The unfinished battle between Lu Sheng and Dilius was about to erupt. Unfortunately, before the two could even begin fighting, a sudden cataclysm struck the massive planet beneath them, known as the Celestial Serpent's heart.
"Rumble—"
An immense and violent surge of energy instantly captured both of their attention. Sheng followed the source of the disturbance with his gaze. At the very center of the Celestial Serpent's heart, the transparent void suddenly collapsed inward and a deep blue void rapidly formed and appeared.
In just a moment, the void expanded to nearly one-tenth the size of the Heart of the Celestial Serpent. It had clearly transformed into a massive gateway stretching from the heavens to the Earth they were on.
Possessing the power of the Law of Space, Sheng was exceptionally sensitive to spatial fluctuations. He could clearly sense that behind this massive gateway, there seemed to be an immense expanse of space. The aura bore a resemblance to the Abyss Space he had once accidentally stumbled upon on planet Azure.
"What is this?"
Lu Sheng paused his movements, furrowing his brow slightly as he stared at the massive, deep-blue gateway. Dilius was also startled by this sudden anomaly; the fighting intent on his body vanished, and he lost all desire to continue the battle.
Just as the two were staring at the massive portal's appearance, figures suddenly began to rise from the Heavenly Serpent's Heart beneath their feet. Without exception, these were all young and powerful martial arts prodigies, and they were all watching the portal's movements.
Then, outside the Heavenly Serpent's Heart, more figures and spaceships swiftly converged. Sheng swept his spiritual sense over the area and was startled to find Haiji Dao, Anon Turing, Pablo and Zoe among them.
At that moment, the pale-skinned level 14 martial artistappeared in his field of vision once more. He stood right before the massive, deep-blue portal, flanked by two figures who also radiated the aura of top-tier level 14 martial artists. One was a man, the other a woman. As the three figures materialized, an aura of authority radiated from them. Accompanied by a voice whose gender was indistinguishable.
"The Celestial Throne selection officially begins!"
"All those under five hundred years of age and with a strength of level 12 or higher may enter the portal to participate in the selection. Those who pass the selection will be eligible to remain within the Celestial Throne academy's space." The message conveyed by the mental fluctuations was simple and clear.
Essentially, it was an invitation for Lu Sheng and his group to enter the massive deep-blue portal to participate in the selection; those chosen would be allowed to stay and those not selected would be eliminated. As for the format of the selection, not a single word was mentioned.
Sheng gazed at the massive deep-blue portal and couldn't help but recall the scene from his first participation in the Celestial Throne academy's aptitude test back in the Little Forest [Yamu] Star Region.
Of course, compared to the spectacle before him now, that previous event seemed utterly insignificant. Every Star Region in the Celestial Serpent galaxy has a branch of the Celestial Throne academy. But those who could fight their way up from the branches all the way to this point... not even one might emerge from every hundred star sectors.
"Hmph!" After hearing the announcement from the three level 14 selection officials, Dilius let out a cold chuckle. He shot Lu Sheng a piercing glance.
"I'll be waiting for you inside. I hope you make it to the very end."
With that, Dilius transformed into a streak of light, charging headfirst and becoming the first to fly through the massive, deep-blue portal. The very moment he entered, a massive light screen—nearly as large as the portal itself—popped up beside it. It displayed a line of large text:
[Name: Dilius - Progress: 1]
"Huh?" Lu Sheng paused slightly upon seeing this message. He hadn't expected this selection process to include rankings. That meant the final selection results might depend on one's ranking. He wondered if it had anything to do with speed.
As Sheng was pondering this, the martial arts prodigies emerging from the Celestial Serpent's heart were already buzzing with speculation about the name "Dilius". Clearly, the reputation of Dilius Sovereign-class Blood was well-known. It was a pity that news of Lu Sheng's battle with Dilius hadn't spread yet; otherwise, it would have caused quite a stir.
With Dilius leading the way, the others had no reason to hesitate. One by one, they immediately scrambled to rush toward the portal. The deep blue portal was large enough that even if everyone present entered at once, it wouldn't feel crowded.
"Lu… Lu Sheng!"
Just as Lu Sheng was about to follow the crowd through the portal, he suddenly heard someone calling his name cautiously. Turning his head, he saw Anon Turing. Behind him was a slightly awkward-looking Zoe. The two had waited until Dilius was no longer by Sheng's side before plucking up the courage to approach him and say hello.
"Let's go together."
Anon's tentative tone carried a hint of cautious flattery. Sheng nodded and immediately replied, "We can go in together, but once we're inside, I'm afraid we won't be able to stay together."
Anon nodded thoughtfully. Sheng glanced at Zoe but said nothing; with a flick of his body, he flew toward the gateway. The moment he passed through the massive, deep-blue portal, Lu Sheng felt as though he were surfacing from underwater. He had clearly entered alongside Anon and Zoe. Yet, the moment he stepped through the portal, everyone around him vanished—presumably transported to another location.
What unfolded before his eyes was a hazy, gray expanse. He could see no end to it, whether looking up, down, left, or right. Sheng tested the environment briefly and found that the power of spatial laws still flowed unimpeded here; his mind immediately settled.
Just then, a white light suddenly flashed before his eyes. He squinted and looked toward the source of the light. Before long, a figure emerged from the white light. It was a young man with a gentle appearance and an elegant demeanor. He wore a light blue combat uniform and held a red longsword in his hand. He was handsome, with a smile on his face.
"Welcome to the first stage of the Celestial Throne selection."
The elegant young man looked at Lu Sheng and said, "I am your examiner for this stage. You may call me Superviser Chi."
Sheng had no interest whatsoever in the young man's name. He calmly asked, "What do I need to do?"
The young man smiled faintly and said, "It's simple. Defeat me, and you'll pass."
"Understood." Lu Sheng nodded, looking fully aware of the task at hand. "Then, can we begin?"
"Anytime, as long as you're ready." After speaking, the refined young man looked at Sheng, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but remind him, "You can use a weapon; there are no weapon restrictions in any of the battles during the selection process."
"No need." Sheng replied; he shook his head slightly, "It's just a matter of a single strike anyway. Pulling out a weapon would be an unnecessary hassle."
"Uh…" The refined young man was slightly taken aback by Lu Sheng's words. He hadn't fully grasped the meaning behind Sheng's remark, "It's just a matter of a single strike".
Then, he saw it. Standing before him, Lu Sheng stood casually, even somewhat nonchalantly, as he gently extended his right hand toward him.
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Translation notes by dhoo
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Superviser Moat, aka Wei Chi
Sheng's examiner for the first step of the Celestial Throne selection.
爲池, wèi chí: 爲 make/govern/administer, 池 pool/moat