Inside the training hall, a spacious monitoring room featured a holographic screen displaying scenes from the virtual martial arts tower, where every student attempting to clear the levels was clearly visible.
A group of teachers, including the homeroom teacher of Class Wind Forest, watched before the screen, led by a portly elderly man—the principal of Earth Middle School.
"Hmm! Zhuang Ziming from Class Three is impressive, with a life force of 2.5. If he keeps growing and reaches the top of the martial arts tower, he'll qualify for the genius class!" The principal's gaze fixed on a tall, well-built male student on the screen, full of admiration.
The homeroom teacher of Class Three stood nearby, echoing with a smile, "Zhuang Ziming comes from an average family, but he's extremely hardworking! His potential is truly immense!"
The principal nodded, then swept his gaze to another male student.
"Chang Yu from Class Eighteen is also performing strongly. His life force of 2.1 is a bit low, but his combat ability is impressive. He's already putting up a good fight against the combat master on the 20th floor!"
Other teachers nodded in agreement.
These virtual martial arts masters were modeled after renowned masters in interstellar history, each a top-tier combatant among their peers.
So, for these students raised in a sheltered environment, fighting them was quite challenging.
Although this student had a life force 0.1 higher than his opponent, being able to fight evenly showed his talent.
"Yes, Fang Yun from Class Thirty-One is good. He's likely awakened the Meteor Gene. That's a high-level basic gene. If he can find the path to gene evolution and successfully evolve into the Star Gene, becoming a true interstellar cultivator isn't a fantasy." The principal praised again, turning to a tall middle-aged man beside him, "You've taught him well!"
"You're right, Principal. The Star Gene is a rare and powerful gene among the original ones. If it evolves, this student will be blessed with boundless potential." The homeroom teacher of Class Thirty-One smiled with satisfaction.
...
As the head of the school, he was an elite interstellar cultivator with a keen eye. His casual comments earned admiration from the other homeroom teachers.
Whenever a genius from their class was praised by the principal, those teachers beamed with pride.
The homeroom teacher of Class Seventeen, usually strict, now wore an even darker expression.
Because throughout the principal's commentary, he hadn't mentioned Class Seventeen at all.
Class Seventeen was at the bottom among this year's graduating classes, lacking the geniuses of others. The only student with a life force above 2 was Zhao Kai.
A genius in his own class, but not impressive school-wide.
And Zhao Kai was notoriously bad at combat. With a life force of 2.2, he was still stuck on the 18th floor of the martial arts tower, leading his opponent by 0.4 in life force yet struggling miserably in battle.
She gritted her teeth in frustration, feeling like he was a lost cause.
Since all graduating classes competed with each other, other homeroom teachers noticed her predicament and glanced over with smirks, fueling her anger.
"Senior student Feng Lin, fighting across levels...!" At that moment, the optical computer announced, alerting everyone.
"What? A genius capable of cross-level combat has appeared!"
"Who, who is it? Which class has another genius?"
"Being able to defeat a martial arts master of the same level—this student is incredible!"
...
A wave of exclamations followed.
The emergence of a cross-level combat genius caused an immediate stir.
The teachers couldn't hide their astonishment.
Cross-level combat? How was that possible?
The opponent wasn't an ordinary person but a top-tier peer, a virtual martial arts master. Who could possess such combat power?
This was monstrous. Which class did he come from?
Was it Class Three, known for rapid cultivation of geniuses, or Class Eighteen, famed for combat strength, or Class Thirty-One with its deep gene cultivation foundation...?
Various guesses and opinions flew around.
But the homeroom teachers of those classes all looked bewildered, clearly not their students.
So who was it? Feng Lin's identity sparked everyone's curiosity.
The homeroom teacher of Class Seventeen was uncertain. Could it be him?
She thought of her own student, Feng Lin.
But that was impossible.
His life force had just broken through; how could his combat power be this strong!
These students were like flowers in a greenhouse, often with combat power mismatched to their life force. How could they possibly match a top-tier virtual martial arts master of the same level?
As an experienced homeroom teacher, she had seen this too many times.
Could another class have a genius also named Feng Lin?
Amid the various speculations, the principal smiled. "It seems another genius has emerged in the school. Let me see who it is."
As the principal, more geniuses in the school meant more achievements, and he was delighted.
Using his principal authority, he accessed the optical computer and saw a figure appear.
Seeing him, the female homeroom teacher was startled. "It really is him!"
"Oh? You know him!" Others looked over curiously.
The female teacher was stunned, but when asked, she couldn't hide her glee and smiled with a hint of pride. "He's Feng Lin, the second-ranked student in our class!"
"So he's from your class!" The others exchanged glances, their expressions priceless.
They never expected that Class Seventeen, always at the bottom among graduating classes, could produce a cross-level combat genius. It was like a pig climbing a tree—unheard of!
In front of everyone, the female teacher couldn't show weakness. She smiled smugly, though confusion lingered in her eyes, unable to figure out how Feng Lin had done it.
They all looked over curiously. Feng Lin's sudden rise drew the attention of the entire school's faculty.
"Life force 1.5, breaking through to the 16th floor. It's indeed cross-level combat, but his life force is too low!" The principal's eyes lit up at first, then he sighed.
Other teachers also chuckled.
"With such low life force, it seems he's focused all his energy on martial arts! Putting the cart before the horse!"
"It looks like he won't reach the top of the martial arts tower or enter the genius class!"
"What a pity! If he had focused on cultivation, he might have become a genius. But no one guided him, and he went down the wrong path, wasting his effort on martial arts."
...
