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Chapter 148: A Gasp of Surprise

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

Lie Xin had a fiery sense of determination. As time went on, the distances between the top ten decreased.

"The final battle will be decided by their speed in the sea."

This portion of the sea was going to slow a lot of people down, so whoever swam the fastest would win.

Luo Fei had an anguished look. He performed well on land, but he felt awkward in the water. It was not to say that he was weak in the water, but rather this was not his forte.

But at this point in time, he could only clench his teeth and carry on.

Lear, Stocker, and Pi Xiaoxiu came within view of each other. The coast was just up ahead and soon they would be in the water. The four people in front had already begun to cross the sea.

Another silhouette came in to view. That was not Luo Feng, neither was it Raston. Who was coming towards them?

Was that Wang Zheng?

Wang Zheng had caught up

Hadn't this kid been lapped?

Stocker could not care less as the water was his domain.

Plop, plop, plop….

The sounds of people jumping into the water were heard before Wang Zheng jumped in too. The feeling of the sea against his body was wonderful.

Once in the water, Wang Zheng shot through it like an arrow.

Wang Zheng overtook Pi Xiaoxiu in an instant. Pi Xiaoxiu was stunned. Someone who had been lapped was actually this determined to perform at the end?

Had he found courage after being shamed?

Stocker was surprised to find the waters behind him surging. F*cking hell, someone was actually chasing after him? What audacity!

While rampaging forward, Stocker discovered that the person behind him was not struggling for air at all. "You dare to challenge me?"

"I'll outlast you as you suffocate in the water!"

That was Stocker's ability. It was not to say that he did not need to come up for air, as under strenuous exercise, even he would still require oxygen, merely that he was able to outlast others.

Both of them were like flying fish; they had superb speed. Ten minutes had passed, and under such a high speed situation, Stocker started to feel breathless and had trouble keeping up the pace. But the person behind him did not seem to have this problem.

Stocker started to feel dizzy in his head. He bit down on his tongue and tried to carry on, but his mouth started to foam up from the lack of oxygen. If he carried on like this, he would actually be putting himself at a huge risk.

He swallowed his pride and went up for air, gasping hard. He could see the other figure speeding towards him.

Who the f*ck was that!?

Stocker continued on, but once his oxygen was spent, he could no longer keep up and had to take a breath of air first.

At this moment, Lear also overtook Stocker. Stocker would not dare to complain if it was Lear as his strength had already been proven.

Achilles and Taros were directly competing with each other, and Lie Xin had caught up. It was like she was a mermaid, adept and agile in the water while coupled with an otherworldy beauty. This environment was not the forte of the Martians, it could be even considered a weakness, but it seemed like Lie Xin had managed to find a way around it. Holy cow, a woman was capable of anything when she wanted to win.

But Achilles was not using his full strength yet.

At this time there was another commotion at the back. Someone else had caught up, and that person had directly overtaken Lie Xin.

Lie Xin was stunned. Where the f*ck did this person come from?

Was he someone who had been lapped but eager to prove himself at the end?

Achilles looked through the darkness and saw that it was Wang Zheng who was coming towards them at high speeds.

Taros also felt that this was bizarre. This guy had already been lapped and yet he was outshining everyone else.

Achilles had begun to completely ignore Taros and he moved towards him.

After a few minutes, Wang Zheng had already caught up.

Wang Zheng began to pick up more and more speed. Achilles's speed also started to pick up. Taros attempted to increase his speed too but just could not do it physically.

While Wang Zheng appeared to not need to come up for oxygen, Achilles, on the other hand, had to come up for air. Yet even then, his speed was comparable to Wang Zheng's. The distance between the both of them and the others started to grow larger and larger. They were both in a deadlock for first place.

Taros was furious. What he hated about that bastard Achilles was not that he was strong but rather that he looked down on others.

What about the duel that was agreed upon?

Taros was upset that he was falling behind; however, he knew that he had no chance of catching up to the both of them.

The gaze in Achilles's eyes grew more intense. Lear's lack of care made him feel helpless, but he knew that Lear was doing it on purpose. However, he could not reveal his own intentions. If he did and Lear took notice, it would be bad for him. This was not the first time they had crossed paths, and Achilles was very clear on this. Training always felt too boring, but this time he did not expect such an interesting person to appear.

It looked like killing the Queen Zerg was not just a stroke of luck for him.

From afar, the speed of the two of them was dumbfounding. Many people had arrived on the shore to await the arrival of the first person.

"F*ck, who dared to compete with Achilles?"

"Is it Lear?"

"It is not Lear, he is at the back with Taros.

Now Lear, Taros, and Lie Xin were getting closer to each other in terms of distance as they relaxed slightly. They had apparently lost the chance of taking first place. If they could not achieve first place, everything else was meaningless to them. At this level, everything else besides first place was worthless.

Both Achilles and Wang Zheng appeared to have dashed out of the water at the same time. Although their entire bodies were drenched, it seemed like they were not affected at all by their previous exertions. Their footsteps were steady and their speed was shocking.

Achilles was moved. It did not matter that his opponent had been lapped, but to still have this much energy at this point in time was shocking. His opponent did not have Ability X nor was he a member of an influential family.

Wang Zheng also observed Achilles. This person's movements were too perfect; there was no wastage of energy. His physical condition and mental focus had been maintained throughout the race.

He lived up to his reputation, and he was no easy opponent.

Both of them increased their speed and departed the beach towards the end point.

"Su Yan, are you sure Wang Zheng has not been lapped?" Drachmach asked.

"Reporting! Yes, General! He started to exert his strength at dawn, and his speed was shocking. He clocked the fastest lap timing when the others had already slowed down. Looks like he adapted to the dark environment pretty well," Su Yan said.

Meng Ao laughed. Although he didn't have Ability X, he relied on his basic skills. This kid was something, but against Achilles, Wang Zheng held no advantage over him.

Although he did not know what Lear was up to, at least there was someone representing Earth's strength!

Although both were in a deadlock, Achilles did not use his ability. He also did not intend to use it, as he had never shunned away from a direct challenge.

Wang Zheng paid no attention to this confrontation. He was in the midst of regulating his own pace, and this opportunity to train himself was too good to pass up. He did not yearn for the fame.

Once he had other concerns, he would immediately lose focus of such a wonderful state.

Even so, Wang Zheng's speed was very fast. With the end point in sight, Achilles prepared to increase his speed. It was obvious that Achilles still had strength, but when he observed his opponent, he discovered that the latter's attention was wandering.

He was not focused on the confrontation between the both of them.

Before long, both Wang Zheng and Achilles crossed the finish line at the same time.

Standing at the finish line, Wang Zheng exited from that wonderful state. It was a pity, but this sort of state had a time limit. He entered that state when he started sprinting, and it ended as soon as he stopped.

Achilles looked at Wang Zheng curiously. If Wang Zheng did not dispute for first place, then neither would he.

Drachmach let out a sigh. Achilles was good, but sometimes he was just too competitive. This was a characteristic of the people from the Moon. It could be considered a boon at times and a bane during others.

False reputations should also be taken note of. This was important for the future development of the youths. A title which was obtained too easily would never be treasured well.

Meng Ao had a serious look on his face, but his gaze showed a hint of amusement.

The highly ranked Lear had to contend with Wang Zheng now. These go-getters were definitely going to make things interesting.

Wang Zheng did not have much emotion at the finishing line. He stood quietly on the side and reviewed his own experience. No one taught him how to achieve the breakthrough, and he initially had no idea at all. This was why he treasured this experience so much. Bonehead once said that a lot of people reached this juncture and could not achieve a breakthrough. Those people never became super warriors.

Having seen the Ability X in action, Wang Zheng knew how magical it was, but he did not know what changes would take place after he achieved a breakthrough. The Primordial Regression Technique's second stage was not much different. As long as he had a platform, he would not fear any opponent.

Achilles's list of rivals finally had an additional name.

Taros and the others soon arrived. Lear had a smile on his face. Lie Xin looked at Wang Zheng hesitantly. Taros had a gloomy face.

Taros was one of those people who took themselves seriously, believing that first place belonged to him.

All four of their gazes fell on Wang Zheng, but he paid no attention to them. When the three generals arrived, everyone stood assembled.

It was also nothing to be happy about nor worth celebrating, this was just training.

Luo Fei was the sixth to arrive. The fatty gave everyone a surprise, Everyone's gazes fell on Lear, especially those who had questioned him at the beginning.

No matter who looked at him, Lear gave them a smile.

The next wave of eight people arrived, their timings very close to each other. Everyone who saw Wang Zheng and the Fatty were stunned.

There was no mistaking it, those two had been lapped, so how could they be standing here now?

But upon seeing the majestic generals, no one dared to speak. They all quickly assembled and stood upright.

After an hour, all fifty students had arrived. Meng Tian and the others had also arrived. Both of Zhang Shan's legs barely had any strength left, but he continued to stand. This was a sign of his endurance.

Every student that completed the training was standing with a proud look on their face.

Lie Wuqing stepped forth and cast his gaze over everyone. "So you think you're good?"

