The Rules of Dorm Seven

Su Yu held Tang Wu's hand, walking deep into the academy along an aged, tree-lined path.

After bypassing several opulent teaching buildings and noble dormitories, the surroundings visibly deteriorated.

The smooth bluestone slabs on the ground gave way to uneven dirt paths, and the weeds along the roadside grew tall. Even the faint floral scent in the air vanished, replaced by a musty odor born of long-term shade.

Soon, a long, dilapidated bungalow appeared before them.

A large patch of plaster had peeled off the wall, exposing the gray-black bricks beneath.

Above the door frame hung a wooden sign, with the words "Dorm Seven" scrawled in cheap, crooked paint.

This was the worst accommodation in the entire Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy, reserved specifically for work-study students who entered via village quotas.

"Brother Yu, this place is so run-down."

Tang Wu stopped in her tracks and whispered.

Though she had no real concept of material conditions, the gap between this environment and the beautiful buildings they had just passed was far too stark.

"It's fine. As long as there's a place to sleep, it's enough."

Su Yu's expression remained indifferent.

He was a pragmatist. In a world crawling with cheaters, a poor environment was less likely to attract the attention of those high-level system hosts.

Lying low in the starter village to develop silently was the safest choice.

Su Yu stepped forward and pushed against the rickety wooden door.

"Creeeak—"

The door let out a teeth-grinding friction sound as it slowly swung open.

The moment it opened, a pungent mix of sweat and foot odor rushed out to meet them.

The stench was so thick it made one's eyes water, nearly forcing Su Yu to cough up the meal he'd had the night before.

Tang Wu recoiled repeatedly, quickly covering her nose tightly with her small hand. Her brows were knitted together, and her large eyes were filled with resistance.

Su Yu held his breath and peered into the dormitory.

It was a large room of about a hundred square meters.

There were no individual beds, only two long, communal platforms piled haphazardly with tattered bedding.

At that moment, over a dozen boys between the ages of six and ten were inside.

Some were roughhousing on the platforms, some were running barefoot on the floor, and others were huddled together bragging.

As the door creaked open, the room fell instantly silent.

A dozen pairs of eyes snapped toward the entrance, focusing on Su Yu and Tang Wu.

These work-study students were often bullied by the noble students, which made them fiercely protective of their own and naturally suspicious and exclusionary toward newcomers.

"Yo, we got a new guy?"

A rough voice broke the silence.

A burly boy jumped down from the platform near the window.

He looked to be about ten years old, with a sturdy, tiger-like build and muscles that looked solid. He was a full head taller than his peers, resembling a young calf.

He was the senior of Dorm Seven, named Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng was shirtless, twisting his neck until his bones popped with a series of cracks.

Clenching his fists, he swaggered toward Su Yu with an arrogant, unbothered gait.

His lackeys immediately crowded around, following behind him with a "fox borrowing the tiger's might" attitude.

"Boss, this kid looks soft and delicate. I doubt he can take a hit," one lackey said with a grin.

"And that little girl behind him—she's quite pretty, just a bit of a coward," another pointed at Tang Wu, who was hiding behind Su Yu, and laughed loudly.

Wang Sheng stopped two meters away from Su Yu, looking down at him.

Seeing Su Yu in patched, coarse clothing and sensing no powerful soul power fluctuations, he felt confident.

As the boss of Dorm Seven, establishing rules for newcomers was a tradition passed down through the years.

Only by beating the newcomers into submission could he ensure they would be obedient and take on all the dirty, tiring work in the dorm.

"Kid, you're new, right? What's your name? Which village are you from?"

Wang Sheng crossed his arms, chin held high, his tone incredibly arrogant.

Su Yu stood his ground, not even lifting his eyelids.

He looked at the muscular brat before him and found it almost amusing.

He had killed cheaters with systems and even dared to scheme against Old Jack, who could turn a grown man into ash; yet here he was, being provoked by a native kid who didn't even have a soul ring.

It was like a max-level player walking through a starter village, only for a level-one slime to jump out and demand protection money.

