Chapter 232: Finally Achieving Foundation Establishment (Two-in-One Chapter)

A terrifying acidic mist assailed Zhang Yu, its intense corrosion immediately causing his skin to smoke. The severe stinging made him involuntarily frown.

Zhang Yu could feel that if he allowed the acidic mist to continue its corrosion, his flesh would be severely damaged, even endangering his life.

He immediately activated the muscles throughout his body, causing them to vibrate. With every inch of his skin straining and shaking, Zhang Yu's entire body seemed to erupt with a powerful gust of wind, blowing away the oncoming acidic mist.

However, this exertion of force against the mist inevitably caused Zhang Yu to expend some of his strength.

Likewise, Ye Lingxiao on the other side couldn't use Zhang Yu's momentary reduction in strength to pull the Dragon Binding Rope, as he was also vibrating his body and generating gusts of wind to resist the acidic mist.

Zhang Yu could feel that, thanks to the self-healing ability enhanced by his Martial Dao Saint Embryo, all the damage—from the previous high temperatures, high pressure, and gravity, to the current acidic mist—was gradually recovering.

And... he still had two trump cards he hadn't played.

With a furious roar from Zhang Yu, the 'Zen' character on his chest suddenly dissipated, and his physical potential erupted wildly under the stimulation of toxins.

Veins bulged on Zhang Yu's forehead, but inwardly he roared, "It's not over yet!"

Next came the overload of his Martial Dao Saint Embryo!

The muscles in Zhang Yu's arms swelled further, and his height increased from 2.8 meters to 3.3 meters.

Both the toxin eruption from the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen and the overload of the Martial Dao Saint Embryo forced out physical potential, unleashing strength beyond his body's normal capacity.

As Zhang Yu unleashed both methods simultaneously, he felt his entire body's flesh and blood ignite.

An unending torrent of power was wrung from every fiber of his flesh, transmitting terrifying force through his muscles, even making his bones creak.

Consequently, Zhang Yu's physical body was bearing an unprecedented burden at this moment.

Muscles strained, bones began to suffer micro-fractures, internal organs were compressed and deformed, and tiny ruptures appeared in his blood vessels.

Even with the self-healing ability provided by the Martial Dao Saint Embryo, it couldn't halt the constant self-inflicted damage throughout his entire body.

But for Zhang Yu, none of this mattered anymore.

He knew one thing even before arriving here.

"Coming here means fighting for your life."

"If you're not going to fight for your life, why even take this Foundation Establishment Certificate exam?"

At this moment, Zhang Yu's mind flashed through the countless tests, exams, and competitions of the past year.

It was through these repeated experiences that Zhang Yu deeply understood one crucial point.

In the strictly controlled world of Kunxu, to rise, to distinguish oneself, and to master more powerful immortal techniques, one must follow the path of promotion laid out by the Ten Great Sects and defeat opponents in exam after exam.

In this process, nearly every opponent would exhaust all means—self-exploitation, family exploitation, mutual exploitation—to push their performance to the absolute limit.

The Immortal City Lord before him was no exception.

His opponent would not miss a single chance for victory and would fight with everything to defeat him.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Yu likewise had to burn through all his strength to seize that incredibly precious Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate.

"I've already promised Ah Zhen and my sister that we'll attend one of the Ten Greats together."

"I want to get into the Ten Greats, to join a sect!"

"I want to climb higher in Kunxu! To break free from the shackles of rituals! To gain freedom!"

At this moment, all the cultivation techniques he had arduously practiced over the past year surged in Zhang Yu's mind. The intricate workings of his muscles and the flow of strength throughout his body became clear to him.

Skills, strength, potential... everything he could possibly unleash, Zhang Yu hurled out in one go.

Furious power and immense determination, channeled through various strength-circulating techniques, coursing through muscles as tough as steel, finally passed through the Dragon Binding Rope, forcefully transmitting to Ye Lingxiao.

Turning, Zhang Yu stomped heavily on the platform, letting out a loud roar. At the same time, he frantically dragged the Dragon Binding Rope towards himself, moving further away from the edge of the platform with each step.

