Chapter Thirteen: So I Was This Ignorant

They ate lunch at a small restaurant on campus, where everyone got to know each other better. They then ranked themselves by age. Hu Zhiming, being the oldest by month, happily took the eldest position. Li Yong was second, Ma Guojie third, and although Zhang Hupan was a full hundred years old, he could only be fourth according to the date on his ID. Zhang Zhipeng and Chen Youmi followed. After lunch, they strolled around campus and went boating on Huajia Pond. Afterward, they went to the academic affairs office to pick up their textbooks and buy some daily necessities like pots and pans. They tidied up their dorm room, preparing for classes the day after tomorrow. Everything went normally during this time, except that after receiving his textbooks, Zhang Hupan stared blankly for a long time after flipping through a few pages. It wasn't surprising, though; growing up in the deep mountains, how could Zhang Hupan understand profound knowledge like chemical symbols, English letters, and advanced mathematics?

The next day, as per tradition, the school leaders gave speeches to all the new students in the auditorium. The speeches were so boring that even Zhang Hupan, a master of meditation, felt like he was about to explode with frustration. One could only imagine how the new students felt being subjected to the school leaders' droning on their first day! In the afternoon, the head teacher and counselors led them on a tour of the campus and had them introduce themselves to each other. Zhang Hupan, with his ordinary appearance and unfashionable clothes, didn't leave a deep impression. The only impression he left was that this guy was a country bumpkin! There were thirty students in the class. Since it was a science class, there weren't many girls, only eight. Among the girls, there were neither beauties like Diao Chan nor super-ugly ones; they were just average. However, Zhang Hupan noticed that all the boys were quite satisfied with the situation. Legend had it that the previous two years' classes had only two girls, and both were considered ugly. Now that Zhang Hupan's class had these eight decent girls, the boys were already thanking their lucky stars.

After a day of activities, everyone received their class schedules. Since tomorrow was the first day of classes, the roommates were very diligent and proactive in organizing their textbooks for the next day. Li Yong and Ma Guojie even did some previewing. Tomorrow, they only had classes in the morning: Advanced Mathematics and Inorganic Chemistry. Zhang Hupan also wanted to preview these two subjects, but no matter how hard he tried to understand them, he couldn't grasp a single meaning. He had no choice but to put the books away and make plans after attending the classes tomorrow.

The morning passed quickly. Poor Zhang Hupan sat blankly in class for a long time, craning his neck to listen, but he didn't understand a single word. Zhang Hupan was naturally intelligent and never one to admit defeat. He gritted his teeth, thinking, "How can I, a celestial being in the eyes of the world, not even be able to learn these things that common people can?" When all the students went off in groups to have fun in the afternoon, Zhang Hupan went to the library alone, intending to find some basic books. Unfortunately, Zhang Hupan's foundation was too basic, and after searching for a long time, he couldn't find any books he could understand. So, Zhang Hupan went to Xinhua Bookstore again. There, he finally found some elementary and middle school books, where he finally discovered the origin of those strange symbols. Zhang Hupan became completely immersed in the ocean of knowledge. Everyone looked at the young man dressed in very unfashionable clothes with strange eyes as he concentrated on reading elementary and middle school textbooks. They couldn't comprehend how an adult could be so engrossed in reading primary school books! At this moment, Zhang Hupan was completely unaware that he had become a spectacle in the eyes of others. He was already deeply shaken by another civilization created and discovered by humans. Perhaps Zhang Hupan used to believe that only the Heavenly Dao and immortal techniques were the true principles of the world, but now, the knowledge in the books had completely overturned his previous thoughts. It turned out that the other civilization created and discovered by humans was so profound and interesting. Even a glimpse of its surface revealed such marvels. If he could fully learn this system of civilization, it would undoubtedly be very meaningful and might even greatly benefit his cultivation.

Thus, Zhang Hupan spent the entire afternoon collecting basic books and then spent nearly 500 yuan to buy them all. Holding dozens of books, he left the bookstore and found an inconspicuous place to stash them in his Universe Ring. Afterward, Zhang Hupan went to an electronics store and bought a portable music player to learn English. Throughout the afternoon, besides mathematics and natural sciences, the books Zhang Hupan bought were mainly English books and tapes, as he had no knowledge in these areas.

Returning to the dorm, he greeted Fatty and the others, saying he was going to the classroom to study, and then disappeared in a flash. Hu Zhiming and the others were left staring dumbfounded at Zhang Hupan's retreating back. They all cursed in unison, "Damn it! Is there really someone this hardworking in the world!"

"Come on, let's ignore that old fogey and keep playing cards!" Hu Zhiming shouted, and they all huddled together again, playing Hong Wu.

Since it was the beginning of the semester, most classrooms were empty. Zhang Hupan randomly found a classroom, sat in a corner, and started reading "Foundational Natural Science" with great interest. After all, he was a Nascent Soul Stage master, with excellent memory and comprehension. Even though he had never encountered these concepts before, Zhang Hupan quickly grasped some basic knowledge of natural science, such as universal gravitation and the periodic table of elements, in just one evening study session. As for complex structures and organic compounds, they might require more time to understand.

The dormitory building regulations stipulated lights out at eleven o'clock. Zhang Hupan returned to the dorm building close to eleven. The lights in the dorm building were already off, with only the hallway lights still on. Many students, wearing only shorts, had towels slung over their shoulders and were carrying basins and cups, bustling back and forth in the hallway. Occasionally, shouts of "wolf howls" could be heard from the bathrooms! From a distance of room 203, he could hear Hu Zhiming and the others talking about romance and laughing lewdly.

"I'm back!" Zhang Hupan said politely as he pushed the door open.

"Go away!" Everyone looked at Zhang Hupan as if he were an idiot, then turned their gazes back to the upper bunk by the window, which was Hu Zhiming's bed.

"Boss, are you sure the person teaching us English tomorrow is a genuine Scottish cow?" Chen Youmi asked incredulously.

"Why would that be fake? I heard that students from the School of Economics and Trade will also be attending class with us tomorrow!" Hu Zhiming dropped another bombshell.

"Boss, are you really sure?" Chen Youmi asked, his voice almost trembling. (To be continued)