He was back.
His personal terminal vibrated slightly, and a message automatically popped up:
"Student Chen Guan, the placement test is complete. Comprehensive Assessment Grade: Special. Assigned Class: Tianshu Class (Special Admission). Please report to the Tianshu Class exclusive classroom, Room 101 in the Tianshu Building, at 2:00 PM today. Instructor: Situ Ming."
Tianshu Class, special admission, instructor... Situ Ming? The Vice Dean was personally taking charge of them?
Chen Guan quickly extracted the keywords, his pupils shrinking slightly.
This result far exceeded his expectations. Was it because of the special resonance of the coffin? Or was it his final answer?
He subconsciously looked toward An Changqing in the front row. An Changqing seemed to have just woken up as well and was looking down at his terminal, his profile calm and composed.
He wondered where An Changqing had been placed. However, it should also be the Tianshu Class. But as for special admission...
"Host, this is amazing!" the system's voice rang out excitedly. "The placement test was high-energy the entire time, and your popularity points have skyrocketed! Currently, your popularity points have broken through the 1500 mark and are still continuously increasing."
Chen Guan's heart settled. Popularity points were his real, tangible harvest.
He looked again at the terminal message on his wrist.
It seemed that it would be difficult for him, a coffin-carrier, to keep a low profile even if he wanted to.
His life at Huaqing Academy had truly begun from this moment on.
In the corner of his vision, the bullet screen comments were completely boiling over:
[Tianshu Class! Special admission! Vice Dean as the instructor! The prestige is maxed out!]
[That last answer was absolute perfection. 'This is me.' So freaking cool.]
[Coffin Bro is awesome! (Voice cracking)]
[So who exactly is in the coffin? Who is in there? Coffin Bro, who is it that you just can't let go of?]
[Next episode, next episode! I want to see the daily life of the Tianshu Class.]
[Fast forward to Chen Guan marrying the person in the coffin.]
Continuing to ignore the nonsense on the bullet screen, the giant light screen at the front of the auditorium soon lit up, scrolling to announce the preliminary placement lists.
Tianshu Class, Tianxuan Class, Tianji Class... Behind each resounding class name were densely packed names.
Gasps of surprise, sighs, and excited shouts rose and fell.
Chen Guan saw An Changqing's name, which unsurprisingly ranked first in the Tianshu Class. Long Ao's name was also there, ranking second, followed closely by Su Yuehe's name.
As for Chen Guan's own name... it did not appear on the Tianshu Class list on the public light screen.
Instead, his full name was written in the special admission remarks column on the side.
Sure enough, the treatment for special admissions was different.
After the announcement was complete, Vice Dean Situ Ming appeared on stage again. He gave a brief summary, encouraged the new students to cultivate hard and not waste their youth, and then announced their dismissal.
The crowd began to surge, heading outside the auditorium.
Chen Guan stood up and moved unhurriedly with the flow of people.
He could feel some gazes falling on him, carrying curiosity, inquiry, and even faint dissatisfaction.
Entering the school carrying a coffin and then securing a special admission during the test made it hard not to attract attention. However, with the school rules in place, no one dared to cause any trouble.
"Student Chen Guan," a gentle voice rang out from the side.
Chen Guan turned his head; it was An Changqing.
He had finished talking with a few Tianshu Class classmates and had deliberately walked over, accompanied by Su Yuehe and Long Ao.
"Student An, Student Su," Chen Guan nodded in greeting.
"Congratulations," An Changqing smiled, his gaze clear. "Tianshu Class, special admission. Very impressive."
"Thank you, just good luck," Chen Guan replied politely, meeting An Changqing's gaze calmly and also sweeping his eyes over Su Yuehe and Long Ao beside him.
Su Yuehe looked curiously at Chen Guan and the coffin on his back, her large eyes blinking. She seemed to want to say something but was too embarrassed to speak.
Long Ao, on the other hand, maintained his unapproachable demeanor. With his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze lingered on Chen Guan for a moment before shifting away indifferently, as if merely confirming the existence of this special admission student.
It was just a special admission; it still couldn't change his weak strength.
"Student Chen Guan, what was your test scenario like?" Su Yuehe finally couldn't hold back, asking with a bit of lingering fear and curiosity. "Mine was on an ice field where I had to find an ice crystal guarded by snow monsters. I was freezing to death! Changqing said he encountered a mechanism array in ancient ruins, and Long Ao fought phantoms directly on an arena."
"Me?" Chen Guan's tone was flat. "A wasteland. I ran into some wild beasts and figured out a way to deal with them."
He had no intention of going into detail. His coffin seemed to have some special properties, and he hadn't had time to ask the system yet. He could only wait until he returned to the dorms.
"Oh..." Su Yuehe was a little disappointed, but she didn't press further. Instead, she said enthusiastically, "But being a special admission is so cool! I heard the quota for special admissions is very small. Why were you specially admitted?"
"Yuehe," An Changqing gently stopped Su Yuehe's potential probing and said to Chen Guan, "The class placement is set, and we'll all be in the Tianshu Class from now on. There will be plenty of chances to meet. Student Chen Guan is a newcomer here, so if you have any questions about the Tianshu Building or the course schedule, feel free to ask us anytime."
"Thank you," Chen Guan nodded. He could feel the goodwill An Changqing was extending, even though this goodwill likely stemmed more from his own good upbringing and basic care for a classmate.
Only then did Long Ao speak coldly, his voice muffled and heavy, "In the Tianshu Class, strength speaks. I hope this special admission... isn't just for show."
After saying that, he didn't even wait for a response before turning and walking away. His tall back quickly disappeared into the dispersing crowd.
The atmosphere grew slightly stiff. Su Yuehe stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Long Ao is just like that. Please don't mind him, Student Chen Guan."
Long Ao's family background was not simple either, so Su Yuehe had known him previously. She knew this guy completely lived up to his name—arrogant beyond measure.
And it wasn't just Long Ao; hardly anyone who made it into the Tianshu Class came from a simple background.
"It's fine." Chen Guan truly didn't mind. Long Ao's attitude was very direct—strength reigned supreme. In a high-martial world, this was perfectly normal.
He himself was more accustomed to this straightforward style. In his previous life, he had grown up in exactly this kind of environment.
"Then should we go get something to eat first? You must be hungry after tossing about all morning, right?"
An Changqing naturally suggested, dissolving the slight awkwardness. "We can chat about the afternoon assembly along the way."
"Alright." Chen Guan didn't refuse. He did indeed need to learn about the academy's cafeteria and the afternoon's schedule.
The three of them followed the flow of the crowd out of the auditorium together.
The midday sunlight was just right, spilling over the magnificent academy buildings and lush trees. Students wearing various academy uniforms shuttled back and forth, full of vitality.
On the way to the cafeteria, An Changqing briefly introduced the distribution of the main facilities in the Tianshu District and things to note for the afternoon assembly.
Su Yuehe occasionally chimed in from the side, chattering away about various rumors she had heard from the senior students.
For the most part, Chen Guan just listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word or two.
He could feel that even though An Changqing and Su Yuehe were acting very friendly, there was still an invisible barrier between them.
He was a specially admitted student who had suddenly inserted himself into the picture, a weirdo carrying a coffin. In the end, he was simply not on the same path as these two protagonist group members, who had extraordinary backgrounds, outstanding talent, and pre-existing bonds.