"First University oversees four academies, several research institutes, and many other affiliated organizations."
"The four academies are Jiuyou Academy, Alpha Academy, Atlas Academy, and Starry Sky Academy. In recent years, I heard the university had been planning to open another academy to accommodate the growing number of new students, but as far as I knew, there had been no progress yet."
"The Jiuyou Academy you were entering was the oldest academy in the world. Long ago, there had been two or three others comparable to Jiuyou Academy, but they had all vanished into the tide of history. Perhaps you could still find traces of what they left behind in the cultures of Alpha or Atlas."
"Every year, the four academies set their own examinations and recruit outstanding students suited to their respective institutions. Their priorities differ—this is the most fundamental distinction between them. Put simply, Jiuyou Academy selected students through examinations, Alpha valued inborn talent, Atlas accepted only students with steadfast faith, and as for Starry Sky Academy..." A nostalgic smile appeared on Thomas's face. "As long as you could fight, you could stay safely at Starry Sky Academy."
"What did 'could fight' mean?" Zheng Qing recalled the four doors in that hall and could not help being curious.
"It meant exactly what it said." Thomas's smile faded. "Starry Sky Academy was the only school among all universities that judged whether a student qualified by combat ability."
Concise, yet laden with meaning.
Zheng Qing swallowed, as though he could see a hot-blooded high school full of wizards before him.
Names like Genji and Serizawa drifted through his mind as he imagined which sort of figure the serious Thomas most resembled.
"The original purpose of First University's founding was to eliminate the contradictions and conflicts among the world's major powers. As things stood, although there was unity on the surface, the major academies had always maintained, well, some healthy competition. Once you entered the university, you needed to get used to that."
"Healthy competition?" Zheng Qing cracked another peanut and chewed the word along with the kernel.
"Put it this way." Thomas scratched his smooth chin and added, "In the eyes of a Starry Sky Academy student, Jiuyou Academy students were all bookworms, Alpha students were all hypocrites, and Atlas students were all religious fanatics. Of course, in the eyes of the other academies, Starry Sky Academy students were all battle maniacs. The distinctions were so clear, like a mixed cocktail: perfectly blended, yet each color remained distinct."
"I still didn't quite understand." Zheng Qing pried open a fig with his fingernail and tossed it into his mouth, looking somewhat worried.
"What didn't you understand?" Thomas appeared very patient.
"I only followed a master..." Zheng Qing felt that was inappropriate and hurriedly corrected himself. "I mean, I only learned a few little tricks from a Taoist priest. I couldn't even subdue a Vicious Soul, and all I could do was draw a few simple talismans. Besides, why had I never heard about any of this?"
"Did you expect the daily news broadcast to casually introduce the latest laws passed by the Wizarding World? Don't be ridiculous... Just as the Blood Clan had its treaty of seclusion, the Wizarding World had its own rules of concealment." Thomas laughed at him without mercy.
"Rules."
"Yes, the Wizarding World had its own rules. Like the words 'little tricks' you just used—they violated the wizards' rules." Thomas warned him with great seriousness, "Never say those words to a proper wizard. It was the greatest insult to a wizard. Countless duels were sparked by those words every year. Even the Wizard Alliance could do nothing about it."
"I saw the Wizard Alliance mentioned in your newspaper just now." Zheng Qing could not help adding.
"The Wizard Alliance was the organization that governed all wizards in the world. You could think of it as the wizards' government. Under the Wizard Alliance were three major institutions: the Wizard Council, the Under the Moon Council, and First University."
"First University was part of a government institution?"
"You could understand it that way. More accurately, First University was a university, but it was also the core force of the Wizarding World."
"Then why admit me? Wasn't that a little hasty? What if I couldn't keep up with my studies and got sent back?" Zheng Qing sounded uneasy. "If I got sent home, would I have to repeat a year of school before applying to another university?"
"Like I mentioned earlier, Jiuyou Academy selected students through examinations. For students of this academy, grades represented almost everything. Since you earned a high score on the Global Unified Wizarding College Entrance Examination, there was no doubt that you were a qualified new student for this academy."
"As for not being able to keep up with your studies..." Thomas set down his cup and looked at Zheng Qing with equal curiosity, his emerald-green eyes gleaming. "Every year, several hundred new names and their information were added to the university roster. Those were that year's new students. I could tell you clearly that some of them, like you, had never received formal education before this. That did not stop them from becoming outstanding students of First University."
"It was about time." Before Zheng Qing could ask another question, Thomas stood and motioned for Zheng Qing to follow. "We should go prepare your things. Tonight, I still had to travel several thousand li to report the situation and fill out paperwork. Being an interviewer was hard work."
"There was still an interview?" Zheng Qing had only just realized Thomas's identity and asked nervously, "Did I need to prepare anything? Was there any interview material or something?"
"The interview had already begun from the moment we met. For new students of Jiuyou Academy, this interview was merely procedural. Your examination results had already ensured that you could enter First University without issue."
"But..." Zheng Qing felt he had asked too many questions, yet still asked awkwardly, "Did my parents know about this? How was I supposed to explain it to them? My master didn't allow me to talk carelessly."
"No, they didn't know." Thomas's tone was gentle. He pushed open the glass door and ushered Zheng Qing out of the teahouse as he spoke. "They didn't even know the nature of the school you would attend. In fact, they only knew that First University was a good school guaranteed by the Education Bureau, and that you had luckily received a full scholarship. In their eyes, your major was the perfectly ordinary field of Astronomy Studies. Of course, we promised that you would complete your bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees consecutively, except the school was located abroad."
Zheng Qing nodded in satisfaction, the ahoge atop his head bobbing along.
"Let me see, what did you need?" After leaving the teahouse, Thomas picked up Zheng Qing's admission notice and squinted at it. "You should know that although there was a supermarket on campus, the university was not exactly a good supermarket... Many things were more affordable in the marketplace. Your scholarship was limited."
"This sheet." After taking out that bluish A4-sized piece of paper, Thomas merely brushed it lightly with his finger before handing it to Zheng Qing. "If you had received intermediate education—well, elementary education would actually be enough—you would know what to do."
"Don't worry, these things were actually very simple." Seemingly sensing Zheng Qing's unease, Thomas reassured him. "Although they involved some basics, what you studied at university did not have much to do with your prior foundation. Of course, there were a few special subjects... You seemed to have some foundation, so you should find it easy to fit into this world."
Zheng Qing let out a heavy sigh and accepted the bluish paper. It was already covered in densely packed Chinese characters written in neat regular script.
He became even more certain that he would absolutely be the tail-ender of the class.
Before you continue