Ten Thousand Worlds Ranking Tournament
Although Li Chuan had a photographic memory, reading too much at once still gave him headaches. In one night, he rushed through fifty books and earned a total of twenty knowledge points. After converting those points into Heavenly Coins, he reread the fifty books in detail.
By then, it was already past four in the morning.
Biting off more than he could chew, Li Chuan clutched his throbbing head and returned to the dormitory.
He circulated the Foundational Spirit-Forging Method for two complete cycles, refining the twenty unusable knowledge points he had just earned into five usable ones. His acquired knowledge value increased to eighty-five, and the headache was alleviated.
After reading in the library all night, Li Chuan had gained five usable knowledge points, 2040 Heavenly Coins, and six vials of Energy Elixir (he had used one already). The haul was substantial.
This wasn’t a library—it was a treasure vault!
Just thinking about how many books were inside made Li Chuan salivate.
The key point was that students could read for free!
Ordinary residents had to spend contribution points to read, but students of Fuyao Academy could access the library at no cost. It was as if the doors of a bank were wide open to him.
With so many books, he would soon be able to afford the original copy of Foundational Spirit-Forging Method: Fragment One!
Though he hadn’t slept a wink all night, Li Chuan was still full of energy from sheer excitement.
By now it was 6 a.m.—breakfast time. But he had just taken a vial of Energy Elixir and wasn’t hungry at all. He didn’t need food. He decided to take advantage of the breakfast hour… to get money…
No, to read books.
He didn’t need food. The mental nourishment from books was enough to satisfy his soul’s hunger and thirst!
Li Chuan kept reading until 9:50. His eyes were filled with stars by the time he reluctantly left the library. He jogged straight to the Cultivation Hall in the administration building, ready to learn the Stardust Method. Maybe he could squeeze out a few more knowledge points!
At exactly 10 o’clock, Li Chuan pushed open the door to the training hall and saw that only a single instructor, about thirty years old, was present. There was no students in sight.
Li Chuan asked in surprise, “I’m the only one? I thought everyone was supposed to assemble together?”
The instructor replied, “Those who’ve already learned the Stardust Method or have a basic understanding of the Ten Thousand Worlds don’t need to come. There are ten students in your cohort. It seems you’re the only one who knows nothing about the Ten Thousand Worlds.”
Li Chuan: “……”
That made sense. Sheng Xin and the other eight formed a team and had probably long known about the Stardust Method. Mu Ge had clearly said the night before that he wouldn’t attend. Among the top ten students, only Li Chuan had strictly followed the rules and entered the Ten Thousand Worlds with zero prior knowledge.
The instructor had already put on his jacket and was ready to leave. Seeing Li Chuan arrive right on time, he had no choice but to take it off again, revealing a sleeveless black compression shirt patterned with cloud motifs. His physique was clearly exceptional.
Li Chuan removed his own coat, revealing a loose, ill-fitting white T-shirt that had yellowed from too much washing. It was a gift from Shen Nianxiang.
He had encountered an extreme heatwave as soon as he entered the Ten Thousand Worlds, and all his clothing had been turned to ash. Even his underwear had been a friendly donation from Shen Nianxiang. He was truly, terribly poor.
The instructor looked at Li Chuan’s pale skin, delicate features, and scholarly air, and couldn’t help but sigh deeply. “You shouldn’t have come to the Ten Thousand Worlds.”
Li Chuan rubbed his nose. If he hadn’t come, he would’ve become a vegetable yesterday.
The instructor introduced himself: “I’m Shi Kuan, your cohort’s instructor. I’m responsible for your basic cultivation and general knowledge courses on the Ten Thousand Worlds. I can recommend two students to participate in the Heavenly Blade selection tournament. I’ll choose based on your daily performance.”
Li Chuan looked around at the empty training hall and pointed at the vacant space. “How are you going to assess the daily performance of the other nine students?”
Shi Kuan coughed and clasped his hands behind his back. “Don’t worry about that. I can see everything that needs seeing.”
Li Chuan asked, “Teacher, I’ve been in the Main City for two days now, and I keep hearing about this ‘Heavenly Blade.’ What exactly is it?”
Shi Kuan gave him a pitying look. “You came to challenge the Ten Thousand Worlds and you don’t even know that?”
He picked up a stack of documents from the table, flipped through them, pulled one out, and checked the photo. “You’re Li Chuan?”
Li Chuan nodded. “That’s me.”
Shi Kuan carefully read through Li Chuan’s information and nodded in approval. “Excellent academic record. Top of the class every year for three years, average score of 742 across all subjects… Your IQ is pretty outrageous.”
Li Chuan smiled modestly. “It’s nothing special. I never got a perfect score.”
Shi Kuan gave him a sideways glance and continued, “But your physical education record is terrible. You never once participated in a single fitness test in three years, and you failed the entrance physical. You’re a complete bookworm!”
Li Chuan replied humbly, “I’ll work hard on my physical training from now on.”
Shi Kuan set the file down and sized him up. “You probably won’t make it into the Heavenly Blade, but you could become a technical specialist. I suggest you skip the Stardust Method and study the advanced technologies of the Ten Thousand Worlds instead. If you get into the Main City Research Institute, your future will still be promising. It’s better than being stuck here as an ordinary resident.”
Then Shi Kuan put his coat back on and said, “Class dismissed,” ready to clock out.
Li Chuan grabbed his arm and said, “Teacher, you can’t just declare me dead weight before even starting the lesson. At least tell me what the ‘Heavenly Blade’ is.”
“…Fine,” said Shi Kuan reluctantly, clearly eager to slack off. “Since I’m also responsible for your general knowledge class, I’ll treat this as today’s lecture. That way, we can cancel tomorrow’s class.”
Li Chuan: “……”
Just how badly did this teacher want to get off work?
Shi Kuan began his explanation. “Do you know the fundamental principle behind the Laws of the Ten Thousand Worlds?”
Li Chuan recited, “To maintain peace across all realms, protect the developmental progress of the Primitive Realm and lower civilizations, uphold each world’s independence and autonomy, and ensure all conflicts remain within the bounds of the Ten Thousand Worlds.”
Shi Kuan nodded. “Textbook answer. And how do you maintain peace?”
Li Chuan replied, “Prevent high-destructive hot weapons from entering the Ten Thousand Worlds.”
Shi Kuan shook his head. “Let me ask you: Is the Dragonkin race powerful? Can gods and demons stand toe-to-toe with hot weapons? If people from high-tech worlds merge their bodies with quantum weapons, can they bypass the suppression of the Ten Thousand Worlds’ laws?
“Every law has loopholes. As long as the Ten Thousand Worlds exists as a gateway between realms, powerful worlds will always find ways to invade others.
“Humanity’s realm isn’t weak, but it’s still a low-tier industrial civilization. Compared to high-level worlds, we’re far behind. So how do we, these small realms, defend ourselves?”
Li Chuan answered, “The Ten Thousand Worlds Ranking Tournament?”
