Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 460 - 98. Return to School

Chapter 460: 98. Return to School

However, Li Aozi severely underestimated his own influence.

The members of the Aid Study Society had already elevated Li Aozi to the status of a myth. As soon as he joined the group chat, he received a flurry of congratulations and welcomes. Under their enthusiastic invitation, Li Aozi gladly went to meet them and feasted at a countryside restaurant.

"Look! This is our Aid Study Society’s big boss!"

Li Aozi’s old friend Cadfy exaggeratedly introduced him to others:

"Although Big Boss Leozi has a common name, he walked out of Blue Chrysanthemum Village, a once-in-a-thousand-years genius! Thanks to his presence, all of us have basked in the reflected glory. This time, our exam results were stellar!"

Cadfy continued boasting endlessly, referring to Li Aozi as ’our role model,’ ’pride of civilization,’ ’light of tomorrow,’ and even ’national hero.’

"You flatter me. I’m not that remarkable," Li Aozi said modestly. "I’m not as extraordinary as you make me out to be. It was the examiners who appreciated me, but more importantly, it was everyone’s help that eased much of my burden, allowing me to perform without worries. This success is thanks to every member of the Aid Study Society."

"Yes! The Aid Study Society!"

Miti also said with a laugh:

"Now every member of the Aid Study Society tells people, ’What’s so great about your kid? Do you know Leozi? He handed in his paper in the first five minutes and was directly admitted as a special recruit by the Crystal Tower’s Magic University. And we’re from the same study group.’"

What surprised Li Aozi was that no member of the Aid Study Society felt jealous of his performance.

For one, as part of an interstellar civilization, the average quality of people at the Crystal Tower was relatively high. Unlike during the Azure Star era, where people could scheme and even assassinate roommates for a postgraduate spot;

Additionally, most members of the Aid Study Society had benefited from following Li Aozi.

It should be said that Li Aozi’s presence served as a significant morale booster for all society members. The collective learning and living experiences gave others a mindset of ’If Leozi can do it, then I’m not far behind.’

This boosted everyone’s confidence. Among the first 27 members, all passed, with an undergraduate rate reaching 30%.

Several members performed exceptionally well, with one girl named Bettina Xidi achieving the same level as Li Aozi at Trevela University.

Li Aozi was not surprised by this result. Anyone who had taken the Magic Aptitude Test would understand how much willpower influences the outcome. The sheer volume of questions and the lengthy exam time could eliminate 90% of candidates just on a psychological level.

The Aid Study Society’s group study and mutual support model helped alleviate the mental stress of fighting alone, making it normal for their scores to improve.

This straightforward yet effective promotion method quickly brought in 120 new members within a week. Many retakers joined and also felt the benefits brought by the Aid Study Society.

Although the Aid Study Society didn’t increase their knowledge reserve, the supportive services and mutual care provided by the organization helped reduce much of the candidates’ stress, allowing them to perform as they should.

You might say this doesn’t enhance knowledge? Silly kid, exams are all about the scores.

No matter the reason for higher scores, when Miti and others promoted it, they only mentioned, ’Our scores went up’—and that was enough.

Hearing Miti and Cadfy speak this way, Li Aozi found it both amusing and bewildering.

He didn’t plan to form an economic organization or raise the entry fees for now, so when Miti asked how to develop next, Li Aozi gave a vague reply, letting them decide through discussion.

However, for Li Aozi, the Aid Study Society had also become an excellent intelligence agency. Magic apprentices from various majors and cities made it easy for him to gather relevant information.

Naturally, he took the opportunity to clarify some ’rumors.’

"Everyone misunderstood. I wasn’t admitted to the Crystal Tower’s Magic University."

Oh?

Amidst the puzzled gazes, Li Aozi explained:

"I was admitted without an exam to Baizhu Interstellar University."

Hiss—

Everyone was filled with respect.

They say: The sky is high and the emperor is far, but the village chief is right in front of us.

For the local members of the Aid Study Society, they might not fully understand what admission to the Crystal Tower’s direct jurisdiction university meant, but they held immense respect for Baizhu Star’s top-tier institution.

If Li Aozi hadn’t clarified, this explanation brought even deeper shock to the members who were already full of reverence, especially the new members who looked at him with an awe similar to gazing at a principal.

The gathering was joyous, and Li Aozi hadn’t had such a delightful time in a long while. The Tanas Race, as a magical species, preferred lively and emotional songs and dances more than the Azure Star People, without the many bothersome rules. Some even cried at the gathering, excited that their hard work finally paid off.

Li Aozi realized that human happiness was actually quite simple: just pursuing fair rewards for their efforts, nothing more.

Perhaps after staying too long in the complex and harsh environments of Azure Star and Starry Abyss, Li Aozi felt a bit sentimental over these simple and pure joys.

If Nomi and Qiu Ran were still alive, they probably sought such a life as well.

After the festivities, Li Aozi briefly discussed future developments with Cadfy and Miti before taking the Magic Guide Train back to university.

As a student from a prestigious school, Li Aozi enjoyed free rides. The entire journey, including sightseeing, was all free, giving his battle-worn spirit a much-needed respite and solace.

Unfortunately, Li Aozi also knew that such a peaceful life was destined not to last.

On his way back to school, Li Aozi continued to remotely direct the expansion of Newbie Village, enhancing player productivity and guiding more Red Arrow People to become Mutants through the White Obelisk.

