Presently in the world, cultivation relied mainly on the Daoist method promulgated by the Orthodoxy. The primary source of true essence was the vast sky of stars—the Faith of Light paid particular attention to the word 'light', and what illuminated the night sky was precisely starlight. To break through Meditation and enter Ethereal Opening, and then Star Condensation, to lean upon the energy the myriad stars spilled over the world and to remold the ordinary human body and soul: this was the ultimate goal of cultivation. From this, one could see what sort of status the word 'star' held in the world of cultivation. Every country and every sect had its own star observation platforms, and the scenic spots on the great rivers were covered with countless buildings which looked up towards the stars. Yet it was very rare to see names like 'take the stars' or 'wrest away the stars', because this seemed rather disrespectful towards the stars.
But the second school on Chen Changsheng's list was shockingly called precisely the Star Seizer Academy.
Star Seizer—this academy had taken such a completely domineering name, and yet the Orthodoxy had no complaint. This matter had always been so domineering.
In the entire world, only this academy dared to use such a name, and only this academy had the qualifications to use such a name.
Because this academy was under the direct management of the Great Zhou army. Over countless years, it had nurtured countless brave and unswerving youths, and the generals it had produced were as numerous as the stars. Many years ago, in that world-shaking war with the demons, the humans had initially been forced to the brink of collapse. The entirety of Star Seizer Academy, from its principal down to the average student, rushed out to the battlefield, taking the place of their fallen comrades. Of ten that went out to the battlefield, eight or nine would die there. After the great war, the once-great academy was now decayed and desolate as a tomb. Based on this, the Star Seizer Academy obtained a respect that no man could hope to reach and possessed a nigh unimaginable grandeur.
If such an academy wanted to use Star Seizer or even Star Burning as a name, just who would complain?
The entire world had a deep understanding of Star Seizer Academy's bloody and cruel, yet glorious, history, and Chen Changsheng was no exception. His master had placed Star Seizer Academy as second on the list, but the reality was that in Chen Changsheng's heart, Star Seizer Academy was ranked first. Thus, although his failure to get into the Heavenly Dao Academy had upset him somewhat, he didn't care too much.
He believed that Star Seizer Academy would definitely not practice favoritism like the Heavenly Dao Academy, or at the very least it would not be so excessive about it.
Thinking like this, he arrived at the stern Star Seizer Academy and began to prepare for the second examination.
As expected, Star Seizer Academy was different from the Heavenly Dao Academy. Although the school gate was also surrounded by a dense mass of people, the entire place was very quiet without any sort of random noise, perhaps because of the hawk-like gazes of those fully-armored elite troops, or because of that stone monolith densely covered with the surnames of those officers that had died for the country oppressing the mood.
After filling out a simple application form and receiving a number plate, slightly over six hundred young prospective students were escorted by several military officials into the academy.
Similar to the assessment of the Heavenly Dao Academy, the Star Seizer Academy had also prepared a pre-examination, and its goal was similarly to eliminate those ordinary youths who had not yet succeeded at Purification and to relieve the pressure on the formal entrance examination. It was just that the Star Seizer Academy inevitably had a more military character to it, so its method was much simpler than the Heavenly Dao Academy's and also much more straightforward—this place had no Sensory Stone, only a stone plate.
This stone plate was very large, very much like a millstone—in fact, it was precisely the millstone from the kitchens behind the Star Seizer Academy that had been temporarily removed, and it weighed three hundred catties. Those examinees that could lift up this millstone and carry it up the thirty stone steps would be considered to have passed the first assessment and have the qualifications to take the formal entrance examination.
With a weight of three hundred catties, unless one had successfully purified and tempered the bones and muscles to be as flexible as a pine tree, it would be very difficult to lift it up, let alone carry it for so long up those steps. Upon seeing that millstone, many youths who had not succeeded at Purification suddenly paled. Many people lowered their heads in dejection as they stepped back. Even youths who had succeeded at Purification but still had unsteady cultivations judged that they couldn't do it this year. One by one, they shook their heads, unwilling but helplessly forced to abandon their hopes. Of course, there were some ordinary youths who bravely relied on their body's natural strength to attempt to overcome this challenge, but none of them succeeded.