The audience felt that something was not right.

"This was only supposed to take half a day and yet all of you needed a whole day and night! Are you not ashamed of yourselves?!"

Lie Wuqing's cold gaze swept over the audience. They were all stunned. Was it really meant to be completed in half a day?

How was that possible?

But no one dared to speak up.

"Su Yan, the sun has risen. It's time for the next phase of training," the voice spoke ruthlessly.

"Yes, General!" Su Yan saluted and turned around. "Attention, those assembled! Alert! Execute half a turn to your right! March!

Everyone was stunned. What the f*ck? Were they being sent to die?

No one complained, and no one had any strength left to. It seemed like they had underestimated the intensity of IG training.

Just this difficulty alone was sufficient to eliminate a batch of students.

Zhang Shan could not feel his body anymore. He really wanted to give up earlier, but he thought that completing this would allow him some rest. But it seemed like the training was going to carry on regardless.

But when he saw Wang Zheng, Meng Tian, and Zhang Runan's determination, he felt ashamed.

Because a soldier had to obey every order!

This was a true soldier! Discipline was always first!

"Questioning", this sort of word would never appear in a soldier's dictionary.

It was not that they had no souls but rather they had the souls of soldiers.

To be able to train alongside such people, it was indeed an honor.

Chapter 149: Peerless Sisters

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

While Wang Zheng and the others were training hard, on the other side of the distant galaxy, there was a story of a wild romance going on.

This was the busiest part of the Milky Way Alliance, the Andromeda galaxy. In this location lay the most famous empire of all, the Aslan Empire.

Both large and small space stations surrounded a blue planet, connected to the planet's surface by metal structures. All of the merchant ships from the Milky Way hastily unloaded specialties obtained from all around the galaxy in these space stations, and when their payments were received, the merchants rushed off to obtain more. It was as if the entire Milky Way was theirs for the taking.

It was in this planet where the core of the Aslan Empire lay. It was the origin of the expansion of mankind's influence, an area where the entire galaxy looked up to.

It held a magnificent capital, full of bustling activity. The people worked efficiently and without error. Every citizen's face showed almost eternal elegance. All this hailed from the Aslaneans' self-confidence, as they lived in the galaxy's greatest and strongest country.

This was truly the center of the galaxy, a title well deserved.

The Aslan Royal College was the most important location in the capital. The defense here was even tighter than at the palace of the Aslan Empire. The most elite Royal Knights and two full brigades were stationed here for the long-term.

The greatest scientists in the empire, perhaps even the universe, could be found in this location, whether it was in physics, biology, planetary ecology, and all other aspects. The vast majority of the most advanced technology research started and was developed here.

Technology was the root of a strong country, and for the Aslan Empire it was clearly so.

In the imperial capital, the Royal College took up a vast amount of space. In the college, students came and went, all wearing different clothes. There were many students from other countries as well, such as Atlantis and the like.

"Bordia! Congratulations! Your electromagnetic evolution theory has been verified. The University Science and Technology Contribution Award which is given out once every four years will certainly have your name on it."

"Oh, Sir Aurora. Thank you for your praise. But instead of the Science and Technology Contribution Award, I would have much rather preferred to get the Aslan Empire's Knight's Medal."

The youth called Bordia was rather thin, but he had handsome facial features comparable to a god. When he was talking, his sharp ears would twitch from time to time, and his faint smile exuded a charm that appealed to both men and women.

Aurora, on the other hand, was a typical Aslanean aristocrat. He was tall and handsome, wearing elegant clothes. Every part of his clothes looked carefully curated. Whether it was the watch, the tie, his top, or his trousers…. This elegance he held was not something people were born with, but a natural behavior accrued after spending many years in the presence of similar people. This was Aslan's aristocracy.

Even the Galaxy's greatest actor could not replicate that feeling that came from one's soul. In the entertainment industry, there was a saying that only an Aslanean could act as an Aslanean.

"You have won the Patriots Medal of the Atlantis Republic. The Knights of Aslan, compared to someone with your qualifications, are just nobodies." What Aurora said seemed sensible. Every word he said sounded attractive to people's ears. On the other hand, an incomparable heroic temperament could be felt exuding from Bordia, an individual from the mighty Atlantis.

"A nobody? Then why has the Knights' Hall not approved my application yet?"

Aurora revealed a bitter smile. Bordia was too serious. "Keke, that medal generally isn't granted to non-Aslanean individuals."

"You are talking about the general situation! I understand what you are saying, and this is what I like about you Aslaneans. Sometimes I even feel that Aslan seems more like Atlantis than Atlantis itself, the once brilliant and brave Atlantis."

As the two people talked, the people around them could also be seen engaging in their own conversations in hushed tones.

All of them were just standing there. Obviously it was not because they had nothing to do, but they were waiting for something or someone.

The truth was that there was only one person who could make the people of the Royal College stop caring about time and wait quietly.

It was Aina Aslan, the first princess of the Aslan Empire.

The princess had disappeared for some time after the adult ceremony and that had surprised the Royal College students. Everyone knew that after the adult ceremony, the princess would have to enter the Royal College to study, as this was the royal tradition. Before the adult ceremony, she received a private education by the royal family's teachers, and after the adult ceremony, she would study in the Royal College. The royal family was not an unapproachable existence. On the contrary, they needed to stay in contact with the country's elite and guide them.

Bong…

Ancient bells rang melodiously. This was the sound of classes ending.

The two people that were talking stopped and their eyes turned to a building not so far away. A few people came out, men and women filled with unspeakable self-confidence. They whispered when they talked and made no trace of noise. Their walking pace was measured as they walked out in an orderly fashion towards the two.

When the crowd approached the place, the two stood, then the crowd slowed down a bit and most of them even stopped walking. At the sight of this, the two who had been chatting made their way down the steps towards the crowd. The crowd separated and made a salute.

A beautiful figure, slowly walked out from the crowd. Her face and her temperament were truly extraordinary.

Aina, the Light of the Empire, the future Queen of Aslan, the current Crown Princess.

"Bordia, Aurora, why are you here?"

Aina smiled and walked towards them. Every step exuded the grace of an Aslanean princess. Her beauty and her temperament caused the gazes of the Aslanean people to become heated. This was the Crown Princess of Aslan.

"Princess." Aurora just smiled and raised his hands, giving a standard Aslanean knight's salute. He did not explain why they were here.

Bordia just smiled. The unique temperament to the people of Atlantis could now be felt in full force; it was as if he had an eye-catching spirit-snatching aura. "I came to ask the princess about the impact of energy transmission in the universe which you talked about in the classroom last time."

Aina faintly smiled. "I just heard this theory from a friend and borrowed it. I could not understand it well enough."

Bordia slightly raised his eyebrows. "Oh, who could this friend be?"

"He is not in Aslan right now."

The curvature of her mouth made Aurora squint his eyes slightly. Compared to the smile just now, the princess now showed a happiness from her heart.

Ever since the princess had been to Earth, real smiles like this appeared more and more often in front of everyone.

Bordia seemed very disappointed. They conversed politely for a short moment before he took his leave.

Aurora then said, "Princess Huiyin is at Stonehenge."

Aina shook her head and sighed. "She's probably disturbing the peace, and I apologize for her actions."

"This is my duty." Aurora shifted his posture into that of a guardian's position before politely guiding Aina towards Stonehenge.

Aina nodded. She was accustomed to these rules and etiquette from when she was young. It was instilled into her bones. Yet this time, her mind thought of an unrestrained individual who knew nothing about rules and the helpless smile he had on his face when he was using the his last bit of money to pay for a stranger's debt.

He was not handsome, but she still thought of him from time to time before feeling happy secretly.

Aurora's eyes blinked as the princess blanked out. Her star-like eyes couldn't hide any deep thoughts from him.

Earth… What was so nostalgic about that primitive place?

In the Stonehenge Entertainment Area.

There was an entertainment area meant for the serving Aslan royal family. It was safe and it paid emphasis on privacy. It was also the most preferred place for the royal family members to chat and invite guests.

"Your Royal Highness."

Upon seeing Aina, a petite figure jumped up from the sofa, bowed, and raised her hands.

A pair of starry eyes flashed with vigor.

"Don't be naughty." Aina smiled, stretched out her arm, and embraced Lin Huiyin. "Naughty" here had a different meaning.

Lin Huiyin hung on Aina's shoulder with her whole body, "How am I naughty? Hee hee hee."

Aina just looked at her deeply.

"Well, okay. I give up. I have to say that Aurora is a really good choice. As one of Aslan's aristocrats, he is not only polite and is known as a sword master, his father is the Duke, who is an imperial descendent. The rarest part is that he's also very handsome. "

"Since you appreciate him so much, I will leave him to you."

"I do not want to …" Lin Huiyin covered her mouth. Talking before thinking was really not a good habit.

Aina only faintly smiled. Her star-like eyes looked as if they were saying, "You didn't want him, so you pushed him to me?"

