"What the hell happened here?" The general appeared with a pack of fierce, elite soldiers, and the entire venue fell into dead silence.
Only Hattori Juzo lay on the ground, his head burst open, clutching it with both hands as he wailed in agony.
His gaze was like lightning, impossible to meet directly.
An immense wave of life force, like a boundless ocean, completely suppressed the commotion on the field. Everyone was terrified, not daring to breathe.
Could this man be a legendary Grand Cultivator?
Feng Lin's pupils contracted sharply, his mind feeling as if it were seized by an invisible hand, unable to stir any ripples.
An ordinary Star Cultivator couldn't possibly exert such pressure on him. Only a Grand Cultivator, who surpassed the elite cultivator realm by two major stages, could bring him such overwhelming intimidation.
There was no one this formidable on Earth!
Not even in the solar system!
The limit of cultivation in the solar system was the elite cultivator realm, with insufficient resources to support anyone reaching the Grand Cultivator level!
Besides the general, who seemed to be a Grand Cultivator, Feng Lin also noticed that every soldier was at least a Star Cultivator. An army composed entirely of Star Cultivators was unimaginable in the solar system!
Only the great powers among the stars could field such elite troops!
Could these people be from the stars?
That was highly likely!
Feng Lin pondered thoughtfully.
The Cultivation Association was a massive organization spanning the entire star realm, its influence covering all of humanity. Even a branch on Earth maintained ties with the interstellar headquarters.
The enrollment assessment for the Cosmic University was extremely rigorous, and it seemed the Cultivation Association had put in significant effort to oversee it.
"No one's talking?" The general, seeing no one dared to speak, clicked his leather boots on the ground, each step like a drumbeat on people's hearts, making them tremble with fear.
He strode straight toward Feng Lin and the Japanese group. "Since no one's speaking, you tell me! Why are you causing trouble at the assessment point?"
The Yamato Middle School principal, Miyata Ryo, a cultivator elite, quickly broke free from the general's life force pressure and, as the villain, tried to lodge a complaint. "General, it was Feng Lin, a candidate from Earth Middle School, who disregarded the exam rules and struck first, crippling our Yamato Middle School's prodigy, Hattori Juzo. You must do justice for us! Such a candidate shows no respect for exam discipline and should be severely punished—disqualified, stripped of his cultivation, and expelled from the venue..."
He ranted hysterically, accusing Feng Lin as if he were a heinous criminal, suggesting vicious punishments like stripping his cultivation and kicking him out.
Feng Lin's eyes turned ice-cold, and he inwardly cursed.
These Japanese were truly malicious. If they kept twisting the truth, the situation would turn very unfavorable for him.
"Is that so?" But the general, aware of the Japanese's usual deceitfulness, didn't fully believe it. Instead, he swept his gaze over, casting immense pressure on Feng Lin's mind, interrogating his conscience without allowing any concealment.
Feng Lin took a deep breath, fully activating his mental genes to strengthen his spirit and shake off the mental intimidation. He replied calmly but firmly, "General, these Japanese are completely distorting the truth! I did nothing from start to finish. They struck first, using mental illusions, but their skills were lacking, and they suffered backlash, blowing their own heads apart. Who's to blame for that? As for the facts, there should be optical computer surveillance here. General, you can check it yourself."
Since the Japanese were so vile and ruthless, Feng Lin didn't hold back either. His words were like knives, each one stabbing into the Japanese's hearts, belittling them as worthless.
Bastards!
The Japanese were seething with rage internally, ready to explode.
But with the general speaking to Feng Lin, they dared not interrupt.
"Oh?" The general raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Feng Lin speaking so eloquently and calmly before him.
He was a Grand Cultivator. Under the pressure of his life force, it was normal for an elite cultivator to chat freely, but for a mere Star Cultivator to remain so composed showed remarkable mental fortitude.
Even without checking the surveillance, the general had gained some favor for Feng Lin and believed him somewhat.
He looked Feng Lin up and down, nodded, and used his authority to pull up the optical computer system to review the surveillance footage.
