Chapter 1

Prologue

The vast sky road, with stars like the sea, numbering in the billions, boundless and vast, is a place where the strong dream of conquest and heroes emerge one after another.

There, ideals, wealth, treasures, and power all exist.

Chapter 1: The Super Repeat Student

Tang Tian stood on the training ground as usual, lazily.

Looking at the young faces before him, he let out a light snort from his nose.

These young men were coming to the training ground for the first time. Ande Academy was one of the top ten schools in Starwind City. Although the facilities of the training ground were not as good as those of the top-ranked Tianchen Academy, they were still considered excellent.

Moreover, this was the first practice class for the new students, and they were full of curiosity about everything.

"Previously, I have explained in detail the content of the textbooks. From today onwards, besides the usual theory classes, you will spend most of your time on this training ground. If you want to get into a better academy, diligent study and hard practice are your only way. Remember, there are no shortcuts in this world. Cultivation is always tedious and boring, so don't harbor any侥幸 (侥幸 means侥幸, but in this context, it means 'lucky thoughts' or '侥幸 thoughts')."

Mr. Cen's serious voice echoed across the training ground.

The young men's eyes were filled with anticipation and eagerness to try.

"Our learning task today is basic swordsmanship. No matter how thoroughly you study the theory, it is useless if you do not practice. Before you practice on your own, your senior, Tang Tian, will demonstrate it for you. Tang Tian is the best student in basic martial arts in the entire Ande Academy, and even I cannot match him in this aspect. You should pay close attention to see what perfect basic swordsmanship looks like."

With a swish, the young men's gazes turned to Tang Tian. The lazy figure in many people's eyes suddenly became towering.

Tang Tian remained unmoved.

"Tang Tian, start now," Mr. Cen said.

Tang Tian responded with an "Oh," walked to the corner where the sword rack was, and drew a wooden sword from it. As soon as the wooden sword was in his hand, Tang Tian's eyes immediately became serious and sharp, and the previous laziness vanished instantly.

He took a half-step back with his left leg, slightly lowered his waist, drew in his right elbow, raised the tip of the sword, and aligned his gaze with the tip of the sword.

A small twist of his waist and abdomen, his right elbow like a released spring, his wrist without a single tremor.

Swoosh!

The sharp sound of the sword cutting through the air was clearly audible.

The basic swordsmanship move: thrust!

Many of the young men subconsciously let out a slight exclamation. Many of them had no interest in basic swordsmanship. As the name suggests, basic swordsmanship is the foundation of sword techniques and the lowest-level sword technique. It was normal for the young men to lack interest in it. However, when they saw Tang Tian's basic swordsmanship in person, even though it was just a simple movement, it was filled with indescribable explosive power and beauty.

It instantly captivated these naive young men.

Tang Tian's expression was intensely focused. He took a sliding step forward, his shoulders completely still, but his arm moved like a whip, suddenly jerking, and the wooden sword slashed downward.

Whoosh!

The low, piercing sound of the sword cutting through the air made everyone's scalp tingle.

The chopping move in basic swordsmanship has a smaller range than the basic saber technique, but its explosive power is even greater. Tang Tian demonstrated the key points of the chopping move perfectly, and the young men could clearly see the wooden sword bending and deforming in the air.

Hearing the young men's spontaneous exclamations, Mr. Cen was already accustomed to it. He watched Tang Tian in the field, and although he had seen Tang Tian practice many times, each time he witnessed it, he still felt amazed. When he said his basic swordsmanship was not as good as Tang Tian's, he was not being modest.

Lift, block, and guide.

Tang Tian's movements were smooth and graceful, with no pauses, full of explosive power and beauty. When the last move was completed, the entire field was silent.

Tang Tian's face returned to its previous lazy expression, and he casually tossed the wooden sword, which flew into the sword rack in the corner of the training ground as if it had eyes.

The new students burst into excitement.

"Wow! So amazing! I didn't know basic swordsmanship could be so powerful!"

"Too cool! Too perfect!"

"So handsome! Senior Tang Tian is so handsome! Senior, senior, please be my boyfriend!" The female students in the crowd had stars in their eyes. Tang Tian's tall and imposing figure, combined with the flexibility displayed in the basic swordsmanship, made him look incredibly coordinated and agile.

Tang Tian remained unmoved.

