Chapter 166: Zhang Yu's Heartache

According to the explanations and standards of the True Gods, a "ten-star difficulty" cultivation method is one that an average high school student would need three years to master.

A nine-star method requires two years, eight-star one year, and seven-star roughly half a year…

Hearing this, Dai Xingzhi mused to himself, "Based on this difficulty scale, I'm confident I could master a five-star method in two hours. A six-star method has a chance of failure. As for seven-star and above... apart from Yun Jing and Ye Lingxiao, probably few here would dare choose one."

After all, in Dai Xingzhi's opinion, it wasn't worth risking a zero score on this round by attempting a cultivation method that was too difficult, just to gain a few extra points.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu paid no attention to the difficulty explanations. He was gazing at the rows of cultivation methods displayed on the light screen, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Heavenly Demon Parasitic Art, Buzhou Mountain Moving Sutra, Mind Origin Great Handprint…

The cultivation methods provided by the True Gods in this examination might not encompass all of Kunxu's Qi Refining stage techniques, but they were already dazzling enough for Zhang Yu.

"Are all of these methods available for selection?"

At this moment, a look of immense excitement shone in Zhang Yu's eyes. After all, with his extraordinary potential, assisting the Feather Book in mastering any cultivation method was a simple task.

On the other side, the True Gods continued to explain the rules. Deng Bingding said, "...Cultivation methods of varying difficulty will naturally have different difficulty coefficients."

"The final score for this round will be calculated based on the difficulty coefficient and the time it takes you to successfully master the cultivation method."

"Alright, you now have ten minutes to select your cultivation method."

"Once a method is chosen, it cannot be changed."

"If you fail to select a method within ten minutes, it will be considered abandonment, and you will receive a zero score for this round."

"As for the weapons, materials, elixirs, and other resources required to practice each method, they will all be provided on-site. They will be distributed to you after you have selected your method."

"Finally, remember not to choose a cultivation method you have already learned, or it will be considered cheating."

As the rules for this final Martial Dao examination were gradually explained, the ten-minute timer began. Students could now interact with the light screens in front of them to choose their cultivation methods.

Students all reached out and swiped across the light screens, their fingers clicking incessantly. Their eyes scanned back and forth between the myriad of cultivation methods, their faces occasionally betraying hesitation.

As he surveyed the list of cultivation methods, Zhang Yu thought, "If I want to get a high score, then I should choose the most difficult method."

Each cultivation method on the list had been rated by the True Gods according to its difficulty, with a corresponding number of stars.

Zhang Yu filtered for the most difficult ten-star methods, and the following appeared: Myriad Manifestations Palm, Blood Scattering Demon Slaughtering Art, Heavenly Demon Disintegration Art, Myriad Swords Without End, Hundred Transformations Illusory Mind Art…

Ten-star difficulty only indicated that these methods were the hardest to master, but that didn't necessarily mean they were the most powerful, or the most suitable, for him.

Thinking this, Zhang Yu recalled the Foundation Establishment Qualification Examination process and the purpose of today's test.

"The Foundation Establishment Qualification Examination is divided into three rounds, and the one I'm participating in today... is the first round of examinations in August."

"There will be a second round in October, and a third round in January of next year."

"For this first round of exams, I only need to be in the top twenty in total score for mana, physical body, and martial arts to avoid being eliminated and qualify for the second round of exams."

Zhang Yu calculated his ranks in the mana and physical body rounds, he knew that as long as he was also ranked in the top 20 in the third round, it was unlikely that he would be eliminated.

"So... instead of choosing the most difficult cultivation method to obtain a very high score..."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Perhaps I should take this opportunity to practice a powerful cultivation method that is best suited for me for free."

"Firstly, it won't affect my passing today's exam."

"Secondly, it will be more helpful for my future development." Zhang Yu's gaze swept across the cultivation methods that cost hundreds of thousands or even millions, and he felt his mouth watering.

Although they were both expert-level cultivation methods, there was a difference between expert-level and expert-level, which could be seen from the price of each expert-level cultivation method.

