Star Gate

Chapter 783: Official Students (IV)

“Are you not going to stay for a while?” the Black Armor asked slowly. “You should know that many benefits await you after becoming an official student. I didn’t lie to you about that. You won’t need too long in here, just a month before you set foot into Apex—the seven element Arcanus realm by your system!”

“That’s fine.” Hou Xiaochen smiled faintly. “I think I know how to grow stronger from here. Thank you for your good intentions, senior. Send me out! Or is the senior going to go back on your word?”

“Of course not!” The Black Armor looked at him. “Are you... going to seek revenge on me?”

“No, you’ve misunderstood, senior. I have absolutely no intentions of doing that! Life and death are commonplace in the martial world, not to mention that I am not of the same kind as them. I am an official, they are bandits!”

“I see...” mused the Black Armor. “I also hope you understand that even if you become the seven element Arcanus that your age is familiar with, there are many, many Apexes who died to my hands back in the day!”

“Of course!” Hou Xiaochen remained calm, not saying anything else. He frowned as the moments dragged on with no sign of action from the Black Armor. “What does... the senior mean by this?”

“Nothing much.” The Black Armor suddenly shook its head after a period of silence. “I’m just assessing a few things. Forget it, it’s a bit complicated. Someone once said that the human heart should not be tested. I took the bit in my own teeth this time—the human heart is very difficult to be tested!”

The scene blurred in front of Hou Xiaochen—it was only now that he seemed to set foot in the real world. He blinked, dazed by what he found.

Li Hao was rubbing his head, a dark expression on his face. Hong Yitang had his head tilted toward the sky. Sky Sword avoided Hou Xiaochen’s eyes out of extreme awkwardness. However dashing he’d been with the dashing line of “this is what we call the martial world” was however mortified he was now.

Qian Wanhao and the others were still present in the surroundings, as was Panther. They looked curiously at the newly returned quartet. What was going on? Had they succeeded?

The Black Armor was in deep thought and said slowly after a while, “That... was a real battle in the annals of history... and this was how we secured victory that day! I placed you in the illusion because I wanted to see if you could walk out of it... If it would be one person walking out or all of you...”

One person meant that someone had sacrificed themselves. Everyone walking out meant that the mission had been failed as the group chose to withdraw. As for an option of everyone being alive after passing, that was impossible. That outcome did not exist.

“This battle happened in the early days of New Martial. Many people participated in or witnessed it. The identities you assumed were that of real people back in the day. A great number of people died in that skirmish, most of them the older guard of martial masters.

“Even the Human King participated in that battle, but as an insignificant soldier. Hong Yitang’s identity of headmaster was the old headmaster of Demonic Martial University. His fall in battle was a staggering loss to humanity. He taught untold powerhouses and geniuses, choosing to erupt with the Incantation of the Blade of Blood when his blood qi declined.

“Going down with the enemy was the choice of many veteran martial masters back in the day,” sighed an emotional Black Armor. “I had you participate in this battle simply because I wanted to see how you’d choose in such circumstances. Would you save your lives and withdraw, or would you consider the impact of your actions on the outside world and choose to save one or two of your number?

“You would not have defeated the enemies if there wasn’t a certain degree of coordination between you, as well as the resolve to die! Trusting one another and a sacrificial spirit was key! Only in trusting one another and having most of you detonate yourselves to save one or two did you have a hope of beating back the enemy.

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“That is a true martial master in my eyes!”

“It was completely unnecessary!” snorted Li Hao. He was still rubbing his head. “In my opinion, some things do not need to be tested. You said so yourself, the human heart should not be tested! Was there a need for this? What is Director Hou supposed to do with himself after surviving that test?”

“......” Hou Xiaochen played deaf and dumb. He wasn’t just feeling awkward at this moment, he even wanted to die.

“And us too, how are we supposed to face each other after laying down all those heroic words?”

“......” Sky Sword flushed with embarrassment. Pretend I didn’t say anything just now.

“That’s true...” sighed the Black Armor. “It’s just... I found this iteration of humanity to be ugly and repulsive for your fixation on scheming, plotting, and killing each other for energy stones. I felt that you would be the same even when faced with death, that although some of you look united, the base side of your natures would come out if survival was at stake. It was my speculation that your group, too, would fight among yourselves. Reality proved to me that I thought too much!”

This test had been a success, and a failure. The candidates had succeeded, but would a rift grow between the surviving Hou Xiaochen and the rest? Or would those who sacrificed themselves ostracize Hou Xiaochen?

The Black Armor didn’t know. All it knew was that these people had exceeded its expectations. It hadn’t wanted to actually kill them, there was no meaning in that. It just wanted to test them—this wasn’t the true third test.

Having been quiet all this time, Hong Yitang rubbed his head with a smile. “So do we pass? Do all of us pass? If so, then we will pursue the matter no further. As for Hou Xiaochen, don’t worry. We think that he’ll do better than all of us. At least this guy can hold his temper. See, didn’t he do a good job just now? Don’t worry, we won’t think less of him!

“Or do you think we should’ve saved Li Hao?” Hong Yitang laughed. “Honestly speaking, Li Hao might die very quickly without our help if he walked out of here. He causes trouble from morning to night, so his decision to sacrifice was right. We don’t have to default to protecting him just because he’s young. It should be those who can bide their time that stay. He obviously can’t!”

