The exam process was simple—testing physical strength and mental strength.
Everyone had done this before, so the test progressed quickly.
Yu Hongyuan rushed ahead, stepping in front of Li Yang.
“I’ll go first!”
Li Yang, ever the composed senior, nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Yu Hongyuan threw a punch at the testing machine.
A mechanical voice sounded—
“Congratulations! Yu Hongyuan from the Agriculture Department has completed the test. Monthly exam results: First Realm, One Star Aperture. Physical Strength: 189.”
Yu Hongyuan’s eyes lit up.
“I improved! Hey, my score matches my height! I was only 175 last time!”
He had spent days training under Instructor He, and the results had finally paid off.
Li Yang was genuinely happy for him.
“Now, you should be fine.”
Yu Hongyuan beamed, “Top 1000?”
Li Yang cleared her throat.
“…It’s my turn.”
She stepped forward.
The students from the Mental Domain Department all crowded around, eager to see her results.
“At least 400 points in physical strength, right?”
“Crazy! I only have 150!”
“But we’re Mental Domain! Physical strength doesn’t count for us!”
“True, but I bet her mental strength is only around 100.”
At that moment, Li Yang punched the machine.
A loud buzz echoed.
The mechanical voice rang out—
“Congratulations! Li Yang from the Agriculture Department has completed the test. Monthly exam results: Second Realm, Five Star Apertures. Physical Strength: 500.”
The room fell silent.
“…Damn.”
“…If I compare myself to her, I might as well be dead.”
Yu Hongyuan stood proudly beside her, “That’s my senior! She’s got my back!”
Because Li Yang made it into the top twelve, she received three family tickets—just enough for Feng Yiqiao and the other two to attend.
Yu Hongyuan, on the other hand, had to go through a ticket scalper, paying a high price for front-row seats.
After much effort, he even managed to swap seats to sit near his senior brothers and sisters.
He Song, Cool Sister, Wah La Brother, and Sun Anmo had also secured their tickets early.
However, they weren’t lucky enough to grab front-row seats and were instead seated in the seventh and eighth rows.
Logically speaking, they wouldn’t have come just to watch the freshman monthly exam.
But knowing that the Agricultural Department had the fewest students and could easily be overwhelmed by other departments’ presence, they took the initiative to show up and cheer for Li Yang.
As soon as Wah La Brother sat down, he shouted loudly, “Agricultural Department! Li Yang! Take first place, Wah La!”
Coincidentally, the students from the Star Battle Department were seated nearby.
They immediately responded with raised voices, “Star Battle Department! Lin Zhaoxia! Take first place!”
“Star Battle Department! Zhong Qian! First place is a must!”
As the saying goes, one spark can start a wildfire.
Not to be outdone, the Star Law Department students joined in, their voices booming across the arena.
“Star Law Department! Shen Shangchi! First place belongs to you!”
“Star Law Department! Ying Qi! The championship is yours!”
Unlike the enthusiastic Star Battle and Star Law Departments, the Mental Department remained eerily silent.
After all, they weren’t known for early-game combat. Out of all the departments, they had only one student in the top twelve—who was ranked ninth and hadn’t even comprehended a combat-type star technique.
It was clear they were just here to participate, not compete.
Some students from the Mental Department created a small mental sea chat group.
“Should we cheer for Li Yang instead?”
“Sounds good! There’s no point in cheering for Wang-ge. And I’ll never cheer for Star Battle or Star Law.”
“Come on! Let’s root for Li Yang!”
As if echoing through a hive mind, the entire Mental Department suddenly erupted.
“Tree Tower Plunderer! Go for it!”
Just as Li Yang was about to step onto the stage, she hesitated.
For a moment, she thought the Star Law Department was trying to mess with her mentality.
But then she recalled their new interpretation of the “Tree Tower Plunderer”…
Alright then.
The Mental Department students were truly something else.
Behind her, the only freshman from the Mental Department in the top twelve, Wang Ruika, was speechless.
“Those damn traitors… are they switching sides now?”
Li Yang: …
It was the first time she had ever seen someone willingly call themselves the “dark side.”
***
The twelve finalists stepped onto the arena stage one by one.
