The Sun Moon Cafeteria Had Tables and Chairs-This Time, Meng Was a Classmate, Not a Senior (4K)

The next morning.

Warm sunlight passed through the clouds high above, casting a wash of gold over the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.

Lin Qing locked his dorm room and stepped out of the building, then paused.

Beside a flower bed bursting with color stood a graceful figure. Her brilliant golden hair fluttered in the breeze, sunlight gilding each strand with a soft, warm halo. Looking up at her, he found her as dazzling and lovely as a courtyard filled with flowers.

The girl wore a pristine white uniform, its sleeves edged with fine bright-yellow trim. Its fitted cut outlined a waist slender enough to encircle with one hand, while the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy crest embroidered on her left breast gleamed. Beneath her skirt, her legs were long and straight, with a faint ring of silver thread tracing the tops of her white stockings-delicate and finely crafted.

Miss Angel merely stood there, yet the uniform magnified her holy, radiant bearing beyond measure. Had someone called her a princess raised by the imperial family, probably no one would have doubted it.

"Morning."

Ye Guyi approached with a bright smile, her clear, beautiful eyes sweeping over the boy opposite her.

To her, the student version of Lin Qing had a charm all his own. His stylish uniform and Level 4 Soul Engineer badge complemented each other, making him look handsome, polished, and effortlessly distinguished.

"Morning. Didn't we agree to meet at the cafeteria yesterday?" Lin Qing asked.

"If you're that blunt, you'll never find a pretty girlfriend."

Pained by his hopelessly straightforward behavior, Ye Guyi immediately taught him a few lines for dealing with girls with emotional intelligence. "Right now, you should put on an incredibly touched expression, apologize for keeping a girl waiting, and then offer to treat her to breakfast."

"How utterly ungentlemanly of me. I'm simply a foolish groundhog."

At heart, the angel still had a childlike streak. Lin Qing couldn't help smiling. He took the Aurora Sword from his Storage Soul Tool and followed her example. "This is an apology gift I prepared in fear and trembling. I humbly beg the beautiful and gracious Miss Ye to show me a little mercy."

Ye Guyi's golden eyes instantly lit up. She accepted the Aurora Sword and happily began touching and fiddling with it all over.

Anything Qing made was guaranteed quality. Had she taken the Aurora Sword into her advancement assessment, why would she have wasted time fighting in the air? Her very first slash would have chopped through Tang Gang, his Soul Tool Shield, and his lone bamboo alike.

"Boss Lin, may I ask if this Soul Tool comes with a few years of after-sales service?"

"The standard warranty is one year. Pay 998 Gold Soul Coins for a two-year extension," Lin Qing answered without hesitation.

"We've been through life and death together!"

The brat was impervious to persuasion and recognized nothing but Gold Soul Coins. Ye Guyi stared at her teammate in anguish, as though looking at an Evil Soul Master who had committed the sin of greed and willingly fallen into depravity.

We sneaked across the border together, beat up Wolf Bandits together, booked a room at the Rose Hotel together, and slept in the same heart-shaped bed for three days. Is the bond we forged really worth less than a few measly Gold Soul Coins?!

"But since your name is Ye Guyi, once I become a Level 5 Soul Engineer, I'll upgrade it for you free of charge."

"Mm-hmm! From now on, meals out are on me!"

The Holy Angel's sacred countenance brightened with delight, and she patted her ample chest as she made her promise.

The two headed to the academy cafeteria together. The towering building was grand and imposing, and youthful faces brimmed with vitality. Boys and girls in smart white uniforms sat in small groups along both sides of long tables, their trays filled with exquisite breakfasts. Laughter and conversation mingled warmly with the gentle clink of crockery.

"There are tables..."

Lin Qing leaned back slightly, his memories drifting to a Shrek Outer Court holiday several years earlier.

