Chapter 107: The Civilization of the Immortal Ruins
Dean Li knew that Li Yuan's skills were exceptionally advanced. He had high expectations for Li Yuan. Back in April, Li Yuan's score exceeding 300 points in the Starry Sky Combat Network was solid proof of his prowess.
However, the Kunlun Nine Mountains challenge and the Starry Sky Combat Network match-ups had some differences. The Starry Sky Combat Network's match-ups involved an element of luck; hence, even if scores were similar, it didn't necessarily mean that the one with a lower score had inferior skills. The Kunlun Nine Mountains, on the other hand, were more like the advancement battles in the Starry Sky Combat Network. In these, strength was clear-cut—strong was strong, weak was weak. Typically, a slightly larger gap in scores signified a significant difference in skill level.
Yet Li Yuan directly broke through to the Fifth Mountain?
"1300 points, reaching the Fifth Mountain and killing three mountain guardians—he's even better than Yan Jing?" Dean Li was astonished. "His age is among the youngest in this freshman batch. The youngest, yet the highest achiever?"
After some thought, Dean Li decided to take a closer look. He clicked on the screen, and swiftly, the combat scenes of Li Yuan in the Fifth Mountain appeared in the projected light.
As a vice dean, he had the authority to observe the battles of his students in the Seventh Mountain and below.
After watching the battle scenes multiple times, every time, Li Yuan's terrifying spear techniques would burst forth, leading to the death of a astral realm creature.
"Dawn Piercing Cloud? The third move of the Starry Spear Technique?" Dean Li finally confirmed, becoming even more amazed.
The "Starry Spear Technique" was a very famous second-tier spear technique manual. Dean Li had also studied and practiced it for a while, so he was very familiar with it.
"He can completely execute the third move. At this rate, in a few months, he'll likely touch the threshold of high-level fourth-tier spear techniques," Dean Li murmured.
Generally speaking, as one advanced in techniques, progress became increasingly difficult. Sometimes, reaching a bottleneck could mean being stuck in the same realm for ten or twenty years, or even a lifetime, unable to break through. This scarcity was the reason source warriors were so rare.
"But Li Yuan's spear technique—when viewed over a long time frame, it's actually getting faster and faster in improvement, with the rate of progress becoming more astonishing. After entering the fourth tier, there's no sign of slowing down."
This indeed was an incredible feat.
"It might be due to his growing mental strength, but more importantly, his talent in spear techniques is continuously revealing itself," Dean Li speculated.
"Perhaps the plan can be advanced, allowing him to participate in the Global University Martial Arts Tournament a year early. At least by February next year, he should be qualified for the virtual tournament."
"I'll talk to him tomorrow after the official enrollment."
Having thought it all through, Dean Li smiled, "Heh, I really did find a treasure. With Li Yuan here, we won't have to worry much about the team competitions for the next few years. I bet the other old fogeys are cursing me right now."
Cursing? He didn't care at all! On the contrary, Dean Li felt quite proud now.
...
Evergreen Building, the exclusive building for the teachers and students of the eighth academy, was currently the scene of an argument.
"Get lost."
"Blame me for not signing Li Yuan? If you two have the ability, go sign him yourselves."
"Old Zhao, we're not blaming you," said a tall, slender woman in black, frowning. "It's just a pity. You were the first to contact him, but Old Li snatched him away."
"If we could have signed Li Yuan, our accumulated 'guidance points' would have skyrocketed."
"Yeah!"
"Such a good prospect. If we had at least competed and lost to the sixth academy, we would have accepted it. But to lose without a fight, it's really frustrating," said another chubby old man, shaking his head.
"Humph!"
"Frustrated? Frustration is useless," sneered Dean Zhao, arms spread, legs crossed, staring at the sky.
The woman in black and the chubby old man exchanged a helpless glance.
The three were vice deans of the eighth academy.
Teachers at Kunlun Martial University were categorized into ordinary teachers, vice deans, deans, vice principals, and principals.
Ordinary teachers, numbering in the hundreds, were at least level 25 source warriors and often taught students across several academies.
Vice deans and deans focused on students within their own academies.
Student achievements were directly linked to the 'guidance points' these teachers received.
"Forget it, no point discussing it further."
"After all, he's just a young lad. No matter how brilliant, he won't have much impact on us. Since we've missed out, there's no remedy," said the woman in black, shaking her head. "Zhao, I'm planning another trip to the Kunlun Astral Realm to hunt the Thundercloud Flying Dragon. Interested?"
"Hunt the Thundercloud Flying Dragon? The one in the Mo Yan Mountain Range?" Dean Zhao, who had been lounging in his chair, instantly sat up.
"Yes," nodded the woman in black.
Dean Zhao looked at her and frowned, "With just the two of us? That's a death wish."
"I've invited Correa from Europa. He'll be bringing two level 29 source warriors as well."
"Five level 29 source warriors, including Correa?" Dean Zhao's eyes narrowed. "Give me a moment to think."
"The Kunlun Astral Realm is fraught with dangers. The Immortal Ruins Civilization is one of the highest-level alien civilizations we know of, and the Kunlun Astral Realm is under its subtle control. Even with disguises, things can easily go wrong. Hunting a level two consummate Thundercloud Flying Dragon won't be easy." Dean Zhao's eyes opened suddenly, "Let's do it, but I'll bring Fifth Senior Brother along. Six of us will be more secure and can guard against any tricks from Korea."
"Fine. You know I only want the Thundercloud Dragon Spine. The rest is yours to split," said the woman in black, smiling.
