Inside the Holographic Strategy, Gu Yue was locked in a bitter struggle. Outside, in the Holographic Strategy room, the atmosphere was just as tense. The female teacher stared intently at Gu Yue's metal pod. When she saw four of the six stars lit up, she couldn't help but smile with excitement.
She knew that the four stars meant Gu Yue had passed the four-star trial and was now challenging five stars.
A guaranteed A-rank student—this alone would earn her a generous reward, so how could she not be ecstatic?
"Huh? Wenwen, aren't you supposed to be handling new student registration? What are you doing here?" Just then, Wei Qianqian entered the room with her two nine-year-old daughters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo.
To establish herself in Haiyuan City, Wei Qianqian had immediately applied when St. Freya began hiring teachers, and with her Soul Sage strength, she was accepted.
Joining St. Freya not only brought her closer to Lu Jingming and let her take care of her daughters, but the pay was excellent—a win on all fronts.
As a teacher, Wei Qianqian was aware of the Holographic Strategy's secrets. Though it looked like a simulated universe, it held a huge secret: the high-level energy it awarded improved soul masters in every way—truly precious.
For her daughters' future, Wei Qianqian spent all her teacher's points to get them extra chances to enter the Holographic Strategy and absorb high-level energy.
With this energy, her nine-year-old twins were already two-ring Soul Grandmasters. At this rate, reaching Soul Elder in two years wasn't impossible.
Of course, Lu Jingming had helped open some back doors—after all, the energy's effects were so extraordinary, it couldn't be offered to all students on a large scale.
Besides the entrance exam, only those with enough points could exchange for it.
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo's points came partly from their mother, but Zhang Lexuan and Keqing also helped—they were all very fond of the two cute girls.
"It's like this, Sister Qianqian. I recruited a genius student who's already cleared the four-star trial and is challenging five stars." Wenwen, the teacher, quickly explained.
Wei Qianqian was respected in the teacher circle for her Soul Sage strength, her closeness with the city lord, and her status as head of the Lan family.
Wenwen had always received her care and was very respectful.
"Oh! Already cleared four stars? Congratulations, then." Wei Qianqian's eyes lit up.
She knew what passing four stars meant. Her own daughters were already outstanding, but only cleared two stars, rated C.
Of course, that was mostly because they were still young.
She was confident that with her teaching and enough resources, she could raise them to A-rank.
As for S-rank—when she thought of the monsters in the academy, she could only shake her head and sigh, not daring to hope too much.
"Hehe, thank you, Sister Qianqian." Wenwen beamed, honored by the congratulation.
"That's her? So young!" Wei Qianqian stepped to the pod with four stars lit, seeing Gu Yue sleeping inside, and exclaimed in awe.
"So amazing, big sister!" Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo crowded forward, eyes wide in admiration and envy.
They had been in the Holographic Strategy before and remembered the terrifying white monsters clearly.
They shuddered at the memory of being impaled by a white knight in the three-star trial.
"Ding!"
Just then, a crisp beep broke the silence.
The fifth star above Gu Yue's pod lit up, shining softly.
Wei Qianqian gasped, utterly shocked.
Passing five stars meant St. Freya was about to have another S-rank super genius.
This news would cause a huge stir in the academy and all of Haiyuan City.
Wenwen was stunned, as if frozen.
Although she'd always considered Gu Yue S-rank material, seeing her achieve it on her first try was unbelievable.
…
Inside the Holographic Strategy, Gu Yue was kneeling, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, hair clinging messily to her face.
Her clothes were disheveled, her black stockings torn and battle-scarred. She'd clearly just survived a harrowing ordeal.
Gu Yue's gaze locked on the six-star trial option, and without hesitation, she selected it.
Though the five-star trial left her battered...
But who was she? The Dragon God's half-body, the Silver Dragon King. She wanted to see what the so-called six-star trial was, and what kind of terrifying monster it would send out.
Besides, even if she failed, there was no danger to her life—a few days of meditation would restore her lost spirit.
…
"Hmm? Someone actually passed the five-star trial?" Lounging on Zhang Lexuan's black-stockinged legs, Lu Jingming was playing with a pink-haired little fox when he seemed to sense something and paused, his interest piqued.
"Interesting. Besides us, someone else passed the five-star trial? I'd like to see what kind of genius this is." He put on a black blindfold from his soul tool storage and lay back in Zhang Lexuan's lap.
The little fox seized the chance to escape his claws and dashed for the door, eager to collect tribute.
Zhang Lexuan also heard Lu Jingming's words and looked curious.
Having experienced the five-star trial herself, she knew just how tough it was.
…
After Gu Yue pressed confirm, light gathered rapidly.
This time, her opponent wasn't a bizarre soul beast, but a white-haired, red-eyed young man.
He was tall and handsome, holding a black spear, and exuded a unique aura.
Gu Yue's eyes narrowed—she knew this youth all too well. After all, he was the big reason she was here.
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