The off-road vehicle drew near the skyscraper, stopping about five hundred meters away. Old Qi glanced at the heavily armed academy security personnel ahead and said, "I can't go any farther."
He turned around and added, "Only students of Wuyi Academy are allowed past here. Now that I've brought you this far, my commission is complete."
Chen Chuan said, "Thank you for the escort along the way, Mr. Qi."
Old Qi replied, "Don't mention it, don't mention it. Just remember to leave me a positive review when you get the chance."
Chen Chuan got out of the vehicle. Just as he pushed the door shut, Old Qi's voice sounded in his ear: "Student Chen, if you ever need anything in the future, feel free to commission me. I might not have much skill, but I know Center City and the surrounding cities inside out. Stay in touch whenever you have time. Goodbye!"
The call ended. The off-road vehicle backed up, swung around, and drove off.
Chen Chuan looked up at the skyscraper piercing into the clouds before him, radiant with dazzling light. Tightening his grip slightly on his luggage and the Xuejun Saber, he set off toward it.
After driving away, Old Qi glanced at the cargo on the passenger seat, his mood lifting somewhat. Though he had made time to run a side errand along the way, he had managed to make it on schedule. There had been a few twists on the way back, but he had successfully brought the goods through.
A smile broke across his face. Once this deal was done, Xiaoqi's tuition would be covered.
Glancing at the soaring tower of Wuyi Academy in the rearview mirror, his eyes held both envy and dread.
Stepping on the gas, the vehicle surged forward in an abrupt acceleration, trailing a streak of glaring light—as if longing to flee, yet also longing to return all the sooner to this dreamlike world.
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan crossed the plaza in front of the skyscraper without incident. Along the way, the guards merely glanced at him a few times, their goggles flashing with data, and did not approach to question him at all.
Stepping onto the raised dais, he recognized the emblem of Wuyi beneath his feet. The insignia had not been prominently displayed back in Yangzhi City, which was perhaps the difference between a local college and the Main Academy.
Once he stood upon it, an uneven texture registered through the soles of his shoes. After a brief wait, a spirited, resonant female voice sounded in his ear:
"Greetings, Student Chen Chuan. Welcome to Wuyi Main Academy in Center City, Jibei Circuit. You may report inside the first-floor grand hall ahead to update your student status."
Here, the voice seemed to pause for a second before resuming: "In accordance with the academy's orientation procedures, a student will arrive to guide you in person. Please wait a moment."
Chen Chuan saw a pale ribbon of light appear underfoot, indicating where he needed to go. He reflected that this technology was indeed remarkably convenient; the academy could confirm his identity without him even having to step inside, sparing him tedious formalities.
A few minutes later, he saw a student emerge from the hall and briskly descend the high steps toward him.
Judging by this student's posture and the cadence of his stride, it was not hard to tell that he was a trained martial artist.
The student walked up to him and warmly reached out to shake hands. "Hello, are you Student Chen Chuan? I'm the student mentor the academy assigned to guide you. My name is Tan Zhi. I enrolled half a year ahead of you."
Chen Chuan shook his hand. At the same time, the female voice notified him of an incoming contact request; once he granted permission, the contact was added to his list.
"Follow me," Tan Zhi said, waving a hand and leading the way up the steps.
Chen Chuan followed. But after taking only a few steps, a flash of rainbow light swept across the sky above and rapidly circled the skyscraper twice, catching his attention.
Looking up, he saw a woman dressed in red standing high atop the building's flying eaves. Wearing a bamboo conical hat and holding a wine gourd, her sleeves fluttered in the breeze as she gazed at the bright moon overhead, which appeared both real and illusory. Sensing Chen Chuan's gaze, she looked down. A veil concealed her face, but her eyes were remarkably bright and lively.
Tan Zhi glanced up and said, "That's 'Hongfu,' the manifested avatar of our academy's bio-conscious entity. The voice you just heard was hers. If you have any questions around the academy in the future, you can inquire directly with her." Lowering his voice slightly, he added, "Just mind your manners, though. Otherwise she might ignore you."
