Within the examination hall, the Four Wandering Gods, Deng Bingding, were stationed at the center, while lesser deities like Huang Zichou patrolled the venue, monitoring the candidates and maintaining discipline.

Besides the columnar data on the light screen in front, they also kept a close watch on the mana detection data of each examinee.

Through the detection patches placed on the candidates’ bodies, they could understand the flow of mana within them, easily discerning their control over the surrounding spiritual energy and whether they were engaging in any form of cheating.

However… although the true gods appeared expressionless, uttering not a word, their minds were swirling with thoughts, multitasking and handling various matters.

After all, for the Eight Divisions of True Gods, dividing attention for overtime and working remotely were as commonplace as breathing.

Aside from the multitasking nature of their work, socializing was also an indispensable aspect of being a god.

Compared to mortals who needed devices like phones and the internet to communicate, the Eight Divisions of True Gods had their minds connected to the network at all times, leaving no room for excuses like poor connection, communication delays, or just seeing the message.

Just as they were monitoring the examination hall, the thoughts of the gods present were interconnected, constantly communicating about the situation.

Deng Bingding said, “…This is the first Foundation Establishment Examination in the Kunxu Layer One after the reform. Let’s stand guard and uphold our responsibilities. Once the examination is over, I will petition for rewards for everyone.”

Huang Zichou was the first to reply, “Lord Deng, you’re right. We’re all at ease knowing you’re leading the charge.”

While the gods communicated collectively, Deng Bingding also received private messages from the lesser deities.

“Sigh, more goodwill talismans. These formalities of the true gods…”

However, seeing that Huang Zichou’s contribution was a staggering 20,000, Deng Bingding couldn’t help but glance at him. After noticing the deity was looking back, Deng Bingding offered a slight, approving nod.

“Lord Deng smiled at me!” Huang Zichou thought gleefully, “So the amount of the last goodwill talisman was not right!”

Huang Zichou secretly noted the amount, thinking, “Among us gods, money is paramount.”

“First, send the money, then discuss matters. Although I haven’t decided what to ask for yet, the money can be sent first…”

At the same time, a lesser deity said, “Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao are truly a cut above the rest.”

“Judging from the mana monitoring data, their mana flows like a great river, surging endlessly. This level of control and eruption of mana is indeed the strongest in the field.”

Another god added, “The investment in these two individuals alone could support all the high school students in some high schools.”

“In terms of strength… they can no longer be treated as ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators. I wonder who will emerge as the true strongest high school student in Kunxu Layer One from this dragon-tiger battle.”

Back in the examination hall.

With each breath, Yun Jing felt his mana surge wildly, constantly flowing through his arm into the detection patch on his palm.

But watching Ye Lingxiao, who was neck and neck with him on the light screen, Yun Jing roared inwardly, “Mana! Rise faster for me!”

Under his frantic urging, the mana within his body crashed against his meridians like a flood, recklessly disregarding any potential damage to his body, relentlessly charging and charging again!

This was because every meridian in Yun Jing’s body had been extracted and repeatedly cultivated and tempered by dozens of university graduates according to three hundred different project plans, allowing them to withstand the extreme mana circulation of the Qi Refinement stage for an extended period.

It could be said that each of his meridians consumed months of painstaking effort from a university graduate.

The total workload of his meridians amounted to tens of thousands of man-days, equivalent to twenty or thirty years of ordinary Qi Refinement cultivation.

And besides his meridians, much of Yun Jing’s cultivation was divided into project-like assignments, completed by exceptional university graduates under the meticulous planning of his family.

“The warm-up is almost over.”

Feeling the increasingly turbulent mana within him, Yun Jing roared silently, “Second Dantian, open for me!”

Besides his lower dantian, an energy center in his chest suddenly activated, immediately doubling the mana flow, sending it out like roaring dragons.

On the light screen, the column representing Yun Jing suddenly soared, instantly widening the gap between him and everyone else, firmly occupying the first place.

Seeing this scene, Ye Lingxiao’s expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of panic.

He thought to himself, “What a nuisance. It’s not even the finals. Shouldn’t I conserve some strength?”

Ye Lingxiao knew that, theoretically, as long as he maintained second place, he could pass the examination without wasting any energy or exposing his strength to compete for the top spot.

But…

“The first place.”

For Ye Lingxiao, who had always achieved perfect scores and ranked first since childhood… taking first place was as natural as eating and drinking, already an ingrained habit.

To inherit the perfect bloodline of the Immortal Capital Ye Clan, he had no mother’s womb. From the embryonic stage, he was in an Immortal Essence Uterus, receiving Immortal Dao modulation.

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

At the same time, his nerve density was a hundred times greater than that of ordinary people, and his entire nervous system was naturally able to mobilize mana.

The mana techniques that other students had to painstakingly practice, he mastered as soon as he entered high school.

He would master any cultivation technique with just a glance, spending millions each month to purchase the rights to use them.

Qi Refinement cultivation had never posed any difficulty for him.

Many people said that he was no longer the same species as mortals, that he was the true Immortal Dao bloodline.

Ye Lingxiao didn’t take it seriously.

But there was one thing he was accustomed to.

That was, the first place belonged to him, always belonged to him.

Million-level Expert Martial Art, Thunderbolt Celestial Qi – Level 10 Boost!

As a martial art with usage rights costing over a million, rumored to be approaching military-grade, the activation of Thunderbolt Celestial Qi was accompanied by a thunderous roar.