A handsome senior stepped forward, holding a lottery box in his hands.
“Now, let’s have the finalists draw their first-round opponents.”
Lin Zhaoxia was the first to draw. She looked different from how she appeared in the battle videos.
Her shoulder-length hair, which was usually tied up, now hung loosely, with strands of deep red falling across her cheeks.
The new look softened her features, making her seem quieter and less aggressive.
She casually pulled a card from the box.
The senior read out the match-up: “First match, Lin Zhaoxia versus Fang Chuyun.”
Li Yang’s eyes widened.
She immediately turned to glance at Fang Chuyun.
Fang Chuyun noticed her gaze and smiled at her.
The crowd roared, but all the cheers were for Lin Zhaoxia.
“Lin Zhaoxia! Victory is yours!”
“Crush the Star Law Department!”
The arena was divided into distinct factions.
The Star Battle students were a sea of deep red, the Star Law students dark blue, while the Mental and Star Support Departments formed small clusters of dark purple and cream white.
The other departments were scattered.
The Alchemy Department’s gold was more prominent than the Forging Department’s silver, while the Beast Taming Department’s pink was barely visible.
And, of course, the smallest group belonged to the Agricultural Department.
Even though all their members were present, they only formed a pitifully tiny green patch in the front row.
***
Technically, the Star Law Department should have been shouting just as loudly as the Star Battle students.
Even if Fang Chuyun was expected to lose to Lin Zhaoxia, they had always been the type to never back down, even in defeat.
But no one cheered for Fang Chuyun.
In fact, some Star Law students rolled their eyes.
“Just lose quickly and get off the stage already.”
Li Yang frowned, her gaze filled with concern as she looked at Fang Chuyun.
Had she been ostracized because of the Tree Tower incident?
Fang Chuyun met her eyes again and smiled.
She even mouthed two words: “Good luck.”
Li Yang’s chest tightened.
She had been so busy lately that she hadn’t kept in touch with Fang Chuyun.
Fang Chuyun was the type who endured everything in silence.
Even if she was being suppressed by the Star Law Department, she never mentioned a word about it.
Li Yang clenched her fists.
She had neglected Fang Chuyun.
***
“Next, Li Yang, please draw your opponent.”
Li Yang composed herself.
She would talk to Fang Chuyun after the monthly exam.
She didn’t know if Fang Chuyun would want to join the Agricultural Department.
But she would prove with actions that the Agricultural Department was powerful—and one day, it would stand on par with the Star Law Department.
The senior read aloud: “Second match, Li Yang versus Ning Shaoyu!”
The arena exploded with noise.
For the first time, the Star Law students raised their voices.
“Ning Shaoyu! Win this match!”
“Show her the true strength of the Star Law Department!”
“Go, Ning Shaoyu! Show everyone who the real commoner prodigy is!”
The term “commoner prodigy” was not an insult.
On the contrary, it was a badge of honor.
It was normal for noble families to produce prodigies.
From birth, they received the best training and resources.
If they had even a decent level of talent, they were practically guaranteed to rise to prominence.
But for a commoner to become a prodigy?
That required pure, raw talent—no external boosts.
Among this year’s freshmen, there were only two commoner prodigies: Li Yang and Ning Shaoyu.
Seeing them face off was something everyone was eager to witness.
***
The Mental Department instantly fired back.
“Li Yang, just do your thing! This pretty boy will be down in seconds!”
“She doesn’t need to prove anything—she already showed the entire school how powerful the Tree Tower Plunderer is!”
“Yeah, everyone already knows who the real commoner prodigy is!”
Normally, such complex sentences would be impossible to shout in unison.
But the Mental Department was different.
They had already synchronized everything in their mental sea chat.
When they spoke, their voices came out perfectly coordinated, as if they were performing a choral recitation—down to the identical pitch and tone.
The Star Law students: …
They couldn’t compete with that.
The Star Battle students, watching the chaos unfold, smirked.
“See? You brought this on yourselves.”
***
The lottery draw ended, and the first match began.
The entire arena held its breath
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.
Messed up order, after 46 we got 50 part 2
Fixed