Chen Chuan pulled his gaze back and followed Tan Zhi up the stairs and into the first-floor grand hall. It was vast and cavernous, resembling a deep, expansive palace hall where even normal speech resonated in hollow echoes.
Overhead drifted enormous lotus lanterns. Amid the interplay of light and shadow, crimson bead tassels hung suspended. By the entrance stood two twenty-meter-tall golden-armored divine generals with haughty expressions on their faces. As the two walked beneath them, the giants cast a haughty sideways glance downward. Their paunches swayed as they shifted half a step, setting the ornaments below their belly-guards and the ribbons across their armor fluttering in motion.
Tan Zhi paid no attention to any of it. He chatted as he led the way inward, eventually arriving at a spot on the floor where patterns of lotuses and celestial maidens shimmered. The moment Chen Chuan stepped onto it, the lotus designs beneath his feet suddenly came alive.
They blossomed slowly, rising one by one from the painted surface and drifting upward into the air, while petals fluttered downward from time to time amidst the silver-bell chime of soft laughter echoing all around.
A brilliant light flared, revealing a female statue directly ahead. Sculpted as though from transparent colored glass crystal, it depicted Hongfu, whom he had just seen outside, though her attire now resembled that of a celestial maiden in a painting.
Chen Chuan could tell that this statue was a genuine physical object, not an illusion like what had come before.
Tan Zhi said, "Student Chen, your student card."
At his words, Chen Chuan took out his student card. A long scroll materialized in the hands of the Hongfu statue. As it unfurled, both ends floated far outward, drifting alongside her celestial sashes as lines of text scrolled swiftly across the parchment.
After a moment, the scroll rolled shut, and the sounds and visual effects gradually faded away.
Chen Chuan heard a voice in his ear: "Student Chen Chuan, your status has been updated. You have been granted citizen eligibility for permanent residence in Center City. The Citizen Code and Public Safety Regulations will be transmitted to your personal boundary credential; please be sure to review them. During your enrollment at the academy, please remain attentive to your compulsory courses and applicable fees. If you require reminders from the academy, please grant notification permissions. Wishing you a pleasant study experience."
"All set," Tan Zhi said from the side. "Student Chen, Hongfu has recorded and updated your information and transmitted it to Fumu. By the way, do you need a physical card? Some new students aren't used to this and feel more at ease holding a physical card. If you want one, just request it from Hongfu and pick it up at the designated location.
"That said, all your records are stored in 'Yanzhou'—that's where Hongfu's physical body resides, and no one can enter except the headmaster.
"Besides, this credential only lasts for one year and must be renewed again after that. If you fail the evaluation, it'll be revoked, and your citizen status will go with it. So honestly, I don't think there's much point."
At the end, he shrugged.
Chen Chuan asked, "Student Tan, do many people fail the evaluation every year?"
"Sure, quite a few," Tan Zhi replied casually. "Though in Center City, money can buy anything—even knowledge. Even if you fail the evaluation, spending some money will still let you keep your citizen status in the city. Of course, if you want to learn more advanced martial arts and cultivation knowledge, passing the evaluation is an absolute must."
Noticing how dismissively he treated money, Chen Chuan asked a couple more questions. Sure enough, Tan Zhi was also a recommended student from a well-connected family, having secured a quota spot through a regional Wuyi College.
However, he had a very easygoing temperament and treated Chen Chuan quite casually, unlike the arrogant scions of privilege Chen Chuan had encountered in Yangzhi City. Of course, that might also have been because they were now nominally equals in status.
Tan Zhi smiled. "Well, my orientation duty is done, and my student evaluation gets a point—at least my effort wasn't wasted. I have to get going; it's still the New Year holiday, and I've got a gathering to attend. If you need directions to the dormitories, just ask Hongfu... Ah, right, junior fellow student, a word of advice."
