"Challenge segment?" "Exactly," she said. "Course assessments are the main way regular students earn credits, while tasks offer rich rewards but come with high difficulty. By your sophomore or junior year, you'll have the ability to take on tougher missions. "The challenge segment for new students is your chance to rack up credits."
The female teacher paused. "You should know that at Whale Island University, only outstanding students catch the eye of mentors and become their protégés. "Having a mentor guide you personally versus just learning in large lectures—the gap... I don't need to spell it out. "But how do mentors pick students? By looking at your past? Don't joke. School mentors are busy people. Even if you were the top scorer in your city or province, here you're just an ordinary student. "No one knows who you are. So, to win a mentor's favor, you have to show your strength. "The challenge segment is your opportunity. The better you perform, the more mentors will notice you, giving you more choices and earning you more credits."
The boy in white grew excited as he listened. Just as the teacher said, wasn't this the perfect chance for them, the proud elites, to show off—cough—to shine? If he could stand out, maybe he'd catch the eye of a天王级 (Champion-level) spirit master and become their student!
Bai Hongzhen came from a spirit-taming family and knew far more about Whale Island University than the average person. At Whale Island University, only Champion-level big shots could earn the title of professor. Other Master-level spirit masters were divided into first, second, and third-tier mentors based on teaching ability and strength. He knew the score. With his skill, being noticed by a first-tier mentor wouldn't be hard. First-tier mentors were the cream of the Master-level crop, almost准天王级 (quasi-Champion-level). But the gap between them and true Champion-level was still an unbridgeable chasm. School rules required first, second, and third-tier mentors to take on a set number of students each year. But Champion-level big shots? It was entirely up to their whims. Bai Hongzhen had heard that one year, no Champion-level mentor showed up at all during orientation. That was truly brutal. No matter how well you performed, it was all for nothing. But usually, two or three professors would make an appearance... whether they took students was another story. He'd only heard rumors. His knowledge was limited, and he didn't know if the rules had changed this year, so he asked, "Then, teacher, what exactly is the challenge segment?"
"Simple," the female teacher said. "In a special combat zone, anyone confident enough can send out their spirits—not just one, but as many as you've contracted. "No other restrictions. You can fight one-on-one or gang up." She paused. "And there are sophomores—your excellent upperclassmen—for you to challenge... It's all up to you, as long as you show your brilliance."
The boy in white grew even more excited. All spirits could be deployed? That gave him an edge! Many of his peers from similar backgrounds only had two spirits—after all, contracting too many could lead to neglect. Most people focused on raising one spirit fully before moving to the next. Others planned to use credits after enrollment to contract rare spirits. His most carefully nurtured spirit was just the Ice Vulpix. The other two were often looked after by his family's spirit caretakers. He kept in touch with them, so he could still command them, but their默契 (synergy) was definitely lacking. He was confident he was among the strongest freshmen. But... Bai Hongzhen glanced at Su Hao. Also three入门级 (entry-level) spirits. Also from a background that could get a recommendation letter for early admission. A formidable rival. But if he used the summer break well to push his Ice Vulpix to精英级 (Elite-level), then... even defeating sophomore seniors wasn't impossible! Full of confidence, he turned and left. He completely missed the pitying look in the female teacher's eyes.
Poor kid, didn't he think about it? The school gave you the chance to challenge upperclassmen, but... would they pit you against ordinary sophomores? No way! They'd be the best among the sophomores. The so-called challenge was just to teach these proud talents from across the Dragon Kingdom that there's always someone better, and not to be arrogant. This had always been Whale Island University's tradition. The female teacher didn't bother explaining. After entering his info, she pulled out a map and slid it over. "Pick a dorm. The facilities are the same, but since you're early, you can choose freely."
Su Hao picked it up. It showed areas like "Pingshan Garden," "Guanhu Garden," "Linting Garden," "Baihua Garden," and so on. At first glance, it looked like a real estate layout map for clients, with numbers like 001, 002, 003 in each area. But these weren't dorm buildings. Each one was a villa! With a sizable garden! For just one student! And Whale Island University charged no tuition or housing fees! Su Hao could only marvel—no wonder it was the Dragon Kingdom's top institution. Generous enough. He liked it. Since the villa facilities were identical, Su Hao picked one that caught his eye. He took the room card and a thick freshman handbook from the teacher, then left the student affairs office.
...
"Beep, destination reached. Please disembark." Su Hao arrived at Guanhu Garden. He'd chosen a villa by the lake. The stunning view alone made him stop and stare for a long time, pulling out his phone to snap a few photos. The faintly shimmering lake. The Chinese-style villa. The exquisite interior decor. And so on. Su Hao took nine photos in total, then... opened WeChat and posted on Moments. "At Whale Island, just got to the dorm." Soon, his feed exploded. It was filled with rows of "Holy crap!" And "You call this a dorm?"
Whale Island University released very little public info, but info on regular spirit universities could be found online. Spirit major students didn't usually share four- or six-person rooms—after all, they had spirits. They got single rooms. But most schools still offered standard dorms. Those with large spirits had to board them downstairs. In comparison, Whale Island University's fully furnished villas with garden courtyards—they were jealous, so jealous. Envy made them ugly. Just then... Liu Ren posted a reply: "Huh? University dorms are all standalone villas? Pretty much like my home. Not bad, not bad. I was worried I wouldn't get used to living at college." Su Hao: "..." "Big Mouth Liu sure knows how to stir up hate." Seeing a swarm of envious classmates turn on Liu Ren, Su Hao silently mourned for him for three seconds and put down his phone. He wandered around the villa inside and out. The setup was complete. Living room, bedroom—all kinds of furniture were ready, even the kitchen had utensils. Bed sheets and quilts were provided. Unopened toothbrushes and toothpaste were there too—he could move in anytime. Of course, smaller daily necessities he'd have to buy himself. Anything he didn't like in the villa could be swapped out. All of this could be bought in Jingang Town outside the school. Like at that大叔's (uncle's) "Yuan Gou" supermarket, which had everything—furniture, daily goods, clothes, food, and more. The villa also came with a training room. It had some "fairly standard" training equipment installed. Su Hao was very satisfied. His spirits could train at home too.
"Guno?" Mimicry Dream Butterfly blinked, puffing out its cheeks. Wasn't that wording a bit off? What "enjoy" training, guno~! After helping Water Scale Beast unload its luggage and put it away, Su Hao lounged on the sofa with his legs crossed and picked up the thick freshman handbook. It introduced the entire school's venues and facilities. Whale Island University was huge. Its area rivaled a first-tier city. But the students' daily range wasn't that big. They mainly moved between the dorm area and the teaching area. Other zones were special environments, permanently fixed on this whale-shaped island—truly magical. You might see a scorching volcanic lava zone, then walk a dozen miles and find yourself in a snow-covered icy region... perfectly normal at Whale Island University. Su Hao read through it all.