"Tsk, ignorant! What's the point of practicing basic martial arts so well? He hasn't passed the academy exams for five consecutive years. Our handsome Senior Tang Tian was already practicing basic martial arts when my brother was at Ande. Tsk, my brother is about to graduate from the academy."

A sarcastic voice rang out from the crowd of young men.

All the exclamations immediately disappeared, and the previously admiring gazes quickly turned strange.

The news of Ande Academy having a super repeat student was well-known, and it was the most famous joke in the academy in recent years. Many people had planned to secretly pay their respects, but they never expected that the legendary super repeat student would be the seemingly powerful Senior Tang Tian before their eyes.

I knew it would be like this...

Tang Tian pursed his lips. This kind of thing happened every year, and he was already used to it. However, he glared at the sarcastic young man.

Your brother definitely didn't tell you that he has been beaten by me.

Tang Tian had already decided to deal with this guy after class. Maybe he didn't even need to wait until after class...

Tang Tian narrowed his eyes and said in a harsh tone, "Who allowed you to daydream during class? By the way, I forgot to tell you, I am Mr. Cen's assistant, responsible for supervising your practice. If anyone doesn't practice well, I don't mind giving them some practical experience. You, yes, you, come and practice?"

Tang Tian pointed at the young man who had made the sarcastic comment, his fists cracking.

The young man's face turned pale, and he suddenly remembered Tang Tian's bad reputation. He immediately fell silent and went to practice obediently.

The other students, seeing this, quickly started practicing clumsily.

At this moment, Mr. Cen spoke, "If you have any questions, feel free to ask Senior Tang Tian. Practice well and don't slack off. Tang Tian, pay attention to supervising their practice."

"Yes!" Tang Tian replied loudly.

Mr. Cen nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.

No one stepped forward until the end of the class, and Tang Tian was greatly disappointed. He humphed and walked away.

As soon as the class ended, the other students immediately surrounded the young man.

"Quick, tell us what you were saying earlier."

"Right, right..."

The young man immediately became smug, "This Senior Tang Tian is a legend at Ande. At Ande, students usually graduate early, but who would ever repeat a grade? But our Senior Tang Tian did, and for five years, five years! Think about it, staying at Ande for five years, what does that mean? Absolutely unprecedented!"

"How could he stay for so long?" someone couldn't help but ask, "It's not hard to get into a regular academy, right?"

The gossiping young man became even more animated, "Do you know why? In five years, our Senior Tang Tian didn't even learn a second-rank martial technique, but he mastered all the basic martial arts. Nowadays, what use are basic martial arts? If you want to be a chef, you need at least a second-rank knife technique. To work in a high-end hotel, you need to learn palm techniques. To be a bartender in a nightclub, you need a second-rank hidden weapon technique. If you want to work in a five-star hotel, you need to master both ice and fire attributes. What can basic martial arts do? Even the worst academies require at least a second-rank martial technique."

The gossiping young man became even more smug, with a professional air, "What are basic martial arts? Just practice them well. The real path is to start practicing second-rank martial techniques early. The top academies favor young students who can practice higher-rank martial techniques. If you can master a second-rank martial technique by the age of fourteen, you can enter a regular academy. If you can break through to the third rank by the age of fourteen, you can enter a good college. If you can master a third-rank martial technique by the age of fourteen, you can enter a top academy."

"I think I've heard that before," someone chimed in.

"But I'm only thirteen this year, and I want to enter a top academy," another person said, troubled.

"Stop dreaming, be realistic. Getting into a good academy is already a good achievement."

Seeing others agree with his view, the gossiping young man became even more smug, "Ha, but basic martial arts are still useful. You can't practice second-rank martial techniques without mastering them."

Seeing his smugness, someone in the crowd couldn't stand it and sneered, "Hey, but I heard that our senior is not a pushover. If you don't give him face today, be careful, he might cause you trouble."

The gossiping young man's face changed abruptly, and he remembered the unfriendly look from Tang Tian, shuddering.

The others became even more curious, and someone quickly asked, "He only knows basic martial arts, right? How can he be so tough?"

This student sneered, "You saw his physique just now, he can take on three people easily. He's a habitual fighter, and he doesn't care about the rules. He only listens to Mr. Cen, and he has taken down many strong students in our school."

"Is that true? So tough?" Many people looked disbelieving.

