CHAPTER 198: EXAM SUSPENDED?

As the Mana Circulation Injection entered his body, Zhang Yu felt the mana within him—already churning nonstop around the clock—begin to surge even more violently.

Under the fierce pull of the Great Sun Qi Sea, the surrounding spiritual energy swarmed toward him like rivers flowing into the ocean, eventually transforming into threads of mana that pooled into his dantian.

“What a shame I don’t have a Spirit Root. If I did—and if I were sitting on a leyline—then today I might’ve been able to push my mana to the Qi Refining limit of 100 units.”

At the same time, Zhang Yu could feel his meridians starting to twitch and his heart accelerating. His breath came faster, more ragged.

“The side effects of the Mana Circulation Injection? It’s different from the Phoenix Function Booster—it seems to put more strain on the respiratory and circulatory systems.”

“Different drugs clearly stress different parts of the body.”

“That means if I want to rack up more points—if I want to make the most of this all-you-can-use buffet and train in a balanced way—I should take a wider variety of drugs. Spread the load across different systems…”

“Drugs that target the Dao Heart, mana, and body—taking all three types could let me offset side effects while raising all attributes together.”

Though he could feel the burden on his body intensifying again, Zhang Yu didn’t stop. Instead, he kept twisting his torso and practicing the Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation, steadily enhancing his physical strength.

After all, he knew just how rare this kind of free, all-you-can-inject drug session really was.

“There’s only one hour of buffet time.”

“I need to make every second count, train hard, and fully capitalize on the effects of these drugs…”

And so, under the synergy of the Great Sun Qi Sea Technique and Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation, the Mana Circulation Injection and Phoenix Function Booster were pushed to full effect, accelerating both his cultivation efficiency and the pace of his physical and mana growth.

Not to be outdone, Ye Lingxiao jabbed himself with a Mana Circulation Injection after watching Zhang Yu do the same.

As the drug coursed through him, he felt his blood, meridians, and mana all begin to boil. Ye Lingxiao realized he’d hit his current limit for handling the Mana Circulation Injection.

He fought to keep his muscles from spasming too hard, thinking, “If I want to keep using drugs, I’ll have to switch to a Dao Relief Capsule or Phoenix Function Booster.”

“Once I’ve processed this dose…”

For the next few minutes, Ye Lingxiao kept circulating the Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation to digest the medicine, mentally calculating his next dose.

But before he could decide, Zhang Yu—having just finished metabolizing the last injection—grabbed another Mana Circulation Injection and jabbed it into his arm.

Ye Lingxiao’s eyelids twitched. “This guy…”

Once again falling behind, Ye Lingxiao—prideful scion of Xiandu and undisputed top scorer in every test since childhood—refused to admit defeat.

He took a deep breath and swallowed a Dao Relief Capsule.

In an instant, he felt a wave of negativity and pain from the drug’s side effects wash away. Even his nerves seemed calmer.

A spark of joy lit up his heart. “As expected, this Dao Relief Capsule really works. It’s suppressing my anxiety and softening the mental impact of the side effects.”

“Taking this before the next round should improve my performance.”

“But what are the drawbacks?”

“I don’t feel anything weird… Could it really have no side effects? That doesn’t seem likely…”

Several minutes later, Zhang Yu once again jabbed himself with a Mana Circulation Injection, followed by a Phoenix Function Booster.

Ye Lingxiao, unwilling to fall behind, popped two more Dao Relief Capsules.

Thirty minutes into the exam, both of them had already racked up 9,000 points.

Zhang Yu’s mana and physique had improved markedly: 97.6 mana, 9.90 physical strength—ever closer to the upper limits of Qi Refining.

Watching these soaring scores, the surrounding candidates—Yu Xinghan and Meng Tao included—were filled with unease.

They hadn’t even taken the drugs themselves, yet the thought of the terrifying amount of spiritual force now saturating Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao’s bodies made them shudder.

Meng Tao was aghast. “It’s only halfway through and they’ve already gone six rounds of top-tier meds? Their metabolism’s way beyond mine. If today’s drug buffet is a shit-eating contest, then those two are dung beetles in a septic tank, and I’m not even in the same ecosystem…”

Yu Xinghan stared hard at Zhang Yu. “This guy… he’s keeping pace with a top-tier Xiandu heir? Looks like he was holding back even when he was selling seeds at the Red Tower. If he can farm and drug at the same time, his output would crush mine.”

