"The Heavenly Dragon Dao Sect is one of the eight supreme sects of the Nine Luminaries Star. I am even the Dao Child of the Heavenly Dragon Dao Sect. If you offend me, with just one word from me, sword immortals will gather like clouds..."

"Boom!"

William Carter threw a punch across the void at the Nine Luminaries Star.

The force contained in the punch pierced through the atmosphere, like a dense star with a diameter of several dozen kilometers crashing into the ground at thousands of kilometers per second.

The earth melted, the planetary core shattered.

Waves of flames and magma swept out at supersonic speed in all directions, stripping away the mountains, rivers, and forests on the crust's surface. The dust and rocks thrown up by the impact shot straight into the atmosphere, and in the next moment...

Crack.

The destructive force pierced through the star, swept across the starry sky, and disappeared into the endless depths.

The planet split apart and exploded!

Shattered!

Like a firework blooming in the sea of stars.

"What did you just say? Sword immortals like clouds, and then what? I don't think I heard you clearly."

William Carter raised his fist and looked at the Dao Child of the Heavenly Dragon Dao Sect.

Volume One: Youth

Chapter 1: Once Dreamed of Roaming the World with a Sword

William Carter.

Eleventh-grade student at Minghua City No. 1 High School.

Aptitude: One star.

Cultivation: Fifth step of Foundation Establishment, Organ Refinement.

Language 139, Math 147, Comprehensive 277, Cultivation Theory 141, Cultivation Practice 169.

Appendix: Detailed assessment data.

Strength 236 kg, 1 km speed 1 minute 56 seconds, neural response 0.143 seconds...

Mastered the ninth set of basic fist techniques (introductory), the twelfth set of body refinement techniques (proficient), the tenth set of basic sword techniques (introductory).

Comment—Not recommended to pursue the path of a cultivator.

In the teachers' office, Grace Bennett, about twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in a teacher's uniform, handed this report card to William Carter.

"Don't be nervous, sit down, I just want to talk to you about your cultivation."

Grace Bennett pointed to the chair in front of William Carter and said gently, "I've seen your hard work. I wanted to help you apply for a Foundation Establishment loan, but with one-star aptitude..."

At this, she quickly added, "It's not discrimination. Ninety percent of the students at our school only have one or two stars. It's just that... since the destruction of the star core in the Dark Era, it's no longer the ancient times when the world was filled with spiritual energy and one could live off the elements. On the path of cultivation, resources are everything. To ensure the safety of the Xiyu Nation, resources need to be reserved for those with greater talent..."

"Teacher..."

"Let me finish. I know you set your sights on entering a cultivator academy when you enrolled, wanting to become a sword immortal soaring through the clouds, so you practice diligently every day, working hard. But, out of a hundred thousand candidates in Minghua City, less than a hundred are admitted to cultivator academies each year, and those noticed by the sects might be none at all... I know a bit about your family situation. Right now... you're supporting your Foundation Establishment cultivation through part-time jobs, but the fifth step, Organ Refinement, and the sixth step, Blood Exchange, consume the most medicinal materials, often costing over a hundred thousand. Can you earn that much in the coming year?"

William Carter thought for a moment and shook his head.

"I don't mean anything else, just that you don't need to waste the thirty-thousand registration fee. If you can't cultivate, we can practice martial arts. If not that, we can do other jobs. Like me, I'm just an ordinary person, right? Once you apply for a cultivator academy, you'll undergo six months of special training, and by then, you'll miss the chance to attend a regular university..."

William Carter knew that Grace Bennett was advising him not to apply to a cultivator academy.

"Qin, if my words have offended you, I apologize here. I hope you don't take it the wrong way and let it affect your studies."

"Not at all, thank you for your advice, teacher."

Grace Bennett was a little relieved to hear this, but still asked with concern, "Qin, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. With my current cultivation results, applying to a cultivator academy really would be a waste of the registration fee."

William Carter said with a smile.

"You still have potential, it's just your family..."

"Thank you for your concern, teacher. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"Alright, don't overthink it. If you can't establish your foundation now, we can take it slow. If you can't get into a cultivator academy, we can just practice martial arts. Martial artists are also an important pillar of the Xiyu Nation, right?"

"You're right, teacher."

William Carter replied with a smile.

"Then... shall I cancel your application?"

William Carter wanted to try to save it, but considering the thirty-thousand registration fee...

He nodded. "Okay."

After William Carter left, another female teacher in the office, a few years older, smiled and asked, "He hasn't even completed Foundation Establishment and wants to apply to a cultivator academy?"

"He's very hardworking. Without any medicinal aid, he managed to reach the fifth step of Foundation Establishment, Organ Refinement, in just two years. If his family had the money and resources, he would have completed Foundation Establishment long ago. It's a pity..."

Grace Bennett shook her head.

"With one-star aptitude, the money needed for Foundation Establishment is no small sum. The expenses only get bigger on the cultivation path. It's better to give up on the idea early, get a good major in college, and find a decent job. That's the right choice for him."

"Yeah, I heard the price of standard spirit stones has already exceeded a hundred thousand."