"If a mere swordsmaster is not good enough, how about the Sword Magician Oz? His strength is not below Aurora's, and he is from an ordinary family and is determined to rise. A princess dating a commoner. It would truly be a romantic Cinderella story, and it would certainly cause a sensation throughout the Empire. As long as we give him a little bit of territory, he will surely become the first marshal of the Empire."

"We have to win over such talent to our side." Aina laughed.

"Yes, yes," said Lin Huiyin while nodding like a chicken pecking at rice grains.

"Well, maybe I can talk to my aunt. Someone seems too leisurely and free. Perhaps finding a reliable boyfriend in advance may make her act more like a princess."

"Hey, I was being kind! I'm not an adult yet!" Lin Huiyin jumped up.

Aina just stretched out her hand and rubbed Lin Huiyin's head hard. "Since this is an adults' business, children should not interfere."

"I'm not a child. Well, okay, I'm young. I'm a child. It's too early to look for a boyfriend for me, as there are a hundred harms and no benefit." Lin Huiyin stuck out her little tongue, thinking to herself, "It's all Wang Zheng's fault." How long had her originally cute and sweet sister hung out with him? This little lamb was dyed black.

"By the way, don't say I didn't help you. I know that you have been very busy recently and certainly would not notice these things, but your Mr. You-know-who, his name was in the student science and technology contribution list. I don't know how he got mixed into it. Seems like the standards for these things have been low recently," Lin Huiyin could not help but say.

Aina finally revealed a pleasant look, then she embraced Huiyin and gently kissed her. "My good sister, rest assured that in the future, when you meet someone you like, I will definitely support you."

"Hee hee, the person I like must be famous across the Galaxy, at the top of the world, unparalleled …" Although the little princess was young, even young girls had their own standards.

Chapter 150: Thinking of You

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

Aina could not help but smile. She was just like that back then. However, when one finally met the person that meant something to them…

"Hey! Hey! Daydreaming again? Sigh… not one of you adults are carefree."

Huiyin helplessly waved her hands about. That absolutely adorable expression caused Aina to pinch Huiyin's little face.

"However, the award presentation will be at the Milky Way Alliance's headquarters at Roland Garros. You are not thinking of escaping your duties to attend, are you? If my mom finds out about this, I'll be dead meat too!" Huiyin stuck out her little tongue. She was really afraid of her mom. In fact, there was no one in the royal family that was not afraid of her.

Aina smiled and blinked her eyes. "Do you think the beautiful and wise princess of Aslan is qualified to present the awards to the guests?"

"Yeah, Mommy praised you for being capable as well as being able to uphold the image of the Empire. The old men at the Union Academy of Sciences would love to have you there. Plus, you'd be able to secretly date too. Heh heh, three birds with one stone. You really are smart, Sister," Huiyin retorted.

Bang!

Aina smacked Huiyin's head.

"What do you mean by date? He should be properly addressed as older brother, do you understand?"

"I know, I know! You are always bullying me."

"Okay then, my most adorable little sister. You have sacrificed so much, tell me what you wish to do. I will give you a hand!

This little girl liked to hide her evil intentions.

"Heh heh, nothing much, actually. Just remember to bring me along when you go out to play." Huiyin showed a sly smile.

This was when Aina realized that she had been tricked. This little girl had predicted what she would do.

In the past, not many people knew the true identity of Huiyin, but as she followed Aina around, more people began to take note of the little princess. Although Huiyin was under the protection of the law for minors and no harm would come to her, a lot of people were secretly concerned for her. This had resulted in her freedom being restricted. Why should Huiyin be restricted though? Her art required inspiration after all.

The entire Aslan royal family's public relations institution became busy because of the first princess's decision. To Aina, she only had to suggest an idea and the entire institution would complete it at the fastest possible speed.

Student Huiyin shook her head as if she was an insightful old man. Ahh, women!

After Aina disconnected her Skylink, the corners of her mouth curled up. She looked more brilliant than ever, blindingly beautiful.

"Dear Older Sister, according to my personal experience, you cannot afford to treat boys too well, or they will become arrogant. He might even end up liking another girl! You must let him know that the girl he is dating is the best!"

Aina smiled. "My most adorable little sister, wherever did you get your personal experience from? And also, aren't you underestimating your sister's charm?"

Aina was confident in this regard.

Huiyin sighed, forget it. She was too lazy to persuade her even further. In fact, she was merely worried about others doing evil things to her. She did not want her cousin to invest too much and end up regretting it. Why was it that people could be wise when handling other matters but become blinded when it came to matters of the heart?

At this moment Huiyin's Skylink started to ring.

"It's Angela. Pick it up, it might be something urgent," Aina said.

Huiyin unwillingly picked up the device. She hoped that this wouldn't be another message telling her to return home.

But Huiyin's expression suddenly change and her little face showed anguish. This startled Aina.

"Huiyin, what happened?"

After a while, Huiyin shook her head. "Older Sister, do you remember some time ago when I wrote a song but was not satisfied with some of the lyrics? I uploaded it to my official website for anyone to see and, well, the results…here, you listen to it."

Not only were there lyrics, there was even a singer for the song Huiyin had written. The singer had a familiar voice, a voice which possessed deep emotions.

"Turning on the lights and seeing the lonely bed in the room"

"Turning off the lights and an indescribable pain in the heart is all that is left"

"Life passes by like the years"

"And with the whitening of the hair"

"And as you left, there were no news of happiness"

"With the past fading away"

"With the fading dreams"

"Along with the numbing of a heart"

"I miss you so very much, but I can't find traces of you…."

Huiyin was totally immersed in the song. This had a melody that reminded her of her own songs as well as her style. Although she had listened to NOTAFRAID as well as the other tracks, this was the style she preferred the most, but she did not expect the lyrics to have created this sort of feeling.

"I still reminisce every now and then"

"I still relieve the memory"

"I still cry with my eyes closed"

"I still pretend to not care"

"I really miss you very much"

"But I keep lying to myself"

This was the voice of a girl, and it spoke of unrequited love.

"I really miss you very much"

"Let's keep this a secret"

"I really miss you very much"

"Let's keep this in my heart…."

Aina and Huiyin were immersed in the song. The voice was nowhere as sweet as Huiyin's, but this voice belonged to a girl, and she sung it as though it were her own life story. They were both deeply moved by this.

After listening to it for the second time, Huiyin's eyes turned red. She was feeling very emotional, but perhaps every artist was like that. It was as if both the singer and Huiyin had crossed space and time and could relate to each other. Huiyin had always fumbled around with the lyrics, feeling that something was missing. It turned out that the emotions of yearning and pain behind the voice were what she needed but had never experienced.

"It sounds really good, congratulations! This song! Aina really likes it too!"

"This singer is pretty good. What an intense feeling of infatuation. Let me see who she is, I want to hire her as my vocalist…."

Huiyin was stunned upon seeing the name. Aina was also shocked, because this name was very familiar to the both of them.

Ye Zisu

On the far away Earth, a girl looked out her window. Her mind had already wandered off into the distance. She was working towards her goals. The harder she worked towards them, the closer she got to Aina, but the further away she moved from herself.

"I still reminisce every now and then"

"I still relieve the memory"

"I still cry with my eyes closed"

"I still pretend to not care"

"I really miss you very much….."

Ye Zisu was singing from her own heart. Separation had not created more distance between them but rather made her reminisce more. But Ye Zisu could only keep her feelings in her heart, as this was the only way they could still be friends…

Immortal Puluo's Galaxy, the core hub of the Milky Way Alliance, and also where the Milky Way Alliance's headquarters was located. A giant planet filled with colorful lights which also acted as a deterrent to invaders. This planet symbolized the nature of human interstellar travel – To conquer and dominate!

After the Milky Way Alliance stabilized, this area became the political and cultural center of mankind.

As the headquarters of the human race as well as its allies, it was a neutral territory. It was only responsible for the affairs of the Milky Way Alliance.

Thousands of warships that were armed to the teeth orbited around the planet, performing a variety of tasks. When it came to things like area control and defense, they were the best. They even had advanced means of delivering supplies and transporting passengers, but none of these ships were controlled by businesses. These services were free of charge on the planet of Roland Garros, sponsored by the Alliance. One could enjoy all the benefits of this level for free, but if one wanted premium treatment, they had to pay for it.

The headquarters of the Milky Way Alliance was also one of the greatest creations of human interstellar civilization. It had been hailed as the Great Wall of the Star Age. This artificial planet was the culmination of the efforts of human civilization. Inside it was a captured black dwarf star. (TL Note: Wikipedia "Dyson Sphere")

After numerous levels of alterations, the gravity of the black dwarf star was transformed into a never-ending energy source. This super-heavy star represented the pinnacle of mankind. If there was ever a need, this star could be transformed into a star-destroying weapon. This was the representation of the collective power of the members in the Milky Way Alliance.

The current chairman of the Milky Way Alliance was Ryan Jones from the Gemini Union. He had just taken office this year. The Gemini Union was a powerful system with five habitable planets and it had two stars in stable orbit.

