186: Red talent [Flip the table]!

"Since the Academy Tournament began, our Star Academy has participated. Our ranking isn't officially counted, but every single time, our Star Academy has ranked first!"

"No matter what the Five Great Academies are, they've all been trampled underfoot by our Star Academy!"

"This is an honor exclusive to our Star Academy!"

"So... do you understand?"

Lan Zhan looked at the five young ones below.

Lu Sheng understood.

Just as Lan Zhan said, for Star Academy, the greatest significance of the Academy Tournament wasn't about how much resource allocation came from the Martial Alliance and the military.

It was... the honor of Star Academy always being first!

It was precisely this honor that allowed every student of Star Academy, after graduating, to proudly declare themselves a member of Star Academy.

Admittedly, Star Academy's competition results were not included in the Academy Tournament rankings, but everyone knew that first place always belonged to Star Academy.

This concept has been maintained since Star Academy first participated in the Academy Tournament.

This was also the glory that Star Academy students were proud of!

"So... Teacher Lan, you mean... you want us to participate in the Academy Tournament?"

Yu Qianqian's brows furrowed slightly as she asked in a deep voice.

Actually, when Lan Zhan mentioned the Academy Tournament, they already understood the meaning behind his words.

After all, the current situation of Star Academy was somewhat special.

Not long ago, it had suffered an invasion by Demon, which not only caused heavy losses to the Tianxing Army but also to Star Academy itself.

Currently, all students at Star Academy who were still enrolled had suffered serious injuries and would not be able to recover in a short period of time.

Originally, this kind of thing should have been very normal, after all, the invasion of Demon could happen at any time, and whether it was the Tianxing Army or the students of Star Academy, they had already prepared to die.

It was just that the timing of this Demon invasion was too much of a coincidence.

They invaded when there wasn't much time left before the Academy Tournament, and they even created the current situation.

Therefore, when Lan Zhan spoke those difficult words just now, everyone understood his meaning.

Star Academy... seemed to be preparing to let them, the freshmen, participate in the Academy Tournament!

But... could this really work?

Although they possessed Heaven-Defying talent, and they were confident in their talent and strength.

But they also knew that the Academy Tournament was a competition among the most Prodigy students from each Academy.

Not to mention other ordinary Martial Arts Academies, even among the top students of the Five Great Academies, there were many Martial Artists in the Body Storage Realm!

Although the Five Great Academies were firmly suppressed by Star Academy, their heritage and the achievements in cultivating students should not be underestimated.

Perhaps for Star Academy, only reaching the Body Storage Realm cultivation was enough to graduate, and in some generations, there might even be Prodigy who surpassed the Body Storage Realm graduating.

But among the Five Great Academies, there were also such Prodigy!

The reason why Star Academy could suppress the Five Great Academies was because, at the same age, Star Academy students were more Prodigy than those from the Five Great Academies.

But now... they were asking Lu Sheng and the others to compete with fourth-year students from the Five Great Academies, which was somewhat difficult.

It could even be said to be asking too much.

After all, there was a full three-year difference between them!

Three years, for a Martial Artist, was enough to improve a lot.

However... despite the difficulty, when Yu Qianqian spoke these words, whether it was Lu Sheng, Gu Yun, Xia Kong, or Long Tianxing.

There was no fear on their faces; instead, a look of eagerness appeared.

Lan Zhan nodded, saying somewhat helplessly, "There's no other way. Among the current students of Star Academy, only you still have combat power!"

"The Academy Tournament will begin in a month and a half. Although it's still a bit long, this Demon invasion caused too much damage to the Academy. Those injured fourth-year students simply cannot recover."

"Some second-year students can recover, but..."

Lan Zhan's words hesitated slightly. After glancing at the five young ones below, a hint of pride appeared.

"It's just that they are not even as good as you!"

Listening to Lan Zhan's words, smiles also appeared on everyone's faces.

Indeed, just as Lin Xuan had told Elder Li, any one of the five young ones from the forty-fifth batch would be a top Prodigy in any era. They might only be freshmen, but even some second-year students in Star Academy couldn't contend with them.

This was the terrifying talent of the students from the forty-fifth batch!

"Your talent is the most Heaven-Defying I have ever seen in a batch. Usually, it's quite good if one Prodigy comparable to you appears in a batch, but I didn't expect all of them to appear in the forty-fifth batch."

Lan Zhan said with a smile, then became slightly serious: "It is precisely because of this that the principal decided that you will participate in this Academy Tournament!"

"Although it will be very difficult, you will face at least Prodigy in the Shackles Realm, and even some Prodigy in the Body Storage Realm!"

"But the principal has also decided that before the Academy Tournament begins, all resources within the school will be prioritized for you. During this month and a half, you can use any auxiliary Cultivation facilities and any resources within the Academy!"

"The Academy has only one request..."

Lan Zhan's voice paused.

"Try your best to ensure that the first place in this Academy Tournament still belongs to our Star Academy. Even if you can't achieve that, you must at least get into the top three!"

