Within the True Gods’ network, Huang Zichou observed the many students choosing their cultivation methods for the exam. He chuckled, “The choice of cultivation method is extremely important in this test. If you pick a method that’s too difficult and ultimately fail to master it, you’ll get zero points. It’s better to select a slightly simpler one, something you have a greater chance of succeeding with.”

Another minor god remarked, “This is part of the examination: whether one has a clear understanding of their own talent, limits, and potential. However, since most of the students here have made it this far, mastering a five-star difficulty cultivation method shouldn’t be too challenging. Failure becomes a possibility starting from six-star difficulty. Seven-star difficulty is quite risky. Eight-star and nine-star difficulties carry a very high probability of failure. As for the ten-star, most difficult method, only Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao should be bold enough to choose it.”

Just then, Huang Zichou surprisingly exclaimed, “Three people chose a ten-star cultivation method? And one person chose a nine-star difficulty method? Another picked an eight-star one?” Huang Zichou laughed, “There are quite a few arrogant individuals among this year’s examinees.”

Bai Zhenzhen gazed at the Myriad Swords Unending Art she had chosen, her heart beginning to pound with nervousness. The Foundation Establishment exam was divided into three rounds. Apart from the first comprehensive round, the subsequent two rounds would be tested across four tracks: Dao Heart, Mana, Physique, and Martial Arts. Ultimately, one champion from each track would earn a Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate.

“Yu Zi is taking the Physique exam, and I’m taking the Martial Arts one,” she thought. “Right now, I just happen to lack a sufficiently powerful sword art.” Looking at the Myriad Swords Unending Art, a combat martial art valued at 1.49 million and rated ten-star difficulty, Bai Zhenzhen mused, “If I miss this chance… I might not have another opportunity to learn such a sword art for a very long time.” After repeatedly searching, Bai Zhenzhen realized that the Myriad Swords Unending Art was not only the most suitable for her among the available methods but also the most powerful. “And the Immortal Capital gentlemen I’ll be facing in the martial arts arena… they’ve probably all mastered some form of this top-tier, expert-level martial art, haven’t they? To defeat them, I must seize this free opportunity to learn such a martial art within two hours.”

Despite her resolve, Bai Zhenzhen wasn’t very confident, as she had never learned such an expensive martial art nor personally experienced the true difficulty of a ten-star technique. However, as a poor student, to compete against the wealthy ones present, she had no choice but to go all out, betting all her chips.

Meanwhile, Li Tongyun on the other side was trembling with nervousness, simply because she had just chosen a nine-star cultivation method. She kept telling herself internally, “I must master it! I must master it!” Li Tongyun had ranked outside the top twenty in the first two rounds, especially in the second round, the Gluttony Contest, where constant vomiting caused her to drop to over thirtieth place. Therefore, to ultimately secure a spot in the top twenty overall, she calculated that she *had* to master a nine-star cultivation method in this round.

On the other side, Zhang Yu had chosen the eight-star difficulty Spring and Autumn Unending Zen, valued at 1.55 million. Although it wasn’t the highest ten-star difficulty, Zhang Yu knew this cultivation method was definitely one of the most powerful among those available today. “Sigh, whether it’s the Titanium Body Refinement Art or the Great Sky Dragon Divine Power, while they are strong, the alloys and dragon blood needed to upgrade them later are too expensive,” he thought. “In contrast, Spring and Autumn Unending Zen doesn’t require any external materials to improve its level.” Once Zhang Yu understood this, he knew he could only choose Spring and Autumn Unending Zen. As someone from a poor background, he didn’t have many options to begin with; this free opportunity to cultivate Spring and Autumn Unending Zen was truly once in a blue moon.

As the ten-minute period for selecting cultivation methods ended, the exam officially began. The cultivation method materials chosen by each student, along with the necessary cultivation items, were delivered to them. What was delivered to Zhang Yu was simple: a physical book with the five large characters “Spring and Autumn Unending Zen” printed on it. This was his exam paper. After scanning through the entire Spring and Autumn Unending Zen, Zhang Yu began to condense the long-life mana described within it, following the instructions. Only by successfully condensing long-life mana and then combining it with the forty-nine body-refining movements of Spring and Autumn Unending Zen would he be considered to have mastered the basics of this body-refining martial art. As Zhang Yu practiced Spring and Autumn Unending Zen, many other students were also making rapid progress with their chosen cultivation methods.

While Yun Jing practiced the Senluo Myriad Forms Palm, his star-like eyes could perceive every structure within his body, clearly observing the movement of muscles and mana, achieving an internal vision effect. Furthermore, after memorizing the contents of the Senluo Myriad Forms Palm, as he practiced, he could see a superimposed image of someone executing the technique, allowing him to constantly identify and correct his errors, adjusting and improving almost every moment. This was one of the effects of his ‘Dharma Bone Eyes’, enabling him to perform internal vision, quickly imitate various cultivation methods, and automatically detect all errors during practice. And when Yun Jing’s gaze flickered to others practicing martial arts, various numbers appeared in his vision: “500,000… 450,000… 700,000…” These were the prices of the martial arts being practiced by many around him, indicated by his Dharma Bone Eyes. By comparing these prices, Yun Jing formed an impression of the strengths and weaknesses of these individuals in his mind.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after a quick glance at the Myriad Swords Unending Art, Ye Lingxiao did not choose to practice the sword moves physically. Instead, he simply sat in place and began to rehearse them in his mind. For Ye Lingxiao, who could completely control his body and mana, if the mental rehearsal was flawless, then there would be no issues in actual execution. The speed of mental rehearsal was clearly much faster than physical practice. Thus, when he cultivated most methods, he would often scan the manual once, then sit down, rehearse it mentally, and by the time he physically performed it, he would have mastered it.

