by <unknown>
"I heard Teacher Ding Lingdang speak of a fellow student named Li Yao among the freshmen whose strength is extremely good and is enough to go head to head with you and I. For a long time, I have been looking forward to it, but who would have thought that after the accident of Refining Department, he would quiet down and now there isn’t even a sound of him."
Lu Tieshan said with a bit of regret.
A contemptuous smile appeared on Gu Feixuan's face: "It's very normal. High school and university are completely different. Many students are outstanding in the high school, but when they enter the university, they will become quiet. It is because their fundamentals are only at the high school level!"
Wen Ruorong also put on a contemptuous look:
"I have also heard of him. Isn't he the so-called God of Sleeping? In fact, the level of strength is one thing and that of effort is another! I am not discriminating against students who are poor. After all, some people are talented and some are not, but as long as they work hard with all their effort, then it would be enough! But he is doing absolutely nothing! All day, he is passing his time sleeping. This is nothing but escaping reality! Does he think that by sleeping, he will be able to regain the Refining Department? From what I hear, he did his utmost and asked teacher Ding Lingdang to decrease the cut-off marks for him to enter. Teacher Ding Lingdang can be considered as a legendary figure in the Grand Desolate War Institution, so how come she missed it and recruited such a waste who does not have the slightest bit of fighting spirit?"
When the four of them were making frivolous remarks about Li Yao, suddenly, a sharp scream floated over from a terrace not far away from them: "What? I was kicked out of the top 100? Impossible!"
Li Tieshan raised his eyebrow as he said with surprise, "It's Cao Jiang. Didn't he just enter the top 100? If I remember correctly, there was quite a big difference between him and the 101st student; it was a difference of 7-8 credits. He had actually been caught up to so quickly? This kid's luck is truly bad."
If one could squeeze into the top 100 in the Newcomer Ranking, he would earn various incentives. It was completely different from the 101st place, which was why Cao Jiang let out such a heartbreaking cry.
Lu Tieshan pursed his lips into a smile as he shouted, "Cao Jiang, come here!"
Not long after, a dark-skinned boy with a moderate physique wearing a long face appeared before the four cultivation geniuses.
Until now, Cao Jiang still hadn't recovered from his surprise. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and he appeared as if could not wait to bite off two credits from anyone.
"Cao Jiang, now do you understand that there are hidden geniuses in this school and experts are like clouds here? There isn’t just us from the Hidden Dragon Hall. Even among the ordinary students, there are many champions of College Entrance Examination. Take Zhang Chuang, the Southern Desert City's Champion of College Entrance Examination, for example. His strength is almost comparable with the specially recruited students of the Hidden Dragon Hall and gives many of us a run for our money! It is very normal for you to be kicked out of the Newcomer Ranking!"
Lu Tieshan slammed a fist on Cao Jiang's chest as he laughed and said, "There is no need to get disheartened. It doesn't matter if you didn't make it to the ranking. Next month, why don't you madly train together with me and then go kill like a man?"
At the beginning, Cao Jiang was a little bit depressed, but when heard Lu Tieshan speak, he had pretty much come around and stuck his tongue out: "Madly train with Elder Brother Tie Shan? I don't want to die!"
Just as these words escaped his mouth, everyone burst into laughter.
Lu Tieshan casually asked, "Right, who was it that squeezed you out of the ranking? Was it a specially recruited student or an ordinary student? If I remember correctly, wasn't there a pretty wide margin between you and several other students behind you? How come someone suddenly broke out?"
Cao Jiang scratched his head as he said in confusion, "It was not the people behind me who had caught up. It was... Li Yao."
"Li Yao?"
Lu Tieshan blinked his eyes. This name sounded so familiar. it was still on the tip of his tongue just a moment, but how could that be possible?
"Which Li Yao?"
"Is there anyone else? It is the Refining Department's only student, the God of Sleeping—Li Yao!"
"What!?"
The complexion on Lu Tieshan, Zhao Tianchon, Gu Feixuan, and Wen Ruorong happened to change at the same time.
