Chapter 431: Expert Commentary

On the exam grounds, Zhang Yu’s body erupted into bursts of blood mist. At the very final moment of the exam, he unleashed two consecutive ultimate moves, summoning earth-shattering force—but at the cost of pushing his body to unprecedented ruin.

As the tremors across the land ceased and silence fell over the battlefield, the Formless Spirit General beneath Zhang Yu's feet began to crumble.

The mud and sand that had once looked lifelike—so real it seemed made of flesh and blood—lost their cohesion without Zhang Yu's mana to animate them. They collapsed and scattered into drifting dust.

At the same time, Zhang Yu, who had stood atop the Formless Spirit General’s head, began to fall.

In his last flurry of attacks, he had poured out every drop of mana, every thread of Martial Qi, every fiber of muscle. He had pushed his body to the absolute brink.

Even his thoughts had been pushed to the limit by Multi-Threaded Thinking and the boost of the Time-Wrecking Demon Pupil.

His brain, his muscles, his internal organs—every part of his body had paid a steep price for operating at such overload.

Like an overused sword whose edge grows jagged, even breaks apart—Zhang Yu’s body now bore the toll of that unsparing burst: muscles torn across his body, shattered bones, ruptured meridians, and organs bleeding profusely.

As the Formless Spirit General crumbled, Zhang Yu swayed in midair, falling limply toward the ground.

He tried to twist his waist, to regain balance, but he discovered he didn’t have a shred of strength left.

And in that moment, he suddenly grasped a crucial truth of entering Martial Insight.

He gave a wry smile. “With this level of bodily control… when I squeeze myself dry, I really squeeze every last drop. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.”

As Zhang Yu drifted through this daze of thought, a soft whoosh reached his ears.

A figure pierced through the smoke and appeared before him.

Director Gao gently caught the falling Zhang Yu. Seeing the boy’s blood-drenched form, he sighed silently: “Good kid. You’ve earned a real rest.”

Sensing Zhang Yu’s surprised gaze, Director Gao said calmly, “Relax. The exam’s over. I’m allowed to be here.”

Then he turned and called out, “Is any Righteous God nearby? Please escort this examinee for medical treatment.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yu struggled to speak. “T-Teacher… no need for—”

Director Gao cut him off. “Don’t worry. I’ll cover the medical costs.”

Deng Bingding appeared beside them, smiling. “Director Gao, allow me to take him.”

Gazing at the Director, Deng Bingding thought to himself, “Zhang Yu’s chosen mentor was True Lord Magneto… but this Director Gao…”

Director Gao frowned. “Is there a problem?”

Deng Bingding smiled. “Nothing at all.”

Once Deng Bingding left with Zhang Yu, Director Gao turned toward the flying vessel. In the next instant, his figure vanished from the battlefield.

…

Meanwhile, as the examinees evacuated, Righteous Gods began appearing across the exam field. They cleaned up the aftermath, tallied the damage, and compiled data.

Onboard the flying vessel—

The judges and guests were replaying footage of the exam.

Especially the clash between Ping Han and Zhang Yu—it dominated the view of nearly every observer.

True Lord Qiyun said evenly, “What do you both think?”

Geng Chenyin, a Rank-Five God, spoke first. “Ping Han’s Dao Heart has been forged through years of tempering. Today, his latent strength exploded forth. His performance truly swept the field.”

“Especially that final Mountain-Rending Blow—likely no one here could withstand it.”

Experts from other universities nodded in agreement. Most clearly favored awarding the Military License to Ping Han.

But then, True Lord Tianxiang let out a chuckle. His elephant trunk curled, and his tusks rattled.

“No one could withstand it?” he said. “I think Zhang Yu held his ground just fine.”

This professor from Heavenly Demon University added, “Zhang Yu’s Martial aptitude clearly surpasses every examinee here.”

“Even the most ordinary Martial Techniques become miraculous in his hands.”

“Take the Dragon Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm. A common outer-sect move. But once he paired it with Small Threefold Harmony, it erupted with earth-shaking force.”

“And the Nine Heavens Cloudstride Force—originally just a military-grade technique—he used it so effectively it performed at twelve times its normal efficiency. I doubt any student here could have broken through his defenses.”