The Japanese group's faces changed drastically, and they inwardly groaned.
As the surveillance projection played out, the truth was laid bare.
From the Yamato Middle School principal personally stepping in with students to provoke, to their failed attempt at showing off and subsequent humiliation, their ugly faces were fully exposed.
Scornful glances were cast their way from all around.
These Japanese were truly despicable. Bullying the weak was one thing—survival of the fittest was nature's cruel law. But lacking strength and still provoking the strong, only to be slapped down, was truly contemptible.
With the truth clear, the general's eyes hardened, and his gaze turned icy. The Japanese felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, trembling all over, cowering as if facing divine wrath, not daring to resist.
Feng Lin watched with a cold smirk.
These Japanese were like this—their ingrained flaws hadn't changed even after ten thousand years. They bullied the weak and groveled before the strong, utterly spineless and contemptible.
"This ends here! Yamato Middle School, you provoked first, and your lack of skill led to your own downfall—you deserve it! If you cause any more trouble, I'll throw you all out!" The general snorted, handling it lightly without punishing anyone, simply declaring the matter over with authority.
The Japanese dared not resist, swallowing their humiliation.
Feng Lin couldn't care less. He hadn't lost a single hair, and in fact, had crippled one of Yamato's candidates—no loss at all.
Having gained an advantage, there was no need to gloat and invite trouble.
The priority now was the Cosmic University enrollment assessment, not letting a moment's anger derail the main task.
Having quelled the conflict, the general stepped before the crowd and announced loudly, "The Cosmic University enrollment assessment begins now! Though the university's principle is equality, with each school seemingly having quotas, the more equal it is, the fiercer the competition—far beyond your imagination. Across the vast star realm, there are only ten such pyramid-top institutions like the Cosmic University. Each admits only about 10,000 people, meaning a total of 100,000 slots. That sounds like a lot, but among the trillions upon trillions of candidates across interstellar humanity, the odds are one in a hundred billion—infinitesimally small. You must pass multiple rounds of selection. The first round is on Earth, the second across the entire solar system. Only the final victors can leave the star system, enter the vast interstellar realm, and compete with geniuses from all over. The final slots..."
His voice was heavy and forceful, each word striking like a hammer on their hearts.
The students' smiles faded, their faces turning deadly serious. Even if they were considered geniuses on Earth, they meant nothing in the solar system or the stars.
There's always a higher mountain.
The stars were too vast. Without meeting them, you could never imagine how strong your opponents might be.
Feng Lin clenched his fists, a fiery glint in his eyes.
The Cosmic University assessment had so many layers—it was like a grand feast spanning the entire universe. Young geniuses from every corner of the stars would gather. What a spectacle that would be!
Just thinking about it was thrilling!
"Your first round on Earth is to fight one-on-one with my subordinates. Each of them is a hardened, battle-tested warrior, every one a Star Cultivator with life force of at least 70. They are your opponents. Only by defeating them can you prove your worth to apply for the Cosmic University and pass the first round. Otherwise, you're mediocre. If you can't even beat my men, how can you compete with the chosen ones among the stars?"
The candidates were horrified.
Star warriors with life force over 70—these soldiers were clearly extraordinary, seasoned in battle with combat prowess far beyond ordinary people.
They were just students, about to face these iron-blooded warriors. None of them felt confident, already cowed before the fight began.
Feng Lin melted into the crowd, keeping a low profile, only secretly observing these star warriors with his eyes.
They wore uniforms, had lean builds, with balanced, powerful muscles—flexible yet explosive. A fierce, murderous aura emanated from them, marking them as no pushovers.
These warriors had been through countless battles. How strong were they really?
He'd find out soon enough!
He couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
The candidates were panicking, but the general, decisive and swift, gave them no time to react. He spoke in a deep voice.
His gaze was cold and sharp, sweeping the crowd, and no one dared to speak.
"This is the first round of the Cosmic University enrollment assessment. So now... who agrees? Who opposes?"