Zhang Yu wouldn't even dare to think about those expert-level cultivation methods that cost seven or eighty thousand, or even millions, of spirit stones.

After all, if he had so much money, he would definitely use it to buy pills, medicine, rent spiritual veins, and ascend to the spiritual realm first...

But now, he had the opportunity to practice such an expensive cultivation method for free.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu had made up his mind: "I want to choose a cultivation method that is the most suitable for me and also the strongest."

"The most suitable one is not difficult to find."

"It just so happens that after my physical strength broke through to level 8 or above, the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi has gradually become less efficient."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu directly selected Body Refinement Martial Arts in the cultivation method type, and then selected Late Qi Refining.

As for which of these body refinement martial arts was the strongest, Zhang Yu directly clicked to sort by price.

There were many traps in Kunxu, and the methods of deceiving people and cutting leeks were endless.

But one thing was certain, that was that the companies here would never price a body refinement martial art that they thought was very powerful... at a low price.

"There's no such thing as good quality at a low price."

Instead, the most expensive cultivation methods must have powerful aspects.

As the sorting was completed, the body refinement martial arts that appeared in front of Zhang Yu from high to low were: Spring and Autumn Endless Chan for 1.55 million, Titanium Body Refinement Secrets for 1.54 million, and Great Heavenly Dragon Divine Power for 1.52 million.

Although these three cultivation methods were all eight-star difficulty and not the highest ten-star difficulty, for Zhang Yu, these were the cultivation methods he really needed.

Especially after skimming through the introductions of these three most expensive cultivation methods, Zhang Yu felt a pang of heartache.

"These three cultivation methods... am I going to give up two of them?"

Then he became extremely hesitant.

Spring and Autumn Endless Chan could strengthen the body while changing the tendons and washing the marrow, strengthening the internal organs, truly changing the physique, enhancing the body's vitality, eliminating various impurities such as pill toxins and drug toxins in the body, and improving the effectiveness of drug injections...

Practicing this cultivation method could allow one to frantically take medicine and acupuncture, it was a true sacred skill for body refinement, enhancing the cultivator's immortal potential.

But looking at the Titanium Body Refinement Secrets on the side, Zhang Yu also became eager: a cultivation method created by a steel mill worker who fell into a steel furnace in order to struggle to survive.

"It can melt various alloys into the body, combine them with flesh, bones, and even internal organs, greatly enhancing the body's resistance to impact and the body's load-bearing capacity."

Especially the higher the quality of the alloy used, the higher the body strength. It is said that the company guarantees to update the training materials every year, and even after upgrading to level 10, it can still be stronger every year.

Zhang Yu scoffed at the statement about the worker falling into the steel furnace, which was obviously a gimmick made up by the company to promote this cultivation method.

Rather than a small story about a worker accidentally falling into a steel furnace, Zhang Yu was more willing to believe that this was a cultivation method created after countless experimenters were burned and crushed to death in the laboratory.

But the strength of this cultivation method was beyond doubt.

But Zhang Yu couldn't help but look at the Great Heavenly Dragon Divine Power on the side.

Refining dragon blood, refining the body into a half-dragon half-human body, can greatly increase the strength of muscles and body strength, and also improve recovery, energy, physical strength, drug resistance, metabolic capacity, digestive capacity, and other aspects.

If one insists on refining dragon blood every day, it can even continue to increase potential, increase lifespan, and obtain some dragon abilities.

Um... but there are also side effects, that is, the character will be affected by the dragon nature. For example, the dragon nature is inherently lewd. With the continuous refining of dragon blood, the practitioner's aesthetics will also change accordingly, and their hobbies will become more and more extensive.

It's best to combine it with sterilization surgery after practicing it to continue to improve.

But this small side effect was nothing in Zhang Yu's eyes now.

If he could practice this cultivation method for free, he would be willing to have a small surgery.

As the 10 minutes of cultivation method selection time continued to pass, Zhang Yu looked at the three cultivation methods in front of him, feeling incomparable hesitation and difficulty.

"I want them all."

"Alas, this is too difficult to choose."

