Liu Ren and the others took out their admission letters and presented them to the gate-guarding elephant generals for inspection.
Both gate guardians had mastered unique verification techniques; a single glance was enough to confirm the letters were genuine.
The long trunk of the elephant swung, signaling they could enter.
By then, the few fully automated school buses at the entrance had vanished. New students, dragging luggage or carrying bags slung over their elven companions, followed the signposts toward the Student Affairs Office.
Guidance from senior students? Nonexistent.
Unless it was a freshman girl with looks rated 85 or above, or a handsome junior who could make senior girls turn their heads repeatedly...
To be fair, Su Hao's group met all those criteria.
Gu Lingyao, aside from being directionally challenged and a bit forgetful—often needing her elf to take care of her in return—had looks that were undeniable.
As for the three guys...
Liu Ren and Li Songting dragged the team down, but Su Hao was the standout in looks, capable of carrying both teammates on his own. He was often so handsome that people overlooked his talent.
The only issue was that he was mistaken for a returning student.
Since all three freshmen already had a senior guiding them, no other upperclassmen bothered to approach.
"Where's the Butterfly God?" Liu Ren asked. "Haven't seen any sign of them in the group chat for days."
The Dream Butterfly was a master chatter in the group, having held the title of "Dragon King" for several days straight in the "Four Little Kings" chat.
Even Big Mouth Liu had been outdone.
Its sudden disappearance left Liu Ren feeling a bit off.
"The Dream Butterfly..." Su Hao shook his head with a wry smile.
A few days ago, the little guy had just broken through to the Elite level, with all its attributes skyrocketing. While using telekinesis to play on its phone, it accidentally applied too much force. With a crack, several lines appeared on the screen.
The phone wasn't broken.
But it dared not touch it again.
The leap from Beginner to Elite was a comprehensive upgrade, and a spiritual energy vortex formed inside the elf.
In the first few days after crossing into Elite, the body was nourished by the vortex, with noticeable improvements in all attributes every day.
It was a period of rapid growth.
But the little guy's control over spiritual energy had become shaky. It had already broken two spiritual energy crystal balls, and Su Hao had ordered a high-end one that hadn't arrived yet.
Right now, the little guy was in the villa's training room, trying to adapt.
"As expected of the Butterfly God..." Liu Ren turned to the Lava Turtle. "When will you be even a fifth—no, a tenth as strong as the Butterfly God?"
The Lava Turtle turned its head, sparks flying from its nose.
As if to say, "Got a problem with that?"
Liu Ren: N-no.
Walking from the school gate to the Student Affairs Office took a bit of time.
Su Hao had Liu Ren and the others ride their elves.
Liu Ren's Azure Water Frog had evolved into a Giant Tide Frog, similar in size to the Lava Turtle and faster for travel.
Gu Lingyao's Spring Spirit summoned a wave of water, and along with her other elf, the Overflow Snail, used the current to carry her along.
Li Songting...
His Ascetic Dog wasn't big enough.
But he had another elf that had recently entered the Beginner level—a Boxing Kangaroo, evolved from a Baby Kangaroo.
It was said to be an imported elf from the Australian region, quite rare in Dragon Country.
The Boxing Kangaroo was about the size of a regular kangaroo, so riding one was no problem.
But...
"Are you sure you want to run on your own?"
Li Songting grinned, showing his teeth. "Of course!"
Su Hao: "Alright, then."
...
Su Hao rode the Water Qilin, keeping it at a steady jog all the way to the Student Affairs Office.
The two elves controlling the water current for Gu Lingyao were nearly drained of spiritual energy.
Liu Ren slid off the Giant Tide Frog, his face pale.
Li Songting, on the other hand, was just sweating and slightly out of breath.
Impressive!
...
Thanks to their speed, there weren't many people in line at the Student Affairs Office.
Soon, Liu Ren and the others received their student cards and spirit-summoning bracelets, and chose their dormitories.
"Old Su, both buildings near yours were already taken. So frustrating!" Liu Ren was dying to know who had snatched up the chance to be near the top-tier teammate.
But there was no helping it. Guanhu Yuan was indeed the best residential area. From Su Hao's villa, pulling back the curtains in the morning revealed a shimmering lake... Those with good taste had already picked their spots.
Only Li Songting didn't choose Guanhu Yuan, opting instead for a complex near the mountains.
In his words, running a few laps on the mountain paths in the morning was perfect.
After that,
Su Hao introduced them to some school facilities.
He couldn't take them on a tour—too far, a waste of time—so he pulled out a map and pointed out various training grounds, explaining as he went.
Liu Ren and the others listened while using their spirit-summoning bracelets to check what items could be exchanged for credits.
"Damn, a secondary attribute core costs 300 credits! A full attribute core is 1500 credits, and it's limited purchase!"
"Lava cores range from 100 to 250 credits depending on quality, but they can only be exchanged with credits, not Dragon Country currency! I'd pay five times the price if I could!"
If he could buy them with money, Liu Ren wouldn't complain about the cost.
No matter how much he wailed, it wouldn't change the fact that he was broke.
Su Hao was broke too.
He had less than 20 credits left.
He could take on tasks now, but as the Student Affairs Office teacher had said, first-year students had limited options.
For example, tasks involving hunting down dangerous fugitives were off-limits for now.
There were prerequisites.
"The best chance to earn credits is still in the challenge rounds."
"I'll have to be frugal with credits in the coming days."
Fortunately, aside from paying for training ground tickets, Su Hao didn't need credits for much else.
Common nutritional items like jade powder were available at the Green Shade Supermarket in Jinggang Town outside the school, and could also be ordered for delivery to the dormitory by messenger birds.
...
From August 15th to 25th, new students completed their enrollment procedures.
On the 26th, the opening ceremony was held.
School auditorium.
Su Hao's cohort, totaling 1,100 freshmen, sat in the large hall, looking somewhat sparse.
Since there were no formal classes and most people didn't know each other, seating was random.
The school administration didn't mind.
The school wasn't big on superficial rules.
It cared more about students' strength and character.
Su Hao looked ahead. The speaker on stage was an executive vice principal, not a天王-level figure.
The school's eight天王-level professors, aside from occasionally teaching classes, mostly kept to themselves.
The principal, a冠位御灵使, was rarely seen—going a year or two without spotting them on campus was normal.
On stage, the vice principal introduced the school's history and achievements before pausing:
"...I'll keep it brief, focusing on three points.
"First, the university is a cradle for your development. I hope every one of you becomes a capable and responsible御灵 master. The school can provide plenty of resources.
"But... not for free. Aside from the 100 credits given upon enrollment, if you want more credits, it depends on your performance! Your contributions! No pain, no gain!
"Second, aside from a few mandatory courses you must attend, other classes are yours to choose... But the精灵 University has never been a place of comfort. Once you're here, you're no longer a prodigy—just an ordinary student.
"Fail the end-of-semester exams, and you lose credits! Fail three times in total, and you can pack your things and leave... The university doesn't support slackers!
"Third, and this is something many of you care about—mentor selection!
"Every mentor has limited time and energy. If you want to receive a mentor's invitation, you need to show your excellence.
"Tomorrow, there will be a challenge round in the simulated battlefield. You can challenge fellow freshmen, take on multiple classmates alone, or... challenge your seniors.
"The choice is yours.
"I'm done. Now, let the mentors introduce themselves briefly, and then we'll adjourn."
The mentors' introductions were short, each just a sentence or two. Within an hour, the opening ceremony was over.