Chapter 1139: Civilization Upgrade

Jhonas was recently very complacent. It seemed as if living in the same dorm as Wang Zhong had “poisoned” him with diligence. As a result, the Flying Pig was particularly hardworking in his studies. After all, he was a member of the Illusion race and was a natural equipment-refinery talent. This hard work allowed him to squeeze into the top 10 rankings in the Equipment Refinery Hall.

His father was full of praises towards this, while his clan leader specially sent him a rare letter of encouragement. This made his father happy, and he doubled Jhonas’s allowance and learning resources. What was this called? In Jhonas’s words, there were only four words to describe this: Too good! Too awesome!

“To be honest.” Flying Pig started to show off in front of Lao Wang again. “Boss, it was such a pity that you destroyed that flying sword. No matter what, it was the first flying sword that the future Equipment Refinery Grandmaster Jhonas personally forged and had a lot of commemorative value. Boss, let me bet with you. In a hundred years… No! In at most fifty years, the flying sword that you broke back then could be sold for at least 10,000 Gold Star Stones!”

Lao Wang was very calm. He simply read Gateway to Pill Studies as he silently listened to Jhonas boast. He had to get used to this kind of life. Lao Wang simply treated Jhonas as a noise machine that tested his concentration.

“Tsk. Boss, look at you. You aren’t paying any attention to me even though I’m talking to you. Are you in a bad mood?” How could Jhonas be satisfied with a one-man show? So he took himself near Wang Zhong. “Speaking of which, could it be related to the superintendent looking for you yesterday? Boss, Boss, why did the superintendent call you yesterday? Tell me about it. Look at me. I’m very curious. I can assure you that I will not spread it!”

Lao Wang was too lazy to even look at him. He stared at his book and was definitely multitasking. He casually said, “She asked me to change classes.”

“Change… change classes?” Jhonas’s mind was filled with question marks. “What does that mean? Will you no longer be in the Pill Refinery Hall?”

“Yes.”

“Damn…” Jhonas’s expression was filled with sympathy. “No! What gives them the right? Boss, you did nothing wrong! You’ve only been in the Pill Refinery Hall for a few days, but they’ve already asked you to go back? Is the Heavenly Shell race displeased with you? Aren’t you good friends with the daughter of the Crown Prince…?”

“…” Lao Wang finally diverted his gaze away from Gateway to Pill Studies for a few seconds and looked at Jhonas helplessly.

“No, no!” Jhonas did not agree and was even more agitated than Lao Wang. He could not listen to the news of him being removed at all. The moment he heard this, he felt as if it had happened to him. “We have to think of something. How hard is it to join the Pill Refinery Hall? You cannot possibly walk away so casually! You can’t go back to the Combat Cultivation Hall either. That would mean that this year was wasted… Boss, relax! What is yours is mine. Let’s first clarify what exactly happened. Boss, just wait. I will…”

“I’m not returning to the Combat Cultivation Hall…” Lao Wang looked at the jumping fatty with sympathy. He understood this fellow too well. Thus, he did not talk about what had happened with the superintendent when he returned yesterday as he was scared of shocking him. However, looking at how Jhonas was fired up, he had no choice but to say it. “Do you know about the Celestial Honors Class in the Heavenly Gates?”

“What in the world? Oh… the Celestial Honors Class?”

In a flash, the atmosphere in the room seemed to have instantly frozen.

Flying Pig widened his mouth and was only able to squeeze a few words out of his throat after a long time. “Th—the Celestial Honors Class?”

“That’s what the superintendent said. She let me join them.” Lao Wang nodded. “It seems rather decent.”

Jhonas instantly lost his temper.

The Celestial Honors Class was not made known in the Heavenly Gates, but this was useless when generations had gone through the Heavenly Gates. And they would already have various knowledge about the Heavenly Gates at their fingertips by the time they entered. Any civilization with a reputation in the Land, even weaklings like the Illusion race, would have one or two experts who managed to join the Celestial Honors Class. Thus, the succeeding generations of the various great civilization powers knew about the existence of the Celestial Honors Class.

It was called the Genius Concentration Camp, but at other times, Monster Club! Furthermore, unlike the tradition in the Heavenly Gates where there would be a new batch of students every few years, there would only be one batch of students in the Celestial Honors Class at the beginning of every era. The peak geniuses of each era would be chosen, and they were typically Gold Cores! For example, in this batch, Celeste, Tsarisiya, Lilisy, Kakadinme, and other pupils were considered rare top geniuses in their races. However, they did not have the qualifications to join the Celestial Honors Class. For a Solid Core to join the Class… it would be difficult!

As for a Void Core joining… No one had ever heard of this.

