Melina invited the Lin family to take her private orbital spacecraft to the Fourth Star Ring.
Lin Xiaohe didn’t hesitate to accept.
It felt a bit shameless, sure, but it saved money. The Lin family, plus Mori, totaled eight people, and the transportation costs would’ve been nearly three million star coins.
Ever since deciding to climb her way up, Lin Xiaohe had been holding onto her purse strings even tighter.
Every single star coin represented a seed of hope for her success, so she saved wherever she could.
When the group left the Outlets Hotel, they kept a low profile and didn’t notify anyone.
Lin Xiaohe didn’t like goodbyes, especially goodbyes in the interstellar world.
The vast, boundless stars brought not only romance but also distance.
Every parting could mean never seeing each other again.
The aircar Lin Xiaohe was in left from the hotel’s underground garage and sped along the orbital skyway.
Lights flickered on in the windows of the Outlets Hotel; many people stood silently by their windows, sending their blessings to Lin Xiaohe.
Wishing you a future as bright and brilliant as a shining star.
Melina’s private spacecraft was way more spacious than the one Lin Xiaohe had rented. It could seat thirty people and even had a massive cargo hold filled with all sorts of gifts Lin Xiaohe had received.
Traveling from the Fifth Star Ring to the Fourth Star Ring would take ten days.
Mori was deeply grateful to Lin Xiaohe, and the way he repaid her was by teaching her everything he knew about pharmaceuticals.
Conveniently, the spacecraft had a fully enclosed workshop.
Lin Xiaohe blew up a test tube.
Mori smiled gently. “No worries, let’s grab a sturdier one.”
Lin Xiaohe had a creative idea and mixed giant snail mucus into the neural circuit mitochondrial fluid, ruining an entire batch. It was beyond salvaging.
Mori’s smile froze a little. “It’s okay… maybe this is too hard. Let’s try something simpler.”
He taught her how to make the simplest, household version of alveolar filtration fluid.
But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t figure out why something as easy as that—something anyone with hands could do—was simply impossible for Lin Xiaohe to get right!
After dozens of failed attempts, Mori came to a dejected conclusion.
Heaven had opened a massive door for Lin Xiaohe, but it had also firmly shut a tiny window.
“Your path lies on the battlefield,” he said, gently shooing her out of the workshop. “Don’t waste your energy on small matters like formulation.”
He needed some quiet time.
Lin Xiaohe, now banished, wandered around aimlessly with nothing to do and happened to run into Wesley, who was also doing the same.
This young master had also been kicked out of his mom Melina’s office.
Wesley, in front of his idol, eagerly threw his brother Halder under the bus.
“Halder’s a real schemer. He looks harmless on the outside, but that guy has eight hundred tricks up his sleeve. If you run into him during the exam, don’t believe a word he says! Even if he tells you the sun rises in the east, you’d better be skeptical.”
Lin Xiaohe generously shared a tube of original formula nutrient solution with Wesley.
Wesley looked at it disdainfully but still took it.
This stuff—Lin Xiaohe sold for ten thousand star coins a tube on the battlefield—and now she was just giving it to him. He was so touched!
He wouldn’t drink it, but he’d treasure it. It was a gift from his idol.
Inspired by his idol, Wesley laid out all the intel he’d gathered.
“The local Fourth Star Ring candidates all follow Halder’s lead.”
Even though Wesley hated to admit it, Halder was sharp, knew how to play nice, and as the son of the Education Bureau director, he naturally rallied a lot of support.
But no matter how capable he was, he’d never be a match for Lin Xiaohe!
Lin Xiaohe was the best!
Wesley’s expression grew serious. “Halder isn’t the main issue. As long as you don’t let him fool you, he’s basically nothing. Your biggest threat is the candidates from the Third Star Ring.”
“This time, a hundred candidates came from the Third Star Ring. Their leader is Lin Ye, a top-ten figure from the Third Star Ring. Word is, he came to the Fourth Star Ring assessment specifically to snag first place.”
“He has a few loyal followers. Suzy specializes in emergency mech repairs.”
“Victor is exceptional at close-quarters combat and piloting mechs, but his general knowledge scores are too low to meet the cutoff for the Third Star Ring military academies.”
So he had to settle for the Fourth Star Ring instead.
Lin Xiaohe nodded. They sounded like formidable opponents. “How do you think the exam will be structured this time?”
Wesley sighed. “If it were like before, they’d probably split everyone into red and blue teams, competing to see which side can take out more low-level mutated plants. But this time… it’s hard to say.”
He was right.
The Fourth Star Ring Education Bureau had been racking their brains over this assessment.
“Director, the four major military academies, all the universities from the First, Second, and Third Star Rings, along with the Ministry of Education, have all requested access to our exam monitoring system.”
Melina’s head was spinning. The immense pressure felt like a mountain weighing down on her shoulders.
This assessment would be broadcast across the Federation’s Star Network for all these important figures to watch.
They were all eager to see what made the specially admitted student, chosen by Marshal Chu, so special.
Melina took a deep breath. This was a challenge for both Lin Xiaohe and herself, but it was also an opportunity.
“Approve the system access. Request intervention from the Federation’s highest intelligence, Nüwa.”
Melina planned to follow the Central Military Academy’s example by creating a dedicated exam space on the Star Network to serve as the battleground for this assessment.
During the video conference, everyone else gasped.
Creating a separate battleground on the Star Network consumed astronomical network resources and required Nüwa’s assistance and monitoring throughout.
Could the Fourth Star Ring handle such a huge investment in resources?
Even the Third Star Ring, given these enormous costs, opted for physical assessments rather than using the Star Network.
Someone raised an objection. “Director, isn’t this too risky?”
Melina shook her head. “Do you think our past practical assessments had any real meaning? Especially when compared to the assessment on Gonggong Star?”
The room fell silent.
Compared to the Fifth Star Ring’s assessment, their previous exam setups felt like child’s play.
Immersing oneself in a real battlefield was the only way to truly understand what awaited them in military academy, and to ensure they wouldn’t become deserters later.
But who would dare throw candidates directly onto a real battlefield?
If they did, the number of military academy applicants would plummet the following year.
That’s why the Star Network assessment method, commonly used in the First Star Ring, was the best solution.
It could simulate various complex environments and combat scenarios, maximally stimulating candidates’ potential while ensuring their safety.
Melina managed to convince the Fourth Star Ring’s education department. Now, they just had to wait for Nüwa’s final decision.
Would Nüwa’s data analysis deem this assessment worthy of such significant resource investment?
Time ticked by, and Melina’s palms were sweating cold beads.
Others closed their eyes, silently praying.
Finally, Nüwa’s response came, in just two words:
[Approved]
