The Moon God Realm's First Layer.
Each challenger faced unique trials—herb gathering, monster slaying, even defeating a fifth-tier warrior. But the core remained: observation, reaction, intellect, and above all—strength. Most fifth or sixth-tier warriors could clear it.
Onscreen, Pang Fei—seventh among Starcrest Academy's Elite Ten—battled twenty-three Corrupted Hounds. These third-tier beasts possessed tiger-like physiques and pack tactics deadlier than any solitary predator.
"Only the Alpha remains threatening," Wanjun noted excitedly. "A fourth-tier beast commanding the pack—that's Pang Fei's real test!"
Xiaoxue nodded. "His skills are flawless—Cloud-Pushing Palm, Wind-Shattering Finger, Skyrend Strikes, and Mirage Steps. He could duel fifth-tiers! No wonder he dared broadcast this."
"'Average' clearance rating at least," Zuo Zhenzhen commented coolly. "Only Jing Huaiyun earned 'Excellent' in our academy."
Wanjun's eyes sparkled. "Jing Huaiyun! My second idol after Ning Fangyuan!"
A rare shadow crossed Zuo's face. "Nineteen-year-old seventh-tier. Three-Star clearance. A future Transcendent." She shook her head. "Focus on Pang Fei. He'll break through to fifth-tier after this."
Xiaoxue sighed. "If only I mastered more than Cloud-Pushing Palm..."
Zuo eyed her. This girl showed promise. "Cloud-Pushing Palm evolved from an ancient martial art—Taiji Push. The key lies in redirecting force. As for Skyrend Strikes..." She gestured to the screen. "Watch Pang Fei's knuckle alignment. Each strike concentrates power to erupt on impact—hence 'Skyrend.' Master the ninth strike, and you could shatter cliffs."
Xiaoxue and Wanjun leaned forward, absorbing every detail.
Then Zuo's lecture halted mid-sentence.
Her gaze had landed on Yun Xi's furrowed brow.
"You disagree?"
Xiaoxue stiffened. "He's just—"
Yun Xi spoke calmly. "Skyrend Strikes aren't about singular explosions. It's a nine-move chain—each strike building momentum to overwhelm stronger foes through relentless pressure. Your method works for single strikes but breaks the flow."
The room froze.
Xiaoxue's face paled. "Shut up! You're third-tier! You've never even learned this technique!"
Wanjun, however, tilted her head. "Actually... that makes sense..."
"Where did you learn this?" Zuo's voice dripped ice.
Yun Xi met her stare. "A book."
"Which book?" Wanjun pressed.
"*Intermediate Combat Techniques & Moral Discipline*."
Xiaoxue groaned. "That's just a textbook!"
Zuo's lips thinned. "Enough." She turned back to the screen, effectively dismissing them.
Xiaoxue's projection vanished as she yanked off her neural link in the cafeteria. "You *ruined* it! Zuo might've taught us breakthrough secrets!"
Yun Xi remained steady. "Her approach was flawed."
"Flawed? She's fifth-tier! You're—"
"Enough." Xiaoxue jammed the receiver back on. "Not another word. Just *watch*."
Her consciousness flickered back to the Moon God Realm, praying Pang Fei's performance would reignite Zuo's commentary.
When Xiaoxue's consciousness re-entered the Moon God Realm, her first glance fell upon Yun Xi's now-empty seat.
"Where's Dongfang?"
"He left suddenly," Wanjun whispered. "With Senior Zuo here, I couldn't stop him..."
Xiaoxue's jaw tightened. "Typical! Just when I thought he'd changed!"
Her anger blinded her to the anomaly—how Yun Xi's consciousness had remained in both realms simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi strode toward the central Moonlight Spire, its pale radiance dwarfing even the plaza's beacon. Crowds milled about its base, their eyes fixed on a floating screen that updated clearance records. Most celebrated one- or two-star triumphs; three-stars were rare, four-stars rarer still.
Beneath the display, hopefuls entered the spire in clusters. Few emerged victorious.
Yun Xi stepped into the light.
"Designation: 123. Tier-0 clearance confirmed. Proceed with Tier-1 trial? Warning: Recommended for fourth-tier warriors."
His gaze sharpened. The unremarkable youth vanished, replaced by a blade unsheathed.
"Proceed."
"Trial randomized: Survive three minutes against a sixth-tier warrior. Commencing transfer."
