After returning to the Yue Family Castle, the Swordswoman Sister went to report to Emperor about the encounter with the necromancer at the Hawk Cry Canyon and what they witnessed in the Ghost Grief Valley.
Eddie initially thought he'd quickly receive a reward, but to his surprise, Emperor Jun Wuyou was furious. He believed that the two youngsters made a grave mistake by venturing into danger instead of reporting back immediately upon encountering the necromancer.
Although Eddie and the Swordswoman Sister returned victorious, the Emperor considered it a stroke of luck, reasoning that if they had encountered a lich or a greater lich, their lives could have been in grave danger.
As a result, the Emperor ordered his precious daughter to be grounded for three months. Fortunately, Eddie was spared any substantial punishment since he was deemed to have been led astray by her.
Eddie was told by the Emperor's guards that he could have the "Avoidance Pearl" he desired, but only after passing a test on combat knowledge for the strong.
The test wasn't demanding; he just needed to pass. However, the exam, which was not available in the academy, completely stumped Eddie.
Even his cousin, Sophia, who had studied for four years at the Upper Capital Academy, couldn't help him.
One question asked about the relationship between the Purple Gold Twisted Conch and the Purple Gold Twisted Screw.
Eddie had no clue how a shell creature and a part from a metallic puppet were related. Even when he asked his fifth grandfather, the old man mysteriously hinted at a significant connection but refused to explain further, despite Yue Shuang tugging at his beard.
Another question involved medical treatment, asking about the best remedy for a warrior bitten by a Starpoint Sand Snake.
Options included applying the saliva of a Ground Thorn Back Lizard or the sap of a Silver Handle White Fur Tree. Shockingly, all three substances mentioned were highly poisonous to humans. Could they really be used to cure poison with poison?
Eddie found it baffling and frustrating, especially since even Yue Bing, a top student, couldn't solve these bizarre questions.
Eddie realized that if he were to take the test alone, he would score zero. Even with Yue Bing's help, they could only manage a meager score. It was humiliating for Eddie, who was once a master of cheating on exams.
The fact that the Swordswoman Sister's six-year-old sister could score 80 points on the same test only added to his frustration.
Feeling challenged and belittled for being an illiterate transmigrator, Eddie resolved to study at the academy to catch up on basic knowledge.
Elder Haye Yew had not seen Eddie at the family feast and didn't mention him at all. However, he repeatedly praised Mother Grace, bestowing upon her an ancestral tome.
On the surface, it was to commend her for her virtuous management of household affairs, but it was clear to anyone with half a brain that this was his way of passing the puppeteer's handbook to Eddie.
This was the 'Puppeteer's Handbook,' jointly compiled by the Yew family's five greatest puppet masters: Tai, Hua, Heng, Ya, and Song.
It was a treasured heirloom of the Yew family, and fewer than ten people in the entire clan possessed a copy. Elder grandson Yehky and fourth grandson Blaze had long coveted it, but Elder Haye and the other elders had never given it to them.
Unexpectedly, it was now granted to Eddie, who was almost at odds with the entire family.
This was the best proof that strength was respected in the Yew family. As had been the tradition for generations, the most outstanding member received the most support from the family.
Acting patriarch Shawn, it was said, was not only not angry but led the applause, personally handing the handbook to Mother Grace and publicly apologizing for his previous misunderstandings.
When little Sophia returned and told Eddie about this, he was utterly shocked.
Eddie thought to himself, "Shawn is just like a hypocrite, pretending to be virtuous. Good thing I'm not Linghu Chong, or I'd be in a real pickle ten days from now."
Bidding farewell to Mother Grace and Sophia, Eddie set off for the capital of the Great Xia Kingdom, Capital City.
Sophia went to Capital Academy to handle her withdrawal procedures, while Eddie alone enrolled in the Ivy League College located across from Capital Academy.
Compared to the grand and imposing gates of Capital Academy, the Ivy League College, just across the street, seemed utterly insignificant. Apart from its decent landscaping, it had nothing to offer.
"Is anyone here?" Eddie called out softly, worried that raising his voice might cause the dilapidated gate to collapse.
"Don't worry, this gate has been like this for over a hundred years and won't fall. Come on in!" A goat-bearded old man peeked out from inside and gestured to Eddie. Eddie broke into a cold sweat.
While Capital Academy boasted a majestic entrance, welcoming new students with gorgeous female upperclassmen, handsome male seniors, and imposing silver-armored guards, the Ivy League College was like a ghost realm.
