Rank 1,256

"Forging swords for civilization, honing blades for humanity; martial artists are the Great Wall." Fang Yu silently recited these words in his heart. Not only him, but everyone inside the vehicle fell quiet for a moment. Back in junior college, "martial artists must fight to protect civilization" had felt more like an empty textbook slogan, far removed from junior college students like them. What they had cared about more was improving their own strength. Yet upon arriving at Huguang Martial University, even before officially setting foot inside the campus, the soldiers patrolling along the road and the slogans emblazoned across the divine sword-like high-rises instilled in them a completely different atmosphere. "These words were inscribed by our country's Star-Sky Martial Artist, Zhang Zhenyue, and they stand at the entrance of every martial university in the nation," Yan Fu remarked with quiet emotion. "He was Xia Country's first Sky-Patrolling Martial Artist, and the third Sky-Patrolling Martial Artist in the history of the Blue Moon Alliance. "The current five-tier martial university system was jointly proposed and championed by him and Adam of the Europa Continent," Yan Fu explained. "Zhang Zhenyue? It's him—legend has it he's the pillar supporting the heavens for Xia Country." "Adam? The world's second-strongest powerhouse." "So the martial university system was actually founded through their joint efforts?" The students in the vehicle immediately grew excited and curious. As Martial Junior College students, they knew something of the pinnacle powerhouses among martial artists and held them in deep reverence. If Ye Xinghe was universally acknowledged as civilization's foremost powerhouse, hailed as a "godlike martial artist," then Adam was the existence closest to a god. He was the first Sky-Patrolling Martial Artist and the first Star-Sky Martial Artist born in human history, his renown staggering. Across the entire Blue Moon Alliance, Zhang Zhenyue's fame was not quite as vast, but within Xia Country, his prestige was on par with Ye Xinghe's. At least in the textbooks across Xia Country's martial universities, Zhang Zhenyue was defined as "a Star-Sky Martial Artist who serves as the pillar of Xia Country." "Zhang Zhenyue?" A surge of respect rose in Fang Yu's heart. This senior might not have been the strongest Star-Sky Martial Artist, but his deeds had inspired countless martial artists. It was he who had instilled the creed "martial artists are the Great Wall" into the martial university systems of Xia Country and the entire Alliance. Fang Yu's generation had grown up listening to the stories of these venerable predecessors. ... The private car entered Huguang Martial University and drove smoothly unimpeded until it halted before a massive building. The doors slid open. "Students, I've brought you all the way from junior college to university," Yan Fu said, his gaze sweeping across the eleven students. "When you get the chance in the future, come back to visit our school often. Go on." "Goodbye, Teacher!" Zhang Tao and the others filed out one after another. "Teacher Yan, thank you," Fang Yu deliberately lingered behind and said in a low voice. "When the break comes and I return to Wuling City, I'll come visit you." "Haha, good." A smile appeared on Yan Fu's face. "Stay safe during the Primordial Star actual combat." ... Watching the car drive off, Fang Yu, Zhang Tao, and the others walked forward following the signs. In front of the building, numerous staff members stood directing the newcomers into separate lines. Besides them, recommended students from other junior colleges were arriving one after another. "Are you Fang Yu? As an elite student, your quarters are in the Villa District." After verifying Fang Yu's identity, a staff member quickly guided him aside. "I've long heard that elite students and Earth Academy students at Huguang Martial University each get their own villa," Zhang Tao said with open envy. "Really, a villa?" Wang Mo was rather excited. "Fang Yu, once registration is done, I'm coming over to check out your villa." "Sure," Fang Yu replied with a smile. ... "Student Fang Yu, your villa number is 1628, and I am your villa housekeeper, Xiaoyue," said an attractive young woman dressed in a neat blazer with a warm smile. "The villa has two floors above ground, each two hundred square meters, an Underground Martial Arts Room of three hundred square meters, and a two-hundred-square-meter garden lawn... Dedicated personnel handle the cleaning. Throughout your time at the university, you have full usage rights to the villa. "Your enrollment formalities are now fully completed. Here is your identity card. "From now on, you can contact me directly if anything comes up. "I will do my best to take care of all miscellaneous affairs on campus. As an elite student, your most important task is to focus wholeheartedly on your martial training," Xiaoyue said with a smile. "Today, you can familiarize yourself with the campus first. Tomorrow at eight in the morning, all fourth-year students participating in the actual combat will assemble in front of Building 9 to head to Primordial Star's Iron Wall Space Base... Here is the checklist of items to bring," Xiaoyue explained to Fang Yu point by point. "Actual combat is critically important. "Your current degree ranking is 1,256th. "If you cannot stay within the top 500 by the end of this semester, you will be removed from the ranks of elite students," Xiaoyue said. "When that happens, you'll also have to move out of the Villa District." "Rank 1,256? How is that calculated?" Fang Yu asked, puzzled. "The degree ranking is the ranking among students of the same cohort; you can view it on your personal system," Xiaoyue smiled. "Each student's base score is calculated from a comprehensive evaluation of their Life Level, martial technique, and academic coursework. The first two carry the vast majority of weight, while academic courses account for only five percent. "The multiplier coefficient is determined by your Civilization Warrior tier. "For instance, for a Tier-1 Civilization Warrior, the coefficient is 1.0 to 1.9. "For a Tier-2 Civilization Warrior, the coefficient is 2.0 to 2.9. "For a Tier-3 Civilization Warrior, the coefficient is 3.0 to 3.9. "The base score multiplied by the coefficient yields the final total score used for ranking," Xiaoyue explained. "Because you've only just enrolled and haven't yet taken part in Primordial Star actual combat, your default coefficient is 1.0. "Even with a coefficient of 1.0, you're still ranked 1,256th, which is actually very impressive. "It shows that your base score is exceptionally high," Xiaoyue said. "There is only one actual combat deployment per semester... so you must do your utmost during the Primordial Star actual combat to raise your coefficient as high as possible." Fang Yu understood. If he did not slay enough beasts during the upcoming Primordial Star actual combat to push his coefficient high enough, he would likely be ousted from the elite student ranks within a single semester. "My info card." Under Xiaoyue's guidance, Fang Yu checked his identity profile: Name: Fang Yu Life Level: Level 20.1 Martial Technique: Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute (Physical), Saber Entering the Minute Coefficient: 1.0 Total Score: 1,510 Ranking: 1,256th ...Afterward, Fang Yu looked up the total score of the student ranked 500th. After all, Fang Yu's primary goal was to avoid being expelled from the elite ranks. *The student currently ranked 500th has a total score of 1,962?* Fang Yu thought to himself. *Which means during this actual combat, I must raise my coefficient to at least 1.3 to surpass them?* Of course, Fang Yu recognized two variables in this equation. First, his Life Level was still rising. Once he underwent another assessment, his base score was bound to increase. Second, he was not the only one heading into actual combat. His fellow cohort undergraduate students would also be fighting, and their coefficients and total scores would climb as well. *Regardless,* *all I can do is slay as many dire beasts as possible during the Primordial Star actual combat to earn civilization points,* Fang Yu thought. *On the other hand, I must also raise my Life Level as quickly as I can.*