Volume One: The First Steps on the Path Chapter Two: Ye Junze

At dawn, the darkness gradually receded. As the first glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, the sun began to rouse this bustling city from its slumber. Countless people, toiling for their livelihoods, embarked on yet another busy day. Children heading to school, office workers, street vendors—all took to the streets as the city once again filled with the endless flow of people and traffic. Clearly, everyone had grown accustomed to this rhythm of life, knowing they would continue to repeat it day after day. Yet today, for some, marked a new beginning.

“Zeze, get up and eat. Once you finish, tidy yourself up—you have to report in. Don’t be late,” called out the voice of a middle-aged woman, brimming with joy. “This child, about to start college, and not the least bit anxious. Hurry, breakfast is ready!”

“I know, Mom. I’m not a kid anymore. I’ll be right there,” came a young man’s voice from inside the room.

“All right, all right, but don’t dawdle. I’ll check your luggage again, just to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.”

Inside, the young man—still dazed from last night’s long battle in his own world—forced himself to rise, dressed quickly, and glanced at the table by his bed. There, a red-covered letter of admission lay conspicuously. He paused for a moment, then picked it up. On the cover, four bold calligraphic characters announced the name: Anze Academy. Lifting the flap, he read the brief message: “Ye Junze, congratulations on being admitted to our school. Please report on September 1, 2018. Address: 100 Tianci Street, Yan City. Signed, the Dean.”

“So today I start university. I wonder if this place is really as mysterious as the rumors online,” Ye Junze mused.

He recalled the moment a month ago when he’d first received the admission letter—he’d been utterly bewildered. After all, he hadn’t even applied to a school called Anze Academy. Yet his parents, overjoyed that their son had been accepted, were too elated to question whether the letter was genuine or whether the school even existed. Seeing his parents were in no state for rational discussion, Ye Junze had decided to investigate this so-called Anze Academy himself. The more he searched, the more dubious the school became. Online information was vague and unhelpful. Even after trawling through dozens of pages, he found nothing concrete.

Then, suddenly, a forum post titled “Supernatural Events at Anze Academy” caught his eye. Driven by suspicion and intense curiosity, he clicked on it. The poster claimed to be a student at Anze Academy and wrote, “According to reliable sources, strange singing is often heard in the girls’ dormitory late at night. Strangely, the singing is beautiful. Those who hear it say they sleep especially soundly afterward and wish they could hear it hundreds more times. At first, people thought it was just someone causing a disturbance, but when it happened night after night, it became truly bizarre. Surely no one could have insomnia every single night. As the incident drew more attention, the school administration got involved. According to reports, a teacher went into the girls’ dormitory the next day, stayed half an hour, and after that, the singing was never heard again. That teacher became a frequent topic of conversation among the students.”

There were other tales too, such as “The Mysterious Disappearance of Students at the Academy” and more. The more Ye Junze read, the deeper his doubts grew. At the end of the post, he noticed a tiny web link. Curious, he clicked it. The page opened with “Anze Academy” at the top. But when he tried to browse further, a dialog box popped up: “Please enter your name.” On a whim, he typed his own. It was as if the site recognized him; the page began to shift rapidly. The first line flashed: “Welcome, new student. What you’re about to see is a glimpse of your future university life.” The page flickered, frame after frame, too fast for Ye Junze to catch more than a few phrases: “Awakening,” “Monsters,” “Spiritual Power,” “Coexistence,” “Dingbang,” “Sacrifice.” Soon the page stopped and displayed: “This is all you are currently authorized to see. Further details will be disclosed in person at the school. Please indicate if you wish to join us.”

At that, Ye Junze reflected on the changes he’d undergone in the past two years, and the strange stories he’d seen in the news. “Perhaps this place can answer all my questions. The old man, and what he left me—since that’s the case, why hesitate any longer?”

A resolute light flashed in his eyes. Without hesitating, he clicked “Yes.” The page changed again: “New student Ye Junze, we’re delighted you have chosen our school. Welcome to Anze Academy. We eagerly await your arrival.”

After reading this, Ye Junze closed the page and pondered everything that had just happened. “Perhaps this school really is the best place for me. In that case, I’ll just wait for the semester to begin.” He considered telling his parents about what he’d seen, but then thought better of it. “No need to worry them. I’ll just say I checked and it’s a very good university.”

Having made up his mind, Ye Junze told his parents, who became even more elated and immediately promised to buy the best ingredients and cook a feast to celebrate.

Seeing his parents so happy, he felt joyful as well. “Great, great! I want braised pork. Mom, your braised pork is the best!”

His mother beamed with pride. Hearing her son’s words, she became even happier. His father, standing nearby, teased, “You rascal, are you saying my cooking isn’t as good?”

“Of course not. Both of you cook wonderfully.” His mother chimed in to smooth things over, “All right, old man, go buy the groceries and help me when you get back.”

“Zeze, are you ready? Breakfast’s getting cold. Hurry and come eat.” His mother’s voice pulled Ye Junze from his thoughts. “Coming, Mom, I’ll be right there,” he replied, setting aside the admission letter.

He looked up into the mirror. The reflection showed a young face, but with a head of pure white hair. Staring at his own image, he thought, “Ever since that incident two years ago, I’ve looked like this. I can only hope that where I’m going will finally give me the answers I seek.”