...
By 8 p.m., when the scores of the entrance competition among the eight academies were finalized, the entire East Wing of the Black Dragon Building was engulfed in celebration. Over 200 freshmen from the sixth academy, more than 90%, had come together to celebrate.
"First place!"
"Master Brother is awesome!" These freshmen were indeed excited.
Most freshmen had reported to school on the first or second day. Whether for honor or rewards, the students from the eight academies secretly competed against each other. The teachers encouraged this competition.
By the afternoon, most academies had given up, the gap too large to bridge. They didn't expect a twist in the last half-day, with Li Yuan single-handedly clinching first place with an overwhelming lead.
This battle had catapulted Li Yuan's prestige among the freshmen of the sixth academy to an astonishing height.
"Too strong."
"He's worth thirty of us."
"Thirty? I suspect he could take on a hundred of us." The freshmen from the third and seventh academies were helpless.
The top-ranked academy rewarded each freshman with 20,000 Blue Star Coins. The second-ranked academy awarded 10,000 Blue Star Coins per person. Subsequent academies received no team rewards. Of course, students ranked in the top 100 individually would receive personal rewards.
Who would have thought a monster like Li Yuan would suddenly emerge from the sixth academy?
Regardless, after this battle, Li Yuan's fame had completely overshadowed Wu Luo and Yang Hong, becoming the leading figure among the new freshmen at Kunlun Martial University.
More importantly, Li Yuan had set a new record in the entrance competition, becoming the new historical first.
It was foreseeable that today's battle would soon be known throughout the school among the seniors.
"Is he stronger than Senior Brother Jin?"
"Hard to say."
"His physical strength might still be lacking, but his skills are impressive. By sophomore or junior year, he might catch up to Senior Brother Jin." The seniors in the hall discussed.
They had quickly elevated Li Yuan to the same level as Jin Huguo.
...
After 9 p.m., Li Yuan, along with other freshmen from the sixth academy, gradually left, returning to the villa area with Gu Qianghan and An Nong.
Outside Villa 61032.
"Senior Brother, I'll be leaving now," An Nong waved to Li Yuan, smiling. "I'll organize everyone. When we vote for the Senior Brother tomorrow, there won't be any dissent."
"I think it's important to respect everyone's wishes," Li Yuan smiled.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. This is the will of the people," An Nong promised, patting his chest.
Then An Nong left.
"Senior Brother," Gu Qianghan said with a sly smile.
"Gu Qiang, just call me by my name," Li Yuan said helplessly. "You orchestrated today's scene, didn't you? Making it such a big deal."
"What's big about this? A small act," Gu Qianghan shook his head. "I'm doing it for your benefit. Becoming the Senior Brother means an extra 1 million Blue Star Coins every six months. It's not much, but it adds up. And there are hidden benefits too."
"1 million Blue Star Coins?" Li Yuan was slightly surprised.
That's quite a lot.
After all, it's just a title.
"Calling you Senior Brother feels weird. How about I call you Yuan Ge, like your high school classmates did? I'll suffer a bit, but I can accept it since your strength is greater than mine," Gu Qianghan said, looking like he was making a big sacrifice.
"Okay," Li Yuan smiled, not insisting further.
He understood Gu Qianghan's personality.
"In the Black Dragon Building, you've completed the identity verification. Once you set up the facial and fingerprint recognition inside, all functions of the villa will be added to your smart bracelet," Gu Qianghan explained. "The framework is similar to the villas in the Starlight South Lake Community..."
With Gu Qianghan's detailed explanation, Li Yuan quickly understood the many features of his new home.
"Alright, call me if you need anything," Gu Qianghan said as he waved goodbye and left for his villa next door.
Li Yuan watched him leave.
...
Entering the villa, Li Yuan quickly set up everything according to his habits and instructions.
Thankfully, in this era of advanced technology, everything was convenient.
Around 10 p.m., he had a video call with his uncle and aunt.
"Don't worry, everything is great here at Kunlun Martial University," Li Yuan assured them, showing his villa. "Look, I'm staying in a single villa."
Away from home, it's always best to share the good news to put the elders at ease.
After the call ended, Li Yuan looked up at the starry sky. "In Jiangcheng, the smog and light pollution make it hard to see the stars. Kunlun University is actually in the suburbs, and the air quality is excellent."
"Good."
"From now on, the night sky over Kunlun Mountain is what I'll see at 3 a.m." Li Yuan smiled.
He turned and headed to the underground martial arts room to begin his training.
Taking first place among the freshmen at Kunlun Martial University? Li Yuan didn't care and didn't see it as an honor.
Nationwide, there were fewer than a hundred people his age who could achieve mental and physical unity. Most had gone to the three top-tier martial arts schools. The remaining few, like Wu Luo and Yang Hong, were mostly at the initial stage of the fourth tier.
What about Li Yuan?
In March, his spear skills were far behind Tian Dazhuang's blade techniques. But over the past four months, after two mental transformations, Li Yuan's spear skills had advanced at a terrifying pace.
They might no longer be inferior to Tian Dazhuang's.
In such circumstances, if he couldn't secure the top spot among the freshmen at Kunlun Martial University with a decisive lead, that would be strange.
"My opponents have never been the freshmen at Kunlun Martial University."
"They are the top talents from the three top-tier martial arts schools."
"Even the top talents across the seven major planets of human civilization." Li Yuan's heart was filled with longing.
Breathing deeply, Li Yuan calmed his mind and began his training on the first day at Kunlun Martial University.