Chapter 168: A Gathering of Geniuses

Chapter 168: A Gathering of Geniuses



"A life-saving item?" Li Yuan looked at the box in Dean Li Yang's hand.

At first glance, it appeared no different from an ordinary wooden box.

Clang! Li Yang opened the wooden box.

Instantly, a peculiar fragrance wafted out, and a crystal-clear purple pill appeared before Li Yuan.

It was tiny, no bigger than a little finger, but the unique fragrance alone made one involuntarily yearn to swallow it.

"Teacher, what is this?" Li Yuan couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"Its original name is the 'Source Violet Life-Saving Pill', implying that having it is like gaining an extra life." Li Yang gazed at the pill in the box, a hint of emotion in his voice: "However, we Source Warriors often call it the 'Life-Saving Pill'."

"Its effect is straightforward."

"Once you suffer a severe injury, even if your internal organs are shattered, as long as you take it within a very short time, you can quickly recover." Li Yang spoke softly: "Of course, the head is a fatal weak point and must not be injured."

"Except for the head, everything can be healed, including the heart."

"Even injuries to the heart can be healed?" Li Yuan was startled as he looked at the purple pill.

What kind of medicine was this?

"It has three drawbacks." Li Yang explained: "First, its medicinal power is limited, and it's not very effective for Flying Sky Warriors, only working for those below their rank."

Li Yuan listened attentively.

This wasn't surprising; if it had such an effect on Flying Sky Warriors, it would truly be a divine elixir.

"Second, it's scarce, and many Source Warriors may not have even heard of it." Li Yang looked at Li Yuan: "I'm not entirely sure about its production method, but it's not for sale. You'll have a hard time finding it through regular purchase channels."

Li Yuan nodded in agreement; indeed, his access in the Starfire Martial Palace was quite good.

Yet, he had never heard of it.

"Third, its function is to heal injuries, but it cannot detoxify." Li Yang spoke solemnly: "So, when facing aliens with potent toxins, one must be cautious."

"The Star Realm is vast, and various poisons are common. One can easily fall victim to them."

"I understand." Li Yuan nodded, thinking of poisons.

Teacher Xu Bo had died from a poison in the Star Realm.

Uncle Li Changzhou had almost died from a Star Realm poison... In reality, every year, countless ordinary people and warriors from human civilizations perish in the Star Realm due to poisoning.

There was no other way; with numerous Star Realms and interactions with various alien civilizations, countless toxins were hard to guard against.

"Put it away." Li Yang instructed: "Remember, its fragrance is unique, and Source Warriors can easily detect it with their keen senses. So, it's best to keep it inside the Source Power Combat Armor to completely isolate it."

"When you need to use it, just think of it, and it will come out of the armor." Li Yang explained the usage method to Li Yuan.

"Yes." Li Yuan nodded and reached out to take the Source Violet Life-Saving Pill from the box.

Buzz!

A black light seeped from Li Yuan's palm, enveloping the pill as if it were a liquid, and it vanished without a trace.

The fragrance in the surrounding air also dissipated quickly.

"Good." Li Yang nodded: "That's the first thing. The second is about your skill, which has reached the Fourth Rank Advanced level."

"You too."

"You didn't inform me, your teacher, right away when your skill reached the Fourth Rank Advanced level, and now it's the same." Li Yang seemed a bit helpless: "Do you think so little of me as your teacher? I always find out from others."

"Teacher, it's my fault." Li Yuan apologized.

But Li Yuan also felt helpless; he had just broken through each time.

"Your breakthrough speed not only exceeded my expectations but also, I fear, everyone's predictions." Li Yang smiled again: "The speed from Fourth to Fifth Rank is incredibly fast. You're slightly faster than Fang Hai was back then."

"Faster?" Li Yuan was taken aback.

The time he took to advance from Fourth to Fifth Rank was less than half of Fang Hai's.

"Do you think I'm wrong?" Li Yang smiled: "Yes, in terms of time, you're much faster, but you must understand that your physical qualities have surpassed level 15, and your spirit power has long been comparable to that of a Source Warrior."

"Fang Hai was only 16 when he broke through to the Fifth Rank, and his physical qualities were only at level 8." Li Yang sighed: "He wasn't a spirit power prodigy."

"Level 8?" Li Yuan understood Li Yang's meaning.

Comprehension, spirit power, and temperament were interconnected.

Temperament was the most challenging to fathom, so they set it aside for now.

Comprehension was the most profound, related to one's soul essence and various postnatal experiences.

But spirit power could be quantified.

As spirit power increased, one's thinking speed, calculation ability, perception, and other capabilities would also improve.

