One week later, Kent had made significant progress in mastering the first level of the Flying Sword Meditation Technique. He could now visualize his spirit as a flying sword and control its movements with ease.
To reach this stage, he had endured a lot of hardships. His daily training left him exhausted, often feeling like a dead dog by the time he finished, with no energy left to spare. But the results were undeniable—his spirit was sharper, more focused. His aura had changed too, no longer lazy or flamboyant. Instead, it now carried the subtle, menacing edge of a sword, exuding a quiet yet formidable sharpness.
"Now that Dragon Breath Sword Technique is nearly perfected, and Flying Sword Meditation has been mastered, it's time for the next step," Kent sighed in relief. Everything was moving according to plan, and he was pleased with his progress.
However, there was one issue—he was running low on money.
As the saying goes, "A penny can defeat a hero," Kent had spent large amounts recently with no income to balance it out, leaving his finances running dry.
"I need to make some money," he decided.
After parting ways with Zhao Mengxi, Kent headed for the Beastmaster Guild.
Lately, Zhao Mengxi had maintained a strict routine: attending classes in the morning, spending lunch in the library, training her combat skills and body in the afternoon, and then watching news and entertainment shows in the evening. After finishing her meditation, she would go to bed.
Their routines had become quite similar, which led them to spend a lot of time together, often sparking jealousy among others. Especially after Zhao Mengxi started taking the Ice Lotus, her beauty and grace had become more otherworldly, and she was even hailed as the campus goddess of Earthstar University. Even the previously acknowledged "campus goddess," Fan Qingmei, was now seen as a bit less remarkable in comparison.
Though Kent had never met Fan Qingmei, he'd heard about her—her most proud feature was her long legs, measuring a full 1.25 meters. Anyone who saw her couldn't resist admiring them.
The sound of a roaring motorcycle engine filled the air as Kent sped off, arriving an hour later at the renowned Beastmaster Guild.
In Earthstar City, as the city grew and specialized, many professional fields, including Beastmasters, had formed their own guilds, with dedicated skyscrapers for their operations.
Kent entered the building, went through a quick assessment, and registered as a one-star Beastmaster.
Beastmasters were ranked from one star to five stars, with the elite levels being Saint-tier and God-tier.
Next, Kent went to the mission hall, where a massive electronic screen displayed thousands of real-time tasks for Beastmasters, each offering different rewards.
He didn't bother scanning through all of them. Instead, he focused on tasks with significant bounties. It didn't take long for him to find a task he liked.
"Hello, I'd like to take Mission 45 from District C," Kent told the staff member.
"I'm sorry, but you are currently a one-star Beastmaster, and you are not eligible to accept this three-star mission," the staff member replied, glancing at his badge.
Kent nodded and asked, "Then, how can I increase my Beastmaster rank?"
"Here's how it works," the staff member explained. "For every five one-star missions you complete, you earn the right to accept a two-star mission. Completing that successfully will grant you a two-star Beastmaster badge. If you fail, you'll have to complete five more one-star missions to try again. The promotion process for higher ranks follows the same pattern."
Kent understood and raised an eyebrow. Although the process seemed a bit tedious, it made sense.
"Alright, I'll start with the one-star missions," Kent decided.
He accepted a few one-star tasks and quickly completed them, earning thousands of credit points and the opportunity to challenge two-star missions.
By the second day, Kent had completed two two-star missions. On the third day, he completed three, and by the fourth day, he successfully completed a three-star mission.
By the second week, Kent had tackled and completed a four-star mission, earning his four-star Beastmaster badge.
"Although I feel like I could handle even Saint-tier missions, showing off too much would only attract unnecessary trouble," Kent thought. He paused his progression for a bit, deciding to advance at a slower pace to avoid drawing too much attention. Every two weeks, he would take on a few three-star or four-star missions. While these didn't offer enormous rewards, they were enough to cover his daily expenses. By the end of the semester, his account had accumulated over a million credit points.
The semester would end in early January, and the highly anticipated Wind and Cloud Tournament was approaching.
The Wind and Cloud Tournament was the only major competition of the semester, and its rules were somewhat unique.
When Kent learned about the tournament's format, a competitive spirit stirred within him. After all, as a young man filled with vitality, a bit of rivalry was only natural, and he was also eager to test his progress.
"The Wind and Cloud Tournament has three phases," Kent read. "First, there's the strength registration, where the homeroom teacher assesses the strength of each student in the class."
"Next is the selection phase. Anyone who can get into Earthstar University is already remarkable. But even among such talent, some stand out more, and the ones who were once considered the most gifted may now seem less impressive compared to the newly emerging talents."
"So, the homeroom teacher selects a few standout students from the class to represent in the tournament."
"Finally, the third phase is the competition itself. The Wind and Cloud Tournament creates a new ranking list with each event. Students can challenge each other three times, and they must also accept three challenges."
"Those who win will occupy a place on the ranking list, while those who lose will drop off. With around 40,000 students at Earthstar University, only about a tenth of them will participate in the tournament. The ranking list consists of 1,000 spots."
Kent was intrigued as he researched the ranking list from the previous year.
"The first-place winner was Huang Jin Tian, a senior from the Battlefield Academy. He had a Tier 2 46-level beast and a Tier 1 50-level beast, both extremely skilled in combat, using a large A-rank halberd. His style was bold and fierce, fitting of his powerful presence."
Reading about the first-place winner, Kent couldn't help but gasp in awe. This person was incredibly strong—his entire aura radiated dominance. Even his name was imposing.
Kent's own understanding of the strength of Earthstar University students had deepened. However, he didn't feel discouraged. Compared to Huang Jin Tian, he still had a long way to go. But considering that Huang Jin Tian was a senior and Kent was only a freshman, there was no reason to feel disheartened.
Additionally, Kent speculated that Huang Jin Tian's background was likely not ordinary, adding to his sense of awe.