CHAPTER 223: DIVINE SPIRIT ROOT

The Foundation Establishment exam had never allowed spectators before. As far as Zhang Yu was concerned, it was a way to protect students’ information—so the outside world wouldn’t catch wind of the candidates’ conditions.

“But what’s going on now?”

“Are they broadcasting the results for all to see?”

Zhang Yu frowned as he scanned the spectator stands. Only then did he notice how bizarre the crowd looked—some wore cartoon avatars, others looked like characters from games, and a few appeared as literal emojis. Only a minority looked like actual humans.

He muttered internally, “Are they watching remotely through the Divine Power Network?”

Not long after Zhang Yu arrived at the examination grounds, Ye Lingxiao showed up as well. When he saw the strange-looking crowd, he too was visibly stunned.

At that moment, Huang Zichou’s voice rang directly in both their ears.

“There’s no need to be nervous. These spectators are all from universities on the second floor of Kunxu. None of them are from the first floor.”

“They’re here to observe your performance and report back to their schools and departments. This way, when you apply for university later, they’ll offer you better terms.”

“This opportunity was secured for you by the Divine Department. It’s a chance to shine in this final round so you’ll have more opportunities to develop when you reach the second floor.”

Whether or not the pressure of being observed would affect the candidates was not something gods like Huang Zichou considered.

After all, what strong cultivator hasn’t been watched?

Forget being watched—what about livestreams, commercials, public speeches, or even getting flamed online? Enduring countless spotlights while staying composed and performing at your best—that was a basic requirement for any Immortal Dao powerhouse.

If someone crumbled under an audience and failed to secure their Foundation License, it only proved that their talent and aptitude were lacking.

Hearing Huang Zichou’s words, both Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao perked up.

Zhang Yu felt he understood now—this was like university recruiters descending from the heavens to handpick top talent.

“If I snag the Foundation License in this round, will multiple universities from the Ten Great Academies fight over me with even better offers?”

Just the thought fired him up. His blood surged, body temperature rose, and he found himself looking forward to the exam with renewed excitement.

Huang Zichou could see how both Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao were visibly more motivated. He thought to himself, “Sure, it’s a benefit for them…”

“But it’s also a great excuse to sell tickets, open up betting pools, and recover some of our funds.”

“Those two ate way too much during the last round—it burned through a good chunk of the exam’s budget.”

He continued, “Besides this opportunity, the winner of this round will receive a three-million interest-free loan, one expert-grade Technique of their choice, and the chance to choose a specific instructor after entering university.”

“The loser will also receive a three-million interest-free loan, one expert-grade Technique, and bonus points toward the next Foundation Establishment exam.”

Zhang Yu pondered, “Choose an instructor?”

He remembered Fu Ji once telling him how important it was to pick the right mentor in university.

In the second floor of Kunxu—and above—for most people, a sect or master was far more important than family background.

Zhang Yu glanced at Ye Lingxiao beside him, noting the excited look on his face. That confirmed it—this was definitely a high-stakes reward. Even someone as wealthy as Ye Lingxiao couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. 𝐑𝖆ꞐổBËs

Huang Zichou then began explaining the rules of the final round.

“This last round of the Foundation Establishment exam consists of three trials.”

“These trials won’t just test your current strength, but also your future potential post-Foundation Establishment. The goal is to decide which of you has the better qualifications to advance first…”

…

While Huang Zichou was explaining the rules, two emoji avatars in the audience were having a private conversation.

The smiling emoji said, “See him? That’s Ye Lingxiao. Once you get assigned to manage Oasis Group on the first floor next month, he’ll be there to assist you.”

Beside him was a laughing-crying emoji, who replied, “Oh? So that Ye Lingxiao’s the one who’s going to earn his Foundation License today?”

The smiling emoji nodded. “Students on the first floor may be weaker in intelligence and ability, but they’re not completely talentless. This Ye Lingxiao is decent.”

“Plus, his Ye clan has some standing on the first floor. He’s not from some penniless household—he knows how to behave.”

“When he comes to assist you on behalf of the Ye clan, remember…”

But before he could finish, the laughing-crying emoji cut him off: “Mom, I know. Don’t worry. I’ll respect the talented and treat them well. I won’t abuse my power.”

The smiling emoji sighed. “It’s not that I’m worried you’ll bully them—I’m afraid they’ll con you.”

“My son, you’re too soft-hearted. You’re always too kind to your subordinates.”