Seeing Su Yu remain silent, Wang Sheng assumed he was intimidated by his presence, and the look of smugness on his face became even more pronounced.

"Listen up, my name is Wang Sheng, and I am the boss of Dorm Seven! We have a rule here in Dorm Seven: if you want to stay, you have to get past me first."

Wang Sheng clenched his fist and shook it in front of Su Yu, threatening him in a gruff voice, "You have two choices now. First, fight me. If you can beat me, you'll be the boss of Dorm Seven from now on. Second, if you're too scared to fight, then admit defeat obediently. From now on, all the laundry, trash duty, toilet scrubbing, and washing the stinky socks for everyone in Dorm Seven will be your job!"

As soon as Wang Sheng finished speaking, the dozen or so work-study students behind him immediately began to jeer.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Newbie, hurry up and admit defeat. Our Boss Wang has innate divine strength; he can kill a pig with one punch!"

"That's right, if you don't want a beating, hurry up and wash that pile of stinky socks in the corner!"

Faced with the jeering crowd and Wang Sheng's clamor, Tang Wu was so scared her little face turned pale.

She gripped the hem of Su Yu's clothes tightly, shrinking her entire body behind him, not even daring to glance at Wang Sheng.

"Brother Yu... they are so fierce..."

Tang Wu muttered in a low voice, her tone filled with obvious fear.

Su Yu patted the back of Tang Wu's hand, signaling her not to be afraid.

He sighed, a flash of helplessness crossing his eyes.

He had wanted to keep a low profile, to be a wallflower here and stay quiet until he was strong enough to make waves.

But it seemed that the tree wanted to be still, but the wind would not cease.

If he didn't deal with this troublemaker named Wang Sheng, people would bother him every day, and how could he cultivate in peace then?

Fight him?

Su Yu felt it was beneath him.

Rolling around on the ground with a ten-year-old kid really didn't fit his status as a System Hunter.

Since he had to establish his authority, he might as well do something shocking.

Su Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, and the Innate Full Soul Power within him began to circulate quietly.

He prepared to summon his second martial soul—Conceptual Eraser.

He didn't need to modify any complex system rules; he only needed to use a tiny bit of soul power to erase the "knot" on Wang Sheng's belt.

When the kid's pants fell down in public, it would not only make him lose face completely but also allow him to subdue the enemy without a fight.

Gray mist was already slowly condensing in Su Yu's palm, and the power of the rules was about to be unleashed.

Just at this critical moment.

A light, rhythmic sound of footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside Dorm Seven.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The footsteps were very light, not at all like the heavy-footed gait of those boisterous boys.

Immediately after, a crisp, melodious voice, as pleasant as an oriole, drifted in from outside the door.

"Excuse me, is this Dorm Seven?"

This sudden voice was like a clear spring, instantly extinguishing the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere in the dormitory.

Wang Sheng's fist, held in mid-air, froze, and the dozen or so jeering work-study students all shut their mouths.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, following the direction of the sound toward the doorway.

Su Yu also stopped his movements, and the gray mist condensing in his palm dissipated instantly.

He turned his head with some curiosity, looking toward the dilapidated wooden door.

He saw the light at the entrance blocked by a slender figure.

A girl stood there, looking quite pretty.

She wore a pink outfit; although the fabric wasn't luxurious, it was clean, tidy, and well-tailored.

Her legs were long, and she wore a pair of delicate little pink leather shoes.

The most eye-catching thing was her hairstyle: a long, glossy black braid of hair styled into a scorpion tail that hung all the way down to her calves.

On top of her head, she wore a fluffy rabbit-ear headband, making her look very playful and cute.

The girl stepped forward with her long legs, walking directly into the dormitory filled with the smell of sweat.

She didn't cover her nose in disgust like Tang Wu, nor did she show any sign of timidity.

Her large, watery eyes held a sharpness and maturity completely at odds with her age.

Her gaze swept over everyone in the dormitory quickly and precisely, like a queen surveying her territory, and she radiated an aura of powerful self-confidence.