12: Top scorer in the college entrance examination

He sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed, his palm gently cradling a long-faded family photo.

In the picture, his father's broad palm, filled with strength and warmth, rested steadily on his young shoulders.

His fingertips unconsciously caressed the gold-stamped date on the edge of the photo—June, Star Era 2042.

At that moment, the backs of his parents as they stepped into the other world became the last clear image in his memory.

The official, cold "missing" report felt like an unsolved curse, weighing heavily on his heart.

"Tomorrow... I can finally go to that world..." Lin Yuan whispered, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

He placed the photo frame solemnly back in the most prominent spot on the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping over the stable numbers on the data panel: 【evolution points: 2233】.

These precious points were to be saved for the most critical moment after the Mortal Transformation Baptism, where a Breakthrough was needed most!

Immediately, he calmed his mind and sat cross-legged on the floor, the Primordial Purple Qi within his body slowly circulating, silently declaring a belief: Only by becoming stronger!

Strong enough to step through the fog, strong enough to find the truth!

Early morning, Spirit Martial Hall plaza.

Tens of thousands of candidates, filled with dreams and anxiety, were arranged in neat military formations according to their examination zones.

A giant light screen suspended above the plaza flowed with the prologue of today's sacred ceremony: 【Star Source Pool · Mortal Transformation Baptism Ceremony】.

Special Sequence: National Top Scholar (Crimson Gold Channel · Unique).

First Sequence: National Top Ten (Purple Gold Channel).

Second Sequence: State Top Scholars (Gold Channel)...

Ninth Sequence: Ordinary Candidates (Bronze Channel).

"Quick, look! Is that Lin Yuan? The monster Top Scholar from Tianming City?"

"Nonsense! His combat power tester directly went off the charts! Internal news says his base combat power exceeds three thousand! He's stronger than many instructors!"

"Three... three thousand?! Is he still a Reserve Martial Artist?!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! I heard his Mental Energy awakened long ago; it's ridiculously strong..."

Whispers spread through the crowd like pebbles dropped into a calm lake, rippling outward.

As Lin Yuan walked alone, his steps steady, toward the Crimson Gold Channel that symbolized supreme glory, countless gazes—envy, jealousy, awe, curiosity—focused on him like spotlights, as if he were the light source himself.

"Silence!" The examiner's majestic voice suppressed all noise.

Hum—

Nine streams of light of different colors descended from the Nine Heavens, landing precisely on the edge of the Star Source Pool, forming nine shimmering spatial portals.

The moment Lin Yuan stepped into the Crimson Gold portal, a slight dizziness from the spatial shift washed over him.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the center of a vast, boundless silver sea of stars.

Beneath his feet was a crimson gold platform condensed from pure starlight energy.

Looking around, the Star Source Pool was vast enough to make one's heart tremble; the pool water was not liquid, but a sea of energy as viscous as mercury, formed by the convergence of the Origin power of billions of stars.

Candidates from other channels also appeared on their respective colored platforms, like scattered islands in the sea of stars.

"Attention, all candidates!" A majestic, grand voice that resonated directly in the depths of everyone's Divine Soul announced:

"Divine Soul Trial, Item 1: Mental Energy tempering!"

"The longer you persist, the stronger your Origin transformation will be! Begin!"

Before the words even faded, Lin Yuan felt his consciousness instantly pulled away by a gentle yet irresistible force!

Void Realm.

From all directions, terrifying mental pressure like billions of red-hot steel needles fiercely pierced every consciousness!

This pressure did not just target perception; it acted directly on the Divine Soul Origin, bringing tearing pain!

"Ah—!"

Screams instantly erupted throughout the "examination hall" on the mental plane!

The consciousnesses of some candidates with weak Mental Energy or wavering will collapsed instantly like bubbles, and they were forcibly ejected back to their physical bodies, announcing their elimination.

