At night, Starfire City truly became Starfire City.
Although Starfire City was not considered a large city on the entire Eight Ancient Continent, and was even only average in the small Ziye Country, Starfire City was somewhat famous for its night scenery.
At night, the stars in the sky were exceptionally bright, and every household would light candles, making it extremely beautiful. Just as night fell, it was the time when people gathered.
People strolled through the night market on the streets, or went to taverns in groups of two or three to drink, making it lively and bustling.
Lu An, a young boy, walked barefoot through Starfire City. He had been barefoot since he was a child, so he didn't find himself strange. He was very clever; since he was little, the people in the slave den called him a 'clever ghost' because he did many 'bad things' without leaving a trace.
After entering the city, he also calmed down and kept thinking about his future plans.
At least now he understood that the name 'Xiao Liu' could no longer be used. An escaped slave would definitely be pursued, and that name would bring him mortal danger. From now on, he would be called Lu An.
Not only would he tell others he was Lu An, but he himself had to completely change; he was Lu An, not some Xiao Liu.
Also, he couldn't show that he was sad. If he kept sadness on his face, others would surely notice him. No matter how much pain he felt inside, he had to return to his usual self.
“Grumble… grumble…”
Just as Lu An was thinking, his stomach suddenly rumbled. Lu An looked down at his shriveled stomach and touched it with his hand; he was indeed hungry.
He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, nor how long he had been running, but he was definitely hungry now, and his head felt a bit dizzy. He really needed to find something to eat.
But, he had no money, so how could he get something to eat?
Lu An stood on the street and looked around. He suddenly saw a place called Zuixianglou, with a banner hanging below it that read 'Tavern'. Lu An felt fortunate that his parents had taught him to read.
Lu An quickly ran towards Zuixianglou. After reaching the entrance, he didn't rush in but looked inside. Sure enough, the interior was filled with tables, and many people were eating and drinking there.
Suddenly, he saw a table of four people get up and leave. His eyes immediately lit up. He checked that no one was paying attention to the entrance, then quickly ran in.
Soon, Lu An appeared in front of the table. Looking at the abundant leftover food, Lu An immediately spotted a plate with half a chicken leg remaining. His heart filled with joy, and he quickly grabbed it, ducking under the table to gnaw on it rapidly!
He had only ever seen others eat chicken legs in his life, never truly eaten one himself. When the tender meat entered his mouth, Lu An felt that nothing in this world could be more delicious!
Soon, only a small piece of the chicken leg remained before Lu An finished it. He wasn't full yet, so he secretly crawled out from under the table again. The leftovers on top hadn't been cleared away yet. He quickly reached out with both hands, grabbed two handfuls of food, and squatted on the ground, stuffing them into his mouth!
Although he didn't even know what these dishes were, he felt they were simply too delicious!
Compared to the grass roots and steamed buns he used to eat, this was like heaven and earth!
So, he simply took two plates of half-eaten dishes and hid them under the table, continuously eating. He was too hungry, and these things were too delicious; he couldn't stop at all, stuffing them into his mouth non-stop.
At this moment, he suddenly heard a conversation from the people dining at the next table.
“I say, tomorrow is the day Starfire Academy enrolls new students. Is your child going to try?” A slightly hoarse middle-aged male voice reached Lu An’s ears. Hearing the word ‘Academy,’ he became a little curious and pricked up his ears to listen carefully.
“Prepare for what? My child went last year and didn’t pass,” another middle-aged man’s voice sounded, clearly tinged with disappointment and helplessness. He said, “Sigh, my family has no hope. Your child hasn’t gone yet, right?”
“That’s right, not yet. I don’t know if he has Tian Yuan Power,” the first middle-aged man said. “This is my fourth child, and my family can’t have any more, so it all depends on him.”
“I think it’s about time; he should succeed this time. If he really succeeds, your family will truly turn things around. When you become successful, don’t forget me, your old brother!”
“Haha, what kind of friendship do we have! I’ll take your auspicious words. If my child really succeeds, you’ll definitely not be forgotten in the future!”
