Chapter 232: Beyond Sound
Since witnessing Yun Jing’s overwhelming power in the first two rounds of the Foundation Establishment Exam, Bai Zhenzhen had quickly come to a sobering realization.
"If I just keep grinding my cultivation at the same pace, even if I push myself to the limit, the best I can hope for is a 50-50 chance in a fight against him."
"So merely training in isolation isn't enough to secure the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate."
"But I do have an advantage..."
"My advantage is that I was so weak in the first two rounds—weak enough that he never took me seriously."
From the moment the groupings were announced, she had marked Yun Jing as her primary rival. She studied him relentlessly—observing his Spirit Armor, his techniques, his dual-dantian cultivation. But he, in turn, knew almost nothing about her.
This asymmetry in knowledge—born from her apparent weakness—was Bai Zhenzhen’s greatest weapon.
"To exploit this information gap, I must become specifically strong in ways that directly counter him."
"My goal isn’t to surpass him in strength. It’s to defeat him in the Arena."
"It’s two entirely different paths."
Defeating a Songyang High School student through sheer cultivation might require years of relentless training.
But defeating one? All it might take is a mud truck—or a pirated martial arts manual slipped into his desk.
And it was in this moment of clarity that Bai Zhenzhen began to shift her entire cultivation direction.
Her choice of new techniques, Zhen Linggen’s refinements to her martial arts, even her combat style—everything now revolved around one target: the Arena. And one opponent: Yun Jing.
She would mold herself into the perfect weapon to beat Yun Jing.
Even if it meant sacrificing growth in other areas, she would do it—just for that one certificate.
Now, as the third round of the Arena battle began, Yun Jing heard her words—and immediately activated his dual dantian.
A torrent of Martial Energy erupted from his body, transforming into a raging inferno that rained down upon Bai Zhenzhen in a relentless barrage.
Watching her weave through the firestorm, dodging and fleeing in panic, Yun Jing sneered inwardly.
"Talk about defeating me with a single strike? First, get close enough."
But then he noticed something wrong.
Bai Zhenzhen wasn’t trying to close the distance at all.
Instead, she was slashing through the flames with one sword strike after another—as if the fire itself were her true enemy.
"What is she doing?"
"No matter what she’s planning, I must stop her."
"I cannot fall here. The Yun family depends on me."
"If the family collapses, the only thing I’ll have left is myself—and this Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate."
A chill crept through his heart.
With a low roar, Yun Jing pushed his Martial Energy to its absolute limit. His dual dantians roared like twin dragons, spewing molten streams of energy that twisted into flaming serpents, each one thundering toward Bai Zhenzhen.
A single brush of those flames would detonate with devastating force. To stand in their path was suicide—only evasion remained.
But Bai Zhenzhen’s face remained calm.
Facing the charging fire dragons, she didn’t dodge.
Instead, she raised her sword and met them head-on with the Wan Jian Wu Zhong Jue technique.
Boom!
The first fire dragon shattered midair, its core exploding into a storm of sparks.
Bai Zhenzhen’s body was scorched, her clothes torn, but she didn’t stop.
She advanced—sword flashing again and again.
One strike. Another. And another.
Her sword began to glow with increasing brilliance, its speed accelerating with every blow.
This was the 10th-level Wan Jian Wu Zhong Jue, refined by Zhen Linggen—now empowered by Thunder Martial Energy, each strike growing faster than the last, until the 15th strike would break the sound barrier.
And now, she was executing the 14th strike.
At that moment, her presence shifted.
Her eyes sharpened, locking onto the far side of the firestorm—onto Yun Jing.
Then, with a sudden surge, she unleashed a newly cultivated technique—Lei Xing Jiutian Step.
This technique didn’t just accelerate her movements with Thunder Martial Energy—it left behind lingering traces of that energy on the ground, forming a persistent electric field across the Arena.
The longer she fought in a confined space, the stronger the field grew—accelerating her even further.
After Zhen Linggen’s refinement, the duration of this electric field had been dramatically extended.
This was the technique she’d chosen, trained, and optimized specifically for Arena battles.
And today’s format—best-of-three—was even more perfect than she’d hoped.
In the second round, she’d deliberately delayed, refusing to win, just to saturate the Arena floor with Thunder Martial Energy.
Now, the moment had come.
Lightning erupted across the ground, crackling into a vast, invisible electric field that now enveloped the entire Arena.
Bai Zhenzhen felt the field resonate with her own Thunder Martial Energy—like springs coiling behind her, taut and ready to fire.
She was a bullet waiting for the trigger.