Lin Lan had come home in tears, flung herself onto the sofa, and hugged her little brother while shaking him back and forth. Indignant, she complained that the continent's number-one academy didn't even have tables or chairs in its cafeteria. Students were forced to eat standing up, receiving treatment worse than disaster refugees.

Students could sit comfortably to eat, with no chance to practice horse stances over their meals. Damn God, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had lost again...

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Qing walked beside Ye Guyi toward the serving counters.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy offered five meal grades. From counter five to counter one, an enticing array of food was piled high, its quality increasing with each successive counter.

Backed by Mingde Hall, the academy made enormous profits selling high-grade Soul Tools. Sun Moon's moneybags had never lacked funds and thought nothing of a small operating loss. Food from all five cafeteria counters was therefore free, but the grade students could claim depended on their monthly assessment results.

Assessments were held once a month. Students who earned a first-grade result could choose freely from all five counters the following month, at no charge. Those unfortunate enough to finish at fifth grade could eat free only at counter five; sampling the first four meant paying out of their own pockets.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy certainly had money, but it would never allow students to simply open their mouths and wait to be fed. Without ambition, a fierce, battle-hardened lion would inevitably degenerate into a kitten that wheedled and acted cute. A little incentive remained necessary.

The Green Garment Duo had just passed their advancement assessments. Self-taught outsiders defeating formally trained students was a rare achievement, so they naturally became first-grade honors students for their first month.

Lin Qing found a quiet spot, his tray laden with the favorites he had loved across two lifetimes: soy milk, fried dough sticks, and soup dumplings.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's chefs rivaled imperial cooks. Even breakfast was a feast of color, fragrance, and flavor. The soy milk was creamy white and thick, the fried dough sticks golden and crisp, and the soup dumplings had paper-thin wrappers through which the broth could faintly be seen swaying.

Ye Guyi chose salmon rolls with small chicken drumsticks and a cup of pomelo tea. The salmon rolls were neatly sliced, the drumsticks lightly charred, and the tea's refreshing fragrance soothed the heart.

Lin Qing picked up a soup dumpling and gently bit a small opening into it. Broth flowed down his throat. Wheat grown along the edge of the Far North was famous throughout the continent; ground into flour, it produced smooth, springy dough with a lingering sweetness fragrant with wheat.

The filling was meat from a hundred-year-old earth dragon, firm yet tender and delicious. Every chew released another burst of sweetness, and warmth slipped from his mouth into his belly.

Across from him, Ye Guyi bit into a salmon roll, its fresh, salty ocean flavor rushing straight to her head. Soul Engineers personally escorted the salmon shipments for fear of missing their prime eating window. The little chickens had been lively as dragons and tigers yesterday; today, they were meals on students' plates.

"Want one?"

Pointing her chopsticks at a drumstick, the kindhearted Miss Angel offered to share her food.

"I don't eat drumsticks," Lin Qing said stiffly.

"Hm?"

Plenty of people disliked cilantro, and avoiding chili peppers was perfectly understandable. But this was the first time in her entire life Ye Guyi had seen someone reject a delicious chicken drumstick. For a moment, she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Lin Qing clearly had no intention of revealing the truth. He picked up a fried dough stick and viciously drowned it in his soy milk.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's teaching building.

In the Class 1, Year 5 classroom, all forty students had become melancholy princes and sensitive princesses, their hearts and minds filled with longing for the holiday that had hurried past.

As their Soul Engineer levels rose, crafting Soul Tools became increasingly difficult. Gaps in talent gradually emerged, and more and more students began falling behind.

By Year 5, the Sun Moon Academy had only five classes left, comprising two hundred Level 4 Soul Engineers of varying ages.

A lively girl with white hair and blue eyes lay sprawled over her desk, tracing circles with her slender, pale fingertips out of sheer boredom.

On the first day of school, she had physically reached the classroom. Family upbringing, lovers' cold wars, children's performance, estranged relatives, classmates' gossip, regrets over first loves, class divides, scandalous news, military strategy, imperial power plays, the evolution of life, the end of the universe...

