In the examination hall, Deng Bingding, the God of the Four Directions, presided over the center, while other minor gods, such as Huang Zichou, patrolled various areas of the hall, monitoring the candidates’ conditions and maintaining discipline.

In addition to the bar chart data displayed on the main screen, they also monitored the spiritual energy detection data of each contestant.

Using detection patches placed on the contestants, they could constantly track the flow of spiritual energy throughout their bodies, easily understanding their control over their spiritual power and identifying any cheating.

However, despite the main gods appearing expressionless and saying nothing, their minds were bustling with thoughts, constantly multitasking and handling various affairs.

After all, for the Eight Departments of Righteous Gods, multitasking, working overtime, and remote work were as commonplace and natural as breathing.

Beyond their demanding multitasking work, social interaction was also an indispensable aspect of their divine existence.

Unlike mortals who rely on phones and the internet for communication, the Eight Departments of Righteous Gods were constantly connected to the network through their thoughts, leaving no room for excuses about being unreachable, inconvenient communication, or only just seeing messages.

For instance, at this very moment, while monitoring the examination hall, the thoughts of the gods present flowed freely across the network, allowing them to constantly communicate about the situation.

Deng Bingding said, “…This is the first Foundation Establishment examination in Kunxu Layer One since the reforms. Everyone, please remain vigilant and uphold your responsibilities. Once the exam concludes, I will personally commend your efforts.”

Huang Zichou was the first to reply, “Lord Deng, well said. With you continuing to oversee everything, we feel completely at ease.”

While the gods present communicated collectively, Deng Bingding also received private messages from individual minor gods.

“Ah, more ‘favor talismans.’ Such tiresome formalities from these righteous gods…”

However, upon seeing that Huang Zichou’s contribution this time was a significant 20,000, Deng Bingding couldn’t help but glance at him. Noticing that he was also looking at her, she smiled and nodded.

“Lord Deng is smiling at me?” Huang Zichou secretly delighted. “So, was the amount for the ‘favor talisman’ incorrect last time?”

Huang Zichou discreetly committed the amount to memory, thinking, “Among us gods, money is truly the most important.”

“They say you send money first, then discuss matters. Even though I haven’t decided what to ask for this time, I can send the money ahead of time…”

Meanwhile, a minor god remarked, “Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao are indeed far ahead of the pack.”

“From the spiritual energy monitoring data, the spiritual power within both of them flows out endlessly like a mighty river. Their control and explosive release of spiritual energy are indeed the strongest here.”

Another god added, “The investment poured into these two individuals is enough to support all the high school students in some entire high schools.”

“In terms of strength… they can no longer be regarded as ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators. It remains to be seen who will emerge as Kunxu Layer One’s true strongest high school student in this fierce competition.”

In the examination hall.

With each breath, Yun Jing felt spiritual energy surging wildly through his body, continuously flowing from his arms into the detection patches on his palms.

But seeing Ye Lingxiao, who was neck and neck with him on the screen, Yun Jing inwardly roared, “Spiritual energy! Rise quickly!”

Under his relentless exertion, the spiritual energy in his body slammed into his meridians like a flood, pushing, pushing, and pushing again with almost no regard for potential bodily damage.

This was possible because every meridian in Yun Jing’s body had been individually extracted and, following 300 different project plans, repeatedly cultivated and refined by dozens of university graduates. This allowed them to withstand the extreme flow of spiritual energy during the Qi Refinement stage for extended periods.

It could be said that each of his meridians represented several months of arduous work by a university graduate.

The total accumulated workload on his meridians amounted to tens of thousands of man-days, equivalent to two or three decades of Qi Refinement cultivation for an ordinary person.

Beyond his meridians, a significant portion of Yun Jing’s cultivation was similarly divided into numerous projects, meticulously planned by his family and executed by outstanding university graduates.

“The warm-up is almost complete.”

Feeling the increasingly turbulent spiritual energy within him, Yun Jing let out a low cry in his mind: “Second Dantian, open!”

Immediately, in addition to his lower Dantian, a sea of qi in his chest abruptly activated, instantly doubling his spiritual energy output. It surged forth like roaring dragons.

