Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 166: News from an Exotic Domain (2)
After getting into the vehicle, Mr. Wu sat down casually. They stepped onto a red carpet, with a small coffee table before them. Once the three were seated, it felt just like being at home. The only difference was the countless buildings flying backward outside, creating a discordant and mysterious sight.
Mr. Wu casually took three lime-colored drinks from a small cabinet nearby. They gave off a fresh, fruity fragrance and looked delicious.
"Help yourselves!"
Mr. Wu gestured for them to drink, then picked up a glass and took a sip.
Yu Fei and Ye Feng followed his lead. The moment the drink touched their lips, a refreshing sensation shot from the crowns of their heads down through their entire bodies, making their very bones tingle.
Seeing the two come back to their senses, Mr. Wu chuckled. "I know you must have a lot of questions. Don’t worry, you’ll get answers to all of them soon."
At this point, Mr. Wu leaned back into the small sofa and said with a sigh, "Actually, Shenhan has changed dramatically over the past ten years. We didn’t have this much new stuff before. Later, it seems Tianwen University made some groundbreaking discoveries in the Intelligent Mechanism Origin Realm, and after that came a technological explosion. At first, we old-timers had a hard time adjusting, but once we actually started using it, we found it’s really useful."
"You kids really came at a good time!"
This was indeed the case. Many of humanity’s technological achievements were adapted from research into the Intelligent Mechanism Origin Realm. That region had always been Tianwen’s main area of focus.
Yu Fei heard another new place name: the Intelligent Mechanism Origin Realm. That, along with the "Boundary Realms" that were always being mentioned, left him utterly confused.
"Mr. Wu, what exactly are places like the Intelligent Mechanism Origin Realm and the Boundary Realms? And the Abyss, the Yuanmo, and so on... are we at war with them?"
Yu Fei’s expression was serious. These questions had been troubling him for a long time.
Mr. Wu looked startled for a moment, then slapped his thigh and said, "I forgot again. You all haven’t started your general education yet. How about this: now that you’ve enrolled, this stuff will be part of your required courses. I’ll give you a brief overview, but remember not to speak about it carelessly in the mortal world. In principle, transmitting this information to ordinary people is forbidden."
Ye Feng still hadn’t recovered from the drink. He hadn’t even noticed what Mr. Wu had just said, but when he heard Yu Fei’s question, he immediately perked up his ears to listen.
After arriving at Shenhan University, Ye Feng was clearly a bit reserved, not as natural and at ease as Yu Fei. He had been secretly pleased after receiving his C-rank positioning, but upon hearing that Yu Fei was an S-rank Celestial Pride, he felt they were worlds apart.
Anyone who plays games knows that getting an S-rank requires spending tons of Gold Coins plus a lot of luck. As for C-rank... that’s something even a dog wouldn’t bother with.
Mr. Wu’s expression turned serious. "This story starts from the time when the Old and New Calendars transitioned. Your history books only record the Warlord Conflicts, the invasion of foreign tribes, how the Great Ancestor swept across the world with his sword, and ultimately restored peace. But what were these ’foreign tribes’?"
Ye Feng asked, confused, "Weren’t they the four barbarian tribes?"
He knew this one; it was written in the history books.
Mr. Wu laughed heartily. "Of course not! Mere barbarians, a primitive people who ate raw meat and drank blood—how could they possibly bring our Divine Land to ruin!"
"The ’invaders’ I refer to are non-human races from Alternate Spaces! In ancient history, it wasn’t their first invasion, but each time they brought devastating losses. The records from the Old Calendar period are vague, but looking at the general timeline, they would invade our territory and slaughter our people about every five hundred years..."
As Mr. Wu slowly explained, Yu Fei began to form a basic understanding of these otherworldly races.
The planet they lived on, although showing no signs of life in the known universe and appearing desolate and lifeless, actually intersected with otherworlds in different dimensions.
The nature of these Otherworld Spaces wasn’t planetary. Instead, they were more like layered, continental fragments. These Alternate Spaces had an unknown, high-dimensional overlap with the homeworld, giving birth to many strange, small worlds. These worlds are called Boundary Realms.
There are 287 known Boundary Realms. Excluding the few that are dead zones, nearly two hundred of them are habitable.
