Chapter 134: The Invitation

"Enough, stop acting. I can’t even watch this anymore. You’re all putting on a show, and we all know who’s who. Seriously." Li Fugui interrupted the Little King, then turned to Li Hongshen.

"This guy, Hao, has already secured a special recruitment spot at Mu Hai University. He took a mission from the school—a recruitment task, specifically for scouting geniuses. People like you, for instance. If you enroll through his recommendation and eventually get accepted, he gets a reward. That’s why he’s been spinning such a long yarn; he just wants you to apply to Mu Hai.

"I was talked into getting a special recruitment spot for Mu Hai by him a while back, but Hao is at least decent enough to have promised to split the school’s reward with me. So, I figured Mu Hai University was alright, and I agreed. I have a special recruitment spot now, but I won’t push you to apply there.

"I know what you want to say—that our family tradition is to apply to the Central Lord University. But that only started with my grandfather. The Li family, as a whole, doesn’t actually mandate which school to attend. After all, many of our kin can’t even make it into the Top Three. Whether I apply to Mu Hai or the Military Academy is my own choice. Just like Hao said, the World Sea is vast, and I want to see it.

"As for you, don’t worry about me. I know what you’re thinking; the Central Lord University is a fine choice. As for applying to these three major universities, it’s quite simple. First, you have to be selected by a professor from a Lord University patrolling the Endless Wilderness, and then get marked by the school. Only then can you go to the university’s admissions office in the Wilderness to accept a mission.

"That’s why lords in the inner reaches of the Endless Wilderness try their best to climb higher—because the professors only invite students from the upper echelons; those in the middle or lower tiers have no qualifications. We call this step 'receiving an invitation letter.' Once you have that, you need sufficient strength to get your floating island up there.

"In the airspace ten thousand meters above our upper assembly point, there are numerous admissions offices for the Lord Universities. The 'Top Three' we keep mentioning are even higher than that—it’s like you have to break through another level from the upper echelons.

"The second step is called 'gaining qualification.' Many universities scatter their invitations like nets to see if students are worthy. If you make it up there, they don't take responsibility for you—they’re basically veteran 'sea kings' at this point.

"The third step is the mission. As far as I know, the missions for Mu Hai Lord University, Central Lord University, and Civilization Military Lord University are identical. They’re very simple and straightforward; ask any veteran in the upper echelons, and most will know. The applicant must lead their forces to conquer a Tier 3 indigenous tribe single-handedly, without any help from other lords."

At this point, the Little King took over, making one last effort.

"Actually, we all think highly of you because you have the qualifications and strength to complete the mission. But right now, the most important thing for you is to get that invitation letter. You know how many students are in the inner reaches of the Endless Wilderness every year, yet there are only one or two admissions professors here. They can’t just watch our Elite Association; there are other student alliances and numerous lone wolves surviving here, which adds to their workload.

"If you happen to withdraw from the Endless Wilderness when a professor comes to patrol, you might miss your chance. It happens all the time at this stage. Take Li Fugui—don’t listen to his talk about the 'vast World Sea' and wanting to see it. The real reason is that he’s incredibly unlucky. He had just withdrawn from the Wilderness when the professors from those three universities arrived one after another, and he missed them all. He didn't get a single invitation. When he came back, he didn't want to wait for the next round, so I recommended him, he got the invitation for Mu Hai, and eventually passed the assessment.

"I can have the Mu Hai professor come over to give you an invitation letter so you don't have to wait. What do you think? Any thoughts? Never mind, don't answer yet. I happen to have the pheromones given to me by the Mu Hai admissions office. This stuff shows the invitation letter. They gave it to me so I could show off, but I’m not really into bragging, so I never used it. This is the perfect time. Come on, let’s fly above the assembly point and I’ll show you. You should know that even among the upper echelons of our Elite Association, not everyone has received an invitation. Only Li Fugui and I have received invitations from the Top Three in our 44th region. Follow me."

The Little King stood up, dusted himself off, and walked out. Li Fugui followed, patting Li Hongshen on the shoulder. "Let's go. I’ll show you something spectacular."

Li Hongshen was silent for a moment. He didn't know why Li Fugui thought it would be spectacular, but he didn't know anything, didn't dare ask, and followed his two 'big brothers' in silence.

The trio arrived at the aerial mount takeoff area. Hao mounted his Golden Griffin, Li Hongshen boarded the Storm Eagle King from his own territory, and Li Fugui’s mount was a Wind Rider. The Wind Rider, like the Griffin, was not a native species of the Endless Wilderness; it had been captured and modified by powerful beings from the outside world and introduced into the inner reaches. It was just as famous as the Griffin and the Storm Eagle, a very powerful aerial mount.

Under the moonlight, the three took to the skies on their respective mounts. Led by the Little King, they climbed for nearly ten minutes before hovering at an angle that gave a panoramic view of the entire assembly point.

"Honestly, seeing the lights below, I feel like I’m back in the main world, not the Endless Wilderness. Ever since you set up that entire electric lighting project, Hongshen, it’s made life much more comfortable for all of us."

"You're too kind. I started it just to make a little money. The technology is simple; it’s just tedious and tiring work. Nothing special."

Hearing Li Hongshen’s humble words, the Little King waved his hand. "Stay close to me. I’m going to release the pheromones so we can see the invitation letters."

Once the three were close together, the Little King took out something like a spray bottle and sprayed it on Li Hongshen’s, Li Fugui’s, and his own faces. Li Hongshen felt his vision blur for a moment. A few seconds later, he felt a sudden brightness—the assembly point, already lit with electric lights, became even more dazzling.

Above each city, university logos were visible. Of course, there were many blank ones, too. Li Hongshen understood: this was the 'invitation letter' Hao had mentioned. It was like being branded by a university so you couldn't run away.

"Look, the logos over my city and Li Fugui’s are from Mu Hai University. Compare them to the others. Some are faint, meaning they only have the invitation, while others look solid, meaning they’ve secured a special recruitment spot."

Li Hongshen looked toward their cities as Hao suggested. Sure enough, those two adjacent cities were shrouded under the Mu Hai Lord University logo, which hovered above them like a physical object.

Just then, a cry of surprise came from nearby: "Hey, that’s strange. How did I not know we had another big shot here? Look over there—someone has received two university invitations, and they’re from both Mu Hai and the Central Lord University!"