The following morning, Lin woke up groggily, still feeling tired even after a full night of rest. Not only did he refrain from activating his ability meaning his rest was not as good as when the skill is initiated, but the dorm bed was also hard and uncomfortable making him feel like he only slept for 5 hours.
He slowly got out of bed and prepared for the day, fixing his drowsy appearance and disheveled hair. Once he changed into his crisp uniform he started to open the dorm door only to pause and wonder what he was even supposed to do.
'They just sent me to my room, leaving me to my own devices.' He thought with aggravation. He finally resolved to texting the person, whose name was still unknown, on what he should do presently.
'Xiao Hua will be there soon'
A minute later, a knock resounded from the door and Lin answered it.
The beautiful, brown skinned lady from the day before gave a smile saying, "Please come with me."
Lin nodded and trailed the woman's confident strides through the campus. Students looked up to stare at the pretty lady as they realized her status as the chancellor's assistant. Being an assistant might not sound like a high position but when it comes to being the chancellor's assistant, the person holding that position will be the second highest power, directly below the chancellor.
The teens started to murmer as they glanced in Lin's direction. Anyone would be curious if they saw a first year junior walking with one of the most respected figures in the entirety of the school. Additionally, that student was someone they had never seen before raising more questions as to why some nobody was being escorted through the school by Xiao Hua.
But before long they became disinterested, looking towards another direction. That direction happened to be the school flower as she walked to her next class. People flocked around her, showcasing her immense popularity, and she smiled sweetly at every word the admirers had to say.
Lin continued walking with Xiao Hua until they reached what looked like an administration building. They navigated the brightly lit halls of the building until they reached a specific door and entered the room inside. It was a minimalistic looking office with a modern aesthetic of sleek black and white furnishings. A man with curly brown hair styled in a buzz cut and bright blue eyes behind rimmed glasses awaited them on a white leather couch.
They both approached as he stood up from his seat to greet them. "Welcome! My name is Jin He and I'm the chancellor of this academy."
Lin's eyes widened and he immediately bowed to show his respect.
"Raise your head. You can call me Uncle He. I brought you here to explain what you will be doing and to give you your schedule." Uncle He said with a grin.
Despite Jin He's youth, he rightfully earned the chancellor position. One would usually expect the chancellor of Genius Academy to be an aged cultivator that was way past their prime and Jin He's age would make some doubt his credibility… that is until they see his qualifications and strength. He has peak leadership skills and strength that rivals with some of the most prominent figures in history. Additionally, he has yet to reach his limit making him a formidable figure on the planet of Numia.
Lin nodded nervously as he stood in the presence of such a powerful and influential individual. What's more, he was now expected to call that individual 'Uncle He'. It was brutally nerve wracking.
"First, let me tell you the rules of Genius Academy. One, curfew is at 10:30 pm meaning no one is allowed outside of the campus grounds past that time; students are allowed to stay awake after that point and can even be in any building on campus, but they cannot leave school nor can they enter from the outside."
"Two, unauthorized dueling is prohibited, and must first be registered by the disciplinary committee before being held in a dueling court; both parties must be present during the registration and express their consent to the duel."
"Lastly, any inappropriate behavior or harassment is strictly prohibited and will immediately result in expulsion; I oversee the severe cases so as to avoid any special treatment or injustice."
Lin nodded in understanding. The rules were reasonable and he had no qualms with obliging. Right then, Uncle He retrieved a blue capsule pill and handed it to Lin. He accepted it with a puzzled expression.
"Take it. The majority of students in this school already studied all academic subjects that school would normally teach. Those students came from noble families who already planned to send their children to Genius Academy or a similar school and taught everything regular school had to offer before their high school years. That pill is usually given to new students who did not study as such but are greatly desired by specialized schools for their talents. It is very expensive and difficult to make but its effects are worth it; it will directly transfer any information it was instilled with into the consumer's knowledge in a matter of minutes."
"That pill has all information from primary school to senior college academics. Don't worry about the information that you already know as unnecessary information will refrain from being used. I also need to warn you that you'll feel an excruciating headache for around half an hour as the mass of information given is often overwhelming, but this pill is required so that you have the basic knowledge required for life as we do not include academic classes in our school."
Lin stared at the pill with apprehension before steeling his nerves and swallowing the capsule with a cup of water. He felt an immediate rush of knowledge entering his brain and an agonizing headache pierced his skull.
"Urgh!" He grunted as he gritted his teeth against the pain. His fists clenched until his palms started bleeding and his eyes squeezed shut until he saw stars. He prayed that he would faint from the pain so that he could escape the torment but he was wide awake as the migraine pulsed inside his skull.
After 20 minutes that felt like an eternity, his headache started to ease significantly until he could breathe regularly and only a bit of sharp pain pricked at his temples.
Jin He stared curiously at Lin. 'One grunt and the rest was just ragged breathing. This boy has a surprisingly high pain tolerance… That headache has been described as worse than getting drilled into the head by a jackhammer, and that was said by someone who experienced such violence before. Yet, this fourteen year old boy just gritted his teeth and clenched his fists against such torture. Unbelievable!' Jin He smiled proudly at the incredible display.
Lin slowly opened his eyes, his vision filled with stars. Once his vision finally cleared he looked down at his bleeding hands, finally feeling the painful throbbing at his palms.
