Chu Tianxing's voice echoed across the square, bringing this unique opening ceremony to a close.
"Alright, I now announce... the Meal Ticket Red vs. Blue Exercise is over!"
The moment his words fell, the entire audience of freshmen erupted into thunderous revelry.
The wave of sound seemed as if it would completely overturn the sky above Tianshu University.
Lin Qingyue's four-person squad was, without a doubt, the sole focus of the entire venue.
The gazes cast from all directions were filled with undisguised reverence, gratitude, and even fanaticism.
"It seems," Lin Qingyue tilted her head, blinking mischievously at Lin Xiyue, her voice lowered and carrying a trace of a lazy smile,
"The Braised Pork freedom for the entire next semester is firmly grasped in our hands."
"Absolutely!"
Lin Xiyue excitedly pumped her fist, a flush of excitement rising on her cheeks.
"And sweet and sour tenderloin, Guobaorou, and cola chicken wings!"
Su Wan listened from the side, the corners of her mouth twitching imperceptibly as she let out a seemingly disdainful soft snort.
"Lin Xiyue, can't you think of something with a bit more class than just meat?"
She paused, her gaze deliberately drifting away, but the tips of her ears quietly flushed red.
"For example, an iced osmanthus sour plum drink would be pretty good."
Xia Lian then added in a small voice.
"Actually... the cafeteria's steamed pork with rice flour is supposedly top-notch too."
Su Wan gave her a "you're no better" look, exasperation written all over her face.
After the exercise concluded, Principal Chu Tianxing briefly announced the next steps: all freshmen automatically received a half-price discount; they could use a meal ticket to redeem a luxurious feast; free course selection was in the afternoon, and classes would officially begin tomorrow.
The whole process was swift and decisive, full of the rugged style unique to Tianshu University.
As Lin Qingyue's Squad headed toward the cafeteria in a grand procession with a huge stack of meal tickets, almost all the freshmen spontaneously cleared a path for them.
A boy with a bruised and swollen face flushed red and stuffed his last remaining meal ticket into Lin Xiyue's hands.
"Boss, please accept my respects! Without you all, we'd be eating grass this month!"
"That's right! Boss, take it! These are ours!"
"Boss, are you still taking sidekicks? The kind that can shout praise!"
The freshmen scrambled to stuff their scattered Meal Tickets into the girls' hands, their enthusiasm making it impossible to refuse.
Listening to the continuous greetings, Lin Xiyue straightened her back, her small face so smug her nose was practically pointing at the sky.
Guarding the overflowing Meal Tickets in her arms with one hand, she waved at the crowd with the other, looking both reserved and excited, much like a Shogun inspecting her troops:
"Hello, fellow students! You've all worked hard!"
Su Wan helplessly facepalmed and turned her face away.
Xia Lian wished she could bury her entire face in Lin Qingyue's shadow; her toes were curling so hard from secondhand embarrassment that they were ready to start construction on a new building.
Only Lin Qingyue remained in her usual salted-fish state, looking as if absolutely nothing in the world mattered to her.
It was as if that "Gundam Maid" who had just one-shot Guo Tao with a single sword strike had absolutely nothing to do with her.
Lunch, naturally, was the legendary Spirit Beast Braised Pork.
When the bright red, aromatic Braised Pork was brought to the table, Lin Xiyue was so excited she almost performed a shield backflip on the spot.
The meat was fatty but not greasy, melting perfectly in the mouth.
The rich Spiritual Energy suddenly burst open between her lips and teeth, turning into streams of warm currents that surged towards her limbs and bones, quickly replenishing the intense consumption from the morning's battle.
"Mmm... This is so good!"
Lin Xiyue gobbled up the food while praising indistinctly, "Sis, this cooking is almost as good as yours!"
"Indeed."
Lin Qingyue also picked up a piece with her chopsticks and savored it carefully. "It's not just the taste; the energy contained within is very pure and highly beneficial for cultivation. No wonder those senior brothers and sisters would fight desperately for it."
After eating and drinking their fill, the four of them went to the self-service course selection terminal in the academic building.
In addition to the compulsory courses for their respective professions, they also needed to choose a public elective course.
Lin Xiyue poked at the display, her eyes swimming as she looked at the wide variety of courses on the list.
