May your fortune in the martial arts flourish!
—Admissions Office, Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University
Following the brief congratulations was an attachment.
Qin Feng opened the attachment. Inside was a single, thin sheet of virtual paper with a line of text written in an archaic font.
Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University School Rules
Betrayal of the Human Race is forbidden. Violators will be hunted for all eternity by every generation of powerhouses from Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University!
It was just one simple rule, yet it carried more weight than any complex code of conduct, inspiring a sense of solemnity and reverence that came from the depths of one’s soul.
"Next, everyone, please select your preferred mentor."
The volunteer Martial Artist’s voice rang out again.
"You may use your personal terminals to send an application to any active mentor. Each new student has three opportunities to apply. If a mentor approves your application, your personal terminal will receive instructions to enter the mentor’s exclusive private domain."
"If all three of your applications are rejected, the system will randomly assign a mentor to you. At that point, neither the mentor nor the student will have the right to refuse the pairing."
Choosing a mentor!
This was the most important step after enrolling.
Qin Feng didn’t hesitate for a second. His mind flooded with memories from his time at Qiming First High School: Teacher Wu Shangfeng’s extreme-pressure training, Teacher Lin Yue’s patient guidance, and Professor Gu Yue’s selfless and thorough instruction.
He understood profoundly just how crucial a good mentor was for his growth.
He opened the mentor list and typed the name directly into the search bar.
"Yu Han."
Then he clicked "Send Application."
The very next second, his personal terminal lit up with a reply.
PING!
[Your mentorship application has been approved!]
[Master Yu Han has agreed to accept you as an Official Disciple.]
[Transferring you to the private domain...]
The sheer speed of the response left even Qin Feng momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, the others in the plaza weren’t having such an easy time.
"Ugh! Failed! I applied to Master Yue Hong and got rejected!"
"Me too! I applied to Master Mu Lin—got rejected instantly!"
A dejected Lei Meng walked over. "Boss Qin Feng, who did you pick? Get accepted?"
"I picked Master Yu Han. I was accepted," Qin Feng replied truthfully.
"Holy shit! Master Yu Han! He’s a Star System-level powerhouse!"
Lei Meng’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I applied to Master Yu Han, too. Got rejected instantly... How can the gap between people be this big?"
Tie Mu, who had been standing nearby, walked over with a hint of delight on his face. "I was accepted, too. I applied to Master Lv Lan, a senior who graduated from my own Qianggang Military Martial High School."
Some were joyful, others dejected.
The process of choosing and being chosen was, after all, a two-way street.
Just as the crowd was busy selecting their mentors, a magnificent shuttle, so enormous it blotted out the sky, appeared overhead. Possessing a sleek, streamlined beauty, it hovered silently above the plaza.
"Attention, all new students!"
"Please board ’The Voyager’ shuttle immediately! I will take you to the home where you will learn, cultivate, and live for the next several hundred, or even several thousand, years—Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University!"
As the volunteer Martial Artist’s voice faded, the shuttle’s hatch slowly opened, casting down a massive ramp of light.
The three hundred thousand new students, filled with boundless dreams and aspirations for the future, boarded the shuttle in an orderly fashion, as if on a pilgrimage.
The shuttle slowly activated, gliding smoothly toward the ancient tower that stretched across the Cosmos, a structure several light-years tall.
-----------------
The shuttle glided smoothly through the deep vacuum of the Cosmos.
Inside the cabin, an unusual silence reigned.
The three hundred thousand prodigies, each having survived a brutal selection process, were now like children leaving home for the first time, their minds completely captivated by the magnificent and majestic sights outside the viewports.
The shuttle’s interior was exceptionally vast, easily accommodating the three hundred thousand new students with plenty of room to spare.
But right now, nearly everyone was crowded before the massive panoramic viewports, holding their breath as they gazed up at their destination.
At the edge of their vision, the legendary true form of Canaan Starry Sky Martial Arts University—the Heaven-Reaching Tower—dominated the entire sky with an unparalleled, overwhelming presence.
It was simply too massive.
Its height was measured in light-years!
It stood silently in the center of the Cosmos, as if it were the sole fulcrum of this entire Star Realm.
The body of the tower appeared to be cast from some unknown divine metal, presenting a deep and archaic dark-gold hue, its surface etched with the mottled scars of hundreds of millions of years.
Magnificent, multicolored nebulas wrapped around its midsection like vibrant sashes.
Before it, burning stars seemed as insignificant as fireflies.
Countless stars revolved slowly around it, as if paying the humblest of worship to this eternal, primordial monarch.
Qin Feng stood among the crowd, his gaze fixed through the viewport on the Heaven-Reaching Tower, his heart surging with an excitement that took a long time to calm.
In that moment, he suddenly thought of Teacher Lin Yue.
He recalled what Teacher Lin Yue had said to him back at the Qiming Thunder Pool, the first time he saw that magnificent, resplendent sea of lightning formed from the convergence of billions of thunderbolts.
"The Cosmos is far vaster than you can imagine. As beautiful as the Thunder Pool is, it’s nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust in the Endless Cosmos."
At the time, Qin Feng had agreed, but he could never truly and viscerally comprehend the sheer weight behind those words.