CSMCDB - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
This kind of academy life reminded Wen Yuncheng of her tedious high school days. The only difference was that this world had no exam papers; Star Academy used fighting for its tests.
And the opening placement battles were officially held on the third day of school.
First, students would battle within their own class, with matchups determined by drawing lots, to decide the top student. Afterward, everyone would get one chance to issue a challenge. For instance, a student from Class G could challenge someone from Class F, or even Class A or S. A victory meant they could swap classes with their opponent.
A defeated student also received one chance to challenge someone else. The victor could continue challenging others, but they were limited to challenging only one person per class. In other words, if you defeated a student from Class F, you could no longer seek another opponent from that same class.
The academy's placement battles were held on different dates for each year. First-years competed in the first week, second-years in the second, and so on. Class S and Class Z were exempt from these battles.
Wen Yuncheng hadn't even gotten familiar with the people in Class G; she hadn't even memorized their names. She had wanted to go spar on the afternoon of the second day, but when she arrived at the Class G grounds, she found it completely empty. Puzzled, she went to the training room, only to discover that everyone was diligently cultivating with Star Liquid, hoping to break through to the Star Practitioner realm before the placement battles.
Indeed, most students in Class G were at the third layer of Star Apostle. A few had only recently broken through to Star Practitioner and were currently consolidating their cultivation.
Wen Yuncheng was forced to slack off for another day. When the placement battles officially began, she finally had her first proper match.
Her opponent was a third-layer Star Apostle, which was expected, as most of Class G was at that level. Wen Yuncheng had already defeated Wen Ziyu, another third-layer Star Apostle, so she naturally felt no fear facing an opponent of the same rank.
Wen Yuncheng walked confidently onto the dueling platform. No one watched the Class G matches except for its own students. Most of the upperclassmen who weren't competing had gone to watch the Class A matches, or they would only pay attention if a first-year from a particular class was a scion of their family or had some other connection.
"Let us begin." Li Guihai gave a formal bow, then slipped on a pair of gauntlets and assumed a fighting stance.
Wen Yuncheng returned the bow but didn't assume a fighting stance. She simply waited for Teacher Jin to announce the start.
"Begin the match."
Li Guihai let out a great shout, his aura instantly bearing down. He rushed forward with an uppercut, but the moment the match began, Wen Yuncheng activated her skill, RX-78 Pursuer. After she ducked, the Pursuer appeared and lunged, blasting Li Guihai just as he was about to reach her and sending him staggering.
The problem was, Li Guihai still hadn't understood what had just happened.
The instant the explosion faded, Wen Yuncheng closed in on Li Guihai with a topspin kick. Her boot connected with his jaw, knocking him to the ground. In the next moment, with a mere thought, the armguard on her right arm extended to cover her hand, and a steel spike shot out with a shing. She had judged the distance perfectly—the spike was poised right at Li Guihai's neck, ready to pierce through with the slightest pressure.
"Stop." Teacher Jin raised a hand, giving Wen Yuncheng a rather surprised look. Normally, a fight between two third-layer Star Apostles should have been a close match. He hadn't expected Wen Yuncheng's Star Power to be so peculiar, nor for the battle to end so quickly. "Wen Yuncheng wins."
Wen Yuncheng immediately retracted the armguard but kept her hand extended. She smiled at the still-dazed Li Guihai. "Are you alright?"
"...I-I'm fine." Li Guihai took Wen Yuncheng's hand to pull himself up, looking a little embarrassed. "I didn't expect you to be so strong. It seems this mutation of yours might not be a bad thing after all." He had lost so quickly that he didn't even feel resentful, just helpless. With a wry smile, he walked off the dueling platform.
Wen Yuncheng didn't linger either, since others still had to fight. She jumped down from the platform and headed for the Class G spectator stands. For now, she didn't plan on watching the other classes. She was aiming for first place in Class G, so it was best to scout for any dark horses in her own class and avoid a careless defeat.
As her gaze swept over the spectator stands, she saw—a not-unfamiliar person.
Lin Jinyu? What was she doing here?
Oh, right, she was also a student at Star Academy. ...And since she was a genius, she obviously wouldn't be in Class G. Sitting beside Lin Jinyu was a tall woman who looked about the same age as Wen Yuncheng's own mentor. Wen Yuncheng guessed she was either another teacher or an upperclassman.
But why would she come to the Class G spectator section? Just as Wen Yuncheng was wondering, she saw Lin Jinyu turn to say something to the woman who was likely her mentor, and the two of them left together. ...Maybe they were just passing by?
[Bullshit! How could she just be passing by! She definitely came to laugh at you!] 1947 swelled with anger. [She must resent you for breaking off the engagement!]
Hold on, she broke off the engagement, I just agreed to it!
[So what? If you agree, it means you think she has no charm and you're belittling her, you eunuch. If you disagree, you're a clingy pest trying to eat swan meat, you're despicable!]
Wen Yuncheng: ? I suspect you're using this as an excuse to insult me.
Alright, alright, she and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. Don't get so worked up. Wen Yuncheng didn't bother arguing with 1947. After all, if a person got angry with a system, the person would be the one to suffer, not the system.
[She humiliated you! Abandoned you! Broke off your engagement! You should go up there and slap her in the face, make her regret it for the rest of her life!]