Just then, Zhang Yu picked up a Dragon Elephant Enhancer and injected it.

Ye Lingxiao’s eyes narrowed, a spark flashing behind them.

“Dragon Elephant Enhancer? Trying to edge ahead with brute strength?”

To Ye Lingxiao, this was like watching a rival bidder toss in an extra hundred bucks after already going broke.

“He must be at his limit.”

“And he still hasn’t taken a Dao Relief Capsule… is he scared of the unknown side effects?”

“If that’s the case, then this test is mine for the taking!”

Grabbing another Dao Relief Capsule, Ye Lingxiao’s eyes gleamed with resolution.

He still didn’t know what the capsule’s side effects were—but he could sense his body hadn’t hit its threshold yet.

“First is always mine. Must always be mine.”

That belief—of standing at the peak, claiming first in all things—had been drilled into Ye Lingxiao since birth. It was the ancestral creed of the Ye clan.

“In Kunxu, if you’re not first, then family or talent alike—you’ll be eliminated eventually.”

Thinking of his clan’s generations of hard work, inching ever closer to becoming the strongest among the top-tier Xiandu families, Ye Lingxiao was overcome with pride.

Especially now—with the Foundation Establishment exam approaching—his clan planned to use his post-exam success to market the “perfect bloodline,” drawing wider attention to the high school Foundation Establishment trials.

It wasn’t just ambition—it was belief.

The top Xiandu families believed their average wealth and power now dwarfed the rest of Kunxu’s First Floor. No regional force could challenge them anymore.

The Foundation Establishment exam didn’t need secrecy—it could now be a PR event. Every year, they’d use the winners to expand their corporate empires, reaching into new cities.

Ye Lingxiao felt the power of generations fueling this moment.

“As the Ye clan’s heir, how could I lose to an outsider here?”

He downed another Dao Relief Capsule.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had been carefully watching Ye Lingxiao’s reaction to the pill.

He hadn’t taken one himself precisely because of those ambiguous side effects.

But Zhang Yu hadn’t ruled it out either. He simply wanted to observe Ye Lingxiao first.

“With my High School Saint Body, my drug metabolism must surpass his.”

“If Ye Lingxiao can handle it, then so can I.”

Watching closely, Zhang Yu saw Ye Lingxiao’s muscles swelling, his skin flushing purple, and a small lump bulging from the top of his head.

“Seems manageable. I should be able to handle it too.”

After waiting a few more minutes and seeing no further symptoms beyond that bulging bump, Zhang Yu decided to try a Dao Relief Capsule himself.

As he picked up the pill, Ye Lingxiao scoffed. “Still not giving up?”

He muttered, “I’ll catch up in no time. Once I take this Phoenix Function Booster, you’re finished.”

Zhang Yu blinked, looking at the pill in his rival’s hand. “That’s a Dao Relief Capsule, isn’t it?”

Ye Lingxiao chuckled. “Take another Dao Relief Capsule? No way. The side effects are too intense—I’d never take a third one. But once I take this Dao Relief Capsule, I’ll leave you in the dust!”

Zhang Yu stared at him, stunned. Did that even make sense? Was it his brain that wasn’t working, or Ye Lingxiao’s?

“Is that the side effect of the Dao Relief Capsule?”

“Don’t tell me it lowers intelligence?”

Yu Xinghan, Meng Tao, and the other candidates also heard Ye Lingxiao’s contradictory rambling and looked at him with shocked expressions.

Just then, Huang Zichou suddenly called a halt to the exam.

“Contestant #23 (Ye Lingxiao) is exhibiting some irregular physical symptoms. We will pause for two minutes…”

Zhang Yu thought, “Are they going to treat Ye Lingxiao? These Righteous Gods actually care about the health of their examinees?”

Then Huang Zichou added, “All examinees must now sign a contract agreeing to keep confidential any adverse reactions observed in Contestant #23 after taking the Dao Relief Capsule. Disclosure of any negative information about the product is strictly forbidden…”

You’ve got to be kidding me…

Zhang Yu cursed silently. “They’re stopping the exam… to protect the drug’s brand image?”