Darkstar Institute

The flying vessel's hatch swiftly closed after everyone had boarded.

The ship rose into the air, its inscribed runes shining with blinding light. The surrounding air was torn apart at high speed, letting out a piercing howl.

Tianyuan City rapidly shrank beneath them. Its walls became thin lines, its buildings tiny dots, and its rivers silver ribbons.

Within a few breaths—

The entire city vanished beneath the clouds.

Jiang Chuan had still wanted to enjoy the scenery a little longer.

Then his vision blurred.

He was already inside an elegantly furnished cabin.

Shen Zhiyi was the only one in the room. She wore a dark-blue robe embroidered with silver patterns of stars and moons. It cinched tightly at her waist, outlining her voluptuous curves.

She said, "Until we return to Skywatch City, you are not allowed to leave this room or step out of my sight. This is for your protection. I hope you understand."

She was stronger than Lin Tianzheng.

She was definitely not Rank Seven.

She was Rank Eight, just like the figure of light in the Craftsman Tomb Secret Realm.

Rank Eight powerhouses were already among the strongest humans. He just did not know whether she held the position of Heavenly General in the Heaven Pavilion.

"Understood."

Jiang Chuan nodded obediently, then asked, "Is this really that serious?"

"I can only say that it is more serious than you imagine!" Shen Zhiyi said sternly. "Throughout human history, there have been seven SSS-class professionals in total. They made indelible contributions to humanity's expansion in the Source Realm!"

"You could say that humanity only has this foothold in the Source Realm today because those seven legendary heroes traded their lives for it!"

"Likewise, every SSS-class professional will become a thorn in the side of the alien races!"

"Once word of you gets out, assassins from the Blood Cat Clan and the Corpse Hound Clan will swarm in like sharks scenting blood. They will launch endless attacks on you and those around you!"

"They may even—"

"Trigger a full-scale war between those two clans and humanity!"

Jiang Chuan's expression turned grave.

He knew that the Blood Cat Clan and the Corpse Hound Clan were humanity's main enemies at present.

Their territories bordered one another, and fighting in the border regions never ceased.

The news reported on it almost every week.

Of the three, humanity was caught in the middle and had to face the threats of both alien races at once.

As for the overall state of the war...

From what Jiang Chuan had gathered from the news, the outlook was far from optimistic.

Humanity's physical disadvantage was innate. Even their reproductive ability, which they relied on for survival, could not compare to how prolifically the Blood Cat Clan and Corpse Hound Clan reproduced.

If not for the weapons and trump cards obtained through trade with other alien races, they likely would not even be able to hold on to this resource-poor territory.

Even so—

Human territory was still being eroded year after year.

As Jiang Chuan pondered, Shen Zhiyi continued studying him with a scrutinizing gaze. "When did your SSS-class talent awaken?"

Jiang Chuan came back to his senses. "On the day of awakening."

"Why didn't you report it?"

Jiang Chuan had not figured out how to answer.

Shen Zhiyi looked into his eyes in silence for several seconds before answering for him herself. "Because you don't trust the Federation. You don't trust that City Lord Lu. You don't trust anyone. You're afraid of being treated as an anomaly, afraid of being dissected for research, afraid of being used as a tool."

That was indeed what Jiang Chuan thought.

Shen Zhiyi sighed.

She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands on the table, her tone softening somewhat. "Your concerns are not without reason. In the Federation's history, there have indeed been cases where people with SSS-class talents were overly protected and lost their freedom."

"But things are different now."

"You could say—"

"Stellar Crown Academy was created precisely to put an end to such things."

"Here, your talent will not be suppressed. It will be nurtured and amplified, used where it ought to be used."

Jiang Chuan remained noncommittal.

What Shen Zhiyi described was based on the assumption that he possessed an SSS-class talent.

But what if he revealed that he possessed another SSS-class talent?

A far more terrifying, rule-level talent?

Her words were worth believing.

But not completely.

Seeing his wariness, Shen Zhiyi calmly made a promise. "From now on, I will take full responsibility for your safety. Within the academy, no one can touch you. Outside the academy, I will make anyone capable of touching you weigh whether they have what it takes before they try. This is Stellar Crown Academy's promise, and it is also my, Shen Zhiyi's, promise."

