Starry Sky Professional Directory 87
Chapter 87: The Hundred Star Joint Examination Begins (In honor of Daoshi Gege Chuangtian’s alliance leader)
Morning.
A light mist hung in the air.
A group of cultivators appeared at the edge of the market town.
To avoid being discovered by demonic beasts, many had applied medicinal powder and used talismans to conceal their auras.
Leading the group was Su Ye.
She took one last look at the towering mountain peaks and the market town, then turned without hesitation: “Let’s go!”
Xiao Rui, as her servant, naturally followed closely behind.
Besides them were the guards from Qingdan Pavilion, and the scattered cultivators she had gathered over this period.
These scattered cultivators weren’t just randomly assembled; each possessed a unique skill, representing the very best of what remained in the market town.
Some carried bamboo baskets, others shoulder poles, and still others pushed wooden carts—they looked like refugees fleeing a disaster.
In reality, it was almost exactly that…
“Grandpa… are we really leaving?”
Ding Hongxiu carried a large bundle, mostly filled with prepared rations; spirit rice cakes emitted an alluring aroma.
“Go! We must go!”
Ding Bushan carried two baskets, containing brewed spirit wine and other miscellaneous items.
Storage pouches were rare in the cultivation world; even Qi Condensation Stage peak cultivators didn’t all possess one. And their capacity was usually only one or two cubic meters. Unless transporting precious items, large-scale goods transportation still required establishing a merchant team with spirit beasts for carrying.
In the Savage Lands, major trading companies had a huge market, each with a prominent reputation built over many years, accumulating credibility and earning vast fortunes.
This fleeing group lacked sufficient storage pouches, so they had to carry everything on their shoulders and hands. Fortunately, they were all cultivators; their physiques had been refined by spiritual energy, and they had various talismans and pills for recovery, preventing exhaustion.
Suddenly, there was some commotion at the back of the group.
“Demons?”
“No, damn it! Those bratty monster hunters are luring demonic beasts over, trying to die together…”
“Kill them!”
The clamor approached. Ding Bushan held his shoulder pole in one hand and a gourd-shaped artifact in the other, comforting his granddaughter: “Don’t be afraid, the guards will handle it.”
It’s not the lack of people that matters, but inequality!
Su Ye couldn’t save everyone. The larger the group, the more likely they were to attract powerful demonic beasts!
Therefore, the fleeing group she had selected was already much smaller.
This led to dissatisfaction and even disturbances from the cultivators who were left behind.
Over this period, she had suppressed and killed quite a few people, but some still wanted to follow from a distance, while others had gone mad, preparing to perish together.
“Die!”
Han Qingyun controlled a mid-grade flying sword artifact; his cultivation had reached the Qi Condensation Mid-Stage. This was the result of his life-or-death struggle earlier, after receiving a breakthrough pill as a reward from Su Ye, which greatly increased his cultivation.
He and the other guards worked together; a flash of green light from the flying sword severed a cultivator’s head.
“Hmph, a mere Qi Condensation Initial Stage cultivator dares to seek death!”
A cultivator nearby sneered.
Han Qingyun, however, fell silent at the sight.
The other party just wanted to live…
Soon, the group set off again.
He and Hua Feiyue looked back at the market town one last time.
“Sister Hua, are you thinking of Daoist Friend Fang?”
Han Qingyun suddenly asked.
“Yes… I went back to check. It’s already been reduced to ruins. I don’t know where the young master went… Oh well, this is a chaotic world, life is like a duckweed…”
Hua Feiyue sighed, taking one last look back.
It seemed like an illusion, but she thought she saw a puppet bird perched on a tree branch, silently watching them leave.
“They’ve left?”
In his subworld, Fang Xing controlled the puppet mechanical bird, watching the group disappear into the dense forest…
With the loss of this last elite group, Qinglinfang City immediately became deathly silent, only the occasional beast roar remaining.
“Even if there are a few survivors left, after these skilled craftsmen leave, I’m afraid they won’t be able to survive…”
Fang Xing sighed.
He had used the last of his remaining time to trade his spirit stones with other cultivators, making a large number of reserves. Not only that, he had also set up several warehouses inside and outside the market town, and with the resources from Aquila Star, he had the confidence to survive the long time ahead.
After all, whether those Golden Core cultivators would come was still unknown.
Furthermore… they might simply give up.
In that case, Fang Xing would wait for his future advancement to the Outer Scene Stage, and even Martial Dao Golden Core, and then rely on himself to cross the Savage Lands.
“However… the number of demonic beasts in the market town will inevitably increase; after all, it’s a place rich in spiritual energy, which will automatically attract nearby demonic beasts, and even give birth to some celestial treasures. Without cultivators to hunt them, they will certainly multiply…”
“Staying here will become more and more troublesome; I’d better go to the temporary camp… what a pity to leave this spiritually rich subworld.”
He was quite reluctant to leave the environment here, and the hot springs.
“However, I haven’t had time to stay here lately… On Aquila Star, the Hundred Star Joint Examination is about to begin. If I make a stunning appearance, I’ll receive more attention, and it will be even harder to come back here later…”
…
Time flew by.