What was once a genius had now gone astray, and the other homeroom teachers secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed this student posed no threat to their classes.
The female teacher gritted her teeth silently.
By then, the principal had opened the recording and started watching.
"What? He never entered the martial arts tower before and started from the first floor!"
"His breakthrough speed is so fast!"
"He's even learning martial arts on the spot. What's there to learn from those basic techniques? Had he never learned anything before?"
...
As homeroom teachers, their eyes were sharp. They clearly saw Feng Lin's situation and couldn't help but be surprised again.
The principal sighed even more. As a legitimate elite cultivator, he saw more and couldn't help but lament.
"This kid indeed never learned any martial arts before. He only used the school's free military boxing on the first floor. Later, he picked up ancient martial arts from the virtual masters, using them effortlessly, and his combat power soared. He seems very talented in martial arts. He struggled at first but grew more relaxed as he went on. If I'm not mistaken, he's already grasped the martial heart. He's a martial arts genius. If discovered earlier and nurtured properly, he might have become a monstrous figure, capable of getting into an interstellar university!..."
The more the principal watched, the more regretful he became, offering a series of comments.
What? The principal gave such high praise.
With his keen eye, he had only given a decent review to the top geniuses of other classes. Now he said this person had the potential to become a monstrous figure!
If this student continued to grow, he would be a huge threat to their classes.
The homeroom teachers were shocked, but seeing Feng Lin's life force of 1.5, they breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"What a shame, it's all too late!"
"Every point of life force is a major hurdle. The college entrance exam is coming soon. There's no time for him to rapidly increase his life force!"
"Exactly! Otherwise, Class Seventeen might have produced a peerless genius!"
...
They feigned sighs of regret while secretly feeling relieved.
Feng Lin had risen too late; there wasn't enough time for him to grow.
In their minds, they had already passed a death sentence on him.
The female teacher was even more furious. If she had discovered Feng Lin's potential earlier, maybe...
But it was all too late. Sigh...
"Homeroom teacher of Class Seventeen, why didn't you nurture this genius earlier?" the principal asked with a hint of reproach.
Other homeroom teachers looked on with schadenfreude.
"Principal, I didn't know either. His name is Feng Lin. In previous exams, his life force was always 0.4—a very ordinary student. I don't know why he suddenly exploded this time," the female teacher said, equally frustrated.
"What? Are you joking?"
"Don't lie! Life force 0.4 before, now 1.5? Who are you kidding?"
"How could he improve so fast? Unless some interstellar grandmaster gave him a direct infusion of power. But is that possible? With such treatment, he would have risen long ago. He might have taken the college entrance exam in his first year."
...
The surrounding teachers buzzed with disbelief, just as the female teacher had expected.
"It's true," the principal said calmly, pulling up Feng Lin's school records.
As a student, every exam was recorded in the school's core optical computer.
It was true!
Everyone was stunned.
Their earlier relief shattered. With such rapid life force growth and strong combat power, if he kept going, he might soon...
Too little time to make the genius class?
Should, could, maybe... perhaps...
Noticing the principal's eyes growing brighter, reigniting interest in Feng Lin, the female teacher seized the moment to ask for benefits. "If I'm not mistaken, Feng Lin is the type of student who bursts forth near graduation. With the exam approaching, he's entered a surge period. I suggest the school focus on nurturing him!"
"I disagree! His life force is too low; there's no value in nurturing him!"
"Time is limited now! It's too late."
"Exactly! After this sudden burst, his potential might be exhausted. We can't waste school resources!"
...
School resources were finite. Giving them to him meant others would miss out.
Seeing their share threatened, all homeroom teachers unanimously opposed, mostly fearing that if the school invested heavily in him, this monstrous kid might truly rise against the odds!
If that happened, the geniuses in their own classes would be in trouble.
As homeroom teachers, they naturally had to protect their students' interests.
In their hearts, they already saw Feng Lin as the biggest threat to their classes.
Seeing these people, usually at odds with each other, now united against her, the female teacher—a shrewd operator herself—knew their thoughts all too well. She fumed inwardly, "How do you know Feng Lin can't keep bursting forth?"
"How do you know his potential isn't exhausted? This kind of thing happens once, not twice!"
"Exactly! It's just luck!"
"Looking at the records, Feng Lin comes from an average family without enough resource support. How much potential can he have?"
...
The other homeroom teachers shook their heads in unison.
"You..." The female teacher laughed in anger, ready to retort.
Seeing that the graduating class homeroom teachers were about to break into a fight, which would be unseemly, the principal intervened. "Enough, stop arguing! This student is talented, but his life force is still low." He made a decision. "Don't disturb him for now. Watch his future performance. If he shows potential for continued bursts, list him as a seed candidate for the college entrance exam and nurture him fully!"
With the principal's final word, the others backed down.
Seeing that the monstrous kid hadn't gained any benefits, achieving their initial goal, the other homeroom teachers exchanged knowing glances and smirked.
The female teacher, however, was grinding her teeth in frustration.
Feng Lin had no idea that his unnoticed past and sudden burst had set off a major stir in the school, nearly sparking a quarrel and infighting among all the homeroom teachers.
At that moment, he was fully focused on his opponent.
Amid roaring artillery fire, a fierce and bloody interstellar battlefield.
A figure clad in metal armor stood in the center, surrounded by a hail of bullets, blazing fire, and booming cannons, with bloodshed and devastation everywhere.
He stood motionless, exuding a battle-hardened aura, like a drawn blade, sharp and ready to wound anyone.
Feng Lin was surprised to find that his opponent this time was an interstellar warrior in a mech suit.