More candidates had twisted expressions, trembling all over, as the light of Mental Energy began to struggle to appear on their bodies—this was the unique talent of the Blue Star people, forcibly Awakening Mental Energy under life-and-death pressure!

This was the only ticket to the other world!

Countless people could never open this door in their entire lives, forced to waste away on the relatively Spiritual Qi-poor Blue Star.

However, in the core area of the Void Realm corresponding to the Crimson Gold platform, Lin Yuan's consciousness remained unmoved!

The terrifying pressure that would make a shedding mortality realm Martial Artist's Soul tremble fell upon him like a breeze brushing against a rock!

He could even clearly "feel" that his Mental Energy Origin was being refined, becoming slower and steadily more condensed, pure, and heavy under this pressure, like Ore being refined!

Other areas:

In the Purple Gold zone, Xiao Lie burned with illusory cyan flames, his teeth chattering, veins bulging on his forehead, clearly supporting himself at the limit.

In the Silver zone, Chen Xue was wrapped in a pale blue Mental Energy cocoon, ripples constantly appearing on its surface, her face as pale as paper.

In the outer channels, countless candidates were like small boats in a storm, teetering on the edge.

Boom!

The intensity of the pressure suddenly doubled! It swept through like an invisible tsunami!

Pop, pop, pop... Another large swath of consciousness lights dimmed and disappeared with screams.

But shockingly, more candidates who persisted suddenly erupted with dazzling Mental Energy radiance!

Under the extreme pressure, they had successfully awakened!

【Current Mental Energy awakened count: 12457... 19845... 35672...】

On the giant light screen, the numbers jumped crazily!

Lin Yuan clearly "saw" that every time a new Awakening radiance lit up, a wisp of pure Star Origin would silently cross space in the vast Star Source Pool below, merging into that awakened person's body to lay their initial Foundation.

Three hours later.

The last mental shockwave, like a tangible giant hammer, swept across!

Thump! Thump!

The consciousnesses of the surviving candidates returned to reality, almost all of them collapsing on their respective platforms, gasping for air, sweating profusely, their faces filled with the exhaustion of surviving a disaster and a hint of excitement from Awakening.

Only in the center of the Crimson Gold platform did Lin Yuan slowly open his eyes, purple lightning and starlight flashing in them, his aura as steady as if he had just sat quietly for a moment.

The data panel refreshed quietly:

【Mental Energy tempering finished】

【Newly awakened: 89231】

【Your Mental Energy Origin has received deep quenching and enhancement】

Lin Yuan

Realm: Reserve Martial Artist (Overlimit)

Base combat power: 4800 (Awakening Realm combat power)

Mental Energy: 1300 (Peak of Tenth Heaven)

evolution points: 2334

"Second stage assessment: Divine Thought Creation · Myriad Phenomena Derivation! Starting now!" The majestic voice sounded again, carrying a hint of imperceptible anticipation.

In front of all candidates who passed the first round, sixteen three-dimensional models outlined in pure Mental Energy blue light appeared silently in the void.

From the most basic cubes and double cones to complex and exquisite Klein bottles and Möbius strips, and then to the nine-dimensional hypercube containing the Profound Truth of spatial folding... until the final one, which emitted a chilling, Soul-devouring fluctuation—the Twelve-Dimensional Ultimate Hypercube!

Each model represented an extreme challenge to Mental Energy control precision, spatial imagination, and understanding of rules!

"Construct the first model, get 1 point; the second, 2 points; the third, 4 points... and so on, growing geometrically!" The electronic voice coldly explained the cruel rules. "The final total score will directly determine the quality and quantity of the 'Baptism Origin' you can obtain in the Star Source Pool!"

In the spectator zone outside the examination hall, the eliminated candidates gathered in front of the giant viewing screen. When they saw those sixteen models, especially the final Twelve-Dimensional Hypercube, gasps of cold air merged into one!

"My God! Last year's Top Scholar Chu Xinghe struggled with his life and only built up to the fifth!"