Little Meng was available to chat about anything except studying.

She wasn't the only one in intimate contact with her desk. Lan Xiu also lay face-down, dark circles beneath his eyes making him resemble that rare creature, the giant panda. Yesterday's assessment fight had lasted only a few minutes, but he might need a lifetime to heal from it.

Everyone sank into gloom. Only Xiao Hongchen remained full of vigor and high spirits. After watching Lin Qing's battle, he had pondered for an entire night and finally reached an answer.

Xiao and Qing have yet to face off. The one invincible among his peers is still me!

Exclusive skill: humility and Xiao Hongchen could not coexist!

In the back-row retirement zone, a group of fifth-year students gazed at him with stars in their eyes. They were all veteran Xiao fans who had followed him from Year 1 to Year 5. His unfettered arrogance had always been their favorite thing about him, striking them straight in the heart!

"Brother, Grandpa said yesterday that Lin Qing and Ye Guyi would be transferring into our class. Why haven't they shown up yet?" Meng Hongchen turned to pester her brother in the seat behind her.

"All the better if they don't. Saves you from getting ideas," Xiao Hongchen scoffed.

"So what? Grandpa specifically encouraged me to make friends with Lin Qing."

Acting under imperial orders, Meng Hongchen was brimming with confidence.

"Meng, Lin Qing is younger than you." Xiao Hongchen earnestly tried to persuade his sister to turn back.

"But he's handsome!"

"Meng, Lin Qing comes from the Douluo Three Kingdoms."

"He's handsome!"

"Meng..."

"Handsome!"

"Enough! Your brother is handsome too!"

Xiao Hongchen's voice thundered!

"..."

Silence spoke louder than words. Meng Hongchen's red lips curled in a pout that nearly reached the sky.

No incest, thanks.

Xiao Hongchen covered his face in despair. It was over. His precious cabbage had sprouted wings and flown away!

As a rational, mature elder brother, watching his adorable sister fall into the whirlpool of love left him heartbroken, furious, jealous-aaaargh!

"Brother, whatever you do, don't butt heads with Lin Qing." Little Meng blinked her big, icy-blue eyes. "Grandpa told you that too. The Three-Legged Golden Toad's abilities are extremely compatible with the Machine Element.

"If you use Soul Cannons made by Lin Qing to go into bombardment mode, one plus one will definitely be greater than two. The power could even surpass our Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"We're not cut from the same cloth," Xiao Hongchen sneered. "So what if he has Ultimate Metal? The Three-Legged Golden Toad carries the bloodline of a divine beast. I'm the world's number-one genius, shining across the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Three Kingdoms!

"I'm putting it on record, and you're my witness. Even if I starve to death or get blasted into scraps by a Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell falling from the sky, I, Xiao Hongchen, will never use a single Soul Tool made by Lin Qing. If I break that vow, I'll stay single for life!"

"You're something else."

Meng Hongchen gave him two thumbs up. Betting his lifelong happiness on this? Her brother's terminal case of adolescent delusions was beyond saving.

Creeeak-

The classroom door opened, letting sunlight pour inside. Fine dust danced lightly in the beams. Every student looked toward the sound and saw two figures, silver-gray and brilliant gold, enter one after the other.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Lin Qing/Ye Guyi, a transfer student in Class 1, Year 5."

The two introduced themselves openly, drawing gazes like searchlight beams. The story of Tang Gang and Lan Xiu's crushing defeats at the hands of the new students had spread throughout the academy overnight, and their classmates were intensely curious about just who these two were.

In looks alone, the Green Garment Duo truly belonged in the highest tier. Meng Hongchen had finally seen the Lin Qing she couldn't stop thinking about. Her chest rose and fell beneath her white uniform as she raised her hand high and eagerly called out in a clear voice:

"Lin Qing, the seat beside me is empty!"

A second later, Xiao Hongchen clutched his heart with one hand, watching helplessly as Lin Qing and Ye Guyi took the convenient opening and sat in the two vacant seats beside his sister.