But for Bai Zhenzhen, who had also chosen the Myriad Swords Unending Art, things were not so simple. Holding a practice sword, her figure flashed, accompanied by electrical arcing, as she performed one sword move after another from the Myriad Swords Unending Art. However, the Myriad Swords Unending Art was a top-tier sword art among expert-level techniques, said to encompass all possible sword move variations in the Qi Refinement stage, pushing the limits of sword variations in that realm. After all, in the Qi Refinement stage, divine abilities are not yet manifest, and sword moves driven by pure strength, speed, and mana are limited. Yet, even so, this Myriad Swords Unending Art was said to contain tens of thousands of sword moves.

Bai Zhenzhen simultaneously flipped through the thousands of pages of the Myriad Swords Unending Art and rapidly practiced the sword moves, but the more she practiced, the more she felt something was wrong. “This won’t work,” she thought. “Practicing move by move like this, how could I possibly learn the Myriad Swords Unending Art in two hours?” With her mental cultivation method running, Bai Zhenzhen stopped blindly practicing and instead reread the general principles of the Myriad Swords Unending Art, beginning to ponder.

“‘Practice the sword ten thousand times, and its essence will reveal itself,'” she recalled. “‘The normal way to practice the Myriad Swords Unending Art is indeed to go through each move, master all its variations, and then finally condense sword intent, allowing one to break through all external martial arts techniques in the world with a single strike. But clearly, there isn’t enough time for that now. However, since the True Gods placed this cultivation method here, it implies that it is theoretically possible to master this sword art within two hours.'”

As time steadily passed, Bai Zhenzhen grew calmer, continuously contemplating the secrets within the Myriad Swords Unending Art. “Is there some underlying principle that connects all these sword moves? If I can comprehend it, will I instantly master them?” Just then, Bai Zhenzhen noticed Ye Lingxiao sitting with closed eyes, deep in thought. Although she didn’t know what Ye Lingxiao was doing, Bai Zhenzhen had a flash of inspiration. “Rehearsing ten thousand sword moves in two hours, I can’t do that physically right now. My body can’t do it, but what if I rehearse them in my mind?”

Bai Zhenzhen closed her eyes and began to rehearse each move of the Myriad Swords Unending Art in her mind, yet she still felt something was off. “No, what I imagine in my mind is different from actually performing it with my body. It can’t be considered mastery, can it? But since the Myriad Swords Unending Art aims to condense sword intent… do the moves have to be perfectly accurate?” Bai Zhenzhen recalled how Zhang Yu had comprehended the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art; apparently, messy or distorted moves didn’t matter much then. Thinking of this, Bai Zhenzhen closed her eyes again and began to mentally rehearse the sword moves, simultaneously coming up with a new idea. “The Myriad Swords Unending Art is, after all, a combat martial art. What if I conjure an opponent in my mind?”

When she thought of an opponent, Zhang Yu was the first person who came to mind. As the opponent she had fought against the most and was most familiar with, Bai Zhenzhen quickly simulated a combat scene with Zhang Yu in her mind. In their many past sparring sessions, her memory had long recorded Zhang Yu’s various performances in combat. So, at this moment in her mind, with Zhang Yu attacking at full strength, he seemed like an invisible cloud of mist blocking her path, appearing impregnable, making it impossible for her to break through no matter how she struck. “Yu Zi is truly difficult to fight,” she thought. And in this mental sparring, Bai Zhenzhen surprisingly continuously noticed flaws in her own sword moves. Previously, she would try to find weaknesses in her opponents’ moves during combat. Now, as she rehearsed against herself in her mind, she was continuously identifying flaws in her own execution of the Myriad Swords Unending Art.

At this point, Bai Zhenzhen felt she had done something right. “That’s it… The Myriad Swords Unending Art is the ultimate in sword move variations. Why do sword moves vary? Naturally, it’s to counter other moves. Practicing ten thousand times is rote memorization. Comprehending sword intent by countering moves should be the superior method for this martial art.” Following this, she simply continued to flip through the Myriad Swords Unending Art while sparring with the mental image of Zhang Yu. Under this combat refinement, Bai Zhenzhen felt as if she were transforming into a bolt of lightning, ready to tear through the dense mist before her, and a sword intent gradually began to rise within her heart.

In the time that followed, other students also made rapid progress. After exiting the makeshift operating room nearby, Yu Xinghan emerged with a tragic expression. His third eye in his mind opened, propelled by a hatred for his reversed existence, and he made swift advancements in his cultivation. Yun Jing’s speed became faster and more precise with each iteration, increasingly nearing mastery. Ye Lingxiao, meanwhile, was far ahead, with hundreds of versions of himself in his mind simultaneously practicing different sword moves, rapidly accelerating his progress with the Myriad Swords Unending Art.

But just as Ye Lingxiao felt he could secure first place, he abruptly opened his eyes and saw Zhang Yu raise his hand, declaring, “Examiner, I’m done. I have mastered it.”