Ms. Sinclaire waited until the last pot was emptied before standing.
"Alright," she said, rubbing her temples. "If you eat any more, you're not even going to be in time to see the headmaster."
Jin Huang rose obediently, wiping his mouth with one of the napkins the server had provided for him. For the first time since arriving, the constant gnawing ache in his stomach had dulled to something almost manageable. Almost.
Ms. Sinclaire drew him up into the air with her, and they flew away together as Madam Cho's cafeteria thinned. The earlier chaos dissolved into murmurs and retreating footsteps.
By the time they reached the Orientation Hall, the great doors were already closing. Layers of formation light were dimming as the students filtered out in orderly streams with their guides. They were likely on their way towards their respective dormitories, or to see where the lecture halls for their classes were.
Once Jin Huang and Ms. Sinclair got inside, the vast hall felt almost entirely empty and lifeless, despite the lively decor of its interior.
Floating lanterns dimmed themselves. The crystal galaxy decorating the ceiling had slowed its rotation, many of its lights drifting away as names were recorded and dismissed. Instructors gathered in small clusters, voices low as they tended to the stragglers and any final questions they might have.
Ms. Sinclaire guided Jin Huang toward the center platform, clearing her throat.
"Headmaster," she called.
The man who turned was unassuming- plain robes, hair tied simply, cultivation concealed so perfectly it felt like nothing at all- not that Jin Huang could tell. His eyes flicked to Jin Huang, then immediately to the still-glowing little flame in his palm.
"So this is the one you told me about just now," the Headmaster said.
"Yes," Ms. Sinclaire replied. "He bears a high-level Stamp of Approval as well as a special constitution."
The Headmaster nodded once. Then, with notably less emotion, said, "He missed orientation in order to... eat."
Ms. Sinclaire blinked. "Headmaster?"
"The Stamp certainly opens doors," he continued calmly, "but in the hands of one who turns away from those open doors in order to pursue foolish, carnal pleasures, such a Stamp is wasted."
His gaze returned to Jin Huang, sharp but not unkind. "You missed out on vital information regarding your time here. This is not some glorified restaurant, we have a reputation to uphold as one of the top institutes in all the Earthly Realm. Do you understand?"
Jin Huang hesitated, then nodded. "I think so."
"Good. Ms. Sinclaire will take you to get your academy uniform and your personalized jade slip. This will inform you of which group you belong to, and what classes you will be taking. The rest was discussed during the orientation you missed, so you'll have to find that out somehow."
The Headmaster turned away, already dismissing them both.
As they exited the hall, Ms. Sinclaire exhaled long and slow. "Well. That went… about as expected."
Jin Huang tilted his head. "Is that a bad thing?"
"It's… neutral," she said. "Which is worse than good and better than interesting."
They hadn't gone far when Jin Huang stopped, his nose twitching as he sniffed at the air. Some kind of delightful scent was being carried on the wind and he simply could not get enough of it.
His neck snapped in every direction it possibly could, but for some strange reason he could not pinpoint where that scent was coming from. All he knew was that it was one of the best things he had ever smelled in his life.
He needed to eat its origin.
"What is it?" Ms. Sinclaire asked while adjusting her glasses. "What do you smell?"
"You don't smell it?" He asked while taking a few big sniffs. "That smell. It's like... everything I ever wanted."
The woman eyed him strangely and took a few deep breaths through her nose, but she smelled nothing. She knew that, as a high-level cultivator, her senses were far more keen than his, yet he was clearly smelling something that she could not.
However, just as suddenly as it came, the smell vanished and left Jin Huang frustrated. Ms. Sinclaire was certain she saw him crawl on all fours and sniff around like a dog at one point before she finally got him to forget about it and settle down.
"That was the most intense scent I've ever gotten. I wonder where it came from... and where it went."
Shaking her head, the woman pulled him up into the air with her and took him around the academy to get him familiar with the layout.
Most of the main academy structure were the various halls for the different levels, some for training and assemblies, others for internal tournaments and other such events. There was also the vast library, and some of the classrooms that required high-end resources like the Pill Concocting classes and the Array Formation classes.
Aside from that, the main building was also where he had to go for his uniforms and his personalized jade slip, which was registered ever since he got his card from the tablet at the beginning.
Then, there were the many lecture halls throughout the campus, which were usually just at the foot of an instructor's abode. There was the vending district, the entertainment district and a bunch of other things scattered in the midst.
Of course, the only things that caught Jin Huang's attention were the food stalls and vendors.
Eventually, he got his uniforms and his jade slip, then Ms. Sinclaire helped him find his dorm. It was quite spacious, already larger than his home in Sylkwood, which he was excited about.
"Right then, I'll see you around, Jin Huang. Be sure to wash up and change into your uniform, and don't forget you have your first class on Monday. You'll be meeting the kids that will be your classmates for the next five years, so it's best to make a good first impression." She smiled and winked from outside his door, preparing to leave.
"One more thing," he said somewhat sheepishly, a look in his eyes that betrayed his intent.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Ms. Sinclaire waved her hands and ten spirit stones materialized before Jin Huang swiftly caught them.
"Friday's deal is all-you-can-eat dumplings, 5 spirit stones. Hopefully you start making some money before you run out. I'd take Madam Cho up on that offer if I were you, because you won't be able to make money via requests for a while as a first-year." Ms. Sinclaire gave him one last smile before leaving.
"Thanks for everything, Big Sister Sin," Jin Huang laughed as he waved her off.
Finally all alone, he sat in his room and really let everything sink in. Earlier that same day, he had been kneeling at his adoptive parents' graves and bidding them his last farewell. His plan was always to leave that old town behind, and now he had done it much sooner than he thought.
Even crazier was the fact that he had no idea how far away he even was. No matter where he looked, all he saw was the starry void and clouds bathed in multicolored light. In the far distance, planets were indistinguishable from stars. How was he to know if one of those planets was the one he came from?
Calming himself, he undressed and entered the shower, indulging in the warm water.
Even so, Jin Huang could not fight the excitement and intrigue. Somehow, the scroll that was left with him as a baby had taken him here- to the Interplanetary Academy of Cultivation. That was the only explanation that made sense in his mind.
On top of that, he thought as he looked at the flame sigil still glowing in his palm, the scroll possessed a high-level Stamp of Approval for the Academy. Ms. Sinclaire had said that it was at least Celestial-grade.
'Perhaps this has something to do with my birth parents. Maybe they always intended for me to come here.'
As he finally lay in his bed, he thought about his life so far, and about the couple that had raised him.
"Mother, Father, I'm sorry for all the hardship I caused you. I'm going to do everything I can to make good use of this life you saved."
His stomach growling threw him off.
'Oh well. Enough extra thinking- it's just making me hungry. Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye, Father. I'll make you proud. I promise.'
Jin Huang fell asleep almost as soon as he shut his eyes, all the while the tiny flame sigil in his palm glowed silently, resonating with the atmosphere.