23: Chapter 23 Extraterrestrial Examinees

"Got it, Dad. I'll be careful tomorrow," Su Yu replied casually.

"Got it? You know jack squat!"

Su Wu gave Su Yu a sharp flick on the forehead. The crisp sound even startled Xiaobai, who was gnawing on a chicken leg nearby.

"Ouch! Dad, what was that for?" Su Yu rubbed his head with an aggrieved look.

I'm already a Grandmaster, yet I'm still getting hit on the head. Where am I supposed to put my Face?

"I'm hitting you to make sure you remember," Su Wu said with his legs crossed and a serious expression. "Don't think you're invincible just because you've become a Grandmaster. The world is huge—larger than you can possibly imagine."

Su Wu opened a holographic projection and pulled up an encrypted file.

"I've used some special channels to look into this. The reason so many off-world candidates are gathering at Canglan Base this year is because several satellite cities for 'Interstellar Jump Points' have been built near Canglan."

Su Wu pointed at several red markers on the map and said in a heavy tone,

"Most of these candidates come from—Mars."

"Mars?" Su Yu frowned slightly.

In this era, Mars was no longer a red desert.

Hundreds of years ago, when Earth's resources were depleted, a group of high-ranking officials and wealthy elites who possessed top-tier technology and wealth migrated their entire families to Mars, establishing a more advanced civilization.

One could say that Martian humans were the current "aristocracy" of the Federation.

"Exactly." Su Wu sneered. "That group of self-proclaimed 'Higher Humans' has advanced technology and drinks gene optimization fluid like water. However, because they lack wild Vicious Beasts, their native-born descendants might have high Realms, but their actual combat abilities are often superficial."

"So, to pass the rigorous 'Federation Elite Selection,' many Martian families send their children to Earth for the college entrance exam. They call it 'gilding their resumes in the countryside,' but in reality, they're here to steal slots from Earth candidates and farm points!"

A cold glint flashed in Su Wu's eyes.

"Moreover, these young masters and Young Misses are incredibly ruthless. In their eyes, Earth natives are no different from the Vicious Beasts in the wilderness. In previous years, there have been many cases of Earth candidates being crippled or even maimed."

Su Wu looked at Su Yu, his tone becoming solemn. "I'm not worried that you can't beat them. I'm worried you'll be too soft and end up in trouble because of it. Remember, once you're on the testing grounds, I don't care if they're from Mars or Mercury—if they dare show their teeth to you, beat them within an inch of their lives!"

After listening, a chill also flashed through Su Yu's eyes.

Stealing slots? Treating Earthlings as stepping stones?

He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and a confident curve formed at the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry, Dad. I don't care where they're from; if they dare mess with me, I'll show them what's what."

...

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

The entrance to Canglan First High School was already a sea of people.

Cordon lines stretched three kilometers long, and fully armed City Defense Force personnel maintained order.

Countless parents waited anxiously outside the cordon, their eyes filled with hope.

For ordinary families, the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam was the only Opportunity for a Heaven-Defying change of fate.

Su Wu drove the limited-edition luxury hovercar gifted by the City Lord, with Su Yu and Xiaobai—who was draped over Su Yu's shoulder like a scarf—and stopped discreetly at the VIP entrance.

"Go on," Su Wu patted Su Yu's shoulder, offering no unnecessary words. "I'll wait for you out here."

"Mm."

Su Yu nodded, looking capable and cold in his black combat suit.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, many surrounding students recognized him.

"Look! It's Su Yu!"

"That legendary Young Lord Su? I heard his dad is a hidden powerhouse!"

"Shh! Keep it down."

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Su Yu walked straight toward the school gate.

However, just as he was about to step through the entrance.

Rumble—!!

The originally clear sky suddenly darkened.

A massive air current descended from the sky, and a howling gale kicked up clouds of dust, blowing countless candidates and parents off balance. Even the electronic banner at the school gate was torn away.

"What's going on?!"

"Look at the sky!"

Everyone looked up in terror.

The clouds were violently torn apart as over a dozen sci-fi-looking, jet-black small spaceships hovered over the school like steel beasts.

Blue tail flames spewed high-temperature exhaust, distorting the surrounding air.

Those were private shuttles from Mars!

"Beep—! Out of the way, bystanders!"

A cold and arrogant voice broadcast from the ships' loudspeakers, showing absolutely no concern for the dense crowd of candidates below.

The ships slowly landed on the large open ground near the school that had been requisitioned for the occasion.

The massive landing gear pressed deep indentations into the ground.

The hatch doors opened.

Pshhh—

White cold air billowed out.

A group of noble and aloof youths dressed in silver-white nano-combat suits filed out.

The men were handsome and tall, while the women were beautiful, their skin as flawless as fine porcelain.

They didn't immediately go to the check-in line. Instead, they stood by the hatches, scanning the dusty Earthlings around them as if they were watching monkeys in a zoo.

