“Naturally, a shallower depth implies a safer or smaller Void Realm. However, as depth is a variable, our focus must be on its historical peak.”
Hua Song then offered an illustrative example.
“Take, for instance, the Dragon’s Den, which you all encountered yesterday. Its current depth registers at a mere 30, yet its recorded historical peak reached a staggering 130.”
“Could anyone honestly claim the Dragon’s Den is safe? Having visited the Xidu City urban village Touchpoint yesterday, you must have experienced its true nature firsthand.”
At his words, a collective understanding rippled through the students, and they nodded in agreement.
Even with the Senior Male Students’ protection, the sheer danger of yesterday’s encounter had left an indelible mark on their minds.
Indeed, the Dragon’s Den had proven true to its ominous name, a veritable ‘dragon’s den and tiger’s lair.’
‘I see. The historical peak depth is what truly matters,’ Huang Xiu mused, a flicker of comprehension in her eyes.
She distinctly recalled the first Void Realm she had ever entered, the Inter-Realm Transfer Station, which boasted a depth of 100.
Previously, a depth of 100 had been an abstract number to her, but now, juxtaposed against the Dragon’s Den, its significance became strikingly clear.
‘What, then, is the depth of Monster Academy?’
Huang Xiu stroked her chin, a pang of curiosity stirring within her.
‘A Void Realm whose apex combat power is merely Gold Rank couldn’t possibly have an excessively high historical depth, could it?’
Having thoroughly covered the foundational concepts of depth, Hua Song chose not to delve into more intricate aspects.
Instead, he shifted his focus to other fundamental principles of the Void Realm.
Though the course bore the title “Introduction to Void Realm Knowledge,” it served primarily as a general education popular science lecture.
This, however, was precisely what the freshmen desperately craved.
Having only departed their high school classrooms a mere month prior, they were still adjusting.
They now stood at a pivotal crossroads, transitioning from ordinary high school students to Awakened individuals attending university.
They were eager to absorb fundamental knowledge about Awakened individuals and the Void Realm, striving to forge their own Awakened worldview.
Consequently, every freshman listened with rapt attention; astonishingly, throughout the entire lecture,
not a single head drooped.
****
Within the confines of Tiandu University, a building shrouded in the highest secrecy stood silent.
Yuan Fei raked his right hand through his hair, sweeping the sweat-dampened black strands—which had plastered themselves to his forehead—back from his face.
He sighed, pushing them behind his ears.
“Depth… what is the current depth of the Dragon’s Den?”
He inquired.
“It’s 29 now, and it has finally stabilized.”
A young man with glasses, his face etched with lingering fear, responded, “Thankfully, you and the Vice Principal intervened just in time.”
There was a palpable sense of relief in his tone.
As he spoke, his eyes remained glued to Yuan Fei, unable to mask the profound reverence he felt.
His admiration was clear for all to see.
To venture deep into a major Void Realm and quell its unrest was no small feat.
It was an undertaking of immense difficulty and peril.
Yet, Professor Yuan merely stood, glistening with sweat, without a single trace of dirt or disarray marring his attire.
It was truly remarkable.
He was, as expected, one of the most formidable powers in the entire Great Xia Nation.
“Wrong! You’re quite wrong about that!”
Yuan Fei gently wagged a finger. “It was *I* who intervened promptly. Principal Song, that annoying fellow, had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
He finished with a dismissive wave.
“Ah, well…” The Glasses Student’s face instantly contorted in shock at the remark.
For a moment, he was utterly at a loss for words.
“Young man, make sure to write that down clearly,” Yuan Fei said, patting the student’s arm. “You know, I’m still up for promotion this year.”
“Got it?”
Witnessing Professor Yuan’s utterly unashamed demeanor, the Glasses Student felt his idealized image of his idol crumble into dust.
It was a truly disheartening moment.
He opened his mouth wide, then closed it, hesitating. Finally, he stammered, “Um, has Principal Song not emerged yet?”
He couldn’t help but ask.
“Oh, *him*!” Yuan Fei turned his head, gazing into the room’s depths. There, an ancient, moss-covered well stood.
Its dark opening seemed to swallow the light.
The ancient well lacked a cover, and at each of the four cardinal points—east, south, west, and north—a greyish-white stone pillar stood, its carved surface worn smooth and indistinct with time.
They looked like ancient sentinels.
Thick, rust-encrusted chains dangled from the pillars, snaking along the ground and disappearing into the depths of the ancient well.
It was an eerie sight.
This, to his surprise, was a rare Dragon-Locking Well.
