Starry Sky Professional

【Third round clear, awarded 200 points...】

A mechanical voice announced in his ear.

Fang Xing gazed thoughtfully at the rapidly transforming environment around him. "If Song Jingang hasn't made a breakthrough, even he might struggle to clear this stage... But getting over a hundred points should be feasible?"

In these trials, it's not always necessary to clear each stage to earn points.

Exhibiting superior combat skills and wisdom can also earn you points.

Of course, only by defeating the guardian can one achieve the full score.

The rules of martial arts are straightforward and direct like this!

"I must have around eight hundred points in martial arts by now, right? If I do well in the academic exams, reaching over nine hundred points, and hold on just a bit in the next round, I could exceed eighteen hundred points in total—enough to qualify for a top-tier university..."

"It seems there's quite a difference among universities under the Federation too..."

Given that the cutoff for universities at sixteen hundred points essentially meant trainees at the Jade Threshold level, who, with some hard work, could become certified professionals after graduation, breaking through the four levels of martial arts.

But the benchmark for elite universities is dramatically different!

Only the most outstanding Jade Threshold warriors and those at the Guts and Courage level can meet these criteria.

"For the ultra-elite universities? Could it be that only martial artists could enroll, and upon graduation, they become experts of the External Stage, or even achieve the Martial Golden Core?"

Fang Xing inhaled deeply, feeling the immense heat emanating from his surroundings.

He currently stood amid a desert expanse, where the blazing sun scorched the land, warping the very space with its fury...

A lone figure in white stood on the sands, his eyes sparkling like the morning star!

"The fourth gate's guardian, at the peak of the Guts and Courage realm!"

"Does the Federation not expect any candidate to defeat him?"

As Fang Xing pondered this, his mind's eye flickered, envisioning a colossal golden mountain bearing down on him!

This was the oppressive force of martial intent, the golden mountain towering and weighty... A level of martial intent surpassing countless Federation martial artists!

From within Fang Xing's mind, there arose a faint drumming of dragons and tigers, accompanied by the thunderous roar of dragon-elephants, brimming with a fierce battle spirit.

There was also a blade and a sword, imbued with an unmatched sharpness, soaring towards the sky!

Although he could deploy the 'Great Sun Tathagata Incantation' to outright dismiss such external intrusions, Fang Xing preferred to keep some trump cards in reserve.

With the empowerment of the six great intents, he shed the oppression of martial intent in a mere instant, perceiving the white-clad figure before him.

The opponent lunged forward with astonishing speed, seemingly traversing the very fabric of space itself, appearing before him, his palm pure as jade, flipping the heavens!

S-Class martial technique—Great Vajra Hand!

Golden patterns shimmered over Fang Xing's body, creating the appearance of him wearing a gilded and jade-embroidered armor, pushing his Dragon Elephant Art to the utmost, fingers clenched tightly, he countered with a punch!

Bang!

Fist and palm met, and both participants almost simultaneously staggered back.

Fang Xing flicked his arm, observing the white-robed opponent across from him. A swirling aura enveloped the figure, the fierce gust causing their clothes to flap violently. The opponent's subtle technique had effortlessly neutralized Fang Xing's force, indicating that they too had mastered a body-strengthening martial art, reaching an equally high realm.

"It seems to be 'Wind and Cloud Body'... This art is reputed as the foremost in force deflection..."

Fang Xing felt his blood slowly beginning to boil.

A worthy opponent was hard to find indeed!

Especially an opponent of such caliber, representing the pinnacle of the Courage Realm!

Moreover, within this virtual space, there were no consequences from a fatal outcome.

"With such advantageous conditions, it would be a shame not to test what I've learned..."

Fang Xing's right hand took the form of a blade, and with a casual chop, a dazzling arc of energy surged skyward, parting the surrounding yellow sand like colossal waves.

The Ghost God Blade—Slash of the Ghost God!

After a year of arduous cultivation, both the Ghost God Blade and the Perfect Emotion Sword had been honed to a masterly level, their lethality incomparable to the past.

The white-robed figure moved as if stepping through waves, their form weaving and dodging with such agility that even Fang Xing found himself in awe.

Witnessing the white-robed figure closing in, Fang Xing's other hand formed a sword with two fingers, unleashing the Perfect Emotion Sword like a continuous flow of mercury.

Known for its intricately changing sword techniques, this set of skills became even more unpredictable in Fang Xing's hands, each sword energy launching from unfathomable angles.

Yet even so, the white-robed figure's fingers flickered and danced like playing a zither, dispersing each sword energy with ease.

The two figures clashed, stirring up sand clouds that engulfed the entire space.

“Ha!”

In a sudden burst, Fang Xing let out a piercing shout, abandoning sword and blade to engage in barehanded combat.

He felt his martial will expanding like never before, appreciating the rarity of facing an opponent almost akin to himself, adept in defense, and unlikely to be downed by a single strike.

To the opponent, he must appear similarly matched.

This allowed him to deploy all his accumulated techniques, assessing them in the heat of battle.

Through this single match, Fang Xing recognized many of his own flaws.

'I used to be too arrogant... I believed myself unrivaled in the Courage Realm, yet there are always mountains beyond mountains...'

'So, I have yet to reach the peak, it seems?'

Fang Xing detected not only the rectification of weaknesses in his fist, blade, and sword techniques, but within this martial clash, his martial way and understanding saw significant advancement.

Suddenly!

He sensed a sudden shift in the aura of the white-robed figure opposite him, whose face had turned crimson like blood, and his entire aura surged abruptly.

“Is this some sort of self-destructive secret technique?”

