Huangzhe Star
Chen Fan's gaze swept across the list of participants, dozens of shining names came into view, each name marked with the faction it belonged to.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fan gently tapped the Light Screen with his Divine Thought.
[Accept Mission]
[Student: Chen Fan (Life School) has successfully accepted the mission!]
The moment the system notification sounded, the nearby Wen Yuan spoke up to remind them.
"Junior Fellow Apprentice, the core of the Void-Devouring Locust is not only top-grade Kindling, but also the main ingredient for refining the Immortal Divine Pill, making it priceless."
"This mission, ostensibly a cleanup operation, is in reality a struggle for control. A fierce battle is likely inevitable."
"It's more lively with more people, isn't it?"
Chen Fan chuckled lightly, his face showing complete nonchalance.
He turned off the Light Screen and looked up at Wen Yuan: "Senior Fellow Apprentice, what are the coordinates of the rendezvous point?"
Wen Yuan pointed in a direction. "Three thousand miles east of here is the school's public starport. All large-scale mission teams will gather there to set off."
"Thank you, Senior Fellow Apprentice."
Chen Fan thanked him, and as soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a dazzling golden Stream of Light, shooting straight into the sky without any hesitation, heading towards the starport.
Its speed was so fast, it was like a sharp sword tearing through the sky.
Wen Yuan stood still, looking up at the streak of light that quickly disappeared into the horizon. The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by an expression full of boundless anticipation.
He knew that when this true dragon first stepped out of the small pond of the Life School, the entire Star River Martial Academy would be engulfed in a monstrous upheaval because of him.
And at this moment.
On a public starport 30,000 miles away, dozens of powerful figures had already gathered beside a massive Starship.
They belonged to different factions, clearly divided, and the atmosphere between them was far from harmonious, with a faint smell of gunpowder permeating the air.
The geniuses of the Ancient Martial Arts School and the New Martial Arts School were subtly at odds, their gazes clashing as if lightning flashed between them.
A battle for top-tier resources is brewing even before it begins.
Just then, a sharp golden Stream of Light, approaching from afar, pierced the sky with an unreasonable force, landing precisely in the center of this volatile area.
The light faded, revealing a small, thin figure.
A child who looked no more than twelve years old came into view.
On the Starport, the tense atmosphere between dozens of Prodigies from the Ancient Martial Arts School and the New Martial Arts School was instantly shattered by this sudden intruder.
All eyes were immediately drawn to this small, thin figure.
"It's him? Chen Fan, the top scorer in the Federation College Entrance Examination?"
A young man dressed in the attire of Ancient Martial Arts School, with a burly build like a small giant, was the first to recognize the newcomer.
He raised an eyebrow abruptly, and after a brief moment of surprise, a sneer quickly curled at the corner of his mouth.
His name is Gao Peng. He is among the top-ranked newcomers in the Ancient Martial Arts School. He possesses abundant Qi and Blood, and has already ignited the Divine Fire. He is not far from Adding Fuel.
"I thought it was some kind of important person,"
Gao Peng deliberately raised his voice, his booming voice like muffled thunder, ensuring that everyone present could hear him clearly.
"I was only at the Golden Body Mid-Stage during the college entrance exam, and now, a month later, what progress could I possibly have made? Moreover, I chose that dead-end path of the Life School; it's truly self-destructive!"
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.
On the other side, within the New Martial Arts School faction, a young man with an effeminate demeanor also sneered.
"What a pity. I thought we'd find an interesting opponent, but it turns out to be a fool who can't distinguish between primary and secondary issues. The Life School? Ha, what kind of place is that, besides studying flowers and plants, can they really train combat personnel?"
"I heard that he's the only disciple that madman Lin Xuanqing has taken in three hundred years. This isn't just stupid, it's utterly stupid!"
"Haha, a good-for-nothing son of a single lineage, how interesting!"
In an instant, the atmosphere inside the room shifted from a tense standoff to a strange one of unanimous contempt for a common enemy.
Dozens of gazes, a mixture of sympathy, mockery, and disdain, fell upon Chen Fan like tangible knives.
In their eyes, this once dazzling Federation Top Scholar, who overshadowed all his peers, had ruined his own future and become a joke.
However, Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged in the face of this undisguised collective malice.
He didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, completely ignoring the surrounding noise, and walked to a deserted corner next to the Starship, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes to rest.
It was as if everything around him was nothing more than noisy flies.
His posture, in the eyes of the crowd, became irrefutable evidence of his shame, and the mockery intensified.
Just then...
"Quiet!"
A cold voice came from the Starship, and a young man slowly descended the gangway.
He stood tall and straight like a spear, with a cold and stern face and sharp eyes like an eagle. With just a casual glance, he silenced all the noise in the room.
The terrifying pressure of the Seventh Grade Immortal Realm was like an invisible mountain, pressing down on everyone's hearts.
Lei Ao!
The leader of this mission is one of the top students of the Ancient Martial Arts School!
His responsibility was to ensure the safety of these new students; he did not interfere with the mission process.
Lei Ao's gaze swept across the entire room, and he nodded slightly to Gao Peng and the others as a greeting.
When his gaze fell on the child resting with his eyes closed in the corner, a clear look of disdain flashed in his eyes, and he quickly looked away without lingering.
It felt like even glancing at it was a waste of my time.
"Mission discipline, I'll only say it once." Lei Ao's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Obey orders. All spoils will be turned over to the authorities and distributed according to contribution. Anyone who dares to hoard any will have their cultivation crippled and be thrown out of the Star River Martial Academy."
"Understood? Then board the ship!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left without uttering a single unnecessary word.
Gao Peng and the others immediately straightened their backs and followed solemnly. The other Prodigies also put away their frivolous expressions and filed onto the Starship.
Inside the spacious cabin, the areas were clearly divided.
The geniuses from the Ancient Martial Arts School and the New Martial Arts School each occupied a section, talking and laughing loudly, discussing how much benefit they could gain from this mission, their words filled with greed for the Void-Devouring Locust Core.
Only Chen Fan sat alone in the far corner, ignored by everyone.
He kept his eyes closed, as if completely isolated from the world, like an orphan forgotten by the masses.
The Starship's engines roared, the hull shuddered slightly, and then it transformed into a streak of Stream of Light, leaping into the depths of space.
Several hours later.
The Starship broke free of warp drive and hovered in a synchronous orbit around a dark red planet.
A chaotic, greedy, and all-consuming evil aura emanated from the thick deck of the Starship, causing the expressions of all the Prodigies inside to change slightly.
We've arrived at the Huangzhe Star!