Ryan's public bio stated he was a hundred and seventy centimeters tall, but those who knew the truth stated otherwise. He was in fact only a hundred and sixty centimeters tall. The difference in height could be explained by the platforms in his shoes.

"I was born on Epp and grew up on it. If you grew up under Epp's gravity and could grow to a hundred and fifty centimeters, I'll serve under you."

Every time someone ridiculed his height, this was how Ryan would retort back in a rude, joking tone.

But that was before he became chairman of the union. No one dared to joke about this after he assumed the position of chairman.

The chairman of the Milky Way Alliance was not the supreme commander of the Milky Way Alliance. The galaxy committees were the ones who ruled this alliance. They were its top ten permanent members. Each member of this committee held a key, and all ten of them were required to activate the planet-destroying weapon, Roland Garros. The chairman was more akin to a housekeeper, coordinating some of the daily affairs and mainly overseeing the development of science, technology, and culture of Roland Garros.

"It is decided then, Tess. Urge the Andromeda Commonwealth to clean up the pirates before the arrival of Christmas. Or at the very least get them out of the league's core business operations, they have seriously disrupted the stability."

Ryan ended the long distance call through a wormhole. His pressed the index finger and thumb of his right hand on his temples. He held his coffee cup with his left hand and prepared to take a gulp, but he realised that the cup was empty.

His secretary had not refilled his cup, which meant that he had reached his daily coffee quota. If he drank any more, that would mean disrupting his sleep for the night. That would then eat in to his performance efficiency the next day, and once his efficiency was disrupted, everything after that would be in a total mess.

The Union's official events on his desk were sorted according to color with yellow being the most urgent. These needed to be given top priority. Blue meant that the think tank had made a specific proposal for that document and it only required his signature as approval to be completed. Red were the most complicated and thorny cases, this usually meant that it required protracted negotiations. Purple indicated special events that could not be dealt with immediately and required lengthy considerations. The most terrible of them was the bold, black color. These cases meant that he had to make decisions for them by today.

He pressed the button to request for more coffee and forcefully pressed down on his temples. He prepared to deal with the next tricky black-colored case.

Following the Aslan Empire's firm grasp on power, the Milky Way Alliance's influence grew stronger in the last hundred years. The wars in the galaxy had decreased by seventy percent when compared to the last century. This was proof of the alliance advancing human development. There had to be appropriate changes when humans had developed to a certain point.

"Aslan, purple channel."

Chapter 151: Weightlessness

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

That efficient secretary of his had sent him a message. It was brief, but it demonstrated the importance of the situation.

Purple. This was a special situation that did not require immediate attention.

However, Ryan immediately chose to settle it immediately. In the Alliance, Aslan was a special existence, and it had priority in many areas, especially since Aslan was now fully supporting the Alliance and was contributing to the Milky Way Alliance.

He opened the channel, and three seconds later, Aslan's First Royal Housekeeper's calm expression appeared in front of Ryan's eyes.

The news that was passed down to him caused Ryan to widen his eyes. "There is no other alternative. In order to show our respect towards the Princess, we will assist her in extending invitations throughout the Alliance."

Aslan's First Princess and the future Empress wanted to present awards to the Alliance's university students who had significant contributions in the sciences.

Aslan continued to demonstrate its affinity towards innovation and growth. It has to be said that Aslan was the empire that possessed the strongest military strength, and its current actions served to dazzle others. The previous time they had made a request regarding Earth… in the past, Aslan had despised the backwater Solar System and felt that it was just an insignificant place…

However, Ryan just couldn't understand the situation. The Alliance had so many activities going on, yet the Aslan Empire had set their sights on the University Students' Science Awards presentation? Three months from now was actually the Universe's Nobel Prize Presentation. Was that not a more suitable platform to demonstrate their might?

At this point, Ryan smacked his forehead. The Princess, Aina Aslan, was a student. The University Student's Science Awards was something that would be close to her as it celebrated individuals of her age! Furthermore, it would be able to expand her influence among peers of a similar age.

The Princess was being nice. He would have to personally handle this situation.

Aslan's Royal College.

In an independent training room, under the influence of 10 times gravity, two people were panting heavily as they exchanged blows. One of them, even though he was huffing heavily, still possessed a regal air. He was Aslan's rising star, the Sword Saint Aurora.

Confronting him was a person who was no less famous. Both of his hands were grasping onto a longsword that was as tall as a human yet was only two fingers wide. The sword gently swayed in front of him, much like a living creature, twisting and turning. If one looked closely, they would realize that on the blade of the sword, it consisted of numerous dragonscales that were joined together. It seemed as though the sword was flexible and would be able to magically twist and turn during a fight.

The person was none other than Sword Magician Oz.

He was a commoner but had also become one of the Empire's rising stars. He was strong and his name was known by many. The two of them were Aslan's twin rising stars of the younger generation.

"We will stop here for today." Oz suddenly sheathed his sword and spoke lazily.

Aurora's long sword drew an arc in a beautiful flourish before he placed it back in its sheath. His movements were like that of a beautifully painted work by an artist, graceful and artistic. It was a pity that in this gravity chamber, there was no one else other than Oz. If he was in public, his handsomeness coupled with his graceful actions that happened naturally would undoubtedly cause numerous girls to swoon over him.

Oz helplessly shook his head. "There is no need to tire ourselves out."

Aurora let out a slight smile. "Nobles have to always act the part."

"Nobles? Psh. When have we ever been serious? If you win, you have the right to woo the princess. Otherwise, you should scram!" said Oz.

"More importantly, how could such a noble and holy thing be treated so nonchalantly?"

"You b*tch, can you hurry up and tell me? What happened?" Oz was infuriated by this chap.

The distance between the two's social statuses was large, but they were very good friends. This was something that the people around them could never understand why.

"Firstly, our duel has to gain the recognition of the princess, especially our promise to each other. Furthermore, it has to be in public. We need to invite a respectable referee. Ah. Where are you going… I haven't finished speaking! This is very rude.."

Aurora had not finished speaking, but Oz had already walked off. That brat Aurora was quite easy to get along with when he was silent. However, once he started talking, it made people so furious that they would like to kick his face in viciously!

Of course, that train of thought would only come from the Sword Magician Oz.

Wang Zheng and the rest had no break at all. When one round of training ended, they were marched off for another day of training. At the end, other than a few who had managed to stay alert, the rest were relying on their willpower to stay awake. Even then, 15 people had collapsed. However, these individuals were not eliminated. Eliminating such warriors would just be too cruel.

After another day of training had ended, no one even had any energy left in them to eat. All of them fell asleep in a couple of moments.

Some things could just not be hidden. Until the end, only Achilles, Lear, Lie Xin, Taros, and Raston were able to remain in a decent state. Of course, there was now the addition of Wang Zheng.

Such training was considered child's play. To be frank, although the training wasn't light, in actual fact, Wang Zheng ought to have felt quite tired. However, instead, he actually felt quite comfortable. This was because whenever his body felt tired, he could feel an influx of warm energy entering his body. Although it was weak, it was able to reduce his fatigue. Wang Zheng's first thought was that he was… photosynthesizing…?

Could it be he had become a tree??

Of course, that was a joke. This was the strength of the Primordial Regression Technique. This was what allowed one to become a super soldier. Bonehead was not exaggerating. Wang Zheng was keenly awaiting the Primordial Regression Technique's second stage.

After a week, the second phase of training had ended. Su Yan felt quite emotional. This group of participants had been the most monstrous batch yet. Regardless of the training, they had been able to handle it and would rather faint than withdraw.

Lear, Achilles, and Lie Xin had demonstrated their capabilities as captains. Raston and Taros were not bad, but as they had experienced too much and were in different positions, the two of them lacked something inside their bones. On the other hand, that Wang Zheng was a completely different thing altogether. Although his qualifications were no different from the average participant and he lacked leadership ability, he was extremely tough and he could handle even the toughest training and after that could still eat and sleep as per normal.

It was like he was a simple-minded but physically well-developed fool.

In comparison, after struggling as best he could, Zhang Shan had fainted a total of six times during the second phase of training… this could also have been considered to have been a new record. However, this person still persisted to the end. Although he was physically the weakest, his spirit was commendable, hence he was not eliminated. Furthermore, a soldier with strong willpower was extremely important. Seen in another way, his existence would motivate the others. Yet willpower could only bring one so far. During the third phase of training, he would most likely be unable to prevent himself from being eliminated.

On the spaceship.

In the end, there were only 66 participants left. Half of them had already been eliminated. They looked towards Demon Island with a tinge of nostalgia. This experience had branded them indelibly. It could be considered a form of transformation, even including those who had been eliminated. All of them had reached a new level.

Those who had to leave had left. Those who remained would continue.

The second phase was truly hell. No one could imagine what the third phase would be like.

From the two phases of training, it could be seen that the group from the Moon was just too strong. The unbeatable Achilles with his Eight Stars were unquestionably strong. Currently, no one was on their level. This was also a tradition of the Moon. They had decided upon their captain early on and they often showed absolute power. However, these individuals from the Moon were gloomy because Atos had been eliminated. According to what Atos had said, it was likely that Taros was the one who had acted. On the other hand, Taros did not say anything to agree or disagree with that fact.