As Zhang Yu unleashed his power, Ye Lingxiao felt an irresistible, strange force from the other end of the Dragon Binding Rope, dragging him step by step towards the edge of the platform.

In an instant, Ye Lingxiao, who had just dragged Zhang Yu to the edge of the platform, was now being pulled to within only two or three steps of it himself.

To Ye Lingxiao, the space beyond that edge now appeared like a sheer cliff.

Falling would be like plummeting from the clouds, not only losing the Foundation Establishment Certificate but also a vast fortune and his best chance to ascend further.

In a trance, Ye Lingxiao seemed to hear a voice resonate within his heart.

"Brother, let us fight him together!"

"Brother?" Ye Lingxiao murmured to himself, "So you've always been with me, along with your heart?"

"Don't let our sacrifice be in vain."

"Don't let the Ye family, generation after generation, those countless clansmen, sacrifice for nothing."

"Brother, use our strength, lead the Ye family upwards, break free from this quagmire of the first layer, and ascend to the higher layers of Kunxu..."

Unconsciously, Ye Lingxiao bit open the second Soul-Splitting Pill in his mouth.

As the temperature in his brain rapidly soared, he felt a wave of dizziness, yet miraculously maintained three distinct lines of thought, as if three different versions of himself were operating his body, executing three times the number of techniques he normally could.

Blood flow, internal organs, bones, fascia... every inch of his body's flesh and blood was fully mobilized, pushing Ye Lingxiao's physical power to an unprecedented peak.

This also caused the frantically dragged Dragon Binding Rope to suddenly slow.

But... it wasn't enough!

With a crisp snap, Zhang Yu's finger bones suddenly cracked under the strain of his terrifying strength.

Correspondingly, Ye Lingxiao moved another step closer to the cliff.

"Still not enough?"

"Are we... still not his match?"

"Then let's keep fighting."

"Representatives from the universities, don't you enjoy watching the geniuses below fight for their lives?"

"Then watch your fill today."

The next moment, Zhang Yu felt the strength from the other end of the Dragon Binding Rope, which had just increased, surge again, threatening to drag him across.

"He still has a trump card like that?"

"No, that sound is..."

Zhang Yu suddenly turned to look at Ye Lingxiao, seeing plumes of green smoke rising from the other platform. Accompanied by sizzling sounds, large amounts of acidic mist were constantly corroding Ye Lingxiao's flesh and blood.

"This guy... he's given up using some of his strength to resist the acidic mist, putting everything into fighting me?"

Simultaneously, the hazardous environment changed again; waves of poisonous mist assailed them, enveloping both Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao.

Zhang Yu vibrated his muscles, stirring up gusts of wind to blow away the poisonous mist.

But at this moment, Ye Lingxiao had no thought of wasting strength to blow away the poisonous mist.

His eyes were fixed on Zhang Yu and the Dragon Binding Rope; at this moment, only one thought remained in his mind: he had to win! He had to use all his strength to secure the Foundation Establishment Certificate!

Watching Ye Lingxiao fight so desperately and recklessly, Zhang Yu suddenly understood the true purpose of this exam.

"Those true gods, they must have calculated this long ago, knowing that if we were to fight to the very end, we'd have to decide the victor under a life-or-death crisis, right?"

"Do those high-and-mighty individuals in the audience really enjoy watching us fight for our lives this much?"

Zhang Yu looked at Ye Lingxiao, whose body was becoming increasingly bloody, bruised, and purplish. He thought to himself, "Though I still don't know your name..."

"But from the strength transmitted through this Dragon Binding Rope, I've felt your will and experienced your determination."

"But I will absolutely not give up."

"And when it comes to fighting for one's life... I'm definitely better at it than you!"

Zhang Yu likewise stopped resisting the poisonous mist, concentrating all his focus and strength onto the Dragon Binding Rope.

As their combined strengths fiercely locked onto the Dragon Binding Rope, a powerful tremor emanated from the rope itself.

Concurrently, the hazardous environment began to change once more.

High temperature, high pressure, strong acid, toxins...

But at this moment, no threat or injury could distract Zhang Yu or Ye Lingxiao in the slightest.