In simple terms, in the cultivation of martial arts, spirit power acts as an 'amplifier' for one's innate talent and is the foundation.

If a person has only a physical proficiency and spirit power of level 5, no matter how high their innate talent is, their skills cannot reach the Fifth Rank.

It's like a great chef; no matter how skilled they are, without ingredients, they can't prepare a grand meal.

However, similarly, even if a person has very low innate talent, if their spirit power can reach level 29, slowly cultivating, reaching the Fourth Rank in skills won't be too difficult.

When Fang Hai had a physical proficiency of level 8, his spirit power was definitely average, but his skills could reach the Fifth Rank.

His high innate talent is evident from this.

That's why he caused such a stir back then.

"Of course, your spirit power is also part of your talent," Lihang smiled. "Overall, you are already very close to Fang Hai from back then."

"The Xia Nation has already listed you as a genius on the same level as Yu Jinghe."

"Below the Sky Soarer rank, you two are the most valued by the Xia Nation's upper echelons." Lihang sighed.

Li Yuan nodded slightly; this was already a very high level of recognition.

"Yu Jinghe already has the strength of a Sky Soarer, enough to protect himself, and no one would dare to target him," Lihang said. "But you, although your strength is close to that of an Essence Warrior, it's still far from enough... You need to understand that there are also alien spies within our human civilization."

"Alien spies?" Li Yuan felt a chill.

He had heard his teacher mention this in a general knowledge class at school, but he had never encountered one.

"These alien spies come in two types. One type is aliens who infiltrate us, as some alien civilizations have appearances very similar to ours, or are even human," Lihang said. "The other type is human traitors bought by aliens... Due to the comprehensive monitoring of the virtual network, they rarely expose themselves, mostly just collecting information."

"Some alien spies, who haven't yet declared war on us, won't target you."

"But a few aliens, who wish to destroy us, would not hesitate to assassinate you if their higher-ups learn of your talent. For example, the 'alien civilization' behind the Luobu Sea Star Realm, if their higher-ups know of your talent, they would likely spare no expense to assassinate you." Lihang said solemnly. "Before, your value was equivalent to that of a top-tier Essence Warrior."

"So, even if they knew of your existence, they wouldn't easily target you. The Starfire Nanhu Neighborhood where you live is relatively safe."

"But now, your status is barely comparable to a Sky Soarer." Lihang sighed.

Sky Soarer? Li Yuan was surprised.

This evaluation was already astonishingly high.

Geniuses are just geniuses, but Sky Soarers are true powerhouses.

It seems that his skill breaking through to the Fifth Rank has indeed caused a stir among the upper echelons of the Xia Nation and the Starfire Martial Pavilion.

"Right now, those who know about your skill breaking through to the Fifth Rank are only me, Dean Xu, Dean Hai, and the principal within the school," Lihang said. "And a few high-ranking officials in the Starfire Martial Pavilion and the Starry Sky Martial Hall, but your information is sealed."

"Um, Dantu Feng might be informed, as a way to motivate him," Lihang said. "After all, he is also highly valued by the Xia Nation's upper echelons."

"But people like Fei Gan and other teachers in the school don't know, so don't reveal it for now."

"Understood." Li Yuan nodded.

All of this was likely to prevent an attack by alien spies.

"Teacher, how long do I need to keep it a secret?" Li Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"Not too long, until the end of February," Lihang smiled. "By then, even if it's exposed during the Global University Martial Arts Competition, it won't matter."

"At that time, you will be safe staying within the school."

"Moreover, at your cultivation speed, you will soon become an Essence Warrior." Lihang said. "Once you become an Essence Warrior, combined with your skills, your strength will greatly increase, making it difficult for aliens to assassinate you."

"After all, they can't really mobilize a Sky Soarer to assassinate you; the cost is too high."

"Ultimately, the Azure Star is within the domain of our human civilization. For aliens to infiltrate a Sky Soarer is extremely difficult, and they won't expose themselves unless absolutely necessary." Lihang said confidently.

Li Yuan listened silently.

From what his teacher said, there were even Sky Soarer-level spies hidden within the human civilization?

The thought was chilling.

"Given your skill level, if you have a bit of luck, you might make it into the top ten in the Global University Martial Arts Competition in February," Lihang smiled.

"Only with luck can I make it into the top ten?" Li Yuan listened to his teacher.

"What? Not convinced?"

Lihang couldn't help but laugh. "If it were just a competition among freshmen worldwide, you would undoubtedly be the undisputed first, even Dantu Feng is no longer your match."

"But in the virtual battle of the Global University Martial Arts Competition, all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are eligible to participate."