"The sixth one onwards is already the non-human Realm, right? This twelve-dimensional one... can a human actually make that?"

Inside, most of the candidates who had just awakened their Mental Energy were sweating profusely, their Mental Energy threads trembling as they struggled to outline the contour of the first cube, their progress slow.

But on the Crimson Gold platform—Lin Yuan moved.

His eyes were calm and waveless, his slender fingers sweeping casually through the void, with condensed, tangible silver-purple Mental Energy radiance flowing from his fingertips.

First cube: With a thought, it formed instantly! Time taken: 0.3 seconds! Flawless!

Second double cone: Mental Energy threads obeyed like an extension of his arm, intertwining, wrapping, and setting! Time taken: 0.5 seconds!

Third Möbius strip: Exquisite structure? In his eyes, it was like looking at the palm of his hand, done with ease!

Fourth, fifth...

"Quick, look at Lin Yuan's side!" The spectator zone erupted in irrepressible exclamations!

They saw that in the area where Lin Yuan was, one complex, exquisite Mental Energy model after another, emitting dazzling blue light, bloomed in the void one after another, almost without intervals, like the most gorgeous fireworks under the night sky!

His movements were fluid, elegant, and carried an indescribable sense of rhythm, as if he were not undergoing an assessment, but performing a dazzling artistic creation!

"The seventh! The seventh! This is already the limit level of previous Top Scholars! He... he doesn't seem to be trying hard yet?!"

"My God! His speed... why is it still increasing?! The eighth! The ninth! The tenth!!!"

Meanwhile, in other top-tier areas:

In the Purple Gold zone, Xiao Lie's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his body like coiled dragons, his violent Mental Energy struggling to support the fifth model, the light on its surface flickering, teetering on the edge.

In the Purple Gold zone where Ye Bingli was, the fourth model had just barely formed; her face was ghastly pale, her forehead covered in fine cold sweat.

In an inconspicuous corner of the Gold zone, a bespectacled boy with a restrained aura had a flash of brilliance in his eyes, and the fourth model in front of him suddenly stabilized, drawing low gasps from those around him.

【Current Real-time Points Ranking】

Lin Yuan: 2047 points (11th · Eleven-Dimensional Nested Sphere · Completed!)

Xiao Lie: 63 points (5th)

Ye Bingli: 31 points (4th)

...

When the Twelve-Dimensional Ultimate Hypercube model, which represented the pinnacle of human imagination and Mental Energy control, was perfectly constructed by Lin Yuan with smooth, unhindered movements, the entire mental examination hall fell into a dead silence!

Even the ubiquitous monitoring System issued a harsh, highest-level energy alarm representing the limit of the rules!

"He... he really... completed... that impossible..." In the spectator zone, a girl covered her mouth, her eyes filled with dreamlike disbelief.

However, this was not the end!

Just the moment Lin Yuan completed the Sixteen-Dimensional Hypercube!

Hum—!!!

The sixteen models floating in front of Lin Yuan, representing the ultimate Profound Truth from low dimensions to high dimensions, seemed to be summoned by some supreme rule and simultaneously erupted with unprecedented dazzling golden light!

They automatically disintegrated and reorganized as if they had life, and billions of Mental Energy threads crazily intertwined, wrapped, and collapsed in the air... Finally, in front of Lin Yuan, they condensed into a brand-new, indescribable model that defied any known geometric language, emitting the aura of the Origin of Chaos and creation—a Golden Ultimate Model!

"Seed of Creation?!" Deep within the heaven-reaching pagoda, an ancient and vicissitudinous voice sounded with unbelievable trembling, "Actually... someone can truly touch the threshold of 'Creation' in the Reserve stage?!"

In Lin Yuan's eyes, purple lightning and starlight were more blazing than ever before!

He took a deep breath, his Tenth Heaven Peak Divine Thought pouring out without reservation, like the most precise scanner and the greatest creator, instantly enveloping, parsing, and reconstructing this golden model containing the ultimate secrets of the Universe!

