As the Spirit Energy Meridian Injector was pushed into his body, Zhang Yu felt his spirit energy, which already circulated relentlessly 24/7, surge with even greater intensity.

Under the fierce absorption of his Grand Sun Qi Sea, the surrounding spiritual energy, like a thousand rivers flowing into the sea, continuously surged towards him, eventually transforming into strands of spirit energy within Zhang Yu’s dantian.

“What a pity, I truly lack a spirit root. If only I had one, and was situated within a spiritual vein… I could probably push my spirit energy to the Qi Cultivation limit of 100 units today, couldn’t I?”

At the same time, Zhang Yu felt a slight twitching in his meridians, his heart began to race, and his breathing became rapid.

“Is this a side effect of the Spirit Energy Meridian Injector? It’s different from the Phoenix Mimic Function Enhancer; it seems to place a greater burden on the respiratory and circulatory systems.”

“Indeed, different types of medications affect different parts of the body.”

“Therefore, to achieve higher scores and cultivate more comprehensively during this ‘buffet’ session, I should take more varied types of medications to fully utilize the capacity of different bodily areas…”

“Drugs that affect the Dao Heart, spirit energy, and physical strength can all be taken. This would not only distribute the side effects but also enhance overall power.”

Although he felt an additional layer of burden on his body, Zhang Yu didn’t stop. Instead, he continued to twist his body, practicing the Spring and Autumn Endless Meditation, constantly increasing his physical strength.

He knew very well that such a rare opportunity for a free, self-service drug administration session was invaluable.

“The total self-service time is only one hour.”

“During this hour, I must seize the time to cultivate, making sure not to waste the medicinal effects within my body…”

Thus, under the combined effects of the Grand Sun Qi Sea and the Spring and Autumn Endless Meditation, the medicinal properties of the Spirit Energy Meridian Injector and the Phoenix Mimic Function Enhancer were fully utilized, continuously boosting Zhang Yu’s cultivation efficiency and accelerating the growth of his spirit energy and physical strength.

Observing Zhang Yu inject the Spirit Energy Meridian Injector, Ye Lingxiao, not to be outdone, followed suit with an injection of his own.

Feeling the medicinal power enter his body, his blood, meridians, and spirit energy all seemed to boil. Ye Lingxiao knew that for a short period, his tolerance for the Spirit Energy Meridian Injector had reached its temporary limit.

He struggled to control his muscles from twitching violently, thinking to himself, “If I’m to take more medication now, I’ll have to choose between the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules or the Phoenix Mimic Function Enhancer.”

“Once I’ve digested these medicinal effects in my body, then…”

So, for the next few minutes, Ye Lingxiao continued to practice the Spring and Autumn Endless Meditation to digest the medicinal power, while simultaneously considering which drug to take next.

But before he could make his final decision, he saw Zhang Yu, after a round of digestion, grab another Spirit Energy Meridian Injector and plunge it into his body.

Witnessing this, Ye Lingxiao’s eyelid twitched. “This guy…”

Faced with Zhang Yu’s lead once again, Ye Lingxiao, the Immortal City prodigy who had always been first since childhood and dominated every exam, naturally couldn’t accept defeat.

He took a deep breath, grabbed a Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule, and swallowed it.

In an instant, he felt all the negative emotions in his heart suppressed, and even the pain from the side effects within his body was largely alleviated.

Feeling this, Ye Lingxiao’s heart was filled with joy. “As expected, these Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules can effectively relieve my anxiety and reduce the mental impact of the drug’s side effects.”

“Taking this medication first will allow me to perform better in the rest of the exam.”

“But what are the adverse reactions of this drug?”

“I don’t feel anything? Does this drug have no adverse reactions? But it’s highly unlikely for a drug to have no adverse reactions…”

A few minutes later, as Zhang Yu injected himself with another Spirit Energy Meridian Injector and took another Phoenix Mimic Function Enhancer,

Ye Lingxiao immediately matched him with two more Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules.

After more than half an hour of the exam, both their scores simultaneously reached an impressive 9,000 points.

Zhang Yu’s spirit energy and physical strength both increased during this process, reaching 97.6 units of spirit energy and physical strength level 9.90, bringing him closer to the Qi Cultivation limit.

Watching their high scores, the other candidates, Yu Xinghan and Meng Tao, felt their hearts pound.

Although they weren’t the ones consuming such potent medications, the mere thought of the terrifying medicinal power contained within Zhang Yu and Ye Lingxiao at that moment filled them with shock.

Meng Tao thought to himself, “Only a little over half the time has passed, and they’ve already taken six rounds of these miraculous drugs? Is their metabolic capacity really so much stronger than mine? If today’s drug-taking competition were a ‘shit-eating contest,’ seeing these two is like a dung beetle encountering a septic tank—a complete world of difference…”

Yu Xinghan stared deeply at Zhang Yu. “This kid… he’s actually keeping pace with a top Immortal City lord? It seems he also concealed his strength when selling seeds at Red Tower. If this guy were to take drugs while producing, his output would definitely far exceed mine.”