Especially Wen Ruorong, her cheeks seemed to be burning.
She started up the crystal processor in a flurry to check the Newcomer Ranking while muttering, "It can't be, did I blame him unjustly?"
Gu Feixuan said in embarrassment, "It seems Teacher Ding Lingdang's vision was right. This brat is really something. I know there are some people who don't like to take the test just after learning the course and like taking all the test together after they have learned all the courses. They believe that they can thoroughly grasp the theories this way. I guess Li Yao is such a person."
Just as her voice faded away, she noticed Wen Ruorong turn pale as she dumbfoundedly stared at the hologram. Her mouth was puffed up as though two quail eggs had been stuffed in her mouth.
"Isn't it just the 100th place? Is there any reason for you to be so scared? Although we specially recruited students are relatively stronger, it is necessary for us to give way to ordinary students. We can not occupy all of the top 100 rankings in the Newcomer Ranking, right? Hahahaha!"
Gu Feixuan lightly laughed; not at all had he taken this matter to heart.
"No, it's not the 100th place," Wen Ruorong stammered.
"Well?"
"It's 90—no, it's 87!"
"This is nothing. After entering the top 100, everyone's credit is almost the same, so it's very normal to take over a dozen students after taking a test."
"But, Li Yao... he, he, he still has 30 exams left!"
"What?" Gu Feixuang screamed at the top of his lungs.
Not long after, screams could be heard coming from every corner of the Hidden Dragon Hall, seeming as if a terrifying plague was spreading.
"What? I have fallen in ranking? Who is so insane to take the exam when the month is soon about to end and also taking so many credits in one deep breath? Li Yao? Li Yao!"
"Dammit, I am kicked out of 70th place!"
"Is there some mistake? Why am I kicked out of 50th place?"
87... 69... 53... 37...
Li Yao was like an extremely accurate clock; every 10 minutes, his credits would change once, and every time the change occurred, he would jump in the Newcomer Ranking by a few positions. Several specially recruited students of the Hidden Dragon Hall were kicked out of their position, hurling them far behind.
After five hours, 10 o'clock at the night.
A deathly silence had taken over Hidden Dragon Hall. Over a hundred specially recruited students had assembled at a large stage at the top of the floating mountain where their eyes were glued at a huge hologram before them.
No one dared to say anything and didn’t even dare to breathe loudly. On the stage which was accommodating over a hundred students, it was so calm that one could even hear their heartbeats.
Everyone's heart was beating to the extreme.
Because on the glittering Newcomer Ranking, Li Yao's name, which was like a hot knife cutting through butter, had made its way to the top 10 and appeared just below the name of the four cultivation genius, firmly occupying the fifth position. The remaining "hidden dragons" had been hurled beyond the highest heaven.
Moreover...
"Woosh!"
Li Yao's name was flashing in madness. After passing another exam, he had amassed 204 credits, leaping over Lu Tieshan's, Gu Feixuan's and Wen Ruorong's head and was just a step away from Zhao Tianchong!
The three cultivation geniuses from cultivators' families had been directly blown away!
"..." Lu Tieshan was rendered speechless.
"
This madman!" Gu Feixuan repeatedly cried.
"This is too abnormal! How does this guy's brain actually work? I really want to dissect it!" No matter how Wen Ruorong wracked her brain, she could not figure it out.
The other specially recruited students were in an incomparable frenzy. Just after a second, the deathly silence was broken and everyone started seething!
"There is no mistake—this guy is insane! He has actually cleared 87 courses in one day and that too with a passing rate of 100%!"
"Furthermore, he had only taken 10 minutes to clear each exam. It suffices to say that his telepathic thoughts transmission ability is very strong and he has at the very least reached the 2nd level of the Refinement Stage!"
"Isn't he the God of Sleeping? Not a day goes by that anyone doesn't find him snoring in the Super Conception Cabin, so how come he is so strong?"