The main bodies of the Otherworld Spaces themselves are collectively called Origin Realms.
Due to the phenomenon of spatiotemporal overlap, the ecosystems of the Boundary Realms are extremely bizarre, and they have given birth to many unique treasures. The war between the otherworlds and the homeworld takes place within these numerous Boundary Realms.
It was like two countries at war, with two hundred independent roads leading directly to each other’s home base. Each road had to be garrisoned, so naturally, wars were frequent.
And to make matters more troublesome, these Boundary Realms didn’t all belong to a single Otherworld Space. There are 12 known Exotic Origin Realms, which means the homeworld has twelve different kinds of enemies.
The Yuanmo are the most numerous and most threatening of these otherworldly races.
As Mr. Wu explained, even more questions sprouted in Yu Fei’s mind. Before he could ask them, the Flying Device suddenly stopped in front of a cylindrical skyscraper. Mr. Wu ended his explanation and beckoned to Ye Feng.
"Little genius, you’re here."
Ye Feng suddenly grew anxious. He was particularly sensitive to the word "little." At Shenhan University, where the average male height was over 5’11", he, at under 5’9", hated hearing that word more than anything.
"Yu Fei, you wait here. You, come down with me to check in with the administrator." With that, Mr. Wu got out of the vehicle, and Ye Feng hurriedly followed.
As they parted, Yu Fei waved goodbye to Ye Feng and said teasingly, "See ya! Little genius!" He deliberately emphasized the "Little."
Ye Feng whipped his head around and cursed, "You motherfucker! *****" So, there was a reason he didn’t like dogs.
One by one, the students from Tianning County went their separate ways. Even though they were all in Shenhan, they would now follow their own distinct paths of growth.
Yu Fei knew full well that starting from enrollment, a tiered training system began, based on an individual’s results, potential, and their specific positioning.
The Flying Device started up again. Seeing that Yu Fei still had many questions, Mr. Wu immediately stopped him. "Alright, you’ll receive systematic training and learn more after you officially start your classes. That will answer all your questions. After all, I’m not a professional teacher, and I’ve been away from the battlefield for many years. My understanding of the most cutting-edge information isn’t very thorough."
"Mr. Wu, how many new students does Shenhan University get each year?"
Mr. Wu thought for a moment. "I only remember the approximate number of regular students, which is around 30,000 each year. But I do remember the numbers for the students who receive resource support based on their positioning.
"This year, there are 749 D-ranks, 325 C-ranks, 101 B-ranks, and 35 A-ranks. As for S-ranks, on the same level as you, there are 6!"
"Six?"
Yu Fei was a little puzzled. If he remembered correctly, only five S-ranks had applied to Shenhan University after the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition.
Mr. Wu gave a mysterious smile. "One Celestial Pride came here specifically for you. They insisted on coming to Shenhan, even if they could only be given an S-minus positioning."
Yu Fei asked, confused, "Who?"
’Positioning rank determines the amount of cultivation resources one receives. Would someone really give up resources just for the sake of a rivalry? Who’s that headstrong?’
"You’ll find out when the time comes!"
Faces flashed through his mind. ’It couldn’t be...?’ he wondered.
Suddenly, the Flying Device came to a stop.
Mr. Wu immediately said, "No need to guess. You two will meet sooner or later. For now, you should go to your new dorm and begin your legendary journey at Shenhan!"
After Yu Fei got out of the vehicle, he immediately saw a series of villas. Each one had a different architectural style. There were small Gothic castles, modern tech pavilions, antique-style manor lofts, large-domed pagodas, and more.
After Mr. Wu got out, he gently touched his glasses, and a holographic miniature of the entire villa complex was instantly projected.
More than half of them were grayed out and unavailable, while over sixty were marked in green.
As Mr. Wu explained, Yu Fei understood that he could choose one of the green-marked villas as his dormitory—an exclusive perk for his S-rank status.
"The interior facilities of the villas for you S-rank Celestial Prides are all more or less the same. Just pick a style you like.
"Every time a class of Celestial Prides graduates, this area is completely renovated. All the facilities inside are brand new, down to the last screw. In the future, if you feel like it, you can even have the entire villa moved, but you’ll have to buy it with merit points."