Compared to Zhang Yu's difficulty, Ye Lingxiao on the other side seemed very decisive.

As the inheritor of the perfect bloodline of the Ye clan in Xiandu, Ye Lingxiao had a developed nervous system far beyond that of ordinary high school students. He had a terrifying innate control over muscles, internal organs, and even mana.

This talent was completely released after he entered high school, allowing him to learn any cultivation method with just one look and master it with just one study.

It can be said that since entering high school, the number of cultivation methods he has practiced has long surpassed the imagination of ordinary students, and even his classmates, teachers, and personal coaches... all do not know how many cultivation methods he has learned.

At this moment, in Ye Lingxiao's eyes, many of the rows of cultivation methods were those he had already learned.

As for the ones he hadn't learned, he mostly had some knowledge of them and knew roughly what direction they were in.

However, he would not risk choosing a cultivation method that he had already practiced to take this exam.

On the one hand, he disdained to do so, and on the other hand, each of his cultivation methods was a genuine version with the right to use it purchased.

As a pure genuine user, the True Gods on site could find out what cultivation methods he had practiced with just one check.

So Ye Lingxiao screened out the cultivation methods with a cultivation difficulty of ten stars, and then randomly selected one that he had not practiced and did not dislike.

Ye Lingxiao thought: "Let's go with this Myriad Swords Without End." Yun Jing on the other side was even simpler. He didn't practice as many cultivation methods as Ye Lingxiao. At this moment, after sorting them by difficulty from high to low, he chose the Myriad Manifestations Palm, which was ranked at the top.

Yu Xinghan on this side thought for a while.

Xinghuo Zhenren had already planned and arranged every cultivation method he practiced and chose in the Qi Refining stage.

Judging from the ranking of the previous two exams, his performance pressure in this exam was not too great, and he didn't need to find the most difficult cultivation method to practice.

"There's no need to choose a cultivation method outside of the Master's plan, that will only waste my extra time and energy."

After all, Xinghuo Zhenren's arrangements for Yu Xinghan were already very tight, and he simply didn't have any extra time to practice extra cultivation methods.

"I still have to choose the cultivation method in the plan."

"In this way, next time Li Xuelian transfers money to me to buy cultivation methods..."

Thinking that he could learn a cultivation method here for free today, and then get a sum of money from Li Xuelian for cultivation methods next time, Yu Xinghan felt a burst of excitement in his heart.

"Then of course I have to choose the most expensive one in the plan..." Yu Xinghan's eyes stayed on the Tiangang Qi Gong, which was a seven-star difficulty and worth 900,000.

"The Tiangang Qi Gong with seven-star difficulty, even if I want to master it in two hours, it's enough of a challenge."

"And..."

Looking at the eight big characters "If you want to practice this skill, cut your life against the sky" in the introduction of the cultivation method, Yu Xinghan felt a chill.

He had just asked the True God examiner, and the Tiangang Qi Gong required the integrity of the body. So if he chose this cultivation method, the on-site examiner would respectfully invite the Ministry of Health's Great God to use divine power to restore the physical defects brought about by his sterilization surgery.

So practicing the Tiangang Qi Gong would face the influence of the Dao heart, as well as the physical and mental changes brought about by various hormonal changes in the body, which would be very harmful to his own cultivation.

This kind of change that hinders one's own cultivation was simply a poison to Yu Xinghan, who was determined to advance bravely on the road of immortality.

"No wonder Master wants to arrange for me to practice the Tiangang Qi Gong in my second or even third year of high school."

"It turns out that practicing this cultivation method requires such a great price."

Yu Xinghan gritted his teeth and thought, "But wealth and danger go hand in hand. If I don't dare to take a gamble for 900,000, how can I strive to climb on the road of immortality in the future?"

"I'll take the risk!"

The remaining students, such as Dai Xingzhi and Meng Tao, mostly chose cultivation methods with five or six-star difficulty.

This was all for the sake of stability, after all, if the cultivation method chosen was too difficult, and they failed to master it within two hours, it would be directly counted as zero points.