The line looked long, but at least half of it consisted of parents accompanying their children to register.
Many of the parents were chatting among themselves.
Being able to enter Seven Dragons Academy proved that a child had decent aptitude. They might even achieve a Lesser Thousand World. Thus, some parents who looked perfectly ordinary had people of clearly impressive backgrounds beside them chatting with them amiably.
Several parents at the end of the line were busy ingratiating themselves with one another. When they saw Zhang Zhi walking over alone, they were all somewhat surprised.
One of them asked, "Child, are you here to register? Where are the adults in your family?"
Zhang Zhi smiled at her harmlessly. "Yes, I'm here to register too. I came alone."
"Alone? Where are you from? How could your elders be at ease letting you come here by yourself?"
"I'm from Yizhou. I grew up in an orphanage, so I don't know whether I have any elders left."
"Still, I think the elders in your family must already be turning in their graves."
Zhang Zhi's words left the people beside him, who had been watching him, momentarily stunned.
Especially the woman who had just questioned him. Several emotions—guilt, sympathy, and pity—immediately appeared in her eyes.
"Ah, I'm sorry. That was my fault. I shouldn't have asked."
"But you're really amazing, child. You managed to get into Seven Dragons Academy without relying on anyone!"
The people around him also began asking questions all at once. "Where is Yizhou? I don't think I've heard of it. It must be very far from Seven Dragons, right?"
"How did you get here, child? It couldn't have been easy making the journey."
"You've really had it hard, child. How old are you? You look so sensible—not like my one."
Zhang Zhi continued wearing his harmless expression. "Yizhou is a city under Qingshan Dao. It isn't very famous, so it's normal that you uncles and aunts haven't heard of it."
"It wasn't hard. I came in a sleeper car. The bed was much better than the ones at the orphanage, and there was even a place to bathe in the carriage. It did take a little while, though—about four days and four nights."
Listening to this red-lipped, fair-toothed, neither servile nor overbearing young man speak of what he considered ordinary matters—matters that actually stirred pity in the hearts of every parent present—even several Realm Lords who had seen life and death countless times and whose hearts were hard as iron felt a ripple in their hearts.
In stark contrast to the utter indifference earlier, the overflowing concern of the parents now led them to help him fill in every gap.
"Child, did you bring your Signing Agreement? The school won't let you register without that thing."
"There are quite a few Inspirational Scholarships at Seven Dragons Academy. Did the Teacher who signed you up help you apply? If not, you can apply directly at the registration office by the school gate later. If you don't understand something, come straight to me."
Zhang Zhi revealed an innocent smile. "Thank you, uncles and aunts!"
This was a skill he had learned only after transmigrating to this world. Relying on his outstanding looks and his ability to casually say a few things that adults could empathize with, he had avoided most people's harassment and ultimately succeeded in entering a primary school.
Showing others his harmless side and winning their sympathy had become his instinctive behavior whenever he entered an unfamiliar environment over the years.
From the conversation between Li Qianjun and the Principal that day, he had realized that his Black Token was probably related to a Special Enrollment Quota and was different from ordinary contracts. If he took it out now, it would seem far too showy.
Thus, he grabbed the parent who seemed to know more about the Inspirational Scholarship and kept asking him how to apply for it.
With Zhang Zhi joking and dodging the issue, no one mentioned the Signing Agreement again. Even those who saw through what he was doing merely thought that the child was admirably alert. No wonder someone raised in an orphanage had managed to enter Seven Dragons Academy.
The line advanced quite quickly.
An hour later, after waving goodbye to the uncle in front of him, he faintly heard a crisp voice softly say, "Brown-noser."
Zhang Zhi was already used to it. After all, currying favor with adults would naturally earn the hostility of their children.
He entered the school gate and followed the number he had received to the corresponding registration point.
The person sitting in the middle was writing something with his head lowered. After the assistant beside him glanced at Zhang Zhi, he said, "Which academy signed you? Bring out your Signing Agreement."
Zhang Zhi took the Black Token from his backpack. "I don't know which academy signed me, either. But I'm following the Human World Path. I should be going to either the Human Academy or the Immortal Cultivation Academy."
"You don't know which academy signed you, so how did you—?" The person who had been writing with his head lowered raised it impatiently when he heard Zhang Zhi.
He had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he saw the token in Zhang Zhi's hand and forcibly swallowed the rest.
He squeezed out a smile. "Er, this student, what's your name? Who gave you this token?"
Zhang Zhi seemed not to notice his earlier attitude. His expression remained calm. "The person who gave me the token was Li Qianjun. He said that after I arrived at the school, I should give it to the person at the registration point and have them take me to see him."
The man came out from behind the table and took Zhang Zhi by the hand. "Ah, so this is the token issued by Your Excellency Li Qianjun."
"Come, I'll take you to see Your Excellency Li Qianjun right now."
Although he had already made some guesses, Zhang Zhi still felt somewhat dazed when he heard this person address Li Qianjun as Your Excellency.
Your Excellency was an honorific title for a Thousand World Master.
After a Small World rose through a Large Small World to become a Lesser Thousand World, it could no longer be called a Small World. It had become a Thousand World.
"Thousand" meant "many." Literally, a Thousand World meant that the laws within the world were counted in thousands, indicating that it had become a world with fully developed laws.
"This student, I still haven't had the honor of learning your full name!"
"You're too polite. I'm Zhang Zhi. May I ask your surname, Teacher?"
"So you're Student Zhang. My surname is Li, and my name is Li Fan."
"Teacher Li, nice to meet you. I'll be counting on you to look after me in the future."
"'Look after you' is too generous. I'm just a gofer from the Academic Affairs Office. I'll have more dealings with you students than most. Let's help each other out in the future."
Teacher Li summoned a huge immortal crane. "Aside from the various Excellencies, only these bird creatures are allowed to fly within the school."
"The residence of Your Excellency Li Qianjun is somewhat far from the school gate. We'll have to fly there."
Seven Dragons Academy was enormous—far beyond Zhang Zhi's imagination.
While they were in the air, Li Fan pointed out the school's main areas one by one. "See that tall tower? That's the Trial Tower."
"That vast area is the school's Simulation Battlefield."
"The buildings on the far left are the Student Dormitories."
"That's the Human Academy's Academic Building. The one farther away belongs to the beastmen. That area filled with undulating palaces is the Divine Path Academy, and there's also..."
After flying through the air for nearly half an hour, the immortal crane landed outside a building.
Li Fan spoke to Zhang Zhi, who had jumped down after him. "This is the residence of Your Excellency Li Qianjun."
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