Chapter 547 - The Continent of Star Luo

The gazes of everyone present converged on Elder Cai. She held her head high, peering down at the arena. “The first and second grades displayed exceptional strength today. The Academy has decided to pick a group of students from the lower grades in sixth months. They will be sent on an exchange trip to Star Luo and it will last one year. You would all do well to earn a spot in this exchange.”

Star Luo? Tang Wulin stared at Elder Cai in astonishment. Star Luo was a whole different continent and a land he knew nothing about! He could only imagine the sort of marvels there.

Being chosen for the delegation was certain in Tang Wulin’s opinion. After all, he was the class president of the first grade. Confident, he felt his thoughts wandering. That master-disciple pair who challenged Zhen Hua and him to a blacksmithing match should also be from Star Luo. So I’m going on an exchange to their homeland? I can’t believe it.

Although a wonderful opportunity to broaden his horizons, Tang Wulin wasn’t actually excited about it. Ever since entering Shrek Academy, his growth skyrocketed thanks to the wealth of resources available, as well as the Tang Sect’s offering. By the time Tang Wulin moved to the second grade, he reckoned that with a bit of luck, he would already be a one-word battle armor master. At that po8int, he would only be sixteen years old, surely a famous figure in all of Shrek Academy. Tang Wulin would have no trouble entering the inner court, slowly and steadily walking down the path to greatness. However, this exchange trip to Star Luo threw a wrench in his plans. He had no idea what to expect from it.

It wasn’t just Tang Wulin who was at a loss. The companions at his side were also taken by surprise. They stared Elder Cai vacantly. All except for Gu Yue, who was deep in thought, and a frowning Yuanen Yehui.

With the announcement over and the competition concluded, the audience began leaving in droves, each heading off to cultivate with renewed resolution. After the were the competitors.

Tang Wulin maintained a thoughtful silence all the way back to the working students dormitory before he spoke. “Yuanen, Zhengyu! Don’t go to your rooms just yet. We should discuss what Elder Cai said today.”

“Alright,” Yuanen Yehui and Yue Zhengyu answered together, stopping and turning to face Tang Wulin. They stared at him, the dormitory still and quiet.

“What do you guys know about Star Luo?” Tang Wulin asked.

Xie Xie perked up. “Oh! I know a bit!” He cleared his throat, practically hopping in excitement. “Tens of thousands of years ago, there were two great empires on Douluo.The Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. There were a few small countries sprinkled between them, but they were pretty much insignificant. About ten thousand years ago, the tectonic plates shifted and moved the Sun Moon continent toward us, so that they bordered Douluo. At that point, the Heaven Dou Empire had been split into two smaller countries. The Sun Moon continent was rich in resources and possessed soul technology. With those two factions so close to each other, war naturally broke out.”

His voice lowered, a sense of solemn growing. “That was the beginning of the era that the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao had lived. In the end, the Sun Moon Empire won and annexed the two nations that once composed the Heaven Dou Empire. Then just as the Sun Moon Empire was preparing to attack the Star Luo Empire, Spirit Ice Huo Yuhao and Dragon Butterfly Tang Wutong led their comrades to defend it. What happened during that battle isn’t clear, but the Sun Moon Empire halted their assault and they were stuck in a stalemate for many years.

“The surviving members of Heaven Dou’s imperial family led their people to escape overseas and found a new continent to occupy. This is what we now know as the Heaven Dou continent. Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Empire gained strength on the Douluo continent. But Spirit Ice Huo Yuhao and Dragon Butterfly Tang Wutong had already ascended to godhood, so they couldn’t intervene in the politics of mortals. Without their help, the Star Luo Empire was put on the defensive. They secretly sent out a fleet to explore the seas and also found a new continent, this one rich with resources.”

Xie Xie’s gaze darkened. “And so began their top secret plans to migrate their entire population there. They all left at once. From then on, the Sun Moon Empire had total control of the entire Douluo continent. As time passed, the Sun Moon Empire changed into the modern day Sun Moon Federation. So according to history, both the Star Luo and Heaven Dou people were originally natives to Douluo. And they’ve fostered a deep grudge against the Federation. If we really do go on this exchange to Star Luo, I don’t think we’ll be received well. There'll be a lot of challenges.”

