Chen Fan sat straight and proper in the sandalwood chair, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cloud patterns along its edge, though inwardly he was nowhere near as calm as he looked.
On the way over from the testing room, he had already pulled out Douke, connected to the immortal Dao channel network, and scoured everything he could find under keywords like "Qi Refining Realm full-dimensional foundation establishment" and "Han University freshman testing records."
He would never have known without looking, and what he found gave him a shock. Whenever the Han University forums discussed the ceiling of talent in the Qi Refining Realm, the last person to achieve Foundation Establishment in seventeen categories had been a big shot thirty thousand years ago who was on the verge of becoming a dragon while working at an Immortal Palace institution.
Chen Fan gave a dry cough, forcibly suppressing the smile tugging at his lips. No wonder the president had summoned him personally. With treatment like this, anyone would have to give him the full red-carpet reception.
The faint fragrance of spirit tea drifted through the office. Several cultivation method Jade Slips glowing with spiritual light lay spread across the jade desk, while a few ornamental Law Treasures stood at staggered heights on the antique display shelf in the corner. Their spiritual light was restrained, their presence deep and steady. Toss any one of them into a top-tier auction in the lower realm, and a crowd of Spirit Transformation old monsters would fight until their heads split over it.
In all his life, this was the first time he had been so close to a great Mahayana Realm cultivator. Although Han University's grade-four professors were generally at least at Tribulation Transcendence, and the president was an even greater Mahayana Realm figure, they were usually more than half a lecture hall away during classes. How could that compare to the pressure of sitting face-to-face, one-on-one?
"Student Chen, don't be nervous. Relax."
Zhou Zhengyuan's smile was as pleasant as a spring breeze, but his gaze swept over Chen Fan without betraying a thing.
Just after finishing his call with Shen Moru, he had immediately used the authority granted by his temporary post at the Xuzhou Education Bureau to retrieve Chen Fan's complete file from the backend.
Yet when he scrolled all the way down, apart from the most basic information-name, age, birthplace-the rest was blank. Even his parents' information and past cultivation records were encrypted.
Unwilling to give up, he had asked an old acquaintance at the Immortal Palace Central Education Bureau to help investigate, only for the backend to display "Insufficient permissions."
Now that gave him plenty to chew on.
Who was Zhou Zhengyuan? The president of Handong University, with a deputy division chief post at the Immortal Palace Education Bureau, a figure of some standing across the entire Eastern Victorious Divine Land.
Just as he was considering whether to use his connections in the capital to probe further, his eldest disciple called him directly on Micro Message and opened with, "Master, stop checking Chen Fan's file. Word has come down from above. Touch it, and there'll be trouble."
Well, that settled it.
Zhou Zhengyuan understood at once, and even the way he looked at Chen Fan changed.
No wonder someone with a false spirit root could turn things around and achieve omnidimensional foundation establishment in two months. What awakening of talent? He had been hiding his abilities all along! With a background like his, wasn't it perfectly normal to carry around some heavenly materials and earthly treasures and cultivation methods from High Antiquity?
Yet Zhou Zhengyuan showed none of this on his face, instead growing even gentler. With a sweep of his hand, the scene inside the office abruptly transformed.
The spotless white walls and orderly bookshelves vanished in an instant, replaced by a vast, boundless starry sky.
Countless stars slowly revolved overhead, spilling silver radiance in a breathtaking spectacle that made him feel as though he stood in the depths of the universe.
Next, countless tiny flecks of golden light separated from the stars and gathered like fireflies, condensing before Chen Fan into a handful of shimmering liquid light.
A power of the stars so pure it had reached the utmost limit washed over him, and even the spiritual power within his Dantian began circulating on its own.
"This is Emperor's Flowing Serum I refined from condensed stellar essence during my travels in my younger days. I've kept it in the starry sky ever since." Zhou Zhengyuan smiled as he spoke. "You took first place in this freshman assessment, so consider it a reward from the university."
Chen Fan's eyelid twitched.
Emperor's Flowing Serum?
Was this a joke?!