"Only in this way can the glory of Star Academy continue!"

"For the glory of Star Academy, I beg of you!"

As he spoke, Lan Zhan's expression became incredibly serious. He took a step to the side, his entire body exposed beyond the podium, and gave the Tianxing Army salute to the five people!

Lu Sheng and the other four exchanged glances and stood up. Lu Sheng's lips curled into a smile, his gaze exceptionally clear.

"We will!"

Within those short four words, Lu Sheng's unwavering determination was contained.

A month and a half... unlimited resource assistance, unlimited Cultivation ground assistance... if he still couldn't win first place in the Academy Tournament with all this, Lu Sheng would even want to slap himself.

After all, such a long time would even be enough for Lu Sheng to exchange for another red talent!

Not only Lu Sheng, but Yu Qianqian and the other four's eyes were also filled with determination.

They... were also the top Prodigy of this era!

They also had their own confidence!

"So, for the time being, please Cultivate diligently. We don't ask to continue the glory of first place, but we do ask... to preserve the glory of Star Academy!"

Lan Zhan's words slowly echoed in the classroom... Within the pitch-black world, all light seemed to be completely swallowed by endless darkness.

Only two extremely majestic, blurred figures stood silently between this Heaven and Earth. They stood in this black Heaven and Earth, like towering pillars, forcefully propping open this black Chaos Heaven and Earth!

Lu Sheng stood in this black Heaven and Earth, trying to open his eyes and gaze at the two blurred figures.

Lu Sheng had been staring at the two blurred figures for the duration of an incense stick burning.

Lu Sheng could already see the true appearance of the armor they wore, and even, faintly, the special skin patterns beneath their armor.

It was like an old tree, with different patterns etched onto their skin.

It was just... regarding the faces of those two terrifying figures, Lu Sheng still felt that a thick mist shrouded their blurred faces, making it impossible for Lu Sheng to see them clearly, no matter how hard he tried.

Drops of sweat began to secrete on Lu Sheng's temples.

So much so that...

Lu Sheng's forehead began to bulge with veins, as if he was enduring immense pain.

Gradually, Lu Sheng's complexion changed from its previous ruddiness to a pale hue.

His entire aura also gradually weakened.

After an unknown period, Lu Sheng's eyes became covered in blood-red threads, and he looked extremely weak, like someone who had stayed up for several nights, his body completely drained.

"Hoo!"

Lu Sheng let out a long breath, and with a slight shift of his thoughts, he left the black expanse of Heaven and Earth.

His consciousness gradually cleared, and when Lu Sheng opened his eyes again, he was already back in his Star Academy dormitory.

In front of Lu Sheng lay a white Xuan paper with the four large characters "God and Demon Contemplation" written on it.

"Now I can gaze upon the God and Demon for the duration of two incense sticks, but their faces are still blurry. I wonder when I'll be able to see their faces clearly!"

Lu Sheng closed his eyes, adjusted his state, and then looked at the white Xuan paper with a complicated expression.

This God-Demon Contemplation Method seemed to offer no direct increase to his combat power, but Lu Sheng gradually discovered that the longer he persisted, the more his overall spirit, energy, and vitality improved.

It was as if he was tempering his Divine Soul.

"Could it be that the Divine Soul can also be strengthened through training, just like the Physical Body?"

Lu Sheng felt a slight curiosity in his heart.

Currently, Lu Sheng only knew the Cultivation methods of the Seven Mortal Refining Realms, and he was completely ignorant of Cultivation beyond the Qi Refining stage.

Within the Seven Mortal Refining Realms, there was never any mention of the Divine Soul.

However, the God-Demon Contemplation Method given to him by the Sage of Literature seemed to be tempering his Divine Soul.

"The Human Body Treasure Trove, a part of it is hidden within the brain. Could this God-Demon Contemplation Method be a way to unlock the Human Body Treasure Trove within the brain by tempering the brain?"

Lu Sheng pondered slightly.

However, the brain had always been the most mysterious and also the most fragile part of the human body, so Lu Sheng dared not easily attempt to explore it on his own.

If anything went wrong, he could at best become an idiot, and that was not what Lu Sheng wanted to see.

"Forget it, it's better to Cultivate peacefully according to the Sage of Literature's method. When the Human Body Treasure Trove is fully unlocked, and I'm about to enter the Qi Refining stage, perhaps I'll have the answer!"

Lu Sheng gently shook his head, then looked towards the Void Realm in front of him.

With a slight thought, the System page appeared before Lu Sheng.

Host: Lu Sheng!

Cultivation: Shackles Realm Eighth Layer (180000) Body Refining Sixth Layer Late Stage!