“Hahaha, it’s a deal!”
“…”
Starfire Academy?
Tian Yuan Power?
Lu An continued to stuff food into his mouth while frowning in thought. From what the two adults just said, it seemed that as long as one entered this Starfire Academy, one could completely change their destiny?
Pfft!
The tablecloth was suddenly pulled up. Lu An was startled and looked up at the person in front of him.
The waiter looked at Lu An angrily and said disdainfully, “I knew I heard someone eating! Sure enough, someone was hiding here stealing food!”
With that, the waiter grabbed Lu An from under the table, lifted him by his collar, and strode out, dragging him in front of everyone in the tavern.
Lu An was only twelve years old; how could he keep up with the waiter’s pace? He half-ran, half-was-dragged to the tavern entrance. With a forceful toss from the waiter, Lu An was thrown onto the street and rolled down the steps!
“Ouch…” Lu An gasped, clutching his arm. He seemed to have hit something when he rolled down the steps, and it hurt a lot.
“If I ever see you again, I won’t spare you!” The waiter pointed at Lu An in the street, yelling loudly, then turned and went back into the tavern, leaving Lu An alone to be stared at by passersby.
Lu An gritted his teeth, struggled to his feet, and looked back at the waiter’s retreating figure, saying coldly, “Idiot, I’m already full!”
With that, Lu An looked left and right and found a pile of hay in a nearby alley. He quickly ran over and threw himself onto it.
“Time to sleep… I’m really too tired,” Lu An mumbled, drowsily saying, “Tomorrow… tomorrow I’ll go check that place out…”
The next day, early morning.
This day was the earliest day of the year that everyone in Starfire City woke up. This day was not a festival, nor did it have any special meaning. There was only one reason: the public enrollment of Starfire Academy.
On the Eight Ancient Continent, Celestial Masters were distinct from ordinary people. The lowest-level Celestial Master could defeat the strongest ordinary person, while powerful Celestial Masters were capable of destroying heaven and earth, omnipotent.
Therefore, Celestial Masters were revered. Even an ordinary person seeing a First-Level Celestial Master would respectfully say, “Greetings, Celestial Master.” Lower-level Celestial Masters mostly served as Guest Elders for powerful noble families, not only receiving generous rewards but also gaining elevated status by associating with them.
More Advanced Celestial Masters were even more sought after, either revered by powerful families, establishing their own territories, or joining the City Lord’s Mansion or even the Royal Palace, achieving great success.
As for Celestial Masters from Sixth Grade Celestial Master onwards, up to the strongest Ninth Grade Celestial Master, these absolute powerhouses among Celestial Masters could truly command wind and rain on the Eight Ancient Continent. Even the king of a small country like Ziye Country would show them great respect!
However, no matter how powerful a Celestial Master was, they had to start with initial learning. A First-Level Celestial Master was a true Celestial Master, and this was where destiny truly changed. Before becoming a First-Level Celestial Master, one was called a Sky Realm.
The Sky Realm was divided into nine ranks; Breakthrough of the ninth rank would lead to becoming a Celestial Master. But not everyone was qualified to become a Sky Realm, and whether one was qualified to become a Sky Realm needed to be measured by the academies in each city.
To prevent people from repeatedly testing each year and to reduce the workload on this day, all academies stipulated that each person could only undergo one test in their lifetime. The Tian Yuan Power, which was primarily tested, accumulated more with age, generally reaching its peak around sixteen years old. Therefore, most of the people who came to test on this day were teenagers around sixteen.
To recruit talent widely and to make the country stronger, academies in all countries offered free testing, and once a test was passed, they provided free cultivation.
This was also why poor families wanted to have more children; once a child became a Celestial Master, it meant a complete turnaround for the family.
Starfire Academy was bustling with people, its gates like a marketplace. From afar, it was a sea of heads, as if half of Starfire City had arrived. Fortunately, the open space in front of Starfire Academy was large enough to allow these people to queue and undergo testing one by one.
And at the very back of the crowd, an exquisitely beautiful young girl appeared.