On Earth's side, Lear performed quite satisfactorily. It could be seen that he was quite strong. However, he did not seem very competitive, and there were even hints that he was trying to keep a low profile. Despite that, that Fatty Luo Fei's true colors had shown and attention was shined upon him. Lear definitely possessed a good sense of judgment. That Fatty had performed too shockingly during the second phase, other than the fact that he liked to complain.

Additionally, Earth possessed quite a few decent people. Wang Zheng, Meng Tian, Zhang Runan. It was a pity that the Earthlings were too factional. Their relationship with Lear was ordinary, and they even treated Wang Zheng as a leader…

Yet Su Yan was clear that such actions were impossible.

Looking at the current situation, Achilles had no problem seizing the number one position. Furthermore, as a person from the Moon, Su Yan was very concerned about him.

"Everyone, I would firstly like to congratulate you for completing the second phase of training. You have taken yet another step on this long and winding road. The third phase is also the last phase of training. It is space training."

Su Yan smiled. No one seemed very surprised. This was something that had to be experienced.

To be a warrior in the age of space exploration, being accustomed to space was a foundational ability.

"Those of you sitting here might have experienced some form of training, or perhaps this might be your first time for some of you. Regardless, all of you need to adapt quickly. Falling short at the last step would be a pity."

After spending a period of time with him, everyone knew that Su Yan was a smiling tiger. Although he seemed warm and approachable, he was definitely one who was merciless.

"Sir, this is not really fair. Could we not give those who are here for the first time a bit more time?" Zhang Shan asked.

Being used to space was something normal to the people of the Moon, the Republic of Caragal, Hades Republic, and the sort. Some of them might have even experienced space in primary school. However, for the people of Earth and Mars, it was not the case. They were mostly like Zhang Shan, they had never had any training in this aspect. As a result, Zhang Shan could only clench his teeth and steel his resolve to ask a question like this. He did not want to fall at this last step.

"Keke, Zhang Shan. This world has never been fair. If you don't want to be eliminated, you need to work harder."

When it came to this aspect, Su Yan did not like to scold his students, he would always patiently explain himself. However, this time, it was as good as not saying anything.

The spaceship arrived at a spaceport near the Moon. This would be the training location of the third phase.

"This place is specially designed to train for space warfare. Get ready. You will undergo a basic test."

From their expressions, it looked as though it was not the first time Lear and the rest had been here.

Were they just going to experience a weightless environment?

With the standard of IG, it would definitely not be so simple to merely be able to maintain one's balance and to move effectively in zero gravity. These were not a big deal for those who were extremely athletic.

When the training shuttle's doors opened, what appeared in front of the participants was a giant, sphere-shaped space. Inside were numerous stars that simulated the sky.

What was this all about?

Su Yan looked at the participants. "The test is simple. All of you will go in. Once you have entered, the door will close. The entire space will rotate and you have to find the exit. Whoever finds the exit will have passed and the sphere will rotate again.

The participants then entered the weightless area. For people like Wang Zheng and Zhang Shan, it was their first time experiencing this. Once they entered, they felt strange. It felt as though their minds were buzzing and as though their brains were going to fly out of their heads!

Chapter 152: The Mighty Mountain Maiden!

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

Meng Tian's performance was not bad, and she had quickly adapted to the situation; it was clear that she had some training in this area. For the people from the Moon… those brats were extremely at ease and stayed upright… it was as though there was no difference in gravity to them!

The people from the Republic of Caragal and the Hades Republic also performed decently. These people from space cities were extremely familiar with weightlessness, so this was not difficult for them.

Zhang Shan covered his mouth. F**k this. He actually felt like vomiting after entering zero gravity.

Everyone was looking at him. Even those who had no common sense also knew that puking in zero gravity was extremely disgusting.

Zhang Shan tried to resist, he had to resist! He could not humiliate himself. It was said that when one was dizzy, they ought to focus their attention on something. He tried to focus on something… that's right… beautiful girls! Beautiful girls! Beautiful girls! Nude girls! Nude girls! At this point, Zhang Runan's image appeared in his mind. In a flash, Zhang Shan was finally at peace.

F**k! The supermanly sister was truly quite tyrannical and fearsome!

After approximately 10 minutes, everyone had gotten used to the zero gravity.

The three generals were also observing the participants' performances. During previous IG trainings, they had no time nor interest in observing. However, this time it was different because other than the five captains, there were just too many other outstanding students. In the past, in order to ensure that more people would pass, they had to reduce the difficulty of training. However, this time, despite training being even tougher, the number of people that passed was even greater!

The three of them could see signs of the Solar System recovering from a state of decline.

"Those from the space cities will have an advantage in the third phase of training," Lie Wuqing said as he shook his head. Lie Xin was still performing well, but the rest of the Martians were a bit slower.

"You can't put it that way. This training is about giving them confidence in space." Drachmach smiled. All those who had been pilots knew that as a pilot in space, it was easy to lose one's sense of direction. This was considered just the smallest of things. In space, there wasn't even the sense of up and down. If one was alert, that would be fine, but in the midst of battle, many soldiers would definitely become lost.

Hence, being able to identify their position in space and to gain that confidence was a basic skill.

"Su Yan, you can begin," Meng Ao said. He was most concerned for Wang Zheng at the moment. He was extremely interested in this young man. It was clear that it was his first time in a zero gravity environment. However, what his eyes saw was that he was neither flustered nor helpless. Instead, he saw a sparkle of excitement in his eyes; it was as though war was a game to him.

This sort of person was either a genius or a madman.

"Yes, General," Su Yan replied. "All participants take note, we are about to begin the rotation of the sphere."

After he spoke, the only exit closed. The entire sphere began to rotate and everyone focused their eyes on the position of the exit. However, as the sphere rotated, the entire sky was filled with stars, which caused everyone to see stars instead.

The rotation was not fast, but when it finally stopped, everything had disappeared.

Edison immediately pushed against the center column and was the first one to rush out. He had memorized the position of the exit.

However, very quickly, Edison's entire body slammed against the wall.

Failure!

"What is going on? The exit was clearly over here," Edison said bitterly.

Bang!

An electric current coursed through the wall and Edison's entire body was paralyzed for a moment. At this point, Su Yan's voice was heard. "Don't randomly guess where the exit is. Mistakes will be punished. Edison, minus 1 point."

"This brat really is a fool. The circumstances have clearly changed, and his actions were pointless!"

It was clear that everyone became more cautious. Under thousands of staring eyes, making a mistake was minor, but embarrassing oneself in front of others was not.

Wang Zheng gave a small smile. He had been ready to launch himself forward, but he saw that Zhang Shan had already flown forward. Wang Zheng paused for a moment.

When everyone saw that it was Zhang Shan, they laughed. Earth's "Relentless Mountain Maiden".[1] This was his nickname given by the rest. He fought repeatedly but was defeated repeatedly, and even despite being defeated repeatedly, he continued to fight repeatedly! This was a strange group of Earthlings. Wang Zheng seemed quite reserved, but he had already performed two miracles. He had tied with Achilles for first place and had not been lapped during the training. Meng Tian was beautiful and capable. Zhang Runan looked like a real man; even Zhang Shan was like a maiden compared to her.

Zhang Shan did not hold back. He rushed in the direction of his choice with all his effort. If he made a mistake, the force of the collision would definitely almost knock him out. In addition to the electric shock, he would definitely take a serious blow.

Everyone's mouths widened into large smiles. Just as they were expecting a human pancake to appear, Zhang Shan knocked open the exit…

Everyone was shocked. Su Yan also couldn't believe his eyes.

Zhang Shan had created a new record for the quickest to exit!

Standing in the area where gravity was restored, he gently dusted his uniform. ��Such a simple game. Does this even count as training?"

F**k… what a b**tard!

That's right. This mountain grandpa liked to act cool. On the surface he seemed calm and composed, but deep down, he felt extremely redeemed. He had finally given those guys a taste of their own medicine. Too easy!

The three generals couldn't help but smile. "Looks like we forgot something. Zhang Shan is from the Physics Department and his father is a famous physicist from Earth. Spatial awareness comes very naturally to him."

The feeling of being first was absolutely refreshing. He could now leisurely watch the others while scratching his head.

Just because he looked large and muscular, it did not mean he was a fool. This brother was actually a traveler of the path of wisdom.

In battle, there was not much need for physics concepts. However, Zhang Shan had been looking at spatial models since he was young, and they were significantly more complex than this. Orientation and positioning was now ingrained in his very bones.

"Replay the scene slightly. Alright. Good. Stop."

The screen froze. Drachmach's eyes lit up. On the screen, just before Zhang Shan had moved, Wang Zheng had already started moving in the direction of the exit. From his position, it seemed as though he had chosen the same location Zhang Shan had gone to. However, when he saw that Zhang Shan had moved, he had stopped.

Drachmach did not miss that subtle action.

