https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-167-The-Final-Exam-Martial-Arts-Exam/13686636/
Chapter 168: Zhang Yu's Heartbreak
(Thanks to ‘Tianze Lu’ for the Silver Alliance Patronage Gift)
According to Zheng Shen’s explanation and standards, a ten-star difficulty Technique was one that an ordinary high school student from a regular high school would need three years to master.
A nine-star difficulty required two years, eight-star took one year, and seven-star was roughly half a year’s worth of effort.
Hearing this, Dai Xingzhi thought to himself: “Given this scale, if I have to master a Technique within two hours, I’m confident in a five-star difficulty. A six-star would already carry a risk of failure. As for anything seven-star or higher… well, aside from Yun Jing and Ye Lingshao, I doubt anyone here would even dare to attempt it.”
After all, in Dai Xingzhi’s eyes, risking a zero score just to gain a few extra points was far too reckless.
On the other side, Zhang Yu paid no mind to the difficulty breakdown. He was staring at the row of Techniques appearing on the Light Screen, his lips twitching into a barely suppressed smile.
Tianmo Parasitic Technique, Buzhou Banshan Jing, Xinyuan Great Handprint…
Though the Techniques offered by Zheng Shen in this exam could never be the complete collection of Kunxu’s Qi Cultivation Stage Techniques, to Zhang Yu, they were already overwhelming.
“So many Techniques? Can I pick any of them?”
At that moment, Zhang Yu’s eyes sparkled with uncontainable excitement. With his extraordinary potential, helping the Feather Scroll master any Technique was effortless.
Meanwhile, Zheng Shen continued explaining the rules. Deng Bingding said:
“…Different difficulty levels come with corresponding difficulty coefficients.
Your final score in this section will be calculated based on the difficulty coefficient and the time it takes you to successfully master the Technique.
Alright, you now have ten minutes to begin selecting your Technique.
Once a Technique is chosen, it cannot be changed.
If you fail to complete your selection within ten minutes, it will be treated as a forfeit—zero points for this section.
As for the weapons, materials, medicines, and other resources needed to practice each Technique, they will all be provided on-site. They’ll be issued to you immediately after you make your choice.
Lastly, remember not to select a Technique you’ve already learned. Doing so will be considered cheating.”
As the final rules of this Martial Arts Exam were laid out, the ten-minute countdown began. Students could now interact with their own Light Screens to begin selecting Techniques.
Around the hall, students were frantically swiping and tapping across their screens, their eyes darting from one Technique to another, brows furrowed in hesitation.
Zhang Yu watched the list of Techniques scroll by, thinking: “To get a high score, I should pick the hardest one.”
Each Technique on the list had been rated in stars by Zheng Shen based on difficulty.
Zhang Yu filtered out the ten-star Techniques, and the following appeared:
Senluo Wanxiang Zhang, Sanshi Tu Mo Da Fa, Tianmo Jieti Da Fa, Wan Jian Wu Zhong Jue, Bian Qian Qian Huan Xin Jue…
“Ten-star difficulty only means the highest training difficulty. It doesn’t necessarily mean the strongest Technique. And it certainly isn’t the one I need—or the one best suited for me.”
Then, Zhang Yu remembered the process of the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam—and the true purpose of today’s test.
“The Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam has three rounds. Today’s session is the first round, held in August.
Then comes the second round in October, and the final round in January next year.
Passing the first round only requires your combined scores in Martial Energy, Physical Strength, and Martial Arts to rank within the top twenty. That’s all you need to qualify for the next stage.”
Zhang Yu mentally calculated his standings in Martial Energy and Physical Strength. He knew that as long as he ranked in the top twenty on the third test, he’d be safe.
“So… rather than chasing the most difficult Technique and trying to maximize my score…” Zhang Yu thought, “maybe I should use this chance to freely train a powerful Technique that suits me best.”
“One, it won’t hurt my chances of passing today.
Two, it’ll be far more beneficial for my long-term development.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the list of Techniques, each priced at hundreds of thousands—or even millions. His mouth nearly watered.
Though all were expert-level Techniques, there was still a gap between them. The price of each Technique reflected that difference.
Techniques costing 700,000 or 800,000—up to a million—were things Zhang Yu had never even dared to dream of.
With that kind of money, he’d first use it to buy pills, medicine, rent Spirit Veins, or access the Ling Realm.
But now? He had a chance to learn such a rare Technique—for free.
Decision made.
“I’ll pick the strongest Technique that suits me best.”
Finding the ideal fit wasn’t hard.
“Since my Physical Strength Level broke past Level 8, Chisui Hunyuanqi has gradually become less efficient.”
With that in mind, Zhang Yu selected Body Cultivation Martial Art under Technique type, then filtered for Late Qi Cultivation stage.
As for which one was strongest among these?
He tapped to sort by price—highest to lowest.
“Kunxu is full of traps—endless scams and rip-offs.
But one thing they never lie about?
They never price a Technique they consider truly powerful as cheap.”
“There’s no such thing as a bargain in this market.”
“The most expensive Techniques are always the most formidable.”
The list appeared before him, sorted by cost:
- 1.55 million: Chunqiu Wujin Chan
- 1.54 million: Taijin Lianti Yaojue
- 1.52 million: Datianlong Shenli
All three were eight-star difficulty—not the highest, but exactly what Zhang Yu needed.
