?"
Zhang Yu frowned. "What?"
"It means we’re broke. We can’t even afford next month’s loan payments."
"And with all the medicine we’ve been using, the side effects are starting to show."
"Health, money, stress, risk—everything is at an all-time high."
Zhang Yu nodded silently. Under the crushing pressure of loans, exams, dwindling balance, and worsening side effects, the Cannibal Cow Serenity Heart Technique pulsed within him. Blood surged through his veins, his body grew more alert, more alive.
Bai Zhenzhen added, "But it also means our spiritual potential has been fully awakened."
"We’re terrifyingly strong now—nothing like we were two months ago."
"We will pass this first round."
Facing such extreme risk, Bai Zhenzhen’s Hanpo Ice Heart Scripture surged in her mind. Her muscles, nerves, and brain all burned with heightened vitality.
With that, both of them entered separate restroom stalls.
After opening their browsers and clicking the "enter" button, a massive hole appeared beneath each of their feet—and they vanished without a trace.
(End of Chapter)
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