Starry Sky Professional

Especially Blue Star University!

As a top-tier university, any cultists of evil deities attempting to cause trouble are essentially offering themselves on a silver platter!

Therefore, once Fang Xing settled his mind to peacefully attend classes and practice martial arts, he felt time flew by in calm tranquility.

His daily schedule was almost completely packed: starting with classes, then immersing himself in the immersive virtual pod, sometimes for learning, other times for gaming.

When the weekend came, he would go out with friends to drink and feast.

Ah, that kid Song Jingang came from a well-off family and always insisted on paying the bill, so Fang Xing didn’t mind including him more often.

Until today.

In the practice room.

"Practice to shape the body like a dragon, with the strength of a tiger..."

Fang Xing muttered softly and opened his eyes.

At that moment, one of his eyes seemed to reflect the shadow of a dragon, while the other housed the spirit of a fierce tiger. Roaring!

His body was astonishingly strong, his blood as vital as a dragon's, his breath like a tiger's.

In the small, quiet room, it seemed as if a dragon coiled and a tiger crouched.

A mere dragon and a tiger's illusions leaped from Fang Xing’s eyes, forming a Taiji diagram of yin and yang, positioning him in the center as if he were the dividing line of Taiji.

"The Dragon-Tiger Intent has finally been achieved."

A long sigh escaped from Fang Xing's lips.

"During this time, my focus has been on enhancing the Subduing Tiger Stance, but the Great Dragon Stance has also made steady progress..."

"Finally, just now, both broke through the fifth stage into the ‘Master’ level."

"Is the mastery level indicated on the attribute panel the precursor to becoming a grandmaster after all?"

Achieving the title of grandmaster places Fang Xing nearly at the level of those who pioneer martial arts.

This allowed Fang Xing to see the larger picture effortlessly. By using himself as a blueprint, he merged the two major stances, crafting the most suitable stance for himself — the Dragon-Tiger Stance!

Thanks to this, he smoothly integrated the Dragon’s Intent with the Subduing Tiger's Intent, achieving the ‘Dragon-Tiger Intent’!

No, by now, it has actually become the ‘Dragon-Tiger Domain’!

"Teacher Pan Xiong was right; leveraging the insight gained during a breakthrough to directly merge the dragon and the tiger saved an unimaginable amount of effort later on."

Fang Xing chuckled proudly, then with a mere thought, initiated his next move.

In the corner, a water cup floated through the air and landed in front of him.

This scene was quite astonishing!

Even in his past, at the very least, he would have had to release a thread of energy, making his innate true energy as fine as fishing line, to ‘reel’ in the water cup.

But now, with his whole body’s energy still, he accomplished it simply with a turn of his mind through the power of his domain!

This is the influence of spirit on matter!

“With the Dragon-Tiger Domain complete, plus my already perfected Niwan Palace, breaking through to the Outbound Scene is indeed straightforward...”

Of course, some breakthrough details and insights came from the Great Library and Pan Xiong's contributions.

“Xia Long’s external scene is the Thunder Purgatory... Clearly, his intent leans towards the path of thunder.”

“My scene, rooted in the dragon and tiger... Dragon and tiger, representing yin and yang!”

As Fang Xing's mind stirred, a dragon and a tiger leapt forth from the void!

The dragon was completely black as ink, each scale seemed to gleam coldly, with two horns on its head and four claws on its belly.

The tiger was a black-striped white tiger, lazily poised, with the character for ‘king’ boldly marked on its forehead.

These two creatures seemed to shed their shadowy bodies and transform into solid entities.

Roar!

Amidst dragon roars and tiger growls, the black dragon and white tiger shattered in an instant, transforming into a black and white Taiji diagram, continually spinning...

“The domain is just beginning to form; it is already quite impressive.”

Fang Xing sighed, looking at his attribute panel:

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 19】

【Profession: Martial Artist】

【Fifth Stage: Outbound Scene】

【Dragon-Tiger Stance: 1/800】

【Military Combat Style: 245/400】

【Ghost God Blade: 225/400】

【Extreme Emotion Sword: 235/400】

【Dragon Elephant Technique: 312/400】

【Adamantine Pranasha Devata: 5/200】

【Great Sun Tathagata Mantra: 20/200】

【Glorious Twin Lotus Holy Protection: 1/200】

【Dance of Air Steps: 9/200】

【Gate of the Celestial Heavens】

...

“The mastery level requires eight hundred, huh?”

“Once mastery is complete, should it be the pinnacle of the domain... I wonder if there are higher levels beyond that?”

Thanks to the insights gained from the Universal Spirit Record, my other martial arts also showed considerable progress.

Of course, the ‘Great Sun Tathagata Mantra’ is still suppressed, yet the ‘Glorious Twin Lotus Holy Protection’ continues to rise in proficiency due to my cultivation decoy constantly being active.

However, after reaching proficiency, it has come to a halt.

Because this secret technique is limited by the rank of the ‘Great Sun Tathagata Mantra’.

It won’t advance until the ‘Great Sun Tathagata Mantra’ breaks through first.

“Even though they are both S-rank techniques, the Dance of Air Steps is much easier to hone than Adamantine Pranasha Devata...”

“At its current level of proficiency, combined with the power of the domain, it allows me to achieve flight similar to a martial adept’s spiritual body flight... Ah, I might as well sell my skateboard on the second-hand market, what a waste…”

Fang Xing got up and clenched his fist.

