Chapter 276: Seeing Zhang Pianpian Again

Chapter 276: Seeing Zhang Pianpian Again

"Number 686, Zhang Yu."

As the call echoed, Zhang Yu stood up and walked toward the interview classroom.

Although all his results had already met the admission requirements of Wanfa University, and he had signed the admission agreement in advance, the interview process was still unavoidable.

When Zhang Yu entered the interview classroom, he casually smiled at the three examiners and said, "Hello, I'm Zhang Yu from the Songyang Advanced Immortal Dao High School in the first layer of Songyang City."

The chief examiner looked at him and asked, "Why do you want to apply to Wanfa University?"

Zhang Yu replied calmly, "Because Wanfa University is one of the best universities. To break through to the Golden Core stage, to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, and to enter a sect, naturally, I must choose the best university."

The three interviewers smiled slightly, and one of them asked, "How do you plan to balance your study and rest time?"

Zhang Yu said plainly, "I don't rest."

Another examiner inquired, "How much of the university curriculum have you completed so far?"

Zhang Yu replied, "As you can see, I am already a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I have completed all the general courses for the Qi Refining stage."

"I have also self-studied the Civil Engineering Department's Excavation Palm, Crane Claw, Sports Car Leg, and Elevator Leap, all of which have reached level 10."

As the examiners reviewed the information in his resume, their gazes toward Zhang Yu grew increasingly satisfied.

The chief examiner spoke up, "Zhang Yu, as far as I know, you haven't undergone sterilization. What are your thoughts on university sterilization? Do you think it's necessary for university students?"

Zhang Yu replied calmly, "Sterilization is an escape for the weak."

"For me, mere bodily hormones can be suppressed by willpower."

"These things are not obstacles on my path of immortality. Instead, they are tools of production that can aid my cultivation."

"My resume includes proof of my seed-selling transactions in the first layer. Such high-frequency and high-quality transaction data, I believe, is enough to prove the firmness of my Dao heart."

The three interviewers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with appreciation.

Finally, they all stood up and extended their hands toward Zhang Yu. "Zhang Yu, welcome to Wanfa University."

...

As soon as Zhang Yu stepped out of the interview classroom, he saw Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan, who had already completed their interviews.

Yu Xinghan said, "Let's go, Zhang Yu. Time to register. Next, we need to choose a dormitory."

Just then, a woman's voice rang out.

"Zhang Yu, long time no see."

Zhang Yu and the other two turned their heads simultaneously and saw Zhang Pianpian walking slowly toward them.

Two years had passed, but Zhang Pianpian remained as graceful as ever, her spirited aura even more pronounced than before.

Her appearance hadn't changed much, except her eyes had turned amber, clearly due to some kind of ocular artifact.

The mark on her forehead, "Rank 49, Foundation Establishment Stage, Talisman Department, Wanfa University," along with the halo behind her head, attracted the attention of many people around them, instantly making her the center of attention.

Zhang Yu was about to blurt out "Sis," but he caught himself and finally said, "Senior, you're here."

Zhang Pianpian smiled slightly. "You've grown taller."

"Come on, I'll take you to register first, then treat you to a meal."

Under Zhang Pianpian's guidance, Zhang Yu and the other two went through the enrollment process, registered, and paid their tuition...

Although they had brought enough tuition, encouraged by Zhang Pianpian, they actively applied for student loans, taking on their first debt since arriving in the second layer.

The tuition for the first year was 0.5 spirit coins. Interest would start accruing from the second year, with a monthly payment of 0.005 spirit coins, and the full 0.5 spirit coins would be repaid in one lump sum upon graduation.

Zhang Pianpian said, "Don't be afraid. Since you've come to the second layer, how can you progress without fully unleashing your immortal Dao potential?"

"Instead of paying the 0.5 spirit coins in tuition now, it's better to invest it in your studies first."

Seeing Zhang Pianpian's name on the recommendation form, Zhang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Sis... Senior, does this count as contributing to your performance?"

Zhang Pianpian replied, "Since you have to do it anyway, I might as well help you with it."

"Let's go, time to choose a dormitory."

While moving through Wanfa University City earlier, Zhang Yu had noticed one characteristic of the place.

Because the entire university city was concentrated in a three-dimensional building measuring over 3 kilometers in length and width and no more than 10 kilometers in height, the internal space utilization was extremely high.

Or rather... the space was very cramped.

And when he saw their future dormitory, Zhang Yu became even more convinced of this idea.

"Lower-class dormitory, 20 people per room, each room 20 square meters in size, with two toilets and six showers shared per floor..."

Zhang Yu said helplessly, "This is... even chicken coops are more spacious than this."

Yu Xinghan chimed in, "Upper-class luxury suite, 15 square meters, one living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom."

Zhang Yu frowned. "A 15-square-meter place dares to call itself a luxury suite? And the rent is as expensive as 1 spirit coin per month?"

At the moment, including the 5 spirit coins given by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu had a total of only 9.94 spirit coins, enough for just nine months of rent.

Hearing Zhang Yu's words, the middle-aged woman handling dormitory affairs snorted coldly and glanced at him sideways. "From the lower layer, aren't you? Land is precious in the second layer. How can it compare to your rural areas down there?"

"If you want to rent, hurry up. There are so many people waiting."

Yu Xinghan suggested, "How about we share a room?" Le Mulan nodded beside him. "If three people split it..."

Zhang Pianpian said, "Let's split it four ways."

She smiled slightly. "If four of us split the rent, we can save a lot of money."

