Chapter 154: The Battle for the Legendary Artifact Core

"There are only 36 legendary weapon matrices produced in each generation of the school, with 2 allocated to each of the 16 factions. That accounts for 32, and the remaining 4 are competed for by the rest."

Yun Dingge looked up at Chu Cheng and said, "I have one guaranteed quota in my hands, but two people have already applied to me for a legendary weapon matrix. Although the others lag far behind you, everyone has an equal opportunity."

Chu Cheng nodded and said earnestly, "Please give me your instructions, Mentor!"

"It's very simple. It all comes down to potential and actual combat. Potential can be judged by talent and the grade of one's hero class. In a few days, I will summon all the freshmen of this cohort to assemble. Strength will decide the outcome, and the ultimate winner will secure the quota in my hand. The second and third place finishers will earn the chance to compete for the additional 4 quotas."

"I await your arrangement, Mentor!"

"I will notify you in a few days."

"Additionally, prepare at least one thousand gold pieces first."

"Ah?"

"A legendary weapon matrix costs one thousand gold, and that is already discounted."

"I don't have that much money right now."

"You can take it on credit."

Chu Cheng quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Mentor!"

Yun Dingge said calmly, "I have this authority, and you possess both potential and outstanding ability, which is why you have this opportunity."

It was clear that Yun Dingge was very optimistic about him securing this quota.

Chu Cheng felt the same way.

With his own talent, immortal-grade hero class, level, and master-level weapon skills, his strength was undoubtedly the strongest among the 23 students in his class. He would not yield this opportunity to anyone else.

"Is there anything else?"

Having finished discussing official business, the mentor prepared to issue a dismissal.

Remembering Fang Xi's matter, Chu Cheng asked, "Mentor, I would like to ask if you happen to know of any supreme-tier or higher magical hero class inheritances leaning toward support?"

Yun Dingge glanced at him and asked in return, "Is it for Fang Xi?"

"Yes."

Yun Dingge contemplated for a moment and said, "There is a hero class suitable for her, but the class inheritance is not in my hands. She will have to complete the inheritance trial on her own."

"Please instruct me, Mentor."

"The Oracle, a legendary-grade hero class that integrates damage and healing, combining both support and offense. The First Oracle resides in the Shattered Astral Realm. I will grant you teleportation clearance to the Shattered Astral Realm. You must rely on yourselves to enter this realm, navigate through layers of danger, and find the secluded First Oracle."

He glanced at Chu Cheng and said calmly, "The First Oracle is strictly neutral. Acquiring His power inheritance requires no conditions whatsoever. As long as you can find Him and stand before Him, you will obtain the Oracle hero inheritance."

"The prerequisite, however, is being able to see Him."

"The Oracle is right there, and only those favored by destiny can perceive Him."

"Once you reach the Nest of Destiny, if you are fated, you will see Him. If you cannot see Him, it means you lack fate; leave immediately, do not linger there, and above all, do not cause random destruction."

Listening to the mentor's words, Chu Cheng's expression turned extremely solemn. When the mentor finished speaking, he nodded earnestly: "The student will bear this in mind!"

Yun Dingge nodded, retrieved an object from his bosom, and tossed it over. Chu Cheng quickly reached out and caught it. It was a crystal glass ball inside which countless fine grains of sand resembling stardust flowed back and forth in an endless, ceaseless stream.

"This is a token. Have Fang Xi carry it before you enter the Shattered Astral Realm. Once you reach the Nest of Destiny, it will begin to burn."

"The Oracle will see the burning divine power sand. If He does not appear before it burns out, it means you do not meet the requirements, and you must leave immediately."

"Thank you, Mentor!"

Putting the item away, Chu Cheng took his leave.

Upon returning to his dormitory, he contacted Fang Xi immediately.

Fang Xi arrived shortly after. He handed the crystal ball to her, relayed Mentor Yun Dingge's words word for word, and finally asked, "A legendary-grade hero class that combines both offense and support, along with healing capabilities—it's a perfect match for you. What do you think?"

Fang Xi nodded and said, "There is nothing better than this. Of course I am willing."

"Good. We will set off in a few days after I obtain the legendary weapon matrix."

"A legendary weapon matrix?"

"Yes. Do you know the inside story?"

A hint of envy appeared on Fang Xi's delicate face as she said, "The World Crucible Realm is a special realm jointly controlled by twelve super academies. Inside it lies a super world crucible capable of forging legendary-grade and even higher-tier artifact matrices. The Starry Tower obtains dozens of raw legendary weapon matrices every year, 36 of which are given out as rewards to the most outstanding students of each generation."

"The Starry Tower has sixteen factions, with two fixed quotas for each faction. Our mentor is powerful within his faction and can steadily secure one quota, while the remaining four quotas are competed for by all the remaining freshmen across the entire sixteen factions of the tower."

"My cohort had this opportunity too, but my strength was too poor back then, and I couldn't compete with them."

Chu Cheng asked casually, "Did Xu Mingli get one?"

"He wasn't in my cohort; he is two cohorts ahead of me. However, he didn't get one either."

Fang Xi looked up, her beautiful eyes like stars gazing at Chu Cheng, and said earnestly, "You must secure this opportunity. This concerns not just a legendary weapon matrix, but also subsequent top-tier resources. The competition has already begun from this very moment."

"Resources can only achieve maximum efficiency when centralized, so the school's subsequent top-tier resources will prioritize the early victors. As long as you win the first battle, you will gain a massive advantage in the subsequent competition. Being ahead by one step means staying ahead at every step, snowballing and growing continuously until ultimate success."

Chu Cheng nodded solemnly: "What you said is precisely what I have in mind."

A smile bloomed on her face, making her features as picturesque as a painting.

That very afternoon, he received an official notification sent by Chief Teaching Assistant Lu Dongrui regarding the competition for the legendary weapon matrix, scheduled to take place in a week.

All freshmen and senior students received the notification; even if one was off-campus inside a dungeon, it would still reach them.

Freshmen were required to attend; failure to show up would be regarded as an automatic forfeiture of the quota.

"Seven days from now... will be the moment when I step into the spotlight of everyone's gaze."

In a genuine combat scenario under the eyes of numerous senior students, his immortal-grade hero class could no longer be concealed.

Since that was the case, there was no need to hide anymore. He would display his strength generously and openly, thereby securing a greater allocation of resources from both the Starry Tower and his mentor.

At this moment, Chu Cheng's heart was filled with anticipation.

The next few days were not idled away either. They spent some time browsing the school's digital library to search for information regarding the Shattered Astral Realm, the Nest of Destiny, and the Oracle.

The mentor had mentioned that the place was very dangerous, so preparations had to be made in advance.

Fortunately, information on this subject was quite abundant and easily accessible online.

Chu Cheng read through several documents and already had a certain understanding of the conditions in the Shattered Astral Realm and the Nest of Destiny.

The Shattered Astral Realm was not a dungeon, but an independent top-tier realm that did not belong to the Starry Tower.

The Shattered Astral Realm, true to its name 'Shattered,' was a broken world. The heavens and earth throughout the entire realm were shattered like broken mirrors into countless fragments of varying sizes, and all kinds of life forms could only survive among these broken fragments.

The documents did not explain why a realm shattered to this degree had not yet collapsed, but every single document explicitly emphasized the extreme danger of this realm.