At this moment, Ye Lingxiao seemed to have transformed into a thunder god, his entire body crackling with electricity, every strand of mana transformed into lightning.

But under his control, these wisps of lightning mana were as obedient as his own limbs, not only avoiding damage to the environment and testing equipment, but also shooting out like bolts of lightning, accurately passing through his arm, palm, and finally, being blasted into the detection patch.

At the same time, on the light screen, the column representing Ye Lingxiao, which had been gradually shrinking under Yun Jing’s influence, rapidly expanded again, constantly chasing after the first place.

“Hmph.” Yun Jing looked at the change in the bar graph and snorted coldly in his heart. “Trying to catch up? Then let’s see. Let’s see who among us is currently the strongest high school student in Kunxu.”

As the commotion caused by the fierce competition between the two intensified, the students behind them also spared no effort to unleash their mana, vying for the subsequent rankings, making the examination even more intense.

Huang Zichou, watching the rankings on the light screen, analyzing the dozen or so contestants following closely behind Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, said, “The students behind are chasing each other very closely.”

Another deity said, “After all, they are all students from Immortal Capital, the top high school students in Kunxu Layer One. Even those ranked outside the top 10 have more than 90 units of mana.”

Just as the lesser deities were discussing, Deng Bingding turned her attention to the scores of Numbers 55, 56, and 31: Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan from Songyang.

Since the last Dao Heart test, Deng Bingding had paid attention to these three Songyang students, and afterwards, she had briefly reviewed their profiles.

At this moment, as she watched their performance, their information flashed through her mind.

“Number 31, Yu Xinghan, is a Golden Core disciple. Although his mana has not reached 90, not keeping up with the top dozen, his mana control is not bad. With this burst of power, he can rank 17th.”

Yu Xinghan’s third eye was now fully opened, constantly helping him urge the mana within his body. However, no matter how he circulated his power, he found that he could only maintain the 17th position.

“The 16 in front are constantly accelerating, it is too difficult to catch up, and this is only the 16th…”

Thinking about his mana control, cultivated under the personal guidance of True Immortal Xinghuo, repeatedly sparring palm strikes and fist strength, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly in his heart that he could only rank 17th even when he tried his best.

“Sure enough, if I want to pass the Foundation Establishment Exam, I’ll have to wait until next time.”

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

“Number 56, Bai Zhenzhen, a poor genius, soared to prominence after being invested in.”

“And the name of that investor, according to what I found out from a local deity in Songyang… is Zhang Pianpian.”

“The same investor as Zhang Yu. Could these two poor people also be involved with the superiors?”

Deng Bingding didn’t dare to think too much. She only told herself to act as if she knew nothing, treating the two as ordinary candidates.

Coming back to her senses, Deng Bingding seemed to be able to see the mana within Bai Zhenzhen’s body, flowing out like waves, surging through her meridians, creating a turbulent flow.

Expert Level Breath Control – Surging Wave Nine Revolutions, Level 10 Boost!

This expert-level breath control technique emphasized continuous regeneration. After nine revolutions of mana, it could draw in more mana, making it a technique where the longer the breath control, the stronger the effect.

And after Bai Zhenzhen’s True Spirit Root deduced it, the Level 10 effect of this Surging Wave Nine Revolutions had an additional layer, which was that the running speed of mana during the nine revolutions became faster with each revolution, becoming more and more fierce like surging waves.

At this moment, with the help of this Surging Wave Nine Revolutions and its deduced effects, Bai Zhenzhen managed to stand in the 19th position.

But at this moment, after nine revolutions of mana, the running speed had faintly exceeded the limit of what Bai Zhenzhen could control. She felt like a small boat in raging waves, at any time could be overturned by the berserk mana.

But the more dangerous it was, the clearer Bai Zhenzhen felt her mind, and the more profound her grasp of mana movement became under the operation of the Frigid Soul Ice Heart Sutra.

At this moment, she was undistracted, hardly paying any attention to the outside world, fully operating the Surging Wave Nine Revolutions, walking on the edge of losing control.

Deng Bingding, looking at the monitoring data coming from Bai Zhenzhen, commented in her heart, “If the mana goes berserk and loses control, it will result in serious injury. She is an adventurous student.”

She was already used to this.

After all, it would be a ghost if students in Kunxu didn’t borrow money, get injured, or get sick…

Which of the top students didn’t reach this point through repeated risks?

Finally, Deng Bingding looked at Zhang Yu.

“21st place,” Deng Bingding thought secretly, “He didn’t even get into the top 20.”

Zhang Yu, who was desperately operating his mana, was also surprised, surprised that he didn’t even make it into the top 20.

Although today’s exam would eliminate contestants who ranked after the 20th in the total score, and ranking outside the top 20 in the mana test didn’t necessarily mean elimination.

But clearly, ranking after the 20th was still a very unfavorable result.

“They are really strong, the high school students of Immortal Capital…”

Zhang Yu still remembered that after he cultivated the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method to Level 10, his mana control was already very strong.

And when he later cultivated the Limitless Cloud Hand to Level 10, he thought that his mana control could be compared with high school seniors.

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

His control over mana… had not improved for too long.

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

“Indeed, my mana control is at the level of a high school senior.”

“But just high school senior-level mana control, in the absence of a rapid burst, is not enough to get into the top 20 in this exam…” Pressure and crisis came head-on, Zhang Yu felt that there seemed to be a remnant ox roaring to the sky in his mind, exuding endless fighting spirit.

“Heh… pressure and desperate situations?”

“Not enough…”