Sunlight filtered through the green leaves, dappling the stone steps of the Sage Academy's ancient library tower.

Only a few early risers hurried along the nearby path in the morning light. A gentle breeze carried a mixed fragrance of flowers and ink.

"So, what kind of challenges are there in the Shadow World if I join a team?"

Lan Qi wasn't in a rush to join any team, and he casually chatted with Vivian.

Since first-year students weren't allowed to challenge the Shadow World alone, Lan Qi couldn't participate in matchmaking by himself.

After entering the Void Gate, the Shadow World would automatically match the appropriate difficulty based on the overall rank of the challengers.

If the team wasn't full, it would often be matched with other challengers entering from Void Gates around the world.

"Second and third-year students with Silver ranks will take you to challenge the Shadow World. With your comprehension, you should quickly become familiar with and adapt to the combat in the Shadow World."

Vivian answered Lan Qi's question.

When they saw the library, a major landmark of the Sage Academy, they knew they had entered the Academy's grounds.

Gold-ranked registered challengers were almost exclusively third-year students, and none were below fifth rank.

Leaving aside the question of feasibility, these challengers were, according to the rules, unable to team up with Lan Qi, who was at second rank.

The Shadow World Management Association of the Southern Continent stipulated that, for the safety of all challengers, challengers with a rank difference of more than two were prohibited from teaming up, as this would drastically increase the difficulty.

So even if he joined a team, Lan Qi would at most be led and guided by a fourth-rank, experienced Silver-ranked upperclassman.

"Basically, I just need to follow orders and play support, right?"

"That's right."

"Please let me consider it further."

Lan Qi's answer was very tactful.

But Vivian knew that he was refusing.

The rewards for clearing the Shadow World were usually related to the achievements made throughout the Shadow World and to the individual's final evaluation.

If one coasted through the Shadow World, the rewards wouldn't be very high, and the promotion points awarded by the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association after the debriefing wouldn't be high either.

But generally speaking, it was already a blessing for a newcomer to clear the Shadow World smoothly.

Not to mention receiving an extremely high personal evaluation during the clearance calculation, unless a Human Sovereign descended and blew up the Shadow World.

Vivian thought for a moment.

"Do you want to command?"

She asked, somewhat uncertain.

Lan Qi shouldn't be that crazy, right?

Even if the commander in a team was the support role, they would never let a newcomer command.

After all, challenging the Shadow World was a challenge with the whole team's lives at stake!

"No, I'm not good at commanding a lot of people."

Lan Qi quickly denied.

"Challenging the Shadow World must be done with caution. It's much more dangerous than you think! Especially for a newcomer like you, don't be too arrogant. First, learn and observe."

Vivian advised with a serious expression. She felt that Lan Qi didn't seem to realize the danger of the Shadow World at all.

"If, after comprehensive consideration, you think our team is not bad, you can come directly to me. Also, there are teams with strong strength but very poor character, so you need to be careful."

Vivian wasn't in a hurry to recruit Lan Qi, she just said this.

After all, there would be many teams for Lan Qi to compare and choose from. She didn't want Lan Qi to join them reluctantly.

Unknowingly, Lan Qi and Vivian had arrived at a towering red-brick building that resembled a manor hotel.

"Okay, thank you, Your Highness Vivian."

Lan Qi thanked with a smile, and then walked through the automatic revolving glass doors of the Sage Academy dormitory building.

Currently, it seemed that some people in the school were interested in him. Whether or not he joined a team, his Shadow World challenge would attract a lot of attention.

Registered challengers participating in the Shadow World were required by regulations to carry the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association's official Shadow World Recording Program magic card.

It could record all the challenger's situations and information during the challenge in the Shadow World in real-time, and it was also the most important reliance for many research associations to review and analyze the information in the Shadow World.

At the same time, only with it could the Shadow World Management Association calculate the promotion points for registered challengers after the Shadow World ended.

But most importantly, the Shadow World Recording Program had a live broadcast function similar to the Artificial Shadow World Launch Terminal!

For example, Ickert Academy, as an official partner of the Shadow World Management Association, could have the school's propaganda department in the Magic Engineering Faculty broadcast some exciting student challenges with teaching significance or high attention live on the school's magic screens.

As long as Lan Qi's attention was high enough, he might be caught by the faculty members of the Magic Engineering Faculty!

