The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: 4-star Martial Artist Certification Badge

The expressions on Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and Sun Tao grew grim.

Back in the Old District, they hadn’t felt such a disparity.

They had considered themselves talented Martial Arts Students at their respective schools.

Even at the Martial Arts Hall, they were among the best.

They were even quite satisfied with their own results after the Martial Arts Examination.

But only after arriving in the New District did they realize just how massive the gap was.

The realms they took so much pride in were nowhere near the top in the New District.

If the Martial Arts Students from the New and Old Districts were all grouped together, they probably wouldn’t even make it into the top ten or twenty of their new university.

These people were starting at the Two-Star Realm.

That was a level they hadn’t reached after eighteen years of bitter training.

But for the students native to the New District, it seemed perfectly natural.

”See? This is the difference between the New District and the Old District.

And that Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar from your district that you’re so proud of? Heh, he’s just at the Three-Star Realm. He wouldn’t even rank in the top ten here in the New District!”

”Face reality. It’s not shameful to admit there’s a gap. With your level of talent, even after getting into a Martial Arts University, you’ll just be the cannon fodder propping up the bottom of the rankings for us!”

”Four years of university, four years as a benchwarmer. After graduation, you’ll find a job and live out the rest of your days in peace and stability. Isn’t that the ideal life for you people from the Old District?”

”You got away from that filthy, stinking, dangerous slum you call the Old District and made it to the paradise of the New District. At least your eighteen years of effort weren’t for nothing, right?”

Li Mao sneered, his face filled with contempt.

Though every word he spoke was harsh, it was undeniable that most Martial Arts Students from the Old District shared similar thoughts.

They trained desperately just so they could get into a Martial Arts University.

To change their own destinies and those of their families.

They dreamed of bringing their families to live in the New District, even if they accomplished nothing special after graduation.

The high salary would still ensure they could live comfortably.

Perhaps they didn’t have any grand ambitions; they just hoped to improve their quality of life.

These were the true thoughts of most Martial Arts Students from the Old District.

Harsh, yet true.

Even as anger flushed the faces of Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and the others, veins bulging on their foreheads, they couldn’t find a single word to retort.

”That’s not necessarily true. We have ambitions, too!”

Suddenly, Lin Yi chuckled softly as he looked at Li Mao and the others.

”Lin Yi, 4-star Martial Artist certification...”

As the voice came over the loudspeaker, the entire certification hall fell silent.

One could even hear the sound of sharp intakes of breath.

As for Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and Shen Mengyi, they all stared in utter disbelief as Lin Yi walked forward.

The group of New District students led by Li Mao was utterly shocked.

All eyes were fixed on Lin Yi.

They watched until he retrieved his Four-Star Martial Artist Badge.

He returned to Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and the others.

”Did you all get your badges?” Lin Yi asked with a smile.

Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and the others all nodded.

”We all got them!”

”Then let’s get going. Sister Xue is waiting for us outside!” Lin Yi said with a smile.

He glanced back at the New District students, offering a polite smile that didn’t lack for style.

”Fellow students, we’re heading out. See you around!”

With that, the group headed outside.

It was a while before the certification hall returned to its previous noisy state after they left.

”Holy shit, was that guy Lin Yi? The Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar from our Old District?”

”That’s him! He’s a total monster! Already a 4-star?”

”Fucking hell, let’s see any of those New District pricks act arrogant now! So what if you’re a 2-star? Our Old District has a 4-star powerhouse!”

”Exactly! And every single one of them thinks they’re so damn amazing!”

”Why aren’t you all puffed up now? Huh? You look down on a 3-star? Well, here’s a 4-star for you!”

”Hey, you students from the New District! Got any 4-star badasses in your year?”

”So satisfying! Lin Yi is a god to us in the Old District!”

”Lin Yi is already a 4-star, and even he isn’t as full of himself as you guys...”

After Lin Yi, Wei Nan, and the others had left, the students from the Old District seemed to have finally found an outlet for their frustration.

They all launched a verbal assault on the students native to the New District.

The students native to the New District enjoyed superior cultivation resources, and their training environment was leagues better than that of the Old District.

Their arrogance stemmed from the fact that this year’s crop of Martial Arts Students from the New District included three who had reached the Three-Star Realm.

That was why they had looked down on Lin Yi, the Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar.

But when they discovered that Lin Yi’s realm had already reached Four-Star, the indescribable shock was like a colossal mountain crashing down on them.

It was painful even to breathe.

Under the gazes of the many students from the Old District, Li Mao and his group stood with deeply furrowed brows, all their earlier pride gone.

He muttered, ”Let’s go!”

With that, the group hastily made their way outside.

”A Four-Star Martial Artist Badge!”

Qin Zhaoxue chuckled, toying with a solid gold badge in her hand.