"Look at the leaderboard! It's crazy! It's completely crazy!" someone pointed at the light screen and screamed!

Behind Lin Yuan's name, the number representing his points began to soar crazily, like a wild horse off its leash, destroying everyone's perception:

80,000 → 160,000 → 320,000 → 640,000 → 1,280,000 → 2,560,000... Finally, it froze at a terrifying number that made everyone's heart stop—【10,240,000】!

"Rumble—!!!"

The entire Spirit Martial Hall, like a giant beast awakened from an ancient slumber, let out a terrifying roar that shook the heavens and the earth! In the center of the Star Source Pool, corresponding to Lin Yuan's crimson gold platform, a seven-colored beam of creation light, over a hundred meters in diameter and containing the Concept of the beginning of Chaos and the derivation of all things, struck like a divine sword that opened up the world. It crashed through the dome of the Spirit Martial Hall and shot straight into the Nine Heavens! The entire plaza trembled violently, space distorted, and the Law wailed!

Lin Yuan's body was gently yet domineeringly lifted by this seven-colored beam of light, suspending him within it. The violet-gold Grandmist patterns flowing beneath his skin, under the scouring of the light of creation, were transforming at a speed visible to the naked eye into a purer gold that was deeper, more noble, and seemed to contain the Origin of the Universe! A vast, ancient, and sacred aura of the Origin of life permeated from his body.

【Special identity detected: One-Star Reserve Pagoda Member】

【Creation Baptism effect bonus: 100%!】

When that seven-colored beam of light that pierced the heavens and earth finally dissipated slowly, the trembling of the Spirit Martial Hall gradually subsided. Suspended in the air, Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes. His temperament had undergone an earth-shattering change, like divine jade stripped of all impurities—deep, reserved, yet containing a terrifying power that could change the color of the world. A brand-new data panel unfolded before his eyes:

【Lin Yuan】

Realm: shedding mortality realm, First Heavenly Layer (Life level transition complete)

Base combat power: 12,900

Mental Energy: Divine Thought Fifth Heavenly Layer (5,200)

Space Mark: Six-Star (Highest Authority)

Available space anchor points: 5

Accessible world Rank limit: Six-Star Major Thousand Worlds (Xuantian Star Domain level continent)

Dead silence! Absolute silence enveloped the entire spectator area! Tens of thousands of candidates were like statues under a freezing spell, staring dumbfounded at the number on the light screen that was so dazzling it was despair-inducing—12,900! And that Six-Star Mark symbolizing the highest authority!

"This... this is no longer a Genius..." a boy muttered in a daze, his voice dry, "This is... a miracle... it's a monster..."

On the edge of the Star Source Pool, on the violet-gold platform. Xiao Lie gripped the expensive instrument in his hand that could detect energy reactions so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the excessive force. On the screen, that crystal-clear "12,900" number was like a red-hot branding iron, searing his eyeballs and heart! The flames of pride burning in his eyes extinguished instantly, leaving only endless bitterness and... unspeakable fear. His 1,297 combat power after the baptism was as insignificant as dust in front of the other party!

The bell rang melodiously, announcing the end of the baptism. But everyone understood that at this very moment, a legend who surpassed all his peers and was worthy of being recorded in the history books of Blue Star had been born!

The vast Star Power water level of the Star Source Pool began to slowly drop; this ceremony concerning the turning point of fate was coming to an end. However, a new journey, the door to the Otherworld filled with infinite possibilities and unknown dangers, was opening to them!

Just as the seven-colored light of creation completely dissipated and Lin Yuan's figure landed back on the crimson gold platform!

"Screech—"

A narrow, pitch-black space rift that seemed capable of swallowing all light silently unfolded before him without any warning! There were no violent energy fluctuations, only an absolute dead silence and depth that made one's Soul freeze.

