In his dream, Eric Dawson advanced rapidly in martial arts, gaining the favor of the true martial arts community within just a few years. As a newcomer, he defeated Scott Price and earned the title of "Martial Saint," standing at the pinnacle of domestic martial arts alongside "Dragon King" Chris Brooks. He also gained countless fans, had all kinds of support groups, and was pursued by many beautiful women who seemed like they must be very attractive, but he stuck to his principles, cared only for the soul, resisted all temptations, and finally walked into the wedding hall with Grace Bennett, surrounded by the onlooking and blessings of classmates and childhood friends like Brian Carter, Jack Miller, Peter Parker, and Michael Bolton, while his father and mother, who had worked hard all their lives, waited expectantly at the front.

But at that moment, Eric Dawson discovered his skin was turning charred bit by bit, the blood vessels inside him seemed to be burning fiercely, and his back was covered in white frost, cold air pouring out, as if he had fallen into an Antarctic iceberg, exactly like that dead black carp.

In inexplicable panic, he turned his head and saw that Grace Bennett was looking at him with such unfamiliarity and fear.

"Ah!"

Eric Dawson suddenly opened his eyes and found himself curled up on his side, sleeping. A faint ray of light shone in from outside the window, dyeing the pitch-black dormitory a dim hue. The bed, desk, chair, and mosquito net in his view were both familiar and strange, making him feel as if he were a guest in his own dream.

After a moment of daze and a few deep breaths, he finally figured out where he was and what he was doing.

"Had a nightmare..." Eric Dawson looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, feeling a bit dazed for a moment. The dream had already become blurry, and he only remembered that it carried all his fantasies, all his daydreams, and all his fears.

He picked up his phone and lit up the screen, finding it was not yet seven o'clock. He wanted to get a bit more sleep, but couldn't fall back asleep no matter how he tossed and turned. By seven, he finally got up, left the small dorm room, and went to the washroom.

After finishing everything, he sat in the living room, scrolling through forums and message boards on his phone. He saw some "drivers" posting late at night and couldn't help but smile, his mood gradually calming down. His anticipation for his own martial arts after gaining the "golden core" resurfaced, as did his excitement for today's martial arts class, and for Grace Bennett's "See you in martial arts class tomorrow!"

Eric Dawson started to get excited, returned to the small dorm room, and ignored the bleary-eyed Jack Miller who was getting up to do early foreign language reading. He opened his own wardrobe and pulled out a still-new martial arts uniform.

This was an authentic martial arts uniform from the Dragon Tiger Club, a gift Eric Dawson gave himself after graduating high school. It was navy blue, combining traditional and modern design, simple yet textured. It was close-fitting like a combat suit, but slightly loose to avoid restricting muscle movement. As long as the wearer wasn't too slouched, it would make anyone look energetic.

After changing into the martial arts uniform and fastening the cuffs and pant legs, Eric Dawson went to the washroom again and looked at himself in the big mirror. On his left chest, a green dragon and a white tiger coiled around each other to form an "emblem," decorated with cloud and wind patterns, highlighting the top-tier force it represented.

He wet his hair and tidied it up, then grinned at himself in the mirror:

"Not bad!"

"So flashy!" Brian Carter yawned as he walked in, teasing Eric Dawson.

Eric Dawson clicked his tongue and said, "I wonder which flashy guy uses men's grooming products every day?"

"Hey, I have to do justice to this face of mine!" Brian Carter headed to the squat toilet inside, obviously woken up by a full bladder after drinking too much last night, unlike early risers like Eric Dawson and Jack Miller.

Hearing their conversation, Jack Miller, who was washing up nearby, rolled his eyes at the two idiots, watched Brian Carter enter the stall and close the door, then said, "You two should just go do a comedy act. It's so early and you're already at it!"

"Haha." Eric Dawson laughed. "Mainly, if we don't keep Xiao Ming in check for three days, he'll tear the roof off!"

As he spoke, he left the washroom, changed into black training shoes, and waited for Brian Carter to finish so they could go have breakfast.

While waiting, he logged onto QQ, wanting to chat with Grace Bennett but couldn't bring himself to start, worried that being too eager would scare her off. So he just checked the messages in the freshman and class groups, then browsed his friends' "Moments." To his surprise, he found that Grace Bennett had posted a status ten minutes ago:

"Sleepy as a dog! But very happy! Today I'll help all the late risers taste breakfast, no need to thank me!"

So cute... Eric Dawson thought to himself and gently patted his own cheek, realizing he had forgotten to check Grace Bennett's previous posts yesterday.

This was both a desire accumulated from his curiosity about her and a way to get to know her better!

Just as Eric Dawson was browsing through Grace Bennett's old posts, Brian Carter finished up, yawned, and walked over:

"Orange, with that lecherous grin on your face, you must be up to no good. Tell me, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Eric Dawson exited QQ with a smile and put away his phone.

Brian Carter glanced at him, shook his head, and said, "Teenage boys in love are always like this!"

The two of them bantered as they left the dorm, went to the nearest cafeteria for soy milk, tea eggs, and soup dumplings, and then strolled slowly toward the martial arts club venue.

……

The teaching buildings and dormitory area of Songcheng University formed a triangle. Near the lakeside, there was a small, exquisitely built three-story building that complemented the scenery of the lake. This was the school's administrative building, at the university level.