[With a sharp, high-pitched cry, Peggy collapses limply beneath you.]

[She leans weakly against your side, eyes unfocused. While the afterglow has yet to fade, you seize the chance to speak, claiming you are interested in Sage Osborn’s private collection and want to pay him a visit, but unfortunately your mentor requires you to score an A+ on your next assessment before you are allowed into the storage room…]

[You ask Peggy if she has any good ideas.]

[She lazily refuses to move, gives you a sidelong glare, and blurts out without thinking that you should just study hard and strive to get an A+ next time, should you not?]

[You immediately slap down with your palm. Ignoring her startled cry, you say that if you were capable of getting an A+ assessment score, why would you be asking her for help? You know her father has a great deal of influence, so could she think of a way?]

[Peggy thinks for a moment and says that while her father is the Minister of Finance, her academic rank and strength are still far from reaching the level of Sage. In the face of the powerful Sage Osborn, she cannot exert much influence…]

[Hearing this, your heart inevitably sinks, yet you see Peggy suddenly look at you very seriously and ask if you truly want to enter Sage Osborn’s storage room.]

[You nod and reply, of course.]

[Peggy silently gets up and puts her clothes back on, throws you a single sentence, Just wait. At the latest, there will be news by this afternoon, and then leaves the private dorm room…]

As the directly affiliated academy of the Direct Vision Branch Association, Leon Academy had excellent dorm conditions. Noble students all lived in luxurious single rooms.

Lin Xun did not know exactly what method this story character would use to help him achieve his goal, but judging from the way Peggy acted, the success rate should not be small.

There was still quite some time before the afternoon classes at the academy. He figured he should first raise his Knowledge cap; otherwise, if he encountered slightly stronger monsters, his head would be blown apart and he would die on the spot.

Lin Xun opened his Inventory and quickly found that item, Book Containing Illusion – The Starvault Tower Ascent.

This illusion book allowed him to enter a knowledge illusion and climb the tower to fight monsters in order to increase his Knowledge cap.

Before leaving the fourth chapter of the World of Omniscience, he had climbed to the seventy-fifth floor, greatly increasing his Knowledge cap. But after leaving that chapter, he could no longer enter that illusion dungeon, causing his progress to remain stuck at the seventy-fifth floor.

Now that his Knowledge cap was a bit insufficient, this item could finally show its value.

[You use Book Containing Illusion – The Starvault Tower Ascent!]

[You open the book and concentrate fully on reading its contents. In a daze, you feel the scenery around you change…]

[You enter the Residual Illusion of Knowledge…]

[You open your eyes. The luxurious single dorm has vanished. Everything around you carries a hazy afterimage, like mottled, yellowed scenes from an old memory.]

[Not far in front of you stands a tower that reaches into the heavens, its peak piercing into the fog so that you cannot determine how tall it truly is.]

[The stars in the sky all seem to be drawn toward this heaven-piercing tower. The tower’s body shines brilliantly, as though dotted with countless stars.]

[…]

[You push open the great door and step into the tower.]

[You feel the scene flash before your eyes, and your field of vision is filled by boundless void. The void is not dark and deep but is instead crossed by rivers of stars, formed by countless sparkling stars flowing above your head.]

[You gaze up at the multicolored stars like neon lights and cannot help but be deeply captivated by the sight…]

[Between you and the void beneath your feet is a layer of dim green star-glow array. Standing upon this array is not only you, but also ahead of you a Scholar whose face is blocked by the wide brim of a hat.]

[Only by continuously defeating the Guardian Scholars can you ascend to the summit of the Star Tower.]

[Do you wish to challenge the First-Floor Guardian?]

Lin Xun smiled faintly and decisively clicked ‘Yes.’

[You stomp forward, bloodlight surging out in a torrent. Before the guardian can react, you cleave it cleanly in two with a single sword strike!]

[You have defeated the First-Floor Guardian. You gain no experience.]

[The star-glow array beneath your feet slowly rises, carrying you upward. The brilliant galaxy flowing above your head draws one step closer.]

[You look ahead. Another silent Scholar has already appeared…]

[Do you wish to challenge the Second-Floor Guardian?]

Reentering the knowledge illusion to sweep the tower posed basically no difficulty for his current self.

In the past, it had mainly been the shell’s Stamina and mana limits that restricted him. Each time he climbed into the later floors, the shell’s state would worsen, and faced with powerful boss guardians, he could only retreat in defeat.

But now, the Child of Evil had infinite Stamina. Climbing from the first floor to the seventy-fifth would not even make him pant.

