Lin Yushu

On the bus.

Jiang Ye glanced around and realized there were several unfamiliar faces. They weren't students from his class.

"Those three are sophomores," Wang Ziang explained from the seat beside him.

Jiang Ye looked surprised.

He knew students in the Key Class could reach mastery in their Cultivation Method by their sophomore year.

But it was only January. The first semester of sophomore year wasn't even over, and they'd already mastered it?

At this point in time, Jiang Ye himself had still been at the beginner stage.

"What's there to be surprised about?" Wang Ziang said, folding his arms. "At this time last year, five students in our year had already reached mastery."

"Impressive, Brother Wang," Jiang Ye said.

By now, he'd long since figured out the other guy's way of speaking.

He might keep quiet, but whenever he opened his mouth, he was bound to sneak in a little brag.

Take what Wang Ziang had just said. He had to be one of those five.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up.

Hearing Jiang Ye's praise, Wang Ziang sighed. "Talking to you is so comfortable. Unlike that cold lump of a class monitor, who snaps at people every chance she gets."

Jiang Ye shook his head with a smile. Someone as rich as Zhao Qingli could snap at people—or even at heaven and earth—and no one could do a thing about it.

It was the poor who had to study the ways of the world.

Seizing the opportunity, he asked, "When did Class Monitor Zhao break through to mastery?"

"Not long into the first semester of sophomore year," Wang Ziang replied.

"That early?" Jiang Ye said in surprise. "It's been a year and a half. Has the class monitor still not made her First Break?"

"She practices the Star Martial Foundation Building Method. She needs at least ten rounds of Starry Sky Refinement before she can make her First Break."

"But she's close. She'll probably break through next semester."

Jiang Ye nodded.

Zhao Qingli usually cultivated her inner energy, so he hadn't been able to tell which refinement method she practiced.

"I didn't expect even the class monitor to choose the Foundation Building Method."

Jiang Ye sighed. "Looks like very few people are like me and choose the Advancement Method right away."

Wang Ziang chuckled. "Only geniuses practice the Star Martial Advancement Method."

"When I chose this method, it took me a full three months just to get started."

As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Ye. "I think you should wait a few months, until you've gotten started with the Advancement Method, before taking part in Starry Sky Refinement. Doing it now would be such a waste."

Jiang Ye smiled without answering.

As they chatted, the bus had already reached its destination.

Outside stood a blue, cube-shaped building.

By the time Jiang Ye got off the bus, quite a few students had gathered there.

"Ancheng First Middle School and Ancheng Second Middle School," Jiang Ye said, looking ahead.

Only the three major high schools were taking part in this Starry Sky Refinement.

The Second Middle School was in much the same situation as the Third, with a little over a hundred students.

But Ancheng First Middle School—

It had over three hundred students!

"Ancheng First Middle School really is full of strong contenders." Jiang Ye scanned the three hundred or so students from the First Middle School and marveled to himself.

As the best school in Ancheng, Ancheng First Middle School had far better students than the others.

There were differences in Nascent Talent, too.

For example, there wasn't a single Grade B Mortal Body in all of Ancheng Third Middle School.

But Ancheng First Middle School had five right there.

Still, Jiang Ye couldn't spot a student with a Grade A+ Physique.

Could my Grade A+ Mortal Body be the strongest physique among the Nascent Talents?

A guess suddenly came to Jiang Ye.

Just then, he spotted a familiar figure with an enormously large head. It was Lin Xuan, whom he'd once joined in a trial.

Beside Lin Xuan stood a young man whose head was even bigger.

He had a head of curly hair and a face pitted with acne.

He was ugly!

Yet despite his appearance, the students around him looked at him with awe.

"Lin Yushu, the top student in Ancheng First Middle School!"

Wang Ziang was looking at him too, his gaze wary.

"Lin Yushu?"

Hearing that, Jiang Ye thought to himself, Is he Lin Xuan's older brother? Did they both grow up drinking Sanlu as kids? How'd his head get so big?

At the same time,

Lin Xuan spotted him too.

"Jiang Ye?" Lin Xuan stared at Jiang Ye in surprise and thought, He made it into the Key Class? No wonder. He did beat me once.

But he's a Primitive Talent, and he's already here for Starry Sky Refinement? This time, I'm going to crush him. Lin Xuan grinned.

Elsewhere,

Zhao Qingli, the E-Class Girl, was also watching the First Middle School's group.

Only those few students from Ancheng First Middle School could stir her competitive spirit.

As for her schoolmates? She'd stopped taking them seriously long ago.

"My target." Zhao Qingli looked at Lin Yushu.

He was the top student in Ancheng First Middle School, and the strongest high schooler in all of Ancheng.

He'd always been the one she wanted to surpass.

Lin Yushu seemed to notice Zhao Qingli's gaze. He grinned, revealing teeth covered in yellow spots.

Then,

he stared straight at Zhao Qingli's snow-white legs, openly ogling her.

"Disgusting." Zhao Qingli furrowed her delicate brows.

Lin Yushu was hideously ugly, with his big head, pockmarked face, and yellow teeth. Add that leering gaze, and even looking at him made her uncomfortable.

But she knew full well that, however repulsive he looked,

his score was as high as 849.

Higher than hers.

I'll trample that guy underfoot sooner or later. Zhao Qingli gritted her teeth.

She believed there was nothing in this world money couldn't do.

And if there was, then she simply didn't have enough money.

"Bro, stop staring."

Lin Xuan sighed as he looked at the acne-faced young man before him. "Her father is a business tycoon, and her mother's a Star Officer. She's way out of our league."

Lin Yushu said blandly, "You think I'm like you? I'm simply appreciating a beauty."

Anyone with a score that high had to have a firm Martial Will.

If a little beauty could shake them, they wouldn't score above 800.

After all, the Virtual Starry Sky assessment placed enormous importance on Martial Will.

For Lin Yushu, looking at beautiful women often was a kind of training for his Martial Will.

Just like now, facing a beauty like Zhao Qingli and feeling the disgust in her eyes,

a strange thrill rose in Lin Yushu's heart.

He immediately felt his Martial Will grow stronger.

"Mm. I'm in great form today."

A glint flashed in Lin Yushu's eyes. "This Starry Sky Refinement is in the bag."

A moment later, the blue cube-shaped building opened.

More than five hundred students filed inside.

"A Refining Pool?" After entering the building, Jiang Ye saw a sci-fi-looking energy pool.

The pool was a hundred meters long and wide, with a floating structure of two nested rings.

The outer layer was a streamlined frame made of composite material, its surface engraved with precise energy-guiding patterns.

The inner ring-shaped frame hovered half a meter above an energy base. The entire Refining Pool seemed to float above the floor.

A transparent glass dome covered the pool, enclosing it in a sealed space.

"Whoosh!"

A middle-aged man clad in silver-black armor suddenly appeared in midair.

"Starry Sky Refinement is about to begin."

"Everyone, enter the Refining Pool!"

The silver-black-armored man swept the crowd with his tiger-like eyes and called out in a deep voice.