Chapter 102: Tied for First?

“Teacher Su, what are your thoughts on that young Martial Artist brought back from Blue Star?”

In an office, a man and a woman were conversing.

The woman was organizing documents, while the man leisurely poured himself a cup of tea and took a small sip.

“Very ordinary. So far, I haven’t noticed anything special.”

Teacher Su hadn’t actually paid much attention to Jiang Yan, but in response to the principal’s question, she found a way to brush it off.

“If Professor Lan’s compiled ‘Human Race Martial Dao’ is accurate, people from Blue Star have at most opened only one Aperture Point. Is that true?”

This vice-principal seemed quite interested in Blue Star’s Martial Way and spoke casually, without any airs.

Teacher Su straightened the documents in her hand and responded calmly, “The records in ‘Human Race Martial Dao’ are correct. People from Blue Star indeed have only opened one Aperture Point.”

“Hiss~ So that means the exchange student also has only one Aperture Point?”

Teacher Su nodded, tacitly confirming it.

Suddenly, Teacher Su paused her movements and shifted her gaze to the vice-principal.

“Is the principal very interested in this Martial Artist from Blue Star?”

“Hahaha, it’s not that I’m interested. On the contrary, it’s your teacher who is.”

“Teacher… Why is that?” The woman’s expression shifted slightly as she looked at the vice-principal with confusion.

“That old Lan spends all day not cultivating, always wanting to study these strange and unusual things. Since he’s not at Silver Radiance Academy right now, he asked me to keep an eye on that little fellow from Blue Star.”

“Why does Teacher want to pay attention to him?”

“That guy wants to see what changes occur when Martial Artists from different human civilizations come to our Tianyuan Star. To put it plainly, he wants to study how far the strongest Prodigies from these planets can grow after being exposed to Tianyuan Star’s Martial Way.”

“I see.”

Teacher Su nodded and replied, “I understand. I’ll focus more on that Genius Martial Artist from Blue Star from now on.”

“Mm. In a few days, Old Lan should bring back Genius Martial Artists from other planets. They’ll all be under your management then, since you’re that old fellow’s student.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll need to keep an eye on things. The kid from Blue Star is too weak. If he gets bullied on campus and later spreads a bad reputation about our Silver Radiance Academy when he returns to Blue Star, that wouldn’t be good.”

“Mm, I’ll remind others not to bully him casually.”

Teacher Su placed the documents into her Spatial Ring and turned to leave the office.

Thinking about what the vice-principal had just told her, she took out her communicator and sent a message to Cheng Wu.

“How is Jiang Yan doing now?”

After a minute with no response, she quietly put her communicator away.

“Given Cheng Wu’s nature, he’s probably already ordering that Blue Star Martial Artist around.”

Teacher Su rubbed her temples. Given her personality, she didn’t really want to deal with these matters, but with the principal’s instructions, she had no choice but to intervene.

…

“Holy crap, he actually made it to the sixtieth floor! Could it be that this Blue Star Martial Artist is going to surpass Senior Lin Xianyuan?”

“If you’d said that earlier, I would’ve definitely argued with you, but now… tsk, it’s hard to say.”

“Look, he’s already on the sixty-first floor!”

“This guy is a monster, isn’t he…”

“Although the Seniors inside the Myriad Stars Tower may not have extremely high cultivation levels, those who can reach the sixtieth floor have all opened at least six apertures, right? This Blue Star Person is actually bulldozing his way through without even taking a break.”

“I’m starting to doubt the content of Human Race Martial Dao more and more.”

“Cheng Wu, aren’t you sharing a dorm with him? Can you help me ask how exactly they cultivate on Blue Star? What if we learn it and become as strong as him?”

“Damn, you’re right! Cheng Wu, the rise of Tianyuan Martial Way depends on you now!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly turned strange.

Tianyuan Martial Way? Rise?

How could these two words even be put together?

But immediately, this strangeness was shattered by the changes on the light screen ahead.

[Name]: Jiang Yan

[Current Floor Level]: 62

[Ranking]: 2

In just the short time they were talking, Jiang Yan had fiercely charged up another floor. What a shocking sight.

After all, Senior Lin Xianyuan, who had currently reached the seventy-third floor, was already a fourth-year student!

Jiang Yan looked younger than everyone present. There was just too much hidden information here…

Screw it! I don’t care anymore, I’m going to find out about Blue Star Martial Way today. Not even a peerless Martial God could stop me!

Once again, a crowd surrounded Cheng Wu. The last time he was surrounded like this was when they forced him to bet points. Who would have thought that in less than half an hour, the situation would completely change?

The world had turned upside down.

Cheng Wu wore an arrogant expression, feeling as if his life had reached its peak.

For someone like him who loved to show off, to one day have the chance to flaunt himself in front of so many people—this feeling was even more exhilarating than ascending to the heavens.

Damn, I’ve practically wasted my entire twenty years of life. Only by following Bro Jiang can I truly say I’ve lived!

He cleared his throat lightly and said with an air of nonchalance, “As for Bro Jiang and me, you all know, from the day I went to Blue Star, I could tell he was extraordinary.”

“I, Cheng Wu, had a feeling in my heart, knowing this man was no ordinary fish in a pond. I immediately dragged Bro Jiang to the ancestral hall to swear brotherhood. From then on, we’ve addressed each other as brothers, with no distinction between us.”

“As for that Blue Star Martial Way… tsk tsk, do you really think Blue Star Martial Way is that simple? Haven’t you ever doubted the authenticity of Human Race Martial Dao?”

“In truth, Blue Star isn’t as weak as the world believes. I’ve seen it with my own eyes…”

Cheng Wu seemed as if his Ren and Du meridians had been unblocked, spinning tales with perfect structure, a clear beginning and end, logical consistency, and seamless connections, captivating his listeners completely.

On the hall’s light screen, Jiang Yan’s data kept changing, making it all the more convincing. Everyone listened to Cheng Wu’s story while eagerly watching Jiang Yan’s performance.

“Seventieth floor! My god, he actually did it!”

“He’s about to surpass Senior Lin. Can he do it?”

“Nonsense! This is the terrifying Blue Star Person we’re talking about. Is there anything he can’t do?”

Jiang Yan’s tower-climbing speed slowed down a bit, but only just a bit.

Seventy-one.

Seventy-two.

…

“Seventy-third floor! He really did it!”

At the same time, more and more Martial Artists gathered in the hall, with hundreds of gazes fixed on the two names now listed side by side.

[Name]: Lin Xianyuan, Jiang Yan

[Current Floor Level]: 73

[Ranking]: 1

“Damn, who is this Jiang Yan guy? How come I’ve never heard of him before?”

“That shouldn’t be right. There aren’t many who can reach the seventy-third floor, so why don’t I recognize this name?”

…

Myriad Stars Tower.

A man in tight-fitting attire wiped the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth, slightly bending his knees and arching his back as he gasped for breath, his gaze fixed intently on the opponent standing tall against the sky.

“Damn it, even though I’ve reached Perfection in the Spirit Platform Realm, I still can’t contend with them.”

“Seven Apertures… Could the gap in Aperture Points truly be an insurmountable chasm?”

Lin Xianyuan noticed the opponent in the sky slowly raising their right hand, as if preparing to deliver the final divine punishment.

An overwhelming Aura, as if looking down upon the world, swept toward him. The fierce wind whipped his robes into disarray, and a feeling named despair surged in his heart.

He closed his eyes, his lips trembling slightly.

“The gap in Aperture Points within the same Realm—unless one possesses a special Physique—truly cannot be bridged.”

“I was foolish, truly… to even dream of breaking this ironclad rule.”