“What!” Li Hao laughed sheepishly. “That’s not true, I rarely stir up trouble!”

Even Sky Sword laughed at that! The normally taciturn and stone-faced swordsman laughed heartily. Rarely stir up trouble? Just look at how much trouble you’ve gotten into in less than a month! Can you really say that with a straight face?

Hou Xiaochen sighed as he looked at his companions. “If I were to say that I really don’t have intentions of seeking revenge for you after I leave... would you regret saying those words?”

“Even if Director Hou doesn’t want vengeance, Manager Yu would encourage you to grow stronger and avenge us after she learns of what happened.” Li Hao grinned. “I believe in Manager Yu!”

“......” Hou Xiaochen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! He shook his head instead. “Don’t do that next time. I... I’ve always firmly believed that I’m very strong. Never in my life have I felt so weak. It’s a blow to my ego!”

The four laughed loudly. Meanwhile, Qian Wanhao and the rest frowned. Although they didn’t know what’d just occurred, they could more or less piece together the puzzle from what they heard. So these guys had passed?

“All of you pass!” announced the Black Armor. “Well done. To be frank, I didn’t think that you would succeed. I would give you another chance even if all of you withdrew and put you in the real third test. To think that you’d exceed my expectations!”

The four smiled without a response; Li Hao kept up a running litany of curses inside of him. Just you wait for your daddy to grow stronger! I’ll beat the shit out of you! You better pray that your physical body is long gone, or I’ll blow it to high heavens again and again!

“Do not let your thoughts run wild in front of powerhouses,” the Black Armor said calmly. “You are so weak that you are not even an Apex. None of your thoughts can be concealed from me. My physical body is long gone, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to make good on your wish!”

“......”

Stunned bedazzlement! Not only did Li Hao freeze, but so did everyone else’s expression still for a moment.

“Did you not know?” laughed the Black Armor. “The difference in our cultivation is so great that your thoughts are as if lamps in front of me. I know what you think the moment it takes shape in your mind. You guys are right, this Director Hou of yours is indeed planning on going back and locking himself away in closed door cultivation to grow strong enough to kill me. However, dreams are easy, but reality is difficult.”

Hou Xiaochen held his breath and emptied his mind, not daring to think of anything. His actions were imitated by the others as well. They couldn’t believe it—it was terrifying that the Black Armor could read their minds!

“I just wanted to have some fun with you, but I shall take the situation seriously now. You are official students of Evenround Martial University now! Congratulations, new students!”

Five medallions hovered in front of the four humans. The little tree was still brooding in the storage ring.

Not a word was said as the four accepted their medallions.

“According to the senior’s words,” Hong Yitang suddenly raised. “Would you have gone back on your word and not let us leave if we passed the real third test instead of this one?”

“Of course not,” the Black Armor responded calmly. “If that had been the case, the only difference was that you would not be able to access certain things and your level of authorization wouldn’t be too high. You would just be a visitor!”

The quartet looked at each other. So... does this mean our authorization level is now high?

“Then can we do with these people as we see fit?” Li Hao pointed at Qian Wanhao’s group.

“You would not have the right to do so if you were visitors. But as official students, you may!”

Qian Wanhao’s eyes widened with dismay and he furiously roared, “You can’t do that! Senior, I am exceedingly high placed in the outside world and can facilitate your revival! I can supply one hundred million mysterious power stones for you...”

BOOM!

Li Hao struck with his sword! His opponent didn’t have any treasures or weapons on him, and was weak after the earlier battle.

The Black Armor simply watched the resulting action. He really wouldn’t have handed over the trespassers to these people if they’d only passed the regular third test. But in this moment, he decided to bestow them with the identity of true students. What did it matter if students killed a few outsiders, a few invaders?

Nothing at all!

All that rot about identity and revival... it was the living dead a long time ago, what did it care about this?

Li Hao wasn’t the only one to make a move—Hou Xiaochen and the others did so as well. All of them were crazed fiends as they struck with vicious ruthlessness. They seemed to be regarding their opponents as the Black Armor!

Kaboom!

A furious barrage of explosions ensued. The quartet would’ve beaten a five element Arcanus to death, to say nothing of a four element! Qian Wanhao had the chance to scream once before Li Hao’s sword ran through his throat! Hong Yitang turned him into a sieve the next moment!

The other three ministers, including the resentful Hu Mingfa, were churned to pieces in a mad frenzy. The one from the City of Supernaturals wanted to run away, but Panther tore it to pieces with a bite!

The dog spat out the body and regarded the Black Armor with an odd look.

“It is of no consequence that students keep a steed around,” the Black Armor was unmoved. “You do not need the identity of a student, but do not harm other students or you will be executed for it!”

Panther relaxed with relief. It’d been testing the Black Armor just now. Thank goodness the effects seemed good. But that suit of armor was definitely scary to read what it was thinking.

All was truly quiet now. Li Hao and the rest were feeling much more content after venting their frustrations. Even the Black Armor didn’t seem as irritating as before, although it’d been very maddening when it was testing them!

None of them like this kind of examination!

“All of you should rein in your thoughts.” The Black Armor was as calm as before. “Your first thought after surviving a calamity is how to reap benefits from me and loot the university. That is not a good thought!”

“......” Four humans and one dog immediately blanked their minds. Are we that obvious?

The Black Armor seemed to be smiling.