At noon, Zhou Sheng'an fulfilled his duty as the "Honorary Dean" and followed the extremely busy Liu Erlong to the academy gate to welcome the visiting teams from the Four Element Academies.
Strictly speaking, Zhou Sheng'an's status didn't require him to personally greet anyone, but he was curious whether any of the visitors were players of Goddess Simulator.
Moreover, if he wanted to promote a major alliance, it was necessary to get to know more people.
Several carriages arrived from outside. Skywater Academy and Blazing Academy came first.
When the carriages stopped at the gate, six people got out.
Skywater Academy had sent only two people: a female teacher and a blue-haired girl wearing a short skirt that revealed her long, fair legs. The moment she stepped down from the carriage, her glowing white skin immediately drew gasps from many onlookers.
More importantly, many of the male students standing at the entrance audibly drew in cold breaths.
The Empire's most popular female idol from Skywater Academy—Shui Bing'er!
She was, without exaggeration, the dream of tens of millions of men.
"Bing'er goddess!!!"
Someone shouted.
Liu Erlong turned around and glared at them. "Shut up!"
Immediately, everyone at the scene fell silent, not daring to make another sound.
Their eyes then turned to the representative from Blazing Academy.
A girl with short red hair that looked like flames—full of passion and an aggressive beauty! Although not quite as stunning as Shui Bing'er, she was still a top-tier beauty.
Seeing that only two academies had arrived, Liu Erlong was clearly displeased. She muttered to Zhou Sheng'an, "So annoying, looks like we'll have to come out a second time later."
Zhou Sheng'an smiled but didn't ask why Liu Erlong—who usually never cared about such trivial matters—was suddenly so involved in administration.
At this moment, the two academy representatives quickly walked up.
"Dean Liu, hello. We are the representatives from Blazing Fire (Skywater) Academy. It's an honor to be personally welcomed by you!"
The representatives from both academies greeted with polite smiles.
Liu Erlong nodded with a smile and said, "Let's talk more in my office."
After saying that, she turned and gave a sharp glare at the students crowding the academy gate.
In an instant, the students all scattered, afraid to block the way any longer.
Huo Wu boldly stared at Zhou Sheng'an, her eyes never leaving his face.
On the way here, she had whispered to Shui Bing'er, "Forget everything else, that face is seriously gorgeous!"
Shui Bing'er's lips curved upward as she nodded gently.
The silent exchange between the two girls didn't escape Zhou Sheng'an's senses. He couldn't help but feel a little helpless.
These two were probably both Goddess Simulator players, and yet their first comments about him were about his looks.
'This is just… speechless.'
He was a Grand Sage Master! In theory, he could become a god!
...
In the Dean's Office.
Liu Erlong and Zhou Sheng'an sat at the main seats, then had the two academy representatives take their seats.
Liu Erlong looked at them and smiled. "You're both here for Sheng'an, aren't you? I'm quite curious—how did you find out about him?"
Just as Huo Wu was about to answer, Shui Bing'er spoke first.
"It's like this. I once toured in Nuoding City and happened to meet Teacher Zhou. I recognized his great talent, and after learning that he had joined Blue Tyrant Academy, I helped arrange this exchange."
As she spoke, Shui Bing'er looked at Zhou Sheng'an and gave a gentle smile.
Huo Wu silently gave Shui Bing'er a thumbs-up. 'What a lie.'
What kind of place was Nuoding City? Just a small town. Why would the Skywater girl group ever perform there? Soto City maybe, but Nuoding?
Liu Erlong blinked in surprise, looked at Zhou Sheng'an, and asked, "You… used to be in Nuoding City?"
Her heart began to race. She had a vague feeling something was about to happen.
Zhou Sheng'an smiled. "Yes. Actually, Yu Xiaogang, he—"
"I don't want to hear it! You shut up!"
Liu Erlong immediately covered her ears and shouted.
"..." Zhou Sheng'an gave her a confused look. 'What's this about? Wasn't she the one who was desperate to bring Yu Xiaogang to Blue Tyrant Academy before? Why is she acting like this now?'
Flender's eyes were shining, almost moved to tears. 'Erlong doesn't want to see Yu Xiaogang—she must have fallen for me instead!'
'Just give it time, I'll definitely win her over!'
Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and the others were completely dumbfounded, not understanding why Liu Erlong had suddenly erupted.
After realizing what she did, Liu Erlong glared fiercely at Zhou Sheng'an. "Anyway, don't mention him. I didn't hear anything! Now then, let's talk about the exchange program. Actually, a few other academies also expressed interest in coming."
"My idea is—since you're all here for Sheng'an anyway—why not attend his public classes along with our students?"
She spread her hands. She was well aware of Blue Tyrant Academy's standing.
Without Zhou Sheng'an, old powerhouses like the Four Element Academies would never have come here to study.
There wasn't really anything worth learning here. So why not be straightforward and save everyone the trouble?
Her blunt honesty left the visitors speechless.
The Skywater representative smiled wryly and asked, "Is that… really okay?"
"Of course, of course. Just talk it over with Sheng'an. He's also a dean here—and frankly, his word carries more weight than mine." Liu Erlong cheerfully handed over the reins, pointing to Zhou Sheng'an with a smile.
Zhou Sheng'an chuckled helplessly. 'She really trusts me that much, huh?'
But truthfully, he did want to build connections with these academies. The number of spirit masters gathered in academies far surpassed those in sects or clans.
If he maintained good relations with them, he could guide a large number of spirit masters directly.
"Everyone, as Dean Liu said, you're welcome to audit my classes," Zhou Sheng'an said with a smile.
Huo Wu's eyes lit up and she was just about to speak.
But at that moment, Shui Bing'er said, "Alright, thank you very much, Teacher Zhou."
She gently took Huo Wu's hand and stopped her from saying more.
Huo Wu looked at her, then fell silent.
Zhou Sheng'an glanced at Huo Wu. He could vaguely sense that she had a bit of dissatisfaction toward him.
Or maybe, she wanted to test his strength?
Zhou Sheng'an smiled slightly. He happened to be thinking the same—he needed to show his capabilities to better promote the grand alliance.
...
The representatives from Skywater and Blazing Fire were settled into the dorm area.
In the evening, Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu strolled around Blue Tyrant Academy together. Both of them wore veils to cover their faces. Without them, they'd definitely cause a commotion.
Huo Wu picked up a small stone and tossed it into the lake. Ripples spread across the surface.
She turned to look at Shui Bing'er, narrowed her eyes, and asked, "Shui Bing'er, don't tell me you've really fallen for Zhou Sheng'an and couldn't wait to start defending your man?"
Shui Bing'er laughed and shook her head.
"No. Weren't you planning to test Teacher Zhou back there?"
"Yeah. I wanted to see if he actually has real ability. If he does, I'll apologize. If not, we shouldn't waste our time," Huo Wu said confidently.
Shui Bing'er sighed. "Huo Wu, you're going to offend people like this. We're here to learn, remember? At the very least, we should keep things cordial. Besides, I have a feeling that Teacher Zhou probably does have real talent."