Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 79 Cultivation Resources

Lin Chen packed his things, and the four of them left the classroom together, heading towards the training area.

The training area is located behind the teaching building; it's a separate, circular building with dark gray paint on the exterior, resembling a bunker. An electronic screen at the entrance displays the real-time availability of training rooms at each level. All ten Level A training rooms are currently "in use." Two Level B rooms are vacant, while several Level C rooms are empty.

Lin Chen walked to the door and glanced inside. The passage to the A-level cultivation rooms was at the very back, with a silver door and spirit stones embedded in the door frame, emitting a faint spiritual light. Qin Hao was standing at the door of the first cultivation room, followed by more than a dozen followers, completely blocking the passage.

Qin Hao smiled when he saw Lin Chen. He leaned against the door frame, one foot on the threshold, hands in his pockets, tilting his head to look at him.

"Hey, isn't this our number one freshman?" His voice echoed through the corridor. "What, trying to steal an A-level training room too? I advise you not to waste your energy. This kind of place isn't for peasants like you."

Lin Chen looked at him and said only one word: "Get out of the way."

Qin Hao didn't move. He took his foot off the threshold, took two steps forward, and blocked the way.

"Get out of the way? Why should we? We claimed these training rooms first." He glanced back at his followers, who immediately moved forward, blocking the passage even more. "If you want to go in, you can beat me. But let me warn you, I was careless last time. If you dare to make a move again this time, I won't hold back."

He spoke as if he were talking about something very interesting, with a smile on his lips, but no smile in his eyes.

Lin Chen glanced at him and clenched his fist. Star power spun in his palm before dissipating. It wasn't that he couldn't win; it was that fighting here was pointless.

At this moment, the administrator of the training area came out of the duty room. He was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a gray work uniform, with thinning hair and a slightly protruding belly. He looked at Qin Hao, then at Lin Chen, his face showing a troubled expression of being caught in the middle.

"Lin Chen, I'm really sorry." He rubbed his hands together, his voice very low, "The spots in the A-level training room have already been reserved by Young Master Qin and his group. You...you should go to the B-level one instead."

"Reservation?" Lin Chen frowned. "School policy states that training rooms are first-come, first-served. When can we make reservations?"

Sweat began to bead on the administrator's forehead. He wiped it with his sleeve and lowered his voice further: "This was specially approved by Vice Principal Qin Cang. Qin Shao and his classmates are top students in the core class, and the school prioritizes providing them with resources. This... I'm just following the rules."

Su Ling'er's face flushed with anger, and she took a step forward: "This is so unfair! Why can they monopolize the cultivation room? We're core class students too!"

"Exactly!" Chu Fan raised his voice, a rare occurrence for him. "The school's resources belong to everyone, not just the Qin family! The school rules clearly state that training rooms are first-come, first-served. When did a clause about 'special approval from the vice-principal' appear?"

The administrator opened his mouth, then closed it again. He sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave. His figure receded into the distance down the corridor, finally disappearing behind the door of the duty room.

Qin Hao looked at Lin Chen and laughed. The laughter wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet corridor.

"Did you hear that? This was specially approved by my grandfather." He deliberately emphasized the word "specially approved," saying it word by word, "If you're so capable, why don't you find a vice principal to be your grandfather too?"

After saying that, he turned around, pushed open the door, and entered the cultivation room. The silver door closed behind him with a dull thud.

The moment the door closed, the lights in the corridor seemed to dim a little.

Su Ling'er bit her lip, her eyes a little red, but she didn't cry. Chu Fan lowered his head, writing something in his notebook, then crossing it out, tearing the paper in the process. Leng Feng stood at the back, remaining silent, but Lin Chen noticed that he was clenching his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

Lin Chen stared at the closed door for a few seconds. His face was expressionless, but the light in his eyes hardened little by little.

Unfair?

It's okay.

This world has never been fair.

He'd known this since he was a child. Back in Qingyang City, he had nothing—no family background, no connections, no resources. He only had his fists. When his fists weren't strong enough, he endured it; when they were strong enough, he fought back. That was true then, and it's true now.

He turned around, his voice calm: "Let's go."

Su Ling'er looked up: "Where to?"

"Mission Hall".