What kind of class was this? This was simply a gathering of all the freaks in each era. As long as they survived and graduated from the Celestial Honors Class, three or four in 10 pupils would be able to ascend to the Heaven. The remaining six or seven pupils would either be overlords in the Land or supreme beings that swept over the Dimensional World. There would definitely not be any ordinary graduates.

Wang Zhong was no more than a Void Core, but he was able to join the Celestial Honors Class?

Flying Pig’s gaze changed, and the rims of his eyes immediately turned red. He started crying! He really cried his eyes out…

“Boss!” He immediately hugged Lao Wang’s thigh. “Once you are my Boss, you will always be my Boss! Brother, we are connected by fate!”

Lao Wang did not know whether to laugh or to cry at him. Jhonas wasn’t in the Celestial Honors Class, so what fate was he talking about? “Your mucus!”

“Brother! From now on, you are my dear brother!” Jhonas wiped his mucus on the door. “I just knew it. I knew from the first day of school that you were naturally extraordinary, brilliant yet easygoing, graceful and elegant, and loved by all. My respect for Brother is like the surging Heavenly River and will continue forever…”

“It sounds like you understood a lot about me,” said Lao Wang with a smile. Although the superintendent had mentioned the Celestial Honors Class yesterday, she did not explain much about it. He could take this opportunity to ask Jhonas. “Tell me, what do you know about the Celestial Honors Class?”

However, Jhonas wailed for at least half an hour before calming down. There was no other choice as he was simply too excited. To Jhonas, the Celestial Honors Class existed in legends. He had never thought that his own dormmate (and his Boss) would be able to become a member. Jhonas instantly felt as if he had been bathed in divine light.

“In any case, those who emerge from the Celestial Honors Class are all famous great figures in the history of the Land and are all Gold Cores. There are no exceptions. Countless practitioners are unable to accumulate their Gold Core in their lifetime, but to those freaks in the Celestial Honors Class, this simply does not occur… Also, many pupils from there have ascended to the Heaven. A batch of Celestial Honors Class pupils can span over an entire era, and I’ve heard that at most, the number of pupils would be a hundred. The entry requirements are just too strict. There is no need to talk about one’s natural endowments and strength. What is more important is one’s identity and background…”

Jhonas’s eyes dazzled as he chattered endlessly. There was some reliable information, but there was also some vague information. A supreme genius had emerged in the history of the Illusion race and managed to enter the Celestial Honors Class. All of his information regarding the Celestial Honors Class had been passed down from that period. All the pupils from the Illusion race strove to enter the Celestial Honors Class, without exception. However, it was obvious that in the entire history of their civilization, only that individual had entered the Celestial Honors Class, and no one else was able to replicate that success. “…Also, also, I heard that everyone who enters the Celestial Honors Class is at least a Solid Core. I have never heard of any Void Cores entering…”

When he heard Flying Pig extravagantly praising the Celestial Honors Class, he did not believe everything. However, integrating what he said with what the superintendent had mentioned yesterday, he was able to trust most of the information.

He felt some pressure. Even though the superintendent had said that there was no elimination from the Celestial Honors Class, it would definitely not be easy. According to Jhonas, under normal circumstances, only top geniuses among the Solid Cores had the possibility of joining the Celestial Honors Class. This was a realm higher than his, and the pupils were the geniuses among the geniuses. Their strength would definitely be much stronger than his current strength. However, even though this was the case, the death rate in the Celestial Honors Class was still over 50%. He had various self-preservation methods, but which freaky genius in the Celestial Honors Class did not have a few self-preservation techniques?

To him, the Celestial Honors Class was both a blessing and a rigorous test.

“Boss, Boss!” Jhonas drew closer to him. “Also, according to the members of the Celestial Honors Class, all cultivation resources are provided for free by the Heavenly Gates! Tsk. I didn’t have the chance to buy your ingredients for the level-6 pill yesterday. Do you…?”

“That is a completely different matter.” Lao Wang did not know whether to laugh or to cry. This fellow was too quick with his calculations. Lao Wang knew that the Celestial Honors Class providing cultivation resources for free was definitely an exaggeration by Jhonas. There was a limit for everything. For example, Senior Lavel was definitely a member of the Celestial Honors Class. If resources were indeed provided for free, it would not be worthwhile to be so cautious with the resources for a piece of level-4 equipment.

……

“Oh? The Earth civilization was advanced to level-4.5? This was an appointment from the Heavenly Gates?” The first person to see this was Dhomiguer.

After coming to the divine territory, the Mizobudapi people fit in much better than the Earthlings. Of course, they experienced some unfamiliarity at first, but the overall strength of their civilization was greater than Earth’s and was even close to some powerful level-5 civilizations. Back then, because they had not entered the divine territory early after the trouble with the Holy Saint Teacher, they were able to make preparations over a longer period of time. Thus, they would definitely adjust better than the hasty Earthlings.

