Above the Galaxy
Chapter 187 - 137, The Intermittent Springs of the River!

Chapter 187: Chapter 137, The Intermittent Springs of the River!

"Indeed, that’s a piece of true nonsense.

Friendship comes first, competition second.

With only one spot available at the White Crane Academy, will anyone forgo the fight for first place in the name of friendship?

However, the fact that Si Yinchuan could say this in front of everyone shows his sincerity and charm.

After finishing his speech, Si Yinchuan turned to Chen Bing, who was standing by his side, and asked, "Director Chen, would you like to say a few words?"

Chen Bing nodded, looked at the students from the Imperial First Military Academy who were participating in the assessment, and said, "Those who have the courage to stand here are already the best our school has to offer. I am proud and honored for you."

"As Dean Si just mentioned, there is only one spot available in this assessment... This also means that only one lucky person will be able to enter the White Crane Academy."

"But that doesn’t mean the others are losers. If you don’t get into the White Crane Academy, there are many other academies to choose from. Even if you continue to study and refine your skills at our Imperial First Military Academy, you can still achieve outstanding results. Haven’t there been far more prominent figures coming out from our school than from the White Crane Academy, right?"

Everyone laughed.

The White Crane Academy produces pure martial artists, but the Imperial First Military Academy turns out politicians, military leaders, diplomats, designers, celebrities, and so on...

Because it’s large and has a broad foundation, those who can enter the Imperial First Military Academy are already winners in their respective fields.

After studying at this prestigious school, they can easily reach the pinnacle of their own lives.

This includes Phoenix and her two brothers, who would rather choose the Imperial First Military Academy over the White Crane Academy...

Why?

Martial artists can be recruited, can be bought.

But the talents who can assist in governing the country and strengthening the military, like Zhuge Liang and other strategists, can only be found in such schools.

"There are many paths to the stars, and I believe that as long as you keep the spirit of bravery and struggle, don’t get arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat, you will achieve great success no matter where you are."

"Here, I wish you a triumphant return."

After finishing his speech, Chen Bing looked towards Si Yinchuan and said, "Dean Si, shall we begin?"

Si Yinchuan waved his hand grandly and said powerfully, "The assessment begins."

The students present then lined up and entered the brain-machine room under the guidance of the staff, according to the numbers they had previously been assigned.

"Hmm?" Tang Fei, at the front of the line, saw a familiar, tall, and upright figure.

Some people are just like that; even in a vast crowd, you can recognize them at a glance.

Even just by feeling, you can find that familiar aura and atmosphere.

This is what people mean by "magnetic field" and "resonance at the same frequency."

"Why has she come?" Tang Fei’s face was full of confusion.

"Does she also want to compete for that first place? Impossible, right? If she wanted to compete... she should have told me in advance..."

"As a Princess of the Phoenix Empire, if she wanted a spot at the White Crane Academy, just having her father give the White Crane Academy a heads-up would be enough, wouldn’t it? Although the White Crane Academy is noble and aloof, when people talk about them, they say that there are a group of old immortals living on that mountain..."

"But after all, it is situated within the Phoenix Empire and requires the Empire’s financial and various other supports... Can they truly afford not to give face to the Royal Family?"

"If they really have that much integrity, Tang Fei is willing to crawl in front of the White Crane Academy Director Xuanyuan Mingjing and call him ’Master’..."

"But he had better act quickly, as Shang Xiulin is quite fond of me at the moment. If he’s slow to move, I’ll become Shang Xiulin’s beloved disciple..."

------

Tang Fei’s sequence number was 49, which meant he would be using the 49th brain machine.

Guided and assisted by the Martial Arts Hall staff, he lay down in front of the 49th pod and was connected to the brain machine by the staff.

That cool and tingling sensation spread throughout his body once again. However, they were still in the preparation phase; only after everyone had successfully connected would the system transport them into the unknown virtual world.

"I hope it’s a forest map." Tang Fei stared at the silver-white dome of the pod, silently praying in his heart.

Time passed, and then he heard the mechanical, synthesized female voice say, "All assessment members are successfully connected, preparing to log in. All assessment members are successfully connected, preparing to log in..."

Whoosh!

Tang Fei found himself in front of a vast, endlessly flowing river, along with all the students participating in the assessment.

The river was too wide; standing on this bank, the other side was out of sight.

The vision was a white expanse, with no end in sight, and not even a place to set foot on.

The water flowed dangerously fast, with waves crashing against the banks, rolling and roaring as if they could sweep away everything in the world.

There was no bridge or boat on the river surface, but everyone knew they had to find their own way across this great river.

"What do we do now? There’s no bridge or boat. Are we supposed to fly across?"