Martial Arts: Luohan Fist (Perfection), Nine Stars Body Refining Art (Minor Achievement), Hidden Dragon Formless Sword (Entering Abyss Realm Late Stage), Barren Sword (Perfection), Thousand Flows (Major Achievement), Heaven and Earth Hammer (Minor Achievement)

Martial Arts Talent: Level Up! (Purple), Fist Technique Master (Blue), Strong Strike (White), Tenacity (Green), Ronin (White), Slaughter (Purple), Good Luck (Green), Sword Dao Divinity (Red), Hundredfold Amplification (Red), Five Elements Saint Body (Red), Heart of Confucianism (Red)

Refresh Count: 10

Looking at the ten refreshed counts, a slight curve appeared at the corner of Lu Sheng's mouth.

Currently, Lu Sheng had been Cultivating back at Star Academy for over a month.

Only a few days remained until the Academy Tournament began.

During this past month, with the unlimited resource support from Star Academy, Lu Sheng's Cultivation progress had been terrifying.

He had already unlocked eight Shackles, and even the last, ninth Shackles of the human body had been located by Lu Sheng. Now, he just needed to slowly assault this Shackles to enter the Shackles Realm Ninth Layer.

The only regrettable thing was the Body Refining Cultivation.

Although he had the blessings of Five Elements Saint Body and Hundredfold Amplification, he was still a bit short of breaking through to Body Refining Seventh Layer.

Besides these, Lu Sheng's Hidden Dragon Sword Intent and Slaughter Hammer Intent also improved.

Hidden Dragon Sword Intent advanced to the third stage.

Slaughter Hammer Intent advanced to the second stage Peak, just one step away from the third stage.

Even in Lu Sheng's Dantian, his Sword Qi had completely transformed into an abyss.

This also meant that Lu Sheng's Hidden Dragon Formless Sword had successfully reached the Entering Abyss Realm Late Stage.

Now, he only needed to slowly accumulate Hidden Dragon Sword Qi, giving enough power to the Hidden Dragon Sword Qi within the abyss, allowing the Dragon to completely emerge from the abyss, and then he would be able to enter the next Realm of Hidden Dragon Formless Sword.

Exiting the Abyss Realm!

At that time, Lu Sheng's combat power would receive an even more terrifying boost.

If Kong Yunchang were here, seeing Lu Sheng's Cultivation progress, he would probably fall into silence.

According to the records of Hidden Dragon Formless Sword, one could only Cultivate to Exiting the Abyss Realm after entering the Qi Refining stage.

However, Lu Sheng, currently only at the Shackles Realm, was already infinitely close to this Realm.

Such Cultivation speed... was astonishing!

"Now... I can start exchanging for Red Talents!"

In Lu Sheng's eyes, a faint glow flickered.

"System, exchange for Red Talent!"

"Ding, ten refresh counts deducted. Randomly refreshing Red Talent for Host. Please wait..."

The familiar, cold voice of the System rang in Lu Sheng's ears.

"Ding, System refresh successful. Congratulations to Host for obtaining Red Quality Talent — Flipping the Table."

"Flipping the Table: Choice-based Martial Arts Talent."

"Option One: Melt all Martial Arts Talents to evolve into a new, stronger Martial Arts Talent!"

"Option Two: Selectively melt a portion of Martial Arts Talents to evolve into a new, stronger Martial Arts Talent!"

Looking at the lines of text in front of him, Lu Sheng couldn't help but be stunned.

"Flipping the Table?? What is that??"

Lu Sheng's expression gradually became a little strange.

This also counted as a Martial Arts Talent?

However, Lu Sheng's gaze was fixed on those few large characters: "evolve into a new, stronger Martial Arts Talent!"

Currently, he had quite a few Red Talents. If they could evolve into a new, stronger Martial Arts Talent, wouldn't that mean Golden Talents?

Red Talents were already the top-tier Martial Arts Talents on Blue Star, talents unprecedented and unmatched.

So, what terrifying Talent would a Golden Talent, which was above Red Talents, be?

Thinking of this, Lu Sheng couldn't help but lick his lips.

Golden Talents... However, looking at the two options, Lu Sheng hesitated again.

Should he melt all Martial Arts Talents, or melt only a portion of them?

It went without saying that melting all Martial Arts Talents would definitely yield a stronger Martial Arts Talent, after all, even within the same color, Martial Arts Talents had their good and bad points.

But... Lu Sheng's gaze swept across his System page, looking at the talents flickering with different colors.

Some talents, although lower in color Rank, had quite conceptual effects!

Just like the green Good Luck!

Although it was only a green talent, the luck it bestowed had invisibly helped him a lot.

Lu Sheng didn't believe that these few Red Talents he exchanged for could coincidentally align so well with his current situation.

It must have been the Good Luck talent invisibly altering his talents.

Even in the Nine Stars Secret Realm, he had relied on the intuition brought by the Good Luck talent to find many Heaven And Earth Treasures, improving his strength.

Therefore, some Martial Arts Talents, although lower in Rank, had quite Heaven-Defying effects.

"It's better to keep some talents, after all, I don't know what type of Martial Arts Talent will be melted next."

Lu Sheng murmured softly, then looked at his System page.

"So... which Martial Arts Talents should I melt?"