He didn't want to be publicly executed.

Lan Qi was conflicted. Last time, the second round assessment, *Han Dong Yin Ni Zhi Yan* seemed to not have received very good feedback.

In his thoughts, fresh air rushed towards him, and at the same time, he heard a burst of light music.

Walking into the Sage Academy dormitory building, you could see luxurious platinum chandeliers hanging in the lobby, like bright stars, illuminating the entire space.

There were sofas and coffee tables in the lobby on the first floor, allowing students to sit down and rest at any time. Even in the morning, there were already students drinking tea or chatting on the sofas, looking relaxed and happy.

They didn't pay much attention to Lan Qi and Vivian. For them, it was common for new students to move in these days.

Lan Qi and Vivian stepped over the ancient carpet on the floor and arrived at the reception desk in the lobby.

The administrator looked up at them.

"Are you moving into the dormitory today?"

The administrator, wearing an Ickert Academy work badge, asked Lan Qi and Vivian with a smile.

"Yes."

"The male dormitory is in the left building, and the female dormitory is in the right building. The building at the back is the restaurant. The rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You two are the first students to register in the male and female dormitories, so you can choose your favorite room. There are currently vacancies on each floor."

The administrator introduced with a smile. Since the old third-year students who graduated earlier had moved out, the dormitories they used to live in were also vacated.

"Then I'll choose the second floor. See you later."

Vivian made a decision immediately.

Then, after receiving the key from the administrator, she turned and left.

"Goodbye."

Lan Qi waved his hand.

He felt that Princess Vivian seemed arrogant and sharp, but she wasn't someone who was difficult to talk to. She was indeed sincere when responding to others.

Lan Qi also felt that the second floor of the male dormitory was a good choice.

It was convenient to go up and down the stairs, and it wasn't as humid as the first floor, and it wasn't noisy with people coming and going.

"Let me add that in addition to the lobby, there are also a small number of rooms on the first floor, but since the first floor has always been unpopular, the school later rebuilt the rooms on the first floor, combining two rooms into one, so the space on the first floor is twice as large as the other floors."

The administrator said helplessly.

Just now, the Princess hadn't given him a chance to recommend before decisively choosing the second floor, and he didn't dare to dawdle with the Princess.

He really didn't know how this black-haired, green-eyed boy could be so calm and composed in front of the Princess.

"In that case, I'll live on the first floor."

Lan Qi replied casually.

He felt that the dormitory administrator also seemed to want someone to live on the first floor.

"Okay, this is the key to Room 101."

The administrator smiled and handed Lan Qi the silver key engraved with術式(Shushi).

Even if he recommended the rooms on the first floor like this every year, he might not be able to recommend them.

This year, the first student chose the first floor, which made the administrator quite happy.

"Thank you. Where are the fire extinguishers?"

After Lan Qi took the key, he asked politely.

"?"

Although the administrator knew that Lan Qi had asked a very benign question.

But it was the first time he had encountered a student whose first question when moving into the dormitory was about fire safety.

It always made him feel a little inexplicably scared!

The reception desk on the first floor of the Sage Academy dormitory fell into a brief silence.

The administrator looked at Lan Qi.

And Lan Qi tilted his head, his eyes innocent and puzzled.

"Ahem."

Soon, the administrator coughed lightly.

This student seemed to have all the virtues of being gentle, kind, respectful, thrifty, and yielding, so he couldn't possibly be a dangerous person.

"Of course, student, our school attaches great importance to student safety, and fire protection is undoubtedly one of the priorities. The entire dormitory building has fully complied with and implemented all of the Hutton Kingdom's fire safety regulations and construction standards..."

Based on his professional qualities, the administrator explained the safety exits and fire extinguisher locations in the dormitory building to Lan Qi.

Lan Qi listened carefully, nodding from time to time.

This made the administrator feel even more scared...

"Student, maybe my question is a little offensive, but you shouldn't be carrying any dangerous items, right?"

After explaining Lan Qi's question in detail, the administrator asked another question.

"No, don't worry."

Lan Qi assured him confidently.

The administrator heard this and thought it was also true.

The dormitory building was equipped with the latest automatic security inspection equipment from the Magic Engineering Faculty, so flammable and explosive items could not be brought into the dormitory building at all.

So after saying goodbye to the administrator, Lan Qi happily took the key to find his room.