"He has good physical attributes and is very fierce. Getting hurt is a daily occurrence for him. There are many people stronger than him, but no one is as ruthless. His worst record now is a mutual defeat, and that's against the top students." This student warned, "You'd better not provoke him."

Everyone shrank back, and many people looked at the gossiping young man with sympathy, who was now pale.

The girls who had stars in their eyes earlier now had no stars left. Some looked with disdain, some with regret, and some with disgust, whispering to each other.

"So he's just a fraud, almost fooled me. That body is really strong, though!"

"He's a thug, and thugs are even more annoying. I don't like rough men."

"Oh, this world is so cruel, dreams shatter so quickly."

"Hehe, the little girl's heart is fluttering..."

The new student who had been talking couldn't help but say, "Save it, stop dreaming. Even though he's a repeat student, he wouldn't look at you."

"Why not! Tsk, if it weren't for his good physique, I wouldn't even glance at him," a bold girl said with disdain.

The new student looked at her with even more disdain, "He wouldn't even glance at you. Your body is not even as good as Miss Shangguan Qianhui's hair! He has Miss Qianhui, why would he look at you?"

Miss Qianhui!

Some girls couldn't help but cover their mouths and widen their eyes. Shangguan Qianhui was a legend in Starwind City, the idol of all girls and the dream lover of all boys, beautiful and gentle, and she entered Ande with the top score. She always maintained the top position at Ande, and because of her, Ande's ranking rose. When she left Ande last year, Ande's ranking plummeted.

The girl fell silent. If she said anything bad about Miss Qianhui, at least half the people here would attack her.

"How could Miss Qianhui look at such a useless man?" a girl asked, incredulous.

The boy sighed with deep sorrow, "I want to know too! I'll tell you, because of Miss Qianhui's influence, no one in our school would dare to cause him trouble."

Although Miss Qianhui had left for a year, her legend still persisted in Starwind City.

In the office building, Mr. Cen stood by the window, looking down at the training ground. His weathered eyes showed no emotion, but he sighed lightly in his heart.

This world is not a place where everyone is lucky.

He had a deep affection for Tang Tian, which also made him worry about Tang Tian's future. Tang Tian was already seventeen, and among the thirteen- and fourteen-year-old students, he was still at the bottom.

According to Tang Tian's age, this year was his last chance. If he didn't pass this year, he would exceed the age limit for academy admission, which meant he would have to enter society. However, with Tang Tian's abilities, he couldn't find a job to support himself.

No one would hire someone who only knows basic martial arts.

Even a second-rank martial technique would be better, as it would allow for some low-paying, hard jobs. Although life would be tough, at least he could survive.

If he had even a fraction of Miss Shangguan Qianhui's talent...

Mr. Cen sighed, his heart heavy.

This world is not a place where everyone is lucky.

He had a deep affection for Tang Tian, which also made him worry about Tang Tian's future. Tang Tian was already seventeen, and among the thirteen- and fourteen-year-old students, he was still at the bottom.

According to Tang Tian's age, this year was his last chance. If he didn't pass this year, he would exceed the age limit for academy admission, which meant he would have to enter society. However, with Tang Tian's abilities, he couldn't find a job to support himself.

No one would hire someone who only knows basic martial arts.

Even a second-rank martial technique would be better, as it would allow for some low-paying, hard jobs. Although life would be tough, at least he could survive.

If he had even a fraction of Miss Shangguan Qianhui's talent...

In the office building, Mr. Cen stood by the window, looking down at the training ground. His weathered eyes showed no emotion, but he sighed lightly in his heart.

This world is not a place where everyone is lucky.

He had a deep affection for Tang Tian, which also made him worry about Tang Tian's future. Tang Tian was already seventeen, and among the thirteen- and fourteen-year-old students, he was still at the bottom.

According to Tang Tian's age, this year was his last chance. If he didn't pass this year, he would exceed the age limit for academy admission, which meant he would have to enter society. However, with Tang Tian's abilities, he couldn't find a job to support himself.

No one would hire someone who only knows basic martial arts.

Even a second-rank martial technique would be better, as it would allow for some low-paying, hard jobs. Although life would be tough, at least he could survive.

If he had even a fraction of Miss Shangguan Qianhui's talent...

In the office building, Mr. Cen stood by the window, looking down at the training ground. His weathered eyes showed no emotion, but he sighed lightly in his heart.

This world is not a place where everyone is lucky.