On the screen, the bar representing Yun Jing suddenly shot up, instantly creating a significant gap between him and everyone else, firmly securing the first-place position.

Upon seeing this, Ye Lingxiao’s expression remained unchanged, showing not the slightest hint of panic.

He mused inwardly, “How troublesome. It’s not even the finals; shouldn’t he be conserving some strength?”

Ye Lingxiao knew that, theoretically, he could already pass the examination by simply maintaining second place, making it entirely unnecessary to exert more effort or reveal more of his strength just to claim first.

But…

“First place.”

For Ye Lingxiao, who had consistently scored perfect marks or ranked first in every exam since childhood… achieving first place had become a habit, as natural as eating or drinking.

To inherit the perfect bloodline of the Ye clan of Xiandu, he was not conceived naturally but developed as an embryo within a celestial essence womb, undergoing immortal cultivation modifications.

When he first opened his eyes, his meridians were already twice as wide as an ordinary person’s; now, they were more than ten times the average for high school students.

Furthermore, his neural density was over a hundred times that of an ordinary person, and his entire nervous system was naturally capable of mobilizing spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy techniques that other students had to painstakingly train for, he learned effortlessly upon entering high school.

He mastered any cultivation method instantly upon seeing it, requiring millions each month to purchase the rights to use them.

Qi Refinement cultivation had always presented no challenge for him.

Many claimed he was no longer the same species as mortals, asserting that he possessed a true immortal bloodline.

Ye Lingxiao paid little attention to these claims.

But there was one thing he had grown accustomed to.

That was, first place belonged to him, and always would.

Million-level Expert Martial Art, Thunder Heavenly Aura — Level 10 Activation!

As a martial art whose usage rights cost over a million and was boasted to be near military-grade, the Thunder Heavenly Aura, once activated, resonated with a clap of thunder.

At this moment, Ye Lingxiao seemed to transform into a Thunder God, crackling with electricity all over, every trace of his spiritual energy turning into lightning.

Yet, under his precise control, these threads of lightning-transformed spiritual energy were as obedient as an extension of his own limbs. They caused no damage to the environment or the detection equipment, but instead shot out like bolts of lightning, accurately passing through his arms and palms, ultimately blasting into the detection patches.

Simultaneously, on the screen, the bar representing Ye Lingxiao, which had gradually shrunk under Yun Jing’s influence, suddenly expanded again in the blink of an eye, steadily closing in on the first-place position.

“Hmph.” Yun Jing watched the bar chart change, letting out a cold snort in his mind: “You want to catch up? Then let’s see which one of us is truly Kunxu’s strongest high school student right now.”

As the intense competition between the two created a ripple effect, the students behind them also unleashed their spiritual energy with all their might, vying for the subsequent rankings, making the entire examination even more fierce.

Huang Zichou observed the rankings on the screen, looking at the dozen or so contestants closely trailing Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, and analyzed, “The students behind them are all incredibly close to each other.”

Another god commented, “They are, after all, students from Xiandu, the top high schoolers in Kunxu Layer One. Even those ranked outside the top 10 possess over 90 units of spiritual energy.”

While the minor gods were discussing, Deng Bingding’s gaze fell upon the scores of contestants No. 55, No. 56, and No. 31, who were Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan from Songyang, respectively.

Ever since the previous Dao Heart test, Deng Bingding had paid special attention to these three Songyang students, and afterward, she had briefly reviewed their profiles.

As she watched their performance, information about them flashed through her mind.

“Contestant No. 31, Yu Xinghan, is a Core Formation disciple. Although his spiritual energy hasn’t reached 90 units, he can’t keep up with the top dozen. However, his spiritual energy control is decent, allowing him to burst forth and secure 17th place.”

Yu Xinghan’s third eye within his mind was now fully open, constantly helping him push his spiritual energy. Yet, no matter how he circulated his cultivation, he found he could only maintain the 17th position.

