Chapter 3

“Shall we form a temporary team?”

Gong Jiaxin grabbed Ni Shushu and began to pitch to the two big shots, “I’m S rank, a talisman master, and she’s an formation master, also S rank. Big shots, do you want to take us along?”

After speaking, the two of them couldn’t help but blink their eyes pitifully at them, looking especially like furry little puppies waiting for their owner’s affection.

“S rank? Combat system?”

Su Lanjin heard these words again, suppressing her confusion, and looked at Jian Xiangxue.

“The entire interstellar world is divided into three main specialties: combat system, array system, and talisman system. Among them, the array system serves as logistical support. Levels range from F to SSS. Only those above C rank can participate in the selection competition, and SSS rank is one in ten thousand.”

Seeing Su Lanjin’s thoughtful expression, a trace of understanding flashed in Jian Xiangxue’s eyes.

“We are currently on a barren star farthest from the Federation. Every year, the selection competition will be held on a random barren star for three days. It mainly uses scoring rings to tally points, selecting those who capture the most strange demons or perform outstandingly in the competition.”

“These selected contestants will spend the next three years in various academies: the Realm Management Academy focused on all-around skills, the Shengbei Academy focused on talismans, or the Canglan Academy focused on arrays. After three years, students with excellent results will be awarded an outstanding badge and sent to the front lines to defend the country.”

“In addition, each year the top three contestants who capture the most strange demons will receive spirit stones and other mysterious rewards jointly funded by the three academies.”

“Eh, isn’t this something everyone has known since childhood?” Song Juncai scratched his head in confusion.

Jian Xiangxue didn’t say anything but looked deeply at Su Lanjin, then smiled. “So, Su Lanjin, let’s form a temporary team. We are all natives of the Capital Star and know everything about this place.”

“Eh? The big shot isn’t even from Capital Star?”

Unfortunately, Song Juncai’s surprise went unanswered as everyone waited for Su Lanjin’s reply.

Su Lanjin lowered her eyes, her gaze dark and deep.

Indeed, this was a reason no one could refuse.

Jian Xiangxue was surprisingly sharp. Su Lanjin wasn’t quite sure what she had noticed, but forming a temporary team was the best way to understand everything about this place.

【An S rank five-person squad? I remember back then Wen Hanzhou formed his first team by teaming up with other contestants from the selection competition, and they became the first team that people couldn’t take their eyes off!】

【Song Juncai is only double A, right? Obviously a weak link.】

【?? Since when is double A considered a weak link? It takes our Federation years to find even one above A rank. Apart from those young masters and misses from Capital Star, A ranks are really rare in this selection.】

【Who understands? All my favorite contestants are in the same team, I’m about to turn into a groundhog!】

【Forming a team actually has more benefits than drawbacks. Su Lanjin’s score is very high, currently first place with 1378 points. In previous selection competitions, the first-place score after the event was barely over 2000 points.】

【I really want to know if they will end up choosing the same academy. Wen Hanzhou’s first team all went to the Realm Management Academy back then, which really pissed off the heads of the other two academies.】

【Hahaha.】

The comments were lively and entertaining. In the end, the few of them formed a temporary team, and Song Juncai, through his all-out performance, made the other three (except Su Lanjin) reluctant to leave him behind, so he was kept on.

From their initial awkward battles to later seamless coordination, Ni Shushu’s array enhancements continuously reduced everyone’s spiritual energy consumption rate and even allowed some spiritual energy to be restored over time.

Su Lanjin, covering the rear, waved her spiritual energy sword, whenever she detected demonic energy, she would kill the surrounding strange demons with a single stroke.

As they walked slowly like this, suddenly a “crack” sound came from behind. Su Lanjin, sensing something, stopped and looked around. The intense feeling of being watched made her shudder all over.

“What’s wrong?”

Jian Xiangxue turned to look at Su Lanjin, her eyes filled with doubt.

The next moment, the strange energy surged upward, blotting out the sky and sun, and thousands of strange demons attacked from all directions.

The group froze. Ni Shushu instinctively threw down an array formation, while Jian Xiangxue raised her big knife and started chopping at the strange demons. In just a few seconds, she had them trapped.

At that moment, the ground around them seemed to burst open in several places, and endless strange demons poured out from underground, rushing straight toward Su Lanjin.

The demonic energy surged straight toward them. Su Lanjin frowned, stepped onto her spiritual energy sword, and with both hands in the air, began drawing talisman symbols with spiritual energy. One talisman after another was thrown at the surrounding strange demons.

Each talisman, upon sticking to a demon, was instantly shattered. But immediately more demons swept in, as if she were a prized target.

