CREAK!

Accompanied by the piercing sound of twisting metal, Su Zhou stood on a special steel plate. Using a perfect clean-and-jerk form, he lifted an obviously refined, colossal barbell. The process looked a little strenuous—it might have been the first time anyone had seen such a serious, focused expression on Su Zhou’s face—but it was clear that twenty tons was not his true limit.

This colossal barbell weighed a full twenty tons. Even forged from special Spirit Iron and refined using Spiritual Artifact Level methods, the plates on both sides were almost like two thousand Yuan Linren-sized, high-density metal blocks, each with a volume of about one cubic meter. After Su Zhou lifted it, his feet sank down noticeably, and the entire stadium floor even buckled slightly.

"Excuse me, student... Are... are you alright?"

The supervising professor at the side was terrified. He kept wanting to ask Su Zhou if he needed to put it down, but he was afraid Su Zhou was already at his limit. Asking might break his concentration and cause an injury.

"I’m fine. It’s alright."

But to his surprise, he saw that Su Zhou even had the spare energy to start spinning the barbell. Just like an ancient martial general twirling a long staff, he spun the entire barbell like a fan, kicking up a ferocious gale across the testing platform!

"He can actually spin that thing?!"

In an instant, the platform was clear. All the students who had been watching the spectacle scrambled off in shock. The supervising professor was so frightened he immediately raised a Spirit Shield—if that twenty-ton piece of iron came flying over at such a speed, a single slip-up would mean he was done for!

In truth, Su Zhou was making a mental calculation. ’About twenty tons of force... That’s roughly the same power as a strike from one of the Demon Emperor’s tentacles, but it’s still not quite as strong as a slap from his Coiling Dragon True Form. But then again, I’m not using my full strength right now.’

’If I were to fight the Demon Emperor now that I’ve advanced to the Extraordinary Tier, I could take up the Blade of Annihilation and face him head-on, even if he borrowed the Divine Wood Power. I could beat his Coiling Dragon True Form to a pulp without needing any roundabout tactics.’

’At the same Extraordinary Tier, I am stronger than the Demon Emperor.’

Having confirmed this point, Su Zhou stopped. He brought the spinning, colossal barbell to an abrupt halt. The distinct sound of bones twisting and cracking could be heard.

But in the next instant, all his injuries healed. The supervising professor, who thought something terrible had happened and was about to call for the medical team, was left wondering if he’d just had an auditory hallucination.

"I’m defeated!" Guan Wanjing, who had watched the entire process, felt his vision dim. "That monstrous strength... Even heavy construction machinery is nothing compared to that!"

This genius, who was the most talented person in all of Hongzhou besides Su Zhou and could even rank among the nation’s best, had the muscles on his face bulging. His expression was twisted into something that wasn’t quite a smile or a grimace. "What kind of monster is he? Is he using cheats or something?!"

Guan Wanjing was now truly and utterly convinced. Others might not have seen it, but as someone whose own physical body was incredibly powerful, he understood. To spin a twenty-plus-ton barbell from a standstill with a body weighing just over a hundred kilograms—without being sent flying by the centrifugal force—required more than just perfect control. It also demanded an immense reserve of Spiritual Power, with a total output far greater than twenty tons!

What did this prove? It proved that Su Zhou could already perfectly control his Extraordinary Tier power! ’And it’s been less than half a year!’

The weightlifting was, after all, just one small segment. After Su Zhou casually tossed the barbell aside, making the ground tremble like a small earthquake, nearly all the procedures for the Spiritual Testing were complete.

Only the final part remained—the most crucial segment of the Spiritual Testing, the practical Spiritual Qi assessment.

Just then, Zhengguo Central Platform—either by coincidence or by directive—focused its cameras on the Hongzhou testing grounds, centering the broadcast on Su Zhou.

The two hosts were providing commentary. "The practical Spiritual Qi assessment, as its name suggests, is a test designed to determine the actual Spiritual Attributes of various Cultivators and their effects."

"Everything demonstrated so far has merely been a byproduct of Spiritual Qi saturating the human body. The true power of Spiritual Power is only now about to be revealed!"

"Look, a Spiritual Artifact resembling a searchlight has appeared in the center of the camp. This is the ’Spirit-Guiding Device’ from the Celestial Capital Comprehensive Research Institute. It can draw out a Cultivator’s unique traits and reveal the true nature of their Spiritual Power."

"Let’s turn our attention back to the testing grounds... The Spirit-Guiding Device is activating, and the first test-taker is already displaying their unique traits!"

In that instant, viewers across the nation watching the Spiritual Testing cried out in amazement. Whether they were watching a local station, an online live stream, or Central Television, their screens all erupted with a brilliant Anomaly of Spiritual Light!

Under the influence of the Spirit-Guiding Device, the Spiritual Light of the Cultivators being tested—which had previously appeared as just a multicolored glow—began to rapidly evolve, revealing its true essence. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

In a flash, the center of the testing grounds was filled with churning crimson flames, shimmering pale-blue waves, deep cyan Wood Qi, and dark yellow Thick Earth. Waves of nearly tangible Spiritual Power crashed against the atmosphere, scraping visible marks across the ground!

All sorts of Spiritual Power began to affect the real world, producing effects more real and more shocking than any movie CGI and creating vast flashes of Spiritual Light. Some test-takers were wreathed in roaring flames that evaporated all the moisture around them, while others were enveloped by a gale that lifted them slightly off the ground!

Under the power of the Spirit-Guiding Device, every Cultivator’s Spiritual Power manifested as an Extraordinary phenomenon, almost like a full-blown Anomaly. Unsurprisingly, the larger the area of effect, the higher the score. The top students could influence a massive area with a twenty-meter radius, whereas an average student could barely manage a few meters at best.