Ice-Cold Numbers?

"After being dealt two blows in a row, hopefully Ma Jie could pull himself together soon!"

The teachers from earlier glanced at the mangled corpse and shook their heads.

On the rankings, Ma Jie's name had already dimmed, clearly indicating that he had gone offline directly.

The teachers who came online later paid no attention to Ma Jie. They had come solely because of Zhou Yunze.

"In less than half an hour, he fought his way from dead last to third place in Old Continent. Quite the display of might!"

"He came all the way from Crimson Yellow Star to our Ziying Star just to strut around?"

"Investigate! We must find out why a genius from Crimson Yellow Star came running to our Ziying Star!"

"Don't rush. Zhou Yunze's target is not merely third place in Old Continent!"

On the screen,

the shrunken rankings appeared before Zhou Yunze.

First in Old Continent, Mou Yu.

Second in Old Continent, Li Qingshan.

Both names were dimmed. They could not be matched against, only challenged.

Zhou Yunze did not hesitate. His finger passed over Li Qingshan and tapped on the first-place name in Old Continent.

Challenge Mou Yu.

After setting the time for tomorrow's challenge, Zhou Yunze stood where he was and waited.

He had also noticed that Mou Yu had suddenly come online earlier.

However, after waiting five minutes, Mou Yu still had not come online.

Zhou Yunze frowned and logged off directly.

The bald young man vanished from the screen. More than ten teachers exchanged glances and were just about to speak.

"Ahem, let me speak first!"

A dry cough rang out. The teachers looked toward the speaker and all shut their mouths.

He was a silver-haired youth seated beside Lu Qing.

He was Lu Qing's teacher, Ye Yukong.

"Crimson Yellow Star has no distinction between New Continent and Old Continent. It uses a unified examination system instead. I trust everyone has known this for a long time."

Ye Yukong spread open his right hand, rolling two iron balls in his palm.

Though his face looked young, both his manner of speech and demeanor carried an air of old age.

"According to the information I found, Zhou Yunze's test results every year for the past few years had consistently placed him in the top ten of his cohort on the planet."

"However, Zhou Yunze left Crimson Yellow Star last year and moved to our Ziying Star. He went through the proper immigration procedures, and his student registration was transferred through the Federation system."

After hearing Ye Yukong's information, the teachers displayed all manner of reactions: shock, anger, confusion...

A male teacher was the first to lose his composure and spoke up.

"A planetary top-ten student came to our Ziying Star and spent a whole year in Old Continent? Could it be just so he could burst into fame today and seize the 100,000 points for first place in Old Continent?"

"How could that be?" A teacher immediately refuted him.

"Since Zhou Yunze could immigrate across planets, he could not possibly be short of such a small amount of points.

"Besides, with his strength, he was equivalent to one of our top ten in New Continent. How could Crimson Yellow Star possibly lack resources for him?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the other teachers grew even more confused.

"Exactly! Why did Zhou Yunze immigrate here at all?"

"Ahem, too small. Your vision is too small."

Ye Yukong interrupted with a faint smile. Yet rather than explaining why, he looked at Lu Qing.

"Your brother is on Crimson Yellow Star, and you were the first to discover Zhou Yunze. You should know something about him, right? Tell everyone!"

"Yes, Teacher."

Lu Qing nodded. After considering it for a moment, she looked at everyone.

"Crimson Yellow Star's teaching quality is a little better than ours, and it has many geniuses. The reason I noticed Zhou Yunze was because he is very unusual!"

"Unusual?" The teachers were all bewildered.

Though Zhou Yunze was strong, there was nothing particularly unusual about his realm or martial techniques.

Lu Qing saw what they were thinking and shook her head.

"Ma Jie was too weak just now, so he failed to force out Zhou Yunze's true strength—his Blood Coagulation Realm strength."

"Blood Coagulation?" The teachers were first stunned, then cried out in alarm.

"He broke through after just one revolution? He gave up the Path to Breaking Limits so early?"

Limit Realm and breaking limits were paths that Ziying Star's top geniuses had to take. The current top ten of New Continent were all walking this path.

Though five revolutions might be beyond reach, every additional revolution represented a deeper foundation. No one was willing to give that up lightly.

"He did not give it up. He never walked the Path to Breaking Limits in the first place!"

Lu Qing took a deep breath and sighed.

"That is why I said Zhou Yunze is unusual—unusual in an ordinary way!"

"Not only did he not walk the Path to Breaking Limits, he never even stepped into the Limit Realm. After reaching the Tempered Body Tenth Layer, he directly ignited his qi and blood to break through."

"Moreover, whenever he cultivated martial techniques, he only cultivated them to mastery and never sought completion."

"What?!"

The teachers were all shocked. The path Zhou Yunze had chosen violated all their long-held teaching principles.

Giving up the Limit Realm and breaking limits was no different from giving up one's talent and the chance to deepen one's foundation.

As for martial techniques,

once one had reached mastery, who would not yearn to find that sliver of opportunity and break through to completion?

"Unusual in an ordinary way"—Lu Qing had truly not used the wrong words!

Among all the geniuses, Zhou Yunze's choices were indeed far too "ordinary"!

"Hehe, you are not the only ones surprised. The teachers on Crimson Yellow Star were equally surprised!" Lu Qing shook her head with a laugh.

"It is said that after Zhou Yunze broke through back then, his homeroom teacher gave him a beating on the spot."

"But even so, Zhou Yunze remained firm in his choice."

"In his words, he hated all uncertainty and had no need for so-called opportunities."

"It is said that Zhou Yunze once spoke of an ideal—or perhaps a dream."

"To turn everything related to martial dao into cold numbers: intuitive and controllable. He would only need to cultivate step by step, and he could keep walking onward forever."