Whether it was their bodies burning under high temperatures, their internal organs incinerating.

Or their body cavities rupturing from high pressure, causing physical damage.

Or their bodies becoming a bloody mess, suffering severe internal and external burns.

Or the body's toxic reactions, with toxins spreading relentlessly as their bodies operated more intensely.

At this moment, none of it mattered to either of them.

They had staked their lives, betting all the strength they could possibly expend.

At this moment, their eyes saw only each other, and their minds held but a single thought.

To unleash their absolute strongest power and will, to fiercely drag the other person over!

With a crisp snap, Ye Lingxiao's right leg bone finally fractured completely from the continuous damage, forcing him to one knee.

Zhang Yu, on the other hand, despite looking equally bloody and battered, maintained his complete structure thanks to his powerful self-healing ability.

Ye Lingxiao's fractured bone was like the breaking of a scale's balance, leaving him utterly unable to stop the Dragon Binding Rope's movement.

"Am I going to lose?"

Watching himself dragged step by step towards the edge of that abyss-like cliff, a flicker of despair suddenly crossed Ye Lingxiao's heart.

"Is this the end?"

The heavy responsibility of his family, the dying wishes of his siblings, the endless exams, scores, awards, first places again and again...

All of this once made Ye Lingxiao feel increasingly like layers of shackles, strands of spider silk tightly binding him, restricting his life, leaving him feeling more and more weary and exhausted.

But he gradually understood that even without these burdens, he would still strive to ascend the immortal path. His family had given him a heavy responsibility, but also opportunities and assistance far beyond what others received.

"I want future generations of the Ye family to no longer have to make such sacrifices, no longer pay the price of tens of thousands of lives, just to reach the starting line that some are born already standing on."

"I want the Ye family to move to the second layer, to gain second-layer residency, and become a second-layer family."

Ye Lingxiao understood perfectly that whether it was the heavy responsibility of his family or the dying wishes of his siblings, none of it was ever a burden to him.

They were like his vital organs, constantly accompanying him, silently pushing him from behind, and guiding him to his current position.

At this very moment, Ye Lingxiao felt as if they had given him yet another push.

Meanwhile, amidst roaring sounds, on the other platform, Zhang Yu, having inhaled a large amount of poisonous mist, had now activated the second burst of Spring and Autumn Endless Zen.

The previous burst had stemmed from the toxins accumulated after he consumed a large amount of medicine.

This time, however, the burst occurred after he inhaled a large amount of poisonous mist from the hazardous environment, realizing that the "Zen" character on his chest had accumulated even more toxins.

Although Ye Lingxiao had fallen to his knees, Zhang Yu had no intention of relaxing until the very moment of final victory.

Because both his own life experience and the combat experience taught by Bai Zhenzhen had shown him that in such critical battles, one must be most wary of the opponent's counterattack in the final moments.

At this moment, the second burst of Spring and Autumn Endless Zen caused clumps of blood mist to erupt all over Zhang Yu's body. Every cell seemed to groan, wail, and emit a dying roar.

But under these increasingly dangerous and desperate conditions, as he circulated the "Sacrificial Ox Heart Method," Zhang Yu felt an increasing sense of exhilaration. Even the pain in his body seemed considerably suppressed, and his Dao heart gained further benefits.

Zhang Yu roared furiously, "The Foundation Establishment Certificate is mine!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Lingxiao bit down on the last Soul-Splitting Pill in his mouth.

He recalled the lab director's warning: "Absolutely no more than three pills in one day."

"Otherwise, your brain won't be able to handle it, not even with your perfect bloodline."

Including the Soul-Splitting Pill taken during the first stage of the Divine Root assessment, this was already the fourth Soul-Splitting Pill Ye Lingxiao had consumed in a single day.

Feeling the medicinal power surging through his body and rushing wildly towards his brain, Ye Lingxiao suddenly found his thoughts becoming incredibly clear, as if something had awakened in his mind.

"I can do it..."

"I can handle four pills."

At this moment, Ye Lingxiao felt as if four versions of himself were collaborating inside his body, like a work group, each handling different bodily functions, competing with one another, and undergoing performance evaluations.