"Even if the Qi Manipulation Skill is powerful, it only allows movement within a limited range... We can’t see where the riverbank is, how do we get across? We’re not immortals."

"My swimming skills are not bad, but the water is too fierce; I’m afraid I’ll get swept away as soon as I get in..."

------

Everyone groaned and lamented, clearly stumped by this obstacle.

What was worse, this was just the first challenge.

But Tang Fei circled to the back of the crowd and found Phoenix, who was observing the terrain in front of her, and asked, "Why are you here?"

He remembered what Sheng Xinhua had said in his ear before entering the facility—that Phoenix would give him a surprise...

Is this a surprise? It feels more like a fright.

Phoenix, with interest, watched Tang Fei’s expression and said with a smile, "Can’t I come?"

"I mean... if you wanted the first place, why didn’t you tell me in advance?"

Tang Fei was feeling conflicted in his heart.

He didn’t mind competing with others, but he was afraid to compete with Phoenix.

If Phoenix really wanted to secure the first place, he would be in a tough spot...

"Who said I wanted the first place?" Phoenix blinked playfully and said, "Is it not okay for me to take the second place?"

"..."

Which participant didn’t come for the first place in the assessment? White Crane Academy was only recruiting one spot. What was the use of getting the second place?

Although Director Chen Bing had said before the competition that not being admitted did not mean one was a failure...

Still, he wanted to be that lucky person who got admitted.

Seeing the speechless look on Tang Fei’s face, Phoenix giggled charmingly and said, "Knowing that you wanted to participate in this assessment, I asked the teacher to sign me up too... I just wanted to see what the content of this assessment was..."

Tang Fei stopped dwelling on this matter and pointed to the vast river surface, asking, "Do you have any solutions?"

Phoenix shook her head and said, "None. It’s not something humans can accomplish... At least, not something we examinees can do."

She picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the water, where it disappeared without a trace with a ’plop’.

"The depth of the river is unknown, but the current is too strong; it’s unrealistic to try swimming across..."

Yet, there were those who were not afraid of death, relying on their exceptional strength, they carefully entered the water, heading towards the river’s heart.

The first step was manageable. Taking another step, one could still hold on.

Then, suddenly, they swam rapidly towards the other side...

Mid-swim, with a ’boom’, a grotesque and ferocious piranha leaped out of the water and swallowed them whole.

"..."

A gasp escaped from the people on the shore.

Clearly, the waterway was impassable.

"What does White Crane Academy mean by this? Do they still want us to live?"

"Yeah, isn’t this first barrier too difficult? Even their Great Grandmaster might not be able to get through..."

"I heard that a Great Grandmaster can cross the river on a reed... Anyone want to give it a try?"

"We can’t fail to overcome the first barrier, can we? That would be too embarrassing for our school..."

-------

Everyone was discussing animatedly, at a loss in front of the situation.

Just then, the river surface suddenly churned, and waves surged sky-high.

A massive amount of water amassed in midair, forming a silvery white Water Bridge.

Even more magical was the fact that the water inside the bridge was flowing and rippling, but the bridge stayed suspended above the river without collapsing.

It was as if it were bewitched by a divine magic.

"An intermittent fountain in the river..." Tang Fei murmured to himself.

He had heard of such marvels before but never expected to witness one in the virtual world with his own eyes.

Phoenix gave Tang Fei a surprised look and asked, "Do you know how to get across?"

"I don’t know," Tang Fei shook his head.

His ignorance didn’t mean others were unaware.

Wait for others to cross, then mimic them...

After all, he would not be the first one to rush out; he was neither that foolish nor that noble.

To survive, to shrewdly make it until the end, that was the goal.

Tang Fei’s target was the first place, not to show off halfway through obtaining it.

He was a no-nonsense man, not fond of flashy stuff.

Some people were awestruck by the magnificent sight before them, while more people pondered the significance of the appearance of the Water Bridge.

Was it that the invigilators from White Crane Academy had heard the students’ complaints and provided everyone with a ’bridge’ to reach the other side?

But, wasn’t this bridge too unreliable?

Probably, once someone stepped on it, they would fall into the river, swept away by the turbulent waters or eaten by the monster, right?

People hesitated, none daring to put themselves at risk and be the first to take that leap.

Misfortune does rain down in torrents; while everyone was considering how to cross the river or waiting for someone to step up and set an example, the sound of the land quaking and collapsing came from behind them.

"The earthquake is coming..."

"The land behind us is collapsing. If we don’t cross the river now, we’ll fall into it..."

"This is forcing us to make quick decisions... The system is so cruel..."

------

Some people panicked.

With a light leap, their body soared into the air.

Their feet landed on the Water Bridge, and they dashed forward for several dozen meters before splashing into the bridge and disappearing without a trace.

As if they had been devoured by the Water Bridge.