Yue Zhengyu nodded. “Yeah. Xie Xie’s got the gist of it. My understanding is about the same as his. If we go to Star Luo, there’ll definitely be lots of people who want to cause us trouble. But still, I find this opportunity very interesting. Exploring a foreign country sounds fun! The Academy will definitely ensure our safety anyway, and I heard that Star Luo is sending a group of students here on exchange too.” He shrugged. “In any case, we have no idea what the culture is like over there and there’s no harm in going, so I think it’s a good idea. I bet they’re not as advanced as us though.”

Tang Wulin glanced at Yuanen Yehui. “What are your thoughts on this?”

Yuanen Yehui had her lips pressed together tight. After a moment, she nodded. “I’m accustomed to life here, so I don’t really want to go. We’re all making good progress on our cultivation too. We could accomplish a lot in one year.”

Tang Wulin put his hand to his chin and nodded. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to get picked for the exchange. You’re the class president of the second grade after all. And since they’re having us go, I’m certain the Academy will aid us in our cultivation as compensation.”

Yuanen Yehui shrugged again. “Eh, if we’re going then we’re going. You think you’ll be able to forge enough spirit alloys in the next six months?”

Tang Wulin scrunched his nose. “Huh? You’re that anxious to become a battle armor master? Well, I can definitely forge the metals, but there’s no way in hell I can craft the armor!”

Yuanen Yehui rolled her eyes at him. “Pft. Let’s at least create one full set by then. If all eight of us work together, it’s definitely possible.”

A light flickered into existence within Tang Wulin’s eyes. “What are you saying?”

“All you have to do is forge enough spirit alloys for the eight of us to make a complete set of armor. Focus on that and don’t worry about anything else. Then we’ll all work together and to complete a set for one person. During the year abroad in Star Luo, we’ll continue using the stockpile of metal to craft more pieces of battle armor. If we do this, our progress shouldn’t be impacted too much.”

Tang Wulin’s eyes flicked over to Ye Xinglan. She was the most talented armor crafter they had.

“I’m still just a fifth-rank mecha maker,” said Ye Xinglan. “Before I reach the sixth rank I can’t complete a full set. And I’m not skilled enough to craft some of the final core components yet. I guess I’ll just have to do my best to break through in the next six months.”

Tang Wulin nodded, a grin forming on his face. “Great! Then we’ll be focusing on getting you a complete set of armor! Once you’ve got a full set, making the rest of our armors will go by much faster. Yuanen and Zhengyu, you two are fine with this?”

“Yeah. Sounds fine,” Yuanen Yehui said, slowly nodding.

“Same with me,” Yue Zhengyu said. “But I’m a mecha maker too. I have to craft my own armor. I’ll just take it slow I guess.” He smiled. “I’m fine with investing resources into Xinglan.” Having just reached the fifth rank, it would be more efficient to pour their resources into Ye Xinglan. Furthermore, he had been convinced of her strength after witnessing the battle earlier today. She had won honor even in defeat and paid a hefty price for the sake of their team’s final victory. If she hadn’t taken out Mo Jue from the team battle, then there was no way the third grade would have conceded, not with a pair of one-word battle armor masters in the team battle. Their chances of winning would have been abysmal against such opponents.

“Then let’s work hard together for the next few months,” Tang Wulin said as he put his hand in the center of their circle for a cheer. Gu Yue quickly claimed the spot above his with her own. Then the rest of the team followed. They cheered. Today was a day worthy of celebration. On this day, the working students united as one to work toward a common goal.

The days that followed were bustling with activities. With Tang Wulin and his friends setting a prime example, the studious atmosphere enveloped the first grade was far more focused than any of the other grades. The entire first grade was burning with the desire to become strong and gain the acknowledgment of their peers at Shrek Academy.

Apart from Tang Wulin, every one of his teammates already possessed four soul rings. As such, he only had two objectives each day: cultivate soul power and forge spirit alloys.

The students selected for the exchange to Star Luo were soon revealed. Of the first grade, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan were picked. For the second, Yuanen Yehui and Yue Zhengyu made it. To no one’s surprise, all eight working students were selected. Wu Zhangkong was assigned as the teacher in charge of them while Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue’er would act as their leader.

Tang Wulin and his friends were happy that Wu Zhangkong was coming with them, but the fact that Elder Cai was as well gave them mixed feelings about the whole exchange. How hard she had been on them during their entrance exam, they hadn’t forgotten.