At 5:30 PM, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu, following the information sent by Ming Guodong, found an authentic Jiangnan cuisine restaurant called Jiangnan Kitchen. He and He Jing had gone ahead to reserve a table and order food; Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu would join them once Jiang Xinyu arrived.

"Xinyu, these are my two roommates: He Jing, son of Commander He of the Martial Arts Corps, and this is Ming Guodong. Everyone, this is Jiang Xinyu," Wang Lan introduced as he entered the private dining room.

"The Ice-Snow Queen of Suzhou City! I've long admired your reputation," Ming Guodong said with a smile, quickly standing up.

"Jiang Xinyu, my dad told me about you. Back then, you led Wang Lan's team to discover a Demon Clan base they had searched three years for without success, and you personally killed a Demon Clan spy. Impressive!" He Jing exclaimed, standing up and offering a compliment.

"Hey, that's not what you said to me before. How can your tune change so completely for someone else?" Wang Lan teased He Jing.

"Can you even compare to Jiang Xinyu? Besides, Jiang Xinyu brought her roommates today. Speaking of which, where are yours?" He Jing retorted.

"Both of my roommates are second-year upperclasswomen; they just got back and might take a little while to arrive," Jiang Xinyu replied.

"Second-year upperclasswomen, huh?" He Jing's interest visibly deflated. "Sounds like a bit of a letdown..."

As the dishes began to arrive one by one, the four of them chatted animatedly, and the atmosphere was quite congenial. Soon, Jiang Xinyu's phone rang. She stood up and announced, "My roommates are here."

He Jing hurriedly pulled open the door to the private room. Not far from the entrance, two young women exuding a youthful aura were gracefully approaching. One was tall, dressed in a white shirt and high-waisted jeans. The other, about half a head shorter than her companion, wore a blue sleeveless dress and carried a handbag slung over her arm.

Their looks weren't exceptionally stunning, but their presence was extraordinary. With bright eyes scanning the room numbers on either side, upon seeing He Jing open the door, they immediately recognized the private room and strode towards it.

However, He Jing, who had opened the door, abruptly ducked his head back inside, staring intently at Jiang Xinyu. "You share a dorm with the Second Princess?"

"The Second Princess? Who's that?" Jiang Xinyu clearly had no idea who the Second Princess was.

"Yu Ruoyun!" Wang Lan whispered the Second Princess's name.

"Yes, the one who shares my room is named Yu Ruoyun, but I had no idea she was some 'Second Princess.' He Jing, what's with your reaction?" Jiang Xinyu asked, puzzled.

"Nothing! It's nothing at all!" He Jing said, a wide, somewhat forced smile plastered on his face as he stood by the door. Ming Guodong had also risen to his feet.

"Greetings, Second Princess!"

"Second Princess."

Just as Wang Lan was wondering if he too should stand and address her as "Second Princess," Yu Ruoyun spoke.

"Please, don't call me Second Princess. There are no princes or princesses anymore. We've been a republic for two hundred years; where would a princess come from? If we're close, you can call me Ruoyun. More formally, just Student Yu Ruoyun is fine," she said, then nonchalantly approached Wang Lan's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Hello, Wang Lan. My great-grandfather has been singing your praises ever since he returned from Suzhou City. I've wanted to meet you for a while. My name is Yu Ruoyun, a second-year Mage."

"Your great-grandfather? You mean Eld Di?" Wang Lan asked, hazarding a guess.

"Yes," Yu Ruoyun confirmed. "My mother is Eld Di's granddaughter."

Now *that* was a pedigree! Wang Lan thought. But what is she getting at? Is this a test, or something else? If I weren't around, Yu Ruoyun would undoubtedly be the flag-bearer for the new generation.

A direct descendant of Eld Di, and a royal princess by status—her talent and strength must be impeccable, right? But what does it matter to me? I'm just a student; focusing on my studies is enough.

