"Feng Lin, you're here!"
The moment Feng Lin's figure appeared within Earth Middle School, the principal received word and hurried over to greet him, letting out a silent sigh of relief.
In his eyes, Feng Lin was a once-in-a-century genius for Earth Middle School. Whether the school could make a name for itself in this year's Interstellar College Entrance Exam and turn its fortunes around depended entirely on Feng Lin.
A month had passed without a single sign of Feng Lin—not even a shadow. The principal feared that another school on Earth had poached him!
He knew full well that with Feng Lin's current strength, he'd be a hot commodity anywhere.
Only when he saw Feng Lin appear did he finally feel reassured, greeting him with unprecedented enthusiasm.
"Principal!" Feng Lin nodded calmly.
The principal walked over, but as he approached, his pace slowed, and his face grew uncertain.
As an elite cultivator with incredibly sharp senses, he could feel waves of heavy, mountain-like pressure emanating from Feng Lin, making it hard to get close.
Could a student exert life-force pressure on me? Is his life-force stronger than mine?
This was utterly unbelievable!
If he weren't so familiar with Feng Lin, he'd suspect this student was an impostor!
In just one month, had he really broken through to become an elite cultivator?
How was that possible?
...
"You've broken through again?" The principal looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
Why "again"?
It wasn't that he lacked composure, but Feng Lin's repeated leaps in breakthroughs had left him unable to stay calm.
"That's right!" Feng Lin nodded but didn't elaborate.
Breaking through the life-force limit of 100 to reach 218 was indeed a major breakthrough, though he hadn't yet become an elite cultivator.
But that very fact made it harder to explain.
Having life-force reach such a terrifying number without becoming an elite cultivator involved the Eastern Sea Mythical Secret Realm, which couldn't be leaked in the slightest.
He already knew about the disappearance of the Eastern Sea Divine Pillar, and two Earth nations were now bickering over it.
As the instigator, Feng Lin figured it was best to keep a low profile; otherwise, trouble would come knocking, bringing more headaches.
With the college entrance exam looming, he really didn't want any trouble.
Feng Lin focused on suppressing his aura, making himself seem ordinary, so that even an elite cultivator like the principal couldn't see through him.
"Let's go!" Seeing he wouldn't say more, the principal wisely didn't press further.
As an interstellar cultivator, everyone had their secrets.
He was already impatient and set off with Feng Lin aboard a spaceship toward the Earth Cultivation Association.
A large hovering spacecraft sat waiting on the metal giant island, having been there for some time.
A squad of soldiers in combat armor, helmets on and fully armed, stood at attention!
The principal submitted Feng Lin's information, and it was verified in an instant.
"Get in quickly. No noise, no disobeying orders, or you'll face the consequences!..." The soldier wasted no words, issuing a stern warning.
Feng Lin said nothing and quietly entered.
The Earth Cultivation Association was a massive human cultivation organization monopolizing interstellar space, a behemoth that a mere interstellar cultivator like him couldn't defy.
Though the association acted domineeringly, it was impartial in its dealings, and sometimes you just had to back down.
The universe was vast, full of all sorts.
Every year, several incidents occurred where high-profile candidates, relying on their prestigious backgrounds, clashed with the Cultivation Association, only to end up imprisoned or exiled to uninhabited planets, permanently barred from the college entrance exam.
Feng Lin stepped into the spaceship, which was already packed with over a hundred people—clearly, all the global candidates were here.
Each person sat in the cabin, no matter how confident they usually were, now feeling tense, unsure of what the upcoming exam would bring.
The second round of registration and assessment would take place across the entire solar system, where experts abounded, making the competition incredibly fierce.
They were the top geniuses on Earth, but in the solar system, that meant little. Aside from a few standout prodigies, most would need luck to pass.
This was an exam that determined one's fate.
Pass this hurdle, and you'd leap like a carp through the dragon gate, soaring through the clouds like a true dragon.
Fail, and you'd fade into obscurity, achieving nothing.
Every interstellar cultivator yearned to rise above, conquer the endless sea of stars, and reach the pinnacle to see the view from the top.
All eyes were filled with tension and longing.
Feng Lin sat quietly among the crowd, his expression calm as ever.
Strength brought confidence!
He was confident that very few in the solar system could match him, so there was little to worry about.
Feng Lin even had the leisure to observe the others. Strangely, he didn't see Feng Li or Feng Jinpeng.
Those two had passed the first round, and the clan leader had even personally visited him to help them through the second. Where were they now?
What made them give up on the cosmic university exam?
Could it be Feng Shaoyou?
Feng Lin's mind stirred, finding it likely.
Feng Shaoyou, from the interstellar main family, was trying to recruit branch family members to bolster his own power.
Only the allure of returning to the interstellar main family could make them abandon the cosmic university exam.
The cosmic university competition was brutal, and not everyone could get in, while returning to the interstellar main family was a safer and more promising path.
Feng Lin wasn't impressed, hoping those two wouldn't regret it.
Once, Feng Shaoyou had brought him immense pressure, but now he seemed unremarkable.
With the interstellar main family's deep resources, Feng Shaoyou's life-force was at most 150, making him an insignificant figure there. If Feng Li and Feng Jinpeng followed him, their future prospects were predictable.
But that was their business. Feng Lin gave it a brief thought and moved on.
Unexpectedly, he spotted Fengmo Taro and the Eastern Sea Goddess in the crowd.
Over twenty days, the two had mostly recovered, though their faces still held a hint of pallor.
Fengmo Taro's eyes swept over the crowd like a wolf's, as if trying to see through everyone's true nature, suspecting that the thief of the Eastern Sea Divine Pillar was among them.
Feng Lin smiled, unconcerned. He sensed that these Earth geniuses no longer posed much pressure to him. He wondered how the student experts from the solar system would compare.
He found himself looking forward to it.
"All candidates, prepare. The spaceship is departing." A voice echoed around them, the cabin shuddered, and the ship began to lift off.
In an instant, it broke through the atmosphere and vanished into the starry sky.
The principal stood at the Cultivation Association, watching the spaceship leave, lingering for a long time.
Feng Lin, make sure you get good results!
He had placed all his hopes on Feng Lin.
The spaceship sped like lightning, particle jets trailing a long fiery tail across the dark cosmos.
Three hours later, a massive object loomed ahead.
A giant metal sphere floated in space, with hundreds of ships docked nearby. It resembled a metal beast drifting among the stars, as large as a planet, with space within—a true star mothership.