Immortal Palace, Xuzhou, Handong University.
Chen Fan stood before a winding mountain range and looked up. The towering immortal mountains pierced the clouds, wreathed in mist. Spirit cranes flew through the clouds, and palaces appeared faintly atop the peaks. A majestic immortal grandeur swept toward him, imposing in its magnificence.
He could not help murmuring in admiration:
"Handong University really lives up to its reputation as one of the top five institutions in the Immortal Palace. Those ordinary schools aren't even in the same league!"
Rather than calling Handong University a university, it would be more fitting to call it a floating immortal realm in its own right.
Handong University's headquarters sat in central Jingzhou City, right beside the Jingzhou City government compound. That was where the university's senior decision-makers worked, and ordinary students would never go there.
The main campus for ordinary freshmen lay atop this sprawling mountain range on the outskirts of Jingzhou City. For historical reasons, the entire Immortal Palace campus hung above the mountain peaks in the form of an immortal realm.
Chen Fan glanced around and saw that a large crowd of fellow freshmen from the incoming class of '24 had already gathered, whispering to one another in twos and threes.
He suddenly froze.
Wait? Where was everyone? Where was the freshman welcome station? Where were the upperclassmen welcoming them? How was I supposed to enroll?
The freshmen in the crowd also began noticing something amiss, and murmurs gradually rose.
"Strange, why haven't we seen any counselors?"
"Where are the upperclassmen receiving us? Weren't there always welcome stations in previous years?"
"Could Han University not have a credit system? Then how will cultivation assessments work later?"
Just as everyone was puzzling over this, two figures drifted down on clouds from above Han University's immortal realm, their robes fluttering. They looked rather like upperclassmen.
Chen Fan's eyes lit up. An idea struck him, and he immediately hurried forward to greet them:
"Hello, senior! I'm a freshman in the incoming class of '24. Could you tell me where I can get a campus card?"
The figure paused slightly and turned, just about to answer, when a graceful, brisk figure beside him landed at the same time. Without a word, she sent him flying with an elbow strike on the spot!
"Junior, junior, ignore him. He's a scammer!"
The other senior who had come with him quickly landed and steadied herself. She looked at Chen Fan with a beaming smile, her voice clear:
"I know where to get a campus card. I'll take you there. If you have any questions about campus, just come to me."
Before the figure she had elbowed away could react, the senior grabbed Chen Fan's hand, rose into the air, and flew into the immortal realm, leaving that figure behind to rage helplessly.
A cool breeze brushed his face as clouds and mist swept past him.
As Chen Fan was carried through the air, curiosity stirred within him, and he took the opportunity to ask:
"Senior, thanks for stepping in! Oh, right, I happen to have lots of other questions. How are the clubs at Han University organized?"
As the senior guided the spirit cloud forward, she explained with a smile:
"Han University's clubs are different from those at ordinary schools. They're not just for hobbies and fun. Many are tied to cultivation paths.
There's the Alchemy Club, the Talisman Club, the Beast Taming Club, the Formation Dao Club, and the Sword Cultivation Club, along with study clubs devoted to researching various unorthodox cultivation paths involving Buddhism, demons, yao, and ghosts.
Clubs can apply for cultivation rooms and spirit material subsidies. Outstanding members can even receive preferential resource allocations from the university, but they also have to complete cultivation tasks issued by their clubs. You can't just put your name down and lie flat."
Chen Fan nodded, then pressed on:
"What about the student council? Does it have much authority?"
"The student council?" The senior raised an eyebrow. "Han University's student council is the university's official student self-governance organization. It coordinates freshman affairs, organizes intercollegiate spell combat tournaments, records cultivation assessments, coordinates cultivation room bookings, and handles student disputes. It has access to quite a bit of internal university information, as well as a certain number of recommendation slots for resources.
But the competition is fierce. Getting in depends not only on your cultivation but also on your overall evaluation. Plenty of upper-year geniuses have their eyes on those positions."
"Then what about the credit system? We were just guessing whether Han University might not have credits."
"How could it not!" The senior chuckled. "Han University is a top institution. Its credit system is very comprehensive.
Routine cultivation assessments, realm breakthroughs, completing training missions issued by the university, attending lectures to study techniques and spells, and placing in university competitions can all earn you credits.
If you don't have enough credits, it'll affect your subsequent access to cultivation rooms and your eligibility to enter secret realms. In serious cases, you might even be held back a year or have your enrollment at the Immortal Palace's Han University revoked. You can't take it lightly."
As they spoke, the spirit cloud had already passed through a sea of clouds. An antique-style palace appeared ahead, its plaque reading [Freshman Registration Office].
"We're here. This is the freshman registration hall."
The two descended from the cloud and walked into the hall.
A queue had already formed inside, all freshmen from the incoming class of '24. The students on duty in the hall were upper-year student administrators.
The senior brought Chen Fan into the queue. As they waited, Chen Fan continued asking:
"Senior, when the campus secret realms open later, will all freshmen be able to enter?"
"The first secret realm trial for freshmen is arranged for everyone, but for the higher-level secret realms afterward, you need enough credits and sufficient cultivation to apply. There are also limited places, so you'll have to scramble for them in advance."
Soon, it was Chen Fan's turn.
He stepped forward and handed over his admission Jade Slip.
The student on duty verified his identity, entered his spirit root information and Qi Refining cultivation records, and registered his enrollment.
[Freshman enrollment registration complete!]
Immediately afterward, the student on duty asked whether he wanted to register for a campus card. Chen Fan looked at the senior beside him, who was gesturing with both hands, and nodded.
After processing his information, the student on duty handed him a jade card shimmering with spiritual light.
"This is your campus card."
Chen Fan took the campus card. As his fingertips touched it, his name, student number, department, spirit root type, and unique spiritual Qi imprint appeared on its surface.
After checking her commission on Weixun, the senior explained from beside him:
"This campus card has all sorts of uses. Booking cultivation rooms, paying for spirit meals in the dining halls, borrowing ancient texts from the library, registering for secret realms, redeeming campus tasks-all of it relies on this. Make sure you don't lose it. Getting a replacement is a real hassle."
Chen Fan carefully put away his campus card and completed all the freshman registration procedures. A stone in his heart finally dropped.
After walking out of the registration hall, Chen Fan thanked the senior again.
The senior waved a hand, her smile laden with meaning:
"You're welcome. We're fellow students now. Oh, right, junior, here's something convenient you should know. Quite a few campus resources are hard to get outside. If you need to buy medicine or pills later, or purchase law artifacts, flying swords, and other weapons, or even certain special spirit materials, you can have me handle it for you. I have reliable channels, and my prices are fairer than the campus shops'."
At her words, Chen Fan's interest stirred, and he immediately committed it to memory.
With a false spirit root, he would certainly need pills and law artifacts to support his future cultivation. Having such a reliable channel would save him a great deal of trouble.
"All right! Thank you, senior. I'll remember!"
The senior nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over Chen Fan. She seemed to notice the presence of his Qi Refining Realm cultivation, but asked no further questions, merely leaving him with one remark:
"You can explore the campus on your own now. If you run into any trouble, you can come to me anytime."