Chapter 99: Inferior to Blue Star Martial Dao

“Look, that person is the Blue Star human recorded in Human Martial Arts. I heard that Martial Artists there can only open one Aperture Point at most!”

“What? Only one Aperture? How is that any different from being disabled? Why would Silver Radiance Academy recruit such people?”

“Sigh, I heard it was Professor Lan’s decision. Silver Radiance Academy couldn’t really say anything about it.”

“Professor Lan is highly respected and broad-minded. He probably helps them out of solidarity as fellow members of the Human Race.”

Cheng Wu walked with Jiang Yan, hearing many discussions about Jiang Yan along the way. The conversations always carried subtle, sometimes unintentional, disdain for Blue Star Martial Way.

This wasn’t without reason.

A year ago.

Silver Radiance Academy history professor Lan Shuli led a group of students on an expedition into the Starry Sky to explore human Martial Way civilizations. They discovered ten human civilizations possessing Transcendent capabilities.

Professor Lan meticulously observed along the journey, reading historical texts on Martial Ways from various human civilizations, studying their origins. He conducted detailed research on ten different Martial Ways. After returning to Tianyuan Star, he and his students compiled an academic masterpiece—

Human Martial Arts: Preliminary Volume

Among these ten Martial Way civilizations, Blue Star’s Martial Way started relatively late—only about a thousand years—and was so weak it became representative.

Thus, in Human Martial Arts, Blue Star Martial Way was repeatedly criticized as a negative example, warning Tianyuan Star Martial Artists about the importance of Aperture Opening.

Blue Star was too peculiar. They never even considered focusing on Aperture Opening, completely opposite to Tianyuan Star.

The gap between the two gave Tianyuan Star Martial Artists a tremendous sense of superiority, as if gods looking down upon Mortals. The satisfaction it brought was no less than that of a top-tier power fantasy novel.

In this context, even as an academic work, Human Martial Arts: Preliminary Volume quickly gained widespread popularity due to its civilizational superiority, becoming almost universally known.

Now, finally seeing a “living” Blue Star Person naturally stirred excitement.

Cheng Wu listened to these idle remarks along the way, finding it almost laughable.

“Hah, these petty people have no idea how monstrous Jiang Yan really is. Just wait until he climbs Myriad Stars Tower and surpasses your records—won’t that be a slap in the face?”

But since those people were discussing Jiang Yan, Cheng Wu stayed aloof, quietly waiting to enjoy the drama.

However.

“Tsk, that Cheng Wu actually hangs out with a Blue Star Person. Clearly someone with no future.”

“Hah, worshipping foreign things and fawning over outsiders. I’ve always disliked such people.”

“Look at Cheng Wu, standing next to that Blue Star Person—he looks so ugly. What an embarrassment to our Tianyuan Star.”

“Damn!”

Cheng Wu couldn’t stay silent any longer. He endured the earlier comments, but calling him ugly? What was that about?

I, Cheng Wu, am dignified and impressive—with a neck, a head, even hands and feet, one nose and two eyes. Where exactly am I ugly? Huh?

While Cheng Wu argued fiercely with the group, Jiang Yan walked straight toward a small black tower not far away.

The tower’s peak stood above the clouds, its whereabouts unknown. The tower body was pitch black, covered in strange Runes—perhaps some ancient incantation. Some mottling crept along the carved patterns, showing its age.

“According to Cheng Wu, you earn points for every ten floors climbed. I wonder how many floors this tower has and how much Spirit Aperture Source Liquid it can buy.”

Jiang Yan took a quick glance at the black tower and lost interest in observing it further.

Better to earn points quickly and exchange them for Spirit Aperture Source Liquid.

Not far away, after a satisfying verbal brawl, Cheng Wu felt his mood lift considerably. Before his smile could fade, he noticed Jiang Yan, who had been standing there just moments ago, had somehow already positioned himself beneath the Myriad Stars Tower.

“Hey!”

Jiang Yan’s figure vanished from the spot.

The students he had just been arguing with gathered around, sneering as they looked at Cheng Wu.

“Hah, you defended him so fiercely. Could it be that guy from Blue Star is actually impressive?”

Cheng Wu thought to himself, If you hadn’t called me ugly, would I have gotten involved in this?

But on the surface, he responded with an air of nonchalance, “Hah, you’ll find out soon enough.”

The listeners burst into laughter. “Hahahaha! Human Race Martial Dao clearly states that Blue Star people can only open one aperture at most. What kind of achievements can someone like that possibly have in the Martial Way?”

“Want to bet he’ll be beaten out by the Senior inside the Myriad Stars Tower on the very first floor?”

Cheng Wu sneered. “You can’t discuss ice with a summer insect. I used to be just as ignorant as you.”

The man grew angry, but restrained himself from taking action since they were within the academy. He pointed at Cheng Wu and fumed, “We’re both from Tianyuan Star. Not only do you refuse to back me up, but you keep siding with an outsider. Do you have ulterior motives?”

Cheng Wu crossed his arms, jiggled his leg, and adopted an even more arrogant expression than the man. “What a shabby thing, daring to morally blackmail your Grandpa Cheng.”

“If we’re both from Tianyuan Star, how about you lend me some points to spend? Would you be willing?”

“You! Hmph, no manners. I can’t be bothered talking to you.”

Cheng Wu grinned, watching the man’s flustered reaction. He leaned in mischievously, rubbing his hands together like a fly in a latrine, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he spoke in a deliberately annoying tone:

“Brother, how about this? Since you have such little faith in this Blue Star guy, want to make a bet?”

The man eyed Cheng Wu warily, sensing something fishy, and his aura diminished slightly.

“Bet on what?”

Cheng Wu chuckled. “Let’s bet on whether that Blue Star guy can make it past the thirtieth floor. We’ll use points as the wager, how about that?”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the surrounding crowd. “Come on, everyone, don’t just stand around. It’s more fun with more people.”

The others, content to be mere spectators, waved their hands, declining to participate in the bet.

Points were too important—what if they lost?

Seeing this, Cheng Wu pretended to feel regret, shaking his head and sighing. “Ah, I thought we Tianyuan Star Martial Artists were all confident. Turns out you’re all so afraid of a little Blue Star Martial Way~”

These sarcastic words immediately ignited the crowd’s anger.

“Cheng Wu, what do you mean by that? How dare you say we’re afraid of Blue Star Martial Way?”

“That’s right! How could a low-level Martial Way like Blue Star’s possibly intimidate us?”

“Our Tianyuan Martial Way has a long and storied legacy. How could it be compared to some insignificant Blue Star Martial Way?”

“We Tianyuan Martial Artists average two apertures per person, while that Blue Star guy probably only has one for life. How can he even be mentioned in the same breath as us?”

These young people were at an age of fierce competitiveness. Hearing that the Martial Way they had upheld for over twenty years was being belittled, they immediately jumped to refute it, their earlier caution swept away by the surge of indignation.

The Tianyuan Martial Way is powerful! This belief is deeply ingrained in the heart of every Tianyuan Martial Artist.

Cheng Wu once thought the same, until he was defeated by Jiang Yan—a man inferior to him in realm, Martial Skill, age, and number of opened Apertures—with a single punch.

His former pride then faded like mist into the air.