Translator: CinderTL
After collecting his school uniform, Feng Qi skipped all other items like textbooks and went straight to the Principal's office.
He knocked, and Bai Fusheng's voice called from within, "Come in."
Pushing the door open, Feng Qi found Bai Fusheng dressed in a traditional Tang suit, leisurely brewing tea.
"Grandmaster, what's my assignment?"
Bai Fusheng smiled warmly and gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "I've already arranged everything. Please, sit down."
Once Feng Qi was seated, Bai Fusheng retrieved a class schedule from his drawer and handed it to him.
"You'll be leading Combat Class Three for the Class of '23. The students in this class have rather... unique backgrounds. You'll understand once you meet them."
"Combat Class Three?" Feng Qi immediately thought of that fake monk—wasn't he a student in that class?
"Grandmaster, could you tell me more about what makes this class so special?"
Bai Fusheng chuckled. "Well, let's just say they're all... special cases. They didn't get in through the usual channels."
"This class is small, with only eleven students, but every one of them is a Special Enrollment Student—meaning they didn't enter through the regular exam process, much like your friend Mu Qing."
"So, they're all 'connections' kids?" Feng Qi asked, a hint of resignation in his voice.
He wanted to cultivate human elites, individuals who could shape the future, not a bunch of privileged students.
"You wouldn't be qualified to teach a normal class anyway, and I couldn't find a way around that. So, I simply grouped all the Special Enrollment Students into one class and gave you free rein. But don't underestimate them—some possess exceptional talent. You'll understand once you meet them."
Thinking of that fake monk, Feng Qi couldn't shake the feeling that this whole arrangement was unreliable.
Noticing Feng Qi's skeptical expression, Bai Fusheng continued, "Don't look at me like that. If you're not satisfied, we can explore other options. For now, you're the homeroom teacher of Combat Class Three."
"Fine, I'll give it a try," Feng Qi agreed reluctantly, his heart heavy with resignation.
After leaving the Principal's office, Feng Qi returned to his dormitory.
After settling his luggage and belongings, he glanced at the time—it was nearly 11 a.m.
He pulled out his phone and contacted Mu Qing and Lin Ran, inviting them to lunch. Then he left the dormitory building and headed straight for the academy cafeteria.
The scorching sun beat down on the earth.
As he stepped into the cafeteria, he noticed Mu Qing and Lin Ran had already arrived and were sitting in the north corner.
Grabbing a tray, he went to the buffet area to start selecting his meal.
Given the sweltering weather, the academy cafeteria had thoughtfully prepared a variety of refreshing drinks, including mung bean soup, lemonade, winter melon soup, and even ice cream and popsicles.
The food at Star City Academy had never disappointed him.
After filling his tray with a generous portion of food, he walked to the north corner and sat down next to Lin Ran.
"Welcome back, Teacher Feng, the king has returned!" Lin Ran greeted him with a playful grin. "How's that latest edition of Advanced Art Magic Theory I bought you coming along?"
Lin Ran's smile instantly froze. He silently lowered his head and began eating, clearly trying to avoid the topic.
Seeing Lin Ran's expression, Feng Qi knew he hadn't been studying properly again.
Despite possessing an extraordinary understanding and talent for art magic research, Lin Ran's dream was to master cultivation arts. Feng Qi simply couldn't fathom what was going on in his head.
He'd seen people waste food before, but never anyone squander their innate gifts like Lin Ran.
Feeling helpless, Feng Qi turned to Mu Qing.
"Senior Sister, can I ask you something?"
Hearing Feng Qi's words, Mu Qing looked up, her cheeks still puffed out as she chewed. Her eyes were filled with confusion, making her look utterly adorable.
"You probably heard from Lin Ran that I'll be taking on a freshman class as their homeroom teacher."
Mu Qing nodded, speaking between chews. "So?"
"I want you to join my class as my student."
Mu Qing froze, startled by the request.
Although she was enrolled at Star City Academy, as a Special Enrollment Student, she enjoyed considerable freedom.
Preferring to avoid contact with other students, she primarily relied on self-study.
Aside from the academy cafeteria, she frequently shuttled between the library and the Body Tempering Room, focusing on self-training.
The thought of interacting with her classmates made Mu Qing shake her head vigorously. She was certain that if they knew about her situation, they would look at her with prejudiced eyes.
She hated that feeling.
"Senior sister, not everyone is like that. I became your friend, didn't I? You need to try reaching out to people. Be brave."
Lin Ran, standing nearby, looked at Feng Qi with eager anticipation. "Can I go too?"
"As long as you can convince the Principal, go ahead."
"Elder Bai's on board. Have you talked to him about Mu Qing?"
"The class I'm teaching consists entirely of Special Enrollment Students. There won't be any issues," Feng Qi replied with a smile, nodding. He then turned back to Mu Qing. "Senior sister, don't hesitate. Trust me."
Faced with Feng Qi's invitation, Mu Qing finally nodded.
A smile spread across Feng Qi's face at her agreement.
He was certain that Mu Qing was the catalyst for the scavengers' rebellion.
He was equally certain that before Mu Qing formed the "dawn rebels," the scavengers harbored no ill will toward the city's residents.
Though the city and the scavengers often looked down on each other, there had never been a serious incident like a scavenger attack on the city in all these years.
On the contrary, scavenger-formed domain combat teams frequently assisted the city's combat teams in dispersing Domain Fields. The city, in turn, occasionally allocated supplies to aid the scavengers outside its walls.
The relationship between the scavengers and the city residents was more akin to that between citizens of two separate nations.
Yet fundamentally, they were all humans sharing the same homeland.
When their home was invaded, they would unite to fight off the invaders.
Though occasional conflicts might arise between them, these disputes were never severe enough to make the scavengers hostile toward the city residents, let alone drive them to kill them.
He would find ways to gradually resolve the conflicts between the city residents and the scavengers.
But the most crucial task remained eliminating Mu Qing, the source of this chaos.
Even now, he couldn't understand why so many scavengers were willing to follow Mu Qing and betray all of humanity.
There seemed to be many mysteries hidden within that historical period, mysteries he had yet to uncover, mysteries that had shaped the course of Human Civilization.
Before uncovering the truth, he needed to ensure Mu Qing wouldn't make any mistakes.
He had thoroughly studied Mu Qing's abilities.
She was the only human in recorded history to have achieved near-perfect fusion with a rune crystal, and she possessed the unique ability to draw power from food, making her growth potential terrifying.
In her first battle after defecting, she single-handedly crushed the A-ranked Black Reef Combat Team, killing hundreds.
Later, she single-handedly withstood the encirclement of dozens of top-tier combat teams, her combat prowess rivaling that of a humanoid beast.
Therefore, appeasing this future Great Demon King was undoubtedly the right move.
He recalled the Mu Qing he had seen in the future database. In the photos, she was tall and slender, her expression icy and regal, exuding the aura of a major villain.
He glanced up at the Mu Qing before him, her expression blank and innocent as she devoured her meal.
He couldn't reconcile the two images; the contrast was simply too stark.
(End of the Chapter)
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