CHAPTER 222: A FOUNDATION EXAM PACKED WITH SPECTATORS?

On the 333rd floor of the Central Tower in Songyang City.

Zhou Yang lay on a hospital bed, the lower half of his body hollow, gazing out the window.

He looked toward the nearby Oasis Tower, still under construction and gradually surpassing the Central Tower in height, and it felt like he was witnessing the Oasis Group rise to eclipse all the old elite clans of Songyang.

He thought to himself, “Now that synthetic food is mainstream, even synthetic meat has entered the market. Soon, the entire food market on the first floor of Kunxu may be flooded with these products.”

But Zhou Yang knew that technology alone could never monopolize a market.

Just like Oasis Group back then—they had the most advanced synthetic food tech, yet still needed partnerships with local companies and families to enter Songyang’s market.

He recalled how half a year ago, Oasis Group had launched collaborative projects with the city’s three elite high schools and their backing corporations, developing three new body-refining Techniques.

“Next up might be synthetic human organs.”

“Rumor has it that over in Xiandu, a prestigious clan is already combining bloodline-modification technology with Oasis Group’s mastery of the human body.”

“If so, then it won’t just be food. Even family lineages, body cultivation, all aspects of training the next generation will be tied to Oasis Group.”

Still, Zhou Yang understood: Oasis Group wouldn’t dominate Kunxu’s first floor alone—every major local power would partner with them.

“All this open and covert scheming between the city’s families and companies is just a battle for bigger shares and more leverage in the partnerships to come,” he thought.

“Some companies and families will gradually decline and vanish in the flow of history.”

“But those who remain will form an empire with Oasis Group—monopolizing the first floor’s food supply, cultivation, bloodline tech… everything.”

“In the face of this tidal wave of change, if the Zhou Family is to survive and even rise, the best way is to strengthen the power of the Evil God.”

Zhou Yang could already picture the escalating conflicts in Songyang, and he and his family would face even greater danger.

That sense of urgency only grew stronger.

But among Songyang’s Sixteen Clans, the Zhou Family ranked low. Competing head-to-head with titans like the Song or Le families was nearly impossible.

Especially now, with the Zhou Family still reeling from the fallout after Wanxing Education Group got blocked.

Compared to all that…

“Instead of fighting other elite clans, why not go after Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen after the Foundation Establishment exam—capture the Evil God behind them.” ꭆΆℕΟ𝔟ÈꞨ

Zhou Yang picked up his phone, looked at the incoming messages, and exhaled slowly.

“They’ve already set out, huh?”

“When the Foundation Establishment exam ends, the Righteous Gods won’t shield you anymore.”

“With the wealth and intelligence gap between us…”

Whether he acted himself, sent others, or leveraged blackmail against Evil God cultists—Zhou Yang was certain that once the exam’s protection was gone, everything would become much simpler.

“The situation is volatile. As soon as the exam ends, we must take them down fast.”

Just imagining the moment Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen fell into his hands, pliable and helpless, made Zhou Yang restless with anticipation.

…

Aboard the train to Xiandu City.

Zhang Yu felt his phone vibrate and reached out to check the message, but his hand slipped—and the screen suddenly switched to a video ad.

He tried to close it, but instead it jumped to a shopping app.

He scowled at the “Recommended for You: Kidney-Boost Capsules” listing and finally shut it down.

Zhang Yu grumbled internally, “Damn it… Now that corporate warfare’s heating up, even the ads and algorithms are out of control.”

“That vibration just now—was it from Yu Xinghan?”

Seeing Yu Xinghan’s message—just the words “Good luck”—Zhang Yu smiled.

He knew the guy had guessed he was headed to the Foundation Establishment exam and sent his encouragement.

Meanwhile, in a classroom at White Dragon High School…

Yu Xinghan stared at Zhang Yu’s smiley-face reply and mused, “Zhang Yu’s really impressive… but he’s still a year behind that guy from Xiandu. From last year’s Foundation Establishment exam, the gap’s pretty obvious.”

“Still, even if he fails this time, next year his odds are sky-high.”

“When that time comes, we’ll be in the same exam group. I better stay on good terms with him and steer clear of his track…”

Back on the train, Zhang Yu reflected, “Based on what Yu Xinghan’s been hinting at lately…”

“He doesn’t think I’ll snag the Foundation License this round. That’s why he’s cozying up to me—for next year, to team up with me and Ah-Zhen for the win.”

