“To earn the military certificate, I must achieve absolute dominance in this exam, leaving no chance for anyone else.” This was Ping Han’s unwavering conviction.

He was unsure of others’ performances, but he wouldn’t be surprised if someone else also protected their formation core to 100% integrity. Therefore, to further secure his advantage, he decided not only to maintain 100% integrity of the core but also to exert his full strength before the exam ended and completely annihilate the Yellow Turban army before him. Achieving this before the exam concluded, however, would not be easy. He needed not only to unleash his full power but also to generate a decisive destructive force.

Amidst thunderous crashes, the earth cracked open, and massive ravines suddenly appeared, as if an invisible long blade were slicing through the ground, carving out a huge rectangle. While fighting, Ping Han hadn’t constructed many defensive fortifications; instead, he had been continuously working underground. He had carved out a gigantic section of the earth, as if slicing a cake. Now, as dust billowed towards the sky, the severed earth began to rise little by little, like a massive cake being lifted by Ping Han.

In Ping Han’s mind, scenes of his journey and struggle along the path of immortality flashed by. “Working for others won’t make you rich or allow you to break through to the Golden Core stage. Ultimately, it will only drain your lifespan and turn you into someone else’s potential for immortality. To break through to the Golden Core, one must become incredibly wealthy. And to become incredibly wealthy, one must trade cryptocurrencies. Because for cultivators of our era, for us paupers… all other paths to sudden wealth and immortal opportunities have been blocked, one after another. It’s not that I chose to trade cryptocurrencies; it’s that the era chose it. Cryptocurrency trading chose me. It’s the only way I have even a slight chance of surpassing the wealthy; this is one of the few immortal opportunities left for the poor in this new era. Poverty leads to becoming a ghost, wealth leads to becoming an immortal. Getting a result from a few years of crypto trading is better than struggling for a century only to end up as a mere spirit.”

Reflecting on this, Ping Han let out a hearty laugh and declared loudly, “If there’s no path to immortality, coins will forge one! My desire for coins is iron-strong, even in the face of death! Today… I’ll take another gamble! Heave the mountain for me!”

In an instant, as a series of assets and contracts were mortgaged, Ping Han squeezed out his last ounce of potential, pushing the efficiency of numerous magic treasures and artifacts to their limits. Immediately afterward, with a mighty roar from him, magic treasures surged underground, some releasing power, others erupting with immense force. “Heave the mountain!”

With a colossal boom, the horizon, which had only been slowly rising under the influence of the Minor Tri-Unity formation, now violently vibrated and rapidly ascended. Like a massive mountain tearing itself from the earth, its rapidly expanding shadow instantly engulfed the Yellow Turban army. “Heave the mountain!” Amidst his furious roar, Ping Han’s veins bulged, his magic power surged, and it was being consumed at an incredible rate. The spirit coins in his bank account fluctuated wildly, plummeting towards zero.

He stood with arms raised high, as if supporting the heavens, glaring fiercely at the Yellow Turban army. As he violently slammed his hands down, it was as if he intended to shatter all obstacles on the path to immortality, to ascend to the peak step by step. With an earth-shattering crash, the colossal landmass, overshadowing everything, plummeted down, poised to crush everything before it. Amidst the rumbling tremors, the ground violently undulated as if in a collision, like a massive earthquake, sending out wave after wave of visible vibrations. Dust billowed skyward, instantly engulfing the entire area and obstructing everyone’s view.

Witnessing this astonishing strike, even the numerous judges and guests on the flying ship were deeply moved. “A strike that gambled everything,” True Monarch Qiyun remarked. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such a spectacular exam for a Civil Engineering military certificate. Ping Han truly deserves to earn this military certificate.”

Director Gao, standing nearby, was also deeply shaken by the scene. In that strike, he sensed Ping Han’s resolve, his fighting spirit, and, more importantly, his choice. “Ping Han isn’t unaware of the risks of cryptocurrency trading,” he mused. “Instead, he knows the risks but is still willing to stake everything, again and again. He doesn’t seek longevity or a steady, slow path… he just wants to burn everything brightly and either become a ghost or an immortal, seeking only a decisive end. Ping Han, you…” Director Gao let out a long sigh. He didn’t believe Ping Han’s path to immortality was correct, but given the other’s absolute resolve, he no longer intended to persuade him, understanding that his words would be futile. “I hope you can go further after obtaining this military certificate.”

But just then, True Monarch Tianxiang suddenly spoke, “It’s not over yet.” His elephant trunk coiled, his tusks suddenly elongated, and he said with a hint of excitement in his eyes, “Zhang Yu has also made his move. Interesting, very interesting. Is there still a contest left in this exam?”

It wasn’t just True Monarch Tianxiang who noticed this; one by one, all the judges and guests present had already turned their attention to the other examination area, focusing on Zhang Yu’s location. Feeling the faint tremors emanating from the earth, Zhang Yu knew these were undoubtedly caused by activity in other examination areas. Although he hadn’t witnessed it directly, just by sensing the continuous vibrations from the ground, Zhang Yu could imagine how fierce, terrifying, and earth-shattering that strike was.