The relentless stream of demons seemed tireless, draining her spiritual energy, yet Su Lanjin still stood firmly at the front, never taking a step back.

Seeing the demons rushing toward Su Lanjin, Ni Shushu quickly cast several supportive array formations beneath her feet. Gong Jiaxin also threw down a few talismans, but when she saw Su Lanjin drawing talismans out of thin air, she froze in place.

As a talisman master, drawing talismans with spiritual energy requires perfect unity of mind and spirit. One must fully master all talisman types before being able to perform this technique.

Yet Su Lanjin did it so effortlessly, simply flicking her hands casually—and succeeded?

【Su Lanjin? I really bow down to her.】

【I’m a second-year talisman master, and I still can’t draw talismans with spiritual energy—I haven’t even reached that threshold. So how is this combat specialist beating us at our own craft?】

【I’m a third-year, going to the front lines in a few months, and I still can’t do it… I’m an S rank talisman master, and I feel like I’m dragging my fellow talisman masters down.】

【!!! We’ve found a fresh S rank talisman master.】

【Sob sob, also third-year, and I still struggle with hand-drawn talismans. I’m embarrassing myself.】

【So it’s not that we’re weak—it’s that the big shot is just too strong?】

At some point, the live comments began echoing Song Juncai, calling her a big shot, especially those viewers who practice talismans. They turned on their light brains and started recording videos, planning to watch and study them repeatedly later.

They also marveled silently: It turns out drawing talismans with spiritual energy isn’t just textbook theory but something that truly happens.

While Gong Jiaxin was still stunned, countless demons once again rushed toward Su Lanjin. The demonic energy surged wildly, snarling and bearing blood-red eyes, crashing into Su Lanjin’s spiritual energy zone.

“What’s going on?”

Hearing the deafening noise, everyone was puzzled.

The surrounding strange demons suddenly all abandoned their targets and rushed straight toward Su Lanjin, as if there was something about her that irresistibly attracted the demons.

“Go help her quickly.”

Someone spoke up. The others snapped to attention, sticking on their speed talismans and rushing swiftly to Su Lanjin’s side. Ni Shushu didn’t stop either, continuously stacking array buffs.

Song Juncai, however, twitched the corner of his mouth and couldn’t help but think this was no help at all—it was clearly the best seat in the house to watch the big shot’s spectacular demon-slaying performance.

After a while, the others realized Su Lanjin didn’t actually need their help. She moved with ease and precision, taking down one demon with each sword strike. Yet, their own movements never ceased—they advanced and retreated together.

For a moment, the demonic energy and golden light collided, seeming ready to blow up the entire sky.

Billowing mushroom clouds stained half the sky red, and the scorching surging energy blew directly toward them. Then more demons appeared in flashes, their black demonic energy far denser and stronger than before.

But Su Lanjin remained calm, her hands clasped together. As her spiritual energy surged, a sacred chant sounded in her ears. Behind her, a faintly visible golden palm appeared.

In an instant, winds rose and clouds swirled, the golden light intensified greatly. The ethereal chant descended, forming a huge circle centered on Su Lanjin.

As she slowly opened her eyes, that massive palm pressed down on the demons in front of her. With just that one palm, all the surrounding demons vanished as if they had never existed.

【!!!!!】

【Awesome!! If this weren’t a live selection match, I’d think such a scene only exists in illusions!】

【Su Lanjin! Su Lanjin! Su Lanjin! I can barely breathe—Su Lanjin, you are my god!!】

【How long has it been? How long since we’ve seen such a spectacular crush? Every time we return, we’re battered and bruised. But this time, just Su Lanjin alone completely overwhelms them!!】

【Brothers, this is a demon’s lair! This is a demon’s lair!!】

【Even the first battle team wouldn’t dare claim they could clear a demon’s lair alone, but Su Lanjin did it!!!】

Although a few stray demons remained nearby, everyone was dazzled by Su Lanjin’s golden palm.

What kind of godlike contestant is this? And what powerful expert!!

Meanwhile, the imperial friends who had sneaked in just to watch the Federation selection match showed pale faces and beat their chests in frustration.

Why isn’t a talent like this from the Empire!!

Why is Su Lanjin from the Federation???

They quietly submitted an application to the president, asking if they could somehow lure such a genius back to their planet.

At this moment, Su Lanjin herself had no idea that such a simple spell had already made people from two countries eager to give her their best.

Those who had already relaxed their minds to watch the big shot’s demon-slaying actions were now dumbfounded by what they saw.

“You, you, you…”

Song Juncai couldn’t help but rub his eyes.

He had just seen a giant palm appear behind Su Lanjin, strike at the demons, and the demons gradually disappear the moment the palm vanished.

