Dormitory Suite

The Freshman Dormitory Building looked rather old. Vines crawled over its gray, dusty walls, giving it a simple, rustic air.

At the entrance stood a lounge chair, where a frail old man in gray cloth robes lay with his eyes closed, basking in the sun as though asleep. His face was covered in wrinkles.

Xue Lingyun approached, lightening his footsteps as he politely asked, "Old Grandpa, is this the Freshman Dormitory?"

The old man's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened them to a slit. His cloudy gaze swept over Xue Lingyun. Though it appeared weak, it made Xue Lingyun feel as if he had been lightly brushed by the warm flame of a candle.

The old man slowly extended a hand.

Understanding, Xue Lingyun handed over the Badge he had just received, which bore his basic information and crystal photograph.

Holding the Badge, the old man squinted at it in the sunlight, then looked up and carefully examined Xue Lingyun. His gaze lingered on Xue Lingyun's face even longer than it had on the Badge before he finally handed it back. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Mm, this is the place. Go in. First floor, on the right."

"Thank you." Xue Lingyun accepted the Badge and nodded politely before entering the Dormitory Building.

As he passed by, he seemed to catch a faint scent on the old man—like old books mixed with sun-warmed wood.

After his figure disappeared into the corridor, the old man on the lounge chair—Mu En, the Dragon God Douluo and Shrek Academy's true stabilizing pillar—had a nearly imperceptible gleam flash through his seemingly cloudy eyes.

"A very polite child..." he murmured, his voice vague as if speaking in a dream. "His blood and vitality are absurdly vigorous, and his foundation is frighteningly solid... There also seems to be a trace of... Dragon's Might? It's faint, but its quality is outrageously high..."

He closed his eyes again, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curve upward ever so slightly. "If those old men in Sea God Pavilion find out, they probably won't be able to sit still... Let's observe him first. No rush."

Xue Lingyun soon found Room 106.

He unlocked the unremarkable dark wooden door with his key, and the sight inside made his brows lift slightly.

Beyond the entrance was a fairly spacious living room, furnished with a comfortable-looking sofa, a coffee table, and even a small bookshelf.

Directly opposite the door was what had originally been the dormitory window. On the left and right walls of the living room, there was an additional door on each side.

He opened the one on the right first.

Inside was a remodeled bathroom and restroom, with spotless white tiles. There was not only a shower but also a fairly large bathtub, and even a small Soul Guide Water Heater installed beside it.

This had clearly been converted from the original Room 107.

Then he opened the door on the left.

It was a bedroom, complete with a bed, desk, chairs, wardrobe, and bright windows.

There was another door on the inner side of the bedroom.

Opening this final door revealed a small Cultivation Room of roughly ten square meters. Its walls and floor had been reinforced, and the Soul Power fluctuations inside were noticeably denser and more stable than outside. This should have originally been Room 104.

Xue Lingyun stepped back out and looked around, a faintly amused smile appearing on his face.

"They knocked through the non-load-bearing walls between Rooms 104 and 107 and remodeled the interior... Room 106 is the living room and main entrance, Room 105 is the bedroom, Room 104 is the Cultivation Room, and Room 107 is the bathroom."

He walked to the "front door" in the living room that led to the outer corridor. It could even be locked from the inside.

The bedroom and Cultivation Room had evidently each retained their original doors leading to the outer corridors of Room 105 and Room 104, though they were locked from within.

"This is... an internally connected suite, yet they deliberately kept the original four exterior doors for the four rooms, plus the three new interior doors created after knocking through the walls?"

He shook his head, gaining a more intuitive understanding of Dean Yan's convoluted approach of "giving him enough special treatment while outwardly following the rules."

"This Dean Yan... is interesting."

He did not care whether his accommodations were luxurious, but this independent, quiet, fully equipped space suited him perfectly.

It was far better than the multi-person dormitory he had imagined.

After setting down his luggage and doing a little tidying, Xue Lingyun sat cross-legged in the center of the small Cultivation Room.

After traveling all day, his Soul Power had long since been adjusted to its optimal state. The barrier to level 35 was now as thin as a cicada's wing.

His consciousness sank into the Primal Heart, and the Heart Source Circulation Technique began to circulate naturally. Pure Soul Power flowed silently toward that final barrier like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The process was so calm it was nearly mundane.

There was no earth-shattering impact. His Soul Power had simply accumulated enough, and his meridians had expanded sufficiently. Under the push of a gentle yet tenacious force, that barrier dissolved without a sound.

Rank 35.

He opened his eyes, divine light shining within them before swiftly withdrawing.

Feeling the river of Soul Power within him grow stronger once more, Xue Lingyun nodded in satisfaction.

Looking outside, he saw that it was already evening. The setting sun had gilded Shrek Academy's buildings with a rim of gold.

"Time to get something to eat and familiarize myself with the Canteen."

He recalled the Black Card that Director Du Weilun had specially sent someone to deliver after he completed the procedures at noon. It was supposedly a "Meal Card" personally approved by the dean, granting free meals at every Canteen in the academy.

It would be a waste not to take advantage of this.

After getting up and straightening his clothes a little, Xue Lingyun pulled open the door, ready to leave.

Just then, a figure staggered past his door.

It was a boy who looked about the same age as him. He was thin, with messy short blue hair. His coarse cloth clothes were smeared with dust, and there seemed to be a bruise at the corner of his mouth. His expression carried a touch of fatigue and the lingering frustration of someone who had just argued with another person.

Hearing the door open, the boy instinctively turned to glance over.

Their eyes met.

The boy was first bewildered. Then his eyes slowly widened, as if he had seen something unbelievable. His lips moved, and a form of address filled with enormous uncertainty and faint delight floated out tentatively and softly:

"Ling... Bro Lingyun?"

Xue Lingyun also saw his face clearly. Though he had grown considerably from the small, silent child in his memories, those distinctive deep-blue eyes, now filled with shock, and the familiar outline of his features...

"Yuhao?"