The next day, early morning.
Lin Beichen, carrying a bag and pulling a suitcase, arrived at the designated meeting point.
He arrived a bit early.
At this moment, other than the principal Hao Jianhua and two teachers, no one else had arrived.
Hao Jianhua looked at Lin Beichen and said with a smile, "Lin Beichen, you came quite early."
"Couldn’t sleep."
Lin Beichen chuckled.
He was telling the truth.
The thought of going to Jingli Mountain and experiencing the world’s largest active volcano excited him. The possibility that he might find an opportunity to break through to the Third Realm of the Fire Element had him feeling incredibly thrilled and excited.
As a result...
He had insomnia!
For someone like him who usually falls asleep immediately, this was a rare occurrence.
"So happy?"
Hao Jianhua didn’t really know why Lin Beichen couldn’t sleep. He thought it was because of the trip to Divine Light Country and the academic exchange, combined, that kept him awake.
"Of course."
"Then you should perform well during the academic exchange."
Hao Jianhua patted Lin Beichen on the shoulder.
The reason for breaking tradition and bringing a freshman like Lin Beichen wasn’t solely because of his close relationship with the security bureau. While that certainly played a part, it was mainly because of Lin Beichen’s own merit — the first person in the history of Great Xia’s college entrance exam. He believed in Lin Beichen’s abilities and thought he could contribute to the academic exchange.
Moreover...
The most important reason was that Shenzhao University was very interested in Lin Beichen. They mentioned him frequently, nearly directly naming him to participate in the academic exchange.
"??"
Lin Beichen was puzzled upon hearing this. According to Han Yuan and others, he was just going to be a bystander. How did it turn into him needing to contribute? He hadn’t attended many classes; what could he exchange academically?
He considered telling the principal the truth but thought if he did, he might not be allowed to go.
That wouldn’t do!
Lin Beichen could technically go alone, but it would be a complete waste of time, and he couldn’t wait any longer.
Lin Beichen forced a smile, nodded, and said, "No problem, Principal."
"Haha, good."
"..."
As they chatted, others participating in the academic exchange began arriving one after another.
Soon, everyone was present.
Hao Jianhua counted the number of people, confirmed it was correct, signaled for everyone to board the bus to the airport. They arrived at the airport and successfully completed boarding without any mishaps.
Once the time arrived, the plane took off.
The Imperial Capital is very close to Hengban County, where Shenzhao University is located. The flight lasted less than two hours, even shorter than many domestic flights.
As the plane landed smoothly, Hao Jianhua led the participants to retrieve their luggage from the carousel and headed towards the exit.
Divine Light Country’s local customs were unique. Unlike other countries where exits were straightforward, the airport exit here required an identity check and a scan of carried luggage, similar to entering.
Hao Jianhua’s group queued for the inspection.
One by one, they passed smoothly.
Until...
It was Lin Beichen’s turn.
Lin Beichen placed his suitcase on the screening machine, watching it go along the conveyor belt into the scanner. He inserted his ticket into the check-in slot and walked through the metal detector frame.
Just then, the expressions on the faces of the Divine Light Country airport staff behind the computers changed, their eyes brightened as if discovering something novel.
They exchanged quick glances, then swiftly got up and approached Lin Beichen before he retrieved his luggage from the conveyor belt.
"Hello, sir."
Standard Divine Light Country bow.
One of the staff, smiling, said, "Please show your identification documents."
"What’s happening?"
A teacher’s voice was heard.
This teacher was from Imperial Capital University’s Divine Light Language department, brought along as a translator.
Hao Jianhua and others gathered around, faces filled with confusion, looking at the staff blocking Lin Beichen.
Facing so many people immediately...
The staff showed no sign of panic, calmly looking at the teacher who had spoken, and said, "Nothing special, just a minor code anomaly during ticket inspection. We need to verify this gentleman’s identification again."
"I see..."
No one had worked at an airport before, so they didn’t understand the process. Hearing this explanation, they didn’t think much of it.
Even Lin Beichen himself didn’t think much of it.
He handed over his identification to the staff.
The staff quickly returned to their computer with Lin Beichen’s ID, not operating the computer but instead stealthily took a photo of the ID with a phone, closely observing it, then exchanged subtle nods with each other.
Soon after...
The staff who had taken Lin Beichen’s ID handed it back to him, apologizing, "Sir, everything has been verified, no issues. We apologize for the inconvenience and for wasting your valuable time."