“Has someone else thought of the same thing as me?” Zhang Yu pondered. “Merely protecting the formation core to 100% integrity might not be enough to secure the military certificate. When multiple candidates protect their formation cores to 100% integrity, the military certificate’s recipient will undoubtedly be decided by other aspects of their performance. And the number of Yellow Turban Warriors eliminated will clearly be a significant factor.”

As Zhang Yu’s mind raced through these thoughts, he stood atop the Formless Spirit General’s head, silently accumulating power for his most potent strike. Within the Formless Spirit General’s dantian, numerous Blazing Plains Towers and Soul Condensation Towers simultaneously launched attacks. Streaks of lightning-fire and chilling light surged towards Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud Aura, filling each of the 20 empty orifices within the aura. Under the blessing of the Martial Dao Saint Body, the level 20 Nine Heavens Cloud Void Energy was not only perfectly unleashed but, through the process of ‘borrowing strength to strike back,’ could even rebound with more ferocious power than it received. Thus, the power of each lightning-fire and chilling light attack, transferred through the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Energy, gained an additional layer of enhancement.

Meanwhile, the level 20 Treasure Appraisal Art had already been secretly activated multiple times while Zhang Yu was absorbing the remnants of the Yellow Turban Warriors. By now, Zhang Yu was intimately familiar with the Yellow Turban Warriors’ structure and had every weakness of every warrior on the field in his sight. This would further enhance the power of Zhang Yu’s upcoming strike by another level.

The next instant, as Zhang Yu clasped his hands together, the Minor Tri-Unity formation activated abruptly, causing the Formless Spirit General’s back to undulate. With a powerful shout, Zhang Yu, in addition to the Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Seal, also boosted the Great Wilderness Mountain Shifting Art to level 20 and the Earth Manipulation Divine Transformation to level 10. At this moment, the Minor Tri-Unity’s power surged to level 16, instantly causing the Formless Spirit General’s body to suddenly expand. Everyone on the flying ship was simultaneously moved, a thought rising in their minds: “A breakthrough? The Seven Wonders of Civil Engineering technique, it broke through during combat?” This “breakthrough” would allow Zhang Yu’s subsequent attack to receive yet another layer of enhancement.

Simultaneously, cultivation techniques such as the Battle Demon Lifespan Fall Art and the Endless Spring and Autumn Zen were successively activated, granting Zhang Yu’s next move another level of enhancement. The next moment, a thunderous roar erupted. As the level 16 Minor Tri-Unity activated under the blessing of the Martial Dao Saint Body, hands of varying sizes suddenly surged forth from the Formless Spirit General’s back. Controlled by quadruple thought processes, a continuous, overwhelming torrent of hands poured out, sweeping across all the Yellow Turban Warriors on the field.

Each hand, propelled by the Minor Tri-Unity’s power, unleashed the force of the Dragon-Elephant Mountain Collapse Palm. Each palm contained the power of the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Energy, and under the precise control of Martial Dao Insight, it unleashed attacks transferred from the Blazing Plains Towers and Soul Condensation Towers. Within the Formless Spirit General’s dantian, the Blazing Plains Towers and Soul Condensation Towers continued their assault, transmitting their power through the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Energy. Under the blessing of the Time-Residual Demonic Eyes, the entire world seemed to enter slow motion. The movement of every hand and every action of the Yellow Turban Warriors were perfectly within Zhang Yu’s perception. Torrential power, carrying explosive aura, fiercely slammed into the weak points of the Yellow Turban Warriors on the field. Zhang Yu silently thought to himself, “This move can be called… Nine Heavens Cloud Void, Thousand-Hand Saint Martial!”

Every shred of power had undergone multiple layers of extreme enhancement. Every technique was applied with the utmost precision, striking at the targets’ weak points. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! The earth trembled, and dust churned. Hands enveloped in white, misty aura, like falling meteors, bombarded the entire battlefield. As the immense power made contact with the Yellow Turban Warriors’ bodies, it was like pervasive flowing water, twisting and tearing at their weak points. Under the terrifying assault, the entire ground was littered with severed limbs of Yellow Turban Warriors, along with countless craters and palm imprints. The assault continued until Zhang Yu’s magic power was nearly depleted.

But just as everyone believed it was over, Zhang Yu, standing atop the Formless Spirit General’s head, took a deep breath. In his mind, the Four-Headed White Ox let out a long roar towards the sky. Under this ultimate burst, his already scarred body was forcefully stabilized by Zhang Yu’s activation ability. Within his nearly depleted dantian, as Zhang Yu switched to the Qi Meridian Flow, wisps of magic power were forcibly squeezed out from the qi and blood, stamina, and vital essence within his body. Zhang Yu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, then grinned, roaring inwardly, “Damn it… Body! Give me one more round!” As he switched the Qi Meridian Flow back to the Martial Dao Saint Body, the next moment… Nine Heavens Cloud Void, Thousand-Hand Saint Martial!

During the first wave of attacks, Zhang Yu had already prepared for the activation of a second wave. Now, hands enveloped in swirling mist shot skyward. The mist was stained with Zhang Yu’s blood, causing these hands to descend like burning meteors, plummeting to the earth and sweeping across the entire battlefield one last time, just before the exam concluded.