The Spring Festival holiday was over, and the start of a new semester had arrived.
Feng Lin walked through the school gates.
On the first day of school, the campus was bustling with excitement. After a winter break apart, every student's face was brimming with intense enthusiasm.
With the college entrance exam looming, a tense and oppressive atmosphere hung in the air.
The first day of the final semester of senior year also marked the annual selection day for the gifted class. Only those who cleared the thirtieth floor of the Virtual Martial Tower could enter the gifted class, receive the school's full support, and make a final sprint before the exams.
Although Earth High School was a long-established school in Earth's Huaxia City, with a rich history, it had never truly thrived. Among the high schools in Huaxia City, it ranked near the bottom, with limited cultivation resources, forcing it to focus only on the best.
A life force exceeding 2 was considered genius—something unimaginable in the Feng family.
Though the Feng family was a minor clan in the interstellar realm, on Earth, they were undeniably a prestigious and powerful house. Backed by the interstellar main family, they lacked neither techniques nor resources.
There were plenty of interstellar cultivators with life forces exceeding 10, and the competition was fierce.
As for this so-called gifted class, Feng Lin didn't care much about it.
But since he had to take the college entrance exam, he needed the school's full support. Joining it wouldn't hurt.
After all, interstellar universities also had tiers, each with different application requirements and limited slots.
In the interstellar era, it was an age of fierce competition—everything had to be fought for. There was no room for keeping a low profile.
If you didn't demonstrate abilities far beyond your peers, why would the school give you a precious exam slot?
Feng Lin kept walking, heading straight for the Virtual Martial Tower, when suddenly he frowned.
A group of figures quickly surrounded him, trapping him in the middle. A white-skinned boy with a sinister expression crossed his arms and glared coldly at him. Zhao Kai followed behind, sneering as well.
"Feng Lin, don't think you can escape today! I'm going to get revenge for last time—"
*Boom!*
A wave of energy surged outward like a flood.
Before Klot could finish his threat, he was sent flying like a torn sandbag.
Feng Lin lowered his gaze without even looking, as if he had just swatted away a bunch of annoying flies. He kept walking and left.
Klot and Zhao Kai lay on the ground, eyes wide and vacant, trembling all over.
The two poor kids were utterly terrified.
They hadn't even faced Feng Lin head-on. They only felt an immense wave of mental power sweep over them, instantly crushing all their consciousness, turning their minds into mush.
That instant mental assault made them feel like mortals staring into the pressure of a god's presence, tasting the fear of death...
What era was this?
It had been over ten thousand years since web novels first emerged in the ancient Earth era, and they were still pulling such clichéd tricks?
Didn't they know that was long outdated?
...
Feng Lin had no intention of wasting words on this group. His mental power swept out, instantly shattering the spirits of these school bullies, leaving them trembling uncontrollably.
He walked away swiftly, leaving a trail of figures sprawled on the ground behind him, twitching like livestock awaiting slaughter, drawing a crowd of astonished stares.
Feng Lin moved quickly and soon arrived at the Virtual Martial Tower.
Outside, a long line had already formed, with eager expressions on every face.
After a winter break of hard training, many felt their life force had greatly improved, hoping to clear the Virtual Martial Tower and be selected for the gifted class.
They entered full of excitement and came out dejected.
Feng Lin stood idly in line, watching it all with a cold, knowing look.
A life force breaking 3.0 didn't guarantee clearing the Martial Tower.
Those virtual martial masters were the pinnacle of their rank, incredibly powerful in combat.
These students had life force but lacked the tempering of blood and fire. Their combat strength was weak. Even if their life force surpassed the virtual martial masters, they'd struggle to gain an advantage.
Feng Lin had been the same before. He entered the Martial Tower with a life force of 1.5 but found the first ten floors extremely difficult because he lacked martial combat skills.
It wasn't until he learned many ancient martial arts and the gene martial art Vajra Fist that he turned things around, reaching the twentieth floor before stopping.