"Are you the Jiang Province champion who caused such a stir at the provincial tournament?" the girl opposite Wang Lan, Lan Qi, asked with a surprised look. "No wonder Ruoyun agreed to come to dinner today. She usually never agrees to these kinds of social engagements. Hello, my name is Lan Qi. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

At these words, Wang Lan, He Jing, and Ming Guodong couldn't help but frown slightly.

Is this woman clueless, or is she doing this on purpose? What does she mean, Yu Ruoyun 'never agrees to these kinds of social engagements'? Is this some kind of obligation? Do we need a favor from her or something? The problem is, she's trying to elevate someone's status, but it's not even her own! Is she some kind of anti-fan?

"Student Yu Ruoyun," Wang Lan inquired, "does our Star Martial Academy also have different departments? I assumed it was like high school, without such divisions."

"How could it be the same?" Yu Ruoyun replied. "Everyone's talent is different, and so is their role on the battlefield. The school is broadly divided into four departments: the Close Combat Department, the Mage Department, the Auxiliary Department, and the Scout Department. However, students aren't strictly confined to these. In addition to the compulsory courses for each department, students can also choose various electives."

"Our school offers eighty elective courses, each representing a specific skill or specialization. Wang Lan, once the semester officially starts, you can select a few practical courses. I personally recommend Advanced Star Power, Human Genetics, and Rule Analysis."

"Uh..." He had never even heard of these subjects before. He could grasp Star Power, but what on earth was Advanced Star Power?

Yu Ruoyun continued, "Wang Lan, Advanced Star Power involves tracing the essence of Star Power, studying how Star Martial Skills are executed using Star Power, and understanding the principles behind their activation. Learning this will benefit your future comprehension of Star Power and can help you develop your own Star Martial Skills."

Lan Qi interjected, "However, I personally feel that unless you're a super genius like Ruoyun, studying it isn't very useful. There are so many existing Star Martial Skills that one can't even learn them all. Human Genetics is much the same. The mysteries of the human body, especially those of Star Martial Warriors, are vast; to this day, we've only uncovered the tip of the iceberg. As for Rule Analysis... that's even more profound."

Lan Qi went on for quite a while but didn't say anything of real substance. However, Wang Lan sensed it wasn't that she was unwilling to say more, but that she simply didn't know.

Yu Ruoyun then clarified, "These three subjects are indeed the most arcane among the elective courses. Genetics, for instance, goes without saying; countless top scientists worldwide spend their entire lives researching it. My point is, even though we're Star Martial Warriors, we can't be mere brutes who only know how to fight, can we?"

"Human genes are a treasure trove, especially the segment sealed by the gods, which is said to hold infinite power."

"That gene segment... could it be... the one we Star Martial Warriors awaken?" He Jing asked curiously. "But haven't we already awakened it?"

"The awakening of a Star Martial Warrior only proves that the gene segment has been activated, not fully developed," Yu Ruoyun explained. "It's like a person: being able to eat, drink, and sleep only proves they are alive. What that person can actually *do* and *achieve* is what constitutes development."

"Legend has it that this segment of genes holds the power of the gods. Whoever can fully develop this segment will gain god-like power. Of course, this is just speculation. Whether it's merely a utopian dream or not, who can say?"

"As for Rule Analysis, it's essentially the rules of all things, the rules of the universe. After all, in our Star Palace, once we move past the Galaxy, we begin to birth a universe itself. The nurturing of the Star Cloud, the embryonic form of the Galaxy, and the accumulation within the Star Sea are all preparations for breaking through to the realms beyond the Star Sea Stage."

"At that level, one must evolve the Laws of the universe within their Star Palace. The realm of the Five Emperors signifies that a Law has already evolved within their Star Palace, and they can wield the power of that Law. In the face of such power, even those at the Star Sea Stage can be turned to ash and annihilated with a mere snap of the fingers. No number of people can bridge such a gap."

"Sounds like we're hearing some incredibly profound stuff..." Ming Guodong said, looking hesitantly at He Jing. "Did you understand any of that?"