Not only did the Child of Evil have unlimited Stamina, it also possessed powerful demigod-level strength. None of the Star Tower Guardians could withstand even a single sword from the Child of Evil.

Every ten floors, the guardians would drop the item Memory of the Starry Sky, which could increase the Knowledge cap. However, rewards he had already obtained could not be gained again.

Lin Xun ascended the tower all the way and smoothly obtained the Memories of the Starry Sky for the eightieth and ninetieth floors.

[Memory of the Starry Sky (Item): A swirling, misty radiance in which occasional flickering fragments of memory can be seen. The images appear to depict countless stars in a distant galaxy.]

[Using this item will raise your Knowledge cap by 8,000 points.]

[Memory of the Starry Sky (Item): … Using this item will raise your Knowledge cap by 9,000 points.]

After using the two items, his Knowledge cap rose from 43,800 to 60,800 points, temporarily easing the urgent situation.

This kind of relaxed monster-sweeping experience was like having cheats turned on, practically one-click clearing.

Before long, Lin Xun had defeated the Star Tower Guardian of the ninety-ninth floor.

[…]

[With the death of the Ninety-Ninth-Floor Star Tower Guardian, the star-glow array beneath your feet disappears. The brilliant galaxy flowing above your head suddenly seems to draw close and expand, coming within arm’s reach.]

[You understand that you have already reached the highest floor of the Starvault Tower!]

[In the unseen depths, a voice echoes out, reverberating above the galaxy…]

[Bewildered Scholar, do you wish to behold the majesty and grandeur of the stars?]

[Before you can answer, several stars within the galaxy above suddenly expand by a factor of tens of millions, becoming so close that you could reach out and touch them.]

[Your field of vision is filled by a gigantic star. You can even clearly see the uneven rises and depressions on its surface…]

[That colossal object at arm’s reach fills the entire void. Whether you will it or not, as long as your eyes are open, your gaze will be drawn inexorably toward the star as it presses ever closer.]

[The sudden, overwhelming oppression and sense of smallness leave you stifled and short of breath, chilled to the bone. Fear strips all outer layers away, leaving you stark naked before the terrifying star that fills your entire field of view.]

Lin Xun had already witnessed such a scene at the Stargazer’s place in the fourth chapter.

The envoy had used the lingering pressure of the star gods to shake the Scholars’ minds, causing them to unconsciously betray their oath and join the star faction.

[Feeling the star’s pressure again, you are no longer who you once were. With your mythic-level realm, you can now resist the lingering pressure of gods!]

[Finally, the void and stars vanish. The scenery around you undergoes a complete upheaval.]

[All illusions disperse. You now stand at the top of the Starvault Tower, with a spiral staircase dropping straight downward behind you and no further path above.]

[In front of you stands a gigantic statue of the radiant stars, its form that of an oval-shaped galaxy with countless tiny stars speckling its center.]

[You notice that among them, one star shines especially brightly. Perhaps the intense divine pressure just now came from the god symbolized by this star.]

[You step forward and approach the statue…]

[Having witnessed the magnificent grandeur of the radiant stars, you cannot help but feel your heart soar.]

[Do you wish to kneel before the statue, betray your oath to Omniscient True Knowledge, and defect to the radiant stars faction?]

[Once more, a voice echoes from the unseen…]

[Bewildered Scholar, forget the shackles of your old faith and follow the true choice in your heart.]

[That one incomparably radiant star upon the statue will be the divine favor and blessing you receive upon joining the stars…]

Lin Xun snorted coldly. So this was the stick first and carrot afterward, was it?

“Sorry. I am taking the carrot. As for the stick… I am not a fan of sticks.”

He decisively pressed the ‘No’ option.

[You refuse to kneel before the statue, ignore the voice’s bewitchment, and shoulder the Scarlet King’s Sword as you approach the statue…]

[With an angry shout, you twist your waist and explode with power. Terrifying strength floods your body, the muscles of your arm bulging and coiling!]

[With a single sword strike, you slash toward that bright, flickering star. The crimson blade instantly severs the connection between that star and the galaxy.]

[The shining star breaks free of the statue and crashes heavily to the ground…]

[You obtain Precious Memory of the Stars (Item).]

[The voice echoing in the unseen suddenly erupts in fury…]

[Detestable Scholar, you will surely pay a heavy price for your despicable act!] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[Everything within your sight trembles faintly. All things before your eyes gradually lose their clarity.]

[You are being rejected by this world and expelled from the Starvault Tower knowledge illusion…]

[In a daze, the scenery around you shifts once again, and you return to the single dorm room in Leon Academy.]