Meanwhile, under Zhang Yu's furious exertion of force, the Dragon Binding Rope seemed to transform into a true giant dragon, twisting violently in Ye Lingxiao's hands.

Ye Lingxiao's mind raced, attempting to figure out how to subdue this "dragon" and withstand Zhang Yu's wild power, but the next moment, his arm also fractured directly from the opposing force.

While Ye Lingxiao had made advancements in his mental and spiritual capacities, his physical body was already on the verge of collapse, leaving no room for further exertion.

Simultaneously, the side effects of the fourth Soul-Splitting Pill began to manifest. Ye Lingxiao felt an intense pain in his brain, as if his head were being ripped apart and iron spikes driven into it.

The next moment, Ye Lingxiao could no longer resist Zhang Yu.

Under the dragging of that furious power, Ye Lingxiao felt his now elevated spirit, like a colorful dream, ultimately unable to withstand cold reality and gravity, being fiercely pulled towards the abyss.

With Zhang Yu's incomparably furious power coursing through it, the Dragon Binding Rope was flung into the sky with a loud bang.

Ye Lingxiao, still tightly clutching the Dragon Binding Rope, was flung into the sky along with it.

His gaze slowly swept downwards, and he seemed to still see the majestic figure standing amidst a cloud of blood mist on the platform.

Large plumes of white steam billowed outwards as Zhang Yu exerted force, combined with the continuously bursting blood mist from his body, making him appear like a war god burning with blood and fire.

Ye Lingxiao sighed inwardly, "This guy... how can he possess such a formidable physical body?"

Zhang Yu, holding the Dragon Binding Rope with both hands, flung Ye Lingxiao, rope and all, away.

With Zhang Yu's powerful swing, Ye Lingxiao, still attached to the Dragon Binding Rope, shot like a long comet towards the audience seats.

Many spectators watching this scene collectively showed a hint of surprise, none of them having expected Zhang Yu to gain such an overwhelming advantage at the end of the match, even flinging Ye Lingxiao away.

As Ye Lingxiao was flung towards them in an instant, the expressions of the audience members varied, each with different thoughts.

Simultaneously, with waves of divine power oscillating in mid-air, Ye Lingxiao, who was just about to hit the audience seats, slowly came to a halt in mid-air.

Zhang Yu looked at Huang Zichou, who appeared before him, and seriously asked, "Did I win?"

"Is the Foundation Establishment Certificate... mine?"

Huang Zichou waved his hand, casting several talismans. First, he used the divine power of the Ministry of Health to stabilize Zhang Yu's injuries, then slowly announced, "Winner of the third stage: Zhang Yu!"

"Overall winner of the third round of the Foundation Establishment Exam: Zhang Yu!"

"I announce that the ultimate winner of this Foundation Establishment Exam's Sports Track—Zhang Yu—will be granted the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate by the Heavenly Court, possessing the qualification for Foundation Establishment!"

After hearing Huang Zichou's words, Zhang Yu felt all the strength drain from his body, and he collapsed into a pool of blood.

"Finally..."

After countless days and nights of relentless struggle, dangerous battles one after another, paying almost everything he could, piling on millions in bank debt, and finally risking his life, Zhang Yu had at last stepped halfway into the threshold of the Ten Greats.

Looking back at the path he had traveled, Zhang Yu felt how incredibly difficult it was to climb higher in Kunxu—truly difficult.

At this thought, he suddenly let out a long howl, as if to vent all the accumulated unhappiness and resentment in his heart.

Huang Zichou paid little attention to Zhang Yu howling at the sky. He had seen all sorts of reactions from people after they obtained the Foundation Establishment Certificate—heart attacks, strokes, even going mad from qi deviation on the spot. Zhang Yu's reaction was relatively normal.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Lingxiao had fallen into a coma due to the drug's side effects and his numerous injuries.

The "Laughing-Crying Emoji" in the audience said, "Mother, it seems this Ye family you spoke of isn't all that impressive; their strongest successor lost."

Looking at the unconscious Ye Lingxiao, who was casually held in mid-air by divine power, the "Smiling Emoji" in the audience frowned, finding him utterly unappealing, like a dead dog by the roadside.

