Time rolled on, day after relentless day, passing without a ripple, until it was quickly time for the Mingzhu School to post its results.

Zhong Yun had no intention of going to Mingzhu School; he could check the scores online. However, Tian Hai and Chen Wen insisted on experiencing the atmosphere of the announcement, dragging him along.

Upon arriving at Mingzhu School, it was an absolute sea of people—clearly, not a few others shared the same idea as Tian Hai and his friends. Mingzhu School had certainly anticipated this, setting up hundreds of massive screens across the main field, cycling through the lists of admitted students.

On the first section, designated for Wol Star, the top entry was none other than Zhong Yun, hailing from Mingzhou First Middle School. Though not explicitly stated, everyone knew the names were listed in descending order of rank. This meant that on Wol Star, Zhong Yun was ranked number one.

The second name caused utter astonishment among Zhong Yun and his companions: also from Mingzhou First Middle School, Yu Ruo.

Little Ruo had applied to Mingzhu School? He had never heard her mention it before. Tian Hai and Chen Wen both shot him looks of strange amusement, clearly envisioning the storm clouds gathering when the jealousy finally boiled over.

Next came Chen Wen, followed by Tian Hai in fourth place. This came as no surprise to them; Mingzhu School valued potential, and the entrance exam heavily favored intellectual capacity over foundational knowledge.

Chen Wen didn't dedicate much effort to academics; he attended school under orders to pursue romance, though he merely paid lip service to his studies, mostly just drifting through the motions. His grades were average, as his focus lay elsewhere. Being selected by his family as a priority candidate was proof enough of his natural talent.

All four students in the Wol Star top spots hailed from the same high school, a school that had previously been little known. This caused a massive sensation throughout Mingzhou City, later amplified by reports that all four students were from the very same class.

The fallout was immediate: Mingzhou First Middle School’s reputation skyrocketed overnight, catching up to the most prestigious private academies, and several of Zhong Yun's instructors received a one-level promotion in rank, becoming D-Class teachers.

Having secured their acceptances, Zhong Yun and the others paid no mind to the school regulations; they did as they pleased. Zhong Yun had intended to use the half-year break to visit his home planet; having been away so long made him uneasy. However, this plan was abruptly canceled.

Report to the school in five days? When Zhong Yun received the electronic notification from Mingzhu School, he was genuinely stunned. His precious holiday had vanished down the drain.

He called Tian Hai and Chen Wen, only to find that neither had received such a notification.

He then called Mingzhu School to verify. They confirmed the notice was legitimate. As for why some were exempt, they explained this mandatory period was a special training camp organized specifically for the most outstanding students. This gave Zhong Yun the distinct feeling of having shot himself in the foot, leaving him utterly depressed.

When he inquired about taking leave, the reply was firm: leave was not permitted unless for extraordinary circumstances, or it would be treated as an automatic forfeiture of admission.

After careful deliberation, Zhong Yun had to accept his fate. He had no legitimate excuse, unless his parents were willing to cover for him, but he wasn't confident he could persuade them.

The last time he was away for over a month, it caused chaos and nearly exposed his secret. If he were to simply disappear again now, the repercussions would likely be severe.

Having decided this was where he would live from now on, and looking out for his parents and maintaining his current student identity, certain boundaries could not be crossed.

Five days later, Zhong Yun tearfully bid farewell to Tian Hai and Chen Wen, shouldering a large backpack, and reported to Mingzhu School right on time. After presenting his identification at the registration desk, a staff member led him deeper into the campus.

Mingzhu School covered an immense area; traversing it by shuttle alone took five minutes.

The attendant guided Zhong Yun onto a small shuttle that flew straight out of the school grounds and into the vast mountains to the north.

"Where are we?" Half an hour later, the shuttle stopped in a valley. Zhong Yun stepped out, finding himself encircled by peaks, facing a broad, seemingly endless valley where structures of peculiar design were built.

"This is a secret training base belonging to Mingzhu School. You will be spending the next six months here." The staff member led him to a private room built against the mountainside, then departed, leaving Zhong Yun alone.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Zhong Yun calmly surveyed his room. It was about a hundred square meters, furnished only with rudimentary furniture and a simple bathing area.

Thank goodness he had brought Xiao Ling with him; otherwise, he'd be stranded for half a year. Zhong Yun thought, pulling out his optical computer from under the bed. He retrieved Xiao Ling, connected her to the computer, and initiated a restart.

The full-motion projection of ZER, clad entirely in black, materialized in the room.

"Where are we located?" Zhong Yun asked.

"The signal in this area is shielded. To prevent detection, the positioning system cannot be used," ZER's voice responded without inflection.

Zhong Yun frowned slightly. "Why all the secrecy? It's just a school." He then inquired, "What about contact with our 'Qi Yun Star'?"

Qi Yun Star was the name Zhong Yun had given his planet—a composite of one character from his name and one from Liu Yunqi's name. It was also the name the former Zhong Yun had favored most, chosen to commemorate his past self.

"Rest assured, contact with 'Qi Yun Star' is maintained via spatial remote sensors and will not be affected by the signal shielding," ZER confirmed.

"That’s good then." Zhong Yun relaxed. 'Qi Yun Star' was his paramount concern; as long as nothing happened there, he had a stable rear base.

"A few days ago, Qin Qianli from the Omi National Management Company delivered the first batch of one thousand humans. The intake process is complete," ZER reported.

"What? Humans?" Zhong Yun was dumbfounded. "What is going on?" He had entrusted all matters concerning 'Qi Yun Star' to Xiao Ling, turning himself into a hands-off manager. If given just a town to manage, he might struggle; managing an entire planet was out of the question. It would be foolish not to utilize such a powerful assistant as Xiao Ling.

"The exploration of 'Qi Yun Star' is complete. Currently, no lifeforms above Danger Level Three have been detected, making it highly suitable for human habitation. Therefore, I applied to the Omi National Management Company for one hundred thousand humans," ZER explained.

Zhong Yun scratched his head; his scalp felt intensely prickly and itchy. "Then... then how did this first batch of one thousand humans come about?"

"According to the laws of the Great Universe Federation, any form of human cloning is prohibited. To secure sufficient personnel for developing newly discovered natural planets, the migration of a portion of humans from uncultivated civilizations to these new discoveries is permitted," ZER stated with its usual impassivity.

Zhong Yun sighed. Back in Earth's Age of Exploration, there was the abhorrent practice of slave trading. Even in this Great Universe Age, millennia more advanced, a similar practice persisted.

Backwardness invites subjugation—it truly was a universal truth.

P: Reaching out for votes again. Ugh, I know it’s tedious, but just one more day, everyone, please hold on and vote.

Also, I recommend this book: Legendary Years of Glory, Book ID: 1221211. The tumultuous, legendary years will continue here.