The next morning, inside the SUV.
Shen Qingqiu glanced at Jiang Lan and smiled.
"Judging by that look on your face, you're pretty excited, huh?"
Jiang Lan nodded. "Of course. This is the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy, after all."
"Do well once you're there. Don't embarrass me."
"Don't worry, Auntie."
Half an hour later, the SUV pulled into the parking lot outside the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy.
Lin Yu was already waiting at the entrance.
When she saw them get out, she immediately came over.
"Good morning, Jiang Lan, Captain Shen."
"Good morning, Director Lin."
Lin Yu smiled. "Come with me. We'll get your enrollment paperwork done first."
The three entered the academy and headed to the administration building.
Lin Yu took Jiang Lan into the admissions office and pulled a form from a drawer.
"Fill in your basic information first."
Jiang Lan took the form and filled it out carefully.
Name, age, talent type, emergency contact...
Under emergency contact, Jiang Lan wrote down Shen Qingqiu's name and phone number without hesitation.
Once he finished, Lin Yu checked the form and nodded.
"Everything looks good. Next, I'll take you to collect your student ID and uniforms."
With that, she led Jiang Lan to another office.
The staff member was a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He immediately stood when he saw Lin Yu.
"Director Lin."
Lin Yu got straight to the point. "Please issue this student an ID."
"Certainly." The middle-aged man turned to Jiang Lan. "Please stand here. I need to take your photo."
Jiang Lan nodded and stood by the wall.
The middle-aged man picked up a camera and aimed it at Jiang Lan.
"Look at the camera. Three, two, one."
Click.
After taking the photo, the man sat back down at his computer and quickly worked through the process.
A few minutes later, a brand-new student ID emerged from the printer.
The staff member picked it up and handed it to Jiang Lan.
"Here's your student ID. Keep it safe."
Jiang Lan took the ID.
It was made of metal, with a smooth surface and his photo printed on it.
Below the photo were several lines of small print.
[Name: Jiang Lan] [Class: Rocket Class] [Student ID: HJ-001]
Whoa, student number one?
Was he the only person in the entire class?
Next, the middle-aged man took several sets of clothing from a cabinet.
"Here are your school uniforms and training clothes. Wear the school uniform to class and the training clothes when you train."
Jiang Lan took the clothes.
The school uniform was black, with the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy's crest embroidered on the chest. It looked simple and smart.
The training clothes were dark gray. The material looked sturdy, probably designed specifically for martial artists.
After that, Lin Yu took Jiang Lan to the Library Tower and arranged an access card for him.
"With this card, you can enter the Library Tower whenever you want and consult any cultivation methods or martial techniques."
Smiling, Jiang Lan accepted the access card and tucked it into his pocket.
Whether he would actually need it was another matter, but he certainly wanted the access.
Besides, the prices of cultivation methods in this world were downright absurd.
If he could learn even a move or two, he would be coming out way ahead.
After getting everything sorted, Lin Yu raised her wrist and checked her watch.
"That's all the paperwork done. Next, I'll take you to collect your enrollment reward."
Jiang Lan's eyes lit up.
An enrollment reward sounded great. Definitely had to collect that.
The three headed deeper into the academy. About five minutes later, a standalone building appeared before them.
It was only two stories tall, but it covered a large area.
Two uniformed guards stood at the entrance, long sabers hanging at their waists. Their presence was steady and composed, and they looked even more imposing than the heavily armed guards outside.
Upon seeing Lin Yu, both guards immediately saluted.
"Director Lin."
Lin Yu nodded and led Jiang Lan inside.
The first floor was a huge warehouse, its shelves packed with supplies.
Pills, essence blood, weapons, armor-it had everything.
Lin Yu walked to a shelf and took down a metal case.
She opened it to reveal forty neatly arranged bottles of Fierce Beast Blood Essence.
Lin Yu handed the case to Jiang Lan.
"Here's your enrollment reward: forty bottles of first-tier ferocious beast essence blood."
Jiang Lan took the case. It felt heavy in his hands.
Each bottle contained only ten milliliters of essence blood, but the bottles themselves were far from light.
Forty bottles worked out to eighty thousand Credit Points.
Tsk...
Converted into the currency of his previous life, that was eight hundred thousand.
He was holding more money than many people could earn in ten years.
In the end, being strong yourself was what mattered...
Clearly unaware of what was going through Jiang Lan's mind, Lin Yu simply said:
"At the beginning of next month, you can collect this month's cultivation resources. You'll receive thirty bottles of first-tier essence blood each month. Remember to pick them up on time."
Jiang Lan nodded. "All right. Thank you, Director Lin."
Lin Yu waved a hand. "It's only what you're entitled to. Oh, and Rocket Class meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from nine until noon. Tomorrow is Monday, so remember to arrive on time."
Jiang Lan raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Oh?"
He had assumed this place was like a regular school, with classes all day.
That was why he had said he might have to be away a few days each week.
But they only had classes three days out of seven? And just three hours a day?
That was freaking awesome, man.
Seeing what was on Jiang Lan's mind, Lin Yu said, "Rocket Class is naturally different from the other classes. For exceptionally gifted martial artists like you, spending all your time studying at school would only hold you back."
"All right, that's everything for today. Go home and familiarize yourself with the academy's rules and regulations. If you have any questions, contact me anytime."
"No problem!"
After saying goodbye to Lin Yu, Jiang Lan and Shen Qingqiu left the academy.
They drove home. Once they were inside, Shen Qingqiu said:
"I'll make lunch. Go rest in your room."
"Okay."
Jiang Lan answered and hurried back to his room, shutting the door behind him.
He set the case on the bed and took a deep breath.
He had been planning his upgrade the entire way back. Now that he had the chance, how could he possibly sit around waiting?
Jiang Lan brought up the system panel.
[Host: Jiang Lan] [Realm: None (martial artist talent not yet awakened)] [Indestructible diamond body: Level 3] [Defense: 60] [Vitality: 845] [Strength: 18.6 (average person: 10)] [Spirit: 10.8 (average person: 10)] [Agility: 9.1 (average person: 10)] [Constitution: 29.5 (average person: 10)] [Upgrade requirement: First-tier ferocious beast essence blood ×4]
Four bottles!
Jiang Lan immediately took four bottles of essence blood out of the case.
Jiang Lan took four bottles of essence blood out of the case.
Almost simultaneously, a system notification sounded.
[First-tier ferocious beast essence blood ×4 detected. Use it to upgrade indestructible diamond body?]
Jiang Lan did not hesitate.
"Upgrade."
[Indestructible diamond body upgraded to Level 4!] [Defense +40, vitality +400, agility +20]
A surge of heat suddenly erupted inside Jiang Lan, flowing through every part of his body.
Level four!