"This is probably a topic only geniuses can discuss," He Jing muttered.

"It's alright if you don't understand now," Yu Ruoyun said. "Once you reach the later stages of the Galaxy Stage or break through the Star Sea Stage, you'll begin to sense it. If you start preparing early, you won't have to relearn everything later. But enough about that, let's eat! I'm starving."

Everyone at the table stood up. "Alright then, to our new acquaintance today, cheers!"

「 」

After dinner concluded and everyone went their separate ways, Wang Lan quickly showered and lay down on his bed. Having completed the enrollment procedures, it was time to get back into his training regimen after a break of over two months.

Wang Lan was currently in the early Star Cloud Stage, and all his Star Martial Skills were at the Gold level. To upgrade Gold-level Star Martial Skills to their peak required 10,000 skill points. However, the skill points for abilities like Earth Surge Fire Sea and Song of Life were progressive, costing five times more than standard skills. Even Phantom Tracer required 15,000 skill points.

Thinking about the total need for hundreds of thousands of skill points made Wang Lan despair. And that wasn't all; upgrading from the Star Cloud Stage to the Galaxy Stage apparently required over 5,000,000 experience points. Dammit, the road ahead felt impossibly difficult.

Before doing the math, he had felt quite content. But now, looking at these numbers, his future seemed like an abyss.

"Sigh—"

"You've just enrolled, and you're already sighing like that?" Ming Guodong, who was leaning against his headboard playing a game, looked up and asked.

"I really envy you guys, being able to level up so smoothly," Wang Lan sighed with feeling. Although the system, his "cheat," saved him time in learning Star Martial Skills and allowed for rapid advancement in the early stages, the system was both his boon and his bane.

In the later stages, leveling up felt like feeding a gluttonous beast. Others could break through their bottlenecks using Soul Beads and their own comprehension, but Wang Lan couldn't. He could only rely on experience points and skill points.

"You envy us?" Ming Guodong put down his phone, looking at Wang Lan in shock. "Could you at least try to have some shame? You think I don't know? Being able to break through after a battle has left you completely exhausted, with nearly all your Star Power depleted—in all of history, you're the only one I know who could do such a thing! And you envy our 'normal' upgrading? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up if word of this gets out?"

"I..." Wang Lan found himself speechless in the face of this accusation.

"By the way, when will we get a chance to hunt Exotic Beasts? I'm in desperate need of Soul Beads," Wang Lan asked.

"You say that as if we aren't short on Soul Beads," Ming Guodong retorted. "But don't even think about it before your sophomore year. Freshman year is mainly for theoretical studies. And don't take it lightly; the theories we learned in high school are just rudimentary basics. The truly profound and practical theories are all taught in college. Failing to master these theories will affect your future progress. We only know that cultivating Star Martial Skills and absorbing Soul Beads makes us stronger."

"But after reaching the Galaxy Stage, relying solely on those methods is useless. There are countless excellent Star Martial Skills, but you simply can't learn them without a solid theoretical grounding. You can't just depend on Soul Beads for breakthroughs either; comprehension is also crucial. Don't aim too high and end up damaging your foundation. The basics are extremely important."

"Huh?" Wang Lan looked at Ming Guodong curiously. "You've had this kind of understanding for a long time? That doesn't sound very youthful of you."

"This is the difference between having a solid foundation and not," Ming Guodong explained. "How would ordinary people know these things? They just absorb, learn, and focus solely on increasing their strength, wishing they could get stronger every single day. But that path only gets narrower. To be frank, your progress so far has been too rapid; it could lead to hidden problems down the line."

"Think about it: you awakened just over a year ago and are already at the Star Cloud Stage. I'm telling you, the Star Cloud Stage is all about accumulation. Eighty percent of people never break through to the Galaxy Stage in their entire lifetimes because their foundations aren't solid enough. By the time they try to compensate, it's already too late. When classes officially start, the teachers will explain this too, even if I don't."

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