"This brat is truly heaven-defying!" Lie Wuqing couldn't help but exclaim. To be frank, he was very conflicted. He was significantly conflicted. To see such an excellent seedling not possess Ability X, and as his gene score was just too low, his chance of awakening an ability was just too low. Even if Wang Zheng had a gene score of 60, they would definitely spare no resource in helping him awaken his abilities. His mind told him to let Wang Zheng go, but his heart told him otherwise. With his performance, Wang Zheng kept the generals at the edge of their seats.

Even Drachmach, who sought perfection, couldn't let him go. Otherwise, he would never have noticed such a small thing.

"Perhaps it was chance. Continue," Meng Ao said.

The zero gravity sphere started to rotate. After experiencing it once, everyone opened their eyes wide. It was as though their eyeballs would fly out of their sockets and stick to the exit. Yet once the rotation stopped, everyone was disoriented again.

In just a flash, Wang Zheng flew out.

There was no difficulty in this.

The door opened.

When he entered, Zhang Shan was already waiting for him and the two of them shared a high five. "Mighty 007!"

This was truly relaxing.

At this moment, everyone knew that it was not luck. In addition, he had made his decision so quickly. It only proved that such a degree of disorientation in space held no meaning to them.

Actually, it wasn't that easy! It was just that these individuals were people who could very well win the Milky Way Alliance's University Science Awards!

After several rotations, people would gradually become disorientated. Before long, people started to puke. It was fortunate that everyone had brought bags to puke into; if not, the entire place would resemble a garbage dump.

This task was significantly more difficult than the second phase. The second phase could be completed with sheer grit. However, for this phase, if one could find the exit, that would be great. If not? Well… one would have to pray to the gods.

Achilles, Lear, Raston, Taros, and Lie Xin were able to find the exit within 10 minutes before leaving in that order.

It was clear that the "ordinary people" would require quite a bit more time before they could find the exit. Without the orientation from the ground, it required one to first adapt their body to the zero gravity before they were able to get a feel for finding the exit.

There were also a few individuals who were punished. For example, their old friend Carl. He vomited from the start to the end and had been electrocuted over 20 times, but he was unable to find the exit.

Meng Tian and Zhang Runan were able to find the exit within 30 minutes and were considered average.

Student Zhang Shan was motionless with an imposing aura. One by one, those who came out finally realized that the Mountain Maiden had been acting cool, but they could say nothing about it. It was clear that in the third phase of training, he had performed excellently.

The slowest individuals actually vomited till they fainted, and some did not even get out of the sphere. There were nine of them.

The winds had changed and they finally blew in favor of the Mountain Maiden.

During the third phase of training, physical fitness was not important; what was important was the mind.

Wang Zheng, Zhang Shan, Achilles, and Lear were invincible in this aspect.

Achilles and Lear were the first ones to adapt to the situation. They were behind Wang Zheng and Zhang Shan, but not by much.

Some people were born with the ability to adapt effortlessly, with the ability to perceive multidimensional structures clearly.

Many of the participants also took quite a bit of time before being able to move in their desired direction accurately. Usually, it was easy to move in their chosen direction in space. However, in this situation, they realized that they were unable to. Furthermore, in zero gravity, performing difficult turns could easily spell disaster if they could not control their bodies well enough.

Many participants wanted to show off their abilities in zero gravity by coming up with a string of poses. However, when the training began, they couldn't control themselves and ended up vomiting all over the place.

In the midst of all this, the third phase had finally been completed. The one with the best results was Zhang Shan, so naturally he felt very proud.

Actually, Zhang Shan knew that Wang Zheng had let him go first. Zhang Shan really needed the extra points. Being first would allow him to stay on the IG team, so this was incomparably important to him.

Back in space, the Mountain Maiden was extremely proud and he felt invincible.

The three phases of training had ended, and the IG selection would temporarily pause. Originally, the decision of who would pass would have been made immediately, but this time it was different. There had been changes to the schedule as there were 60 participants left. They would return to the college and await the second selection competition.

When faced with such an excellent number of reserves, Meng Ao and the generals had to be careful. They had to pick the best of the best.

Regardless, after this selection, everyone had made new friends… and new enemies.

To the people of Earth, the students of Ares College were incomparably proud. Zeus College only had two students left and Apollo College had been completely eliminated. Ares College's most glorious point was that all four had participated and all four had been chosen. Additionally, Meng Tian had gotten the top score for phase 1, Wang Zheng had the top score for phase 2, and Zhang Shan held the top score for phase 3.

Ares College had not felt so proud in ages. The four of them realized that when they returned, the entire college would be there to welcome them back.

In truth, Wang Zheng and the rest were shocked. They had only left for a month; who would have expected that they would have received such a warm welcome.

"Wang Zheng, you're awesome!"

"Zhang Shan, I love you! Give me your babies!"

After hearing all of this and indulging in cheers, Zhang Shan straightened his head and looked forward.

The one who received the warmest welcome was naturally Meng Tian. She was a female goddess.

Within the cheers, only Zhang Runan was silent. The upcoming IG selection would not be so relaxed.

[1] Zhang Shan's "Shan" means Mountain in Chinese. Hence the nickname Mountain Maiden is a pun and an insult simultaneously.

Chapter 153: The King of Dueling

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

Gu Te felt quite proud. This was what it meant to live. He had originally thought that he had been forced into a dead end, but in the darkness, a glimmer of hope appeared. These four really made him feel quite happy.

When one reached Gu Te's age and position, all that was left to do was bicker and compete against other similarly old and prestigious people. However, what was most important to them was to prove to themselves that they too could be a good principal and develop their students to their best.

At their age, withdrawing from society quietly was equivalent to denying one's achievements throughout their life! They had to go out with a bang! Being mediocre was something no one wanted.

In the group of people, Yan Xiaosu, Ye Zisu, An Mei, Du Qingqing, Yao Ailun, and Chen Xiu were cheering the most vigorously.

Frankly speaking, when Wang Zheng and the rest had left for the selection, they did not expect much. So long as they did not get themselves eliminated, that in itself would be a blessing. But who would have expected such a result?

Upon returning to a familiar dormitory, Wang Zheng and Zhang Shan heavily collapsed on their beds. It was truly too comfortable.

"Hey! Don't just lie there. Did you meet any pretty girls who you can introduce me to?"

"Yeah! The selection was full of beautiful girls!" Zhang Shan smiled. "As beautiful as the Manly Sister!"

The looks of anticipation on Yao Ailun and Chen Xiu's faces were quickly replaced by looks of shock, as though they had been hit by a lightning bolt.

"I can't believe that you were able to obtain such results… it looks like the standard of this batch isn't much," Yao Ailun spoke candidly.

Zhang Shan immediately sat up. "Bulls**t! This brother here lost a few layers of skin to obtain these results. With your puny frame, you'd definitely die in just half a day!"

Yao Ailun and Chen Xiu looked at Wang Zheng. Wang Zheng merely nodded his head. "Mountain Maiden isn't bragging, it was truly difficult."

At this point, the entire dormitory fell silent.

"Mountain… Maiden?"

Yao Ailun and Chen Xiu looked at each other in the eye before exploding in laughter. Zhang Shan felt quite helpless. That b**tard had clearly forgotten to tell them why.

On the other hand, in the female dormitory, a large group of girls had crowded together. They were currently asking Meng Tian all sorts of questions.

Meng Tian was not used to telling long stories; she would reply bluntly whatever came to mind. However, when it came to the story of the Mountain Maiden, at that point in time, everyone burst out into laughter.

With the speed of which girls spread news, even Student Zhang Shan could only feel embarrassed in times to come.

Zhang Shan sneezed. The dormitory seemed quite cold; it seemed as though something wasn't right.

As Yao Ailun and Chen Xiu listened to Zhang Shan's vivid description of training, their faces all turned pale. How was this a selection? It was basically a death camp!

Zhang Shan did not exaggerate things. He had relied on the last phase of training for his comeback. On the other hand, Wang Zheng had remained silent from the start of his story till the end. It was like he had fallen asleep.

Zhang Shan shot a glance towards Wang Zheng. From a young age, he had never been seen as incapable. Even when he was faced with something he was unable to accomplish, others couldn't even imagine the difficulty of his problems. However, he truly felt respect for Wang Zheng and his abilities.

With someone like him, they would definitely rush into the skies above and make an impact! More importantly, if he were to battle alongside him, he would never have any regrets!

Just before he left, Su Yan had also personally talked to Zhang Shan. What Zhang Shan lacked was a systematic form of training. He recommended him to go back and not take things easy anymore. At this point in time, Zhang Shan's potential had already been ignited. He had decided to abandon the path of a physicist. During the second round of selection on Demon Island, he would definitely lose the infamous title of the Mountain Maiden!

On the other hand, in the female dormitory, Ye Zisu was quietly listening to Meng Tian's stories. Every time she heard of something that concerned Wang Zheng, Ye Zisu would anxiously clench her fists. It was as though she could live his experiences vicariously.

