Chapter 322 - 322 302 Yearning

Words : 2159 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

322: Chapter 302: Yearning 322: Chapter 302: Yearning Lu Ping’an’s class schedule had arrived, and it was no longer just a full load of tasks but actually overloaded. He had five major courses, all of which required full attention and would be difficult even at the minimum of three large classes per week (80 to 120 minutes). In addition, there were already many required courses scheduled for his first year, making it as intense as a programmer’s workload. The class timings didn’t conflict, as there were many professors teaching “low-level classes” for each major. Lu Ping’an would have to adjust his schedule according to their availability, especially for those highly-rated professors. The only consolation was that, unlike normal universities, there was no roll call or check-in system; how well you did in your studies was entirely up to you. However, the bad news was that exams were unavoidable and both intense and difficult. Failing a course and having to retake it involved paying full tuition again, which made many students choose to give up instead… “I’d rather just pretend I never took this course than pay to retake it.” Many students did this, even those who had planned to at least try to pass from the beginning because some courses were so difficult that passing was impossible for the average person. The most notable example was the “Magic Potion” course. If you didn’t understand it, you simply wouldn’t be able to make potions, not because you didn’t try hard enough, but because you didn’t have the talent for it. The failure rate for this course was consistently over 80%, and those who barely passed or scored 70% or higher were guaranteed job offers after graduation. The school’s mercy was limited to offering free retakes for mandatory courses, which came as a small consolation. Regarding the “optional specializations” for majors, most students in the Logistics Department failed to acquire the full passing points for even a single specialization by the time they graduated. “If it’s really too hard, you can try to apply to transfer to a regular major.” Every year, many students in the Logistics Department ended up transferring. This wasn’t a case of admitting lots of students but only allowing a few to graduate; it was that many students were inherently “beyond salvation,” and the teachers and professors simply gave up on them to focus on the so-called geniuses and monsters. If you could pass or even score high with little attendance, that was fine, but working diligently and attending every class might still result in failing at the end… This overly realistic and unreasonable academic system made the gap between students apparent. “Four days of classes per week doesn’t seem too bad.” By deliberately adjusting his schedule, Lu Ping’an managed to arrange most of his courses on weekdays, with the trade-off being that his classes would run until late in the evening. He had classes on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, too, but they were fewer in number and “didn’t seem as important.” Lu Ping’an was already prepared not to attend them. As for the specialized courses of his major, Lu Ping’an didn’t plan on attending all of them diligently either. He would try to keep up with the pace, and see how things went from there. By freeing up three days per week, he would have time to work on his personal matters… “I doubt I’ll be able to study diligently for too long, but I’ll start with the basics. At least for the initial stages of each of the Logistics majors, I need to get an understanding of the foundations and practical tips.” Lu Ping’an was now officially part of the Special Service Team, but he could put that on hold if he wanted to continue his studies, which was what most of the “top 100 students” who joined the Special Service Team did. In a sense, this was a good thing since he wouldn’t have to spend too much time on the team’s heavy and troublesome work. Moreover, the current line-up of the two teams wouldn’t suffer any vacancies due to him being absent. When they actually needed him, they could just call him without any need for leave. However, he didn’t plan to let the Special Service Team go completely on their own. He would decide how to allocate the three days of free time he had according to the situation. “This dorm isn’t bad.” After picking up his textbooks, Lu Ping’an chose not to bring them all back but instead went directly to the dormitory arranged for his class. Ancient City University’s facilities were impressive. The internal expansion of the Secret Realm’s space allowed for an almost infinite building area, meaning dormitories, canteens, and other functional facilities did not suffer from spatial constraints. Unlike the previous dormitories with four to six or even eight people in a room, this time, Lu Ping’an got assigned a suite with four bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. Each of the four students had a small room – it was just big enough for a desk, a bed, and a small TV. The living room was equipped with the basic household appliances and facilities, making it luxurious compared to the dorms in the previous university. As they were all young and might have to stay together for several years, it was quite natural to bring their lunchboxes during rest time and chat while eating in the living room. There was no showing-off or “twenty years of ups and downs”; they were all just classmates of the same age, introducing themselves and sharing their goals in life. Liu Xiwan, a name with a strong country accent, but a short, bespectacled young man with the air of a scholar. He was a 1-tier Taoist and a 0-tier Scholar, a completely new student planning to follow the Craftsman route. “I heard that a Taoist combined with a Craftsman who can master Runes can mass-produce support ‘Runes’ at low cost and make a stable income.” Lu Yao, Lu Ping’an’s relative, an 18-year-old bear-like young man, was the oldest in the dorm, with a strong and piercing voice. He was a 1-tier Swordsman, 0-tier Runner, and 0-tier Singer. His future was uncertain, but he seemed likely to focus on battle professions. “I plan to endure for a while and then find a suitable team to grind in the Secret Realm. The Knight’s Secret Realm in our city is