Secret Realm of Star Gazing

Before dawn, more than half the people in Green City had already woken up and started bustling about.

The reason was simple: today was the day the College Entrance Examination began!

Zhu Ping'an arrived early at Qingcheng High School to assemble, where countless young boys and girls full of dreams gathered on the sports field, their eyes burning with determination.

At that moment, the principal of Qingcheng High School was on stage, repeatedly explaining the rules of this year's exam.

Green City had a total of twenty-eight high schools, with nearly a hundred thousand examinees combined.

The exam venue was set up in a secret realm discovered by Human Race warriors, where these hundred thousand candidates would compete to determine who would be this year's Green City Champion.

"Students! Sixty classmates share hardships and strive together from this moment; twelve years of wind and rain, success or failure hinges on this year! Adjust your mindset, defeat your opponents! Now, everyone, stand up!"

At the principal's shout, all the students of Qingcheng High School straightened their backs and puffed out their chests, like soldiers awaiting inspection.

"Our Qingcheng High School bears the name of Green City! That means we are the face of this city! My demand isn't high—half of the top fifty should be our students. Do you have the confidence?"

"Yes!"

The roar of the high school students shook the sky, brimming with absolute confidence.

"The exam hall is a battlefield! Now! Follow me, your principal, and charge into battle!" the principal shouted, leading Qingcheng High School's contingent as they set off with great fanfare.

The Qingcheng High School team marched toward the exam venue.

Along the way, crowds cheered and waved, their eyes shining as they looked at the students.

After all, these young people were the future pillars of the nation!

When all twenty-eight high schools' examinees had gathered, the pre-exam preparations began. The process was simple: test the candidates' Qi and Blood Value.

If their Qi and Blood Value didn't even reach 50, they wouldn't qualify to take the exam.

Next came blood and urine tests to prevent students from secretly taking drugs to boost their strength and cheat.

Zhu Ping'an passed both checks with ease. Now all he had to do was wait for the exam to officially start. The exam secret realm's details were strictly confidential, but for someone like Zhu Ping'an, who had the plot in his mind, that secrecy was meaningless.

According to the original plot, the secret realm they would enter for this exam was called the Secret Realm of Star Gazing. The task was to collect Star Light within the realm—each point of Star Light earned one point. Candidates were allowed to plunder each other's Star Light, but group attacks were forbidden.

In short, you could use your own strength to steal, but forming teams to rob was against the rules.

In the original story, he had only 95 Qi and Blood Value, not even a First-Rank Warrior, yet he was incredibly lucky, gathering over six hundred points of Star Light in just half a day.

All he had to do was hide somewhere until the exam ended, and he'd at least secure a spot in a key university.

But he gave his Star Light to Yan Shubing just to get into the same university as her, ending up at a second-tier college.

Zhu Ping'an rubbed his chin, casting a glance at Yan Shubing in the distance. Thinking back now, his incredible luck in gathering so much Star Light—could it have been the plot's influence at work?

Yan Shubing felt someone staring at her. Turning around and seeing it was Zhu Ping'an, she shyly lowered her head and cheered him on.

"Ping'an Ge, good luck on the exam!"

"I'll do my best, don't worry." Zhu Ping'an smiled gently.

"If hard work were enough, what would be the point of geniuses?" Ye Qingxian shot Zhu Ping'an a cold glance, her aura far stronger than during the Mock Exam.

Ever since Zhu Ping'an had tricked her in the mock exam, Ye Qingxian had held a grudge against him.

Zhu Ping'an had to admit, the protagonist's halo was just too overpowered—like an unkillable cockroach, getting stronger the more you fought it.

At exactly eight in the morning, all pre-exam preparations were complete.

Green City's Mayor, Lin Zhao, stepped up to the podium, with the principals of various schools standing behind him.

"Hello, students!"

As soon as he spoke, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

"It's time for the annual College Entrance Examination again. Right now, your hearts must be racing! Mine too, because it means another batch of talent is graduating from high school, ready to shine for our Great Xia Ancient Kingdom! Are you... ready?"

"We're ready!" The roar of a hundred thousand people shook the heavens.

"Then now... as the Mayor of Green City, I will open this year's exam secret realm! Its name is... Star Gazing!"

Lin Zhao raised a finger and sliced through the air, and a colossal gate materialized before the hundred thousand examinees.

"It really is the Secret Realm of Star Gazing! The Homeroom Teacher guessed right!"

"Good thing I reviewed the Star Gazing realm several times these past few days—I'm aiming for at least five hundred Star Light points!"

"Why is it Star Gazing? Damn it! I thought it was the Black Dragon Secret Realm!"

Some rejoiced, others lamented. Every school had made predictions about which secret realm might appear in the exam. Those who guessed right were overjoyed; those who guessed wrong wore grim faces.

Not everyone was gifted enough to ignore the exam's content. For ordinary candidates, guessing the right realm was like taking a shortcut.

"I declare... the exam... begins!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a flood of examinees surged toward the gate. As soon as they touched it, their figures vanished instantly.

Of course, not everyone rushed ahead. Some hung back leisurely—these were the strong, who saw no need to hurry into the realm to collect Star Light. They'd just wait for others to gather enough and then take it by force.

Zhu Ping'an was among them. He didn't want to jostle with the first wave. Only after most of the crowd had entered did he lazily start moving.

Once all the examinees had passed through the gate, the colossal portal transformed into a massive projection, divided into ten sections.

The ten candidates who collected the most Star Light would appear on this screen.

After crossing the threshold, the scene before him abruptly changed, giving way to a pitch-black night sky draped with a canopy of countless stars.

"Just like in the original plot—random teleportation."

Zhu Ping'an murmured under his breath, surveying his surroundings. He was the only one here.

By the light of the stars, Zhu Ping'an made out the path beneath his feet and began walking forward.

Star Light was the afterglow left behind when a star died. In Zhu Ping'an's understanding, what they called Star Light was essentially the corpse fragments of a star.

Before long, a fingernail-sized crystalline stone appeared in his hand. The stone emitted a dazzling, flickering starlight.

Beside it lay the corpse of a Star Devouring Bug, still and silent.

Star Devouring Bugs fed on Star Light. They were native creatures of the Secret Realm of Star Gazing, growing stronger by devouring Star Light.

Wild Star Light was almost nonexistent; one had to wrest it from the mouths of Star Devouring Bugs. The bug Zhu Ping'an had encountered was still immature, so a single sword strike had been enough to kill it.

"First piece of Star Light, in hand."

Gazing at the fragment of Star Light in his palm, Zhu Ping'an could sense the immense energy contained within it—no wonder Star Devouring Bugs could grow stronger by consuming it.

He couldn't help but feel curious. With energy this vast, had no martial artist ever thought to absorb the power within Star Light for cultivation?