Upon the battlefield, Gongshujin pressed forward relentlessly, a veritable whirlwind. Amidst the ceaseless barrage, he charged forth time and again from the tempest of thunder and fire that consumed the sky.

His left arm cradled Yingxin, his right bore Zhang Yu. Yu Xinghan clung to his chest, and Li Xiao was hefted upon his back. Regardless of how bloodied and battered the four disciples upon him were, no matter how grievous their wounds, even if their very breath had ceased, the thought of setting them down never crossed his mind.

For he knew, only by relying upon his comrades could he survive.

“In a battlefield rife with peril, disciples of the Earth and Wood faculties are the finest protective talismans!”

“Thank you all for safeguarding me!”

The Artifact Spirit nodded slightly. “Calm and decisive, swift in action. Even amidst a battlefield of ubiquitous danger, at the precipice of life and death, not a flicker of panic is shown. He displays a willpower that conforms to the Dao Heart level!”

“For the Spirit Realm competition next semester, he can be recommended!”

Encountering sudden fortune was Zhang Yu, as he strolled through the streets!

With his hoard having breached a thousand spirit coins, he did not squander them aimlessly. Instead, he displayed the digit upon his brow. Immediately, he garnered countless friendships and was showered with gifts, wave after wave!

And in the ensuing multitude of schemes, he evaded each and every one, maintaining his composure throughout!

The Artifact Spirit recorded: “Facing a situation of unexpected wealth, the Inner Core remains stable. Self-control is exceptionally strong.” Gazing upon Zhang Yu’s various scores, the Artifact Spirit murmured faintly, “Indeed, his Dao Heart still surpasses Gongshujin’s, already on par with Ji Yuanpiv’s!”

The Law Power Examination!

One by one, disciples were subjected to tests of their Law Power’s quantity, quality, and the conduction of Astral Energy!

And as each number floated forth, gasps of astonishment periodically rippled through the crowd!

Li Mingbo, as a teacher of Law Power, naturally perused the disciples’ scores with curiosity!

In his mind’s eye, all disciples were arranged according to their differing Origin Layers!

As the disciples’ scores emerged, they were, for the most part, positively correlated with their Layers!

“Based on the data currently compiled, the first is Ji Yuanpiv at Six Layers, the second is Gongshujin at Four Layers, the third is Yingxin, the fourth…”

But in the next instant, his gaze subtly sharpened!

He saw a name shoot forth, far surpassing the rest, like a rocketing star. It had actually overtaken Gongshujin at Four Layers, reaching a position no less inferior than Ji Yuanpiv at Six Layers!

“Zhang Yu!”

“From One Layer!”

Li Mingbo recalled this name. He was the disciple who, along with two others of the First Layer, forever occupied the back row in the classroom!

“Last semester, in Law Power scores, he merely managed to keep pace with Gongshujin. This semester, he can already be on par with Ji Yuanpiv?”

Li Mingbo was slightly taken aback. “A disciple of One Layer can actually catch up to the level of a Six Layer disciple?”

The Physical Prowess Examination!

Beneath the astonished gazes of all present, two figures, like streaks of lightning, shot forth, intertwined upon the complex simulated battlefield, flickering back and forth. Neither was able to shake off the other!

One of these individuals was precisely Zhang Yu!

At this moment, the Essence Energy within him boiled, his Blood Energy surged like solid rock. The War Demon Fall Life Skill was exerted to its limit, directly boosting his physical prowess by one and a half levels, pushing Zhang Yu’s physical strength to a terrifying 17.38!

Propelled by such violent physical force, his speed reached an unprecedented degree. Even his body, laden with twenty units of profound steel, felt incredibly light in his perception!

Concurrently, he even multitasked, controlling his physical form to advance while simultaneously commanding several formless warriors. With the aid of his three Divine Eyes and the Remnant Demon Pupils of Time, they blocked various attacks from the simulated battlefield on his behalf!

But even in such circumstances, he found himself still unable to surpass Ji Yuanpiv in front!

“This fellow… so fast!”

“He has employed too many Law Frames for acceleration on his body!”

“It appears in this round, I ultimately still cannot triumph over him!”

However, Zhang Yu had already grown accustomed to this. Speed was ultimately not his strong suit. His current high-speed movement relied entirely on fundamental data, on his own brute strength, forcibly pushed out!

Zhang Yu muttered in his heart, “Victory and defeat still rest on the Construction Examination. My construction ability, tempered through a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinements this semester, is my greatest strength!”

Zhang Yu had long since inquired. The final professional examination of the Earth and Wood Faculty each school year would be of the highest difficulty, with the greatest proportion of comprehensive score, and the most significant influence on ranking!

And at the same time, trailing Zhang Yu and Ji Yuanpiv, Gongshujin’s entire body surged with Astral Energy, his streamlined form constantly tearing through the atmosphere!

But even with all four of his Law Frames specifically altered for displacement acceleration, he could only watch helplessly as the two figures ahead left him farther and farther behind. Gradually, he could no longer even discern the ranking numbers flashing above their heads!

Gongshujin’s eyes were filled with unwillingness. “How is this possible… how is it possible for the gap to widen like this?”

Throughout the past semester, he had taken out numerous loans, burned spirit coins, solely to equip himself with Law Frames for Law Power cultivation, physical cultivation, and different sets for specific examinations!

He had even calculated every detail of his daily cultivation down to the very second, wasting not a single moment!

“Why, why is it that even I, having done this, still cannot catch up to them?”

“How much wealth have they truly expended?”

As the examinations progressed one by one, Ji Yuanpiv and Zhang Yu gradually became the focus of all the disciples in the class!

Especially witnessing the two once again being on par in the examination hall, or watching Zhang Yu pursue Ji Yuanpiv’s figure yet again, all this made the disciples realize that the first place among the freshmen would be decided between these two!