The world dissolved into a gladiatorial arena. Across from Yun Xi materialized a hulking man in battle-scarred plate armor.
"A third-tier brat?" The warrior snorted, hefting a fifty-pound greatsword. "I'll make this quick—ten seconds flat!"
Yun Xi bowed slightly. "Has the trial begun?"
"Begun? Kid, it started when you spawned!" The man lunged, steel shrieking through air. "Remember—Wang Sheng of Motian City sent you—"
CRACK!
The sword split stone where Yun Xi had stood.
Wang Sheng blinked. "You dodged—?"
A hand-chop blurred toward his throat.
CLANG!
The greatsword barely intercepted the strike, the impact hurling Wang Sheng back three paces.
"What kind of third-tier—? Skyrend Strikes?!"
Before he could steady himself, Yun Xi's knuckles hammered his ribs—Wood-Splintering Blow!
BOOM!
Wang Sheng staggered.
Yun Xi pursued like shadow. Rock-Cleaving. Mountain-Sundering. River-Parting. Three strikes chained seamlessly, their accumulated force launching the warrior airborne.
Mid-flight, Yun Xi struck again.
City-Toppling. Star-Breaking. Moon-Rending. Sun-Eclipsing.
Nine strikes. One breath.
Wang Sheng's eyes bulged as blood fountained from his lips. "Impossib—"
The arena flashed blue.
Annihilation.
A sixth-tier warrior—vanquished.
Flawless victory.
"Skyrend Strikes—nine linked blows executed flawlessly can indeed overwhelm stronger opponents."
Yun Xi examined his hands, the theory now proven in combat.
Beep! Tier-1 clearance trial completed. Time: 16 seconds. Result: Sixth-tier warrior eliminated. Evaluation calculating...
The announcements cascaded:
Beep! Final score: 398. Rating: Grandmaster.
Beep! Grandmaster rating bonus: Base 10 points + 50 (5x multiplier). Reward: Sprig of Ten Thousand Spirits Sapling.
Beep! New annual record for Starcrest (previous: 143, Excellent). Bonus: +10 points.
Beep! New all-time record for Starcrest (previous: 371, Grandmaster). Bonus: +100 points. Total: 170 points.
Beep! Tier-1 clearance granted. Private cultivation space unlocked. Current rank: Below top 1 million (global), below top 100k (Earth), below top 10k (Starcrest). 30 points needed for Tier-2 trial eligibility.
The flood of information outlined the privileges of his new status.
"200 points for Tier-2... Need to learn point acquisition methods. But first—the cultivation space."
As the arena dissolved, the prompt returned:
Trial concluded. Select destination or exit.
Yun Xi chose his private space.
Beep! Entry cost: 1 point/day. Proceed?
"Confirm."
Beep! Naming your cultivation space.
"Cloud Soaring Abode."
Beep! Designation registered: Starcrest-Tier1-001203751. Entering...
The world reshaped into a twenty-meter courtyard enclosed by mist-shrouded walls. A lone wooden hut stood beside the reward sapling—the Ten Thousand Spirits Sapling, which amplified energy absorption by 50%, rivaling Tier-2 spaces.
"So this is my domain."
Drawing breath, Yun Xi felt pure energy flood his meridians. Simultaneously, his physical body in the cafeteria began resonating—the Moon God Realm's true power revealed itself, filtering nourishing qi from the corrupt Moonfall energy.
As his projection meditated, his real veins thrummed with newfound power. Qi circulated freely—a hallmark of fourth-tier mastery achieved in minutes.
At this rate, fifth-tier would come within a year.
"If Tier-1 offers such gains... What of higher tiers? Sixteen-star clearance must be..."
For the first time, Yun Xi glimpsed the infinite possibilities of humanity's greatest creation.
Motian City—a Tier-3 metropolis like Starcrest, governing six satellite towns with a population nearing ten million.
In a Moon God Realm training ground within its sector, Wang Sheng—the sixth-tier warrior Yun Xi had obliterated—swung his greatsword relentlessly against a holographic instructor. Virtual sweat dripped unnoticed as each strike replayed the humiliation.
"Impossible! How can Skyrend Strikes—a *mid-tier* technique—pack such force?"
His mind reenacted Yun Xi's flawless assault—every feint, every pivot, every strike chaining into an inescapable storm. The memory alone triggered phantom blows; no matter how he dodged, the ninth strike always found its mark.
"HEAVY SWORD STRIKE—BREAK!"
