After saying those words, the youth didn’t look over again. A smirk curled onto Yan Changfeng’s lips. Carrying her small stool, she walked toward the back, stopping right in front of the person positioned ahead of the youth.
“Hey, friend, would you mind swapping places?”
Yan Changfeng’s original spot was further ahead. Without a second thought, the person happily agreed to the swap.
The Red-haired Unruly Youth frowned and took a step back.
Yan Changfeng mimicked his earlier expression and rolled her eyes. Then, right in front of him, she set down her stool, popped open her sun umbrella, and pulled a bottle of soda out of her pocket space. She began to sip it, one mouthful at a time, right before his eyes.
She was going to dawdle and annoy this little brat to death.
Hearing the sound of Yan Changfeng drinking her soda, the Red-haired Unruly Youth’s throat involuntarily rolled. He hadn’t felt particularly thirsty before, but now his mouth felt increasingly dry, and the sun overhead seemed unbearably hot.
However, having just had a falling out with her, and now being provoked right to his face…
The Red-haired Unruly Youth forced himself to endure, stubbornly refusing to look at Yan Changfeng’s position. But there was no way to block out the sound of her drinking.
Another star hour passed. Yan Changfeng finally finished her soda. She didn’t plan on continuing to annoy him further, so she turned around to catch the shade from a different angle.
Suddenly, the Red-haired Unruly Youth grabbed her.
“500 Star Coins for a bottle of water.”
Yan Changfeng looked at his incredibly sour face and couldn’t help but find it funny. “1,000 Star Coins total. 500 for the water, plus the mental damage fee for your earlier mockery.”
It was the first time the Red-haired Unruly Youth had encountered someone who would arbitrarily raise prices like this. He stared at Yan Changfeng, dumbfounded.
“Are you buying it or not? If not, stop staring at me. I’ll start to suspect you’re about to punch me. I’m very timid, you know. By then, the mental damage fee won’t be just 500 Star Coins,” Yan Changfeng urged.
“I’ll buy it.”
The Red-haired Unruly Youth practically spat the words out through gritted teeth.
Yan Changfeng squinted with a smile. “Thank you for your business.”
…
After queuing for nearly the entire day, it was finally Yan Changfeng’s turn to test her talent as the sun began to set.
The teacher in charge of the assessment opened the testing pod. “Just follow the instructions once you’re inside. It’s very simple.”
Yan Changfeng stepped in. A second later, the pod door closed. It was pitch black inside. A small speaker overhead broadcast the voice of the assistant testing personnel.
“The test begins now. Close your eyes.”
Yan Changfeng closed her eyes. Soon, she felt her mental power being drawn by something. She seemed to be enveloped in a ball of light, feeling so comfortable she wanted to stretch. Unfortunately, the space was too cramped to move her limbs freely.
“Can you feel those points of light? Try to make contact with them as much as possible.”
Points of light? Where were there points of light?
Yan Changfeng swatted away the ball of light surrounding her, trying to find differently colored points of light within it. She only saw a few scattered, stray points of light. When she reached out to touch them, they vanished.
Yan Changfeng reached out to grab the points of light scattered around her. Soon, the testing pod emitted a loud “hum.”
“Yan Changfeng, from Planet No. 5271. Mental Power Value: 80. Mental Power Level: D-Class. A bright future ahead,” the testing teacher couldn’t help but express surprise. “She’s actually from a numbered planet?”
Although there were many numbered planets and they produced students whose mental power met the academy’s standards every year, reaching a Mental Power Value of 80 was still rare. Moreover, the quality of students at Blue Star Academy had been declining in recent years; even those from nearby numbered planets had started turning to other academies instead.
Last year, fewer than thirty new students had a Mental Power Value above 80. If not for two Quasi-S-Classes with values over 95, last year would have been the worst in terms of student quality in recent history. Looking at the current situation, this year didn’t seem much better.
Yan Changfeng didn’t know the details, but with a Mental Power Value of 80—assuming the maximum was 100—her talent sounded decent enough.
Just as she stepped out of the testing area, she heard exclamations from nearby.
“A Mental Power Value over 90!”
“Another one over 90?”
A crowd gathered around a testing pod, blocking the view completely. Yan Changfeng glanced over and then looked away.
Back at her temporary lodging, Yan Changfeng logged onto the Star Net. After passing the talent test, she had received a notification for the upcoming written exam.
She looked it up on the Star Net. Most of Blue Star Academy’s written exams consisted of basic common knowledge questions. As long as one had attended school, passing wouldn’t be an issue.
The problem was, she really hadn’t attended school. Or rather, most people from trash stars hadn’t.
There wasn’t much description of the Blue Star written exam on the Star Net, nor were there many strategy posts. Likely, no one could imagine that someone would actually get stuck on a common knowledge test.
Thinking about the written exam with only one day to prepare, Yan Changfeng pondered for a moment before posting a help thread anonymously on the Blue Star Academy forum. Since it was recruitment season, the forum was incredibly lively, and someone replied almost immediately.
Fuck Your Dam: [Newbie? Don’t worry, it’s just common knowledge. If you have a brain, you can pass.]
Yan Changfeng: …
Suppressing the urge to curse, Yan Changfeng replied to his message.
[Don’t have a brain.]
Fuck Your Dam: [Badass!]