"But we don't need something as expensive as an upper-class luxury suite... let's rent a 5-square-meter middle-class room."

Zhang Pianpian pointed at the price. "0.2 spirit coins per month. If four of us split it, that's 0.05 spirit coins per person per month."

Zhang Pianpian thought to herself, "Compared to my current classmates, Zhang Yu and the others are more trustworthy. Living together will save me some mental energy."

Zhang Yu looked at his sister and thought, "My sister has already climbed to rank 49 in the Talisman Department, yet her financial situation is still so tight?"

Fuji said, "Land is precious in the second layer. No matter how capable you are, you must learn to save on rent. Instead of spending more on a better place, it's better to invest more in your studies."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu sighed softly and looked at the conditions of the middle-class room. "Four people living in 5 square meters? Can we even fit?"

Zhang Pianpian explained, "Although it's only 5 square meters, it's 4 meters high, so we can split it into two levels."

"Most importantly, the dormitory has an additional supply of spiritual energy, which makes meditation and breathing exercises convenient."

"Other than that, it's just for storing things, taking a shower, or charging. How much space do we need? It's enough for the four of us."

"And although the space is small, people can adapt and adjust."

Seeing Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan both agree, Zhang Yu nodded as well. The four of them rented an ordinary middle-class room together.

...

Wanfa University City, 125th Floor, Dormitory Area.

The entire 125th floor was only 4 meters high. Rows of middle-class rooms lined both sides of the corridor like coffins.

Zhang Yu looked at the arrows and walking routes floating in the air—a navigation system projected by his ocular artifact.

A moment later, as Zhang Yu opened the door, a tiny five-square-meter dormitory appeared before everyone's eyes.

Le Mulan couldn't help but remark, "It's so small."

It was the first time in her life she had ever stayed in such a cramped room.

Zhang Pianpian said, "The door is too narrow—only one person can enter or exit at a time. Take turns going in to put your luggage away first, then I'll take you to eat."

"After dinner, you'll probably have to attend your first class meeting tonight, right?"

"Oh, and remember to shrink your body size when entering the dorm. That's considered an essential money-saving skill here in the university district."

When Zhang Yu carried his luggage into the dorm, he strained to contract his muscles and bone joints, transforming into a slender figure about 1.7 meters tall.

Although this made moving around in the room somewhat easier, the entire dorm still felt incredibly small to him. Shrinking his size gave him a constant sense of suffocation, as if he were perpetually hunched over and curled up.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "No wonder everyone in the university district seems so petite along the way. It must be because people here are used to shrinking their bodies. It's completely different from the first layer, where cultivators proudly display their tall, imposing statures."

After the three of them settled their luggage, they followed Zhang Pianpian to a pharmacy on the 128th floor.

Though it was called "eating," it was actually just taking medicine.

Looking at the pills in his hand, Yu Xinghan couldn't help but say, "I'd rather brew some of the synthetic food I brought with me."

Watching Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu prepare their synthetic food, Zhang Pianpian said calmly, "The synthetic food you brought will run out sooner or later. You'll have to get used to eating on the second layer eventually."

"Although it doesn't taste good, the pills contain all the necessary nutrients, and the time spent 'eating' is very short."

"The only two problems with taking pills are: first, it's hard to satisfy the feeling of fullness, and second, cultivators have overly strong digestive systems. If you go too long without eating, it can damage your gastrointestinal tract."

As she spoke, Zhang Pianpian took out a piece of cement. "So people here usually mix a bit of cement with their pills."

Even Zhang Yu, who had seen his fair share of storms on the first layer of Kunxu, was shocked to see Zhang Pianpian swallow a small piece of cement.

Zhang Yu exclaimed, "Eating cement? ... Isn't there anything else to eat?"

Zhang Pianpian smiled. "Cement is cheap enough. Here in the Wanfa University District, cement is everywhere. You can just knock off a piece to temporarily fill your stomach. It gives you a sense of fullness and also suppresses the digestive fluids in your stomach to avoid damaging it."

"So the food and beverage market on the second layer wasn't solely crushed by pharmaceutical companies—it was a joint effort by pharmaceutical and construction companies."

"Especially after construction companies introduced edible cement. Mixing cement with pills fills you up and provides enough nutrients, which completely collapsed the food and beverage industry."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu still found it hard to believe. Could the construction industry really rise to prominence in the food sector?

Zhang Pianpian added a reminder, "Also, remember not to dig up cement under surveillance cameras. If you're caught, you'll be fined."

"Oh, right... both of you are in the civil engineering department, aren't you? Once you start working on construction sites, you'll have meals provided. You can just fill your stomach with cement from the site."

Yu Xinghan couldn't help but ask, "Can we grow something ourselves?"

Zhang Pianpian shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you want to join the underground farming world? I don't mind if you join one or two gangs in your future university life, but the underground farming world... that's too dangerous."

"You might not understand this, but in this university district, privately planting any kind of plant is a serious violation of school rules and the law—a grave offense that could get you expelled."

"Planting is something only universities and companies are allowed to do."

...

After dinner, Zhang Yu bid farewell to Le Mulan and Zhang Pianpian, then attended the first class meeting of the Civil Engineering Foundation Class with Yu Xinghan.

Arriving at the teaching area on the 130th floor, the two of them had just stepped into the designated classroom when they felt several pairs of eyes scanning them.

"You two, show us your college entrance exam scores and basic data. We're ranking the class to see where you stand."

(End of Chapter)