“The top 16 are also continuously accelerating. It’s too difficult to catch up, and this is only for 16th place…”

Thinking of the spiritual energy control he had cultivated under the personal guidance of True Master Xinghuo, through countless sparring sessions involving palm and fist strength, and now realizing that even with all his effort he could only rank 17th, Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“Indeed, if I want to pass and obtain the Foundation Establishment certificate, it will have to be next time.”

On the other side, Deng Bingding’s gaze swept over to Bai Zhenzhen.

“Contestant No. 56, Bai Zhenzhen, a genius from humble beginnings, soared after receiving an investment.”

“And the name of that investor, from what I’ve learned from the local minor gods in Songyang… is Zhang Pianpian.”

“The same investor as Zhang Yu? Are these two from humble backgrounds also involved with higher powers?”

Deng Bingding dared not dwell on the thought, telling herself to pretend ignorance and treat them as ordinary candidates.

Regaining her composure, Deng Bingding looked at Bai Zhenzhen’s spiritual energy detection data. She seemed to perceive the spiritual energy within Bai Zhenzhen’s body surging outwards like continuous waves, erupting with a tumultuous flow in her meridians.

Expert-level Breathing Technique — Nine Revolutions of Surging Waves, Level 10 Activation!

This expert-level breathing technique emphasized continuous generation; after nine revolutions, it could draw in even more spiritual energy. It was a cultivation method where the longer one practiced it, the stronger its effects became.

Furthermore, after Bai Zhenzhen’s True Spiritual Root deduction, the Level 10 effect of the Nine Revolutions of Surging Waves gained an additional layer: during the nine revolutions of spiritual energy, its circulation speed increased with each turn, becoming progressively fiercer, like terrifying waves.

Currently, utilizing the Nine Revolutions of Surging Waves and its deduced effects, Bai Zhenzhen managed to hold on to the 19th position.

However, after nine revolutions, the spiritual energy’s circulation speed subtly surpassed Bai Zhenzhen’s control limit. She felt like a small boat amidst raging waves, constantly at risk of being capsized by the runaway spiritual energy.

Yet, the more perilous the situation, the clearer Bai Zhenzhen’s mind became under the influence of the Frigid Soul Ice Heart Art, and the deeper her grasp on spiritual energy circulation grew.

At this moment, she was fully focused, with almost no mental attention directed outwards, channeling all her efforts into operating the Nine Revolutions of Surging Waves, which teetered on the brink of going out of control.

Deng Bingding observed the monitoring data from Bai Zhenzhen, remarking inwardly, “If her spiritual energy runs wild and goes out of control, it will result in severe injury. She’s another student who loves to take risks.”

She had long grown accustomed to such sights.

After all, if students in Kunxu didn’t take loans, get injured, or fall ill… that would be truly bizarre.

And which top-ranking student hadn’t reached their current position through repeated risks?

Finally, Deng Bingding turned her attention to Zhang Yu.

“21st place?” Deng Bingding thought to herself. “He didn’t even make it into the top 20?”

Zhang Yu, who was desperately circulating his spiritual energy, was also surprised, astonished that he hadn’t even entered the top 20.

Although today’s exam eliminated contestants with a total score outside the top 20, ranking outside the top 20 in the spiritual energy test alone didn’t necessarily mean elimination.

However, being ranked beyond 20th place was clearly still a very disadvantageous result.

“As expected, the high school students of Xiandu are incredibly strong…”

Zhang Yu recalled that his spiritual energy control had become exceptionally strong after cultivating the Heaven-Circulating Qi-Gathering Method to Level 10.

And when he later cultivated the Limitless Cloud Hands to Level 10, he believed his spiritual energy control could rival that of third-year high school students.

But at this moment, looking at his ranking, Zhang Yu suddenly realized something.

His mastery over spiritual energy… hadn’t improved for a very long time.

“After all, most of my energy these past few months has been focused on body refinement.”

“True, my spiritual energy control is at the level of a third-year high school student.”

“But mere third-year high school level spiritual energy control, without the ability for rapid bursts, isn’t enough to enter the top 20 in this examination…”

Pressure and crisis washed over him. Zhang Yu felt as if a residual ox roared towards the sky in his mind, radiating boundless fighting spirit.

“Heh heh… pressure and desperation?”

“It’s still not enough.”