”

“The students from the world’s three top martial arts schools indeed have few who can match your talent.”

“But those upperclassmen in their second or third year, after a few more years of cultivation, many have already become Essence Warriors... Their rapid improvement in foundation greatly increases the probability of their skills reaching the Fifth Rank.”

“At least, as far as I know, among the third-year students of the three top martial arts schools, there are Martial Dao geniuses with Fifth Rank skills, and not just one or two.” Lihang solemnly said, “Their second-year students might also have Fifth Rank skills.”

“Combined, there are over a dozen of them.”

“Besides the three top martial arts schools, the local martial arts universities, though their students generally have lower talent, make up for it with sheer numbers, occasionally producing world-class geniuses.” Lihang said, “Even at our Kunlun Martial University, there’s another Fifth Rank genius besides you.”

“Jin Senior Brother?” Li Yuan realized.

“Yes, he broke through after the Freshman Battle among the ten schools.” Lihang nodded, “It took him more than two years to advance from Fourth Rank to Fifth Rank.”

“So.”

“In the global university martial arts competition’s virtual battles, the number of students with Fifth Rank skills usually totals around twenty, varying from year to year.”

Li Yuan pondered this.

Like Guan Ying, Yu Ming, and Garava from his year, they might also reach Fifth Rank skills by their third year.

Dantu Feng? There’s a high probability he’ll break through in the next one or two years.

Time indeed has a miraculous power.

“This competition should be divided by age,” Li Yuan couldn’t help but sigh, “Otherwise, it’s too unfair for freshmen.”

“Have you ever thought that it might be deliberately arranged this way?” Lihang laughed, “The intention is to make each year’s so-called top geniuses endure some hardship and temper their character.”

“Secondly, it’s because the rewards of the global university martial arts competition are extremely good... There are only so many spots, so they are combined into one event.” Lihang explained.

Li Yuan was enlightened, so that’s how it is.

“Regardless of others, if Dantu Feng can break through, he still has some hope,” Lihang said, “What’s important is for you to focus on yourself.”

“My expectations for you are to make it into the top ten in the virtual battles.”

“You have two months, which is enough time for your strength to improve significantly.” Lihang smiled, “If you can make it into the top ten, the rewards will exceed your imagination.”

“Understood.” Li Yuan nodded.

Top ten?

His main opponents will be the Martial Dao geniuses with Fifth Rank skills from various universities around the world.

“Lastly, about the Mingxu Star Realm.”

“The day after tomorrow, you will set out,” Lihang said, “The school has arranged everything, and you will enter through the Third Entry Point.”

“The time for life-and-death exploration is one month.”

“One month later, return to the school as soon as possible.” Lihang instructed, “During your exploration, the school has forged a new identity for you. You just need to slightly disguise your appearance... So, if necessary, you can unleash your Fifth Rank skills without issue.”

“Understood.” Li Yuan nodded.

Although he has gained some fame, it is limited to Jiang City and at most Jiangnan Province. Very few people can quickly recognize him.

Just like Li Yuan himself, he wouldn’t deliberately pay attention to the appearances of battle heroes.

…

Soon, Lihang and Dean Xu left.

Li Yuan’s life returned to its usual calm. In the last two days, he spent more time with his uncle and aunt.

Two days later.

On January 1, 2044, in the Seventh Star Calendar.

Li Yuan was fully equipped and bid farewell to his family.

“Uncle, Aunt, I’m going to a flying star for specialized training. I won’t be able to contact Blue Star for a month,” Li Yuan smiled, “I’ll contact you after I return from the flying star.”

This was the excuse Li Yuan found.

He didn’t want his uncle and aunt to worry.

“A month? So long without contact? There won’t be any danger, right?” Concern flickered across Chen Hui’s face.

“Go ahead, going to the flying star is a rare opportunity; it’s a holy ground for cultivation for the entire human civilization,” Li Changzhou smiled, “Don’t worry about us at home.”

…

Using the fake identity ‘Xu An,’ Li Yuan traveled through the Starfire Martial Palace’s channel on a dedicated flying vehicle.

He headed towards the Mingxu Star Realm.

“The Mingxu Star Realm has four stable entry points, and occasionally, unstable entry points appear,” Li Yuan looked at the documents in his hand, inwardly shocked, “It’s similar to the Yulingshi Star Realm.”

The Yulingshi Star Realm has unstable entry points that often appear deep underground, making them unpredictable.

Half a day later.

Li Yuan arrived at the ‘Third Entry Point’ of the Mingxu Star Realm in Jiangnan Province.

—

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(End of Chapter)

Chapter end