After dinner, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan returned to the freshman teaching building.
They walked to the bulletin board outside the building and located the class assignments for new students. Each class held 100 students, and four classes were already full. Since Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan had just registered that day, they managed to land the last three spots, placing them in Class Four.
The fifth freshman class already had 92 students enrolled, and with three more days of registration left, Zhu Ziyang estimated that this year's intake would include six to eight full classes.
"Beibei, Beibei! I'm in Class Four!" came an excited girl's voice nearby. It was energetic and cheerful.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan looked over instinctively. The speaker was a lively and beautiful girl with an oval face, phoenix eyes, and a single ponytail. Her very presence radiated vitality and happiness.
"I saw! Ugh, what a shame—I got placed in Class Five. Just missed it!" replied a tall and refined young man standing beside her. He had short dark-blue hair, a graceful temperament, and a warm smile. The way he looked at the girl was filled with fondness and slight regret.
"It's okay. Class Four and Five aren't that far apart," the girl said with a laugh, comforting him.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan didn't pay much attention to the pair and simply walked away.
"It's still early. Want to stroll around the city?" Zhu Ziyang suggested.
"I'll pass. I'd rather go back and train," Jiang Nannan said with a touch of frustration. "You're already level 35. If I don't push myself harder, I won't be able to keep up."
"Alright," Zhu Ziyang nodded, understanding her feelings. There wasn't much more he could do to help her at the moment. He gently patted her head and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. I've got you."
"Mhm," Jiang Nannan replied softly, her smile blooming like a spring flower.
Zhu Ziyang walked her back to the dormitory, then headed out to Shrek City alone.
Shrek Academy students typically entered Shrek City through the north gate, because the distance between the east and north gates was the shortest.
Looking at the layout, Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but complain internally:
"Shrek's city planners must've been amateurs!"
The academy and city were clearly part of the same complex. Adding a gate on the west wall of the academy would've made everything more convenient. But instead, the west wall was left entirely untouched. A total waste.
It took him nearly twenty minutes just to enter the city through the north gate.
He wandered aimlessly, browsing the shops as he walked. The lively night market reminded him of Tiandou City—just as bustling and vibrant.
After a while, he started to feel bored. Wandering without a goal wasn't interesting, and besides, his limited funds didn't exactly inspire a shopping spree.
Despite having nearly 100,000 gold soul coins saved up by his parents, that amount could only cover food and shelter in Shrek City—it couldn't buy high-level resources needed for serious cultivation.
Hoping to strike gold by chance? That was a joke. Did people really think all shopkeepers were fools?
With a sigh, Zhu Ziyang turned back toward the academy.
—
When he returned to his dorm, he found it still empty. That's when it hit him—he probably didn't have a roommate. Since Class Four was already full and no one else had shown up, chances were he'd have the room to himself.
That thought made him a little happy.
He chuckled, then sat down and began cultivating.
The next morning, 6:00 a.m.
Zhu Ziyang woke up as usual.
Glancing at the empty bed across from his, he confirmed his guess: he wouldn't be getting a roommate.
After washing up, he headed to the dorm entrance.
The crisp morning air felt refreshing. At the building's front door, the same old man from before was still reclining comfortably in his bamboo chair, face calm, chest slowly rising and falling.
Zhu Ziyang waved politely to the old man, then leaned against the opposite wall, took out a book, and began quietly reading.
Of course, he was waiting for Jiang Nannan. Despite their improvements in strength, both had kept their habit of morning runs—now with added weighted training to build stamina.
After about five minutes, a dark-blue-haired boy walked out of the hallway, greeting the old man at the entrance.
He became the second freshman besides Zhu Ziyang to greet the old man. Afterward, he also waited quietly at the entrance, eyes fixed on the staircase—clearly waiting for someone.
Zhu Ziyang glanced at him. He looked familiar.
Squinting slightly, Zhu Ziyang suddenly remembered—this was the same boy they'd seen at the bulletin board the night before, the one paired with the lively girl.
The boy wore a roguish smile and rested both hands behind his head. He noticed Zhu Ziyang and walked over, saying,
"Hi, I'm Yu Beibei from Class Five. Haven't we met somewhere?"
Yu Beibei?
The name triggered a memory in Zhu Ziyang. He smiled faintly and replied,
"Nice to meet you. I'm Zhu Ziyang from Class Four."
"Oh!" Yu Beibei snapped his fingers. "I remember now—we saw each other by the bulletin board yesterday."
Zhu Ziyang nodded and smiled again, but there was something reflective in his eyes.
Yu Beibei… The name appeared several times in the scattered fragments of a certain book from his past life—Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the Dragon King.
Things just kept getting more interesting.
Yu Beibei continued chatting, "Are you waiting for the girl who was with you yesterday?"
"Aren't you doing the same?" Zhu Ziyang replied with a grin.
"Haha, yep," Yu Beibei said, scratching his head. "I'm waiting for my childhood friend. Turns out she's in your class. What a coincidence, huh?"
"Sure is," Zhu Ziyang said.
The two boys chatted casually, building a friendly rapport.
A few minutes later, Jiang Nannan came down the stairs—along with another girl with a long black ponytail and delicate features.
It was the same girl who had been with Yu Beibei the night before.
"Ziyang-ge!" Jiang Nannan called cheerfully as she waved.
The other girl also waved and said, "Beibei!"
It seemed both had come down together—and already knew each other.
The two girls walked up to them.
"Gege, this is my roommate. She's in our class too. Her name is Tang Ya," Jiang Nannan introduced.
"Hi, I'm Tang Ya. I'm also the leader of Tang Sect!" the girl said with a smile, looking at Zhu Ziyang curiously. Her expression carried a trace of pride.
"Hello, I'm Zhu Ziyang," he replied, smiling warmly.
But deep in his eyes, a flicker of amusement passed.
Tang Ya? Another name from the books.
And Tang Sect? That name was once thunderous across the continent.
A sect that had once influenced the entire mainland now had a twelve-year-old girl as its leader?
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but think: how the mighty have fallen.
"Hey, Nannan, this is Beibei—my top disciple at Tang Sect!" Tang Ya continued, pulling Yu Beibei over.
"Hi, I'm Jiang Nannan," she said, smiling politely.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yu Beibei from Class Five," he replied.
"Wanna grab breakfast?" Tang Ya asked.
"Not yet—we're going for a morning run first," Jiang Nannan declined. "We'll eat afterward."
"Ugh… running on an empty stomach sounds awful," Tang Ya pouted. "Alright, Beibei and I will go eat first, then."
"Okay, see you later!" Jiang Nannan said with a smile.
And just like that, the girls made the decisions—and neither boy was consulted.