Chapter 209 - 195: Belated Reward

Chapter 209: Chapter 195: Belated Reward

All Meteor University freshmen who chose the South City Gate route for the excursion have returned.

Three were seriously injured (and have been treated), one suffered a crippling injury (but has since recovered), and five failed to complete the 300-li round-trip requirement. There were no freshman fatalities.

The male instructor in charge of the military training announced that for the students who had chosen and completed the South City Gate route, the excursion was now officially over.

The corresponding rewards and compensation would be distributed later. As for the specific start date for classes, that would be decided by each respective department.

Finally, the male instructor reminded the freshmen that Meteor University was a campus built within a mystic realm. While it was safe on campus grounds, they could never let their guard down the moment they stepped outside the school.

He then warned the freshmen to never be greedy and to always remain vigilant in any mystic realm.

Although some students were still upset after learning that the whole thing—including the two Tier Four High-Grade Soul Beasts—was a "setup" orchestrated by the university, most of them eventually came to understand.

After all, the university had made preparations, which, to a certain extent, had minimized the danger for them. Besides, they were all Soul Masters; some things only needed a brief explanation to be understood.

Of course, when the male instructor finally announced that he would be collecting the Soul Beast Sealing Stones and Sealing Altars, the freshmen acted just as Li Heng’s group of four had—they handed them over quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

"We must ensure the healthy development of our juniors! Of course we have to hand over these Sealing Stones!"

"I hope the university keeps them safe. We can’t let the juniors feel disheartened!"

So, after the freshmen handed over their Sealing Stones and a few more things were said, the instructor in charge left. The freshmen who were feeling a bit better also began to depart one by one.

Meanwhile, some juniors and seniors exchanged contact information and got to know each other. As for those who saw that their senior helper was, perhaps, less attractive, they simply expressed their immense gratitude and promised to repay the favor someday.

The South City Gate route was over, but there was still no news from the other two gates. However, from what Li Heng overheard the seniors saying, it would likely only be another three to five days.

Of course, now that the show was over, it was time for him to leave. His Snow Affinity had reached 20, which meant he could now use the Cloud Cold Longsword without any side effects.

Therefore, Li Heng planned to re-enter the Divine-level Wolf King Mountain, a run he had previously cut short, to see if he could make some real progress this time.

After strolling back to the Xisha Area, Li Heng had just reached the entrance when he saw a figure standing there, holding something. It was Teacher Wen Ruyan, whom he hadn’t seen in over twenty days.

"Hello, Teacher Wen!" Li Heng greeted her. ’Why is Wen Ruyan here?’ He was puzzled but didn’t ask directly.

"Come with me to the Academic Affairs Office in a bit. I’ve arranged some follow-up matters that you need to handle," Wen Ruyan said, nodding at Li Heng.

Li Heng froze for a moment, then asked, bewildered, "T-Teacher Wen? Me? Handle them?"

Wen Ruyan just smiled. "You’re the face of this year’s freshman class. In the Comprehensive Department, aside from Gu Qingwu, it’s you. Oh, right, I heard you and Gu Qingwu hooked up? Not bad, Li Heng! I didn’t think you had it in you... You’ve got some moves!"

!!

’Teacher Wen Ruyan really lives up to her name,’ Li Heng thought. She seemed like a gentle and mild-mannered teacher, and from their previous interactions, she mostly was. Except sometimes, the things she said were... astonishing.

’And a bit of a gossip?’

"Teacher Wen, Senior Sister Gu and I are just friends," Li Heng explained, then quickly changed the subject. "But I have a few questions... What is it that I need to handle? And... what do you mean, ’the face of the freshman class’?"

Wen Ruyan explained, "You are the designated representative for the freshmen in the Xisha Area. From now on, I’ll only notify you of any developments, and you’ll be responsible for relaying the information to the other freshmen in the area."

Hearing this, Li Heng’s first instinct was to refuse. He had plans to enter a Dungeon soon, and if he went to the Ancient Dust Continent, he could be gone for days. He was already worried about finding an excuse for his absence; taking on another responsibility would just make things more complicated.

So, after a moment of thought, Li Heng tried to politely decline. "Well... Teacher Wen, I might be a little busy most of the time. I just think..."

Wen Ruyan cut him off. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. There are only a few freshmen in the Xisha Area. You’re the ’representative,’ but you won’t be busy. Rest when you want to rest. You just need to show up when it counts."

"Show up when it counts?" Li Heng pressed.

"In short, when it comes to fights and spars, you’re the one who steps up. You can delegate everything else. Of course, that’s not the main point. Here, take your reward."

"Reward?" Li Heng blinked.

"What Lu Shengming promised you during recruitment. This is a bottle of Tier Two Vein Nourishing Pills; they gently nurture your meridians and also help clear them. The fifty thousand Alliance Coins are your scholarship—they’ll be given to you during the school break, since they aren’t Soul Energy Items. This One-Card has one hundred academic credits on it, as well as one-time access to the third floor of the library. It contains elemental Soul Energy Skills. You can choose any one to cultivate."

Wen Ruyan explained patiently, handing the items to Li Heng as she spoke.

It was only then that Li Heng remembered the terms Lu Shengming had offered. Even though he’d been tricked into coming to this university, they hadn’t shorted him on the promised rewards.

"Thank you for going out of your way to bring this to me, Teacher Wen!" Li Heng said gratefully as he accepted the items.

To him, the Vein Nourishing Pills and such weren’t that important. The chance to learn an elemental Soul Energy Skill, however, was.

’I can check the library for that Snow-element Swordsmanship I was thinking about earlier.’

Li Heng put the items away, keeping his thoughts to himself. He didn’t say anything more, simply waiting for Wen Ruyan to continue.

"Once you’re ready, come with me to find the other freshmen. Besides student Bai Shasha, who is moving into the Xisha Area today, we also need to assess the other students, create a preliminary record, and organize the class assignments."

"Preliminary record?" Li Heng asked.

He could guess what the class assignments were about. After all, with the excursion over, classes would have to start. Sorting students into classes for instruction was a matter of course.

But this "preliminary record" left Li Heng completely stumped.

Wen Ruyan just smiled, took out a stack of bamboo slips, and handed them to Li Heng.

"Freshmen who performed well in the excursion can apply to live in their department’s premium dormitories. Think of it as an incentive... After all, elite students like you get automatic academic credits every semester. To put it simply, the ’preliminary record’ is to identify potential elite students!"

After Wen Ruyan’s explanation, Li Heng began to understand. He also realized that his plan to test the waters in the Divine-level Wolf King Mountain would probably have to be postponed again.