"Is that it?"
On the way back to the dormitory area, Su Hao still couldn't quite believe it. The opening ceremony was actually this... short!
For a moment, his goodwill toward that vice principal increased just a little.
"Old Su, which mentor are you going to pick?"
Liu Ren said, "Whale Island University has 10 first-tier mentors, 18 second-tier mentors, and 25 third-tier mentors..."
No matter the tier, all were master-level spirit summoners.
Or senior spirit breeders.
The mentor teams at prestigious schools all started at this level.
"Third-tier mentors are usually ordinary masters—spirit summoners with only one or two extraordinary-level spirits.
"Second-tier and first-tier mentors are stronger, with a clear gap in strength..."
And the resources they held were the same.
The strong controlled more resources—who wouldn't want to study under a powerful mentor?
Liu Ren grimaced. "The school has a rule that every mentor must take on at least three students... but that adds up to only 159 people. Some mentors might take one or two more, but definitely not many... and that's excluding mentors who are away on important business."
He did his own rough estimate. "The number of students who can actually be personally taught by a mentor is probably around 180."
And one cohort had 1,100 students.
Liu Ren knew his place, aware that he ranked in the middle to lower end.
"Tomorrow's challenge round basically has nothing to do with us. If we're involved at all, it's just as background, highlighting how outstanding you cheaters are...
"We probably won't catch the mentors' eyes, but you're different. Most mentors will definitely send you invitations, Old Su. You need to think carefully."
Liu Ren lived up to his reputation as an intelligence expert. In just ten days, he'd dug up information on most of the mentors.
"Let me tell you, this mentor Shang Jianyuan is a first-tier mentor. He's got a daughter in our year, looks like a 90-plus. Pick him, and you can... hehehehe."
Big Mouth Liu lowered his voice and let out a laugh that would definitely get [BEEPED].
Then, in a flash, he seriously analyzed another mentor.
"This mentor, Le Hongying, is the only first-tier mentor specializing in illusion magic. She'd be perfect for Butterfly Goddess... but I've heard she might be going through *that* time, and her temper's not great.
"This mentor, Ming Hongda, is also good. He's famously generous, with a lot of businesses under him. Being his student comes with plenty of perks.
"This one... Mentor Bi Ya, isn't suitable."
He glanced left and right, leaned in, and said, "Even though Mentor Bi ranks in the top three among first-tier mentors and might reach king-level, he has no interest in teaching students. He just takes a few to fill the numbers. Being his student is like having no mentor at all."
Finally, Liu Ren added:
"Tomorrow, there might be king-level big shots showing up. Old Su, if a king-level invites you, that's the best—don't hesitate. But you should also think about which other mentor to pick, just in case."
Su Hao nodded.
Liu Ren had put real thought into this.
He didn't have to look into it—after all, the chances of Liu Ren being invited were practically zero.
But this info was genuinely useful to Su Hao.
"If no king-level professor invites me, then I'll choose between Mentor Le and Mentor Ming."
Would any king-level take an interest in him?
Having met three king-levels who all seemed easygoing, Su Hao had some confidence.
But he wasn't too sure.
Who knew what king-level big shots were thinking?
King Zhou, King Xia, and that King Wu didn't seem interested in taking disciples.
But Su Hao figured that the king-levels working at a spirit university would probably be more eager to take on students.
...
The next day.
At 8:30 a.m.
The freshmen had already gathered in front of the 'simulated battlefield.'
The so-called 'simulated battlefield' was a massive combat arena, packed with all kinds of terrain environments.
Around the battlefield were towering walls, with wide platforms built into them.
Su Hao stood on one of these platforms, with a great view overlooking the various terrains inside the simulated battlefield.
There were the most common forest and mountain terrains.
Also water and swamp areas.
Plus stone forests, flowing rivers of lava, watchtowers mounted with heavy machine guns, and more.
Even at the far left and right, he could see a towering white spire.
