Volume One: Entering the Dao Chapter Eighteen: The Freshmen of the Dao Techniques Faculty

After reading the message, the two of them logged into "Yingze" one after another. As soon as they entered, they saw a post on the homepage titled "New Student Admission Test Results." Opening the link, they found a long list of names, each followed by a corresponding department. Ye Junze glanced through the content—names like "Yang Kai—Alchemy Department," "Jiang Tian—Artifact Forging Department," "Wang Xingren—Daoist Arts Department," "Huang Qiu—Array Department," and so on.

The two of them searched for their names among the crowd. Wang Dongdong, standing beside him, spoke with a hint of anticipation, “Didn’t expect the results to come out so quickly! Heaven help me, I want to get into the Alchemy Department!” For Ye Junze, it brought back memories of searching for his name in the rankings after school exams—he used to always be at the top, but this time was different; he had to check one by one.

Although there were only over five hundred new students, it still took a while to find their own names. After a moment, Wang Dongdong suddenly jumped up, shouting excitedly, “Ye! Did you see it? The Alchemy Department! I’m coming for the beauties!” With that, he was lost in his own world, as if nothing else could reach his ears. Ye Junze shook his head helplessly at the sight and continued searching. At last, he found his own name a little further down: "Ye Junze—Daoist Arts Department." Seeing this, he felt a weight lift from his heart, letting out a long breath. “I didn’t expect to be in the same department as Senior Lin Xin,” he mused. “Looks like I should ask her for some advice later.”

While Ye Junze was contemplating seeking advice about the Daoist Arts Department, Wang Dongdong finally seemed to calm down and sat back in his chair. He asked, “Ye, how about you? Did you see which department you’re in?”

“I found it. Daoist Arts Department. Same as the senior who welcomed us when we arrived,” Ye Junze replied.

“Oh, that senior is a real beauty! Don’t you have any thoughts about her?” Wang Dongdong grinned mischievously.

“You—if your mind could stop running off to these things, I’d thank the heavens.” Ye Junze responded wryly.

“Heh, I’m just in a good mood because my wish came true. Just kidding around.”

“By the way, that post only listed the results, right? Didn’t say when or how we’re supposed to report?” Ye Junze asked, a little puzzled.

“No rush. Ever since we got to this school, everything we wondered about has been announced to us right after,” Wang Dongdong said.

Just as he finished speaking, both of their phones chimed with notifications. When they checked, they found a private message from "Yingze." Ye Junze opened his and read: “Student Ye Junze, welcome to the Daoist Arts Department at Anze Academy. Please report to the department by 9 a.m. tomorrow. (ps: You can check the location on the 'Yingze' map.)” Wang Dongdong also received a similar message, except that his was for the Alchemy Department.

After reading the notifications, the two of them fell into a rare silence. It was Wang Dongdong who finally broke it, smiling before he spoke. “Ye, tomorrow we’ll probably start our official cultivation. Honestly, I still don’t know if I have any talent for this path, or what the future holds. But from the moment we met, I knew you were different. When we found out we could all begin cultivation, I was sure you’d be the strongest among us. So when you go to the Daoist Arts Department, promise me you’ll give it your all. That way, someday when you make a name for yourself, I can proudly pat my chest and say, ‘See that? He’s my brother!’”

Hearing this, Ye Junze couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s with you, acting like we’re in some melodramatic farewell scene? Everything’s fine—we both got what we wanted. You can chase beauties in the Alchemy Department now.” He teased, “Look on the bright side. How do you know whether you have talent or not if you haven’t even started? For all you know, you might turn out to be a cultivation genius. If that happens, I’ll be counting on you to make me some miracle pill that boosts my power so much I won’t need to cultivate for a hundred years.”

“Haha! I’ll take your blessing, Ye. If that day ever comes, you’ll be the first to know,” Wang Dongdong replied with a laugh.

“That’s more like it. We’re just next door to each other; it’s not like we won’t see each other again. When I have time, I’ll still be coming over to mooch off a meal—don’t you dare kick me out then,” said Ye Junze.

Wang Dongdong smacked his chest, “You’re always welcome! I’ll order the best food for you every time you come.”

“Alright, let’s leave it at that. I’ll head back and get ready. You should check what you need to bring to the Alchemy Department and prepare properly,” Ye Junze said as he got up.

Wang Dongdong stood up to see him out. “See you, Ye! Don’t forget to come eat with me anytime.”

Ye Junze pushed open the door and replied, “I won’t forget.”

Back in his own dorm, Ye Junze thought for a moment, then sent Lin Xin a message: “Senior, my admission test results are out. I’m in the Daoist Arts Department, same as you. Is there anything I should prepare for reporting in tomorrow?”

Lin Xin seemed to be either in class or busy, so she didn’t reply right away. After a while, seeing there was still no response, Ye Junze decided to leave it be, figuring she would reply when she saw it, and went to shower and get ready for cultivation.

...

Afterwards, Ye Junze received a reply from Lin Xin: “Sorry, I was just in class and only just saw your message. No need to prepare anything—just report directly tomorrow.”

“Alright, thank you, Senior.”

“You’re welcome, and congratulations on joining the Daoist Arts Department. Now you’re officially my junior.”

“Then I hope you’ll look after me and answer my questions in the future.”

“No problem. Actually, I’m free tomorrow morning, so I’ll come to your dorm and take you to report in myself.”

“Won’t that be too much trouble for you, Senior?”

“It’s nothing, really. It’s settled then.”

“Thank you again, Senior. I feel bad for bothering you so much these days—let me treat you to a meal sometime.”

“Alright, I won’t hold back when the time comes.”

Finishing the conversation, Ye Junze calmed his mind and resumed his cultivation in the Illusory Realm. Strangely, perhaps because the test had solidified his determination, Ye Junze now felt that making the most of every moment to cultivate was the most important thing in his life.