Future generations' assessment of Mu Qing was extremely harsh. They considered her a stumbling block in humanity's development, a great demon king who had brought calamity upon an era.
Whether there were hidden secrets behind that assessment, Feng Qi had no way of knowing. He only felt that Mu Qing's change might be connected to the Scarlet Institute.
The narrator's warning also indirectly proved that there might be more to the matter.
So Feng Qi's current plan was simple: get close to Mu Qing and try to understand her.
If Mu Qing hated all humanity because she had always been isolated and bullied by those around her, then he was willing to try changing her and becoming her friend.
But if Mu Qing could not be changed and hated humanity to her core, he had already decided what to do.
To prevent that dark history from unfolding and prevent the Dawn Rebels from being established, he would find a way to nip Mu Qing in the bud.
Besides that, he also planned to investigate the Scarlet Institute.
But investigating the Scarlet Institute was not something he could do now. After all, his current influence and strength were not enough for that.
At that thought, Feng Qi looked up at Mu Qing. At that moment, Mu Qing also raised her head, and their eyes met.
Feng Qi then swiftly grabbed the last boiled egg from Mu Qing's tray, stuffed it into his mouth, and looked at her as he chewed.
"Senior, please get some more breakfast. I'm not full yet."
"Why don't you get it yourself?" Mu Qing asked expressionlessly.
"It's only right for a senior to look after her junior."
Looking at Feng Qi's calm expression, a faint ripple stirred within Mu Qing's icy heart.
Feng Qi felt different from the other academy students. He seemed to genuinely treat her like a normal person.
There was none of the rejection, fear, or pity she saw in other students' eyes when he looked at her.
Sometimes, being treated normally was the greatest form of respect.
And Feng Qi knew that well.
Without another word, Mu Qing stood up, picked up her tray, and headed toward the self-service food area.
Watching Mu Qing leave, a smile appeared on Feng Qi's face.
"Saving a wayward great demon king starts with breakfast."
A moment later, Mu Qing returned with a tray piled high with food.
Feng Qi did not stand on ceremony at all. He reached out, grabbed some food, and began eating.
This breakfast lasted a long time. There were fewer and fewer students in the cafeteria, and Feng Qi felt stuffed. His eating speed had clearly fallen behind the rate at which food was arriving, yet Mu Qing continued eating without any intention of stopping.
Energy replenished. Current energy: 43%
Looking at the energy replenishment bar, he rubbed his stomach before turning to Mu Qing.
"Senior, how about we be friends?"
Upon hearing that, Mu Qing froze. She seemed to have choked, pounding her chest hard before finally swallowing the food.
Mu Qing looked at Feng Qi in confusion.
"Why?"
"The tune you played yesterday was very nice. I want to learn it, so teach me when you have time," Feng Qi replied with a smile.
"Maybe you should try getting to know me first, then make your decision."
"I know your name is Mu Qing, and I know you're a Rune Modifier. So, can we be friends?"
"Aren't you... afraid?"
Realizing that Feng Qi already knew the general details of her situation, another ripple rose in Mu Qing's heart.
"What's there to be afraid of? You're human, and I'm human. Why should I be afraid of you?"
Seeing the sincerity in Feng Qi's eyes, Mu Qing suddenly averted her gaze. Accustomed to the strange looks of others, Feng Qi's enthusiasm made her somewhat uncomfortable. She abruptly stood up.
"I'm full!"
With that, she hurried away.
Watching Mu Qing's retreating back, Feng Qi immediately shouted.
"Senior, wait!"
Mu Qing, who had already walked several meters away, immediately turned around when she heard him.
"There's still food left on your tray. The cafeteria auntie said wasting food is shameful."
Mu Qing glared fiercely at Feng Qi, then strode away without looking back, disappearing from his sight.
"Sure enough, this needs a process. Did I come on too strong?" Feng Qi muttered to himself.
After leaving the academy cafeteria, Feng Qi headed straight to the library.
For the next while, he planned to delve deeply into Cultivation Studies, paving the way for showing off in the future.
Although he had already learned a great deal of Cultivation Studies from Wang Jinsheng, Feng Qi felt that, as a future great genius, he needed to know a bit of everything.
Otherwise, if he were interviewed about some obscure field and could not answer, that would be embarrassing.
Even more embarrassing would be if, after copying the future, he happened to create a new Cultivation Method in that obscure field.
The library was located in the central area of Star City Academy. It was a building spanning three hectares. Before its entrance stood a statue of a bespectacled man holding a book, while the stone tablet beneath recorded his life story.
He was Lin You Shu, the founder of Star City Academy, as well as a child of his era who had developed Cultivation Methods in its early days. He was one of the founders of humanity's cultivation era.
After bowing respectfully, Feng Qi walked around the statue and entered the library.
There were already many students inside the library. They moved among the bookshelves or sat in the Reading Room, flipping through books.
After asking the librarian at the front desk where the Cultivation Studies books were located, Feng Qi headed directly there and began selecting books.
After searching for a while, he pulled a copy of Intermediate Advances in Cultivation Method Research—Volume Three from the shelf.
Finding an empty seat, Feng Qi sat down and began reading.
As time passed, Feng Qi gradually became absorbed, willingly sinking into the ocean of knowledge with no shore to turn back to.
Cultivation Studies was a comprehensive subject encompassing cultivation methods, body cultivation, art methods, medicine, and more. The foundation of every discipline was mastering Cultivation Methods, and different Cultivation Methods could grant cultivators different abilities.
For instance, the Fierce Tiger Fist he had mastered was a Body Cultivation Method. It could strengthen a Cultivator's physique and even grant them the power to contend head-on with Domain Creatures.
Among them, Art Method Studies was the most complex and profound. It originated from humanity's research into the various supernatural abilities wielded by Domain Creatures.
Through their research, people discovered that the supernatural abilities used by Domain Creatures were actually created by using spiritual energy stored within their bodies to trace a special trajectory outside their bodies, causing the spiritual energy to undergo a qualitative change and unleash strange power.
For example, with a simple Fire Orb Spell, a Cultivator only needed to guide the spiritual energy within their body to trace a simple star-map trajectory. The spiritual energy would ignite, change its energy form, and become a fireball.
By this point, Art Method Studies had developed far more art methods than Cultivation Methods, reaching tens of thousands in number. It was therefore the most flourishing discipline within Cultivation Studies.
Medical Studies combined the content of Cultivation Method Studies and Art Method Studies.
For example, a Cultivator who practiced Wood Yi Qi would develop an extremely gentle type of spiritual energy within their body. This spiritual energy was highly suited to healing art methods and could save lives at critical moments.
That was why every Domain Battle Squad was equipped with several medical personnel.
Mo Fei's older sister, who worked at the school infirmary, was a medical officer retired from a battle squad.
Besides that, Cultivation Studies also included combat support studies, esoteric studies, Formation Studies, and more.
Digesting all this knowledge required a great deal of time. For now, however, he had placed his focus on Cultivation Method Research, which was also the path he intended to choose next.
Time flew by as he studied.
He looked up at the clock hanging on the wall opposite him. It was already eleven o'clock, but he had no intention of leaving.
"After all, if I want to become the super genius recognized by all humanity, I have no choice but to work hard!"
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