Time gradually passed.
Outside, the sun slowly sank in the west. It shone even more brilliantly at dusk, dazzling the eyes and captivating the mind.
Inside a high-rise building with a distinctly futuristic design, two elderly men stood looking down at the scenery and beauty of the entire Canglan Academy.
Cang Lao's expression was somewhat stiff as he said calmly, "The matter at the Strange Pavilion can't be put off any longer. The Imperial Capital Academy has already sent its strongest batch of graduates to the border."
"Should Canglan also...?"
Before he could finish, the elderly man beside him murmured, "Canglan Academy is no longer capable of supporting the Strange Pavilion. The gap in strength has grown far too wide. This is no longer a matter of comparing ourselves with the Imperial Capital Academy. Even if we sent these juniors to that deadly battlefield, it would only result in more casualties."
"But..."
Elder Cang frowned deeply. He naturally knew Canglan's current situation and understood the state its students were in. They no longer had the heart to go to that deadly war, all because that one desperate battle had completely crushed Canglan's fighting spirit.
He could only sigh slowly and fall silent. The times had changed, and Canglan had kept its place among the other academies entirely because of its past honors.
At that moment, the elderly man beside him spoke. "How did today's entrance ceremony go? How many students held out?"
Cang Lao hesitated for a few seconds.
"Today, only about a hundred people broke through the first layer of the illusion, and only five made it through the second. The remaining 960 all fell completely unconscious. They should still be lying on the ground seeing stars."
The elderly man frowned, his expression seeming to change. He sighed and said, "Each year is worse than the last. Last year, ten people broke through the second realm, but this year there were only five. Heaven means to bring the curtain down on Canglan."
Cang Lao, however, smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "There may only be five this year, but they have good potential. That old Sword Elder has sent his precious grandson here."
"Elder Gu also arranged for Yu Qingnian to come over. Perhaps we still have hope this year."
But the elderly man seemed to have heard an unbelievable name. He said in shock, "Yu Qingnian? Wasn't that fellow at the Strange Pavilion before? Then he suddenly disappeared without a trace these past few years. Why would he suddenly be transferred here?"
Cang Lao could only shake his head. He naturally didn't know what Gu Xingyun was thinking either, but this was a good thing.
After a moment of silence...
The elderly man frowned deeply, seemingly undecided. But in the end, he relented and slowly said, "Change the rules for this assessment. Instead of using the old method, use a one-by-one allocation system to put all the talented students from this entrance ceremony into one class, and have Yu Qingnian manage it."
"After all these years, it's time we made some changes. The elimination system will also be reinstated."
Cang Lao had no objections. Perhaps this was Canglan Academy's struggle. The Imperial Capital Academy and Canglan Academy were not the only two academies in the country; quite a few lower-ranked Sequencer academies were eyeing those two thrones hungrily.
"Sigh... Perhaps we should have changed the academy's atmosphere long ago."
At Canglan Academy, Li Chen and his two companions had long since left their belongings in the dormitory.
It had to be said that there were still quite a few people around the academy at night, though most of them were heading in the same direction.
It was a very old tower called the "Star-Moon Tower."
Li Chen and the other two followed the crowd there.
Su Zhe narrowed his small eyes to slits as he surveyed the area, seemingly searching for somewhere to eat. He said quietly, "Chen-ge, how about we get something to eat first? That entrance ceremony this afternoon left me feeling drained."
Li Chen ignored Su Baozi's words and merely frowned as he looked at the entrance to the Star-Moon Tower, where quite a few students had gathered.
They had naturally followed the crowd here because they had something to do. Otherwise, who wouldn't want to lie comfortably in bed and rest for a while after a long, tiring day of enrollment?
Jianping was no longer as socially anxious as he had been when he first met Li Chen and Su Zhe. Now that they were familiar with one another, they seemed to talk more.
Li Chen looked at the Star-Moon Tower and said, "According to the instructions on our Student Badges, we need to come here to confirm our classes. Lessons start tomorrow."
Su Zhe's face was full of bitterness. He naturally didn't want to study; most of the time, lying in bed was much more comfortable.
"Chen-ge, how long have we even been here? Shouldn't there be some kind of adjustment period?"
"We only just got here today, and we already have to start studying? I'm not ready. I haven't even gotten acquainted with my bed yet."
At that moment, Jianping said quietly, "I think starting classes tomorrow is good. At least it'll help us adjust as soon as possible."
Li Chen nodded slightly. He wasn't one to sit idle either. Although he sometimes felt lost, he was still quite willing to improve his strength.
"There's something wrong with you two..." Su Zhe muttered.
The three were stunned as soon as they entered the Star-Moon Tower.
From the outside, the Star-Moon Tower looked like an old building, but inside it was like a world of the future, with projection devices everywhere and white robots moving about.
Quite a few robots were even explaining things to the students.
Li Chen and the others soon found the place to choose their classes. A white robot was there, struggling to handle a huge pile of documents in front of it. It didn't even notice their arrival.
It wasn't until Su Zhe coughed that the robot slowly raised its head.
For a moment, Su Zhe didn't know how to address the robot. He couldn't just call it "robot," could he?
"Um... handsome robot, how do we choose our classes?!"
At the word "handsome," the robot's eyes seemed to fill instantly with white light, giving Su Zhe a fright. He thought he had said something wrong.
But then the robot suddenly returned to normal, and a gentle voice rang out, impossible to identify as male or female.
"Student Su Zhe, your class has already been chosen. You do not need to choose again. If you wish to make a change, you must report it to the tower master."
"Already chosen?" Su Zhe was a little bewildered. Had his dad done it? Chosen a class for him in advance?
At that moment, Jianping asked, "What about me?"
The robot replied, "Student Jianping, your class has also been chosen, as has student Li Chen's beside you. You have been assigned to the Canglan Special Class."
Then it fell silent, staring blankly at the three of them.
"Special class?" Li Chen was a little bewildered.
Seemingly noticing Li Chen's confusion, the robot's eyes flashed with a faint light.
A projection floated out of the sphere in the center of its body.
Su Zhe's mouth fell slightly open. "High tech!"