Volume One: The Dragon's Soul Awakens Chapter 59: Xiaofeng and Xiaoling

"It's hard to explain?" Mo Xing asked, puzzled.

"Yes, she's a good mentor..." Zhang Zhihao nodded, "But..."

"But what?" Mo Xing pressed.

"You'll find out soon enough," Zhang Zhihao replied with a smile.

"Ah? Don't keep me in suspense, Master! Tell me already!" Mo Xing grew impatient, his curiosity only deepening.

"I can't comment too much. After all, she's my mentor as well," Zhang Zhihao said calmly.

"Your mentor? So I might get to attend classes with you in the future?" Mo Xing exclaimed in surprise.

"Hopefully," Zhang Zhihao smiled again.

"What do you mean, hopefully?" Mo Xing was confused. "Can't you give me a definite answer?"

"Sure," Zhang Zhihao said, taking out a letter and a neatly packaged dark suit from his storage ring, handing them to Mo Xing.

"This... what's this?" Mo Xing was momentarily stunned.

"Congratulations. You've passed the interview and are now officially a member of the school student council," Zhang Zhihao said with a smile.

"Really?" Mo Xing took the clothes and opened the letter to read.

"That's wonderful!" Mo Xing finished reading. "There should be a welcome party or something, right?"

"There is," Zhang Zhihao paused, "but unfortunately, you won't be able to attend."

"What?" Mo Xing was at a loss. "Why not?"

"Because you'll be participating in the Longya Island assistance mission," Zhang Zhihao explained calmly.

"Ah, that's too bad!" Mo Xing shook his head.

"It's alright. The welcome party can be postponed," Zhang Zhihao reassured him.

"That's right! I almost forgot, you're the student council president! Just issue a notice and the party can be delayed!" Mo Xing suddenly realized.

"The decision to postpone the welcome party isn't up to me; it's up to the school," Zhang Zhihao turned his head, his gaze suddenly sharp. "And I don't play at bureaucracy."

"Ah... alright." Mo Xing realized he'd just said something wrong...

"Hey! We're here!"

A familiar voice came from not far away. Mo Xing turned around and saw Senior Cai Hong and Senior Mian Hua approaching, each carrying two bags.

"What brings you here?" Mo Xing asked.

"Of course, we're here to celebrate your joining the student council! Zhang Zhihao summoned us for a picnic on the lawn," Senior Mian Hua said cheerfully.

"This..." Mo Xing was astonished. He hadn't expected Zhang Zhihao to rally the whole dormitory ahead of time to celebrate for him...

"Come on, let's spread out the mat on the grass first!" Senior Cai Hong pulled out a blue-and-white cloth from one of the bags.

"Master, thank you for your kindness!" Mo Xing clasped his hands in gratitude.

"No need to thank me," Zhang Zhihao replied serenely.

A short while later.

After laying out the mat and food, the four of them started chatting.

"Junior Mo Xing," Senior Cai Hong asked, "What did you talk about with Xia Ningxin when she invited you to dinner last night?"

"Well..." Mo Xing paused, recalling how he, Xia Ningxin, and Chengzi had stayed chatting until almost closing time at the restaurant last night. Zhang Zhihao had left through the window on his sword, while he, Xia Ningxin, and Chengzi exited through the main door. Senior Cai Hong had been at the counter, wiping things down, with the little Moon Shadow cat by his side, both watching him with curious eyes.

It was only now that Senior Cai Hong had the chance to ask in detail and perhaps gossip a bit.

"What? Did I hear that right? Xia Ningxin invited you to dinner last night?" Senior Mian Hua jumped in. "What kind of outrageous luck is this? The campus belle asked you out alone?"

"Uh... well..." Mo Xing was tongue-tied. Xia Ningxin did invite him, but it wasn't alone! Zhang Zhihao and Chengzi were there too!

"No, the manager was there as well! The three of them had dinner together!" Senior Cai Hong suddenly looked at Mo Xing with a hint of hostility, making Mo Xing feel uneasy. "Hurry up and tell us, did you discuss any earth-shattering secrets?"

"You really are something!" Senior Mian Hua shook his head. "No wonder I didn't see you last night! Turns out you went on a date!"

"You two are mistaken!" Mo Xing quickly explained. "It was just a normal conversation!"

"If you don't believe me, ask Master Zhang Zhihao!" Mo Xing pointed to Zhang Zhihao sitting beside them. "He was there too!"

"How is that possible?" Senior Cai Hong waved dismissively. "I only saw the three of you leaving through the main entrance."

"But Zhang Zhihao didn't leave through the door. He flew out from the balcony," Mo Xing said hurriedly, turning to Zhang Zhihao. "Master, please clarify!"

"How could that be?" Mian Hua chimed in. "Why would Zhang leave through the balcony when he could use the door?"

"I did fly out from the balcony," Zhang Zhihao finally spoke, having been quietly drinking tea.

"..." Senior Cai Hong was taken aback.

"..." Senior Mian Hua was also stunned.

"I was at the dinner last night," Zhang Zhihao said calmly. "Nothing special was discussed, just helping Mo Xing expand his social circle."

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Senior Cai Hong immediately understood. "See, we're all helping you network!"