Just as he turned to leave, he looked back to offer another pointer.
"The boundary credential you're using is an older model distributed free to students. I'd suggest upgrading to a better one. If you're not used to direct transactions on the platform yet, you can use your boundary credential to place a commission and have someone outside purchase it on your behalf.
"Once you make your choice, just have them deliver it straight here. You don't even have to pay upfront; as a citizen and a student of Wuyi Academy, you have a credit allowance. Goodbye, and Happy New Year!"
Tan Zhi waved at him and strolled off nonchalantly.
After parting ways with him, Chen Chuan stood in the vast, empty hall, looked at the crystal statue ahead, and asked, "Hongfu, could you guide me to the dormitories?"
The voice sounded in his ear: "Student Chen Chuan, please follow the guidance. Your dormitory is on the forty-ninth floor, Room One."
Chen Chuan saw a radiant lantern drift toward one direction, so he followed it. Clouds and mist gradually billowed around him. After following it for a considerable distance, the lantern came to a stop. When he walked up to it, the lantern seemed to burn out, crumbling down into drifting ash. His footing shifted slightly, and his vantage point began to rise.
He looked up and was startled to discover that he was standing in the palm of an unfathomably colossal immortal!
The immortal bore the vast sky upon his back, his topknot pointing toward the sun, wreaths of clouds encircling his form. His half-opened eyes looked down, as though welcoming him, while his palm slowly lifted upward, carrying Chen Chuan along with it.
Though well aware that these were all illusions, Chen Chuan could not help feeling a stir deep within his heart—born of his innate yearning and pursuit of such awe-inspiring might.
He felt himself ascending at tremendous speed, leaving the earth far below. In an instant, he pierced through the sea of clouds into the void. Gradually, he rose level with the immortal's gaze. The immortal's eyes were tranquil, seemingly detached from all worldly emotion. With another gentle lift of the palm, Chen Chuan was enveloped in an intensely brilliant radiance.
When the light dissipated, he found himself inside an elevator. An indicator flashed next to the mark for the forty-ninth floor, blinked a few times, and the elevator doors slid open to both sides.
Stepping out, he located Dormitory Room One, pushed open the door, glanced inside, and took the key from a niche beside the doorway.
From the moment he reached this floor, all the illusory phenomena had receded on their own, as if deliberately avoiding any intrusion into his private space.
Setting his luggage to the side while keeping the Xuejun Saber in hand, he walked farther into the room.
Looking around, the suite spanned roughly five hundred square meters. A private training room occupied four-fifths of the total area, while the bedroom, living room, and bathroom were fully appointed. The lighting was soft and bright, the layout clean and modern, and there was a telephone in the living room and another on the bedside table.
Just then, the female voice sounded in his ear once more: "Student Chen Chuan, it has been verified that you have entered your dormitory, and records have been updated. Throughout your period of enrollment, accommodation and meal fees are entirely waived. For specific fee schedules, please consult the inquiry interface."
Chen Chuan attempted to check the inquiry interface, only to discover he could not view it directly; his current boundary credential only supported audio and could not display a visual interface. This made upgrading an unavoidable necessity.
So he contacted Hongfu to make inquiries. Ultimately, he chose a Yuxiang-model boundary credential manufactured by the Bolun Company, and with Hongfu facilitating the communication, he placed a commission through the Posuo platform with an agency to purchase it on his behalf.
Raising his wrist, he checked his watch: 8:26. He walked into the living room, picked up the receiver, and called his aunt's home to let them know he had arrived safely at the academy. After speaking for a short while, he hung up and called Cheng Zitong to deliver the same update.
Yet no sooner had he hung up the telephone than the voice chimed in once more: "During enrollment, telephone charges are the responsibility of the student. Students may pay via their platform accounts or settle payments at the front desk. This student currently holds a credit allowance; would you like the academy to cover the fee on your behalf?"
Chapter 232