Just then, Zhang Yu grabbed a Dragon-Elephant Agent and injected it into his body.

Witnessing this, Ye Lingxiao’s gaze narrowed, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

“A Dragon-Elephant Agent? He’s using a Dragon-Elephant Agent to temporarily surpass me?”

Observing this, Ye Lingxiao felt as if he were at an auction, watching an opponent with no remaining funds try to outbid him by just 100 yuan.

“Has this guy reached his limit?”

“Furthermore, he still hasn’t taken the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules. Is he afraid of the unknown side effects?”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll definitely win this exam!”

Ye Lingxiao grabbed a Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule, a flicker of determination in his eyes.

Although he still didn’t know what the adverse reactions of the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules truly were, he could sense that his body had not yet reached its limit.

“First place is always mine, and can only be mine.”

Standing at the apex, always dominating, always seizing first place—this wasn’t just a philosophy Ye Lingxiao had been taught since childhood, but also an ancestral instruction passed down through generations of the Ye clan.

“Within Kunxu, if you don’t achieve first place, whether you’re from a prominent family or a genius, there will always be a day when you’re eliminated.”

Thinking of how the Ye clan had strived for generations, gradually approaching their goal of becoming the strongest influential family on Kunxu’s first layer, Ye Lingxiao felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

Especially considering that after this Foundation Establishment exam, his family would promote him, now at Foundation Establishment, as having perfect bloodline, which would also lead to the high school Foundation Establishment exam becoming known to more and more people.

This was both an ambition and a testament to their confidence.

This was because the Ye clan, along with several other allied influential families of Immortal City, believed that the average wealth and power of Immortal City’s prominent families now far surpassed other local forces on Kunxu’s first layer, leaving no other regional power to threaten them.

The Foundation Establishment exam no longer needed to be concealed; instead, the recipients of the Foundation Establishment qualification certificates each year could be used for promotional purposes, supporting the expansion of company business and facilitating their penetration into other cities.

The thought of the Ye clan beginning to break through Immortal City and expand across the entire first layer of Kunxu filled Ye Lingxiao with a sense of immense pride and ambition, the culmination of generations of struggle.

“As a prodigy of the Ye clan, how could I possibly lose to an outsider here?”

Ye Lingxiao opened his mouth and swallowed another Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had been continuously observing Ye Lingxiao’s reactions after taking the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules.

The reason he hadn’t taken this drug was precisely because of its as-yet-unidentified adverse reactions.

However, Zhang Yu hadn’t completely given up on taking it; instead, he wanted to observe Ye Lingxiao’s reactions after consumption to decide if he should take the drug himself.

“With my High School Saint Body, my drug metabolism capacity must surely surpass Ye Lingxiao’s.”

“As long as Ye Lingxiao can withstand it, I definitely can too.”

From Zhang Yu’s observation, Ye Lingxiao’s muscles were swollen and engorged with blood, his face was purple, and a small lump had risen on his head.

“He seems alright; I should be able to handle it too.”

After waiting a few more minutes, Zhang Yu saw that Ye Lingxiao had no major issues apart from the lump on his head swelling a bit more. He then decided to try the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules himself.

Watching Zhang Yu pick up a Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule, Ye Lingxiao sneered, “Are you still not giving up?”

He then muttered, “I’ll catch up to you soon. Once I’ve taken this Phoenix Mimic Function Enhancer, you won’t be able to catch me.”

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. Looking at the drug in Ye Lingxiao’s hand, he asked, “Aren’t you holding a Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule?”

Ye Lingxiao smiled faintly. “Another Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule? The side effects of this drug are indeed intense, so I can’t take it again. However, the side effects aren’t actually that bad. Once I take this Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsule, I’ll completely suppress you!”

Hearing Ye Lingxiao’s words, Zhang Yu was immediately startled. Was the other party speaking coherently? Was there something wrong with his own understanding, or had something gone wrong with Ye Lingxiao?

“Could this be a side effect of the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules?”

“Could it be a decrease in intelligence?”

Yu Xinghan, Meng Tao, and the other bystanders all heard Ye Lingxiao’s muddled speech and looked at him with similar surprise.

It was at this moment that Huang Zichou suddenly halted the exam.

Huang Zichou announced, “Contestant No. 23 (Ye Lingxiao) is currently experiencing some physical issues. We need to pause for two minutes…”

Zhang Yu thought, “Are they going to treat Ye Lingxiao? These ‘Righteous Gods’ actually have some conscience, considering the health and safety of the examinees…”

Huang Zichou continued, “Next, all examinees will sign a contract with me agreeing to keep confidential Contestant No. 23’s reactions after taking the Dao Enlightenment Slow-Release Capsules. In the future, no negative information about this product may be disclosed…”

“Damn it…” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “They’re pausing the exam to keep the company’s drug side effects a secret?”