He shouted angrily at such shamelessness, a golden gleam also flickering in his eyes. He invoked the great Vajra Prajna strength as his power soared.

They exchanged a flurry of punches, causing the air to explode around them.

Fang Xing felt that with each punch, his force was absorbed and dispersed by the opponent's Wind-and-Cloud technique, startling him deeply.

Indeed, this body training martial art deserved its reputation as the master of force redirection.

“Blood Stopping Fate Technique... Second Phase!”

Sensing the decline in Fang Xing's aura, the white-robed figure finally spoke for the first time, his skin turning crimson, blood beads seeping out, his aura surging once more.

“Kill!”

Fang Xing's eyes filled with intense light, and he no longer held back, his Vajra Prajna strength erupting again.

This time, he wielded it at a proficient level, amplifying it twice over!

With a thunderous roar, a figure was sent flying, blood spraying through the air—it was Fang Xing!

He staggered back several meters, looking at the white-robed figure.

On the white robe's chest, there was a glaring claw mark!

Resembling a tiger claw, it seemed to have dented his chest inward.

It was the nascent form of the Subduing Tiger Domain!

Fang Xing had trained diligently for so long, even without resources, just by practicing daily, he could slowly increase his proficiency, albeit at a slower pace.

But before the final exams, he intended to master the Vajra Prajna strength and increase the Subduing Tiger Pile proficiency to 200; this was hardly a problem.

“Indeed, I prefer overpowering through pure prowess.”

The white-robed figure, at most, was at the peak of bravery.

Bound by rules, he couldn't possess domain-like powers.

But he had already begun exploring the Dragon Domain and Subduing Tiger Domain.

Now, both domains had formed a nascent stage, enabling him to unleash part of their power.

Roar, roar!

Around him, a dragon shape faintly rose, revealing a scale and claw.

Whoosh!

The fierce wind roared, carrying a shockingly powerful aura.

"Clouds follow the dragon, and wind follows the tiger!"

With a thought, Fang Xing conjured a phantom dragon and tiger to attack the white-robed opponent...

【Fourth stage passed, 200 bonus points...】

"One thousand points in martial arts, did I score full marks?"

Fang Xing murmured softly.

Suddenly, a new prompt appeared:

【Fifth stage assessment begins, candidates please persevere...】

"The fifth stage, does that mean... completing the external realm? Mastering the domain?"

Fang Xing was startled and found himself standing on the deck of a battleship, with the starry universe overhead.

Across from him was a bald martial artist, wielding a pitch-black battle blade.

With a single slash, pale white lightning appeared, forming a thunder prison!

This was no mere spirit or illusion. It was real lightning!

The kind that could kill!

Under this thunderous pressure, any martial arts realm, any nascent domain, any exquisite technique... all shattered like soap bubbles...

Trapped within the endless thunder prison, Fang Xing's master-level Dragon-Elephant Skill only allowed him to endure a few more breaths than an ordinary person.

The golden threads of his jade garment melted under the lightning, followed by his skin, muscles, and bones...

【Fifth stage assessment failed, gained 44 bonus points, this assessment is over!】

"So it's true, even lasting a few breaths earns points... But is that what an external realm master martial artist is like?"

Fang Xing took a deep breath, "How come it feels so much stronger than Xia Long? Is Xia Long always hiding his strength, or is he injured?"

"It's over."

He opened his eyes, seeing the simulation pod open, he stepped out.

"Everyone's waiting for you, how far did you get?"

Xia Long's eyes lit up upon seeing Fang Xing emerge, immediately approaching with a question.

"Fifth stage, I should have around 1044 points, right?

By the way, isn't the martial arts exam capped at 1000 points? Can you exceed that?"

Fang Xing asked, somewhat curious, “How many? 1044 points?”

Xia Long’s breathing grew heavy, then he broke into a wide grin and laughed uproariously, “Hahaha… I always knew you were extraordinary, but I didn’t expect you’d score so high… Now there’s real hope for a top-tier university, and my path in martial arts has hope once again.”

“What?”

With a flash of golden light, Lu Guangming appeared beside Xia Long, looking towards Fang Xing, “You actually made it to the fifth stage?”

He knew well the difficulty of each checkpoint guardian, each representing the pinnacle of current mastery.

The fifth stage was beyond what Fang Xing was expected to conquer. Even Xia Long, if he went, might endure merely three strikes before succumbing…

“Congratulations, Mr. Fang Xing.”

After understanding the situation, Lu Guangming’s gaze towards Fang Xing was filled with complex emotions, “Even if the admission standards of a top-tier university are so high… They won’t refuse a student who can crush through the first four stages while still in the Gallant Spirit Realm… My young friend, heading to Blue Star, may your future be bright with success!”

‘This Principal sure knows how to talk…’

‘But maybe he’s laying it on a bit thick? I’ve still got a few cards up my sleeve…’

As Fang Xing dealt with teachers and classmates, he checked his status panel:

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 18】

【Profession: Martial Artist】

【Fourth Realm: Gallant Spirit】

【Military Boxing: Twelve Forms: 56/400】

【Great Dragon Stance: 311/400】

【Subduing Tiger Stance: 201/400】

【Ghostly Blade: 3/400】

【Extreme Passion Sword: 6/400】

【Dragon Elephant Power: 133/400】

【Great Diamond Prajna Strength: 1/100】

【Great Sun Tathagata Mantra: 13/200】

【Mother of Radiant Virtue Twin Guardian Sutra: 1/100】

【Gate of the Heavens】

……

“Two years have passed since I first crossed over. Have I really come this far?”

“The unified exams are over, marking the end of my youth...”

“No, my life is still long. I will forever remain young!”

]

(End of Chapter)