To not have undergone Purification but to manage to lift the millstone was not actually a rare sight in the Star Seizer Academy's new student examination. For instance, the White Tiger Divine General currently guarding Sangharama Pass had not undergone Purification in the year he entered the academy. However, relying on his inborn divine strength, he actually managed to easily take up that millstone and hurl it right over to the other side of that lake…
But this was not a common event.
The military instructor felt it somewhat regrettable. Looking at the time, he decided to quicken the process. He let the examinees voluntarily report their levels and then allowed the examinees that had succeeded at Purification to attempt the test first. Afterwards, he let the ordinary youths try.
Regrettably, by noon, there were still no ordinary youths able to produce a miracle.
Just as the crowd was beginning to lose interest and preparing to leave, a tall and sturdy youth carrying his number plate walked in. He easily lifted the millstone and then clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp, he easily climbed up those thirty stone steps. His breathing was steady and his face wasn't even red. He even brought the millstone back to its original position.
The crowd was in an uproar.
That youth raised up his hand to the crowd and then proudly walked back up the stone steps into the depths of the academy. Amusingly, he was born too simple and honest. No matter how much he tried to show off his arrogance, he just seemed rather cute in the eyes of the crowd. There was no teasing, only a warm laughter.
After the sturdy youth departed, many people began to speculate on his origins until finally some person abruptly mentioned that a green tattoo had been faintly discernable on the youth's ankle. The crowd were all so amazed that they had no words. This was because…it signified that this youth was highly likely to possess demi-human blood. There was even a high chance that he had come from the land of demi-humans in the west!
Over the past several centuries, because the humans had united with the demi-humans in resisting the demons, although their relationship could not be described as friendly, it could still be described as harmonious. Some demi-human nobles that could transform even lived in the human world. There were definitely some living in the capital of the Great Zhou—but in the end, humans and demi-humans walked different paths. The government and the common people of the human world would usually refrain from mentioning this topic, thinking it fine as long as those demi-humans did not cause any trouble.
When that stalwart youth who was suspected of being a demi-human succeeded in lifting the millstone, he seemed to have pushed open a door. Soon after, two youths who were hunters from the Great Old Mountains relied on the innate strength of their bodies to lift up the millstone and walk up the stone steps. Although it seemed very arduous, it still won a wave of cheers.
That military official at the top of the steps who was keeping score with his black brush seemed to be very satisfied with this year's grades.
As time passed, it was finally Chen Changsheng's turn. When the crowd saw this still childish youth, they gave a few kind words of encouragement and then paid no more attention. It was too obvious that this youth was too young and had not fully matured. He wasn't even as strong as those two hunters, let alone that stalwart demi-human youth. It seemed impossible for him to lift the millstone no matter how one looked at it.
At the Heavenly Dao Academy, Chen Changsheng had relied on his familiarity with the regulations of the academy to pass through the Purification selection. Now at Star Seizer Academy, perhaps he had thought of another method, but maybe because he had been affected by the stern and yet passionate atmosphere of the academy or perhaps because he simply wanted to try, he didn't do anything strange.
He walked over to the millstone and slowly crouched. He firmly gripped his hands on the millstone and took five slow and deep breaths. He poured all the strength in his body into his waist and his arms and with a grunt, exploded with strength!
The crowd in front of the slanted stone steps suddenly grew quiet. Those spectators that had just been chatting were so stunned that they forgot what they were about to say. With their mouths agape, they stared at this scene.
The millstone slowly rose up. Finally, Chen Changsheng raised it up to his chest, no more, no less, passing the assessment's standard by a single inch!
His face was somewhat red, but his expression was still calm. There were no signs of panic or anxiety in his eyes.
