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Chapter 166: The Final Showdown with Yu Xinghan
Zhang Yu applied his mastery over physical strength directly to the process of digestion—delivering powerful palm strikes with full force to aid in breaking down food. This was something Zhang Yu from the past would never have dreamed of doing.
But thanks to his astonishing control over his body’s strength, he grasped the technique with startling speed.
At first, he had to deliver one powerful strike after another straight into his lower abdomen, forcing his intestines to contract. But soon, his movements grew lighter, the sound of his strikes diminishing with each passing second.
This signified his growing proficiency—his ability to channel physical force through muscle, fat, and internal organs with ever-increasing precision. The flow of power, its direction and grip, became second nature.
By the end, Zhang Yu appeared to be merely patting his stomach gently—but every motion sent tremors coursing through his entire body, producing deep, resonant thuds.
He felt each delicate pulse of force as it traveled through his tissues, crushing and compressing the food within him, allowing him to consume yet another mouthful of Synthetic Food.
His unusual method didn’t go unnoticed—first by Meng Tao, then quickly by other lagging high schoolers who tried to emulate him, hoping to speed up their digestion. But after only a few attempts, most of them felt sharp pains deep in their organs, nearly suffering internal injuries.
A junior deity kept a close eye on Zhang Yu, monitoring the real-time data streaming from the Detection Patch.
“He’s got exceptional control over his physical strength,” the deity observed. “Each palm strike lands precisely on the food in his stomach, and yet he avoids damaging his organs—sometimes even involving his internal organs in the force’s flow.”
“This level of skill… it’s not something a typical first-year student from Songyang City should be capable of.”
“Is he cheating?” Huang Zichou replied coolly, “If he can achieve this through pure technique, how is it cheating? Mastery of physical strength is part of true power.”
“After all, those in this exam who can actually perform such a technique already possess strong bodies and digestive systems—so they don’t need it. But those who try to use it to gain an edge? They lack the foundation, and end up hurting themselves.”
The junior deity sighed. “Honestly, I think we should test endurance against medicine instead. That’s the real essence of body cultivation.”
The other deity nodded in agreement.
Huang Zichou said nothing, but glanced at the approving junior deity, silently wondering how much the pharmaceutical company had paid him.
“Lately, there’s been a rising wave of voices advocating for ‘drug-based exams’—claiming it’s a fair way to measure student potential, while also pushing medicine sales and running experiments.”
“Who’s really behind this…?”
As the deities debated, Zhang Yu’s eating speed surged—quickly closing in on 16th place.
Ahead of him stood Yu Xinghan, already at 15th.
Yu Xinghan had sensed Zhang Yu’s approach. A quiet smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
Oh? He’s catching up?
On the Light Screen, the towering column labeled No. 55—Zhang Yu’s—had surged past 16th place and kept climbing.
In that moment, Yu Xinghan’s mind flashed back to the Sports Competition months earlier, when Zhang Yu had sprinted relentlessly toward him, chasing him across the track.
Back then, Yu Xinghan had won the Speed race, but lost in the Sky Column phase—due to Li Xuelian and Li Shijie’s misjudgment, which had prevented him from unleashing his full power. He’d missed the championship by a hair.
And though he’d told himself he had no regrets, the truth was, he did.
But this time… Yu Xinghan felt a thrill stir within him. No one’s holding me back now. No one’s keeping me from giving it everything.
With that thought, Yu Xinghan abruptly stopped eating.
Zhang Yu glanced at the Light Screen, at the man just ahead of him, at the stagnant column labeled No. 31—Yu Xinghan.
No. 31… that’s Yu Xinghan, right?
Then it clicked.
He turned toward Yu Xinghan—and locked eyes with a pair of burning, battle-ready pupils.
This guy… Zhang Yu felt a familiar surge. He was back on that same field months ago, watching Yu Xinghan sprint away, then suddenly turn and race forward at full speed, matching him stride for stride.
Is he challenging me to a final showdown?
For a moment, Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan stared at each other—silence crackling with unspoken rivalry.
3…
2…
1…
With eerie synchrony, both men roared in their hearts, their bodies exploding into motion as they devoured the Synthetic Food before them.
Gulping sounds thundered through the arena, mingling with the gurgling roars of their internal organs. Yu Xinghan transformed into a monstrous beast, devouring the food like a tidal wave, swallowing entire buckets in one breath.
But as the food in his bucket dwindled, and he reached for another, he suddenly noticed something alarming.
On the Light Screen, the gap between him and Zhang Yu wasn’t widening—it was shrinking.
