Li Danming followed Chen An into the dormitory.
Many people were gossiping behind their backs.
"There is someone who dares to stay with Chen An? I remember that he is called Liu Ran. He was almost late for his last assessment. It's that guy who was stopped at the doors but shamelessly forced his way in afterward."
"Both Chen An and Liu Ran are weirdos, and coupled with that scaredy-cat, this dormitory trio is very inauspicious."
"That's right. We have to stay away from them in the future."
Chen An was immune to these noises. Li Danming was cowardly and afraid of trouble, so he remained silent as he looked down and unpacked his belongings.
Only Liu Ran stood at the door with a smiling and cunning expression. "I heard that De Yuan is an amazing place. I've been very curious as to what is so amazing. I finally realized it now. Some people refuse to speak in the human language and insist on barking."
Someone glared at Liu Ran furiously. However, they were aware that Liu Ran had a very powerful plant-based beast and didn't dare to confront him directly.
Liu Ran did not hesitate to return the glare. "Besides barking, they have to cover their dog mouths and whisper softly. It's so funny."
He had hoped for a courageous person to come forward and give him a round of scolding. He could then compete with that group of people directly. It was a pity that all of them were cowards, and they compromised to avoid trouble. Liu Ran scanned around, and no one came forward. Instead, everyone quickened their steps and left.
"Boring." Liu Ran turned around and stepped into the dormitory.
He believed he had done something gratifying and wanted to boast about it a little. Unexpectedly, he saw that Chen An and Li Danming had already unpacked and organized all their belongings. His bed was the only messy one now.
"H-hey… Both of you are too heartless!"
Everyone ignored him. Liu Ran was not familiar with Li Danming, so he approached Chen An. "Buddy, they've already said such words. Don't you feel anything?"
Chen An sat down nonchalantly. Fortunately, De Yuan's dormitory was quite spacious, and he could avoid Liu Ran's hounding.
Those people were annoying, but they were all weaklings. If there had been a conflict, it would have been akin to a fist punching cotton wool. He might as well let time prove their capabilities.
The sky darkened, and it was almost the end of the first day at De Yuan.
Chen An turned around and saw Li Danming withdrawing into a corner again. This guy should have a limit to his timidness. It was exaggerated that he even felt timid in the dormitory.
In addition, he and Liu Ran were not some fearsome beasts. What was he afraid of?
"You…" Li Danming's hands trembled and pointed outside the door. "Who are you? You have come to the wrong place. Don't come in."
Chen An then noticed someone standing at the doorstep. He had short and scarlet red hair that looked very striking. He had strong and muscular arms with many scars scattered on them. That man stood at the doorstep like a statue without moving or speaking a bit.
Li Ran was immediately on his guard. "Why? Did you come here to look for trouble?"
That man remained silent. He was standing there, expressionlessly.
Chen An also sensed the hostility. He could smell a trace of blood stench from him, as well as feel a strong and dangerous aura.
Someone appeared from behind him. This man looked more refined. He pushed up his spectacles and said, "I've already done a count. Everyone is in groups of four dormitory mates. This is the only dormitory that has one more vacancy."
The bespectacled man was De Yuan's dormitory manager. Every year, there would be students that could not successfully form dormitory groups, so he needed to find places for them.
"This person will stay in your dormitory. It's just right. There will be four of you."
He was referring to that red-haired man who had a body full of scars.
Chen An did not mind, but Li Danming… Looking at his frightened face, Chen An felt pity for him.
That man walked in with a cold and aloof expression that was akin to that of a robot. He ignored the rest of them and began to unpack his belongings.
Smiling, Liu Ran lunged to him. "Sorry, I misunderstood and thought you came here to look for trouble. I'm Liu Ran. What's your name?"
That man ignored him. As such, Liu Ran's enthusiasm was met with coldness.
It was the first day at De Yuan, and they had yet to learn his name…
The next morning, Liu Ran called out to the red-haired man, "Hurry! I thought you were a formidable character. Are you still asleep at this time? Hurry!"
The red-haired man opened his eyes. He looked as if he had just escaped from a nightmare. He remained silent and did not utter a single word.
Liu Ran was not anxious for nothing—De Yuan's classes were conducted in groups of four. This was also why all De Yuan freshmen were so particular about the dormitory arrangements on the first night.
The weaker ones needed to cozy up to powerful figures. Those who had connections had already long formed cliques.
Chen An and Liu Ran did not know the intricacies of this. Thus, when they were shut out of the first lesson, they felt very lost and perplexed.
That was right. Everyone had a different idea of the first lesson in De Yuan College, such as a luxurious illusion, a teacher with a voluptuous figure, and special methods to advance tremendously. Yet, they did not see any of this. Instead, only a huge and cold-looking door greeted them.
"What is the meaning of this?" Liu Ran broke out in a sweat. He took a few steps forward as he wanted to knock on the door.
Chen An stopped him and cast him a glance, hinting at him to look around. Evidently, the other students already knew what was going on. They had already gathered in groups and were discussing something.
Li Danming also approached them quietly. "I've gathered some information. This teacher has a very eccentric temper. We have to prove our capability before we can attend his class. Otherwise, we will be rejected and shut out of the door."
"Prove our capability? How do we do that?" Liu Ran patted the red-haired man's arm muscles. "Show him this. Is this counted?"
"No. From their discussions, we can knock on the doors after we form a group of four to challenge the teacher. We will then be let in. After entering, the group of four will have to join forces to fight the teacher and ensure that they are not kicked out of the place. If they are successful, they will be fit to remain in this teacher's class. If they are not, they will no longer be qualified to step through this door."
No longer qualified meant that they would not be given any further chance to challenge the teacher, not even in the future.
Chen An surveyed the surrounding classmates. As he looked at their faces, he recalled the respective dormitories that they had headed to yesterday.
That was right. They had formed into groups with their dormitory mates. During the first day in college, it was unlikely that they would know one another. It was no wonder they were that particular about choosing their dormitory mates.
Chen An was now facing the same predicament as last night. He had no one else with him, except for Li Danming and Liu Ran.
The trio glanced at the red-haired man, who still looked as stoic as ever.
"He must be quite powerful to be able to become a teacher of De Yuan. Don't tell me you're going to challenge him alone?" Liu Ran patted the red-haired man's shoulder. He had concluded that this cold and aloof on the outside was actually warm and affectionate in his heart.
The red-haired man pondered for a long time before he nodded stoically.