A number of professors nodded in agreement. True Lord Tianxiang was making a compelling case.

Director Lin watched as two once-courteous judges now squared off verbally. He sighed inwardly at how much was riding on this Military License: political capital, cross-university rivalry, and more.

He thought, “True Lord Tianxiang probably doesn’t want Ping Han getting the License—he’s worried about the threat to Heavenly Demon University in the Civil Engineering competition. If Ping Han completes the Seven Absolutes and masters the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might…”

“Mastering a military-grade technique changes everything.”

“With Ping Han teamed up with Mo Shangjin… they’d be a major threat.”

“As for Geng Chenyin—this god’s been managing Wanfa University’s affairs for years. Is he backing Ping Han to help the Civil Engineering Department win? Or does he have another motive?”

Director Lin turned toward True Lord Qiyun.

“What about him? Does he want Ping Han and Mo Shangjin to win the competition for the Civil Engineering Department?”

As these thoughts flew through Director Lin’s mind, True Lord Tianxiang pressed on. “Now, look at Zhang Yu’s final burst.”

He gestured, and the light screen zoomed in—replaying Zhang Yu’s one-man sweep of the Yellow-Turban Enforcers.

“This strike… and this one…”

He showed frame after frame of palm strikes distorting the enemy formations.

True Lord Tianxiang marveled, “He drew upon the power of defensive structures, stacked it atop his own physical strength, added Martial Qi—then funneled it all through his Martial Techniques, culminating in a giant’s eruption through Small Threefold Harmony.”

“Each layer of power control boosted his destructive force—and the layering was flawless.”

“Not only that—he struck with surgical accuracy. Every hit landed on a vital spot. Every move dealt the maximum damage for the minimum effort.”

“That kind of precision—repeated hundreds of times in seconds—is practically impossible at this cultivation level.”

Many of the experts had not studied Zhang Yu’s performance in such granular detail. Now, hearing this breakdown, they finally grasped how exquisite his final barrage truly was.

Deng Bingding, escorting the half-conscious Zhang Yu to receive treatment, overheard the commentary. Glancing down at him, he thought, “This kid’s performance… even more impressive than I guessed.”

Director Lin absorbed True Lord Tianxiang’s analysis and thought, “This elephant-demon really wants Zhang Yu to get the License.”

“Makes sense. By the time Zhang Yu masters the Seven Absolutes and fully learns the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, Mo Shangjin will have graduated. No threat to Heavenly Demon University.”

At that moment, Director Gao had already returned to the flying vessel. Hearing the discussion, he nodded quietly to himself. “This kid… really gave me a scare.”

“Regardless of the result, it’s time I took him on as my official disciple.”

Just then, another guest interjected, “Zhang Yu was excellent, but he gave everything he had. Ping Han could’ve matched that performance with sheer power alone.”

“After this exam, Ping Han’s strength will only grow. His potential, his ceiling—even his all-in Dao Heart—Zhang Yu can’t compare.”

Another guest countered, “Did Zhang Yu not go all in too? He nearly died. That’s not Dao Heart? If he had Ping Han’s resources, he’d surpass him easily.”

The first speaker waved a hand. “That’s misguided. Wealth and crypto investing are part of one’s power. There’s no such thing as ‘if.’”

Director Gao stood aside, saying nothing.

He simply listened to the experts and professors argue passionately—debating whether Ping Han or Zhang Yu was more deserving of the Military License.

He couldn’t help but smile.

“Shame I can’t record this.”

“I’d love to show it to Magneto—let him see how these professors are tearing each other apart over which of my two disciples is better.”

Just as the debate reached a fever pitch, the cloud-wreathed True Lord Qiyun flared with thunderous pressure. A peal of thunder silenced every voice.

His voice emerged from the storm: “The Military License Exam judges only the performance in this match. Not past hardships. Not future potential. Stay on topic, everyone.”

Geng Chenyin nodded. “Exactly. And the data’s in.”

The screen flashed—ranking the examinees by their statistics.

Pointing to the top name, Geng Chenyin said, “Ping Han ranked first in total output and destruction range. I don’t think there’s much debate—he deserves the License.”