Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Lin Ciyan was woken by a commotion.
Across from him, Bei Bei had already transformed into a "Grandmaster of Time Management."
He washed up and tidied his appearance at a speed rivaling an Agility-type Soul Master.
After struggling to break free of the bed's seal, Lin Ciyan got up at an unhurried pace. True to the principle of "Relaxation Cultivation," he took his time washing up and changed into his white uniform.
By the time he strolled into Shrek Outer Court beneath the morning sun,
the campus was already brimming with energetic freshmen.
Their faces shone with excitement and hope for the future. They hurried along, as if they couldn't wait to fly straight into their classrooms.
Lin Ciyan yawned and decided to appease his grumbling stomach first.
As expected, when he arrived at the cafeteria, long lines had formed at most of the serving windows.
The place was a sea of voices, as lively as a street market.
Lin Ciyan swept his gaze across the room and headed straight for the quietest window—the one with prices that made people balk: the Grade A Meal window.
Anyone who could afford to eat here was either rich or powerful.
The ingredients in Grade A meals—
without exception, they were carefully selected meat from rare Soul Beasts, choice cuts from high-year Soul Beasts, and various precious medicinal herbs, all expertly prepared.
Every dish contained pure Soul Power, greatly benefiting a Soul Master's cultivation.
Of course, the prices were just as "beautiful."
Even the simplest dish started at over a hundred Gold Soul Coins.
The breakfast Lin Ciyan ordered today wasn't the most extravagant, and it still easily came to more than three hundred Gold Soul Coins.
That kind of spending was just standard practice for Lin Ciyan.
Back on Sea God Island, he'd eaten much better.
The resources Mu En and Elder Lin prepared for him were all top of the line.
When he occasionally ate at the Outer Court cafeteria, having a Grade A meal was a way to "experience ordinary life."
Sometimes he'd switch things up and eat at a regular window, claiming he wanted to "get closer to the people."
But to the other freshmen, it meant something entirely different.
Gold Soul Coins had considerable purchasing power across Douluo Continent.
An ordinary family of three spent only a few dozen Gold Soul Coins a year.
In the original story, Comrade Huo Yuhao worked himself to the bone selling grilled fish.
Five Copper Soul Coins per skewer (one Gold Soul Coin equaled one hundred Silver Soul Coins, and one Silver Soul Coin equaled one hundred Copper Soul Coins)—saving up even a little money had been like risking his life.
Meanwhile, just this one breakfast of Lin Ciyan's was enough to let Huo Gua sell...
Well, never mind. The number was so huge, it might scare Huo Gua right back to White Tiger Duke Mansion.
What did "money power" mean? This was money power!
More importantly, he could spend so lavishly on a regular basis and still have a well-proportioned figure despite eating so much high-energy food, without the slightest hint of bulkiness (all that energy was being perfectly absorbed and converted).
That alone was proof of his deep background and formidable strength.
Amid the many gazes—some open, some furtive, mingled with curiosity, envy, and speculation—
Lin Ciyan finished his breakfast at his leisure, dabbed the corner of his mouth elegantly with a napkin, and got up to leave.
The moment he stepped out of the cafeteria, a scene from Fast and Furious unfolded inside.
The female students who'd been pretending to eat slowly, while actually keeping all their attention on him, instantly forgot about appearances. They wolfed down their food, then rushed out in a fluttering crowd like butterflies drawn to a flower.
They still didn't know the name of this handsome, strong, mysterious fellow student, or which class he was in!
Information was the first productive force!
Everyone understood the principle of enjoying the advantage of proximity!
And so, a peculiar scene appeared on the main road through Shrek Outer Court: a boy in a white uniform, with an air of lazy distinction, strolled ahead at an unhurried pace.
Some distance behind him, a group of girls in identical uniforms followed closely, pretending to admire the scenery or chat, while never stopping their pursuit.
They followed him until they saw Lin Ciyan turn and enter the classroom of Freshman Class 3.
In an instant, the crowd split apart.