With an innocent expression, Wen Yuncheng sat in the spectator stands watching the other Class G students peck at each other like unskilled novices, all while mentally placating 1947: "But I really was a good-for-nothing back then. I wasn't worthy of her. Even if I were a genius, I still wouldn't be. I don't have a cucumber, you know."
Think about it. If the engagement hadn't been broken off, and she discovered the truth on our wedding day, she and her father would have probably killed me together to erase the shame.
[But she did break it off! She broke it off because she looked down on you!]
Wen Yuncheng: Oh? Then why don't you just give me a Mary Sue halo? I guarantee I'll be so charming that everyone will love me and flowers will bloom in my wake.
[Eat shit!]
Wen Yuncheng chuckled, finding the system's flustered electronic voice quite amusing. But her smile froze the very next second.
[Special Mission Activated: Face-Slapping]
[Mission Requirement: Make that ex-fiancée of yours lower her noble head! Make her regret breaking off the engagement!]
[Mission Reward: 2000 EXP, 80 Points, 1 random 100g portion of fruit]
Wen Yuncheng stared at the mission panel, her expression blank. She then dragged the mission to the very bottom of the list—out of sight, out of mind. "If she actually starts to regret it, how am I supposed to handle the fallout? It's not like I can have her anyway. It's better to just pretend this mission doesn't exist."
After all, 1947 had never issued any mandatory missions. Its missions all relied on the rewards of experience and points to entice her to complete them.
The system fell silent for a moment, as if its electronic heart had broken. It simulated a sigh. [There's an old saying: 'A grown child is beyond a mother's control.' And another: 'The elbow always bends outward.' Kid, you haven't even been married off, and you're already like this.]
"What you're suggesting is wrong," Wen Yuncheng said. "She never wronged me, so why should I do something like that to her?"
The system saw the mission being pushed down and didn't say anything more. It silently opened its work log and wrote: Raising a son and raising a daughter are completely different!
Wen Yuncheng dutifully watched the Class G students spar, pair by pair, and noticed that the third-layer Star Apostles were all quickly defeated by the first-layer Star Practitioners. Her class only had about twenty people, so the matches were over in a short while. Wen Yuncheng then headed straight for Class A to see what their level was like.
[What level could they be? They're all first-years, so the gap can't be that ridiculous! Anyone admitted to Star Academy is at least a third-layer Star Apostle!] Otherwise, 1947 wouldn't have issued that mission to be more ambitious. The 'exceed expectations' part meant it wanted Wen Yuncheng to get into Class A during these placement battles.
Although 1947 said that, there were still differences.
Even if they were all second-layer Star Practitioners, their level of control over Star Power, their depth of research into combat techniques, and even their proficiency with their weapons would all lead to different levels of strength.
Besides... everyone in Class A looked so wealthy, and the weapons they used seemed incredibly powerful.
It was just like in a video game. We might both be level ten, but you're a pay-to-win whale decked out in divine gear, while I'm a free-to-play player in basic white-tier items. Even at the same level, the whale can still one-shot you.
Wen Yuncheng: This is unfair! Where's the game balance?
There was no balance. After all, 'cash ability' was an ability in itself.
Of course, the lack of restrictions only applied to equipment. During matches, students were still forbidden from using potions, employing sealed combat techniques, or calling for assistance. While equipment could provide a decent boost to combat power, its effect was limited. A cultivator at the Star Apostle level couldn't possibly wield overly powerful weapons or armor to their full potential.
On the Starry Sky Continent, powerful equipment required Star Power to activate. The higher one's rank and the more Star Power they possessed, the greater the effect they could draw from their gear.
Returning to the matter at hand, Wen Yuncheng spent two points on a pair of steamed buns and watched the battles while she ate. In these unusually fierce fights, every move reflected diligent practice, and the cultivation techniques she had never seen before were a real eye-opener. Yet, Wen Yuncheng felt uncomfortable. After chewing on her buns and observing carefully for a whole afternoon, she finally understood what she was seeing on those young faces—they were all stamped with the words 'Pay-to-Win Whale'.
"1947, if Class A is already this strong, what kind of people are in Class S? Children of Star Saints?"
[People whose future achievements will likely surpass the Star Venerate realm. They not only have talent but are also extremely hardworking,] 1947 said. It paused for a moment before continuing, [Um, your ex-fiancée seems to be in Class S.]
Wen Yuncheng mentally shouted '666.' So Lin Jinyu was a cultivation maniac?
But Wen Yuncheng didn't know that her own admission to the academy was related to Lin Jinyu. Moreover, Lin Jinyu had indeed just been there to see her.
"That kid is quite peculiar after his Star Power mutation." It had been Qiu Fei's idea to come watch Wen Yuncheng's fight. She was very curious about her disciple's ex-fiancé, especially since Wen Yuncheng had once worn the halo of a genius, only to become useless, and now had undergone a mutation that allowed her to cultivate again—reaching the third layer of Star Apostle in just one year. It was simply incredible.
"Indeed, very peculiar," Lin Jinyu nodded. "But she only used two moves, so it's impossible to know her true strength. Besides, whether the mutation is good or bad isn't something that can be determined at the Star Apostle stage."
Author's Notes
Wen Yuncheng: But those two moves are all I have...
A series of fight scenes will follow, and then the academy cultivation (fighting) life will begin.
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