Chapter Seventy-Three: The Starry Sky, Geniuses, and Ruthless Ones from Myriad Worlds

The happiest place was a classroom within No. 2 High School.

“It’s over ten thousand, over ten thousand! Fourth floor!”
“Ranked tenth!”
“Ranked fifth!”
“These results, these points—how can my poor heart bear it?”

The principal clutched his chest in excitement.

For an ordinary city, an ordinary high school, their best achievement in the past had never included a student ranked in the top hundred of the Federation, let alone the top ten.
Today, not just one appeared, but two.
One of them was even sprinting toward first place.

“First place!”
The principal gasped, nearly fainting from excitement.
In his heart, he roared: Even if I retire right now, it’s worth it!

Beside him, Teacher Chen’s face was flushed with exhilaration.
She felt as if she were dreaming.

“Principal, is this real?”
“Teacher Chen, I want to ask you the same—can this be real?”

The two looked at each other, nearly overcome with emotion, almost hugging.

“Teacher Chen, you are the best teacher in No. 2 High—no, in Pingyang City, in Tianzhong Province, in the entire Federation!”
“Principal, it’s all thanks to your leadership!”

At that moment, no one minded their mutual praise.
Anyone would be thrilled in their place.

Up front,
Elder Tang and Elder Song both smiled, watching the changing points, seeing something deeper.

“The first three floors need no further comment, but on the fourth floor, the points are still rising steadily. Old Song, what does that mean?”

“Old Tang, you’re quizzing me now? Steady increase means no difficulty, but compared to the first three floors, it takes more time. He must be using his opponents for tempering, but possesses overwhelming strength!”

“Overwhelming, indeed—this young man is truly defying all odds!” Elder Tang clicked his tongue. “Just days ago, he hadn’t achieved full resonance of muscle and bone, and now, he’s first in the Federation. It feels unreal. When he emerged from the secret realm, he’d only just broken through to the fourth stage of martial arts, and now he has power surpassing even the fourth stage. In three short years, what has he gained? What insights has he realized?”

Even with his broad experience, he couldn’t help but feel deeply shaken.

“He must have comprehended multiple realms and fused them together. Otherwise, he couldn’t have advanced so quickly on the fourth floor,” Elder Song said happily. “Who would have thought, so close to retirement, that under my charge, we’d see a Federation number one—even if it’s only during the preliminary stage.”

Elder Tang nodded, then said seriously, “He’s an outstanding seedling, peerless and extraordinary. We must not let him stray. When he comes out, you and I should train and nurture him further—especially now, at his current realm, we mustn’t let him break through too quickly. The fourth stage of martial arts is critical, crucial. By the way...”

He paused slightly, then said in a less friendly tone, “Such a promising talent appears, and you old fellow haven’t given any reward or support. Stingy!”

“I’ve been considering how to reward him in a way that would help him most,” Elder Song laughed. “He came out of the secret realm right before the martial arts exam, so any reward given in haste would be pointless. What he needs is to settle. After this exam ends, we’ll thoroughly test him, ask him, and then decide.”

“That’s good.” Elder Tang nodded, then grew excited. “What do you think—if he breaks into the fifth floor, will it cause a sensation? It surely will!”

“The final guardian on the fourth floor is strong—extremely strong. For students at the fourth stage of martial arts, there’s hardly any chance of breaking through. Even those who have just entered the fifth stage might stop there,” Elder Song said. “If he really steps into the fifth floor, then...”

“If you add his background, the Federation will be in an uproar. An ordinary boy, an orphan, and in just a few days rises from first stage to become the Federation’s top candidate in the preliminary round—the impact will be immense.” Elder Tang took over, recalling that scene, unable to contain his excitement. “Those with powerful family backgrounds, strong bloodlines from the stars, gifted prodigies who awakened special abilities, all the young talents, maybe even ruthless ones returning from the battlefield of myriad worlds—everyone will want to take part in this martial arts exam.”

“Looking forward to it!”
“Of course I am. I hope he truly becomes the top scholar!”

Inside the Sky Tower,

Jiang Ming was still locked in combat with his opponent.

If he unleashed his full strength, he could easily kill his foe, but opponents like this were rare, especially the white-robed youth’s mastery of the Slaughter Sword Intent, which was simply sublime.

Comprehension and application were two very different things.

While fighting, Jiang Ming absorbed his opponent’s strengths.

“Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect!”

This sword technique could evolve into countless variations, more terrifying and powerful than in the secret realm world. As he unleashed the technique, the void’s vital energy condensed into a dense mass of sword auras, but now, these auras fused in pairs.

In an instant, only a hundred streams remained.

Yet each was formidable.

Sword light fell; sword aura swept forth, directly blasting the white-robed youth away, tearing through his protective energy and leaving wounds upon him.

He hovered above the cliff.

The white-robed youth spun in midair, his feet moving swiftly, then charged back.

“A Sword’s Light Chills Nineteen Provinces!”

A curtain of light appeared at the tip of his sword—the manifestation of extreme speed.

Endless killing intent surged.

Jiang Ming stepped back, his long sword splitting the sky, still the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect.

This time, the gathered sword auras were fewer—only eighty-one. Not only did they easily block the opponent’s attack, but they blasted the white-robed youth away once more.

Jiang Ming was fully immersed in the evolution of sword techniques.

The fewer sword auras he condensed, the harder it became, but the power multiplied.

Sixty-four.

Forty-nine.

Thirty-six.

Eighteen!

The sword aura grew ever more terrifying.

Bang...

With powerful mind control, he grasped the essence of the sword technique’s transformations, and finally condensed nine streams of sword aura, directly annihilating his opponent.

“How did I kill him?”
Jiang Ming awoke from his insights, feeling regret.

Such a rare opponent.

A true mentor and friend.

“Hope the next trial brings another like him!”

He exhaled a breath, checked the time—it had taken fifty minutes to clear this floor, only ten minutes short of the limit.

“I should be able to secure the provincial top spot now. Should I try for the fifth floor?”

“Yes!”

“No need to hold back!”

“Now is the time to shine.”

“The more talented, the more attention one receives.”

Jiang Ming steadied himself and entered the fifth floor of the Sky Tower.

The fifth floor corresponds to the Grandmaster realm.

This stage is very unique. Only when the realm’s artistic conception is perfected can one use such special Dao force to discover the deepest hidden apertures within the body.

Simply put, it’s the opening of apertures.

Further developing potential, increasing the quantity of true energy; and as apertures are unlocked, the output of true energy grows, making combat strength even more terrifying.

The larger the dantian, the greater the space for apertures; the two are directly proportional.

There’s another saying: apertures are small dantians.

Each aperture has about ten hidden channels; once all are unlocked, true energy can be output throughout the entire body, inside and out.

That is true internal-external connection, the moment of explosive power.

The fifth stage of martial arts is often called the initial phase of the human-shaped nuclear bomb.

“I’ll have to fight above my level—can I clear this floor?”

Jiang Ming didn’t feel very confident.

But his fighting spirit was nearly tangible.