What Mingji Humanity couldn’t achieve, Li Aozi not only accomplished easily but also eliminated the severe drawbacks and promoted it.

The Red Arrow Empire hadn’t yet noticed that out of the several hundred thousand people in Erga City, there were already a few hundred Mutants. Given time, Mutants would become the city’s most common Transcendent Pathway.

Li Aozi set Arcane Energy awakening for the White Obelisk as Gravity. This Arcane Energy was a prerequisite for advancing to Echoer and wasn’t too harmful. Controlling gravity required long-term practice, which would filter out many people.

If he directly awakened residents with something like Spontaneous Combustion for Arcane Energy—that would be fantastic for a strong and prosperous Red Arrow, but it would cause fires every day.

Gravity was also suitable for labor production. For the elderly, whose legs were inconvenient and whose immune systems declined with age, implants could lead to complications from rejection, possibly costing them their lives.

In civilian use, Gravity could be applied to mining, carrying heavy goods, rescue operations, flight, and high-altitude tasks. With it, there was little fear of falling. As long as elderly people didn’t fall, their health wouldn’t decline too quickly. This alone was very appealing.

As for utilizing it in body techniques and combat like Li Aozi—only professional players could barely perform such operations. Most people would be grateful just to learn how to use the slingshot effect of gravity to throw stones.

Li Aozi intentionally made the study period longer to promote unity among Pathway Followers and establish a mentor-apprentice system. This would form the most basic order and etiquette, and teaching people to use and obtain Gravity could become a business in Erga City.

Nothing could be done without money. Li Aozi watched with satisfaction as the donations in the pool continued to increase.

When N4 brought Mingji Heavy Industries to settle in Erga City, the Pathway of Mutants would usher in a revolution.

This time, Li Aozi planned to make a big move.

Mingji Professors had gone in the wrong direction and deviated from the path. This was due to the limitations of their time, but Li Aozi didn’t have this problem. With Pathway buildings in hand, he intended to push the Sovereign system into the mainstream.

If the Professor were still alive, Li Aozi believed he would have to say: "Take a good look, this is how Arcane Energy should be used. Arcane Energy can bring humanity the seasons of Asahseh and Slimelude!"

Setting aside the issue of Erga City’s small population, Li Aozi felt optimistic about the future.

Regarding the beta players, Li Aozi didn’t plan to overlook them either. The Pathway buildings in Erga City would attract a group of players. Once these Baizhu Star players made some achievements, Li Aozi would reveal the truth about the Pathway to them and let them spread the word.

By then, Azure Star players would realize: Hey, there’s this great opportunity on Azure Star. We actually have a way to achieve Ascension to Divinity; we must save our homeland now.

These professional players were the key targets Li Aozi planned to nurture. However, ordinary players were the larger market that he couldn’t abandon. Although each player’s purchasing power was low and their contributions of experience minimal, collectively, the rental of Arcane Energy alone could generate significant revenue.

Currently, Li Aozi could only remotely issue tasks, relying on Mingji Heavy Industries’ N4 and the Pathway Followers in Erga City to find ways to rent Arcane Energy to players. Luckily, the formula for Arcane Potion had already spread. Li Aozi believed that within six months, he would enjoy the tangible benefits of a growing number of Mutants.

In places unseen by others, Li Aozi’s influence was steadily expanding.

...............

June 1 marked the start of the new semester at Baizhu Interstellar University. Unlike Azure Star, Magic Schools only had spring break. They rested during January and February of the year. Aside from National Day and Progress Day, there was only one day of rest each month.

This was related to the unique workshop system of magical civilizations. Magicians were the most fundamental labor force and producers, and students were no exception.

Magic Universities didn’t solely focus on academic research. Almost every university student had to accumulate 1,000 hours of workshop labor time during their university years to qualify for graduation.

However, Baizhu Interstellar University, where Li Aozi studied, was different. The workshop ratio was low, and the curriculum was predominantly academic theory with little practical work.

"Be an ordinary person and fully experience university life."

Although Li Aozi had long since moved into his private dormitory, to honor Qiu Ran’s last wish, he still entered through the main gate with the crowd, deliberately taking photos left and right, pretending it was his first time at the school, to fully experience it.

From a distance, the members of the Education Committee monitoring this scene nodded approvingly. It seemed Li Aozi was playing along well and enjoying a peaceful campus life, which pleased everyone.

The monitors, seeing Li Aozi behaving like a freshman with no abnormality, also felt bored and left their posts to report back to their superiors.

Unaware of the monitors’ presence, Li Aozi found waiting in line with the crowd too slow and began wandering around.

This campus was quite large, with hills, forests, and swamps everywhere. After walking for a while, he even felt a bit tired, so he found a random spot to sit and began watching the ducks play and fight in the central lake.

"Hey, are you a freshman?"

Suddenly, Li Aozi heard a female voice calling out to him.

He turned his head and saw a Tanas girl with purple ponytails. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Li Aozi: "Whoa, a beauty!"

Li Aozi was silent for a moment. Then the girl rushed to him in a flash, handing him a small card:

"Hey there, you look talented. Join our club; we have tons of activities to ensure you meet your practice hours each year!"

"You guys are..."

Li Aozi looked down and saw three bold words on the card:

Alchemy Club.