All the teachers laughed, shaking their heads in denial.

"Nothing but a fantasy. How could that possibly be achieved? The only reason Zhou Yunze's strength had not fallen behind was because his talent was good enough."

"Turning martial dao into data is indeed unrealistic, but..."

Ye Yukong rolled the iron balls in his hand and pondered.

"Zhou Yunze chose the most mediocre route in order to eliminate all uncertainty. Clearly, he is putting his ideal into practice."

"This shows that this boy has an extremely strong desire for control, and his goal is also very clear!"

Ye Yukong's tone grew several degrees heavier as he looked toward the teachers.

"I said your vision was too small because all your eyes are fixed on a mere Old Continent ranking."

"Have you considered why Crimson Yellow Star was willing to let someone with Zhou Yunze's talent leave?"

"And with Zhou Yunze's personality, did he really come to Ziying Star only for an Old Continent ranking?"

As his words fell, the scene fell silent, and the teachers sank into thought.

Suddenly, a male teacher frowned, seemingly realizing something. He asked with uncertainty and alarm.

"Could it be that Zhou Yunze wants to compete for a Martial Dao Great Star slot?"

The teachers all snapped awake, their expressions changing drastically.

For every cohort, each planet had no more than five Martial Dao Great Star slots!

This was a true chance to soar into the heavens in a single leap!

"That's right, it must be the reason! I never expected this little fellow's appetite to be so huge!"

Students from Crimson Yellow Star had always been a little stronger than those from their Ziying Star.

Zhou Yunze had only ranked in the top ten on Crimson Yellow Star. If he wanted to compete for a Martial Dao Great Star slot there, the uncertainty was far too great.

That was why he had immigrated to Ziying Star!

"No! Martial Dao Great Star slots cannot be touched!"

"Right, we must find a way to kick Zhou Yunze out of this year's Entrance Qualification Battle and drive him out of Ziying Star!"

All the teachers spoke in unison, their faces filled with anger.

"Drive him out?" Ye Yukong raised his eyelids slightly and said with amusement, "He immigrated here, and everything was legal and compliant. How are you going to drive him out?"

Most of the teachers fell silent, but the eyes of a few still flickered.

If legal methods would not work, then there were naturally illegal means. For them, it would not be difficult.

"Do not entertain those petty, scheming tricks!"

Ye Yukong saw through their thoughts at a glance and said sternly.

"Do not forget your identities. You are teachers! Zhou Yunze is a student, and also a genius of the human race. Such methods should not, and cannot, be used against him."

Their expressions stiffened, and they said helplessly.

"Then Elder Ye, what do you think we should do? Are we supposed to just stand by and watch?"

Ye Yukong straightened the silver hair at his temples and shook his head.

"You are still too young. Your vision is too small."

"Since Crimson Yellow Star dared to send a genius here, why would we not dare to accept him?"

"The path of martial dao was meant to be fought for!"

Ye Yukong raised his hand and pointed toward the top of the sheer cliff, smiling faintly.

"Not to mention those little fellows in New Continent, Mou Yu alone is no weaker than Zhou Yunze, and there is Li Qingshan behind him!"

"You should all understand the significance of Limit Realm Completion, right?"

"Once in a thousand years, returning to the world!"

"Only an age of great contention can nurture True Dragon Chosen!"

Everyone was convinced by his words and said shamefacedly.

"Elder Ye is farsighted. We were the ones who saw only a mouse's eyes."

The challenge was not until tomorrow, and the teachers bade farewell and left one after another.

Very soon, only teacher and student Ye Yukong and Lu Qing remained above the clouds.

"Teacher, was what you said just now true?" Lu Qing's eyes were filled with suspicion.

The Ye Yukong just now was far too different from the teacher she remembered!

"Little girl, broaden your vision!"

Ye Yukong glanced at his student, slowly rolling the iron balls.

"Whether it is Li Qingshan, Mou Yu, or Zhou Yunze, after the Entrance Qualification Battle, they will certainly all enter our Ziying Academy."

"Add in those few little fellows from New Continent, and their cohort will certainly be strong enough to suppress Crimson Yellow Academy!"

"On the grand scale, no matter which of them walks out of Ziying Star in the future, they will be geniuses of our human race and generals who resist the evil gods!"

"On the smaller scale, even if Zhou Yunze obtains a slot in the future, he will have been cultivated by our Ziying Academy. What does that have to do with Crimson Yellow Star?"

Lu Qing immediately understood and was completely convinced.

"Teacher is wise!"

The next day, at the same time and in the same place.

Above the clouds, it was extraordinarily lively. Dozens of teachers from Martial Arts Universities across New Continent gathered here to watch the battle.

Mou Yu, who had dominated the Old Continent rankings for a year, would face Zhou Yunze, a genius who had come from another planet.

This battle was more than enough to draw attention.

Under everyone's gaze, a massive screen unfolded in the sky.

On the screen,

Zhou Yunze still held a long staff. Dressed in black, his face was cold and stern.

Opposite him, Mou Yu wore a fitted red martial outfit and tightly gripped a three-meter-tall Fangtian Halberd, her expression calm.

At the same time, in Luoying City.

The sky was gradually darkening. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window into the dim cultivation room, falling over the seated figure and outlining him with a ring of golden light.

"A day has passed..."

Li Qingshan slowly opened his eyes, and an illusory panel flashed past.

Cultivation Technique: "Blazing Sun Nine Revolutions" 1/(three revolutions)

His will once again hung high above the lake of qi and blood, and the feeling of moving it as easily as an arm returned.

Li Qingshan rose, fetched the Star Origin Liquid, drank a bottle, and began cultivating step by step.

As empty bottles fell one after another,

on the panel, the cold number representing his realm began to tick upward slowly...