But for Feng Lin now, the situation had changed drastically.
This Virtual Martial Tower might be an insurmountable chasm for others, but in Feng Lin's eyes, it wasn't even a stumbling block.
Unknowingly, his combat strength had far surpassed his peers. Only the most outstanding geniuses from Earth's top high schools could give him some pressure.
The cultivation level at Earth High School was too low, feeling like child's play to him, utterly uninteresting.
From Earth to Mars, he had experienced far too much—far beyond what his peers had—and it had granted him strength far beyond theirs.
On Earth, even in the solar system, he could hardly find an opponent among his peers.
After sweeping through the family ranking tournament, Feng Lin had realized this with crystal clarity. His true rivals lay in the boundless interstellar realm.
Those star regions had advanced technology, abundant spiritual matter, and a wealth of cultivation resources. The competition was fierce, often producing unimaginable prodigies.
Only these people would be his future opponents.
Feng Lin had never limited his horizons to the solar system. He looked toward the endless stars.
As the line gradually moved forward, it was finally Feng Lin's turn. He walked in calmly.
But the moment he entered, the Virtual Martial Tower suddenly blared with piercing alarms, red lights flashing incessantly.
The principal, along with a group of senior homeroom teachers, approached with grim faces. "What happened? What did you do?"
The Virtual Martial Tower system was the school's most valuable asset, not to be compromised. For such a major incident to occur on the first day of school infuriated the principal.
"I don't know either!" The students waiting outside the tower looked equally bewildered.
Just then, the Virtual Martial Tower system issued a warning to the entire school: "Warning! Warning! Someone's life force has exceeded the system's limit. System crash! All participants inside must leave immediately! Leave immediately! Leave immediately..."
The alarm repeated, urgent and frantic.
"What? A life force exceeding the limit, causing a system crash? Who is it?" The principal and the teachers were stunned, never imagining this could happen.
This Virtual Martial Tower system had been specially ordered by Earth High School from an interstellar nation. Though it was the lowest grade, it could still handle life forces up to 10. Now someone had crashed it—unbelievable.
Who had such terrifying life force?
An interstellar cultivator?
Earth High School had never produced such a genius!
Who could it be?
There was no such incredible person at Earth High School!
...
The school leaders were utterly baffled.
At that moment, Feng Lin walked out calmly.
The principal's eyes lit up, and he hurried over to ask, "Feng Lin, what did you see in there? Why did the Virtual Martial Tower system crash?"
Feng Lin spoke slowly, "Nothing much. I just cleared the thirtieth floor of the Virtual Martial Tower in under a minute, and the system crashed, kicking me out."
His face was perfectly calm, his tone indifferent, as if he were talking about some trivial matter unrelated to him.
Those virtual martial masters, though invincible at their rank, couldn't overcome the vast gap in life force with any technique.
Brute force trumps skill!
Once inside, Feng Lin didn't even need to strike. His mental power swept out like a flood, instantly crushing those virtual martial masters.
No matter what alien race or martial master, no matter their skill, they couldn't withstand the overwhelming surge of power and collapsed.
"What? You did it?" The principal and school leaders couldn't believe it, suspecting Feng Lin was boasting.
They remembered that the last time Feng Lin entered the Martial Tower, his life force hadn't even broken 2.0. Now he had crashed the system.
The gap was too huge!
In two months, he had become an interstellar cultivator?
Faced with all the doubt, Feng Lin couldn't be bothered to argue. He simply said, "Believe it or not, just check the system logs."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, the principal and the others pulled up the Virtual Martial Tower's records to watch.
Feng Lin's figure appeared on the screen.
They saw him sweeping through the virtual martial masters with an unstoppable momentum, climbing floor by floor without pause, until he literally broke the Martial Tower system.
The principal and all the school leaders stood there, dazed, slowly realizing the truth.
In the face of Feng Lin, this suddenly rising prodigy, the so-called gifted class had lost all meaning...