“This Tiandu Building is quite beautiful!”
Huang Xiu squinted, taking in the grand structure nestled deep within the forest.
Though this building bore the name of the provincial capital, its architectural style bore no resemblance to the capital city itself. Instead, it evoked the aesthetics of foreign lands.
Following a winding forest path, Huang Xiu and Ying Zhiyu strolled leisurely until they stepped inside the Tiandu Building.
From the outside, the Tiandu Building appeared to have weathered many years, yet its interior was strikingly modern.
Just inside, on both the left and right, stood two self-service vending machines.
Huang Xiu often referred to such contraptions as ‘wage recyclers’ or ‘sucker detectors.’
After all, their prices were typically higher than retail.
However, upon closer inspection, Huang Xiu was surprised to find that the vending machines at Tiandu University were not only stocked with a diverse array of items but were also incredibly affordable, generally half the price of goods at outside supermarkets.
A surge of admiration swelled within her, prompting her to once again secretly marvel at the exceptional benefits offered by Tiandu University.
Classroom 108 was located at the very end of the first-floor corridor, to the right.
After confirming this with a directional sign, Huang Xiu led Ying Zhiyu toward the classroom.
As they walked, a distinct and unusually rich aroma of coffee suddenly wafted toward them.
Huang Xiu turned her head, following the enticing scent, and discovered that the room to the right of the stairwell was, in fact, a spacious pantry.
Inside, alongside coffee makers and hot water dispensers, there were even ice cream machines and popcorn makers, among other miscellaneous appliances.
‘A pantry with ice cream and popcorn machines? What in the world?’ Huang Xiu mused.
She had no idea whose genius idea this was, but she had to admit, the aroma was undeniably captivating.
Taking a few more steps, they reached the classroom door and pushed it open.
It was only seven-forty, still twenty minutes before class was scheduled to begin, yet the classroom was already bustling with a multitude of students.
“Look at all these grind kings!” Huang Xiu muttered, standing at the doorway and scanning for suitable seats.
The classroom was tiered, somewhat resembling the Western university lecture halls she had seen before.
However, the overall design was more compact, and the teacher’s podium was noticeably larger.
Casting her gaze forward, she saw that the prime spots in the front few rows—the ‘grind king’ seats—were already occupied. Ironically, the ‘slacker’ seats at the very back remained empty.
For the inaugural professional course at the Awakened University, all the new students were brimming with enthusiasm.
She only wondered how long this fervor would last.
“Over here, over here, Big Boss!” From a corner in the third row, Bu Chenghua waved enthusiastically.
Indeed, there were a few empty seats beside him.
Huang Xiu glanced left and right, confirming that there were no better options available.
Thus, she led Ying Zhiyu over to sit down.
“Big Boss, you were truly formidable yesterday,” Bu Chenghua said with a smile, referring to the Touchpoint incident from the previous day.
He had been fortunate enough to be assigned to the peripheral E1 zone.
The two senior male students he brought with him were also quite capable, ensuring a smooth experience with no real dangers throughout.
Consequently, he had felt a bit overconfident at the time.
Yet, it wasn’t until he heard Huang Xiu recount her experiences among the crowd that he realized there was no peaceful tranquility in the outer perimeter.
All the misfortune had simply been borne by the ill-fated D1 and D2 districts.
Swarms of Dragon Abominations, as dense as a tide, and General-rank Dragon Abominations comparable to those of Gold Rank.
Either of these threats alone would have been beyond their capacity to handle.
“Don’t even mention it!” Huang Xiu exclaimed, her face etched with displeasure. The topic only intensified her anger.
After expending such immense effort, the prize within her grasp—that General-rank Dragon Abomination—had ultimately slipped away!
Huang Xiu’s stomach cramps had yet to subside, leaving her with no desire or energy for conversation. She simply rested her face sideways on the cool surface of the desk, seeking a small measure of comfort.
As the clock ticked closer to class time, more and more students streamed into the classroom.
