Translator: CinderTL
Star City Academy, Library
In a corner of the reading room, Feng Qi and Lin Ran flipped through their books, their expressions focused as they immersed themselves in their studies.
For the past three days, they had spent most of their time studying together in the library.
Even though Feng Qi could obtain cultivation techniques from the future, he firmly believed that neglecting the fundamentals would make his extraordinary knowledge too conspicuous.
After all, a genius who understood advanced concepts without a solid foundation would be absurdly suspicious.
In addition to studying, he occasionally accompanied Lin Ran to classes.
At the students' fervent requests, he even taught a few lessons himself, earning unanimous praise from the students... and a thorough "licking" from Lin Ran.
Now, Feng Qi and Lin Ran had become the hottest topic of discussion among students in many classes at Star City Academy.
However, these few lessons had completely exhausted his "reserves."
He had already taught the students the Fierce Tiger Fist and the Body Tempering Art in full, and his mind held no other cultivation techniques in reserve.
At that moment, he desperately wished for the "infinite memory" function the Narrator had described.
With his photographic memory, Feng Qi no longer needed to repeatedly review and memorize information from the Dream Realm. He could now grasp everything in a single pass, saving both time and effort.
"Brother Qi, I want to study books on cultivation technique research," Lin Ran whispered, leaning closer, his handsome face brimming with eagerness.
"Finish reading Technique Trajectory 5.0 first," Feng Qi replied without looking up.
"You're stifling a future master of cultivation arts!"
"I think I'm saving the world," Feng Qi retorted, glancing sideways at Lin Ran before returning to his book.
Lin Ran, baffled by this response, could only lower his head in dejection.
Over the past few weeks, Lin Ran had repeatedly asked Feng Qi for guidance on cultivation arts, but Feng Qi had neither refused nor taught him anything.
His vague promises were merely stalling tactics. Otherwise, Lin Ran would undoubtedly seek other channels to learn cultivation arts.
Feng Qi felt it was safer to keep this ticking time bomb close.
Since Lin Ran had already developed the framework for the Hand Seal Flow Technique, he might also have the skeletal structure of another cultivation technique in his mind. Feng Qi needed to maintain strict vigilance.
Fortunately, Lin Ran never refused Feng Qi's requests, preventing his "dream-crushing" plan from dying before it even began.
By noon, Feng Qi and Lin Ran headed straight to the academy cafeteria, preparing to get their meals as usual.
To their surprise, Mu Qing, who always arrived at the cafeteria first, rain or shine, was nowhere to be seen.
"That's odd. Senior Sister Mu Qing loves her food. Why isn't she here today?" Lin Ran wondered aloud.
"I'll go look for her. You start eating," Feng Qi said, immediately turning and leaving the cafeteria.
Knowing Mu Qing as he did, he knew she would never miss a meal.
Besides her fast metabolism, eating had become Mu Qing's way of regulating her emotions—a method of staying strong that her father had taught her.
Feng Qi suspected she might be in trouble.
"Brother Qi, I'll come with you. Do you think Senior Sister Mu Qing might be in trouble?" Lin Ran asked, catching up.
"I'm not sure. Let's split up and search."
"Okay."
The two then separated, each beginning to search the academy grounds for Mu Qing.
East of the academy, in the gymnasium.
The 800-square-meter body refinement room was filled with various exercise equipment.
As one of the academy's core areas, the school allocated substantial funds annually to replace and upgrade the equipment, ensuring students had access to the latest training tools.
In one corner of the room, Mu Qing stood with an icy expression, glaring at the three girls confronting her.
"Stay away from me," she warned.
"First time seeing a rune augment," the buzz-cut leader said, chewing something and grinning mockingly at Mu Qing. "What can you do? Show us."
Though they were at Star City Academy, the girls wore Winterfrost Academy uniforms, clearly exchange students like Lin Ran.
Earlier, while exercising, they had accidentally witnessed Mu Qing achieve an astonishing strength score, immediately piquing their curiosity.
But when they approached and discovered she was a rune augment, their curiosity turned to disdain.
"Stay away from me," Mu Qing repeated, her face still cold.
"Show us your abilities first." The girls cornered Mu Qing, their faces full of amusement.
Mu Qing didn't respond, taking a deep breath to suppress her rising emotions.
Slap! The buzz-cut leader suddenly slapped Mu Qing across the face.
"Show us your abilities! Obey!"
Mu Qing's chest heaved, but she refused to retaliate. She feared that if she struck back, she would lose control completely, leading to irreversible consequences.
"Whoa, she really is a freak! Not even a flush after a slap. Her physical stats are exactly as described—impressively strong. I wonder what her breaking point is?" The leader smirked maliciously.
Unlike Star City Academy, Winterfrost Academy's educational environment strictly adhered to the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest.
Bullying classmates was considered normal within the academy.
As long as no serious injuries or permanent disabilities occurred, even the teachers rarely intervened in the students' "free expression."
Though extreme, this environment had cultivated countless combat prodigies. Many renowned domain combat team leaders were graduates of Winterfrost Academy.
This time, three outstanding exchange students from Winterfrost Academy brought their habits to Star City Academy.
Upon discovering that Mu Qing was a rune augment, a type of being previously only found in historical records, their curiosity was immediately piqued, and they sought to understand her better.
However, Mu Qing's resistance ignited their malice.
Faced with her constant cold indifference and refusal to even look at them, they chose to resort to violence.
After cornering Mu Qing, the three girls began punching and kicking her.
Throughout the assault, Mu Qing never retaliated.
The crimson glow in her eyes flickered incessantly as she suppressed her inner rage, struggling to control her emotions.
"Freak! Fight back!"
"Let's see what a rune augment can really do, freak!"
"Aren't rune augments supposed to be violent? Why are you so weak?"
Mu Qing remained silent, curling into a ball and enduring the blows without moving.
Suddenly, the ringleader raised her right hand and slammed it down on Mu Qing's head.
"Enough!" A furious roar shattered the air, halting the girl's attack.
Feng Qi had arrived.
To find Mu Qing, he had first gone to her dormitory, where the dorm supervisor provided him with a list of places she frequented. He then began searching each location one by one.
He never expected to find her being bullied.
Hearing the roar, the three girls from Winterfrost Academy turned to face Feng Qi, their expressions stunned.
As Feng Qi strode toward them, the leader of the group said with feigned indifference, "What do you want?"
Feng Qi didn't answer. He stopped in front of the girl and slapped her across the face.
Smack!
The girl's expression twisted in fury, and her two companions stepped forward, surrounding Feng Qi.
Just as they were about to attack, another voice rang out:
"Try it!"
The three girls turned toward the voice, their anger instantly replaced by terror.
Lin Ran had arrived unnoticed.
(End of the Chapter)
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