“Remember this: these people are like the dogs you used to raise. If you feed them too well, they’ll start to think they’re your equals. Some might even try to climb onto the table and bite the hand that feeds them.”

“You need to keep them hungry. Feed them by hand. You must discipline them. They need to fear you.”

“Never forget: you’re there to control them, not to make friends with them…”

The laughing-crying emoji chuckled helplessly. “When have I ever been conned?”

The smiling emoji replied, “That time you used your Legal Killing License and didn’t even kill anyone—and paid those bystanders a ridiculous sum…”

The laughing-crying emoji said exasperatedly, “I never kill people to begin with.”

“Have I ever used the license to kill anyone since I got it?”

“That time, I just needed a few limbs from some random passersby for a Dao Technique. I used the license to avoid any divine misunderstandings. As for paying afterward—consider it buying local materials.”

The smiling emoji sighed again. “Still, you paid too much. Just for a few limbs, you gave them the price of a full kill.”

“If your father were here, he’d never waste money like that. You’re too soft…”

“Son, you have a Legal Killing License. It’s not illegal. You’re killing legally. When you compensate someone, you can negotiate! Especially if they don’t even have household registration—they’re worth even less.”

“If you keep wasting money like this, without ever bargaining or using discounts, no amount of family wealth will be enough for you…”

…

Back on the exam grounds, Huang Zichou had finished explaining the first trial.

To evaluate their physical potential, both candidates would be temporarily granted access to the Divine Spirit Root.

The Divine Spirit Root surpassed the Human, Earth, and Heavenly Spirit Roots. It was considered military-grade and had previously only been available to the army and certain special government divisions.

Just hearing that he could use the Divine Spirit Root—even temporarily—made Zhang Yu’s heart stir with excitement.

“This really is a top-tier Foundation Establishment exam.”

“They’re actually letting us use the Divine Spirit Root on the field…”

The trial would compare how well Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao could harness the capabilities of the Divine Spirit Root.

Zhang Yu recalled: “According to the examiner, to break into the Foundation Establishment Realm, one must plant the Spirit Root into their Dantian. During the breakthrough, the root transforms into a new internal organ that elevates the body and soul, paving the way to Foundation Establishment…”

He’d known for a long time that to advance to Foundation Establishment, aside from a level-10 Dao Heart and 60 Mana points, the most crucial factor was the Spirit Root.

And according to Huang Zichou, during the root-planting phase, the healthier and stronger the body—with fewer hidden injuries, impurities, or lingering toxins—the better the Spirit Root would perform, and the stronger one’s post-breakthrough powers would be.

Huang Zichou thought privately: “High schoolers in the Qi Refining Realm often take extreme measures to boost their scores, recklessly pushing their limits with dangerous shortcuts.”

“That often leaves behind too many injuries and toxins, compromising their potential.”

“Two people might look equally strong on the surface, but after Foundation Establishment, their achievements can differ drastically because of this.”

“That’s exactly what this Divine Spirit Root trial is meant to evaluate.”

They opted for the Divine Spirit Root because, from a god’s perspective, the Heavenly Spirit Root’s upper limit was too low to show meaningful differences between the candidates.

At that moment, two long black cases were delivered to Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao.

Zhang Yu opened his case to find a black combat uniform inside.

Huang Zichou explained, “This is the military’s external-use Spirit Root—the Divine Spirit Root combat uniform. We’ve stripped out all auxiliary functions and kept only the core Spirit Root.”

“Once you put it on, the Divine Spirit Root will merge with your body, endlessly supplying you with Mana and stamina…”

Zhang Yu quickly changed into the black uniform, which wrapped tightly around him.

The moment it touched his skin, he felt it come alive—countless tiny tendrils latched onto him, like it had fused with his body.

Huang Zichou continued, “Channel your Mana into the suit to activate the Divine Spirit Root.”

As Zhang Yu poured Mana into the suit, it tightened even more, molding perfectly to his form.

Then came a roaring surge of spiritual energy from the air, rushing into him like a tsunami.

Endless waves of energy flooded into the uniform, converting into pure Mana that joined the Mana Zhang Yu had already injected—creating a new external circulation that fed him power nonstop.

At the same time, even more spiritual energy was refined into vitality and infused directly into his body, refueling his stamina.

In just a single breath’s time, Zhang Yu felt his Mana and stamina had returned to their peak.

Then, at his sleeve, a number appeared: 0.03%.

It marked the current output power he had achieved with the Divine Spirit Root.