Lin Xun smiled faintly, scoffing to himself at this paper tiger.

He was just about to open his Inventory to check the spoils when the game text began to scroll rapidly.

[…]

[You suddenly feel a bone-deep chill climb from the soles of your feet up your spine and straight into your skull, filling you with immense terror!]

[You rush to the dorm window and yank the curtains open…]

[Outside, the dense fog still shrouds everything, but its visibility has suddenly increased greatly.]

[At some unknown point, night has already fallen. The entire Leon Academy, along with the surrounding building complex of the branch association, is shrouded in endless darkness.]

[All at once, a pillar of brilliant star-glow drops from the dark night, a thick beam of light illuminating every corner of the academy.]

[A terrifying shadow slowly descends along the beam of star-glow. Before the shadow even draws near, the dorm building you are in begins to sway, trembling and shaking…]

[You hear cracking noises and look to the side, only to see cracks spreading rapidly across the snow-white walls!]

[You realize that the entire dorm building is about to collapse!]

[You rush out the door and, together with a crowd of panicked, screaming students, run down the stairs to escape the dorm building!]

[Out in front of the dorm, exposed fully beneath the star-glow with nothing to shield you, you finally and truly sense just how powerful that descending shadow is.]

[The crushing pressure it brings is like standing at the edge of a ten-thousand-kilometer cliff, one foot already stepping out into empty air as a shrill, icy wind lashes your unsteady body. The slightest misstep and you will plummet to your death, smashed to pieces.]

[Although the star-glow blankets the entire academy, you know perfectly well in your heart that the terrifying shadow is here for you!]

Lin Xun could not help grinding his teeth.

“Seriously? All this over freeloading a single item from you!”

Thoughts whirled through his mind. He did not switch shells but continued using the male student shell.

[…]

[Your ears are filled with the terrified screams of students. Several academy buildings seem unable to withstand the terrifying shadow’s pressure. Their trembling grows more and more intense, as though they are about to collapse.]

[The students cry and wail as they flee, trying to get far away from the buildings…]

[At this moment, countless tiny characters surge forth from every corner of the academy…]

[No, not just from the academy, but from the entire Direct Vision Branch Association, including Leon Academy. From every corner, a massive number of spell characters well up!]

[The boundless light emanating from these characters shines even more brilliantly than the star-glow in the night sky. In the blink of an eye, countless characters condense into a colossal arched light barrier that enfolds the entire branch association and academy within.]

[The buildings cease shaking. No matter how the terrifying shadow descends and draws closer, there is no longer the slightest tremor.]

[From the nearby teaching building, a large number of mentor Scholars fly out, staffs in hand as they descend to the ground to calm and shield the panicked students…]

[The mentor who taught you raises a staff high and speaks in a voice that resounds throughout the academy…]

[Students, do not panic. The academy is protected by the Sea of Knowledge Magic Formation and has Sages and Great Sages personally presiding here. Even if the chief evil god among the stars were revived and descended, it would fall here!]

[With the mentors’ reassurances, most of the students quickly calm down. Only a few timid students are still sobbing.]

[You gaze at the terrifying shadow that is drawing ever closer. After a brief thought, you squeeze through the crowd and come to your mentor’s side.]

[Your mentor, while both directing the students to draw together and constantly calling out to them, sees the calm composure on your face. It is completely different from the forced composure of the students around you.]

[Your mentor reveals a faint smile, a hint of approval flashing in its eyes.]

[At this moment, the terrifying shadow in the heavens is already extremely close. Through the defensive light barrier known as the Sea of Knowledge Magic Formation, you can clearly see the shadow’s true form!]

[The titanic creature has a water-drop-shaped body whose outline flickers and blurs, as though it is not truly corporeal. As it continues to descend, its immense form blots out the sky, occupying almost all the night sky above your head.]

[With a casual swing of the thick tentacles on its body, the monster faintly tears apart the surrounding space!]

[Two enormous, dim green eyes pierce the obstruction of the light-barrier formation, staring directly at you, the one who dared to steal divine favor. Those giant eyes seethe with endless fury.]

[You have discovered Starborn Spirit Progenitor Sacred Leviathan’s Projection!]

[Your mentor suddenly grabs you and, raising its staff, takes you soaring into the air…]

[Only when you reach the upper edge of the arched defensive light barrier, directly beneath the gigantic beast, does it once more address the students below: Students, watch closely! With the Knowledge Magic Formation, even if the enemy is an evil god of the stars, it cannot break through the formation’s defense!]

Lin Xun was dumbfounded.

He had come to his mentor’s side seeking shelter, not to court death.