Feeling the strength throughout his body that far exceeded yesterday’s, he couldn’t help but get excited: “With the current state of my outer realm combined with proficient Adamantine Pranasha Devata, a quadruple burst... I should give the duelling platform a try.”

He walked out of the training room and leaped from the balcony.

Splash!

The swimming pool below was immediately churned with water...

...

After a thorough bath and a hearty meal, Fang Xing finally felt satisfied and lay down in the full-immersion virtual cabin.

“Master... It’s been so long since you visited Little Blue.”

Little Blue fluttered over to Fang Xing, its tone somewhat resentful.

“Didn’t we just play games yesterday? You need to pace yourself...”

Fang Xing flicked his fingers, making Little Blue clutch its head, yet it didn’t fly away but circled around him instead: “Master, master, are we going to play games or go on an adventure today?”

“Not today, I'm going to the dueling platform.”

Walking through the Blue Star Community, many students nodded at Fang Xing as they passed. After all, he had earned the martial arts top seat through genuine skill when he entered the academy.

Especially after Gu Jiantong showcased his formidable strength at the dueling platform recently.

Yet, for some reason, Fang Xing had never stepped onto the dueling platform even once, keeping a very low profile.

Fang Xing arrived at the dueling platform, a building designed with a style reminiscent of a Roman Colosseum. As he entered, the first thing that caught his eyes was the leaderboard:

【First on the Dueling List: Dark Star, Nine Swords Academy】

…

“There's no change in second or third place. Are we at Blue Star University destined to be perpetual third-place finishers?”

Fang Xing chuckled, yet he understood the situation.

Even with his talent, many professors believed he wouldn't be able to break through the "Golden Core" stage during his university years.

Therefore, external martial artists were already considered the cream of the crop within top-tier universities.

The three who stand at the pinnacle of all external martial artists were not easily overthrown.

“Master, I've compiled the latest rules for the dueling platform, including updates to future versions. Would you like me to read them to you?”

Little Blue appeared very excited, looking around eagerly:

“The dueling platform rules are simple. Once you enter the arena, victory is determined by life and death...”

“Both alchemists and mecha masters can participate, but the potions and mechas used must have been independently completed in the virtual space...”

“The top ten positions receive credit rewards each month. Consequently, on the last day of the month, it's required to complete ten challenges, or else it will be deemed a forfeit...”

“Month-end challengers need to have a ranking within the top 100!”

“Currently, the lowest ranking is number 53,914!”

…

After quickly reading through the rules, Fang Xing found the number of participants surprisingly large.

“The three top-tier academies recruit only about three thousand students a year... With a ten-year academic system, that's only thirty thousand in total...”

“But beyond Blue Star, there are other institutions, such as the Blue Star Public Security University, which, given its proximity, surely wouldn’t miss out... Song Jingang boasted about making it into the top ten thousand...”

“Moreover, I wonder how many first-rate universities are now connected to the virtual network?”

“Over fifty thousand opponents... that’s quite something.”

Fang Xing nodded slightly. "Little Blue, help me sign up!"

"Of course, Master. The matchmaking has begun."

Little Blue flashed a playful smile. "Match found... May your inaugural battle be victorious!"

Fang Xing felt the environment around him shift suddenly.

When he came to his senses, he was standing on a stretch of yellow earth.

Not far away, there stood a young student clad in a black trench coat, with a nine-sword emblem on his back.

"Senior from the Nine Swords Academy, Cen Weizhi, at your service!"

Cen Weizhi removed the glove from his right hand, revealing an eerie melding of black and red skin, with scattered scales glinting under the light.

He was, too, a prodigy, passionate about swordplay from a young age. Having later gained entry to the Nine Swords Academy, he rigorously trained for nearly a year. With the aid of various resources and treasures, he finally advanced to become a Ghost Sword Hand!

This is the preliminary path to becoming a Sword Saint, requiring the sealing of dark godly powers within a part of the body.

After becoming a Ghost Sword Hand, one must undertake the trials of the nine sword paths—spanning fire, earth, wind, water, and more—ultimately becoming a Sword Saint, and even unleashing the Star Annihilation Sword!

This power was said to be capable of destroying a planet with a single sword stroke!

"Today is when I make my mark! Witness my 'Ghost Sword Point'!"

A fierce sword aura emerged from each of his five fingers on his right hand, combining the power of five sword auras into one palm strike—a brilliant tactility in mastering both sword and palm.

"Impressive technique, but unfortunately, the person lacks."

Fang Xing lightly flicked his right hand, and Cen Weizhi saw his entire right arm soar into the air.

Then... a shadowy fist engulfed him, smashing his face so deeply it sank into his head.

【Ding, you've won one battle, current ranking: 36,872!】

"Oh? So, this ranking system can estimate strength levels?"

Fang Xing was a bit taken aback, then said, "Continue!"

Once more, he stood at the foot of a volcano, the air thick with ash and the ground laced with streams of flowing magma.

Across from him stood a man in a black robe with blood-red long hair.

"Li Wei?!"

Fang Xing's eyes lit up. "Finally caught you!"

"Is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?"

Li Wei was utterly baffled. Their first encounter was during the Hundred Stars Exam, and he was certain he had never crossed paths with Fang Xing before!

Could Fang Xing really hold a grudge over such a trivial matter? Just because Li Wei had taken second place, was that enough for him to harbor this resentment for such a long time?

(End of Chapter)