The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

"Wei Nan, 1-star Martial Artist certified. Take your card!"

The Certification Hall.

All newly arrived students had to come here to get certified.

Once their cultivation level was certified, the school would issue a monthly stipend for cultivation.

The amount of the stipend varied greatly depending on one’s cultivation level.

But the starting amount was ten thousand.

A 2-star could get fifty thousand, and a 3-star could get a hundred thousand per month.

Tested and certified on the same day.

As Wei Nan held his Martial Artist certification card, he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

"Ten thousand a month! That’s more than my parents in the Old District earned combined!" Wei Nan said with a smile.

Lin Yi, Zhou Qi, and the others glanced at him with a smile.

"You’re already a 1-star, 3rd-stage. Push a little harder and get to 2-star. I hear you get fifty thousand a month in cultivation funds then!"

At this, Wei Nan looked up at Lin Yi.

"You think hitting 2-star is as easy as drinking water?"

"Or do you think everyone’s a cultivation freak like you?"

Wei Nan’s words resonated with the others.

Zhou Qi and Sun Tao nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. I’m already at 1-star, 4th-stage, which means I’m on the cusp of 2-star, but I just can’t break through. It’s like I’ve hit a bottleneck."

"Especially lately. My Qi and Blood has been increasing so slowly. I’d be lucky to get a 5% increase in one day!"

"When I got tested just now, I checked my Qi and Blood. I’m at 1-star, 4th-stage, 43%. Even assuming a 5% increase every day, it would take about twelve days!"

"And that’s just an average. It’s not like my Qi and Blood increases by 5% every day. Often it’s just 1% or 3%. Breaking through to 2-star will take at least a month!"

"What I’m really afraid of is getting my Qi and Blood up to 99% only to have it stagnate again, waiting for some kind of catalyst to break through..."

As Zhou Qi spoke,

his eyes were filled with envy for Lin Yi.

None of them could understand it. For Lin Yi, cultivation was as simple as drinking water.

He didn’t seem to have any bottlenecks or constraints. When he wanted to break through, he just did.

And yet, for them, just getting into a Martial Arts University meant they were already one in a hundred, if not one in a thousand.

It would be no exaggeration to call them Martial Arts geniuses.

But in front of Lin Yi, these so-called geniuses were no different from ordinary people.

They knew there was always someone better, a sky beyond the sky.

But this was just demoralizing. The gap was simply too great...

Now, they felt the gap between them and Lin Yi growing ever wider.

Even if they sprinted with all their might, they were about to lose sight of his back.

A freakish talent like that was like using a cheat code; catching up was simply impossible.

And even those currently ahead of him would eventually be overtaken by Lin Yi.

Zhou Qi’s words resonated with Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi.

Ever since the martial arts exam ended, their Qi and Blood progression had slowed.

Of course, part of it was because they had left the Martial Arts Hall.

At the Martial Arts Hall, they didn’t have to worry about a thing.

All they had to do was focus on training, cultivating, and improving themselves.

Plus, the Martial Arts Hall’s cafeteria was excellent, serving Demon Beast Meat daily.

Even though it was mostly from 1-star demon beasts, getting to eat meat from a 2-star one was a matter of luck.

At least the Demon Beast Meat provided a helpful boost to their training.

That’s why they never felt their Qi and Blood progression was slow.

But ever since the exam ended, it felt like their Qi and Blood had come to a standstill.

Lin Yi nodded, wanting to comfort them with a few words.

But the words caught in his throat.

He was afraid that anything he said would sound like a humble-brag, and he’d get his ass kicked for it.

’For him, cultivation really was simple.’

’He barely had to do anything.’

’When he ate, [Food Conversion] gave him a chance to increase his Qi and Blood.’

’When he slept, he could cultivate the Star River Qi Transformation Technique, enter the Spatial Domain, and gather the Power of Starlight and the Celestial Dao Sound to purify and refine his Qi and Blood.’

’Thinking back, he’d never really had to worry about cultivation.’

’He just set small goals for himself.’

’When to hit 2-star, when to hit 3-star.’

’He’d never experienced the kind of Qi and Blood stagnation they were talking about.’

So, when it came to their struggles,

Lin Yi couldn’t truly empathize, and so he didn’t know how to comfort them.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Didn’t someone say we can take on missions after we enroll?"

"Sister Xue told us before that we can get cultivation resources from missions. If you want to raise your cultivation level, the rewards from those missions should do the trick!"

"Don’t worry. When the time comes, we’ll take on missions together. I’ll help you guys out, and that’ll be that," Lin Yi said with a light chuckle.

This was the only way he could think of to help them right now.

Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and Sun Tao all nodded.

However, his casual remark didn’t go unnoticed.

They weren’t the only ones in the Certification Hall.

There were many other new students around.

Most were from the Old District, and the way they looked at Lin Yi’s group was filled with envy. A small minority, however, were local to the New District.

They seemed to have an innate sense of superiority.