An Mei sighed beside her. This was driving her crazy. During the period where Wang Zheng was not around, she had wanted Ye Zisu to meet some outstanding guys. That way, she could save herself the suffering. However, it was no use. When Wang Zheng was not around, Ye Zisu was dispirited and unenergetic, yet when he came back, she was back to normal.

This was really driving her crazy. As sisters, An Mei really wanted to destroy Wang Zheng!

However, Ye Zisu's words had left her speechless.

As one lived, they would meet people they liked. This was already their greatest fortune.

After IG training, these kids had been awakened; it was like they had a qualitative change. As a result, they felt quite uncomfortable in this peaceful and harmonious environment. Such a feeling felt foreign, as though it was from a previous life they had. At the same time, this was something that was difficult for them to feel again.

Before sleeping, Zhang Shan was determined to wake up early. However, when he awoke, the sun was already high in the sky and his companions had left already. It seemed as though he could not control his body when it needed to relax slightly.

Zhang Shan looked over at a neat and tidy bed. That b**tard Wang Zheng had woken up early again. He was like a robot. Regardless of the changes to his environment, he didn't react. How could he adapt so well?

Taking a break for a day wouldn't kill him. Student Zhang Shan hummed a little tune as he brushed his teeth. He felt quite proud as he looked at his face which held a trace of heroic temperament. He ruffled his hair. It seemed slightly long, and if he could cut it a bit shorter, he would seem more alert. Only then could he live up to his idol's image.

Meng Tian had also woken up a bit later than usual. She first took a bath before attentively styling her hair. This was a habit she had. She was able to organize her thoughts as she sat there quietly. Even with a change in environment, she was able to adapt more quickly than others. Yet having an opportunity to rest and relax also made her extremely happy. That sort of strict training was truly unbearably tormenting.

For these two days, other than maintaining her usual training, she would take the opportunity to relax.

Although they were back in school, Gu Te gave the group three days of rest. Everyone understood how intense IG training was. The four students being able to return unscathed was a blessing from the heavens, and he could not be cruel.

Zhang Runan had awoken early. She immediately went to the Art Club and unsurprisingly was the first one there.

In the world of art, she would be able to obtain peace of mind and strength. In here, she had something she wanted to pursue. However, after experiencing the IG selection, her person had changed. Compared to the time before, she was now a little more calm and a little less willing to run away.

Looking at the rays of light that passed through the window, she could see a crow occasionally fly by. This feeling was truly beautiful.

Compared to Student Wang… there was no change in him at all. He woke up early as usual, went for his morning exercise, and then proceeded to fill his tummy. If he had to make a comparison before the training and school, to him, the main difference was that one allowed him to eat his fill and the other did not.

However, there were still minute changes to him. Wang Zheng felt more carefree. Otherwise, he would not be able to be one with his environment.

Furthermore, he had missed quite a few classes, so he would have to work hard to make up for the lost time. However, the notes for class had already been sent to his Skylink. He would just need to spend some time to catch up. For practical experiments, the school had given him the green light to use it freely, so there were no problems there as well.

After all that had happened, Wang Zheng did not change significantly. However, his and the team's success had brought about changes to their historic college. Before long, there were numerous students from other colleges coming and going through the now famous Ares College.

Visiting other colleges was a time-worn tradition. However, it was usually people from less prestigious colleges visiting more prestigious ones. Ares College was a military college, so there were generally fewer females. Furthermore, they weren't allowed to show off their prestige, and as a result, few people paid attention to them. However, things were different now. The IG training results had been released throughout the colleges, and it had been announced throughout the internet in numerous different shapes and forms.

However, the most famous individual was definitely not Wang Zheng but Meng Tian instead. She was beautiful, intelligent, and also a goddess of war on top of that!

Moving back to the four participants, they had become busy with their own activities. Summer vacation was approaching and so were their exams. Regardless of the reason, failing was something they did not want.

On the practical aspect of things, they had experienced IG training and did not have to worry about it. However, when it came to the theoretical aspect of things, they had to quickly grasp the concepts. Tyrant Su had wanted to host a celebration but cancelled it in the end in light of the situation. There would be opportunities to do so in the future anyway.

After busying himself for a week, Student Wang had finished cramming the topics he had missed for the Mecha and Physics Departments. Physics was pretty easy for him, so simply scanning through the information was sufficient. The Mecha Department topics, on the other hand, were very operational, hence it was easy to understand. With regards to memorizing information, although Student Wang had a low gene score, his memory was still pretty good.

The weekend had arrived and Wang Zheng met up with Tyrant Su. He still had to comply with his contract, and he had not played CT for a while. It would be good to relax and go for a spar or two.

It was quite unfortunate that the IG training did not possess any mecha training or battles, but it looked as though this would be part of the second round of training. Wang Zheng was eagerly anticipating it. If it was the case, that would be wonderful and would just be too cool.

Days without Skeleton around were usually quite dull. Solon spun his pen around his finger listlessly. His current position in the company was tied to Skeleton's success, and it was slightly challenging to maintain it. However, what truly worried him was how Skeleton would always appear out of the blue without a fixed schedule.

Although Skeleton had defeated the Shadow of Atlantis as well as the Strongest King of Mars in the previous battle, it did not deter any of the challengers who were interested in fighting Skeleton. Instead, it had only kindled the desire of more players who wanted to challenge Skeleton. Within the challengers were people from the Tyrannical Clash of Kings competition.

These experts had finally decided to show themselves.

One of them was from Earth's Clash of Kings competition. In two years, he had obtained the title of the strongest player seven times. He was part of the professional team COO and was their mid laner, the Killing God "Bragging Simon". He had announced a challenge and was confident he would beat Skeleton. He also claimed that he had discovered Skeleton's greatest weakness.

People who bragged like him were too many to count. However, Bragging Simon was not the same. He was one of Earth's brightest and strongest CT stars, so it was likely that he was not exaggerating.

Furthermore, although he was known as Bragging Simon, his skill was truly at the top. He piloted his mech with monstrous skill and was calm and collected even in the heat of battle. His ability was proven time and time again during the Clash of Kings competition.

When it was announced that Skeleton was online, the first challenger that came to Solon's mind was Bragging Simon.

Like a well-trained military platoon, when Solon walked out, all of the staff started to work feverishly.

"Begin!"

"Yes, Boss!"

All of the people got to work. It looked as though the salary this month might be doubled.

The CT administrators released an announcement: Skeleton VS Bragging Simon

It did not require any fancy advertisement. Bragging Simon never bragged. His position in the Earth's CT circuit was incomparable. Even in the past, the most popular players of the amateur circle were not even worthy of his attention.

However, things were different now. Everyone wanted to see a battle between Simon and Skeleton to see who was the real god between them.

From Simon's self-confident expression, it seemed as though he possessed a trick up his sleeve. Even numerous players in the professional circuit had chimed in with their views on the forums.

They had also seen Skeleton's competition videos. His solo fighting abilities were unparalleled. In a group battle, although Skeleton's performance was decent, it was still dependent on one's ability. His team play was good, but not godly. However, in such a competition, people were not concerned about one's team battle abilities but rather their own personal strength!

This was extremely important to professional players. One first had to have personal skill to reach the top. Only to rise further did they have to develop their strength as a team. However, without personal skill, it was meaningless to talk about one's team fighting abilities!

Simon, who had been doing daily training with his corps, immediately accepted the invitation.

It has to be said that even his teammates were excited.

Chapter 154: Unequalled Omniscient God!

Translator: Abyssruler Editor: Lucas

"Boss, our battle announcement has already been sent out to all the Skylinks. The number of people who have expressed interest in watching this match has already exceeded 600,000!" the staff informed.

"Boss, Super Tide Web, Giant God Videos, and 10 over companies want to buy the rights for livestreaming!"

"Boss, do you want to pick up the Chairman's call?"

Solon nodded his head. He could not respond slowly when it came to his boss.

"Solon, this competition will definitely be broadcasted throughout the Solar System. If the battle is exciting, it might even be broadcasted throughout all the CT servers in the galaxy."

Mclaren spoke quite nonchalantly. However, deep down, Solon knew that his chance to shine had finally appeared.

Mclaren was planning to retire. However, before he retired, he had to find someone to pass the torch on to. Currently, he could choose to continue taking things easy and slowly accumulate a fortune before he retired, or he could strive for one last show and go out with a bang.

After seeing miracle after miracle, Mclaren could no longer stand by idly. It was clear that he did not want to disappear from CT quietly.

"Chairman, I am confident it will be a success!"

"Excellent. Go ahead and do what you need to do. If this is successful, I can push for you to be my successor."

Mclaren had let loose something absolutely shocking. It caused Solon to momentarily feel dizzy.

Half a year ago, he had almost lost his job. Half a year later, he now stood a chance to be the chairman of Asia's CT region.

What the f**k? Was he dreaming?

Solon told himself to stay calm as he took a deep breath. "Chairman, I will definitely not let you down."

After the call ended, Solon looked as though he had been infused with renewed vigour, much like how Popeye was after eating spinach. "Let's do our best!"

He began to give out commands.