Although the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's classrooms had rows of individual seats rather than shared desks in the traditional sense, the mere sight of Meng Hongchen, Lin Qing, and Ye Guyi sitting in a row was enough to give Xiao Hongchen heart spasms!

With Little Meng on his left and the angel on his right, Lin Qing was flanked by exceptionally beautiful girls. He turned toward Meng Hongchen, whose lips refused to stop curving upward, and teased:

"It feels a little unreal. Our roles changed so quickly.

"This time, you're Classmate Meng, not Senior Meng."

"Right, right! Classmate Lin Qing, for the rest... let's get along from now on."

The radiance blooming in those silver-gray eyes was tinted a captivating gold. Meng Hongchen was instantly so dazzled by his looks that she nearly blurted out her dream.

Beside them, Ye Guyi wore an odd expression. She couldn't shake the impression that Lin Qing was selling a young man's intangible assets to live off women.

Ring, ring-

A middle-aged man entered the classroom with the bell. He was Zhou Qin, the homeroom teacher of Class 1, Year 5 and a Level 7 Soul Engineer.

Standing at the center of the platform, Zhou Qin surveyed his forty-two students, unsurprised by the two unfamiliar faces.

Last night, Lin Jiayi had announced an educational restructuring. His time with the Green Garment Duo-and even some of the talented students in Class 1, Year 5-would last only another three months.

"Class begins."

Zhou Qin's teaching style cut straight to the point. He offered little preamble, disliked moral lectures, and had no interest in nonsense like making students run a hundred laps around the field. Since everyone before him was a Level 4 Soul Engineer, he began directly with near-Level 5 soul engineering theory.

Lin Qing followed Zhou Qin's reasoning closely, nodding lightly from time to time. The moment an expert made a move, you knew whether he had the goods. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy kept no idle hands; advanced knowledge came readily to its teachers, sweeping away confusion and opening minds.

Grandma Lin's introductory lessons in soul engineering had long since ceased to meet Lin Qing's needs. He had explored most of his path through his own talent. Lin Jiayi had been right during the political screening: Lin Qing needed a proper, formal education to fill the gaps in his past learning.

Meanwhile, Ye Guyi propped her forehead on one hand, her eyes filled with the crystal-clear, endearingly vacant look of a husky.

Is this some heavenly scripture...?

My head's itching. It feels like knowledge is about to grow.

In combat strength, Ye Guyi could securely rank among the class's top five when she unleashed her Holy Angel Martial Soul at full power. But as for her Soul Engineer level...

Miss Angel had neither a Sun Moon education nor Lin Qing's innate Martial Soul talent and extraordinary comprehension. Among these Level 4 Soul Engineers, she was firmly at the bottom of the class. If she wanted to catch up, she would inevitably have to put in several times more effort than her classmates.

Swish, swish-

Numerous gazes locked firmly onto Lin Qing's back. Meng Hongchen plotted how to get closer to him and enjoy a sweet romance in the future, while Xiao Hongchen panted like an ox, blazing with the fighting spirit to bite that scoundrel to pieces in one mouthful.

Most of those stares actually came from Xiao's fans. After all, Xiao Hongchen was so handsome that he hardly looked like Hall Master Hongchen's biological grandson, and every year at the academy had its own group of diehard devotees.

Seeing this scene, Xiao's fans chose to join their beloved brother in targeting Lin Qing, each gritting their teeth with bloodshot eyes.

"Class dismissed."

The long lesson that had lasted all morning came to an end. Ye Guyi instantly felt as though she had received a royal pardon and flopped onto her desk with a thump. The poor, struggling soul engineering student was a truly pitiable sight.

"The first day's lessons have always lasted only half a day. You're free to do as you please this afternoon," Zhou Qin said evenly.

"Director Lin has issued a notice. In three months, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy will conduct an academy-wide assessment, selecting the geniuses among geniuses to form a special class..."