"He had already blown away three of the four experts of our Hidden Dragon Hall. Right now, only Zhao Tianchong alone is left. There is only a difference of one credit between them, and Li Yao is still left with one final exam. Is he… also going to blow away Zhao Tianchong?"
"T-that's impossible, right? That’s too big of a joke!"
"Woosh woosh woosh woosh!"
Every specially recruited student's gaze gathered at Zhao Tianchong. They wanted to find some clues from Zhao Tianchong's expression.
Nevertheless, Zhao Tianchong was still cold, gloomy, taciturn, calm, and collected; he didn't even bat a lid.
A trickle of cold sweat appeared on his forehead; his heart had instead deeply betrayed him.
Chapter 144: Immortal Cultivators |
While over a hundred "hidden dragon" had been deeply shocked by Li Yao's spectacular performance, Li Yao, on the other hand, had cold sweat trickling down his forehead and his heart was in a turmoil.
He was in the midst of taking the final exam in the Wasteland Battle Network.
The reason the cold sweat had appeared was definitely not because the exam was highly difficult. On the contrary, it was too simple!
The course he was taking the exam for was called [Chivalry].
It sounded rife with cliches; it was a course that appeared large but impractical. It quite seemed that as long as one shouted a few remarks like "I'm a righteous cultivator and my sword is always ready to be drawn to help when I see injustice during my travels", "The blood of the strong must flow for the weak", or "The depraved and the degenerates need to be punished", anyone could pass.
Furthermore, it was written as such in the textbooks as well.
And even after taking half of the exam, the content was also almost the same. It seemed that it was just sending you free credits.
However, the passing rate of this course was as low as 32%!
"It shouldn’t be like this. If one just has to speak some remarks that are full of heroism, then everyone should be able to pass. No one would not say 'If I saw some injustice during my travels, my sword is ready to be drawn to help the weak', right? Why is the passing rate only 32%?"
On one side, Li Yao was answering, while on the other, he was quickly thinking.
Fortunately, there was a lot of time left, thus he could slowly ponder and answer.
The one who was presiding over the [Chivalry] exam was a middle-aged, awe-inspiring, righteous cultivator who had straight eyebrows which were slanting upwards and outwards and eyes which were bright and shining like stars. He was the very construct which had been generated from numerous telepathic thoughts and appeared to be the epitome of a standard chivalrous heroic figure. He especially appeared warmhearted and considerate, like the ones who would behead three to five villainous degenerates before going to bed every night.
He seemed to be extremely satisfied with Li Yao's previous answer. He nodded and concluded, "Good, good, your answers are very good. So the righteous people must eradicate the bullies and assist the weak, and safeguard justice because we are chivalrous. We have righteous ardor, right?"
Li Yao was just about to nod before his heart suddenly started pounding. He unwittingly replied, "This is only one reason!"
"Oh?"
The "chivalrous hero" was exceptionally surprised: "What's the other?"
"The reason we must eliminate the bullies and help the downtrodden, protect justice, and even pay for it with our lives... it all because—upholding justice is beneficial to us!"
Li Yao sorted out his thoughts as he quickly answered.
"What are the benefits?" the chivalrous hero's eyes shone with a bright gleam as he asked back.
"What is justice? In my opinion, justice is social order, it is civilized law! We cultivators are vested beneficiaries in the existing social order. We enjoy the greatest benefits which this order brings us, so of course, we have to safeguard it!"
"Vested beneficiaries? Please explain!"
The smile on the chivalrous hero's face vanished as an expressionless look appeared on his face. It seemed that he was a bit dissatisfied by Li Yao because he was talking about interest instead of talking about right or wrong.
As the words had already left Li Yao's mouth, it was just like an arrow which had been fitted on a bow-string and had to be released. He could only bite the bullet and speak:
"In the current social order of the Star Glory Federation, we, the cultivators, are the elites among all trades and professions. Whether it is reputation, status, or income, it is higher than ordinary citizens. Not to mention that ordinary citizens respect us from the bottom of their heart, and they too desire to become cultivators. Through the ages, this is the most suitable set of social order for cultivators. No matter who wants to break this social order, we can not allow him to succeed. Furthermore, he must be treated as a degenerate and a devil cultivator who has to be beheaded—this is justice!"