They acted particularly high-and-mighty toward students from the Old District.

Lin Yi’s words drew sneers from a few people nearby.

"Hilarious. I can’t tell if you hicks from the Old District are arrogant or just plain ignorant."

"Talking about missions like they’re a walk in the park. Who the hell do you think you are?"

a plain-looking student with permed, curly hair said, his eyes filled with contempt.

After he spoke, the people with him joined in, laughing mockingly.

Seeing this, Wei Nan’s face darkened.

He strode right over to the students from the New District.

"Hey pal, what year are you?" Wei Nan asked as he got closer.

Standing over six feet tall, he towered over the curly-haired student by half a head.

Wei Nan already had a broad, muscular build to begin with.

The physical disparity between the two was significant.

His sheer presence was overwhelming.

Lin Yi, however, noticed that the curly-haired student was already a 2-star.

The other students with him were also certified 1-star or 2-star Martial Artists.

This was the gap between the New District and the Old District.

Even if they didn’t have illustrious backgrounds or come from prominent families,

the abundant resources in the New District meant most aspiring martial artists started at 1-star and entered university as 2-stars.

It was unlike the Old District, where candidates could take the martial arts exam as soon as they reached the 4th-stage.

For them, getting into a Martial Arts University as a 1-star was a great source of pride.

So, the local martial arts candidates from the New District

had a much higher starting point than those from the Old District.

This was the gap, the greatest difference between the New District and the Old District.

Although Wei Nan’s presence had initially intimidated the curly-haired student,

his own higher cultivation level soon began to subtly push back.

Wei Nan’s brow twitched.

He realized the kid in front of him was at a much higher level.

Though startled, he didn’t let it show on his face.

"Everyone here in the Certification Hall is a first-year!"

"So if we’re all freshmen, what’s with the high-and-mighty act? You got something extra the rest of us don’t? A third hemorrhoid? A special tumor?"

Wei Nan always had a vicious mouth.

With friends, he knew how to joke around without crossing the line.

But with outsiders, he’d say whatever was most cutting.

As a result, others in the Certification Hall couldn’t help but snicker.

The curly-haired student’s face flushed red as he glanced around nervously.

Clearly, saving face was very important to him...

"You... you’re asking to die?"

"Hah! Stop talking so big about life and death. How many people have you actually killed?" Wei Nan retorted sharply.

The curly-haired student was so angry he felt like his head was about to explode.

But in the next moment, his anger suddenly vanished.

He let out a sudden chuckle. "Forget it, forget it. My apologies, I was being rude."

"Life isn’t easy for you students from the Old District. You must have worked so hard just to get into a Martial Arts University, right?"

"Why should I lower myself to your level? So what if you managed to get in?"

"You’re still destined to be cannon fodder for us from the New District."

"Even after you graduate, you’ll just be stuck at the bottom rungs of the New District!"

"Lowering myself to your level would just be demeaning to me!"

With that, he shot Wei Nan a contemptuous glare,

completely dismissing him.

His words undoubtedly enraged every martial arts candidate from the Old District in the hall.

Wei Nan, in particular, clenched his fists, ready to fight.

Zhou Qi and Sun Tao hurried over.

They pulled him aside. "He’s doing it on purpose! He wants to provoke you into attacking!"

"Don’t forget the rules in the New District! Conflicts between students have to be settled in designated areas. If you had attacked him just now and the school found out, you’d risk expulsion. Then you and your parents would be sent right back to the Old District!"

Zhou Qi’s words

instantly sobered Wei Nan up.

’That was close.’

’If Zhou Qi and Sun Tao hadn’t stopped him just in time, that one punch would have risked getting him expelled.’

Shaken, Wei Nan glanced back at the curly-haired student.

He saw the student smiling smugly, a punchable smirk plastered on his face.

’What kind of bullshit rule is this? You have to apply for permission to fight?’ Wei Nan thought, frustrated beyond belief.

Zhou Qi and Sun Tao could only shrug helplessly.

"The rules are the rules. We’re not yet in a position to break them, so we have to follow them."

Wei Nan was speechless.

"Li Mao, certified 2-star Martial Artist..."

"Sun Jiancheng, certified 2-star Martial Artist..."

"Liu Sisi, certified 2-star Martial Artist..."

"Li Da, certified 2-star Martial Artist..."

"Sun Yanbin, certified 2-star Martial Artist..."

Suddenly, as one name after another was called for their Martial Artist certification,

Wei Nan, Zhou Qi, and Sun Tao noticed something.

They were all locals from the New District.

And all of them were at least 2-star.

It was only then that Zhou Qi, Wei Nan, and the others truly understood the gap between them.

No wonder the local students from the New District were so arrogant.

After all, they had the right to be arrogant; their starting point was so much higher.

While they were still desperately cultivating to reach 1-star,

these people had already hit 2-star and were aiming for 3-star.

And that was the difference.

While you’re still fighting to get to Rome,

others are already born there....