"The simulated battlefield was originally built for the university league,"
Liu Ren appeared out of nowhere again. "See those two white spires? They represent things that need protecting... The university league emphasizes teamwork—recon, intel analysis, tactical planning... It's complicated."
But today's challenge round wasn't that complex.
Only spirits would be deployed.
Fighting freely.
There was no winning or losing—just showing off your strengths to catch a mentor's eye.
Su Hao looked around.
At this point,
the freshmen could be roughly split into two groups.
One group was the ordinary freshmen, just going through the motions, not caring about standing out—they'd get crushed anyway.
The other group were the competitive contenders.
Their gazes were sharp.
They studied the terrain below and sized up other freshmen.
Su Hao patted the little head of Dream Butterfly. "The fight is yours to command."
After all, today's rule was that only spirits entered the field.
"Gu nuo~!"
It chirped.
Its elite-level pressure had already been suppressed.
But if you looked closely, you could still tell the little one had more presence than when it was at the entry level.
Su Hao then looked at Water Kirin Beast. "Take it easy, don't go too wild."
Water Kirin Beast: "???"
It meant not using the Wave-Riding move, right?
Probably.
It nodded to show it understood.
He wasn't worried about Fire Fluff Crow—it had plenty of combat experience and no real weaknesses.
So Fire Fluff Crow waited over ten seconds, but Su Hao never gave it any tactical instructions.
It slowly tilted its head.
...
After the freshmen arrived, the mentors of Whale Island University also showed up one by one.
They sat casually on the observation deck.
Chatting and laughing, looking down at the still-green freshmen.
Time ticked closer.
On the stands, the competitive freshmen started to get tense.
One by one, their spirits released their pressure.
Pushing the ordinary students and their spirits back in surprise.
"Elite level...
"Elite level...
"Another elite level!"
Strong pressure radiated from the spirits.
Blade Leaf Warrior, Thorn Tortoise, Two-Headed Hound, Thunderclap Winged Dragon...
"Gu nuo~!!"
Su Hao followed the little one's gaze and saw the white-clad boy he'd almost forgotten.
And his Ice Six-Tails.
That Ice Six-Tails was surrounded by a spiritual light aura, and its released pressure was also elite level.
It had broken through too.
It locked eyes with the little one, as if sparks were crackling between them.
Besides the white-clad boy, Su Hao spotted another familiar face.
Feng Liangcai.
The rival he'd faced in the college entrance exam, the summoner of Thunderclap Winged Dragon, with the second-best practical exam score in Tiannan Province after him.
He'd also enrolled at Whale Island University.
Right now, that Thunderclap Winged Dragon was releasing elite-level pressure.
"Right, Thunderclap Winged Dragon was already at entry-level limit during the practical exam. It might have broken through to elite level even earlier than the little one."
Su Hao's gaze swept over the elite-level spirits.
Checking for any threats.
So he could tip off Dream Butterfly and mark them as key targets.
"That one's also elite level, pretending to be entry level."
Probably planning to ambush after entering the field.
Su Hao didn't comment.
Then...
Whoosh~
The clouds in the sky swirled.
A majestic Wind-Chasing Sky Horse descended from the clouds.
A figure sat on its back.
He leaped down and landed on the observation deck.
The surrounding mentors stood up to greet him respectfully.
A king-level!
The freshmen all looked over, eyes burning.
Not long after.
The space on the observation deck twisted, and a man with neatly combed hair appeared.
He hovered in the air, with a Puppet Master behind him.
After a moment, he landed and sat in the front row.
Another king-level!
Boom, boom, boom!
It sounded like the earth was shaking.
A man over two meters tall, in loose white training clothes, with muscles like granite, walked forward step by step.
A simple entrance, yet carrying an indescribable pressure.
On the observation deck, some first-tier mentors watched the king-level professors appear one after another, mouths slightly open, eyes full of surprise.
Why...
What was going on...
All the king-levels on campus had shown up?!