85: Chapter 85 Campus Star Network
Wang Pingan's consciousness blurred for a moment, as if his soul had left his body, passing through a tunnel composed of countless bizarre data streams.
The next second, his vision suddenly cleared.
He found himself standing in the center of a massive white plaza floating above a sea of clouds.
People were coming and going on the plaza; countless young men and women, dressed in various styles of clothing, were moving and talking here in their virtual avatars.
Above their heads floated their nicknames and badges representing their grades.
The sky was a pure blue, and in the distance were continuous, fantastical floating islands.
On every island stood grand buildings of various styles.
This was the Campus Star Network of Xuanyuan University—a massive virtual network world covering the entire Tianshu Star Base, exclusive to the faculty and students of Xuanyuan University.
"Interesting, it's much more realistic than those VR games on Earth."
Wang Pingan looked around curiously, feeling that everything was filled with novelty.
In front of his field of vision, a translucent interface floated that only he could see.
There were several eye-catching modules on the interface.
[Personal Center], [mission center], [Exchange Center], [Public Forum], [Mentor Mailbox].
Wang Pingan wasn't in a hurry to take a mission; he first clicked on the [Public Forum].
He wanted to see what his reputation as the "Number One Freshman" was like in the school.
As soon as he entered, rows of densely packed posts with titles more sensational than the last flooded his screen like a waterfall.
At the very top, with a popularity level reaching a terrifying number, was a pinned post with a bright red title.
[Title: Shocking News! This year's freshman "Dragon Gate Baptism" assessment results are out! A dark horse from Galaxy Star has dominated the top spot with crushing force! Total absorption: 3275! Broke through to Fourth Grade Mid-Stage on the spot!]
Wang Pingan's mouth twitched, thinking, are there really so many people in this school who love gossip?
He clicked on it.
The main post was an edited, high-definition video over ten minutes long.
The beginning of the video was the "famous scene" where Qin Wushuang and seven other fourth-rank geniuses tried to pressure him with their aura, only to be blown back by his own breath.
Then the scene shifted to the latter half of Dragon Gate Valley, where he "strolled" as if on level ground, followed by the eerie sight of a giant spiritual mist vortex.
Finally, it was the moment at the finish line where, under everyone's gaze, he broke through and advanced to Fourth Grade Mid-Stage.
The entire video was set to stirring BGM and various cool special effects, rendering his "mysterious, powerful, and unfathomable" image to the extreme.
The comment section below the video had already exploded.
[1L (OP): Brothers, I was right there on the plaza! I swear, I've never seen such an outrageous scene in my life! That guy named Wang Pingan is simply not human! He's a monster!]
[2L: Holy crap! For real? 3275 units? Is this data wrong? I remember last year's first place barely broke three hundred, right?]
[3L: You're out of the loop! I heard from my mentor that this Wang Pingan has an SS-rank contract specially approved by the school's high-level management! His spiritual energy affinity is as high as 96! He's a BUG!]
[4L: SS-rank contract? A Peak Third Grade signing an SS-rank? You've got to be kidding! On what grounds! Our Wushuang-gege is Fourth Grade Mid-Stage and only got an S-rank! I'm not convinced!]
[5L: Is the person above a brainless fan of Qin Wushuang? Your Wushuang-gege was glared at so hard he spat blood, and you still have the nerve to shout here? Hilarious.]
[6L: To be fair, it is a bit unfair. We worked so hard to cultivate to the Fourth Grade just to barely reach the threshold of an SS-rank contract. He's just a Peak Third Grade and gets an SS-rank directly, even moving into Heaven No. 1. What will others think?]
[7L: Exactly! I seriously suspect his data is fake! Or he went through the back door! How could a bumpkin from a backwater place like Galaxy Star be so strong?]
[8L: Haha, a bunch of sour grapes upstairs. If someone is strong, they're strong. If you're not convinced, go get an SS-rank contract yourself! Why so salty? Junior Wang Pingan, I support you! This sister is waiting for you to come and fight!]
