The Crossroads of Fate, Evolving Possibilities (Part 2)

At twelve o'clock, a security guard knocked on the door and announced that lights out was approaching. All the students scrambled to pack their things, and only then did Shi Tiexin look up.

His entire workbook had been completed.

He let out a long sigh, pulling himself out of his focused study state. Shi Tiexin couldn't help but close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose. Even with his eyes closed, his vision naturally appeared, and he could see more clearly than when his eyes were open. The "Stars" floated up from below again, and the "Enlightenment" badge also played its part.

Amidst the crackling sounds, the Super Saiyan progress bar went berserk once more, climbing upwards. Although the Learn-Practice Integration had six books, they weren't specialized Auxiliary Cultivation Manuals. This newly completed ordinary-quality Auxiliary Cultivation Manual, in terms of the number and difficulty of questions, was actually more challenging than all six books combined.

However, progressing from "Good" to "Excellent" was indeed much harder than going from "Pass" to "Good." Even with various buffs and the mysterious enlightenment bonus, the progress bar didn't reach the end, stopping around the seventy percent mark.

This time, completing the Auxiliary Cultivation Manual also provided extra progress, which was better than nothing. However, it only gave three percentage points. He wasn't sure if this was because it lacked the "Learn-Practice Integration" attribute, or if the closer he got to "Excellent," the harder it was to increase the progress.

The Elite Class students were quick. They were focused while studying and decisive when leaving, disappearing in a flash. Shi Tiexin followed the crowd out of the study room and found a restroom to relieve himself. Amidst the splashing sounds, a high-pressure stream of water gushed out, and Shi Tiexin felt a sense of release, his internal pressure also dissipating.

Being able to smoothly begin his Heart Arts cultivation and see tangible, significant improvement put him at ease. The feeling of clarity in his mind grew slightly stronger, and the intensity of his Thought Energy also increased with his cultivation.

Although he hadn't directly reached "Excellent" today, Shi Tiexin rubbed his temples, knowing it was time to stop for the day. His body's load and mental focus had both reached their limits. Pushing further would only decrease efficiency, and it would be more beneficial to get a good night's sleep. In the future, as his Primal Vital Energy accumulated and his Thought Energy intensified, the duration of his high-efficiency study time would naturally extend.

There was no need to rush. At this rate, achieving "Excellent" in the first level of all six Heart Arts wasn't far off. At this pace, by the time he accumulated a hundred strands of Primal Vital Energy, achieving "Excellent" in the first level of all Heart Arts was a certainty, and he might even be stronger.

This speed was incredibly satisfying!

After a little shake in the restroom, Shi Tiexin walked out of the teaching building with a satisfied grin. It was midnight, and all was silent. The nightlife in this world seemed rather subdued. By this time, everything far and near was quiet, with little human activity to be heard. Lights flickered off one by one, and the ground illumination steadily decreased.

With a click, the teaching building behind him extinguished all its lights, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness. Only the large red characters proclaiming "Knowledge Changes Destiny" remained, radiating a red glow like an eternal flame. At this moment, Shi Tiexin suddenly felt a premonition and looked up at the sky.

The weather today was excellent, the sky clear and cloudless. Shi Tiexin's gaze immediately fell upon a large, white jade plate hanging high in the sky, emitting a pure and gentle radiance.

The other students leaving school seemed accustomed to this, showing no surprise at the sight.

But Shi Tiexin suddenly stopped in his tracks, stunned.

He seemed to have seen this white jade plate in some document before...

He stared blankly at the white jade plate, and a thought seemed to shatter within him. There was something that another consciousness considered a matter of course, yet he himself found it impossible. This thought was so firm yet so simple that he hadn't noticed it until now.

But under the illumination of the white jade plate, Shi Tiexin suddenly thought of something. His mouth slowly opened, and the immense shock was so profound it projected from his heart onto his Immovable as a Mountain expression.

His gaze shifted, and Shi Tiexin saw the crystalline bright spots on the sky's curtain. Twinkling like many small eyes. These bright spots weren't densely packed, but they were crystal clear, mysterious, and fantastical, holding countless human fantasies from ancient times to the present.

Shi Tiexin was truly shocked, beyond measure.

He couldn't help but raise his hand, pointing at the bright spots in the sky. His mouth opened and closed, wanting to say something but not knowing how. After the immense shock, a thousand thoughts crowded his mind, unable to emerge. Finally, only one sentence broke free.

"What is that?!"

Shi Tiexin was merely exclaiming, not expecting an answer. Just then, a passing student glanced at him, then looked in the direction Shi Tiexin was pointing, and said with an arrogant air, "So uncultured. You don't even know this? That's Aquarius, the constellation of art and romance."

His face was obscured by the darkness, but the person seemed to be savoring something, as if drawing artistic brilliance from the Aquarius cluster. He walked away humming and shaking his head. Even in the darkness, one could feel a pretentious, artistic aura emanating from him.

Shi Tiexin ignored him, merely replaying the words in his mind.

Aquarius?

Constellation?

Stars?

Weren't these bright spots some kind of synchronous orbital illumination devices? Or were they illumination devices, just named after constellations?

No, no, his reason told him that these bright spots, and that white jade plate, could not possibly be man-made devices. The technological level of this world was not high; in fact, it was extremely low. It was impossible to create such vast and numerous artificial illumination devices.

Then, only one possibility remained. Combining the information projected by the other consciousness, Shi Tiexin stared, bewildered, at those bright spots—these were stars.

The legendary stars.

In his original world, in Tumubao, he had never seen them. The starry sky that had vanished from history.

Looking up at the sky, Shi Tiexin stood like a statue, frozen on the playground. The people around him left in a rush, disappearing quickly, but Shi Tiexin stood there quietly, motionless. The more he gazed, the more he discovered faint stars he had never noticed before. The deeper into the night, the weaker the ground lights became, and the more he could feel the vastness of the eternal starry sky.

Shi Tiexin watched quietly, was quietly shocked, and was quietly perplexed.

After a long while, he finally walked towards the Trash Class dormitory area.

In the middle of the night, Zhou Nan was fast asleep when a palm suddenly slapped his shoulder. He woke up in fright, a face that looked particularly terrifying in the darkness before his eyes.