Dilia

The two of them arrived at the dormitory and met Yale, who would become their big brother in the years to come. Just as the original novel had described, Yale was tinkering with some exercise equipment.

The moment he saw Lin Feng and Reynolds, Yale's eyes lit up, and he ran over excitedly. "Haha, you must be my roommates! I've been waiting ages, and I'm the only one here so far. Let me introduce myself. I'm Yale, more or less from the Holy Union."

"What do you mean, 'more or less from the Holy Union'?" Reynolds said with a pout. "I'm Reynolds, from the O'Brien Empire."

"I'm Lin Feng, from the Fenlai Kingdom in the Holy Union," Lin Feng said with a smile.

"Ah, Reynolds, Lin Feng, it's so great to meet you!" Yale turned and shouted at his servant, "Hey, put those exercise tools over there."

"Exercise tools?" Reynolds blinked his big eyes at Yale. "What do you use those for? Are you going to be a warrior?"

Yale wrinkled his nose and grinned. "We may be noble mages, but we still need to build good physiques. Otherwise, how are we supposed to attract pretty girls? There are lots of beautiful girls among the mages, you know. Especially at Ernst Institute. The girls here aren't just pretty; they've got class, too. It'd be such a boast to tell people I had a girlfriend from Ernst Institute."

"Uh..." Reynolds was speechless.

Lin Feng, however, found it amusing. A ten-year-old kid was talking about girlfriends, and it struck the transmigrator as strange. But he knew this was the world of Coiling Dragon, not Earth. There was no such thing as being an adult or a minor here. If you had what it took, you could get married at three, and no one would think much of it.

After Reynolds and Lin Feng told Yale their ages, Yale's eyes lit up. "Me? I'm ten this year. Haha, but I'm not that young. My older brother had ** when he was twelve, so I've got to start preparing early, too."

"What does ** mean?" The innocent young Reynolds asked a very foolish question, but Lin Feng didn't make the same mistake as he had in the original novel. As if! Lin Feng was a college graduate, after all. Even though he'd never had a girlfriend and had still been a virgin before he transmigrated, his understanding of ** was beyond anything a person from this world could imagine.

After the three chatted for a while, George, the second of the 1987 dormitory's four brothers, arrived. Seeing George, Lin Feng couldn't help laughing. Just as the book had said, ten-year-old George was indeed about the same height as eight-year-old Reynolds—nearly half a head shorter than Lin Feng.

After only a little conversation, the four brothers had already grown much closer.

The four brothers from Dormitory 1987, along with Beibei the God-Eater Rat, explored the academy thoroughly and got a general idea of the place. That evening, the four of them feasted at a luxurious hotel not far from the dormitories, though they drank nothing but fruit juice.

The next day, February 9, was the official start of the school year.

There were no classes that day. Classes would begin on February 10. February 9 was simply set aside for the students to listen to a few words of encouragement from the academy's leaders. The hundred children, ranging in age from six to twelve, sat in a classroom that could hold several hundred. They didn't know who the academy leaders speaking at the front were, and one by one, they dozed off. When the opening ceremony ended, they all left happily.

At Ernst Institute, classes were held for the first twenty-eight days of each month. Only the last two days were free.

Earth Element classes ran from eight to ten in the morning, Fire Element classes from ten thirty to twelve thirty, Water Element classes from two to four in the afternoon, Wind Element classes from four thirty to six thirty, Lightning Element classes from seven to nine at night, and Light Element classes from nine thirty until eleven thirty. Since Ernst Institute belonged to the Radiant Church, it didn't offer classes in Darkness Element magic.

Most students had an affinity for only one element, so they needed to attend class for just two hours a day. Besides, attending was optional. No one forced you to go if you didn't want to.

At eight in the morning on February 10, Lin Feng arrived at the first-year Earth Element classroom.

After the instructor and students introduced themselves, Lin Feng began his first class at Ernst Institute. But by the end of the lesson, he'd decided never to attend Earth Element class again. The Earth Element instructor was reasonably skilled, but he couldn't compare with Doehring Cowart. Their understanding of Earth Element magic wasn't even in the same league. Lin Feng was already a level-five mage, and listening to a first-year instructor explain basic magic concepts felt like torture. It was like making a college student attend kindergarten with a bunch of little kids. You couldn't understand how it felt unless you experienced it yourself.

Lin Feng attended the upcoming Fire Element and Water Element classes, too, but he found they were much the same as Earth Element. The only difference was the element involved. He could understand the basic principles of magic through the atomic theory he'd studied in college, and his understanding was more detailed and thorough than the instructor's explanations.

So Lin Feng decided once again that he'd only drop in on the Water Element and Fire Element classes now and then. There was no need to attend every lesson.

Lin Feng went to the upcoming Wind Element class early. He was a little excited. In the original Coiling Dragon novel, Lin Feng's destined wife was about to appear, and she might become his own wife in the future. The thought sent a warm rush through him. In his previous life, he'd done nothing but study, and spent his free time reading web novels. He'd never had the time to date a girl. But in this life, in the world of Coiling Dragon, he wouldn't be foolish enough to devote himself entirely to cultivation and become a brute with no appreciation for romance.