Though Brother Wo Ri was making fun of her in the thread, he quickly posted a book list and tagged Yan Changfeng: [Which uncivilized planet did you crawl out of? Read more often. You’re guaranteed to pass after finishing these.]
Yan Changfeng clicked on the list. Many were basic theory books. For most of them, she could only find ancient versions through a Star Net search, and some she couldn’t find at all.
Brother Wo Ri must have shared the thread somewhere, as more and more people began to gather. Yan Changfeng’s optical computer kept popping up with notifications, giving her a headache. She promptly muted the thread and sent a private message to Brother Wo Ri.
“Trash Picking Emperor 097” poked “Fuck Your Dam.”
Trash Picking Emperor 097: [Brother Wo Ri, I can’t find some of the books.]
Yan Changfeng sent him the titles of the missing books, followed by a Crying Cat Head emoji she found in the library.
Fuck Your Dam: […]
Trash Picking Emperor 097: [Crying Cat Head.jpg]
Soon, Brother Wo Ri sent over a download link. Yan Changfeng was about to click it when she suddenly remembered the warning in bold red letters she’d seen when first entering the Star Net: “Do not click on links from strangers.”
Yan Changfeng knocked on 097.
“097, is this link safe to click?”
After a long pause, 097 finally responded.
“Yes.”
Yan Changfeng narrowed her eyes. “So you really can connect to the Star Net.”
097 went silent. No matter how much Yan Changfeng called it, it didn’t surface again.
Since it wouldn’t speak, Yan Changfeng had no other choice. She clicked the link, downloaded the books, and sent Brother Wo Ri a “Cat Head Thanks” emoji. Then, she calculated the approximate value of the books and transferred a sum of Star Coins to him.
When the 20,000 Star Coins were transferred, Yan Changfeng felt a bit of a sting. She had just earned that money today.
Once the books were finished downloading, Yan Changfeng used her mental power to connect to the Star Net Space. Carrying a stack of books, she ran toward the Star Net Space Rest Area. Compared to her current cramped and isolated little room, she much preferred the atmosphere of the rest area.
Here, she could open a small private lounge and adjust the environment, temperature, and humidity to her liking. She could even change the wallpaper. Most importantly, it was free.
Yan Changfeng became completely absorbed in her reading. These books didn’t just cover common knowledge about mechs, mental power, and God’s Chosen; many were collections of short stories, almost like reading gossip.
She was getting into the good parts when she noticed someone had been messaging her in the background.
I Am The Sword Dao Genius: [Hello, want to spar?]
Who was this? The ID felt a bit familiar?
Yan Changfeng had glanced at the rankings before, but she clearly hadn’t remembered them well.
At a time like this, anyone interrupting her gossip—no, her reading—was clearly up to no good.
Yan Changfeng opened the details for I Am The Sword Dao Genius. A row of various gaudy, glowing titles appeared, with his PK Arena level right after the ID.
Level 75. Does this guy live in the PK Arena? Yan Changfeng checked her own level. As expected, it was Level 0. This guy was definitely looking to farm newbies.
Yan Changfeng decisively blacklisted him.
On a certain planet, a certain youth was staring at his screen in a daze. He had seen Trash Picking Emperor 097 go online and immediately messaged her, hoping to get closer through a PK match. Instead, he had been blacklisted.
Yan Changfeng pulled an all-nighter and finished all the books. She felt she was now terrifyingly knowledgeable, wishing she could find a test paper to do right this second.
By the time she logged out of the Star Net Space, the sky was already bright. Sporting heavy dark circles, Yan Changfeng collapsed onto her bed. When she finally opened her eyes again, the sky outside was dimming.
She had slept for nearly twenty star hours.
Yan Changfeng checked the time on her optical computer.
5:30. There was only an hour and a half left before the written exam started.
…
Blue Star Academy, Written Exam Area A, Examination Room 03.
“Passing the talent test doesn’t mean you’re qualified to enter the academy. The written exam is also a vital component.” Xie Wanyue’s gaze was sharp. After scanning the room, her eyes landed on the only empty seat. “What does it matter if some people have great talent? Blue Star Academy does not welcome those who flout the rules.”
Most of the people present lowered their heads. Occasionally, someone would glance at the empty seat, wondering which troublemaker it belonged to. This was just the written exam, yet they were openly provoking the teacher.
Xie Wanyue: “There are 3 minutes left until the exam starts. Anyone who is late will have their qualification revoked and will never—”
Knock, knock, knock—
After knocking, Yan Changfeng saw that no one responded for a long time. Thinking the proctor hadn’t arrived yet, she pushed the door open. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Xie Wanyue’s ashen face.
The well-fitting, slender military uniform made the woman look upright. Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her shoulder-length short hair was meticulously groomed. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her furrowed brows looked deep enough to crush a fly.
Yan Changfeng instinctively stood up straight. She closed the door behind her and walked toward the empty seat in the middle as if nothing had happened.
Then, a whistling sound cut through the air behind her. Yan Changfeng’s physical alertness instantly spiked to the maximum. As she dodged to the side, her body instinctively caught the piece of chalk flying toward her. She then threw it back in the direction it had come from.
Snap—
The chalk hit the blackboard, leaving a very conspicuous white dot. And Yan Changfeng, still standing in the middle of the room with her throwing hand not yet retracted, became even more conspicuous.
Banxia Novel, Happiness is Abundant