"Exactly! We've prepared everything for you!" Senior Mian Hua echoed. "You've met two more classmates!"

"Uh... yes, yes!" Mo Xing nodded, thinking how quickly his seniors could change their tune.

On that leisurely afternoon, Mo Xing and his seniors talked about many topics: legendary figures at the school, odd incidents, Senior Mian Hua's "painful" history of skipping classes, and Senior Cai Hong's lighthearted teasing. Zhang Zhihao was more reserved, occasionally joining in. Mo Xing listened intently like a curious child as they recounted their stories.

Looking back later, Mo Xing realized how fortunate it was to enjoy such tranquil days. Sadly... he would never return to them...

...

Monday morning.

Third floor of the Guangyi Teaching Building.

A young man dashed frantically through the hallway, having just finished his training and run all the way from the academy square. He finally found his classroom, only to see the seats in the back already filled. Instructor Xue Dinghai stood at the podium, glancing at his watch. Seizing the moment, Mo Xing slipped quietly inside.

"Isn't that Mo Xing?" a student in the back asked.

"Yeah, he actually dared to cut it so close for Xue Dinghai's class," another remarked. "He must have a death wish."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't someone as outstanding as him be fighting for other instructors' theory classes? Why is he attending Xue Dinghai's hypnosis class?" a student wondered.

"Who knows? Maybe he has some strange interests," another shook his head.

Mo Xing wiped his sweat and sat in a front-row seat near the door, pulling out his books and pen from his storage ring.

This morning's training had really eaten up his time; he barely avoided being late. He certainly didn't want to lose credits for skipping class like Senior Mian Hua.

"Class begins!"

Instructor Xue Dinghai suddenly barked from the podium. Mo Xing had just sat down when he and his classmates stood up together.

"Good morning, instructor!" they greeted in unison.

"Sit down," Xue Dinghai instructed. "Please turn to page fifty-nine in 'Modern History of Aslant.'"

"Whew—finally made it to class."

Just then, two students appeared at the classroom door, gasping for breath. Mo Xing recognized them from last week's class with Xue Dinghai; they sat in front of him. The boy with the spiky hair was named Xiao Feng; last time, he dashed out after class, complaining that Xue Dinghai's lectures were too hypnotic. The other boy wore safety goggles on his head and seemed to know Xiao Feng.

To be honest, their complaints weren't unfounded...

"You two are late. Do a thousand sets of squats by the side before returning to your seats," Xue Dinghai ordered without even glancing at them.

"But there's still half a minute before the class bell rings!" Spiky Head protested.

"Get moving!" Xue Dinghai turned, pausing. "Aren't you Xiao Feng? Didn't you say you never wanted to attend my class again?"

"N-no, that wasn't me!" Spiky Head waved his hands.

"Late, making excuses, and you contradicted me last time." Xue Dinghai scolded. "You do three thousand sets of squats; the other student does one thousand. If you don't finish, you don't get lunch."

"Ah!" Xiao Feng's jaw dropped in shock.

"What, want more?" Xue Dinghai asked, his tone icy.

"No, no, that's fine! I'll start right now!" Xiao Feng clutched his head and began squatting. The other boy silently followed suit.

This theory class was exceedingly dull. First, Mo Xing had already studied the material before, and conversations with his seniors had touched on much of it. Combined with Xue Dinghai's uninspired teaching, students in the back row kept "falling," only to be called up by Xue Dinghai to do squats.

Mo Xing's greatest "entertainment" was silently counting Xiao Feng's squats at the door to stay awake for the three-hour class.

Yes—three hours! At Sacred Sky Royal Academy, a single class lasted three full hours, so anyone who could withstand Xue Dinghai's three-hour "lullaby" was a true warrior!

1:50 p.m.

Hades Training Grounds.

When Mo Xing arrived at the assembly point, many classmates had already gathered. He looked at their faces, thinking these would be his future classmates. He wondered whether the class would be sorted by profession or grades—he'd forgotten to ask his seniors yesterday.

"Damn it! That Xue Dinghai is a demon!"

A voice cursed from behind. Mo Xing turned to see Xiao Feng, who had been punished by Xue Dinghai that morning, accompanied by the boy with safety goggles, who nodded silently.

"I'll definitely get my revenge on him someday, hmph!" Xiao Feng grumbled. "Right, Xiao Ling?"

"Mm." Xiao Ling nodded, then pointed at Mo Xing. "Xiao Feng, look, it's Mo Xing!"

"Oh?" Xiao Feng glanced over. "He’s in our class too?"

"Hello, classmates," Mo Xing scratched his head. "We were just in class together this morning!"

"No, it's not good at all! You had class; we had punishment," Xiao Feng shook his head.

"Uh... let's get to know each other," Mo Xing stepped forward and extended his hand, thinking that, in his third week at school, he ought to meet some new classmates.

"Hmph, want to get to know me?" Xiao Feng didn't shake hands but sneered. "No way!"

"Ah?" Mo Xing was bewildered, feeling awkward.

"Unless—" Xiao Feng paused.

"Unless what?" Mo Xing was at a loss.

"You make me class president!"

—————Idle Banter by the Pit—————

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