“Shattered Star”
The training hall was encased in a protective shield, so the walls remained undamaged.
Shi Kuan had excellent physical conditioning. Although Li Chuan’s punch had caught him off guard, it didn’t inflict serious harm.
It just made his abdomen ache from the blow, his spine sore from slamming into the wall, and his pride a little bruised from being sent flying by a scrawny student.
He. Did. Not. Care. At. All.
With a composed expression, Shi Kuan climbed back to his feet. His clothes were torn where Li Chuan had struck him, revealing a well-trained, muscular abdomen.
He brushed the dust off his body and said with a blank face, “You injected ‘Earth-Dragon Marrow Solution.’”
“That’s right,” Li Chuan lifted his chin proudly and replied.
Shi Kuan asked, “Is your family rich? Are you as wealthy as a nation? Do you have an arms depot backing you with unlimited Heaven Coins?”
Li Chuan remained proud. “No. I’m just a small-town test-taker from an ordinary family.”
Shi Kuan pressed, “You have nothing. What gave you the nerve to inject ‘Earth-Dragon Marrow Solution’? Can you even afford to eat?”
Li Chuan patted his chest and said, “I’m confident I can grasp the breathing method shared by Nie Yuanqing. That’s because I’m an outstanding student. I have exceptional ability when it comes to synthesizing knowledge!”
Shi Kuan had never seen anyone so self-assured. Li Chuan’s arrogance rendered him speechless.
Li Chuan politely asked, “Teacher Shi, I’m just an ordinary person. My strength is only dozens of times greater than the average person, my speed is dozens of times faster, and my physical endurance is also dozens of times higher. I don’t know any combat moves or cultivation methods. Please follow the academy regulations and teach your student properly.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “academy regulations,” reminding Shi Kuan—who constantly looked for ways to slack off—that he needed to teach everything required by the rules.
Shi Kuan rubbed his still-sore abdomen and nodded. “Fine. Since you’re this determined, I won’t hold back. I’ll say it once, so listen carefully.”
“‘Stardust Formula’ is actually just a basic mantra for utilizing your body’s strength.
“You young people like to read novels. You can think of the ‘Stardust Formula’ as an internal cultivation method. It’s the most foundational thing.
“Humankind has cultivation methods to enhance their strength. Cultivators are divided into five levels: stardust, star dust, starfall, star ruin, and star annihilation. ‘Stardust’ is the lowest level. Any ordinary person can be considered at the stardust level.”
Li Chuan nodded. “That’s easy to understand: flakes from a planet, dust from a planet, small meteorites from a planet, ruins of a planet, destruction of a planet.”
Shi Kuan gritted his teeth. “Very vivid… but please don’t understand it like that again.”
“Teacher Shi, can a star-annihilation level expert really destroy an entire planet?” Li Chuan asked excitedly.
Shi Kuan replied, “No. That’s just a metaphor. No matter how strong the body of a normal race is, it can’t compare to the damage from thermal weapons. Even the so-called strongest gods and demons are no match for the warships of advanced civilizations.
“No matter how powerful you are, can you fly through space? As long as you’re still a biological being, that’s impossible.
“Even if your strength allows you to strike with the force of a nuclear weapon, you can only throw a few such punches. In contrast, an advanced civilization has weapons capable of wiping out all life on a planet.
“That’s why the Heavens strictly regulate thermal weapons.
“In short, no matter how advanced their technology is, under the restrictions of the laws, everyone can only rely on their physical power to conquer other worlds. That’s what makes the All-Heavens Ranking Tournament so important.”
“But even if we’re strong as individuals, we still can’t beat the weapons of high-tech worlds. What’s the point of cultivating?” Li Chuan asked.
Shi Kuan explained, “Let me put it this way. If you win first place in the Ranking Tournament and completely overpower people from a high-tech world, you gain the right to enter the main city of that high-tech world and destroy it.
“You can also block their entrance to the Heavens. Anyone who tries to come through, you kill them on the spot, cutting off their access to the Heavens for generations. No matter how strong their thermal weapons are, they can’t use them to invade the other realms through the Heavens.
“So now, do you still think individual power is meaningless?”
Li Chuan imagined that scene and nodded seriously. “It’s meaningful. Very meaningful!”
Shi Kuan continued, “Another example. Let’s say a god or demon with a powerful body desires thermal weapons and wants to develop tech in their own world. They might offer to help in exchange for technological support. If you were from the high-tech world, how would you make such a deal?”
Li Chuan responded immediately, “I’d have that god or demon conquer a smaller realm for me. I’d colonize it and plunder resources in return, then give them some low-tier tech that wouldn’t affect our world’s superiority.”
“Exactly.” Shi Kuan nodded solemnly. “Now do you understand how crucial the All-Heavens Ranking Tournament is?”
Li Chuan said sincerely, “It’s extremely important.”
A good placement in the tournament was like announcing to the Heavens that humanity was strong—strong enough that no one could even think of invading the main human city.
And those who performed well in the tournament were heroes of the human realm.
At that thought, Li Chuan’s eyes seemed to hold the light of stars and galaxies, a dazzling future shining ahead.
Seeing his student full of yearning, Shi Kuan snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up. Most people remain at the stardust level for life. At most, they work in construction for the main city, and they cultivate the ‘Stardust Formula’ just to preserve their strength and stop the protective shield from draining them.”
“The shield drains energy from ordinary residents?” Li Chuan asked.
Shi Kuan shook his head. “Normally, it doesn’t. The shield draws energy from the All-Heavens to keep running. But in a crisis, when it needs to mobilize massive energy quickly, it draws from all the residents in the main city.
“The more people and the more energy, the stronger the shield will be when it counts. That’s why everyone in the main city is required to learn the ‘Stardust Formula.’”
“Everyone has to learn it, and yet you didn’t want to teach me?” Li Chuan questioned.
Shi Kuan replied, “You don’t need to learn it from me. I’m a combat instructor. My job is to teach you battle techniques. Your academic scores are exceptional, so I thought you belonged in the research department, studying the secrets of other races’ bodies and developing medicines to enhance physical strength.
“I was planning to transfer you there. They’d teach you the ‘Stardust Formula’ too.
“But since you’re determined to become a ‘ Heavenly blade,’ I’ll teach you now.”
With that, Shi Kuan tapped a few times on his All-Heavens Ring.
Li Chuan heard the ring chime: [Instructor Shi Kuan has sent you a lesson file titled ‘Stardust Formula.’]
Li Chuan: “…”
Shi Kuan looked calmly at him, hands behind his back.
Li Chuan asked, “…That’s it? That’s the whole lesson?”
“What else?” said Shi Kuan. “You’re all top-scoring students with excellent comprehension. Do you expect me to read every word of the formula aloud for you?”
“Then why bother gathering everyone at the training hall if you could just send a file? Aren’t you going to teach us something else?” Li Chuan asked.
“Of course,” Shi Kuan said. “I’ll teach you how to circulate energy, combine the formula with martial techniques, and more but that’s only after you memorize the ‘Stardust Formula.’ I’ll give you one week. Same time next week, we’ll—”
“No need. I’ve memorized it already,” Li Chuan said directly.