Furthermore, the Mizobudapi King had a few best friends in the Star Alliance. As the Ceremonial God, who was the most capable subordinate of the King, Dhomiguer also obtained good opportunities in the Star Alliance. As of present, he had also accumulated his Void Core and had just received a promotion from them, which was a form of glory for him. His job was similar to that of a “civil servant”. Even though he was a bottom-dwelling employee, this job still had a lot of prestige. He was in charge of managing several peripheral worlds and civilizations, including the Earth and the Mizobudapi world.

Over the past two years, he had heard of the many miserable encounters faced by the Earthlings. The Patriarch Society on Earth had tried to receive some assistance from him as well. There were times when Dhomiguer reached out to help them, but he definitely needed resources to work with. However, it was a pity that the resources on Earth were extremely limited. To be honest, perhaps the Octopus people were not in a very good state, but they still had a sense of superiority over the Earthlings.

But they suddenly… became a level-4.5 civilization?

Just a few days ago, Dhomiguer had received a letter seeking help from the Patriarch Society on Earth. It was said that another level-4 civilization had gone back on their word in a trade, resulting in great losses… Now, in a flash, their civilization had leveled up?

Dhomiguer was truly shocked.

To him, the Earth would need to endure for at least several hundred years before they could slowly adjust to the situation, let alone increase their civilization level. They had no choice as the foundations of their civilization were too poor. In the past, they had an exceptional expert who was able to challenge the King to a fight. It was because of that person’s existence that the King thought highly of the Earthlings and pulled them in to be appraised by the Star Alliance. If that person was still around, perhaps the Earthlings would not be so miserable. However, since he had passed on, all these guesses were of no meaning.

“This is an appointment by the Heavenly Gates. Could it be for Wang Zhong?” Dhomiguer remembered that Earthling very vividly. This time, the Mizobudapi people and the Earthlings were able to work together and enter the Star Alliance because of Wang Zhong, allowing them to complete the advancement task that was far beyond an appraisal that was supposed to be level-4. Of course, Dhomiguer also knew that Wang Zhong had joined the Heavenly Gates.

But this made no sense at all! If their civilization level had increased because of the outstanding performance of one individual, that individual would have to be at least a Gold Core. In fact, it was only possible if one successfully charged through the Heavenly River Tide. It was said that Wang Zhong had not even accumulated his Core. How was it possible that the Earth’s civilization level increased because of him?

“The Earthlings have had a lucky break…” Dhomiguer knew that this matter was definitely not simple.

The upgrade in civilization level was not something that would be hidden. Even before the news spread to the Earth civilization, the news had quickly spread throughout the outskirts of the Land.

To be honest, a level-4 civilization leveling up by half a level was not considered much. Level-4 was the threshold for entering the Star Alliance and was a rather arbitrary assignment. Many weak and strong civilizations were intermingled in those level-4 civilizations. Furthermore, after joining the Star Alliance, with the broadening of their perspectives and acquisition of knowledge in various aspects, increasing their civilization level was something all civilizations in the Star Alliance could do. The problem was that it required time…

Under normal circumstances, it would take at least 500 to 600 years for a level-4 civilization to rise by even half a level. They had to either continuously build up their foundation or have their civilization members reveal their talents in the cruel competition in the Land and become experts. Those who were slower would require several thousand years to level up by 0.5, but how long had the Earth been in the Star Alliance? It had only been slightly over three years. This promotion speed was slightly heaven-defying, and it was difficult to not attract the attention of others.

High-leveled civilizations would have the freedom of authority, so to the large number of level-4 civilizations that formed the foundations of the divine territory, they desired to break through very badly.

……

At the Star Alliance Starship Company…

This was Region TH968. According to the code, one could tell that this was the most peripheral area of the Land. A group of Earthlings had just finished their transport work.

They were once graceful sons in the Holy City, but now, they had lost their former pride and honor. Everyone else here was stronger than them. Even though they would not be bullied because of the institutional promises of the Starship Company, they worked every day and could only eat paste-like food. Most importantly, they could not see any hope. They could not endure such days for much longer.

“It’s been a few months since Karon left, but he hasn’t returned even now.” Someone shook her head. “Sigh. I’m afraid that the news from the Patriarch Society is flawed.”

“Back then, I also thought that the news was not reliable. Indeed, Wang Zhong is an excellent Heavenly Soul among us, or even more remarkable than us. But what kind of place is the Land? No matter how outstanding Wang Zhong is, can he compare to the experts from the many high-leveled civilizations in the Land? They are born as Void Cores, so how can Earthlings compare with them? They even said that Wang Zhong had created a base in the Heavenly Treasures Street. I find it hard to believe. That is in the Catanlyke District, the middle circle of the Land…”

“Poor Karon. The money we gathered was only enough for him to break his contract. Even if he went to the Heavenly Treasures Street after much effort, he would end up with smoke. I’m afraid he doesn’t even have the money for the journey back.”