A middle-aged man dressed in a simple, dark-colored ancient robe stepped out from it. His face was ordinary, yet he carried a majesty of having seen all the vicissitudes of life and holding the power to control the Universe. Most eye-catching was the badge on his chest—nine stars surrounding a heaven-reaching pagoda, which, under the starlight of the Spirit Martial Hall, flowed with a cold and noble dim light.

He was just standing there, and the invisible force field emitted from his body instantly caused the surging, sea-like power in Lin Yuan's body, which had just completed its transformation, to freeze! Every cell was instinctively emitting violent trembling and fear originating from the life level!

"Minister of Education, Lin Xuan." The man spoke, his voice flat, yet it seemed to contain the Laws of Heaven and Earth, directly branded into the depths of the Soul. With a casual wave of his sleeve, an invisible barrier that blocked all prying eyes instantly enveloped the crimson gold platform, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

"Lin Yuan, you are the first candidate in the history of Blue Star civilization to trigger and complete the 'Creation Baptism'." Lin Xuan's gaze fell on Lin Yuan, as if he could pierce through all his secrets.

Lin Yuan's pupils contracted sharply, his body tensed instinctively, and the Primordial Purple Qi in his body, which had just calmed down, circulated at high speed again, attempting to resist that omnipresent terrifying pressure.

"No need to be nervous." Lin Xuan seemed to see through his guard and lightly tapped his fingertip toward Lin Yuan.

Hum!

An indescribably gentle force brushed over him, and the restless, almost uncontrollable Spiritual Qi in Lin Yuan's body instantly became docile and peaceful, like a tamed raging wave. "If I really wanted to harm you," Lin Xuan's voice remained flat, yet carried an absolute, despair-inducing confidence, "you wouldn't even be able to form a single thought."

After speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and lightly slashed at the Void Realm in front of him.

"Screech—"

A much larger and deeper space rift was torn open out of thin air! Through this rift, Lin Yuan saw a scene he would never forget in his life:

It was a bizarre, chaotic, and magnificent world! Countless floating continent fragments drifted in the boundless Void Realm turbulence like broken mirror shards!

Some fragments were similar in size to Blue Star and full of vitality; others were so large they were suffocating, their area comparable to... the entire Solar System! Or even larger! Between the fragments were violent space storms, twisted time-space turbulence, and unknown energy tides emitting destructive auras!

"Do you know why it is called an 'Otherworld'?" Lin Xuan's voice seemed to carry a certain rhythm of the Dao, guiding Lin Yuan's gaze to pierce through the rift and look deeper, "In our Universe, civilizations develop levels based on planets, galaxies, and Star Domains, such as Blue Star, the Purple Cloud Galaxy, the Xuantian Star Domain, the ninety-nine star sectors, all the way to the Central Universe. And over there—"

The scene in the rift changed rapidly and zoomed out! Finally, the view locked onto the center of the boundless Void Realm. There, it was not broken floating islands, but a supercontinent whose vastness could not be described in words!

It floated quietly, as if it were the center of the Universe! On the continent, mountain ranges wound like star rings encircling stars, and rivers surged, wide enough to accommodate hundreds of stars side-by-side!

At the edge of the continent were energy waterfalls falling from the Nine Heavens, connecting to the endless Void Realm! Just a glimpse, and the oppressive feeling, so vast it surpassed the limits of imagination, almost made Lin Yuan suffocate!

"Their world divides levels based on 'continents'. The Six-Star Mark you obtained corresponds to the 'Major Thousand Worlds'." Lin Xuan's voice sounded at the right time, pulling Lin Yuan back from his shock.

"A Six-Star Major Thousand Worlds, in its vastness, is approximately equal to one Xuantian Star Domain in our Universe. And above the Major Thousand Worlds, there are even more vast Seven-Star, Eight-Star, Nine-Star, and Ten-Star worlds, all the way to that... boundless, carrying the ultimate mysteries—the Central Continent!" When mentioning the Central Continent, Lin Xuan's tone carried a hint of undisguised awe.