*CRASH!*
The illusion shattered. Reality reasserted as the instructor's counterblow sent Wang Sheng sprawling.
*"Failure."*
The hologram vanished.
Panting, Wang Sheng analyzed his defeat. Why had he been cornered? Why had desperation been his only recourse?
Clarity struck.
"Again! Seventh-tier instructor! Skyrend Strikes—Grandmaster level!"
*"Cost: 20 points. Confirm?"*
"Yes!"
"Wang! What madness is this?"
A armored man stormed in—the Blazing Sword Saint, leader of the Ember Hunters.
"Boss! I—"
"461 points to 41 in *one afternoon*? Seventh-tier *Grandmaster* sparring? Are you *trying* to bankrupt us?"
Wang Sheng wiped his brow. "Worth every point. Boss, I... I got one-shot by a *third-tier kid*."
Silence.
Then—
*SPLUT!*
A bald warrior spat his drink. "You—*what*?"
Laughter erupted.
"Old Wang admitting defeat to a brat?"
"At least he's honest!"
The Blazing Sword Saint raised a hand. "Explain."
"That kid's Skyrend Strikes were... *perfect*." Wang Sheng's eyes burned. "If I can withstand them, my Heavy Sword Art will break through. Maybe even reach high-tier!"
The room stilled.
High-tier—the realm of seventh-tier and beyond.
The boss whistled. "461 points for high-tier? Bargain."
The bald warrior scoffed. "Some kid's technique scares you? I'd crush him!"
Wang Sheng smirked. "Try. But remember—lose, and 10% of your 485 points go to him. That's *months* of savings."
"...Uh."
The bald man's bravado faltered. If *Wang* fell instantly...
Chuckling, the Blazing Sword Saint cracked his knuckles.
"Sounds fun. I'll challenge him myself."
Gasps filled the room.
"Boss—*you*?"
"The Blazing Sword Saint versus a *third-tier*?"
Wang Sheng grinned.
"Let's see how *perfect* his strikes really are."
"Pang Fei scored 97! Just three points shy of 'Excellent'!"
"Mhm."
"Tch. With 'Excellent,' he'd have doubled his points. Maybe even gotten rare rewards!"
"Yeah..."
"But fourth-tiers rarely hit that mark. Except freaks like Jing Huaiyun."
"True."
On their way home, Zhao Wanjun chattered while Dongfang Xiaoxue gave distracted nods. Behind them, Yun Xi trailed in silence—banished after the noon's debacle.
The school gates spilled students into streets where private cars—luxuries in this resource-starved era—drew gasps.
"Xiaoxue! Look—Wang Nana's family got a car now?"
"...Huh?"
"And over there—"
"Where?"
"There's nothing there!"
Wanjun huffed. Xiaoxue blinked.
"Sorry... I was..."
"Thinking about him." Wanjun jerked her chin toward Yun Xi.
A sigh escaped Xiaoxue's lips. "I tried, Wanjun. Zuo Zhenzhen's a fifth-tier elite! One battle record away from catching a Transcendent's eye! I begged her to let him observe... And he—!" Her voice cracked.
Wanjun squeezed her hand. "He's just immature..."
"For how long?" Xiaoxue whispered. "Those first few days... I cried at night. Happy tears! I thought Father's spirit had guided him. But today..."
"Maybe... he wasn't entirely wrong about Skyrend Strikes?"
Xiaoxue stiffened. "You believe a third-tier who read textbooks over a fifth-tier elite?"
"...Uh."
Wanjun floundered for a distraction. Her eyes lit on a boutique window.
"Moon Princess dresses! The new collection! That lavender one's gorgeous—"
Xiaoxue's gaze lingered—then wrenched away. "1,900 credits? We'll lose housing rights if we don't earn family glory or city taxes by adulthood."
"I'd never ask him for money!" Wanjun sniffed. "Anyway! I've been practicing cooking! Tonight, I'll cook for you!"
Xiaoxue paled. "You? Cook?"
"Braised pork! Spicy tomatoes! You'll— Hey! Why are you heading to the instant noodles?"
"...Snacks."
Behind them, Yun Xi's steps veered toward the supermarket's pre-cooked section.
Meanwhile, unseen by them, storm clouds gathered.
Yun Xi's "Grandmaster" clearance evaluation had begun rippling through Starcrest's martial circles. By dusk, every low- and mid-tier cultivator would hear of it.