One giant palm made all the demons vanish? Even interstellar scripts wouldn’t dare show something like this, right?

Gong Jiaxin excitedly whistled, her bright eyes looking at Su Lanjin.

“Amazing!”

The others all moved closer to Su Lanjin without saying a word.

The golden light in Su Lanjin’s eyes gradually faded. She glanced at the group and slightly raised her eyebrows.

“That spell just now was really powerful and flashy.”

Song Juncai murmured almost reverently.

“Haha, really awesome!”

Ni Shushu wiped the sweat from her face and looked at Su Lanjin’s eyes full of admiration. “You’re a demon-sealing master who can unleash 100% of her power within my formation. You’re really amazing.”

“And what about me? If it weren’t for my talismans, could you still set up the formation here?”

Gong Jiaxin, panting heavily, cursed loudly on the side to attract attention, only to receive a sharp glare from Ni Shushu, then immediately clutching her chest and wailing.

【So awesome! Let’s all shout loudly: Su Lanjin, Su Lanjin, Su Lanjin!!】

【Su Lanjin really wiped out more than half of the demons by herself. I can’t even set a limit on her ability. This has to be 3S rank.】

【Truly, talents emerge one after another throughout the generations!】

【Unbelievable! Usually, to wipe out a demon nest, you’d need to dispatch an entire army. But now, five people have cleared a level-three demon nest — actually, it’s just Su Lanjin alone. In the past, I would’ve said that’s impossible, but now! She’s incredible!】

【A genius among geniuses. So Su Lanjin really is from the hidden aristocratic family on Capital Star?】

Meanwhile, on Capital Star, several big shots watching the live stream for their juniors exchanged glances, all asking where such a talent had come from.

Could their planet really have such a hidden aristocratic family?

…

…

“Jian Xiangxue, don’t you feel like there are too many demons on this planet? And is it really so easy for demon nests to appear? In just one day, we’ve encountered two demon nests.”

Gong Jiaxin propped her chin on her hand, looking around as she inquired.

“A desolate planet chosen for the selection tournament, after surveying, shouldn’t have so many large demon nests.”

“That’s right,” Ni Shushu couldn’t help but interrupt. “The previous demon nest appeared because the contestants lured them out, but why has one appeared again now?”

“I just feel something’s not quite right.”

Jian Xiangxue shook her head, her brows tightly furrowed, her expression very serious.

After the demons on this clearing completely disappeared, they realized that the ground beneath their feet resembled a huge nest.

The sun was setting in the west, the night gradually darkening. The shadows of the trees around grew denser, intertwining with the faint strands of demonic energy, impossible to separate.

Su Lanjin looked around solemnly. There was no light left in the sky. She instinctively summoned her spiritual energy sword, from which faint golden spiritual energy flickered, casting light on the path ahead.

The group exchanged glances, all alert and watching their surroundings cautiously.

Suddenly, the clearing before them changed. With a rumbling “boom,” trees were uprooted, and the already uneven road below them began to crack in many places, though no one knew when.

Su Lanjin glanced at the others, then instinctively stepped onto her spiritual energy sword. With a swift “whoosh,” she flew into the air. Lowering her eyes, her pupils constricted in shock.

They had been surrounded all along by a super-large demon nest.

Su Lanjin descended from the spiritual energy sword and was about to tell everyone what she saw when suddenly the demonic energy around them surged dramatically. In an instant, the sky darkened, blotting out the sun, making the group look as tiny as ants.

With a “crack,” the various sizes of demon nests began to sink downward. The road beneath their feet broke apart piece by piece, falling into the abyss below.

Ni Shushu lost her footing and fell backward, her face full of terror. Gong Jiaxin immediately jumped down after her, covering her body with swift-movement talismans and barely catching Ni Shushu from falling.

Jian Xiangxue and Song Juncai followed quickly after the two fell.

Su Lanjin’s entire body was wrapped in spiritual energy as she descended with her spiritual energy sword. While pursuing the two, it seemed something was resisting her, and then the sword’s silhouette vanished instantly.

The five of them disappeared.

In the control room, the person in charge could no longer sit still. Immediately, they took out a light brain device and urgently connected to the higher-ups.

An underground abyss had appeared.

Inside the desolate planet, demonic energy spread again, so thick that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face, as if the entire planet was shrouded in it.

【We can’t see anything at all. Are they hurt?】

【Even though we know this is a necessary path to becoming a demon-sealing master, I’m still worried—they just came of age.】

【They’ll definitely be fine. They just wiped out a demon nest. How could something happen to people like that?】

【Why hasn’t this happened before during the selection tournament? What’s beneath the demon nest?】

【Su Lanjin is so strong—she can fight an entire demon nest alone. Let’s not panic.】