Uncle He hovered his hands above Lin's and healed them with green colored qi. "There. How are you feeling?" He looked up at Lin's dazed face with sympathy.
"Fine, just incredibly exhausted. The pain is already gone, my body simply feels numb and heavy." He said quietly with a hoarse voice.
"Alright, you can just rest today. Here is your schedule, and we'll send Xiao Hua to guide you around the campus tomorrow." Jin He said, handing a paper to Lin. He accepted it weakly. "Since today is Thursday, you can start classes next week. Have some relaxation, Xiao Hua will greet you at noon tomorrow."
Lin agreed and trudged towards the door. Xiao Hua sighed as she watched him stumble unsteadily through the hallway. She waved her hand and Lin started to float. He gasped in surprise and turned to look at the beautiful woman standing a few feet away from him. She shrugged and started to move, bringing Lin along in front of her. He decided to relax and accept her assistance with gratitude. "Thank you." He said to her.
She smiled leisurely saying, "No problem. I understand your situation as I have experienced the same."
He tilted his head with interest. "Could you tell me about it? I'm sorta curious. Though I most likely won't be able to respond to your words since I'm really tired but I'll listen."
Xiao Hua shook her head. "Not right now since you look like you could fall asleep right this moment. I'll tell you tomorrow when you're well rested."
"Okay." Lin couldn't argue with her words as they were absolutely true.
They reached his dorm room after a few more minutes and Lin was dropped onto his bed. The moment he layed in a comfortable position, he fell asleep.
Xiao Hua strode over to him and tapped her index finger onto his forehead. A calming, ocean blue qi entered his head, deepening his sleep. The qi technique she used was a simple technique that would improve one's sleep considerably. She was aware of the uncomfortable mattresses that were used in the dorms so she wanted to help him sleep better. Afterwards, she left the room silently.
***
The following day at noon, Xiao Hua knocked on Lin's door and was greeted by a lively boy who looked like he had the most refreshing sleep possible after 5 all-nighters in a row.
"Hello!" He greeted with a smile. He was truly excited to look around the campus and eager to start his school life there. He wasn't the type of person to hide his positive emotions and would express his ardour openly.
Xiao Hua chuckled. "Let's go, there's much to show you." She turned around and began strolling towards the dorm building exit with an energetic Lin in tow.
She first brought him to the shopping court where students would buy food, items, or groceries from small stores lining the interior.
She then brought him to the first year training hall which consisted of racks filled with wooden weapons, thick metal pillars for punching, and small raised platforms for sparring. The training hall had two floors and the second floor was completely soundproof with mats on the ground. Students sat cross legged or laid on their backs on the mats, cultivating in silence.
The next place was the lecture hall where 4 three story buildings stood. Classrooms were filled with students who wrote in their notebooks or practiced their qi under the instruction of the teacher. All the classrooms were structured like college lecture rooms, giving them a scholarly look.
Finally, Lin was brought to research halls for alchemy and other trades where third and fourth year students worked under a professional researcher of the school.
The tour made Lin even more enthusiastic and he immediately went to the training hall after the tour. He reached the two story building and saw a crowd gathering at one of the metal pillars.
"Look! He put a dent in the pillar!"
"No way! The pillars are made of durenium, one of the strongest metals on the planet!"
"Who is he? I've never seen him before."
"Now that you say it, neither have I."
Hao Lin peeked through the crowd to see who they were talking about and Wang Ling entered his line of sight. Seeing Wang Ling, Lin pushed through the crowd.
"Wang Ling?" He said.
"Ah! Hao Lin!" Wang Ling greeted cheerfully.
"What happened?"
"Well I decided to come to the training hall to practice and when I punched a pillar, a tiny dent appeared. The punch made a really loud noise so everyone turned to look and when they saw the dent I made they crowded here."
"Woah, that's awesome. The pillar doesn't look easy to make a dent in so your punches must be pretty strong." Lin looked at him in amazement.
"You could probably do the same, and if you used your sword aura the pillar would probably bend 45 degrees at least." Wang Ling said while shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, but then the place would probably be lit on fire." Lin replied, laughing.
The two laughed as the students crowding around looked at them like they were absurd.
"Burn the training hall down?"
"Bend the pillar 45 degrees??"
"What are they talking about?"
"I dunno."
Lin looked at Wang Ling with a wide grin. "Seeing that you're here, you must've passed the test right?"
"Yep, wasn't much to it. I was super nervous but I luckily made the orb turn blue which granted me a pass."
The students were full of questions as they listened to the unfamiliar first years' conversation.
"Orb? Are they talking about the potential test?"
"Didn't admissions stop four months ago?"
"Wait he made the orb blue?? But mine just turned yellow."
"Oh mine turned green."
"What does blue mean?"
"Who knows?"
Lin smiled brightly. "Congratulations! Did you get your schedule yet?"
"Oh, yeah, it's right here." Wang Ling pulled a folded paper out of his pocket. "Did you get yours?"
"Yeah, but I left it in my dormitory." Lin said. "Do you wanna compare them? We can go to my dorm to get it."
"Sure." Wang Ling walked beside Lin as they headed towards the male dorms.
The crowd of students held baffled expressions as they watched the two students stroll away.
"The hell was that about?"
"Seriously."