The girls who were also in Class 3 instantly beamed with the kind of pride you'd see at a victory-day parade.
They straightened their backs like peacocks who'd won a fight and strode into the classroom with their heads held high.
The girls from other classes, meanwhile, looked on with regret and frustration, as if they'd "missed their chance" and "lost a fortune." Some stomped their feet, others bit their lips, and their eyes were full of wounded resentment.
How unfair! Why wasn't I in Class 3?
The moment Lin Ciyan stepped into the classroom, the room—which had been somewhat noisy—fell noticeably quieter.
Countless gazes snapped toward him.
The morning sunlight streamed through the windows and happened to fall on him,
as if it had cast a gentle halo over his white uniform.
His platinum-blond hair gleamed especially brightly in the light,
complementing his jade-like skin and handsome, sharply defined features.
He stood tall, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted; somehow, even the ordinary uniform looked custom-made on him.
More captivating still was his distinctive air.
There was a languid nobility and composure about him, as if nothing in the world could trouble his heart.
At the same time, the sacred, peaceful affinity that came with his Holy Radiance Qilin Martial Soul silently spread around him.
People couldn't help but feel drawn to him, finding him warm and approachable, like a spring breeze.
The two qualities were contradictory yet harmonious, combining in him to form a lethal allure.
For a group of girls just beginning to fall in love, the effect was nothing short of devastating.
If good looks were a crime, Lin Ciyan would have long since been guilty beyond measure, his crimes too numerous to record.
Lin Ciyan calmly swept his gaze across the classroom, like a Qilin surveying its territory, with an air of natural detachment.
When his eyes met theirs, he gave a slight nod in greeting.
It was a simple gesture, yet it somehow made many of his classmates feel honored, as if they'd been "recognized by a big shot."
He walked straight to a window seat in the middle of the classroom. It was bright and offered a wide view, and it was relatively quiet—perfect for some "Deep Meditation" (like staring blankly out the window).
The moment he sat down, the girls in the classroom sprang into motion.
Those who'd followed him from the cafeteria, along with the girls who'd already been in the room, seemed to receive some silent signal. They headed for the corner where Lin Ciyan was sitting, all at once.
Like matter drawn toward a black hole, the seats around Lin Ciyan quickly filled up.
They even formed an amusing "ecosystem"—the closer a girl sat to him, the prettier she tended to be.
The two girls sitting right in front of him and diagonally to the side were especially striking. They had lovely features and skin as smooth as could be; their eyes seemed to brim with allure. Their looks were every bit as captivating as Tang Ya's.
After taking their seats, they instinctively smoothed the hair at their temples and adjusted their posture, striving to present themselves from their most perfect angles.
The other boys watched the scene unfold, their eyes practically shooting flames.
Why?!
They were all freshmen, so why did he get to show up with what looked like a protagonist's halo?
That face, that air, that damned affinity... Was there no justice in this world?!
"This boy... must not be allowed to live!"
"There's no doubt about it—the top spot on Freshman Class 3's Must Be Executed List belongs to him!"
Intangible hostility and envy spread through the hearts of some of the boys.
After a while, the most beautiful girl, seated diagonally in front of Lin Ciyan, seemed to gather her courage.
She took a deep breath and turned around, her cheeks tinged with just the right amount of pink. Her voice was so gentle it seemed to drip with sweetness.
"H-hello, classmate... could... could I know your name?"
After speaking, she lowered her head shyly, then quickly lifted it again, gazing at Lin Ciyan with bright, expectant eyes.
She'd brought together a maiden's shyness and boldness to perfection.
The classroom's attention focused on them once more. The boys especially looked as if they wanted to bore right through the chair beneath Lin Ciyan.
Lin Ciyan raised his eyes and looked at the girl.
A warm yet reserved smile appeared on his face.
Like the spring sun, it could melt ice and snow, yet still kept a comfortable distance.
His voice was clear and pleasant, with a reassuring resonance.
"Hello. My name is Lin Ciyan."