"On the Innovative Application of Runes in Modern Cooking?"
"Monster Breeding and Postpartum Care?"
"How to Maintain an Elegant Hairstyle in Battle? And this..."
"The Priest's Self-Cultivation: How to Elegantly Refuse to Heal Suicidal Teammates?"
"The courses at this school are too bizarre!"
Lin Qingyue swiped her finger, her gaze finally resting on a plainly named course.
[Introduction to Ancient Martial Arts and Practice]
Instructor: Chen Jing.
"This one," Lin Qingyue tapped the screen.
"Sis, isn't your spearmanship already very impressive? You still want to learn?" Lin Xiyue asked curiously.
"There is no end to learning."
Lin Qingyue explained, "I have merely 'learned' my spearmanship, it isn't truly 'mine' yet. I want to thoroughly integrate and master it through systematic learning."
"When I initially chose Tianshu, Teacher Chen Jing accounted for at least a third of the reason."
"Then I'll choose this too!" Lin Xiyue immediately said. "My shield techniques also need polishing, and the force-generation techniques in Ancient Martial Arts will definitely help."
Su Wan pondered for a moment and also nodded.
"Although a Mage rarely engages in close combat, learning some self-defense skills is never a bad idea. Understanding the fighting style of martial artists will also help in predicting their movements."
Xia Lian had even fewer objections: "My Bow Arts also need practical combat experience to hone, I'll choose it too."
The moment they confirmed their course selections, the System's prompt sounded once again in Lin Qingyue's mind.
[Ding! Detected that the Host performed outstandingly in the opening ceremony, reaching the "Freshman Leader" reputation level, successfully turning the tide of the battle, and creating a phenomenal "entertainment" event. Elation Value +2222!]
[Congratulations to the Host! University life has officially begun! System upgrade initiating!]
[Upgrade complete! Current version: 2.1]
[New module added: System Store]
Lin Qingyue's heart stirred, and she immediately called up the System interface.
A brand-new virtual light screen unfolded before her eyes, clearly divided into two sections.
[Common Section]
The goods were a feast for the eyes, ranging from the white "Fine Steel Longsword" to the green "Enchanted Leather Armor," and from the "Low-Grade Healing Potion Recipe" to the "Fireball Spell Basic Model"—it had everything one could wish for.
There were two payment methods: Mora, or Credits.
Lin Qingyue took a look. A green-quality Weapon cost 50000 Credits or Mora, which was a reasonably fair price.
Her gaze then moved to the other section.
[Premium Section]
The items in this area were rare and expensive, consisting only of gleaming, brilliantly colored cards.
[Character Trial Card: Xingqiu (30 minutes)], Price: 3000 Elation Value.
[Character Trial Card: Diluc (30 minutes)], Price: 10000 Elation Value.
[Character Trial Card: Raiden Shogun (30 minutes)], Price: 30000 Elation Value.
[Character Trial Card: Jingliu (30 minutes)], Price: 50000 Elation Value.
[Character Trial Card: Acheron (30 minutes)], Price: 60000 Elation Value.
-
There was only one payment method—Elation Value.
Lin Qingyue looked at the ridiculously high prices, especially the sky-high numbers for Jingliu and Acheron, and the corner of her mouth couldn't help but twitch madly.
"System, isn't this daylight robbery?"
[Host, the items in the Premium Section are all high-value strategic items. You get what you pay for.]
"The Venti and Zhongli Trial Cards I got as mission rewards before were both for 24 hours."
[Newbie benefits are not comparable to regular items.]
Lin Qingyue curled her lips, but her gaze remained dead set on the two trial cards.
That posture, that stance when drawing the blade...
I really want to weep for the departed!
I really want to illuminate the myriad waters!
She then looked at her Elation Value balance.
[Current Elation Value: 13,655 points]
With this little balance, she couldn't afford anything that caught her eye, and she didn't currently need anything she could afford.
A suffocating feeling of being ruthlessly squeezed by an unscrupulous profiteer, while being completely strapped for cash, tightly wrapped around her.
It seemed... in her future college life, she would have to figure out how to pull off more big stunts to "entertain" herself and the people around her.
First, she would start with tomorrow's Ancient Martial Arts class.