The Martial Artist Certification Badge was a type of school emblem for the universities in the New District, and it also served as an indicator of a Martial Artist’s realm.

The insignia on the badge might differ from one university to another.

Some Martial Artist Badges were embroidered with landscapes, some with medicinal herbs, and others with swords...

For instance, the Martial Artist Badges from Xingwu University were embroidered with a starry sky.

It seemed to echo the university’s name.

However, regardless of the engraved patterns or school emblems, the core identifying features of the Martial Artist Badge could not be changed.

One-Star Black Iron Badge, Two-Star Bronze Badge, Three-Star Silver Badge, Four-Star Gold Badge, Five-Star Quicksand Badge, Six-Star Seven-Color Crystal Badge, and Seven-Star Celestial Soul Stone Badge.

The badge for each realm was distinct.

And the materials they were made from were also completely different.

Lin Yi’s Four-Star Martial Artist Badge was crafted from solid gold.

One glance was all it took to tell what realm Lin Yi had reached.

”Sister Xue, yours is a Gold Badge, too, right?”

Lin Yi asked with a chuckle.

Qin Zhaoxue nodded. ”It took me three whole years to get from a 2-star to a 4-star!”

”And that’s considered quite talented.”

”But you? You get a Four-Star Badge on your very first day of university...”

At her words, Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and Wei Nan all looked on with envy.

Wei Nan, in particular, sighed dramatically. ”Well, that’s just great. The gap between us has widened yet again!”

”Tell me about it. Isn’t Senior Brother Lin’s training speed a little too fast?”

”He was at the Three-Star Realm during the exam. How is he a 4-star already?”

Shen Mengyi also wore a look of utter astonishment.

The same went for Zhou Qi and Sun Tao.

The two of them had perhaps already grown accustomed to the speed of Lin Yi’s advancement.

They remembered when Lin Yi had first come to the Martial Arts Hall, just an unknown high school senior.

They had watched with their own eyes as he improved by leaps and bounds in every respect in less than three months.

He was a monster, a true freak of nature.

So, while they were shocked that he was entering the university at the Four-Star Realm, they weren’t as stunned as Wei Nan and Shen Mengyi were.

They had truly, slowly, grown accustomed to the phenomenon that was Lin Yi.

Lin Yi just smiled and scratched his head. ”I just sort of... broke through!”

”Oh, just shut up!”

Wei Nan roared.

His shout immediately drew glances from many of the surrounding students.

But Lin Yi and his friends paid no mind to the stares, laughing and roughhousing amongst themselves.

...

「Meanwhile.」

In the chancellor’s office.

News that Lin Yi had just been certified as a 4-star Martial Artist at the Four-Star Realm had quickly reached Tang Baichuan.

’This kid really is something else. To do something so earth-shattering on his very first day? A 4-star Martial Artist...’

Tang Baichuan could barely suppress his grin.

’Never mind the fact that Lin Yi is my nephew.’

’Even though I divorced my ex-wife years ago, I’ve always considered myself a son-in-law of the Yi Family.’

’I was then, I am now, and I always will be.’

’So in his heart, he had long since accepted Lin Yi as his nephew.’

’Putting that relationship aside, Lin Yi’s talent for the Martial Arts and his astonishing rate of growth were enough to make the various universities fight tooth and nail for him.’

’Who would have thought that a Martial Arts Student, newly arrived in the New District, would be at the Four-Star level upon enrollment?’

’Even for the proud prodigies native to the New District, enrolling as a 3-star is already an incredible feat.’

’Other students often have to spend one, two, or even three years at the university to reach that level.’

’But Lin Yi showed up with a Four-Star cultivation base right from the get-go.’

’If he gets three years of university plus a one-year internship... if the school provides him with a massive amount of cultivation resources, won’t he reach 5-star or 6-star by the time he graduates?’

’What if the kid’s talent is even more exceptional than I think? Graduating at the Seven-Star Realm might not be impossible!’

’I’ve really struck gold this time!’

Tang Baichuan’s face was flushed, his excitement irrepressible.

’If Lin Yi can really follow the path I’ve planned for him and graduate with a 6-star or 7-star cultivation... it would be a powerful promotional tool for Xingwu University.’

’I’d also get a high score on my own performance evaluation.’

’Most importantly, maybe I could win back Yi Xiaoying’s heart?’

’After all, I would have nurtured her nephew to success.’

’If I use this to win her affection, getting back together with her would be just around the corner, wouldn’t it?’

’Especially if the others in the Yi Family, including Elder Yi, put in a good word for me, getting back together would no longer be a pipe dream.’

”Yes, that’s the plan!”

’I have to nurture Lin Yi well and make the entire Yi Family, Xiaoying included, see my sincere efforts!’

Tang Baichuan made up his mind.

He immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number.

”Hello? Old Zhou, get to my office right away.”

”Yes, right now. I have something important to discuss with you!”