Especially after scanning their descriptions, Zhang Yu felt a sharp pang of pain in his heart.
“I’m going to have to give up two of these?”
His hesitation deepened.
“Chunqiu Wujin Chan strengthens the body, refines the tendons, purifies the marrow, fortifies the organs, truly transforms the constitution, enhances vitality, purges dan toxins, medicine poisons, and all manner of impurities—boosting the effectiveness of medicine and pills.”
“Mastering this Technique means you can devour pills and needles without limit. It’s a true pinnacle of physical cultivation, greatly enhancing Xian Dao Potential.”
But then he looked at Taijin Lianti Yaojue, and his desire flared.
“A Technique forged by a steelworker who fell into a blast furnace, struggling to survive.”
“It allows you to melt various alloys into your body—fusing them with flesh, bone, even organs—dramatically increasing your resilience and physical endurance.”
“The higher the quality of the alloy used, the stronger your body becomes. The company promises annual updates to training materials—so even at Level 10, you’ll grow stronger every year.”
Zhang Yu scoffed at the story. The tale of a worker falling into a furnace was clearly a marketing gimmick.
He’d bet his life it was the result of countless failed experiments—people burned, crushed, and dead in labs—before this Technique was finally perfected.
But its power? Undeniable.
Then he glanced at Datianlong Shenli.
“Melt dragon blood into your flesh, transforming your body into a half-dragon, half-human form. Boosts muscle strength, body toughness, recovery speed, stamina, endurance, drug resistance, metabolism, digestion—all enhanced.”
“If practiced daily, the growth potential continues. You may even extend your lifespan and gain actual dragon-like abilities.”
“Though… there are side effects. The dragon essence gradually influences your personality. Dragons are naturally lustful—so over time, your tastes may shift, your desires broaden.”
“Best to follow up with Sterilization Surgery for optimal refinement.”
But to Zhang Yu, even that small price was worth it.
If he could learn this Technique for free, he’d gladly undergo a small surgery.
As the ten-minute selection window ticked down, Zhang Yu stared at the three Techniques, torn between longing and agony.
“I want all of them.”
“Damn… this is too hard to choose.”
Compared to Zhang Yu’s torment, Ye Lingshao made his choice with cold precision.
As the heir to the Perfect Bloodline of the Xian Du Yeh family, Ye Lingshao possessed a nervous system far more developed than any ordinary high school student. His innate control over muscles, organs, and Martial Energy was terrifying—natural, instinctive, and unmatched.
Since entering high school, this gift had fully awakened. He could master any Technique he learned—first glance, instant comprehension; first try, perfect execution.
To date, the number of Techniques he’d mastered far surpassed what any normal student could imagine. Even his classmates, teachers, and private coaches had no idea how many he’d learned.
Now, as he scanned the list, he recognized many of the Techniques—some he’d already mastered, others he’d heard of.
But he wouldn’t risk selecting a Technique he’d already trained.
Not only was it beneath him, but every Technique he’d used was a legally purchased, licensed version.
The Zheng Shen examiners could verify his records instantly.
So after filtering for ten-star difficulty, he picked one he hadn’t trained—yet didn’t dislike.
“How about Wan Jian Wu Zhong Jue?” Ye Lingshao decided.
On the other end, Yun Jing was even simpler.
Unlike Ye Lingshao, who had mastered countless Techniques, Yun Jing didn’t even need to consider. He sorted the list by difficulty—highest to lowest—and chose the first one: Senluo Wanxiang Zhang.
Yu Xinghan, meanwhile, paused for a moment.
His cultivation path—every Technique he’d learn at the Qi stage—had already been meticulously planned by Xinghuo Immortal.
And from the results of the first two exams, his performance pressure wasn’t high. There was no need to take extreme risks.
“No point in choosing a Technique outside my master’s plan. That would only waste my time and energy.”
After all, Xinghuo Immortal’s schedule was already tight. He had no spare time to waste on extra training.
“I’ll stick to the plan.”
“Then when Li Xuelian sends me money next time… I can use this chance to get a free Technique—and then wrangle more funds from her.”
The thought made Yu Xinghan’s heart leap.
“So I should pick the most expensive one in the plan…”
His eyes landed on the seven-star difficulty Tiangang Qigong, priced at 900,000.
“Even if I tried, I’d struggle to master this in two hours.”
“And…”
He stared at the bold warning in the description: “To master this art, you must cut your own life.”
A chill ran down his spine.
He’d already asked Zheng Shen: the Technique required full bodily integrity. If selected, the Health Department’s Great Deity would intervene—using divine power to restore the body’s completeness after Sterilization Surgery.
“But… the cost is high.”
“The Dao Heart is corrupted. Hormonal shifts alter your mind and body. It disrupts your cultivation.”
For someone like Yu Xinghan—determined to forge a path through the Xian Dao with relentless ambition—such interference was poison.
“No wonder the master delayed this until my second or third year of high school.”
“I never realized the price would be this steep.”
Yu Xinghan clenched his teeth.
“But… fortune favors the bold. If I can’t risk 900,000 to chase a fortune, how can I ever climb higher on the Xian Dao?”
“I’ll do it!”
The rest of the students—Dai Xingzhi, Meng Tao, and other Xian Du high schoolers—mostly chose five or six-star Techniques.
A safe bet.
Because if they picked something too difficult and failed to master it within two hours, they’d get zero points.
(End of Chapter)
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