Time passed quickly.
The sky darkened, and moonlight streamed through the window, so quiet that only the sound of light remained.
Su Ling stopped circulating his soul power and came out of meditation.
He opened his eyes and took stock of himself. In just three short hours, his Soul Power had risen by a substantial amount. He was only one step away from level 27.
Su Ling got out of bed, stretched his stiff limbs, then left the dormitory. On the way, he ran into a friendly upperclassman and asked her where the cafeteria was.
The Shrek cafeteria was built on a grand scale.
That was Su Ling's first thought as he stepped through its doors.
He looked around. Each year had its own designated area.
When he reached the first-year section, Su Ling took a quick look. There were eight serving windows in all. Aside from the first two, which charged more for luxurious, nutritious meals, the lines at nearly all the others were long and packed with people.
Su Ling wasn't short on money. There were still three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins lying in his Sumeru Ring, so naturally, he wasn't going to deprive himself.
He headed for the first serving window.
Only three people were in line there: two girls and a boy.
But before Su Ling could step up, an argument suddenly broke out ahead of him.
The yellow-haired boy at the back of the line kicked the girl in front of him, cursing, "Get lost! You're from some fallen family. What makes you think you can make me wait behind you?!"
The girl stumbled from the kick and nearly fell.
"Cheng Kai, fighting and causing trouble in the cafeteria are forbidden. Are you trying to take a trip to the disciplinary office?"
Zhu Lu had just picked up her meal. Seeing her close friend being bullied, she dropped her tray and stepped in front of Cui Yajie, glaring at the yellow-haired boy.
The cafeteria aunties serving food and the teachers overseeing the place exchanged glances, then looked away as if they hadn't seen a thing.
"Tch. Zhu Lu, don't think you can mouth off to me just because you've latched onto the Dai Family. I'll let it go this time for Huabin's sake. Now take your food and this person and get out of my way." Cheng Kai crossed his arms, looking unbearably smug.
Zhu Lu clenched her fists, then unclenched them. There really wasn't anything she could do to Cheng Kai.
His uncle was a Titled Douluo, and his family was one of the prominent clans in the Star Luo Empire. Dai Huabin certainly wouldn't offend Cheng Kai for her sake.
"Yajie, are you all right? I..."
Cui Yajie patted the footprints off her clothes and forced a smile. "I'm fine, Lulu. Actually, I'd rather go eat at a street stall. Let's go."
Seeing this, Cheng Kai grew even more pleased with himself. He sneered and stuck out the foot he'd used to kick Cui Yajie.
"Hold it. I've changed my mind. You, come here and polish my shoe."
Cheng Kai pointed at Cui Yajie, his tone commanding.
The scene drew students from nearby over to watch. Some looked at Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie with sympathy, some with schadenfreude, and others with righteous indignation.
But not one of them dared step forward to help. They knew Cheng Kai. His uncle was the Star Luo Empire's Guardian Douluo, titled Giant Strength.
Most of them were ordinary commoners. They couldn't afford to offend him.
Su Ling looked away and shook his head to himself.
As expected, class bullying was unavoidable anywhere, let alone in Douluo, a world where the strong were revered.
But none of that had anything to do with him.
Su Ling was hungry. He just wanted to enjoy a good meal, then return to the dormitory and meditate, pushing through to level 27 in one go.
As it happened, the commotion had left the first serving window empty.
Su Ling headed toward it.
But just as he picked up a tray, the system's electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.
[Ding! Detected S-rank goddess Cui Yajie. Current favorability: 0. Raise it to 20 to unlock the bond.]
Su Ling paused, then turned and headed back.
People around them whispered among themselves.
Zhu Lu clutched Cui Yajie's arm and shook her head gently. "Don't be scared, Yajie. Worst comes to worst, I'll call Huabin over..."
Dai Huabin and Cheng Kai were both part of the Star Luo nobility. They were considered friends, so if Dai Huabin stepped in, Cheng Kai would at least show him some respect.
But Zhu Lu wasn't sure Dai Huabin would help her. After all, she knew he didn't love her. He only treated her as a tool...
"Are you still not coming over? Are you deaf? Do you believe the Cui Family will disappear tonight?" Cheng Kai was growing impatient. His voice was cold with menace.
Cui Yajie clenched her teeth and declined Zhu Lu's offer. She stared at the raised toe of Cheng Kai's shoe, her eyes shimmering with tears. Mom is already struggling on her own. I can't cause trouble. It's just polishing a shoe. It's fine...
Having made up her mind, Cui Yajie gently pulled Zhu Lu's hand away, lowered her head, and slowly shuffled forward.
Cheng Kai's mouth curled into a grin, amusement flashing in his eyes as a sudden urge to toy with her took hold.
He planned to kick her again after she finished cleaning his shoe.
"Classmate, picking a fight is bad enough, but humiliating and forcing her like this? You've gone too far, haven't you?"
A magnetic voice, brimming with righteousness, rang out.
Everyone turned toward the sound. A handsome young man strode forward.
Cheng Kai glanced at the freshman badge on Su Ling's chest, and his brow immediately furrowed. "Who the hell are you? What I do is none of your damn business!"
"It may not be my business, but you've caused trouble in the cafeteria, bullied a fellow student, and even threatened her and her family's safety. All of that violates the academy rules. Would I be wrong to say you're showing contempt for Shrek's rules?"
Su Ling paused, then continued with a faint, mocking smile. "Or are you relying on your connections and treating Shrek with contempt?"
The moment he said it, the entire cafeteria fell silent.
Even the aunties at the other serving windows stopped, their trembling hands frozen, and all eyes turned toward Cheng Kai.
Feeling everyone's gaze on him, Cheng Kai turned pale and hurried to protest. "I didn't! How could I possibly think that?"
Su Ling had slapped him with the accusation of looking down on Shrek right out of the gate. Cheng Kai was used to throwing his weight around, but he'd never faced a situation like this.
"Hmph, deny it all you like. Everyone saw what you just did. Shrek has ten thousand years of glory behind it. As one of its members, I'll never let someone like you besmirch its good name!"
"Classmate, don't be afraid. Shrek will see that you get justice. Shrek is your strongest support!"
Su Ling patted Cui Yajie on the shoulder, his voice ringing with conviction. He looked at Cheng Kai with open loathing.
[Xiao Xiao's favorability +10. Obtained 100 Strategy Points.]
The system's voice rang out without warning. Su Ling was puzzled. Why was it Xiao Xiao, that little girl?
As soon as Su Ling finished speaking, the people around them began looking at Cheng Kai with hostility. He had successfully stirred up public anger.
"That's right! This classmate is right!"
"Shrek is pure and noble. How can we allow students to be bullied and humiliated?!"
"And threatening her family? That's simply outrageous!"
"Given Cheng Kai's behavior, maybe his uncle sent him to test Shrek..."
The people around him began accusing and speculating. Some even claimed the Star Luo Empire harbored ill intentions toward Shrek.
"I didn't! You're slandering me!"
"You didn't? So your Cheng Estate does, then? Or is it that uncle of yours?"
"No, neither of them! Stop making things up!" Cheng Kai had completely panicked. His lips trembled. He was practically at a loss for words.
He'd only kicked Cui Yajie. How had it escalated into looking down on Shrek and plotting against it?!