Boom! The scene erupted in applause. The spectators incessantly cheered the youth on, using the rhythm of their cheers to help the youth move his feet.
Chen Changsheng took one step forward. It was just one step, but his knees began to tremble.
To lift up the millstone was one thing, but to lift this weighty millstone and walk up those stone steps was another thing entirely.
His breathing became somewhat ragged and his face grew increasingly red.
He didn't make a single sound, but from his slightly bulging cheeks, it could be seen that he was forcefully clenching his teeth.
Step by step, he walked towards the stone steps.
...
...
Chen Changsheng truly had not undergone Purification. Logically, his flesh and bones were only at the level of an ordinary youth. It would even be proper that they were weaker than an ordinary youth's, given his childhood illness. But it was precisely because he was ill, and with a difficult-to-cure illness at that, that the three people in Xining Village's old temple, including Chen Changsheng, were concerned with his body first and foremost.
From the moment he could understand, he had been forced to recite the Three Thousand Scriptures of the Dao in the old temple. At the same time, that eccentric Daoist priest who was his master had begun digging up medicinal herbs and boiling them together so that he could bathe in it. Senior Yu Ren would take up thorns and wooden sticks and beat him so as to toughen his body. In these ten-odd years, the people he was most familiar with were these three people in the old temple and the smell that he was most familiar with was the smell of books, medicine and wooden sticks.
After a long period of treating and beating, his illness had not been cured and it was impossible for him to obtain the innate divine strength of that demi-human youth, but his originally incomparably feeble body was at least no longer as weak as an ordinary person's. It could even be said that his body was slightly stronger than normal. Although he was only healthy and strong on the surface, it still made him very happy.
A youth that been ill since he was a child and then been enveloped by a dark shadow at the age of ten would certainly care more about his body than other people, pay more attention to the details. Thus, today at Star Seizer Academy, when he silently walked up to the millstone, he was only thinking about using his own strength to pass this assessment.
He wanted to lifted up this heavy millstone to prove some things to himself and simultaneously express his gratitude to his master and senior.
...
...
One step, two steps, three steps, four steps.
Chen Changsheng's breathing grew heavier and heavier, his face more and more unsightly. The black hair bound tightly in a bun had long since been drenched in sweat, but the expression in his eyes was still calm and assured.
The cheers and encouragement from the two sides of the stone steps had already come to a stop. Everyone was looking at the bowed youth as he strenuously walked forward, trembling and swaying his way up the stone steps. They were very concerned and yet filled with admiration. There were several times when it seemed like that youth was about to fall, but he seemed to pull strength from some place and actually endured!
The military instructor at the top of the steps looked at Chen Changsheng, his eyes filled with admiration.
...
...
Seven steps, eight steps, nine steps.
Chen Changsheng's steps had become slower and slower.
The praise in the military instructor's eyes was growing ever more. He was very surprised by the level this youth had shown—as a member of the military, he cared about the willpower and bravery that Chen Changsheng showed. He had already decided. Even if Chen Changsheng could not bring the millstone to the top of the steps, he would still let him pass this preliminary examination. As for if it would affect the academy and the Great Zhou military's reputation…
The military instructor gazed at the nervous crowd and his heart felt a little more at ease. He thought to himself that it shouldn't be. It seemed that the vast majority of the crowd believed the same as he did.
An earnest and hardworking child was worthy of a special reward.
...
...
While he thought about these things, the military instructor became somewhat absentminded. He wasn't looking at the stone steps until at a certain point, he awoke from his stupor and realized that the faces of the crowd had abruptly changed.
He turned his head and saw that there was an extra person by his side.
It was an extremely exhausted youth, drenched in sweat.
The military instructor thought that he didn't have to make things difficult for himself anymore. He smiled and patted the youth on the shoulder.
Chen Changsheng had walked to the top of the steps.
That weighty millstone lay at his feet.
He had succeeded.