Whether he could beat Ye Lingxiao in this exam—Zhang Yu couldn’t say with full certainty.

After all, he had no clue how much Ye Lingxiao had improved over the past three months.

But he firmly believed that if he gave it everything he had, his chances were far from slim.

He instinctively glanced at his Feathered Tome.

The Chain Diagram could hold ten Techniques in total. After swapping out eight, Zhang Yu had replaced his original High School Saint Body with the Martial Saint Embryo set.

Because set bonuses required six Techniques, he couldn’t activate both sets at once.

Basic – Martial Saint Embryo (6/6): Embryo formed. Greatly enhanced durability and external wound regeneration.

Advanced – Martial Saint Embryo (8/8): Embryo matured. Drastically boosted inner injury healing and physical load-bearing. Unlocks overload capability.

The second-tier effect gave his body higher tolerance and stronger healing from internal damage.

“This boosted tolerance,” he thought, “lets me push my physical strength beyond the limit without fearing muscle tears or bone fractures—it raised both my burst damage cap and stamina.”

“And this overload ability… makes my burst output even scarier.”

“With boosted healing for internal injuries, combined with my external regen, I basically got another layer of health insurance.”

“Wait—who am I kidding? I can’t even afford health insurance right now.”

He couldn’t afford spiritual energy insurance anymore, not just because all his cash went to Technique purchases. As his cultivation rose and his body refining advanced, the treatment costs for injuries increased—so the premiums skyrocketed too.

He remembered what Fu Ji once told him: even some Foundation or Gold Core powerhouses couldn’t afford coverage. They walked on eggshells, afraid to even raise their voice.

Because one conflict could bankrupt them from medical bills alone.

These cultivators were mockingly called “glass cannon immortals”—one hit and they’re financially ruined, their Dao foundations brittle and weak.

“But with the Martial Saint Embryo,” Zhang Yu thought, “I’m not afraid of most injuries even without coverage.”

“My biggest weakness right now…”

He looked back at his Feathered Tome.

Dao Heart: Level 8 (89.5%)

Though it had leapt compared to before, it still lagged behind his maxed-out Mana and physical strength.

But there wasn’t much more he could do. Most of the millions he’d earned from tutoring had gone into Techniques—just to complete the eight-piece Martial Saint Embryo.

For Dao Heart boosts, he relied on the Resentment Root and the school’s Spiritual Realm access. Getting to 89.5% at Level 8 was already pushing it.

Still, Zhang Yu knew he had nothing left to prepare. All he had to do now was give it his all in the exam.

Ironically, Bai Zhenzhen had already maxed out her Dao Heart to Level 10, making her an all-rounder at the Qi Refinement limit—Dao Heart, Mana, and physical strength all capped.

“She didn’t need to waste cash assembling a set bonus,” he mused, “so she could invest more into her Dao Heart.”

While Bai Zhenzhen had only learned two new Techniques in three months, her Zhen Spirit Root’s powerful inference ability gave her Techniques much stronger Level 10 effects.

For example, her Foundation Establishment exam pick—Infinite Sword Meditation—when upgraded, accelerated with Thunder Mana. By the twelfth slash, it broke the sound barrier, triggering a supersonic Sword Aura.

Her two new Techniques, post-upgrade, were also tailored for arena combat—her strategy to clinch the Foundation License.

As the floating city neared, Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up.

“The final round of the Foundation Establishment exam…”

After a year of struggle, every ounce of effort now barreled toward a conclusion. His blood surged, heart racing—he’d never felt this excited or nervous.

…

After getting off at the Xiandu City station.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen didn’t dare enter any restaurants or drink shops.

As for those massage chairs that blared alarms if you didn’t pay—forget it.

They just found an empty spot in the station and waited for the exam to begin.

Same old restroom. Same old website. Once Zhang Yu clicked “Enter Exam,” he felt his body plunge downward—and when he came to, he was standing in a massive plaza.

What shocked him most, though, was that surrounding the plaza—aside from the five Righteous God proctors—was a stadium full of spectator seats.

And those seats… were packed with people watching him.

“Spectators?!”

Zhang Yu gaped at the stands.

“The final round of the Foundation Establishment exam… has spectators?! And so many of them?!”

“What the hell is going on?”