In the dormitory for self-funded students at Nuoding Academy, Lu Fei carefully examined every decoration in the room after Lu Yu left. They were exquisite objects unlike anything he had ever seen.
No matter how exquisite and beautiful they were, Lu Fei grew bored after looking at them for so long. He was now lying blankly on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Knock, knock, knock...
Someone knocked on the dormitory door. Lu Fei sat bolt upright and stared nervously at the entrance. His Adam's apple bobbed as he asked timidly,
"Who is it!?"
The person at the door did not answer. Another series of knocks rang out.
This time, Lu Fei did not respond. He shrank back warily, but the person outside seemed determined to keep knocking until Lu Fei opened the door. The knocks continued without pause, each one falling at a steady, unhurried interval.
Each knock seemed to land right on Lu Fei's heart.
The person outside seemed to have Lu Fei figured out and kept knocking for four or five minutes. In the end, Lu Fei could no longer bear the torment. He inched his way to the door, pressed his ear against the wood, and spoke cautiously.
"Who is it!?"
The person outside noticed how close his voice was this time and stopped knocking, but still did not answer Lu Fei's question.
Lu Fei gritted his teeth, gripped the handle with both hands, and slowly pressed it down while bracing his small, thin body firmly against the door.
If the person outside tried to rush in, Lu Fei could immediately use his body to push the door shut.
Lu Fei cautiously opened the door a crack. More than ten seconds passed without the person outside showing any sign of coming in. The person outside made no move, and neither did Lu Fei.
Almost a minute passed before Lu Fei faintly heard muffled giggling through the crack. He found it even stranger, having no idea what was going on outside.
"Ahem, Liu Long, stop teasing him! Let him open the door!"
"Yes, Boss Xiao!"
"Hurry up and open the door! Boss Xiao from the academy is here! If you don't open it now, watch out, or Boss Xiao will beat you up!" Liu Long's arrogant voice came from outside.
Boss Xiao? Who is he? I don't know him. Why has he come looking for me? Lu Fei was full of questions, unsure what this Boss Xiao wanted with him.
"Move. It's just opening a door, yet you're dawdling over it." As he spoke, Xiao Chenyu shoved Liu Long away from the entrance and pushed the dormitory door open himself.
The sudden move sent Lu Fei, who was still wondering who Boss Xiao was, staggering back and nearly knocked him over. He took three steps back before regaining his balance.
Seven or eight people stood at the entrance, led by Xiao Chenyu, the son of Nuoding City's lord, and his group of underlings.
Xiao Chenyu swaggered inside and glanced around the room before sizing Lu Fei up. At the sight of the meek and timid Lu Fei, the arrogance on Xiao Chenyu's face grew even more pronounced.
"You're the new self-funded student? Do you know the rules here?"
Xiao Chenyu plopped down on the bed and looked at Lu Fei with his chin raised.
Lu Fei only glanced at Xiao Chenyu and the others before lowering his head, not daring to look at them again. Hearing Xiao Chenyu's question, he shook his head slightly without speaking.
"Liu Long, tell him the rules!" Xiao Chenyu turned and jerked his chin at Liu Long beside him.
"Listen up. This is Boss Xiao, Xiao Chenyu, a sixth-year student at Nuoding Academy and our boss. He's a level-eleven, one-ring Battle Soul Master."
At the mention of a Soul Master, Lu Fei's eyes went wide. He had not expected to meet one on his very first day at the academy, and his eyes held both curiosity and deep fear.
"Hey, newcomer! I'm giving you a chance to become one of Boss Xiao's underlings!" Liu Long looked at Lu Fei with an air of haughty self-importance.
"No, no, no, I'm here to study, not to be an underling!" Lu Fei hurriedly waved his hands in refusal.
"Oh? What's this, then? You want to fight us?" Liu Long rubbed his hands together and took a step forward, looking eager to give it a try. If Lu Fei nodded, he would immediately rush over and give him a beating.
"No, I don't fight!" Lu Fei took two steps back, watching Liu Long warily as his shoulders twitched slightly.
"That's enough, Liu Long!" Seeing that it was about time, Xiao Chenyu raised a hand to stop Liu Long and turned his gaze back to Lu Fei.
"What's your name?"
"Lu Fei!" Lu Fei hesitated for a moment, then answered quietly.
"What's your Martial Soul? What level was your Innate Soul Power?" Xiao Chenyu nodded and continued asking questions.
"Fire Monkey Martial Soul, level-five Innate Soul Power!"
"How much!?"
The moment Lu Fei finished speaking, Xiao Chenyu sprang up from the bed and stared at him in shock.
"F-five!"
Startled by Xiao Chenyu's reaction, Lu Fei shrank his neck, took another step back, and repeated himself quietly.
Liu Long and the other underlings exchanged looks. As self-funded students, they were naturally all quick-witted. Level-five Innate Soul Power! As long as he cultivated diligently, he would be able to trample them underfoot in the future.
The looks of contempt vanished from everyone's faces. None of them dared meet Lu Fei's eyes anymore. They were even more nervous than he was now; one wrong move and they would make an enemy of a future powerhouse.
Xiao Chenyu paid no attention to the others' reactions. He walked a circuit around the dormitory, his mind racing with calculations.
With his level-five Innate Soul Power, this genius will definitely reach a higher level than my dad someday. He and I are still classmates now. This is my only chance to get close to him.
That's right. As long as I take good care of him now, after my dad dies, I'll still have a powerful backer in the future...
At that thought, Xiao Chenyu stopped in his tracks and turned to stare intently at Lu Yu, unable to hide the smile on his face.
"Hahaha~ Classmate Lu Fei, let me introduce myself. My name is Xiao Chenyu, and my dad is the lord of Nuoding City. From now on, if anyone in Nuoding City dares to bully you, just give them my name, Xiao Chenyu."
"N-no need, I'm here to study..."
Before Lu Fei could finish, Xiao Chenyu interrupted him.
"Ah, it's just studying. I'm a sixth-year student, so you can ask me about anything you don't understand. I'm also a Soul Master, so I can teach you cultivation too."
Xiao Chenyu spoke the first part with complete confidence, but he was somewhat less sure of himself when he got to teaching Lu Fei cultivation.
Xiao Chenyu was not as thick-skinned as a certain Gang. He could not bring himself to boast that someone with level-two Innate Soul Power could teach someone with level-five Innate Soul Power how to cultivate.
Since Xiao Chenyu was a Soul Master and the son of Nuoding City's lord, Lu Fei did not want to cause trouble for his older brother Lu Yu, so he nodded timidly.
"Hahaha~ Good!" Seeing Lu Fei nod, Xiao Chenyu patted him lightly on the shoulder, his smile growing even wider; then he turned to the other underlings.
"Listen up, all of you. From now on, when you see Lu Yu, treat him as you would me. He's your boss too!"
"Did you hear me!?"
The underlings exchanged looks, staring at one another with bewilderment in their eyes. They had clearly come to bully the new student, but instead they had gained a new boss.
Seeing no reaction from his underlings, Xiao Chenyu gave a quiet "hm." Only then did they snap out of their bewilderment, bow in unison, and shout,
"Boss Xiao! Greetings, Boss Lu!"