"In the ancient cultivation world of forty millenniums ago, we similarly had the same lofty status and we were respected. But still, not many ancient cultivators had a strong sense of justice, nor did they make sacrifices for the weak!" The chivalrous hero coldly smiled.
"Wrong. Ordinary people in the ancient cultivation world simply feared us. They didn't have the slightest bit of respect, not to mention the cultivators from the ancient cultivation world didn't live as comfortably as we modern cultivators do!"
Li Yao mustered up his courage and loudly said, "Take me for example. I am only a low-level Refinement Stage cultivator who had just entered the cultivation world. If I was in the ancient era, I would be treated like a slave who was at the beck and call of some high-level cultivator. And once I rose to prominence or found some heaven and earth treasure, I must put up my guard against others who would be coming to kill me or seize the treasure. Furthermore, I would have to scheme against my peers. It was a time when each and every one thought of stepping on someone else's head to climb, and it was a time when everyone was willing to stab you in the back as many times as they could. Every day, you would be in a state of anxiety, during which you would not have any appetite, be unable to sleep soundly, and can’t even leisurely take a dump. How could anyone cultivate the truth?"
"The modern era, on the other hand, is different. Civilization has progressed now. An insignificant Refinement Stage cultivator like myself can freely and happily research the profound mysteries of truth and find my great dao in the highest institute of the country. Even if I found some profound and peerless technique or some heaven and earth treasure, no one would dare to blatantly kill me to seize the treasure. Whoever dared to try would become the enemy of the entire federation!"
"In this kind of environment, I can boldly cultivate at ease, due to which the efficiency is as much as a hundredfold higher compared to the ancient era! For sure, it would be a lot better if I become a high-level cultivator in the end, and even if not, even if I remain in the Refinement Stage for my entire life, it would still alright. After I am out in society, like before, I can still find a decent job and live a happy and satisfactory life."
"Now, tell me. Isn't a social ord
er which can allow me to live freely and happily worthy for me to defend?"
The chivalrous hero maintained his composure: "You are right. However, we can still divide society into two parts. Among the cultivator, we can talk about morality, laws, and justice, whereas for the ant-like ordinary people, we can squeeze them dry like slaves, force them to collect resources, gather wealth, and use them as much as we can to our satisfaction. This kind of social order can similarly allow us to live comfortably and we wouldn’t need to bear the slightest bit of responsibility, wouldn’t this be much better?"
"Nope, it is not good at all. Not to mention, slavery and the feudal system is inefficient. It is not suitable for the advanced cultivation civilization. And most of all, we also have one huge competitor—the devil cultivators! If ordinary people are really desperate, they really don't need to rely on cultivators and could just use blood sacrifice to entice heavenly devils to come, whereupon hundreds of thousands of residents of an entire town would be demonized one by one. Not to mention a few cultivators, even if it was an entire cultivation sect, they can engulf everyone to the point that not even a slag is left!"
"Hei hei, hei hei hei hei!"
Having heard his reply, the chivalrous hero suddenly burst into a sinister laughter.
With a flash, the bright and shining atmosphere turned into a gloomy and terrifying cave, while the chivalrous hero also transformed into an evil figure whose hair was hanging loose and had skulls hanging around his neck.
"If it is like this, then we should simply shed all pretenses of cordiality and become devil cultivators one after another! The more devil cultivators there are, the better it is. We can do anything we wish, take anything we want, and live a free and unfettered life to the extreme!"
Li Yao blinked his eyes and said, "Can a shop which had been selling bread for a few decades suddenly start selling pasta and compete with a nearby shop who has been selling pasta since the ancestral generation?"
The chivalrous hero was surprised for a moment. He was a construct which had been created from telepathic thoughts of countless experts and was unable to respond to such a strange question. He asked dully, "What?"
