Volume One: First Steps into the Dao Chapter Six: Enrollment and Registration

When Ye Junze and the others arrived in the backyard, they were all momentarily stunned by the scene before them, their eyes widening unconsciously as they took it in. Tu Shanyue, however, seemed to have anticipated this very reaction. She made no move to disturb them, instead simply watching the newcomers in silence.

As Ye Junze remained caught in the grip of astonishment, Mengyuan's voice echoed from his mind-sea, unable to hold back, “It’s just a basic teleportation array. Look at you, acting like you’ve never seen the world before. Really, aren’t you now the master of the Illusory Realm? Is it necessary to be so shocked by everything?”

Ye Junze replied, “Well, I haven’t seen one before, after all. It’s my first time encountering something like this—being a bit surprised is pretty normal, isn’t it?”

“But seriously, this kind of thing—teleportation arrays—actually exist? I always thought they were made up,” Ye Junze asked.

“In this vast and boundless world, there is nothing too strange to exist. What you see is only the surface; there are many secrets left for you to discover yourself.” With that, Mengyuan fell silent.

By now, Ye Junze had begun to recover from his initial shock and turned to observe those around him. He saw that most of the others wore expressions just like his had been—stunned by the spectacle. A few, though, quickly regained their composure and began surveying the surroundings. Among them, Ye Junze noticed several people who seemed to have known what to expect, standing in utter calm, as though everything were perfectly natural. He made a point of noting their faces before turning his attention elsewhere.

Once Tu Shanyue saw that everyone had more or less calmed down, she spoke. “What you see before you is the teleportation array that leads to our Anze Academy. This array was constructed at great expense. In the future, when you leave the academy to return to the outside world, you’ll also use this array. You’ll understand more about this in time.”

What lay before them was a round platform, roughly ten meters in diameter. Most striking was the base, emblazoned with a glowing Eight Trigrams diagram reminiscent of Daoist symbolism, radiating a mysterious light that, even at a glance, filled one with a sense of wonder.

The new students, evidently amazed by her words, began discussing in small groups.

As Ye Junze watched the crowd, he was suddenly addressed by a voice. “Hey, man, are you also a new student heading to Anze?” Upon hearing this, Ye Junze thought to himself, “Well, obviously. After coming all the way here, where else would I be going?” But aloud, he replied, “Yes, I am. I didn’t expect this school to have so many fascinating things—it’s making me even more curious.”

He looked at the boy speaking to him: a slightly chubby fellow with glasses and an infectiously cheerful air. Ye Junze couldn’t help but smile.

The boy, seeing Ye Junze laugh, asked in confusion, “What’s so funny?” Then he waved a hand dismissively. “Never mind, never mind. Let’s get to know each other. My name’s Wang Dongdong—Dong as in ‘winter.’”

Ye Junze responded, “Ye Junze—Ye for ‘leaf,’ Jun as in ‘gentleman,’ and Ze as in ‘the Anze Academy.’”

Wang Dongdong rolled his eyes at that. “I was only being specific so you’d know which character I meant. Do you have to copy me word for word?”

Ye Junze laughed. “It so happens I was thinking the same as you.”

“Forget it, forget it, I won’t argue with you about this.” Then, lowering his voice conspiratorially, Wang Dongdong leaned in. “By the way, have you heard anything about the school we’re about to attend?”

Ye Junze figured this fellow might have some reliable information about Anze, so he said, “I tried looking it up before, but everything I found was vague—nothing truly useful. Why, do you have something more practical?”

“Of course! I was well-known as the gossip king back at my old school. You want to know something? Just ask me—I guarantee you’ll get an answer,” Wang Dongdong boasted.

“Oh? Then I’d love to hear what you know about Anze. Any trustworthy news to share?”

Wang Dongdong glanced around, then, voice even lower, said, “I’ll tell you, but you can’t let anyone else know, alright?”

“You have my word. Go ahead.”

“Rumor has it that many people at Anze Academy aren’t human.”

“Not human? What else could they be, ghosts?” Ye Junze asked, puzzled.

“Ah, you guessed it! Some say that there are indeed ghosts,” Wang Dongdong replied with a mysterious air. “But not just ghosts—there are supposed to be even more enigmatic beings. Some call them ‘demons.’ Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but after seeing this so-called teleportation array, I’m inclined to believe it rather than dismiss it.”

Hearing this, Ye Junze recalled some of the information he’d seen on that website before and began to feel these rumors might not be unfounded.

“And there’s something else I heard,” Wang Dongdong continued, dropping his voice yet again. “This one I think is almost certainly true.”

Now Ye Junze was even more intrigued. “What is it? Stop keeping me in suspense.”

“They say the school hasn’t changed its headmaster in many years.”

“That’s not so strange—there are universities where the same head stays on for over a decade,” Ye Junze replied, puzzled.

“That’s where you’re wrong. By ‘many years,’ I mean decades, maybe even a century or more.” Seeing Ye Junze’s silence, Wang Dongdong took it as a sign that his companion was frightened and pressed on, “Anyway, a lot of sources say the headmaster isn’t even human. I’d bet there’s an eighty percent chance that’s true.”

For some reason, Ye Junze’s instincts told him these words were not far from the truth. Was it really possible for a being to live over a hundred years? In the past, he would have dismissed such talk outright, but after meeting that old man two years ago, his views had changed. It seemed the headmaster of Anze Academy was not a simple character. Then again, it took someone extraordinary to create such an outlandish teleportation array as this.

“Well, that does make things even more interesting,” Ye Junze said with a smile.

“Exactly! I’m getting more and more curious about this place myself,” Wang Dongdong agreed.

...

Tu Shanyue surveyed the chattering newcomers and announced, “Alright, everyone. If you have more to say, save it for after we arrive at the academy. For now, our journey is about to begin.”

“Everyone, step onto the teleportation array.”

After watching the group make their way onto the array, Tu Shanyue was the last to ascend. “The first time may feel a bit uncomfortable, but you’ll get used to it.” With that, she formed a series of strange gestures with her hands and began chanting under her breath. At last, she proclaimed, “Begin transmission!”

Suddenly, the teleportation array blazed with intense light. The Eight Trigrams diagram on the platform spun rapidly, and a pillar of light shot skyward from the backyard. Passersby on the street stopped to look up at the sudden glow on the horizon. Some, evidently accustomed to the sight, simply remarked, “Here we go again. How many times has it been this year?”

But those already on the teleportation array could neither hear nor see any of this.

As Ye Junze gazed up at the pillar of light stretching into the heavens, he couldn’t help but recall something the driver had said. And then, his consciousness faded into darkness.