What he had been taught in school was wildly different from the reality of the main city.
His teachers at Fuyao Academy told them their mission was noble and sacred.
They were to defend the gateway to the Human Realm, to prevent any invasion from the myriad worlds. They were to be the last line of defense. They were heroes.
Even though Li Chuan had come to the Allheaven Realm in search of a cure for his illness, what teenager didn’t dream of being a hero? He wanted to be strong too. He wanted to become the indestructible wall guarding humanity.
Back in school, he didn’t have the energy to talk much. He rarely spoke. It was always Huang Jian and Yu Qichi who came to him during breaks to dream about becoming saviors of the Human Realm.
The elite students who gathered together would often mock them.
Yu Qichi couldn’t talk back; he wasn’t sharp enough. But Huang Jian would jump in and argue fiercely.
Other students didn’t like those arrogant elites either, but since their grades weren’t as good, they didn’t dare talk back when mocked. Only Huang Jian had Li Chuan’s grades to back him up—and he could fire back line for line.
Once, Huang Jian took his taunts too far, and one of the elite students finally snapped, shouting, “Stop dreaming! If I were you, I’d use Fuyao Academy’s name to get into a decent university. At least that way you’d still count as talented in the Human Realm. You guys have no resources and no ability. Even if you make it to the Allheaven Realm, you’ll never rise. You won’t even make it back home. Your lives are going to be miserable!”
Huang Jian got into a fight with him, and both were punished.
At the time, Li Chuan had thought the guy had just lost his temper and misspoke. But now, after arriving in the Allheaven Realm, he realized those words were closer to the truth than he had expected.
According to Shen Nianxiang, those without strength were merely cornerstones of the shield—nothing more.
Li Chuan, feeling a little dejected, made his way to the dormitory and handed in his form to the administrator.
The dorm manager, a middle-aged man, muttered “Li Chuan” to himself, scanned a list, and said, “Found you. Sign here. After that, you can pick up your daily necessities and move in early.”
Li Chuan saw that his room had already been assigned: 510.
“Is the room assignment fixed? Can I switch?” he asked.
“No can do,” the man replied. “This list came from above. No switching allowed.”
“Is it always pre-assigned every year?” Li Chuan asked.
“Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not. Depends on the higher-ups. I don’t get involved. As long as everyone has a room,” the man said.
Carrying his blanket, basin, and other essentials, Li Chuan arrived on the fifth floor—and sure enough, his room was at the far end, far from the elevator. When it came time to distribute energy solutions, he’d be the last one.
Which meant, realistically, he’d be getting only two effective vials compared to everyone else’s four.
He had only glanced at the list earlier, but Li Chuan had memorized every name. He remembered that Sheng Xin, the second-place finisher in the qualification exam, was assigned to Room 501.
Sure enough, 501 was on the left-hand side of the stairwell.
Next to Sheng Xin was Tang Chengyun, who had placed ninth in the exam—and who had also been the one who told them, “You won’t even make it back home.”
Tang Chengyun was close with Sheng Xin. They had a small group of five, all of whom had ranked in the top ten and had all been admitted this time.
If not for Li Chuan, Sheng Xin would have ranked first every time.
But because of Li Chuan’s presence, Sheng Xin was always second.
It was said that Sheng Xin’s grandfather had once fought in the Allheaven Realm as a general. His uncle had been the previous governor of the Human Main City and was now a high-ranking adjudicator in Huaxia’s Water Province after returning.
Huaxia was divided into five great provinces: Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, and Sky. The Water, Fire, and Earth Provinces were the most populous, each with over 300 million people. Wind had around 200 million, and Sky, the smallest, only 50 million.
To hold power in the Water Province meant possessing immense influence.
Sheng Xin’s father didn’t go into politics; he went into business and currently ranked seventh on Huaxia’s rich list.
His aunt, Sheng Liuyun, was the nation’s top healer. It was said she had only studied medicine briefly before awakening healing abilities in the Allheaven Realm. She could cure illnesses even modern medicine couldn’t touch.
In Huaxia, only high-ranking officials and tycoons could receive her treatment.
Li Chuan’s family had tried everything to cure his strange illness. They had heard of Sheng Liuyun but couldn’t afford her. His mother was a primary school teacher, his father a community police officer. Sheng Liuyun would never treat someone like him.
Sheng Xin was a child of destiny. Li Chuan was mud beneath his feet. They should have never crossed paths.
But Fuyao Academy’s nationwide admission policy—“Talent over background”—had made them classmates.
And for three years, Li Chuan had kept Sheng Xin in second place.
In one exam, Sheng Xin scored a staggering 735 out of 750, breaking school records.
But that same exam, Li Chuan had been wheeled into the exam room half-conscious, barely awake, and still scored 743—outshining Sheng Xin once again.
Li Chuan was the beacon of hope for ordinary students. Even though he tried to avoid conflict, his very existence put him at the center of attention, cast as Sheng Xin’s “rival.”
That label came from the other students, not from Li Chuan or Sheng Xin’s group.
Back then, Li Chuan barely had the strength to breathe, let alone make enemies.
Sheng Xin’s group always insisted: Li Chuan wouldn’t survive a month in the Allheaven Realm. He didn’t even deserve to be Sheng Xin’s rival.
But now, looking at the pre-assigned rooms—501 and 510—Li Chuan, for the first time, allowed himself the mental space to really confront the gap between them.
He remembered everything people had said to him. He just never bothered to recall them—it took too much energy.
But one line stuck with him: Tang Chengyun had once said, “Once we’re in the Allheaven Realm, Sheng Xin will definitely become a Heavenly Sword. And Li Chuan—he won’t even be qualified to be fertilizer.”
After saying that, Tang Chengyun had been slapped by Sheng Xin.
Sheng Xin always maintained a cold demeanor. He never acknowledged Li Chuan, never commented on their rivalry. They said he hadn’t even known about the leaked exam questions and had only realized during the test that he’d seen them before.
He rarely showed emotion. That slap was the only time.
Afterward, Tang Chengyun didn’t dare argue with Huang Jian for a whole month, no matter how much Huang provoked him.
Now, putting everything he’d seen and heard together, Li Chuan realized what that word—fertilizer—probably meant.
It likely referred to the first kind of people Shen Nianxiang had mentioned—the vast majority who were just fuel for the protective shield.
And the Heavenly Sword…
That might be the kind of person Shen Nianxiang hoped he would become.
