Xing Yueyao

"Brother!" A smile spread across her face. Meng Hongchen even forgot to withdraw her Martial Soul and ran toward Yue Hongchen, throwing herself into his arms.

Feeling her soft body against him, Yue Hongchen wrapped his arms around Meng Hongchen. This was the first time he had hugged her while she was in Martial Soul Possession.

He couldn't feel the slightest warmth from her body, but he could feel it in his heart.

"My little Meng is so strong. From now on, I'll be counting on you to protect me." Yue Hongchen ruffled the girl in his arms. "But you should still withdraw your Martial Soul after the match."

Meng gave a quiet "oh" and withdrew her Martial Soul, feeling that familiar warmth once more.

"Ahem." Mu Jin coughed softly, not wanting to be a third wheel.

Only then did Meng Hongchen notice that Mu Jin, Ning Tian, and the others had come over.

A blush quickly spread across her cheeks, and she hurriedly pulled away from Yue Hongchen's arms.

Seeing how adorable she looked, Mu Jin smiled helplessly. "Your plan just now has no major issues. Against opponents who aren't particularly strong, let Wu Feng and Ning Tian show off their talents as much as possible. But you can't do that against stronger teams."

Meng nodded quickly. "Got it, Teacher Mu."

"All right, I won't go on about it. I'm sure this year's champion will come from among you. Get some rest after lunch. You still have the round of thirty-two this afternoon."

With that, Mu Jin turned and left.

"Brother, what are we having for lunch?" When she heard Mu Jin mention food, Meng Hongchen's stomach immediately betrayed her with a few loud growls.

"Hold on. I'll go poach someone first." As he spoke, Yue hurried after the girl who was about to leave the Go board.

Meng and Ning Tian followed curiously.

"Hi. Could I get to know you?" Yue ran up to the girl and held out his hand. "I'm Yue Hongchen!" The girl had a sweet, delicate style. She looked like a flawless white snow lotus, welcoming to those around her while remaining wary of everything.

The Go-playing girl looked up at Yue Hongchen's sunny smile, and warmth welled up inside her. How long had it been since she'd seen such a guileless smile?

"My name is Xing Yueyao." Xing Yueyao didn't shake Yue's hand. Instead, she reached out and tapped his palm.

"So, what can I do for you, the biggest dark horse among the freshmen, Yue Hongchen?"

Yue had been standing behind Meng and the others earlier, so they hadn't known he was there. But Xing Yueyao had noticed him long ago. She just hadn't expected him to approach her after the match.

Yue Hongchen withdrew his hand sheepishly. "I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point. Would you be interested in joining Mingde Hall after graduation?"

Xing Yueyao froze when she heard Yue Hongchen's offer. Of course she knew what Mingde Hall was. Joining after graduation was practically like getting a guaranteed place in Sea God's Pavilion.

But she didn't agree right away. You didn't get something for nothing, and she didn't believe Yue Hongchen would invite her for no reason. "Why?"

"Because your talent deserves it, and your Martial Soul is well suited to becoming a Soul Engineer."

She knew about Soul Engineers, and her Martial Soul was indeed suited to pursuing that path, but...

"Graduation is still a long way off. I'll give you an answer before then."

Yue Hongchen nodded. He hadn't expected to win her over the first time they met.

"Then I won't keep you. I hope you enjoy your time at school."

"Thank you."

After saying goodbye, Yue Hongchen led the three girls toward the cafeteria.

"You're quite the schemer, poaching someone right out in the open at Shrek?" Ning Tian teased him as they walked. She hadn't expected Yue Hongchen to mean it when he said he was going to poach someone.

"You felt the effects of her Martial Soul, didn't you?" Yue Hongchen replied with a question.

Ning Tian nodded. "I don't know what the red pieces do, but when the black piece landed on me, the flow of Soul Power in my body slowed down. My Soul Skills took longer to activate, and I slowed down too."

"That's why I said she'd make a good Soul Engineer. She can buff her teammates and debuff her enemies. And since her Martial Soul is chess, what does that suggest to you?"

Ning Tian thought it over carefully, then her eyes widened.

Yue Hongchen nodded. "Exactly. Imagine if she became a Titled Douluo and a Level 9 Soul Engineer. Each black piece could land precisely on an enemy, weakening and locking onto them at the same time."

Yue Hongchen didn't finish, but Ning Tian could already picture it.

A Level Nine Soul Tool could track its target. Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't escape death.

By the time they finished talking, they had reached the cafeteria. Shrek's cafeteria had three floors. The first used the most basic ingredients, so students from poor families could afford a filling meal. The second used much better ingredients, though the prices weren't cheap. The third was for the truly wealthy or core disciples. A single meal could cost dozens or even hundreds of Gold Soul Coins, and only the finest ingredients were used.

Yue had only been to the second floor once or twice. Since he lived off campus, he usually ate elsewhere. But today was different. He wanted to see what the third floor had to offer.

"Let's eat on the third floor. I still haven't been there, and it's been ages since the school year started." As he spoke, he took Meng Hongchen's hand and led her upstairs.

Ning Tian nodded to Wu Feng, and the two hurried after them.

The third floor of the cafeteria was in a different league from the floors below. Every table was in a private room.

Yue chose a nearby private room and went inside. Soon, a waitress came in with a menu.

"Any dietary restrictions?" Yue asked Ning Tian and Wu Feng.

"No."

Yue nodded and scanned the menu. The ingredients were all at least a hundred years old, and many were only found in the deep sea.

He skipped all the land-based ingredients and focused entirely on seafood. He wanted to find out what deep-sea ingredients tasted like.

"Red Shrimp, Crystal Crab Emperor, Evil Demon Tiger..."

"Wait a moment, young sir." The waitress quickly stopped Yue Hongchen, who was about to order more.

Yue Hongchen looked up. "What is it?"

"It's just that you may not know much about some of the deep-sea ingredients." The waitress didn't think he was trying to show off despite being unable to afford it. She figured Yue Hongchen simply didn't know much about deep-sea ingredients. From his bearing, he clearly wasn't an ordinary student.

"Red Shrimp and Crystal Crab Emperor are both especially rare ingredients. They contain a considerable amount of natural energy, so I recommend ordering those first. If that isn't enough, you can order more afterward. These ingredients are precious, so we should avoid waste."

Yue Hongchen listened patiently as the waitress explained. Once he understood, he nodded and handed the menu back to her.

"Then we'll start with those two. Three portions of each."

The waitress nodded and continued, "What age would you like?"

"A thousand years." Yue Hongchen answered without hesitation.

"Mm, all right, a thousand years... A thousand years!" The surprise was overwhelming. Red Shrimp and Crystal Crab Emperor were rare treasures from the deep sea. She hadn't expected Yue Hongchen to order two portions of Red Shrimp and two portions of Crystal Crab Emperor at once.

"Certainly, sir. Payment is required in advance on the third floor. The total is eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins. How would you like to pay?" The waitress was so excited she even addressed him formally. The person in front of her wasn't a student; he was a walking god of wealth.

The only shame was that the group looked to be at the two- or three-ring level. They couldn't absorb the energy in ten-thousand-year ingredients. If they'd ordered something ten thousand years old, she wouldn't have to work for the rest of her life.

"Card." Yue Hongchen took out his black card and handed it to the waitress.

The waitress took the black card from Yue Hongchen and successfully charged one thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"Please wait a moment."