"Still not enough…"
She knew this was her only shot.
She had to make it flawless.
So she activated a technique she’d never shown Yun Jing before—Lei Shen Pilie Jue.
This technique infused her body with Thunder Energy, not only boosting her speed but also reinforcing her physical structure to withstand the extreme pressure of high-velocity movement.
Zhen Linggen’s refinement had taken it further—allowing her to unleash all of her Thunder Martial Energy in a single, explosive burst.
It was a technique built for one purpose: to deliver a strike faster than her body should ever be able to move.
Every choice—Wan Jian Wu Zhong Jue, Lei Xing Jiutian Step, Lei Shen Pilie Jue—had been made with one goal in mind: to dominate Yun Jing in the Arena.
Now, as Lei Shen Pilie Jue reached full power, every ounce of Thunder Martial Energy in her body surged outward—no reserves left.
Under the Hanpo Ice Heart Scripture, even in this life-or-death state, her flesh, blood, and energy seemed to awaken, pulsing with vitality.
Boom!
With the electric field accelerating her, she took one step—and shot forward like a lightning bolt, crashing headfirst into the storm of fire.
Her 15th strike of Wan Jian Wu Zhong Jue roared like a rocket, tearing through the air with a thunderous sonic boom.
Then came the full force of Lei Shen Pilie Jue—pouring every drop of her Martial Energy into that single strike.
"Go! Take all my energy, all my spirit! Give me speed—more speed!"
She screamed inside, even channeling her protective Thunder Barrier into the sword itself.
She wanted it faster. Faster. Faster.
But without her barrier, her body could not withstand the pressure.
Her flesh tore apart, blood and muscle splitting open in jagged lines.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yet even as the explosions roared, Bai Zhenzhen had already arrived—before the sound.
She passed through the shattered, compressed firestorm and stood face-to-face with Yun Jing.
Her sword, which had been gradually accelerating since the first round, now reached its ultimate limit—beyond sound itself.
Under the full force of her heart’s focus and the Hanpo Ice Heart Scripture, the world around her seemed to slow.
She watched her sword, inch by inch, pierce Yun Jing’s shoulder.
The man’s eyes—blank, unseeing—reflected nothing.
"Exactly as I calculated," she thought. "At this speed, his Spirit Armor can’t track the motion."
She knew the specs of his armor inside and out. The most reliable way to break it? Make the attack too fast to detect.
"All three matches… were for this moment."
But then—memory flooded her.
The past year of grinding. The endless battles. The times she’d held on, muscles screaming, under unbearable pressure.
She remembered her childhood—worrying over her Hidden Spirit Root. Studying through the night, chasing the path of immortality.
"For this strike… I’ve trained for fifteen years. I’ve accelerated for fifteen years. I’ve chased you for fifteen years."
"Now… this strike has finally caught up."
Peng!
The sword struck.
Yun Jing’s skin split, his muscles tore, his bones shattered.
His upper body exploded open, and his body was flung backward with a thunderous impact.
Bai Zhenzhen collapsed, her body torn to shreds, muscles on the verge of ripping apart.
But as the divine energy enveloped her, she forced her eyes open.
"Did I… win?"
Huang Zichou stared at the broken figure before him, then nodded slowly.
"You did. You’ve earned one of today’s four Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificates."
Bai Zhenzhen smiled faintly.
Yu-zi… Mom’s done. Now it’s your turn.
Then she collapsed into unconsciousness.
In the audience stand, the “Crying-Laughing Emoji” finished reviewing the three rounds of the Arena match.
"Interesting."
"This Bai Zhenzhen doesn’t outmatch Yun Jing in raw power—but her combat instincts, her potential… she’s clearly superior."
"Now she’s got the certificate too…"
A spark ignited in the emoji’s mind.
"She’s worth investing in. I can already imagine the universities scrambling to recruit her."
"Oh? She’s from Songyang City?"
He glanced at her file, then smirked.
"And she’s at the same school as Zhang Yu? Perfect. I’ll take her on too."
"By the time they start university, I’ll be done with my work here anyway."
Even the “Smiling Emoji” beside him didn’t object.
"Bai Zhenzhen may be a super-poor kid, but she’s earned her certificate on her first try. She’s talent. And once at university, she’ll be useful to you."
"But don’t forget—train her properly. Set the rules. Don’t let her bring the habits of a poor background into the team."
At that moment, Zhang Yu and Ye Lingshao began their final match.
The crowd’s attention snapped to the arena.
---
Thank you, A Quier, for gifting Bai Zhenzhen a pair of External Spiritual Root Socks.
(End of Chapter)
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