As his finger lightly slashed, a clear three-dimensional world classification chart condensed in the air:

【Otherworld · Level Classification】

1-Star: Small World (Area ≈ Blue Star)

2-Star: Minor Thousand Worlds (≈ Deep Blue Star System)

3-Star: Middle Thousand Worlds (≈ Purple Cloud Galaxy)

4-Star: Ten Directions Realm (≈ 10 Purple Cloud Galaxies)

5-Star: Hundred Domains Realm (≈ 100 Purple Cloud Galaxies)

6-Star: Major Thousand Worlds (≈ Xuantian Star Domain)

7-Star: ...

8-Star: ...

9-Star: ...

10-Star: ...

Central Continent: Immeasurable! (Core of the Universe, Origin/End of All Worlds)

"Your parents, back then..." Lin Xuan's voice paused slightly, his sharp gaze capturing how Lin Yuan's body suddenly tensed, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes erupting with irrepressible urgency and pain when he heard the word "parents".

"The Otherworld coordinates they last teleported to were a 3-Star Middle Thousand Worlds. According to Otherworld travel standards, one needs at least the cultivation of the Awakening Realm Fifth Heavenly Layer to barely be qualified for exploration."

3-Star Middle Thousand Worlds! Awakening Realm Fifth Heavenly Layer!

These words were like heavy hammers, smashing fiercely into Lin Yuan's heart! He finally truly realized what a dangerous place his parents had stepped into back then! His previous "power," in the face of the real Otherworld, was perhaps just the beginning!

"However—" Lin Xuan changed the subject, a faint smile, seemingly containing some expectation, appearing on his face, and the Myriad Laws Realm pressure that suffocated Lin Yuan also slightly retracted, "with the Foundation you built today through the Creation Baptism, as well as your status as a 'One-Star Pagoda Member', you are qualified to know some deeper inside information in advance."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome of the Spirit Martial Hall, looking toward the endless starry sky: "We speculate that space nodes like the 'Spirit Martial Hall' are not unique to Blue Star. Just as our Xuantian Star Domain allocates extremely rare 'Mortal Transformation Baptism' quotas to the subordinate Purple Cloud Galaxy every year... in other parts of the Star Domain, in more distant starry skies, there must also exist similar nodes, connecting to that vast Otherworld Universe."

His gaze fell back onto Lin Yuan, carrying a heavy sense of mission: "For six hundred years, through the Spirit Martial Hall, the only path to survival, we have been continuously sending all the Mental Energy talented individuals we could discover to the Otherworld to grow and explore... just to find a glimmer of hope before the Burial God Abyss swallows everything! However..."

Lin Xuan's voice lowered, carrying an unspeakable weariness and heaviness, "The Otherworld is too big, too dangerous, and the competition is too cruel! Except for Lord Ji Fengyun, who stepped into the Myriad Laws Realm with peerless grace, the other pioneers... the highest only stopped at the Spirit Refining Realm! The results... were minimal."

He looked at Lin Yuan deeply, that gaze seemingly piercing through time and space: "Perhaps, one day in the future, in the depths of that vast, boundless, and bizarre Otherworld Universe, you will encounter... 'fellow travelers' and 'competitors' from other Star Domains in our Universe, who also carry the mission of civilization survival! Your path has only just begun, Lin Yuan. Carry the hope of Blue Star and keep going!"

The space rift slowly closed, and the fleeting glimpse of the Otherworld scene vanished without a trace. But the vast, boundless outline of the Central Continent, and the 3-Star world coordinates where his parents went missing, were already branded deeply into Lin Yuan's mind.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white again from the force, but this time, what burned in his eyes was an unprecedented, resolute fire capable of burning away all obstacles! The shedding mortality realm was complete, and the door to the Otherworld... was right at his feet!