It has to be said that the choice of an opponent was very important. Bragging Simon's influence was not only in that of the realm of CT; he was a bonafide online star. He was handsome and had numerous endorsements. He was the very best of the professional players and he was challenging an untested amateur. Just this gimmick alone attracted a lot of media attention.

Hard-selling something as compared to the product selling itself were two completely different ideas.

However, what the majority of the CT players were focusing on was the fact that Bragging Simon was known to be the Insightful King. What was Skeleton's weakness?

Tyrant Su was a hardcore CT fan. The challengers from Mars were just pests. No one really knew who they were, except for Flaming Ronin, and that was just a one off occurrence that did not inspire much talk. However, Bragging Simon was different. The Earth was his playground, and there was no one who did not know of him.

Bragging Simon was extremely confident and looked assured, which caused Tyrant Su to feel a little perturbed.

"Boss, do you want me to go gather some of Bragging Simon's videos to let you have a look at how he plays?" Tyrant Su asked as he opened up a video device.

Wang Zheng smiled. "No need for that. Surprises are more fun."

Student Wang was also interested in finding out what kind of tactic the opponent had developed. Since he was so confident, he definitely felt that he could beat Skeleton and would be quite skillful. In this case, even if Wang Zheng wanted to beat him, it would not be so easy.

Tyrant Su proceeded to put away his video device.

At the same time, the situation in all the major colleges and universities was the same. Everyone was hiding in their dormitories, Skylink open and ready to watch the livestream.

With Bragging Simon's influence, he had also attracted an uncountable number of girls. This was the advantage of having a handsome face.

An Mei and friends were also in their dormitories. The few of them were dressed pretty casually.

"Meimei, where is Tyrant Su? He isn't accompanying you?"

An Mei rolled her eyes. "Wang Zheng is back, so this guy has started to disappear here and there."

"Hehe. Meimei, you need to be careful. A good friend is one that is for life," a girl from the neighboring dormitory said.

"Go to h*ll. Actually, I don't really mind that he's doing this." An Mei smiled.

The girls let out peals of laughter. If any guy had heard this, they would definitely feel extremely thankful for such an understanding girlfriend. The usually soft-spoken and dependent sun goddess was actually so independent!

10 minutes later, Skeleton and Bragging Simon were both online.

Once again, two familiar faces could be seen on the commentator's table. Deer God and Little Bubbly were sitting side by side.

As CT's number one black-hearted Deer God, he had spent almost half a month recuperating from the previous encounter and was now lively and full of vigor. It was said that he had spent this time practicing and learning some philosophy too.

Just looking at the aura he exuded, Old Deer indeed seemed to have changed. It could be that Bragging Simon gave him confidence unlike any before.

"Hello, everyone, we meet again. I know that everyone can see that I am very happy right now. It is my pleasure, along with Bubbly Foam's, to be your commentators for today."

For the start of the match, Old Deer seemed very formal. It looked as though he had rehearsed this. There were no indications of him doing anything different, and he remained calm.

Bubbly Foam gave a slight smile. "Thank you, everyone, for tuning in. For today, on one side we have the hero of the masses, Skeleton! On the other side we have a true expert of the professional circuit, also known as the Strongest King! The mid lane killing god, Bragging Simon! Both names should be familiar to you, so we won't be doing any further introductions. Before the battle, Bragging Simon mentioned that he had discovered Skeleton's weakness! Everyone, please stay tuned for this."

"I wont say any extra things. Currently, both sides are choosing the map," Old Deer said.

A screen showing the map selection screen opened. "Ah. It seems as though Bragging Simon has picked a professional solo fighting map!"

At this time, the discussion forum erupted. Numerous players were wondering deep down… Could it be?

At this time, the highly officious Old Deer was suddenly clenching his fist. As a professional commentator, he could see the problem here.

All of the viewers were furiously studying the screen. For professional solo matches, it was possible to ban specific mecha from being played.

What was an expert? What determined if one was an expert? It was someone who could use any mech!

One had to be able to use all kinds of mecha. Many of such "heroes of the masses" were only able to use one mech skillfully. However, once they could not do so, they were finished. Their show was over and their piloting skills were a mess. It threw everything into chaos.

Many people had overlooked this very simple fact, that Skeleton was best at the Wargod No. 1!

As the Wargod No. 1 did not have an energy shield, everyone thought that this was most beneficial to their opponents.

However, thinking back, what if Skeleton could not use his prized Wargod No. 1?

At the same time, Bragging Simon smiled. He had chosen to ban the Wargod No. 1 from use.

F**k! This was truly heaven-shaking!

It was as though Skeleton had placed all his eggs in one basket. One knock and it would all be over for him. In fact, the first one who thought of this was truly lucky!

Bragging Simon truly was the Mid Lane King! One who could easily draw the first blood of the match!

But was that truly it?

In fact, one would be gravely mistaken.

That would truly be looking down on Bragging Simon's intelligence. It would also be looking down on Deer God's intelligence as well.

"Hello, everyone, I would like to say a few words. The following broadcast might disappoint everyone. This is because it will just be a show where kids are being bullied by adults!"

Deer God had not merely revived, he had reincarnated with the spirit and energy of a raging god!

"Old Deer, although the Wargod No. 1 has been used exclusively, this does not mean that Skeleton cannot use other mecha," Bubbly Foam retorted.

Old Deer was motionless like a hill as he proclaimed, "Little Bubbly! You are still too young!"

Currently, Old Deer was acting like a suspicious individual. The only thing missing from completing that image was a lollipop in hand to entice children.

Some reacted to his words, but the majority did not. This was because most had already guessed that Bragging Simon would use such a tactic.

After his mech was selected, the opponent had to choose another mech in his garage of mecha.

However, when Skeleton opened his garage, it caused the seven million viewers to be absolutely shocked.

F**k. It seemed as though he did not even possess the four basic Earth mecha???

This Skeleton! Had he even played CT before???

After players had created an account, they had access to a few free mecha, such as the Wargod No. 1. There were also some mecha used for maintenance available. All of these could be freely used and did not have any repair costs.

However, the cheapest mecha for purchase were the four basic mecha. It would cost just 10 dollars. However, Skeleton did not even have such mecha. F*ck. He was so cheap that he didn't even spend 10 dollars?

Brother, oh, brother! Did you not even have any common sense to get alternate mecha?

Wang Zheng tried to select the Hunter Type III, but it could not be used. The system prompted that he had to pay, but he had already entered the matchmaking system and could not make payments to unlock it.

Wang Zheng then flipped to the next screen and saw a few maintenance mecha.

At this point in time, the entire audience had turned silent, and even Solon was stunned at this sight.

He had never, ever, ever imagined that Skeleton had never opened up the mech garage screen. This was common sense and one of the most fundamental things to do. Was he planning to use the Wargod No. 1 forever???

This live broadcast could not continue!

"Keke, how will our god, Skeleton, respond? If it was me, I would quickly admit defeat and perhaps Bragging Simon might even give me a second chance," spoke Old Deer smilingly.

Regardless of what happened, just giving up would make him feel happy. Old Deer's expectations were not much; he had to learn to enjoy life's little pleasures.

In just a few moments, the entire audience was asking for the match to be cancelled and remade. However, the competition had started. Unless it was a technical failure, this would be considered a loss.

If one did not have a mech, that was his own problem! It was his fault for not preparing!

Bragging Simon had guessed correctly. This person was a smurf and had specially trained to use the Wargod No. 1. He had not purchased any mecha at all.

This was the Achilles' heel of these self-conceited geniuses. They would not even do anything extra, like buying other mecha.

The process did not pause, and 10 seconds later, Wang Zheng entered a mech. Following which, an engineering mech appeared in front of the audience.

He still wanted to fight???

OMG's Hercules 5th Generation

Its name sounded extremely oppressive, but it was actually used for farming. Its performance was nothing special and it had no energy shields either. However, what was important was that this mech did not have a laser gun nor an alloy knife!

Did anyone ever see a farming mech bring weapons?

On the screen, the Hercules could be seen wielding a shovel in its left hand and a hammer on its right! It truly seemed quite imposing. However, no one was excited.

Wang Zheng did not know what Bragging Simon was trying to do, but he didn't care either way. If one wanted to pick someone else's mech, they had to own it themselves. It has to be said that CT was quite cunning; even if one was not good at that mech, they would still have to spend money to buy it.

Hence, Wang Zheng had chosen the Wargod No. 1 to begin with.

In Old Deer's words, was this just futile resistance?

"Is today April Fool's?"

"F*ck, I even abandoned my girlfriend for this. I'm doomed!"

"God! Just kill me already. Bragging Simon is truly lucky!"

…

Sounds of outrage echoed all over the forums.

Deer God finally started feeling invincible. Even the heavens were on his side this time.

"Keke. True warriors will face even the bleakest circumstances head on. Bragging Simon is truly the King of Insight. His first blow has already drawn blood! I think that after this match, our little friend Skeleton will have learned his lesson. Let us cheer for Bragging Simon. The strength of our seniors is truly unmatched!"

Old Deer than began to clap loudly.