Lao Yao seemed oblivious to the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the classroom.
He pulled out a timer from his pocket, checked the time, then cleared his throat and walked back to the podium:
“Self-introductions—this is the first problem you’ll face at the University.”
“Humans are social creatures. You’ve come to First University, this isolated island, on your own, and the first thing you need to do is integrate yourselves into this unfamiliar society.”
He paused here, sweeping his sharp gaze around the classroom.
“Your performance was very poor.”
“It leaves me somewhat disappointed.”
The freshmen straightened up, looking uneasily at the Professor on the podium.
Lao Yao, with his pipe clamped between his fingers, slowly paced the podium, his tone softening:
“Facing an unfamiliar environment, not knowing how to present yourselves, not knowing how to highlight your strengths. These are things you’ll still need to learn in the future.”
“If time were ample, I would hope for you to redo your self-introductions. But time is limited now, so we’ll stop here today. I hope you perform better in other Professors’ classes.”
“Next, I’ll emphasize some old clichés—these issues are emphasized every year.”
The Professor stopped at the center of the podium and flicked the blackboard with his fingers.
Three large characters slowly appeared in the center of the blackboard.
“Talisman, Divination, Astronomy.”
“‘The mountain of books has a path, the sea of learning is boundless!’ Do you all know this phrase?” Professor Yao posed a question, then answered it himself without waiting for a response: “This is Nine Provinces College’s motto. You can all see this phrase on your admission notices!”
“How should this phrase be understood?”
“This phrase demands that you explore in the face of endless knowledge! Unceasing, endless exploration!”
“But!”
“Exploration requires a solid foundation of theory and practice. And this foundation is ‘Talisman, Divination, Astronomy’!”
“Talisman refers to your Talisman Studies; Divination refers to your Divination; Astronomy refers to your Astronomy. If you learn Talisman, Divination, and Astronomy well, understanding my Spell Class will be effortless, without the slightest difficulty! If you don’t learn Talisman, Divination, and Astronomy well, you won’t even understand the formulas given to you by the Potion Studies Professor!”
“Therefore, you must conscientiously learn these three subjects well.”
“This is your foundation for becoming a Registered Wizard! If you want to go further on the Wizard’s Path, then you must solidify this foundation.”
As he spoke, Lao Yao gave Xin Fatty an encouraging look.
The Fatty tried hard to straighten his back, wanting to respond to the Professor’s gaze with his actions. But his rotund figure made this effort somewhat less impactful.
Zheng Qing shifted uneasily in his seat, changing his posture.
He only had a superficial understanding of the subjects the Professor mentioned, which inevitably added many worries about the future.
“Furthermore, as your Counselor, I need to emphasize two more terms!”
“Credits! ID card!”
“Engrave these five words firmly in your little brains.”
“Credits are your life at the University! Your credits are all in your ID card!”
Lao Yao slowly walked off the podium, picked up Liu Feifei’s ID card from her desk in the first row, and said with emphasis:
“You want to enter the Library? Show your ID card!”
“You want to enter the laboratory? Show your ID card!”
“You want to attend a lecture by a famous Professor? Show your ID card!”
“Whether it’s borrowing books, using laboratory equipment, or even eating, sleeping, showering! Every facility you use at the school requires you to submit your ID card.”
“And the standard for judging whether you are qualified to use these facilities is your credits.”
“To earn credits, you must complete every Professor’s coursework on time and with quality! You must participate enthusiastically in every school-organized activity! You must madly strive for every opportunity to earn extra credits!”
“Sufficient credits allow you to obtain enough resources from the school to experiment with your magic, to hone your abilities; they allow you to upgrade your equipment at school, to improve your body; they are the only key for you to enter the world of upperclassmen.”
Speaking of this, Lao Yao paused, taking a short rest.
Several Little Elves carried a white mug to the Professor, with pearlescent steam rising above the wide rim.
The Professor smiled and nodded, took the mug, cleared his throat, and continued his lecture:
“You have all, more or less, experienced the charm of magic. Sufficient credits will allow you to fully enjoy this charm and experience that mysterious and dream-like world.”
“So, firmly remember these five words.” The Professor’s lips curled into a mysterious smile: “Believe me, at First University, credits are a harder currency than jade coin.”
Zheng Qing licked his lips, feeling a dryness, and a faint, sweet, and metallic taste.
The new students in the classroom were somewhat restless, encouraged by Lao Yao’s remarks.
“Additionally, I’m announcing a few things.”
Lao Yao pressed his hands down, and the classroom quieted again.
“The first matter concerns the trial.”
“Perhaps some of you have heard that First University has a trial of about a month at the beginning of the freshman year. The school will throw you tender new recruits into the Hunting Ground, to refine you, to wear down some thick skin and hard calluses.”
Perhaps finding Lao Yao’s words rather amusing, a few chuckles rippled through the classroom.
Zheng Qing also laughed.
Then he saw Xiao Xiao frowning, Zhang Jixin looking distressed, and Xin Fatty trying to shrink under the table.
He decisively shut his mouth.
Lao Yao seemed not to notice the freshmen’s uneasy expressions and continued:
“However, the school found that the risks of the freshman trial were difficult to control. Therefore, for safety considerations, starting this year, the freshman trial will be uniformly arranged one month before the start of sophomore year. You still have an entire academic year, plus half a summer vacation, to prepare.”
A buzzing sound of discussion filled the classroom.
Zheng Qing turned to Xiao Xiao: “Is this freshman trial very difficult?”
“Difficult?” Xin Fatty turned around, his chubby face scrunched up, exaggerating in a neurotic tone: “It’s not difficult! It’s a devil! It’s Hell! It’s a freshman’s grave!”
“Every year, freshmen die in the trial,” Xiao Xiao’s light explanation came from beside him.
Zheng Qing’s mouth dropped open in horror:
“People die?!”
His voice was a bit sharp.
Lao Yao tapped the blackboard again.
The classroom quieted down once more.
“No one will die.” The Professor looked at Zheng Qing with a smile, correcting him: “After the implementation of the new rules, no freshmen will have accidents. The Professor Joint Conference can guarantee this.”
He waved his hand, skipping this topic, and continued:
“The second matter is about invitation letters.”
“Every freshman season—which is now—is the season for various student organizations at the school to recruit new members. In the coming month, student organizations, including the school’s Student Union, the college’s Student Union, and various clubs of the Student Association Alliance, will begin to scout for new members. For freshmen who meet their requirements, these student organizations will provide an invitation letter.”
“I hope that every student can obtain at least one invitation letter. According to the custom of First University, each formal invitation letter can be exchanged for 0.1 credits with the Counselor. This will be your first income at the University, so do not be perfunctory.”
“As for freshmen who don’t receive even one invitation letter, by custom, their Counselor’s evaluation at the end of the semester will be in the bottom thirty percent.”
The Professor bent his thumb and poked his chest:
“As long as you put in the effort, you will always find an organization that suits you.”