Translator: CinderTL
On the large screen at the front of the conference hall, a message popped up:
Certificant No. 15, Jiang Ye, has completed the Strength Certification.
The Cosmic Conglomerate employees in the hall were stunned.
"It's over already?"
"Less than fifteen minutes? Jiang Ye finished that quickly?"
"Is he a Primitive? I've never seen a Primitive with such incredible power!"
"Hold on, could Jiang Ye have been defeated by the clone?" The crowd buzzed with speculation.
The system was still calculating the score. For now, no one knew whether Jiang Ye had passed or failed the certification.
Finishing the final stage so quickly? It was likely a failure.
"He failed?" The short-haired female executive stared at the screen, a hint of tension flickering in her eyes.
A Primitive passing the Cosmic Divine Path Certification would be major news!
Did that kid actually succeed?
"The total score for the three certifications is 300 points," the executive murmured. "Only those who score 250 points or higher pass. How many points will he get?"
Including Director Liu, everyone fell silent, waiting for the system to refresh.
Ten seconds later, a new notification popped up:
Certificant No. 15: Jiang Ye. Certification score: 261 points.
Certification passed!
Cosmic Martial Artist (First Breakthrough): Jiang Ye, currently undergoing Cosmic Blessing.
The entire room went silent for a moment.
Whoosh!
The next instant, the conference hall erupted into chaos.
"He passed!"
"261 points? That's 11 points above the passing threshold!"
"Jiang Ye has a Primitive innate talent. How could he score so high?" The staff were utterly stunned.
Don't underestimate 261 points.
The passing rate for the Cosmic Divine Path Certification is less than 30%.
Even those with Dao Bone Aptitude often fail.
For Nascent Aptitude, failures are countless, and successes barely scrape by.
As for Primitive innate talent?
Jiang Ye's score far exceeded everyone's expectations!
"261 points?" Director Liu murmured, lost in thought. "His Martial Will Certification must have been perfect, and his score on the second test should be nearly flawless as well."
"Then the mistake must have occurred during the third test?"
The scoring criteria for the certification were based on two main factors: time and the severity of injuries sustained.
Jiang Ye's certification time was undoubtedly far ahead of the others.
That meant he must have suffered significant injuries to warrant the 39-point deduction.
"Intriguing," Director Liu mused, a hint of curiosity flickering across his face. "How exactly did this kid defeat the clone? Did he somehow become even stronger after being injured?"
Typically, injuries would hinder one's combat ability.
Facing a clone stronger than himself and impervious to pain, Jiang Ye's chances of victory should have been even slimmer.
Yet he had defeated the clone so quickly.
"We'll ask him when he comes out," Director Liu decided, turning to the short-haired female executive beside him. "This Jiang Ye is worth recruiting. Prepare the arrangements."
"Yes," the female office worker replied immediately, rising to leave the conference room.
Jiang Ye, of course, had no idea what was happening in the conference room.
At that moment, he stood panting on the arena stage.
"Finally..."
Jiang Ye gazed at the clone he had just shattered with a single punch and exhaled heavily.
The clone had been defeated!
But the cost...
Jiang Ye looked down at his body.
Several shocking fist-shaped indentations marred his chest, the flesh deeply sunken.
The surrounding areas were swollen, bruised purple and blue.
Sharp, bone-cracking pain radiated from the injuries.
"Good thing it's not too serious," Jiang Ye sighed in relief.
To defeat the clone, he had deliberately traded blows, sacrificing his own body to trigger the 'Find Joy in Suffering' effect.
[Find Joy in Suffering: While suffering, all attributes receive a substantial temporary boost. The greater the pain, the greater the enhancement.]
With this pain-induced buff, combined with 'Tilting at Windmills', 'Swiftwind Step', and 'Grounded', the multiple stacked enhancements had finally allowed him to annihilate the clone!
"That was tough!"
"I didn't realize I'd be such a difficult opponent," Jiang Ye muttered, shaking his head.
As he marveled, subtitles materialized before him:
Certificant Jiang Ye, you have completed all certifications.
Calculating score...
Your scores for the three certifications are: 100 points, 100 points, 61 points.
Cosmic Divine Path First Breakthrough Certification Score: 261 points.
Congratulations! You have passed the First Breakthrough Strength Certification!
"Passed!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, exhaling sharply as he read the subtitles.
The final weight lifted from his heart.
Though he had defeated the clone, the final requirement was to kill it with minimal injury. He hadn't been sure if his injuries would be considered too severe. Now it seemed they were indeed borderline, nearly dropping him below the passing threshold.
"Regardless, I finally passed," Jiang Ye said with a smile, looking ahead.
The cloud path beneath his feet reappeared, now vastly wider.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a golden light erupted from the deep, star-studded void, streaking toward Jiang Ye.
From a distance, it appeared as a mere golden ray. But as it drew closer, Jiang Ye was astonished to realize it was an incomparably magnificent golden river of stars surging toward him.
This celestial river shimmered with starlight, radiating an unparalleled life force. Like a waterfall, it cascaded down from the heavens, pouring over Jiang Ye's head.
"This... the Cosmic Blessing?"
Jiang Ye had already suspected this moment was coming, and now he eagerly anticipated it. "It's finally here."
Why had he entered the Cosmic Divine Path?
For this very moment!
In the next instant, the golden river of stars poured down upon him like a celestial baptism.
Boom!
Instantly, every pore on Jiang Ye's body opened. As the golden "waters" touched him, his cells, like ravenous beasts starved for ages, began to devour the cosmic energy with frenzied greed.
"My body?!"
Jiang Ye's face immediately lit up with shock.
Under the relentless surge of the golden starlight river, he could feel his life force rapidly intensifying.
"It's just like the director said."
"This Cosmic Blessing is actually boosting my strength so dramatically in such a short time?" Jiang Ye was overjoyed.
He didn't need to do anything.
He simply stood still, waiting quietly.
The golden starlight river continued to cascade over his body, causing his meridians to bulge and golden patterns to surface across his skin.
"After breaking through to the first breakthrough, one tempers their bones and meridians with stellar energy."
"But now? The strength of my entire skeletal and meridian system is rapidly increasing!" Jiang Ye marveled at the sensation.
He had only just entered the first breakthrough realm.
Yet under the golden starlight river's influence, his martial dao realm was automatically advancing.
But that was merely secondary.
The truly crucial thing was this:
Jiang Ye sensed that the golden starlight river was strengthening the very foundation of his martial dao!
He felt his inner reserves growing deeper and more profound.
This was no illusion.
He had experienced a similar sensation before when using the system to enhance his physique!
The golden starlight river was actually enhancing his martial dao foundation!
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Jiang Ye's senses sharpened.
"My Guanyuan Acupoint?" His expression turned to astonishment. "It's changing shape?!"
(End of the Chapter)