perfect for newcomers and is the reason I applied for Ancient City University.” Some things were left unsaid, but everyone understood that he might have some issues getting into a regular class, yet entering the logistics department would be much easier. However, being able to enter from the logistics department without having an obvious logistics profession, this guy’s talent abilities must be pretty good…. Discussing this in detail is a big taboo, as these talent abilities are each person’s top secret. Nobody would be so blind as to directly probe. Su Wendan’s name had an imposing aura, but he was quite delicate-looking. Even though he was over 1.8 meters tall, he was white and clean, like a tall and thin scholar who never left home. He was only a 1-tier scholar, but the evaluation from the instructor said he had the highest potential besides Lu Ping’an. “I might go for the architect route, but I won’t be able to make a name for myself until at least 2.5-tier, so before then, I can only work for others.” An architect, or “builder” or “array master”, is an important profession that employs spiritual veins, runes, and taboo items to design, manufacture, and construct defense positions and buildings. They are masters of siege warfare, but no one would treat them as warriors. Their primary function is to design “battle zone fortresses,” “war buildings” when required on the front lines, and a variety of “safety facilities,” safe and functional buildings in peaceful parts of the city. The simplest example is the Special Service Team’s headquarters and the Bureau of Anomaly Management’s headquarters. The former can be used as a fortress when necessary, while the latter wouldn’t be attacked by even a rule-level strongman. The building and mechanisms of the Taboo Item Management Department, which stores various taboo items, are also products of similar branch professions. “…It will be quite hard.” “Well, take it slow. I’ve found a club, which promises to give me an internship opportunity and some sponsorship. I don’t even know if it will work out, just take it one step at a time.” Ordinary professionals can already become a labor force after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, which is commonly known as being a qualified “corporate slave” upon graduation… Meanwhile, the architect route is the so-called “high-end career” that requires a master’s degree to start, a Ph.D. for entry-level, and a postdoctoral position to make it worthwhile. After all, constructing a “building” or a “defense position” requires massive amounts of resources and money, and they are all extremely important, naturally giving the famous old stager the advantage. It is said that the top architects can create rule-level “defensive structures”, with extremely high upper and lower limits. Everyone’s gaze fell on Lu Ping’an, who was still struggling to finish his meal. After some thought, he decided to speak up. “Lu Ping’an, 2-tier Gardener, probably battle-oriented. I’m currently attached to the Special Service Team and may not be at school or in the dormitory for a long time. So, I’ll need everyone’s help with my mandatory courses…” His words did not cause any surprise. As a “celebrity” among the freshmen, his classmates had been keeping an eye on him, especially after his incredible course schedule was exposed. However, since they are all students and even strong competitors who had been admitted to key universities, they all have some pride and confidence in themselves. So, no one was fawning over others… They all had confidence that after graduating and spending a decade, no one would know who was stronger than who. Boys are sometimes easy to get along with, especially when yearning for the future and holding goodwill towards each other, so their conversation becomes more lively. However, Lu Ping’an was subtly not good at taking part in the conversation, and he even suspected that he might not stay in the dorm for much longer if this continued. “How do I join the conversation when they’re talking about 0-tier and 1-tier matters?” What his dorm mates were talking about was how to study hard, how to work part-time to earn money, what cost-saving strategies could be used, how to use just a few hundred bucks to earn their living expenses, and whether they could obtain a near-pollutant weapon from a reliable source in the Ancient City. “A quasi-polluting weapon would cost at least 2000 to start, which is so expensive, and it wouldn’t even last three months.” “Yeah, but without a reliable weapon, you can’t go to the Secret Realm for trials. Lu Ping’an, as an intern in the Special Service Team, you should have quasi-contaminated items assigned, right? I heard that the official equipment is amazing.” Lu Ping’an nodded numbly while receiving a bunch of envious glances. “I hope by the time I graduate, I’ll be a 2-tier Craftsman and can open a small workshop for you all to support.” “That’s great. I’m still unsure whether I’ll be able to take up an official logistics profession by next year. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have to go the Gardener route; at least it’s stable and provides a steady income as a magic potion ingredient producer.” “Then you have to hurry up now. The ‘fields’ within the school are in short supply, and you might not get one as a freshman. Work hard and aim to become a 0-tier Gardener within a year.” What they worried about the most was falling behind because they couldn’t keep up with their professional courses. They hoped to finish their first-tier job qualifications by the beginning of the next year and get a good job after graduation… How could Lu Ping’an speak up? Should he tell them that he’s considering preparing for third-tier next month, or admit that he has so many silver taboo items that he can’t equip them anymore? The roommates were getting more and more excited in their conversation, discussing their bright futures. Even the insensitive Lu Ping’an was beginning to feel uncomfortable and itchy all over. “Ding ding ding.” Thankfully, at this point, a call came in and saved him. Upon picking up the phone, he spoke right away. “What? You’re inviting me for dinner? Well, that’s very kind of you. Sure, I’ll come right over.” Then, he apologized with a smile, left his half-eaten meal box, and hurried away.

Chapter 322 - 322 302 Yearning

Comments (0)