This guy… is still catching up?
A bead of sweat rolled down Yu Xinghan’s forehead.
Then another.
Then more.
It wasn’t from fear or anxiety.
This sweat was the mark of absolute effort.
As a student at Bailong High School, Yu Xinghan had long since undergone Digestive System Modification Surgery. When he began sweating like this, it meant his digestive system had entered full overdrive.
His intestines had become a furnace—crushing and pulverizing every morsel of food, then sending waves of searing heat through his body. Meanwhile, metabolic waste was being expelled through his pores, turning into beads of sweat streaming down his skin.
But then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening thuds erupted from Zhang Yu’s direction.
The food bucket had toppled over, and Zhang Yu lay beneath it—Synthetic Food cascading down like a waterfall, pouring into his mouth as he gulped it down.
His hands, meanwhile, continued to strike his own body in rapid succession—each palm impact echoing like thunder in the air.
To Yu Xinghan, it was as if a thunder god were beating a sacred drum, each strike a crack of lightning, each rhythm a relentless pursuit closing in.
As the gap between them continued to shrink, Yu Xinghan’s sweat began to turn faintly white.
That white hue meant he was truly under pressure.
The presence of undigested protein in his sweat revealed that he was sacrificing complete digestion for speed.
Not enough…
Zhang Yu’s relentless rhythm grew louder, more intense—like a storm gathering force.
Yu Xinghan’s expression hardened. His sweat shifted from pale white to a milky hue.
And as his sweat grew whiter, so did his progress—finally stabilizing the gap between them.
…
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen, now plummeted to 21st place, felt a growing sense of danger.
Gotta think of something.
She rubbed her ever-expanding belly, her mind racing. I’m about to throw up…
Need to digest this somehow.
Yet, as her rank fell, she felt increasingly calm.
Is it the Hanpo Ice Heart Scripture?
My blood and qi feel more vibrant than ever…
My mind… sharper than it’s ever been.
In that moment, every aspect of her abilities—her stats, her cultivation, her skills—flashed clearly in her mind, like weapons at her disposal.
At the same time, data from the exam hall flooded her vision—information, insights, tactical possibilities—streaming into her consciousness.
Ideas flickered, then vanished after quick evaluation.
Finally, her gaze settled on Zhang Yu.
Yu’s method works… but it won’t work for me.
I need to find my own path.
She recalled her own martial arts—Leiji True Body at Level 10, and the enhanced effects derived from Zhen Linggen’s calculations.
At Level 10, Leiji True Body had made her body more resilient, allowing her to maintain high speed for longer.
After Zhen Linggen’s refinement, that resilience had been further amplified—her muscles and tendons could now absorb and buffer impact, even at full speed.
With that idea in mind, Bai Zhenzhen began to sway.
Her body rocked slowly at first, then faster—shifting from gentle swaying to violent trembling, then into rapid, high-frequency oscillations.
Her physical strength and martial prowess kept her internal organs intact, even under such extreme motion.
And the food—once nearly impossible to digest—was now being shattered, pulverized, and liquefied by the constant vibration.
Thanks to her body’s high-speed oscillation, Bai Zhenzhen finally accelerated her consumption—rising from 21st to 20th, then charging toward 19th.
At 19th place stood Li Tongyun, drenched in white sweat, her pace slowing.
As her eating speed dropped, despair crept into her heart.
She forced each mouthful down, but the Synthetic Food felt like mud—clogging her gut and rising all the way to her throat.
Huang Zichou commented, “Li Tongyun’s at her limit.”
Another junior deity chuckled. “After all that diarrhea, her digestive system can’t take it anymore.”
Huang Zichou replied, “It might work for a short burst, but lasting the entire test? Impossible.”
Li Tongyun thought of her Bet Contract. She thought of her parents, bankrupt and broken.
She tried to force another bite into her stomach.
But it was too late.
With a soft plop, she spat everything out.
No…
Mana Exam was already below 20th. If she fell below that in the physical test, she’d lose this round of the Foundation Establishment Exam.
The thought of becoming company property sent icy dread through her soul.
She knew—better than anyone—what it meant.
Once you became an asset, your body, your blood, even your soul… none of it belonged to you anymore.
This can’t happen… I can’t lose…
Without thinking, she shoved the vomit back into her mouth, clutched the bucket, and continued shoveling food into her stomach like a starving animal.
But no matter how hard she fought, she had reached her absolute limit.
All she could do was watch, helpless, as her rank slipped further and further down.
(End of Chapter)
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