...
The comment section was a mess.
There were people who supported him, but there was more doubt, jealousy, and naked defiance.
Especially those seniors who were also Peak Third Grade before entering but only got S-rank or even A-rank contracts; their words were filled with bitterness and hostility.
The name Wang Pingan became the focus of the entire Campus Star Network.
He became a thorn in everyone's side.
A person with connections who broke the rules, enjoyed privileges, and made everyone feel unbalanced.
"Great, I've become the public enemy of the whole school again."
Wang Pingan rubbed his nose, a helpless bitter smile appearing on his face.
However, he had long expected this.
The tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
He was now that tallest, most conspicuous tree.
It would be strange if people weren't jealous.
He closed the noisy post and browsed other modules.
In the [Exchange Center], he saw a dazzling array of good things that could be exchanged with credits.
From high-level martial arts techniques and cultivation methods to rare pills and spiritual materials, and even various unique weapons and armor—everything was there.
He even saw the exchange option for "Metamagnetic Spirit Crystals."
But the long string of zeros following it made him decisively give up on his unrealistic fantasies.
"It seems credits are very important."
Wang Pingan closed the Exchange Center and finally clicked on the [mission center].
A giant 3D star map unfolded before him.
On the star map, countless light points were flickering. Each light point represented a mission that could be taken.
Missions were divided into several major categories.
[Combat], [Exploration], [Research], [Logistics]...
Each category was further divided into nine different levels, from one-star to nine-star, based on difficulty.
Wang Pingan randomly clicked on a five-star [Combat] mission.
[Mission Name: Clear the Ironclad Beetle Nest on 'Blackstone Star']
[Mission Description: Go to the coordinates (XXX, XXX) on Blackstone Star, completely destroy the Ironclad Beetle nest entrenched there, and bring back the Queen Beetle's crystal core.]
[Mission Difficulty: Five-star (Recommended for a Fifth Rank Martial Artist squad)]
[Mission Reward: 10,000 credits, 500 Xuanyuan University Contribution Points.]
Ten thousand credits!
Wang Pingan's eyes lit up.
His weekly rent of one hundred points could be covered for years by just one five-star mission.
But when he saw the "Recommended for a Fifth Rank Martial Artist squad" prompt, he rationally gave up on that tempting idea.
Although he was confident, he wasn't so arrogant as to think his current self could solo a beetle nest that required a Fifth Rank squad to handle.
He closed the mission center and logged out of the Campus Star Network.
His consciousness returned to his body. Wang Pingan opened his eyes and looked at the brilliant simulated starry sky on the ceiling, falling into deep thought.
He now had two paths he could take.
The first was to follow the rules, starting from low-star missions and slowly accumulating credits and strength step by step.
This was the most stable and safest path.
But it was too slow.
He only had three months before he had to participate in the so-called "Human Federation New Generation Genius Invitational Tournament."
Although with his current Fourth Grade Mid-Stage strength, making it into the top hundred would certainly be easy.
But he had even greater ambitions; aiming for the top ten was not impossible. He had checked, and the prize money for the competition was frighteningly high.
His pay-to-win system was exactly what he lacked.
The few Low-Grade Spirit Crystals the school gave him every month based on his SS-rank contract were just a drop in the bucket.
He pulled up his system panel.
[pay-to-win points: 55765]
Fifty-five thousand seven hundred and sixty-five points!
This string of numbers was like a blazing fire, igniting the most primitive impulse deep within Wang Pingan's heart.
Become stronger!
Become stronger at the fastest speed!
He took a deep breath, forcing his heartbeat, which had accelerated due to excitement, to calm down.
"Eat your meal one bite at a time, walk your path one step at a time."
Wang Pingan cautioned himself.
Although he was "rich" now, he couldn't just add points recklessly.
He carefully analyzed his current situation.
Fourth Grade Mid-Stage, all basic attributes were 200 points.
This data was already quite solid among martial artists of the same level.
But his advantage didn't just lie in this.