“Ah. Even though life here is difficult, it’s good that we don’t have to worry about our basic necessities. If we can survive in the Land, we will eventually be able to adjust to the environment here. Recently, I feel that the spiritual pressure has relaxed slightly. Perhaps we can cultivate again if we endure for a few more years. As long as we can cultivate, there will be hope for us.”

“It’s just that Supervisor Kanbosse is too abominable. He even deducted our food. First, he took away our standardized Day Stomach Pills. Now, he wants us to work after eating just a little paste. I am getting more and more hungry. If not, we would have adjusted to the spiritual pressure much faster!”

“Shh! Keep quiet!” Zhang Guangbei, who was slightly older, furrowed his eyebrows, and the faint voices stopped. He had just seen the supervisor. If he were to hear the Earthlings talk about him behind his back, it would be awful.

“Ha ha, my Earthling friends. How have you been recently?” Supervisor Kanbosse walked over with a big smile, which instantly caused everyone to be alert. This fellow would patrol the warehouses here every two or three weeks and had never smiled at them before. Was he plotting something against them? Zhang Guangbei had heard the old people in the warehouses say that some middle-ranking employees in the Starship Company had deep relationships with slave vendors. It was not new for these seniors to work together with some people and then wind up taking away their bodies later.

When he saw the Earthling’s alert expressions, Kanbosse coughed slightly, but the smile on his face did not change. “Don’t be nervous. I’m here for a casual look. That’s right. Your work over the past two months in the warehouse is very good. I heard that my Earthling brothers have contributed greatly and should be praised! I have prepared a feast for you at the canteen. Go there and happily enjoy the food! After all, you deserve it. Also, in the future, your rations will be restored to their original amount. Heh heh. Your diligence has won my respect. I, Kanbosse, will never treat my employees unfairly!”

Hu…

Everyone was still vigilant. They were afraid that after eating this feast, they would be sent to some distant land on a “pirate ship” in the name of work. If that was the case, the supervisor would have to give a better speech to convince them.

However, everyone was surprised. After Supervisor Kanbosse finished giving instructions, he left on an airship without another word, let alone any special work arrangements. It was as if he simply wanted to reward them with a feast because the Earthlings had worked hard. This…

Everyone looked at one another helplessly and was at a total loss. Had their supervisor changed his personality? Or had everyone misunderstood him in the past?

“Brothers, do you not know?” A Bower Starling who was typically on good terms with the Earthlings came over. “The Earth civilization just leveled up by 0.5 levels!”

“Ah?” The Earthlings did not have much information in this aspect and could not easily communicate with the Patriarch Society. Naturally, they were dumbstruck when they heard this.

But what did this have to do with the change in their supervisor? Kanbosse was from a level-6 civilization. Did he have to give a level-4.5 civilization any face?

Wait, what? They had leveled up by half a level?

It was not that their logic was messed up. It was just that this piece of news was really too bizarre.

“The notice for a rise in civilization level is definitely real and has started to spread.” The Bower Starling said in explanation, “Typically, if you want to increase your civilization level, it is unthinkable without several hundred or even a thousand years of hard work! How many years has it been since you Earthlings entered the Star Alliance? Only a few years, right? What does this mean? This means that a great figure has emerged from your civilization!”

Everyone was dumbfounded. Closely after, they suddenly realized what had happened.

Supervisor Kanbosse would definitely not care about level-4 or level-5 civilizations. However, if a great figure was able to directly raise their civilization level, then it would be completely different.

Firstly, for an individual to be able to affect the civilization rating and forcibly increase the level of a civilization that had not really reached level-4, this individual would definitely not be an ordinary expert. Needless to say, their strength would be beyond imagination, and they definitely had the support of the higher-ups in the Star Alliance behind them. But regardless of how powerful their bloodline was, they would never be as good as any ordinary level-6 civilization.

Furthermore, there had already been a few such great figures from these low-leveled civilizations in the Land. If their people were bullied, the great figures would definitely know. When that time came, how could the mere supervisor of the Starship Company endure the rage from a great figure? It was not something that could be easily settled with one sentence. It was naturally reasonable to be friendly and prevent any trouble in the future.

But who was this great figure?

The Bower Starling did not say anything as he obviously did not know. However, Zhang Guangbei and the others faintly had an idea.

Who else could it be other than Wang Zhong? Furthermore, the Patriarch Society had previously sent information of Wang Zhong’s emergence. After all, they were elites from the Earth and were not afraid of hardships. Their experiences over the past year allowed them to clearly understand the Earth’s current situation. They feared that the day they stood out would never come, but now…

Their eyes that had turned numb from the torture of survival instantly rekindled with hope.