He tried not to bring too much luggage from the Southern Vantina Borderlands, and planned to purchase them after moving into the dormitory in the royal capital.

Including card-making tools, etc.

So if the dormitory could be as spacious as possible, it would be great to set aside a space inside as a studio and card-making workshop.

This was one of the reasons why he would prefer to choose the first floor.

In addition, failure always runs through card-making, and that's just how it is.

Talia was now used to mocking Lan Qi as a "card-blowing master."

So if he practiced card-making in the dormitory, the first floor should be the safest, right?

Lan Qi thought.

After walking a few steps, he found Room 101 on the corridor next to the lobby.

Insert the lock, turn the key, and open the solid wood door with a crisp sound. The entrance hall came into view. A large European-style classical coat rack and shoe cabinet could conveniently store coats and shoes.

The entire entrance hall was simple, practical, and elegant. Lan Qi walked through the entrance hall and came to the main spacious living room of the dormitory.

There was a comfortable sofa, a matching coffee table, and a magic screen fixed on the wall in the living room.

The pillows and blankets on the sofa were all warm colors. A retro floor lamp stood on the side. The sunlight shone on the various brown wooden furniture, making the entire space soft and warm.

It didn't take long for Lan Qi to figure out the structure of his new home. The living room was connected to four spaces: a bedroom with a bathroom, a balcony, a study, and a room that looked like a giant storage room that was basically empty. It should be possible to freely modify and arrange it according to the needs of the student.

Although the room was a bit too big, if the space was too small, it would probably lead to complaints from the students.

While thinking, the door of Lan Qi's dormitory was knocked.

He walked over and opened the door and found that it was the staff of the Student Service Center who had sent him the luggage he had left there.

Next.

The sorting work went very smoothly, and it was roughly arranged by noon.

The furniture was complete and the storage space was very substantial and reasonable, which was the most satisfying thing.

Lan Qi sat on the sofa, leisurely flipping through the Registration Regulations of the Southern Continent Card-Making Association, waiting for lunchtime.

This was the first step for Lan Qi to become a world-renowned card-making master.

The minimum requirement to apply for a registered card-maker was third rank, and the ability to make three types of magic cards, including Summoning Cards, Spell Cards, and Equipment Cards.

Lan Qi still had to hone his card-making skills for a while.

And raise himself to the third rank as soon as possible.

Then he could try to participate in the card-maker exam at the Royal Capital Ickert Branch of the Southern Continent Card-Maker Association.

Only by becoming a registered card-maker, obtaining certification, could he obtain patent protection.

And he could also avoid many complicated appraisal guarantee steps and some handling fees, and efficiently sell his cards under his own name on the official trading platform of the Card-Making Association.

"I got the Iron-level registered challenger status directly without taking the exam in the Shadow World. I wonder if I can start higher in the card-maker assessment..."

Lan Qi murmured to himself as he flipped through the pages of the book in his hand.

The Registered Card-Making Exam, also known as the Grading Exam.

The levels also used the seven levels similar to the Shadow World Management Association: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Magic Crystal, and Grandmaster.

And the registration exam would determine the initial level based on the card-maker's potential.

Generally speaking, it was already a great thing to pass and be graded as Iron. Of course, there were also ultra-potential card-makers with extremely strong potential and excellent performance who were directly graded as Bronze and Silver.

Silver-level card-makers were already very powerful.

It was even said that there were very few Gold-level card-makers in this school, and the number of Gold-level card-makers in the entire Southern Continent was far less than that of Gold-level challengers.

"Alas, my craftsmanship is still too unstable."

Lan Qi closed the book in his hand with a sigh.

Although he had independently created the two purple rare-quality magic cards, Basic Etiquette and Friendly Exchange.

But in the past few months, he had only made these two cards and a few first-order cards of blue precious quality.

All of the other Error Treatment series magic cards were bought from the association. Fortunately, these cards were sold at a bottom price and were not expensive.

"Anyway, let's go to the real Shadow World first! I can't even participate in the card-maker exam if I don't reach the third rank."

Lan Qi was always optimistic and wouldn't worry about things tomorrow or the day after.

As the saying goes, seize the day! Tomorrow is another day!

Card-making could not be practiced into a master in a day or two.

What he needed to know now was—

His brand new Ickert campus life was about to begin!