His greatest advantage lay in his far-reaching spirit attribute and that middle-level spiritual power secret technique he had cultivated to the mastery level—the "Star Sea Contemplation Diagram."
Back in Dragon Gate Valley, he had already experienced the various benefits of strong spiritual power.
Whether it was the battlefield perception comparable to radar or that miraculous "Psychic Power," they all gave his comprehensive strength a qualitative leap.
"In that case..."
A sharp light flashed in Wang Pingan's eyes.
"Then I'll make my longest board even longer! Long enough to crush everything!"
He made a bold, even somewhat crazy decision.
He would temporarily give up on increasing other attributes like power and speed.
He would pour all the resources he could use into the "spirit" attribute!
He wanted to see what kind of wonderful chemical reaction would occur when his spiritual power reached an unprecedented height.
"System!"
Wang Pingan issued a command in his mind.
"Check the rules for attribute point allocation after the Fourth Grade."
[Command received, checking...]
[Check complete.]
[host has advanced to the Fourth Grade, and your life level has leaped. The restriction of 'balanced growth of the five attributes' has been lifted.]
[From now on, the host can independently add points to any single or multiple basic attributes.]
[Warning: An excessive prominence of a single attribute may lead to an imbalance in bodily functions, causing unpredictable risks. Please proceed with caution.]
The system's prompt was cold and mechanical.
As expected.
Wang Pingan's guess was confirmed.
After the Fourth Grade, the restriction on adding points was indeed lifted.
As for those "unpredictable risks"?
He didn't take them to heart at all.
He had the system, his biggest cheat; even if something really went wrong with his body, at worst he could just spend some pay-to-win points to fix it.
With money, one can truly do whatever they want.
"System, increase my 'spirit' attribute to 500 points!"
Wang Pingan's will exploded in his mind like thunder!
From 200 points to 500 points.
A total increase of 300 points in the spirit attribute was needed.
According to the ratio for a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist, where 60 pay-to-win points increase 1 attribute point.
A total of... 18,000 pay-to-win points was needed.
For his current massive fortune of over fifty thousand, it was just a drop in the bucket.
[Command confirmed.]
[Deducting pay-to-win points: 18,000.]
[spirit attribute enhancement beginning...]
The moment the words fell.
Boom—!!!
A wave of strange energy, purer and more vast than any before, exploded in his spiritual sea!
It wasn't energy acting on his physical body.
But a higher-dimensional source power acting directly on the soul and consciousness!
Wang Pingan's body shook violently.
He felt his consciousness being pulled out of his body at that moment, soaring upward at a speed exceeding light!
He passed through the clouds, the atmosphere, and the dark universe.
He saw the azure Tianshu Star slowly rotating "beneath his feet."
He saw the grand ring-shaped space station, looking like a delicate toy.
His "vision" continued to pull away!
He saw the entire Xuan Yuan Galaxy System.
He saw countless stars against the dark background of the universe, emitting brilliant light like burning diamonds.
Further away, he saw the massive Milky Way, composed of hundreds of billions of stars, looking like a vortex.
An unprecedented grandeur, vastness, and loneliness originating from the source of the universe slammed into his soul!
His spiritual sea completely boiled at that moment!
The vast sea of stars visualized from the "Star Sea Contemplation Diagram" was no longer an illusory projection.
It seemed to have created some kind of wonderful resonance with the real cosmic sea of stars outside!
Each star erupted with unprecedented brilliant light!
Countless nebulae gathered, rotated, and evolved within his spiritual sea, finally forming an even more massive, deeper, and closer-to-the-source supergalaxy cluster!
His spiritual power underwent a true, transformative, qualitative metamorphosis at that moment!
It was no longer formless and invisible.
Instead, it turned into a nearly substantial, pure energy emitting a faint silver glow!
After an unknown amount of time.
When the energy storm that had swept through his entire spiritual sea slowly subsided.
Wang Pingan's consciousness returned to his body once again.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The entire world looked different in his eyes.