"Tsk tsk, so this is Earth? There's so much dust in the air; it's making my throat sore." A blond youth covered his nose in disgust.

"Nothing we can do, just endure it. My old man insisted I come here to take the 'Provincial Top Scorer' title," another red-haired girl said, playing with a laser dagger in her hand, her gaze contemptuous. "But looking at this sorry lot, even those so-called Geniuses are only at the Early Stage Innate Realm. How boring."

Su Wu stood outside the crowd, his eyes narrowing slightly as his Divine Thought instantly swept over the group.

"Quite the grand display."

Su Wu sneered inwardly.

There were about fifty people in the group. Among them, nearly a third had aura fluctuations reaching the Grandmaster Realm!

Although most were "Grandmasters" propped up by drugs with unstable Foundations, compared to the Earth students still struggling in the Qi and Blood Realm or Innate Realm, it was indeed a dimensional strike.

Since the ecological recovery, Martian resources were indeed far more abundant than Earth's.

Just then.

Another, deeper roar echoed from the sky.

A streamlined luxury ship, its hull inlaid with Star-Gold, slowly descended.

This ship was even escorted by four drone fighters. The sheer scale of the display was staggering.

The hatch opened, and a red carpet automatically unrolled.

Two figures, one old and one young, slowly walked out.

The youth leading the way was about eighteen or nineteen, with an unnervingly beautiful appearance, wearing a Flowing Cloud Silk robe that looked simple but was worth a fortune.

He held a folding fan and wore a nonchalant smile, as if he were here for a casual outing.

"I really don't understand Father."

As the youth walked, he shook his fan, his tone full of impatience. "He insisted I come to this backwater Canglan Base. With my talent, I could easily get into a good university even on Mars. Why bother competing for food with these peasants?"

His name was Li Xinghe, the Young Lord of the Mars Li Family.

And the Li Family was a clan that held significant influence in the entire Federation.

Following behind him was a hunched old man in a gray robe.

The old man seemed to be in his twilight years, yet when the violent air currents around the ship blew within three feet of him, they automatically became incredibly smooth.

"Young Lord, the Master's arrangement has its reasons."

The old man was named Uncle Li. His voice was raspy but reached Li Xinghe's ears clearly. "Though Earth has declined, it is the ancestral land of humanity and hides many great Opportunities. Moreover, it seems the Federation high-ups in the 1st Star Zone intend to select 'Seeds' on Earth this time. The attention here is no less than on Mars."

"Fine, fine, I get it," Li Xinghe waved his hand. "Let's just finish the exam and leave."

Uncle Li smiled, his cloudy old eyes filled with doting affection.

However.

Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze and escort the Young Lord into the testing center.

Buzz!

Uncle Li's half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

An invisible mental storm centered on him, instantly sweeping through the entire area.

His gaze skipped over the City Lord Pan Hong, who was maintaining order, and bypassed the so-called Martian Geniuses, finally...

Locking firmly onto the middle-aged man leaning against a car at the edge of the crowd, with a white cat resting on his shoulder.

Su Wu.

The moment Uncle Li looked over, Su Wu also raised his head.

Their eyes met.

Across hundreds of meters of people and the noisy, bustling world.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no phenomena of lightning or thunder.

But in their mental worlds, it was as if two ten-thousand-foot mountains had violently collided!

Boom!

Uncle Li's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His hunched back instantly straightened, and a terrifying light erupted from his cloudy eyes as he stared fixedly at Su Wu.

"A Martial... Saint?!"

A storm of shock surged in Uncle Li's heart.

In this tiny Canglan Base, a place so remote you'd have to zoom in several times on a map just to find it—how could a Martial Saint be hiding here?!

Moreover, the other party's aura was as deep as the sea. Though it seemed restrained, that faint, intangible fluctuation actually made even him, a veteran Martial Saint, feel a tremor of fear!

"What's wrong, Uncle Li?"

Walking ahead, Li Xinghe noticed the old man's abnormality and stopped, turning back to ask in confusion.

Uncle Li took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the boiling Qi and blood in his body, and withdrew his gaze with a complex expression.

"It's nothing, Young Lord."

Uncle Li's voice held an unprecedented gravity. "I simply didn't expect that a true Dragon would actually be coiled in these shallow waters."

"Young Lord, during this exam, remember to restrain your pride. This place... is not simple."

Li Xinghe was stunned; it was the first time he had seen Uncle Li show such an expression.

He followed Uncle Li's previous line of sight, but only saw an ordinary middle-aged man feeding a ham sausage to a white cat.

"Tch, acting all mysterious." Li Xinghe turned back dismissively and strode into the testing center.

On the other side.

Su Wu unhurriedly peeled the wrapper off the ham sausage and fed it to Xiaobai on his shoulder, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"A Martial Saint, huh..."

"That old fellow from Mars has decent strength, but unfortunately, his Qi and blood are withered. He's just an Early Stage Martial Saint."

Su Wu brushed the crumbs off his hands and watched Su Yu's retreating figure as he entered the testing center.