Suddenly, with a soft *thud*, a paper cup was gently placed on the desk before her.
Without moving her head, Huang Xiu’s eyes darted sideways. It was Jia Qianrou.
“Drink some brown sugar water, and go to bed early tonight,” she said softly.
“Huh?” Huang Xiu lifted her head, her face etched with confusion. “Aren’t you in Class Three?”
“I am in Class Three, but my classroom is also 108.”
Jia Qianrou looked up at the classroom. “Didn’t you notice how many people are in this classroom?”
“Really?” Having been slumped over her desk, Huang Xiu had indeed paid no attention to her surroundings.
Now, she looked up and around, finally realizing the situation.
Good heavens, the entire classroom was packed to the brim, with at least a hundred people crammed into 108.
“This ‘Introduction to Void Realm Knowledge’ is a foundational public lecture, with ten classes split between two classrooms.”
Jia Qianrou walked closer, motioning for Huang Xiu and Ying Zhiyu to shift inward to make space for her.
“So that’s how it is,” Huang Xiu nodded, then glanced at the brown sugar water before her.
Although the internet often claimed it was useless, suggesting any relief from menstrual cramps was purely psychological.
But what if?
With this hopeful thought, she picked up the paper cup and began to sip slowly.
Ultimately, whether it was due to the warmth of the water, the brown sugar itself,
Or perhaps truly a placebo effect,
The cramping sensation did indeed alleviate somewhat after she finished the cup of brown sugar water.
Jia Qianrou glanced at the empty paper cup on the desk, then pulled out her tablet from her bag, placing it on the table. She casually asked, “Xiao Xiu, how did you usually handle stomach pain during your period before? Did you just endure it like this?”
“Hahahaha, well, if it hurts, I just deal with it,” Huang Xiu replied, feigning nonchalance.
Inwardly, however, she was terrified.
Truth be told, this was her first time experiencing such intense cramps; how was she supposed to know how to alleviate the pain?
Fortunately, Jia Qianrou seemed to have asked out of passing thought, with no intention of pressing for details.
This allowed Huang Xiu to breathe a sigh of relief.
With her stomach feeling a bit better, she no longer slouched. Instead, she sat upright and surveyed her surroundings.
She noticed that most people around her had brought tablets or laptops; even Ying Zhiyu had a tablet.
And she…
Huang Xiu lowered her gaze to the desk in front of her.
Upon it lay a genuine Morning Light notebook and a genuine Morning Light gel pen.
Well, it seemed her equipment was the most basic.
‘A poor memory is better than a good pen! Bad students have more stationery!’ Huang Xiu comforted herself internally.
*Ding-dong!*
A crisp bell suddenly rang, followed by a melodious guzheng tune.
It was somewhat mournful, somewhat lingering.
This was Tiandu University’s class bell.
Just before the melody concluded, the front door of the classroom swung open.
*Thump!*
A gleaming leather shoe extended inward, followed by white trousers and a white suit jacket.
A middle-aged man, dressed entirely in white, entered precisely on time, striding from outside the classroom directly to the podium.
He seemed to do it deliberately, each step measured as if with a ruler, perfectly identical in length.
His clothes were spotless, without even a single crease.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
Exactly ten steps, and he reached the center of the podium.
His legs snapped together.
His right heel clicked against his left, followed by a crisp *clack*, and with a swift, precise movement, he turned to his left.
He shifted from facing sideways to directly facing the students.
Surveying the more than one hundred and fifty new students below the podium, the man in the white suit first offered a smile, then set down his textbook.
There were few items on the podium: a box of blackboard markers and an eraser.
He meticulously placed each marker back into its box, then positioned the box and the eraser neatly in the upper left corner.
Next, he pushed his textbook to the right corner of the desk, carefully using his hands to align its top and right edges perfectly with the tabletop.
Only after completing these precise arrangements did he look up again, revealing another benevolent smile, and softly declared, “Class begins!”