The "Smiling Emoji" calmly stated, "If you don't wish to use this person, then don't. But the Ye family is very useful on the first layer; you cannot abandon them."

The "Laughing-Crying Emoji" replied, "Actually, Ye Lingxiao is quite powerful, isn't he? More so than most high school students on the second and third layers. He just had bad luck, encountering an even stronger opponent."

"I'll still use him."

"But compared to him..." At this point, he looked at Zhang Yu with interest. "I'm more interested in this Zhang Yu."

The "Smiling Emoji" frowned and asked, "You want to sign him as a full-time employee?"

The "Laughing-Crying Emoji" replied, "Why not? As long as they satisfy me—be it him, Bai Zhenzhen, or even Ye Lingxiao—I can make them full-time employees."

The "Smiling Emoji" shook his head and sighed, "Dogs shouldn't be fed too much. Alas... you'll understand sooner or later."

The "Laughing-Crying Emoji" scoffed inwardly, having already decided to contact the Oasis Company on the first layer and send representatives directly to Songyang City to offer large sums of money.

Meanwhile, many representatives from other universities in the audience also focused their attention on Zhang Yu.

After all, although Ye Lingxiao was excellent, he now seemed overshadowed by Zhang Yu, especially considering Zhang Yu was a year younger. This made many university admissions representatives eager, determined to recruit Zhang Yu into their universities.

Cat-Head from Myriad Dharma University watched this scene and said to Doge-Head beside him, "It seems the price you intended to offer won't be enough."

Doge-Head frowned and said, "It's one thing for us Ten Greats to compete for talent."

He looked towards a certain direction in the audience and snorted coldly, "I can understand the 36 Colonels and 72 Vice-Colonels daring to make a move."

"But even those damn vocational colleges want to recruit this kind of talent?"

"Are they worthy?"

"If Zhang Yu goes to a vocational college, what's the difference from being in jail? He can forget about pursuing postgraduate studies or achieving a Golden Core in this lifetime."

Cat-Head reminded him, "If you want to snatch him, you'd better act fast. This Zhang Yu is poor and inexperienced; if he's too short-sighted, some vocational college might trick him by pretending to be a university."

"After the Foundation Establishment Certificate is issued, the examinee's information won't be confidential anymore. You'd best move quickly."

Doge-Head's heart sank upon hearing this. The other person was right; such things had indeed happened before.

He thought to himself, "I really should quickly arrange for a representative from a first-layer company to contact this Zhang Yu."

Before leaving, he seemed to remember something and asked for confirmation: "Are you sure your finance department won't recruit any of these students?"

Cat-Head calmly said, "Their aptitudes are indeed good, but they're better suited for security or civil engineering. Do they want to enter the world of finance? Perhaps after they manage to gain a firm foothold up there, and after several generations of struggle, their descendants might have a tiny chance."

At the other end of the audience, a teacher from a vocational college was already on the phone with his principal. He heard him declare firmly, "Principal, if we can secure this student and fully cultivate him to achieve the Golden Core stage, who will ever dare say that vocational colleges can't produce Golden Cores? Our school's ranking will definitely have a chance to rise!"

As the figures in the audience gradually thinned out, one by one withdrawing,

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's injuries had also been completely healed.

At this moment, they gathered with all other participants, and the Foundation Establishment Certificates were about to be issued.

Seeing Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu quickly walked up and asked, "Ah Zhen, did you make it?"

Bai Zhenzhen nodded, laughing, and said, "I did, Yu Zi! What about you?"

"I did too!" Zhang Yu laughed and hugged Bai Zhenzhen. "Ah Zhen! We can go to university together!"

Hearing these words, Bai Zhenzhen felt a great weight lift from her heart; she had truly been worried that Zhang Yu wouldn't pass. At this moment, she hugged Zhang Yu tightly, also unable to stop laughing. "Have you decided which of the Ten Greats you'll choose? Shouldn't we start planning for postgraduate and doctoral studies?"

Yun Jing, standing nearby, watched the two hugging and spinning. His already gloomy expression immediately became even uglier.