Jiang Chuan considered it for a moment. "Can you guarantee that the Lin Family won't make a move against me in secret?"

"If they disregard the rules and use their seniority to bully the young—"

"I can."

"However, the Lin Family also has many outstanding descendants in the academy. They may use the academy's rules to cause you trouble reasonably. Unless your life is in danger, I will not interfere."

Shen Zhiyi made herself perfectly clear.

Conflicts between students were reasonable competition with positive feedback, and Stellar Crown Academy had always encouraged such things.

In her view—

As the holder of an SSS-class talent—

If Jiang Chuan could not even handle a few professionals his own age, then his supreme talent would be wasted. Whether he was worth cultivating at all would be open to question.

But that was not what Jiang Chuan was considering. He asked instead, "What if I make a move against the Lin Family?"

"...Huh?"

Shen Zhiyi's mind stalled for a moment.

The Lin Family was a powerful aristocratic family in Skywatch City. Though they currently had no Rank Eight powerhouse overseeing the family, given their foundations and connections, inviting several Rank Eight powerhouses to act would not be difficult.

What Jiang Chuan was worried about was not that those old fellows would shamelessly target him.

He actually wanted to take the initiative and cause them trouble?

"You..."

After pondering for a moment, she did not know how to answer. "Most members of the Lin Family hold important positions in the Federation. Unless you can find concrete evidence that they are colluding with alien races, it will be difficult to bring them down."

"What a shame."

Jiang Chuan sighed regretfully, though he was secretly making his own calculations.

A direct, open attack would not work.

But secretly taking out a few of the family's pillars should be fine, right?

Jiang Chuan's dictionary had never contained the words mercy or settling scores later. Since they had already become enemies, how could he rest easy without finding a way to wipe out their entire family?

But he certainly would not reveal such thoughts before Shen Zhiyi.

He changed the subject. "What exactly is Stellar Crown Academy like?"

"Stellar Crown Academy consists of seven institutes, each corresponding to a different training path. Starlight Institute specializes in combat, Starshine Institute in spells, Starvault Institute in tactical command, Nebula Institute in equipment forging and dismantling, Starsea Institute in potions and medicine, and Star-Pattern Institute in alien cultures and diplomacy."

She paused and looked into Jiang Chuan's eyes. "There is also one final, special institute: Darkstar Institute."

"Darkstar Institute?"

Jiang Chuan noticed that when she spoke of the first six institutes, her tone had been calm, even faintly dismissive. Only when she mentioned Darkstar Institute did pride appear on her face.

"Darkstar Institute is the most special existence in the entire Stellar Crown Academy system."

"It does not recruit students publicly, hold public assessments, have fixed courses, or fixed instructors. Its students are all monsters whom the academy believes possess 'potential far beyond the limits of conventional training.'"

She turned to face Jiang Chuan. "You will be Darkstar Institute's only new student this year."

Jiang Chuan showed no surprise. He merely nodded. "So I'm one of those monsters."

Shen Zhiyi did not find anything wrong with that statement.

She continued, "Darkstar Institute's rules are simple: there are no rules. Do whatever you want, learn whatever you want, go wherever you want. The academy will not arrange any compulsory classes for you, assign you any homework, assess your attendance, or inspect your cultivation progress."

Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like free-range management."

"It is not free-range management."

Shen Zhiyi corrected him. "It is granting students sufficient autonomy. Darkstar Institute students do not need to be arranged for. They know what they should do. If you do not know, then you are not qualified to remain in Darkstar Institute."

She paused. "Of course, free-range management does not mean no oversight. Darkstar Institute has the most abundant resources of all seven institutes, the highest priority for Secret Realm access, and the largest equipment requisition allowance. Tell me directly what you need. As long as your request is not excessive, I can meet it."

Jiang Chuan asked, "How many students does Darkstar Institute have?"

"Eight in total, including you. I told you, Darkstar Institute only accepts monsters."

There was no regret or pity in Shen Zhiyi's voice as she said this. Instead, it carried a faint pride. "Monsters are not common. Sometimes one appears only after several years; sometimes, not even one appears after more than a decade. Being admitted here is your good fortune, and the academy's as well."