School Starts

It had to be said that shopping on the Star Brain was incredibly convenient. Less than half an hour after Zhou Yi placed her order, someone knocked on her dormitory door.

"Hello, junior. Here's what you ordered."

A boy who looked about Zhou Yi's age stood outside. When he saw her open the door, he shoved a large bag of things into her hands.

"My name's Qiao Dong, third-year student. Let's add each other's contact info. You're new here and unfamiliar with the place, so call me anytime if you need something. Friendly rates, of course."

Qiao Dong raised his Star Brain and grinned.

Zhou Yi did not refuse and added Qiao Dong's contact information.

At a school like Huadun, most students would still have to find work and make a living after graduation. Very few could enter the military and serve the Alliance.

Some students who had a clear understanding of their own strength and were clever enough simply started all kinds of businesses while still in school, earning a few Star Coins.

People like Qiao Dong had plenty of connections at school and got along well with everyone. Zhou Yi might really need his help someday.

After closing the door, Zhou Yi hugged the huge bag of supplies and began a thorough cleaning.

First, the bathroom needed to be cleaned from top to bottom.

The bedroom floor and walls needed cleaning as well, and the few pieces of furniture had to be wiped down properly. Finally, she spread the newly bought fiber mattress over the hard plank bed, laid out the bedsheets and compressed quilt she had brought from home, then sorted and arranged her basic necessities. At last, everything was done.

After finishing the cleaning, Zhou Yi collapsed onto the bed, too exhausted to move.

She had arrived early, and there were still several days before school started. What should she do in the meantime? Should she take a look around D72 Star Block?

D72 Star Block was connected to D71 Star Block, so there probably was not much to see. It was likely just another barren stretch of land.

Thinking of how her home would soon dissolve into the universe, and how Zhou Jiang and Tang Zhen would soon be displaced, Zhou Yi felt a surge of agitation.

When she had called them after arriving at school to let them know she was safe, they had even told her not to be too stingy and to take good care of herself.

If she had not overheard what they said that day, she might really have believed her parents had found some good solution.

Money. She needed to make money. That was her most urgent priority.

But although her star pattern already had three star points, she did not even have a mecha in her hands. What could she use to make money?

Lying around and wasting time only made her feel more guilty, so Zhou Yi simply began circulating the Star Gathering Technique.

But the moment she activated the Star Gathering Technique, Zhou Yi sensed that something was wrong.

Why did the star force within her Chakra seem to be circulating so much more joyfully?

That had never happened back on D71 Star Block.

Could it be that after leaving home, even the energy in her body had become excited?

No, that was not right. Why had there been nothing unusual when she was on the spaceship before?

Zhou Yi could not figure out what was going on, but faster circulation of star force was ultimately a good thing.

She simply sat up, found a comfortable posture, and began cultivating seriously.

When Zhou Yi cultivated on D71 Star Block in the past, she would always find an open, quiet place late at night.

But here in Huadun, even staying casually in her own room seemed to let her sense more energy than before.

And it was not just that. The moment Zhou Yi activated the Star Gathering Art, that energy seemed to gain a consciousness of its own.

She did not know if it was merely her imagination, but she felt as though the invisible energy had suddenly gathered around her, as if it had found a long-lost friend.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

As Zhou Yi rapidly accelerated the energy circulating within her Chakra, her mind continued to race.

How could her energy perception suddenly become so strong? What had affected her? Was it D72 Star Block?

Or Huadun?

No, she had to go out tomorrow and investigate this properly.

The strange sense that this energy was close to her lingered in her mind, but she did not delay her absorption in the slightest.

What a joke. At this cultivation speed, she was progressing ten times faster than usual. Anyone who wasted that would be a complete idiot.

With so much on her mind, Zhou Yi had already been too weighed down to sleep. Now that she had found this opportunity, she simply decided not to sleep at all and cultivated until dawn.

For the first three months after a person awakened, the body needed time to adapt to energy for the first time, so their physical strength and mental state would both be exceptionally good.

But Zhou Yi clearly had not rested at all since awakening, and her body's protective period had long since passed.

After cultivating through the night while sitting on the bed in her new room, the dark circles beneath her eyes were so severe that she resembled a kind of extinct Earth creature she had seen in a textbook.

Her body was exhausted, but her mind was incomparably clear. Feeling the increased energy within her Chakra, Zhou Yi was immensely satisfied.

Zhou Yi had always known that she was different from the children from the higher Star Blocks. After awakening, they immediately received the best beginner instruction and guidance.

If she wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the future, she would have to work harder and walk farther.

She had no shortcut, so she would carve out a path with her own two feet.

Diligence could make up for inadequacy, and besides, she was not a foolish person.

Zhou Yi touched her neck. It was the most vulnerable part of the human body, and also the symbol of her identity.

After changing clothes, washing her face, and downing two tubes of Nutrient Solution in one go, Zhou Yi immediately felt refreshed.

She pulled open the curtains and let the sunlight fall across her face.

Looking at the artificial light sphere above D72 Star Block, Zhou Yi could not help feeling filled with hope.

Perhaps when someone possessed a powerful conviction in their heart, they did not notice exhaustion at all.

Although school had not yet started, Zhou Yi had plenty planned for the day.

With nothing better to do, Zhou Yi called Tang Zhen again and casually tried to find out whether there had been anything unusual about Huadun when they had attended it.

"Something unusual? The most unusual thing would have to be that little pond behind the training ground. Swimming there in summer was so refreshing, except..."

Zhou Yi listened for ages without hearing a single useful piece of information. Instead, she got to relive another round of her parents' sweet romantic moments.

She finally understood completely. During the three years Zhou Jiang and Tang Zhen had spent at Huadun, they had done nothing but eat, drink, and have fun. They had not put any thought into cultivation at all. No wonder the Zhou family lived so poorly...

After finally ending the call, Zhou Yi opened her Star Brain and began looking up information about Huadun.

From its founding history to its century of development, its famous alumni and major events, she read through everything carefully.

Ever since receiving her admission notice, Zhou Yi had been granted access to Huadun's official website.

But based on what she had heard from her parents, she had not been particularly curious about Huadun at the time. Other than looking forward to the mecha she would receive, she had not cared about much else.

But the unusual energy perception from last night made Zhou Yi feel that this place was not as simple as it seemed.