June, the scorching heat of summer.
Yucai High School.
Fang Xing stood with other high school students in the schoolyard; youthful and vibrant, their figures tall and straight like pines, strong and imposing.
On the podium, Principal Lu Guangming, rarely dressed in formal attire, looked serious: “Students, the Hundred Star Joint Examination will begin tomorrow. I hope you will perform beyond your best and prove yourselves…”
“As for results, don’t push yourselves too hard; if even one student can reach the third round, I’ll be very happy.”
…
It must be said, Lu Guangming’s words weren’t meant to boost morale, but to dampen it.
“What does he mean, he’ll be happy if even one student reaches the third round?”
Fang Xing looked at the students around him; unsurprisingly, was he being singled out?
“Didn’t you know? This Hundred Star Joint Examination has three rounds… The first round is a unified cultural exam, the second round is a martial arts examination on our own planet… Only students who meet the combined score requirements can participate in the final third round!”
Ouyang Qianqian whispered, “If we’re unlucky, it’s possible that our entire grade won’t have a single student reach the final assessment…”
Because among the Hundred Star Joint Examination participants is ‘Youlin Star,’ a clear outlier, so in the past, more than half of the final round places have come from this planet.
If they’re unlucky, it’s entirely possible to get nothing.
“It can’t be that bad… How many people are selected for the third round this time?”
Fang Xing curiously asked.
“It’s always 10,000 people!” Ouyang Qianqian answered definitively.
“Even if Youlin Star takes 5,000 places, the remaining 5,000 places are divided among ninety-nine planets… uh, I forgot that there are so many schools on Aquila Star.”
Fang Xing couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
With so many candidates from a single planet, they couldn’t even get fifty places; a high school getting nothing is actually normal.
The principal’s eagerness, probably has something to do with him.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but think of Bai Liany and Liu Wei.
These two students who originally had hope of reaching the third round, one was burned to ashes by him, and the other had joined the rebel army… the world is truly unpredictable.
‘Liu Wei probably doesn’t know that Bai Liany is a disciple of the Men School…’
‘This kid’s love life is really bumpy; I wonder if there are any beauties in the rebel army…’
Fang Xing’s thoughts wandered off, a wry smile on his face.
…
The next day.
In the classroom.
An unfamiliar invigilator’s projection walked around, watching the students struggle to answer the questions.
“The questions for the Hundred Star Joint Examination are indeed much harder than the usual tests…”
Fang Xing wrote swiftly, a confident smile on his face.
After opening the Niwan Palace, he had undergone a complete transformation.
Especially his mental processing speed had become that of a genius.
With a little extra effort before the exam, these liberal arts questions were simply a piece of cake.
As for the martial arts assessment?
He was undoubtedly the top student in his grade, no need to say more.
The practical assessment was also upgraded; it wasn’t a fight against another person, but an individual detection.
Fang Xing walked into the testing room, his expression calm.
【Beep! Candidate Fang Xing, please enter your student ID!】
A beam of light appeared, scanning Fang Xing’s entire body.
He remained unmoved, quickly entering his student ID.
【Iris authentication successful, candidate Fang Xing… evolution path ‘Martial Artist’! Realm: Fourth Stage—Brave Warrior!】
【Physique: Perfect, no hidden injuries, evaluation: Excellent!】
…
【Overall evaluation: S!】
【Assessment complete, please leave the examination room in an orderly manner…】
“That’s it?”
Fang Xing was a little stunned, then left the examination hall.
Xia Long was waiting outside. Seeing Fang Xing, he immediately stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: “How did you do?”
“It was alright, they just scanned me and let me go.”
Fang Xing answered truthfully.
“Oh… that’s normal, after all, you’ve broken through to the Fourth Stage of Martial Dao… The strongest puppets here are only at the Jadeite Level…”
Xia Long looked at this student, feeling quite emotional.
He knew Fang Xing would eventually break through to the Fourth Stage of Martial Dao, but he didn’t expect it to be so fast! When he was first notified of this by the principal, he was shocked and amazed for a long time.
“Oh… it seems that Martial Dao Intent is indeed difficult to simulate, Fourth Stage robots are difficult to build, let alone use for teaching…”
Fang Xing immediately understood.
In short, he was too strong, exceeding the examiner…
“Well, with your strength, you will surely be able to enter the third round of the assessment. This is a rare opportunity. Enjoy the experience of sparring with other geniuses; they are your future college entrance examination rivals…”
Xia Long said earnestly.
He felt that Fang Xing’s place in a top university was now secure. If he’s lucky, he even has a good chance of getting into a super top university!
‘Could it be… my Golden Core path really does have hope? It falls on this kid?’
Xia Long looked at Fang Xing, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He had only seen potential in him, offered a little help, and unexpectedly received such a return!
Fang Xing seemed oblivious.
To be honest, he felt like he was bullying people by taking the exam.
‘But, I just like this kind of realm suppression!’
‘What’s the point of constantly pushing myself? It’s more fun to crush weaker opponents…’
‘I just wonder what kind of geniuses are in this Hundred Star Joint Examination?’
(End of Chapter)
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