[Ding! Qualification Assessment concluded. Current remaining examinees: 500]
Accompanied by a cold voice echoing over the vast prairie, a simple yet incredibly intense qualification assessment finally came to a close.
Simultaneously with the end of the assessment, all participants on the Flowing Light Great Grassland were teleported out of the area.
The dizziness in their minds caused by the teleportation hadn't fully dissipated when the grassland in their view was replaced by a completely different scene.
It was a training base that could be described as a 'city.' It not only occupied a vast area with complete architectural facilities, but in the distance, some faint, special life forms were vaguely visible. They observed the 'trainees' below from the boundless star-filled sky, inspiring both awe and relentless curiosity—curiosity about what they were, and why they were here.
Curiosity about this new scene was not just felt by the 'trainees' who were teleported here, but also by the dimensional audience on Site 13.
[Dimensional Barrage Area]
'Is this the central location for the Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament? It looks kind of like a real-world university.'
'It should be a university, right? And the so-called qualification round was just an entrance exam.'
'I don't think it's that simple. Don't forget, that Tendo threatened quite a few people earlier, specifically demanding they hand over their Heavenly Martial Coins.'
Amidst the discussion of the dimensional audience, a furry figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in the exact center of the crowd.
It was an otter, roughly the height of an adult's knee. Its furry body was as fluffy as a clump of cotton that had just been sun-dried, making one instinctively want to reach out and 'pet' it.
Under the trainees' curious gaze, the otter blinked its dark, beady eyes, scanning the entire area. Then, holding a miniature crystal microphone, it slowly began to speak.
"Quiet, please, all trainees, please quiet down first."
The otter's voice was soft, carrying a harmless, sweet tone. Not only did it lack any sense of authority, but it also conveyed a strange sense of humor.
"Wow! What a cute little animal!"
Looking at the otter up close, Jing Liuli's eyes instantly lit up. She completely ignored the 'formality' of the occasion, instinctively took two steps forward, and reached out to stroke the soft fur on the otter's head. Her movements were so quick that not only the people around her, but even the otter itself, didn't react in time.
A moment later, the otter suddenly raised its voice.
"W-wait a minute! Trainee, stop that now!"
"Unprovoked attack on the training base manager is a severe violation of the 'Heavenly Martial Arts Training Base Chapter 1, Article 3'! According to regulations, 100 Heavenly Martial Coins must be deducted!"
Jing Liuli, who knew absolutely nothing about the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy, didn't grasp the significance of those words. Not only was she unafraid, but she was even more amused by the otter's anxious state.
And so, this audacious trainee, far from reflecting, became even more presumptuous.
Seeing that Jing Liuli dared to disregard the training base's 'Rules and Regulations' to this extent, the otter manager finally lost its patience.
Ding!
Accompanied by a sound like a droplet falling into a lake.
The next second, Jing Liuli suddenly cried out 'Ah' as her entire body uncontrollably floated into mid-air.
Immediately after, the air around her suddenly began to liquefy, and a pale blue seawater appeared out of thin air. Like a living thing, it wrapped into a transparent water sphere, trapping her securely inside.
Very quickly, Jing Liuli, trapped in the water sphere, noticed something was wrong. These seemingly ordinary seawater seemed to possess a certain special power. Although the Star Source within her body was still operating, she was unable to unleash her Star Source to break through this water sphere, which looked like it could be popped with a touch. At the same time, no matter which direction she moved, the water sphere followed her.
Slowly, Jing Liuli's breathing began to grow difficult.
But she was not an ordinary examinee. After a brief moment of panic, she quickly found a way to break the seal.
Jing Liuli suddenly closed her eyes and quickly entered a state of dreaming.
Immediately after, a translucent phantom slowly appeared behind her. It was a unique dream creation: a Mermaid, a creature with the upper body of a maiden and the lower body of a silver fish tail.
The Mermaid gently raised her hand and tapped Jing Liuli's forehead.
In the next second, a transparent mask, similar to an astronaut's oxygen mask, appeared on Jing Liuli's face, perfectly covering her mouth and nose, isolating her from the seawater within the sphere.
The 'oxygen crisis' in the water sphere was instantly resolved.
Seeing this scene, the otter manager was stunned. It stared at the Mermaid phantom behind Jing Liuli, its dark, beady eyes filled with astonishment.
A moment later, the otter manager couldn't help but say: "To be able to mobilize your Star Source within my 'Neptune Domain,' it seems you have perfectly mastered your Star Source. This batch of trainees seems much more interesting than the previous ones."
Hearing this, a disturbance quickly arose in the crowd of trainees not far away.
Everyone who made it here was a top talent among the younger generation of the New Federation. They naturally understood what the word 'Domain' represented, especially since some of them had already begun to explore the concept of a 'Domain.'
Thinking of this, some people who didn't know Jing Liuli began to take this seemingly harmless person seriously.
Although the otter manager greatly admired Jing Liuli, it had no intention of removing the water sphere. After all, the grievance of being 'ambushed' earlier hadn't dissipated, so how could it just let Jing Liuli, this troublemaker, go?
Therefore, the water sphere, carrying Jing Liuli, floated next to it, serving as a perfect example for everyone to see. Even if the manager looked easy to bully, breaking the rules would still result in punishment.
And they would soon understand the weight of this 'punishment.'
Once the entire area had completely quieted down, the otter manager cleared its throat, gripped the microphone, and aimed it back at itself.
"First, congratulations to everyone for passing the assessment of the Heavenly Martial Arts Kirin Tower. From this moment on, you have earned the qualification for long-term residency in this 'Starfall Base.'"
"The first month upon arrival here is your 'Adaptation Period.' All training facilities within the base are fully open to you, and all training programs and base items are offered at an 80% discount."
"After this adaptation period ends, all training programs and base items will revert to their original price."
"So, if you fancy anything during this period, or find any training programs that suit you, you must seize the opportunity. After all, opportunities for a discount are few and far between."
Although the otter spoke these words with a smile, some clever trainees had already sensed that something was amiss.
"Tendo, what are you laughing at?"
Hearing Caroline's question, Tendo offered a meaningful answer.
"I'm laughing at the fact that these consumption traps exist everywhere."
Caroline pondered briefly and understood the meaning behind Tendo's words. Indeed, if anyone were tempted by the so-called '80% discount' into engaging in preemptive consumption during this one month, they would soon understand the price of that 'preemptive consumption.'