And as it stood now, Yingxin analyzed, “Likely, Ji Yuanpiv’s chance of victory is much higher!”

“After all, at the end of last semester, his comprehensive score already led Zhang Yu by 27 points!”

“This time’s final examination, even if he doesn’t lead Zhang Yu by much, it will be difficult for Zhang Yu to surpass him!”

Yu Xinghan, watching Zhang Yu who ultimately failed to surpass Ji Yuanpiv in the speed examination, let out a slight breath. “Still good, still good. Zhang Yu didn’t surpass Ji Yuanpiv.”

“You scared me to death. I still thought he truly intended to rush for class first place!”

Yu Xinghan dared not even imagine how uncomfortable he would be if he saw Zhang Yu defeat Ji Yuanpiv and leave himself so far behind…

That would simply be many times more agonizing than witnessing his sworn brother utilize the Remnant Demon Pupils of Time!

And compared to the disciples’ vague conjectures, the teachers, who could see the backstage scores ahead of time, held a clearer grasp of the situation!

Tulishan constantly observed the scores of the two after each examination, calculating the changes in their comprehensive scores!

He calculated as he muttered, “Overall, Zhang Yu’s fundamental data has actually approached Ji Yuanpiv’s?”

“Truly inconceivable!”

But considering Zhang Yu’s prodigious consumption of elixirs this semester, he had to sigh once more. Zhang Yu’s very survival until now was, in itself, quite inconceivable.

“His physique is even more formidable than he claimed, truly worthy of being a key cultivation target!”

“Alas, it is a pity. If he were of an upper layer, even just a Two Layer individual, perhaps he could have won over Ji Yuanpiv in this examination!”

And Tulishan, having observed the situation, found Ji Yuanpiv similarly sensing it!

Looking at the notifications from the Luck Monitor, seeing his own win rate becoming increasingly high upon it, Ji Yuanpiv seemed to have already seen the seat of Year First already settling beneath him!

However, regarding defeating Zhang Yu, he always considered it a matter of course!

After all, under the Luck Monitor, he could always see that exceedingly low win rate of his opponent!

What truly concerned him was not defeating Zhang Yu, but now, with victory firmly in hand, whether or not he needed to increase investment.

After all, the moment’s distance from the Master’s requirement of leading by 100 points still represented a considerable gap!

“Others fear my greed!”

Recalling the famous maxim of the Financial Faculty, Ji Yuanpiv’s eyes turned, and he made his decision instantly!

“This moment is precisely the time when Zhang Yu, Gongshujin, and all the disciples in the class are profoundly shaken by my strength, falling into trepidation!”

Ji Yuanpiv knew that the condensation of luck was no easy feat, especially for him, a freshman!

“This is exactly the opportunity to further condense luck, consolidate my status as Class First, and also lay the foundation for the subsequent cultivation of Luck Dao Techniques!”

“At the same time, I can further elevate my strength. Even if I cannot exceed by 100 points, I can exceed by as much as possible!”

Thus, he once again @-ed Zhang Yu and Gongshujin in the group!

Ji Yuanpiv: “You two, in the remaining examinations, release your full potential. Let me savor the experience more thoroughly!”

As the words were spoken, Ji Yuanpiv felt threads of luck surge from different directions!

These were the confidences of each and every disciple in him!

With each examination today, he was like a general who had won a hundred battles. Through repeated victories, he had anchored the words “must win” in the hearts of the disciples!

This was the gathering of the people’s hearts, and luck followed as a matter of course!

And within his Sea of Consciousness, a bronze coin artifact swayed lightly, already suppressing all the gathered luck within the Sea of Consciousness, and beginning to bestow blessings upon his various attributes!

“The Dao of Luck is precisely about following the trend!”

Once again, he guided the hearts of the people through showcasing, pressure, hype, and other methods, borrowing their luck!

“With cultivation to aid the trend, and with the trend to nourish cultivation in return!”

“In a mutual cycle, constantly growing!”

“Finally… becoming the trend itself!”

And Ji Yuanpiv believed that his seizing of Class First at this moment had already become an unstoppable trend!

As for luck backlash…

Ji Yuanpiv could not conceive of the possibility of defeat!

For until the final examination, he still held a lead in comprehensive score over Zhang Yu and Gongshujin!

“The two of them have no opportunity left!”

“The final comprehensive score, I intend to claim even more of it!”

Within the simulated construction site!

All the disciples of the Foundation class had arrived, ready to face today’s final examination!

Tulishan stood before them and declared, “In order to begin with the practical and more objectively examine your professional abilities, the department commenced examination reform starting last year!”

“Today, we have even decided to comprehensively combine all professional skills examinations, using a real example to assess your engineering array formation, blueprint reading, building materials, construction surveying… your comprehensive construction abilities!”

“After all, the most crucial aspect of our Earth and Wood Faculty is practical ability!”

“Today is the time to inspect the results of your freshman year’s studies!”

As he spoke, everyone’s eyes received a blueprint!

Next, Tulishan pointed to the left side of the simulated construction site and said, “On that side are all the building materials provided for this examination!”

“You have half an hour to select and transport the materials you require!”

“The right side is your respectively assigned construction site!”

“Within half an hour, you can, to the best of your ability, select and transport the materials!”

“But after half an hour, you will not be permitted to leave your construction site!”

“Next, you have three hours to carry out construction according to the content of the blueprints!”

“After three hours, regardless of whether you have completed it, all work must cease immediately, and you must leave the site!”

“Subsequently, your works will receive scores based on their degree of completion!”

“Then, all construction sites will uniformly suffer ten waves of strikes!”

“The performance of your works during these ten waves of strikes will similarly determine your score for this examination!”