Perfect for shooting a horror film without any need for smoke machines. And here they were, sending an old man with a goat beard to welcome new students, practically pushing them to enroll elsewhere.
"In a place like this, could there really be a campus beauty?"
Eddie was sweating profusely.
He thought, "Forget about winning over my own campus beauty. According to what Fatso Hessiansaid, I might have better luck with the beauty from Capital Academy next door."
Looking at the goat-bearded old man, who resembled a stingy country landlord, Eddie asked bluntly, "Where are the beautiful female instructors of your school? Why did they send you to welcome new students? Don't you realize your appearance might drive students away?"
The goat-bearded old man waved his hand and replied, "My young friend, I'm actually the best-looking among all the instructors here. Just bear with it!"
"I'm leaving!" Eddie said upon hearing that there were no beautiful female instructors and that the best-looking person was this old man. "Why would I study here and make myself miserable?"
"Hold on, we do have beautiful female instructors," the goat-bearded old man quickly interjected, trying to stop Eddie. "But you must understand, the prettier and more talented they are, the higher their airs. If a beautiful instructor were actually standing here to welcome new students, it would mean she's not a real beauty. After all, the best things are hard to come by. If you only look at the surface waves, how will you discover the pearls hidden in the depths of the ocean?" He mysteriously pulled out a colorful catalog from his chest. "I can't let a new student like you miss out on our college's beauties. We have four stunning beauties, each capable of bringing a nation to its knees; four campus flowers, each fresh and radiant; and two beautiful female instructors. Want to take a look?"
"I do!" Eddie, who had no resistance to the allure of beauties, eagerly replied.
"First, pay up. Our beauties are for internal development only," the goat-bearded old man said, almost shocking Eddie to death.
But Eddie thought it was probably for the best, at least there would be no worry of wolves from Capital Academy preying on their scarce beauties. Grudgingly, he took out five gold coins, ready to pay the enrollment fee and get his hands on that catalog of beauties.
But the goat-bearded old man shook his head and waved his hand. "My young friend, your tuition isn't five gold coins, it's fifty. And it's best to pay another fifty as a deposit, or I can't let you enroll."
Eddie was stunned, then became angrily. "Are you trying to scam me by raising the price? Why should I pay fifty when everyone else pays five?"
As Eddie grabbed the old man's collar and lifted him, the goat-bearded old man still smiled.
"At Ivy League College, we teach according to the student's abilities. The young lady who was with you earlier is full of spiritual energy and has a bright future ahead of her, not to mention she's a beauty resource and can help with recruitment. "
"We'd have no problem admitting her for free. But you? First, you're a bit of a lecher, bound to vie for the beauties here, which will definitely cause conflicts with existing students. Second, you seem to have a temper. "
"Who knows how many fights you'll get into in a month? Taking you in, a troublemaker like you, requires extra money. The additional fifty gold coins are for anticipated damages to our college's property."
"You think I'm some kind of tyrant who forcibly takes women? I'm actually a poor student from a humble background, struggling to make ends meet and focused on studying. My ancestors for eighteen generations have been farmers. My parents are deceased, and I was raised by my aunt and uncle, barely getting by. The fifty gold coins are the result of many years of scrimping and saving," Eddie almost made himself sound like a character oppressed by a landlord in a classic story.
"I understand and sympathize with your situation, but you're the first student in history to dare grab the college dean's collar. Fifty gold isn't really that high," the goat-bearded old man said with a smile.
"You're the dean?" Eddie immediately released the old man upon hearing this.
"The vice-dean," the goat-bearded old man nodded in admission.
"Then who is the actual dean?" Before his transmigration, Eddie had read plenty of fantasy novels set in other worlds, where the vice-deans of academies were often the villains, while the actual deans were the good guys.
They usually kept to themselves, often appeared drunk, but were in fact incredibly powerful masters pretending to be fools. They often ended up taking the protagonist as a disciple. Most importantly, no matter how ugly the dean looked, he would always have a beautiful granddaughter or daughter.
In short, one rule after transmigration was to stay away from the vice-deans of academies.
But it was crucial to get on the good side of the actual deans, as it could help in charming the ladies.
"The actual dean is one of the two beautiful female instructors I mentioned earlier, the very one I said had a lot of faults. She's the top beauty among our ten beauties," the goat-bearded old man flipped through the beauty catalog at lightning speed, briefly showing a page with a curvaceous, busty beauty in a bath, causing Eddie to swallow hard. Was this voluptuous beauty the dean?