"Hello, everyone." A handsome young man with blond hair smiled. "I'm Trey, a sixth-year student. I'll be teaching your Wind Element magic from today onward. I live in Dormitory 0298. If you have any questions after class, you can come find me."

Sixth-year students were level-six mages who could apply to graduate at any time. They were qualified to teach first- and second-year students.

"Before we begin, why don't you all introduce yourselves?" Trey said with a smile.

It was standard practice for the first lesson of the school year. One by one, the students went up to introduce themselves.

As each student took the stage, the Dilia Lin Feng had been waiting for finally made her appearance.

A sweet-faced little girl with blond hair walked up to the podium. She gently smoothed a loose strand of hair by her temple and smiled. "Hello, everyone. My name is Dilia, and I'm from the Yulan Empire."

After her brief introduction, she walked back down. Lin Feng's gaze followed her all the way to her seat.

Though Dilia was still a child, no more grown-up than Lin Feng, she had a sweet face and delicate features. The graceful way she'd brushed back her hair as she stepped onto the stage had made Lin Feng decide then and there: Dilia, just you wait. I'll win you over.

Perhaps it was fate. Though Lin Feng had the same body as before, he had a different soul. Yet the moment he first saw Dilia, he realized he'd fallen for the innocent little girl. Was this love at first sight? It felt pretty good.

Dilia naturally noticed Lin Feng's gaze on her. She followed it and looked at the one watching her. The instant she saw him, a strange feeling came over her. She felt as if she wouldn't be able to escape his grasp in this life.

The moment she felt that strange sensation, Dilia's pretty face turned bright red. She lowered her head and pretended to be shy.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Feng couldn't help laughing. She really was just an immature little girl!

The class passed quietly, with Lin Feng and Dilia exchanging glances. After realizing how shy she was, Lin Feng's mischievous side took over, and he kept catching her eye. Dilia, meanwhile, was extremely curious about him because of that inexplicable feeling from earlier. Though she was embarrassed, she still gathered her courage now and then to look up and study him.

After class, Lin Feng didn't leave right away. Instead, he walked over to Dilia and boldly held out his hand. "Hello, Dilia. I'm Lin Feng."

With an innocent girl like Dilia, Lin Feng decided he was better off making the first move. After all, he was a man, and his mind was that of someone in his twenties. If he waited for Dilia to show her affection first, like Lin Feng had in the original novel, he'd be a spineless coward. And since he'd already decided to marry Dilia someday, there was no need to go through the same long, rocky romance as the Lin Feng and Dilia in the book. If he won her over early, he could relax. Lin Feng didn't plan to follow Yale's older brother's example and have ** at twelve, but there was nothing wrong with making things official with Dilia before then.

Dilia was shy and taken aback by Lin Feng's boldness. But she was kindhearted, and she already felt some affection for him—or perhaps it was curiosity. After a brief struggle within herself, she shyly held out her delicate hand and shook his.

"Hello. My name is Dilia."

"From now on, we're good friends. I'll save you a seat in class tomorrow." Lin Feng shamelessly declared that he and Dilia were good friends after only just meeting her.

Lin Feng was making an announcement, not asking for her opinion. He left as soon as he'd said it, leaving Dilia standing there, stunned and embarrassed.

"How can he be like that? He didn't even ask whether I agreed. I... I wonder if I should listen to him." Dilia was torn. "Never mind. That's a problem for tomorrow. I'll think about it then!"

Unable to decide, Dilia put the question off until the next day.

Lin Feng had already strode out of the classroom, chuckling to himself. Heh, there's only one word of difference between 'good friend' and 'girlfriend.' Dilia, Dilia, you're destined to fall into my hands.

As spring gave way to autumn, more than half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Lin Feng had been at Ernst Institute for over six months.

Over those six months, Lin Feng's strength had improved by leaps and bounds. He'd made gratifying progress in both magic and battle qi. After more than half a year of hard cultivation, his magic had reached level six, though he was still a long way from level seven. His battle qi lagged behind his magic; he'd only advanced from a level-three warrior to a level-four one.

Of course, Lin Feng's greatest gain over those six months hadn't been in his cultivation, but in his love life. His deliberate efforts to get close to Dilia, combined with her curiosity about him, had brought them closer day by day. After half a year of effort, their relationship was all but settled. Lin Feng was sure that if he asked Dilia to be his girlfriend now, she'd agree. But he'd never done it. The reason was simple: his modern sensibilities got in the way. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was strange to make a girl who wasn't even ten years old his girlfriend.

Ever since Doehring Cowart had taken Lin Feng's advice, he'd been in a frenzy of closed-door cultivation. In the past six months, he'd only come out now and then to guide Lin Feng's training; otherwise, he never showed himself. Lin Feng felt helpless, but also a little relieved. With no one keeping an eye on him, he could cultivate and, in his spare time, shamelessly spend time with Dilia.