"It's fine. I'm off." Lu Chen slumped his shoulders and waved helplessly.
He had only counterattacked on instinct. Who could have imagined that, of all the rotten luck, the dean would catch him red-handed...
Forget it, forget it. That punishment probably suited that guy just fine. Who knew how much he was secretly laughing behind their backs.
He'd probably be assigned to Class Five...
Inside the intermediate division dean's office, the atmosphere was cold enough to freeze a person solid.
"So this whole mess of yours started over a bag?" Long Hengxu sat behind his desk, coldly sweeping his gaze over the five boys standing before him, his expression as grim as ice.
"Teacher, I don't think the bag was the root of the problem." Lu Chen suddenly stepped forward, his voice neither loud nor soft. "Clearly, some people let a little ability go to their heads. Doesn't that count as another form of bullying classmates?"
"Well..." Long Hengxu was momentarily at a loss for words. Lu Chen wasn't wrong. Those boys had started bullying someone without even finding out who they were dealing with. They were either stupid or rotten!
"Hmph, with that brat's attitude, he could have gotten into Class Three, but he's going straight down to Class Five!" Long Hengxu swept his hand and made his decision.
"Teacher, that doesn't sound quite right." Lu Chen rubbed his chin, unable to hold back. "Class Five isn't some gathering place for people of bad character. Their Martial Soul talent is just a little worse. They're not bad people."
"Ah..." Long Hengxu sighed helplessly. "An intermediate academy is still compulsory education, at the end of the day. Fine, then this boy will receive a major demerit, pending his future conduct."
At those words, Zhou Changxi's eyes instantly reddened as he stood in line. He glared viciously at Lu Chen, looking as though he wanted to swallow him alive and skin him whole.
Lu Chen merely shrugged, utterly unconcerned.
Never mind a single Zhou Changxi-even if a three-ring Soul Elder came along, he wouldn't necessarily be afraid.
Although he hadn't fought many proper battles, Lu Chen knew perfectly well that his strength was nowhere near as ordinary as it appeared.
If his abilities really amounted to nothing more than the level he had displayed, he would be far too much of a good-for-nothing.
"As for you." Long Hengxu turned his gaze toward Lu Chen, his tone so flat that neither anger nor pleasure could be discerned. "You stood on the sidelines watching, happy to see things escalate, and were certainly eager to fan the flames. With your Martial Soul, you were more than qualified for Class Three. Now, you'll report to Class Five as well."
Long Hengxu actually understood perfectly well. Lu Chen's talent wasn't top-tier, but his Martial Soul certainly showed promise.
It was probably because the Martial Soul itself was too difficult to cultivate that his Soul Power had progressed a little slowly.
He might as well hand the boy over to Wu Zhangkong. Perhaps he could uncover some of his potential.
"And you three, Yun Xiao, Chen Meng, Xie Xie." Long Hengxu lifted his chin toward the other three spectators. "The same goes for you. Class Five."
With that, he waved impatiently, signaling for the boys to get lost.
"Um, teacher, please wait. I'd like to request a different dorm room," Xie Xie said after glancing at Lu Chen.
If anyone in the group was the most innocent, it was definitely Xie Xie. He had just arrived and was about to greet Lu Chen when he ended up being brought along with them.
"Lu Chen, right? Just you damn well wait!" Zhou Changxi ground his teeth viciously, his face somewhat contorted.
Lu Chen walked straight past him without so much as a glance.
But to Zhou Changxi, that look was as contemptuous as if he were looking at an eyesore of an ant.
Watching Lu Chen walk away without looking back, Zhou Changxi stamped his feet in fury, his clenched fists creaking.
The classmate he had bullied snorted coldly, then turned and left.
"Lu Chen, we'll be dorm brothers from now on. Looking forward to getting along!" Xie Xie grinned and took the initiative to offer his hand.
Lu Chen smiled too, taking his hand and shaking it. "Likewise. Looking forward to it."
The two walked back to the dorm with their arms around each other's shoulders. Just as they reached the door, they spotted Tang Wulin and Wang Hu waiting there.
"Who's this?" Wang Hu asked curiously, looking at Xie Xie beside Lu Chen.
"Oh, his name's Xie Xie. He's the last member of our dorm," Lu Chen introduced him with a smile.
"Hello, hello!" Wang Hu hurriedly waved an enthusiastic greeting.
Once inside, the four bustled about putting away their respective luggage, then flopped onto their own beds, sprawling out without wanting to move.
They hadn't been lying there long when Tang Wulin suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, was everything all right when the dean called you two over?"
"Hey, what big deal could there be? He just assigned us both to Class Five." Lu Chen waved dismissively, his tone thoroughly relaxed.
"That doesn't count as a big deal?!" Wang Hu sprang upright on his bed, eyes wide and round with disbelief. "Class Five! That's the worst class in the entire grade! Dead last, no question!"
"So what if it's the worst?" Lu Chen raised his eyebrows, a confident smile curling his lips. "Just wait and see. Maybe when the class promotion tournament comes around, we'll overtake every other class!"
"Class promotion tournament?" Wang Hu scratched his head, looking bewildered.
Only then did Lu Chen realize that the news apparently hadn't been officially announced to the new students yet. He coughed awkwardly twice and laughed it off. "Ah, it's just a rumor I heard from someone else. I'm giving you guys a heads-up."
While their dorm was full of cheerful bustle, Zhou Changxi's side had descended into a complete mess.
They had only themselves to blame for being so rough and breaking so many things.
Unfortunately for them, the classmate whose belongings they had broken wasn't someone to be trifled with either, and had no intention of indulging them.
With a stern face, he directly demanded that Zhou Changxi and the others pay the full price for every damaged item, without a single cent missing.
As for compensation to the school, naturally, Zhou Changxi had to pay that too.
Back in Lu Chen's dorm, the boys had only sprawled on their beds for a short while when everything suddenly went quiet.
First, someone muttered, "I'm a little hungry." Then they exchanged glances and asked in unison, "Are you guys hungry?"
"Hungry!" Lu Chen's and Tang Wulin's voices overlapped, loud and clear.
"I'm starving to death! Come on, come on, let's hurry to the cafeteria!" Lu Chen was already on a lower bunk. The moment he finished speaking, he rolled up, shoved his shoes on, and charged out the door.
Not to be outdone, Tang Wulin got himself ready in a few quick movements and rushed out after him.
The remaining two, Xie Xie and Wang Hu, exchanged a glance and hurried after them.
The four howled as they made straight for the cafeteria, looking ready to charge into battle.
They were fast indeed!
At that moment, Lu Chen perfectly displayed one side of the Black King-ferociously famished...
Lu Chen charged into the cafeteria at the head of the pack, swept his eyes around, and made straight for the free category C meal counter.