“Should be soon!” Yuan Fei replied with a casual shrug.
No sooner had his words left his lips than the circular light strips, embedded in the walls to detect Void Realm fluctuations, began to flicker erratically.
Simultaneously, the four rusty chains coiled on the floor clattered loudly, then slid frantically down into the well’s maw.
It was as if an unseen force from the well’s depths was violently yanking on them.
The chains continued their relentless descent.
In less than half a second, the chains were pulled to their absolute limit, becoming rigid and taut.
They lifted off the ground with a groan.
An acute angle formed between them and the ancient stone pillars.
The very next second, a black shadow, the size of a small house, burst forth from the well, defying all laws of physics.
It soared out of the ancient well, which was barely half a meter in diameter.
It crashed down with a resounding *thud* onto the concrete floor, instantly consuming the majority of the expansive room.
The impact reverberated through the building.
“What in the world!” The Glasses Student yelped, jolted by the sudden appearance. He peered through the flickering light.
His eyes widened.
The colossal black shadow was, in fact, a monstrous claw, as large as a building.
‘It’s a Dragon Abomination!’ His heart lurched with alarm, fearing that a Dragon Abomination had used the Dragon-Locking Well to cross from the Dragon’s Den into the Present World.
Panic threatened to seize him.
Yet, the very next moment, the flickering light strips ceased their erratic dance, bathing the room in a soft, steady glow. This revealed another figure atop the colossal claw.
A person stood there.
A hideous scar, a jagged line, slashed diagonally from their right eye down to the corner of their mouth.
It was Principal Song.
“Next time, you can retrieve your own things,” Principal Song stated, his right hand still gripping one of the colossal claw’s talons.
He looked utterly unamused.
Yuan Fei merely chuckled, offering no direct reply to Principal Song. Instead, he turned to the Glasses Student beside him. “See? Didn’t I tell you he’d arrive?”
He gestured triumphantly.
“Let’s go!” He waved a hand at Principal Song. “The Principal wants us for a meeting!”
His tone was one of mild annoyance.
“Can’t a person ever catch a break?” Yuan Fei sighed dramatically.
“What’s this about a sudden meeting?” Principal Song inquired, meticulously fastening the cufflink on his shirt sleeve as he approached.
His expression was neutral.
As the Vice Principal, the fact that he was only now being informed indicated that the meeting was a last-minute decision.
This was unusual.
“Alas, I doubt it’s about the freshmen’s military training,” Yuan Fei sighed, slinging an arm casually around Principal Song’s neck. “That old man wasn’t content with the previous format; he’s planning a joint military training exercise with the other three institutions! Now he’s summoning us to figure out the logistics!”
He leaned in conspiratorially.
“It’s going to be a headache,” he mumbled.
Principal Song cast a cool glance at the hairy hand draped over his shoulder, then, with an utterly expressionless face, peeled Yuan Fei’s fingers off one by one and let his arm drop.
He then smoothed his shirt.
“You’re a grown man; stop being so handsy.”
With that, he pushed open the formidable iron door with a single hand and exited the room.
The Glasses Student watched their retreating figures, then his gaze fell upon the colossal claw still occupying the room. He quickly called out to them.
“Wait!”
“What is it?” Yuan Fei turned, a quizzical expression on his face.
“Professor Yuan, this claw can’t simply remain here, can it?” The Glasses Student’s forehead beaded with sweat. “How should we handle it?”
He looked genuinely distressed.
“I thought it was something serious!”
Yuan Fei turned back, waving a dismissive hand. “Send it to the cafeteria. Let the students get some nourishment!”
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.
****
Perhaps the most striking difference between Tiandu University and other institutions lay in its class schedule: only two lessons per day.
One session ran from 8 AM to 12 PM, and another from 2 PM to 6 PM, with no mandatory breaks interspersed within.
The pacing was intense.
Ultimately, the presence or absence of class breaks was entirely at the discretion of the instructing teacher.
As this was the inaugural class of the semester, Hua Song had mercifully refrained from subjecting the students to excessive intensity.
He kept the pace manageable.
Consequently, there were still two ten-minute breaks interspersed throughout the lesson.
It proved that even in an Awakened university, class breaks bore a striking resemblance to those in any other school.
The student behavior was universally familiar.
Some students rushed to the restrooms, others hurried to purchase snacks, while a few simply slumped over their desks, seizing the opportunity for a quick nap.
It was a scene of typical student life.
During these two breaks, Huang Xiu faced yet another monumental challenge in her life as a female.