Lin Chen had already stepped out of the passage without looking back. "If we can't get a training room, we'll do missions. Earn points, exchange them for resources. Others have their grandfathers to give them to them, we'll earn them ourselves."

The mission hall was located on the other side of the teaching building. It was a high-ceilinged hall, roughly the size of half a football field. People were coming and going, and the air was filled with the smells of sweat and paper ink. A huge electronic screen hung on the wall directly in front, displaying a dense array of red and green text displaying missions.

Hunt down the Tier 3 ferocious beast, the Black-maned Wolf, for a reward of 100 points. Location: North slope of Qingfeng Mountain.

Gathering the second-tier spiritual herb, Dewdrop Grass, will reward you with 50 points. Location: East bank of Azure Pool. Limited time offer: three days.

Escort a caravan to the outskirts of Xingwu City. Reward: 500 points. Requirements: At least at the Qi Refining Realm, with practical combat experience.

Lin Chen stood in front of the large screen, scrolling down line by line. 100 points, 50 points, 500 points—the rewards for these tasks were too meager; what could they possibly do with that? The right to use an A-level cultivation room for one day cost 300 points, and three days' worth of tasks wouldn't even be enough for one day of cultivation.

He continued scrolling down. The tasks on the screen became increasingly difficult, but the rewards also increased. 1500 points, 3000 points, 5000 points... He scrolled all the way to the bottom and finally saw a high-scoring task.

Hunt down the fourth-tier ferocious beast, the Shadow Leopard. Location: Outer perimeter of Black Wind Ridge Secret Realm. Reward: 10000 points. Difficulty: A-rank. Note: The Shadow Leopard is extremely fast and possesses short-term stealth capabilities. Three Transformation Realm martial artists have already failed to hunt it down. Teamwork of at least four is recommended.

Su Ling'er leaned closer for a look, and her expression immediately changed: "No! It's too dangerous! The Shadow Leopard is a fourth-tier ferocious beast, incredibly fast, and it can even turn invisible. I've heard that many experts at the Transformation Realm have died at its hands. We're only at the Meridian Opening Realm; we're no match for it at all."

Chu Fan also leaned over to take a look, adjusted his glasses, and frowned. "Lin Chen, the Shadow Leopard isn't an ordinary fourth-tier ferocious beast. Its speed ranks among the top three of the fourth tier, and its stealth isn't based on visual deception, but rather on concealing its aura. All four of us are at the Meridian Opening Realm; what if something happens…?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Leng Feng stood at the very back, remaining silent. He glanced at Lin Chen, then at the mission description on the screen, and remained silent for about five or six seconds.

"I'll go with you."

Just four words, no hesitation, no persuasion, no analysis of pros and cons. When he said this, his face still had that cold expression, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

Lin Chen glanced at Su Ling'er, then at Chu Fan.

Su Ling'er bit her lip and thought for a while, then finally stamped her foot: "Fine! I'll go! If I get hurt, I can just ask my grandfather; he's an alchemist!"

Chu Fan sighed, pushed his glasses up his nose, pulled a small notebook from his pocket, flipped to a blank page, and began making a list: "The Shadow Leopard is fast, we need to prepare some restrictive magical artifacts. I still have three immobilization talismans, which should work. And antidotes, the Shadow Leopard's claws are poisonous..."

The four accepted the mission and pressed their fingerprints on the terminal in the lobby. A notification sounded indicating successful mission acceptance, and their names appeared on the screen: Lin Chen, Su Ling'er, Chu Fan, and Leng Feng.

As they turned to leave the mission hall, they didn't notice a pair of eyes watching them from a corner of the hall.

The man was wearing a black hoodie, the hood pulled low so his face was obscured. He stood behind a pillar, holding a communicator, his thumb rapidly tapping the screen.

"Young Master Qin, Lin Chen and his team have accepted a mission to hunt Shadow Leopards and have headed to the Black Wind Ridge Secret Realm."

A few seconds later, the communicator vibrated, and a reply popped up on the screen.

"Notify the Black Serpent Organization. Make sure they never return from the Black Wind Ridge Secret Realm."

The communicator went out. The man pulled his hat down further, disappeared into the crowd, and was quickly out of sight.