While browsing the forums earlier, he had happened to see that at last month's Western Wasteland auction, a thumb-sized drop of Emperor's Flowing Serum had fetched the astronomical price of a million high-grade Spirit Stones. It was touted as something that could "raise anyone below Golden Core by a minor stage with a single drop," and even Golden Core cultivators had fought tooth and nail over it.
Han University was normally so penny-pinching that it charged twenty Spirit Coins for a test, yet now it was handing out an entire handful of Emperor's Flowing Serum? There had to be at least several dozen drops in that handful, right?
Still, there was no sense turning down something free. Chen Fan calmly rose and cupped his hands. "Thank you, President."
He reached out to clasp the president's hand and accepted the Emperor's Flowing Serum. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, the power of the stars seeping into his meridians through his fingertips, so comfortable that he nearly moaned.
[Ding] [Same Moment Name Change: target locked (Zhou Zhengyuan)]
Chen Fan smiled in satisfaction. Once he sat back down, Zhou Zhengyuan dispensed with the preliminaries and went straight to the point. "Aside from giving you your reward, I called you here to discuss two things. First, you've probably heard of Professor Shen Moru from Jingfu University."
Chen Fan nodded. "I have. An authority on cultivation theory and practice in the Immortal Palace, and a grade-four professor."
"He's seen your testing data and thinks very highly of you," Zhou Zhengyuan said unhurriedly. "Professor Shen proposed a joint training program between our universities.
"You'd stay at Han University for your four undergraduate years. Building your Foundation Establishment Realm fundamentals and taking specialized courses in sword Dao theory would all proceed at our pace, while Jingfu would simultaneously give you access to its core online courses and basic cultivation resources;
"For your three postgraduate years, you'd go to Jingfu, where Professor Shen would mentor you personally. Jingfu's advanced research topics and project resources, high-end laboratories, and slots for actual combat in the star domains would all be open to you. Upon graduation, you'd receive a joint degree from both universities."
He paused, then added, "Of course, this is only a preliminary proposal. Whether you ultimately agree is entirely up to you. The university will never force you."
After analyzing it with that crafty brain of his, Chen Fan reached a decision in just a few seconds.
He had planned to build steadily and develop slowly anyway, without getting too carried away: stay at Han University as an undergraduate to familiarize himself with the environment, then go to Jingfu or Huaqing for postgraduate study. Now that Jingfu University had its eye on him, however, getting access to higher-end resources ahead of time fit his pace perfectly.
Besides, the chance to become Shen Moru's personal student was not something just anyone could have.
"In principle, I agree to this," Chen Fan replied after a moment's thought, his meaning clear.
Zhou Zhengyuan was briefly taken aback. He had laid out the subsequent arrangements expecting to spend a few more words persuading him, only to discover that the boy was so seasoned. All he could say was that he truly lived up to being the scion of a great family.
"Good. Decisive." Zhou Zhengyuan nodded in satisfaction. "Then the second matter is simple. Tomorrow is the freshman opening ceremony. We originally chose another student as the freshman representative, but now it seems you're better suited. Go onstage tomorrow and give a freshman speech. It doesn't have to be long. Just say a few words."
Freshman representative?
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.
Go onstage and show my face? That works. I can use this opportunity to let the whole university know that the sword Dao theory major has someone like me. It'll make applying for resources easier later, too.
"Sure." He nodded again. "I'll prepare something."
"Good, then it's settled." Zhou Zhengyuan's smile grew even brighter. "The first batch of resources from the university will reach your dorm tomorrow. Your access to the grade-A spirit-gathering rooms is already activated, so you can use them anytime. If you need anything before Foundation Establishment, go directly to your Dean Lü, or come to me."
After chatting a little longer about things to watch out for in cultivation, Chen Fan rose and took his leave.
Only when he stepped out of the administration building and felt the evening breeze did he finally let out a full breath of relief.
He hefted the jade bottle holding the Emperor's Flowing Serum, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
Those twenty Spirit Coins were money well spent! But I still have to file that report!
It really isn't because I hold grudges! But twenty Spirit Coins for just one hour?
This world shouldn't be like this!